Your Salsa Pub

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered

when wished on the morning star?

Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it;

look what it’s done so far.

What’s so amazing that keeps us stargazing

and what do we think we might see?

Someday we’ll find it, the Rainbow Connection;

The lovers, the dreamers, and me

~ The Rainbow Connection (sung by Kermit in the Muppets movie)

Yesterday I had a wonderful “moment” with my daughter. She has just advanced to the next level in her voice lessons. (This is the only lesson/club she is currently involved in, so it is the subject of much conversation.) She was complaining about the “old songs” she has to sing. She had hoped this next level would bring some “pop” music.

As a mom would do, I asked her, “How bad can it be?” She proceeded to get her music book. After beautifully belting out “On Top of Spaghetti,” “Hello Muddh, Hello Fadduh!,” “Castle on a Cloud,” and “Second Hand Rose,” she launched into “The Rainbow Connection.” I immediately started to clap and stomp my feet, looking more like 10 years of age than she does.

“Yes, mother?” She seemed surprised by my excitement.

“I love this song!” I said, quickly joining in. As we sung the chorus above, memories began drifting into today. Memories I might not have recalled if it wasn’t for this “old music” in my daughter’s voice lessons.

We hit the last part of the song, and it affected me just as it had twenty years ago, when I watched the Muppet movie for the hundredth time.

Have you been half asleep and have you heard voices?

I’ve heard them calling my name.

I’ve heard it too many times to ignore it

It’s something that I’m s’posed to do

I can’t recall what I thought a frog was trying to tell me at age 10, but I remember the words resonating. As we finished the song, Sammy said, “I love that ending, don’t you?” I smiled as we launched into another one of my favorites, “Puff the Magic Dragon…”

Re-reading those lyrics as an adult, I think I must have heard something similar to what to I hear today … a call to be something moreto challenge lifeto live outloud.

I learned the true value of “time” at a very young age. All of my grandparents had passed on before my birth or while I was a baby. My father would leave when I was eight-months-old. While I would see him “here and there” throughout the years, we would never develop a relationship before his death this past spring. I lost my one and only sibling 8 years ago. Perhaps nothing teaches us the bittersweet value of a momentexcept lost moments.

As each loss occurs, I embrace the now even moretruly acknowledging every second for the gift that it is. I strive to live in truth, honor, centeredness, passion, integrity, and love. And What’s so amazing that keeps me stargazing… what do I think I might see?

I don’t know. But someday I’ll find it… the lovers, the dreamers and me.

Your turn:

Every night this week, walk outside and wish upon a star. If the stars aren’t visible, wish on the moon. If you can’t see the moon, just throw a wish into the airremembering what goes up must come down.

The Change Your Life Challenge
http://www.changeyourlifechallenge.com
Take control of your home, finances, relationships, clutter, time-managmenet and more with this 70 Day Program. Sign up for the free Challenge Weekly Newsletter and the motivational daily Good Morning.

Going on a trip to France, Germany or any of the European nations on a limited budget requires comprehensive planning and research. The first step would be to find cheap air tickets, since airfares make a huge chunk of the total cost of an international trip. Quite a few air travel agencies offer cheap fares for students, or vacation packages for large groups. Another option is to travel during the off-season, when you can get cheaper flights and better value for your money in terms of accommodation. Furthermore, some frequent pleasure travelers swear by the method of waiting for underbooked flights to offer up vastly discounted seats at the very last minute. This method can be tricky, and it takes practice, but if you have the extra time and are on a budget, go for it. As for hotels, some discount hotels even offer slashed prices after November.

A discount trip might mean forgoing the luxurious spread at the pricey restaurant listed in the guidebooks, but you can still enjoy some great regional specials from cafes and smaller restaurants, thus absorbing the local culture. This is a great way to learn to blend in. If you are not carrying loads of cash around, or at least look “”normal”", you will have a higher chance of being mistaken for a native.

Budget travelers, students and vacation planners can find fantastic tips on the Internet to make that really affordable trip to Europe. There are websites that specially cater to students and the backpacking community, which a budget traveler can scour for invaluable tips, such as Studentuniverse.com and guideforeurope.com.

