One of the most dramatic improvements in the look of the Victory motorcycle is getting rid of the coffin lid air box. It is relatively cheap, and easy. It also gives the bike a more custom looking stance. Unfortunately it is also very misunderstood. Today’s discussion will deal with air management as it applies to Victory, but I will have to use examples from the automotive, and other bikes.

Do to size constraints air intake on most bikes are a compromise. You need 2 totally different systems to achieve perfect balance, and there just is not enough room. First you need a long small diameter tube for high velocity air at low RPM torque. then you need an open low restriction chamber for high RPM power

In a car they have plenty of room, and in fact many newer cars use what is called a dual path intake. Using a valve that opens at a set RPM. They essentially have 2 intake manifolds in one place.

On HD they use a different approach. There they use an intake that is like a reverse 2/1 exhausts. It takes air through a single central pipe and then splits it at the heads. This produces reasonable power throughout the rev range, since having both cylinders draw into one source does increase the velocity. However as RPMS go up each cylinder now has to compete for its air.

Now we come to the Vic. Victory uses a dual throttle body with a relatively large diameter intake runner between the throttle body and the intake valve. The 99 had a large volume open-air box that worked just fine. However the engineers determined that most riders would ride at the bottom of the rev scale [not this rider]. They also were not planning for future upgrades in power. This is why we have the tubes in the air box. What they do is act like long narrow intake runners. This promotes high velocity air columns to each cylinder. While it works it has a few draw backs. First the gain is only a few ft lb, and only at low RPM. Next you effectively have 2 trumpets under your tank producing lots of noise. After that you have a very poor shape right where it enters the throttle body making lots of turbulence in high RPM runs. Finally the whole thing becomes a restriction as you go past mid range the tubes are to small.

Now lets look at the aftermarket stuff. These are all open systems. Yes you will loose a couple of ft lb below 2500RPM,but even with the worst the extra volume will give you more horsepower, and torque above 2700.

There are essentially only three systems available.
99Vic/Santarosa/Ness. These are all 99-air boxes in different packages. The Vic part is cheapest, but you have to find your own bolts. the other two provide hardware, and instructions for about $100. The 99 box works reasonably well, but the shape at the inlet causes a little extra turbulence. So if you are after absolute power it is not the best choice
Eagle Cat uses a 360-degree intake on a shaped plate. It promotes a little better velocity, and relatively low turbulence, and abundant volume for high HP
pmrt has an air box which has not been tested on the Freedom motor. It however is the first one to get over 125 HP on the older style bike. I have one, and will be installing it on my bike in the next couple of weeks; it is also a 360 filter. But it has a thick plate with rounded edges to promote better velocity for low RPM.

I personally have ridden freedoms with both the 99,and the Eagle cat. With both styles I could not “feel’ any difference in low end performance, however one bike with an Eagle cat, and a Lloydz VFC was noticeably stronger above 3000 RPM. On the dyno both air boxes showed a SMALL drop in idle to about 2500,but both were at least as strong above that. The Eagle Cat a little better the whole way. While you don’t need a VFC for these applications, Installing one WILL boost both HP, and torque. If you really feel that you NEED that small amount of lost power. Switching to a 2/1 exhaust will bring it back, and give you more all the way.

As I said earlier I will be trying a pmrt box in the next couple of weeks, and will show before and after results as well as after a VFC.

Contributing author to Cycle Solutions.
http://www.cyclesolutions.net

Techincal research on the Victory airbox was performed on the Kingpin Cruisers Victory motorcycle site. Victory techincal input provided by Kevin Cross.
http://www.kingpincruisers.net

The patient’s depression was crippling. He was in an out of psychiatric hospitals and could not work let alone function a normal life. All other treatments had failed him until neurosurgeon John Smider performed and operation. His skull was opened exposing his brain, in which they then placed a battery operated “pacemaker.” This pacemaker emits a rhythmic electrical pulse which alleviates depression whithout altering the thinking process or damaging the brain.

The operation was a success! The patient positive attitude soon returned and he was able to return to work. “You saved my life,” he told the doctor. “Now I can live a normal life.”

This man was one of many millions of americans suffering from chronic depression, a disorder that created intense feelings of guilt, helplessness and hoplessness. Many other symptoms of this disorder are disturbances in appetite and sleep, constant fatigue, crying spells and the inability to cope with life and derive pleasure from anything.

