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Pixel advertising is a form of Internet advertising that is increasing in popularity. The publicity around a pixel advertising website created by a British university student who needed to raise money to pay for her education has created a lot of interest in this type of advertising.

The website, called Milliondollarhomepage.com, has earned its creator, Alex Tew, trillions of dollars since he launched it in August 2005. The home page of Tew’s website is a grid divided into blocks of one million pixels. Pixels are sold to advertisers in blocks of 100 pixels, each measuring 10 x 10 pixels. Each block of pixels becomes part of a colorful mosaic of advertising on the website. At $1.00 a pixel, by the time the page is sold out, Tew will have raised a million dollars for his education with this creative advertising technique.

Could your organization, club or non-profit group raise a million dollars by selling advertising pixel microblocks? It’s possible. Anyone can set up a pixel advertising website and The Million Dollar Homepage has inspired many businesses and organizations to create their own pixel advertising campaigns. Your organization may already be selling advertising space on your shows or other print materials. Selling pixel advertising is just like selling any other form of advertising, except that the ad appears on the world wide web while you keep your website active. The potential for millions of people to see your ad, for a year or more, is a huge selling point for advertisers and donors.

What do you need to get started with pixel advertising fundraising? If your organization already has a website, you can set up pixel advertising on a page on your existing site. Or, you can buy a new domain name and set up a website just for your

pixel fundraiser. You will need a web hosting account for your site and a pixel advertising software program. You can buy a software program online and install it yourself or have it installed by a professional. Your organization will also need to set up an online payment processor, such as PayPal. Once your website is set up, you’ll need someone in your organization to manage and monitor the program. You will be able to sell all online advertising through the software program, as well as process online payments.

Does trying to raise a million dollars sound unrealistic for your organization? When you set up your software, you will be able to set your own selling price for the pixels. Therefore, your organization must decide how much money you need to raise and what your advertising website will be about. If you want to raise fifty thousand dollars, then you would sell your pixels for five cents a pixel. This would make a block of one hundred pixels cost only five dollars. You can also change the minimum amount of ad unit purchases required. If your required minimum ad units are one thousand, then your minimum ad unit would cost a very reasonable fifty dollars per ad space. You would also only have to sell a thousand ad spaces to earn fifty thousand dollars. Even if you were to sell your pixels for a penny a pixel, you could still make ten thousand dollars with a one pixel ad page.

How can non-profit organizations use pixel advertising? You could sell pixels and donate the money to a charity like the American Red Cross. Or set up a pixel page to raise money for a specific project, like building a playground or a spring school trip. Pixels don’t have to be sold only to businesses. A school group might sell pixels to alumni or parents of a graduating class. A graduating class could set up a pixel page and raise money for their graduation party.

The fundraising possibilities with pixel advertising are limitless. A well-designed and well-promoted pixel ad campaign has the potential to raise money and awareness for your organization. This form of advertising fundraising is worth considering as part of your organization’s fundraising strategy.

For some of the women reading this, you are about to embark on a fact-finding mission into your husband’s mind. Let’s start with some myths exposed and facts revealed.

made . . . All those ‘share your agony/achieve nothing’ websites where wives in misery commiserate by giving essentially useless advice about what didn’t work for them won’t help you encourage your husband to be more romantic.

Myth . . . Your husband doesn’t like you because he’s not romantic. This false statement is mostly found on ‘share your agony’ websites.

made . . . Her husband is not more romantic for one or a combination of four main reasons:

• You are not comfortable with the emotional element of romance.
• Too much stress or too little (perceived) time.
• Not focused, not organized, or may forget important dates.
• You don’t realize how important romance is to you.

Myth . . . By showering your husband with romance, he’ll get the idea, seek out the hidden romantic child within her, and create the romantic oasis you so desire and deserve.

made . . . Her husband will become more romantic and her marriage more passionate for one of two main reasons: (or a combination of both).

• He wants to please you, make you happy, and make the marriage better because he’s basically a nice guy.
• Because it’s what’s best for him and he gets some benefit from changing the dynamics of the marriage.

There are three components to encouraging your husband to be more romantic. Do all three and you’re almost guaranteed a marriage filled with romance.. Like a trike, with only two wheels on the ground (two components of the romantic formula), you won’t get very far. And if you get anywhere, it will be a real struggle.

