How to Find the Right Lawyer for Your Small Business

As a small business owner, it’s quite possible that you run into conflicts that might lead to lawsuits and you might need to find a lawyer to help you solve the problems. Finding the “right lawyer” could be very challenging or even intimidating, especially for people who has never working with an attorney before. However, by taking the right approach you might find the right lawyer who can best help you.

Just like shopping for other products or services, the first step is to shop around. There are a number of resources where you can use to find a lawyer.

First of all, you can look for recommendations from your business contacts, friends or family. If anybody you know was previously involved in a similar case, be sure to ask that person about the his/her experience and that person might even recommend a good lawyer to you.

Your local bar association is another good resource for finding the right lawyer. Check your phone book or do a web search to find the contact information of your local bar association. They might maintain a lawyer referral lists searchable by specialty. Not only can your local bar association refer specialized attorneys, they can also provide you with information such as whether there is any ethical complaint or inquiry associated with a attorney.

You can also get help from lawyer referral services. You can find a list of lawyer referral services in your yellow book under “Lawyers”, “Attorneys” or “Attorney Referral Services”, or you can search them on the Internet. These services usually charge you a fee but some services might allow you talk to a lawyer without any charge.

In addition, you might come across advertisements from attorneys or law firms. Just like dealing with other type of advertisements, you should be careful and don’t trust the advertisement too much.

Beside the resources mentioned above, there are a number of other options to find a lawyer, such as looking at the phone book or doing web search, etc. Don’t settle down with the first lawyer that you come across. Make sure to interview a few attorneys before you make your final decision.

John Lee is a freelance writer who has written articles for websites such as Attorney Help (http://attorney.eguidepro.com).

Samsung LN46A650

Conversations in Management: Casey Stengel

“The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided.” -Casey Stengel

Baseball was Casey Stengel?s passion and with the exception of two off seasons spent in dental school, little else was of interest. He was born in Kansas City (which provided the origin of his nickname?K. C. or ?Casey?) and played his first pro season in Kankakee. He had a successful career as a player and appeared in three World Series. It was during this period that he developed a reputation for stories, stunts and all purpose clowning around. Over the years he would hone these skills as sharply as those applied to the game. His penchant for run-on, run away and strangely convoluted sentences became known as Stengelese. (One can?t help but think Stengel saw more than a talent for baseball in his young prot?g?, Yogi Berra.)

Stengel made his greatest mark on baseball, however, as a manager. After some disappointing seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves, be began to hit his stride with the Class AAA Milwaukee Brewers. He led that team to a pennant and set a new club attendance record. But his big break came in 1948 when he was hired to manage the New York Yankees. Within 12 years he led the team to ten pennants, and seven World Series wins (five of those wins were consecutive). Stengel succeeded as a manager because he had an intuitive sense of the game. He could size up a situation and make a good decision almost spontaneously. Often, others couldn?t see the logic in his moves, but the results ultimately spoke for themselves.

Good managers in more mundane occupations do the same thing. Success depends on intuitively sizing up people and making good decisions about them. It isn?t always easy. As Stengel rightly points out, no matter how highly your mom might esteem you, some folks just won?t like you very much. That can present some problems. Some managers, in an effort to be liked, will overlook unprofessional conduct and even poor work performance. They might try to buy affection with perks or pay raises. It never works. They might also take an opposite tack. In this approach, they respond to an employee?s dislike by keeping their distance, or shutting the person out of activities or looking for confirmation that the employee isn?t particularly likeable either. They make it personal. This doesn?t work either.

Stengel also points out that some employees will be undecided. This, too, presents a challenge because negativism can sap the life out of a team with the speed of light. At work, misery truly does love company and you can be sure the haters will do everything in their power to enlist the undecided.

The answer is to engage the undecided and challenge the haters. You do this by having a common standard for conduct and performance. You enforce that standard equitably. You reward only exemplary effort. And you develop a thick skin. The truth is, we all want to be liked; but if the price of being liked is our integrity and dignity it just isn?t worth it. If we don?t give into the haters, the undecided will eventually come around. It?s all in the game.

