Web Gamblings Galore

“We’ve been robbed,” I told Ana. “All of it.” I grabbed the thief, who was no longer acting drunk at all. It was a lesson in travel safety.

It started when both my wife and I had a strong feeling we shouldn’t get on that bus in Cuenca. Neither of us said anything, because a taxi was two dollars, and the bus cost only twenty-five cents. It seems a bit TOO frugal now.

Ana found a seat, but there was no seat for me. I was packed in with the other commuters standing up. I noticed the drunk pushing his way through the crowd, randomly going this way and that, and I knew somethimg was up. I instinctively reached into my pockets to check on my money. I had just visited the ATM. The $170 in my pocket was the most cash we had carried during the entire trip. Still there. The old guy pushed against me like he was trying to find a place to stand comfortably. I checked my again.

Five minutes later some space opened up near Ana, and I moved over to her. When I reached into my pocket again, it was empty, and the other pocket was empty too. I never felt a thing. I told Ana, and saw that the old drunk was still on the bus.

We got off at the next stop, dragging the thief with us. An officer appeared, and a crowd formed. The thief was sober now, pulling his pockets out and insisting again that he was inocent. Search him, he said, and I did, but I understood now that his associate was long gone with the money, probably off the bus at a previous stop. His role had just been to distract me and push me into the right place on the bus.

He begged to be let go, and we knew we couldn’t get the money back. Nonetheless, we had the officer take him to the police station on his motorcycle while we followed in a taxi, paying with a twenty from under the sole of my shoe. Filing a complaint at least meant he would spend the night in jail, and though he would be released in the morning for a lack of evidence, his finger prints are on file now.

Travel Safety Lessons

Most likely, a money belt probably would have prevented the robbery. Closing pockets help too, although I had a wallet stolen from a zipered pocket once, and I didn’t notice until forty minutes later. Fortunately it was a decoy-wallet, put there for just such an occasion – another little travel safety trick.

Other travel safety tricks? Put your money in at least three different places, like under the sole of your shoe, in a pocket you pin inside your clothes, and in your shaving kit. Carry two credit or debit cards in separate and secure places. Carry a list of “lost or stolen” phone numbers in another place. In areas with much crime, leave expensive watches and jewelry behind.

Learn a few tricks and you can travel more safely. Our experience also shows the importance of learning to trust your intuition. That was our lesson in travel safety.

Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U.S. and Mexico alone at 17. Now 40, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. For more on travel safety, plus travel stories, tips and a free e-book, visit: http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com

“Bad Boys”.

If you’re a woman, you may be saying “hmmm” as you hear these words. You know you shouldn’t, but you just can’t help yourself.

There is just SOMETHING about these guys that draws you in, even as your head tells you to “beware”!

So, what exactly is the attraction? It’s not necessarily that they are more physically attractive or smarter or more successful than the “nice guys”. In fact, they can have fewer of these qualities, yet be harder to resist.

So what is it? Let’s begin by defining these guys. This term is generally applied to males who treat women poorly. Do these behaviors ring a bell?

*calling at 8:30 on a Saturday night to ask if you want to get together

*not showing up for a date- followed by no phone call or apology

*never having any money when you are out

* forgetting or ignoring your birthday and other important dates

*flirting openly with other women when you are together

*hitting on your good friend(s)

*making booty calls at 1am, after they’ve had a night out with others

*is doing time for a serious felony

Instead of asking “what is it about these guys”; let’s instead examine what it is about the women who can’t resist them. The following are actual statements from women who have a history of attraction to these guys. See if any of these sound familiar.

* “It’s never BORING with him. He’s unpredictable and exciting.”

* “He’s strong, aggressive and self-assured; I feel safe with him.”

* “It’s not his fault; he’s trying to get his life together.”

* “I haven’t met anyone else that makes me feel the way he does.”

* “He’s so charming and passionate.”

* “He tells me how much he likes me, so he must really feel something for me.”

* “He needs me.”

* “He doesn’t come across as needy and desperate.”

* “I can’t believe I’ve attracted someone like him.”

Now, on the face of these, they seem pretty benign. We all seek at least some of these traits in the men we choose. So, where’s the problem?