Step one – The goal – Without condemning, complaining or criticizing, tell your husband why it is important to you that your marriage have a greater element of romance. Explain that romance is like a key that unlocks a woman’s heart and satisfies her need for emotional intimacy. Describe how romance looks, feels, sounds, and smells. Give your husband a goal, a challenge. Men want to pursue and enjoy reaching a goal.

Second step – the rewards – Share with your husband why you are interested in increasing the level of romance in your marriage. The truth is that while you think of romance as emotional intimacy, her husband thinks of sensual pleasure. One viewpoint is not better than the other, but they are two sides of the same corner. Tell him how romance increases the emotional connection you feel and that leads to more trust in the relationship, in him. You want to change, increase the amount of romance, marriage because it will better fill a need you have (and should have met). It’s no different for her husband. She will change the relationship, increase the amount of romance, when she meets a need that she may have.

Step three – No plan, no action! Men are, by their very nature, tool users. Some use computers, some use power saws, the rest something in between. While there is no scientific research to prove this, the reason men use tools is because their brains leak. Ask your husband to bring home three things from the store, and you’re likely to get just about anything besides the requested items. The same goes for romance, her husband will need a little help to keep it on track for the first few months. There are online marriage resources designed to give your husband romantic ideas, advice, and suggestions. Full-featured sites even provide a personalized reminder service so you never forget another anniversary, birthday, or special occasion. If you do a Google or Bing search for “Romantic Outsourcing” you can see what is available for your husband.

The challenging part of making a long overdue improvement in your relationship is bringing the issue out into the open. Below is a format letter that you can use to get her husband’s attention. Feel free to copy, cut, edit, and paste for your personal use.

Dear (my romantically resistant husband),

I am writing this letter to you because I feel that our marriage could use some positive change.

I know romance may not be your top priority right now. But to me, it represents more than just flowers or a pretty card. It is, for me, a way to feel emotionally connected to the man I love. For women, romance is like a key that opens a door to greater intimacy, more trust in the relationship, and yes, more desire for sensual passion.

For me, romance can be loving gestures that remind me that I am special in your eyes and in your heart. These are not secluded island getaways you see in the movies. But rather a personal message, a thought, a break with the routine, or flowers from time to time. Please don’t let this rule out the romantic getaway, if that’s what you had in mind 🙂 To put it another way, women have an ’emotional bank account’ that needs small regular deposits. And you’ll be surprised how much interest accrues for you. Romance can lead to many things; a match that starts a passionate flame, the glue that binds a relationship, a doorway to greater sensual pleasure, the building blocks of a stronger marriage.

Without a doubt, men and women are different in their needs and comfort zones. I recognize this and realize that from time to time you will want some ideas and reminders to get the romantic essence flowing. There are male-operated marriage/romance building websites that may be helpful to you. ________ is a website that is free to use or you can do a search for “Romantic Outsourcing”.

I want you to know that I love you very much and I want our marriage to grow stronger every day. Romance is important to me. Share with me what is important to you.

your beloved wife,

hugs and kisses

One last suggestion, just having a verbal conversation probably won’t lead to lasting change. She remembers that her husband’s mind escapes. If he’s not fully invested in the change you need, want, or deserve, romance will be pushed down the list of day-to-day demands. The reason why men respond well to a written letter is because it allows them to go back to their cave, a psychological safe place, and have time to digest the problem. Your husband will take action sooner than you think. And if he doesn’t, he takes control of the situation, sign him up and enter anniversaries and important dates.

I’ve found that most men tend to initially rely heavily on a ‘Romance Externalizing’ website to encourage them to take action and, yes, overcome any initial hesitation. Remember, many men are not comfortable expressing romance at first. Because, in the end, it is a display of emotional openness. It takes time to get good at being romantic and recognizing subtle emotional cues. The good news is that many of the most ‘romantically resilient’ men become regular contributors of romantic ideas, helping other husbands like yours improve their marriage. For a sports analogy, “Even the best athlete was, in the beginning, a long time ago, a rookie player taking the field for the first time.”

Nokia’s range of innovative Nokia N series phones empower mobile phone users to connect with the people they need, the entertainment they love and the information they can’t live without. Some of the Nokia N series mobile phones include the Nokia N70, Nokia N80, Nokia N90 and Nokia N91. All phones featured in this series feature the latest in mobile telecommunication technology; In addition, they are elegantly designed and easy to use!

