Apotheosis - the Seminal Insight of the Hero for Screenwriting

Every hero has a seminal insight - the apotheosis. Once you know what that insight will be, you can start building your story up to and beyond that point:

In Casablanca, Rick's insight is that if you love someone, you sacrifice yourself for their happiness. That sacrifice can include selling your most prized material possessions (he sells his bar), allowing your love to find happiness in another's arms (he ultimately allows Ilsa to be with Victor), physical suffering (it is likely that his ultimate actions will see him to a concentration camp), leaving dear friends (he will have to leave Sam behind) and forced exile from home and heart (he will have to leave Casablanca). He learns this insight from both Ilsa and Victor, who are prepared to do the same for each other.

In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne's apotheosis is that you either get busy living or you get busy dying. He reaches that insight in the scene by the prison wall with Red (Morgan Freeman), but it is preceeded by the earlier insight that he will never get out of prison (Warden Norton will never let him go). The apotheosis is preceded by the physical processes of submersion (being locked in the hole for two months; the Belly of the Whale of the Ordeal) and rebirth through death (symbolised by the death of Tommy). The apotheosis is preceded by the crossing of the First Threshold and the Ordeal in general.

In Al Pacino Scarface, Tony Montana's insight is that the rewards of the path he's chosen are not worth the spiritual price he is paying, expressed with the words (in the restaurant scene): "is this it? Is that what it's all about Manny? Eating, drinking, fucking, sucking," "no free rides in this world kid," "I lost my appetite," "is that what I worked for? With these hands? Is that what I killed for? For this?"

In Alien, Ripley's apotheosis arrives during the conversation with Ash, the revived android. He tells her that the alien cannot be destroyed and that the military want it - this horror will be unleashed on the Earth unless she destroys it and the only way to do that is to nuke the Nostromo.

In all of the above, the apotheosis leads straight into the final act. The insight gives the hero strength and focus and helps him (or her) overcome the antagonism and inner challenges.

A detailed analysis of the Apotheosis and story structure templates can be found at http://www.managing-creativity.com/

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Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://www.managing-creativity.com

Sea Pines Plantation - The Pearl of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Sea Pines Plantation ? The Pearl of Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island is one of the nicest places to vacation, regardless of what time of year you decide to stay. And I must inform you that a stay in Sea Pines Plantation must be top on your list. The island is home to more than 40,000 full time residents and over 2.2 million vacationers each year. With an average temperature around 70 degrees and so many outdoor activities available, this is a vacation that will keep you active and healthy.

The PGA MCI Heritage Classic is held each year in April at the Harbour Town Golf Links located inside Sea Pines Plantation. Thousands of golf enthusiasts enjoy the weekly activities with friends and family. Former winners include Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, and this year's winner Peter Lonard. This is a great golf tournament with a lot of history and is always an enjoyable experience for all who attend.

There are three golf courses in Sea Pines Plantation. Harbour Town Golf Links is ranked the #1 course in South Carolina by Golf Magazine and is the most sought after golf course to play on Hilton Head Island. The Ocean Course was the first golf course on Hilton Head Island, rebuilt in 1995 by Mark McCumber and features the signature oceanfront 15th hole with panoramic ocean views. Last is the Sea Marsh Course, which is my favorite. With length not a factor and very wide fairways, I recommend this course if you want to feel good about your golf game when you leave the course.

The Sea Pines Racquet Club has grown into one of the premier resources for tennis players. Under the guidance of Stan Smith, Director of U.S. Olympic Men's Coach and former U.S. Open and Wimbledon Champion, everyone receives the personal attention that makes each guest feel important.

The great advantage of having a Hilton Head Island vacation is you have the liberty to stay wherever you want, there are great deals and golf packages and you can arrange for almost any type of activity on the island. Whether it is bicycle rentals, tee times, free tennis, or water activities.

Rich Neste lives in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. He is an expert writer and insider who's columns appear in numerous papers around the country. He is a Junior Executive with Performance Development Corporation. He can be contact at (843)671-4700 or email at rich@hiltonheadrentals.com
http://www.hiltonheadrentals.com

The Importance of Honoring Mothers and Fathers

With another year full of family events coming upon us, those of us that are lucky enough to have parents to honor will celebrate Mother's and Father's Day. We set aside one day a year for this, but it should be something we do everyday of the year, as commanded by God. There is a good reason for this, or else He wouldn't have commanded it!

Exodus 20:12 "Honor thy father and mother that you may enjoy a long life in the land the Lord gives you." (Amplified)

Note that this commandment comes with a promise attatched to it. A long, healthy existence requires our gratefulness to God for who we are. It's impossible to thank God for our existence unless we also thank our parents. By rejecting them, we are rejecting who we are. This kind of rejection can lead to illnesses and dissolutions, and even death, both spiritual and physical. It's just not possible to reject ourselves, our parents and claim to love God.

When the human soul remains unhealed of self rejection, that spirit becomes open to all kinds of evils. We have known these kinds of people in history as Hitler and Bin Ladin and Hussein. But the good news in found in the book of Malachi 4:6. It speaks of an 'Elijah' to come, "He will turn the hearts of fathers towards the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers..."

In order to become a disciple of Christ we must first, "Hear and Do" the words of the Master, and that includes honoring our parents. This commandment cannot be skipped over for any reason.

This requires honesty with ourselves, who we are and who and what our parents are (or were) and how we truly feel about them.

