A Book Note Vs a Book Report

Introduction

Since our early days of elementary education we have been familiar with what a book report entails. But do you know what a book note is? Good question you say? Great! Read on and together we can explore the relationship between the two.

Preparing the Reader

For starters, a book report provides the reader with general background information such as the setting and time period. Where does the story take place? When is all this occurring? For a reader it is important to have some sort of working knowledge of the book, before diving right in. This working knowledge of the book can enhance our understanding of the events and circumstances found within the book. The setting and time period can explain many things concerning the actions, behavior, and personalities of the characters that might otherwise be misinterpreted.

Likewise a book note offers up similar information for the reader to consider before setting out to read the book. It provides the reader with insight into the objective and focus of the book. Just like it is difficult to find the solution to a problem if one does not really have a firm grasp of the problem, it can be challenging to completely understand and get the most out of a book if the book's primary mission is lost on the reader. It can answer questions like what is the purpose of this book or what is the author's main argument. A book note might also offer up additional information, such as the style the author employs to support his/her argument. It will inform the reader who the intended audience is, so that the reader will have a better idea as to whether this book will prove to be a good read. In their own unique way, book reports and book notes prepare and inform the reader before delving into their book of choice.

Teaser vs. Review

However, a book report offers more information than just a simple description of the setting and time period. It also introduces the reader to the main characters of the book, granting the reader a feel for what the characters will be like. In addition, a book report almost always offers the reader a taste of the plot, employing extreme caution not to spoil it. This provides the reader with a convincing reason to read the book, having just wetted their appetite with a suspenseful synopsis of the storyline. A good summary of the plot will relate the adventures of the main characters, and offer insight as to what the main characters are trying to overcome or achieve. The summary of the plot might also include a few particular events that happen to the main characters.

On the other hand the second half of a book note has a more personal feel to it as it seeks to provide just one person's individual assessment of the read. Its primary objective is to provide the reader with a personal evaluation of the book in question. It might examine how the author achieved or failed to achieve the perceived objective of the book. Often times a book note will explore the good, bad, and ugly of the book. What did the author do well? What didn't the author do well? What are the shortcomings of the book? In what regard can the book be considered a success? Finally, a book note will discuss the overall quality of the book. Like a movie review, the book note should help the reader decide if the book is worth his/her time or not.

Adam Smith is a client account specialist with http://www.10xMarketing.com ? More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. For more information, visit http://www.oneminutemillionaire.com/affiliate/glossary/book-note.asp

Tranquil Setting for the Weary Traveler

The DeLaunay House, located 185 N. Pioneer in Ashland is a wonderfully remodeled 1909 Craftsman style house just blocks from downtown Ashland and the Historic Railroad District. The comfortable and attractive suites have imaginative and spiritual names to reflect the joy and spiritual process of the owner-operator Deborah DeLaunay. Peace Pilgrim, Peace Mountain, Zen Cottage and the Harmony Suite are luxuriously appointed yet restful and comfortable. Originally named Breathe Peace Inn, The DeLaunay House is truly a place to "breathe peace in", a tranquil setting for the weary traveler.

A successful artist, interior designer and proprietor, Deborah DeLaunay, says restoring and decorating the home was an act of love and the fulfillment of a dream. Besides her own stained glass designs that are displayed throughout the house, you will see the hand painted clouds and sky above as you walk up the stairs then, the gorgeous Shakespeare robe wall hanging. In the Zen cottage bath you will notice the claw foot tub adorned in tiger stripes to match the animal prints of the adjoining rooms. Deborah has a way with pulling the interior together with eclectic twists that are interesting and stylish.

In addition to the fabulous suites, the DeLaunay House offers a variety of amenities which include on-site laundry facilities, Cable television, telephone and Internet, fully stocked kitchen and kitchenettes, private patios and gardens, and a front porch so inviting no one can resist settling into one of the Adirondack chairs or antique rockers.

