March 2023

Sell Your Car Online: Step 2, Using Pictures of Your Automobile Correctly

Selling your car or truck online is a great way to put it in front of potential buyers. In step one of this series, titled “Sell Your Car Online: Step 1, Taking High Quality Pictures of Your Automobile“, you learned how to take great quality pictures of our vehicle.

The second step in placing an ad is selecting the pictures of the vehicle you want to use in your listing. Remember the hypothetical situation from step 1? Using multiple pictures in your listing can give the potential buyer loads of information about your vehicle before the buyer even reads the first word about it.

You must choose the correct combination of pictures to display with your listing for maximum effect. If you followed the directions in step 1, you should have at least 15 to 20 pictures to choose from. Group the pictures into categories depending on the angle (for example: front, left, rear, right, front right, rear left, under the hood, interior, etc.). Then select the best picture from each category and discard the rest.

Now you should have a group of about 7 to 10 high quality pictures. Comb through these pictures and select the ones that, if displayed together, would show the most detail about your vehicle. The goal is not to overwhelm the potential buyer with tons of photos showing the same details, but to display great photos of different areas of the vehicle that convey the overall condition of the vehicle.

A great example of photos to use is: front driver’s side, rear passenger’s side, under the hood, interior, and any after market add-ons to the car. You should use at least 4 photos with each listing, but feel free to use more.

After you select the correct photos, you need to edit them. Most auto classified web sites have a maximum file size for photos you can upload with your listings. The highest quality settings for digital cameras can be anywhere from 1 MB to 5 MB per photo and greater depending on the camera. So what do you do if the photos you take exceed that size? You have to edit or resize them. But before you do that, you need to know how images are displayed on computer monitors as opposed to print.

High quality images displayed on the web are actually low quality when printed. Computer monitors display images at 72 DPI. A good quality printing will be 300 DPI or greater. A photo displayed on a monitor at 600 pixels (8.33 inches) wide will only be 2 inches wide if printed on paper. To get a good quality 8.33 inch print on paper, the photo will need to be at least 2500 pixels wide. This is a big difference in file size (and download time).

The optimal size for photos on the internet is approximately 600 pixels wide by 400 pixels high. If your camera can’t take pictures this size, even in the lowest quality setting, you will have to manually resize them. To do this you need an image editing program. Most computers have at least a simple image editing program on them. If your computer doesn’t have one, you’ll need to download one from the internet. You can find free and low cost image editing programs by going to www.download.com and searching for “image editing software.”

However, you can skip the image editing step if you find a car classifieds site, like VINclassifieds.com, that automatically resizes the photos upon upload so they are the optimal size for the internet. This could eliminate the need for you to manually resize your photos before upload.

Choose the right pictures for your classified ad and viewers will set up and take notice. Look for the next installment titled “Sell Your Car Online: Step 3, Using the Right Information to Help Sell Your Automobile.“ Happy selling.

Defining LASIK Eye Surgery – How It Works

LASIK eye surgery is a refractive surgery intended to reduce a patient’s dependency on eyeglasses or contact lenses. LASIK is the most prevalent of all refractive surgery types. LASIK aims to reshape the cornea in order to allow for accurate refraction, which results in the light rays falling exactly on the retina (a series of light sensing cells). This enables crystal clear vision.

In general, common refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism are caused due to the irregularities of the corneal surface. These anomalies can be corrected by reshaping the cornea. LASIK procedure makes use of an advanced laser called excimer, which is an ultraviolet chemical laser. The laser is controlled by sophisticated computer software. The computer-controlled sensors measure the eye position a few thousand times per second, and then redirect the laser to make precise incisions in the cornea. The reshaped cornea allows for the desired refraction and therefore results in enhanced visual acuity.

