The Basics of Buying Boat Insurance

If you own a boat, you need boat insurance. It's just that simple. Before you actually purchase a policy, however, consider the following facts.

Getting the Best Quote

It pays to shop around when you're buying insurance. First, contact your current insurance company for a quote, and then research the rates of its competitors. Insurance agencies and insurance agents want to sell insurance, so it's likely that they will offer you incentives if you add boat insurance to your existing policies. If you can find comparable insurance at better rates from another agency, be sure to tell your agent. A counteroffer that benefits you both might be the result.

Who's Covered, Who's Not

Some insurance companies will only cover the owner of a boat insured under their policy. In other words, if someone other than the owner operates the boat and an accident occurs, those insurance companies will disallow coverage. Ask your agent who is covered by your insurance company's boat policies. If they will only cover you, the owner, you may want to shop for a new agency.

Watercraft Liability Coverage

Today many states require that boat owners carry watercraft liability coverage. This coverage protects owners against any damage caused to people or property by their boat due to its use, maintenance or ownership. Watercraft liability coverage also provides legal defense, and it protects owners in the event of collision, stranding, sinking, fire, theft and vandalism.

Insurance requirements, of course, are different in each state, so check with your insurance agent to see if watercraft liability insurance is mandatory where you live.

Wreckage Removal Coverage

Wreckage removal coverage is an excellent optional policy for every boat owner to consider. In the majority of locales, wrecked or sunken boats must, by law, be removed, usually at the owner's expense, a process that can be quite costly. With wreckage removal coverage, however, the insurance company pays the bill.

In addition to wreckage removal coverage, boat owners should consider purchasing coverage that will pay for normal repairs as well as mechanical failure and towing.

Boats are pricey investments. They are not only costly to buy, but they are also expensive to maintain and repair. Likewise, replacing a wrecked or inoperable boat would not be cheap. That's why it is so important that you, as a boat owner, get the coverage you need to protect yourself from costly damage or loss that could ground your boat forever.

Top Mystery Ghost Ships

There is something about a ship lost at sea which sends shivers down our spines and evokes a sense of mystery and chilling fatefulness. Maybe because the sea can become an endless void which is instinctively unnerving. However, even though thousands of ships have gone missing at sea some have become legendary and their tales timeless.

The U.S.S Cyclops was built in 1910 and was used in World War I to transport coal for the Navy. In 1918 on its way to the U.S from Brazil it completely disappeared without a trace not even a single S.O.S call. The shocking thing about this disaster is over 300 men lost their lives and to this day nobody has found any wreck or evidence of the ship. It remains the single largest loss of life experienced by the United States Navy of a vessel not in combat. According to records it was apparently overloaded with manganese ore, which could have contributed to its unfortunate demise.

The Ourang Medan is allegedly a Dutch merchant ship that sank in Indonesian waters in 1947. According to sources two ships answered an S.O.S call. The City of Baltimore and the Silver Star which were both American vessels. The distress messages exclaimed the rest of the crew were apparently dead. When the Silver Star arrived they found the entire crew dead on board with terrified expressions. As the crew of the Silver Star investigated The Ourang Medan allegedly set on fire and sank. To this day nobody knows exactly what happened on board and caused the fire. However, some believe the ship was carrying nitroglycerin and some kind of nerve chemicals which caused the deaths of the crew and eventual fire.

The Baychimo is a story of a ship that just wouldn't sink. It was abandoned near Alaska in 1931 because it was trapped in ice. After some time the ship broke free naturally and was seen adrift. The amazing thing is it remained adrift for almost 40 years without sinking. Various crew throughout the years tried to salvage the ship without success. Over the years sightings were recorded as recently as 1969.

The Mary Celeste is possibly one of the most famous ships in history. The ship was bound for Italy in 1872 with grain alcohol as its cargo. It was found in December 1872 by the crew of a British ship called the Dei Gratia. They allegedly found The Mary Celeste completely abandoned, but the ship was fully supplied, equipped and sea worthy. After investigation it was found that a life raft was missing but the mystery of the lost crew remained. To this day The Mary Celeste remains one of the great legends of the sea. Captain David Williams is cited as having the most practical solution to its mystery. After 30 years of research he basically concluded the ship set on fire in some way, the crew entered a life raft but forgot to tether it to the ship as a result they were left stranded.

Ghost ships, the Bermuda triangle and incredible mistakes made by crew all contribute to tragic stories which ultimately led to loss of life and the ships themselves.

10 Best Knitting Tips

One of knitting's secrets is to be very familiar with all of the little tips and tricks that you can use for any project. Whenever I go to forums or even visit my favorite LYS (aka my 'local yarn shop') there are knitters there who have been knitting for years and some are still not familiar with little techniques that are not only time savers, but knitting life savers, as well.

So I have comprised a list of Knitting's Best Tips. Some of these may seem rather obvious, but you'd be surprised at how many knitters have never heard of them!