Only a very slight amount of people suffering from chronic depression require surgical treatment with a “pacemaker.” With most forms of major depression trained professions can help the patient.

What treatments are available? There are a variety. Some suggest that other methods do not work, and others suggest that multiple methods work together. Why is this?

Some researchers feel that severe depressions are caused by a physical defect in the body, such as a chemical imbalance in the brain, thusly medication such as antidepressants are considered a viable method of treatment. Others argue that the disorder results from faulty thinking and that the mind creates the imbalance and can thereby rectify it. These believe that the mind needs correction by “talk therapy,” psychotherapy. While both methods have experienced some good results, neither of them has the full answer.

Mind and Body Involved

The relationship between the mind and the body is a complex relationship because of the close interplay between the mind and body.

Each and every patient is different and mental disorders can be very complex. Only a trained doctor can make recommendations as to which approach is best for the patient. It is recognized that within every field of treatment there are often a wide range of practitioners. For example in psychotherapy there are over 130 different reported approaches.

Talk Out Depression

When one is sufffering from major depression, psychotherapy or “talk therapy” is one recommended approach. Since a depressed person usually has greatly disturbed ideas, many have been aided by their talking to a therapist. Such professionals may include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and others with specialized training. Many have also found great help in just talking with a caring friend of relative.

Armand DiMele, director of the Center for Psychotherapy, observes: “The depressed person is protecting himself by shutting down his mind and body and not allowing any stimulation. For example, when someone suffers a loss such as a death, he may go into a depression rather than face the loss.” The job of the counselor is to help the sufferer to face the feelings and anxiety that come from such a loss. DiMele continues: “If the therapist sitting with him can really nurture him through and tell him what to anticipate in body sensations, then the person gradually realizes he can cope with the emotion, and the depression lifts.”

Submerged feelings, such as anger, resentment and guilt, have often bred depression. For instance, a psychologist employed by the New York State Mental Health Department treated a 58-year-old woman suffering from severe depression. She felt that God had abandoned her and that everyone was talking against her. As this expert of 20 years’ experience began to talk with her in a kindly way each week, he noticed that in discussions about her family she never mentioned her mother, with whom she was now living. He probed. In time she revealed that she felt that her mother, by her neglect, was responsible for her beloved father’s recent death. Gradually the counselor helped her to overcome this resentment, and her depression melted away.

Since guilt is often a major symptom of depression, psychologists will endeavor to eliminate it along with the patient’s feelings of worthlessness. One woman became severely depressed when her child turned rebellious. “I was never really a proper mother, was I?” she cried to the psychiatrist. “That’s why she’s gone wrong.” The doctor helped her to see all the good she had done for the child. The guilt then vanished—and so did her depression.

However, the treatment of most cases is unsuccessful, according to Dr. Ronald Fieve. He reports in his book Moodswing—The Third Revolution in Psychiatry that not infrequently, after weeks, months and years of working with a moderate or severe depressive, helping him to analyze his behavior, “very little happened.”

Authorities in the field differ as to intensive psychotherapy’s effectiveness. One of the reasons for this is that many doctors feel that the chemical imbalance present in severe moodswings cannot always be corrected by psychotherapy. They advocate the use of . . .

For a continuation of this article please visit our website HelpingDepression.com

All children are different and respond differently to divorce. Depending on the characteristics of the children - age, emotional maturity, happiness, resiliency to trauma - the easier or more difficult it will be for children to weather a divorce.

As a parent, you should know your children better than anyone…use your best judgment with your children during considering divorce. This “divorce and children” article is for parents who are certain that they would get a divorce if they didn’t have children and want to decide what to think about regarding the effects a divorce would have on their children.

Children of divorced parents can actually live wonderful lives as long as the parents use proper judgment and create the right types of interactions between themselves and with each other.

This article on this web page does not suggest that divorce is the correct course of action for you and it in no way should be taken as a form of counseling to you. This article is merely to spark you to think logically and then make your own decision about divorce and your children.

As previously stated, every child is different and subsequently, every child responds to divorce in a different way.

If you think there’s a definitive answer about how divorce affects children, you are mistaken. There’s been hundreds of books written about this subject and a plethora of studies done regarding divorce and children, all citing differing opinions and using different statistical constraints and inputs. But, statistics can only go so far…if you know your children better than anyone else, you will know best how they’ll be affected by a divorce.

