Better Living Through Hypnosis
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Hypnosis is a trance-like state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination. While the person hypnotized may seem to be asleep, they are actually hyperattentive. It is most often compared to daydreaming, or the feeling of “losing yourself” in a book or movie. You are fully conscious, but you tune out most of the world around you to focus exclusively on just one thing. Have you ever been making a familiar drive, like coming home from work for example, and then suddenly realize you had “zoned out” for the last 15 minutes? If this has happened to you then you have probably experienced a form of self-hypnosis. Our thinking is carried out by the conscious and the sub-conscious mind. Both are important and work hand-in-hand. For instance, as you read this page the information you are reading and actively processing is carried out by the conscious mind, the sub-conscious is doing things like blinking your eyes if they start to dry.
Popular theory is that hypnosis allows us to bypass our conscious mind by deep relaxation and focusing, and interact directly with our sub-conscious. Our conscious mind is still working, we’re still fully aware, it’s just allowing the sub-conscious to take the center-stage. Since the sub-conscious is where memories are stored and physical and emotional sensations are interpreted, by direct interaction you or a clinical hypnotherapist can effect change on behavior. A therapist might counsel an agoraphobic (afraid of the outdoors) for example and find that they had been bitten by a dog once at a park when they were younger. The patients juvenile mind made the association between pain with being outside, perhaps on the first warm day of spring. A therapist counseling a long-term smoker wishing to quit may work with them to alter their perceptions of the nicotine cravings.
Entertainment hypnotist, the ones you see at comedy clubs, pretty much do the same thing. Obviously they’re not going to muck about in your memories, but they might suggest you alter your perception a bit. What they suggest is that you’re the star of the show, without your conscious mind telling you otherwise, your sub-conscious plays along.
In order for someone to be hypnotized they must: 1. Agree to be hypnotized 2. Believe they can be hypnotized 3. Be relaxed. If someone does not meet these criteria no amount of coaxing will get them to succumb. The hypnotist will often test the persons susceptibility first by using minimal relaxation techniques and suggestions. This usually is in the line of “close your eyes, hold out your arms. Imagine your left hand is holding a heavy dictionary, while your right hand is holding onto some helium filled balloons.” The persons whose left arms drop while raising their right arms are therefore more likely to fully imagine what the hypnotist suggests.
To initiate a hypnotic trance, hypnotist will use a variety of methods, including:
1. Fixed Eye Induction Method or fixed gaze induction. The hypnotist will have you focus on an object, candle flame, spot on a wall, etc and focus on this thing to the exclusion of all other thought. This method is also popular with self-hypnosis
2. Rapid Command Method. This method is popular with the stage hypnotist, as it is a quick way to find out if someone is highly susceptible. They issue a series of rapid commands in an authoritative voice. The highly susceptible, whose conscious mind can’t keep up with the commands, will relinquish control.
3. Progressive Relaxation Method and / or Imagery Method. This method is popular with hypnosis cd’s and tapes. It relies on the person closing their eyes and letting a soothing voice describe a relaxing scenario for the person to try to envision.
4. Repetitive Rocking Method or Loss of Balance Method. This method is most often employed by mothers, rocking their babies to sleep, but chances are you’ve experienced this since then if you’ve ever ridden on a jostling train or an open boat.
Better Living Through Hypnosis. You can be hypnotized to improve various aspects of your life such as to lose weight or diet, quit smoking, be more assertive, and have more confidence. With discipline you can improve virtually any aspect of your life and character.
Ed
http://www.articlesbase.com/meditation-articles/better-living-through-hypnosis-94699.html
On the Resolution of Screens the Liquid Web Design and Static Web Design
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I have met frequently in the position of having to choose between adequately covers all possible resolutions and losing accuracy, or fit a couple or three of them being able to design exactly as you imagine it or drawing on paper. I think many other designers novice like me will have been seen in such circumstances, and although it is not easy to develop a universal rule, at least pretend to explain the advantages and disadvantages here that I see over and over how to design.
At present, the computer is an essential part of our life, enables us to obtain results that hardly get in another way. And to be so important, computing is evolving at a rapid speed in most cases we can not fit. NEVER be able to have the latest system software, the latest software, there will always be some piece of our team that this outdated, even for a few days or few months. It is clear that the main reason is our pocket, but we must also think that not everyone has the time and / or the knowledge needed to keep up.
Why do I say this? It’s simple, I intend to say that based on these circumstances, not everyone has the same monitor, in the same browser or the same programs, and this hinders the form of design. In this article I will focus on some of the biggest problems of the current web design: Unlike the resolutions. As we do not know how many pixels will have wide web, we do not know who put the size of our design. This issue divides how to design in two: the design liquid, which is suited to all possible resolutions, or the static design, which can only bring two or three.