Essentially it’s in his inability to meet the woman’s fundamental needs. She is the one doing all (or most) of the giving. The question then lies in; “what’s in it for her?”

The answer can be found by exploring three basic issues:

*level of self-esteem

*capacity for intimacy

*roles that she has been in throughout her life

If a woman feels good about herself, she chooses a mate who communicates both verbally and non-verbally to her that she is valued and respected. She won’t allow this other person to undermine her positive self-worth. She believes in her ability to participate in a healthy, reciprocal relationship.

If she doesn’t feel good about herself, she chooses someone who reinforces her negative self-beliefs.

If a woman is capable of true intimacy, she is open to the true availability of the other person. She wants him to be a full and active participant in the relationship. She can allow herself to be open, vulnerable and able to take as well as to receive all that true intimacy offers.

If intimacy is difficult, she choose someone who is distant, hard to connect with and not emotionally and/or physically available.

If a woman has had a healthy role in her relationships since childhood, she will choose someone with whom she can continue this healthy interaction.

If a woman has been too long in the role of rescuer, caregiver or the one who sacrifices for the good of others, this will probably be the role she will seek out in her relationships.

Fortunately, most women fall somewhere in between on these issues. So the task is to evaluate yourself in each area and decide on a course of action that will help you to choose a “nice guy”, who stirs your senses and meets your needs while being truly available for a real relationship.

Begin with an assessment of what you value most in life and cannot live without.

Go to http://www.consum-mate.com/newslets/02oct.htm for an article on “clarifying and living your values”.

Once you know what is most important to you and believe that you are worthy of achieving it, you will have taken a giant step towards finding the right partner for you.

Toni Coleman, MSW is a licensed psychotherapist, relationship coach and founder of http://www.consum-mate.com. As a recognized expert, Toni has been quoted in many local and national publications including: The Chicago Tribune, The Orlando Sentinel, New York Daily News, Indianapolis Star and Newsweek newspapers and Family Circle, Woman’s Day, Cosmo Style, Tango, Men’s Health, Star (regularly quoted body language expert), and Nirvana magazines. She has been featured on abcnews.com; discovery.health.com; aolnews.com; MSN.com, Match.com and planetearthradio.com. Toni offers dating help and relationship advice as the weekly love and dating coach on the KTRS Radio Morning Show (St. Louis, MO) and through her syndicated column, “Dear Dating Coach.”
Her newsletter, The Art Of Intimacy, helps over fifty-five hundred subscribers with its dating and relationship advice. Toni is a member of The International Coach Federation, The International Association Of Coaches and The National Association of Social Workers.

Summer is the season of sunshine and outdoor leisure activities. After a long and chilly winter, warm sunshine is great and enjoyable for everyone. However, intense sunshine and your sensitive skin are not good friends. Take more care of your skin and you will have a wonderful summer and fantastic skin.

Vitamin D from sunshine will help your bones become stronger. You just need a little sunshine a day for that process. Too much sun exposure can be very counter-productive and even cause winkles, burns and skin cancer. Early morning sunshine is the best for your health. You should avoid sun exposure from 12PM to 2PM because that is the time when sunshine is the most intense.

Don’t forget to apply your sunblock before going out. Using sunblock doesn’t only help prevent irritating burns caused by intense sunshine but also reduces the risk of skin cancer and cataracts. You should buy sunblock with an SPF number no lower than 15. In fact, you should go for as high a number as possible and remember to apply the sunblock as least 20 minutes before going out as it may take some time to start working.

In a hot summer, your body in general and your skin in particular can easily lose water. Drinking water frequently improves the excretion of your skin and prevents pimples. Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day and drink more if you often have to go out.

If you feel your skin burning after being in intense sunshine, tonic lotion can help cool down your skin and speed up its recovery. Using cleanser and tonic lotion every evening will make your skin fresh and clean, remove dead cells and extra oil which can clog your pores.

You should remember that summer is the season of insects. Be ready for that by buying creams and lotions which can relieve the redness and burning sensation if you are stung by mosquitoes or other insects. You should ask your doctor for advice about what kinds of creams and lotions are suitable for you if you have sensitive skin. If you choose a cream which doesn’t suit your skin, the result can be much worse than a sting.

