April 5, 2008
South Beach Luxury Hotels combine all the comforts of home with the luxury of staying in a hotel. Stretching from 1st Street to Lincoln Road, South Beach is one of the unique areas in Miami Beach, encompassing some of the most famous commercial areas such as Alton Road, Collins Avenue, Collins Avenue, Espanola Way, Ocean Drive, and Washington Avenue. Its unmatched natural beauty and panoramic coastal environment make it one of the most sought after tourist destinations in Florida.
South Beach Luxury Hotels include four-and five-star hotels. Delano Resort Hotel, Ritz Carlton Hotel, Shelborne Beach Resort, Shore Club Resort Hotel, The Tides Hotel, and Loews Miami Beach Hotel are among the premier luxury hotels in South Beach. Their fees generally range from $350 to $1,000 per day. Discounts are available during off-season and other special occasions.
Most of the luxury hotels in South Beach are housed within historic buildings, and are noted for their architectural splendor, reflecting art deco, garden, modern, and streamline styles. A luxury hotel in South Beach generally includes facilities such as business centers, fitness centers, pools, spas, and well-manicured gardens. Some of the amenities available in the rooms and suites of a luxury hotel are high-speed Internet access, ironing facilities, well-stocked mini bars, stylish furnishings, and quality linens. Gyms, round-the-clock room service, valet parking, and laundry and dry cleaning are among the services commonly available. Further, the restaurants within the hotels serve a wide range of mouth-watering cuisines.
Almost all South Beach Luxury Hotels organize trips, and provide opportunities to enjoy an array of activities such as fishing, golf, shopping, snorkeling, sun bathing, and walking. Further, these hotels are just a few blocks from the area’s major attractions including Collins Park, Flamingo Park, Holocaust Museum, and Opium Garden.
South Beach Hotels provides detailed information on South Beach Hotels, South Beach Luxury Hotels, South Beach Condo Hotels, Cheap South Beach Hotels and more. South Beach Hotels is affiliated with Jacksonville Florida Hotels.
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The word “organic” may appear on packages of meat, cartons of milk or eggs, cheese and other single-ingredient foods. Certified organic requires the rejection of synthetic agrochemicals, irradiation and genetically engineered foods or ingredients. Literally, of course, the term is a redundancy: all food is composed of organic chemicals (complex chemicals containing carbon). Any materials used in the production or processing of organic food must be proven safe. Awareness is growing about the value of organic foods. But, whether organic chicken or pesticide-free lettuce represents “healthier” alternatives has long been a subject for debate.
Organic farming is one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. Gardening organically is much more than what you don’t do. In fact, sales of organics have surged more than 20 percent each year in the past decade. In terms of number of farms, acreage and value of production, the organic food industry is growing at a rate of 20-30% per year. As commodity programs are eliminated, more farmers have discovered that organic production is a legitimate and economically viable alternative enterprise. The growth in the number of organic farmers has increased steadily, similar to the growth of the U.S.
In current organic production systems, growers are not permitted to use conventional synthetic organic fungicides in their disease management program. Non-organic milk comes from farms that are allowed to use genetically modified cattle feed, along with routine antibiotic treatments and synthetic pesticides. Arguments have long raged as to the effects these hormones and chemicals have on the bioproducts. Growth hormones in cows, pesticides on produce and antibiotics in poultry are among the reasons many Americans are turning to organic foods.
Organically raised animals may not be given growth hormones to or antibiotics for any reason. Producers are required to feed livestock agricultural feed products that are 100 percent organic, but farmers may also provide allowed vitamin and mineral supplements.
The US Department of Agriculture finally put in place a national system for labeling organic food. The new federal rule guarantees you, the consumer, organic products that are grown without toxic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. Pesticides derived from natural sources (such as biological pesticides) may be used in producing organically grown food. Limitations in relation to which pesticides may or may not be used, present the organic grower with some unique and very demanding challenges. Food that is at least 70 percent organic will list the organic ingredients on the front of the package. More than 40 private organizations and state agencies (certifiers) currently certify organic food, but their standards for growing and labeling organic food may differ. Even with these labeling rules in place, consumers should be prepared for some confusion when shopping for organic foods. For one thing, organic products are not uniformly labeled because many farmers using organic methods do not pursue certification at all. In addition, the language contained in seals, labels, and logos approved by organic certifiers may differ.