How divorce affects children and what you should do if you’re staying married solely because you have children is complicated issue.

Here’s some things you may want to consider if you’re a parent who is staying married just because you have children:

Children and divorce consideration 1: Make sure that you are, in fact, only staying married just because you have children.

Often times people use the children as an excuse not to get a divorce because they aren’t really sure that they want a divorce or have some other fear regarding divorce. Those fears can be present due to finance, self-confidence, living arrangements, or other personal issues.

Before you really take the next steps in deciding whether or not to get a divorce because of your children, rank your reasons for divorce and make sure that you’re really certain you’d get a divorce if you didn’t have children.

Children and divorce consideration 2: Make sure ‘guilt’ isn’t the real reason that you aren’t getting a divorce.

The ‘guilt’ referenced above is the guilt brought on by thinking that your divorce will hurt your children. In and of itself, this feeling of guilt is a selfish one if you haven’t really examined carefully if a divorce will have an adverse effect on your children. If you aren’t getting divorced because of guilt in this regard, but you still have an unhappy marriage that is affecting your children, then you aren’t really staying married for them, you’re staying married for you because you feel guilty…this is selfish.

Children and divorce consideration 3: Once you’ve clearly defined that you are in fact, not getting a divorce solely because you have children, examine why you think divorce will adversely affect your children.

Remember, divorce can have a negative effect on children initially, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that a divorce will be a negative influence on your children forever.

Decide whether or not your children have the resiliency, the intelligence, the emotional health, and the support they’d need to mitigate the adverse effects that a divorce would have on them. Will they be happy after the initial shock of the divorce is worked through?

Children and divorce consideration 4: Once you’ve really defined what you believe to be negative effects on your children due to divorce, think about what your children’s life will be like in the immediate and distant future if you do actually go through with the divorce.

Ask yourself, “Can I create and maintain a healthy environment for my children if I do get a divorce?”

One thing that is a critical factor in this decision is the feasibility of you and your spouse getting a divorce amicably. If you and your spouse can go through a divorce amicably, and you both can agree to always put your children’s welfare above your own, you will be one step ahead.

Again, make sure you are certain a divorce is necessary to create the right type of environment for your children. Assure that there is absolutely no way you can rekindle your marriage.

Usually, divorce represents the first real trauma of a child’s life. Keep this in mind when your making your divorce decision. Divorce is a serious step and nothing should be done until your’re certain that divorce is the best course of action. Getting a divorce without making sure that divorce is the right thing is selfish on your part and is the wrong thing to do to your children…after all, they deserve your best effort!

One thing should remain constant…that you and your spouse will always be there for your children, no matter what.

Karl Augustine, Author of “A Practical Guide To
Deciding Whether Or Not To Get A Divorce”.
Deciding on Divorce
Children and Divorce

Introduction

Globalisation is referred to as a set of profound material changes that have an impact on relations between societies in the past few decades. The identifiable features of these material changes are witnessed in the development and growth of web, satellite transmission, fibre-optic technology, broadband operations, transnational corporations and the emergence of World Trade Organisation.

Globalisation is transformation of how ideas travel and the nature of their final destination leading to increase in international trade thereby increased competition. Firms expand by penetrating established markets to create new markets for their products. This necessitates them to have identity for them by establishing trademarks by way of branding and keep on administering to create value. While expanding and penetrating newer markets; developing, promoting and performing marketing operations using different trade marks for different countries become costlier. The more the countries a trademark is known, the greater is its value and the greater the need to protect the same by registering at the global level. Trademark registration involves not only higher costs but also procedural constraints while registering the same in every country.

Brands have become part of not only an economic market, but also a metaphorical market because they involve and propagate a system of using signs to control meaning and language as brands fulfils several different economic functions.

Identification: On a basic level, it serves an identification function by associating a product with a company.

Communication: More abstractly, it has an informative function, in that it provides a vehicle for the efficient communication of information, thereby reducing consumer search costs in choosing a product. Signaling: The use of branding in advertising also serves a signaling function, in that, it suggests that a company who is willing to expend a substantial sum on its advertising must have developed a good product. Expression: Lastly, branding also serves an expressive function, in the sense that it links a particular consumer identity or essence with a product.

