MVNO's - The Upcoming Giants In The Wireless Industry

An MVNO typically possesses access to and name recognition in a specific market niche, which enables it to leverage its brand to drive diversified revenues, such as those from a wireless service. And, when looking at trends in the wireless industry toward customization, it becomes clear why MVNO’s are well-positioned to drive wireless growth. In short, MVNO’s are all about customization. Take for example the best-known and one of the largest to date is Virgin Mobile, which launched its youth-targeted prepaid service in July of 2002 and in only two-and-a-half years boasts 3 million users. Virgin enables users to perform most standard data functions through VirginXtras, and even offers some 3G capabilities to Virgin customers.

Demographic targeting is a trend MVNO’s and some recent entries have focused on. Take a staple of the prepaid calling card industry; the Hispanic market. Some 40 million Hispanics live in the United States, and two cellular brands have sprung up to better service this niche. Other major brands are poised to jump into the wireless industry as MVNO’s. ESPN, for example, is set to leverage its content to serve sports fans. ESPN, like its competitor Fox Sports, already offers certain services to users of all major wireless carriers, but the ESPN MVNO will leverage the brand’s strength to sell top-to-bottom cellular service to committed sports fans, by offering scores, live game updates, and select video clips to subscribers. Earthlink is launching a new MVNO service with Korea’s dominant cell provider, SK Telecom. Unique among other offerings, the Earthlink/SK Telecom joint venture is a postpaid high-tech offering seeking to compete against the major providers based on early access to technology not offered by the major U.S. players.

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These companies, along with other potentially successful MVNO’s, have more than simple brand recognition—their brands withstood the test of time. As with all modern offerings, convenience should not be overlooked. For example, American Airlines customers could book travel via their phones, use their phones for automated check-ins and to check on flight status, and for mile-for-minutes (or vice versa) rewards. Credit card companies could offer services incorporating pay-via-phone functionality for retail purchases. Movie Theater chains could offer automatic notices of movie schedules with one-click (or button) advanced ticket purchases. The potential here is endless.

Many of the services and benefits listed above can also be achieved via partnership, and it is reasonable to expect that many brands will seek relationships with major wireless providers for customized packages that deliver commissions (or other forms of added revenues from the relationships) without the need to operate their own wireless telephone operations.

There are many benefits a MVNO can provide to a much larger cellular service among which SMS to Email - Bulk SMS Gateway services [http://www.mobility4enterprise.org/] are the significant ones. The MVNO solution provider can customize its product to cater to a very distinct segment of the market. With the mobile revolution sweeping the globe, enterprises are realizing the power of mobility in terms of better customer reach and improved efficiency.

MVNO's - The Upcoming Giants In The Wireless Industry

Top Upcoming PSP Games

The long list of PSP games helps make the handheld platform one of the most popular options currently on the market. However, some of the new PSP games heading for the market may actually boost the popularity of the gaming platform. What titles are the hottest? Which are available on the market now and which are coming out soon? Here are some of the most interesting PSP games currently on the market and in development.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep - Kingdom hearts was an enormous hit when it debuted years ago. While the sequel did much to increase the franchise's popularity, the prequel currently in development by Square Enix has enormous potential. Kingdom Hearts - Birth by Sleep takes gamers into the world of Kingdom Hearts before the world-shattering events of the first game, for an interesting take on all the favorite characters.

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Midnight Club: LA Remix - This is possibly one of the most anticipated upcoming PSP games. However, if you don't like stiff competition, stay away from this game. The new AI drivers are all enormously skilled; more skilled than many players, it seems. Combined with the long list of available cars, the enormous enjoyment of customizing your car and the incredible design of the racetrack around the city and you have a killer PSP title that will be an excellent gift for any gamer with a need for speed.

God of War: Chains of Olympus - The God of War PSP games have long been known as a premium franchise for the adult gamer looking for more than a little hack-n-slash excitement. The new installation finds Kratos working for the gods of Mount Olympus and killing things along the way, much to the enjoyment of gamers. This installation doesn't take the game story any further, but, in the spirit of the new Kingdom Hearts game, brings gamers to an earlier time in the game's storyline.

Of course, there are many other PSP games currently on the market and about to hit the market. Square Enix has released teaser trailers for their upcoming Final Fantasy PSP game, while Prinny, LocoRoco2, Star Wars the Force Unleashed, Need for Speed Undercover, N+ and Patapon are also some of the more popular PSP games currently on the market.

With the wide selection of PSP games, movies, downloadable content and other features, the PSP platform offers much for the would-be gamer and makes one of the hottest gifts for the year. If the adult themed PSP games are not to your tastes, consider any of the younger, cuter PSP games, such as LocoRoco2 (called the cutest game ever for the PSP by players). There are, of course, hundreds of other titles available in all different flavors for all different types of gamers.

Top Upcoming PSP Games

The Puncture Movie Is A Thrilling Legal Drama That Should Not Be Missed

If you are a movie fan that is into actual real life stories, the Puncture Movie is not only true, it is very difficult to believe that something like this could still go on in America. Essentially, the movie details a scam that was perpetuated on every American citizen, forcing all of us to pay more in medical bills because of it.

In the early 1990's, an inventor named Jeffrey Dancort's came up with a new type of syringe. It stopped doctors and nurses that administered shots to patients, from getting accidentally stuck by the needle. This was extremely important at the time, because it was the height of the HIV and AIDS phobia, which was sweeping across the world.

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The doctors and nurses that tried out the device were quite impressed with it, and wanted to use it. The National Institute of Health even gave the inventor a grant to help improve it. But, when he tried to sell it to the hospitals, he could not even get his foot in the door.

He quickly found out about an unethical business empire called the Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs), which stopped any products from being introduced to hospitals that were not from companies that they represented.

This is when he turned to the attorney's, Michael Weiss who is played by Chris Evans, and Paul Danziger who is played by Mark Kassen, who is one of the directors. Chris Evans is also the star in the upcoming Captain America movie.

In the movie Michael Weiss is portrayed a drug crazed cocaine freak, who is relentless in his pursuit of justice in the case. Although many parts of the legal case were thoroughly researched and quite accurate, the dialog between the lawyers and their relationship is left up to the discretion of the writer, directors, and the producers.

In Puncture the movie, the other attorney Paul Danziger is almost an exact opposite from his partner. He is an extremely organized individual, which disagrees with many of Michael Weiss personal habits.

The screenwriter Chris Lopata did a wonderful job of intermingling the lawsuit, which was real, with the sometime fictional take on the lives of the lawyers. If you are one of those who enjoys seeing injustice exposed by the little guy, then there is little doubt that you will truly appreciate this film.

Whether the Puncture Movie does justice to the actual real life lawsuit will be left up to the viewer. That being said, if you enjoy legal types of movies, where there is high drama both inside and outside of the courtroom, then it is a must see. It is doubtful due to the nature of the material that it will be winning any academy awards anytime soon, but that is not to say that the movie is not very riveting and exciting. This movie is perfect for the fan that enjoys see conflicting personalities maintain their working relationship, despite being placed in extremely difficult and stressful situations.

The Puncture Movie Is A Thrilling Legal Drama That Should Not Be Missed

Your Literary Mixing Bowl - Add a Pound of Composing

How do you begin composing a submission? The composition element of writing is like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. You are taking thoughts and observations you've written down, along with your research, and begin to fit those pieces together. Your composition ingredient in your literary mixing bowl will give you an opportunity to add and subtract any content that would impair the flow and message of your submission. During this process, you will find that certain sentences need to be restructured; some words need to be added, eliminated or substituted and certain paragraphs need to be rearranged. This portion of your literary mixing bowl may be more tedious than the other steps, but attention to detail will separate you from the amateur stance.

Writers are constantly collecting material to use immediately or possibly for future projects. You might run across some interesting ideas that may not mean very much to you for the moment, but can be great ideas to use for future compositions. Create a simple file system by using the following 7 steps to organize files for upcoming compositions:

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1. Make a file for putting ideas in

2. Make a file for target markets

3. Make a file for potential market contact information

4. Make a file for research

5. Make a file for submission guidelines

6. Make a file for photographs

7. Make a file for sample publications

If you did an online search on a specific topic, nine times out of ten you will find that someone somewhere has written about it. Do not be deterred by this because your "angle" can present a totally different perspective on that subject.

Let's say that you are an avid dog lover. This is a commonly used topic, but you love your pet so much that certainly there has to be something you can write about him/her. Well, let's take a look at some of the possibilities. You can write about the best dogs to have for pets, dogs used in rescue missions, dogs used for the DEA, dogs used to help blind or disabled citizens, dogs used in movies, dogs used for commercials, dogs used for herding or the best dogs used for hunting. Get the picture?

You cannot possibly absorb the number of compositions that are being submitted everyday on practically every topic imaginable. Just remember, you don't have to reinvent the wheel, just accessorize it differently.

Your Literary Mixing Bowl - Add a Pound of Composing

Get New Ideas For Your New Project From Archived Media Library

Stock footage is an archived collection of films or videos footage that is kept in a film library. Many films or video clips that were produced some time back were not meant for use in television or cinema programs. Film and Television serial makers can use archived films or video footage in their programs as it reduces the expense of shooting new videos for any program. Almost all documentary pictures depicting the life of famous persons, historical locations, tourist spots, wildlife animals, etc are in fact stock footage.

Moving clips of capital towns, parks, mountains of different countries can be added to masala movies or education movies. Many film producers and animation makers add one or more library shots in their latest films and video albums. Stock film shots are collected from several sources such as individuals, old movies, television serials, video advertisements of the companies and other sources.

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News channels use the library shots for airing programs on historical places or past events. The use of archived film clips in the new movie or film depends upon the film story and the demand of the audience. Stock footage can considerably reduce the time and cost of making a motion picture i.e., films, documentary programs and television serials. When a film director does not get ideas for his upcoming project, he can view the old movie collections kept in a media library to make a new story or theme.

Many film libraries are owned by private companies who charge a fee for viewing the video contents of their libraries. Governments across the world maintain public media libraries. The government run public library in a country is available for the residents of that country. A public library generally stocks video footage of historical monuments, famous persons, commercial installations, etc of a nation.

Advertisement companies also take the help of archived media galleries for making new advertisement videos. Many advertisers prefer to add some old ad footage in their new campaign rather than shooting an entirely new advertisement campaign. There may be several reasons for choosing old clips such as the company's budget, time deadline, availability of locations for video shots and many other reasons.

Old movie production houses recycle some of their old movie clips to produce new films. Using this idea is beneficial as it reduces the cost of hiring a new movie writer and production team for a new film project. The themes and subject of many kids' shows that are being shown on satellite television channels are in fact based on the library footage.

