SEO, in order to be effective, must address three primary concerns. These include:

• Relevance
• Authority
• Conversions

This article will explain these three aspects of effective SEO and how they are achieved.

Relevance and SEO

Relevance pertains to content, keywords and keyword phrases that closely relate to the website’s purpose and add value for the visitor. A website without relevant content is not likely to achieve good positioning in the search engines. Even if the website happens to get a good page rank for some keywords, pages stuffed with keywords to draw traffic through the search engines, only frustrates visitors who can’t leave the website fast enough. And the moment they are gone, you have lost these valuable visitors forever.

Relevance is effective in keeping the visitor engaged when he or she finds relevant content that rewards them with benefits, a solution to their problem, a low risk offer, guarantees and the impression that the company is reputable and can be trusted. When content is created in this manner, the included keywords result in traffic that is likely to produce quality leads and loyal customers. Sources of relevant content that may be part of a website and blog include informative articles, case studies, photo galleries, faqs and even news items. All can be a powerful draw for visitors who are looking for companies that are experts and can be trusted to deliver an exceptional product or service.

Authority and SEO

Authority is determined by the worth of the site to search engines like Google. It is measured by the quality of websites that link back to the website. There are many ways to create powerful back links that drive traffic and boost search engine rankings. Content distributed through keyword-rich articles, press releases, blogs, social network posts and RSS feeds is rapidly indexed by search engines that place a high value on updated content. This means that static content on a website has some value to SEO but higher keyword rankings come from the authority created by syndicated content that is new and ever changing.

Over time, as Relevance and Authority are enhanced through SEO, a website will increase its rankings in the organic listings. That brings us to the issue of website performance.

SEO Without Conversions is a Waste of Time and Money

Many professional SEO companies will promise you top positioning for keywords but what does that mean to your bottom line? Although they may be able to achieve ranking and traffic for some keywords, they often fail to address website performance in terms of traffic patterns and conversions. SEO doesn’t mean a whole lot if your not getting business from it.

An important component of effective SEO is measuring website performance. This can be accomplished with the help of Google Analytics, easy to use code that provides comprehensive data about website visitors. Through Google Analytics, you can determine traffic patterns, keywords producing traffic, referring websites, browsers used, entry and exit pages, length of time on pages and conversions. Tracking of conversions is relatively straight forward on ecommerce sites where products are sold. Sites that brand, promote and generate leads however, require landing pages that can measure conversions through forms that the visitor completes for more information or a special bonus incentive. Through Google Analytics reports, conversion data can be analyzed and strategies can be identified and implemented to maximize conversions based on the website’s mission and goals.

In conclusion, effective search engine optimization is a strategy that serious website owners should not ignore. Effective SEO is accomplished through relevance and authority with a careful analysis of website performance through measurable conversions. When all of these factors are part of search engine optimization, website traffic produces a steady and growing stream of quality leads and loyal customers.

© 2008 Web PuzzleMaster LLC, www.WebPuzzleMaster.com, Ruth Kuttler, the ‘WebPuzzleMaster,’ All rights reserved.

Consultant, design and marketing specialist, Ruth Kuttler, “the Web PuzzleMaster,” is the creator of “Winning Marketing Secrets” E-zine. Get her FREE SPECIAL REPORT, “10 Simple Secrets for Making your Website into a Selling Machine!” at www.WebPuzzleMaster.com. You are welcome to ‘reprint’ this article online, provided it remains complete (including the contact information at the end).

How?

Since the past decade, people have been buying plots of desert land in states like Arizona which was witnessing a veritable building boom. Phoenix was one of the cities raring to go. Speculators who took the bet with Phoenix have been laughing all the way to the bank. Today, Phoenix is still going strong with a building boom which has seen more than 500,000 homes being built here alone.

Investors have been buying acres of land for building ranches and farms and many are spread over an area which is probably double the size of Manhattan. Interstate 10, which is presently housing 15,000 farmers, is about to take off in a major way with housing colonies emerging on either side. Brokers here say that the region will be completely transformed into a metropolis comparable to Phoenix itself.

As the population increases, these fast growing areas will represent lucrative business making opportunities. Growth trends are rife already in Oregon and Washington, and it is estimated that by 2030, the cities of Portland and Seattle might just merge and form one big megapolitan area. Atlanta and Raleigh-Durham are two other cities which in the light of things today may also be joined by transportation, banking, and biotech.

While Americans in the southern and western parts are trying to cash in by buying pieces of land in the proposed boom towns, others elsewhere are speculating on parking lots and underutilized land trying to locate the cheapest property which may yield great returns. Companies like Target and Wal-Mart, which will always head towards areas with growth are also looking at speculating on land and creating a whole host of opportunities.