Liquid web design
The idea of the design is based on liquid that measures of the components of the web are related, that is, having sizes percentage. If you put a table width as 100%, that table will have a width of 800 pixels resolution if the computer is 800×600, or 1024 pixels of resolution if the computer is 1024×768 pixels, and thus with all resolutions. Similarly, if we put a 50% size, the slab measured half the width of the resolution.
It would seem that this form of design is the panacea for all our problems, but obviously not the case. And this is not the case for many reasons: think of an image, the size has to be absolute, therefore we can not make that image occupies the entire width of the screen; what if that image is the “top”, which is logo, which also has static measures, and where there is a Pad of a certain width? There are tricks to solve certain parts of the problem, I will discuss later, but I think the idea of the design liquid and its main problem have been made clear.
Static web design
The idea of static design is based on the components of the Web have absolute measurements. That is, we’ll give you a width in pixels to anything, whether table, image, form field … In this way, and taking into account that most of the designers distribute the elements of your web pages using tables or CSS divisions, we have a system that allows us to be precise, will always know where each element, because the resolution will not make change its position.
But of course, not everything was going to be good, if you stop to think a little, it is clear that with this system we chose the width in pixels on our page, and of course, if you make a webpage of 800 pixels wide and someone has a resolution smaller, you have to use the odious horizontal scroll bar, and if your resolution is bigger, you see a small page. Usually the people who design this way, make their web pages with a size between 740 and 755 pixels wide, to understand, adapt to the resolution of 800×600 and thus the page looks good in resolutions of 800×600 and 1024×768, which are the most used according to the statistics.
One possible solution, web design mixed
One possible solution to alleviate the problems of earlier forms; the design is mixed, but still is far from a panacea. Is to mix the two forms of design, to achieve an outcome that is compatible with all resolutions and has a minimum of accuracy. Imagine that we want to make a kind web portal, so typical, two menus, one on each side and the content in the middle: Well, we can take action is likely to menus, and on the center, for example, we can put 100 pixels wide Each menu, and the downtown area 100%. That way each menu would be 100 pixels wide and the central area would take the rest of the screen size. For example in a resolution of 800×600 pixels each menu would have 100 and the central area would have 600, and in 1024 the menus would have 100 pixels and the central area would have 824 (measures of the central area are well placed to simplify the way, but we should always Remove the width of the vertical scroll bar, and one more thing that takes the browser).
But this system remains a problem, we still do not know the exact size of the central area, because it varies with each resolution, and therefore we still lack precision.
The big decision seen from different points of view
The first method is almost impossible to do, because unless you have only text, it is practically impossible to provide measures for everything. So compare the system is mixed with static system. Those who defend the mixed system, saying that they do have to respect all users by giving them facilities to view the contents of your site the same way that the whole world, it’s about giving equal opportunity to all. Whoever defends the method is based on the statistics, saying it prefers to give the best of himself to an 80% or more people (anything anyone can view a site, but have to use the horizontal scroll bar), which give a worse result at 100% of people. If we neither look coldly nor are like Web pages with different browsers or with different plug-ins. âItâs essentially seek a balance between accessibility and design. It also has much to do the kind of site you are going to design, because you will not in the same way for a web of technology that for a comedy. And as always the best you can do is to design according to your own experience and seeing many, many websites, to learn different methods, different designs and different ways of reaching the public… by Web design India
Visuals India
http://www.articlesbase.com/web-design-articles/on-the-resolution-of-screens-the-liquid-web-design-and-static-web-design-673823.html
Lighthearted Happiness
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Are you yearning for a greater sense of happiness in your life but feel weighed down by problems? If so, try adopting an attitude of lightheartedness and watch how quickly it can inject an element of fun and whimsy into your life.
Here are three simple ways to do it:
1) Play.
Most of us tend to take life so seriously. Sure, life can definitely be serious at times, and there are certainly things that we should take seriously - but we also donât need to be so serious ALL the time! Instead, try your best to have more fun as often as you can. Either spend time doing things you enjoy, or simply make your regular activities more fun. Not sure that your regular activities can be fun? Nearly any task or chore can be lightened up a bit - even mundane chores around the house. Take, for example, house work or yard work. Who says you have to grudgingly perform those tasks? Why not put on some funky music and dance around while you do them? Why not listen to a stand-up comedy routine on CD and laugh while you do them? All it takes is a shift in perspective to make something fun and lighthearted.
2) Get inspired.
