Sodafone

HARD CANDY: Nobody Ever Flies over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Written by Charles A. Carroll is a must read.

This book should be sitting on the desk of every governor, senator, representative, every director, educator and all students in departments of human and social services, psychology and public health available as a ready reference to the bureaucratic nightmare and lost humanity of a system set up to protect and care for our abandoned children and our mental and physically deficient citizens of all ages. Hard Candy is a must read for anyone who even pretends to care about the welfare of our children. This is an unforgettable saga of the will of a young human spirit to survive incarceration in one of our nation’s institutions with living conditions so sadistic, brutal and degrading that “child abuse’ doesn’t come near describing this disgrace.

I had the privilege of meeting the author and reading an advanced copy of this soon to be released book. The ever gracious host, Charles has devoted his life to the pursuit of knowledge and generating awareness about the abuse that still occurs to this day inside such institutions. Do not for one moment think that his is a tale of yesteryear and we have fixed the problems, improved the system.

Told with the innocent clarity of a young child interspersed with the accumulated knowledge and hindsight analysis of the adult, this true story travels through a decade during which the author as a young boy was repeatedly abandoned by the system and lost in the tombs of a bureaucratic hell.

Left on the doorsteps of an orphanage as a toddler with his less than one year older sibling who was probably borderline retarded, this is a tale of an enduring love between two brothers who had no one else in life but each other. Never loosing the impish grim and charming good looks, Charles along with his brother traveled from orphanage to foster home to state institution to foster home and back to state institution. As a court order required the brothers not to be separated, a terrified young Charles found himself joining his brother in a state facility for boys with mental disabilities, “a nuthouse” as one would call it. No one bothered to notice that this was not an appropriate placement for a perfectly normal little boy.

The story relates in chilling detail the daily living horror that was Charles’ life. A normal youngster dumped in with society’s outcasts in a nightmarish hell of abuse, hunger, filth, punishment, neglect and unending loneliness. A world where almost all adults he encountered continued the pattern of outright brutality and physical abuse or in true institutional form looked with strong blinders the other way and just did their time at the job. A world where children were left just to sit for years, suffering unending misery and boredom, never given the chance to develop their natural capabilities in any manner. The will to endure, protect his brother and survive kept Charles placing one small foot in front of the other each despairing day. The will to maintain his sanity in an insane place, to endure suffering no child should ever be expected to face and to survive to bear witness against an unjust and little known system gives Charles the strength to speak for the all but forgotten.

Michelle Portney

Web Directories Explained
By S. Housley

Web directories are an important component to search engine positioning. Directories come in all shapes and sizes, some are generic, while others are highly specialized. Directories, are defined as categorized topics or collections of information organized into a tree like structure where categories are used to define each groups association.

Large directories like Yahoo tend to have general themes and may charge for listings. While smaller niche directories like http://www.finance-investing.com offer free listings and profit from advertising revenue or pay per click models like Google AdSense.

Being listed in a directory not only brings in targeted traffic, it provides a one-way link from a website with similar content. Directories are generally highly ranked in search engines, and are considered well respected resources, two traits that are desirable in link partners.

While smaller directories that focus on a specific niche might generate less traffic, the quality of the traffic from a niche site is usually highly targeted and will be superior to that generated from general search engines.

If you are selling fire alarms, traffic from yahoo will be less qualified than traffic from Alarm Tools, http://www.alarm-tools.net . Most visitors to Alarm Tools will have a genuine interest in alarms and alerting systems. The nature of highly specialized directories result in visitors who have a serious interest in the directories theme, or a at the very least an interest in a theme related to the directory.

As a result, web publishers need to make a conscience effort not to ignore the value of directory listings. Regardless of their size, a related niche directory listing can be extremely valuable.

Many directories offer sponsorship opportunities. Vendors can optionally purchase sponsorship to increased their exposure with a bold listing or top category listings.

Determining a Directories Value
It is difficult to assess the value of directory listing, as there is an obvious advantage to a listing of a closely related theme directory that is difficult to measure and quantify. In general, webmasters can use common web guidelines to determine the popularity of a directory and assess the directory link’s value.

