What is the cross? Was it a medieval tool to ward off vampires?
Is it a fashion statement warn by rockers, rappers, and reggae
crowds? Is it a bumper sticker on the back of a mini-van or on a
chain dangling from a rear view mirror? Or is it a symbol by
which many religious people habitually bow? What is the cross?

Simply stated, the cross was a tool of execution. The Roman
Empire invented and used crucifixion as their primary and
practical means of carrying out the death penalty. It was
primary because it was horrific. It was practical because it
sent a terrifying message; the Empire was not to be taken
lightly.

Crucifixion was both physical torture while psychologically
degrading. It was not meant to break the criminal in order to
get him to recant. It was the final death blow, to the body and
the spirit. While the physical-medical-scientific aspects of
crucifixion can be found in the encyclopedias, one thing is for
sure, it was a bloody spectacle. Some criminals, if not most,
were introduced to the cross after having been flogged. The
back, already bloodied and torn by a crude whip, was then placed
on a beam, and the wrists and feet were than nailed to the death
tree. Nailed!

To be sure, death came slowly by way of the cross. With hours of
bodily suffering and emotional anguish, the pain and humiliation
was too much for any human to bear. Crucifixion was a common
form of capital punishment in Rome’s day, just as the electric
chair has been in our country. So I have to ask, when have you
ever seen someone sporting a miniature electric chair, a
hangman’s noose, a gas chamber, or a syringe from someone’s
neck? The cross is not fashionable. It is death.

Historically we know that many offenders died by means of Roman
crucifixion. So what sets apart the cross from every other form
of punishment throughout history? What makes the cross a
recognized monument throughout the world? Is it not the person
that hung on the tree two thousand years ago that draws our
attention? So the question is rather, who is this Jesus that
died on the rugged cross? And what was His crime?

Skeptics mock Him, while others worship Him. But what did Jesus
say of Himself? If you dare, you can take up the Bible for
yourself and read the accounts of His life, death, and yes, His
resurrection. Jesus made astounding claims in the Bible. One of
the boldest declarations He made was when He told His disciples,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No man comes to the
father but by me” (John 14:6). His statement there is one reason
many find Jesus so unattractive today. You see, Jesus was very
matter-of-fact. Did He say, I am a way, or one of many ways? Or,
I am a truth, or one of many truths? If you look closely you
will notice Christ’s emphatic emphasis on the word “the.” So
when Jesus announced that He is “the way, the truth, and the
life,” what were the implications? Quite simply, all other ways
to God and heaven are false, fabrications, and farces. And all
other deities are counterfeits. Now before you pick up stones,
remember that these words came out of the mouth of Christ
Himself.

Furthermore, if you investigate the Gospel of John you will
discover the same Jesus claimed to be the expected Messiah (John
4), said He came from above (John 3), stated that His kingdom is
not of this world (John 18), and declared that He and the Father
are one (John 10). John’s Gospel also states that this Jesus not
only created the world, but that He came in the flesh among His
creation (John 1).

Jesus is God incarnate. That is who hung on the cross. And that
is what makes the cross eminent.

What was Christ’s crime? Other than declaring that He was God
and the only way of salvation, He also forgave sins and dined
with sinners. For these He was ushered to the cross. But was
this not the reason He came into the world, to save sinners?
Jesus said of Himself, “For even the Son of Man did not come to
be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for
many” (Mark 10:45).

So the next time you pick up the Bible and read the Gospels, ask
yourself if what I wrote is true? And whenever you see a cross
on a church building, around someone’s neck, or tattooed on
someone’s limb, remember who it was that hung on the cross and
that His crucifixion was for our redemption…not to make a
fashion statement..

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On July 28, 2004, French Internet access providers and music copyright owners signed a joint national charter aimed at cracking down on illegal downloads and expanding the amount of legal music tracks available online (AFP). This is the latest in a series of moves taken across the world to combat music piracy as production labels see more and more of their profits being lost to illegal downloads of music files.

The music industry has been saying the same thing for several years now: peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks are exponentially distributing pirated music across the world through the Internet, and this constitutes a copyright infringement. In English, this means that the fact that I downloaded a Tori Amos track through Kazaa yesterday and am listening to it right now makes me a criminal. So far, so good. Quite true as well.

But the real problem is not that people do not want to pay for music. Often I sample new music off the Internet before buying the CDs. Chances are that if I like most of the album, I’m going to buy it. On the surface this is what radio stations do when they play music. The difference, however, is that it has become insanely easy for me to acquire almost-as-good-as-original quality mp3s of any track that I want to listen to, and even if I don’t pay a dime, no one is there to catch me.