Phone users purchasing the Nokia N series range of mobile phones are assured of an unprecedented mobile multimedia experience! The Nokia N90 mobile phone can be taken as an example. The N90 mobile phone from the Nokia N series range of phones is a quintessential camera phone. The phone is equipped with full Carl Zeiss optics. Highly sophisticated video capabilities and a host of advanced camera features make this phone unique. For a mobile phone user, this means you can take high-quality photos and make your memories last forever.

The Nokia N91 mobile phone also lives up to the legacy of the Nokia Nseries range of phones. Offers a true mobile music experience; users can download new music to their phone, even when they’re on the go. They can add music of their choice to the favorite playlist; they can also use the phone’s advanced capabilities to share their playlist with friends and family.

Another innovative mobile from the Nokia Nseries range is the Nokia N92. With the Nokia N92, it is possible to access live digital TV streaming on the go. The phone owner can access the Internet at broadband speeds to get the latest information; You can also listen to mp3 music files. You also find it quite easy to send and receive high-resolution videos and photos.

In addition to the mobile phone models mentioned above, there are the Nokia N70, Nokia N71, Nokia N72, Nokia N73 and Nokia N80 mobile phones. The Nokia N70 is a third generation video phone with a 2 megapixel camera, FM radio and the ability to play MP3 files. The Nokia N80 is another excellent camera phone from Nokia with a 3-megapixel camera and advanced photography features like set images, anti-red-eye and auto exposure.

And best of all, almost everyone can now enjoy the advanced features of the latest Nokia N series mobile phones. Attractive mobile phone deals are already available on many of these Nokia phones. These Nokia deals are among the best; They are designed to offer the best value for money to phone users.

Mobile phone users in the UK are being tempted by some of the best mobile phone deals in the range of Nokia N series mobile phones. The latest Nokia series mobiles are available as contract phones. This means more possibilities for mobile phone users of different social and economic levels to own and use one of the phones. Thanks to these offers, mobile phone users can now enjoy the very useful features of the phones. They can also showcase the sleek looks and elegant sophistication of the latest Nokia N series phones.

With innovative phones, growing consumer awareness and favorable market conditions, Nokia N series phones have everything going for them!

The main problem that hotels and restaurants face is a constant and costly battle with their competitors. This problem, which is in fact caused by the hotels and restaurants themselves, and its solution, I will briefly and easily understand within the framework of this article.

Blaming difficult market conditions due to strong competition for disappointing revenue and earnings is easy and may sound good. However, when you look at this more closely and put it bluntly, it’s actually a clear display of incompetence on the part of those executives who should help solve the problem of not being better than their competitors.

In other words, saying ‘We are not making higher profits (if any) because we face strong competition’ means ‘We are not good enough to be better than our competitors’. Why else would they continually complain about competitors and spend a lot of time and money on competitive analysis in the hope (mostly in vain) of finding something that would give them a decisive competitive advantage over their competitors? This leaves us with the question of why these companies, despite all their efforts, are not better than their competition. Why don’t they see their true strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, even though everyone does one SWOT analysis after another? The answer is ‘because they are like their competitors thinking wrongly’. So what does it take to make things right?

Both identifying and solving real business problems in the hospitality industry require, first and foremost, good knowledge (and the skills to expertly turn this knowledge into powerful competitive advantages) in an area that is (although most important to success in the hospitality industry) in for example, hotel management schools are practically not touched at all or at best only marginally touched; psychology. This fact is reflected in the result of a recent survey conducted by a major global portal providing the latest hospitality industry news and insights to hospitality professionals according to which: “GM’s number one focus is NOT the guest” . Hotels whose General Managers do not put their guests at the center of what they do? That says it all and requires no further elaboration!

The lack of knowing how the human being works is the main source of the problems of most hotels and restaurants. Not knowing why humans act and react the way they do, not knowing the main driving forces of their hosts (actual and potential), and consequently not knowing what they really need, makes it impossible to plan, properly implement and manage a successful hospitality industry. business. After all, hospitality is all about people, and as mentioned above, hotel GMs not only don’t know enough (if at all) about human beings (yes, guests are human beings). ), but also do not focus on them. Actually, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. In hospitality schools, etc. You are taught to run and manage the administrative parts of a hotel or restaurant once it is operational, which requires non-hospitality skills efficiently. Regarding the operational areas in the training centers and in hotels or restaurants, they teach to serve (deliver) food and drinks, to cook, to clean, etc. This leads to the problems detailed below.