Many programs on wildlife species are in fact a remake of the previous programs. Many wildlife species found earlier are now extinct or on the verge of extinction. So it is virtually impossible for any channel maker to make fresh shots on the endangered wild animals and birds. However, for the existing wild animals and birds, it is quite possible to produce fresh video footage by mixing quality wildlife shots archived in a video gallery. There are many media libraries that are available online. People can download high definition print footage from these sites at nominal fees.

Get New Ideas For Your New Project From Archived Media Library

Sound Healing - Not Just For Britney Spears!

Recently, the press was all over a story about Pop Diva Britney Spear's visits to a
Los Angeles Sikh Yoga Master for "sound healing" sessions. Does Britney know
something we don't?

Reportedly, as part of their session, clients like Britney are exposed to sound
vibrations as they lie on a special couch. Sound like weird, Hollywood hocus-pocus? Not really, say experts who see alternative health medicine, especially sound healing, gaining wide acceptance in the medical community. "Sound and voice healing are really becoming an accepted means of therapy," says Beth Lawrence, sound therapist and CEO of Viva La Voice in Midway, Utah. "Sound has been used since ancient times by medicine men, tribal shamans, and figured heavily in the medicine of ancient Egyptians and Greeks." Lawrence, talking about her upcoming Chakra Tuneup Workshop states, "I want to make sound healing accessible to everybody. It's not just for Pop Divas, it works for the common man, too!"

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Sound healing works to restore the balance and flow of energy, or "chi" as it's called in Chinese Medicine, which is necessary to good health, and emotional well being. "Sound and music have the ability to bypass the thinking part of our brain, going straight to our core essence," says Lawrence. "Sound is so primal, it works on the deepest level of our being, affecting us in profound ways that traditional medicine has yet to fully understand or embrace." But that may all be changing as more and more studies are being done to test these ancient methodologies.

Researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University studied patients recovering from
minor surgery in hospitals and found that listening to your favorite music can
reduce anxiety levels and speed recovery.

Dr. Stephen Malloch of the University of Western Sydney studied 40 infants over
three years and found that the babies who were held and sung to gently by doctors
had shorter hospital stays, faster recoveries, conserved energy and were less
irritable than those without music.

Shamans and Priests have used voice, rattles, drums and bells to stir the soul and
free the body of physical pain and emotional suffering. "Toning, using the voice as a healing tool, is incredibly powerful, and is used by everyone from sound healers to music therapists for grief therapy, energy balancing and emotional recovery," says Lawrence, who uses toning as part of her Chakra Tuneup workshops. "If the
thought of "toning" makes you uncomfortable, let me tell you that you use toning
every day without thinking about it." "Imagine," Lawrence continues, "you've just hit
your thumb with a hammer. You unconsciously scream in agony. Can you imagine
how unbearable the pain would be if you couldn't release that pain with your voice? You didn't even think about it, you just naturally expressed your feeling with the sound of the pain!" Lawrence sums it up by saying, "Toning is simply a means of creating a healing, expressive vibration with your own voice."

There is much emerging data to confirm what sages have known for centuries, that sound, voice and music have the potential to heal the world. More and more people are seeking alternatives to the high cost, invasive, and often-ineffective nature of western medicine. If you think sound healing is only for Pop Divas and movie stars, think again. With a melodious voice Lawrence reminds us, "The power of sound is available to everyone, and worthy of continued investigation by the scientific community, as well as those seeking personal harmony and health."

Sound Healing - Not Just For Britney Spears!

Fitness Motivation - How an Action Movie Could Save Your Life

Contrary to popular opinion, I do not pop out of bed every morning thrilled about doing my workout, nor do I constantly crave my clean diet that consists of a lot of chicken, sweet potatoes, and veggies. I love what all those things have done for my body, but I have to find creative ways to stay inspired and motivated to Dig Deep every day. I am not a fitness Super Hero!

One unique place I can usually count on to jump-start my fitness motivation is going to the movies. That may be a bit of a surprise since when you walk into a movie theatre you are bombarded with sights and smells of all kinds of tasty treats that will wreck your fitness plan! But that's a different topic.

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For me, the inspiration starts during the previews. There is something about a well-edited preview for an action movie that makes me want to jump out of my cushy cinema chair and start doing a round of Shaun T pushup-jacks! The ominous voice over, the surging music, jump cuts of people running, fighting, or saving the world from imminent doom raises my heart rate immediately! It makes me want to become Jason Bourne when I grow up!

I'm always inspired by the actors who have transformed their bodies for a specific action role, which always reminds me what is possible when you are focused 100% on a goal. If they can do it, so can I... and so can you! Sure it's easy to say - but they have world-class personal trainers and meal plans they get to follow. If you choose to, you can have access to those very same things as well.

So by the end of an hour of previews (or maybe it just seems like there is an hour of them), I am pretty excited about getting back to my next workout, and any temptation for the large tub of popcorn is gone! Then the movie starts.

My wife, Kelly, and I decided to venture out to an early morning movie. Even though it has been out for a while, I wanted to see what all the hype was about The Hunger Games. This futuristic movie where kids battle to the death for the good of their respective district. (It sounds gruesome, but actually it is a rather uplifting movie) In the midst of the movie you get to see the chosen kids train for their upcoming battle. Any good training montage is always offers a good jolt of extra motivation.

But what really hit me is when they got into the battle itself. 24 adolescents in a circle waiting for the game to start, knowing ultimately you have to kill or be killed to survive. As the game unfolded and you saw people literally running for their lives, using survival skills, and climbing trees - of course my brain jumped to fitness. I thought, "Wow, good thing these kids are in shape or they would be dead by now!" Thank God we don't live in this society where we have to be in top physical condition to make sure we survive. Then like a lightning bolt in my head it hit me...

What if your current physical condition did determine if you lived or died in a time of crisis?

My mind immediately flashed to 2005, sitting in a hotel room with my in-laws who had evacuated to Dallas from New Orleans. We sat in horror as we watched scene after scene of their beloved city be torn apart by the tragedy that was Hurricane Katrina. The images that stick out in my mind the most were people in terrible physical condition that were helpless and trapped. They were not in a position to try to survive themselves, and completely at the mercy of being saved. I'm not suggesting all the fit people in New Orleans survived and those that weren't did not, but I have to believe in the face of a catastrophic event being in decent physical condition does not hurt your chances for survival -- or increase one's chances of being able to save loved ones as well.

If we look at it honestly, just because we are blessed to live in the U.S.A. does not prevent us from facing unexpected dangerous times. Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, San Diego Fires... the list goes on. I am definitely not a doom and gloom kinda guy, but this 1 second flash of a thought while I enjoyed my movie reminded me of yet another reason it is important for us to take care of the bodies God has given us - so in times of tragedy not only do we have a better chance of survival, but can be of service to those who need us most.

Keep that in mind during your next workout; will it affect your motivation level and mindset?

Fitness Motivation - How an Action Movie Could Save Your Life

Wedding Planning: Involve your Fiance in 10 Easy Steps

He's popped the question. You've chosen a date. And now, you're swimming in a sea of euphoria with no horizons. Good thing, too, because there are literally a thousand things to arrange before the big day.

You do the research, buckle under and dive in. But you find your fiancé's ardor for the event itself seems to have cooled. It's not that he isn't mad about marrying you; after all, he is a great guy, even if he can't tell a Vera Wang from a Gunny Sack. It's that his preparation style is hands-off, to say the least. And planning a wedding isn't a job built for one.

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So what to do? Here are ten ways to involve him without increasing both of your stress loads:

1) Delegate areas that have a prayer of interesting him.
The worst thing you can do is expect him to match your ten to twenty years of feminine wisdom on the relative merits of buttercream vs. fondant.

Here are some probable no areas when roping in a reluctant wedding planner:

- Selecting the cake frosting

- Choosing the favors or favor packaging

- Selecting the wedding colors or floral arrangements

Then there are the potential maybes, fraught with fewer hazards:

- Choosing the photographer

- Choosing the videographer

- Arranging the rehearsal dinner

- Arranging the all-inclusive honeymoon

- Renting big, tricky items like outdoor tents

These are probable yeses, well worth running by your guy:

- Selecting the DJ or the band

- Setting up and maintaining your wedding website

- Researching and selecting charities, if you choose to donate instead of giving out favors

- Setting up the carriage, limo or other transportation arrangements

2) If you ask him to help you choose vendors and styles, narrow down the choices first.
It's a jungle of options out there, enough to give the most natural-born party planner pause. So if you want his opinion on photographers, invites, flowers or cakes, narrow down the options to three or four. He's less likely to feel overwhelmed, and more likely to feel like an important part of the process.

At times, it'll feel so good to share the load that you'll be tempted to drag him into the buttercream debate despite your better instincts. At these times, take a deep breath, count to ten, and call your mother or your maid of honor.

3) Ask him directly for help.
Let him know how important his input is to you, and that you can't do it without him.

Guys like to be needed. Your frank request for help may be enough to pull him out of his comfort zone and onto your team.

4) Try the Art Director/Production Staff approach.
If you think your guy wants to help, but feels uncomfortable playing "art director," give him "production staff" tasks. Have him make the payments, pick up the food or decor, handle the rentals, do online comparison shopping, or reserve the hotels and reception halls. These are all jobs that will take a load off your shoulders, while freeing up time for the aesthetic stuff you probably enjoy and he doesn't.

5) Get a calendar and put all the planning in black and white.
Your fiancé probably doesn't have the first clue in what goes into a wedding.

Get your wedding planner, write it all down, and show him. Once he gets over the shock, you'll both probably be able to identify areas that interest him. Make lists of the things you've each agreed to do, and cross them off as they get done. At the very least, he'll be far more supportive when he sees what you're going through.

6) Weave his family heritage/ethnicity/traditions into the ceremony.
What did his parents do? He might be surprised at the question, but it could lead somewhere valuable. He might ask his parents about their wedding, and find your wedding consequently enriched. Look through their wedding album together. Are his ancestors German, Polish, Italian, Croatian, Asian? Incorporate some old-world traditions into your ceremony.

7) Don't bring him in too early.
Treat your fiance as a bit of a pinch hitter. Sure, you may be fully aware that you can shave 5K off your costs by starting your favor crafts and reservations 18 months ahead of time. But if he's like most guys, the wedding won't become real to him until it draws closer. Expect him to jump in about six months before the actual ceremony, and break into a (relative) frenzy of activity about one month in advance.

