Pool Safety Includes Kids Knowing How to Swim

As we go through life it is amazing how many people you meet that never learned how to swim. If these parents ever accompany their children to swimming pools or lakes, they do not have the skills to save their own child. Teaching children to swim should be mandatory, and is, if you own a pool.

Studies have shown that children who started swimming lessons at ages 2-4 actually learned to swim well at an average age of 5-1/2 years. Should you wait until kindergarten age to start swimming lessons? Absolutely not. While younger children may not swim well, they can be taught how to get to the edge of the pool. These precious seconds may well save their life.

Survival swimming is now being taught to children as young as six months. One statistic shows that 86% of children that drown do so while fully clothed. Survival swimming is taught to children who are fully clothed. Infant Swimming Resource is a website dedicated to reducing the number of accidental drownings. The author does not have any ties to the company or website, but would encourage the reader to visit this fine resource.

If we haven't scared you enough about child drownings, think about this:

Among children ages 1 to 4 years, most drownings occur in residential swimming pools (Brenner et al. 2001). Most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time (Present 1987). For every child who drowns, three receive emergency department care for non-fatal submersion injuries. More than 40% of these children require hospitalization (CDC 2003). Nonfatal incidents can cause brain damage that result in long-term disabilities ranging from memory problems and learning disabilities to the permanent loss of basic functioning (i.e. permanent vegetative state).

Do figures like these shake you up; make you sick to your stomach thinking "what if" about your own children? Then do something about it. Find out about infant swim programs. Find out about learn to swim programs for older children. And if you never learned how to swim, join a program yourself.

Learning how to swim is not the only requirement for swimming pool safety, just a very important one. Proper supervision and having fencing installed around the pool are also needed. Having a phone with you so you don't have to leave the pool is another good idea. Other safety considerations can be found at the article resource page of Pool-Pockets

Cited Resources:

Children: In 2001, 859 children ages 0 to 14 years died from drowning (CDC 2003). While drowning rates have slowly declined (Branche 1999), drowning remains the second-leading cause of injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years (CDC 2003).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. (2003). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). [cited 2003 Dec 31]. Available from URL: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

Branche CM. What is happening with drowning rates in the United States? In: Fletemeyer JR and Freas SJ, editors. Drowning: New perspectives on intervention and prevention. Florida: CRC Press LLC; 1999.

Travel Insurance - The Safest Way to Travel

The only way to see different countries and to experience their cultures is to travel to the country itself and depending on where your destination is, it can mean traveling from one end to the other, right across the globe. And while being away from the security and comfort of your home, certain form of protection against any mishaps is essential. Therefore, travel insurance is the safest way to see the world...!

Insurance ensures peace of mind and sees to any unexpected problems arising from your trip. You have the assurance that everything will be taken care of while abroad and problems such as losing your luggage or falling sick will be promptly attended to. Other types of problems such as delayed and flight cancellation, sickness, loss of personal belongings, theft and even accidents are also covered. In other words, insurance guarantees a worry-free holiday. On your part, all you need is to have sufficient coverage. There are many insurance companies in the market, offering various types of insurance policies with affordable rates. Below is a list of comprehensive insurance packages designed to meet the different requirements of travelers:-

(1) Annual travel insurance (2) Single trip insurance (3) Business travel insurance (4) Adventure travel insurance (5) Backpacker travel insurance (6) Ski travel insurance (7) Pre-existing medical insurance (8) Over 64 travel insurance

Besides the above mentioned packages, coverage for hijackings and personal liabilities is also available. Be careful when disclosing personal information. Ensure that all particulars are truthful without withholding any information, especially on health matters. Any discrepancy will seriously affect the terms of the policy. In the event that the plan does not cover certain areas which are important to you, you can always request for add-ons to be included into your policy. And if there are any queries or doubts, do not hesitate to ask for further clarifications.

When deciding on the right insurance, it is advisable to make comparison with other insurance companies to ensure that you are getting the best value for your money. You can either visit the insurance companies personally or if time is a constraint, you can check them out online. Remember not to rush into any decisions and take some time to seek out a insurance policy with maximum benefits that fits into your budget. Go for reputable and reliable insurance companies or online insurance provider as their services are generally better and more professional.

Is the Decision Maker The Most Important Person in a Sale?