About the Author:

George Ebert is the President of Trinity River Seminars and Consulting, a firm specializing in the custom design and delivery of team building, personal growth and ethical development programs. Mr. Ebert is a highly sought after speaker, educator, and consultant with over thirty years experience in both the public and private sectors. He has presented widely throughout the Unites States. George is the author of the management cult classic, “Climbing From the Fifth Station: A guide to building teams that work!”

Takamine Jasmine

The Best of Universal Orlando

So you?ve done Walt Disney World and now you?re ready to discover Universal Orlando. But where to start? Universal Orlando is a whopper of a destination composed of exceptional resorts, first-rate restaurants, and two theme parks offering a certain brand of high-speed intensity certain to please. Here are some of Universal?s best experiences:

Best Deluxe Resort

For the height of luxury in a Mediterranean seaside setting head straight for this exclusive hotel designed to resemble Italy?s idyllic seaside town of Portofino. The scenery is pure postcard with colorful fishing boats bobbing in the seductively curving bay, sun-bleached stucco buildings with shuttered windows and trompe l?oeil decorative facades, and a charming, waterside piazza loaded with appetizing restaurants. Guestrooms are large and luxurious with four-poster beds, luxe linens, down pillows, and a pile of other amenities that can?t be beat.

Best Resort For the Utterly Cool

Hard Rock?s motto is ?love all, serve all? and serve they certainly do at the single coolest place in Florida to hang out in California hip style. It?s a mix of pure luxury and star worship where an ultra slick marble lobby, a marvelous pool complex, and stylish guestrooms are interspersed with over one million dollars worth of rock and roll memorabilia and rock music blasting away in every public space; over 900 speakers are scattered throughout the property, all running seven days a week, 24 hours a day. But rest assured, from the moment you enter the hallways leading to your trendy guestroom, only beautiful silence is heard.

Best Resort Pool

Hard Rock?s 12,000 foot zero-entry pool is almost too hip to handle. It comes with an underwater sound system and a 250-foot slide (the longest at any U.S. hotel), all surrounded by a sand beach and swaying palm trees. For the ultimate in luxury, rent a poolside cabana equipped with lounge chairs, TV, telephone, fax line, refrigerator, and ceiling fan. You can even order up your own private masseuse.

Best Resort Lounge

It depends. The hip crowd should head to Velvet, Hard Rock Hotel?s so cool cocktail lounge offering a huge list of specialty martinis and premium cigars along with rock and roll, chic seating, and a great outdoor terrace with a view of the resort?s pool. Those with a more sophisticated inclination will love Bar America at Portofino Bay Hotel where a pianist entertains a fashionable crowd feasting on Beluga caviar and fine wine in an elegant setting.

Best Attractions For Thrill Seekers

Universal Orlando is the perfect place for those who crave a rush of adrenaline. And the best park for thrills is Universal?s newest, Islands of Adventure. Head first to the
Incredible Hulk Coaster where you?re launched from a near standstill to 40 mph in 2 seconds, then immediately into a zero-G dive roll looping through inversion after inversion and twice
underground before coming to a halt. Then take a ride on Dueling Dragons, the world?s first inverted, dueling (there?s two of them), near-miss coasters. At certain points during the ride
you?ll swear your dangling feet almost touch those of the opposite dragon as it goes roaring by.

Best Way to Spend an Evening Without the Kids

First check the children into one of the Universal resort?s excellent child care centers. Then head to either Emerils at Citywalk, a classy spot reminiscent of the New Orleans warehouse district with intoxicating Creole/Cajun food or Tchuop Chop at Universal?s Royal Pacific Resort, one of the most beautiful restaurants in Orlando serving innovative Asian/Polynesian fare. Afterward dance the night away at Universal?s Citywalk. Buy a Party Pass for unlimited admission to all the nightclubs and enjoy!