Conventional LASIK procedure makes use of a microkeratome, a diminutive surgical blade, to cut a flap in the corneal surface. However, variations of the traditional LASIK procedure may employ a laser to accomplish the same. Whatever may be the procedure to cut the flap, after it’s done, the excimer laser is used for precise ablation of the stroma – the middle layer of the cornea. The flap is then folded back so as to act as a natural bandage. The cornea may take a few days to heal. During this period, the patient may experience blurry vision and certain minor side-effects like halos or glare. However, these complications normally subside within a few days or weeks, when the cornea has completely healed.

Other common types of surgery, apart from traditional LASIK, are photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), radial keratotomy (RK), and LASEK. There is also a rather new procedure and it can be considered as an enhancement of the traditional LASIK procedure. It is called custom LASIK or wavefront-guided LASIK. It is a more advanced procedure and is capable of treating other vision impairments as well, apart from the common vision disorders specified above.

How Important Is Money In Your Goal Setting? Part 1

A realistic look at the role of money in setting goals
True story…
A teenager once said to me that she did have a goal, but she would never reach it because she didn’t have money. Her goal was to go overseas.
I told her that she should not only look at the big picture, but that she should break down her goal into do-able steps. I spent some time with her and explained that if she break her goal up into steps, she could reach it.
I suggested that she look at finding part-time work, and that she save the money she made. With part-time work paying little money, I recommended that she use part of her savings and look at starting and running a part-time business (she was interested in making bead jewellery) – that way she would earn more money.
After I had finished talking to her, she felt a lot more positive.
– – – – – –
This example is a no-brainer as far as understanding that money is directly needed for the accomplishment of the goal.
That’s all fine and well, but you may be saying, “What if I don’t have goals that involve money?” Relationship goals, fitness goals, study goals, or a myriad of other “non-monetary” goals.
My friend, I cannot think of a goal that does not involve money, in one way or the other.
Let’s say you have fitness goals, study goals, or maybe a goal to improve your relationship. How can money have anything to do with these goals? For fitness goals you need to go to the gym, for example. Relationship goals mean meeting a special someone, or improving your relationship with a loved one. So, where does money fit into the picture?
On the surface, without further thought, you’d think I was crazy to suggest that money had a role to play in these “non-monetary” goals.
Let’s look at where money fits in with non-monetary goals.
Fitness goals
You want to cycle every day/week? The bicycle costs money.
You want to go the gym? Membership fees cost money. The correct clothes costs money.
You want a heart monitor to check your level of fitness? Costs money.
Relationship goals
You want to woo that super special person? Gifts, restaurant meal, movies – costs money.
You want show appreciation for your loved one? Again… gifts, week-end away, whatever – costs money.
Study goals
Register for a course? Need books. Exam fees. This costs money.
– – – – – –
Does this mean we should just throw in the towel, and give up on all our goals?
No, no, no, no, noooooooo!
Focus. It means we need to prioritize our focus. And what does it mean to prioritize our focus?
How Important Is Money In Your Goal Setting? Part 2

Building opt in list and affiliate marketing – effective internet marketing plan

Building opt in list and affiliate marketing have become synonymous to online success as an effective internet marketing strategy. For many online sites, building opt in list and affiliate marketing have proven quite profitable. Primarily because most online users are not exposed to any unscrupulous internet marketing strategies prevalent on the World Wide Web.

As an effective Internet marketing strategy, users are given the option to signup for information or service provided by a particular site. Building opt in list and affiliate marketing reduces the risk of spamming since the recipient voluntarily chooses to receive emails from a website. Plus, building opt in list and affiliate marketing provides a direct link to the subscriber that will help shape a formidable customer relationship that will keep on going.

The basics of building opt in list and affiliate marketing

Different websites have different ways of building opt in list and affiliate marketing. However there are some tried and tested formulas to help new affiliate marketers develop their own opt in listing for their site. The first and most important factor to determine in building opt in list and affiliate marketing is to establish the site’s target market.

Once the target market is established, building opt in list and affiliate marketing can be customized to meet their demands. This can be done using a variety of methods to convince site visitors to sign up for the site’s newsletter or e-zine. After signing up, the customer will begin to receive a variety of newsletters, e-zines and brochures that the customer had registered for.