If youâre used to directing most of your focus toward lack or negativity, it can be helpful to start lifting your perspective to a higher place. One way to do that is to purposely concentrate on things that inspire you. You can read uplifting books or watch inspirational movies; or even buy a book of motivational quotes and read a few each day. You can also choose to be inspired by the things you see in your daily travels. For example, rather than rushing distractedly to and from appointments, take a few minutes to pause and gaze around. Notice how the sunshine plays on the trees and flowers, making them glow with beauty. Rather than getting annoyed at your children when they play with their dinner, marvel at their creativity and sense of humor. Take a walk during your lunch hour and breathe deeply of the fresh air, smile at strangers and make an effort to remember what a miracle life is. No matter how you do it, let your heart and mind soar to a place of joy and inspiration, and youâll automatically feel more lighthearted, and happy!
3) Unload your worries.
Itâs difficult to feel lighthearted and happy when youâre besieged by stress and worry. Rather than carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders (or in your heart), write your problems and worries on a sheet of paper and place it in a box or drawer. Affirm that for the next few hours, youâre not going to think about those things. Then shift your attention to things that make you feel better, like spending time with loved ones or engaging in favorite hobbies. When worrisome thoughts pop back into your mind, firmly set them aside again and remind yourself that youâre not going to focus on them right now. It may sound overly simple but it really works! With enough practice you eventually reach a point of knowing that worrying and obsessing isnât helping matters, so you decide not to do it for awhile - and you instantly feel more lighthearted and happy.
When it comes right down to it, feeling happy is a choice you make from moment to moment. Happiness wonât make all of your challenges vanish, but choosing to focus more on the lighter side of life can definitely make you feel better â and who knows, it might even give you the mental and emotional distance you need to come up with creative solutions that you would have missed if youâd been too busy worrying!
iain legg
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/lighthearted-happiness-357847.html
Guide to Lubeck, Germany
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single points
Lubeck is a charming Hanseatic city, surphaseed by a channel and a waterway. It has amply of parks grass and open seats. The best known character of the city is the Holtesten gate, built in 1477.
Unfortuntately the gate was enclosed in scaffolding during my holiday in June 2005, so I didn’t get any photos! The urban lobby (Rathaus) was first constructed in 1230, it is regarded as one of the oldest and most magnificent houses in Germany. The undivided of the old urban is now a UNESCO world heritage locate. The old urban is wholly compact and can simply be enclosed by bottom.
Lubeck is known as the home of marizpan. The narrative goes that during a cordon the city ran out of flour and they gphase down nuts as a substitute! You can holiday the neaby Baltic coastal remedy of Travemunde, nicknamed Lubeck’s “lovely daughter”, hike along the prom, take a dip in the sea, holiday a fish restaurant. It is simple to access Lubeck with Ryanair flights to Blankensee airseaport from Prestwick, Standsted, Shannon, Milan, Pisa and Skavsta.
Hinarrative
Lubeck was the cornerstone of the Hanseatic League, a trading alliance between cities in Northern Europe, to keep trade. The League endured for three centries. Lubeck was the most imseaportant urban in the Baltc washbasin by the end of the interior Ages.
However by the tardy 16th century the League began to disintergrate. The city is nickmaned the “City of Seven Spires”. The cathedral is whispered to be the oldest house in Lubeck, it was founded in 1137.
It was rudely damged in air raids during the trice World War, and was not entirely renovated awaiting 1982. The bells which chop during the raid have been left unhurt as a reminder of the destruction of war. The saline warehouses, now retail room, were crucial to the city’s ecomony.
brackish was known as “ashen gold” as it the only means of preserving food. Lubeck was still a “liberated city” when it refused to tolerate Hitler to lecture there during his selection push. Hitler revoked this privilege once he came to vigor.
What to see and do
The old urban is very nice just for wandering aphase. Every so habitually you will transpire winning one of alleyways off a boulevard with terraces of sweet cottages. These were originally built behind the merchants urban houses as accommodation for the people.
Most of them have now been refurbished and converted into houses for the elderly. You are embrace to go into the alleys during the day to look aphase, as long as you are respectful of the residents.
There are tons of green seats to hike aphase.
I especially liked the Muhlenteich, a relaxed part of water with great aspect over to the cathedral. There are paths phase almost all the peripherary of the old urban.
The old urban is surphaseed by the Elbe-Lubeck channel and the Trave waterway.
You can take vessel falters phase the seaport from the jetties at Obertrave, block cape and the Untertrave. You can also take a falter on the Wakenitz from Muhlerbrucke to Rothebhausen.
Thomas Mann, the German origin, was intuitive and tired the early part of his life in Lubeck.
One of his best known books, “The Buddenbrooks”, helped him to win a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929. It is the narrative of the demise of a bourgeois family over some generations. It was Mann’s first book available when he was 25.
The so called “Buddenbrooks House” was the home of Mann’s grandparents but it was seaportrayed as the home of the Buddenbrooks in the book. Some of the rooms in the house have been decked as described in the book.
