Helpful Centers

The 30 minute CSS tutorial.

What is CSS?

CSS is the technology used to make the layout for webpages.
They are Cascading Style Sheets, used to style your HTML
documents. They are slowly replacing tables as the preferred
medium to layout your pages. They free your content (the HTML
document) from the layout (the CSS file), so you may change your
website look and feel easily.

CSS basics.

With HTML, you would define the attributes as you write the
HTML. With CSS, you first define the style. Then as you are
writing the HTML, you apply the required style. So the first
step to write CSS document is defining your styles. There are
two ways to apply your CSS to your file. You may either include
it in your HTML file by placing your stylesheet in head of your
HTML as,

…

, The Selectors.

After you write your style, the computer needs to know where to
apply that style. This can be done using the selectors. The
selectors are of three types. 1. HTML tag selector: If you want
to change the look of any of your html tags, you will use this
type of selector. You may decide that all of your h2 elements
must have red text. It is trivially easy with CSS. 2. Class
selector: you would like particular parts of your webpage to
have a style, but that part is not always in same html tag. Not
to worry, you can enclose that part with a div tag and apply
your style. 3. ID selectors: If some element occurs only once it
is styled using id selectors.

Your First Stylesheet.

With your first stylesheet, you will modify the page to look
yellow with a blue foreground.

some text The HTML part
is simple, so let’s look at the CSS part. body{
background-color:yellow; color:blue; }

We wanted to modify the body so we used the body tag selector.
This basically said to the computer that this style needs to be
applied to whole body of html document. Then we used the
background-color property to set the background and the color
property to set the foreground. What if you wanted to set all
the text to bold? Oh that’s simple too, you just add this line
inside the body selector. font-weight: bold;

Getting something useful.

The last css though simple was not very useful. Let us design a
useful CSS which might be used on a site. Before that you must
learn positioning elements using CSS. We would like to have a
three column layout. So I will use three selectors(Id selectors)
named sidebar, content and rightsidebar. Theses lines of codes
declare our selectors. #sidebar #content #rightsidebar. Then we
will tell how these should look like. I want my sidebar and
rightsidebar to have aqua colored background. This is done using
background: Aqua;

Next we add borders to all our selectors and add a top margin of
20 pixels. We would like the contents to be bolder, so we add
font-weight: bold; to content. After that we decide to spice up
our links by making them of a different color and removing the
underlines, by getting a color:#c60; text-decoration:none; To
give the user a visual indication of the link when she moves her
mouse, we swap the link colors. This is done by changing the
style in a:hover.

So this is what our finished page looks like.

, What! Do I have to learn all these tags and
attributes?

No. But you must remember the more important ones. Also the
attributes have very common sense names. What should you do to
change the background color of your webpage. Yeah this.

body{ background:Aqua; } , That’s all. SO if you are going to
use CSS for any length of time, you will get to remember the
tags. A css editor like TopStyle lite can be really useful when
you are learning css. , Thats all for today. Hope you learnt
something useful from this tutorial.

Since the early part of the 20th century lighting designers have created lamps and fixtures to captivate our senses. Much like the tranquility one feels staring at a warming fire or the excitement one feels staring at the spectacle of a lightening storm, accent lamps - those with colorful stained glass patterns, mythical figures, pastoral scenes or action, evoke our emotions.

While illumination is a function of lighting, many of the lamps of the sensory ilk, including lava lamps of the 50’s and 60’s, and animated action lamps of the 20’s and again in the 1950’s, favor more the sense of accent, entertainment and decoration than the practical function of task lighting.

Static yet colorful stained glass lighting appeals as eye candy. Beautiful patterns of Wisteria, Iris, and nature captivate, whether lit or not. Not much has changed since pioneer Louis Comfort Tiffany introduced his first stained glass art lamps more than 100 years ago. Vintage original Tiffany fixtures can be bought for more than the cost of a down payment for a San Francisco home.