Without further ado, here we go:

1. Before you even make a slip knot, READ the entire pattern through at least once. You will be amazed at how directions / instructions are written. Some very helpful hints or notes will be added near the end of the pattern. Usually these are things you need to know right away. Be sure to read the pattern through completely, so you know what these are.

2. When casting on, always leave yourself enough yarn to make it all the way through the stitches you need to cast on the needle. Don't worry if you have a long strand of yarn left over, simply cut it to size.

3. When joining a second or third ball of yarn, try to join them at the edges rather than in the middle of a row. Then your seams will be hidden in the sides and it just looks so much neater.

4. When knitting off of a chart or directional rows, always use a sticky note to keep your place. Then when you need to walk away, always write down the last row knitted on the sticky note so you'll know just where to pick up when you resume. The sticky little note can be moved down the page as you go.

5. When knitting with a ball of yarn, always pull the yarn from the center and not the outside. If you do this, your yarn will flow nicely and not become a monster tangled mess as you knit. If you do encounter a knotted mess, simply cut the mess out, then attach your yarn again. Some knots are impossible to untangle!

6. If you want to change colors rather than knit all in one color, then do it! Be creative. If you wish to add a stitch pattern to a project, and you know how to do that, then do it! Variations on a theme are always welcome.

7. When you work on a pattern that is written for 2 or 3 sizes, always circle or highlight the size that you are knitting for. Do that all the way through the pattern. It is very easy to start knitting for another size if your size isn't highlighted from start to finish.

8. New to knitting? Then don't knit with specialty yarns or anything fuzzy or ribbon-y, like fun fur or mohair. It's too difficult to see your stitches on the needle, and you'll get lost in the fuzz. Take my word for it!

9. Keep all those knitting accessories to a minimum. They may look all the rage, and be very cute to have, but most often you won't use them anyway. Needles, yarn, scissors and instructions will do the job every time.

10. If you're getting to the end of a ball of yarn and want to know if you can knit another row without running out, then do this: take your remaining yarn and stretch it out across the width of your piece three times, back and forth. If your yarn makes it, you have enough for another row. Whew!

These tips should get you started. As I come across more fun knitting secrets, I'll write additional articles. So be sure to check back often; you never what you'll find!

Replacing Negative Behaviors in Children With Habit Training

Parents often complain that they work on changing one irritating behavior only to find their child has replaced it with another annoying action. The easy solution to this problem is to choose the replacement behavior yourself and instill it as a habit.

All children have the ability to learn new ways of doing things and develop new habits or ways of relating. But when left to their own devices children, especially those on the Autism spectrum, will easily retire into their own little worlds and continue the patterns that have been wired into their brains. Therefore, establishing new behaviors of any type will take much encouragement and repetition over a span of time.

As the saying goes, even the most intelligent people typically have to do something twenty-one times before it becomes a habit. How much repetition and for how long depends on what it is you are trying to eliminate or change. Bad habits are harder to break because one has to struggle against the power of immediate reinforcement; such as, making my sister cry always gets me my mother's attention.

Replacing old behaviors with new ones also takes lots of focused energy and effort. If you want to eliminate a negative behavior and substitute it with a more acceptable one, patience and consistency are a must. Most children will need to have the new behavior labeled, taught and role modeled, followed by many opportunities to practice. This may be difficult for busy parents to do but essential nonetheless if a change for the better is the goal.

Breaking an old habit is like blazing a new trail in a jungle - it may not be as easy as following the well-worn path but worth it if it avoids the quicksand. As children routinely perform the same action over and over again, their brain slowly gets rewired as the alternative pattern of behavior creates new neural pathways. Once established, these will override the old ones and become the default behavior.

Here are five easy steps to habit train your child:

1) Choose a value or a behavior you want to instill or modify. Prioritize them in order of annoyance and start at the top only working your way down when the one above has been mastered.

2) Provide appropriate substitutes for behaviors you want to change. If you want to stop a behavior you need to introduce an appropriate alternative to take it's place and specifically train your child to use it.

3) Make it easy for your child to remember the new behavior. Train your child with prompts and reward the behavior you want to see more of. If you are trying to get your child to stop screaming post visual reminders for them to use their 'inside voice' all around the house and praise them immediately and specifically when she speaks appropriately.

4) Be intentional and consistent in your teaching. This means creating a plan of action, getting all household members on board with it and spending the time necessary to address the negative behavior you want to eliminate every time it surfaces.

5) Practice, practice, practice. Being extremely specific and concrete with your directives and using role-play as a tool will help children with Autism generalize from one situation to another. Giving children ample opportunities to practice new behaviors is extremely important and cannot be overdone if you want to achieve success.

Always remember that many negative, aggressive behaviors and tantrums in children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder often stem from an inability to communicate effectively. If you were a non-verbal child and unable to communicate your needs to get them met, wouldn't you tend to tantrum too? Even a child with some language ability, who is trying his best to communicate but can't get his point across, can easily become frustrated and discouraged.