While consumers struggle with the fact that often, the availability of organic materials is limited when large quantities are needed. More and more people have come to appreciate the added dimensions of value and quality available in the organic marketplace.
Francesca Black works in marketing at Organic Items www.organic-items.com and Pilates Shop www.pilates-shop.net leading portals for organic products and natural excercise.
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Mark Knopfler, of Dire Straits fame, and Nashville seem to have a reciprocal relationship going on. As a child, Mark idolized the late guitar genius Chet Akins (one of Nashville’s most prolific musicians and producers), and in the mid-1980s they even became friends and recording partners. Their album “Neck and Neck” was a quiet hit on the country charts and they remained close until Atkins death in June 2001.
Through this friendship grew many others. Award-winning pedal steel guitarist Paul Franklin and country superstar Vince Gill recorded the last Dire Straits CD with Knopfler, 1991’s “On Every Street,” and Franklin actually toured with the band during that final concert tour in 1991 and 1992.
From there, Knopfler began his solo career in 1996, performing with Nashville session players such as guitarist Richard Bennett (perhaps best known for co-writing the Neil Diamond hit “Forever in Blue Jeans”), bassist Glenn Worf, pianist Jim Cox and drummer Chad Cromwell. These men became the core of the 96ers, Knopfler’s recording and touring band, and they helped record all four of Knopfler’s albums: “Golden Heart,” “Sailing to Philadelphia,” “The Ragpicker’s Dream” and “Shangri-La.” Matt Rollins, former keyboardist with Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, joined Knopfler on tour in 2005.
In 2006, Knopfler released a long-anticipated duets album with famed country artist Emmylou Harris, called “All the Roadrunning.” Recorded over a period of seven years, the tracks feature two written by Harris and the rest by Knopfler. A tour followed in May and June of 2006 which included many of the musicians mentioned above as well as Stuart Duncan, known on Music Row for his amazing fiddling skills.
Several of Knopfler’s songs have been covered by country artists. John Anderson’s version of the never-recorded Dire Straits tune “I Think I Love You Too Much” is just one example. Randy Travis’ “Are We In Trouble Now,” from Knopfler’s “Golden Heart” album is another. Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “The Bug,” The Judds’ “Water of Love,” and Highway 101’s “Setting Me Up” are all penned by Knopfler and originally recorded with Dire Straits. Even Johnny Cash was known to have sung “The Next Time I’m Around,” the final track from the Chet Atkins duet album, live in concert.
There’s no sign that the love affair between Mark Knopfler and Nashville will stop any time soon.
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Bridal and baby shower games are a great way to spice up your
shower party. Many games can be purchased affordably, but you
can also make your own games with some effort. Here are some
ideas for making your own baby shower or bridal shower games.
1) Baby or Bridal Bingo - Here is a game that you can make
yourself on a word processor and print out on your own computer
or at your local print shop. All you have to do is find baby or
bridal related clipart images on the Internet and copy them into
a grid. Make as many different boards as you need. You can even
get trinkets like mini pacifiers that you can use in place of
standard bingo chips.
2) Baby or Bridal Pictionary - This is another easy game for
shower parties. Before the event, you must think of various
bridal or baby related themes and phrases and then print them
out on flash cards. You also need paper and pencils so that you
guests can draw. The game will be played just like regular
pictionary, but with your own phrases and themes.
3) Word Scramble - Start by writing out a list of all the bridal
or baby related words that you can think of. Then scramble them
up and print them out. Give a copy to each guest and see who can
finish the fastest.
4) Candy in a Bottle - Fill a baby bottle with candy, like M&M’s
and count how many. Have you guests guess how many are in the
bottle and the person who guesses the closest wins the candy
filled bottle as a prize. For a bridal shower, a normal jar can
be used.
5) Bride / Groom Trivia - The host can obtain information from
the bride to be and create a fun trivia game for the guests to
see which guest knows the most about the bride to be or the
groom. For a baby shower, the trivia questions can involve the
mom and dad to be.
About the Author - Criss White is a professional web writer
on baby and new mother topics for baby and pregnancy websites.
To see other related items, go to Baby Shower
Game Ideas (http://www.101babyshowerideas.com/bsgames.htm)
and Baby
Shower Prizes
(http://www.101babyshowerideas.com/bsprize.htm). Note: If you
find this article useful, you may reprint it on your website,
e-zine, or in your newsletter as long as the credits above
remain in tact and the hyperlinks stay active.