In addition, you should supply your skin with sufficient nutrients to cope with the hot summer. You should eat food which is rich in selenium, beta-carotene, vitamin A, C and E. Selenium can be found in meat, crab, shrimps, cheese, etc. Beta-carotene and vitamin A are found in carrots, egg yolk, fish liver oil, etc. Vitamin C can be found in most fruits, especially in oranges, lemons, strawberries and pineapples. Milk, butter, nuts and vegetables are rich in Vitamin E, which slows down the aging process of your skin.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Skin Care

Curio cabinets have become a delight in themselves as they showcase your favorite things and mementos to friends and family, keep all your dear treasures in one place to admire them in wonderment everyday, or protect your growing collection of porcelain dolls from your 5-year old.

Curio cabinets started as places to keep curios – defined in the dictionary as curious or unusual objects of art or knickknacks and whatnots that are perhaps worthy of collecting because of their oddity. This definition could, of course, include silver spoons from Alaska, all assortments of wedding and christening favors, crystals, face masks from Africa and possibly even shrunken heads from the Amazons of Ecuador and Peru.

Nowadays, however, you can use curio cabinets for anything:

- Show off your family’s sporting interests by displaying your son’s bowling trophies next to your husbands autographed baseballs.

- House your priceless family heirlooms – such as, great grandma’s turqoise and silver comb, grandpa’s golden pen, mum’s old sapphire brooch which you wore on your wedding day and your son’s first baby photo.

- Or perhaps, protect from dust and grime the brass alto saxophone that you know you’ll learn to play one day in your retirement years.

But how do you choose the curio cabinet that’s just right for you? Ask yourself the following questions below and find out how.

Tips on how to choose a curio cabinet

1. The first question you should ask when buying a curio cabinet is: What kind of curios will I put in it? If it is a tall brass alto saxophone, then you need to get a tall, traditional curio cabinet with fitted glass doors to keep the dust out and with removable glass shelves to make room for your favorite musical instrument.

2. How much light is there at the spot where you are going to put your curio cabinet? Is it in the sunroom with plenty of natural light or is it in a dark corner of the house? If the latter then you need an illuminated cabinet to brighten the corner as well as provide accent lighting to your displays.

3. How big a space do you have for your curio cabinet?

- Is the space amply high and wide? Then you might want to get a traditional, dark cherry curio cabinet with generous measurements of 44W x 17D x 79H inches.

- If narrower, then a more contemporary curio cabinet with practical urban living measurements of 24W x 12D x 76H inches may be better.

- If low and wide such as in a family room or den, then a golden oak console curio cabinet measuring 56W x 13D x 30H inches is probably what you need.

- And if angled in a corner, you may want a curio cabinet that can be snugly placed in a corner and probably measuring around 28W x 16D x 72H inches.

4. The other question to ask is – Do you want to match the look of your curio cabinet with the other furniture in the room?

- If you want to maintain a traditional look, then you might want to choose from grand old fashioned designs with bevelling, hand-carved details and dark timber finishes.

- If the room is contemporary, then you might want the clean lines and lighter timber finishes of a more urbanized curio cabinet with lots of mirror and glass.

5. What type of wood or non-wood appeals to you?

- If affordability is a consideration and you do not mind the look of MDF or engineered wood, then you might choose a curio cabinet made of strenghtened pressed particle board and topped with timber veneer or laminate.

- If you feel that a solid wood curio cabinet sounds like a good investment, then you should get a curio cabinet made from the more popular oak or maple – hardwoods that can only gain character and charm as they age.

6. And last but not least, what is your budget?

- Are you prepared to splurge on a Louis XV-inspired Pulaski curio cabinet selling for $2000 so that you can have a spectacular accent piece that can transform your entire living room experience?

- Or do you just want a simple wall curio cabinet – one that you can get for $20 at ebay to put your dog figurine collection?

Flor Buenaventura is a writer who has a great interest in furnishings for the home and garden. To see a fantastic collection of resources related to curio cabinets and other types of furniture, please visit her Curio Cabinets website.

