The Management Consulting Group

5 Minutes In And I Was Sold

Jimmy D Brown’s List and Traffic is a monthly membership site that reveals all the tricks and techniques that successful Internet marketers use to grow their traffic and their subscriber lists to massive proportions.

What I love about List and Traffic (other than the ridiculously low price!) is how he explains things in such a simple, step by step fashion, that even this sleep deprived Mom of 4 can “get it” and immediately start applying the gems of wisdom to my own business.

My friend Alice Seba mentioned ListandTraffic to me because I was interested in purchasing John Reese’s Traffic Secrets product, but just flat out couldn’t afford it! I asked her for a recommendation for a cheaper product that would teach me those same marketing secrets, and List and Traffic was what she suggested.

5 minutes in, and I was impressed. I wasn’t exactly sure what I could learn from this guy who sounds like a cross between a Southern Baptist preacher and a motivational speaker, but within minutes of entering the site, I got excited about putting into action a tip that I learned.

Another thing I like is Jimmy’s little motivational pep talk videos. We all get discouraged occasionally, and these uplifting stories are great.

In February, I really got to work on my email marketing using Jimmy’s techniques. Here’s what happened.

On my main list, I grew my subscribers by 25% over the previous month. I’m very happy with that and on my second list, I grew my subscriber base by nearly 30%!

Interestingly, I’ve noticed that because of some of the changes I’ve made, my subscribers are becoming more responsive to the offers I promote. And that’s so important because even a small list can make you money if your subscribers trust you.

I’m getting more feedback from my subscribers in the form of more questions, testimonials, and more product sales.

In addition, I started several free ecourses of my own (or in partnership with other Moms) that will bring in more sales down the road.

What I love most about List and Traffic is how Jimmy breaks things down to the simplest, step by step instructions. I am the first to admit that need that kind of help! It’s perfect for both the new online entrepreneur for this reason, as well as the seasoned marketer.

Jimmy overdelivers content. He adds several new articles as well as audio and video tutorials each month. The membership site also has a message board for members to exchange ideas.

P.S. Jimmy’s affiliate program pays residually and it converts really well, so in no time at all your membership will be paid for (and then some!) with referrals.

Carrie Lauth is a work at home Mom of 4 who loves to help other Moms get started with their own online business. To claim your free report on how to profit from your electronic newsletter, go to http://www.Business-Moms-Expo.com and sign up for her free marketing tips ezine.

For communication to take place, a message must be transmitted by a communicator and correctly received by a listener. If the message is not understood, there is no communication. There is only noise. Between the transmission and reception of a message, much can go wrong. Communication, by definition, involves at least two individuals, the sender and the receiver. There are certain filters or barriers which determine whether or not the message is actually transmitted or received.

There may be barriers that exist between the sender and the receiver such as cultural differences. Environmental conditions may also create barriers, e.g., poor acoustics, others talking, outside noises. More common, however, are differences in frames of reference between sender and receiver. For example, there may not be a common understanding of purpose in a certain communication. You may ask me how I’m feeling today. To you, the phrase “How ya doing” ?is nothing more than a greeting. However, I may think that you really want to know and I may tell you possibly at some length.

What Facilitates Clear Communication? A Good Communicator: exchanges ideas, feelings, and values — uses appropriate language, tone, pitch, and volume — gives relevant information — uses non-verbal signals to emphasize and support messages — clarifies — solicits feedback — listens — responds and reacts — conveys understanding.

Consider yourself as the receiver. Assumptions, attitudes, and sensitivity issues may result in barriers as well. As a receiver you may filter or not hear certain aspects (or any aspect for that matter) of a message. Why? Because the message may seem unimportant or too difficult. Moreover, you may be selective in your attention. For example, you may feel that the sender is being redundant or boring, so you stop listening after the first few words and daydream instead. You may be preoccupied with something else. Or your filtering or lack of attention may be due to your past experience with the sender. You may feel that “this person has never made a point and never will!” You may spend time preparing a response or interrupting with your thoughts.

Overall, communication is a difficult process to complete correctly. One must find the medium between the view points of the sender and the receiver in order to relay their message in the most effective way.

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

In the securities market of the Czech Republic corporate governance plays a crucial role in instilling investor confidence and ensuring an efficient market. Post the fall of Communism, the economy was transitioned from state owned to capitalist in a very short time. Since then, the Czech Republic has come a long way to quickly reach standards of other capitalist markets and successfully obtain accession into the European Union. As the market continues its progression, the need for transparency of information and alignment between board members and managers in firms greatens.

From the Czech Republic’s voucher privatization program in 1992 to the late 1990’s, corporate governance was viewed negatively and/or non-existent for publicly traded Czech companies. A path began with a lack of regulation, continued with a lack of enforcement, and finally turned directions beginning in 1998 with the Securities Commission Act. Even now, as Czech companies attempt to become more competitive on a global scale in the market, the realization amongst firms of the need for structured corporate governance and more transparency in their reporting of information takes hold as a continued effort necessary to report and align enterprise goals with those of other stakeholders.

Through an analysis of the top ten publicly traded companies, in terms of market capitalization, on the Prague Stock Exchange, I will assess the availability of information regarding corporate governance in order to discern the current state of compliance with the Corporate Governance Code. This information will serve as a benchmark and will allow investors to relate the positions of the largest companies on the PSE to other companies within the Czech Republic, and apply the knowledge generally to the Czech securities market. The results allow investors and other stakeholders to get an idea of corporate governance practices and the transparency of information in the companies operating in the Czech Republic today.