The main root cause of competition in the industry is simply ‘not knowing how to do better than the competition’, something for which the hospitality industry serves as a prime example. Taking a look at the hotels and restaurants makes it immediately apparent that they are suffering from a serious identity crisis called ‘equality’; they are ‘me-too-business’.

For as long as humanity has existed, there have been ‘hotels’ and since then, despite superficial changes during the development process from the first resting place to the hotel as it is known today, nothing much has changed. Now, as always, hotels mainly offer their guests something very simple; the opportunity to rest/accommodate, eat and drink, i.e. rooms, food and drinks (restaurants only food and drinks). Even if you add to this facilities for events, swimming pools, saunas and gyms this does not change anything at all. To cut a long story short, at the heart of this traditional understanding of ‘hospitality’ was and still is the satisfaction of bodily needs, which are lower order human needs. Since hotels and/or restaurants continue to operate within the narrow confines of meeting material needs, their chances of becoming truly unique are slim, to say the least. The result: too many companies in the hospitality industry are fighting to share too little with the same inappropriate weapons on the same wrong battlefield.

Thinking and acting the same way as everyone else leads to exactly the same mistakes they make and to uniformity instead of distinction. That being said, the big question is why would a potential guest prefer one stereotype over another stereotype of the hotel or restaurant category? Where is the distinguishing mark? All hotels and restaurants claim to be the best but in reality none of them are because they say the same thing, show the same thing and offer the same thing in the same way. Just take a look at their advertising. Yes, there are rather superficial category-specific differences (reflected in the pricing!!!), but it’s basically the same within and across categories. Each category is filled with companies striving for greater uniformity, and none of them have a competitive advantage over the other. In this context, it becomes clear that getting into established prospect consideration for reasons of being better than others is practically impossible. From this it follows that the remaining selection criteria are price and location because the prospect does not expect to get anything better than what hotels offer: a place to sleep and something to eat and drink, that is, ordinary things you can get in almost every corner in good quality and at reasonable prices. This is what Bruce Henderson, founder of Boston Consulting, said: “Unless a company has a unique advantage over its rivals, it has no reason to exist.”

How can a hotel or restaurant gain and maintain a unique advantage over its rivals? Here is the short and sweet answer: when they learn about the human being (your guests!), they change their philosophy and put, ideally at the beginning of the planning, the goal of being a hotel or restaurant and it begins to be an exciting experience. with the guest as an integral part of it. It is the guests and the satisfaction of their general needs (with an emphasis on immaterial values ​​that are much more valuable than material values) that should be front and center and not what hotels generally provide, i.e. rooms , food and drinks and rather basic services Once this is understood by the owners and administrators and translated into actions, the respective ‘hotels’ and/or ‘restaurants’ will remain pending; until then, they’re just ordinary, at best, and have, to borrow Bruce Henderson’s words, “There’s no reason to exist.”

Now that tax season is over, did you have to pay taxes instead of getting a refund? You’re definitely not alone, and there will probably be a repeat performance next year.

There are several things you can do to increase your chances of getting a refund, and you don’t have to be a tax accountant to take advantage of these deductions. The key is to start planning now and not wait until the end of the year. Below is a list of what you need to do.

Contribute to a 401K or IRA

Most people think that the only reason to contribute to a retirement fund is to ensure financial independence as you age, but it can also have short-term tax benefits. Most of the time, the money you put into your 401K and IRA is tax deductible and not included in your taxable income.

Donate to a charity

Charitable donations or volunteer-related expenses can be itemized and deducted from your income at tax time. Just remember to save all receipts and keep track of all the miles you travel on behalf of a charity or the organization you volunteer for. These miles will be deductible at 14 cents per mile for 2018.

Buy a primary residence

There is a clear tax benefit to owning a home. The interest you pay on your mortgage is tax deductible. For the first few years, your mortgage payments go toward interest, which will dramatically lower your adjusted gross income at tax time. Consider paying your January 2019 mortgage payment in December for the maximum tax benefit in April.