In cases such as these, stopping negative behaviors may have more to do with improving communication than teaching substitute behaviors. Introducing alternative methods of communication and training them to use it can form new habits and ways of relating to people that result in more satisfaction and less frustration for all. An Augmentative or Alternative Communication (AAC) method or device may mean the difference between feeling invisible, isolated, and dependent versus being able to be seen/heard, interact and get their own needs met.

As parents we need to fully embrace our role as teacher or trainer and not shy away from it. Yes it is time consuming but consistently instructing and guiding our children is what gets the best results. If not, we are granting any and all behaviors permission to take hold. We all know that the deeper a root has established itself the harder it is to remove. So make your job easier and tackle those negative behaviors before they become too ingrained.

Stock Not Selling on eBay? Use It to Your Advantage!

Your stock not selling on eBay? Use it to your advantage!

Sound strange? I shall explain.

No matter how successful a seller you may be, every now and then you will purchase stock for resale that doesn't sell as well as you thought it would. Or worse, it doesn't sell at all. Experience in your product area will dictate how often this happens but happen it will at some point.

Here is what not to do.

Leave it on eBay and hope for the best.

Don't do this. You've already established it's not selling it isn't suddenly going to start selling for no reason.

With the products I sell within my eBay business, I have a fair grasp of which items will sell the best. Like I say this comes with experience but I'm not perfect and now and then I do purchase some 'duffers' which just don't sell. In my case it is the usually the colour of an item. An example, I have one blue bag which sells great and continues to sell great, now another bag which is exactly the same model but a different colour, just doesn't sell at all.

Here is what I do.

Put the bag on short eBay auction duration (1 -3 days) for a very low starting price with no reserve. In my case £0. 99. Now, within this listing you MUST have as many links to your shop or other eBay items as possible. Why? Because a low cost, no reserve eBay auction attracts a HUGE interest. When you do this, make sure you use an eBay counter within your listing so you can see how many viewings you've had. Also, track how many 'watchers' of the eBay item you have.

So, you have your eBay item on auction for a low cost but how does that help you?

Good question and I'll try to explain.

The increased exposure your eBay item will get will lead to further sales in your eBay shop. Yes, it really will. What you're doing is making up for the lack of sales on your 'lame' product by using it as a huge PROMOTION tool for your business. This will increase sales of your other eBay items. If your auction product doesn't sell or you only receive low bids or maybe you might just get your money back on it with no profit, it doesn't matter, it's served it's purpose. Try this, it really works!

Another way to get rid of 'dead stock' (and stock sitting there not selling is your worst enemy) is to add it to another product you are selling as a 'FREE GIFT'. Make sure you use the term 'WITH FREE GIFT' in your item headline. eBay buyers love a bargain and anything with 'FREE' in the title will also attract huge attention. You get rid of you're 'duff' stock and eBay buyers are chuffed because along with the item they've purchased off you, they have their 'FREE' gift. Chances are they'll be back for more.

So, from a point of having stock that you can not sell you've turned the whole situation round and used it to your advantage.

I've used these techniques many times and they DO work!

Thanks for reading and i'd love to hear your comments and views on this,

Mark Davies eBay Powerseller

Solar Water Heaters - Save Money and the Environment

With the every growing cost of energy and the alarming issue of global warming, solar heating has become a great way to save money and also save the environment. Unlike solar photovoltaic which converts the sun's energy to electricity, Solar water Heaters use the heat radiation of the sun directly. This means there is very little loss. As an example, a solar heating system can be 97% efficient versus a PV cell which is typically 8-14% efficient.

How does it Work?

A Solar heater uses a special coating that absorbs the sun's radiation. This is very similar to how a black car heats up in the sun. The absorbed heat energy is then transferred to a heating medium such as water or glycol. Glycol is normally used when the home owner experiences freezing conditions. The heated liquid is then moved via as small energy-efficient pump to where it is needed. The heat is then transferred to the home or hot water via a heat exchanger.

The most common use of solar water heaters is to heat domestic hot water. A typical solar heating system comprises 5 key elements.

Solar collectors - capture the suns energy Piping - holds the heating medium that is heated in the solar collectors (usually copper or stainless steel) Pump - that moves the solar heating fluid from the collector through the piping to where it is needed Solar Tank with an internal heat exchanger- this is where the heating fluid transfers its energy to the domestic hot water through the internal heat exchanger inside the tank Solar controller - this calculates when the heating fluid is hotter than the water in the solar tank. If it is then it activates the pump so that the heating fluid can circulate through the heat exchanger in the tank

Solar Water Heaters can typically provide home owners 60-70% saving on their water heating bill. With the Federal Energy Tax credits being applied, a typical solar water heater cost about $3000-$4000 and can have paybacks in less than 5 years in some states. This makes them very popular for home owners. In fact in some states such as Hawaii and European countries, new home construction must have a solar water heater as part of the build.