Current State of Corporate Governance

I turn now to the analysis of the corporate governance disclosure in today’s Czech market. Using the ten largest publicly traded companies (see Table 1) listed on the Prague Stock Exchange in terms of market capitalization, I will determine the degree of their stated corporate governance policy disclosure as found in their most recent annual reports. This is the 2004 annual report for all of the companies. Furthermore, I will briefly assess the availability of information on the companies’ websites.

Table 1
Top Ten Listed Companies on the PSE

Rank Company Market Cap. (Mil. CZK)Market Cap. (Mil. USD)

1 ČEZ 402,881 16,293

2 Erste Bank 317,598 12,844

3 Česk Telecom 160,014 6,471

4 Komerčn Banka 128,397 5,193

5 Unipetrol 42,922 1,736

6 Zentiva 41,683 1,686

7 CETV 39,718 1,606

8 Philip Morris ČR 32,816 1,327

9 Severočeské Doly 14,434 584

10 Prask Energetika 11,492 465

Source: Prague Stock Exchange, Novermber 2005

ČEZ

ČEZ, a joint stock company, is the largest power conglomerate in Central and Eastern Europe. The company’s website has an investor section with information on shares, bonds, and financial information, and lists the date of the annual general meeting, but does not provide information specifically related to corporate governance practices and structure in general. Shareholder structure, relations, and dividends are presented on the website. Within the annual report, ČEZ follows the German corporate governance model, and has key members of the board also part of management. Board structure and board members are discussed extensively. The board of directors meets weekly as a matter of practice, where the requirement is monthly. The company complies with the Commercial Code concerning protection of shareholder rights, and bases its corporate governance on the Corporate Governance Code. The ČEZ Group actually participated in the 2004 drafting of the Corporate Governance Code. Overall, the company reports on most of the key corporate governance areas, but does not have one section devoted to their policy, making it necessary to scan the entire report for relevant information.

Erste Bank

Erste Bank, based in Austria, is the leading financial services provider in Central Europe. Its website contains an investor relations area in which detailed information is provided, and also a corporate governance section in which the company discloses it follows the Austrian Code of Corporate Governance in practice. In the annual report, the company discloses it follows all of the statutory rules of the Code, and adheres to most of the recommendations. It directs individuals to the website for the actual provisions of corporate governance, making the information accessible, but not detailed within the annual report itself. Furthermore, policies regarding shareholder rights were not easy to discern.

Česk Telecom

Česk Telecom is a telecommunications group that operates primarily in the Czech Republic. The company has a website with shareholder information including board structure and notification of the annual general meeting. In addition, access to the company’s annual report leads to extensive corporate governance discussion. The company acknowledges improved reporting in this area beginning with the 2004 annual report as compared to previous annual reports, and as stated in the 2002 annual report, the company will be in full compliance of the Corporate Governance Code by 2005. One note made in the report includes a list of the members of the supervisory board that qualify as independent, an important provision as recommended by the 2004 Code.

Komerčn Banka

Komerčn Banka is among the most important banks in the Czech Republic and the Central and Eastern European region, and provides comprehensive services for clients in retail, corporate, and investment banking. The company’s website provides access to key shareholder information, and has an investor relations section. However, there is not a specific corporate governance section. Accessing the annual report allows one to see most of the requirements of corporate governance, but there is neither specific mention of their general policy towards corporate governance nor mention of their adherence or lack there of to the Corporate Governance Code.

Unipetrol

Unipetrol, a group of companies that operate in the chemical industries sector of the Czech Republic, is a major company in Central Europe. The company’s website has direct links to board members as well as an investor page with access to its annual reports, but does not provide detailed corporate governance information. The annual report does not improve upon the corporate governance policy of the company. There is no statement concerning the company’s policy towards corporate governance, and the information given is primarily a list of board members. Qualifications are not given, and shareholder rights are not disclosed or discussed.

Zentiva

Zentiva is a pharmaceutical group that holds leading positions in the Czech and Slovak markets, and amongst the largest players in Central and Eastern Europe. Zentiva’s website provides extensive corporate governance information, including the actual rules governing the boards. Investor relations also has a prominent position on the company’s website, and lists shareholder information, the date of the general meeting, and other important information. As stated in the annual report, the company adheres to the Dutch Corporate Governance Code.

CETV

Central European Media Enterprises, or CME, is traded on the Prague Stock Exchange as CETV. The company, based in Bermuda, is an international television broadcasting company, and operates a group of networks and stations across Central and Eastern Europe. The company’s website includes the members of the board and their qualifications, as well as financial results and company policies such as their Code of Ethics. Interestingly, analyst reports regarding CME are accessible on the company’s website. CME is listed on NASDAQ, so annual report information is accessible through their website under SEC filings.

Philip Morris ČR

Philip Morris ČR is an affiliate of Philip Morris International, whose parent company is Altria Group. The website for Philip Morris directs all investors inquiring about shareholder information to its parent company’s website, although some financial data, its general meeting date, and agenda is disclosed for its Kutna Hora location in the Czech Republic. Just as was the case for CETV, Altria Group has extensive information disclosed in its SEC filings. On the Altria Group website, corporate governance is discussed extensively, and the by-laws as well as board members and governance guidelines are listed.