If we hold any kind of unforgiveness against them, we must truly confess wrong attitudes and ask to be forgiven. Sometimes this may require seeking counsel from a spiritual leader, but most importantly it must be handed over to God. He will work this out at His will. He doesn't intend for us to handle things like this on our own.

Eph.5:20 "Always giving thanks for all things on behalf our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father."

This simply means that we are included in the eternal life of God who heals all wounds and allows us to stop demanding perfection and satisfaction. We need to remember that we were chosen by God! This is the true kingdom message-Mk.10:29-30; Is.56:5. God has so much more in store for us if we let Him take the lead in our lives.

A good example of how pointless our lives are without God is found when Job after his affliction stood before God and realized that nothing else mattered. God revealed His sovereignty to Job and made him realize that everything else in his own life was pointless. The same goes for us today, if we just hand it all over to God, our own problems will just fall away and won't matter either in His presence.

Our lives are not something that we can stand aside and consider what it would be like to have a different one. It's just not possible to be serarated from our own lives, but instead we must find the goodness of God within the lives we do have. If we can't believe that He has done well by us, then finding peace will be impossible and we will never experience the security that He has planned for us.

Without God's goodness and the fellowhip of Jesus in who we are, They cannot become the foundation for an abundant and obedient life that God desires for all His childrent to have. He only desires to dwell within each and every one of us in order to make our lives glorious in every aspect. Realizing this is being in the Light and knowing the whole plan God has for us.

Jesus expains this relationship in further detail in the book of John chapter 14. It's the Father's wish that we are all one in eachother. If we come to Christ, we can then come to the Father. It's a beautiful reltaionship.

Many people who are unbelievers feel that this just won't do justice to the bitter facts of life. We say ther are exceptions to this ideal way of thinking. There are those who have suffered sexual abuse, dreaded diseases, birth defects, wars, terrible natural and manmade disasters, and many other terrible, unfair things, too many to mention. The truth is that every person carries his or her own burden that seems unfair. But, we can't focus on these things as the primaray part of who we are. Instead, if at all possible and with true faith in God, it can be done, we only have to choose this focus on God for ourselves. When we do, His world and who we are in it will then reveal a glorious destiny of our own.

It's a wonderful thing when our gratitude focuses toward redemption and on the future that God has given us, no matter what may come our way. This will then result in us being able to receive and welcome our lives as it's been and will be.

The important thing here to remember is that the heart of our beings lies within our families and our parents. It's simply impossible to be thankful for who we are without being thankful to our parents.

By telling your parents you love them, you are telling God that you love the life He gave you. Remember, He chose you! Tag you're it!!!

Vivian Gordon a follower of Jesus Christ. She had dedicated her life to following His will by writing inspirational articles inspired by the Holy Spirit in hopes of reaching broken and lost souls who need to hear the Word of God for their lives. It's all about confession, redemption and salvation. Glory belongs to the Lord!

The Force That Drives Buying Decisions

What do people buy?

They don't buy your wonderful presentation.

People buy solutions and visions.

How do you find out what buyer will think that is?

Ask.

Ask questions.

Spend most of your time asking questions of your prospects, and you will have the opportunity to find out if there is a solution or vision that they want to buy.

When I say solutions or visions, here's what I mean. People buy solutions to problems or deep felt pains that they have or fear happening. People also buy visions that represent the means of attaining their desires.

Of the two, most people will have a stronger motivation to solve or avoid a problem than they will to do something to attain a desire. Don't believe me? Just look at how many people claim to dislike or even hate their jobs. Anyone *can* get a new job or start a new career. Most people never do though. Why? Because the fear of going into the unknown or losing their secure paycheck is more painful than enduring whatever pain or frustration they might have in the job they claim to hate or dislike.

Let's say that If you wanted to sell someone on changing careers. You would need to first deal with whatever they feared in the process of changing careers. Only after successfully addressing this you could ever complete this sale and motivate them with the exciting possibilities that the new career offered.

A business might have a need for a particular product or service that offer. You look at this business, and you just know that they need it. It would make real difference to the way they do business, how they treat their customers, how much revenue they take in, or how efficient they are.

None of this matters.

Nope. That is your perception. The only thing that really matters is whether or not the people who run this business perceive that something needs to be changed. Businesses buy something when they recognize that a change needs to occur to fix or avoid a problem, or to realize a vision for the future.

Now, some prospects are walking pain statements. They'll hand you their problem right up on a silver platter and ask you if you can solve it. These tend to be the easy sales. We love these.

Unfortunately for us, there aren't enough sales like this in most industries to make our sales goals off of. Not all people or businesses perceive that they need to change. Not all buyers are aware of the problems, pitfalls, or opportunities that are out there. This is especially true when you sell an innovative or new product, and people are not even aware that what you offer exists.

So herein lies the challenge and the opportunity for us as salespeople (and the reason why businesses have salespeople instead of a stack of order forms in their corporate lobbies). We are paid a lot of money to find the prospects that are unaware of the problems and possibilities, and to show them the consequences that await them.

People are motivated by consequences. This is one of most important things you can learn in persuasion. Consequences are what people fear or want most. This is the root motivation for what people do, or don't do - what they buy or don't buy.

Earlier I said that by asking questions of your prospects you will have the opportunity to find out if there is a solution or vision that they want to buy. I used the word opportunity specifically, because just asking questions is not enough.

You must ask the right questions at the right time. Use questions impotently, and not only will you not learn what motivates your prospect, you'll likely hear "I want to think about it, call in me in a couple of weeks". This in most cases is just the same as losing the sale.

? 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.