Best Resort Restaurant

It?s a toss up. Tchoup Chop at the Royal Pacific Resort for it?s breathtakingly beautiful dining room and imaginative cuisine or Delfino Riviera, Portofino Bay Hotel?s stylish and sophisticated Italian restaurant perched above the piazza overlooking the bay.

Best Way to Spend an Afternoon Away From the Parks

Immerse yourself in luxury with one or two soothing spa treatments at Portofino Bay?s Mandara Spa. Choose from a variety of massage, face, anti-aging, and body treatments including Indonesian four hands massage and Javanese Lulur. Follow this with an afternoon lazing beside one of the resort?s three luxurious pools.

Cara Goldsbury is the author of The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World: How to Get the Most Out of the Best Disney Has to Offer available at 800-247-6553, or www.luxurydisneyguide.com

invicta diver

You Can’t Eat Weeds

It is an old metaphor, but I believe it also one which bears some further thought.

Today is one of those slightly grey, slightly damp days here in the UK. As it was dry I decided to don boots and jacket and have a tidy up in the garden. I spend a lot of time chained to a keyboard, tapping away, and an opportunity to be outside is not one to be passed up.

In the summer of 2004 I had a wonderful vegetable garden. In fact, it was so successful we were almost self sustaining for just over 7 months of that year. It was a great feeling. I planned what to plant; I planned when and where to plant and everyday I took action. Everyday, there was a task to be done in that vegetable garden of mine and I did it. The rewards were great – luscious tomatoes, giant cucumbers and courgettes (zucchini), lettuce, calabrese, cauliflowers, potatoes, carrots, onions, fennel, peppers, aubergines (eggplant) all grew in abundance.

Earlier this year I developed a significant health challenge which has prevented me from planting and tending my garden and this afternoon when I went on my tidying spree I was saddened to find the beds overgrown with weeds with not a single sign left of my previous success.

So, why am I choosing to spend my writing time and your reading time on this?

It occurs to me how often our lives can parallel events in my garden. We can choose to plan, take consistent action and, with patience, reap the harvest of rewards that yields or we can choose to distract ourselves with other things and allow weeds to grow instead.

Of one thing you can be sure – your mind will fill itself with something, and if you do not choose to fill your mind with proactive thoughts you will simply provide fertile ground for the weeds of negativity to grow and choke out all other possibilities.

Today, I have tidied up in my garden; I have removed those weeds that were going to stop anything useful growing on my vegetable patch. I have made a plan for the coming months and I have taken action. Those weeds will not have a chance to gain hold this year.

I invite you to do the same with a little mental clearing now.

What metaphoric weeds are occupying your thoughts and preventing you from taking positive action and moving towards the things you want in life?

What clearing needs to be done to free up mental capacity for you to plan and take action?

Are you going to choose what thoughts and things you “grow” this year? Or, are you just going to accept the weeds of negativity and failure that will quickly take root if you do not?

Donetta Harrison is building http://www.wellnessforlife.info, an information resource on all aspects of wellness in all domains of life, to encourage individuals to take responsibility for their health and wellbeing in order that that they may live life to the full. More Information from wellnessforlife@btinternet.com

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Laminate Flooring – How To Choose One!

Laminate flooring has become one of the most preferred solutions today in the world when it comes to picking a flooring type for the home or the workplace alike. With a boom in real estate around the world like no other, and the associated growth of construction, the flooring industry is going through never-before growth rates breaking all records with each passing phase of time. And given the economic outlook of the world, there is only one way this industry is going to go and that is up!

Laminate flooring while bearing close resemblance with hardwood flooring has a few fundamental differences that start from the way it is constructed right up to the maintenance measures that need to be taken post installation. Depending on where you want the flooring to be done, the kind of traffic it will need to take and the weight of movement involved, you can choose the laminate flooring of the right strength that will best suit your needs. To do that, i.e. pick the right laminate flooring over hardwood flooring, you need to understand how laminate flooring is graded and what grade makes the most sense for you to buy. Net-net, you want to know what AC rating is all about for laminate flooring.