Severočeské Doly

Severočeské Doly is the largest producer of brown coal in the Czech Republic. The company mines, processes, and sells brown coal and its by-products. The company’s website lists the board members and their qualifications and shareholder structure. There is no area dedicated to corporate governance structure or policy. Within the annual report, the company disclosed they do not comply with the Corporate Governance Code, but it does respect the legal requirements and it hopes to adopt more principles in the future. Key areas of corporate governance are easy to find in the report, and although the company states it does not follow the Code, it does an extremely good job of reporting required as well as recommended information.

Prask Energetika

Prask Energetika is an electricity purchasing, distribution, and sales company operating in Prague and Roztoky, and an electricity trader in the wholesale market in the Czech Republic. Prask Energetika’s website lists the management and board members, shareholder structure, and provides access to its annual reports. There is not a section specifically for corporate governance. In the annual report, the company reports statutory information as required by the Commercial Code, but does not go into great detail about corporate governance specifically. Furthermore, it does not mention its adherence to any part of the Corporate Governance Code.

Conclusions

After reviewing the information provided either on the listed companies’ website or their annual report (see Table 2), it was discovered that the transparency of information has been achieved. At least as stated, most all of the companies comply with statutory provisions of the Commercial Code and other Acts, and six of the ten companies comply with the recommendations of the Corporate Governance Code. Of the four that have not adopted the principles of the Code, some mention of the corporate governance policy is made through the disclosure of the relevant information.

I have found that companies listed on the Prague Stock Exchange with a large market capitalization have improved upon their corporate governance reporting in their 2004 annual reports from previous years. Steps have been taken by these companies to adopt the recommendations of the Corporate Governance Code even before they have become statutory regulations. Although these are stated measures that have been taken, it is assumed the policies are followed as a result of the auditor statement concerning the reporting of information contained in the annual reports. Overall, investor confidence in the Czech securities market should improve in light of the increasing transparency of information, and the future legislation of additional corporate governance requirements will improve upon this further.

Table 2

Results of Company Analysis

Disclosure of Information ČEZ EB CT KB U Z CETV PMČR SD PE

Does the company disclose Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y
corporate governance structure
and policy?

Does the company use the Y Y* Y N N Y** Y*** Y*** N N
Corporate Governance Code
as a basis?

Is shareholder ownership Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y
disclosed and voting rights?

Board membership & Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
qualifications disclosed?

Board member remuneration Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
disclosed?

Does the website contain a N Y N N N Y N Y N N
corporate governance area?

*Austrian Code of Corporate Governance
**Dutch Corporate Governance Code
***United States Securities and Exchange Commission Requirements
Source: 2004 Annual Reports for Respective Companies

Katherine Dorsett has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas at Austin, and is currently a Masters in Business Administration student at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Ms. Dorsett recently attended a Seminar in Foreign Business at the CMC Graduate School of Business in Celakovice, Czech Republic.

In your quest to build credibility as an Ebay seller,
few things are more important than creating and
following consistent store policies. Doing so will
provide your customers with an attractive buying
atmosphere, where they will feel safe making any
transaction.

Whenever I create store policies–whether it be for
an Ebay business or an Internet business–I use one
standard: I promise what I can reasonably deliver.
And I deliver more than I promise as often as possible.

If I can reasonably offer to ship everything two days
after payment, I will promise it. But if I get the
chance to ship some items within one day, I take
that opportunity to overdeliver.

Not only is this a more ethical approach–delivering
or overdelivering on all promises–but it is also a
more practical business strategy for the long-run.

Developing relationships with your customers is the
best way to get repeat sales, testimonials, and positive
feedback–the three pillars which will support your
business and increase your cashflow.

You should extend this principle to other policies.

Create a return policy that stipulates when and for
what reasons you will accept a return. Again, you
will want to give the customer certain guarantees,
but at the same time, you don’t want to promise
what you can’t reasonably deliver.

For instance, you may want to stipulate that you
will only accept returns if the item is broken.
You may also want to add that you can only accept
returns within 14 days of delivery.

In addition to a shipping and return policy, you
will want to create a statement of quality assurance.
When I used to sell jewelry on Ebay, I promised my
customers that the metals were solid, the gems were
real, and everything was stamped.

It was relatively easy for me to prove this because
all of my jewelry came with gemologist-certified
appraisals; however, if you aren’t selling something
that can lend you credibility in a similar fashion,
you will need to earn it in the form of testimonials and
positive feedback.

. . .and this is precisely why it is so important for
Ebay sellers to create and follow store policies. Not
only will this lend you credibility and subsequently
encourage visitors to bid, but it will also prevent
customers from making unfair complaints against you.

In addition to this, when you overdeliver, your customers
will know it - and they will verify it with feedback
and testimonials.

http://www.workathomerightnow.net/ebay.html
Written by Isaiah Hull, author of “How to Profit
on Ebay In Seven Days Without Spending A Single
Penny.” For a limited time only you can get a
pre-publication copy of his book for
ONE-FOURTH the post-publication price!

The inevitability of Jesus’ return is a subject not often touched upon in sophisticated circles. Until recently, it was a subject only for the theologically inclined or those intoxicated by recent religious conversion. Since September 11th, however, the theme of salvation suddenly has a topical relevance. In light of the personal devastation we have all shared, many are asking how there possibly could be an All-Powerful, All-Loving God. A few, on the other hand, citing an obscure blue and gold book are asking an even more disturbing question, if there is an All-Powerful, All-Loving God, how can the world we see be real?” These in ever increasing numbers are saying that A Course In Miracles, and the personal transformation activated therein is evidence enough to herald the Second Coming.