Mega – branding Strategy

Branding involves not just the product name, advertisements, or the use of a logo, but the core assumptions and beliefs that are conjured up when one thinks of the brand. The best brands were those who could generate a certain psychological feeling about the product. Thus, the “brand essence” moved away from a focus on the product and toward a psychological association of the brand with a certain identity. Today, firms undertake “mega-branding” strategy, in which firms devote a substantial portion of their income towards placing their logo on a variety of different products and events, further amplifying the link between psychological, cultural and corporate association. In this way manufacturers control both supply and demand by manipulating consumer trends through the skilful promotion of the brand.

Brand Plan – A Valuable Management Tool

Brand plan is a crucial step in charting a business route to success. A good brand plan provides an overview of where the brand is, how it plans to position or reposition itself, and how it seeks to achieve its business objectives. A well-prepared and regularly updated brand plan is a valuable management tool that serves variety of purposes. It helps examine the feasibility of taking a brand idea to the market. A written brand plan forces a firm to think through all the key issues – such as the potential demand, the nature of the competition, entry barriers, the unique selling proposition, key employees, relevant technologies and strategic partners, raising funds, projected start-up costs, and the like.

A brand plan is a reference document that provides management with an objective basis for determining whether the brand is on track to meet its goals and objectives with the available resources in a set timeframe. Innovation is very important and critical to the future of the brands. Context, Leadership and core values of the brands are the drivers of innovation. One needs to address “What is the current situation of the brand? What threats for survival might exist?”, “What is the leadership passionate about? What drives the choices, decisions and behaviour in the organisation? How innovation and creativity improve brand? How this can be strengthened to be considered as a global brand? Customer analysis and brainstorming help generate ideas for innovation. Internal sources and customers are the best sources of ideas.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has initiated and promoted the Madrid Protocol, which establishes a system for the international registration of trademarks to reduce this cost due to multiple registrations in different countries. This protocol is termed as the Intellectual Property Rights. Intellectual Property Rights cover Patents, Trade-marks, Industrial designs, Copy rights & related rights, Geographical indications and Trade secrets & Undisclosed information. Trademarks have become more than a means of protecting market share. They have become an invaluable tool in claiming and creating markets. From just being a trade mark, they become trust marks as brands. According to the author and journalist Naomi Klein, “branded world where the logo is a common language understood by everyone” leading to a shift in corporate marketing strategies: from promoting commodities based on the needs of the marketplace, to promoting a brand to represent a lifestyle thereby create needs in the marketplace. The branding strategy makes the trademark and the socio-cultural identities associated with the mark including the product itself.

Intellectual property in a brand plan becomes critical as business incubator or investors need to understand and accept the coherence of the brand idea including its protection. New or original knowledge and/or creative expression of ideas, protectable by the system of intellectual property (IP), underpin their competitive advantage and success. Therefore, a brand plan should cogently reflect how the firm plans to protect, manage and leverage its intellectual property assets for brand success. Patents for Brands provide exclusivity for the commercialization of inventions and often play a crucial role in convincing investors or lenders. One or more patents along with industrial design registrations reflect as a proof of brands ability to dissuade competitors using original or aesthetically attractive features of the brand. Therefore, a brand plan should integrate intellectual property and reflect the steps that are planned to develop, register and effective use of intangible assets to win and retain market share from competitors.

While integrating intellectual property, operational elements that make the brand innovative like, Challenge, customer focus, creativity, communication, collaboration, completion and contemplation should also be considered.
Issues

The possibility of inadvertently infringing a third party’s intellectual property rights is high in high-tech sectors. Confidential information such as details of production, inventions, and technical, financial and marketing know-how is often the source of competitive advantage. Intellectual Property can be a highly valuable asset. Managing and ascribing a value on the balance sheet of the brand will make it more attractive to potential investors. The more the position in the market place is exploited, more the value will be of the property while licensing it or selling the brand.