Visitors to Ashland will find an abundance of activities within walking distance of The DeLaunay House, including theaters, restaurants, galleries and shops. The post office, banks and grocery stores are close by as well. Suites are available by the night or weekend for the many who come to Ashland each year to experience the award winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival , as well as, monthly during the off season to accommodate visiting actors, professors or other visiting professionals.

Leave your cares behind and visit The DeLaunay House soon. It will be an experience to remember. You can see the Inn and the suites on the web site: www.delaunayhouse.com or call for reservations at 541/621-5409 or email Deborah DeLaunay at: d2peaceart@aol.com.

Freelance writer and marketing consultant in Southern Oregon

All One; All Different -- Addressing Spiritual Reductionism

"We're one, but we are not the same."-Bono, U2

Once I was in a train station waiting for a train with a friend. He pointed to a steel and cement column and said, "at the sub-atomic level, this column is mostly air. So are you. So am I?". And he went on to state we were the same as the column-no difference-and no different from one another. He went on to imply that there was, therefore, no meaning to anything. I stretched my arm out, made a fist, and pushed my fist at the column until it stopped with a thud. I looked at him and I said, "that may be so, AND at the same time, the world we move through is not the sub-atomic world".

Often we are addressed with reminders, assertions, and at times even pleas, that we are "all one". We are all human. We are all the same at some level. We all bleed red. At the sub-atomic level, we are all made up of the same stuff. In fact, at the sub- atomic level, at least at our current level of knowledge [see String Theory for an interesting hypothesis about how we may be very different from one another indeed], not only are we all "the same" as beings, we are the same as a rock, dirt, plant life, our dog, the wall, etc.

Eastern Spiritual traditions remind us that at the ultimate level, it is all vibrations, all wavelets. "Validated" by science, at the "ultimate" level, we are all the same-"just" sub-atomic particles.

And yet, anyone with eyes, ears, a tactile sense, and a mind can tell we are all very, very different. I challenge anyone who says that the ultimate level is the only important level ("we are all one") to Zen his or her way through me the next time we meet.

The problem with this is that most people cannot seem to contain both I.D.E.A.s intellectually, experientially, or spiritually, so then end up ignoring one or the other, or collapsing the informational and the practical. Does our having the same sub- atomic structures mean we are all the same?

Are you "the same" as a murderer? A rapist? A child molester? A terrorist? A priest? A politician? A man? A woman? A tribal leader? A shaman? A grocery clerk? A Fortune 500 CEO? Are you and I "the same" as Mozart, Bill Gates, Socrates, Thomas

Jefferson, or Ayn Rand? Of course not.

And, yes.

We have differing sets of skills, intelligence, symmetry, size, shape, and color. And yet...to paraphrase Ken Wilber, "while we are all perfect manifestations of the divine -of Spirit-yet how we demonstrate that is bound by our current level of development; we are limited to our current depth". Spiritual reductionism [we are all one and we are all perfect and we are all love] is usually accompanied by moral relativism. No act is inherently better than any other act. No world-view is more true than any other-and they are arbitrary.

I disagree.

Setting aside the performative contradiction (if no world-views are any more true than the other, then neither is that world-view-and thus it is false), compassion is better than anger because it possesses greater depth. Love is better than hate for the same reason. Grace is better than vengeance for the same reason-it requires an awareness of greater depth to exercise those choices, therefore, it is better.

Liberty is better than tyranny. Free Enterprise is better that centrally planned economies. In both cases they produce better results. Measurably better. Different beings possess different levels of awareness; different depths that that can reflect back by the development of their own depth. In this, we are very different indeed.

Is there utility in thinking we are all one-all the same? Perhaps. It can assist us in bridging potentially explosive differences in a world where differences in ideology can kill and maim. At the same time, in a world where ideologies can kill and maim, we had better keep the differences in mind as well.

In all things, be discerning, but not judgmental. Keep your mind open-but keep it working. Never allow someone to demand you turn off your common sense for their imagined utopia.