In 1965, a Voice claiming to be Jesus of Nazareth began speaking to Columbia University psychology professor, Helen Schucman. With gentle authority, the Voice insisted, “This is a Course In Miracles. Please take notes.” For seven years, Helen Schucman scribed the material known today as A Course In Miracles. A number of best-selling authors and new age gurus including Jerry Jampolsky and Marianne Williamson owe their fame to the principles of love and forgiveness contained in A Course In Miracles. But despite its phenomenal beginnings, A Course In Miracles today is relegated to the bottom shelf of most bookstores, forgotten in others, and has lost its appeal on the television talk show circuit. That is, until a small band of activists took up the Course as their cause.

Before I go any further with this story of my personal encounter with the Course, I’d like to tantalize the reader with the same mind-boggling experiment given to me by these miracle teachers as they called themselves. They asked me to suppose for a moment that as is claimed by the Voice in the book, Jesus really did author A Course In Miracles. “If that were true,” they inquired, “and I knew it, how would I view it?” I considered the question. “Well, I’m not a practicing Christian,” I mused. “But if Jesus really authored the Course, I would have to be impressed. Clearly, it would be a miracle. I’d run out, buy it and ingest every word.” “It would be the greatest story in the history of mankind.” I paused. “Well, second, I guess, to the story of the resurrection, which I might just have to re-consider as fact.” “But who could believe such a story. It’s akin to ouija boards. Come on, Jesus as a ghostwriter. That’s funny!”

“Well, if you won’t believe the Messenger, how about just looking at the Message?” They had me, these miracle teachers. They had demonstrated to me in my own mind the potential magnitude of this event, if, in truth, Jesus was the author of the Course. I had to proceed further, out of sheer curiosity. “Just take a look at the introduction,” they requested. “It’s just a few lines.” So, I looked.

This is a course in miracles. It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can elect what you want to take at a given time. The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is All-Encompassing can have no opposite.

This course can therefore be summed up very simply in this way:
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.

My mind hiccupped. The opposite of love is fear, but what is All-Encompassing can have no opposite. My brain felt like it had been put into a blender and put on “liquefy”. It was whirling. How could my reality be so contradicted by Truth? And, yet this Voice, speaking so simply was obviously expressing the clarity of vision of a mind unencumbered by threat. Clearly, if there is an “All-Encompassing”, any reality I justified as intimidating could not be so. I was being asked to question all my premises based on fear and there seemed to be plenty of them. What about the “me” who was uncomfortable making conversation with strangers at cocktail parties? What about the “me” who was afraid nothing I ever wrote was good enough? What about the “me” who was afraid to be late, or to get sick, or to say “no” to my best friend? What about my “justifiable” fears like disasters, terrorists, pain, or murder? Nothing real can be threatened. Hmmm. When I thought about it, the only “me” I know is the one making decisions based on whether or not I feel safe or comfortable. You mean, none of me as I know myself is real?!

What is this Course In Miracles anyway?

My investigative spirit had been sparked. But more than that, a place deep within me, had been quickened, a place long scarred over by “professional skepticism” and repeated personal disappointment. It was the poignant place in me that yearns for Truth, that knows of “something else”, that is a persistent feeling, sometimes not more that a tiny throb, at other times hardly remembered, but surely returns to mind again and again. In the Course’s introduction, I had remembered an echo of my heart’s desire. I decided to check out these miracle teachers and their Course under the guise of investigative reporting.

I arrived at the Wisconsin campus of Endeavor Academy on an early spring afternoon. Driving to Lake Delton, I was bombarded by billboards trumpeting the thrills of water parks and the family fun of miniature golf. Who would have thought to locate an academy of spiritual transformation near the birthplace of the Ringling Brothers Circus and the tourist mecca of Wisconsin Dells? Then, I saw the irony. “How appropriate,” I thought. “I’ll be divested of my illusion in the heartland of illusions!” As I took my luggage to my room I could hear the eclectic cacophony of a number of languages being spoken. I could recognize German, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, and what sounded like Polish. And there were obviously different versions of English being spoken as well. It was clear I had walked into an international tower of babble. And, a happy one at that. Everywhere I looked there were welcoming smiles, laughter and arms raised in joy.

Later that afternoon, in an orientation of the premises, I wandered into the Academy library. Although small by college library standards, the variety and depth of material about enlightenment in all traditions was astounding. The bookshelves bulged with metaphysical treatises by Christian heretics, Eastern masters, and new age spiritualists.

My eyes were drawn to a volume entitled “The Perennial Philosophy” and I began to scan Aldous Huxley’s anthology of mystical utterances. I was struck by the universality of the metaphysical experience that resurfaces throughout all time, and that traverses a broad spectrum of cross-cultural recipients. Whether the words emanated from a Sufi saint, a Zen or Mahayana Buddhist, an Indian guru, a Taoist, a Moslem, a Hindu, or a Christian mystic, I sensed the fabric of eternity within our tapestry of time. I hear the timeless words of the mystics, and I am reminded again of the Course’s Introduction, This is a required course and of my own infant transcendental moment that brought me on this search to remember the divine Reality behind the world of things. Apparently, I am in good company.

Had a miracle had brought me here?

Later that afternoon, while filling out my registration, I had a long talk with Wolter and Nohra, two of the Admissions Office Staff. Wolter is a jovial radiant Dutchman with a chuckle like Santa Claus. Nohra, his wife, laughs with an enthusiasm born of conviction. I asked Nohra what was going to be my favorite question, “What is this place?” “Endeavor Academy is an academy for teachers of A Course In Miracles, she replied. “Its purpose is the same as that of the Course itself, to bring you enlightenment through the transformation of your mind.”