I’ve been observing the tremendous power our interpretations of events have to influence our bodies, our moods, and our ability to be present and notice what is.

An example: My knee started hurting about two weeks ago. Having had my share of knee injuries and two surgeries, I quickly assumed (or interpreted) the pain to mean something was seriously wrong with my knee. I told myself my days of being a yoga queen were over and I might as well forget the book I’ve been cooking on the back burner about movement and creativity.

I stopped exercising. I ignored my knee and my body, told myself I was getting old and beat myself up for not being able to participate in extreme sports. (Never mind that I don’t like extreme sports, I should be able to do those wild things anyway.)

Yesterday, I (finally) went to an orthopedic doctor to have my knee checked out (or ground my assessment of disaster). He offered me his interpretation (based on x-rays, hands on tests, and his opinion) that my knee was in solid shape. What I am probably experiencing is “wear and tear”, (sounds like I’ve gone through the wash cycle a few too many times) and perhaps a small tear in my cartilage.

Oh.

Given his assessment, my mood and my ability to be in and move my body changed – instantly. Suddenly, I was (literally) leaping around his office, flexing that joint, calculating how many yoga classes I could get in that week. My interpretation of the sensation in my knee had changed – the twinge, the catch, the discomfort was no longer “serious,” it was just wear and tear. YET THE SENSATIONS WERE THE SAME.

Look at the power of our minds to decide what is or is not possible! Before I walked into the doctor’s office, I was carrying a heavy story that I was broken and doomed. 10 minutes later, I was ready to climb Mt. Rainer. And nothing physical had changed.

Instead of saying to myself, “Hmm… This is a new sensation in my knee. Let me take a moment to feel this. Hmmm… When I stand I feel something different, a catch. And my knee feels like I don’t want anybody to touch it.” That is all that is. Everything else is an interpretation, an assessment, a story.

If I remain in the sensation of my knee, without having to decide what it is, the field of possibilities is huge. Yet over and over again, I assess, I limit, I decide and I think THIS IS THE WAY IT IS. THIS IS THE TRUTH.

I must remind myself (constantly) that I am making an assessment of what is and my assessment is only one possible choice. There are many possible choices. Some assessments are grounded (my assessment about my knee is now based on the information from my doctor) but it still isn’t the truth.

Nobody really knows what is going on with my knee unless someone opens it up, and even then we could have some disagreement. Forgetting that I am making assessments and subsequent choices can be costly, for at the very least, it takes me out of the present, and at the very worst, it leads me to live my life within a very limited and limiting box.

Paying attention to what is means we must stop and be in the present moment. It asks us to become more comfortable with not knowing, with not having a pat answer or action to take, simply noticing what is happening in our body or our mood or our relationships – to observe the world. It is human nature to interpret and assess ourselves, other people, and events constantly – and that’s okay, it is one of the ways we stay safe and take care of our complex lives.

It is when assessments run our lives without us questioning whether it has any grounding and without paying attention to what we are experiencing that we lose our ability to create our lives. Self-care is rooted in paying attention to what is.

Jennifer Louden is a best-selling author of five books, including the classic The Woman’s Comfort Book and her newest Comfort Secrets for Busy Women. She has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs, including Oprah. She’s also a certified coach, creator of learning events and unique life balance products. Her upcoming retreat with Master Coach Molly Gordon is on how to “do” change with grace and confidence. Visit http://www.comfortqueen.com/retreats

I am often amazed at the efforts that many business leaders put into making themselves and their businesses smaller. Yes. You heard me rightmaking their businesses smaller. A major challenge threatens them and instead of finding the positive side and seeing the opportunity, they shrink from it and try to find a way to cut back somewhere to fill the gap.

Take the current business climate in California. A quick survey of the Chambers of Commerce throughout the state will tell you their major focus is on getting legislators to pass laws to lower the cost for companies to do business. Most of this cost cutting revolves around lowering workers comp benefits, freezing the minimum wage, and stopping legislation that would require more employers to provide health care for their employees. These all focus on making business smaller. In effect, what business members are telling their legislators is, “We don’t believe in our ability to provide enough value to our customers to make a profit, so let’s find a way to make our expenses and our businesses smaller at the expense of our employees.”