Were you to walk into a lesson on 'An Idiots Guide to Making a Sale', lesson one might start off something like this:

'Clearly define who the main decision maker in the client environment is. If you are pitching to a company this is more often than not the Managing Director or CEO of the company. Convincing the main decision maker to purchase your product is tantamount to making the sale therefore all efforts should be aimed at this eventuality'

The teacher might go on to say something on this line:

'In every sales situation, there are influences on the main decision maker other than yourself. Influencers are any thing or person that may impede, contradict or conversely promote and endorse that sale. Therefore, in a company environment, the board of directors might be considered an influencer on the CEO. It is advisable but not always necessary to gain support from influencers if the decision maker is convinced of your product'

You may have heard the term 'Organ grinders and Monkeys or Mechanics and Oily Rags' with reference to this method of selling. The idea being, if you aren't pitching an idea or product to the person that has authority in making the sale but are instead pitching to a subsidiary lesser authority, then the chances of a sale are greatly reduced. In making a sale it is quite possible that in order to achieve a direct pitch to the main decision maker, some contact with someone lower down the order needs to be made. However, the procedural link between first contact and sale is increased meaning more decisions and more variables which makes the probability of success that more remote on outset. The upside of going through another channel to gain access to the decision maker is that in all likelihood that first contact will be a positive influencer in the sales process.

The lesson ends and you go to work to apply this new found wisdom focused on selling to the decision makers of your client list, but you don't do as well as you expect. Why?

In complex sales, the definition of decision makers and influencers is not at all clear cut. Supposing you are selling software and you have a positive meeting with the Managing Director of a company who is really excited about your product, in the meeting the sales and marketing departments have been invited in and they are equally excited about all the possibilities that your product offer their company. You leave the meeting and the MD calls the IT director to announce the decision but the IT Director replies "this software is windows compliant only. We are Linux based". The sale is scuttled at this late stage.

In this case the MD is not the decision maker, yes, he is the ultimate power base of the sale but when the sale veers into the realm of IT, the IT Director is then the most important element of the decision making process. The MD can be influenced since in all likelihood he is not an IT expert and defers to the IT Directors specialist knowledge.

What about the PA to the MD? He or she is often referred to as the 'gate keeper'. Well, the gate can be opened as well as closed. It is a very dangerous game to play to think that as the person that answers the phone for the MD, they have no say in the sales process. How many conversations occur in a day between the PA and the MD? How many times are opinions about personnel given even if not requested? 'John seemed to know what he was talking about. As soon as he came in he noticed that we were using ....' ie. Caring and understanding. Or 'Peter seemed to be very pushy and only wanted to talk to you because he said that what he had to say was very important and would be of great benefit to you and he could not talk to anybody else'. Presumptuous or what!

Remember the 'mechanic and the oily rag', well they both have a part to play. If the mechanic spills the oil the oily rag is used to clean it up, even if it is being used by the mechanic. The other term is 'organ grinder and monkey'. The organ grinder can play the music but the monkey collects the money. The moral of the story is do not take anybody for granted. Establish who are the players and what their roles are, and treat them as individuals addressing their needs.

How to Attract Money Through Mind Power

Most people find it difficult to believe that it is possible to attract wealth through mind power. However, it is possible to attract abundance and wealth through the infinite power of the mind. There are many things that can be done to enjoy abundance and wealth in life by harnessing the power of the mind.

Beliefs and Circumstances

Our beliefs create the circumstances we live in. If we consider ourselves to be unique with valuable skill sets, we steer our lives towards a positive direction and attain success, wealth and happiness. On the other hand, if we consider ourselves worthless, we come across dead ends in life and work. Our deep seated beliefs in the sub conscious mind determine our actions.

Most of the beliefs in our mind have been programmed since childhood. Most people are made to believe that money and affluence belong to people who are fortunate and blessed. But in reality, it can be achieved by anyone by harnessing the power of the sub conscious mind. All the negative thoughts are heard and stored by the sub conscious mind. It believes and accepts these thoughts as the truth. Negative thoughts attract negative situations in life and positive thoughts bring forth and create positive situations in life. In other words, our thoughts make our lives.

Tips to use Mind Power to attract Wealth

Meditation: It is important to learn how to keep the mind focused in order to control your inner thoughts. Concentration is the key to the secret of harnessing mind power. Through meditation, the mind becomes more receptive towards positive thoughts and thereby paves way to attract wealth and abundance in life.

Optimistic people: To attract wealth and abundance, it is important to have a healthy and optimistic attitude. By surrounding yourself with people who are optimistic and wealthy, you tend to attract positive vibes and energy. This in turn helps to attract wealth and abundance in your own life. You learn to appreciate the good things in life and thereby attract positive energy.