Strategies for building opt in list and affiliate marketing

There are a number of strategies that affiliate marketers can use for building opt in list and affiliate marketing. One way of building opt in list and affiliate marketing is by purchasing or leasing a subscribers list from third-parties. This is usually done by affiliate marketers in order to get easy access to many people who have consented to receiving e-mails, newsletters and e-zines on various topics.

Although it is the fastest approach to building opt in list and affiliate marketing, this method does not provide a focused consumer group for building opt in list and affiliate marketing. In addition, it may cost an affiliate marketer more than what they expect to receive in sales. Fortunately, there are other ways for affiliate marketers to get the most out of building opt in list and affiliate marketing.

Enlisting for co-registration services is great for building opt in list and affiliate marketing. This service usually costs about 10 cents to 30 cents per subscriber but it easily translates into an average of three hundred subscribers daily to an affiliate marketer’s opt in list.

Writing articles is also an effective strategy for building opt in list and affiliate marketing. The articles can be published in various newsletters with specific links to the affiliate marketer’s site. This serves as a great introduction to potential subscribers that would encourage them to sign up for an opt in list.

Joint ventures are also a valuable strategy in building opt in list and affiliate marketing. Joint ventures are a hundred percent free and at the same time can add up to hundreds of subscribers to an opt in list daily.

Incentives for building opt in list and affiliate marketing

Building opt in list and affiliate marketing can also be encouraged by offering incentives to potential subscribers. This subtle form of encouragement for building opt in list and affiliate marketing often helps stir the interest of potential subscribers to sign up for the opt in list. There are a number of methods used in affiliate marketing to egg on potential subscribers to sign up.

Offering products and services in exchange for signing up is commonly practiced by many affiliate websites. Products may include special e-books or software that would be of interest to the subscriber. Another way to get subscribers to sign up is to offer them special services that are only available for site members.

Regardless of the incentive used for building opt in list and affiliate marketing, the most important factor to consider is how to keep the interest of the subscriber. Remember, it is just as easy for a subscriber to opt out of the list as it was to opt in to the list.

Be My Valentine

Before there was a Saint Valentine to bring romance into the equation, mid-February was an important date for lovers. From 400 years BC, the Romans held an annual lottery in the name of their god Lupercus. The names of teenage women were put into a box and drawn at random by adolescent men. The ‘winners’ were legally paired for a year.
Meanwhile, the mad emperor Claudius banned marriage for young men – he believed that single men made better soldiers.
A Christian bishop, Valentine, disagreed with his Emperor and secretly performed marriage ceremonies until Claudius found out and first imprisoned him, and finally had him clubbed, stoned and beheaded on February 24th, 270.
While he was imprisoned, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer and when he was taken to be executed, he left her a note signed, ‘From your Valentine.’
Taking Valentine’s name in vain, the Church, in AD 496, decided to finally abolish the annual pairing off lottery held in honor of the god Lupercus and so decreed a small change in the rules:
>From then on, both the young men and the young women would pick a name out of the hat, but instead of getting a year of companionship (and often lust), they drew the name of a Saint whose life they had to spend the next year emulating.
Must have been quite a disappointment for the hot- bloodied young Romans!
They named the day after Saint Valentine whose involvement, 226 years after his death, was more to usurp the pagan god than to signify love.
Thankfully, public memory was more powerful that political will and Saint Valentine remained associated with lovers. Young Roman men, deprived of their lottery, took instead to handing hand-written notes to the women they admired on February 14th.
The tradition of the Valentine card was thus started over 1500 years ago!
The earliest known card that still exists is currently in the British Museum. It was sent by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife. He was a prisoner in the Tower of London at the time and so his feelings of love were probably more acute than most!
In the sixteenth century the Bishop of Geneva tried to reinstate the annual Saint’s name lottery, but his efforts were short-lived. February 14th was by then too firmly associated with lovers for the Church to successfully interfere.
In 1797 a British publisher, who would have done very well in modern Internet times, published ‘The Young Man’s Valentine Writer’ which offered scores of suggestions of sentimental verses for the creatively challenged.
The practice of sending cards anonymously began with the Victorians, who secretly loved anything of a racy nature, but publicly needed to maintain a show of respectful purity. Hence, the verses in the cards became more and more obscene, but the authors remained hidden behind a respectful anonymity.
The first publisher of Valentine’s cards in America, Esther Holland charged up to $35 for each card. And this was in 1870!
Finally, kisses are written as ‘x’ because in days of illiteracy, your signature was a cross. To convey the effect of an oath, people would draw their cross and kiss it – in the same way that they would kiss the Bible. So the x and the kiss became one and the same.
Have a lovely Valentine’s day! X