While land everywhere is being eyed with passion, few territories possess the potential to make a profit and create that storm for growth. Arizona offers building worthy land at low prices and given the continuous water supply from underground rivers, aqueducts, and mountains the new inhabitants can all be taken care of.

However it is silly to speculate on land under conditions prevalent in the congested suburban metros like Chicago, Los Angeles or even Washington. Spiraling fuel costs and trying commutes zoning disasters and delays in approvals can be hazardous to the developers. But the latest trend is to hedge bets on parking spaces given that America has 30 per cent more parking lots than it needs, which may be a reason why many developers believe they’ll deliver the biggest returns.

A burgeoning Latino immigrant population is also a potentially good bet. At a time like this, one does not need to capitalize on the development boom by just grabbing land. One can also start businesses catering to a burgeoning immigrant Latino population which will soon become the fastest-growing ethnic group and the fastest growing group of buyers of services.

While Tampa Real Estate is far away from any real estate boom, our Latino population is growing everyday and many people believe that our area will continue to grow and attract many people from many areas thus making it a sound investment for second home buyers or real estate investors from around the world.

• Confidence: Children who feels good about themselves will believe that they can succeed. Children who are confident are more likely to try new things. They are also less likely to give up or get frustrated if they don’t succeed on their first try.
• Independence: Children must learn to do things for themselves and must be encouraged to do so.
• Motivation: Children must have a desire to learn.
• Curiosity: Children are naturally curious and will get the most from the learning opportunities that are presented to them, if this natural curiosity is nurtured.
• Persistence: Children must learn to finish the things they have started.
• Cooperation: Children must learn to get along well with others, share and take turns.
• Self-control: Children must learn what behaviors are appropriate and what behaviors are not. They must learn to control negative behaviors, such as biting and hitting.
• Empathy: Children must have interest and concern for other people’s feelings.

Parents can help their children develop these qualities by:

When you are enthusiastic about school and learning, your child will be too. As they enter kindergarten (and even as they continue on through grade levels), talk to your child about the exciting things that they will do. Describe some of the important things that he/she will be learning from their teacher, such as how to read, count, and measure things. Your enthusiasm goes far to ensure that you have a child who loves school and succeeds.

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Mari Peckham has been teaching creative movement for infants through preschool aged children in the Chicago area since 2001. She also teaches middle eastern dance for adults. Mari is currently pursuing her BA in Holistic Wellness with a minor in Metaphysics. Visit her blogs at http://www.FamilyandChildrenBlog.com and http://www.GoddessMari.com to learn more.

Sleep apnea can have severe effects on your health and has been linked to such problems as heart failure, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. Obstructive sleep apnea involves repeated pauses in breathing that occur when the muscles relax during sleep, causing soft tissue in the back of the throat to collapse and block the upper airway. A number of clinical trials have shown regular exercise to be strongly linked to heightened immunity, with the emphasis on regular.

If you stay inactive, this body temperature pattern will lead to poor sleep, which will prevent you from sleeping deeply. Approaching stress management from a wellness lifestyle approach can give you “money in the bank” when it comes to preventing stress, it can give you the energy you need to handle stress when it happens. The following components are part of a wellness lifestyle approach. The authors suggested that restoring sleep is an important preventative measure and critical component of medical therapy. These findings are underlined by a number of studies, the latest reported in the previous volume of the Sleep Bulletin, demonstrating that adequate sleep is associated with a decreased mortality risk in the general population.

They’re not gaining anything, but are losing a huge amount of their health, you can see it in their social interactions, their ability to learn and think clearly. Sleep is one of the keys to a successful diet and a healthy lifestyle. Other public health hazards, such as poor nutrition, smoking, excess alcohol and lack of exercise is the subject of endless research. On the contrary, little research has been done on the subject of sleep.

- Stage 1 is light sleep. You’ve probably experienced this during boring classes in school. Your body is barely asleep, your eyes move slightly, and you’re easily awakened, usually with a startled “jump.” During this stage, you’ll often have dream-like visuals.
- Stage 2 is when the eye movements stop and your brain waves begin to slow down.
- Stage 3 begins deep sleep, as very slow brain waves, called delta waves, take over the more rapid brain waves, called sleep spindles.
- Stage 4 is a deep state where all muscle movements stop. It’s hard to be awakened during this state, and when you are, you’re often in a groggy, disoriented condition.
- Stage 5 is called REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. In this stage, your breathing becomes shallow, your heart rate and blood pressure increase, your eyes jerk rapidly in all directions, and you have your wildest dreams.
- We sleep in cycles wherein all five stages are completed in around one-and-a-half to two hours. As the cycles increase, we spend less time in deep sleep and more in stages 1, 2, and REM.