Invest in Solar Energy

If you’re making a home improvement list, consider adding solar panels to that list. Solar will earn homeowners up to 30% of their installation costs in tax credits. I would hurry because those credits will decrease after 2019.

Claim Education Credits

Student loan interest and/or tuition can be used as a tax deduction. Current students can also access the American Opportunity Credit, which covers up to $2,500 per year for four years, and the Lifetime Learning Credit, which can cover up to $2,000 per tax return.

start a home business

Starting and maintaining a home-based business will give you a new source of income, but more importantly, it will allow you to deduct all income generated by the business. These specific deductions can include business expenses, portions of your mortgage, utilities, repairs, and even start-up business costs.

Medical or Dental Expenses

Many of your medical and dental expenses are tax deductible, as are transportation and parking costs.

Open a flexible spending plan

Many employers offer flexible spending plans that will allow their employees to contribute to their annual medical expenses. These medical contributions generally do not count toward taxable income.

Job search

If you are looking for a new job next year, remember that you can write off some of the expenses associated with looking for a new job. These cancellations include clothes, trips, food, etc. And these expenses are deductible even if no employment is found within the tax year.

Make estimated payments

As they say, the best defense is a good offense. If you are concerned that your deductions will not adequately cover you during the tax year, it will be to your advantage to make quarterly payments that you and your tax accountant believe will cover your income that is not subject to tax withholding.

start a family

Child tax credits are still included in the new tax reform bill. In fact, they have increased from $1,000 per child to $2,000.

Find all available tax credits

We have mentioned many tax credits in this article, but there are many more that can be used. Some of these include child care costs for low-income households and adoption. Keep in mind that tax credits are more valuable than simple deductions because they can reduce your taxable income dollar for dollar.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which was signed into law in December, provided a major overhaul of previous tax law. This law will affect your tax planning for 2018, so it will be important to have a professional do your taxes. No matter how much you think you know or how much research you do, a professional will be able to identify those deductions and tax credits that will work for you. A professional will also help you stay organized and minimize your tax liability.

Remember, be a smart taxpayer and learn how to earn money on your taxes.

For years, businesses have been replacing their analog phone lines with VoIP phone service. In its early years, VoIP earned its own reputation among users and skeptics who touted it as unreliable; however, throughout its history, this new communication technology has grown in popularity and made its mark as a practical and reliable communication solution for businesses of all sizes.

Today, companies use VoIP features to keep in touch with customers and colleagues, seamlessly expand their businesses, monitor employee performance, and build customer loyalty. By harnessing the power of the cloud, VoIP also offers a degree of flexibility and simplicity that analog users simply cannot experience.

While the analog telephone service keeps communications fixed in one location, VoIP allows you to make and receive your business calls from any device (office, mobile or virtual phone application) or forward them to external sites and extensions.

The flexibility and convenience of this technology is what most users love about business VoIP providers.

Small businesses and entrepreneurs can also use VoIP phone service to create the image of a larger business with features like automated attendants and personalized prompt menus.

What can you expect from a VoIP phone service?

VoIP takes analog audio signals and converts them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet. With less bandwidth required to transmit the data, there’s less jitter causing choppy audio and lackluster call quality that drives everyone crazy.

Call quality, cost savings, and easy setup are the main drivers of VoIP’s success, but there are several features and capabilities that set this communication technology apart.

Here are some of the standard features you can expect when using a VoIP phone service:

• call forwarding
• voicemail to email
• Auto attendant, also known as digital receptionist or cloud receptionist
• call continuity
• programmable keyboards
• Application integration
• Caller ID Screen
• call blocking
• call conference
• mobile capabilities

VoIP phone service may seem like a drastic change in your communications strategy, but if you’re willing to talk to consultants, it’s actually a simple transition.

A better business communication solution

convenient setup

Even with the latest premise-based business phone systems, setup is cumbersome and expensive compared to a cloud-based phone system. It requires users to connect cables and find out which line pairs with which extension; Busier business owners often end up having to hire someone to install it or spend hours on the phone with their phone company.

With VoIP, the time it takes to get up and running is minimal and most VoIP service providers offer support to help you every step of the way. However, it’s usually as easy as plugging in your IP phone and letting it initialize to your existing network.