Shamus Brown is a Professional Sales Coach and former high-tech sales pro who began his career selling for IBM. Shamus has written more than 50 articles on selling and is the creator of the popular Persuasive Selling Skills CD Audio Program. You can read more of Shamus Brown's sales tips at http://Sales-Tips.industrialEGO.com/ and you can learn more about his persuasive sales skills training at http://www.Persuasive-Sales-Skills.com/

E-Mail Media Releases

E-mail is becoming the preferred way to receive media releases. Although it can sometimes be harder to get valid e-mail addresses for media contacts, e-mail releases are more likely to be read than faxes and faster than snail mail.

Collect e-mail addresses for your preferred media contacts from the web sites for publications and broadcast outlets. For example, many newspapers list e-mail addresses of their editors, columnists and reporters at their web sites. They may also print e-mail addresses in each section of the newspaper.

Can't find the e-mail address for the person you want to reach? Often, you can guess what the address is if you know the e-mail address convention for that publication. For example, if others there have addresses that are firstname.lastname@magazine.com, you can try contacting columnist John Jones at john.jones@magazine.com.

Keep the release short. There shouldn't be more than a couple of screens worth of text.

Use text, not special formatting such as HTML. What you thought was a beautifully formatted message with special fonts and graphics will show up on some systems as a bunch of garbage code. Also, with all the viruses, worms and trojans out there, some people will not open HTML e-mail.

NEVER send an attachment. Some systems will automatically strip them out, but even if they reach the addressee, many will not open an attachment because of the possibility of viruses as well as the inconvenience.

Your subject line is your headline. Use it wisely. Don't leave it blank, or put a generic subject such as "Hi!" or "Something for you." Most will delete it believing it to be spam or just not interesting. Don't try to be cute with a subject line such as "Guess who?" or "I dare you to open this," for the same reasons.

Make the FROM field meaningful. Put your name, company name or other identifier there. If all that shows up is that the e-mail is from a meaningless series of letters and numbers, it looks unprofessional or like spam.

Don't use the CC: field to send the e-mail release to dozens or hundreds of media. All of the addresses will show up on each person's e-mail, meaning they will have to scroll through pages of header to reach your message-and they won't. Your e-mail will be deleted unread. It's annoying and unprofessional to send e-mails this way.

E-mail releases can be an effective, free way to get publicity. Use them wisely.

Copyright Cathy Stucker. Learn more about how you can attract customers and make yourself famous with free publicity at http://www.IdeaLady.com/pr.htm.

Creating Great Birthday Party Videos

My son recently had his third birthday party and it was mayhem. There were kids all over the place doing all sorts of funny things with parents following them around trying to prevent the next catastrophe. Believe it or not, this environment makes for a fantastic video. The key is to plan a little before heading into the chaos.

Sequence of Activities
First think in general terms about the sequence of events that go into a party. At first, all you may envision are children running around and the best strategy is to sit back, and tape events as they occur from a safe, comfortable distance. After all, how can you possibly control how your video will turn out with the certain anarchy that will ensue? Well, the answer is to pick your spots. The 'spots' I'm talking about are those more creative moments you don't want to miss.

Preparty

• The birthday wish list
• Sending invitations
• Buying the cake
• Decorating
• Creating goodie bags

Party Time

• Friends arrive with presents
• Everyone gets comfortable
• Entertainment arrives
• Lots of laughing, singing, dancing, kazooing (is that a word?)
• Let the games begin
• The Birthday Procession
• Now the real mess: cake and ice cream
• Finally, the presents
• The goodie bags and farewell

Perspective
To really make a great birthday video, be creative and think about the world through a child's eyes for a moment. Kids get excited for a reason. They have all their friends over, most rules go out the door, and there are games, cake, ice cream, and presents; what else could make a child more excited? On top of this, your child is right in the middle of it all, loosing their breath trying to keep track of who's doing what, where, how and why. The goal is to capture that excitement, and it doesn't mean standing in the corner, towering 6 feet over the scene panning back and forth with a wide angle lens filming. You're going to have to do some extreme filming for a few minutes and get down in the action.

Walk Through
Now let's get creative. What I would like to do is walk through the party and give you some examples of creative camera work that will make your videos more exciting to film, edit and share. I don't expect you to use all of these ideas in one video, but using just a few will improve your storytelling dramatically.

Preparty taping
Taping all the preparty items will probably only take less than 10 minutes in total but this video will come in handy when editing. These moments are difficult to plan, so an idea is to keep your video camera fully charged and in an easy to reach spot. This way when the discussion of what they want for their birthday comes up, you'll be able to capture the moment quickly.

The preparty video you tape will be good flashback material. For example, as you tape your child opening their favorite present, you may want to include a brief flashback to when they initially told you what they wanted and how bad they wanted it. Flashbacks can also be used to show before and after shots of the cake or your home before and after the destruction.

The Party
One of the best techniques to make your final video more interesting is to create a few scenes where the viewer experiences the party from the child's perspective. These are commonly called point of view shots. This involves getting down to their level, literally.

Friends arrive with presents
This is a great opportunity for capturing some interesting conversations between the children as they arrive. Try to get your son or daughter to greet the first few arrivals. Kneel down and tape over their shoulder so that the person they are speaking to takes up maybe 2/3 of the frame. For the effect, it should be filmed from the height of the kids. For a more dramatic, meeting of the minds, effect, move the camera around so that it is looking slightly up at the two as they talk. Or, start over the shoulder of one of the subjects and move around to the shoulder of the other.