Stage three and four, deep sleep, being the health sleep where the brain and heart slow to a resting phase and this stage takes up 50% of sleeping time. Dreaming takes place during stage five with waking off and on. Millions of people suffer with some form of insomnia, resulting in fatigue, lack of mental alertness, and weakened physical and mental health. It also contributes to both minor and major injury accidents.

Physically active people catch fewer colds and other upper respiratory infections, but more exercise isn’t always better. Therefore that makes us vulnerable to diseases from colds to cancer, flu to heart disease. Some studies found that taking vitamin C (about 600 milligrams/day) for three weeks before an ultra marathon reduced post race cold symptoms, yet others have found that vitamin C supplementation made no difference. Getting frequent colds can be a sign of over training or overtaxing your body. Cold and flu viruses are spread by airborne particles, so when you cough, sneeze into your sleeve or a tissue instead of your hands, if possible. When this happens, you can expect to feel weak and run down. To be susceptible to colds and the flu and more likely to be affected by disease, when your immune system is not functioning well, germs can easily penetrate the body and wreak havoc on your organs.

Many natural ways are available in order to boost your immune system. Some of the important tips to boost your immune system are given here. Immune-boosting foods include organically grown fruits and vegetables, wholegrain, beans and other legumes, natural oils such as expelled-pressed olive oil, hemp oil, walnut oil, flax oil and coconut butter. Brazil nuts, a rich source of selenium, are particularly good for the immune system. First, the immune system manufactures antibodies, which identify and fend off invaders. Also, your immune system has a built-in memory, it remembers how it defended your body against those past invaders, and it stands ready to do it again. Adequate restful sleep helps to restore our bodies and refresh our minds. During deep sleep, our bodies release potent immune-enhancing substances that strengthen immune function.

Everyone needs to work at resetting your body clock naturally.

On average, college students today are going to bed 1-2 hours later and sleeping 1-1.6 hours less than they did a generation ago. As a result, sleep complaints and depression have increased dramatically among college students and doctors have discovered that sleeping for nine or more hours a night is not necessarily beneficial, either.

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Another fine article by Chuck Arnone in regards to our day to day health and your immune system.
http://www.immune-system-healthy.com
&
http://www.provitaminliquid.com

Research has shown that children who have supportive and loving families are more likely to succeed at learning than those who don’t. Families set an example for learning and those who involve their children in activities that allow them to talk, explore, and experiment show their children that learning is not only important, but also fun and enjoyable.

Make sure that your child has a good start in life by ensuring that they eat nutritious foods, get enough exercise and receive regular medical care. This lessens the chances that your child will experience serious health issues or learning problems later on.

Food

Preschoolers need a healthy diet to ensure that they are growing properly and to maintain good health. Children ages 2 - 5 generally can eat the same foods as adults. You and your child should be eating a well-balanced diet that includes grains and cereals; fruits and vegetables; meat, poultry, fish and/or meat alternatives, such as eggs and legumes; milk, cheese and yogurt. Fatty foods and sweets should be limited.

Exercise

It is important that preschool children be given ample opportunities for exercise. Physical activity allows your child to learn to control and coordinate the large muscles in his/her arms and legs (gross motor skills). Activities such as throwing and catching balls, running, jumping, climbing and dancing to music are not only fun but also important to your child’s gross motor development. Fine motor skills (controlling the small muscles in hands and fingers) are developed when your child colors with crayons, puts together puzzles, used blunt-tipped scissors, zips his/her jacket and picks up and grasps small objects, like coins or beads.

Medical Care

Stay on top of the required medical checkups and immunizations for your child. Early immunizations can help prevent many diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, polio and tuberculosis. These diseases can have serious effects on your child’s mental and physical development and should be given in the proper time frame.

Also, be sure that your child is seeing a dentist for regular checkups by the time they are three years old. Regular dental care is very important to a child’s overall health and well-being.
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Mari Peckham has been teaching creative movement for infants through preschool aged children in the Chicago area since 2001. She also teaches middle eastern dance for adults. Mari is currently pursuing her BA in Holistic Wellness with a minor in Metaphysics. Visit her blogs at http://www.FamilyandChildrenBlog.com and http://www.GoddessMari.com to learn more.

Yes! A moon watch!

Omega Speedmaster is the first and only watch ever to have been to the Moon. I believe that most watch lovers have known this, since it is how Omega advertised this edition. However, if you probe the space exploration competition between USA and Russia in 1960’s and 1970’s, more questions, puzzles and discussions will be found behind the legend, making Speedmaster more attractive.