As energy cost are sure to continue to rise and energy management solutions' continue to gain in popularity, so will solar water heating. Next time you see a black looking solar collector on a neighbour's roof, thank them for helping save our planet!

The History of Body Piercings - Ancient and Fascinating Around the World

Body piercings have seen a resurgence of interest in the last ten to twenty years and are becoming more and more a part of the mainstream Western culture. Take a look at any fashion or entertainment magazine and you'll see plenty of well-known celebrities with body piercings like navel rings or a labret. You might be surprised to find out that piercing is actually an ancient form of expression that most cultures have practiced at some time or other for thousands of years. Egyptian body piercings reflected status and love of beauty The earliest known mummified remains of a human that was pierced is over 5,000 years old. This worthy gentleman had his ears pierced with larger-gauge plugs in his ears, so plugs may be one of the oldest forms of body modification there is! We also know that the Egyptians loved to adorn themselves elaborately, and even restricted certain types of body piercings to the royal family. In fact, only pharaoh himself could have his navel pierced. Any one else who tried to get a belly button ring could be executed. (Tell that to Britney Spears!) Almost every well-to-do Egyptian wore earrings, though, to display their wealth and accent their beauty. Elaborate enameled and gold earrings frequently portrayed items in nature such as lotus blossoms. Body piercings are also mentioned in the Bible. In the Old Testament it's obvious that body jewelry is considered a mark of beauty and wealth, especially for Bedouin and nomadic tribes. In many cases, body jewelry was given as a bridal gift or as part of a dowry. It is clear that piercing was a sign of status and attractiveness in Biblical times. Romans were practical piercers Romans were very practical people, and for them piercing almost always served a purpose. Roman centurions pierced their nipples not because they liked the way it looked, but to signify their strength and virility. It was a badge of honor that demonstrated the centurion's dedication to the Roman Empire. As a symbol, it was important and served a specific function, unifying and bonding the army. Even Julius Caesar pierced his nipples to show his strength and his identification with his men. Genital piercing through the head of the penis was performed on gladiators, who were almost always slaves, for two reasons. A ring through the head of the penis could be used to tie the organ back to the testicles with a length of leather. In gladiatorial combat, this prevented serious injury. With a large enough ring or bar, it also prevented the slave from having sex without the owner's consent. Since the gladiator was "property," a stud fee could be charged to another slave owner for the highly prized opportunity to raise the next generation of great fighter. Making love or war, piercing makes it better Going across the ocean at around the same time, the Aztecs, Maya and some American Indians practiced tongue piercing as part of their religious rituals. It was thought to bring them closer to their gods and was a type of ritual blood-letting. The Aztec and Maya were warrior tribes, and also practiced septum piercing in order to appear fiercer to their enemies. Nothing looks quite as frightening as an opponent sporting a huge boar tusk thrust through his nose!

This practice was also common among tribes in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Some of the materials commonly used were bone, tusks and feathers. Hundreds of years later, French fur trappers in Washington State discovered American Indian tribes who wore bones through their septum and called them the Nez Perce, meaning "Pierced Noses" in French. It's interesting that civilizations separated by thousands of miles and even centuries often developed a love for the same kind of body piercings to enhance certain features, isn't it?

In Central and South America, lip labrets were popular for purely aesthetic reasons - women with pierced lips were considered more attractive. In fact, the holes were often stretched to incredible size as progressively larger wooden plates were inserted to emphasize the lips as much as possible. (Kind of like collagen today). The Aztecs and Maya also sported lip labrets of gold and jade, many of them elaborately carved into mythical or religious figures or sporting gemstones. These were seen as highly attractive and to enhance sexuality. As the world moved into the dark ages, interest in piercing died down somewhat and the medieval church began to condemn it as sinful. For a few hundred years, Western civilization abandoned the practice. As the Renaissance went into full swing, however, interest in piercing began to pick up again. A new era and a new interest in body piercings Sailors became convinced that piercing one ear would improve their long-distance site, and so the site of a sailor with a gold or brass ring became common. Word also spread that should a sailor be washed ashore after a shipwreck, the finder should keep the gold ring in exchange for providing a proper Christian burial. Sailors were both religious and superstitious, so they generally spent a lot for a large gold earring to hedge their bets. Men became much more fashion-conscious during the Renaissance and Elizabethan eras, and almost any male member of the nobility would have at least one earring, if not more. Large pearl drops and enormous diamond studs were a great way to advertise your wealth and standing in the community. It could also designate royal favor if your earring was a gift from a member of the royal family. Women, not wanting to be outshone by the men in all their finery, began to wear plunging necklines, with the Queen of Bavaria introducing the most outrageous, which consisted of not much at all above the waist. In order to adorn themselves, women began piercing their nipples to show off their jewelry. Soon they began wearing chains and even strands of pearls draped between the two.