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Wherever you are on the street, in an office building or
shopping mall, driving, waiting for a bus or cab, stay alert and
tuned in to your surroundings.
Trust your instincts. If something or someone makes you
uncomfortable, avoid the person or leave.
Know the neighborhoods where you live and work. Check out the
locations of police and fire stations, public telephones,
hospitals, and restaurants, or stores that are open late.
On Foot-Day or Night
- Stick to well-lit, well-traveled streets. Avoid shortcuts
through wooded areas, parking lots, or alleys.
- Don’t flash money or other tempting targets like jewelry or
clothing.
- Carry a purse close to your body, not dangling by the straps.
Put a wallet in an inside coat or front pants pocket, not a back
pocket. Carry only what is necessary and try not to keep
currency and credit cards all in one place.
- Don’t wear shoes or clothing that restricts your movements.
- Have your car or house key in hand before you reach the door.
- Try to use automated teller machines (ATM) in the daytime.
Have your card in hand and don’t approach the machine if you’re
uneasy about people nearby. Better yet, only use the ATM
machines inside of grocery stores, malls, or gas stations.
- If you think someone is following you, switch direction or
cross the street. Walk toward an open store, restaurant, or
lighted house. If someone harasses you, don’t be embarrassed.
Loudly say, “Leave me alone! Someone call the police! Get away!”
Vehicle Safety
- Keep your car in good running condition. Make sure there’s
enough gas to get where you’re going and back.
- Always roll up the windows and lock car doors, even if you’re
coming right back. Check inside and out before getting in.
- Avoid parking in isolated areas. Be especially alert in lots
and underground parking garages.
- If you think someone is following you, don’t head home. Drive
to the nearest police or fire station, gas station, or other
open business to get help.
If Someone Tries to Rob You
- Don’t resist. Give up your property. Don’t risk your life.
- Report the crime to the police. Try to describe the attacker
accurately. Your actions can help prevent others from being
victims.
Take a Stand
- Make your neighborhood and working place safer by reporting
broken street lights, cleaning up parks and vacant lots and
lobbying local government for better lighting in public places.
- Initiate a block watch program in your neighborhood by
contacting your local crime prevention unit.
For products to help keep you safe, visit Urban Safety
Supplies.
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Many people believe that the main reason for representatives leaving their organisation is that of money in that they leave for a bigger salary. In fact, the biggest reason why people leave organisations is that the role they are doing is no longer offering any challenge or excitement. The second reason is due to the behaviour and capability of the immediate line manager. More often than not, the two are strongly linked with the manager taking little interest in the representative’s development and as such the representative feels under valued and bored due to the lack of attention and challenge.
Often the blame is laid at the manager’s door, but the representative must take a share of the responsibility also. The trouble usually arises when expectations are not laid out “on the table” with both parties unaware of each other’s needs, motivations and expectations. The end result is often a lack of trust and respect between the representative and manager which leads inevitably to conflict. A good manager will ensure that a “contract” is created between the manager and the representative and that this contract is “two-way” but unfortunately this rarely happens and if any contract is put in place it is 2one-way2 with the manager outlining what he or she expects from the representative and not the other way around.
So how can you avoid this conflict and start to work productively with your manager? Act on these five secrets and watch the relationship with your manager grow.
Secret 1: Learn about behavioural styles and find out what your own is and your manager’s. Compare the two and if there are differences then work on these differences by matching your manager’s body language very discreetly. Match their tone and volume of voice, remembering not to mimic only discreetly match. Look at their eye movements and do similar. Again, do similar with body movements. When you start to discreetly match their body language you will be amazed that they start to match yours also. This is the start of the rapport building process and this goes a long way to start the building of trust.
Secret 2: Contract with your manager by getting agreement about how best the two of you are going to work together. Ask questions such as:
“What are your specific expectations of me as your representative?”
“What are my specific objectives and how am I going to be measured?”
“What behaviours annoy you?”
“What motivates and de-motivates you?”
“What reports do you want? When do you want them? What content?”
“How often do you want to visit me in the field?”
Contracting is all about managing expectations. A good manager will always outline his or her expectations and will ask you about yours. Once you both are clear about what each other’s expectations are, then this is another building block in the foundations of trust and respect.