To assess the value of a web directory, consider the PageRank of the webpage where the link placement of your site will occur. The PageRank is indicative of how important Google may find a specific page. Another reliable third party measuring tool is Alexa. The Alexa ranking provides insight into how popular a website is. In general, a link from a web page containing a PageRank of 5 or higher is considered very good. A link from a site in Alexa’s top 100,000 is also generally very desirable.

Compare the following two directories’ Monitoring Tools http://www.monitoring-tools.net and RSS Specifications http://www.rss-specifications.com . Monitoring Tools’ main page has a PageRank of 5 but most internal pages that contain links have low page ranks and the overall Alexa ranking of the site is over 650,000. While RSS Specification’s claims a main Google PageRank of 6 and subpages all contain a minimum of a 5 for PageRank, the overall site is ranked 32,000. Clearly if you are in the syndication business, RSS Specification’s would be a very desirable link partner, while you would have to weigh the cost benefit and position of a link from Monitoring Tools.

To determine a sites PageRank without downloading the Google Toolbar, use the following online tool from RustyBrick http://www.rustybrick.com/pagerank-prediction.php . A website’s Alexa ranking can be found by entering the URL into Alexa http://www.alexa.com .

It is recommended that PageRank and Alexa ranking be only used as a guide when determining a directories reputation. It is important not to get too caught up in either Google PageRank or Alexa Ranking as webmasters can use “tricks” to artificially inflate their numbers.

The bottom line, links from directories that are small but niche, can provide quality web traffic.

Permissions:
Permissions and notification of use not required.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for FeedForDev www.feedfordev.com an RSS component for developers.

I’ll tell you right now… this is going to be painless, contrary to what you may think. I’ll start with a single definition.

Level Shoulder turn - a turn that stays level with the ground (parallel to the ground) through the backswing.

So, now that we have that out of the way, let’s continue on with this quick and easy tip to draw the ball. And if you’ve battled a slice for years upon years, just wait until you try this. The next time out to the range, your slice is going to be dramatically reduced.

Here it is. Instead of taking your normal shoulder turn (whatever that may be), focus on keeping your shoulder turn as level as possible (parallel to the ground). So as you are setting up to the ball, feel your feet on the ground to determine if there is an uphill or downhill lie. Then in your backswing, just focus on keeping your shoulders level to the ground.

Now, this may actually produce a HOOK of all things, so remember to adjust accordingly. And remember that you are attempting to wrap that club around your body. You want a horizontal swing plane, not vertical. That’s what this level shoulder turn is really accomplishing. You’ll find it so much easier to release through the ball correctly, and to square up the face of your club at impact.

Give that a try on your next trip to the range and you’ll be amazed to see that dreaded slice going away, especially if you use this in conjunction with the rest of the “The Simple Golf Swing” system. I know this probably seems incredibly simple to anyone who has been battling a slice forever, but just remember that simple solutions are usually the most effective.

David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of “The Simple Golf Swing” which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today. You can find more of his golf instruction by going to http://www.golfswingguru.com

In 2004, the Vikings ranked fourth in the league in total offense, and sixth in points scored. Unfortunately, they also ranked 28th in total defense and 26th in scoring defense. Proving the equal importance of offense and defense, this disparity carried them to an even 8-8 record. Not satisfied with being average, and having the most salary cap room in the NFL, the Vikings embarked on a bold makeover. For once, they decided to emphasize defense over offense. They started the process by trading arguably their biggest offensive star, Randy Moss, for Napoleon Harris and a draft pick. As offense has carried the Vikings for many years, this signaled a major change in philosophy.

CB Fred Smoot

LB Sam Cowart

LB Napoleon Harris

DT Pat Williams

S Darren Sharper

Above is a list of the major defensive players the Vikings acquired this offseason. Of these, Pat Williams should make the biggest impact on the Vikings. He was a major part of a very underrated Buffalo defense, and he should pair with Kevin Williams to form one of the best tackle combos in the NFL. These 2 will help anchor the defense and both stuff the run and make room for the Vikings linebackers. Fred Smoot should also make an impact, replacing Brian Williams. On paper, with Smoot and Winfield in the secondary, the Vikings should have a top cornerback duo. Smoot is a bit overrated though, as he was burned numerous times last year, but he is still a decent enough player. Darren Sharper is another good player. He got 4 interceptions and 72 total tackles in Green Bay last year. Not Pro Bowl numbers, but good numbers nonetheless. He is a solid safety who should allow the corners to be a bit more aggressive. He will also bring some toughness and leadership to a defense that needs it. These 3 are difference makers who should make the Vikings defense better.