Motion lamps, like the animated lamps of the 1920’s, feature popular scenes such as water cascading over Niagra Falls or flames burning around a log. It’s no wonder why advertisers sought to reintroduce action lamps again in the 1950’s. In the 50’s these moving lamps were brought back to life featuring Cole Swimwear models or popular snacks and drinks such as popcorn or coke and would rest upon the counter of a bar for all to enjoy!

Lava lamps also captured our fascination with colorful lighting and movement. Today, these, and the above mentioned vintage lamps, continue to be popular. Collectors may seek higher valued originals, whereas the homeowner may be just as happy with a modern day reproduction. Adding to the feel of a place, these kinds of fixtures are here to stay!

Nicole Martins is a contributing author and publisher to http://www.chandeliers-and-home-lighting.com an online resource providing you with information, articles of interest and reviews of popular and name brand chandeliers, floor lamps and table lamps.

With the rise of obesity and the increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes occurring in children, many parents are now faced with helping an overweight child. This may not be a daunting as first seems and here are some simple, but effective steps to take to help your child develop eating habits and active lifestyle that will assist improve their health.

Be supportive

Tell your child that he or she is loved, is special, and is important. Children’s feelings about themselves often are based on their parents’ feelings about them.

Accept your child at any weight. Children will be more likely to accept and feel good about themselves when their parents accept them.

Listen to your child’s concerns about his or her weight. Overweight children probably know better than anyone else that they have a weight problem. They need support, understanding, and encouragement from parents.

Encourage healthy eating habits

Buy and serve more fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned). Let your child choose them at the store.

Buy fewer soft drinks and high fat/high calorie snack foods like chips, cookies, and candy. These snacks are OK once in a while, but keep healthy snack foods on hand too and offer them to your child more often.

Eat breakfast every day. Skipping breakfast can leave your child hungry, tired, and looking for less healthy foods later in the day.

Plan healthy meals and eat together as a family. Eating together at meal times helps children learn to enjoy a variety of foods.

Eat fast food less often. When you visit a fast food restaurant, try the healthful options offered.

Offer your child water or low-fat milk more often than fruit juice. Fruit juice is a healthy choice but is high in calories.

Do not get discouraged if your child will not eat a new food the first time it is served. Some kids will need to have a new food served to them 10 times or more before they will eat it.

Try not to use food as a reward when encouraging kids to eat. Promising dessert to a child for eating vegetables, for example, sends the message that vegetables are less valuable than dessert. Kids learn to dislike foods they think are less valuable.

Start with small servings and let your child ask for more if he or she is still hungry. It is up to you to provide your child with healthy meals and snacks, but your child should be allowed to choose how much food he or she will eat.

Healthy snack foods for your child to try:

o Fresh fruit

o Fruit canned in juice or light syrup

o Small amounts of dried fruits such as raisins, apple rings, or apricots

o Fresh vegetables such as baby carrots, cucumber, zucchini, or tomatoes

o Reduced fat cheese or a small amount of peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers

o Low-fat yogurt with fruit

Foods that are small, round, sticky, or hard to chew, such as raisins, whole grapes, hard vegetables, hard chunks of cheese, nuts, seeds, and popcorn can cause choking in children under age 4. You can still prepare some of these foods for young children, for example, by cutting grapes into small pieces and cooking and cutting up vegetables. Always watch your toddler during meals and snacks.

Encourage daily physical activity

Like adults, kids need daily physical activity. Here are some ways to help your child move every day:

Set a good example. If your children see that you are physically active and have fun, they are more likely to be active and stay active throughout their lives.

Encourage your child to join a sports team or class, such as soccer, dance, basketball, or gymnastics at school or at your local community or recreation center.

Be sensitive to your child’s needs. If your child feels uncomfortable participating in activities like sports, help him or her find physical activities that are fun and not embarrassing.

