The Dbottino Weblog

If you’re flying into Oakland you’ll soon discover it’s a great place to visit. Not only is it situated just over the bridge from San Francisco, but it’s also packed full of shops, restaurants, and a host of tourist attractions. By making use of the airport parking at Oakland International you’ll have access to the city’s excellent food, drink, and leisure facilities. So if your car’s already parked at the airport why not leave it there a while longer and take the opportunity to do a bit of exploring? The city center’s pedestrianized so by leaving the car at the airport you’ll have no worries about finding somewhere else to park.

If you’re new in town you can walk up to the tourist information center on 14th street and ask for a list of local attractions. They’ll be able to point you in the direction of parks, historical buildings, and cinemas. If you enjoy live entertainment the Paramount Theater may have something to offer you from its eclectic mix of pop, rock, and jazz concerts, as well as ballet, plays and stand up comedy. If you’re in the mood for sitting back and watching someone else do all the hard work it’s definitely the place to go.

On the other hand if you fancy some fresh air you might want to take a stroll down to the Preservation Park where you’ll be able to view some of the city’s finest historical buildings. If you’re feeling peckish why not grab a sandwich to eat in the gardens? Whatever you enjoy doing there’ll be something in Oakland that’s right down your street.

And if you haven’t been there yet it might a good idea to get hold of some cheap airline tickets and pay your first visit. You’ll have a wonderful time and who knows, it may even turn into a regular trip.

“YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT? GET SOMEONE ELSE!” How often have you heard that (or maybe even said it yourself)? To succeed BIG as a leader you sometimes have to think small.

Every small, menial or mundane task is a golden opportunity for you to gain recognition and respect that will more than compensate.

When you feel you’re too important to help in some less than desirable necessary task, you’re only fooling yourself. You will never be too important to be exempt from doing something menial that has to be done. So, accept it and do it graciously. The upside is that it’s what helps to build character and make you a stronger leader.

My father used to say, “Son, no matter what you do in life whether it’s leading men in the military or mopping a floor, if you should die doing it they should be able to say it was your finest hour.”

As a result, my attitude became, “Do you want me to chair the meeting or set up the chairs for the meeting?” I invite you to adopt that attitude and adapt it to your everyday life. Some call that “servant leadership.” It worked for me and will for you.

It doesn’t matter the size of the task. That’s not relevant. The question is, “Does it need to be done?” Are you the one in a position to do it? If so, get busy. We would all like prestige assignments and jobs, but life ain’t always cooperative that way.

In a recent episode of “The Apprentice”, one of the candidates refused to carry out a task that she thought was beneath her. Her team lost and she was fired because of that attitude. When you find yourself in a situation like that, step up and accept the challenge graciously (remember my father’s advice).

People are watching, both up and down the line and they are all in a position to propel your career. But, don’t do it for that reason. Do it because it’s right. Small seemingly insignificant tasks are opportunities to show the size of your character.

Your servant leader’s heart is revealed in little acts, done without fanfare or expectations, that others generally don’t think of or wouldn’t want to do. Rick Warren, in his book “The Purpose Driven Life” states, “Great opportunities often disguise themselves in small tasks. The little things in life determine the big things.”

May you have many little tasks that lead to big successes.

© 2005 Gaining The Edge
Feel free to reprint this article provided that it is not altered and that the resource information as shown below is included.

John Nicholas is a corporate trainer on leadership and co-author of the book Leadership Inside Secrets. For more leadership tips and techniques subscribe to our free leadership newsletter: http://www.GainingTheEdge.com and receive a valuable free bonus

People in the internet marketing community have discovered a new form of marketing web pages and exchanging links, and this method is quickly gaining a large head of steam. The basic system works like this: a person will write a page of content, and then allow a foreign website to publish that content in exchange for a link in a resource box on the page. This idea appeals to both parties for several reasons, which I’ll outline.

Article Directories follow the metaphysical law of Reciprocation. What this means in Layman’s Terms is: you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. Both parties get something out of the arrangement, and all is good. If you contrast this particular method of marketing to the more odious method of “scraping content”, and you’ll quickly see why article directories are considered to be the wave of the future when it comes to interactive and co-operative marketing. Article directories allow for participation by:

1)webmasters who want to use the articles 2)The Webmaster who wrote the article and who receives promotional credit for publishing it 3)The end user who gets high quality content that may not have been available otherwise.