The principle of accountability has vanished. When one sees that there are two ways to acquire the same product, but by sacrificing a ‘little’ bit of quality you can get it for free without being penalized for it, what would most rational people do? P2P networks have made finding music off the Internet ridiculously easy, and most of us tend to ‘forget’ our social responsibility when it comes to such ‘trivial’ matters. To contribute to this, copy-protection techniques used on CDs by major production houses are always a step behind the latest cracking algorithms, and steps taken to prevent ‘ripping’ of CDs and DVDs have proven fruitless so far.

Enter music downloads of the legal kind. Disregarding the small number of ‘free’ legal music available for promotional purposes, more and more artists and labels have begun to provide a pay-per-download music service. In essence, you can purchase individual tracks or complete albums through a secure online transaction and then download your ‘purchase’ and, with variable limits to personal use, pretty much do whatever you want to do with it (Several providers digitally encode the files to prevent them from being played on other computers, or to be burned onto CD-Rs)
This is both a move to encourage free-riders such as me to start acquiring ‘legal’ music and an economic adjustment to the digital music revolution. Developing technologies are changing the way people perceive and use music. The advent of iPod and other mp3 players has meant that more and more people are becoming accustomed to carrying around their complete music collections with the latest players offering space for around 10,000 songs. This holds frightening possibilities for record companies. There is a very real concern within the industry that the CD format is fast going out of style, and as technology evolves, consumer demands for the best ‘medium’ will change as well. Till a few years ago audio CDs offered unparalleled music quality, a factor record companies used to encourage people to ‘buy instead of steal (download)’. However, today’s high-quality digital formats mean that audio quality is comparable, and in some cases equal to, CDs. Some experts are even starting to predict that within a decade CDs will become history as digital music will evolve to a point where we will be have access to our entire music collection (hopefully paid for) wherever we want it: in our car, at work, anywhere in the house, even on the beach. Matched with promises (and the reality) of audio quality, this is a serious threat to traditional business.

Thus, providing legal music online is a means of the industry trying to position itself to take advantage of the rising trend of portable music collections. A quick glance across major online music stores tells us exactly so. While offering free-riders affordable music (allowing them to purchase only the tracks they like instead of forcing them to buy the complete album) to ensure that they do not turn to music piracy, sites like eMusic and Apple’s iTunes are backing the new trend. iTunes, Apple’s online music store, has the added distinction of being supported by perhaps the best mp3 player in the business, the iPod. In this combination, Apple has found a very secure marketing brand and ensured that it takes full advantage of this cross between technology and music.

Legal music downloads appear to be the perfect answer to stopping music piracy, at least the downloading kind. Therefore there is no surprise when one sees major record labels pushing to expand such services. However, recent developments tend to make us question what the overall agenda really is. After a period of consolidation of the digital music market in the last two years, albums available for download online are being priced higher than they would normally be in retail stores. It used to be that you could download a song for $0.99 and a complete album for $9.99, but now stores are setting higher prices, with tracks going for $1.50 or even $2.49 and $11.50 albums being sold for $12.50 and $13.00 online. What is going on?
In positioning themselves to take advantage of changing market forces, the music industry has also hit upon another major factor in determining sales: consumer behavior. Legal music downloads offer people like me the comfort of never having to waste time in retail stores looking for my favorite track from high-school days or wondering when the latest album of Nickelback would hit the shelves. Instead, all the hassles are removed with everything easily searchable, previewable and downloadable from the comfort of my computer chair (and this baby is very, very, comfortable). Consumers may not be usually rational, but they are always looking to save the effort when it comes to making any sort of purchases. Online stores (or is it the major recording labels? Who knows…) are now cashing into this very aspect of human psychology and are beginning to charge extra for a service they are portraying now as a privilege. Having already consolidated their core target market, the time has now come to increase revenues.

Would this drive people back towards music piracy? Highly unlikely. People are not evil, or criminal, by nature. Appeals to their better nature usually work, and that is the strategy adopted by agencies like the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) who are actively involved in putting a stop to illegal music sharing. Media campaigns encouraging music lovers to pay a dollar or two for tracks instead of ‘committing a crime’ by downloading them for free are actually working as slowly but surely, more and more people flock to online music stores. And with existing customers sticking to this more ‘comfortable’ way of buying music, the industry is finally starting to win back ground it lost due to music piracy.

For more information about this topic please visit www.Every.ca
admin@every.ca

Mike Ber is the owner of the Canadian Domain Name Portal called http://www.Every.ca. He is also a contributing author to Canadian Computer Magazine and http://www.Developer.ca website.