Lubeck hosts numerous souks during the year.
The Christmas souk is detained in Koberg parade from 21 November to 23 December. The Anno Dazumal advertise is detained in the urban lobby place during May. Stall holders dress in traditional custom and you can sentry them practising traditional crafts.
It is like a journey back through time.
For marzipan lovers, a holiday to the Cafe Neideregger is a must. Neideregger have been making marzipan while 1806 with a private recipe, with as little darling as doable added, to field the almond smell and test.
They achieve all types of marzipan delicacies and you can wish from 300 crop in their store. There is a museum on the following base, charting in the business’s hinarrative.
The Duckstein Festival is detained from 5 - 14 grand on the banks of the waterway voyage.
There are a diversity of outside boulevard performances - tune, comedy etc.
Lubeck has some interesting museums. The Museum of makeup and the Environment, Muhlendamm 1 -3, tel 0451 1224121, has ten million year old whale fossils.
The St Anne Museum, St Annen Strasse 15, tel 0451 1224134, is a earlier grandian convent dating from the early 16th century. It has a collection of ecclesiastical art and tardy Medieval stamped altar parts. The doll Museum, Petersgrube 4 - 5, tel 451 178626, houses one of the chief collections in the world of 18th and 19th century tools and tool theatre tools.
The Holsten Gate houses the Museum of community Hinarrative. During September the Museums have some tardy chance nights, awaiting midnight.
Travemunde, the coastal remedy, can be accessed by vessel falter up to Trave waterway from Lubeck, by school or by bus figures 30 and 31.
The Travemunde Sailing Week is detained from 22 - 31 July. It is the following chief sailing occasion in the world with aphase 3000 sailors from 16 countries pleasing part. There are fireworks and a family outfit in Brugmann Gardens.
polishpaper World runs from 8 July - September 4. This is a exhibit of polish scupltures up to 15 metres high. There is a prom which you can phase or hike along.
The beach is dotted with the characteristic beach chairs, which agreement amply of coil covering.
Day Trips
There are habitual school/bus to adjacent cities. I truly liked Wismar, east of Lubeck.
It is also a Hanseatic urban. It has a large urban place with a medieval water pumping base, built in Dutch renaissence grace. Along the seaport, fish is newly smoked on stay vessels.
There are stalls promotion munchies, chiefly fish polishwiches and some restaurants and cafes. Schwerin is also very handsome, surphaseed by lakes.
Where to eat
Wullenwever, Beckergrube 71, tel 0451 704333, is run by the Peterman family.
it is located in a 16th century house. There are some set menus, first at 35 euros per qualities or you can dine a la carte.
Restaurant Toledo, Krahenstrasse 25, tel 451 7098111, is a Spanish/Mediterranean restaurant.
They achieve a rock on Friday and Saturday nightfall with an large range at only 11. 5 euros per qualities. I liked this restaurant because I could see what I was choosing at the rock.
I didn’t understand most of tne menus in Germany outside chicken and pork. I do like some fish but never knew what all the kinds of fish on the menu were and didn’t want to order something I couldn’t eat.
Alan Tang
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/guide-to-lubeck-germany-140482.html
Filling Gaps in Business
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Sometimes Dr. Sue Wendling will be excavating a tooth, drill whining like a horde of angry mosquitoes, when her patient abruptly starts twitching, then explodes with laughter. Not because of nitrous oxide, but because the scene playing behind the patientâs virtual reality glasses, on a miniature movie screen that helps put the drill out of mind.
Comedy is the biggest genre in Wendlings 100-title video library â most requested, Chis Farleyâs Tommy Boy â which is one of the many amenities at her 1000 patient dentistry practice.
Since 1997, the practice has been in at Oswego Point office with an expansive view of the Willamette River. Her web site promises boat-gazing from the operatory, a Brookstone massage chair, heated neck pillows and blankets, lavender scented towels, paraffin hand dips, digital before and after smile portraits and door to-door town car service.
âI get a lot of my ideas from day spas,â says Wendling, a West Linn resident, who teaches comedic dentistry at the Las Vegas institute for Advanced for Dental Studies. âIâm a dental-phobic myself, so Iâm always looking for things I can use. Itâs also how I promote my practice,â she says. âMost of my patients come to me by referral. They go back to work and say, âYouâre not going to believe this,â and talk about the experience of having a warm pillow put at the base of their neckâ¦Weâve created a culture.â
Itâs an elite culture thatâs being replicated across the nation. The June issue of Dental Practice Report, a trade journal that focuses on the business side of dentistry, carried a six-page cover story, âDental Spas: Fad, Niche, or Emerging Trend?â
According to the article, the practice of luring patients in with an elaborate array of creature comforts has blossomed in the last six months. Itâs being driven largely by cosmetic dentists attempting to build practices in a down economy and to differentiate themselves from the competition â not only other dentists, but also do-it-yourself kits for teeth whitening, one of the most common cosmetic procedures.