Conclusion

Administering Intellectual Property is an arduous task for approaching investors and considering the market opportunities for the brand. As the Intellectual Property provides the brand with competitive advantages and increases its value, it is necessary to let the investors know that the intellectual property integrates with the brand plan. Reference to the assets of the brand and its market opportunities should list both the tangible and intangible assets, as the latter are often the key to success of the brand. The growing emphasis on the brand has been paralleled by a massive expansion of property rights in trade symbols. In the past, the law’s major emphasis focused on protecting a mark in order to avoid the danger of consumer confusion, or piracy between goods which used similar marks. However, today, the focus has shifted towards trademark protection. In other words, in order to protect their trade marks used in advertisements and logos, firms turn to trademark law, and copyright law. As per the trademarks, 1999, the term mark includes a device, brand, heading, label, ticket, name signature, word, letter or numeral or any combination thereof. The new Trade Marks Act, 1999 has made far reaching changes in the act considering the liberalisation and globalisation of economy. They include particularly the following:

a. Registration of Service Marks

b. Collective marks provided

c. Two parts A & B abolished

d. Well known trademarks protected even if not registered

e. Shape of words can also be registered

Hence, intellectual property law should form a key part of every aspect of a good brand plan.

J. Solomon Prabakar

Sunrocket internet phone service is one of the best VoIP deals available today for those looking for quality service at an inexpensive price. Once a very small player in the broadband phone game, Sunrocket has been growing by leaps and bounds and is now considered one of the best VoIP companies. With call quality comparable to top of the line broadband phone service providers Vonage and Packet8, Sunrocket is the leader when it comes to price.

Currently at $199 per year for unlimited local and long distance calling, Sunrocket will save you $100 a year compared to Vonage’s annual price of $299.88. Annual savings over Packet8’s 12 month price of $239.88 is around $40. With call quality being about equal among these three VoIP providers, if you’re looking for cheap unlimited local and long distance domestic phone service without a lot of extra bells and whistles, Sunrocket is the way to go.

Comparing VoIP Plans

All three providers include free Canada calling with their unlimited plans, online account management and billing, voicemail, voicemail to email, three way conference calling, call forwarding, call waiting, call return and speed dial. These basic features are pretty much standard among all VoIP service providers, and are included free. For most average telephone users who are used to land line service, these features are a nice “bonus”, as most POTS (plain old telephone service) users have to pay extra to get these enhancements.

Sun Rocket offers very low international rates, with many calling locations as low as .03 per minute. As a special promotion that has been running for some time, Sunrocket gives new subscribers a free cordless phone when they sign up via a referral.

At $24.99 per month, Vonage offers a larger set of features as well as unlimited international calling to most of Western Europe. Vonage has more enhanced features than Sunrocket, such as caller ID with name, call transfer, ring lists, international call blocking and click to call computer calling. International rates are very competitive.

For $19.99 per month, Packet8 also offers a larger set of free features with their unlimited local and long distance plan including caller ID blocking, anonymous call blocking, simultaneous ringing on multiple phone numbers, and a “find me, follow me” feature that can be set to ring different phone numbers one at a time until someone answers. Packet 8 also offers an optional video phone plan that is used with the video telephone they sell. This allows you to make videoconferencing phone calls with other video phone users. As like most VoIP providers, Packet 8 offers very competitive international rates. An unlimited international calling plan is available for an additional fee.

When comparing VoIP providers, you can see that all digital phone service plans are not created equal. If low cost is your primary goal, you make little to no international calls and you are happy with basic features, Sunrocket is a great choice. If you make frequent calls to Western Europe and want some extra features, Vonage is the option for you. If you want extra features, primarily call within the U.S. and Canada, or want to use video conferencing, Packet8 is an excellent choice.

No matter which internet phone service provider you choose, as long as you stick with a highly rated VoIP company that has a reputation for good voice quality of calls, you can’t go wrong. Broadband phone service is the future of telecommunications, and you can save a lot of money on phone bills by switching to VoIP. The only requirement is a broadband internet connection. For home or small business users, cable internet service will provide the biggest savings, as most DSL service requires a land line telephone service account.

To learn more about the Sun Rocket internet phone service, visit Sunrocket VoIP. To learn more about Packet8 VoIP service , visitPacket8.

Poker has one rule that is much more important that any other: every player is to blame for all he or she does with the cards in their hand. It is never about luck, it’s about them and how they play.

You must not let others influent your gaming style. If you do that you will be at their hand. They can manipulate your game and use your style to win their hands and take your chips or money. Psychology is an important factor and players will attempt to use it against you, this is not because they are ‘rude’, but only because this is poker and these things go along with it, they absolutely have to.