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One of the reasons VoIP is so poplar is it affords users
multiple methods for placing a phone call. Here are some choices
you have when you use VoIP services:

Buy an IP phone

You can purchase a special phone that looks much like an
ordinary phone, but offers an Ethernet connector. This means you
can connect the phone to your router and make IP calls easily
from your computer once hooked up correctly. Developers are also
currently working on Wi-Fi versions of these phones, which will
allow consumers to place calls from anywhere Wi-Fi is available.

Connect from one computer to another

This is probably the least complicated way to take advantage of
VoIP. Simply connect computer to computer to the person you want
to call. You will need some equipment, including a microphone
(so you can talk to someone), speakers (to hear them) and a
sound card. You’ll probably also want a fast internet
connection. Other than that, use this method and you can make
free long distance calls anywhere in the world.

Use an analog telephone adaptor

An analog telephone adaptor or ATA lets you connect your
computer or Internet connection to an ordinary phone so you can
take advantage of VoIP technology. This converter will change
analog signals into digital information your computer can
interpret. All you have to do is plug a cable connecting your
phone to your computer and you are ready to go!

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Investors who exclusively use broadly diversified, no load mutual funds for their stock investments often lose out on opportunities to increase the reward potential of their portfolios. This article looks at two methods investors may use to enhance the performance of their portfolio of diversifed, no load mutual funds.

Diversify, diversify, diversify!

Rebalance your portfolio periodically.

These have become the mantra in the post dot-com era. Stocks, bonds, and cash typically form the major asset classes for constructing portfolios of no load mutual funds. Lot of emphasis rightly gets placed on the percentage of assets allocated to no load mutual funds of different asset classes. However, the division of assets within a particular class does not nearly get the attention it should.

All too often, investors exclusively use broadly diversified, no load mutual funds for their stock investments. Fidelity Magellan Fund (Nasdaq: FMAGX) and Fidelity Contrafund Fund (Nasdaq: FCNTX) are examples of popular Fidelity funds investors commonly use. By following this approach, investors often miss out on opportunities to enhance the reward potential of their portfolios.

In a related article, we have looked at how investors can use sector funds to construct a diversified, no load mutual fund portfolio. In this article, we look at how investors can use sector funds to enhance the performance of their portfolio of diversified, no load mutual funds. Although Fidelity funds are presented as examples, the concepts outlined here can be implemented using sector funds managed by other institutions such as Vanguard or T. Rowe Price.

Sector funds confine their investments to a particular sector of the economy. Fidelity funds managed under the Select Portfolios® are sector funds. For example, Fidelity Select Energy (Nasdaq: FSENX) is a no load mutual fund that focuses its investments on various segments of the energy industry such as integrated oil companies, oil and gas exploration and production companies, and oil field service companies.

So how does one use sector funds to increase the performance potential of a portfolio of diversified, no load mutual funds?

Focus on sectors with growth opportunities. An investor having a portfolio of diversified, no load mutual funds may commit a portion of her assets to sector funds that focus on areas having significant growth opportunities, e.g., electronics or software. Some financial professionals call this the ‘core and satellite’ portfolio approach where the diversified, no load mutual fund is the core and the sector fund is the satellite holding. Investments in Fidelity funds like Fidelity Select Electronics (Nasdaq: FSELX) or Fidelity Select Software and Computer Services (Nasdaq: FSCSX) can enable the investor add emphasis on growth sectors such as electronics and software, respectively.

Take a proactive approach to sector investing through sector rotation. Like in the previous case, an investor having a portfolio of diversified, no load mutual funds commits a portion of her assets to sector funds. With this approach, the investor however seeks to maximize the potential of the portion of assets committed to sector funds by periodically switching assets into sectors with higher expected returns.

For example, until not too long ago, major corporations pruned technology related capital spending whereas falling interest rates kept consumer spending strong. To profit from such secular trends, an investor may choose to invest in Fidelity funds such as Select Consumer Industries (Nasdaq: FSCPX) and Select Leisure (Nasdaq: FDLSX) while avoiding Select Technology (Nasdaq: FSPTX). AlphaProfit.com’s research indicates that sector rotation has the potential to outperform the market averages on the basis of relative returns as well as risk-adjusted returns. To employ this approach effectively, you need to understand and follow the dynamics of the individual sectors. You must also be able to make informed decisions on sectors to select and sectors to avoid.