Note: An important comment is in order here. If you are filming indoors during the day, make sure that you are positioned between your subject and the outside light source (ie. your windows). The primary reasons for this are 1) natural light is an excellent light source and 2) if you shoot a darkened subject against a bright background, the auto-exposure on your camera will compensate for the bright background and darken your subject further. You will essentially end up with a very dark subject (underexposed) with little color and a very bright, white background. Actually, this is the opposite effect of taking a night, flash photo outdoors of your friends against a beautiful city skyline. Your friends end up too bright (overexposed) and the background is entirely black.

Everyone gets comfortable
If your party is at a playground with a slide and swing set, then take the camera down the slide or on the swing set. Climb on the jungle gym and hold your camera knee high and chase the kids. You can obviously do the same at indoor play areas or at home as the children play with the toys. As you edit your video, you can work in these point of view clips.

Entertainment Arrives
A typical setup for an Entertainment scene is where the children are gathered together and watch a performance. A good shot is to sit behind the children and peer through the crowd at the performer. Then shoot a few close ups of the children's faces from behind the performer. If the kids stand up and dance or play a game, stand with them, hold the camera knee high and mingle. You can edit these point of view clips to create a nice final scene.

Let the Games Begin
Playing games is one of the highlights of being a kid. Try to immerse your viewer in the moment and capture the excitement. One of my son's friends had a pi?ata at their birthday party. You can create a great scene by filming another point of view shot before the party begins. Hold the camera and stick together so the stick is visible in the shot. Wave the stick around and pretend to hit the pi?ata. Once you are at the party, and the children have gathered for the fun, stand in the center with your camera knee high and turn around a few times. Now, step back and tape the actual blindfolding and stick waving from a distance. Your final edited clip will include your child being blindfolded, spun around (from their point of view), the stick trying to locate the pi?ata (from its point of view) and finally the candy and toys that result from a direct hit.

The Birthday Procession
Many different birthday traditions exist in the world but the one most followed by Americans is the birthday cake with candles, a happy birthday song, a wish and blowing out the candles. Birthdays were originally reserved for royalty, hence the crowns kids often wear at parties. Taping this scene could have a royal feeling to it as you tape a close up of the lighting of the candles, the act of proceeding to the table with the cake, the singing, the wish and finally the attempt to blow them all out. Try and create the feeling of a grand gathering, using a wide angle to capture all the family and friends who attended. This makes a scene fit for a King or Queen.

Now the Real Mess: Cake and Ice Cream
This is a great opportunity to capture some video of some cute messy faces. Tape a few face close-ups and some wide angle shots of the scene. When you edit the video, try using the slow motion function as a scoop of ice cream falls off a cone or as the cake doesn't quite make it into a mouth. Or, try increasing the speed of the scene while editing and show the kids devouring their whole plate of cake and ice cream in under 10 seconds. Using various speeds can make these scenes really funny.

Finally, the Presents
Opening the presents is as much fun for parents as it is for their children. Bring the camera level with your child's eyes and catch their reaction as they open their gifts. If you're really ambitious, you can cut a hole in the bottom of a box, push the camera lens against the hole and film as they open the box. Place something silly in the box so when they open it, you capture their smile. In addition, the video you taped prior to the party of your son or daughter explaining what they wanted for their birthday can be used here as a flashback. It's magical to see a child's wishes come true.

The Goodie Bags and Farewell
The goodie bags and the mess are all that is left. Try to put a fun item in the goodie bags that the kids can wear. A few ideas include a funny clown nose, silly glasses, candy lips, or tiaras. You can gather the kids together at the end for a funny shot of their new identities. Have them wave goodbye to the camera for the farewell scene.

Parting Words
I hope that you have a better understanding of how to create a more exciting birthday video using various camera angles and editing techniques. Remember that the goal is to fit just a few of these ideas into your finished video. You can accomplish your goal with just a little planning and by picking your spots at the party. With a little thought, you can adapt these ideas to any party situation. Good luck and have fun!

Colton Wright is a writer for http://www.digz-it.com, a video and photo sharing website.

Copyright 2005 by Colton Wright, Digz-it.com

To Buy Pain Meds Online, a Dangerous Move

Many people want to buy pain meds online simply because it is cheaper for them. Recently, thousands of online pharmacies have popped up offering for people to buy pain meds online without a prescription. They offer to sell the medication at cost, or at wholesale prices. This sounds all and good at first, but is it really safe to buy pain meds online?

The answer is more than likely "no." This is especially true if you weren't required to provide a prescription to buy pain meds online. The safety of this purchase is not easy to determine. First off, when you buy pain meds online, how can you be sure that the drug you get it the exact one you asked for, or even if it is the correct potency? The risk for an overdose can be very high. Also these online pharmacies will let anyone buy pain meds online. They do not ask for a prescription or your medical history. They could sell it to a child, a teenager, or a person with a drug addiction. All of this will end in bad results. The FDA also states that it is illegal to purchase or distribute any form of prescription medication without having a prescription or being licensed to do so. So in essence, you are doing something illegal.

There are a few safe places to buy pain meds online. These are the online pharmacies that require a prescription and your medical and allergy history. These websites should have a verifiable street address and a toll free number with live operator assistance. They should also be a licensed pharmacy and have a way for you to check and verify their license. If the online pharmacy is lacking in any of these fields, then you should never purchase from them.

You should never buy pain meds online without a prescription. It has been proven dangerous for many reasons. The safest route is to go to your doctor and get a prescription first. If you can't do that, then purchase an over the counter pain medication. Your life and safety is much too important to risk anything else.

Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.medsonlinecenter.info a blog focusing on the PetMeds, resources and articles. This site provides detailed information on Medicine. For more info on Pain Medicine visit: PetMeds

Risk It With A Bridging Loan?

How many times have you been casually going about your business, seen a great property and thought, "that would be a really nice place to live"? Then you snap out of it, knowing you can't lay your hands on the money fast enough. Well what if you really wanted this property? You discussed it with the agent, your emotions got the better of you and you made an offer.

This has to be a fast sale or the vendor will sell it to someone else, what will you do? How will you find the cash at such short notice? Unless you happen to have thousands of pounds lying around in some bank account you forgot about, you're going to have to borrow some money and fast!

Did you expect the financial industry NOT to have a product for people just like you? Of course not. They've thought of everything. The answer is a bridging loan!

A bridging loan provides a temporary window. As is suggested by the name, it bridges the gap between the amount of cash you need now and the amount you currently have. What you earn normally has no bearing on the matter. How much your current property makes on open market again does not come into it. Your bridging loan takes care of your what you need right now.

If you apply for a bridging loan you can buy the property immediately. You will pay it back when you sell your current property. So, you see, you can have the best of both worlds. Just make sure you read the small print. Make sure you're not being charged extortionate amounts of interest. I always make a point of reading the small print, no matter how long it takes.

Usually, a bridging loan will be a short-term loan with a repayment cycle of one week to six months. There should always be a clause allowing the customer to repay the full amount as soon as their current property is sold.

More often than not, a bridging loan uses the customers current property as security. As the customer, you have options. You will generally have the option of securing the loan on both properties or either one of them. This gives you a little flexibility.

These guys usually move fast. The brokers' valuer will assess the property and come up with a figure on which your bridging loan will be based. This figure will depend on many factors. At the top of the list, you'll find the usual suspects: location, number of bedrooms, size and the general condition of the place, to name but a few.

As soon as the valuation is complete, the lender is in a position to advance the cash to the customer. If you choose a good broker this will happen fast. As a rough rule of thumb, expect to be able to borrow up to 65% of the value of the property. Lenders offer as much as ?25000 to some million pounds on a bridging loan.

Where's the best place to get a bridging loan? Ask your financial advisor and look around, especially on the internet. More and more lenders are coming online these days and there are always some really great deals to be had as lenders try to "out-offer" each other. Get quotes from as many different lenders as you can. Draw up a quick rate comparison sheet to help you decide. You will find that there are many different fee levels for this kind of loan. Sometimes it may be better to pay a little more if the terms are more favourable. Again, always read the small print.

One of the main deciding factors for you will be the speed at which the cash will be forthcoming.Always make this the most important factor in your decision. No point going through all this to be pipped at the post because you were waiting for the money. The whole reason to get a bridging loan is to get instant cash. Choose a lender who specifically states how fast they deliver after signing. You will find many lenders are less than acceptable on this point.

So, a bridging loan can help you out in a tight squeeze. However, there are always two sides to the coin.

Bridging loans are perceived as "higher risk" by most lenders. Interest rates are generally higher because of this and you may find that the one-off charges are also higher than with a conventional loan. Usually because this is the customers' only option and the term is short, the rates will be accepted. The best way to approach a bridging loan is to keep the term short thereby minimising costs.

A further risk when using a bridging loan is counting on your existing property being sold quickly. Should the market drag for you, you will end up paying lots of interest on your bridging loan. This will be your situation until your home is sold.

To conclude, a bridging loan may seem like a great way out and used correctly, it often is. However it is not without it's risks. The risks are very real and deciding to take out a bridging loan should be a measured decision. For these reasons, it's highly recommended that you talk to a good independent financial advisor.

Fabio Marcell is a seasoned contributor to many online and offline journals specialising in the financial sector. He has many years experience in the loans industry and is currently sponsoring the following website: http://www.a1-low-interest-loans.info (for web reprints please ensure this URL is hyperlinked) (c) 2005 Fabio Marcell - All Rights Reserved

Eight Choices You Can Make Today that Will Change Your Life Forever

The direction of our lives is determined by the choices we make every day. They accumulate and add up to our ultimate destiny. Here are eight choices you can make - choices that will create for you a life of abundance and prosperity in all areas of your life.

1. Choose to grow personally. This sounds simple but many people only wish to grow personally. They never choose to grow by taking action, such as actually exercising, saving more money etc. Make a decision today to be a person who is on the never ending journey of personal growth.

2. Choose to always treat others right. We come across all sorts of people, many of whom will treat us poorly. We can choose to treat them right, no matter how they treat us. When the lie, we will tell the truth. When the cheat, we will play by the rules. We may get the short end of the stick some times, but in the long-run we will win. And most importantly, we will be able to sleep at night.

3. Choose to break a bad habit. Take the biggie first. Tackle it head on. If you don't know what it is, ask a friend. Then spend every effort you can to break that habit. Forget about the others, as you will get to them later. Stop smoking, get out of debt, lose your excess weight. Exercise the power to choose!

4. Choose to work smarter. Many people I work with feel like they are out of balance. One of the first things I do is try to find out how much time they are wasting at work, which makes them work longer, which throws the rest of their life into chaos. Getting your work done by diligently working in the time you have will free your life up extraordinarily.

5. Choose to see your work as a way to help others, and not a way to make money. If you put your heart into helping others, the money will most assuredly come. Spend time helping others grow and your finances will grow with it.