Be active together as a family. Assign active chores such as making the beds, washing the car, or vacuuming. Plan active outings such as a trip to the zoo or a walk through a local park.

Because his or her body is not ready yet, do not encourage your pre-adolescent child to participate in adult-style physical activity such as long jogs, using an exercise bike or treadmill, or lifting heavy weights. FUN physical activities are best for kids.

Kids need a total of about 60 minutes of physical activity a day, but this does not have to be all at one time. Short 10- or even 5-minute bouts of activity throughout the day are just as good. If your children are not used to being active, encourage them to start with what they can do and build up to 60 minutes a day.

Kim Beardsmore is a weight loss consultant. Tons of recipes, articles, free ezine, meal plans and resources to help you lose weight through excellence in nutrition. Estimate your healthy weight, free newsletter and more at http://www.weight-loss-health.com.au

Marketing studies have shown that it typically takes at least seven exposures before most people will respond to advertising. I know I have some members of my team who received email from me for six months before they finally asked for more information.

Follow up is vital to your success in this business! You need to establish trust. You also need to continue to focus on the benefits your prospects will receive by joining your team. Net customers are particularly cautious people. They want to make sure that you are involved in a legitimate business and that this business is going to live up to your promises and their expectations.

Very few people are going to jump at your opportunity without you first establishing some rapport and credibility. The emails you send over an extended period of time will accomplish this. Let them know there’s a real person behind your message. Give them a chance to get to know you and your product. Be persistent! Unless they specifically ask to opt out of receiving your mail, they are still an active lead!

This type of continuous follow up is also essential for members who have joined your organization. Do not forget about the people who are helping you grow your business! Tell them how much you appreciate them, ask if they need any help, compliment their efforts. Make them feel important - BECAUSE THEY ARE!

Network Marketing is all about building relationships. Relationships take time to develop. If you put the energy into creating long, lasting relationships, you will find great success in this business!

By: Anne Ahira
Editor The BEST Affiliate Newsletter
http://www.thebestaffiliate.com

On your journey to moving past using food to cope with life’s difficulties, you will experience good days and bad days. It takes a lot of work to develop self-compassion and much practice utilizing new ways of thinking and acting. It is my belief that what is commonly referred to as “relapses” or “set-backs” are not a step back in time, but an important experience needed to gain new understandings and to strengthen new choices.

When a “relapse” does occur it does not happen spontaneously, but occurs with a process of thoughts, ideas, attitudes, emotions and behaviors. Meaning that a series of circumstances occur which progressively lead to choosing food as a coping mechanism. A person doesn’t suddenly find themselves overwhelmed by the need for food. There are warning signs along the way. These warning signs show up in mental thoughts and attitudes, physically felt emotions, and expressed behaviors and actions. Relapse warning signs often build up slowly until they become overpowering. Once they are overpowering, you may experience a loss of control of thinking, emotions, memory, judgement and behavior. Often, we have not taught ourselves to be aware of our warning signs. And if you are not aware that you are headed down a slippery slope, it may be too late when you find yourself at the bottom.

Therefore, it is important to find a way to recognize and monitor your relapse warning signs. If you are prepared and recognize the pattern that is happening, you can be more empowered the next time. Relapse is usually caused by a combination of factors. Some possible factors and warning signs are included in the list below:

APPETITE
Increase in obsessive thinking about food and weight
Sudden increase or decrease in appetite
Weight gain or loss
Skipping meals
Eating only ‘diet’ foods
Food ‘rules’ become more pronounced

SOCIAL INTERACTION
Isolating
Withdrawn behavior
Not relying on people for support
Change in sleep patterns
Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
Loss of daily structure

MEDICATION
Use of alcohol
Use of mood altering chemicals
Increase in smoking, cigarettes, caffeine
Numbing out with excessive shopping, sex, busyness, internet, etc.
Excessive exercise

HOSTILITY
Verbal or physical threats
Desire to hurt self or others
Angry outbursts
Destruction of property