Jason McClain
IDEA
Evolutionary Guide
http://emotionalawareness.com

Peddlers, Hucksters, & Empty Suits

Ever feel like you were "just a salesperson"?

I think anyone who has been in sales for awhile has thought or felt this at sometime in their career. In some fields, sales is such a dirty word that they've created euphemisms to try and reclaim some dignity.

I am sure that you have heard many of these. I used to carry the title of Account Executive. Nice title, but it's meaningless. "Executive" in charge of what? The empire of my mind?

Business Development is another one: "we don't sell... we develop business". Gee, creating business where there previously was none... sure sounds like sales to me.

Here's my new favorite I heard just recently. A major aerospace firm that sells their services to the government calls selling "capture". As in "capture" the contract. I don't know about you, but anytime I "capture" a contract I just made a "sale".

It's sad that society has shamed us into doing this.

We only perpetuate this shame when we lack pride in the title of salesman.

Continue holding this shame, this guilt, this lack of pride, and one's confidence plummets (and you know just how vital confidence is to performing successfully in sales).

If you have ever noticed thoughts like this taking root in your mind, here are two things you can do about it.

#1 - Sell something that you believe in.

This one is so simple, but not enough people do it. If you believe in what you are selling, then you will be confident that you provide value. It is vital that you believe that what you sell helps or benefits others. Most of us know this one, but sometimes we need reminding.

#2 - Recognize Your Value as a Salesperson

When you know your product, your company, and your industry, you offer value to your prospects and customers. Your knowledge is your value. You have specialized knowledge about what you sell that often your customer does not have.

Perhaps you are "just an account executive", and are more of a generalist in terms of your product and industry knowledge. You still offer tremendous value if you have access to people in your company who function as sales support specialists - engineers, consultants, product managers, etc. Your value is as a resource broker.

Although you will occasionally encounter customers who know more than you or your specialists, you and your team know more than 95% of the customers you will meet.

Here's the important lesson. A prospect gets value simply from interacting with you, whether or not they ever buy anything from you.

Yes, that's right. The act of selling alone is valuable to a prospect, regardless of whether or not the outcome is a sale.

Why is this true? When you know what you sell well, then you know how it helps people. When you use good persuasive questioning techniques, you help your prospect to discover problems, shortcomings, and solutions. Helping someone to find the solution to a problem is helping to solve that problem.

Many prospects just take it for granted that it is our job to give them the info that they want. This is a job that you and I choose to do. And we have a choice as to who we want to sell to. We don't sell to someone because we must. We sell to someone because we have something to gain from making the sale.

So there is trade going on here. Customers can make us money, and we can solve a customer's problems. A value for value exchange is taking place *during* the sales process.

When we push things on people that are unwanted, we are just peddlers. When we help people to find and solve problems, then we are providing value.

We are not empty suits. We are not just a peddlers. We are salespeople. Be proud of it.

? 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/

Media Relations: Ending the Press Release Crutch

When most people think of media relations, they think of press releases. To be sure, writing and distributing them is one of the most important parts of the job. But press releases may be the most overused tool in the media professional's arsenal to the detriment of other tools that might have greater results.

When I worked in broadcast news for ABC News and CNN, the fax machines virtually never stopped. We got press releases by the dozen, and by the end of each day, we had a ream of press releases. They each had something in common. They each went unread.

To break through the clutter, you'd be wise to occasionally skip the press release and send a personalized note to a reporter instead. This works particularly well when offering a reporter an "exclusive," a story that you will only pitch to a single news organization.

Here are three tips to help make sure your letter gets read:

1) Offer an Exclusive -- News is a competitive business. If a reporter likes your story ? and is convinced that his or her cross-town rival won't have it ? they are much more likely to carry your news. The offer of an exclusive is an effective tool, but should be thought out carefully, since the news organization that doesn't get the story may hold it against you.