As all cat owners know, a feline can be a wonderful addition to any
family. One of the most basic aspects of cat ownership is proper health
care for the cat. Health care for a cat encompasses a wide array of
vaccine shots, flea protection, vet visits, medications, and even proper
exercise.

However, the most important aspect of cat health is also often
overlooked. People spend hundereds of hours and thousands of dollars over the
lifetime of a cat to keep it healthy, but most cat owners don’t pay
nearly enough attention to the proper cat food.

The right cat food is absolutely essential to a healthy, happy cat.

But what is the best cat food for your cat? While each cat will have
slightly different nutritional needs, there are some general rules that
must be considered when looking for cat food.

First of all, cats (like their human owners) need a high quality diet.
This means the best types of protein, fats, carbs, and the less
preservatives and chemical additives, the better. Most of the research
available online does not compare specific brands of cat food, as much as
specific ingredients to feed your cat, and which to stay away from!

Cats need a high protein diet. Wild cats are very carnivorous, and cats
derive a great deal of their nutritional needs from protein. House
cats, while not wild, still have many of the same nutritional needs as
their wild feline ancestors. So, the most important ingredient in any cat
food is protein.

Carbohydrates are also an important part of a cats diet, though not as
important as protein. Cats really should derive the majority of their
nutritional needs from protein, so cat foods that are high in
carbohydrates may not necessarily be the best for them.

Interestingly enough, many of the premium brands of cat food, such as
Eukanuba and Innova offer exactly what most cats need, and aren’t
necessarily more expensive in the long run. This is because high end cat
foods need a smaller serving amount than the low end cat foods to give a
cat all the nutrients they need to be satisfied and healthy.

When comparing a premium brand such as Eukanuba, to a lower cost brand
such as Purina, the cost difference for the recommended serving size is
only a nickel a day. Furthermore, because a cat will eat less of the
high end cat food, their waste will be reduced. This can cut down on the
frequency of litter replacement and litter box related chores.

Another aspect of cat food to be considered is the quality of the
protein in the food. Because of the way many pet food companies describe the
meat in the food, it can be difficult to figure out exactly what the
difference between “chicken flavored”, and “chicken dinner” is.

Food that contains “chicken meal” can only be made from the skin,
flesh, and bones only. This is really the best type of protein for a cat.
Food that has “meat byproducts” can contain nearly any animal parts, and
are of lower quality than “chicken meal”. Food that is “chicken
flavored” only has to taste like chicken, but may not contain any animal meat
at all. Also, chicken is generally better than beef for cats.

And it goes without saying, preservatives, as well as artificial
colors, should be avoided whenever possible. Although specific research is
lacking on this subject, we do know that preservatives and artificial
colors can have a negative impact on human health. It is only logical that
cats will also be negatively affected by artificial colors and
preservatives in their cat food.

Greg Podsakoff is an avid cat owner, having recently adopted Hercules the cat, and is dedicated to finding the best ways to care for any cat. Find out more about proper cat care at: http://www.cat-care-cat-information.com

If you are in the process of design a wedding web site, you want to put some serious thought into the design of your site before actually building it. The reason you need a plan is so that you know where you are going and how to get there, the plan is a roadmap of sort for the success of your wedding web site. There are a variety of things you need to keep in mind when designing a wedding web site your friends, family, and visitors will rave about, so consider the following suggestions before you get going.

Tip #1 - Plan

You should first make a plan for your wedding website and address your different goals and what kind of audience you are trying to reach. Will this be a typical wedding site, one designed for outdoor weddings only, different faith marriages, will you include rings, dresses, invitations, and other information? Will you simply write stories about weddings? You must come up with a cumulative plan, one you can certainly modify as you go along. The more detailed and in depth your plan, the better. You need to have a vision of your site before you start building and designing it and a plan is the starting point.

Tip #2 - Evaluate

You should do some serious research on the Internet and check out as many wedding sites as possible. Make a checklist to go over while you are viewing each website that includes things like organization, colors, topics and themes, not to mention ease of navigation, URL formatting, speed, links, and other interesting information. By reviewing what works and what doesn’t work on other wedding websites, you will be able to avoid a lot of mistakes and mishaps of your own. Surfing the web is fast and easy and the perfect way to get some great design ideas as well as design inspiration. This part of your research will prove very successful for you.