The other players the Viking’s acquired are questionable in terms of skill. Sam Cowart was good in New York, but odd as it is to say about a veteran, he only has potential now. He was good before last year, when he was injured and subsequently replaced by Jonathan Vilma. Vilma was able to come in as a rookie and make 108 tackles in 14 games as a starter, which means that Cowart’s 140 total tackles the year before could have been the product of the system, not the linebacker. In addition, a 30 year old linebacker coming off a major knee injury is not someone to place a whole lot of confidence in. This signing could end up like the Redskin’s signing of Michael Barrow, a linebacker coming off a 140 tackle season who got injured and never made an impact.

Napoleon Harris is a 2002 first round pick who has adamantly refused to justify his draft position. Last year, he was part of one of the NFL’s worst defenses, and managed just 61 total tackles. For a starting linebacker, this is awful. He also registered 0 sacks. The year before, he did register 110 total tackles, but that year seems to be an aberration. When you play beside Tim Johnson, someone has to get tackles. No matter how bad they are.

The Vikings defense will no question be better next year. How much better is debatable. The Vikings now have a good secondary, with Corey Chavous, Fred Smoot, Darren Sharper, and Antoine Winfield forming a respectable foursome. But don’t confuse respectable with excellent. They will not have a top 5 passing defense, but they should be in the upper half of NFL teams. This will still be a major improvement on last year. Their defensive line should be excellent in the middle, with Kevin and Pat Williams. Kevin Williams is a rising star, and might be in the Pro Bowl next year. Pat Williams is a veteran, who while slowing down, can still get it done, at least on the run stuffing end.

What worries me are the Vikings defensive ends. The inexperienced Darrion Scott replaces Spencer Johnson at defensive end. Scott did not start a regular season game last season, but he received decent amounts of time as a backup. He failed to impress, notching just 12 solo tackles and no sacks in 12 games. Kenichi Udeze was pressed into a starting role last year after being picked in the first round of the 2004 draft. He did get 5 sacks, but he only made 36 total tackles. He is a decent enough player, but he is not a stellar defensive end. This means that the pass rush for the Vikings will have to come from their linebackers. Unfortunately, the Vikings starting linebackers(Harris, Henderson, and Cowart), totaled one sack last year. Kevin Williams had 11.5. These linebackers are decent in run support, but pass rushing is not their strong suit. This is not a bunch of athletic sideline to sideline linebackers that will be able to fly around the field and make plays. Most of the plays they make will be because of the holes the D-line will open for them. This is a major weakness of the Vikings. They will not be able to use their linebackers aggressively, and will have to rely on Pat and Kevin Williams and their secondary to make plays. They also have no pass rush whatsoever from the linebacker spots. The onus of rushing the passer will fall on the defensive line, with the inexperienced ends.

The Vikings will have a defense that is ranked better than 28th, no question. However, it will not be in the top 10 in the league. This defense will rank somewhere between 11 and 20 in total defense next year. This will be enough to get the Vikings 8-11 wins and a playoff spot. They will still rely on their offense to carry them, but their defense will carry more of the load than before.

Vikas Paruchuri is a sports columnist who writes on the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. He maintains a website at http://www.thehomefield.com with sports analysis and opinion columns.

The Economist magazine published a special report in this months issue entitled “House Prices … After The Fall”. Some might call it pessimistic, alarmist, nonsense or worse but only the foolish would choose to ignore the research that comes out of a think-tank with the kind of resources that this highly respected publication has. Though as a caveat I might add that I am living in Ireland, the country that a recent Economist study declared the best place in the world to live and I could find several dozen reasons to dispute this … but that’s another story!