APPEARANCE
Decreased personal hygiene or self-care
Increased use of make-up
Bizarre dreams
Daily weighing
Excessive exercising

THOUGHT PROCESS
Perfectionistic attitudes
Setting unrealistic goals
Believing you will be happy and successful if thin
Feeling of being “too fat”, even though people say otherwise
Obsessive thinking
Dwelling on past hurts, resentments, anger, or failures
Being too hard on yourself
Forgetting gratitude
Feeling disgusted after eating
Trouble concentrating or thinking clearly
Difficulty remembering things
Confused or distracted
Wanting to escape from stressful situations instead of dealing with them

MOOD
Exhaustion
Tearfulness
Irritability
Unusual or unprovoked anxiety
Feeling hopeless about work, relationships or life
Depression
Feeling powerless or helpless
Self-pity
Complacency
Conscious lying / dishonesty
Loss of self-confidence
Loneliness
Frustration
Anger
Tension
Disappointment, shame, guilt
Constant boredom - irritability - lack of routine
Feeling overwhelmed - confused - useless -stressed out

SUICIDE
Thoughts of suicide
Preoccupation with death
Devising a suicide or self-harm plan
Self-destructive behavior
Cutting
Feeling that nothing can be solved
Wishing something would magically happen to rescue you

A relapse rarely happens suddenly. We can teach ourselves to notice the progressive warning signs that lead to a relapse in our behavior. Most people have never been taught to identify and manage the warning signs, so they don’t notice them until the pain becomes to severe to ignore. If you can learn to identify your warning signs, you may be able to intervene early and keep symptoms from escalating. Use this form to circle your relapse signs, or write a list of personal warning signs that lead you back into your food patterns. By identifying things that put us at risk for relapse, developing a practical plan of action, and utilizing various new skills, tools and coping behaviors, we can empower ourselves and reduce the frequency of lapse back into our addictive behaviors. If and when a relapse does occur, do not judge or blame, you are not a bad person. Seek progress, understanding and compassion, not perfection.

COMMON TOOLS TO HELP IN A TIME OF CRISIS:

Regular journaling to monitor progress
Regular journaling for gratitude
Attending support meetings or OA
Reaching out by telephone (print a list of people to call ahead of time)
Prayer or meditation seeking guidance
Reading inspiration books or poems
A written plan of action
A written list of things to do when symptoms increase or cravings begin
Relaxation techniques
Deep breathing exercise
Helping others
Talking to friends or counselors

(For more ideas on tools to utilize during a crisis, see articles posted at www.LovingMiracles.com under the “Healing Articles” section of the website).

By Dr. Annette Colby, RD

Annette@AnnetteColby.com
For FREE inspirational newsletter, articles & info visit:
http://www.LovingMiracles.com
Copyright 2005, Dr. Annette Colby, all rights reserved.
“Opening Creative Portals to Success”

From Raleigh, NC to Beverly Hills, CA, every man wants to be taken care of. Stress relief, pampering, and even some rejuvenation is something everyone, including men crave. Day spa gift certificates are becoming more and more popular with men, and it is no wonder. Computers, cell phones, and other advancements designed to make life easier can actually mean that it can be more difficult to leave business stress at the office. Men are asking for stress-relief and spas like Blue Water Spa of Raleigh, NC are listening.

Gone are the days that a man would walk into a spa and there would be looks of shock from other guests. At Blue Water Spa, in Raleigh, North Carolina, men make up approximately 40% of the clientele. Men are often introduced to the spa when a man’s wife or girlfriend purchases him a gift certificate. Other times, men can come in looking for the perfect gift for the lady in their life and find that they, too, could benefit from many of the spas offerings.