Tip #3 - Focus

Your wedding website should have a clear focus starting with the very first page. Of course, you can focus on any specific part of a wedding, every aspect, a mixture of aspects, or anything you want. Make sure your focus is clearly stated on the first page so visitors know what is available on your site, where to go, and what to expect. You don’t want to make visitors have to guess or try and figure out what your site is about. Make it easy for your visitors and tell them. When people know what to expect, they are more likely to stay on your site instead of clicking away.

By following these suggestions you will be able to design an amazing wedding site that not only your friends and family rave about, but that web surfers love as well.

Michael Turner reveals his foolproof way to increase website traffic in his free 7 part mini-series. Grab it free right now at http://www.powertraffictactics.com/

Ultimately the success of any business depends upon having a
consistent flow of new prospective clients. Unfortunately, far too many
individuals rely solely upon their existing clients and referrals as their
primary methods for getting new clients. While this may prove to be a
successful strategy short term, it invariably leads to the “feast and
famine” roller coaster that so many firms and individuals experience.

On a fundamental level, marketing for new clients is pretty
straightforward. We have found successful marketing campaigns
focuses on:

1) Targeting a hyper-responsive group of prospective clients.

2) Identifying the issues that are of most importance to this group.

3) Motivating them to self-nominate themselves as being interested in
learning more about your services.

4) Moving them along a sequence of steps that encourages them to take
action.

If you focus on these four steps, it is relatively easy to create a marketing
system that will consistently brings you a steady stream of new clients-
all of whom have pre-qualified themselves as being interested in
learning more about your services.

Let’s look at each of these steps in more detail.

Step 1: Determining Who you are going to target.

Too often this is given only a cursory consideration. Since we all operate
on limited marketing budgets and only have time to follow up with those
most likely to actually engage our services, identifying the most hyper-
responsive sub-groups within a targeted market is very important.

We define Hyper-Responsives as the sub-group that is most interested
in obtaining a competitive edge. Thus, they are most likely to hire
outside advisors to achieve that objective. In order to identify this group
we look for specific traits and behaviors which enables us to segment
this group from the larger target market.

One trick is to look for those that read the relevant trade publications and
are members of the professional associations. These data-points
usually indicate that the individual is interested in staying current and
maintaining their competitive edge. Thus they are likely to be the most
interested in at least learning more about your services.

Step 2: Create a Free Information Report.

Remember that the goal of any lead generation tool is get prospective
clients to “raise their hands” about being interested in your services. The
“hook” to achieve this is the free special report.

The goal of the free report is two-fold. First it must contain enough
practical information so that the reader feels that they have learned
something that they didn’t know before. This is crucial for developing
credibility. The second objective is to entice the reader to become
hungry for more information. This balance of providing enough (but not
too much) information is crucial for moving the relationship process to
the next steps.

We recommend that your free report be between 4-12 pages in length
and be available from your website.

Step 3: Crafting the One-Page Lead Generation Letter.

Among all the lead generation methods we track, the one page letter
has the highest metrics in the B2B market place. We recommend that
you write your lead generating letters after you have created the free
special report. Remember the objective of the letter is to position oneself
as an industry or functional expert with an interesting perspective on an
issue the prospective client may be facing.

We cannot emphasize strongly enough that it is a mistake to simply
include your report along with your initial letter. The letter’s sole purpose
is to intrigue the prospective client enough so that they want to request
the information.

Successful markting campaigns emphasize consistency and repetition.
Thus we recommend that you develop a series of three letters which will
be sent in sequence-each focusing on compelling reasons to request
the free report.

Step 4: Sending the free information report and collecting data about
prospective clients.

As mentioned earlier, the offer of the free report in your letter should
direct prospective clients to your website.

As a “Big thumb” goal you should try to get 75% of these visitors to
follow through and fill out the information form to get the report. Although
it would seem natural that people going to your site would follow
through and request the free report, this is unfortunately not the case.

Care must be taken to ensure that the landing-page you are directing
readers to, re-emphasize the benefits that will be obtained by requesting
the free report. Don’t assume that just because visitors are at your site
they will automatically do what we want them to.