Men and women both discovered that these nipple piercings were also delightful playthings in bed, adding sensitivity to the breasts and giving the men both visual and tactile stimulation. Men began getting pierced purely for pleasure as well. While not entirely mainstream, piercing of the nipples and, occasionally, the genitals, continued to hold interest for members of the upper crust of society in Europe on and off for the next few hundred years. The next resurgence of interest was, surprisingly, during the Victorian age, which is usually seen as very repressed. Prince Albert, future husband of Queen Victoria, is said to have gotten the penis piercing that is named after him in order wear the tight-fitting trousers so popular at the time. The ring could then be attached to a hook on the inside of one pant leg, tucked safely away between the legs for a neat, trim look. Although we have no record of Victoria's response to the piercing itself, there is ample evidence she was wildly in love with her husband and almost never left his side after their marriage! Soon, Victorian men were getting Prince Albert's, frenums and a variety of other piercings purely for the pleasurable sexual effects, and women were doing the same. By the 1890's, it was almost expected that a woman would have her nipples pierced. In fact, some doctors at the time suggested it improved conditions for breastfeeding, although not all agreed. It was an interesting double standard -- plenty of people were doing it, but no one was talking about it. Modern-day body piercings In the last hundred years or so, body piercings in the Western world have mostly been limited to the ears, a standard hold-over from the fact that both men and women wore earrings during Elizabethan times. The Puritan movement did away with men wearing earrings, however, and it didn't really regain popularity until recently. Nose rings found new interest when young people (they were called hippies then) from the U.S. began traveling in India extensively looking for enlightenment in the 1960's. They noticed the nostril rings that most women had been wearing there since the sixteenth century. In India, this was a form of traditional, accepted adornment and was often linked to an earring by a chain. For rebellious teens from America, it was a great form of rebellion. After bringing nose piercings back to the U.S., the interest in body piercings of all kinds quickly caught on during the 1980's and 1990's. Celebrities, sports stars and singers all began sporting a variety of piercings. Soon, high school students and even stay-at-home moms were flashing new body piercings. And the rest, as they say, is history! This article on the "History of Body Piercings" reprinted with permission. Copyright 2004 Evaluseek Publishing.

Large One?

Here's a proven, and truly easy way to start increasing your sales, immediately.

All you need to do is add these 2 words to your selling system, and you're good to go.

In fact, this trick's so good, I wish I could take credit for coming up with it, but the truth is, it comes from a little-known marketing legend.

Here's the deal:

In 1947, Elmer Wheeler was one of the best-known salesmen of his time. His "Wheeler Institute of Words" developed a "best practices" of selling, by testing a variety of words in over 19 million selling situations.

I'm right in the middle of reading one of Elmer's most famous books, "Tested Sentences That Sell".

And here's a great little selling trick that comes straight out of this book:

Ever go into a restaurant and order a drink?

Of course you have.

And what does your server usually ask you, right after you place your order?

They usually say "Small or large?", right?

Well, imagine for a moment... you're the owner of this restaurant.

Do you have any idea how much your sales would increase over time, if... instead of saying "Small or large?" after your customers ordered their drinks ... you told your servers to instead, say...

"Large one?"

Let me take the guess-work out of this and make your job easier for you.

Elmer Wheeler tested this experiment out in five-thousand separate selling situations. And the results showed, when your server asked "Large one?"...

7 out of every 10 people, answered "Yes!"

So, let's say a large soda costs you 35¢ more than a small soda -- are you with me on this? This means, by saying "Large one?"... 7 out of every 10 customers that walk through your door, end up giving you an extra 35 cents!

Now you may be thinking, "So what?... It's only 35 cents."

A-h-h-h, but remember....

Little Hinges Swing Big Doors Open!

Follow me here for a minute: If you've got 5 servers... and each of them does this with 100 customers a day, this means each of them will be serving large sodas to an extra 70 people a day.

That's an extra 350 large soda sales a day. (5 servers x 70 large sodas each).

350 extra sales, at 35¢ each, is $122.50 a day in extra gross sales for you... which translates into $857.50 extra a week, and over 52 weeks, this turns into...

$44,590 Dollars A Year... With ZERO Extra Marketing Costs Involved!

Not bad, hey?

And if your large sodas cost 50¢ more than your small sodas, in that case, your annual bump in gross sales would be $63,700 Dollars!

70¢ more? O.K., that one's easy -- just double the 35¢ figure -- now you're selling $89,180 Dollars more!

See how easy this stuff is?

It's insane, isn't it?

But what if you don't have a restaurant?

How can you use this trick in your business?

Well, let's say you own a photography store. When people are filling out their forms to get their pictures developed, instead of saying "Singles or doubles?", you can say "Doubles?".

If you own a landscaping company, instead of asking "Shrubs and lawn?", you'd say "Whole yard?"

And if you're a hairdresser, instead of asking "Cut and shampoo?", you just say "Shampoo?"