8) Talk about something besides the wedding.
Guys aren't the only ones who complain about brides-to-be talking of nothing but upcoming nuptials. Sometimes, even girlfriends get overwhelmed by all the wedding chatter.

Spend some time alone chatting about anything but the wedding. See a silly movie, split a hot fudge sundae, or watch a basketball game. Do something spontaneous that reminds you both of why you decided to marry in the first place.

9) Check your subtext for hidden meanings.
Tempting as it might be, make sure you're not using your fiance as a coin-toss tool (ever noticed how people flip coins to find out what they really want?). When you ask for his opinion, take it seriously. And when you give him ownership of a task, don't second-guess every step.

Imagine that your fiancé has told you he's going to draft a dream team in his fantasy football league, and it's going to cost him K to participate. Now imagine that he's told you your help is supremely important to him.

You'd be a little hesitant to give opinions, right? Some of your ideas might sound feeble, even to your own ears. Hopefully he'd welcome your thoughts, however odd it felt for you to venture them. Now imagine your fiancé feels kind of like that when it comes to the wedding.

10) Remember that men become wedding experts by having one.
Chances are, your sweetheart will open his eyes to the wonder of a wedding by the time the rose petals are tossed. Forever after, he'll be examining friend's receptions with a practiced eye, and anticipating the next excuse for a Really Big Shindig.

So keep him around, and count on throwing a first-rate anniversary celebration ten years down the road. In a way, that'll be the party that really matters, won't it?

Wedding Planning: Involve your Fiance in 10 Easy Steps

How to Get the Most Out of an Xbox 360

So you went out and got that new Xbox 360 that you have always wanted or you were lucky enough to get one as a gift. You have played a few games and really enjoy your new system. But what else can the Xbox 360 offer other than 60 dollar games from Best Buy? Well, I'm going to let you know a few things that every Xbox owner should do to turn their 360 into a media entertainment center.

First thing you should do is sign up for an Xbox Live account. If you're wondering why you should or are afraid of the subscription fee, it is worth it. What do you get out of Xbox Live is the ability to share your xbox gaming experience with friends online.

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There are so many games out there that have a multiplayer option. If you limit yourself to single player, you're only getting about20 dollars of entertainment out of that 60 dollar game. The internet has been around for years and you shouldn't block you Xbox from it. Xbox Live gives you, online friends, game updates, exclusive online content, games on demand, videos on upcoming 360 news, netflixs through your 360, and so much more. Don't forget about the Xbox live arcade. These are games that you can't get at the store. Xbox live arcade is become a huge part of the Xbox experience with game releases like The Shadow Complex. This game is a must have and you can only get it through Live

Now that you are all hooked up to live, its time to turn your xbox into a media center. As you probably already know, the xbox can play movies and music. You can either play it of a disc, or copy it directly to your hard drive.The biggest hard drive you can get with the 360 is a 120 GB drive.

This is pretty small if you are going to be putting a lot in movies onto it. You want to save that space for more important things that you download from the Xbox market place. So the best solution is to stream movies, music, and pictures from your PC to your Xbox. This is really easy to set up and doesn't tie down your computer either. I have hundreds of movies on my PC that I watch from the comfort of my couch with just a touch of a button from my Xbox controller.

How to Get the Most Out of an Xbox 360

Sony Reveals Heroes On The Move!

How cool would it be if Ironman and Wolverine teamed up in a movie? Think better. How about a game that casts Ratchet and Jak? Or Daxter and Bentley? Or even Clank and Sly Cooper. How wacky can that be? Well, you don't have to guess or think about it anymore because Sony's greatest mascots since Crash (from Crash Bandicoot) will be teaming up together in an epic one-of-a-kind experience! Which of the pairs mentioned, you ask? Brace yourself because all six of them are going to be in one action-packed game! Ratchet, Clank, Jak, Daxter, Sly Cooper, and Bentley finally teams up with Heroes On the Move, an action-adventure video developed by Nihilistic Software exclusively for the PlayStation 3 to mainly support the upcoming PlayStation Move motion controller.

With these six crazyheroes on the loose in one game, Nihilistic Software has managed to create a game plot that suits them all well though the gameplay is a bit similar to the Ratchet Clank game series &. Anyway, the plot is more or less centered on the adventure of our six heroes who are the only ones who can defeat the villains. It seems like this villain is an evil force that have stolen portions of our heroes ' home lands and enslaved the entire race of peace-loving space beings. With their skills, I bet it'll just be a piece of cake.

A short trailer of Heroes on the Move was officially revealed at the E3 2010 Press Conference. With the vivid graphics and spirited gameplay for an action-packed game, it sure guarantees players an adventure they'll never forget especially when the game utilizes thePlayStation Move motion controller, which means the players get to physically partake in the game. Well, that's just a notion since there has been no demo yet on how the PlayStation Move will work with the game. I hope it's somewhat like Sorcery where you have to perform moves accurately so you can execute a proper spell. It'll be a total disappointment if all we're going to do is whip the Move towards the screen over and over again and end up pressing buttons all through out the game. One thing is for sure, the game will support a two-player co-op mode so you can bash and smash along with a friend.

By the way, here's a bit of tidbit or two for you avid gamers out there. First, obviously you've noticed that none of the original developers of the three game franchises namely NaughtyDog, Insomniac Games, and Sucker Punch Productions are directly working on Heroes On the Move. Second, Heroes On the Move is still considered a working title so don't get all bothered once the game's released in the market under a different title. And last but not the least, along with Heroes On the Move, Sony has leaked out information that there's a Sly Cooper Collection coming to PlayStation 3. No further details on this one but there are speculations that it'll be a compilation of all the PlayStation 2 game Sly Cooper series.

Heroes on the Move is published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is expected to be released in the later months of 2010 or more likely in early 2011.

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Sony Reveals Heroes On The Move!

Hidden Dangers in Food and How to Overcome Them

In this and upcoming articles will focus on helping you with your eating habits and working on your diet plan as well as helping you to avoid those hidden dangers. Today I will give you some simple tips on how to prevent overeating and change your mindset. It is so easy to be misled by today's packaging and labeling, to the point where you think you are eating healthy. The reality is you aren't.

A perfect illustration of misleading is what happened to me the other day. At my favorite "after gym" restaurant, I decided to have a Caesar salad with grilled chicken. I figured I would splurge a little and have some fattening dressing. The calories, fat and carbs couldn't be that much I reasoned. It's salad with grilled chicken. After all it's my job to know thesethings.

My meal arrived along with laminated sheet from which caloric information on every item on their menu could be perused. So I decided to look up the feast in front of me. I nearly had a seizure as I read the totals for my so-called healthy meal (their wording not mine). With dressing on the salad the total calories were 1768 with 9 grams of saturated fat. Carbs were over 70 grams. The kicker was the sodium, which was an astounding 2700 mg!!

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I always get dressing on the side so I was able to discard a huge portion of fat and calories. I didn't eat the garlic bread, nor did I have all the greens so I was able to cut a large amount of sodium, sat. fat, carbs and calories from the salad. If this was a healthy meal then I wonder what constitutes an unhealthy one. Let's justsay that reading the nutritional info for the kid's meals will send you running for cover. I want you to be aware of what lurks out there and how a lot of prepared food is not as healthy as you are led to believe. Don't be afraid to ask, and more important don't be afraid to make substitutions. All restaurants will accommodate your requests, you just need to ask. Read the tips below and try to incorporate them into your daily routine.

Here are 3 Steps why most people overeat. Let's face it; the extra pounds you're carrying around are due to overeating-plain and simple.

Why do you overeat? Here are a few likely reasons:

1. Habit: Whether you realize it or not, you eat in a learned pattern, rather than out of need. You clean your plate because that's what your mothertaught. You eat what is served without stopping to check if you are full. You butter two pieces of toast for breakfast rather than questioning if one piece would do the job.

2. Absentminded: You forget to pay attention when you eat. Mindless munching while watching a movie, snacking while driving, or picking at food while cooking-these absentminded calories really add up.

3. Something Deeper: Sometimes you use food for recreation or to change your mood. These calories may lend you a temporary sense of comfort or pleasure, but ultimately your body suffers collarbo from the indulgence. Depression certainly plays a large part in overating and any eating disorder. Speak with your doctor about treatment.

Here are 3 Steps To Overcome Overeating-read these, and apply them to yourlife.

Step # 1: Pay Attention

Be aware of what and how much you eat. This simple concept will save you from hundreds upon hundreds of calories each week.

To apply this rule, don't eat while your attention is distracted by another activity. Only put food in your mouth when you are hungry and conscious of it. This means turn off the T.V., get out of your car, and no matter what you do, don't graze in the kitchen while cooking.

Step # 2: Practice Balance

Be aware of the types of food that you eat during each meal, and make sure that it's balanced. When you eat a balanced diet filled with lean protein, whole grains, lots of veggies, a few daily servings of fruit and limited fat and sweets, your body will be satisfied and you'll lose the urge to overeat.

Thismeans you shouldn't always eat carb-based meals, and you also shouldn't always eat high-fat meals. Make a mental checklist of the food groups that you've eaten each day. Did you eat lean protein? Did you have plenty of vegetables? Did you refrain from eating more than one or two primarily carb-based meals? This mental checklist will save you from making food decisions that you'd later regret.

Step # 3: Be Tuned In

Your body will always tell you when its hunger has been satisfied-you've just gotten so good at ignoring the signs that you barrel through your meal only to feel like you've been hit by a ton of bricks ounces all that food hits your stomach. It's time to take a deep breath and listen to your body.

An important part of being tuned in is to eat slowly. Once youstart to pay attention you'll notice a point when each bite becomes less and less satisfying. That is your body's way of letting you know that you've had enough and that each continued bite is simply overkill (yes, even if you're only halfway through that plate of pasta).

By learning how to control your eating habits, you'll find weight loss to how simply and naturally.

Want to speed up your weight loss, make it permanent, and shape your body at the same time? I've got what it takes to get you there! No guesswork, no fad diets, and no super long workouts.

No More Clean Plates
You know that portions are now larger than ever. Do you really need to eat all of that food? Of course you don't. It is time to release yourself from the obligation to eat every morsel on yourplate. Start by always leaving one or two bites. Soon you will find that you naturally stop eating when you're full-even if your plate isn't empty.

You've probably heard that portions have gotten bigger over the years, but do you know how much bigger? Check out some of these popular foods and see how different things were 20 years ago than they are now.

20 years ago: a bagel was three inches in diameter and had 140 calories.
Today's portion: six inches and 350 calories.

Breakfast burritos at your favorite fast food place like at around 920 calories!