These businesses and the chambers are spending gross amounts of time and money trying to justify making their businesses smaller. What would happen, if instead, all this effort and money were directed into growing their businesses? What if instead of trying to find ways to cut benefits to employees or cut their work force, they went to their employees and asked them to help them add value to the business?

This is what expansive, positive oriented business leaders do to stay competitive. In his book, The Great Game of Business, author and business owner Jack Stack implemented this practice in his business and found phenomenal gains. He took his company from the brink of bankruptcy and turned it into a leading business in his market. He did it by being proactive and asking his employees to take ownership of the value of the company.

Is this easy? Not in the short term. But it is empowering. It moves business leaders into the proactive universe of expansion and abundance. In the long term, it is easier and a lot more fun. It’s much easier to harness the energy of a proactive workforce that believes in the company. It is much harder to make gains with disgruntled employees. How do you want to spend your time and energy? Focused on cuts and skimping or energized by expansion and abundance? The next time a major challenge faces your company are you going to expand to accept the challenge, or contract and run from it? Your future happiness and success depend on your answer.

Business consultant and professional speaker Michael Clark has been helping businesses including Fortune 500 companies such as IBM and Cellular One succeed for over 20 years. Michael is an authority on getting business owners out of overwhem and getting the most out of their businesses. His is a serial entrepreneur having opened multiple successful businesses over the last 12 years. Before that he had a successful career in finance and accounting for large corporations. He has been interviewed on radio, tv, and in print, as well as been a featured speaker at The Learning Annex, Rotary, and other business and professional groups.

For more articles on small business success, check out http://www.biznbeyond.com. Feel free to copy this article and post it on your website as long as you keep the link to http://www.biznbeyond.com intact and give credit to Michael Clark at Business and Beyond.

For the first 8 months of her life with us, Sugar, our Jack Russel Terrrier, was a notorious shoe thief. Our shoes would disappear and then show up in the yard, chewed and scruffed and unwearable. To our great financial and emotional relief we finally broke her of the ugly habit, and she hasn’t stolen a shoe in a long time.

Now jump ahead. Picture this:

Roxanne’s sitting on the sofa after work, getting ready for aerobics class. She has two socks on, but only one shoe. The other shoe is on the couch beside her, gleaming white, pretty and new. Her good workout shoes. Bought special.

Sugar lays at her feet. The phone rings.

While Roxanne’s on the phone I come into the room, take in what’s happening, and get a brilliant idea for a good joke. I’ll hide her shoe. Sugar will catch the blame, of course, but I’ll ‘fess up before any real trouble starts.

I sit on the couch and while Roxanne’s distracted on the phone, I slyly tuck the shoe under my t-shirt and make a slinking exit from the room. I’m feeling very clever.

I go into the bathroom to give the dog a bath, and I hide the shoe on the top shelf behind some unused beach towels, for just the few minutes needed to play this joke out. This is going to be funny, at least it will be to me. Roxanne will get pissed, I’ll laugh my ass off and reveal the hidden shoe, and Roxanne will pretend to get pissed all over again, but she’ll be smiling too. This won’t be what I’d call a great joke, but it ought to be worth a grin. Making someone else momentarily miserable usually is.

Everything goes according to plan — except for one thing.

I totally forget the shoe. I forget the joke. I forget everything.

After giving Sugar her bath I am called away to go pick up Shelly from band practice. Roxanne’s still on the phone when I leave, and she’s gone to the gym when I get back. I never think about that shoe or the intended joke again.

Don’t misunderstand. It doesn’t just slip my mind the way some things do. It goes away like it never happened. It never creeps though my thoughtpaths. There was no shoe. There was no joke. Nada.

That is, until today.

It’s now about one month later. Here we are, Roxanne is cleaning shelves in the bathroom which haven’t been dusted in awhile. Now she’s exclaiming, looking addled and angry. Now she’s stomping her feet and making a lot of noise. Hands on hips, steely intent in her eyes, demanding from anyone, from everyone, an explanation for a found shoe. A bright white brand new never-worn aerobics tennis shoe, size six, retrieved from a high shelf. Thelook on her face tells me this situation is very, very dangerous.