6. Choose to become balanced spiritually, emotionally and physically. Our lives are best when we have these three major areas in balance. Spend some time cultivating your spirituality, becoming emotionally healthy, and physically fit.

7. Choose to sow more than you reap. There are many takers in this world, but our lives will be better as we become givers. The world will become better as we become givers. Give away your time, give away your money, give away your love.

8. Choose to get home for dinner more often. The family is the most important group of people you will ever belong to. Make a decision today to grow in your relationship with your parents, siblings, spouse and children. This one choice you will never regret.

One of my favorite quotes: The history of free men is never written by chance, but by choice - their choice. Dwight D. Eisenhower

About The Author:

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams.

To see Chris "live" at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on the subject of Secrets of Influence go to http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.

Panda Jewelry: an Eye on Our Endangered Wildlife

Thinking of an adorable motif to wear or give away to friends, but tired of cliches? Maybe you've bought too many ballerina figurines or puppy plushies. It's time to experiment with a different theme. The idea of panda jewelry is a unusual and is associated with environmental and ecological issues.

If you want to distinguish yourself from the boring routine of giving away cute cuddly teddy bears or bear-motifed cards for Christmas or a birthday, opt for something different by considering panda jewelry. After all, bears are always cute -- but pandas are exotic BESIDES being cute.

Pandas in accessories may be somewhat unconventional, but the unconventionality itself is sure to make this theme set a smash hit. The white-and-black theme that comes naturally to pandas is useful for every design. We all know how chic chiaroscuro (an italian term for an artistic rendering using only black and white) is "in" at any fashion era!

Besides, it's really wrong to say that pandas aren't "in" at all! Japan's Tare-panda has achieved much mileage among young people since its creation in 1995. In 1999, Japan's Seda magazine elected Tare-panda as the most popular toy of the year. The Tare-panda mascot, bug-eyed and cute, has found its way to various forms of merchandise -- on bracelets and bags, t-shirts and notebooks, and even to cell phone charms!

Mobile phone charms are actually just among of the many examples of accessories where the panda jewelry motif would definitely "click." Kids nowadays may be modern, but modern accessories need not adopt to a futuristic theme, or a fantastic one...in fact, panda jewelry may actually be useful in making young people more aware of the plight of the panda -- specifically the Giant Panda, which is one of the more endangered species in the world today.

Cute and cuddly as they are, pandas are nonetheless beleaguered by very real issues. Encouraging more young people into wearing panda jewelry instead of regular bear jewelry may just help them become more involved in this cause.

Sam Serio is an Internet Marketer, musician and a writer on the subject of jewelry and gemstones. For more information on jewelry and gemstones, we cordially invite you to visit http://www.morninglightjewelry.com to pick up your FREE copy of "How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off." This concise, informative special report reveals almost everything you ever wanted to know about jewelry and gemstones, but were afraid to ask. Get your FREE report at http://www.morninglightjewelry.com.

Fun with Credit Cards

For those of us who know how to use them properly, credit cards can actually be quite fun and lucrative. To those who do not know how to use them properly, I would say that you should stop reading this column right about now, or at least I would advise you not to try any of this stuff at home. What I'm about to describe is not one of those illegal credit card schemes. Instead, I'm talking about taking full advantage of the benefits and offers that credit card companies and store chains offer their customers all the time.

I get several credit card offers each month, but I only accept those that come with no annual fee and pay me at least one percent cash back or credit on my purchases. I don't care about the interest rate. It could be some exorbitant rate like 50% for all I care, since I never carry a balance and always pay off what I owe at the end of each month. Right now, I probably have about 15 different cards, but I only regularly use three of them.

I have one card that gives me an instant five percent credit on my gasoline purchases. Therefore, I buy all of my gasoline with this card and never use cash to buy it. I have another card that gives me five percent cash back on any purchase I make at a drug store or grocery store. Needless to say, I try to use that card exclusively at those establishments. The third card I regularly use gives me a one percent instant credit on all purchases. I use it for just about everything except purchases of gasoline or purchases at drug stores or grocery stores. The more I use my cards the more credits and cash back I get. The credit card companies are, in effect, paying me to use their cards and I am more than happy to oblige.

Some credit card companies will take things one step further and even pay you to take their cards. These payments will take the form of gift certificates, bonus cash back, and/or bonus credits. There is one minor catch in that most companies will generally require that you use the cards at least once each to get those benefits. That's never a problem for me as I will use them once to get the benefits and then toss them into my "inactive" drawer.

Having lots of credit cards means I get lots of offers in the mail (and sometimes by phone) from the credit card companies in which I am asked to try out some kind of worthless subscription for 30 days. Most of the time, I just throw these offers in the trash can. However, there are some that I will try because they will "bribe" me adequately to do so. However, they must offer me at least $10 and the offer must have a free trial period. I will then cash their check, put the money in my pocket, and cancel before the free trial period ends. However, I have found that I need to be careful with these offers. Sometimes they'll offer me $10 to try something that costs $10 (or more) per month, with no free trial period. I avoid those like the plague, since the best I can do is break even.

Speaking of worthless subscription offers, most credit card companies will push some kind of credit card insurance. The way it works that you pay about half of one percent of your monthly purchase totals so that this insurance will make your minimum monthly payment in case your are disabled, laid off, have a death in the family, or suffer some other kind of qualifying malady. This insurance may be a good idea for those who run a monthly balance and only make the minimum payment, but it's worthless to those of us who pay off our balances each month. However, the credit card companies will never acknowledge this fact and will pay you to try it and will usually give you a free trial period.