20 years ago: a cheeseburger had 333 calories.
Today's portion: 590 calories.

And have you seen the new 4.800 calorie burger??? There is such a thing. Google it if you dont believe me.

20 yearsNeedle: a portion of spaghetti and meatballs used to have 500 calories.
Today's portion: 1.025 calories. This includes two cups of pasta with sauce and three large meatballs.

20 years ago: French fries were 2.4 ounces and 210 calories.
Today's portion:-6.9 ounces with 610 calories.

20 years ago: a turkey sandwich had 320 calories.
Today's portion: a 10-inch turkey sandwich has 820 calories.

No wonder obesity rates are so out of control in this country.
Did any of these portions surprise you?

Hidden Dangers in Food and How to Overcome Them

Movie Making is For the Patient

My brother is in the film industry, I have gone on set before and enjoy watching the process, but not for too long! No where does time cease to exist like it does on a movie set. The same scene is set up over and over, acted and reacted with no change as far as I can see. Shoot one minute, stop, wait 30 minutes, stop, shoot one minute, stop. All day long, over and over. I would never have the patience to be a director.

If I were a director, I would shoot twice and say, "that's just fine, move along, no one will notice anyway." Tiny little details are shot over and over. They may shoot for days for a segment lasting only a minute or two. Attention to detail is a must. Are the cavemen wearing watches? Is the loin cloth the same color and position and length as it wasyesterday? Is the scar on the same side of the face, in the same hues? Attention, attention, attention to the minute and the minutiae.

I happened to be on the set recently when they were filming "John Adams" the mini series. I was by an actor whose job it was to push a wheel barrow full of vegetables around a corner in the very back of the scene. Hours and hours he waited for his cue, he would push his wheel borrow around the corner, walk about 20 steps, stop, wait and start over. He was so far back in the scene it wouldn't matter if he were wearing a dress but every detail was in place, every hair combed. His face would never see the light of day, yet there he was, happy and content to have any role at all. No wonder movies take so long to make at such outrageousbudgets.

Upcoming movie industries from around the world are learning the art of movie making. Bollywood, Mexican movies, African movies, and the ever sad Chinese movies with all their beauty and tragedy. Each representing the culture differences of their countries, and more importantly if they want to compete on a global stage they are learning patience!

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Movie Making is For the Patient

Sony W595 Blue W-Series Phone Joins Sony Ericsson W595 Walkman Range

Sony Ericsson have been busy of late releasing a multitude of new Walkman phones, the latest addition to the W-Series range is the new Sony Ericsson W595, a direct upgrade to the extremely popular W580i with enhanced technology, new features and a similar but improved design. The Sony W595 Walkman phone looks very similar to the previous W580i but its form it more squared and this phone offers the latest Walkman music software and stereo speakers for sharing music while with friends.

Other features to note include TrackID, Shake Control, Walk Mate, Video Blogging, Access to Online Music Store, 3.15 megapixel camera, large 2.2 inch display screen and 3 g services with video calling. The Sony Ericsson W595 is a Walkman phone built for sharing, this sliding mobile phonefeatures built-in stereo speakers and a stereo Share jack allowing for a second stereo headset so that two people can listen to the music player.

The W595 Walkman's player supports several file formats including MP3 and AAC and with 40 MB on board memory further expandable via an M2 slot, users will not be short of places to store their favourite music tracks. With Shake control activated, press and hold the Walkman key, then flick the wrist-a vibration lets the user know that the track has been changed-a new song from the current playlist is selected randomly then played automatically.

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The easy-to-use Walk Mate application stays activated all throughout the day, it keeps track of how many steps walked and how many steps left to reach a daily average health goal. Userssimply place their phone in ytheir own pocket and they are ready to go. A built-in FM radio, 3.15 Megapixel camera with support for video recording and a secondary VGA camera for face-to-face video calling, Bluetooth v 2.0 and HSDPA connectivity for high speed browsing and downloads make the Sony W595 a music phone and much more.

The Sony Ericsson W595 offers support for a wealth of file formats, users can simply drag and drop from their PC to the phone via the accompanying PC suite and then listen to and manage all their music on Sony Ericsson's intuitive Walkman player with Shake Control applications. The Sony W595 allows users to enjoy data speeds at a substantial 1.8 MBit/s (megabits per second) or 3.6 MBit/s downlink with new HSDPA technology. Users can download music, games,video clips and make & receive video calls at the touch of a button, the W595 also gives access to 3 g services such as the latest news and sports headlines, upcoming new movie trailers and music videos.

The Sony Ericsson W595 has been initially made available on Orange pay monthly contract tariffs in the u.k., however this new Walkman phone is set to be released on further UK networks in the very near future. The Sony W595 is a well thought out upgrade to the previous Walkman model, its new features and technology will appeal to the original user base as well as those seeking a fashionable, functional and fun mobile phone.

Sony W595 Blue W-Series Phone Joins Sony Ericsson W595 Walkman Range

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen-The All Star Cast

Everybody is excited to know more and more about the upcoming movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Excellent performances from the actors who worked on Transformers has forced people to think about the cast hired in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Following is a brief description that has been caught to some extent via trailers and rumours about this mysterious movie.

The main role as a human being in this movie is played by Shia LaBeouf, the teenager who destroyed Megatron in the previous movie. In this upcoming movie, Sam is working on personal development and trying to live his life as a normal person. He is trying to forget what happened in the past, and getting rid of the over protective shell of his parents and Bumblebee.

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Megan Fox stars as MikaelaBanes, who is Sam's girlfriend. She is short of money so cannot attend college. She decides to get a job at a repair shop for motorcycles. In reality she does not know how to ride a bike, so she had to get lots of help from others to push her vehicle. In order to look more real in this movie she put on some weight, which was required by the character.

Josh Duhamel acted as Captain William Lennox, who is a militant, ranger, and most importantly, a friend of the Autobots. Right from the time when the first movie came into view, Lennox played an active part of NEST, which is an international team fighting the Decepticons with the Autobots.

Tyrese Gibson is Robert Epps in this movie, who is also an active member of NEST. He is an air force war who later becomes Master controllerSergeant

John Turturro appears as Reggie Simmons, past mediator of the finished Sector 7 unit, which checked Transformer movements on Earth. He is at the moment not at work, but works in a restaurant. He climbed pyramids in reality during the film and that is a real achievement.

Matthew Marsden is a special forces agent in the film, Graham. He is also a member of NEST. He impressed the director with his performance and eventually got more work to do for a longer period of time in the movie.

Ramon Rodriguez is a roommate of Sam. He owns a mysterious website on ' Conspiracy Theory '. He worked as Leo Spitz. Other cast members are Kevin Dunn and Julie White, who acted as Ron and Judy Witwicky. They are Sam's parents. Rainn Wilson Cameos is a university professor. Kym Whitleyand John Benjamin Hickey also played small roles in the movie. Glenn Morshower acts as Gen. Morshower

We know a lot about the Autobots know this article contains only the names of actors who voiced them in the background. Primary character Optimus Prime was voiced by Peter Cullen. The voice behind the noble Bumblebee was of Mark Ryan. Ironhide was Jess Harnell and Ratchet was Robert Foxworth. Jetfire has John Turturro's voice behind him.

For the Decepticons, the people who voiced them were Hugo Weaving, Charlie Adler and Frank Welker.

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen-The All Star Cast

Senior Care Marketing Executives Can Have Social Media Success With a Simple EDIT

"The Social Network", a movie based on the life of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg, opens in theaters October 1. The movie discusses Zuckerburg's rise from an anonymous freshman at Harvard to the CEO of one of the most powerful Internet corporations in America.

But senior care marketing executives don't have to read that script to have success in social media. A simple self-check should help determine whether those businesses have the right social media marketing plan, or whether they need to make changes to their branding plan. This "E.D.I.T." involves measuring four simple parts: engagement, diversification, innovation, and transparency.

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Engagement.
Any senior business, from home care to assisted living marketing companies marketing, can create a Facebook page.But the pages that create the most clicks and help build the most online conversions do more than just post a few updates and photos. The best branding of Facebook pages includes calls to action, at least 2-3 posts per week, and the use of multimedia content in their posts.

Social media users don't just click, they create conversation. Digital PR means letting fans know you appreciate their responses and inviting more with open-ended posts. If your business is in the elder care field, ask fans to mention some of their own tips and stories to personalize your page. Frequent updates help keep fans coming back to your page (pages without posts can easily be forgotten), and posting multimedia gives fans content that they can share with others, and create more fans in theprocess.

Diversification.
Facebook is the most popular social network, but niche networks can also be useful. Many companies have had success syndicating their content through Twitter while engaging key influencers, and other senior care marketers should strongly consider creating YouTube channels and mobile phone applications.

Location-based social media or geolocation technology, such as Foursquare and Facebook Places, have also become trends to watch. If you aren't at least aware of those options, you are behind in the social media sphere, and your lead generation will suffer.

Innovation.
The trickiest part of social media for senior businesses may be innovation. How can one senior business create better Digital PR than others? The most obvious way is througha creative Facebook landing page. Visitors to your page can be sent to a unique landing page that can include news of a new product, deals for consumers, or a general introduction that is more inviting than simply relying on the shared wall. Many unique landing pages also invite viewers to "Like" the page, increasing the Fan base.

Already have a landing page? There are other, upcoming ways to innovate on social media platforms. Start learning about Facebook Questions-a crowdsourcing platform similar to Yahoo! Answers-and the new Twitter multimedia platform that could create several new ways to build your brand.

Transparency.
For many senior businesses, this can be the most challenging of all. What happens when your Facebook page (or other social site) gets feedbackfrom customers that you don't want? Previously, many companies might delete such negative commentary, but in the new social marketplace that tactic will make things worse.

The best way to handle any negative comment is to comment quickly and proactively. Many businesses have launched Twitter accounts specifically for client complaints, but any polite response on any social platform is better than no response. That builds credibility among social media users, and makes them more likely to return.

Please find the original article at the Home Care Marketing Blog

Senior Care Marketing Executives Can Have Social Media Success With a Simple EDIT

Parable of the Prodigal Son

A teenager came to his pastor for advice. "I left home," said the boy, "and did something that will make my dad furious when he finds out. What should I do? " The minister thought for a moment and replied, "Go home and confess your sin to your father, and he will probably forgive you and treat you like the prodigal son." Sometime later, the boy reported to the minister, "Well, I told Dad what I did." "And did he kill the fatted calf for you? ' asked the minister. "No," said the boy, "but he nearly killed the prodigal son."