So I do the only thing I can do.

I say the only thing I can say.

“Bad Sugar! Bad, bad dog!”

Ted Thompson is a freelance writer living in Harrison, Arkansas. More of his work can be seen at his website http://www.phfft.com or he can be contacted by email at invinoveritas@alltel.net

Recent statistics (gathered by the NCHS) shows that 30 percent of American citizens from 20 years and above are obese. This counts more than 60 million people. We all know the consequences of being overweight; increased risk of diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes II and even cancer. The weight loss industry has grown tremendously in recent years and more and more obese people are trying out various weight loss programs or weight loss pills, most of them experiencing that it doesn’t work in a sustainable way. But what about hypnosis for weight loss, can it really help?

Hypnosis in general is a very old method designed for speaking directly to our subconscious mind and thus modifying our behaviour. We know that hypnosis can have numerous other successful applications besides weight loss and the examples range from performance improvement for athletes and therapy for victims of abuse to curing diseases like ulcers, nausea, migraines, depression and anxieties, just to mention a few. But the question I’ll try to answer is; could lose weight hypnosis be an alternative for losing weight?

About 15 percent of the USA’s population have got the label ‘highly hypnotizable’, while 10 to 15 percent can’t be hypnotized at all. In between this measurement is where the majority of 70 to 75 percent might be eligible for hypnosis more or less. Just so that you are aware that hypnosis doesn’t work for all of us.

The experts disagree regarding which extent hypnosis by itself can provide a sustainable weight loss. What most experts seem to agree upon however, is that hypnosis can make a contribution to weight loss for many people if it is combined with healthy diets and workout. Whether or not hypnosis can help you lose weight can only be answered if you try it, either by contacting an hypnosis therapist or trying out a good self hypnosis program that you can find online. There are some success stories about hypnosis and weight loss. A friend of mine, who had been overweight since he was a child and had entered all thinkable weight loss programs and remedies just to experience an endless weight roller-coster trip, lost – believe it or not – almost 100 pounds with hypnosis. And he was very skeptical initially. So it might be worth a trial for you as well.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website 1st-Self_Improvement.net. Terje is a Sociologist who enjoys contributing to the personal growth and happiness of others. He tries to accomplish this by writing about self help issues from his own experience and knowledge. For example, hypnosis and other self improvement methods as well as providing relationship resources online.

From time to time, we hear a story about a processor gone bad. A processor that seemed so knowledgeable early on but now isn’t keeping pace and can’t seem to get along with anyone. Many unhappy customers, unhappy loan officers, and denied files later, Mr. Broker is forced to seek out a resolution.

Replacement or continuing education will be required to address the immediate issue. Additionally, Mr. Broker will need to conduct a more in-depth preliminary interview to determine if the next processing candidate can really meet his expectations.

An experienced processor should know:

1. How to analyze a loan file – Knowing the elements that make or break a deal is essential. It is critical that a processor has the ability to take a look at a loan application with its supporting documentation and quickly determine the likelihood of that file closing. If challenges are identified, the processor should have some idea of what has to happen (and in what time frame) for the loan to be approved.

2. How to review title and appraisal reports – Title and appraisal documents should be reviewed for issues or inconsistencies upon receipt. Title liens and appraisal issues often take a considerable amount of time to resolve. The underwriting process is expedited when those things are identified and addressed early rather than left for discovery by the lender.

3. How to calculate income – The income noted on the 1003 should always be based on calculations made using actual file documentation rather than the borrower’s rough estimate. If the income consists of more than regular wages or salary, the processor should know how the lender views and calculates that particular source of income rather than assume it will be acceptable.

4. How to analyze credit – A processor should have the ability to analyze a credit report regardless of what credit bureau or repository provided it. In addition to understanding the content of the report, the processor should know what documentation is required to address that credit profile.

5. How to shop a loan – Long gone are the days of shipping a loan to a lender just to find out that it won’t fly as submitted. Take advantage of the lender’s quick qualification and automated underwriting system to close more loans. Underwriting guidelines, program matrixes, rate sheets, and more may be available on the lender’s website.