Omega was created in 1848 by Louis Brandt, and it is said that this name was suggested by brothers Btandt’s friend Henry Rikckel, and was made as a name for Omega products for the first time in 1894. At present, Omega watches mainly include Seamaster of 1948, Constellation of 1952, Deville of 1967, Dynamic of 1968 and Speedmaster, which is our subject of today. Speedmaster Omega was created in 1957 as sports chronograph, with the idea of being a strong and persistent watch with clear makers and easy to read. The rigid case made of steel makes the watch to be water resistant to 60m. Since part of the design is from Seamaster, therefore the pattern of hippocampi is also used in Speedmaster. The soft steel protects the movement from the effect of magnetic force, ensuring the stability and persistence of the watch, the hour hand of wide arrow shape and tachymere on the bezel make the time is easy to read.

Speedmaster of first generation was created in 1957, and the Reference code is CK2915. Soon Omega presented the changed edition of Speedmaster in 1959, and it did not use wide narrow shape hour hand but narrow and long arrow shape, the diameter was also changed from 39mm to 40mm because of the O-ring Gasket being added to the timing button. Since then and before 1966, Speedmaster did not change a lot but only to make a few changes on the hands and the dial.

Four years after Speedmaster coming out, the space competition began. On 12th, April of 1961, Russians had their first manned space flight, and spaceman Yuri Gagarin became the first man who entered the orbital of space and earth. It is said that what Yuri Gagarin wore was Sturmanskije Rodina watch made by Russia (Although watches made by Russia were quite stable, persistent and accurate, it is said that Russian spacemen changed to wear Speedmaster later. And in the space station project run by USA and Russia, Speedmaster was appointed as chronograph. Omega used to launch a limited edition of 250 pieces for this, with a sign of Apollo-Soyuz Mission at 12 o’clock position on the dial.)

After that, USA strove with Russia, president John F. Kennedy swore to probe the space and expressed the determination of landing on the moon. The USA space center NASA also started a string of space missions. In the early Project Mercury run by USA, it was not limited that if the spacemen had to wear a watch during the mission or not, so no problems arising from the appointed chronograph. On 24th, May of 1962, USA spaceman Scott Carpenter wore a watch of Breiting Navitimer Cosmonaut and drove spacecraft to enter the outer space orbital. According to the record, this is the first Swiss watch which had been to outer Space. Before Scott Carpenter, there were three Americans who entered the outer space. It is known that John Glenn wore no watch with him, as for Alan Sheppard and Virgil(Gus)Grissom, they had passed away before someone began to probe this thing.

It was in 1962 that NASA started to consider choosing a watch seriously for spacemen in projects Gemini and Apollo. It is pointed that the purchase men went to the watch shop of Corrigan in the downtown of Houston directly and bought six chronographs (not special made but could be bought by everyone) from different companies (Omega, Rolex and Longines) and then back to the space center to have strict tests. The watch was being tested in the vacuum of simulated outer space, including variations in temperature ranging from -18°C to +93°C, accelerated centrifugal force of 12G, furious shaking and bumping tests. Of course water proof, anti magnetic and shockproof tests were also needed. Eventually, Omega Speedmaster stood out.

On 3rd, October of 1962, Wally Schirra first wore Speedmaster and drove spacecraft of Sigma 7 into the earth orbital. On 15th, May of 1963, Gordon Cooper drove Faith 7 into the earth orbital; meanwhile he wore Speedmaster Acutron Astronaut (the first entering outer space American watch) for a test. Later Cooper summarized all the opinions from spacemen in Mercury Project, and chose Speedmaster as the appointed chronograph.

On 21st, Sep of 1964, Director of Flight Crew Operations Donald “Deck” Slayton formally issued a certificate to appoint Omega Speedmaster as the chronograph for USA space flight, and started to distribute Speedmaster to spacemen as a part of standard outfit in Gemini 3 and Apollo after 1965.

On 18th, March of 1965, Russian spaceman Alexei Leonov had the first spacewalk, but he did not wear a watch outside his space suit. It is said that inside his space suit, he should have worn a watch made by Russia just as Yuri Gagarin, but nobody could prove that. But what is interesting is that later Alexei Leonov also participated in Apollo-Soyuz Test Flight, and he wore Speedmaster just as other US spacemen did. On 4th, June of the same year, the US spaceman Edward Higgins White, II took Genini to have USA’s first spacewalk, and he wore a Speedmaster with Vecro watch band on the sleeve of space suit, so Speedmaster was certainly the first watch which exposed in the severe environment of outer space. With the photo of Edward H. White, II’s spacewalk becoming the cover of Life Magzine, Speedmaster suddenly attracted watch lovers from all over the world. What is interesting is that Omega did not know what NASA did about the watch until Edward White’s spacewalk were shown to everybody and got surprised just as others did.