2) Conduct Reporter Research -- You may have a brilliant pitch ? but if you send it to the wrong reporter, it's useless. Make sure you properly identify the correct reporter for your type of story.

Once you've done that, indicate to the reporter that you've been following his or her work, and that your story is similar or related to another story he or she has recently written. Mention his or her previous articles by name. A shockingly small number of media relations professionals take the time to do this, so the reporter will instantly deem you more credible than the average "PR flack."

3) Subject Line -- Reporters from National Geographic Traveler and People magazines recently told me how critical they consider an e-mail's subject line. A boring subject line means that the e-mail will probably never even get opened!

There are certain things you can do to break through the clutter. I've found it effective to write "Offer of Exclusive" in the subject line, or to include the reporter's name in the subject line, as in "To David ? New Research Shows Children Increasingly Illiterate."

But virtually nothing beats a genuinely creative and attention-grabbing headline. I recently saw an e-mail sent by a company that uses clamshells to make jewelry. Their subject line? "Clams aren't just for chowder anymore." You better believe that most reporters were curious enough to open that e-mail!

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations (http://www.PhillipsMediaRelations.com). He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and also headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

Girls Gone Mild

Voices!

So many voices crying out for adherence and so many people confused about values, virtues and life.

What voices are calling out to you and what voices are you listening to?

My daughter is just now enjoying her first year in life. As I listen to the voices calling out to young ladies these days, I can't help but wonder what the popular trend will be when she has to decide which voices she will lend an ear to.

As she enters young adulthood, I hope this is what she finds.

I hope the popular trend of the day is a video craze called, "Girls Gone MILD!"

No, that's not a misprint!

I hope it is popular because it depicts women in the following ways:

* As more than full-of-brandy eye candy and toys-for-boys
* As pillars in the community instead of pillows for the community
* As being more concerned about innocence lost than being "not that innocent"
* As valuing their bodies and it shows by how they use them instead of showing them using their bodies to be valued
* As valuing being wanted for a lifetime of nights and not just a night of a lifetime
* As adhering to the belief in moral decency instead of the belief that it is indecent to be moral
* As being applauded more for lifting their skills to the world than lifting their skirts

High hopes, you say!

Yes, maybe high hopes, maybe wishful thinking, or maybe I'm just adding my voice to the mix.

(C)Copyright advice-for-lifetime-relationships.com by Stanley J. Leffew
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED!

Stanley J. Leffew is the Author of, "How To Be Wanted For A Lifetime of Nights and Not Just a Night of a Lifetime". His website is based on this same theme. Find out for yourself why feeding desire and leading-with-the-body in life and relationships fails to satisfy the longing of the human heart to connect by visiting http://advice-for-lifetime-relationships.com.

Secrets of Meditation For Better Health

Meditation can improve your health, increase energy levels and maximize your enjoyment of life. Without a doubt, more people would benefit from meditation if they took the time to practice the simple exercises used to calm the mind, reduce stress and increase energy levels.

So What Is Meditation?

Meditation is a way to transform and heal ourselves. When we meditate, we allow the swirl of ideas and thoughts to slow down to the point where we find a calm and positive connection with ourselves. Although there are many different ways to meditate, all styles teach the directing of the attention in order to re-connect with the part of yourself that is most real and most true.

Why We Need To Meditate

Unfortunately, we do not walk through the world as children do. We all face difficult and stressful situations throughout the course of life. But rather than beginning each day afresh, we tend to gather the world and carry the negativity of the past with us. The happy and contented person you were becomes covered over by these emotions. Suddenly you feel unhappy and dissatisfied, and even worse; often the process is so subtle, you don't know why.

Meditation is a way of cutting through those layers of past emotion and excessive thinking. Instead of our minds and bodies being at the mercy of life, we take back control. We focus the attention in a deliberate way, and slowly see the false layers of ourselves begin to dissolve as we return once again to the source of our happiness.