If you haven’t already begun article creation, you better get started soon. Right now, the article directory industry is exploding. What better way to promote your website than to write expert articles that make you and your subject matter stand out from the crowd? If you’re an excellent writer, you can greatly expand the audience of your website by expanding your reach on the internet. Once you’re published on a multitude of websites, you can expect a great deal of direct traffic as well as search engine juice from your many installed articles. If you think about 10 articles that are on over 100 sites, you can quickly see that’s 1,000 pages that now link to you with information about you and your website. Done consistently, for months on end, there is no better way of increasing your exposure than authoring and submitting articles on your favorite subjects. If you’re not already an expert on a subject, then what better time to start than now?

You are best off writing individual articles for the web directories that do not appear on your own website. Otherwise, you may run into the very real risk of the article directory outranking you for your very own content! Generally article directories are very popular website with a great deal of traffic and link popularity, so they often will rank for your article. If you use original content, you can expect additional traffic, that doesn’t interfere with your websites traffic at all. Submitting content to article directories is not a miracle cure for all of your ranking blues, but it’s a great start for a deserving website on the road to recognition. Only by getting the word out, can you expect others to be able to find the wonderful resource that is your website.

Wood doll houses with authentic look and design are best as a doll houses choice. Here, you can see a big line of wood doll houses. Its rough surface made of plywood gives protection from easily broking down and children can use it as a play item.

But for purchasing the wood doll houses you need to follow the same norms as buying any other doll house. First of all, you should look into the design whether it has all the patterns of a house or not.

The wood doll houses for kids are made to fit with the height of their toys. The wood doll houses for children should be strong catchy and most important- with a space to play. They should be reasonable in price with an exterior appealing to children. Adults with an aesthetic go for the dollhouses as a collectible item.

And the design and patterns of wood dollhouses ranges from the simple to sophisticated penthouses. The Queen Mary’s Doll’s house, designed in 1924, Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle, Malahide Castle, Windsor Castle and many more are famous dollhouses.

In many ways you can make wood doll houses part of your miniature dolls. You can start from already decorated dollhouse then after can make innovations of your choice in it. In purchase of a dollhouse you invest good amount of money. So, always purchase a dollhouse kit carefully otherwise you will face problem while finishing the dollhouse.

Here, you can have a look on Victorian wood doll houses, classic wood dollhouses. Wood Barbie doll houses are the best for children to play.

Anuureeta

ABC’s of Becoming an Effective Teen By: Lin Miao

A: Acquire a Strong and Positive Attitude

B: Break Out of Your Shell

C: Characterize Your Hero

D: Demand Respect For Your Standards, Yourself and Your Beliefs

E: Energize Yourself Everyday With a Goal of Making a Difference

F: Failure to Plan, is Planning for Failure

G: Go Big or Go Home

H: Humility is Power

I: Itemize Your Qualities and Seek your Strengths Not Your Weaknesses

J: Jealousy Will Always End in Negative Not Positive

K: Keep your Momentum, Never Stop, Keep Moving!

L: Live Your Life

M: Magnify Your Opportunities

N: Nothing is Better Than the Truth

O: Okay, You’ve Failed, Now Get Back Up!

P: Position Yourself in Positive Environments

Q: Quality Over Quantity

R: Realize Problems and Quickly Fix Them

S: Stick to the Purpose

T: Treasure All Your Friends, For They’re Your Most Prized Treasures

U: Understand That All Things Have a Purpose

V: Visualize Success and Don’t Be Afraid to Fail. You Miss 100% of The Shots You Don’t Take.

W: Work Hard If You Expect Success

X: X It Out! You’re Better Than That

Y: Yes, is Not Always the Answer. Learn to Say No!

Z: Zoom into Reality, and Zip the Fluff

Copyright 2004

Known as The Miao, Lin Miao Executive Director of LinCity.com – http://www.lincity.com – The Ultimate Online Teen City, is labeled as a powerful and inspirational speaker in the subject of Teen Leadership. He is also the Chief Information Officer for United Planet.

How do you really know that that great item you just found at the neighborhood garage sale is the real deal? In other words, is it really a collectible item or someone else’s discarded piece of junk?

What’s its condition? Does it look new or used? Clean or dirty? Scratched, torn soiled, or nice, new and pristine? Did your new doll, train or other unique item come with the box or without?