The European Producers of Laminate Flooring or the EPLF as they are commonly known is an organization that standardizes the types of laminate floorings available in the market today by classifying them according to various categories based on the permissible stress levels. These stress levels could be tested for scratching, denting on impact, abrasion resistance, staining, reaction to fire among several such parameters. Based on this, the suitability of the laminate flooring for a certain place of installation is determined and an AC rating given. The AC rating is an indicator for the customer on whether the laminate flooring under consideration will perform well at the chosen place of installation.

AC ratings range from AC 1 all the way upto AC 5. AC 1 laminate floorings are meant for low traffic low weight movement locations such as the bedroom in your house, the study room etc. The next level AC 2, is prescribed largely for the rest of the house. SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) and small offices go in for AC 3. Slightly higher traffic areas like a pharmacy or a gift shop use AC 4 as do medium sized restaurants. Very high traffic areas like airports, government buildings etc use AC 5.

Choose your laminate flooring carefully and you will reap the benefits of a glittering floor with aesthetic beauty for a long time to come. Get floored by laminate flooring!

Visit our articles section at superFlooring Wonders for more such practical advice on flooring and how to get the best flooring solution suited for your needs. For awesome flooring tips and tricks, visit Flooring Wonders and bring the world beneath your feet!!

zoom h4 recorder

Ever Wonder How Fast To Train Or Work With Your Dog?

I noticed the other day, while working with a new German Shepherd dog-mix I adopted from a local animal shelter?how fast and intense you must work with your dog, during the ?reinforcement? phase.

Your dog goes through three general phases of learning:

1. ?The Learning phase?: This is when the dog learns to understand what a command means. You use very little correction at this phase, and may use toys, balls or food to motivate (not bribe!) the dog into doing and understanding what the command means. The problem with most amateur dog trainers is that they feel their dog is trained, once he understands a command and has gone through the ?Learning Phase.?

2. ?The Reinforcement phase?: Once the dog has learned what the command means, he needs to be ?re- taught? the command in a variety of different settings. Because he?ll likely only associate response to the command in the initial setting you?ve trained him in, he needs to ?relearn? the command in different types of areas. This happens very quickly. It usually only takes one or two repetitions, and then it ?clicks? for the dog. Once you see that it?s ?clicked for the dog,? this is when you need to start working very fast, exciting and BRIEF sessions. Your goal is to get the dog to respond to commands very quickly. IF you?re working on the ?down? command, then the dog should drop into the down position very quickly?AND THEN IMMEDIATELY GIVE HIM YOUR ?RELEASE COMMAND!? Run 5 or 10 steps with the dog, then reissue the command. When you give him the release command, toss a ball, or a piece of food. You should be aiming to teach the dog that training is a big, fun game. A game that he has to respect. But nonetheless, a game the he loves and looks forward to playing with you?in any environment.

Here?s where most new trainers fail: They don?t work the dog fast enough. You need to make your body language fast and exciting to the dog. IF you?re not sweating and huffing and puffing after 5-10 minutes? then you?re not being animated enough. For fastest results, work the dog like this for 3-4 sessions a day and you?ll see dramatic improvement.

3. ?The Proofing Phase?: This phase teaches the dog that 100% reliability in every type of environment is absolutely imperative. Make sure your proof your dog in every type of environment that you can imagine. Practice in parks, in field and in parking lots. Practice around other dogs, and cats. And even chickens and goats. One you’ve “proofed” your dog, you can relax in knowing that you can pretty much take your dog anywhere and know that hell listen.

Adam G. Katz is the author of the book, “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer: An Insider’s Guide To The Most Jealously Guarded Dog Training Secrets In History.” Get a free copy of his report “Games To Play With Your Dog” when you sign up for his free weekly dog training tips e-zine at: http://www.dogproblems.com

Takamine Jasmine

Full Coverage Car Insurance ? Fact or Fantasy?

Me: “Good Afternoon, how can we help you today?”

Potential Client: “Yeah ? hello ? I have full coverage car insurance with my current company, and I would like a quote for full coverage with you to see if I can save money on my auto insurance.”