Although meditation is an ancient art dating back thousands of years, modern scientific research now confirms what ancient wisdom discovered long ago. Study after study shows that meditation brings about improved perception, focus, memory and creativity. Regular meditators are healthier, happier, more relaxed, and more productive.

The True Purpose of Meditation

The seductive appeal of mystic visions, psychic intuition and heightened mental functioning can be very alluring. While some meditators report esoteric experiences, the experiences themselves should not be the primary reason for practice.

The purpose of meditation is to transform the state of our hearts and minds and bring us back to ourselves. As we become healthier, happier and realize greater self-awareness, more benefits begin to follow naturally -- improved mental functioning, greater intuition as well as greater access to unconscious resources and abilities.

The Best Style of Meditation

Always keep an open mind in your learning. Never accept a teaching without verifying the truth of it in your own experience. On the other hand, reserve making judgment in advance of having the experience for yourself.

The best style of meditation is the one that feels right for you. There are many different systems of meditation including, but not limited to Concentration, Mindfulness, Zen, Visualization and Devotion. You may decide to experiment with a few different styles and see how they feel. Find one or two styles that you like and then major in those. Above all, pay attention to your self and make sure your meditation feels right for you.

Make Meditation A Daily Practice

You can be stronger in your self. You can be happier, more balanced and compassionate. You can manifest the changes you truly want to see in your life through meditation. You don't need to give up all your worldly passions or retreat to a Himalayan monastery either!

A daily ten-minute practice can make all the difference. It's not much time to dedicate when you consider all the time spent caring for your physical appearance. After all, you wouldn't go out to an important meeting or social occasion without clean clothes and brushing your teeth.

What about the mind and body -- the instruments through which we perceive and interact with reality? Does it not make sense to take the time to clean up our attitude and the way we feel as well?

Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your E-zine or on your web site as long as you do not modify the content and include my resource box as listed: ManifestingSecrets.com. -- Copyright 2004 - All rights reserved ManifestingSecrets.com

Matt Clarkson has created a no cost e-course teaching simple meditation exercises for busy people. Each "Daily Meditation" is an exercise, inspirational message or tip to help you calm the mind and reduce stress. If your health is important to you, go here now: http://ManifestingSecrets.com

Short Term Loans...are they right for you?

With less than a week before she was to receive her next paycheck, Roni was faced with a problem that millions of Americans experience at some point in their lives: bills that are due and not enough cash available to pay them. Faced with a dilemma of late fees and a lower credit rating, many consumers with no options left turn to credit card advances as a stop-gap resolution for their problems. Unfortunately, for many Americans, they either do not have a sufficient line of credit available to tap in emergencies situations like Roni's or their credit is maxed out. So, what do they do? Like so many consumers are learning they can turn to providers of short term loans like those found on the internet. Let's take a look at some of these options to see if they are right for you!

Loan options vary amongst providers, but they typically permit borrowers to apply for a loan on one business day and receive funds deposited to their checking account the following business day upon approval of their application. Most lenders require that you have a checking account that has been open for a minimum of 90 days, that the borrower be at least 18 years of age, and that the borrower be employed or receiving a regular monthly check [pension, social security, etc.]

Loans are short term with many being in the neighborhood of 7-14 days. As in the case of Roni, she could request a 7 day loan and pay her principle back with interest once her paycheck was deposited in her account. If for some reason she was unable to repay on time, she could request an extension which would result in higher interest charges.

The reputable providers explicitly warn consumers to be disciplined by paying their loans back on time. In addition, quite a few will not let you take another loan out until several days after your previous loan was paid off; they recognize that it isn't in the consumer's best financial interest to be overly dependent on this particular loan system.

Loan rates vary and some lenders will give you a lower rate if you pay your loan back early. Rates of $10-18 per $100. borrowed are the norm for the shortest term loans, but can rise significantly for longer terms. Consumers are advised to weigh their options carefully before making any loan commitment.