Precisely what information to request becomes a crucial issue at this
point. While you want more that just name & email, requesting too much
information will suppress response.

Successful marketing campaigns on the premise that through consistent
and regular contact we can move prospects through a carefully
orchestrated series of steps which results in an identifiable percentage
of them purchasing our services.

The key is to automate as much of it as possible.

We suggest that the initial auto-responder be sent out three hours after
the report is requested. It should serve to simply thank the recipient for
requesting the information and to introduce yourself.

The next series of messages should move the conversion process
through a carefully designed series of steps in which you both build
credibility for yourself and move the prospect to take action. As with the
other steps in the process the ability to communicate content in a
compelling manner is crucial for success.

One of the main challenges of any marketing effort is the follow-up
stage. When we look at marketing campaigns that have achieved
outstanding success and compare them to those that have performed
below expectation, the difference is almost always in how effectively the
stay in touch process was implemented.

Mark Satterfield is the creator of the Gentle Rain Marketing System: How
to Generate a Consistent Flow of New Clients. Quickly & Easily. With No
Cold Calling. Find out more: http://www.gentlerainmarketing.com

Google Labs is currently testing Google Print, which returns results from within scanned printed books along with Google’s standard web search results. The searcher doesn’t have to do anything special - the printed work results are already included in the Google database. Searchers have the option of narrowing their search by including, for example, the word “book” in their search terms. For example, a search on “home repair” might return a variety of web sites, online merchants, etc., while changing the search to “home repair book” will help filter the results to include more material scanned directly from books.

Publishers don’t want their entire books read online of course, so Google limits the number of pages a single user may read at any one time. A user can see the page where their search was found, plus they can go two pages forward and two pages backward from their original result page. Google provides links to merchants where the book can be purchased. Google earns no revenue from book purchases, but they do display their contextual advertising within the Google Print results, and they share this with participating publishers.

Once you’ve found your search terms in a book, you can then enter additional search terms that will be limited to the book itself, rather than the entire web. Google’s selection includes both fiction and non-fiction, technical reference and professional books, textbooks, and more.

Since Google Print is currently in testing, a searcher won’t necessarily find results from every book they expect to see. As the program grows, Google has indicated they will continue to add books to their searchable database. Publishers who want to participate can do so for free.

About The Author

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.sitetube.com. Visit his website for the latest on planning, building, promoting and maintaining websites.

This may seem like a silly question but it is deeper than it appears. Why do you want to get rich?

To have more money,obviously. Right. But what does that mean? Why is being rich so important to everyone you talk to? There is no universal answer for that. We all have our different reasons.

In order to attract those riches into your life you have to have a clear picture of the benefits of your desire. Vague thoughts like: “I want to be a Millionaire,” will not be enough to set the wheels of prosperity into motion.

You have to ask yourself “What would being rich do for me?”

For me I see being rich as a way to:

*travel more
*spend more time on my hobbies and creative interests
*set my own working hours and working conditions
*spend more time with my friends and family
*eliminate debts
*secure a generous retirement income
*pamper my parents for all their love,support and patience
*go First Class if I feel the need
*contribute more to charities and help those in need

I could go on with a much longer list but I think I have made my point. These things help add substance to my desire, but there is one more step.

If I had these conditions in my life right now, how would that make me feel?

*It makes me feel free.

*I am excited in knowing I can pursue all the opportunities that come my way to grow, learn and share

*I am free to express my zest for life.

*I am free to develop a life that gives back to the world that has given me so much.

The desire for freedom is what motivates me to develop a successful business. I see the cultivation of prosperity as a way to attain that freedom. This is very powerful knowledge for me. I am aware that having wealth will not be without it’s challenges and I don’t expect all my problems to disappear. Nevertheless…

Why do I want to be rich?

Freedom.

- David Parton

Helping others and myself Improve their income and boost
their health and energy levels with Tahitian Noni Juice.

http://the_noni_blog.typepad.com/noni/

If the group Move America Forward has its way, come June 25th, you will not be able to see Michael Moore’s new film, Fahrenheit 9/11.