Make sense?

When it comes down to it, the basic premise of this selling trick, is...

If You Don't Ask... You Don't Get!

But polishing your request up so it's "benefit-oriented" to your prospect... makes this work smoothly... effectively... and without looking like you're trying to "sell more".

Notice how you're not asking "Do you want a large soda?" -- you're just saying "Large one?"

See, you'll have to experiment a little bit to find out what works best in your situation, but not you've at least got one helluva head start on things, no?

And can you think of any easier way to make this kind of extra money?

Elmer Wheeler really was a "selling genius" and you'll pick up quite a bit from him.

And, from the excitement and enthusiasm he comes across with, you know he enjoyed his work.

Here are a few of Elmer's famous quotes:

"Your first 10 words are more important than your next 10,000."

"People seldom want to walk over you until you lie down." And...

"Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle."

Unfortunately, Wheeler's books are all out of print. You'll find them showing up pretty consistently on e-bay though, and, you can also find some of them on http://www.abebooks.com or http://www.alibris.com.

P.S. Remember, little hinges really DO swing big doors open -- and success lies in the margins, not in the vast open spaces. KSo keep your mind open to finding the small things that others let slip... through the cracks.

Boat Insurance or Yacht Insurance - What Is The Difference?

If you are lucky enough to have bought a new watercraft then very quickly you are going to have to sort out some kind of insurance so that the boat is covered in the event of theft, an accident or a hijacking.

When you look into the matter you will find that the difference between "Boat Insurance" and "Yacht Insurance" principally comes down to the length of the boat. Boats are normally thought of as being watercraft that are smaller than twenty six feet in length, whilst Yachts are thought of as watercraft that are 27 foot and longer.

The other differences between the two come down to the types of use that the two types of craft are likely to get. Because boats are smaller it is generally considered that the range of their activities will be smaller, and that they will be travelling smaller distances. Of course this is a generalisation, and so if you have a craft that is less than 26 foot in length, but which perhaps you use on different types of waterways (or at least more than the norm). Then you should be certain to read the small print of your boat insurance policy before travelling anywhere, or going anywhere that is potentially unsafe.

Because Yachts tend to travel longer distances (as they are larger boats) it is more common to have wider sea cover included, and also to include such elements as hijacking cover etc if you ask for them, though naturally you will pay extra for this.

As with any kind of insurance, regardless of whether you end up needing boat insurance OR yacht insurance you should be sure to seek out a wide variety of quotes, and read the policy documents very carefully, so that you end up with cover that fits your particular requirements.

The Elegant Look Of Thin Stone Veneer

Have you ever had this happen to you? My guess is you have. You walk into a room in your house and you come to the conclusion it finally needs something done to it. Maybe the color has faded in your choice of paint colors from 10 years ago or maybe the wallpaper just doesn't look, well, like it did when you first took the time to install it. The "look of the room" has remained the same for way to long and you finally have decided to make a few changes. And somewhere along the line maybe you have heard about remodeling with natural stone.

Heck, maybe you've even taken the time to look at some of the possibilities in the marketplace and thought to yourself after a little bit of shopping around that the costs were more than a tiny bit on the steep side (this is true), and you might have sold yourself on the thought that it would be a real pain to decorate with. You know what I mean here, finding an installer that you can trust and so forth. But here is what you really need to know if you want to bring the look of natural stone inside your home. You now have a less expensive way of doing it, actually the costs are considerably less, and that is installing and remodeling with what is called a natural thin stone veneer.

Just as the name applies, a thin stone veneer is stone that is, well, thin!

With the advances in technology in recent years, companies are now able to take a full size piece of stone and split it so that you still have the warm look of natural stone. But what you don't have is the high cost of a natural full size stone veneer. And another thing that you don't have, is all the extra weight that you have to deal with as far as your structure is concerned when you use a full size stone veneer product to decorate with.

What you also need to know in this whole equation if you choose a thin stone veneer product is with a thin stone veneer you pay considerably less in shipping costs. Don't let anyone tell you differently, installers will charge you more if they have to transport a full size stone product to your house or job site. I know my company would and I was a mason for well over 20 years!

And quite frankly, I would show customers both products side by side and for the most part, especially after the costs were discussed, the majority would choose the natural thin stone veneer. And this went for both outside projects and interior remodeling projects. To me it just makes good common sense. If you could get the natural stone look and NOT pay the higher costs of using full size stone, what do you think you would choose? Hmm??

And the same goes for all those fake stone products that seem to be popping up everywhere. People are led to believe that by using a fake thin stone veneer they can save a ton of money. And yes, that is somewhat true BUT, the same scenario applies here. If you could get a natural thin stone veneer for the same investment, which would you likely choose? I'm fairly confident I know what direction you would take. Now I have nothing against fake stone, I've installed it many times. It can be quite pretty. But to me, nothing beats natural. The look is incredibly elegant and the durability of a natural thin stone veneer is second to none.