Medical Career

A medical career is a noble profession because you are able to help those who are ill. As medical science has improved through the years, it has opened a lot of opportunities for those who want to be part of this specialized field.

But for those that want to become doctors, you must first complete 4 years of undergraduate training, another 4 years of medical school, then 3 to 7 years working as an intern and as a resident. That is a long time and if you want to sub specialize, that will be another 2 years.

You will have to do well even during your undergraduate years and do well in the MCAT or medical college admissions test because only a handful are accepted every year in the best medical colleges in the country.

If you got into medical school and are now working on getting your medical license, you will have to take the US medical licensing exam during your sophomore and senior year in school and during your internship. The exam itself is challenging but studies have shown that 90% of those who take it usually pass.

For those who find becoming a doctor too long, there are other options. You may pursue a medical career as a nurse. From working at the bottom, you may soon find yourself being in charge or a wing in a hospital or caring for patient in the privacy of their homes.

You may also become an emergency medical technician who is on call and assigned to rush to a scene should there be someone injured. These individuals are responsible for stabilizing the patient before he or she is brought to the hospital. It’s a hectic job given that the medical equipment inside the ambulance can only do so much.

Another job that is less stressful is being a pharmacist. All you have to do here is dispense the medication that is written on the prescription pad. You will also need to know how to explain to the patient how to use it. In some cases, the pharmacist may advice the doctor on the dosage and the side effects.

The only downside to this job is that you will have to work on holidays and weekends. If you don’t feel happy working in such a place, try getting a job at a mental institution, nursing home or neighborhood clinic.

For those that want to work in a lab, they can do so by being a laboratory technician. They are the ones that test samples given by the patient and also help doctors who are conducting scientific research. Given that we now live in the digital age, most of the testing is done using machines so all the have to do is wait for the results to come and out and analyze it.

You can also work as a medical assistant who just takes care of the paper work and makes sure that the doctor’s clinic is running smoothly.

The various positions mentioned are just some of the options you have if you are seriously considering a medical career. Though how much they earn varies, the important thing is that each person is part of something big as the doctor, the nurse, the technician or the assistant contributes something to improve the lives of those who are sick.

EZG88 Malaysian Online Casino Review

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Long Island Schools Improve in the 2005-2006 School Year

Long Island Schools Meet State and Federal Standards

Long Island Schools had over 30 schools not meet the New York State Standards for the 2004-2005 school but this year the number of schools rose dramatically. Schools that succeeded this year that had not last year include East Hampton, Ronkonkoma, Mineola, and Valley Stream. The Long Island Schools’ ratings were based on New York’s expectations of a school’s test scores and graduation rates. These standards were met in part because of many Long Island Schools have greatly improved their education methods and instructional opportunities for those students with learning disabilities. Several Long Island Schools did not attain the required state scores from their special education students last year. During the 2005-2006 school year more teachers and paraprofessionals were hired throughout all Long Island Schools which allowed students with disabilities to be in inclusion programs and have smaller class size. A lot of these changes have been inspired by the No Child Left Behind Act that required Long Island Schools to raise the mathematics and language arts scores of all students with emphasis placed on specific student groups including whites, blacks, Hispanics, the poor and the disabled. The students in these groups should achieve higher percentages of success every year with the goal being 100% proficiency by 2014. Currently around 83% of all New York schools meet the academic requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Among the Long Island Schools that did not meet standards last year that did succeed this school year include: Comsewogue High School, Center Moriches High School, Ronkonkoma Junior High School (Connetquot), Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School, East Hampton High School, Eastport-South Manor High School, Harborfields High School, Hauppauge High School, G.W. Hewlett High School (Hewlett- Woodmere), Hicksville High School, Huntington High School, Island Trees High School, RJO Intermediate School (Kings Park), Lindenhurst Middle School, Long Beach Middle School, Newfield High School (Middle Country), Mineola Middle School, Oceanside High School, Saxton Middle School (Patchogue-Medford), South Side Middle School (Rockville Centre), Joseph A. Edgar, Intermediate (Rocky Point), Roslyn High School, Sachem High School North, Pierson High School, Floral Park High School (Sewanhaka), New Hyde Park High School (Sewanhaka), Sewanhaka High School, Walt Whitman High School (South Huntington), Southold High School, Ward Melville High School (Three Village), Valley Stream Central High School, and Westbury High School.