The Impact on Your Portfolio. Strong performance from a portion of assets committed to sector funds can materially enhance the return of your portfolio of no load mutual funds. Fidelity funds such as Select Electronics and Select Software and Computer Services sport 10 year average annual returns of close to 18%; this is nearly twice the 10 year average annual return of 9.4% for the Fidelity Magellan Fund. Using tactical, infrequent rotation of assets among sectors, the AlphaProfit’s Focus™ model portfolio has increased at an average annual rate of 34.4% since 1993.

So what do these return rates translate to you in dollar terms? A $100,000 investment in a diversified, no load mutual fund that grows at 10% per year results in $259,374 at the end of 10 years. If the same $100,000 is divided such that $85,000 is invested in the same diversified, no load mutual fund growing at 10% per year and the remaining $15,000 is invested in sector funds growing at 30% per year, the assets will total $427,256 at the end of 10 years. That is $167,882 or 65% more than the $259,374 resulting in the former case.

Thus by allocating even a relatively small, say 15%, of the total portfolio of no load mutual funds to sector funds, you can dramatically increase your returns.

Key Points to Remember

1. Investors who exclusively use broadly diversified, no load mutual funds for their stock investments often miss out on opportunities to enhance the return of their portfolios.

2. Sector funds can serve as a valuable return enhancing booster for an investor owning a portfolio of diversified, no load mutual funds.

3. Investors may choose to take a passive long-term approach to investing in sector funds that target high growth sectors of the economy. Alternatively, an investor can take a proactive approach to maximize the potential of sector funds by periodically switching assets into sectors with higher expected returns.

4. Investors willing to look beyond broadly diversified, no load mutual funds have a powerful ally in sector funds. Such investors can materially increase portfolio returns by committing a relatively small fraction of their total assets invested in diversified, no load mutual funds to sector funds.

Notes: This report is for information purposes only. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer to buy or sell securities or to give individual investment advice. This report does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation, and particular needs of any specific person who may receive this report. The information contained in this report is obtained from various sources believed to be accurate and is provided without warranties of any kind. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC does not represent that this information, including any third party information, is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC is not responsible for any errors or omissions herein. Opinions expressed herein reflect the opinion of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC and are subject to change without notice. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC disclaims any liability for any direct or incidental loss incurred by applying any of the information in this report. The third-party trademarks or service marks appearing within this report are the property of their respective owners. All other trademarks appearing herein are the property of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. Owners and employees of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC for their own accounts invest in the Fidelity Funds mentioned in this report. They may for their own accounts also buy, sell, or hold long or short positions in any of the other securities mentioned in this report. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC neither is associated with nor receives any compensation from Fidelity Investments. The investment returns and examples provided above are solely for illustrative purposes. Past performance is neither an indication of nor a guarantee for future results. No part of this document may be reproduced in any manner without written permission of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. Copyright © 2004 AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. All rights reserved.

About The Author

Sam Subramanian, PhD, MBA is Managing Principal of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. Sam developed the ValuM™ Investment Process for managing investments. He edits the AlphaProfit Sector Investors’ Newsletter™. For the 5 year period ending December 31, 2003, AlphaProfit model portfolios increased by up to 288%, a compound annual return rate of 31%. To learn more about AlphaProfit and to subscribe to the FREE newsletter, visit: http://www.alphaprofit.com

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Human beings are blessed with a unique gift: the gift of prayer or petition to the Infinite for our needs. A religious person would call it prayer; others may call it petition or meditation. There is a clear distinction between petition and meditation, however. Meditation is generally a passive process, but in a petition, we actively communicate with the Infinite Source. The word “petition” itself conveys the significance of the process. In human law, once a suit is filed or a legal proceeding is initiated, certain processes are put in motion. Regardless of who we are or our station in life, the legal process takes its course.

Natural laws operate the same way, no matter who triggers them. As soon as we petition for our needs, we put into motion certain natural processes that will bring about the manifestation of what we petitioned for.

If justified and done properly, petitions are always granted - always. Petitions are granted not on the basis of our religious beliefs or affiliations nor on the basis of righteousness or unrighteousness. Petitions can be conscious or unconscious. For the majority of us, our unconscious petitions are granted more often than our conscious ones.

Why are our unconscious petitions granted more often? The answer is simply that in our conscious petitions - due to ignorance, lack of clear thought, superstition, or unconscious behavior - we tend to contradict ourselves and therefore prevent our petitions from becoming alive and manifesting the things we petitioned for. To me there is no contradiction between the terms “granting of petitions” and “manifesting our desires.” If we create something that does not contradict cosmic laws, it manifests (and can be said to be granted) in accordance with those laws. And petitions that do contradict these laws are either returned to the sender or ignored - not granted.