Here’s an idea for establishing its heritage: look carefully for any brand names, place of manufacture, trade or any other type of mark. How about when it was made. Some treasures will have a date or at least a year stamped on them. This can help you verify it’s true background.

If the item is a doll, is it still in its original box, or does it even have the box at all? When inspecting your doll, look for the above mentioned identifying marks.

Use catalogues, hobby magazines and online groups to help you know the value of your collectible. Online auctions can be a great source to see what similar or the same items are selling for. This is a great indicator of the approximate value of your item. Just remember, you can probably get more for your item if you sell it locally where the prospective buyer can see, feel and touch the collectible.

Finally, be sure to visit the local antique shops and see what they will give you for it. Some areas even have hobby clubs and organizations where you are sure to find help with your item’s value.

Sandy Knoll, author and webmistress, operates www.famouscollectible.com, a terrific resource for collectibles. She is a garage sale junkie who swears by the collectible items she has found there.

We are a nation of stressed out mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, wives, husbands… you get the idea.

It’s easy to get caught up in the spiral of everyday life and forget to honor your spirit and body. Studies have shown that stress causes or exacerbates ailments such as strokes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, etc.

But do any of these facts, slow you down?

Chances are the answer to the question is “no”. Unfortunately, many people do not take the time to unwind, until it’s too late and they are lying in a hospital bed.

Stress reduction techniques vary. Below are four easy stress management techniques:

• Take five minutes out of your day and sit by yourself with your eyes closed. If you are a busy parent, student or working stiff like the rest of us, it may prove difficult, but it’s important that you find some time for yourself.

The five minutes can come at the end of the day, right before you go to sleep. This is also a great way to unwind before bedtime.

During these 5 minutes, think of happy thoughts. A vacation that you enjoyed or a good joke – anything that makes you happy and content.

• Take time to treat yourself to the good things in life. Visit your local day spas or take a nice vacation. Life is short and as the saying goes “you can’t it with you”.

• Designate a relaxation day, every three months. This is only four days per year out of 365 days. Use this day to get a therapeutic massage, a facial or manicure. Take your husband, mom, sister, best friend with you or get them a gift certificate so that they can also enjoy the experience. This is an especially wonderful gift, if they have a special occasion coming up such as an anniversary, graduation, new birth, mother’s day or valentine’s day.

Delia Galley writes about stress relief techniques. Visit http://www.dayspafan.com to find your local day spas.

In every bedroom across the country the main feature in the bedroom is the bed. You spend almost a 1/4 of your lifetime in our bed, which is an astounding amount of time? With a regular bed lasting you for 5-10 years it is vitally critical to get something you like, remeber you will be spending an awful lot of time with your new bed. It is therefore very essential that you get a bed that fits in your room as well as being happy with it’s style as you will have to live with it

Firstly lets talk about leather beds, they are the epitome of cool and the highlight of the modern bedroom. You may think leather is to high-priced! You would be right in thinking that, although prices have been coming down in recent years. Although you can get a faux leather bed which will cost you a fraction of the price whilst giving you the same style and function of a normal leather bed.

You can get a leather bed in any size of bed whether it’s a simple single bed or a giant double bed. If you don’t have much spce in your bedroom but still want the fashionable look of a leather bed then you want to get an ottoman storage bed, these very cool beds have a massive storage cavity built into them.

So if you want some great deals on a leather bed check out leatherdoublebed.me.uk

Since it’s first induction as the world’s most popular beverage, coffee has gone through many changes and upgrades. These improvements allow gourmet coffee drinkers the chance to choose between many different grades and flavors of the coffee. Whether you are a coffee connoisseur or just need your morning pick me up, there’s nothing to tempt the palate quite like a hot mug of smooth gourmet coffee!

To fully appreciate a cup of hot gourmet flavored coffee, you should take a minute to inform yourself with the basics of gourmet coffee. The coffee bean is not really a bean; they are actually the seeds of a cherry that are found on a coffee tree. There are a couple of different ways to extract the seed; wet process and dry process. Each process will bring about the shared result of removing all of the fruit from the seed.

There are two types of coffee: Arabica and Robusta. Robusta coffee makes up the coffee that has the most caffeine, at the cheapest price. Arabica (a.k.a. gourmet) coffee is the best grade of coffee. It has50% of the caffeine of Robusta and has the best taste. Those that enjoy this type of coffee will also tell you that gourmet coffee has a much better smell and more desirable flavors than Robusta.