What the Economist tells us is nothing that we don’t already know. An obsessive interest in property by investors, prompted by low interest rates and a loss of faith in equities, has fuelled a massive ‘bubble’ in the property market, the largest house price boom ever witnessed. Perhaps what we didn’t know is this bubble exceeds by 20%, the global stock market bubble of the 1990’s and we all know what happened there! It burst, as all bubbles do when under excess pressure.

So what are the predictions for the future and what implications might they have for those considering an investment in property now? Using information gathered from lending institutions, estate agents and national statistics, the Economist has compiled a set of global house prices indices covering 20 countries from 2002 to date. The figures indicate that house prices are seriously over valued in many countries including Spain, Ireland and France, fuelled mainly by speculative demand. America, though heating up a little later is following the same path. Using the current slow down in Australia as an example, and Japan and Germany’s negative house price growth, predictions are that with even a flattening off of the market rather than a total collapse, recession is inevitable since people will be far less inclined or unable to release capital on their homes for spending in the economy. So even a ’soft-landing’ will cause significant economic pain! In addition, massively inflated prices that are disproportionate to income spells bad news, especially for landlords. In Ireland, for example, rental yields have fallen to below 3%, well below current mortgage rates.

Significantly, all the countries in the Economist’s house price index are well developed established economies. The report gives no mention to the emerging economies in Central and Eastern Europe. If, as indicated the housing market in Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands is starting to cool, this will have an immediate impact on the property market in these economies as investors chase better returns. Already 1 billion of Ireland’s anticipated 6 billion of real estate investment funds are expected to flow to countries outside the EU-15.

It seems the only option now left for the canny property investor is to play the cat and mouse game, chasing newer markets that are experiencing similar conditions for growth and expansion that led the older ‘burnt out’ markets to their success. But with this comes the element of risk. Economies are delicate, unpredictable systems that don’t always fulfil the expectations of players within them.

For those who prefer to shy away from the risks of property investment, preferring to sit it out while the bubble follows its course, there is another option. Chateaux Lafite 2003 will yield creative investors a 13% tax-free rise over 11 months and if the market crashes, you can always drink it!

Tracey Meagher is a property advisor and freelance journalist. She maintains and edits the Property Newsdesk and also gives email consultation to those considering buying property abraod.

Content management systems (CMS) store and manage an organization’s electronic document and Web content so that even the non-technical authors and employee of the company can reuse the information across different applications which is otherwise done by technical programmers. The web published content can also be distributed to customers and business partners outside the organization. The core application of the CMS is to manage content during its entire lifecycle i.e. from creation through publishing. The content of the CMS can also be shared by e-commerce and customer relationship management systems (CRM).

It also reduces the daily stream of calls to the IT department for changes to the website. Content management system enables you to establish a consistent look and feel throughout your site, but gives your non-technical content authors the power to publish and update their own content using simple, but powerful, browser-based tools. Some of the CMS systems integrate with content delivery applications to deliver the content via a web site.

Mambo is a full-featured content management system that can be used for everything from simple websites to complex corporate applications. Continue reading for a detailed feature list. Mambo is a feature-rich dynamic portal engine/content management tool capable of building sites from several pages to several thousand. Mambo uses PHP/MySQL and features a very comprehensive admin manager. Mambo uses a modular framework for component/class extensibility. With Mambo there is no need for HTML, XML, DHTML skills. Just enter your content, add a picture and then through the easy to use administrator web-interface click Publish. Mambo can be hosted on Linux, Unix, Windows and Macintosh OS X servers - in fact as long as it runs PHP and MySQL, it can run Mambo. Mambo is the perfect solution for developers and novice users alike who demand a simple yet elegant way to deploy professional websites rapidly.

http://www.templatemuseum.com/ is the successful company’s best choice! Already over 50 Mambo-ready templates! Adobe Photoshop layered PSD and Macromedia FLA source files available for nearly all templates! A new unique template added to the file base each day! Get access for a very nominal price! They charge for the value they add and not for the hard work that Miro, the Mambo Development Team and the Mambo community have put into it. They have a large and healthy user and developer community and provide a basic level of content approval for registered users. They provide online help. Their templates are Search engine friendly and are simple but powerful template system written mostly in HTML, no complex templating syntax to learn.