“Enlightenment, there is a big idea. What does it mean?”
She easily quoted the Course. Enlightenment is but a recognition not a change at all. “I think I’ll let Jesus explain further. He expresses it better than I do,” she said, “and certainly more beautifully. She picked up the fabled blue and gold book and began to read:
True light that makes true vision possible is not the light the body’s eyes behold. It is a state of mind that has become so unified that darkness cannot be perceived at all. And thus what is the same is seen as one, while what is not the same remains unnoticed, for it is not there.

This is the light that shows no opposites, and vision, being healed, has power to heal. This is the light that brings your peace of mind to other minds, to share it and be glad that they are one with you and with themselves. This is the light that heals because it brings single perception, based upon one frame of reference, from which one meaning comes.

As Nohra read, the revelation born of truth emanated from these words and overwhelmed me. It expressed an unworldly point of view not found in normal human correspondence. Again, I was reminded of my response to the Introduction to the Course. The throb had returned, right in the pit of my stomach and my head was reeling again. I felt like Keanu Reeves playing Neo in The Matrix. I had swallowed the red pill and there was nothing I could do about it.

Wolter looked at me brightly and explained further. “The nature of Reality is Thought. Everything is only your idea of it. The Course teaches total responsibility for what you perceive. This realization permits you to change, in an instant, perception in its entirety. Self-responsibility is thus the catalyst to the experience of transformation that is the mind-training program of A Course In Miracles. That revelation is practical, very sacred, and very emotional. It changes the entire way I see the world. The Course does not seek to change the world but through our individual acts of love and forgiveness to change the mind that perceives the world. Jesus says it simply this way: To free the world from every kind of pain is but to change your mind about yourself.

Listening to the two of them, I realized this assignment had just gotten very personal. I saw in these few minutes how my perception of my world had been edited by my own fear of fear. I saw how I had imprisoned myself and everyone around me by an elusive and unexpressed anxiety. I was beginning to feel very exposed.

That evening I sat with a group of other students over a vegetarian pasta dinner. Making conversation, I asked Philly, “What is this place?” She paused. As I watched her, something happened and I was not prepared for the depth of her answer. I felt the intimacy of a memory rise up in her. Her eyes began to water behind her glasses and she spoke with great emotion. “A while before I came here, I was lying in a hospital bed. The next day I was scheduled to have my left breast removed. I was very frightened and, perhaps for the first time, I prayed. In that moment, a miracle occurred. I knew, no matter what appeared to happen, I was going to be all right. The next day, when I woke from the anesthesia, the surgeon leaned over me and told me the news. He had found nothing. There was no tumor. He called it a mistake, an aberration, a poor diagnosis. But he never considered the possibility it had been a miracle. You ask ‘what is this place?’ This is a place where miracles are recognized. I had told no one here of my healing. Yet, the first day I was here, the Master Teacher looked at me and said, ‘here is an association who had cancer of the left breast and decided not to.’ This is a place, a new continuum of time where suffering and pain cannot exist. It is a continuum where you and I see the Truth in each other.”

Needless to say, that night I retreated to my room, my heart brimming with the infinite possibility of the miracle and my mind conflicted with the cynicism of an idea too good to be true. I curled up on my bed and began to read the masterpiece known as A Course In Miracles.

Presented as a self-study program, the format of the Course is a workbook of daily lessons, a text, and a teacher’s manual. Proclaiming to offer a primer of how enlightened mind works, the Course purports to activate our memory of our Divine Inheritance through our individual application of the psychology of self-responsibility and the art of forgiveness.

The stated purpose of the workbook is to: train your mind in a systematic way to a different perception of everyone and everything in the world… The very nature of true or enlightened perception is that it has no limits. It is the opposite of the way you see now. True perception is the means by which the world is saved from sin, for sin does not exist. And it is this that true perception sees.

This is clearly a radically different paradigm of the world. I gave up trying to understand for the moment and closed my eyes. As I drifted off to sleep my heart was flooded with a nostalgic longing, for what I did not know. Yet, in the yearning, it was fulfilled and I felt contentment from a past long unremembered.
In the morning, I prepared for session. This is the single event of the day that everyone at Endeavor Academy– teachers, students and guests, –all share. At breakfast, I met with my “guide”. James is an Irishman turned Australian, who still retains a hint of the blarney in the twinkle in his eye. I was interested in “the Master Teacher” spoken of by Philly, the night before. “Who is he?” I asked.

James turned serious and spoke with a quiet, authoritative certainty. “The Master Teacher is a teacher of awakening. He is an introduction to the dynamics of the transformative process profiled in A Course In Miracles. As a whole expression of Universal Communication, Master Teacher is a catalyst to the stimulation and acceleration of your own illumination.
Jim’s voice became low and personal. “As an awakened teacher, Master Teacher transmits the energy of Resurrected Mind. He demonstrates through your own personal experience the healing essence of Light as the transformative factor of your Mind.” Through him, I have recalled that vibratory resonance And through his expression of A Course in Miracles, I have remembered myself as the Light Jesus proclaimed me to be. My recognition of the Master Teacher has been the divine recognition of my Self and everyone around me.”