One of the hardest lessons I learned was when I did not contract with a senior sales manager. We had completely opposite behavioural styles, which meant that we didn’t get off to the best start. He thought I was too energetic, flighty and too much of a risk taker and I though he was too detailed with no personality and constantly stuck in front of spreadsheets. We were in constant conflict because he asked me for reports that I could see no reason for and I was frustrated when he ignored my pleas for more training budget. If we had contracted and discussed our similarities and differences and how best to work with them, we may not have had the conflict that we did have. The result of this “personality clash” was that there was little trust and respect between us and very little communication. Meetings between the two of us were, to say the least, fraught!
Secret 3: Ask for regular feedback on your progress. Ask your manager to coach you. Be pro-active and do not wait for your manager to come to you. On the other hand do not always be seen to be reliant on your manager and give them space. Agree this area of support in your contract. A great time to enlist this support is on field visits. Ask your manager if some time can be “protected” during the field visit to discuss your progress and for them to coach you through any ideas and, or, challenges you have.
Secret 4: Be seen to be a support for your manager. Management can be lonely and stressful particularly if the manager isn’t managing their boss particularly well or if the company and/or team results are not doing as well as expected. Be supportive and offer to take on extra tasks. These tasks will not only make space for the manager to work more productively and strategically they will also enable you to develop your own capabilities. Be careful to ensure you manage your team-mates expectations here too. Being seen as supporting the manager can be taken the wrong way by some of your colleagues and on occasion, the less enlightened representatives can see this behaviour as threatening.
Secret 5: Go with your instincts! If you feel that the relationship with your manager is starting to go sour, then immediately call a meeting and openly discuss your feelings. To make this easier than it may sound, again build it into your contract right at the start. Something like, “If I feel our relationship is not what it should be, can I address it immediately as opposed to letting it linger?” Do not where possible discuss your feelings with all of your sales team. You will find some people very supportive and helpful but you may also find that some may go out of their way to reinforce the feelings you have thereby making it more difficult to address with the manager. Always best to tackle these feelings head on without referring to your team mates. If you have a coach, then they are often the best people to enable and support you to handle these situations.
Relationships between managers and representatives usually deteriorate because there was little trust in the first place and as a result openness is not usually achieved. Follow the five secrets and you will go a long way to ensuring a lasting and productive relationship with your manager.
Allan Mackintosh is a professional management coach who after 19 years in the pharmaceutical industry started his own management coaching consultancy, Professional Management Coaching. He is a successful speaker and has recently turned author, having had his first book, “The Successful Coaching Manager” published in August.
Allan can be contacted on 01292 318152, e-mail allan@pmcscotland.com or visit his website at http://www.pmcscotland.com
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If looking for a no money down or 100 percent mortgage financing, you have several options. Understandably, many homebuyers have little cash on hand for a down payment. Because of the increase in home prices, saving the typical 20% is practically impossible. Fortunately, FHA home loan programs offer 100 percent mortgage financing, which eliminates the need for a large down payment. Here are a few tips on qualifying for a FHA home mortgage loan.
Employment Guideline for Getting a FHA Mortgage Loan
FHA loans are very flexible. Still, before approving a homebuyer for a FHA loan, the lender will carefully review several factors to determine whether they are an ideal candidate for a mortgage loan.
To acquire a FHA loan, lenders require steady employment. Usually, this involves two years of continuously working. It helps to maintain the same employer throughout the two years.
Individuals who change employers every four to six months or those who only held employment for half of the 24 months may have a hard time getting approved for a FHA loan. If unemployment was due to layoffs, illness, or other legitimate excuses, the lender may consider the applicant for approval.
Credit Guidelines for FHA Loans
When reviewing a homebuyer’s application for a mortgage loan, the lender will look at all credit activity that has occurred within the last two to three years. Concerning late payments, applicants cannot have more than two 30 days late payments within a two year period.
Bankruptcies must have a discharged date of at least two years. Furthermore, foreclosures must be at least three years old. In both cases, mortgage lenders require that homebuyers have begun re-establishing credit and building a good credit history.
Income Guidelines for FHA Loans
To qualify for a FHA mortgage loan, lenders will evaluate combine household incomes and other consumer debts (auto loan, credit cards, student loans, etc) to ensure that the mortgage payment does not exceed 30% of income. However, FHA loan lenders are flexible in this regards. Because of rising home prices and modest incomes, lenders may approve loans that exceed 30% of the homebuyer’s income.
View our recommended 100% financing mortgage loan lenders online.
Also, check out our recommended lenders for home mortgages for people with bad credit, or view our recommended sources to check your credit report online.
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