Edward White still wore this Speedmaster(Reference ST 105.003), until when he was on a training for Apollo 1 and unfortunately died in a fire accident together with his colleagues Gus Grisson and Roger Chaffee. But the strong Speedmaster survived from the fire, and was given to Edward White’s wife as memorial, later it was passed on to Edward White’s son Edward H. White, III. After Edward H. White, III wore this watch for many years; it was locked into the steel safe and has been kept until today.

Then the greatest adventure and scientific achievement in human history came, which was Apollo 11 spacecraft landed on the moon on 21st, July of 1969. As we all know, when Neil Armstrong stepped out of spacecraft he said “It’s one small step of me but a great step of man.”, which made thousands of TV audience so impressive. But not as everybody imagined, the first one who wore Speedmaster and stepped on the moon and made Speedmaster the first and only watch ever worn on the Moon was not Neil Armstrong, but his fellow Edwin(Buzz)Aldrin who did that just after him. Armstrong had left his inside the lunar module as a precaution after an in-cabin timer had malfunctioned. Aldrin was wearing it more exactly on his forearm, strapped with Velcro around the sleeve of his bulky space suit, so this was the first Speedmaster landed on the moon. But it is a pity that this Speedmaster was stolen on the way to Smithsonian Institue for displaying, and it had never been seen since then.

source: http://www.idolreplicas.com/replicawatchesguide

At the moment, three astronauts were facing a challenge which they had never had expected, they had to go back to the earth in only four days, apart from the wireless pilot from the control center, they had to fix all the things by themselves. For not being a lonely soul in the space and not to be separated from families, these three men conquered a lot of difficulties through their strong will and good cooperation, at last, a very important moment came: Apollo 13 had to calculate 14 seconds accurately which was the time of engine ignition, so that Apollo 13 could escape the moon orbit and went into the earth’s and returned. At this time the director of astronauts Jim Lovell (acted by Tom Hank in the movie) and Jack Swigert completed the timing by wristwatches (another astronaut was Fred Haise who replaced Ken Matingly ). The Best of Times: Rolex, an unauthorized History』wrote by James Dowling and Jeffrey Hess says it was the GMT-master worn by Jack Swigertg that helped Apollo 13 returned to the earth safely. James Dowling admitted that the one was mainly responsible for timing was possible the Speedmaster worn by Jim Lovell, but he did not say it was GMT-Master of Jack Swigert that helped Apollo 13 to returned safely.

Reviewing the photos and videos from Apollo 13 Mission, Jack Swigert exactly wore 1675 GMT Master of Rolex, but there was another picture showing that he wore a Speedmaster with Vecro watchband on space suit. On the picture of USA president Richard M. Nixon giving Medal of Freedom to members of Apollo 13 in Hawaii, you can clearly see that Jack Swigert wore one watch each wrist. Since we could not tell which watch was used by Swigert when he calculated the time of ignition from video, so there were not adequate proofs to show that it was Rolex GMT Master but not Speedmaster that saved Apollo 13. But what is interesting is, as far as chrono function is concerned only, GMT Master is obviously not as practical as Speedmaster since Speedmaster is a chronometer, this is the reason why NASA focused on Chronograph from the very beginning and picked up their standard issue based on that.

In fact not only Swigert, even many other astronauts including Lovell are Rolex lovers, and the signatures of Lovell and others are even being displayed in the head office of Rolex and have been displayed with the 「Rolex & NASA」. Therefore, if the three astronauts did not attribute the honor of timing accurately and helping the spacecraft to return safely to Omega Speedmaster, they would not sign their names together and issued The Snoopy Award to Omega.

Many advertisement of Omega all claimed that Speedmaster was the ONLY watch worn on moon, but the fact is not like this, since Speedmaster did not accomplish all the space missions perfectly and also made mistakes. Astronaut David Scott in Apollo XV used to prove in 1996 that: in his second spacewalk to the moon, he found that the mirror of his Speedmaster broke off, so the next time what he wore was Waltham from himself which had similar functions, and this watch did a good job in the severe environment at that time. Therefore, Speedmaster was not the ONLY watch worn on the moon, Waltham was another one known.