A Tale of Two Weddings

Families today are spread all over the globe. When it comes to planning a wedding and including the family in the decisions, what would we do without the help of computers?. Wedding plans without the advantage of the Internet and email would be a long, difficult process.

To get my point across, let's visit the homes of Miss Modern and Miss Pre-Computer as they prepare for their special days:

Miss Modern has an idea of the venue she would like for her wedding and spends an evening doing research on the Internet. She looks at pictures of different halls, along with prices, menus, and features included. After deciding on three possibilities, she emails to ask if they will be available on the wedding date. One hall is booked, so Miss M. and her future husband will go to see both halls before making a final decision. Communication and menu changes are done by email.

Miss M. designs a database for her guest list. Additions and changes are easily made. Invitations are created using special wedding software and elegant blank cards. Easy, attractive and inexpensive.

Again using the database and a signature font, Miss M. creates mailing labels (using transparent labels) for 200 people in less than an hour. To create personalized reply cards, she uses mail merge and the computer inserts names on each card.

A relative in another country would like photos of the couple for a special wedding gift. Using a digital camera, the photos are taken and emailed in plenty of time for the gift to be made.

There are constant questions from the guests about accommodation nearby, what is everyone wearing, what do the young couple need? Emails answer many of the questions and guests are given a website for the bridal registry. Items still needed are listed here, can be purchased without leaving home and will be delivered to the reception. This is a big help to people coming from a distance.

Miss Modern relaxes while she and her future husband look at honeymoon spots - on the Internet of course. There is even an option to allow their guests to see the desired destination and give the gift of a cash contribution toward the trip!

Miss Pre- Computer, on the other hand, has had a headache for days. Too many things to do and not enough time.

After weekends spent looking at various halls, she and her fiance can't take it any longer and book the next one they visit.

The guest list has been typed out, but some important people were missed and there are duplicates on the list. Miss Pre-C is not a fast typist when she's stressed, so has to re-do the 200 guest list a number of times before it's right.

Her days are constantly interrupted by phone calls from guests with questions about the wedding. The long distance bill is growing every day.

A friend recommends a good printer for invitations, but he is out of town, and another search begins. After more stress filled days, the printer is arranged.

When the invitations finally arrive, they are beautiful, so Miss Pre-C begins addressing the 200 envelopes. Never praised for her handwriting, the last of the envelopes is barely readable. She decides to try again tomorrow.

Relatives need pictures of the couple for a special gift. The photos are mailed and after frantic calls to the post office, are finally delivered, too late to use.

More long distance calls so gifts aren't duplicated.

A frantic call from Gramma at the border. Customs officials are questioning her and are taking apart the gifts. Through her tears, Gramma explains that the 50 items had been individually wrapped.

Miss Pre-C takes a deep breath and considers eloping.

P.S. If you still need convincing, my son met his bride on the Internet. After five years, they are still happily married.

Increase Your Email Open Rate With One Quick Tweak

Today I'd like to share with you one quick tweak that could increase your autoresponder open rate significantly. The tweak involves changing the delivery address from the generic "@aweber.com" to your own domain. This small change in your autoresponder setup not only increases your email open rate, it also enhances your brand recognition.

Why is this important? Well, you know that using autoresponders saves you time. You don't have to manually send an email to every person who enquires about your services. And autoresponders are a powerful marketing tool.You can collect customer email addresses for your database. In addition, you can set up multiple or sequential messages to go out to your prospects or clients. In other words, the recipient will receive a continuous flow of email replies spaced out over time at intervals you specify. In addition to all these benefits of using an autoresponder, each of your mailings gives you an opportunity to reinforce your brand (one aspect of which is your company name and domain address).

Let's get to the technique. As you may have noticed, one of the drawbacks of using an autoresponder service such as Aweber is that the default email address that people use to sign up to your mailing list looks like this: mylistname[at]aweber.com. This can be confusing to recipients because they don't recognize the sender's name.

In this age of email spam, phishing and outright fraud, many people will just delete any email where they don't recognize the sender. Ideally, what you want is for the people on your mailing list to receive an email from mylistname[at]mywebsite.com. Not only would they be more likely to open the email, it would also be better for consistency in branding.

Here's a little trick that you can use to accomplish that: Set up an email address at mylistname[at]mywebsite.com and set it to forward to mylistname[at]aweber.com. It does increase the chance of a glitch along the way to do with bounced emails etc. but I've found that it works with very few exceptions.

If you're fuzzy on what I mean by "autoresponder", here's the Cole's notes: Basically, an autoresponder is an automatic email reply. Once you set it up, the reply gets sent when someone sends an email to a specific address or fills out a form on your website. There are dozens of autoresponder services on the Internet. Most cost in the neighbourhood of $20 a month. For more details, here's an article that explains what autoresponders are and how to use them effectively to build your business.