Why? Well, the main reason seems to be…we do not like what Michael Moore has to say about America. And, being freedom-loving Americans, we want to pressure movie theater chains not to screen the film.

Another question that comes to mind is, what the hell is Move America Forward? I know, I hadn’t heard of them, either, until recently. As I looked over their web site, the first thought that popped into my mind was: right-wing fascist nut cases. But that’s not fair. I’m not a psychologist or psychiatrist, so I’m not qualified to make judgments on the mental health of Move America Forward’s board of directors and staff.

Apparently, Move America Forward was created by the public relations firm Russo, Marsh and Rogers a month ago. The group’s web site says they are non-partisan, but a look through the names of the board of directors shows a group lacking anyone who is a Democrat or liberal. Among the members of the board are: Chairman Howard Kaloogian, Republican and former member of the California assembly; Conservative radio talk-show host Melanie Morgan, vice-chairman; and Executive Director Siobhan Guiney, described as “a legislative advocate fighting for the people against liberal corruption.” That sounds non-partisan.

I’m guessing Move America Forward’s definition of non-partisan is something along the lines of “all of us here are conservatives.”

Melanie Morgan appeared on the June 16 “Crossfire” to argue her group’s case against Michael Moore’s film. Which, by the way, she has not seen. There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned boycott based on not knowing anything about the source material.

Questioned by “Crossfire” co-host James Carville on not seeing the film, Morgan explained, “…I haven’t seen the film yet. And the reason I haven’t seen it yet is because the majority of America has not seen the movie, and the reason why the majority of America hasn’t seen the movie is because it’s only been screened for a handful of Hollywood liberals and elite media. But I have been able to discern from the footage and from the information that is available by transcript on the Internet what the true intentions of Michael Moore are.”

In addition to being conservative,
Morgan is also, apparently, psychic.

Move America Forward is employing an e-mail campaign to get people to contact the executives at movie chains and urge them not to show the movie. How come conservative groups are so quick to silence voices that speak out against the government? Shouldn’t the free market decide the success or failure of Moore’s film? Frankly, I do not need “non-partisan” conservatives deciding for me whether or not to see the film.

And what’s the compelling reason for the movie theaters not to show the movie? Melanie Morgan explained to James Carville: “What we are doing is trying to make sure that there is an alternative voice to Michael Moore. He has received millions of dollars and free publicity over the last free weeks about this movie, on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, you name it, he’s been everywhere…But not one single ordinary American has been able to stand up and say, ‘Hey, we don’t appreciate that crap that is being aimed at our troops because we support our troops, we love our troops, they’re friends, families, brothers and sisters, and we’re going to be there for them.’”

A pretty amazing analysis based on nothing, since Morgan has not seen the film, but has read articles in newspapers to really zero in on Michael Moore’s “true” intentions.

Also, does a movie really need an “alternative voice”? Isn’t that voice going to be provided by conservative talk radio, in conservative newspapers, and on conservative web sites, like World Net Daily or Free Republic? Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity combined have millions of listeners. Surely they will offer up that all-important alternative Morgan is complaining about. Also, why wouldn’t “ordinary” Americans be able to say they don’t like a movie they haven’t seen, or will see? You know they’re going to show up at the movie theaters with their signs and their rage at the “Bash America” filmmaker, Michael Moore, getting in the way of movie theater patrons who will use the power of their own brains to decide if Moore’s message is valid.

And Mike, well, I’ll bet he’s having a good chuckle over all of this attention, especially since Move America Forward’s efforts will result in increased ticket sales. There’s nothing like a good, pointless boycott of a film you’ve never seen that will result in more people seeing the movie than if there had been no boycott.

I know I’ll be there, joining up with my fellow “Blame America First” liberals, while Michael Moore laughs all the way to the bank. Well, Move America Forward, there’s always lots of books to boycott at the local public library, if the Michael Moore boycott doesn’t work out.

About the author: Scott C. Smith is a writer from Beaverton, Oregon. His column has appeared weekly at the Democratic Underground and other progressive web sites. In addition to his column, Scott writes for his web site, What’s In Scott’s Head, at www.scottcsmith.net. Scott is a proud member of the Blame America First crowd.