Speedmaster became world famous because of space mission, which intrigued the dissatisfaction of Bulova, an American watch company, and especially Buy American Act still existed at that time. Bulova pressured on congressmen, and tried to force the director of NASA to consider Bulova chronograph as the standard issue for astronauts who would be on the mission to the moon. In particular afterwards, since Apollo had made great achievements, plus other reasons, NASA announced that manned lunar-landing would come to a halt after Apollo 17 in Dec of 1972. So Bulova tried to persuade NASA even more strongly and hoped that their watch could be worn in the last lunar-landing mission, therefore, in 1972, NASA had another appraisement, involving 16 companies including Breitling, Bulova, Elmor, Elgin, Forbes, Girard-Perregaux,  Gruen, Hamilton, Heuer, LeCoultre, Longines, Omega, Rolex, Seiko and Zodiac. The result was announced in Nov, and Speedmaster continued to hold the title as official chronograph. In 1978, NASA got pressure from Bulova again when choosing an astronaut chronograph for Space Shuttle, and had to have another appraisal, Omega Speedmaster stood out again at last.

With the lunar-landing coming to an end and space mission becoming normal, the glory of Speedmaster Moon Watch was being carved in history just as the brave astronauts, and it would be always in the memory of watch lovers and space lovers. More different editions such as speedmaster Moonphase、 Speedmaster Day-Date、Speedmaster Rattrapante and Speedmaster Racing had been created by Speedmaster as time went by, and it keeps drawing the attention from the whole world. Today we can even buy Speedmaster Ladies Reduced with diamond on bezel which is both sporty and elegant, making us sigh that time brings great change to the world.

On the brochure of Speedmaster Broad Arrow which is lately launched, Omega claims that Broad Arrow was the name for the hands of original Speedmaster in 1957. Since its birth, the magic Speedmaster used to shuttle in the space and land on the moon with astronauts, and is appointed as chronograph in International Space projects today. To commemorate the famous broad arrow of Speedmaster, Omega named its new watch of automatic chrono as “Speedmaster broad arrow”. I believe that many Speedmaster watch lovers will not believe their eyes when reading this. Such dissertation came from the original Speedmaster production factory of Omega, the puzzles and possible misguiding from which make us think hundred times but cannot get an answer.

Firstly, the hands of original Speedmaster in 1957 can indeed be called as broad arrow, but it was not named as Broad Arrow at that time. As we all know, Broad Arrow is a special name, which means the arrow on military watch usually seen by watch lovers, and it has been chosen as the sign of imperial asset by the Great Britain since ancient time. Although Speedmaster indeed participated in the space war, nobody would have ever thought that it was a military watch, Omega named it as Broad Arrow only based on the hand semblance, which maybe a little improper. After all, the Speedmaster Replica presented by Omega previously also had broad arrow, and even without date phase and manual winding, but it was neither advertised as the tribute of moon watch, nor called as broad arrow.

What is more, the first watch worn in the first spacewalk and on moon and the official watches which worn in the space missions afterwards were indeed Speedmaster, but it was absolutely not the first broad arrow Speedmaster CK 2915 in 1957, but the Speedmaster of a few changes based on CK 2998. Therefore, if Omega really wanted to salute the space exploration and lunar-landing, then the hand style of Speedmaster should be kept but not be changed into broad arrow which was originally seen by us in 1957, and the watch case styling, dial, metal hour markers, bezel with Speed measurement of Speedmaster Broad Arrow are obviously different from the moon watch—— Speedmaster(Professional). In addition, the Speedmaster Broad Arrow was changed into manual winding and added a date display at 6o’clock position, which obviously closed to common style for most people’s convenience and habits, and it obviously run counter to the fact that it was not liable to use automatic winding movement which relied on gravity winding in the environment of no gravity in space mission. Therefore, the advertisement of “the magic Speedmaster used to shuttle in the universe and land on the moon with astronauts and is appointed as chronograph by Russian Space Agency and in international space projects nowadays” obviously misguided watch lovers who wanted to have a relationship with explorations and achievements in history through wearing Speedmaster.

Therefore, Speedmaster Broad Arrow should be considered as the extensional edition just as Speedmaster Michael Schumacher、Speedmaster Moonphase、 Speedmaster Day-Date、Speedmaster Ladies、 Speedmaster Rattrapante and Speedmaster Racing. So even though the movement of Speedmaster Broad Arrow is excellent and the semblance is exquisite, to watch lovers who are addicted to the excitement of space exploration and the beauty of moon watch, they only think Speedmaster(Professional) is the real space watch, and nothing can replace that.

Think about this, more and more Olympic athletes are over 30 and some over 40. The 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing China has more athletes over 30 participating than any time in history. Do you realize how difficult it is to make the Olympic team in a country with a lot of athletes trying to get on the team and where there are many young athletes competing for the positions?