Me: “Great! What coverages are you carrying with your current company?”

Potential Client: “I don?t really know, but I think it is the state minimums”

I get this exact phone call or ones similar to it in my agency at least 3 ? 4 times each week.

When I receive these calls, I will usually ask what the person is trying to accomplish by getting “full coverage”. So far, I have found most believe if they are carrying the “state minimum” coverages, they are fully covered. Additionally, I have found that there are two major categories people fall into when they say “full coverage” and are looking for cheap car insurance:

Category 1 ? If I have an accident, any accident, I walk away without any financial consequences at all. I am totally covered no matter what happens.

Category 2 ? If somebody hits me and they do not have any insurance or if they do not have enough insurance, I will be covered for any conceivable expense to myself, my passengers, or my property as a result of their mistake.

Category 1 – I want to be covered no matter what happens

In order to answer this type of request, we must first understand that car insurance works with defined policy limits ? it is helpful to understand what the numbers we see mean in the policy we purchase.

For example, in Texas, the State minimum required coverage to demonstrate financial responsibility is 20/40/15. We have all seen these numbers over and over again, but you would be surprised how many people have no idea what they mean.

Each number is in thousands and is the maximum coverage you would receive ? so 20 means up to $20,000, 40 means up to $40,000, and 15 means up to $15,000. The first number is per person per accident bodily injury number in thousands. The second number is the total bodily injury per accident and the last number is the amount of property damage covered.

Our agency, through the insurance company I am appointed with offers the following levels of bodily injury liability auto coverages for non-commercial personal auto:

• 20/40
• 25/50
• 50/100
• 100/200
• 100/300
• 250/500
• 500/500

And the following property damage liability auto limits:

• 15
• 20
• 25
• 40
• 50
• 100

Keeping these numbers in mind ? Let?s say you are carrying the Texas state minimums of 20/40/15 and that you cause an accident with $10,000 in bodily injury and $18,000 of property damage to a vehicle.

Based on your coverages, your insurance company would pay all of the bodily injury and up to $15,000 for the property damage, you would be responsible for $3,000.

Did you have full coverage?

Let?s take it to the next level with a bad accident (but definitely not the worst) ? You cause an accident involving 3 other vehicles besides your own, and there are 2 people in each vehicle. We will use the same numbers as above.

6 people x $10,000 = $60,000
3 vehicles x $18,000 = $54,000

Again, if you are carrying the same coverages as listed above, 4 of the 6 people would be covered by your state minimum policy because everybody was under the $20,000 per person limit, but you maxed out your per accident bodily injury at $40,000, so you would need to take care of $20,000 of bodily injury on your own.

Next, your property damage coverage would pay for $15,000 leaving the remaining $39,000 to you. The total bill to you would be $59,000.

Did you have full coverage?

In order for you to be covered for this accident, as stated ? if there is no continued litigation or lawsuits, you would need to be carrying a minimum of a 50/100/100 policy. However, if there was continued litigation or if somebody had died as a result of the accident, you might find yourself needing even more coverage than the 500/500/100 policy would provide.

Bottom line ? Depending on the severity of the accident, Full Coverage under Category #1 is Fantasy.

In my next article we will discuss Category #2 ? Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist Full Coverage ? Fact or Fantasy?

If you are looking for more money saving tips and advice regarding car, home, life, & health insurance, visit Mark’s site http://www.QuoteMyAuto.org.

Mark Lyne is a licensed Property & Casualty / Life & Health agent in Texas and has partnered with InsureMe and 2Insure4Less to provide clients with competitive quotes in order to leverage their hard earned insurance dollar as much as possible regardless of which State the client resides in.

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Christmas Cookie Decorating 101

Many bakers ask for tips and instructions on decorating cookies. Well that?s a tall order because there are as many ways to decorate cookies as there are cookies! Here are a few guidelines for novices and experienced bakers alike to help you generate your own ideas for cooking decorating.