So, what did Roni do? She applied to a short term lender and borrowed $500. for 7 days. She was charged $15 per $100. borrowed which meant that she paid her lender back $575. once her loan was due. Roni calculated that she avoided steep late fee penalties and a lowered credit rating by securing a short term loan. Her creditors were satisfied and her credit rating was left in good standing.

Matt writes on a variety of business, health, and web management issues. His chief website is the Aviation Employment Board which gives members free access to all listed positions: http://www.aviationemploymentboard.com

The Art of Giving

In the pursuit of the life we dream of, this journey we are on for successful living, the focus is usually on figuring out what it is exactly that we want and then setting ourselves on course for going and getting it. This is very important: Know what you want to get for your life and then pursue it.

But there is another aspect of achieving the life you dream of that seems on the surface to actually be counter-productive to getting the life you want, yet is imperative to the successful life. It is giving.

Giving - of yourself, your time, your money, your energy - is something that takes us from simply being successful people in the traditional sense of the term, to being people who lead successful lives.

Giving is what makes us fully human. It is the essence of what we are, people who are here on earth together, not simply people who hope to clamor to the top of the pile in the survival of the fittest. Yes, pursue your life and your success with wild abandon; be responsible for yourself and take ownership of your life, realizing that you cannot be responsible for others, but also allow yourself to become a giving person.

Giving is also what allows us to accomplish things far beyond ourselves; and that is part of what living the life of our dreams is all about, right? Accomplishing great things through ourselves - and others!

How do we do that? Here are some ideas:

Make your giving purposeful. Give to people and organizations that fulfill purposes that you believe in. This way, they feel good, you feel good, and the work you believe in gets done. Giving purposefully will give you the ability to know that your giving is doing something great.

Make your giving proactive. Take control of your giving. When we control our giving it becomes proactive rather than reactive. We know that we are doing what we want to do rather than what others may manipulate us to do. We can avoid a lot of the wondering about validity that comes when we give out of reaction. Giving proactively will give you a lot of peace of mind.

Make your giving methodical. Every month my wife and I write out our charity checks before any other checks. We do that on purpose to keep our hearts in the right place. Every month, month in and month out, year after year, we go about our giving. Our goal is to give away $1,000,000 by the end of our lives (and we may have to even readjust that goal as time goes by since we set it when we were only 24 years old and we are well on our way to that goal.) This isn't done by giving big chunks from time to time. It is accomplished by checks each and every month, methodically. Giving methodically allows you to build up larger gifts over time.

Make your giving generous. Don't be a tightwad! Loosen up the purse strings a bit. Think of your giving in regard to how you can be generous, not how you can cover your charitable bases. I have found that it isn't the extra money given to charity that breaks people. It is usually mismanagement. And at the end of your life you will most likely not know the difference financially, though you will in your heart. Making your giving generous allows you to give even greater amounts over time.

Make your giving increasing. Don't just give the same amount from year to year - increase your giving. I think there are two good times to readjust your giving: The first of the year and any time your income goes up. Bump your giving up then, if you can. This will keep you on pace with your giving goals and you will notice the increase less from your bottom line. Make your giving increasing and your giving will keep pace with your income.

Make your giving from the heart. Don't just let your giving be a mind issue. Let it be a heart issue. This is what gives us our humanity. What causes make your eyes tear up? What causes really mean something to your heart when you are honest with yourself? Start giving to these causes! Let your checkbook be a reflection of your heart! Make your giving from the heart and you will allow your heart to grow.

(Sometimes) Make your giving spontaneous. Sometimes... Allow yourself to be spontaneous with your giving. Do allow yourself to react sometimes. Will you get taken advantage of? Yes, sometimes. But you will also be doing something within yourself that will keep you from becoming cynical. Sometimes, as life has been good to you and you find yourself blessed, let yourself be the blessing to someone else. Make your giving spontaneous (sometimes) and you will battle the disease of cynicism about charity that can creep in.