Dara Torres, 41-year-old swimmer for the USA, just got two Silver medals and she out swam her much younger competitor during the last leg of the relay. She has successfully balanced the rigorous training needed with being the mother of a 3-year-old daughter.

Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus, competing in the women’s single skull rowing, brings home a bronze medal and she is 36. This is her 4th Olympics, she has won three gold’s and one silver in this event in those efforts proving she has remained in top shape for many years.

Romania’s Constantina Tomescu is 38 and just won the gold in the women’s marathon. In fact at the halfway point she was in 26th place before she gathered speed to end up finishing almost two and a half minutes ahead of the second place finisher. She finished 20th in the 2004 Olympics but has improved steadily in the last four years as she has gotten older in age.

Oksana Chusovitina the 33 year old German gymnast received a silver medal on the vault. My two daughters were both involved in competitive gymnastics, I know how physicaly brutal this sport is. She has stated that if she is able to qualify for the next Olympics she will, she will be 37. She said, “if I can I’ll do a sixth Olympics.” Is she giving up on what she loves? She says, “I don’t feel 33, I feel 18.” She not only made the German team, she took 3rd place amongst all competitors, most of which are about 16 years old!

Jason Lezek, the US swimmer who helped Michael Phelps win the two team relays, is 32 swimming against athletes 10 to 15 years younger. He has shown that he can still compete in finals in the Olympics as well as other international events.

The ability of athletes continuing to compete at such a high level as they age can be attributed to several factors; more financial support for athletes, better sports medicine, more understanding about diet, but mental perspective and determination is at the foundation of it all. It definitely can become more difficult physically to train as a person gets older and the drive to continue must be strong. But the decisions you make based on your perceptions are the determining factor to what you will motivate yourself to do.

These older athletes are redefining what is possible as we get older. Their success shows what we are capable of when we have the vision, motivation and determination. More importantly is shows that more people are able to see themselves in this role as they continue to get older. When you can see something as possible you are more likely to find the ways to bring it about.

The demise of ones abilities begins with their perception of what is possible and not possible. So often people fall into the mental trap of thinking they are too old for something or that it is not appropriate for an older person. This is just not the case in all instances. Your physical abilities and mental drive is governed by your perceptions of what is possible, what you ’should’ be doing and many times the influence of others.

This concept does not just apply to sports, any endeavor that you have stopped allowing yourself to see as possible is not necessarily dead, unless you condemn it in your mind. Take time to assess your deep wants and desires and rather than staying with restrictive perceptions, take a fresh look at it. You will discover that many times it is your own mental decisions that have stopped your progress and squelched your dreams, not your actual abilities.

Harland (Colonel) Sanders did not even start franchising his chicken until he was 65 years old, you may have heard of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

What is really possible for you ‘if’ you were to follow your dreams without telling yourself no?

John Halderman
More life changing concepts at Effective Personal Development Blog

Is your gratitude as potent as it can be? We know that thoughts are powerful, but what is even more powerful? Thought that has emotion added and focused thoughts are far more powerful than plain thought. This is why we tend to see more of what we fervently dislike in our lives, because there are strong emotions attached to the thoughts.

So how do we add emotion and focus to thoughts about gratitude? Write down your thoughts, in a gratitude journal, to engage more of your senses. Your mind is using many more brain cells with the act of writing, thus more of your brain is engaged.

First, Your emotions will greatly increase when there is more brain involvement. And your brain will better be able to link multiple related positive thoughts to your gratitude statements enhancing positive emotional feelings. The number and strength of the neural connections in your brain actually increase with the added activity with writing. The more attention given to anything, the more it will affect your life. The addition of positive emotions will supercharge your gratitude.

Second, your mental focus is enhanced as it takes more of your mind to do the writing. Your mind is pumping out thoughts all the time, how would it know that you want specific thoughts to be more important than all that chatter? You add this importance by giving the thoughts more attention. Writing down what you are grateful for and allowing your related emotions to develop clearly moves other thoughts out of your awareness. You can truly only think one thought at a time. The act of writing helps keep you from bouncing from thought to thought. Gratitude thinking is the kind of thought you want to spend your time with, it is positive and uplifting.

Start a gratitude journal. It can be anything from a fancy hardbound journal to a simple spiral notebook, all you need is blank space to write. With a physical journal it is easier to set up a routine to use it, and it is easy to review when you want a little boost or motivation. You can establish a time of the day to pick up your gratitude journal and express your thoughts and feelings. This helps create a good habit that you will follow over time.

John Halderman

More on Gratitude, Effective Personal development Blog

Many people feel that when they are ready to design their garden or landscape, that they “need” a landscape designer. This is probably due to a lack of confidence, or the all to common idea that only a “professional” could possibly to the job. Also there is the fear that they may some how irrevocably ruin their garden from here to eternity. Let us put that one to rest immediately.