It is important for us to see that in this parable Jesus is not interested in teaching us something about shepherding or keeping our money or even being good parents. What he is trying to do is give us a snapshot of God. He is seeking to answer the age oldquestion, "What is God like?" The parable shows us the true nature of repentance and the Lord's readiness to welcome and bless those who return to him. It sets forth the riches of grace and encourages us to repent.

As I was doing my research for this sermon, I was amazed about how much this parable reminded me of the hymn "Amazing Grace" and the upcoming movie by the same name. I was particularly amazed by the words of the author, William Wilberforce, wrote in the first verse, namely:

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Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see

Like the prodigal son, Wilberforce was lost and blind, but he saw the error of his ways-and, like the prodigal son, he came home to the love and grace of ourheavenly father.

The prodigal son's recovery from misery was a turning point in his conversion. When we turn from the darkness of sin to the light of eternal life, God opens our eyes and convinces us of our sin. This causes us to view ourselves and every object in a different light from what we did before. God was not in the prodigal son's life he squandered, 1998 God's grace. The prodigal son saw the light and decided to return in repentance to his father. This is the first step of true repentance.

The elder son in this parable was a metaphor of the Pharisees. His hatred of his brother is a metaphor of those who hate repentant sinners. This springs from pride, self-preference, and ignorance of a man's own heart. There is unspeakable happiness of all the children of God who keepclose to God, because they are, and ever shall be, ever with him. God's receiving of a sinner who repents permission is no loss to those who have always served him. The father in the parable cut short his son's confession because he could not wait to forgive him. God is the same way. He can't wait to forgive those who repent and turn away from sin. The prodigal son was dead to sin, but was raised to new life. Now he is found and will be a comfort. He is a metaphor of a sinner who refuses to depend on, and be governed by the Lord.

What does it mean to be lost? It means you have gone astray, you are wandering, you suffer from neglect, you are rebellion against God, and you are self-righteous. It also means that God is seeking you both in dangerous places and domestic places. Most important;however, is the fact that sinners should be saved.

Jesus mentions that sin has serious consequences and leads to dire circumstances. The prodigal son went through the seven degrees of the misery of sin:

1. Losing sight of God and becoming distant from him.
2. God's love was replaced by carnal love and impure desires.
3. Spiritual riches were squandered, 1998.
4. Poverty, misery and want.
5. Becoming a slave to the devil
6. Hardship and rigor of slavery.
7. Insatiable hunger and thirst.

Once he saw the light, he went through the eight degrees of conversion and salvation, namely:

1. Knowing and feeling misery, guilt and corruption.
2. Resolve to forsake sin.
3. Looking toward God as a compassionate and tenderhearted father.
4. Confessionof sin.
5. Coming in spirit of obedience to the word of God.
6. Putting resolutions into practice.
7. God receives a sinner with a kiss of peace and love, blots out sin and restores him to the heavenly family.
8. The sinner is clothed with holiness, united to God and has his faith shod with the shoes of preparation of the Gospel of peace.

Sin is a failure to keep a loving relationship with God, community, family and neighbour. The far country is a metaphor for looking for love in the wrong place. It is only fun for a season. Eventually, it turns sour.

We are more like the Pharisees who criticized Jesus for associating with tax collectors and sinners. He accepted these people as people. He did NOT write them off. They mattered to him; they did not matter to thePharisees. He was able to communicate what mattered to him-i. e. that God wanted to include them. The Pharisees were like the elder son in that they took God for granted. The elder son was so inflated by a sense of entitlement that he refused to eat with someone who did not earn his place at the table. The elder son is also a metaphor for the hypocrite of our time. Jesus uses the parable to teach about God's grace and acceptance of people who have been rejected by society. All of us fall short of attaining salvation. When we grow in our understanding of God's grace and understand more about how Christ has freed us from sin's condition, we respond with joy, praise and gratitude.

The joyful feast thrown by the father is a metaphor for the rejoicing in heaven when a sinner repents permission. Realrepentance teaches us to hate sin and love righteousness, holiness and purity. Jesus invites us to "Be compassionate as your father is compassionate." In other words, be like God and show some compassion to others as he shows to us. We are to be like the prodigal son who ran away and not be like the elder son who stayed at home. The spent pieces of the prodigal son's dead life were gathered up in the life-giving arms of his father. This is a metaphor of both Christ's crucified body gathered up and raised to a new life AND the re-gathering of the scattered disciples who were gathered up under a new and Holy Communion.

The welcoming home, acceptance and inclusion of the parable runs counter to the broader perspective of society, especially concerning the inclusion of gays andlesbians. Jesus teaches us to see each other as God sees us and love each other as he loves us. We must do more than just minister to the outcasts of society – i. e. by donating to the local food bank. We must actually be a friend to them like Jesus is; however, we must live a pure and holy life. In other words, we must bring them to our level without stepping down to theirs. Christ calls us not to separate ourselves from those who seem farthest from God's reach but to get right into the Center and change lives by giving hope to those who need such hope.

The older brother is also a metaphor of a Judaism that condemned God's acceptance of outsiders, particularly the Gen tiles. God's love has no limits, is patient, is eager, is a joyful love, and focuses on the sinner, NOT on the right.This may not seem fair. "The real prodigal is the person who stays outside the loving God. Life with God is a party to be shared with others. The older son was lost and dead because he saw himself and right and righteous. He can't see that his self-righteousness means that he cut himself off from the source of life like his brother did. The older son could not see that without his father, he was also dead. We are all like the older son because we are dead without God. God is the continuing, abundant source of life. The pain of rejection is devastating, but we must remember these four things:

1. The feeling is only temporary. Talk it over with someone.
2. The person rejecting you is the one with the problem.
3. Remember how to laugh.
4. God accepts and loves you.

Theheart of the story is the older brother. He did not understand why the father welcomed the younger son back. Perhaps there was a tinge of jealousy over how the younger son was living. Do we think, like the older son did, that God measures sin? The answer is no, because we are also outside the kingdom until God forgives us and brings us into the kingdom.

This parable is the story of our lives. We have all had times when we have been far from God. God loves us enough to let us go and welcome us with open arms when we return home. We must not let God's blessings become commonplace. Like the story of the footprints in the sand, we must remember that God is with us always, even in life's deepest, darkest times. When we come to God, excuses won't do. The only way to return is humbly, withrepentance. Our sin was paid for with a heavy price-Christ's death on the cross. We can see ourselves in the lost brother. Jesus tried to draw a picture for the Pharisees of themselves. He wanted them and us to see what the real spirit was in their hearts. The older brother was disturbed by both the return of his brother AND his father's reaction. This a metaphor of those who hate to see people saved-and there are probably lots of people whose hearts have never been broken in true repentance.

When we become Christians, we are changed like the prodigal son was. Our way of thinking also changes, much like an enemy can be changed into a friend and vice versa. This change encourages us to share and spread the Good News of salvation and God's grace.

Parable of the Prodigal Son

Different Car Audio Equipments That Will Make Your Car a Head Turner

We are already living in a world full of high end digital technologies, a world where the production of quality and class technologies seems to have no halt. We get too overwhelmed over the different technologies not minding the fact that they have all turned the people into lazy and overly dependent brats. Well, it is where we are headed to so might as well go just go with it.

It is not only technologies that are constantly changing. But this also includes the different motorized vehicles that you can see in the streets or up in the air and may even in the sea. In the next upcoming years, we really should not bother wondering if we will see flying cars or perhaps computer generated vehicles. We all just have to prepare for the birth of another new innovation and it willreally depend upon the individual as to whether he will let himself be affected by the different technologies or not.

Going back with motorized vehicles, many individuals have already turned their vehicles, like cars for instance, into a more advanced one. There are already different gears and gadgets wherein one can install in his car to make it look more futuristic. If you upgrade your car and put some decorations in it, you car will definitely be a head turner or you would even make the people looked stunned like as if they were hit by a stun pen.

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One way to make your car a head turner is through installing the best car audio system. You see, this has already been a major trend in almost any country. People have become amazed with having their own car audio system that willreally blow the mind and ears of the people. This alone can already make the car look outstanding.

Another way to make your car with the latest is through the installation of a car DVD player. "Who says we can only watch movies on television or the big screen? That is where you are wrong. There are already inventions of portable DVD players that can be placed or used in cars. There are some cars wherein the DVD players are already built in and have separate screens found at the back of both the front seats. If entertainment is what you want, then entertainment is what you will get.

If you are the type of person who is busy and keeps on answering phone calls, well you might benefit greatly if you install Bluetooth software in your car. Having a Bluetooth player in your carenables you to answer phone calls without even holding your own phone. This technology keeps the driver focused on the street even if he is talking to someone.

There are also some individuals who prefer to have navigation software. The navigation software will enable the individual to see or know where he already. In other words, the navigation software will serve as the individual's map. "Isn't this great? You will never have to buy maps because the navigation software will take you from where you are headed to just the same as how the stun gun flashlight will serve as your light and guide in dark areas.

Different Car Audio Equipments That Will Make Your Car a Head Turner

7 Tax Tips for Artists

With tax season coming upon us, I decided to sit down with Amanda Mills of Loose Change, Inc. and capture some of the wisdom she's gained in over 20 years experience as a financial and business management consultant for artists.

The tax system can be hard on artists. Artists just don't fit into a typical career path of making a set amount of money and then increasing that slightly year-by-year.

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Here are the 7 most important lessons I learned from speaking with Amanda about artists, money and taxes.

1. Make your passion into a business. Claiming to the world, the government and yourself that your art is a business is a hugely important step that requires courage and confidence. Reporting the income you generate from your art shows that you're taking your art andyourself seriously.

Actions: Consider the beliefs that are underlying your decision of whether or not to report your earnings as an artist. And by all means, consider hiring a professional like Amanda Mills to help you out.

Amanda's clients value her unique expertise and understanding of the arts because she takes them seriously. Other accountants might look at the small earnings of an artist and ask, "Why bother?" Amanda treats your identity and earnings as an artist with respect and gives them the attention they deserve.

2. Fund your passion with a supplemental job. A "day job" doesn't have to be something that makes you miserable. If it is, it's costing you a lot more than you're earning and you'd be better off finding something else.

Look at the big picture-your supplemental job doesn't have to be something you're passionate about; its function is to provide the funding for what you ARE passionate about.

Here's where to supplemental job can really make things easier with taxes. Let's say your supplemental job is teaching at a university, and you make $ 80,000 a year. You're also a sculptor, and you've established your sculpting as a business.