I take these subscriptions only for cards that I don't use, so it never costs me anything. What's better is that when I try to cancel it, they bribe me again to keep the subscription active! The bribe is usually in the form of rebate tickets of $10 to $25 per month for about six months. When I make a purchase that equals or exceeds the face value of the ticket, I send in the receipt along with the ticket and get a cash rebate about eight weeks later for the face value of the ticket. Then, when the tickets run out and I attempt to cancel my subscription again, they offer me even more tickets to stay subscribed. Sometimes, I have tried to cancel before the six months ran out and got even more tickets for the same card in overlapping months! If you have several cards you don't use, each with one of these subscriptions, the rebates could really add up!

In addition to the cards issued to me by the credit card companies, I have several cards issued by store chains like Sears, JC Penney, Hecht's, etc. Most of the store chains that issue credit cards will offer discounts of 10, 15, 20, or even 25 percent at various times for simply using those cards to make purchases at their stores. Some will even offer a bonus discount for just signing up (and being approved, of course) to take one of their cards! They can afford to do this because they know that most people will not pay off their balance each month, but will instead make the minimum payment along with paying an ungodly amount of interest. The stores will more than make up for those discounts right there. Meanwhile, those of us who don't run monthly balances reap the benefits of discounts that other people are paying for!

What I have just described is not illegal, immoral, or unethical. Credit card companies and store chains are in the business to make money and sometimes they'll offer things that don't seem to make sense in order to maintain and/or expand their customer base. Contrary to popular belief, credit card companies do indeed make money off people like me, who never pay a dime in interest or annual fees and take full advantage of all of their offers. The money comes from the businesses that accept those cards by way of the fees they pay each I time I use one of my cards. Those businesses, in turn, are willing to pay these fees in order to attract as many customers as they can. Therefore, everyone in the credit card cycle benefits. Those who use credit cards the way I do are just making sure they are getting their piece of the pie.

Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Hopewell, VA. He also serves as a political columnist for American Daily and operates his own website - http://www.commenterry.com - on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.

Why They Launched Harry Potter At 12:01 Midnight

A missionary and his family were forced to camp outside on a hill. They had money with them and were fearful of an attack by roving thieves.

After praying, they went to sleep. Months later an injured man was brought into the mission hospital. He asked the missionary if he had soldiers guarding him on that special night.

"We intended to rob you," he said, "but we were afraid of the twenty-seven soldiers."

When the missionary returned to his homeland, he related this strange story, and a member of his church said, "we had a prayer meeting that night, and I took the roll. There were just twenty-seven of us present."

Why was their prayer so effective?

Because they prayed it at the midnight hour.

(By the way, that story is from Billy Graham's Hope for the Troubled Heart.)

Recently, something else was also programmed into the midnight hour. It was so huge, so far-reaching, with the potential to affect the lives of untold millions around the world.

I am talking about the global launch of the new book in the Harry Potter series on July 16th.

The Midnight Launch

Unless you've been vacationing in some cave (away from tv and other news media) these past few weeks, you most certainly have been bombarded by the latest wave of "Pottermania," which was launched just after midnight (12:01a.m.to be exact) in all the continents.

Kids all over the world had to camp out at midnight, in their favorite bookstores just to grab their copy of "Harry Potter and the half blood prince," the latest book in the wildly popular Harry Potter series.

The books were reportedly flying off the shelves at the rate of 50,000 copies an hour! Incredible.

But why was it launched at midnight?

Spiritual people understand that midnight is a crucial spiritual entity on its own. The most powerful, history-making events that you hear about (both good and bad) can be traced to the midnight hour.

A few examples from the Bible:

* When God wanted to execute judgment on Egypt, He chose the midnight hour (Exodus 11).

* Samson waited till the midnight hour to storm the gates of his enemies (Judges 16).

* It was at midnight that Paul and Silas were rescued from prison (Acts 16).

So was it any surprise that:

* Those at the forefront of the global revival of witchcraft waited until midnight of July 16 to launch their lethal weapon?

Many bad things that we hear about daily have their origin at midnight. In Job 34:20 we read:

"In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken without hand."

So why did they launch Harry Potter at midnight?

If you are a Christian you may or may not be aware of the explosive revival of witchcraft internationally, pioneered by a spirit known to our modern world as Harry Potter. His real name in the Bible is Beelzebub, lord of the flies.

He has brilliantly repackaged himself and is being marketed to unsuspecting kids the world over as the fun, harmless, even lovable Harry Potter!

In this modern incarnation, he has some interesting things on his agenda for kids. It's been called the 7-point plan.

Harry's 7-point Agenda

* Entice and initiate as many kids as possible into "fun" witchcraft through the Harry Potter books and movies... and gradually but quietly graduate them into deep occultism and hard core black magic as they grow older.

* Push them to commit suicide (Note: many kids are reported to have gone into deep depression already as a result of the death in this new book - just the prelude to suicide).

* Use more kids as instruments to commit mass murder in schools and other public places.

* Use innocent looking kids to lure and recruit their unsuspecting friends into witchcraft (In the city where I live 610 kids gathered just 2 days after the launch to practice how to cast spells and mix portions)

* Position at least one witchcraft-practising kid in each family, then later equip her to wreck the home and turn that family into a desert.

* Use the kids to promote an epidemic of rebellion (with a little help from drugs and hip hop music), plus an unprecedented level of pornography, sexual perversion and abortion.

* Use the kids as the foot soldiers in the renewed war against the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the next generations.