Let’s consider a possible situation. You are at home, right in the middle of your poker session, having a great hand and a friend comes along to visit. You will make to mistakes. The one has already been made the moment you declared yourself available when in fact you were playing poker online and for this you should’ve saved your full attention and concentration.

So, you are now just one mistake away from losing money, still you are sitting there, with one eye at the poker table and the other at your friend. Regardless what he came to tell you, he is a distraction right now and he will affect your game.

Let’s say you continue to play and at some point your friends starts to tell you what he thinks about your hands. Without even realizing it, you follow his inexperienced lead and start losing everything you’ve made that evening. Finally, when left with nothing you and your friend decide ‘together’ that poker is not for you and you should forget all about it.

The second mistake occurred somewhere along the way as I am sure you all noticed. Letting someone else to evaluate your hands is the greatest mistake of all. Only you are allowed to do that, because you are the only one really involved.

However this presented case is just a minor situation. Because of the lack of attention, in an official tournament one player named Uli Gerloff lost nearly $9000 or more. Here is in short what happened.

He had a winning hand, clearly. But, when the last card was placed on the table, his opponent trembled with joy and acted like he is clearly the winner. Everything happened in a splash second. The next thing was that the dealer pushed the chips to the opponent and everyone, including Uli was convinced that the other player won. And he did eventually win because of the lack of attention Uli manifested. Uli realized only later that his hand was the winning one, but the casino stuff and the experts blamed him for being lightheaded and he was never given credit for that hand.

You and only you are responsible for your hand. No one else will tell you if you have the winning cards, you have to see at least that at the end of each hand. Don’t let others influent you in any way and trust only yourself and the cards in a game of poker.

Read up on your favorite poker players including Chris Grigorian and Curt Kohlberg today.

Automobile insurance is an increasing expense for almost all
Americans. We can’t afford to have it, and we certainly can’t
afford to not have it. When researching car insurance companies
and comparing policies, it is a good idea to follow these easy
guidelines to get the most coverage for your insurance dollars.

Get discount car insurance
quotes from as many carriers as you can. Automobile
insurance rates may vary drastically depending on the model of
your car and the type of coverage you need. Consider as high a
deductible as you can reasonably afford, since higher
deductibles translate into lower insurance premiums. Review
quotes and policies carefully to make sure you are only paying
for coverage you really need. If you have homeowner insurance,
ask your agent if you are covered already for certain items you
might be charged again for on your auto policy.

After you have gotten quotes from different car insurance
carriers, it is usually a good idea to create a spreadsheet to
help you avoid comparing apples to oranges. Set up a scenario
with car repairs and medical expense to best compare the
coverage differences under real-life situations.

Once you have chosen the two least expensive automobile
insurance policies for the coverage you need, contact a
reputable body shop in your area for a referral. Automobile body
shops deal with insurance companies every day, and you want to
make sure the company you send your premiums to each month will
be responsive and fair if you have to make an insurance claim.
The body shop probably has a good insider opinion on how the
insurance company operates, how long it takes to get an adjuster
to view the damaged vehicle, how long it takes to get paid on a
claim, how fair the estimate was, were used parts requested
versus brand new parts and so on.

Trust me, a 10 minute talk with a reputable body shop manager
can reveal a lot of great information about an insurance company
and how they tend to handle their claims. A few dollars
difference in premium dollars to get coverage from a company
that handles their claims properly may save you a world of
hassle in the event of an automobile accident.

An opt-in list is the absolute most effective marketing tool
available on the Internet. Not only do they provide you with a
direct line of communication with your target market, but they
also enable you to develop a trusting relationship with your
subscribers.

The key to using an opt-in list effectively is to develop a
large subscriber base. Not just a large subscriber base, but a
list of targeted potential customers.

Although a large opt-in list is an important part of your
success, the quality of your publication is even more important
– both will play a very important role.

If you really want to build a massive opt-in list, you MUST
provide your potential subscribers with an incentive. The
competition on the Internet is fierce. No longer can you simply
tell your visitors what your publication will provide and expect
a large percentage to subscribe. It simply won’t work. You MUST
give your visitors a reason to subscribe.

=> Incentives

Using incentives is a highly effective method of obtaining new
subscribers. However, your incentive must be of value and be of
interest to your target audience.