Living Wills

A last will and testament is something no one wants to have to use until they're old and ready to die, but having a last will and testament when you're married and have children is an important decision to make. If you were to pass away early and leave your children and inheritance, who would you want to care for your children? This is a decision to make before writing your last will and testament.   Even as a married couple a last will and testament would state your legal wishes for your estate, property, etc. Your last will and testament would state what would happen to your estate, property, and everything upon the chance of your death. Also, if you are in a medical condition where you couldn't speak for yourself, a last will and testament would speak for your legal rights and wishes. If you want medical equipment to keep you alive or if you don't want medical equipment to keep you alive, this can be stated in your last will and testament.   If you have a preference of where to be buried or if you want to be cremated, how you want your funeral to unfold, all of these things that deal with death and how your family will take care of your body after death, this is all included in your last will and testament. Having a last will and testament can help make decisions for your family instead of having them guess what you wanted. Or having a last will and testament can make decisions for your family easier because they won't have to hold a council or whatever needs to be done to make decisions on your behalf between all of your children or your surviving relatives. With your last will and testament the decisions are already made for them.   Having a last will and testament is especially important for seniors to write so that their children can know what their medical wishes are and how their property should be taken care of, and what wishes they have for their funeral and burial, etc. We often hear about a last will and testament in movies when children find out they're a beneficiary of their parent's or relative's estate, property, and riches. However, a last will and testament is very important for a senior to have even if a senior doesn't have a lot of property and riches to leave.   A last will and testament will have to be signed by legal witnesses and have self proving identity, just to ensure that you are legal in writing a last will and testament under the name you write it for.   Living wills as well as a last will and testament can include a proving affidavit, estate planning, an advance decision or advance directives. Living wills and a last will and testament can name a health care proxy and preferred health care providers or state a health care agent. Living wills and a last will and testament can include instructions on health care decisions and who to give health care power to. A last will and testament can include instructions and decisions on tangible personal property.   There are many things you can include in a last will and testament. Contact Living Will Salt Lake City to start your last will and testament.

Top 10 Websites to Source Content for Your Blog

As more and more people start blogging, finding unique topics to blog about is becoming tougher by the day. Here's a list of websites you can gather information from for your blog.

1. Quora - This is probably one of the best question and answer websites around. Quora is relatively new, but has grown exponentially over the past few years. The unique feature about this website is that answers are given by experts in the field you ask a question on. It works based on interests, and displays only questions based on the interests you choose when you sign in.

2. Yahoo Answers - This used to be my primary resource for finding content for my blog. You can search country specific answers, or all english answers on this website. The main advantage of Yahoo answers is that it is quite old and has tons of content. One problem with this however is that it has so much content that it will take you a while to browse through it and find out exactly what you need.

3. Mashable - This has of late become the number one tech, information blog I visit. The search on Mashable is quite profound and it has various topics listed out. It can help you find out exactly what you are looking for, if there is a topic written about it. Mashable has a lot of exclusives, and also boasts of a large number of content writers. So, although some of the content is borrowed from Facebook or individual bloggers, Mashable still acts as a repository for all this content, plus some exclusive new content.

4. Books - If you are a blogger, and you are not in the habit of reading books, I suggest you start right now. Reading biographies, like the ones of famous companies like google, Facebook will help you a great deal. Reading specific books about online marketing, or how to leaverage a startup, Investment books etc are great examples.

5. YouTube - Yes, You tube is one of the greatest websites to collect information for your blog. Plus it also gives you the ability to share that particular video or topic you have collected your information from, which in turn will bring traffic to your blog.

6. Digg - Digg has got a new design, and has beautiful gridded views of all their latest news, plus also a section for their upcoming news. Digg has a lot of users, and a lot of news gets broken first on Digg. This is one my favourite websites for finding writable content for my blog.

7. News sites - Make use of sites like CNN, Google News, GoogleA lerts, etc to find great content. Subscribe to them, and feeds from them on a regular basis.

8. Top blogs in your niche - Keep searching the internet for similar blogs as yours. At the time I am writing this article, there are 56, 476, 344 wordpress sites, and there are very high chances that there are similar people like you blogging about similar topics like yours. Find them, source them, talk to them, beat them.

9. Facebook - Facebook reached it's one billion users mark this month, and if used in the right way, is able to provide news. Every company has a Facebook page. Select your favourites, subscribe to them and populate your home page with their newsfeed.

10. Twitter - As of late 2011, there were approximately 250 million Tweets per day, which is nearly 3,000 Tweets per second, on average. At various peak moments through 2011, Twitter did as high as 8,000+ tps, with at least one instance of over 25,000 tps. With statistics like this, Twitter has for long been the best source of information, and breaking news. Find interesting people to follow, and follow their tweets, and source information from them

There are few other sites that haven't made it to the top ten list: Websites like stumbleupon, Google+, social media examiner, techcrunch are all great sources for information. Feel free to comment on the above list. If you think there is something left out from the list, let us know.