6. How to verify employment – Don’t waste time making repeated phone calls only to find that the verification has to be submitted in writing or is available instantly via an automated system. Ask the borrower upfront. You may find that they already have a PIN or direct contact to expedite the process.

7. How and when to request file documentation – In order for a loan to close in a timely fashion, file documentation must be available when needed. Find out the turn around time for all of the documents required for your file and request them far enough in advance.

8. Know alternative ways to meet document requirements and underwriting conditions – An experienced processor knows that although the condition sheet says that the lender wants one thing, they will actually accept another. Knowing how to ask the right person the right questions can save a lot of time and trouble.

9. How to avoid closing delays – You’d be surprised how many times someone forgot about that “at closing” condition. Pay special attention to those conditions and get as many as possible cleared beforehand. Additionally, make certain that you are aware of the lender’s deadline for closing document requests.

10. How to avoid funding delays – Funding delays can kill your referral business. Don’t assume that all is well during the rescission period. Confirm with the lender that all prior to funding request have been met and that they have the correct wiring instructions for the title company.

Stephanie Graham is a mortgage professional with more than two decades of experience in both retail and wholesale lending. Stephanie has excelled in a number of mortgage industry positions including CRA officer,corporate trainer, and consultant. Stephanie is currently a part of the executive team of Complete Mortgage Processing. More tips and techniques for mortgage processing and origination can be found at http: http://www.completemortgageprocessing.com

The Internet represents the most powerful communication
revolution since the dawn of mankind.

Its communication power can literally create business
empires faster and with less startup capital than in all
human history.

Yet, with all this power at their fingertips, it amazes me
that most businesses and entrepreneurs will put their
business in jeopardy just to save a couple of bucks.

Would you build a luxury home on a foundation made for a
double-wide trailer?

Would you mount a race car body and engine on a chassis
built for a go-cart?

If not, then why would you try to build a legitimate online
business to support your family and contribute to your
livelihood using $4 a month hosting?

It doesn’t make sense, but people do it every day and,
unfortunately, the consequences can often cost you a
hundred times or more of what you “saved.”

When you go to choose a web host, you need to think in
terms of the purpose for your website(s).

If you want a little family site or a non-commercial blog,
then $5 a month hosting may be just what you need.

If you want to host a basic, but dependable website to sell
your own, or someone else’s products, then plan on $9-20 a
month, depending on how much hand-holding you need from
your web host’s technical support staff.

If you want to host multiple sites to generate search
engine traffic, sell your own products online, and get a
moderate amount of traffic, then plan to spend $15-$50 a
month, depending on which options you choose.

If you plan to operate a serious e-commerce site and need
the flexibility to grow, then a dedicated server for $100-
$200 a month may fit the bill.

When evaluating a web host, keep the following in mind.

Will you run scripts on your website?

If yes, then make sure the web host offers a cgi-bin and
mysql database. Those allow you to run almost any kind of
script you’ll need on a basic to intermediate level site.

Will you have your own “dedicated IP address?”

All domain names correspond to an IP address, which is just
a series of numbers.

Just like a phone number dials up the correct phone
anywhere on earth, each domain has its own number.

However, depending on how your host sets up their server,
your domain can actually share an IP address with dozens,
even hundreds, of other websites.

If one of those websites misbehaves, it can adversely
affect everyone on that same IP address.

My advice: pay a little extra to make sure you get your own
dedicated IP.

How much space will you need?

Make sure you get at least 100 megabytes of space from your
web host.

Also, make sure you get at least 10 email forwarding
accounts and 10 gigabytes of data transfer per month.

Also, the hosting market is so competitive now that you
should never pay a setup fee.

If in doubt, shop around, compare and always ask someone
you trust or check up on what others have to say about a
specific hosting service by visiting sites like
http://www.webhostingtalk.com

The moral here?

Understand that your web hosting account is literally the
“foundation” for your online business, so don’t skimp.
You’re only hurting yourself in the long run if you do.

© Jim Edwards – All Rights reserved – http://www.thenetreporter.com

About the Author:

Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the
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