Some popular incentives include:

* Exclusive ebooks that provide valuable information

* Special exclusive reports

* Special software programs

* Access to a “members only” area of your website

* Provide a service

* List their website within your Directory or Search Engine.

In order for your visitors to receive your incentive, they must
agree to receive your publication.

=> Pop-Windows

Although pop-windows can be irritating if not used correctly,
they provide a highly effective means of obtaining new
subscribers. The key to using pop-windows effectively is to
combine them with your incentives.

If you would be interested in adding a pop-window to your site,
I highly recommend the “Pop-Window Generator” at Willmaster.com.
This powerful online utility will enable you to fill out a
simple form and instantly generate the pop- window code for your
pages. This generator will enable you to select the type of
pop-window, set the length of cookies, and completely customize
the look and feel of your window. The only requirement to use
this free utility is that you must be a subscriber of WillMaster
Possibilities. This is a great publication and I highly
recommend subscribing.
http://willmaster.com/possibilities/members/

This is a prime example of using incentives…

=> Alert Boxes

Although using pop-windows with incentives is a highly effective
method of obtaining new subscribers, there is one other method
that is even better. When combined with an incentive, this
method will literally double or even triple your subscriptions
instantly. That’s not hype — it’s fact, as I use this method to
obtain hundreds of new subscribers each week. It’s similar to a
pop-window, but it doesn’t require your visitor to fill out a
form.

When a visitor enters your site, an alert box will appear. This
alert box should display text requesting their subscription and
information about your incentive. Your visitor can choose to
click on “OK” to subscribe or “Cancel” to close the alert.

The alert box is displayed via a script that extracts your
visitors’ name and email address. If they choose to subscribe,
it then sends their subscription request, via email, to your
subscription address and adds it to your database. In addition,
you can send personalized messages, use autoresponder follow-ups
and provide your subscribers with “one click” unsubscribe links
within your messages.

For further information, visit the OptIn Lightning site.
http://www.optinlightning.com

=> Pay-Per-Subscriber Services

If you really want to increase your subscriber base rapidly, you
may want to consider purchasing some subscribers.

Visit any of the following websites to purchase subscribers:

http://www.profitinfo.com http://www.listopt.com
http://www.worldwidelists.com http://www.itsaworld.net
http://www.zmedia.com/zm/main.html

=> Keeping Your Subscribers

Now that you know how to develop a large subscriber base, we’ll
focus on how to keep them.

Developing a large subscriber base is the easy part, keeping
them will be a little more difficult.

The key to keeping your subscribers is to provide quality
content that teaches or informs with regard to the subject
matter. You must provide your readers with unique content that
can’t be found in any other publication.

Although providing original content can be a lot of work, it is
well worth the effort. Not only will it provide your readers
with unique content, but it will also enable you to build your
credibility and gain your readers’ trust by sharing your
expertise.

Although providing some original content is an important part of
a great publication, it is perfectly acceptable to run articles
written by other authors.

You can find a wealth of quality, free articles on a variety of
subjects at the following web address:
http://www.web-source.net/articlesub.htm

=> Editor’s Note

Another very important part of a successful publication is an
Editor’s Note section. This section will enable you to talk to
your readers and develop a trusting relationship. You can also
use this section to provide recommendations. There’s absolutely
no better way to develop a relationship with your readers than
by including an Editor’s Note section.

=> Conclusion

No matter how many new subscribers you may acquire, the key to a
successful opt-in list is keeping them. The relationship you
build with your subscribers will determine your success. Above
all, you must provide your readers with quality content. They
subscribed to your publication for a reason. If it doesn’t meet
their expectations, they’ll simply unsubscribe.

Once you’ve developed a trusting relationship with your
subscribers, your personal recommendations will be a highly
effective means of closing sales. However, it is very important
that you only recommend a product or service that you truly
believe in. Your professional reputation depends on it.

The history of Thailand currency traces the evolution of the
medium of exchange used in Thailand prior to the 1st century.
This dates from the days of barter trade, ancient beads and
money in various shapes and sizes till the currency in modern
times.

Ancient beads, seeds, bracelets and pebbles used as a
medium of exchange in the early days around 200 – 300
BC, have been discovered in Thailand, including old
Roman copper coins dating back to 270 BC!