Seniors in Long Island Schools Win New York Lottery Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship

New York Lottery Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship awards a $4,000 scholarship to one senior at every New York high school paid in $1,000 increments each year for university study. This year Long Island high schools in Suffolk School District and Nassau School District had one senior from each high school receive a New York Lottery Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship. To be eligible for the New York Lottery Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship students must meet the following requirements:
Scholarships can only be used toward the cost of attendance at a New York State accredited college, university, community college or trade school; At least a B average, based on seven semesters of high school; Experience in extracurricular and community activities; Demonstrated leadership skills; and Parents/Guardians are not employed by the New York Lottery or one of its contractors
The following requirements must be met by the awarded student in order to keep the New York Lottery Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship: Attend a New York State accredited college, university, trade school, or community college; Maintain full-time student status; Maintain at least a B cumulative average, as determined by school; Do not accept full-cost-of-attendance scholarship from another source; Provide program administrator with proper transcripts/documents to confirm eligibility; and Complete studies within five years of high school graduation date.

Secured Business Loans

Business loans form a significant part of lending industry. With so many people applying for business loans, you must be wondering how many of them actually get them. The increase in amount of business loan every year shows the swelling in approval rate of business loans. So, what are your chances of getting business loans? I say, attach a security to business loans and your chances are bright. Secured business loans are loans for specific purpose namely business. There is no better terminology for business loans with opportunity.
Before you apply for secured business loans check out you borrowing capacity. Every business is different which means there will be no universal method to know the cost and therefore budgeting is important. This enables you to deduce whether you can afford secured business loan or not.
Tuck in those documents! Generally a secured business loan borrower would require few of the documents for approval. First and foremost is the business profile – discussing the nature of business, annual sales, length and time of business ownership. In case of new business you would require to project the loan plan and how the business would be successful enough to pay back the loan. For secured business loans the loan application will also include a loan request. This will include the type of secured business loan required, the amount and the purpose (how the funds will be used).
Since business loan is secured details about collateral will be integral. The collateral and its details, equity available, equity in the business, borrowed funds and existing cash should be included in details of collateral. Along with collateral you would be required to provide financial statements for yourself and your business. Be ready with personal and business financial statement for three years and current financials statements. With secured business loans you will be asked for owners, partners, officers, stockholders with more than 20% of etc.
A lender looking at your secured business loan application will search for repayment. A borrower can provide a brief repayment statement which includes sources, cash inflow and other information to support it. With secured business loan you are providing collateral which will mean an additional form of security for the lender. This the lender will certainly like! He will have additional repayment to fall back on when you don’t have required funds to payback the loan. Both personal and business assets can act as collateral for secured business loans. If the business loan borrower does not have collateral he should have co-signer who should have collateral to pledge. In a secured business loans application, collateral will be the second most identifiable source of loan repayment after business cash inflow.
A lender will inquire whether your personal or business credit is good or not. Get your latest credit report and make sure it carries accurate information. As you have applied for secured option it means that you would have better choices. However, credit score will modify the interest rates you get for secured business loans. With bad credit score you will be paying higher interest rates as compared to ones with perfect credit.
While preparing to get money it is important to see your financing options. There is both a financial and emotional component while borrowing secured business loans; your property is at stake. Make sure you are ready for it. Then do some market research. Take it as a test where you have to get the best grade. You would probably not start a business without researching the market; make sure you follow this rule while settling on secured business loan. Yet do remember that time is money. And don’t waste too much time in settling on the option.
Every big business starts out small. Secured business loans are in fact the first thing that comes to the mind and provide fundamental opportunity when one is raising money for business and can provide to those who are to those who are looking for funds for business purposes. Secured business loans are what you need when you are looking for business loans with security.