Author and Administrator R.Bhavani,M.C.A,M.B.A., explains Content Management System concepts and thus helps readers to resolve specific problem,rather than simply providing templates for readers to use.Template Museum can be viewed as a destination place for retrival of information regarding Open source Templates and its true identity is linked with her best work.

In time, all websites become awkward and unmanageable, and even out-dated. So often, websites grow over time, and they need to be redesigned, because the information within them needs to be condensed or reorganized. Authority and eCommerce websites, often contain several pages and are in the constant state of flux.

After only one year, my first website design gradually developed many problems which had to be fixed. With each redesign, I was able to handle larger amounts of information more effectively and efficiently. If you find yourself in the same dilemma, you may want to consider hiring a web designer who has experience with dealing with large websites.

Website redesigns can be expensive, and if you are able to justify the expense―then, go for it! However, if the cost of rebuilding your site is an issue, there are make-shift ways to go about reaching your goals. For instance, have you considered working from templates? Have you considered replacing the names of your buttons to include broader topics? To create new sections in your website, regroup your topics (if possible) in an outline (offline). After you figure out what you want, bring your ideas to an experienced or educated website designer and go from there. Sometimes, you could change the name of a button or link and create new subheadings for it. Other times, you will find that you have to start all over and go for a complete web redesign. There is some good news about this―with each redesign, you will learn from your mistakes and get closer to the mark! Unfortunately, it is through trial and error that teaches how to improve as we go.

As with every other avenue in life, things become outdated and old-fashioned. It doesn’t matter how well your last website design was, you will have to replace it in time. Website redesign does not have to be a dirty job. With each new redesign, you have another opportunity to bring new ideas to your website. So, instead of dreading what is to come, start planning for it. Think of new ways to improve upon what you already have. When the time is right, your mind and heart will be ready for the new changes. (revised 2/15/2006)

Debbie Jensen, Web Designer, Photographer, Graphic Designer
http://www.debjensendesigns.com

As the release date for Wireless USB draws ever closer, discussion is heating up around the emerging standard. In particular, there has been a lot of debate concerning the pros and cons of Bluetooth versus Wireless USB. Both of these standards offer particular benefits as well as particular challenges, and it appears that both standards will be competing with each other for the same manufacturer and consumer base. Let’s examine how the lines are being drawn.

Bluetooth came onto the wireless scene in May of 1999. Initially developed by Ericsson, it was quickly adopted by such companies as Microsoft, Apple, Motorola, and Toshiba. It has since become a major standard for wireless device connectivity. Using wide-band, low-power radio waves to transmit data over short distances, Bluetooth has been used for wireless keyboards, mice, and other peripherals, cellular phones, PDAs, MP3 players, and some digital cameras. Concerning Bluetooth’s popularity with cell phone manufacturers in particular, one of the benefits of Bluetooth is that it has a very low power consumption rate, especially when it comes to audio transmission. This has made Bluetooth the technology of choice for cell phone manufacturers looking to pair wireless headsets to their phones.

Despite widespread adoption by many manufacturers, Bluetooth has been plagued by some nagging problems. A major complaint has been the lack of interoperability between different manufacturers’ Bluetooth devices. For example, using a Motorola Bluetooth headset has difficulty being connected with an LG cell phone. Security has been another major issue with Bluetooth-enabled devices. There have been documented instances of device “hijackings” where a third party has taken control of the device through the Bluetooth link. Issues with eavesdropping, data theft, and Bluetooth-spread viruses for PDAs, cellphones, and computers have also been reported. These problems are being dealt with as new revisions of Bluetooth are released.

The creation of the Wireless USB Promoters Group was announced in February of 2004 at the Intel Developer Forum. This group, composed of such companies as Intel, Microsoft, NEC, HP and Samsung, is tasked with creating a wireless standard based on the exceptionally popular USB standard with the same type of interoperability and simplicity of use. Should the forum succeed in their goal, Wireless USB could easily become the wireless de facto standard for UWB (ultra wideband) connectivity. The completion of the standard was announced in May of 2005 and the first Wireless USB products are slated to begin appearing in early 2006, with a strong ramp in 2007.