You spend $ 40,000 on your sculpting in a year. Because it's a business, you can claim that as a business expense. So, instead of paying taxes on the $ 80,000 you earned at your supplemental job, you only have to pay taxes on $ 40,000. That could save you over ,000 in taxes.

Action: Weigh out the costs and earnings of your "day job". Consider the financial costs (child care, gas,transit, parking, clothing, supplies, training, etc.), time costs (travel time, time spent at work, bringing work home with you, etc.), mental costs (getting distracted trying to solve work problems when you're at home, or other stressful thoughts related to work), and lastly the emotional costs (being miserable in a job you don't like, interpersonal conflicts with colleagues, or feelings that the job or company is not aligned with your personal values).

3. Art is life and life is art. For artists, there's much more of a blurred line between personal and professional life.

Whether you're taking a trip, having lunch with a friend or seeing a movie, chances are that what you're doing will influence your creative work in some way.

And if you're not directly absorbinginspiration, you're fueling it in your conversations, by talking about your work. And so these activities can often be deducted as business expenses.

Action: Keep track of everything you're spending money on and keep notice of how it affects the business of your art. Get receipts for everything and keep these in a folder, envelope or box marked, "Expenses".

4. Live at the bottom of the curve and keep your footprints. Artists often have an irregular flow of income coming in, so managing cash flow can be tricky. It's important to see the low times (when less money is coming in) as "normal", and budget yourself to be able to live on that. Keep your footprints small by minimizing the costs of your lifestyle.

Then, when good times happen and some money is rolling in,you'll be able to take care of some bigger things-get the car fixed, for example, or put some money aside for the next low time.

Action: Save three to six months of living expenses. Start small, just by putting aside one week of expenses. This is the best step you can take to reduce the impact of a fluctuating income.

5. Flatten your income. Artist incomes can vary wildly from year to year. One of Amanda's jobs is to "flatten" to client's income out from one year to another. Sometimes that's purely on paper and sometimes that's through strategic actions on the part of the artist.

It's especially important that by your third year in business, you're showing some earnings as an artist (that's often the "red flag" point of time for the tax collectors).

Amandarecommends that her clients help this along by making extra efforts to book shows, apply for as many grants as possible, or by donating their artwork to charity.

Actions: Be mindful of the ebb and flow of your income, and how that will show on paper at tax time. not just this year, but in the history and future of your art business. Also, be sure and tell your tax preparation specialist about any upcoming opportunities on the horizon.

6. Think ahead and get your records organized. Contrary to the myth of the "flaky artist, Amanda finds that most artists are quite organized.

Actions:

1. Get started by checking out the resources at Amanda's Artbooks site (see below).

2. Find all of your revenue and expense receipts, sort them and add them up.

7. how topeace with paying your taxes. Think of it as rent for your country. If you're making money at your art, get someone to figure out what percentage of your gross income goes to taxes, and send in your taxes as regular payments throughout the year.

Otherwise, unless you're incredibly disciplined at setting these amounts aside, you'll end up scrambling to come up with this big lump sum of money at tax time. This is a recipe for fiscal disaster.

Action: Decide upon quarterly or monthly tax payments, or perhaps pay after you've received a big payment such as a grant or a paid lecture.

© Linda Dessau, 2006.

7 Tax Tips for Artists

Marriage Therapy-Do Couples Need Counseling to Find Out If Their Relationship is a Sham?

A recent movie depicts the romantic story of a couple who begin their marriage as a means to save the woman from deportation. Comedy ensues when an immigration agent suspects their upcoming marriage to plot to keep the woman in the USA. He vows to negative outcomes for the couple and tries to prove their marriage a "sham".

The immigration agent's plan in the movie is to reveal that the couple does not know each other very well. He believes they are marrying for reasons other then "love". What I take from this story is that in America, if not done for the reason of love, any other reason makes the marriage a sham, a spurious imitation.

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As a marriage counselor in Overland Park, KS, I am worried about putting marriage at the mercy of feeling. Is love really the onlyindispensable and essential ingredient for a non-sham marriage? Does the genuine marriage disappear when a couple hates each other, when love is gone?

The critical pillar of family rests on an ephemeral twig if it's only love that makes a couple's bond legitimate. "Honey," "I used to love you, but it flew off someplace. Actually, my love lit on that woman next door, so, since I love her now and not you, our marriage is now a sham. It must be the will of the Love God for me to leave you and marry her, at least until my Love Bug bites on someone else's pretty skin. "That's goofy thinking, or worse, not thinking at all. Our couple relationships are at the mercy of our fickle feelings if the critical element distinguishing between sham marriage and non-sham marriage is whether or notthe couple loves each other.

Love certainly adds spice and richness to a marriage. Emotional bonding and facilite parking comes from a couple interacting with each other on personal and emotional levels over time. You may call that "love", which is fine. On the other hand, I have seen many couples with thick and strong emotional bonds who also fight and upset each other daily.

Are we to report these unhappy couples to the "Love" Cops "and arrest then for the crime of Sham Marriage? Maybe it's time to consider any union two consenting adults choose to have a marriage, if they want to call it that. They may choose to stay in it or not. They may choose to be in love, or not.

As a couples counselor, I have heard people give many reasons to marry and stay married. Those include: forthe kids, money, social appearances, the couple had sex before marriage, marriage vows, fear of change, parental arrangement.

You know what else? I've even seen couples who were not in love at first, bond and growing very fond of each other as they simply do life together over the years.

Marriage Therapy-Do Couples Need Counseling to Find Out If Their Relationship is a Sham?

Hawaii Vacation Packages Save You Money And Provide Fun Activies!

Can't decide which activities to book on your upcoming Hawaii vacation? No problem. With Hawaii vacation packages, you can book two different and exciting activities, at one low price, saving up to 30%.

These Hawaiian vacation deals includes incredible money-saving activity combinations that include luaus, helicopter tours, romantic sunset sails, submarine tours, snorkeling, kayaking tours, and more. So save money and have fun by Hawaii Vacation package booking activity combo deals.

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Maui Vacation Packages

Maui Vacation Packages are your ticket to fun at a budget friendly price! Explore the underwater world with a submarine tour from Lahaina and a trip to the Maui Ocean Center or get wet while you see the sights on a Molokini snorkeling tour; look for dolphins,tropical fish and Humpback Whales (seasonally). Relax after your adventures with a sunset dinner cruise or a luau for great evening entertainment, hula dancing and dining for real island fun!

Maui's Hottest Discount Activity Deal: An Atlantis Submarine & Sunshine Helicopter Discount Combo is the budget friendly way to pack real fun & adventure into your vacation! Daily flights from Kahului and Lahaina Harbor submarine departures from. The Submarine Tour & Royal Lahaina Luau Package is great vacation fun for the entire family at a discount price! Explore the waters off Lahaiana from 125 feet below the surface, then feast on the beach Hawaiian-style at the Royal Lahaina Luau.

Oahu Vacation Packages

Hawaii Vacation Packages on Oahu are some of the best Hawaiivacation deals around. Experience a full day of adventure at Sea Life Park Hawaii to interact with dolphins, sting rays, sea lions and more. Take an underwater submarine adventure tour off Waikiki, then dine in style and enjoy the mystical, romantic and spectacular "Magic of Polynesia" stage show. Book your choice of 4 spectacular Makapuʻu Ranch activities-ATV & horseback riding; kayaking; gun range; ranch movie set & jungle expedition Tours-for one amazing low price. Or combine Oahu, jet skiing, parasailing, surfing lessons sunset dinner cruises and Cirque Hawaii show for great family fun at money-saving discount prices.

Oahu's Hottest Discount Activity Deal: The Cirque Dinner Cruise & Hawaii Navatek I Combo lets you enjoy one of Oahu's most exciting Hawaii vacationactivities in the same evening. Enjoy You can also relax on a romantic sunset dinner cruise, then pop over to Waikiki's spectacular Cirque show Hawaii activities-both are great family fun at discount prices.

Big Island Vacation Packages

Hawaii Vacation Packages on the Big Island Activities are the best way to fun on your Hawaii vacation and save money, too! Book two activities at one low price with price reductions up to 30%. Explore the underwater world with a submarine tour from Kona or join Body Glove for fantastic snorkeling tours and humpback whale watches (seasonally); look for dolphins, tropical fish and green sea turtles! Soar over Kilauea Volcano for the best view of the lava flow (without hiking) on an incredible Helicopter Flight from Hilo or Kona!

BigIsland's Hottest Discount Activity Deal: A Body Glove Snorkel & Sunshine Helicopter Combo lets you experience it all at one low discount price! Join Body Glove for snorkeling and Dolphin watching fun one day, then experience the wonder of erupting Kilauea Volcano and its lava flows from the safety of the air on the next.

Kauai Vacation Packages

Hawaii Vacation Packages on Kauai offer the best priced activity deals. These money-saving activty combinations that save up to 30% uou are avaiable only from HawaiiActive.com. Book two of Kaui's best activities together for one low price, including Helicopter Tours, Traditional Luaus, Na Pali Sunset Sail & Snorkel and Zipline Safaris. Feast at the traditional Smith's Tropical Paradise Luau along the famous River in Wailuatandem with any of the following activities: A Combo full-day paddling, hiking, swimming and ziplining through to Kauai rainforest; Flying a luxury A-Star helicopter to view the amazing Na Pali Coast and Waimea Canyon; Taking a Na Pali morning sail & snorkel aboard Holoholo, a romatic sunset cocktail cruise, or an exciting cruise to snorkel the "Forbidden Island."

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Kipu Falls Zipline Safari, The & Luau Package Deal offers a full-day paddling, hiking, swimming and ziplining on Kauai adventure through rainforest and a Hawaii feast at Kauai's # 1 Luau, Smith's Traditional Luau, which includes a spectacular ceremony in a torch-lit Lagoon Amphitheater along Kauai's Wailua River's famous.

Hawaii Vacation Packages Save You Money And Provide Fun Activies!

Fashion As a Career

Fashion is the passion of many youngsters. They feel pride in following the latest trends. Some people are so fond of it that they opt for it as their profession because this suits their style and career aspirations. It is the dream of many students. Through their job in fashion industry, they want to influence society and change the way a nation dresses at many occasions.

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Fashion As a Career

Neile McQueen Heiskanen (aka Neile Adams) Talks About Her Life With Movie Star Husband Steve McQueen

For 15 and a half years Neile McQueen Heiskanen was Mrs. Steve McQueen,
the woman who shared everything with him. Neile has just re-released, in
a new special 20th Anniversary edition, her highly successful and deeply intimate
1986 memoir of her marriage to Steve, My Husband, My Friend.