These are just a few ideas that you can implement right now to begin the art of giving in your life. The key is to decide that you will become a giver, and not merely a taker. You will choose to leave something behind in this world and not merely try to get something out of it.

And as we all commit to that, our world will be a better place and we can all live the lives that we dream of.

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.

Pearl Jewelry: The Epitome of Elegant Simplicity

Pearl jewelry catches attention because of its uncomplicated and serene elegance. It may seem like an oxymoron, but sometimes the simplest things are the ones that are the most attractive. A look at a simple pearl earring, a representative example of pearl jewelry, is enough to dispel all doubt.

In fact, for many kinds of pearl jewelry, the operating principle is "the simpler the better." At times a single pearl can even say much more than a dozen pearls all lined up. This is why some consider pearl jewelry to be even more beautiful than diamond, more valuable and timeless.

Pearls are formed when a foreign object, such as a grain of sand, becomes trapped in an oyster or mussel. The grain becomes coated with layers of a smooth, crystalline substance known as nacre. Over time this natural process produces the luminescent gem known as a pearl. Most pearls used in making pearl jewelry are cultured, meaning oysters are injected with irritants in order to induce nacre production. Finely-cultured pearls are rare, and they fetch an exorbitant price.

The mysterious glamour of natural South Sea pearls has prompted new combinations among necklaces of various colors and sizes. There is a growing demand for these pearls, as well as an increasing need to know more about pearls in general.

Remember Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady", and as Holly Golightly in "Breakfast at Tiffany's"? She wore such simple pearl jewelry, and yet they made her face shine. Pearls bring glamour to a woman's face, catch the light and trap it in to create a very suffused glow not unlike a halo. Translucence is also a mystical quality of pearls, evoking mystery and sophistication in the wearer.

Due to its timeless elegance, pearl jewelry never falls out of fashion. They can be worn with almost anything; after all they serve to accentuate more the healthy color of the skin rather than the clothes a person wears.

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.

Ways to Look Good without Selling Your Soul to the Credit Card Sharks

1. Buy clothes at thrift stores. BEFORE you buy them, however, hold the clothing to the light to make sure there are no tears, check the seams under the arms, make sure the buttons are all there, and don't buy anything that you can't try on.

2. Never buy anything that doesn't fit.

3. Find out what your colors are and only buy those colors. I attended a workshop to figure out that I am a Winter and then I only bought clothes that look good on Winters. If I buy clothes that are not those Winter colors, I won't wear them because I know subconsciously that they do not flatter me. As an added bonus, when you wear the colors that are harmonized with your skin tone, you often have more energy, are calmer and look younger.

4. Go through your wardrobe to determine what clothes you need to buy, make a list, place the list in your purse or wallet, and ONLY buy the items that are on the list.

5. Know the values of clothing. Many "sales" are not bargains at all.

6. If you have children who are growing quickly, buy their clothing at a thrift store.

7. Only buy good quality clothing which will last a long time.

8. Buy a can of starch, and iron your business shirts as opposed to paying over a dollar to a dry cleaner that uses a harsh pressing machine.

9. Buy tie spray to protect your costly silk ties and scarves.

10. Buy clothes at the end of a season when they are on sale as opposed to the beginning of the season.

11. Buy clothes with neutral colors (gray, white, navy blue) that will go with anything that you have in your existing wardrobe, so that you won't have to buy new clothes to complement your new purchase.

12. Buy and wear only comfortable shoes and save money on doctors and chiropractors.

Excerpted from Transform YOUR Relationship with Money: A Step-by-Step Guide for Financial Empowerment. For more information about this guide, please check out my web site located at http://TransformYourRelationshipWithMoney.com

Bill Austin is a spiritual healer and teacher based in St Petersburg FL. He has assisted hundreds of people around the world in gaining the clarity they need to realize more of their full potential. To find out more about his healing practice, please check out his web site at http://www.HealingHolograms.com