There are no cables or lines to worry about as your service provider takes care of most of the setup before you receive your new equipment. When you use VoIP phone service, your settings come pre-configured on your phone, so all you have to do is plug your phone into the correct ports and you’re done.

The best part?

Since VoIP is cloud-based, your provider can take care of maintaining the equipment and servers that help power your communications by managing their own servers and IT staff for your convenience.

This means that any company can enjoy the use of this technology regardless of the size of its location.

Minimize costs

Businesses see significant savings when they switch from traditional phone service. With older PBX systems, you had to hire IT staff to keep the equipment housed in your office, pay long distance charges, and if you wanted to add a line to your office, you had to pay the phone company more for the number. of phone. and installation

Today’s VoIP technology only requires one-time hardware costs and a monthly subscription based on service plan rates. Long distance calling rates vary between providers, but many offer unlimited calling along with competitive international rates.

Easy setup, lower costs, and strong features make VoIP a great solution for business communication. It’s no surprise that VoIP is experiencing rapid growth with no signs of slowing down in the next few years.

If you thought it was convenient to play blackjack online 24/7 at home, wait until you try the mobile game. Mobile casino is the next logical step in the online casino industry, bringing your favorite online games directly to your iPhone, iPad or Android phone. There are even some older phone models that support mobile gaming, but for the most part, they are geared towards today’s smartphones.

Mobile web casinos mean you can play wherever you have a 3G connection. Until recently, it was a big enough business that you could bet anytime using your computer at home, but now you can bet pretty much anywhere. There are three basic approaches to using your mobile device to place bets online: using the mobile version of the site itself; using an iPhone app; or using an Android app.

In many cases, you can use your smartphone simply by accessing the mobile version of your favorite casino website. If you don’t have a mobile version yet, you probably will soon – the market is too lucrative to ignore. You would play on your portable device just like you would on your computer at home. Everything is smaller, but you have access to the same games, the same prizes and the same bonuses.

Applications for iPhone are slow to arrive, although they exist. Betfair from the UK, Paddy Power from Ireland and Bwin from Austria are three European sites that offer iPhone betting apps specific to their sites. Betfair and Paddy Power’s apps only work in the UK and Ireland, while Bwin’s only work in the UK and Austria, as of late 2010, although other countries are expected to be added quickly.

It seems that mobile casino apps for Android will become more abundant, due to the non-proprietary nature of the Android operating system and the growing popularity of Android phones in Europe. Ireland’s Betdaq is betting its fortune on Android apps, believing that while the iPhone has fueled the expansion of smart mobile devices in general, Androids may be the better option in the long run, especially since getting an app approved for iPhone Apps Store is not easy.

There is little doubt about the future of mobile betting. While currently only around 5% of bets placed online are placed on mobile, this number is expected to skyrocket to over 50% in the next three to five years. A recent survey of mobile gaming markets by Juniper Research shows that mobile casinos are expanding rapidly, and could see mobile gambling exceed $48 billion by 2015!

For the most part, the most popular games on mobile devices mirror the most popular games in Internet gambling in general: slots, poker, and blackjack. An Android app titled “Video Poker,” which is not a web casino game, didn’t take long to rack up 50,000 downloads. Another non-casino game “Cherry Slot Machine” is a free android app and it is also one of the best gaming apps for android. Clearly, there is a hunger for these games, and it is only a matter of time before mobile casino apps are massively adopted by online casinos.

Why is scrapbooking so popular these days? I think the two main reasons are because it’s a lot of fun and you’re creating something of value for future generations, but did you know it’s also good for your health?

Scrapbooking is really fun. I have to admit that when I first learned how to scrapbook I was quite surprised by how much fun it was. I had a history of being overworked, stressed, and not having time to scratch myself. The fun didn’t seem to exist anymore, that was for when you were young and didn’t have the responsibilities of a family. How wrong could I be? Add to the fun factor the social aspect of group scrapbooking. The social interaction, brainstorming, chatting and laughing doesn’t stop until the last person leaves!