About the Author

Scott C. Smith is a writer from Beaverton, Oregon. His columns have appeared weekly at the Democratic Underground and other progressive web sites. In addition to his column, Scott writes for his web site, What’s In Scott’s Head, at www.scottcsmith.net. Scott is a proud member of the Blame America First crowd.

A civil union between two people whether religious or otherwise is commonly called a wedding; many changes to the service have occurred in recent years. Whilst the ceremony may occur in a church or other religious place the marriage is not recognized until the legal duties are performed; it is not recognized as complete until the marriage license is signed. The names bridegroom and bride extend around the world; they are then referred to by the title husband and wife, once they are married.

Church Ceremonies

Other wedding traditions vary according to the religion, race, ethnic group and even class the couple may belong too. Performed by a Christian priest or vicar, the Church ceremony continues to be top of the list as a venue. Primarily in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States and the British Commonwealth, these ceremonies are known as white weddings.

Multiple Ceremonies

A different type occasion often difficult to arrange is where two couples are married simultaneously; typically, a person with a brother or sister might plan this type of occasion with that sibling.

Destination Wedding Ceremonies

These days it is easy for couples to arrange a wedding in another country and have the guests travel to them with the honeymoon continuing afterwards; destination weddings automatically conjure up exotic countries but it could just as easily be a themed wedding in Las Vegas to qualify for that title.

Activity Weddings

Some couples decide to have their wedding over the course of a weekend and this can ensure the occasion is less stressful for all concerned. Other occasions come under the term of either themed or special activity which usually takes place over a weekend period. This is quite a good idea especially if the bride and groom have similar interests as both they and their guests can stay at the same location.

Weddings Online

Internet weddings seem to be something that has come about recently and a number of people are now using this method to seal their vows; there are even guides for information on how to go about an internet ceremony with information on people that can carry it out for you. Marriages that are broadcast live online are also referred to as online weddings.

City Hall Weddings Elected and appointed officials can carry out a marriage ceremony which is usually called a civil wedding. Although it may sound clinical, civil ceremonies usually make no reference to God. Many civil ceremonies take place in local town or city halls or courthouses in judge’s chambers.

With a little bit of luck, your understanding of weddings and marriage may be a little greater after reading this.

Want to know how to increase the chances of getting your credit card application approved?

If you’re new to the business of applying for credit cards then you certainly have good reason to worry because applying for a credit card and getting approved is sometimes more difficult than having your tooth extracted! But don’t be scared - there’s always a way out of a problem and we certainly aim to provide you with a solution if you’re experiencing difficulties or worries about your credit card application.
And because we really understand why it’s important for you to apply for a credit card and get approved, we wrote this article to ensure that your credit card application would have the best success rate possible and that you’d expend the least amount of time and effort!

Matching the Credit Card with Your Wants and Needs

The main reason why many credit card owners find themselves facing disconnected credit cards is simply because they didn’t spend enough time thinking about what type of credit card they should apply for. All they really cared about was to own a credit card and getting approved. That was that. They didn’t think anymore about the consequences of their actions - a bad oversight on their part, believe you me.

If you don’t want the same thing to happen to yourself, do make sure that you match your wants and needs with the credit card you’re applying for. Simply put, if you don’t have money to cover potentially high interest rates then you may not be suited to own a reward credit card.

Knowing the Factors That Could Affect Your Credit Card Application

There are a lot of factors that could affect your credit card application but all of these factors can be found on your credit report. Your credit report, therefore, is the key to getting your credit card application approved. Beat them to the punch then by requesting for your own copy of your credit report and know what factors could be used against you.

It’s imperative that you know your credit rating first before passing your credit card application. That way, you’ll able to rectify matters that need to be rectified and improve your credit rating.

Factors that could affect your credit card application would be your payment history (how good you are at paying on time), the number of credit cards you own and how many times you’ve applied, got rejected or approved, the balance you’ve used in all of your credit cards and the number of mortgages or loans under your name.

All of those factors mentioned above can easily affect your credit card application so if you do possess a low credit rating, don’t hesitate to approach a credit repair company to salvage what’s left of your credit reputation!

You may freely reprint this article provided the following author’s biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.