Meanwhile, the Madison, Wisconsin based American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry offered a discussion on âSpa Dentistryâ at its annual conference last spring.
According to Eric Nelson, a spokesman for the academy, its membership has expanded in recent years as more general practice dentists are offering cosmetic procedures. Many are trying to supplement a death in revenues from once-common maladies like cavities, which have become increasingly rare and needed to be refilled less often because filling have become more durable. Although a fraction of the academyâs 5,500 members have incorporated spa-like amenities into their practices, Nelson says the trend is catching on, especially as the recession lingers.
âThe days of drill-and-fill dentistry are over,â says Nelson. âOur dentists arenât just competing with each other, theyâre competing with all the electives things people do in their lives. Right now people are stuck between, âDo I want a new car, a trip to Paris or a smile make-over?â A full mouth of veneers can cost between $3,600 and $20,000.â
Nelsonâs not kidding. Wendling charges $1,200 a tooth for veneers. For a full mouth whitening, she charges $460 to $900, and for a full mouth restoration, the bill is between $36,000 to $40,000.
At the Art of Smile Making in Lake Oswego, a cosmetic dentistry practice owned by academy member Steve Lind, the chair â which at the flick of a switch offers a full body massage â is rarely empty. Lind supplements his services with virtual reality goggles, surround sound headphones and heated towels and blankets. He orders doughnuts for his morning patients and pours wine for his afternoon patients.
And at Paramount Dental Care in West Linn, which opened in Cascade Summit in October, Grant Smith offers freshly baked bread and cookies. Gardenia-scented aromatherapy candles burn in the waiting room, which, with its overstuffed chairs and couches, looks more likeâs someoneâs living room.
More candles burn in the operatories, where the lights are dim and patients listen to James Taylor on Bose headphones or watch âHappy Gilmoreâ or âForrest Gumpâ on ceiling-mounted flat panel displays. Even the sound of the drill is missing because Smith has switched to an air abrasion tool that works like a miniature sand-blaster, eliminating the whine and need for Novocain. All is quiet except for the occasional guffaw.
âWithout a doubt, this is increasing our client base,â says Smith, a Lake Oswego resident whoâs already invested $50,000 in his new office and is planning to add a full time masseuse.
âTo have a patient laugh during a root canal is a really neat experience.â
Sue Wendling
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/filling-gaps-in-business-140226.html
Filling Gaps in Business
Posted by admin
Sometimes Dr. Sue Wendling will be excavating a tooth, drill whining like a horde of angry mosquitoes, when her patient abruptly starts twitching, then explodes with laughter. Not because of nitrous oxide, but because the scene playing behind the patientâs virtual reality glasses, on a miniature movie screen that helps put the drill out of mind.
Comedy is the biggest genre in Wendlings 100-title video library â most requested, Chis Farleyâs Tommy Boy â which is one of the many amenities at her 1000 patient dentistry practice.
Since 1997, the practice has been in at Oswego Point office with an expansive view of the Willamette River. Her web site promises boat-gazing from the operatory, a Brookstone massage chair, heated neck pillows and blankets, lavender scented towels, paraffin hand dips, digital before and after smile portraits and door to-door town car service.
âI get a lot of my ideas from day spas,â says Wendling, a West Linn resident, who teaches comedic dentistry at the Las Vegas institute for Advanced for Dental Studies. âIâm a dental-phobic myself, so Iâm always looking for things I can use. Itâs also how I promote my practice,â she says. âMost of my patients come to me by referral. They go back to work and say, âYouâre not going to believe this,â and talk about the experience of having a warm pillow put at the base of their neckâ¦Weâve created a culture.â
Itâs an elite culture thatâs being replicated across the nation. The June issue of Dental Practice Report, a trade journal that focuses on the business side of dentistry, carried a six-page cover story, âDental Spas: Fad, Niche, or Emerging Trend?â
According to the article, the practice of luring patients in with an elaborate array of creature comforts has blossomed in the last six months. Itâs being driven largely by cosmetic dentists attempting to build practices in a down economy and to differentiate themselves from the competition â not only other dentists, but also do-it-yourself kits for teeth whitening, one of the most common cosmetic procedures.
Meanwhile, the Madison, Wisconsin based American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry offered a discussion on âSpa Dentistryâ at its annual conference last spring.