I listened, but could barely pay attention because I had become liquid Light. The whirling I had experienced earlier had coalesced into a single, indescribable blending with everything around me. I was being lifted somehow through myself and propelled into the universe. I experienced no fear, only awe and tremendous gratitude. Jim continued speaking:
“The Course and its awakened teachers are a vibratory call that resounds to the personal remembrance of your own mastership through revelation. This is a teaching of initiation, or the determination of an individual mind to come to its own whole universal self. It is the transitional passage from time to eternity, a personal adventure, and a required course for the completion of man’s inevitable metamorphosis to his natural enlightened condition.”

Our talk was interrupted by a great excitement. The Master Teacher was arriving.

I looked around the session facility. The room was filled with about 300 people of all ages, races, nationalities, and economic background. “What could attract such an all-inclusive diversity of human form,” I thought. There were resounding laughter and a spontaneous rising of arms as the Master Teacher entered the room. At that point, my focus shifted from the figure in the room to a compelling force of energy surging through me. I remembered one of the phrases Nohra had read to me the day before from the Course. “True light that makes true vision possible is not the light the body’s eyes behold.” I was swept by an imperative of integration that was physical, emotional and intellectual. I lost my reference of myself as an objective entity separate from the room and others around me. It is a state of mind that has become so unified that darkness cannot be perceived at all. And thus what is the same is seen as one, while what is not the same remains unnoticed, for it is not there. I was in love, of love, and from love.

In the background of my mind, the Master Teacher was relating the thought system unlocked by the Course with the tenets of Mind espoused by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount. As a man thinketh so doth he perceive. The experience of eternal life demonstrated by Jesus in His Resurrection, maintained the Master Teacher, is the same truth advocated by quantum physicists in their recognition of the unreality of observed form. I saw that the Master Teacher was speaking of the very experience of integration of which I was, in that moment in joyous awareness. “There is no world,” the Master Teacher was saying emphatically. My experience confirmed this outrageous statement. I was in the world but not of it. I was sharing a vibratory pitch of energy that was so inclusive the separate nature of the world that I had known disappeared. I was One with the Universe. My kingdom is not of this world. All the Biblical phrases of the New Testament were rushing back into my agnostic mind with the reverberation of Truth.

I began to see that this tiny band of activists was right. The Second Coming was at hand. Jesus wasn’t reappearing as an objective form outside of me. He was reappearing as me in my Self-realization of the Singular Reality of God. In a single instant of revelation, Christianity’s idea of atonement reconfigured in my mind as the experience of at-One-ment I was having. In A Course In Miracles, the miracle of His Return was being played out in a remarkable story of individual transformation to Wholeness–my story.

At that moment, a hand touched my shoulder and I was aware that the Master Teacher was speaking through me. I was being lifted beyond all thought and conceptual articulation. As I “left”, I heard the invocation of my baptism in Light. “Glad is the hand of the Father extending His Love to His Son” and I was Glad.

Glad is a Teacher of A Course In Miracles. The Miracle Times : http://www.themiracletimes.com

There are countless distinct breeds of hotel that London Hotels has to offer. Several are are similar to one another but might have certain facilities to offer, therefore you want to be clear about what you’re trying to find. Do you demand to be mollycoddled, sup afternoon tea someplace distinguished or possibly merely revel in a few rare days off & chill-out in extravagant dwellings?

As well as classy locations to hang out at, are the funky hotels. These are beginning to become more and more numerous and are not enormous like they were in the past. These days there are some places that you’ll locate them in, like Knightsbridge, Soho & Notting Hill, although they’ve got several others that will be with us soon. The Soho Hotel now is the most famous one. What makes the establishment memorable and distinctive is that the amenities are incredible. It’s thought of as one of the greatest fancy and funky places at which to be at if you’re lucky enough to order a bedroom, a thing that nowadays can be hard. This location contains ninety-one bedrooms, apartments & suites all distinctively designed. A handful of the location’s facilities comprise of private events rooms, a beauty centre, a gymnasium and furthermore a cinema; you will never become indifferent at this residence.

Certain ones of the older establishments are also some of the foremost that London has to give. The Ritz, The Savoy & Claridges are just some of these, all of which have been in london from the Victorian era, even if the majority of these places have had the advantage of a lot of repairs subsequently but still still retain loads of of the genuine idiosyncrasies. Such older hotels were made to measure establishments & were a few of the rare places that offered an outstanding measure of comfort.

Presently these aforementioned hotels are still said to be a few of the top in London and the most well known. A standard night in one of previously mentioned hotels will set you back rounds about £270 and the price is simply for a normal room. Claridges has another perk that neither of the other two have - an amazing restaurant owned by Gordon Ramsey emulating the style of building itself and is the definition of indulgence with stunning dining and tremendous service.

The rage currently appears to be the modern boutique establishments, and the capital nowadays has a few to visit. The most important one now seems to be St Martin’s Ln. Hotel. From the breathtaking settings smack in the middle of the area of Covent Garden, the hotel is an awesome & audacious recreation of the urban hide away - and it’s classy & couth. The place contains loads different facilities, including the noted restaurant known as Asia de Cuba & the brilliant Light bar. Find out details about hotels in London with Time Out.

When 26-year-old Michelangelo sculpted the statue David from a
block of marble 500 years ago, his tools were basic and crude
compared to what is available today. And although solid marble
floors were created for the wealthy back then, the artists did
not have the tools to make intricate, delicate patterns in the
marble. A slab of marble remained a slab of marble cut to the
required size.