For petitions to be granted, they must be done properly, to conform to certain conditions:

• We must be sincere in our petitions.

• We must be careful that what we ask for is actually what we need.

• Our petitions must not be detrimental to others.

• What we ask for must benefit not only us but others as well.

• We must have the knowledge that our petition will be granted.

• Above all, we must release our petitions to the Universal Mind for them to be manifested.

These conditions may sound philosophical, but personal experience will convince you of their truth.

Being sincere means we ask for something because we need it and not because we want to be like or better than someone else, prove something to the world, or satisfy our ego.

Determining what we need is probably extremely difficult for most people. As an illustration, if you have no car, no money, no job, and face an eviction, what would you ask for? We must reduce our need to the lowest common factor. By asking for the wrong thing, we risk not receiving an answer or receiving something we may not be particularly happy with.

We must determine what is most essential for life, and we must trust in the Universal Mind to provide it in the best possible way.

If our petition would give us, for example, power to avenge prior wrongdoing by someone else or in any way allow us to harm or punish someone, the chance of that petition being granted is very slim.

The more benefit our petition would bring to others, the greater the chance that it will be granted. But it is not up to us to say, “If my petition to win the lottery is granted, I will do this or that for my neighbor because he or she needs it.” As noble as it may sound, we must be careful about making such decisions regarding others. As I have pointed out, it is difficult enough to determine what we ourselves need much less what someone else needs.

Manifestation is not always obvious. Therefore, knowing when our petition has been granted is not easy and often requires a series of personal experiences that build confidence rather than just faith. If seeing is believing, then experience is knowing. We must have confidence that our petition will be granted until we have had enough experience to cause us to recognize that it has been granted.

The last condition is probably the most critical. If all the previous conditions have been met but you fail to release your petition to the Universal Mind, you can be sure that your petition will not be answered.

We’ve all had the experience in which what we want does not occur, and then, suddenly, it happens when we least expect it. Wouldn’t it be nice to want something and have it happen right then? It seems that it often happens as soon as you have begun to give up or let go or released your thoughts. Once we have determined exactly what we need and have met the other conditions, we must release the petition to the Universal Mind to bring it about in the best possible way. We must be careful not to carry the petition with us twenty-four hours a day to the point that it becomes a worry. We must petition, release our thoughts, and forget about them until our next prayer or meditation period.

Fear is another thing that often defeats our efforts. Let’s assume you’ve identified employment as your need, and you are middle aged. Throughout your life, you’ve worked in a certain field and have become an expert in that field. You now find yourself unemployed. How do you go about petitioning for employment?

In this illustration, it is not easy to approach petitions without filling your mind with all negative thoughts: “Who will hire a person of my age,” or, “Would it be difficult for someone of my age to find a job?” “How can I compete with all these young people?” “I can’t do anything else,” or “Doing so or so is all I know how to do.” You may unconsciously fail before you start by placing a severe limitation on what you want done by thinking, “I have to find a job in my field.”

To avoid sabotaging your efforts, it is important to reexamine your identified need. Ask yourself what being employed would do for you. Is it possible you miss your morning routine of waking up at a certain time in the morning, dressing and leaving the house for work? Is it possible you miss being in a work environment where you are constantly in contact with coworkers? Is it possible you miss the sense of accomplishment you had when you were employed?

After reexamining your need, you may discover being employed is not what you need; you need those benefits being employed brings to your life. You should then visualize yourself enjoying the very things you want from being employed. Again, it shouldn’t matter if someone calls you up and wants the services of a very experienced person like you on a consulting basis. It shouldn’t matter if a nonprofit organization needs a mature, experienced individual like you to advise them on certain aspect of their business. You shouldn’t care how you once again enjoy the things employment brings to your life, and it doesn’t have to be in the same field.

UNCONSCIOUS PETITION MANIFESTED

Here is a story of someone I’ve known for years. She was a very healthy lady in her sixties when she lost her job through forced retirement. She had worked in the same job for a very long time. Being very active and having financial obligations to meet, she didn’t want to retire just yet. When I talked to her before her last day on the job, I asked her,

“What are you going to do now?” “I don’t know,” she replied, “but I know I have to do something.”

Think about her response again. You can’t get any more positive, more determined, and full of confidence than this. It doesn’t matter if her positive attitude, determination, and confidence were driven by fear or need. I was very happy for her, because I knew then she was on the right track and her needs would be met. I knew then she had triggered an unconscious petition, and her positive attitude and confidence were an outward confirmation of a petition granted, whether she realized it or not. It’s one thing to proclaim how positive we are, but it is another thing to live positively and let our positive outlook on life radiate and shine through when faced with difficult situations.