There is no doubt that the Wireless USB Promoters Group has examined Bluetooth and done its best to address the issues that have been problematic, such as interoperability and security. While there have been delays due to testing and certification, Wireless USB looks to be superior in both security and ease of connectivity. Where Bluetooth had compatibility issues between different developers’ products, Wireless USB’s adherence to the previous USB standards should serve to prevent similar problems. As far as security is concerned, Bluetooth depends on a four-digit pin number to ensure that the correct device is being connected to, while Wireless USB is looking at using a USB cable to make the initial connection, after which point the device can be used wirelessly.

If Wireless USB can deliver everything it promises, especially with the popularity of the other USB standards that it is based on and connected with, it will easily become the primary connectivity standard in the PC, consumer electronic, and mobile communication industries. Bluetooth users should not give up hope, however. Freescale Semiconducter, a UWB developer, has been able to use Bluetooth stacks to interpret UWB signals, demonstrating that a merging of the two technologies is possible. Until the Wireless USB standard officially releases and products appear on shelves, all we can do is speculate, but for all intents and purposes, Wireless USB appears to be the next major step in the evolution of connectivity technology, and it may alter the way we use technology forever.

Nathan Kartchner works in Product Development for Sewell Direct, an online retailer specializing in connectivity products. Sewell Direct will be providing Wireless USB updates and devices as soon as they become available.

As a market timer, the one thing we must always remember is that the markets can, and most definitely will, throw every possible hardball, curve ball, fast ball, knuckle ball, etc. at us.

The reason we invest in the stock market is because we recognize the huge potential for profits. But we are not in safe money market funds. We are timing in a freely traded market that is subject to the emotional whims of traders. And when money is involved, those emotions can, at times, be extreme.

We became market timers because we have realized that not only is there “no easy money” but also that the stock market will do all it can to “relieve us” of our money.

We are more than uncomfortable with the buy-and-hold approach to investing, and realize that although buy-and-hold may be fine if you are willing to wait 20-30 years, it can lead to huge losses over shorter time frames. The most current example being 2000-2002 when the S&P 500 gave up 50% and the Nasdaq Composite declined 80%. Huge losses.

The stock market is the ultimate of Big Leagues, and there are traders who understand the psychological warfare you are facing, and know how to use it to take your money.

Understanding those Big League rules, will put the winning odds back on your side. The timing strategies at FibTimer are designed to identify and follow trends. They allow profits to ride and cut losses short. This is what the professionals do, but most individuals have great difficulty doing.

Market Timing is Unique

Market timers face psychological battles that very few people ever face in their entire lives. There are so many differences between the emotions experienced in trading the financial markets, and what we experience in our lives, that it can easily interfere with our ability to trade.

If we can identify those emotions we can take steps to protect ourselves from them, stop them from influencing us, and become winning (profitable) market timers and traders.

For example, in the workplace, working hard and expecting to be justly rewarded for it are part of the American dream. Who would argue with the logic?

But in the stock market, work as hard as you can and the markets will still reverse on you and give you losses. Make the perfect trade and it can still go bad.

This is because timing the markets is not about our work ethic. It is not about genius or luck. It is about numbers and probability.

Numbers and Probability

Toss a coin 50 times and you can expect 25 times it will land heads up, and 25 times it will land tails up. But there is no rule that says the first 7 tosses will not all come up tails.

Once we realize that over time the numbers “always” add up in our favor, we can more easily endure the short term swings. The market “hardballs.”

Being prepared for all that the market can throw at us, helps us to stick with our trading strategy.

Once you face the fact that market timing isn’t easy money, or that you won’t become rich overnight, you will be able to prepare yourselves mentally for the long haul.

If you expect that at times there will be losing trades, you won’t be disappointed when they happen. You will have your eyes set on the big picture, which puts the odds in your favor over time.

Numbers And Probability

There are two important aspects of any successful market timing strategy or trading plan, and both need to be considered.

1. Probability - We know that over time, that if we flip that coin enough times, it will land 50% heads up, and 50% tails up. We can count on this. A string of tosses that have the same outcome mean little, as long as we keep tossing the coin.