Gourmet coffee is available in many of your favorite flavors, including: almond, amaretto, Irish crme, French vanilla, Swiss mocha, vanilla, chocolate, mint, peppermint, pumpkin spice and just about anything else you can imagine! Basically, if there is any flavor that you are partial to, you will be able to find.

There are gourmet flavored coffees that are caffeinated and those that are decaffeinated. If you have a sensitive stomach, you can even find gourmet coffee that is low in acid, making it a little more gentle. Arabica coffee ranks very high among the Specialty Coffee Association of America, which pretty much sets the standards applied to all gourmet coffee drinks.

Many coffee making companies offer a gourmet style drink, including: Gevalia, Green Mountain, San Giorgio, San Francisco Bay, Kona and Javalution. The gourmet coffee beans are offered in a variety of different serving sizes. They are also offered at many different prices, depending on your personal preference. Though this type of coffee may be a bit more pricey than the Robusta, it’s the only choice for true coffee lovers!

C V is a freelance writer, providing articles and information on all types of coffee products from coffee gift baskets, gourmet coffee, coffee mugs and more. http://www.coffee-makers-n-espresso-machines.com

About 850 A.D it is said that a lone shepherd and his flock
came across a strange and mysterious plant growing upon a
secluded and forgotten hillside. Before he could stop them
some of his herd had began to gnaw away at this unusual
berry. After about fifteen minutes or so the herder started
to notice that his sheep were behaving in an odd manner. Not
only were they unusually alert but they also appeared to be
extremely hyperactive. Now being a little weary and
extremely tired the shepherd decided to try the berries and
see if the end results would be the same for him as they had
been for his flock. To his pleasant surprise the shepherd
began to feel wide awake and he too became very alert. After
a few hours had passed along came a wandering monk who,
after being informed of the plants amazing qualities
proceeded to scold the poor shepherd and lecture him on his
foolish indulgence. After he had finished telling the
shepherd just what a sinner he had been the monk set upon
his journey but not before he had added a little something
to his backpack and supplies.

When the monk reached his monastery his fellow holy men also
decided to try this new and enchanting beverage. Soon the
endless hours of prayer no longer seemed so wearisome, in
fact they became easy to endure with the help of this
exciting new drink. Coffee, had now well and truly arrived
and the news began to spread! Its widespread consumption
first commenced in the wilds of the Ethiopian outlands
before then moving on to the heart of Arabia . Here it was
to be held as a holy delicacy but was eventually to be
unlawfully exported by a trader by the name of Baba Budan.
In no time at all word of its qualities began to spread and
coffee was to evolve into one of the most valued drinks ever
known to the human civilisation. Its hard to believe that
each year we consume a staggering four billion cups and
there are many among us who would not contemplate starting
their day without it.

Although coffee is usually thought of as a sleep suppressant
there are many who think that it also has many health
benefits. It is said that folk who suffer from the complaint
of asthma and drink coffee have an average of at least 25%
less symptoms due to a substance in the coffee named
theophylline. This is known to be a bronchodilator which
helps those who suffer with the disease to breathe a little
more easily. Drinking coffee on a daily basis is also
thought to help lower your chances of developing colon
cancer. This is also by a figure in the region of about
twenty five percent.

Its curious that the vast majority of folk have no idea of
the different tastes and delights that this king of all
drinks has to offer us. One of the swiftest growing trends
of the last few years has to be the rising popularity of
buying coffee via the internet. Never before have we been
able to so easily get hold of such a large and voluptuous
variety of blends, tastes and tantalising aromas from all
over the world. With the aid of the wonderful web, trekking
around the local neighbourhood to try and find some new
exciting coffee blends has became a thing of the past.
Sitting at home I can now search out an almost infinite
variety of coffees from all over the world and order them
at the click of a mouse. I tend to place numerous orders
via the web and I always make a point of recording blend,
country, and from exactly whom I purchased.

Now you know the history of this magical bean I hope that if
in the days to come you are thinking of visiting your local
coffee shop you recall the information you have read on this
website and make the most of this wonderful drink. Go on and
try some new varieties. Not only will you impress your
friends, your tastebuds will be thrilled as well.

Latte or Cappuccino?

Valerie Shapero is the owner of
Fuzzy Coffee, Inc. which is a premier source of information about coffee. For more
information, go to: http://fuzzycoffee.com