With men, the key to satisfaction is combining results and relaxation. To a man, the best possible treatment is when they feel extremely relaxed and stress-free, and then they look in the mirror and say, “wow.” Some say a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but one treatment every man loves is a foot fantasy treatment with hot stones and aromatherapy. This can be added to any treatment giving the experience of two therapists providing decadent relaxation simultaneously.

Kile Law owns Blue Water Spa in Raleigh, NC. The spa has been voted one of the top four medical spas in America by American Spa magazine and has been voted best day spa in Raleigh. Blue Water Spa provides relaxation and results for men and women.

Kile Law frequently contributes to plastic surgery and spa magazines. She is the winner of the 2005 Humanitarian of the year award in the spa industry and the 2004 ABBIES award for best editorial feature in a spa publication

During the last century the concept of business went through major changes in terms of the company ownership (Papers4you.com, 2006). Nowadays, fierce competition is no longer only in the access to market, but also in what regards to business ownership. Most of times, deals involving mergers and acquisition involve billions and are reported in newspapers all the time. The process of globalisation had an increasing effect on access to foreign firms’ ownership control, and thus becoming the process of controlling other firms more usual. The traditional family business concept is now under threat and the concept of business has changed as a consequence of the trend.

Basically the operation of merger and acquisition is defined as when two companies get together, either by resulting on a new firm or by one being controlled by the other. The former form of merging firms is known as concentration and defined as A+B = C and the later is known as incorporation and represented by A + B = A. Another important issue is related to the nature of the firm business activity or the market in which they operate. A process of merging companies is a strategy of diversification of the business and can be of three forms. Vertical diversification occurs when two or more firms in different stages in the value chain are merged into the same company. Horizontal diversification is present when the merging occurs between firms operating in different business (e.g. Virgin). Finally, geographical diversification happens when firms expand their territorial control by merging or acquiring companies operating in different geographical location.

There is a huge number of examples on mergers and acquisitions. Although only the one involving higher amounts of money become known to the public. And it is so widely used that there is also a great number of academic literature devoted to the study of the phenomenon.

The consequences of a higher number of mergers and acquisitions is a higher concentration of the business, which implies possibly implies a higher level of monopoly (under certain circumstances) and the business ownership control in the hands of few (Papers4you.com, 2006). In both cases there are losses for the economy, via the increase of the prices and because the overall economy becomes more dependent on few economic agents. On the other hand, the concentration of activities permits higher levels of profits (when economies of scale and economies of scope are present) and eventually increasing the investment levels in the country (in the case that these profits are reinvested).

References

Papers For You (2006) “P/B/600. International mergers and acquisitions: literature analysis”, Available from http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/sprtfina42.htm [19/06/2006]

Papers For You (2006) “P/F/393. Mergers and acquisitions: criteria of success”, Available from Papers4you.com [19/06/2006]

There are several types of obesity surgery available to those wishing to undergo the procedure. All of which have some level of permanence, meaning that you won’t be able to fully reverse the obesity surgery once you go through with it.

The most commonly known form of obesity surgery is gastric bypass, also known as stomach stapling. This procedure involves removing a large portion of the stomach from itself via a stapling device. The remains of the stomach pouch are attached to a portion of the lower intestine.

Another well known procedure is the lap band. This is a less invasive form. The doctor places a ring with an inflatable section around the upper portion of the stomach. The ring has a tube attached to it that ends with a port that the doctor can easily access to inflate the ring and gradually reduce the stomachs capacity.

Biliopancreatic Diversion, Duodenal Switch is a more involved surgery which consists of removing two thirds of the stomach and attaching the end of the stomach to a lower portion of the small intestine. The part of the intestine which was bypassed is still attached to the duodenum and its end attached to the small intestine where food is now routed to carry digestive juices to the area.

The Long Limb Gastric Bypass is similar to the above except that doctors will attach the portion of small intestine containing digestive juices further down in the intestinal tract so that the food and digestive juices have even less time to mix.

There is a form of Gastric Bypass known as the Fobi modification. A normal gastric bypass procedure is modified by the placement of a firm ring of material around the new stomach pouch.