According to Eric Nelson, a spokesman for the academy, its membership has expanded in recent years as more general practice dentists are offering cosmetic procedures. Many are trying to supplement a death in revenues from once-common maladies like cavities, which have become increasingly rare and needed to be refilled less often because filling have become more durable. Although a fraction of the academyâs 5,500 members have incorporated spa-like amenities into their practices, Nelson says the trend is catching on, especially as the recession lingers.
âThe days of drill-and-fill dentistry are over,â says Nelson. âOur dentists arenât just competing with each other, theyâre competing with all the electives things people do in their lives. Right now people are stuck between, âDo I want a new car, a trip to Paris or a smile make-over?â A full mouth of veneers can cost between $3,600 and $20,000.â
Nelsonâs not kidding. Wendling charges $1,200 a tooth for veneers. For a full mouth whitening, she charges $460 to $900, and for a full mouth restoration, the bill is between $36,000 to $40,000.
At the Art of Smile Making in Lake Oswego, a cosmetic dentistry practice owned by academy member Steve Lind, the chair â which at the flick of a switch offers a full body massage â is rarely empty. Lind supplements his services with virtual reality goggles, surround sound headphones and heated towels and blankets. He orders doughnuts for his morning patients and pours wine for his afternoon patients.
And at Paramount Dental Care in West Linn, which opened in Cascade Summit in October, Grant Smith offers freshly baked bread and cookies. Gardenia-scented aromatherapy candles burn in the waiting room, which, with its overstuffed chairs and couches, looks more likeâs someoneâs living room.
More candles burn in the operatories, where the lights are dim and patients listen to James Taylor on Bose headphones or watch âHappy Gilmoreâ or âForrest Gumpâ on ceiling-mounted flat panel displays. Even the sound of the drill is missing because Smith has switched to an air abrasion tool that works like a miniature sand-blaster, eliminating the whine and need for Novocain. All is quiet except for the occasional guffaw.
âWithout a doubt, this is increasing our client base,â says Smith, a Lake Oswego resident whoâs already invested $50,000 in his new office and is planning to add a full time masseuse.
âTo have a patient laugh during a root canal is a really neat experience.â
Sue Wendling
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/filling-gaps-in-business-140226.html
How To Compete With The Big Boys
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Every business needs to do everything it can to stand out from the crowd, to differentiate itself from the competition. This is a major challenge for companies that sell substantially the same thing as their competitors.
The average business does not have the resources of a multinational corporation that often uses its substantial marketing muscle to buy market share or to drive competition out of the marketplace. Big business also uses its deep pockets to flood various media with advertising, making them a pervasive presence.
The Web has always been an egalitarian environment where smaller companies could present themselves using the same techniques as the big boys, and if these companies did it well they could stand side-by-side with their competitive behemoths.
One thing that small and medium sized businesses should take some comfort in is that many large corporations are notoriously poorly run, relying on brawn rather than brain to get the job done. Many survive because over time they have acquired huge resources, become oligopolies, or they use predatory marketing practices to stifle competition.
As the Web becomes more and more a multimedia environment, corporations are starting to use their financial resources, and inventory of commercial assets and programming (not to be confused with computer programming), to deliver their marketing messages. The question is can smaller businesses compete, and if so, how?
Slipstream Marketing
Dr. Max Sutherland, a Marketing Psychologist and Professor at Bond University, has written about a concept he refers to as ’slipstreaming.’ Anyone who is familiar with motor racing or even bicycle racing understands that slipstreaming is a drafting method where a racer tucks behind a front-running rival reducing wind resistance and saving fuel and energy, and with a quick move, the challenger can slingshot past the race leader.
The clever implementation of slipstream style marketing campaigns can allow you to blow by your competition by using the momentum of well-known and instantly recognizable campaigns.
Slipstreaming references a collective audience memory, a kind of shared consciousness. Skillful execution draws instant recognition and an “Oh I Get It!” reaction without a lot of wasted setup or groundwork.
“Give Me The Same Thing, But Different!”
The key of course is how you make your version different. What’s the twist? Blake Snyder, a Hollywood screenwriter and author, writes about entertainment executives’ constant refrain, “Get me the same thing, but different.” What Snyder has learned and what he preaches is that movie moguls understand it’s easier to get people to go to a movie they understand and that was already a success, but the trick is making the new version different, that is different but the same.
If you think slipstreaming is an easy way to be creative you’re wrong. Being different but the same is not as simple as it sounds, but success can depend on it. Done poorly slipstreaming comes off as lame and imitative, but done correctly you appear clever and cutting-edge, and more importantly you deliver the marketing message in a way your audience will remember.
There are an endless variety of things you can slipstream: personalities, icons, slogans, music, advertisements, news events, pop culture phenomena, movies, television shows, commercials, and sporting events.