Negative mind blocks: To attract money through mind power, it is essential to avoid negative mind blocks. Avoid all negative thoughts from your mind and begin to believe in yourself. Your mind can now focus on your dreams and desires and work towards achieving the goal.

To attract money through mind power, it is essential to work towards the goal with dedication and determination. It is not easy but still worth all the hardships and hard work.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots - Technology and Plot Holes?

A battlefield you can find anywhere, anytime / No place to hide - this is how Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (MGS4) is described. Hideo Kojima, Shujo Murata and Yoji Shinkawa are the producers, directors and writers of the game. If you have read mecha mangas or seen futuristic anime series such as: Ghost in the Shell, GANTZ, Saikano, Gundam Seed, Evangelion or Code Geass you will definitively be able to correlate those series to this game. MGS4 fuses several elements in this futuristic war game, artificial intelligence, self-aware combat units much like the Tachikomas of GITS and machines which combined look a lot like the final form of Chise in Saikano (The beauty and the beast unit)

Metal Gear Solid 4 is unlike any other war game you have played until now, it stands alone because the concept has only been seen in Japanese animations and not in video games. Half-Life 2 is the only game which has some similitudes to this game because it is also pretty futuristic, but in MGS4 the player must face several commandos with the aid of other AI combat units.

The main character of the game "Old Snake" a genetically engineered soldier is sent to the Middle East by Roy Campbell in order to terminate Liquid Ocelot, a man who operates Outer Heaven which at the same time controls the five largest private military companies (PCMs) that fight wars for business purposes. As you see the plot is quite complex as there are several proxies which control organizations and combat units, so it may be natural to feel a bit disoriented as far as knowing what's going on in the game. Some gamers argue that there might be some plot holes as far as knowing who has stronger dominant genes, Ocelot, Solidus or Snake.

The technology used by Old Snake has been improved from previous versions and incorporates elements seen in Ghost in the Shell such as optical camouflage called "octocamo" which allows the player to blend with any surface, a new "solid eye" replaces the binoculars which were used in previous versions and provide greater details of the terrain and enemy. High-tech devices and war is what this game is all about so you will see a lot of items which may look familiar if you are a manga/anime fan.

Those players who are new to this game will not be lost since MGS4 provides a recap of the events that happened in previous versions of the game which hold crucial information in order to understand what's going on, the recap includes scenes from Metal Gear Solid 1, 2 and 3. MGS4 is a game which has carved a niche of its own when it comes to futuristic wars.

A Guide to Using Video Landing Pages To Build Massive Lists

The principal reason for use of a video squeeze page has to do with the selling of products or specific services aimed at particular niche markets. But, while the selling itself may be essential and the main reason, there are a few other ways of finding the service useful and putting the video squeeze page into work. The e-mail and other personal information is another incentive for soliciting people's attention. While text only pages used to work out sufficiently, over time video squeeze pages have come to include images as well as video. If we take into account the short attention span we as human have you will realize that more and more people are gravitating towards video landing pages instead of reading a long sales letter.

If you are not selling a product directly through the video, the content of it should always be of value and useful. After a certain time you could include the pitch for the product after establishing trust and rapport. Don't be too direct about your product or service. People hate sales pitches. Imagine going to a furniture store and you have a sales rep following you all over the store, it gets annoying. Well, that is the way viewers will see your process if you immediately try to sell them something.

Over time, your patience will reward you with your prospect's contact information and that is good as GOLD.

Another guided approach is to tell the truth to the client throughout the video. Remember you are dealing with intelligent creatures. Some people have become accustomed to using squeeze pages to promote products that are really garbage. If you are trustworthy with a good product and have a few followers you will make more money.

So, as a general rule try not to solicit the attention of your clients unless you are clear about your products and information provided. Otherwise it may as well turn against you.

Building a squeeze page with an opt-in form is essential and will help you get promote other products in the future to your list. You must give something free in exchange for the email information you are requesting. Something in the form of e-books or free report would help.

You have no reason not to invest into your video squeeze page as it can help you build massive, responsive targeted lists. But as with any other business you have to give first to receive. You have to concentrate on the aspect and message of the page as well as with the management of your links. Never talk about anything that is not at all related to what you are promoting, so try to accommodate the best information you can that can help the viewer solve their need. After you do this a couple of times, you can then direct them to an offer that is relevant.