The next day following her last day on the job, this wonderful lady was back in the building where she used to work. She attended and sat through all public meetings as she did when she worked there. A few days later when I saw her, she handed me a nicely done business card with the business name, “I-Search.” During breaks, she would stop to talk to the consultants, lawyers, and business people she had known while working at the place. She would hand them her business card and let them know she no longer worked in her past position and could do research for them. Who wouldn’t want an experienced, dependable person like her to do research for them? This lady’s story should serve as an inspiration to many. She continues to enjoy the contact with her former coworkers and associates while working in a different capacity and is being paid for it.

She may not have recognized it, but in her moment of anxiety, she obviously triggered into motion certain natural forces, which in turn, generated the ideas she needed. Ideas are just that – ideas, and are meaningless until they are put in action. If she didn’t follow up on these ideas as they occurred to her, she probably would still be waiting for the answers to her needs, and wondering why they were not forthcoming.

What would you do if you were in this lady’s situation? Would you limit yourself through the negative thoughts of your mind? Would you recognize an answer to your petition when you receive one? For a detailed discussion about the subject of petitions, please see another one of my books, Seeds of Luck: The ABCs of Creating Your Heart’s Desires.

See Also:

How Does Prayer Work?

It is difficult to explain how prayer works scientifically especially when it involves prayer by someone far away from the one who is being benefited and the prayed for person is not aware of the fact that he is being prayer for.

Proper Prayer

You can get closer to God and have better communication with Him if you are earnest and make efforts to so properly. The way we were originally taught.

Who Prays When You Pray?

When we pray, who does the praying? Almost any knowledgeable Christian will give the same response to that question. In fact, it is a questions which separates the knowledgeable from the less knowledgeable Christian.

Are They All Healed When You Pray

Everyone in the healing ministry experiences failure when praying with others for healing. “Failure” in this connection is simply not seeing the healing happen that you prayed for. This article briefly discusses some of the causes and suggests some solutions.

copyright 2004 Isaac Nwokogba

About The Author

A lifelong student of Christianity, spirituality, metaphysical traditions, and traditional African religions, Isaac Nwokogba has written three books and published many articles on various aspects of spirituality. His latest book, Voices from Beyond: The God Force, the Other Side, and You is scheduled for release in May 2004. http://www.voicesfrombeyond.com

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Many times we meet people who are interested in stained glass,
but they haven’t learned enough about it to really be able to
tell whether a piece of glass is a true work of art or just a
good piece. I once overheard a woman gushing over a piece of
glass that had been painted with fake glass paints, the kind
that craft stores sell. “Oh, Look at that, I love stained glass,
that is just exquisite!” Her comments were nice since she had an
appreciation for art glass, but they were also ridiculous
because painted fake glass just isn’t in the same class as other
techniques and certainly should never be described as
“exquisite”.

So that incident prompted me to write this brief description of
what the different types and qualities of stained glass are.
After reading the following paragraphs, you will be more
qualified and more able to distinguish between good glass and
great glass than the majority of people you meet. You will be
well on your way towards becoming a “Stained Glass Expert.”

1. Brass And Glass - made of Brass pre-shaped metal (or
brass encased lead), called “came”. The stained glass is encased
in the pre-formed metal and the joints where the metal meets are
then soldered. After the panel is completed and soldered, the
joints are colored with a brass colored paint so that they look
brass.

Advantages: Brass windows match the brass plated hardware on
many homes. Brass windows are almost always mass produced, so
cost is usually lower than other styles of stained glass.

Disadvantages: Brass windows usually don’t get the glass and
metal cemented to each other, so they are not as strong and have
a tendency to rattle more often than any other stained glass
window. If the panel is sandwiched between tempered glass
sheets, the lack of strength is not a big deal.

Quality: This is the lowest quality of stained glass available
and is usually found in cheap furniture and mass produced door
frames. It hasn’t been around for a long time and is often
associated with the cheap waterbeds of the 1960’s.

2. Leaded Glass - refers to both beveled glass and
colored glass surrounded by pre-shaped lead, called “came”. The
stained glass is encased in lead and the joints where the metal
meets are then soldered. The solder and the lead look very
similar, so no special treatments are needed in the joints as
with brass came. After the panel is completed and soldered, the
windows are cemented by forcing cement in under the metal and
the glass. Then the exposed glass is cleaned thoroughly.

Advantages: Lead construction is the most common type of stained
glass to be found. If cemented well the window is fairly strong.
The leaded method is fast to construct, so is quite popular in
commercial installations.