Today’s technology for creating masterpieces of architectural
design from marble is centered on the cutting technology of
waterjet. A Master Designer is no longer limited in expressing
his creativity as the waterjet machines can cut, with meticulous
precision, the thousands of various-shaped pieces that comprise
a work of art. Marble-granite-onyx floor medallions, an example
of the practical use of waterjet technology, can be seen not
only in hotel lobbies, restaurants and airports, but in fine
homes around the globe. These medallions express uniqueness,
quality and originality, and are considered an excellent
investment. They come in original designs, or pre-made,
ready-to-install designs, or a customized version of the
pre-made version. And, they are economical.

What is waterjet Cutting? * An environmentally friendly process
* A process that does not create chemical air pollution * A
process that does not create dust, grindings, or chips * A
process that does not generate pollutants or fumes * A process
that does not require cutting oils or emulsions * A process that
is clean and efficient

What items can be cut with waterjet? * Marble and granite, and
all other stones * Ceramics and porcelain * Linoleum, vinyl, and
sports flooring * All metals, including brass, muntz, CorTen
Steel, stainless steel * Glass * Almost any material that you
want to cut into a two-dimensional shape * Being a clear, cold
process, waterjet cutting does not distort, heat, or harden
materials * When conventional cutting methods can’t cut through
a material, waterjet can * No pressure or heat is exerted on the
material, making it safe for plastics or composites, or items
that cannot tolerate mechanical damage or heat

What patterns can be cut with waterjet? * If you can draw it on
a computer, waterjet can cut it * Images come from electronic
files, drawings, blueprints, etc. * The images are converted
into a language the waterjet machines can read. * This
‘converted image’ is downloaded onto the waterjet machine

What about the cost? * Waterjet cutting is the most economical
way to cut stainless steel, porcelain, or any stone into complex
shapes. * Being environmentally friendly makes it very cost
effective * The savings over traditional cutting methods is
often substantial * There are no molding or tooling costs
associated with waterjet

What are some of the main architectural uses of waterjet
technology in the commercial world? The intricate masterpieces
created with the waterjet technology are found around the world
in: * Airports * Government Buildings * Hospitals * Hotels,
Resorts, Casinos * Restaurants * Malls * Outdoor Public Spaces

* Medallions are found in all of the above places, along with an
artistically designed whole floor concept that delightfully
leads one from the entryway into all the areas where the public
or employees walk. The medallions are sometimes the logo of the
local sports team, or the trademark of the business.

Other uses of waterjet technology in these commercial areas
include architectural signage, plaques and murals. These murals
can depict famous places that attract tourists to the area.

What are the main architectural uses of waterjet technology in
residences? * Stone Floor Medallions may be located throughout
the home, starting with a Custom Entryway * Border Tiles, along
with an artistically designed whole, flowing-floor concept,
gently carry one from the entryway to living room, dining room,
halls, kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms in an integrated,
beautiful way. * Bathrooms - a sublime bathing experience when
planned by a Master Designer * Kitchens - blending the floors,
countertops, and dining areas into a daily delightful
cooking/baking/eating experience * Fireplace Surrounds * Stone
Furniture * Wall Murals and Art

The first step in the writing process is to put your ideas down on paper. Once you have text to work with, the second step is to revise what you have written to make it as clear, accurate and powerful as you can. The final step is to edit your work carefully.

Editing Tip #1: Take a Break

When you have concentrated on your writing for long periods of time, there is a tendency to read what you think is therenot what you have actually written! By taking a break for a few hours (or even a few days), you will return to your work with a fresh mind and fresh eyes. Suddenly you will realize that:

• The rhythm of your sentences and paragraphs is off; either they are too short and choppy or too convoluted and long.
  
• Some of your ideas are out of place and belong in a different paragraph.
  
• One of your paragraphs doesn’t make any sense!
  
• You forgot to address a crucial aspect of your topic.
  
• Some of your data is wrong or missing.
  
• You have misspelled several words and accidentally omitted others.
  

Editing is conducted at two levels. First concentrate on the conceptual, or substantive, level to ensure that your ideas are strong, logical and well-organized. Once this step is complete, go through your work line-by-line to check for small details such as spelling, grammar, word choice and punctuation.

Conceptual Editing

When you begin to edit at the conceptual level, try to approach your work as though you were the intended reader instead of the author. In your role as reader, look at the introduction. Is it compelling? Do you clearly understand what the topic, major points and slant of the communication will be?

Then look at the body. Do the ideas flow well, or are they confusing? Are they presented in some kind of logical order? Do concrete details help to paint a clear picture? Are any stray ideas lurking in unrelated paragraphs?

Does this communication seem to be written for you? In other words, do you feel like you are its intended audience, or does the writer fail to explain concepts, terms and acronyms you don’t understand? Is the voice of this communication appropriate? Is it too formal? Too informal? Just right?

Did the writer insult your intelligence by repeating the same ideas over and over? Or did the writer present a strong, clear, coherent argument that you understood immediately? Finally, what is your overall impression of this communication (and its writer)? Positive or negative?

This technique of reading what you have written as though you were the intended audience will help you see your communications from a different perspective. Some of what you discover may surprise you. Make any changes that are necessary and then proceed to line editing.

Line Editing

The final step in the editing process is to go through your document line-by-line to check for errors in mechanics (e.g., spelling, grammar, punctuation), word usage and format.

If you included tables or figures, be sure to check that the captions are correct and that you entered the data correctly. Also be sure you have expressed your ideas as succinctly as possible. If you find your sentences are filled with empty, unnecessary words, delete them.

Try This!

If you are having problems “seeing” your errors at the line level, go to the end of your document and read the last sentence. Then read the second to last sentence. Continue working from the end to the beginning until you reach your opening line! This technique keeps your brain from automatically reading what you think you wrote and helps you see what is actually on the page.