Landscape designers, or Architects, create an idea, concept or plan, if not all, of what your garden could look like, or become. They don’t actually do any of the manual work, like digging trenches, shifting soil or planting trees. They are the “ideas” people. It is you that makes the decision whether to do it yourself, or hire someone to follow the plan drawn out by the designer. So, if you are unable to follow a plan, forget it. You may wish to hire a gardening contractor who can, but, if you want to do it all yourself - do you really need a landscape designer?

Designing your own garden or landscape, does not have to be an overwhelming task. Consider this:

• Take a chair and place it in the middle of your proposed new landscape, have a pen and a pad with you.
• Take your time. Look at your proposed garden area, contemplate it. Do not think for a moment, that you are going to do this in a day. That will only lead to disappointment - and you may as well just go straight back inside and turn the telly on. Take a little time, do a little planning. Move the chair to different ares of you garden, to get a bit of perspective.
• What would you like to have in your garden?
• Colour, shade, somewhere to sit that is shady and colourful?
• Somewhere to entertain, or for the kids to play?
• Something like…a….
• butterfly patch
• water feature, oh, nice.
• a patch of wildflowers
• herb garden, right near the kitchen, there.
• Gotta have a vegetable garden!
• Better have a shed, too, to store your tools. Where would that be best placed? Don’t waste a sunny position for a garden shed. Sheds don’t need the sun, but your garden does!
• Some garden furniture? Somewhere pleasant, like near the jasmine, or the herbs? Personally, I like to sit smack-bang in the middle, where I can see everything; and contemplate what is going on.
• Take all your ideas and mark them out on a large sheet of graph-paper. Do this as many times as need be, until you have a design you are happy with, and, that makes sense to you.
• Once you have the design you are most pleased with, get a tape measure! This little tool is about to become your best friend!

The last point is probably one of the most important - and I will add to that - measure twice, cut once! Collect as much information and specifications, as you can about any hardscape you are planning in your garden. This means; any furniture, structures, paths, patios, ponds, dance-floors or spas. This stuff goes in first! The garden goes in around it. Plants are very forgiving and can be moved or cut back and all will be forgiven. However, if you have been slack on the measuring side of things - someone is bound to be not happy having to sit half-in half-out of the pond whilst have lunch - and moving the pond now, may very well be impossible.

Buy or build your garden structures and furniture, first; and place them where you think they might go. Then create your garden around them. That is another reason I put my benches and seats in the middle - I fan out from there, giving an enormous illusion of depth, as I go. If you cannot afford to buy or construct the big stuff, to begin with - merely, peg-out the areas where they will go, and continue with the rest.

A landscape designer can look at your available space, and suggest possible uses for it. These people are experienced in combining utility with attractiveness. If you really, really, want a floating dance floor in the middle of your garden, then at least a designer, being experienced in utilisation of “space” can advise you on the practicalities of the area available to you. It really depends on how much you want to spend, and whether you can afford such expensive advice. Certainly they will be able to advise you on the placement of such things as walkways, arbours and ponds, but keep in mind - the plan you are presented with, showing a completed, mature garden, very attractive with all those established trees placed just so - although this person is a professional designer/architect - they are not necessarily also a gardener. Everyone knows what a tree looks like on a plan - but you need a gardener to tell you what sort of tree is suitable.

With the help of local nuseries, you can find information about the growth habits of plants and trees that interest you, and whether or not they will be suitable where you thought to plant them. If, whilst at a nursery, you find you are attracted to a particular piece of garden furniture or structure, try it out. Sit on it, or in it, don’t just buy it because it looks good, only to find that this is the one thing in your garden that everyone avoids - because it is too uncomfortable, or, just too silly for words. Additionally, you can browse online to find plans for a variety of projects and landscape designs.

Many are the plans online for garden furniture and structures. Also, there is a fair amount of landscaping software available online. It is fun to use the software to figure out various possibilities for your home, and some of them even come with information like what you need for a specific design, and approximate costs. This software not only provides great amusement, but it can also be helpful as you try to figure out what you would like to do about your landscape.

If you are just starting out, into the world of gardening - start small. By this I mean: do as much as you are comfortable doing. If this means planting only one thing, then planting one thing is all you do. Never overdo it, as you will find your enthusiasm for the project waning, if not utterly vanishing at the thought of getting out there again. Remember - this is NOT a race!

If you are starting from scratch, Do You Really Need a Landscape Designer?

Chris Meagher

http://start-a-garden.com/index/gardening/gardening-is-too-hard-more-like-too-much-fun