Disadvantages: If the window isn’t cemented, the lead will
easily stretch over time and the glass shapes will deform quite
easily. Windows that are placed in insulated units can’t be
cemented because the cement reacts with the desiccant in the
foam tape used to create insulated units.

Quality: This is the mid-range of stained glass quality. It’s
not bad, just not the best. There is pretty good detail
available in this type of panel and it is quite good for many
styles of glass design. If it wasn’t fairly good it wouldn’t be
found in so many highly respected installations.

3. Copper Foiled or “Tiffany Style” Glass - refers to
stained glass construction where each piece of glass is
individually wrapped in a copper foil tape and the gaps between
the glass are soldered with lead and tin based solder, usually
50/50 mix or 60/40 mix. After the panel is completed it is very
strong and pretty often water tight. Chemicals are then added to
color the lead lines, either copper, bronze or black. The lines
can also be left pewter-like gray or they can be polished to
bright shiny silver. It’s often called “Tiffany Style” because
the studios of Louis Comfort Tiffany are credited with coming up
with the method in the late 1800’s.

Advantages: Copper foiled windows are very strong and allow the
artist the most detail of any of the construction methods. It
also allows for the most ranges of patinas of the methods
discussed. The copper foil method allows an artist to follow
contours and so lamp shades and other 3d construction is almost
always built using this method.

Disadvantages: It takes a lot of work and is more labor
intensive to hand solder each and every solder line in a stained
glass window, so these panels usually cost more than the leaded
type. Also, because the resulting windows are so very strong,
they can develop very slight hairline cracks as the glass
expands and contracts in the heat of the day and the cool of the
night. These cracks usually develop in the first year after a
panel is installed and are minor.

Quality: This is the highest quality of stained glass, but there
are different ranges of quality in this style. Imports will
often have very thin lead lines not as a design element, but as
a way to save money on the amount of lead used to construct the
panel. The highest quality of copper foil constructed lamps will
feature a built up lead line which will often stand up the same
height as an extruded lead line. Best quality soldering will
feature very consistent lead lines and few if any areas where
the lead has shrunk after cooling.

4. Epoxy Glued Faceted Glass - refers to a technique
where thick slabs of glass are broken in rough pieces and glued
together using epoxy glue to form the joint between the various
pieces of glass. It’s very uncommon and not available in any but
the most unusual commercial construction.

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The story of the astonishing £40,000 price achieved by Encore Auctions on eBay fizzed around the world in no time. The equine painting by famed Irish artist Jack Butler Yeats was the subject of fierce bidding by three parties. It was featured on Yahoo and CNN news channels plus a host of websites as a key indicator of the changing auction market.

There will always be a place for traditional auctioneers who can validate and promote individual lots through a quality catalogue and network. However, online activity continues to grow exponentially within the art, antiques and collectables field as the Yeats sale testifies.

Why did the vendor choose Invaluable to dispose of this work? There are, of course, many viable alternatives but the bottom line is that Invaluable is respected for the breadth and diversity of its mainstream auction search service over the past 15 years. Its reputation for outstanding customer service also means that it has rapidly attained power seller status on eBay and gives vendors numerous advantages should they wish to access this 150,000,000 strong audience.

Further benefits include the anonymity of Encore Auctions, the Invaluable store on eBay, low seller commission, no buyer’s premium and very targeted online marketing through major search engines. Moreover, there is ongoing cross fertilisation between the listings placed on Encore and lot information from conventional auctions that meet the criteria of the Invaluable clientele.

The best way to fully appreciate this shift in the way business is being transacted is to read the recent article in the FT by Simon de Burton. This outlined clearly that Invaluable, while sensitive to the historic approach, is witnessing more and more salerooms, dealers and private individuals use its services to dispose of items that did not sell first time around.

Evidently, it’s horses for courses. Not everybody will embrace and welcome such innovations but there is a groundswell of support for Encore and similar initiatives that continues to gather pace. When one sees the FT generate that kind of coverage, there is a sense that the tide is inexorably turning towards slick, cost effective marketing campaigns that combine old world values and new world communications

Howard Lewis,
Chairman, Invaluable group of companies.

http://www.invaluable.com

Only Invaluable gives you unrivalled access to pre-sale and post-sale information for auction houses and salerooms across the globe.

Find art, antiques and collectables. Try our Keyword search, register at http://www.invaluable.com for a free 14 day trial.

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So… you’re a blogger trying to gain new clients for your services, or new customers for your products. I’m guessing you want:

• more visitors to your blog.

• more subscribers and repeat traffic.

• links from other bloggers.

• to sell something!