Scrapbooking is also relaxing and good for your health. I personally know a lady whose high blood pressure drops into the normal range while she was attending scrapbooking workshops. I was with her when she brought a monitor one day and checked it during the workshop, so I know it’s true. I know from my own personal experience that scrapbooking helps me sleep better at night and takes away a lot of the stress I gain throughout the day. I definitely notice a drop in my state of mind if, for whatever reason, I can’t do any scrapbooking for a period of time – I get more stressed, grumpier, and much harder to live with. Of course, I do not admit that I am grumpy with my family; the problem is always with everyone else… I can honestly say that I believe God gave me scrapbooks to help me keep my balance and give me a springboard to avoid the nervous breakdown that keeps threatening to take over.

I think scrapbooking is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Memories are so precious to all of us, and being able to share these memories with future generations, even after you have left this world, is a wonderfully satisfying experience. I also think it is very important to include a journal of the stories behind the photographs. Without the stories, scrapbooking becomes, for me, a cut-and-paste paper art hobby. With the stories included, scrapbooking becomes a “work of the heart” as I heard someone call it many years ago.

So you can see that there are many real benefits of scrapbooking. Plus, it looks great too!

quarter note = 1 bead

A quarter note is all quarter note with a stem going up or down. I call it our “stepper” note because the note just takes steps and moves. With 4/4 time, you would have a measure of 4 quarter notes because a quarter note has 1 count. Remember that music and mathematics go together.

Half note = 2 accounts

A half note is all white with a stem on it. Playing this type of note would cause you to pause, as if you were coming to a yellow traffic light. You would play a half note, counting 1 and 2 and. With a 4/4 time signature, you would have 2 half notes in one bar to play because 2 + 2 = 4. Remember that music and math go hand in hand!

If you’re not sure what a time signature is in written music, always remember that notes placed between bar lines are a time signature. Barlines divide music into measures. When looking at a piece of music, go to the end of a song and there you will find a double bar line.

Repeat points (repeat sign)

The colon at the end of the piece is a repeat sign, which means playing the song from the beginning. Sometimes my students ask, “Oh, do I have to?” The answer is “yes” because the composer intended for that section of music to be played again! Another way of looking at it is that you won’t have any more pages to turn. Just replay the first page or maybe just repeat a few lines. The repeat sign is a very valuable sign indeed.

Full rank = 4 counts

A whole note is also a half note, but it does not have a stem. I call it our donut note. Some of my students call it a “burger” note! When you see a full note, you have to hold the note and count, 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. It’s like coming to a red light and coming to a complete stop.

Dotted half note = 3 beats

A period after a note adds half the value of the note. So now you have 2 + 1 = 3 beats. You hold down the note and count, 1 & 2 & 3 &.

Now the cool thing is that each type of musical note has a corresponding rest. A rest sign means “no play” like a rest area. Sometimes it means preparing your hand in position and moving up, but still don’t play a note, just rest! Examples of some remains are:

Rest room

It looks like a “Z” and a quarter break gets 1 count.

half rest

It looks like a black top hat. A half rest gets 2 counts or quiet times. A half rest is located above the third line.

full rest

It looks like a black top hat turned upside down. All the rest hang below the fourth line. You get 4 beats or quiet times.

Each bar in 4/4 time has notes and rests that add up to 4 beats.

Time signature

The measure is the two numbers written at the beginning of a piece. The top number indicates how many beats are in each measure. The lower number indicates what type of note a beat receives.

2 means two beats in each measure

4 means Black gets a tempo or count.

3 means three beats in each measure.

4 means Black gets a tempo.

4 means four beats in each measure

4 means Black gets a tempo.

practice instructions

1. Clap your hands and count the rhythm out loud.

2. Touch and say the name of the notes out loud.

3. Play and count the rhythm out loud.

Whether you’re moving into the dorm as a freshman or a senior looking for a nice house near campus, chances are you’ll be living with roommates. There are very few college students living alone, mostly because it’s too expensive. In college towns, rent for an individual apartment can run as high as $750 a month. It may not sound like a lot, and it may not be if your parents are paying for it, but for most students $750 a month is unreasonable. The solution to lower the rent is to live with roommates. In this article I’ll talk about the pros and cons of living with roommates, how to find roommates, and share some of my experiences along the way. This will be a two-part post due to its length. Part I will discuss life in the dorms, while Part II will discuss life after the dorms.

Having just graduated from college in April 2005, I consider myself an expert on college life. Not much has changed in the few months I’ve been on my own. I’m living alone for the first time in my life and let me tell you, it’s quite different than being in college.