Personalities
One of our favorite personality slipstreaming techniques is the use of voice-over. It can be implemented as part of a video campaign or as a stand-alone feature. We have used sound-alike actors to portray Rod Serling, Sam Elliot, Steve Irwin, Paul Winfield, Tom Brokaw, and many others.
What makes this approach so valuable is that most people will relate to the voice as someone they know, or are familiar with, but not immediately recognize.
This method captures people’s attention with the familiar sound of a famous voice but without the cost of hiring the celebrity. Often the voice does not even have to be that close to the original, it’s the cadence, deliver, tone, and script that makes people sit-up and take notice.
Cutting through the jungle of advertising noise is a challenge for everyone in business and this technique is a very effective method of getting heard and being remembered.
Television Shows
Another slipstream technique we’ve used is to play upon the audience’s knowledge and familiarity with certain television shows. We have created Web-videos, written scripts, added dialogue and composed music that reminds people of the old ‘Twilight Zone’ series and the popular A&E show, ‘City Confidential.’
Commercials
One of our most successful Web-promotion campaigns was the ‘Multimedia Versus SEO Campaign’ (http://www.mrpwebmedia.com/ads) where we took advantage of the well know Macintosh Versus PC television commercials. Nobody needed an explanation or setup to understand what was going on in the commercials. We basically slipstreamed Apple’s television campaign.
Slogans
Slogans are another resource for slipstreaming and if you think only small companies slipstream, think again. The A&E Network used the slogan “Time Well Spent” for many years, while The Comedy Network slipstreamed it with their own twisted version “Time Well Wasted” - the same thing, but different.
Music
With the popularity of Hip Hop music, the milk marketing board developed a series of commercials with diary farmers rapping to a catchy Hip Hop tune well prancing around their farm animals. Hip Hop was also slipstreamed by Smirnoff in their Raw Tea campaign and ‘Tea Partay’ viral video.
Pop Culture
With the popularity of poker and the World Poker Tour, we developed a Mike Sexton style character, host of the television show, for one of our projects. We’ve even created nostalgia radio-style audio pitches that hark back to the olden age of radio plays.
Movies
We created an entire campaign for a client based on the idea, “Life Deserves A Sound Track” where everyday situations were described in dramatic style with familiar voice-over announcers, which was our take on Will Ferrell’s hit movie ‘Stranger Than Fiction.’
Sports
We’ve created presentations using the personas of famous sports figures like Hall of Fame pitcher and broadcaster Dizzy Dean and Mel Allan. We created scenarios and scripts using the voices and personas of World Champion racecar driver Jackie Stewart and one crazy script fashioned in the style of college basketball analyst Dick Vitale.
Conclusion
As you can see from these examples, there are an endless number of ways to take advantage of the public’s shared experience. So the next time you need to come up with a new Web marketing campaign for your company, think like a Hollywood mogul: Come Up With Something That’s The Same, But Different.
Jerry Bader
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/how-to-compete-with-the-big-boys-140102.html
The Politics of Office Management
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Office management has been portrayed in every imaginable way on television and in the movies, from the situational mix of drama and comedy on âAlly McBealâ to the overtly preposterous and over the top hijinks depicted on NBCâs âThe Officeâ. Of course, the mundane reputation of typical office life is ripe for satire, as evidence by the sheer number of entertainment mediums in which it often serves as the basis for the humor to follow. In real life, offices arenât any more void of humor, drama or even danger than any other working environment, though danger can manifest itself in the most peculiar of ways.
Most managers are familiar with whatâs commonly referred to as âoffice politicsâ. A decidedly negative term, in itâs simplest form office politics refers to the gamesmanship, back door agreements and understood but seldom spoken of methodologies behind the decision making and resulting actions that get things accomplished. A greasing of the wheels, so to speak. For non managerial employees and personnel managers, however, office politics has an entirely separate meaning.
Managing people and being managed by people can be difficult on both ends of the spectrum. Some employees consistently perform and take their duties seriously. Some even manage to do so while remaining personable and without contributing to the negativity that almost always seems to exist in an office environment. Conversely, managers sometimes show favoritism where itâs rarely deserved based on non work related criteria. This doesnât have to be anything blatant, such as an office affair that results in an unexpected promotion. It can be as simple as a manager finding more commonality with an employee whose background more closely resembles their own and letting it affect the way in which they treat that employee versus other staff members.
In truth, the best way to deal with office politics is to refuse to be involved. Easier said than done, this can be difficult as part of the human condition is to gravitate toward those we feel comfortable with and react less favorably toward those we donât. From both a managerial and non managerial perspective, however, this can be avoided.