DECORATING COOKIES BEFORE BAKING

Cookies can be decorated before baking with materials that withstand the heat of baking. Some things that you can place on your cookies before baking are:

-colored sugars or natural sugars such as pearl sugar
-jimmies, non-pareils, silver and gold drag?es, and other sprinkles
-raisins and dried fruits such as cranberries
-nuts

These items can be placed on top of almost any cookie to dress it up a bit and give it a more festive appearance.

Paint a masterpiece
You can also paint your cookies before baking them. Make an edible food paint out of an egg yolk mixed with a few drops of food coloring and paint the cookies with a clean paintbrush. The paint will dry while baking and give the cookie a colorful, glazed appearance. This is a fun activity for kids!

A bit of trompe l?oeil
The folks at Better Homes and Gardens have a creative recipe for Colored Cream Dough ( http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jhtml?page=2&storyid=%2Ftemplatedata%2Fbhg%2Fstory%2Fdata%2F11429.xml&catref=SC1407 ) which is a dough of frosting consistency that can be piped onto cookies with a pastry bag fitted with a writing or star tip, and then baked. The result is a cookie that looks like it has been frosted but the frosting is baked on and hard.

DECORATING COOKIES AFTER BAKING

Decorating cookies after baking them requires that you apply some kind of liquid-based substance that will adhere to the baked cookie, or that will act as a glue to attach other items. Usually, this takes the form of frosting, icing, or melted chocolate.

Frosting vs. Icing
There is a big difference between frosting and icing. Frosting is thick and holds shapes like rosettes and shells like those you see piped around the edges of a birthday cake. It remains soft to the touch and has a creamy texture, and most people think it tastes better because of the creamy buttery flavor. Icing, on the other hand, is a thinner, more liquid substance, and as it dries it thins out, becomes very smooth across the surface of your cookie, and hardens. This is the icing to use for the most beautiful, professional results.

Working with frosting
You can use frosting in two ways. One way is to simply use a knife or rubber spatula to spread the frosting across the whole surface of your cookie. The other way is to place the frosting in a pastry or decorating bag fitted with a small tip and piping out thin lines or rosettes of icing onto the cookie. Either way, once the frosting has been applied to the cookie you can then further embellish it by using colored sugars, non-pareils, or any of the decorating items mentioned in the Decorating Before Baking section above. Christmas-Cookies.com has a delicious recipe for Buttercream Frosting at http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=306. See detailed instructions on piping frosting from Better Homes and Gardens at http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jhtml?page=3&storyid=%2Ftemplatedata%2Fbhg%2Fstory%2Fdata%2F11430.xml&catref=SC1407

Working with icing
Icing is a little more difficult to work with but its smooth surface produces the most beautiful results! Icing should always be piped onto a cookie because it will run off the edges if spread with a knife. Once iced you can apply silver drag?es, or other sprinkles just as mentioned with the frosting above, before it hardens. Christmas-Cookies.com has an excellent recipe for Royal Icing at http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=42. There is also a recipe for Powdered Sugar Icing ( http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=288 ) that dries less hard than Royal Icing and has a shiny surface. Martha Stewart’s website features an excellent article on how to pipe icing onto cookies for professional-looking results ( http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel172011&catid=cat258 ).

Melted chocolate
Just about any cookie can be embellished simply by dipping it in chocolate or drizzling chocolate over it. You can even dress up the everyday chocolate chip cookie for gift-giving or serving at parties. Melting chocolate is a simple process, but a few rules must be followed in order to make it a success. For Easter, try using white chocolate tinted in pastel shades with food coloring. Use the gel, paste or powdered kind of food color, because the liquid drops may make the chocolate seize up.

What you need
You can either use chocolate chips or baking chocolate (the kind that comes in 1-ounce squares) and the same process applies whether you use dark chocolate or white chocolate. A small amount of shortening should be added at the ratio of 2 tablespoons shortening for 1 cup of chocolate chips or chopped up baking chocolate.