Most students begin their college experience living in the dorms. When I moved, I chose to live in an old dormitory. Twenty strange rooms on the floor with a large common bathroom. The boys’ section was separated from the girls’ section by a living room/kitchen with a stove, oven, some capes, and a television. It’s not the same as living at home with your own bedroom and bathroom. Most of the dormitories (at least the old ones) do not have individual rooms. Everyone has a roommate, and sometimes there are triples in a room. Most schools give you the option to choose your roommate or randomly assign you one. My first year, I would like to live with a friend. Make sure you are good friends with this person or else they may end up wanting to kill each other. I have so many friends who ended up hating their roommates. They were friends on the outside, but in the room it was hell.

I was lucky in the first semester of university. I got along with my roommate for the most part. We led different lives, which was good. I was on the meal plan and he was not. We take different classes at different times and hang out with different people too. In my opinion, this is how it has to be if you choose to live with a friend. You can’t be too close or your friendship will fall apart. (Note that the dorms I’m talking about are the ones that are about 12×12 with two single beds and two desks and enough standing space. New age dorms where people have their own rooms and bathrooms are totally different.) My roommate friend ended up transferring to a new school after our first semester for various reasons. I thought he had done it in the shade. Wouldn’t the school know? Would I get the room to myself? The answer was no.

Enter Kraut (my new roommate from Germany). He was American, but he grew up in Germany on a military base. This was one of the best and worst college experiences. Living with a complete stranger who is the complete opposite of you. This is every incoming freshman’s worst nightmare. Andrew (who I referred to as Kraut… please don’t be offended by this. It was just a friendly joke between us) moved in with me because his previous roommates kicked him out of a triple dorm. Wow. After living with him for a semester, I know why he was expelled.

First of all, I was in ROTC. I have nothing against being a proud American and wanting to serve in the military, but when you have to get up at 4:00 am every morning to go for a run with that squad, that’s when I start to lose my mind. His alarm went off at 3:45 am every day and he would sleep for about 30 minutes. I never went to class so he was there to pester me at all my free time. He played Counter-Strike (which I’m sure you all know what it is. Counter-Strike is a terrorist/anti-terrorist video game). He played it all night with the loud sound. You’d think my bedroom was a war zone. I tried to take him with me, or have lunch with him in the cafeteria, but I just couldn’t take it. I learned a lot from Kraut and will never forget him. My most memorable moment is when I turned up the volume on my PC and played the theme song from Salute Your Shorts right into his ear while he was sleeping. I captured everything on video. He dismissed me and went to bed. I haven’t seen Kraut since I moved out of the dormitory.

Some pros and cons of living in dorms (again, I’m talking about old dorms, not apartment-style ones).

Pro – Right on campus. You can get up 5 minutes before class and walk there in your boxer shorts.

Pro – Right on campus. Food is close by (especially if you’re on a dining plan).

Pro-social life. You meet a lot of new people who live in the dorms. Some become friends for life. Dorms often have mini-parties and socials where everyone hangs out.

Pro – It’s new. College is all about experiencing new things. The dream life is one of them.

Pro – It’s cheap. It is not as expensive as renting an apartment.

Pro: It’s very easy to find dating games for sports.

Pro: There is an Ethernet computer network. High speed internet access and everyone is connected. Awesome for playing video games. (When I was a freshman, things like Napster were brand new. People were downloading music back and forth on the high-speed network and sharing music like you’d never seen it. And as far as we knew, it was all legal.)

With – Without privacy. People will randomly enter your room. Keep it closed.

Con: Dirty old bedrooms are no fun. I got sick once a month living there. I still have trouble breathing.

Con – The bedrooms are very small. You will not be able to fit everything you have in your closet.

Con: Having annoying roommates that you can’t do anything with.

Scam: Internet firewall. Some dorms are very strict now about what you can and cannot do on the school internet. Sorry guys, you can’t download music here.

Con – Cooking food can be a big problem. You have no fridge or oven in your room.

With – Insects and rats. Depending on how old your bedroom is (I think mine was built in the 1940s), you may find rodents running around. We had a rat problem one week. I saw one run across my bedroom floor and then it disappeared into the wall.

Well, that’s all I have for today. Check back tomorrow (or Monday) for Part II of College Roommates. If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected]

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