In this exclusive interview with Neile McQueenOnline talks candidly about her life with Steve,
her reasons for writing the book, and it's unexpected impact on her life.

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MO: There are so many people out there who still, today, are so passionate about Steve McQueen,
even though he's been gone since 1980. As his wife, I guess you wonder why other people get so connected
to somebody they've never met.

Neile: I don't think you can explain that. I thinkyou walk into a room and there's a stranger across the crowded room and you go right to them. So you just never know. But on the other hand,
with Steve and I, because our backgrounds are so similar, I mean because we had all the stuff going on in our lives, it was just a natural chemistry that drew us together. We just understood each other right from the very beginning.

MO: That's a very special thing and it's hard to find.

Neile: Yes, yes ... So he moved in with me in a few days time, because it was either me move into his place, which was awful (laughs), or he move into mine, which was fairly good because I was a working Broadway dancer.

MO: When you first released My Husband, My Friend you expressed that you were unhappy with
the books that were outat the time, and that you wanted to clear up misconceptions.

Neile: There were a few things that happened, I mean I didn't really do that to ' set the record straight ', I hate that phrase anyway. I just wanted to ... just say it the way it was, and also describe him the way he was, because most of those people had never even met him. Like if you look at certain books that came out after mine, most of what they write is taken from my book, and then they give me credit for saying ... "Neile said this" and "Neile said that", "according to Neile" ... you know what I mean ... there's a lot of that shit that drove me crazy (laughs). But there was another writer who said, "I was the only journalist that he would talk to." I mean ... I was around at that time, I thought to myself,"when would he meet with Steve, at 4:0 or 3 in the morning? That's ridiculous. "

Also, somehow, I think the very first book on Steve, I believe when he was still doing Wanted, for some crazy reason they put his height at 5 ' 7 ", which is totally ludicrous. I've got his passports to prove that he was 5 ' 10 1/2 ", 5 ' 11". And they said, "well he looks tall because you're little." I said, "That's not the point, I always wear heels, too." (laughs) He was the same height as Robert Redford and Paul Newman,
they were all the same height. Like bookends.

MO: People still argue about that today.

Neile: It's ridiculous. And I'm there to tell them that it's not so and they'll argue with me!
And they've never even seen him! It's insane (laughs).

MO: So hewas definitely 5 ' 10 1/2 "?

Neile: Oh yeah (laughs), in fact the last 2 passports had him at 5 ' 11 ", I think it depended on his shoes.

MO: A popular legend is the rivalry between Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. Some writers would have it appear that it consumed Steve ...

Neile: Oh, it didn't. But when the opportunity would arise, like when it did with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Towering Inferno, he would rise to the challenge and say, "Oh shit, this is my chance" (laughs) "I'd better do this." But no, he was not consumed by it. And they were friends ... Friendly rivals they were.

MO: There are also several new books on Steve just released or about to be released at the moment.

Neile: isn't it amazing. Books are starting to come out, soI thought, "well, might as well do it now, and get it out there." I've been talking about this for the last year, and finally I said "OK let's do it." It seems silly not to. Because it's such a good story anyway. And I think ... for people reading this book ... it will remind them ... that there was a tremendous story between these two people.

MO: You've brought the book up to date with present events ...

Neile: I changed the cover, and I added a new epilogue, which encompasses
Steve 's, my daughter's and my husband's deaths.

MO: You also include more photos?

Neile: And I put more photographs in there, just to update it.

MO: You said that you had to be sensitive when you started to write the book back in 1985 because of Al.

Neile: My husband,yes. He was so kind, and so sweet. Because I had all this stuff inside me that was just waiting to get out, because when Steve died I had just gotten re-married, and it was very difficult to grieve in front of a new husband, so consequently it all started coming out on paper, and said "Oh for God's sake, let me get you a word processor, and let's get this out of the way." And he said, "but I'm warning you, this is going to be the end of it, OK, because as much as I love you, and I know you love me, this shit has got to stop." (laughs) So I said "just let me get this out," and true, as soon as my book was over, as soon as the tour was over for the book it was fabulous, it was a fabulous feeling of relief, and then my marriage started with A really.

MO: So it was a verycomplete thing for you emotionally.

Neile: Yeah, it was a closure.

MO: You really managed to capture Steve in such a real way that the reader can feel his personality coming through the pages. Can you tell me about the creative process you went through in writing My Husband, My Friend?

Neile: I just did the book from beginning to end, as life unfolded. I had to leave some stuff out because it got too long, we had to edit out a few things, but on the whole it's all there. I had tons of scrap books-probably about 40 scrapbooks from the time we got married in 1956 till 1968.
So the scrapbooks were there to begin with, and I just would paste everything. So it was our life
together. On top of that I also kept journals, which I still do. And with thescrapbooks and my journals,
when I needed a point of reference, it was pretty easy to really follow it through.

MO: When the book came out in 1986, the Hollywood press were very hard on you for talking about the worst aspects of the marriage breakdown ....

Neile: That drove me crazy "at the very beginning ... they were sort of
unforgiving towards me because I was revealing secrets, so to speak. Priscilla Presley actually started that, and then I did it. But now they understand more ... they thought at that point in time I was just calling Steve to wife beater, which is ridiculous. The man never laid a hand on me for the first 14 years of our life together, but the fact that I'd had an affair just really drove him over the edge, and I expected that, really, becauseI knew him so well, but I didn't think it would destroy our marriage. But it did.

MO: It was a very emotionally "explosive" time for you both ...

Neile: Yes, he had ... lucky on one hand and unfortunate on the other ...
he had me up on a pedestal, the man really adored me. But he just couldn't help himself as far as the women were concerned, and plus his mid-life crisis coincided with the sexual revolution and the drug culture and all that ... I always say that the ' flower children ' ruined my life. Because that's when it all really began. While he was discrete in the beginning when he would have a fling here and there, now he would say "well why do I have to hide?" So, anyway, he had me up on this pedestal, and when he found out that I'd had a fling to geteven with him, it was difficult for him to take.

For the first 14 years of our lives together he never laid a hand on me. He would explode and he'd be angry and we'd be arguing and all that but he never, never laid a finger on me.
But unfortunately one night, in Le Mans, he gave me some coke. He didn't force me, but he kept saying
"oh please do" ... and I was so exhausted and I knew he was not going to let
me go to sleep if I didn't have some coke with him. So I said "OK let me have some." And as soon as I had some ... I don't do any of that stuff, I don't even drink ... and it hit me like a ton of bricks, and I started to giggle, which was really surprising. And Steve, having the insticts of an animal, he really did have that, he, I think, knew somewhere alongthe way that his wife had had an affair somewhere ... had done something, because he kept saying, "well you know baby, I'd understand. I would really understand if you had because I've put you through hell. " And then I said "really honey?" Well, that was all I had to say ... that was my big mistake. Because I never, never would have said anything to Steve. But when I said "really," and I suddenly saw that pain in his eyes because he knew ... I thought, "Oh my, this feels good," so I kept on, boy, and that was it, that really started the end.

MO: As much As Steve was dealing with his own pain, you were dealing with your own too because you'd gone through a lot.

Neile: The funny thing is, had he not turned violent on me, I would most likely, I would say 90 percent likely,I would have stayed in that marriage and just rode it out until he got tired of all that shit, which eventually they all do. But unfortunately I couldn't handle the terrorizing more than anything else.

MO: His violent response to you was horrible. I believe it's highly likely that you were the only adult link in his life which represented unconditional love.

Neile: Absolutely.

MO: You were the only link that he'd ever had in his life. And when that failed, it was like it devastated some fragile aspect of his soul that he'd been very precariously holding onto all his life. And he snapped.

Neile: That's absolutely correct, and he was never the same after that. And unfortunately for poor Wingers, who was really crazy about him ... it was a whole different deal,it became a whole different life
altogether. He just let himself go, he let his beard grow, he gained weight ... all that stuff ... he just didn't care. You know ... it was like ... I mean I really had done it to him, and I really felt guilty about that, I didn't mean to.

MO: Will you have much creative control over the recently announced upcoming movie version of My Husband, My Friend?

Neile: Oh yes. That's the reason this book has never been done, is because I need to have some creative control ... especially with the young people today who are emerging as producers, because they don't have the life experience, so they are going to go for the womanizing and the drugs and the violence. I know that is what's going to happen because I've had talks with them, and allthey can see is that. They forget that the thrust of this story is the love story between two people, and that other stuff is all sidebars. I'll be consultant. We haven't got a home yet, but we will.

MO: So you're confident that your vision will hit the screens?

Neile: Yes.

MO: Hypothetical Question ...Clint Eastwood has made some of his biggest and most successful films in his 60 's with The Unforgiven and in his 70 's with Million Dollar Baby. If Steve was still alive what sort of films do you think he would have been making?

Neile: He was not a film maker. Steve was too subjective. I don't think he would have been able to produce the way Warren Beatty or Clint Eastwood do. That's why Le Mans was such a disaster. I mean, now it's become a cult film,because of the racing and all that, but he couldn't even decide on the leading lady for God's sake, but of course all the problems ' were arising then, so maybe I'm short changing Steve in that area, but I don't think so ... because he did a lot of directing for Tom Horn. (editorial comment: Tom Horn is a great but deeply flawed film.) He was wonderful with details, you know, but he didn't have the overall vision that Clint Eastwood does.

MO: Then as an actor (you played a major part in helping him pick his best roles) what sort of roles would you have had him play in his 50 's and 60 's?

Neile: That I don't know, I would have had to read the script, but certainly ... play his age.
I wouldn't have had him playing across from a 20-year-old when he was pretending to be 6030.

MO: Do you think he would have turned into a good character actor?

Neile: He really was a fabulous actor. And that Enemy of the People, when he first told me about it, I forgot about Ibsen, I was thinking, "Oh, OK ... he's doing a western." But when he took me to see it, and I suddenly realised what I was looking at ... I didn't even recognise him for the first seven minutes I think, and I finally said, "My God, is that you?" He said, "shut up!" (laughs) Cuz he was fat, and he's got this beard, and these glasses. But once I settled down, settled back and just relaxed to see what was going on ... I mean he really did work hard on it. .. he had a kid working with him from UCLA for his lines and all that stuff. But he was wonderful, he was very good, but it was just notthe sort of thing people would like to see Steve in.

MO: Why do you think he made An Enemy of the People?

Neile He had to do a film for First Artists, he owed them that, and they kept saying "you've got to do a movie ... you've got to do another movie for us." And one day, at Ali's and Steve's house ... there were some books there ... and he grabbed a book and he said, "OK this one," he opened the pages and he said, "I'm gonna do this one," and it happened to be An Enemy of the People. It's as simple as that.