Double boiler
Place chocolate and shortening in the top half of a double boiler or in a metal bowl that has been placed on top of a saucepan filled with hot water. The water must be very hot, but not boiling, because the steam generated by boiling water could get moisture into the melting chocolate which makes it curdle. Allow the chocolate to melt over the hot water and stir it occasionally until it has achieved a liquid consistency.

Microwave
Place your chocolate and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it on medium power for 1 minute. Stir. Continue microwaving 20 seconds, stir again. Keep doing this until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove it from the microwave and stir it until completely melted.

Dipping
Dip one end of your cookie, or half the cookie, or even the whole cookie into the melted chocolate. Set the cookie on a wire rack to let the chocolate harden. If you wish, you can sprinkle chopped nuts, coconut, or non-pareils over the melted chocolate before it hardens.

Drizzling
Scrape melted chocolate into a ziplock baggie. With a sharp scissors, snip off a very small corner of the baggie. Drizzle top of cookies with zig-zags of melted chocolate. Cool until chocolate is set.

Using these simple techniques will help you produce a variety of beautiful-looking cookies at Christmastime and throughout the year.

Copyright 2004 Mimi Cummins. All Rights Reserved.

Mimi Cummins is co-author of the book “Christmas Cookies Are for Giving: Recipes, Stories, and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts.” This book, “enthusiastically recommended” by Midwest Book Review, is full of baking tips and hints, including nearly 50 recipes each with a full-color photo. For more information visit http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com/ or order from your favorite online bookstore.

[Note to webmasters: you may include a link to the book using your affiliate program (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or other) if you wish.]

Schwinn Elliptical 430

Evolution: Teaching Students Both Sides

Dear Editor,

Evolutionists claim that the genetic and biological similarities between species is evidence of common ancestry. However, that is only one interpretation of the evidence. Another possibility is that the comparative similarities are due to a common Designer who designed similar functions for similar purposes in all the various forms of life. Neither position can be scientifically proved.

Although Darwin was partially correct by showing that natural selection occurs in nature, the problem is that natural selection itself is not a creative force. Natural selection can only work with those biological variations that are possible. The evidence from genetics supports only the possibility for horizontal evolution (i.e. varieties of dogs, cats, horses, cows, etc.) but not vertical evolution (i.e. from fish to human). Unless nature has the ability to perform genetic engineering vertical evolution will not be possible.

The early grooves in the human embryo that appear to look like gills are really the early stages in the formation of the face, throat, and neck regions. The so-called “tailbone” is the early formation of the coccyx and spinal column which, because of the rate of growth being faster than the rest of the body at this stage, appears to look like a tail. The coccyx has already been proven to be useful in providing support for the pelvic muscles.

The fossil record appears to contain fossils of only complete and fully-formed species. There are no fossils of partially-evolved species to indicate that a gradual process of evolution ever occurred. Even among evolutionists there are diametrically different interpretations and reconstructions of the fossils used to support human evolution from a supposed ape-like ancestry.

The fact is, there is no solid scientific evidence that humans evolved from ape-like ancestors anymore than there is solid scientific evidence that apes evolved from four-legged (dog-like) mammals.

Of course, how animal and plant species would have been able to survive at all while their vital organs (i.e. brain, reproductive organs, immune system, etc.) were still in the process of evolving over supposedly millions of years is still a major problem for evolutionists. Even a partially-evolved eye would be a significant biological hindrance rather than asset for survival!

Natural laws are sufficient for explaining how the order in life, the universe, and even a microwave oven operates but that doesn’t mean mere undirected natural laws are sufficient for fully explaining the origin of such order.

We also know from the law of entropy in science that the universe does not have the ability to have sustained itself from eternity. The existence and complexity of the universe point to a Supreme Designer and Creator!

No human being observed, either directly or indirectly, the origin of life and the universe, by either chance or design. Thus, neither position can be scientifically proved. The issue is which position has better scientific support.

These are just some brief examples of the varying assumptions, arguments, and interpretations on both sides of the issue. And both sides should be presented to students. That is all that is being asked by the advocates of intelligent design.