Good office managers think positively, as do good employees. An office manager who looks at every staff member as someone with unique strong points and the potential to contribute in a meaningful way, and more importantly treats his or her employees with that attitude in mind, is likely to develop better working relationships that result in a staff who performs with a common goal in mind. This can have a profound effect on office harmony and the general attitude of the work environment. Likewise, employees who give their supervisors the benefit of the doubt and view them as a resource who can help them reach their goals, be they advancement or appreciation, will elicit a better response from their managers. For both sides, being a dedicated hard worker doesnât hurt either.
Unfortunately, not all employees or managers are cut out for every environment. Some simply make a poor fit while others would make a poor fit no matter where they end up because creating conflict is part of their personality. By fostering a work environment where all are treated with equal respect and the efforts of both sides are recognized and appreciated, however, people such as these wonât find the fuel they require to keep the fires of office politics burning.
Shay Rosen
http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/the-politics-of-office-management-134806.html
Hosts to the Olympic Games
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The city Vancouver sits at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, nestled in and around the slopes of the Coast Mountains. The city of Vancouver is named after a Captain George Vancouver an English explorer. It has a population of 587891. The 2010 Olympic and Paralympics Winter Games will be held here.
Vancouver shopping is perfect for the fashion conscious. Each shopping district sets itself apart from the others and offers distinctive designer labels, kitschy retro boutiques, and specialty shops. Granville Pedestrian Mall, home to funky clothing stores and numerous used record stores. Piercing and tattoo studios cater to the urban scene while theatres, bars and live music venues keep everyone entertained. Robson St and Georgia St is the Pacific Centre, a 200 store underground mall. It houses big name department stores like The Bay and Sears, it is the perfect spot to shop away the blues on a rainy.
China Town is a cultural experience unto itself. Every nook and cranny hides something interesting, whether it is a piece of Vancouver history or a store filled with ancient herbal remedies. Mandarin and Cantonese are the mother tongues in so many Vancouver homes that Chinese has become the dominant minority ethnic group. A broad spectrum of the culture is found here.
Gastown is the oldest downtown neighbourhood and it is definitely worth a visit if you are looking for good food souvenirs, Native Arts and Crafts.
Vancouver features more than 80 nightclubs, dance clubs, and cafes and music venues. Today you can drink until 4 am at selected clubs and bars in the downtown entertainment district, though the city generally mellows after midnight.
The Vancouver nightlife has something for everyone. There is a place for those who want some jazz, comedy, dancing, or plain old drinking at a bar. As a city that is welcoming to everyone, the gay and lesbian community is also a thriving part of Vancouver’s night life scene.
Stanley Park is located in the heart of Downtown Vancouver, it is one of the highlights which makes the city world renowned. There is about 15 square kilometres of freshly cut clean grass, old growth forest, and secluded lagoons. Several prominent features, include a circular mini-train ride, a zoo, and a very popular sea-wall. There is almost an endless amount of things to do in this park, and it is just a few minutes walk from the city core
Douglas Scott
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/hosts-to-the-olympic-games-134670.html
Top 5 Reasons To Live In Research Triangle Park, Nc
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When looking for a hot spot regarding the economy, jobs, and looking towards the future, seeking residence in the Research Triangle Park (also known as RTP) brings you close to the largest research park found in the world. Leading the way in high-tech research and the development of influential finds, Research Triangle Park offers a wealth of job opportunities for incoming residents to explore. Below are some of the top reasons this particular location is a good place to settle at.
Job Opportunities
Research Triangle Park is home to numerous companies, including one of the biggest IBM operations in the world that employs about 11,000. Another large presence in Research Triangle Park involves GlaxoSmithKline with around 5,000 employees. Additional business opportunities situated in the park includes DuPont, Sony Ericsson, Bayer, General Electric, and Verizon.
Great Educational Opportunities
Some residents move to the Research Triangle Park area because they are interested in the higher education opportunities that their children may enjoy. It is here that easy access to well-known universities, such as Duke, North Carolina State, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are situated.
Recreation
When you wish to enjoy the activities offered in the Research Triangle Park area, you should know that there are plenty of chances to exercise the legs and take in the fresh air. Residents often gather throughout the town to enjoy softball games, volleyball matches, 12 miles of jogging trails, cycling and skating paths, as well as high-quality golf courses.
Entertainment
The population does not sit home and twiddle their thumbs as a Research Triangle Park resident. A wide-range of entertainment options are available in the area, including live music, dance clubs, sport bars, comedy clubs, outdoor patio scenes, lounges, and cigar bars.
Overflowing Accolades
The Research Triangle Park area has gained a wealth of recognition with major magazines, including Forbes, Money, and Entrepreneur. The town has earned the reputation as being close to one of the most wired cities, the best area for entrepreneurs, the best area for singles, one of the best places to live, the best place for business careers, and is also known for leading the way in biotechnology.
Joshua Wills
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/top-5-reasons-to-live-in-research-triangle-park-nc-134334.html