Other types of obesity surgery are vertical banded arthroplasty (rarely used anymore), Jejuno-Ileal Bypass, and Gastric Pacing.

Read more obesity surgery articles and obesity surgery news or visit our obesity surgery site.

Today, it has never been more important for University students to make sure they are covered by health insurance. University student health insurance is offered through a few different companies but benefits can vary widely. It might seem overwhelming when it comes time to choose the right health insurance provider for you. In addition to finding the right health insurance, there is still a health plan that needs to be chosen. Many Universities offer health insurance that’s usually affordable but may lack in coverage which many students find unacceptable, and for good reason. No matter the price of the insurance, it certainly isn’t wise to pay for coverage that won’t help financially if there were a medical emergency.

When looking for University student health insurance, it’s important to make a list of the features that are most important to you in health insurance. For example, if you want more coverage for things like regular doctor’s visits or check ups but don’t find it necessary to hold an insurance policy that offers high end emergency benefits, you’ll want to make sure that is the kind of coverage you purchase. A good way to find the best health insurance provider to meet your needs is to choose the top three health insurance companies that offer all of the benefits you listed to be important to you and then compare, and compare some more.

You can use the internet of even your University as a great tool to choosing your student health insurance. Finding and reading review websites will shed some light on the experiences other University students have had with a particular health insurance company, which can be a valuable tool to help you choose a health insurance provider that you will be confident in counting on when you need it the most and by comparing insurance companies, you can be sure you aren’t spending more for benefits than you need to.

View our Recommended Health Insurance Company, a simple site that has an easy to fill out application. It also has a lot of great info about Home Insurance and Car Insurance

A native to India and other parts of Southeast Asia especially Indonesia, turmeric is integral to Asian cooking. A member of the rhizome family, besides imparting a yellow colour and a characteristic flavour to food, it has a long history of use in India Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine.

Health Benefits of Turmeric
Botanically known as Curcuma longa, derived from the Arabic name for kurkum plant, known as saffron, turmeric is often confused and substituted with the same. Totally unrelated to saffron, a member of ginger family, the root of the turmeric plant in its dried form is used as spice. Mildly aromatic with a pungent bittersweet flavor, it was called “Indian saffron” as its shares the deep yellow orange color of the saffron. Turmeric is used as a condiment, textile and culinary dye.

Turmeric is used extensively in Indian, Middle East, Moroccan, African and Southeast Asian cookery, especially in curries, vegetables, rice, fish and meat dishes to add color and flavor. For the traditional ayurvedics, turmeric is a very important herb. Considered a cleansing herb for the whole body, it gives energy and grants prosperity. The finger like stalk is scalded, dried and used for medicinal preparations. An excellent natural antibiotic, it strengthens digestion, prevents the formation of gas and helps to improve large intestinal flora.

It purifies the blood, aids digestion of protein, promotes proper metabolism in the body, correcting both, excess and deficiencies. It is used in treatment for fever, mild stomach upset, infection, arthritis, dysentery, jaundice and other liver problems. Ancient Chinese physicians used turmeric to treat chest congestion, menstrual discomforts and many more ailments. Turmeric may help to relieve carpel tunnel syndrome, joint inflammation and prevent cancer. Add a pinch or two of turmeric to warm milk to soothe respiratory aliments such as cough or asthma.

Sprinkle a bit of turmeric with honey (optional), on cuts, bruises, or scrapes after a thorough wash, as the anti bacterial action will prevent wound infections. One should be careful while using turmeric since its deep color can easily stain. Quickly wash the soiled area with water to avoid further staining. Turmeric powder should be kept in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark and dry place. Fresh turmeric rhizome should be kept in the refrigerator.

Kevin Pederson has been managing a number of natural home remedies websites which have information on home based natural cures and remedies for cold and cough and benefits of turmeric and other natural herbs.