There are many questions that cannot be fully addressed in the space of this letter. For a more in-depth analysis of the evolution/intelligent design debate addressing various issues (i.e. the origin of life, mutations, comparative anatomy and physiology, vestigial structures, the fossil record, the age of the earth, etc.) please read my essay on the subject at www.religionscience.com.

Sincerely,
Babu G. Ranganathan*
(B.A. Theology/Biology)

*As a religion and science author, I have had the privilege of being recognized in the 24th edition of Marquis Who’s Who In The East.

Resources from scientists who support intelligent design:

www.creationscience.com

www.icr.org
www.ChristianAnswers.Net

Scientific Evidence for a Young World:
http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=1842

The author, Babu G. Ranganathan, is an experienced Christian writer. He has his B.A. with academic concentrations in Bible and Biology. As a religion and science writer he has been recognized in the 24th edition of Marquis Who’s Who In The East. The author has a website at: http://www.religionscience.com

Takamine Jasmine

Before You Purchase A New Car Watch Out For These Scams!

Purchasing a new automobile is hard enough without having to deal with the sales pressure from a car salesman. It?s no big secret that almost every car dealership can be talked down on the initial price they want for a car. The key is to know what scams to watch out for in order to maximize your hard earned dollar. This article details a few sales tactics that you may want to be on the lookout for the next time you purchase a new automobile.

The first money wasting scam deals with etching the vehicle?s VIN# on the window. In some cases a dealership will try to make you pay for this added feature. Please don?t fall for this trick. No lender will require you to pay for any extra options that you don?t require. To be honest all they really care about is whether or not your payments are on time.

Be on the look out for the phrase ?subject to loan approval?. Almost every car loan will have this phrase in it and trust me when I say that some dealerships will try and exploit you out of more money using this phrase as the reason why. This scam is usually pulled on consumers that may have bad credit so if your credit score is good you shouldn?t have to worry about being taken advantage of by the dealership. The bad news is for those that are taken advantage of it usually means upwards of $1000 more in finance fees and an additional $50 a month added to your car payment. One way to avoid this scam is to finance the car through your own bank or credit union.

The most abused scam is the credit score scam. This is where the car dealership tells you that your credit score is lower then what it actually is in order to charge you a higher finance rate on your car loan. No one is immune to this scam because the dealership doesn?t care if you have good or bad credit when they attempt to con you. The best way to deal with this greediness is to bring a copy of your credit score with you when you go looking to buy a new car. That way there is no confusion as to what your credit score truly is.

Another favorite scam is the forced warranty scam where the auto dealership will insist that in order to qualify for the car loan you will need to purchase a $2000 2 or 3 year warranty. The bottom line upfront is that it?s hogwash and you don?t need the warranty.

Here?s a good scam that I?m sure you?ve seen often. It?s called the dealer prep scam. Yes that?s right I?m talking about that extra $500 that seems to appear on your contract to compensate the dealer for basically doing nothing since the car arrives in the dealership ready to be driven off the car lot to a prospective buyer. Try an avoid paying this if you can otherwise find a dealer that will knock this ridiculous charge off of the contract.

The dealer markup fee is another phony fee that is made up just to pad the car dealership?s profit margin. This is an unnecessary fee that the dealer charges for no reason other than greed. This fee can be seen on the orange sticker marked on the manufacturer?s suggested retail price (MSRP).
These are just a few of the many scams that can surface from time to time when you are attempting to buy a new car. Although these practices to go on there are many trustworthy car dealerships that can and will sale you a car for the right amount of money allowing you to purchase the car without getting ripped off and still allow the dealership the opportunity to make the compensation they deserve for their efforts. The trick is to find that dealership. Best of luck to you.

Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Best-Free-Insurance-Quotes.com. He provides insurance information and offers discount auto, life and home insurance that you can research in your pajamas on his website. Other websites operated by Tim Cellular-Phone-Solutions.com – Free information and resources regarding cell phones and cell phone plans. Military-Loans-Online.com ? Which provides free money saving loan quotes on all of your loan needs to include home equity loan information.

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