MO: You mean to say that it could have been any book in the stacks?

Neile: It could have been any book (laughs).

MO: Would you say there was an animosity towards First Artists?

Neile: He was just irritated at the company telling him "you'veGOT to do a picture ". He owed them one picture. The Getaway was a First Artists picture, and he owed them another picture, and this was already 1978 (laughs).

MO: You were very influential in helping Steve pick his best films. I think the last role you chose for him, the title role in Papillon, represents the peak of his career ...

Neile: You know how that happened to be ... My decorator read Papillon, and he gave it to me, he said "read this Neile, I think it might just be great for Steve," and it was. Steve was concerned about the accent, because it happens on Devil's Island which is a French region. And I said, "look, I saw a movie with Humphrey Bogart about Devil's Island, everybody spoke with an American accent, but it was believed ... everybody believed they were ina French colony. So that's why nobody had an accent in Papillon. He was fabulous in that movie, I don't know why he didn't get nominated.

MO: You're still performing yourself, you're still singing, and you've got four CD's available at the moment.

Neile: I do. I've got another one coming up soon too. We're working on it now.

MO: "Can you give any details about the songs on the new CD?

Neile: You know I do, almost always, Broadway show tunes, but the opening this time, for me, which is a departure from what I do, is a Keith Urban song called ' I Wanna Love Somebody Like You. ' And so I tried that, and I think it turned out OK. But then the rest are show tunes. It generally details the story of my life. I've got a section there which I call the bio-medleywhich is a series of songs about me and Steve from the time we met.

To order My Husband, My Friend in either Book or CD format, visit Neile's personal websites:
www.myhusbandmyfriend.com---http://www.neileadams.com---http://www.neilemcqueentoffel.com

Neile McQueen Heiskanen (aka Neile Adams) Talks About Her Life With Movie Star Husband Steve McQueen

Planning Your Thailand Holidays

Thailand holidays can be customized to fit virtually any traveler's budget and personal tastes. Because tourism is such a vital part of the Thai economy (representing a larger percentage of Thailand's GDP than that of any other Asian nation), almost every part of the country is equipped with food and lodging catered toward foreign visitors. Furthermore, the nation's amazingly diverse geography offers a wide range of activities to choose from. No matter what it is that you'd like to do on your holiday, there are surely several, easily-accessible places in Thailand that offer it at a price that fits your budget.

Planning Your Thailand Holiday

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For most of us, the first steps in planning any holiday includes setting a budget, determining how long our holiday will last, anddeciding when we can go. As you walk through these steps in planning your Thailand holiday, here are a few important points to consider:

The price of lodging in Thailand runs the gamut from as low as around £8 GBP per day (about $ 5 AUD/USD) for a bed in a hostel, all the way up to hundreds of pounds per night for five-star accommodations at world-class, international hotels In my personal opinion (and this is shared by a great number of foreign travelers I've met over the years), you should plan on spending a minimum of 10-14 days in Thailand during your holiday if you want to visit the country's major attractions without being rushed Because Thailand's tropical climate is hot, humid, and rainy for much of the year, the country's "high season" for tourism is during thecomparatively drier, cooler months of November through February

Some additional thoughts on these points ...

With regards to prices for food and lodging, while it is accurate to say that daily rates covers quite a wide spectrum, it is also true that you can find many incredible deals throughout the country if you know when and where to look. For example, in September 2010 I was able to book four nights at a legitimate, five-star luxury hotel in one of the most-popular sections of Bangkok (Thailand's most-expensive city) for just under £ 90 GBP per night (that's approximately $ 60 AUD/USD). In an upcoming article, I'll discuss some of the most-effective strategies for finding bargains that maximize your holiday budget.

When determining how much time to spend in Thailand,it's important to remember that, for those of us traveling from an English-speaking country, our holiday will include at least two very long airplane flights (on the way there, and the return trip), and adjusting our body clocks to a significant time difference. For me, this leads to a feeling that jetlag and travel always shortens my actual time in-country by two days. I'll pad the amount of time I expect to spend seeing the sights, or relaxing by two extra days for this reason.

As for choosing a time of year to visit, avoiding the hot, humid summer and autumn monsoon Thai is a valid consideration for many travelers. Temperatures often approach 40° C during those months which, coupled with the tropical humidity and almost-daily thunderstorms, can be a bit overwhelming for somevisitors. The flipside of this equation is that airfares and lodging are dramatically cheaper during this so-called "Low Season". If you're on a tight budget, and don't mind a little heat and rain, you'll find that your hard-earned money stretches a lot further at this time of year.

The Five Regions of Thailand-Where Should I Go?

To see the remarkable amount of geographic and cultural diversity that exists within Thailand, all you have to do is compare the country's five unique regions: the Central, East, North, Northeast, and South. Depending on how much time you're able to spend in-country, you may be able to visit all five during one stay (personally, I wouldn't try this unless I had a whole month to spend on holiday). If your time is more limited, you should probablyfocus on no more than two or three areas, and leave the others for future Thai holidays.

Central

Because the vast majority of foreign tourists arrive and depart from Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, it's highly likely that your visit to Thailand will include a stay in the nation's capital. A bustling city of 11 million (most Bangkok residents will tell you that this official estimate is probably low by as much as 50%) and the heart of Central Thailand, Bangkok offers its visitors a fascinating cross-section of the nation's past, present and future. Here you'll find everything from the historic Royal Palace (dating back to the Kingdom of Siam), to ultra-modern shopping malls, vibrant entertainment districts, and a thriving business center that is quicklybecoming the largest in Southeast Asia.

Central Thailand's other primary attractions include the historic city of Ayutthaya (Siam's ancient capital), and the western coast of the Gulf of Thailand. This part of the gulf coast is especially popular with Thai families and honeymooners thanks to its quiet, clean beaches, abundance of affordable hotels and resorts, gorgeous golf courses, and relative proximity to Bangkok (about two-and-a-half hours by car). If you're looking for a quiet beach getaway, that's close enough to Bangkok that you won't need an airplane or boat to get there, the gulf towns of Hua Hin and Phetchaburi are perfect for you.

East

The region generally considered as Eastern Thailand lies to the southeast of Bangkok, and is bordered by the Gulf of Thailandto the west, and Cambodia to the east. Home to the growing coastal city of Chonburi and the popular tourist destination of Pattaya, the main attraction of this area is the proximity of its beaches to Bangkok (less than a two-hour drive).

Whereas western gulf resorts like Hua Hin tend to primarily attract Thai nationals, the eastern gulf is a magnet for western tourists thanks to Pattaya's notoriety as one of the world's wildest party towns. This bawdy image has been slowly changing in recent years, however, as developers have opened a string of new family-oriented resorts and attractions along Pattaya Beach and its surrounding areas.

North

Northern Thailand is distinctly different from the rest of the country in terrain, climate, and culture. Bordering Myanmar (Burma)and Laos to its north, the region is mountainous, heavily-forested, and noticeably cooler than anywhere else in the country (particularly in the High Season). The Wool culture (a hybrid between Thai, Burmese and Laotian influences) prevails throughout the region, and can be seen in the décor, dress, and food offerings in cities like Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

The principal city in the north, Chiang Mai is Thailand's second-largest and an absolute must for any visitor to the country. The heart of Chiang Mai is still surrounded by a moat and 1.000-year-old fortifications that protect some of Southeast Asia's oldest, and most-important, temples, while the rest of the city is dotted with universities, art galleries, and enough lodging and entertainment options to satisfy any type oftraveler.

Chiang Mai is also the jumping off point for backpackers to explore the area's famous mountain trails, as well as anyone who is looking for outdoor adventure activities like white water rafting, elephant safaris (i.e., riding an elephant off into the jungle for a day or two), and otherwise getting up close to the region's wildlife (including monkeys and tigers). There are so many exhilarating things to do in this part of the country that you're guaranteed to enjoy yourself.

Northeast

Thailand's northeast (dominated by the provinces of Isaan) is a heavily agricultural region that borders both Laos and Cambodia along the Mekong River. Khmer culture (i.e., ethnic Cambodian) is the prevailing influence on Isaan's people and the majority speak the Khmer language,addition to Thai and several other regional dialects. This influence is also seen in Isaan cuisine, which is distinct from traditional Thai food for its heavy use of sticky rice, and extremely spicy chilies.

While this relatively undeveloped part of the country has not been a traditional tourist destination, recent government projects (notably the restoration of numerous ancient archaeological sites, Khmer) and the rapid economic growth of Isaan's major cities Buriram and Khon Kaen have begun to draw more visitors over the past decade. The city of Khon Kaen is of particular interest to anyone interested in making a land crossing into Cambodia.

South

When talking about the south of Thailand, the first names that come to mind are Phuket, Koh Samui, and Koh Phi Phi (betterknown to foreigners as the Phi Phi Islands). White, sandy beaches, sky-blue water, and idyllic settings that look like they're straight out of a Hollywood movie set (mostly because they are, but that's for a later article) are what define this region of the country. In short, it's your run-of-the-mill tropical paradise.

The south of Thailand is generally considered to be the thin peninsula that separates the Gulf of Thailand from the Andaman Sea, and extends all the way south to the border with Malaysia. This stretch of land, and the islands that skirt both of its coasts, are home to some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the world, as well as world-class facilities for every other water sport imaginable. That's all in addition to the incredible beaches, lagoons, andpanoramas that the area is so famous for. With that said, I'm sure that it comes as no surprise that I highly recommend you include at least one of this region's fantastic resorts on your Thailand holiday.

The Hardest Part of Your Thailand Holiday-Getting There

Well, it may not be entirely accurate to say that the hardest part of your Thai holiday will be finding a way to get there. It's more likely to be forcing yourself to board the plane home at the end of your stay. I once heard it said that the only place in the Land of Smiles "where you don't see happy people is the international departure lounge at the airport. More often than not, that seems to be true.

In all seriousness though, finding an affordable airfare has usually been the most difficult piece to put inplace when I've planned my holidays to Thailand. With the price of jet fuel continuing to soar, this has become even more difficult over the last couple of years. In many cases, I find that I wind up spending as much on my airline ticket as I do on the entire rest of the holiday combined.

Nonetheless, there are a few helpful techniques I've acquired over the years that generally lead me to the lowest available prices at the time of my departure. They require a great deal of flexibility with regards to departure days and times (and you won't be getting any non-stop flights to Bangkok), but I do feel confident that they save me money in the end. I'll delve into this subject in detail in the near future.

Planning Your Thailand Holidays