The Good News

You see, this intelligent witchcraft spirit (or Harry Potter, if you prefer) is waging this serious war against kids knowing fully well that they are tomorrow's leaders... and GOD has a special plan for them.

We know from Psalm 8:2 that GOD wants to use the children to disgrace His enemies.

And HE has graciously give us a very effective weapon to help keep our kids out of the clutches of Harry Potter (a.k.a. Beelzebub).

That weapon is...

To pray over our kids while they are sleeping. We, as parents, must minister to them gently and in love.

Infants and young children (including the ones in the womb) need to be prayed for against bad influence from friends, and unconscious witchcraft initiation through Pottermania.

They need to be constantly placed under the protection of the blood of Jesus.

You should get into the habit of reading the entire Psalm 91 over your children... daily.

Here's a small sample of the kind of prayer you should be praying:

"As the LORD lives, my kids (mention them by name) shall not come under the bewitchment of Harry Potter and his agents in Jesus' name.

I bind all enchantments and divinations programmed to waste my kids in Jesus' name.

The God that answers by fire let him be God. O LORD, answer by fire and disgrace every evil messenger assigned against my kids in the name of Jesus."

If you program this kind of prayer into the midnight hour, it will:

* counter and destroy any evil altar raised up by Harry Potter against your kids.

* recall and break all incantations uttered that night to destroy the destiny of your kids.

(Please note: God takes this type of activity seriously, because HE knows the destructive effects of divinations, etc... you can read about the classic case of Balaam in Num. 22).

* (this is an exciting one!) stamp the mark of "touch not my anointed" on the forehead of all your children. This will effectively put them out of reach of modern witchcraft influences.

And there's more...

I'm reserving it for next time...

Be blessed!

Prayer coach Elisha Goodman helps busy people get quick results through prayer. Learn more about his two golden key secrets that guarantee answers to your prayers at http://www.firesprings.com.

Check out his ebook packed with tips and strategies on how to attract a car, house, spouse or anything else you desire through prayer - almost everytime you pray at http://www.firesprings.com/prayer.htm

How to Breathe New Life into Your Advertising Campaign

If you haven't made many sales or perhaps none at all, don't be discouraged. Use this 10-point checklist to breathe new life into your advertising campaigns and improve your response rate.

Remind people they are ordering through a secure server. Tell them you won't sell or share their e-mail address and that all their information will be kept confidential.

Your advertisement should outline benefits and not just features. In addition, your ad's headline should attract your target audience. You should also list testimonials or guarantees.

Here are two free resources you can use to learn how to write effective ads and headlines.

5,000 Hypnotic Words and Phrases

http://www.incomewaterway.com/free-book

Copywriting E-Course

http://www.red-hot-copy.com/downloads.htm

People usually don't purchase the first time they visit. The more times they visit your site, the greater the chance they will buy. The most effective way to get people to return to your site is to give them a free subscription to your e-zine. You can accomplish this by posting a sign up form or guestbook on your website. You could also list free and low cost resources on your website and update them regularly. Ask visitors to bookmark your site and visit again and again to discover newly added items.

People will feel more comfortable if they know who they are buying from. Publish a section called "About Us" (or "About Me" if you're a sole proprietor) on your web site. Include your business history, profile of employees, contact information etc. Here's an example of my own "About Me" page.

http://www.incomewaterway.com/aboutme

Accept credit cards, checks, money orders, and other forms of electronic payments such as PayPal, ClickBank, etc. Take orders by phone, e-mail, website, fax, mail, etc.

You need your own domain. To find if a name is already taken and to register your own domain name go here:

http://www.godaddy.com

Make sure your website is easy to navigate through. If you site has dozens of pages, consider including a site map.

Websites are most effective when the material all relates to one theme including the graphics.

Here's where you can find out how to download a free ebook that will help you design effective web pages:

webpages@frogleads.info

When you use free stuff to lure people to your website include it below your ad copy or on another web page. If you list the freebie above your ad they may never look to see what you're selling.

You won't sell steaks to a vegetarian. You want visitors that are interested specifically in what you offer. Consider surveying your existing customers to see what made them decide to buy from you. This information will help you improve your target marketing and advertising.

If you don't yet have a customer base, use ezine advertising to begin building one. Find ezines that cater to an audience interested in your marketing area. For instance, if your product relates to humor find publishers that distribute humor ezines. Here's one of the fastest ways to find the right ezines.

http://www.incomewaterway.com/ezines

Every experienced marketer knows you must work at constantly improving various aspects of your business...especially your ad copy since it's the lifeblood of your business. This is how you get the word out. So, you must be willing to try different headlines and revise ad copy if necessary.

Use an ad tracker for your advertising campaigns to measure how many clickthroughs you receive for a particular ad.

Many people are interested in your product but they put off buying it till later and eventually forget about it. Entice them to buy now with a freebie or discount and include a deadline date when the offer ends.

If your business is at a standstill, it doesn't have to be. Use these 10 techniques to breathe new life into your marketing efforts.

About The Author

Karin Peavy has marketed online for three years. Her goal is to help others zero in on exactly what's needed for web success. In response to this goal she created http://www.incomewaterway.com, home to some of the web's best marketing resources including free articles and ecourses. Karin also publishes a free weekly e-newsletter that provides product reviews, income opportunities and marketing tips. Free gift with every subscription: http://www.incomewaterway.com/FreeTips.

You may use this article in your electronic publication or on your website as long as you do not alter the article in any way. You must also include my bio in its entirety.

karinpeavy@incomewaterway.com