2. Risk vs. Reward - Potential rewards (profits) must be greater than risk (losses).

Knowing that the laws of probability are on our side over time, if we can establish that risk vs. reward is in our favor, we can use these odds to create a trading strategy.

By looking at the history of the stock market over many years, we see that most of the time it is either trending up, or it is trending down. The “fact” that trending markets are the norm, is our market timing “trading edge.”

If each toss of the coin has even odds, but some tosses remain “profitable” for long periods of time, while those tosses that are unprofitable are of short duration and limited un profitability (losses kept small), we know that we will win over time as long as we make all the tosses.

At FibTimer we trade all trends. No one knows ahead of time which trend is the one that will continue for many months and make the big profits. All we know for certain is that the markets will spend more time “trending” than they will spend in trendless sideways trading.

The RISK is that trading all trends produces some losses if the trend does not follow through.

By trading “all” trends, we keep losses small because we do not stay with a losing trend. If the trend changes, we reverse position or go to cash according to the strategy used.

The REWARD is that we will never miss a trend, and since the markets are in trends more than they are not, and we make larger profits when the markets trend than the small losses from trend failures, we are profitable more often than not.

It is the in between times (trendless markets) that require market timers to understand this logic. Stay the course, make all the coin tosses, and over time, you win.

Conclusion

Scary ideas are no longer frightening after you’ve acknowledged them and know not only to expect them, but that they are will not harm you if you hold true to your course.

The more you can identify the scary aspects of market timing (or any trading), and prepare for every possibility, the more likely you’ll be able to persist in the face of adversity.

Market timing is challenging. Many who start fall by the wayside after they realize that it is not going to make them rich in days or weeks (amazing, but some really do expect that), or after one or two small losses.

Remember, there are many timers out there who have met the challenge and have the winning track record to show for it.

Look at FibTimer’s historical trading numbers. No emotion is involved so they look great over the years. But in the short term, there were many small losses.

Focus on the war, not the small battles along the way. Stick with the trading plan and you will be successful.

Editor FibTimer.com market timing services.

Home office stress related injuries are escalating. Along with carpal tunnel syndrome, eye strains, neck strains, back related problems. Let’s face it, if you are behind the keys more than a few hours a week you will suffer one or more of the above problems.

• Neck Strains.

  Have you noticed that your neck is stiff after a long day at the computer? Well, the trouble might be your monitor height. Your monitor should be eye level so you will not have to constantly lower, raise, and crook your neck to view the screen.

  Exercise Tip:

  Try rotating your your shoulders back several times and then forward for several more times to reduce stress. Then slowly turn your head side to side several times.

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

  Also called repetitive motion injury is on the increase. Why? Because of the new technology, computers are faster than ever. This leads to more keystrokes which equals more injuries. That numbness in your wrist or hands might be a warning that you are suffering from this injury. Try purchasing one of the gel pads you can rest your hands on while at the keyboard. This will help tremendously.

  Purchase ergonomically made wrist rest and mouse pads available at most office supply stores to help ease tension and chance of injury.

  Correct posture will help too. Keep your feet flat on the floor, your knee’s parallel to the floor, your back straight, your upper arms dropping straight down, with elbows to the side and at the same height as your keyboard.

  Exercise Tip:

  Try exercising at the computer. Rotate your wrist in circles for several minutes. Give them a brisk massage afterwards.

• Back Problems.

  Make sure your desk chair is adjusted properly. It should fit the contours of your back and you should be able to move about easily. Many back problems are caused by badly structured chairs.

  Exercise Tip:

  Stand and stretch gently palms overhead to the sky. Hold for a few seconds and then relax. This will loosen up tense back muscles.

• Blurred Vision:

  Make sure your light sources are not reflected off your monitor’s screen. Glare and refection off the monitor can cause eye problems leading to blurred vision.

  Exercise Tip:

  Roll your eyes up and then look down. Blink and then close your eyes. Do this several times to relieve strain. Remember to look away from your monitor frequently and to take more breaks to rest your eyes

About The Author

BB Lee is Editor Publisher Of SmallBizBits FREE Home Business Newsletter. Visit at: http://www.angelfire.com/zine/smallbiz

smallbiz@angelfire.com