What if I told you that you’re already on the right track? That you can accomplish all of the above by doing something that you’re already doing as a blogger?

You guessed it – writing. You only need to write, as long as you do it in a strategic, persuasive way.

Tell Your Story

Copywriting skills are essential for effective Internet marketing, public relations, and yes… blogging.

You need to develop and tell the big story about you, your company, and your product or service. You should also strive to make each post, every networking email, press release and direct marketing piece as compelling as possible along the way to the sale.

Blogging may be new, but selling with words is not. To be a successful blogger simply means applying time-tested copywriting techniques in a brand new medium.

The Art and Science of Persuasion

Copywriting is the process of writing words that promote a person, business, opinion, or idea, with the ultimate intention of having the reader take some form of action.

Or another way of saying it… copywriting is the art and science of getting people to do what you want.

If you think that sounds a bit shady, relax. We all use persuasion techniques each and every day, whether we are conscious of it or not. With our spouses, kids, parents, bosses, vendors, employees and customers, we try to do and say things that move them in the direction we desire.

When it comes to persuading in a business context, some are better at it than others. But it’s definitely more of a learned skill than a natural talent.

Blogging and Copywriting: A Perfect Match

Good blogging and good copywriting share many of the same attributes – plain spoken words designed to focus on the needs of the reader, using complete honesty and a demonstration of excellent value.

It’s not about fancy writing and big words.

It’s also not about being contrived or cheesy.

And it’s absolutely not about inappropriate high pressure sales techniques that simply don’t work.

People hate being sold, but they love to buy. Present a solution to a want or need in a context-appropriate manner, and you’re well on your way.

Good copywriting delivered via blogging, RSS feeds and email is all about creating the perfect buying environment. With a bit of knowledge and practice, you can achieve that environment with your marketing efforts.

Brian writes Copyblogger, a blog that teaches web copywriting skills for selling with blogs and RSS feeds.

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The most storied of the possible AFC Championship games would have been a matchup between the Colts and Patriots. There is a tremendous amount of history between these two teams in the playoffs and the media would have been in a frenzy if these two teams were squaring off.

The more exciting teams of the NFC would be the Bears and Giants because of their big market appeal. Instead, the NFC has a Seattle team that few care about and a Carolina team that is new to the NFL.

One can definitely make the argument that this year’s NFL Playoffs is shaping up to be a less than spectacular football season for the media but for the average fan, it is far more exciting.

Nobody can deny the great season the Broncos have had at home. Nobody can deny being in awe of what Big Ben is able to do in his second year with the Steelers. Nobody can deny the great season that the Seahawks have had nor can they deny the amazing run the Panthers are on.

No matter what the tv ratings will be for the Championship games, these games are still exciting and the desires of the teams still playing is very real.

I am glad the Colts are no longer playing because we do not have to listen to Peyton talk anymore. I am glad that the Bears are no longer playing because we do not have to listen to how their defense ranks amongst the best defenses. I am glad the Patriots are no longer playing because we do not have to listen to how clutch Tom Brady is. Hopefully now we can focus on football.

Check out our reviews on the best Online Sports Betting Sites if you want to start winning money by predicting the outcomes of these games.

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One of the best parts of preparing for a new baby is to buy baby clothes. The tiny clothes are so charming and can melt any heart any number of times. If you have had any issues about whether you will be a good mom or dad, just take a look at that cute onesie – anything that fits something so small can’t be unmanageable!

One thing you must keep in mind when buying baby clothes is that your new baby is going to need lots of them. The top seven things that your baby’s wardrobe must have are:

1. Diapers: I can’t even begin to tell you how many of those your baby will need, but just buy them in bulk. For ease of operation and less headache for mommy, try the disposable types

2. Onesies: Onesies are one – piece garments like overalls or coveralls and expect your new born to be spending a lot of time in them. Choose onesies that can be easily opened and fastened so that you can change the baby with minimal effort.

Cotton tees: Cotton tees teemed up with cotton shorts or skirts and are great for indoors. Do buy lots of tees because they will need frequent changing.

3. Sleep – ins: Sleep ins like sleepers and pajamas for night wear keep the baby safe from draft and are comfortable to sleep in.

4. Warm clothes: Add some warm clothes like sweaters and fleecewear in your baby’s wardrobe because they need a lot of protection from cold weather.

5. Caps and hats: Maybe not several of them, but buy a couple of caps to keep the baby’s head out of the wind.

6. Mittens: In winters you can’t do without them but keep some cotton ones for the summers so that the baby doesn’t scratch itself with its own nails. Babies do that, seriously.

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