A Special Word About Homonyms

The English language has many words, called homonyms, that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. The four most common sets are: their/they’re/there, too/to/two, your/you’re, and its/it’s.

These are FREQUENTLY used incorrectly! Even when you know the difference between them, it is easy to type the wrong word when you are concentrating on getting your ideas down on paper. Unfortunately, ordinary spell-check programs cannot distinguish between homonyms that are used correctly and those that are used incorrectly. Therefore, always pay special attention to these words when you are conducting a line edit.

Editing Tip #3: Always Spell-Check Your Work

It is amazing how often writers fail to perform this final edit–especially since it is so easy to do! I will agree that spell-check programs attached to word processing software cannot detect homonyms, that they highlight unfamiliar words that are actually spelled correctly, and that the grammar check is frequently just plain wrong.

On the other hand, they do pick up incorrect spacing between words, highlight a few grammar problems correctly, and catch most of your misspelled words. The process doesn’t take very long and is easy to perform. In the end, you have nothing to lose by taking this final step and potentially much to gain!

Clarice Kyd Dankers, M.A., offers editing and coaching services to business and academic clients around the world. Her work incorporates eight years of experience in business communications with extensive experience in linguistics, publishing and university teaching. For more information about her servicesor to sign up for her free monthly newslettergo to http://www.PolishYourWriting.com

Most small companies and home users don’t need to buy an expensive solution for data backup. They can simply copy important files to a CD or DVD, and if an information loss occurs, they can get it back easily.
If it is simply to copy documents, photos and other files, not the same is for emails, attachments, address book, stationery and other related information from your Outlook Express email client.
This article will explain how everybody can create a manual Outlook Express backup copy (because Outlook Express don’t offer a built in backup function) This email program is usually installed with the Windows operating system and is probably among the most commonly used email programs today.

1. Backup email messages
In Outlook Express, emails are stored in files with DBX extension. The easiest way to find these files is to open Outlook Express and from menu select Tools | Options | Maintenance and click the Store Folder button. Here you can find the path to the folder containing your emails.
This procedure works for all kind of email: SMTP / POP3, IMAP, MAPI, or even the Hotmail Account (some messages might be stored only at the Hotmail server).
To save all your emails and attachments you should copy all the DBX files from the folder.

2. Account settings:
Details about your mail and news accounts are stored in the registry. To find them, start RegEdit and select the “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Account Manager” key from the left panel. To save this data, from menu select: Registry | Export Registry File. Save the file to a name like “accounts.reg”.

3. Mail Rules
The Outlook Express mail rules are stored in the registry, in the “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities” key. To save this data, from menu select: Registry | Export Registry File. Save the file to a name like “rules.reg”.

4. Address Book
The backup of address book is easy to do. It is stored in files with WBA extension. To find the location where address book is stored, you should open Outlook Express and from menu select File | Export | Address Book and select the comma separated text file as your output format. Click Export, select the folder where the backup will be saved and set the name for the backup file. After that click Next and choose the fields you want to include in your backup. Click Finish and your backup will be ready.

5. Stationery
The Outlook Express stationery location is stored in a registry key. To find it, you should open RegEdit, find “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Stationery” key and look at “Stationery Folder” value. There you will find the path to stationery folder. To save the stationery, you should copy all files from that folder.

If you think that manual backup is too hard, you can use a backup software tool, which can make the job much easier. Outlook Express Backup Expert is one product that can be used to easily create Outlook Express backups. It can save your emails, attachments, address book, signatures, blocked list, mail rules, stationery, accounts and settings. The biggest advantage to use automatic email backup software is the schedule function, which will create backups at specified time intervals, without user action. The downside of using a automatic email backup utility is that it costs money, usually about 20-30 USD as one time payment, while the manual backups are of course, free.
The conclusion is that email backup is a critical operation for every user.

A free evaluation copy of Outlook Express Backup Expert can be found at: http://www.bodrag.com/outlook-express-backup.html

Dragos is the webmaster of the BODRAG website: www.bodrag.com/outlook-express-backup.html

When planning your wedding, ask yourself: why is there so much silk involved in a wedding? You know the answer as well as I do: Silk symbolized elegance. Silk has been around for literally thousands of years and has been used by people for ages for all sorts of purposes. When used in bulk and custom designed for a wedding dress, silk isn’t cheap. Let me restate that, silk is cheap when bought by the truckload from a mass manufacturer in China or somewhere else. But, by the time it’s styled and added to a fancy wedding dress, the resulting silk product can be costly.

When someone gets married, they want the wedding to be as fancy (and unfortunately for the person who is footing the bill, expensive) as possible. For that special woman, no expense should be spared. And believe me, the wedding caterers know this. They’ve seen thousands of couples come before you and they are professionals as sizing up how much money is likely budgeted for you wedding.

Silk flowers are another popular item found at weddings. Arranged properly, silk flowers can add a huge amount of beauty to any ceremony. In fact, there are many stores (likely online) that carry different types of silk flowers and silk flower arrangements for your wedding.

On top of that, many small custom providers of different silk flowers and plants can be found online. Say, you are having a Hawaiian themed wedding. Wouldn’t it be cool if there were silk palm trees and silk coconuts. Yes. It would. Now just convince whoever is paying for your wedding that these are integral parts to your wedding and you are all set.

Michael Welling is a contributing author at http://www.thesilksite.com The Silk Site has silk and silk flowers information.