Create Video Games As Your Fun Career

Do you like video games? Do you beat video games after playing once? Do you feel like the games are too easy? Well, it sounds like you have a passion for these things then you should go where your heart leads you.

If you at the point where you are thinking about your career, I suggest that you do what you love to do. You should consider a different course of action: majoring in something you TRULY enjoy… something you could do hours on end without feeling like you are working at all. And if you are like many people, this ‘something’ would be playing video games.

That’s right! You can actually get a job creating and/or playing video games. Below is a list of some of the careers available for those with a video game degree.

1) Video Game Programmer

Gameinformer Magazine mentions that, video game programmers are the “heart and soul” of the industry. They are the ones responsible for creating the code necessary for getting video games to function. And contrary to popular belief, their jobs aren’t always easy. Video game programming often involves creating complex functions and algorithms often times more challenging than programs created in Corporate America.

Indeed, game programming may not be the appropriate course for everyone seeking a video game career, but if you were deciding to go into the computer field anyway, which job would be more enjoyable… coding the next Halo, or working on a boring, hum-drum piece of no-name software?

2) Video Game Tester

As a video game tester it is a position in which you truly would get paid for playing video games. According to current game tester Doug D. from Electronic Arts, he say’s as a game tester you would “go over different components of a game and look for things that just don’t make sense.” You would also “break the game,” meaning you would “do things a normal user would do and accidentally see something go wrong.”

Doug Powell further adds that video game testing is a good place to start for young people who want to “break into the industry.” To get such a position in it is best to have a “passion for gaming” and some educational background. Doug recommends a degree, or some form of higher-level education.

3) Video Game Animator

Animators are in charge for coordinating the movement of video game characters. Accomplishing requires more than drawing something on a piece of paper, which according to Alex Jones, an established game animator, occurs after a lot of “brainstorming, chilling, playing, planning and testing” with the programmer. But when the busy work is done, the video game animator will finally get a chance to do what he or she does best… animate. Alex Drouin says the thing he liked best about his job was “being able to come there late in the morning, sit behind his computer, put on a great CD, and then create crazy animation that will end up in a game that will be seen all around the world by gamers.” With a video game degree it is certainly possible!

4) Sound Designer

Sound designers are responsible for creating the music and sound effects of video games. Video game music is created either from digital sources or real-life stimulation. As video game consoles become more advanced, many sound designers favor the latter when deciding on what type of music they want in the games they are working on. Creating appropriate sound effects, on the other hand, sometimes requires more creative experimentation.

To be successful at designing video game sounds it is best to: 1) have an interest in both music and sound, 2) possess knowledge of recording equipment and 3) be familiar with the types of music and sound used in today’s most popular video games. A video game degree will help develop these talents and skills.

5) Game Designer

Video game designers are responsible for creating the ‘experience’ of a particular game. Charles Perry, a video game designer, sums it up by saying “the main tasks of the designer is to make sure the game is fun.”

Wells further adds that game designers are responsible for macro and micro level design. Macro level design involves “figuring out the core mechanics of the game; the variety of level looks, power-ups, etc.” Micro-design involves creating the “actual levels and the moment-to-moment gameplay within those levels… the enemies, the objects, and the particular way you encounter those enemies and objects.”

Good game designers should obviously have an interest in video games along with some drawing and programming skills.