During the 1st – 7th centuries, metallic coins of the
Funan Kingdom in Indochina made their appearance
in Thailand, followed by Dvaravati coins in the 7th –
11th centuries. This was followed by a period in the history of
Thai currency when money in different shapes and sizes from
various places were in use.

Sandal wood flower coins or Dok Jan coins from the
Sri Vijaya Kingdom in SE Asia were introduced in
trade in the region in the 8th – 13th centuries. Cowrie shells
and baked clay coins were also used from the pre-
Sukhothai era until the reign of King Rama IV, when they were dropped from circulation.

From the 14th – 19th centuries, coins from the
Lanna Kingdom in the northern Thailand embossed
with various designs were also in circulation. Around the same
period, 15th – 19th centuries, Lanchang, the kingdom in
northeastern Thailand introduced silver and copper
pieces in long and narrow boat shapes.

In the history of Thai currency, the money that was most
enduring was Pot Duang or bullet money. This first
appeared during the Sukhothai era, 13th – 14th
centuries. Pot Duang money were hand-made coins. Metal
strips were bent and folded into spheres very much like a
bullet, thus the name, bullet money.

Bullet money was in circulation for 600 years from the
Sukhothai era to Rattanakosin until its withdrawal from
circulation in 1904 during the reign of King Rama V.

The most profound changes in the history of Thai currency
occurred during the Rattankosin era in the reigns of
King Rama IV and King Rama V. Standardized factory
minted coins and bank notes were officially
issued.

During the reign of King Rama IV, when foreign trade and
diplomatic relations expanded, the paper money, in the form of
royal promissory notes, was issued in 1853. These were
followed by bank notes issued by the foreign to facilitate trade
clearance.

In 1857, Queen Victoria of Britain presented Thailand with the
first minting machine and the minting of the first Thai silver
coins commenced. In 1858, a minting machine purchased from
Britain and the Royal Mint was set up in the Grand Palace and
the minting of coins went ahead full steam.

In the reign of King Rama IV, money was denominated in
satang, tho, phi, padueng and baht.

During the reign of King Rama V, or King Chulalongkorn,
coinage was streamlined. The numerous denominations were
reduced to only two, satang and baht, based on the
metric system, which remain till this day. Bank notes issued
were in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 40,80, 100, 400 and 800 baht.

Today, the denominations have been streamlined to 25, 50
satang coins, 1, 5, 10 baht coins and 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000 baht
notes.

The history of Thai currency goes back more than 1,000 years,
evolving from ancient beads and bracelets to the modern baht
that’s in current use.

The ancient beads, bullet money and old currencies can be
viewed at the Bank of Thailand Museum in Bang Khun Phrom
Palace within the premises of the Central Bank of Thailand.

The History of Thai currency first appeared in Tour Bangkok Legacies, a travel
website with a historical perspective of renowned places preserved
for posterity and the legendary figures who left these legacies
in the landscape of Bangkok. The author, Eric Lim, is a freelance writer who lives in Bangkok Thailand.

I held you in my arms
So gently
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Of the earth’s floor.
Hair a silk capped wonder,
Your breath an angel’s kiss.
Softly I whispered to you,
“Please, promise you’ll never grow older.
Stay in my arms forever
And make all my dreams come true.”

I held your little hand
So tightly
Eyes bright with wonder
Of the world
Hair sun kissed curls
Your voice singing a chorus of joy.
Softly I whispered a prayer,
“Please, let her never grow older.
Let her stay in my arms forever,
And make all my dreams come true.”

I rocked you in my arms
So lovingly
Eyes wet with new shed tears
Hair so soft beneath my fingers
Your voice filled with heartbroken emotion
You softly whispered to me,
“Please, I don’t want to grow older,
Let me stay here in your arms forever,
Because my dreams will never come true.”

I held you in my arms
Just a moment
Eyes shining with love
Hair resplendent with flowers
Your voice alive with promise
Softly you whispered to him,
“Please, let us grow older together,
Let me stay in your arms forever,
Together we will make dreams have come true.”

You held her in your arms
So gently
Looking into each others eyes
Filled with love and joy
I held my breath as I listened
Softly you whispered to her,
“Please, promise you’ll never grow older,
Stay in my arms forever,
And make all my dreams come true.”

You made all my dreams come true.

AE Wise is an author on Writing.Com
which is located at http://www.Writing.Com/ and is accessible by anyone.