CTOKOS Blog

What you feed your dog is really SO important for your dog’s ultimate health, susceptibility to illness, and longevity.

You know, if you really want your dog to be as healthy as s/he can be, you should stop feeding ANY of the widely available commercial dog foods.

I’m talking here about the types of dog food commonly found in supermarkets, and even about most of the supposedly superior brands sold in some supermarkets, pet food shops, and even by many vets.

The cheaper the brand, then generally the more full of garbage it is, but even many of the more expensive brands leave much to be desired.

What do you think is an ideal diet for your dog?

• plump chickens?
• choice cuts of juicy beef and lamb?
• maybe a few healthy fresh grains for variety?
• the odd fresh herbs, vegetables and fruit?

You’d be right.

But how many of the above ingredients do you think go into commercial pet food?

A lot? Only a little? If you said yes to either of these, you’d be dead wrong.

The average commercial dog food bears NO relation to the above list of choice ingredients, despite what pet food manufacturers display in some of their marketing, and despite what the list of ingredients on the pack or can might tend to indicate.

There is very, very little (if any) of the above ingredients in the average commercial dog food, and by the time it’s been overcooked at sustained high temperatures, and sprayed with preservative agents, the resultant “food” can be very harmful to your dog’s health and wellbeing indeed.

Suffice to say that if you’re feeding your dog ANY commercially available dog food, you’re exposing your dog to a source of chemically enhanced, overprocessed, garbage, the meat source for which includes diseased carcasses which have been left for up to 5 days before being processed.

Enough to turn you off for life? It was for me. As you know, I’ve always fed my dogs a diet of mainly raw meat and bones. But I like to give them a little treat in the mornings rather than just feed them once a day (which, by the way, IS all a dog NEEDS). I used to give them a handful of dry dog food each morning, sometimes the cheaper supermarket brands, and sometimes the “brand” names which cost 4 or 5 times as much. Now that I know better, I never give my dogs any of that garbage.

I should say that SOME of the expensive pet foods which are readily available ARE better than the cheaper brands. BUT, most are still far from an ideal diet for your dog, so query whether the extra money is money well spent.

If the product says it’s “with real chicken”, did you know that it only needs to contain 3% of chicken? Neither did I.

If the first item listed is meat or chicken, did you know that this doesn’t mean that’s the main ingredient? Neither did I.

Take a close look at the label. It’s likely to list a meat first, and then 2, 3, 4 or 5 types of grains. This is a very misleading tactic used by the commercial pet food manufacturers. Each of the grains individually may be slightly less in quantity than the meat. But added together? They’re probably nearly 2, 3, 4 or 5 times the quantity of the meat ingredient.

After having looked into this issue in a great deal of detail, I’m convinced that the most healthy diet for your dog is mainly fresh meat, with some fresh veges and a little grain thrown in. And this alone is NOT enough. You need to give your dog a vitamin supplement always, for optimal health.

And for the very best health, there ARE some reputable HEALTHY, wholesome, holistic dog food manufacturers, which really DO provide wonderfully healthy food for our dogs.

(c) 2004, Brigitte Smith, Healthy Happy Dogs

About The Author

Brigitte Smith is a dog lover with a special interest in natural health for dogs. For your free dog health report, click here: http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com

For info on HEALTHY dog foods, click here: http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com/DogFood

1) Just preparing for it by dieting properly and training could well put you in the best physical condition of your life.

2) By improving yourself, you do a wonderful thing for your family and all those close to you.

3) In the eyes of those same people, you will be a role model, a hero and an inspiration.

4) You will give your life new meaning. As a 14 time Ironman(my last at 55), I guarantee it.

5) You will most likely learn new skills you previously knew nothing about. Just learning how to swim is a huge bonus and could one day save your life or the life of someone imporant to you.

6) In the course of your training and the race experience itself, you will meet some truly remarkable people.

7) You can combine your Ironman race with a holiday and take the family. Most important of all, they will be there to cheer you on and share in your incredible achievement. Its one of those situations where everyone wins.

For the first time, you will learn what you are truly capable of on a physical, emotional and even spiritual level. You will amaze yourself and be a better person for the total experience.

9) You will discover there are few challenges the human spirit cannot overcome and the strength within all of us just has to be given an opportunity to show itself.

10) Finish this race and you will forever have the title Ironman in front of your name. That can never be taken away from you and everytime you hear the word you will be reminded of what a remarkable journey it was and how taking up the challenge was the best decision of your life. Though many people in your circle may doubt you and wonder what on earth you are doing, don’t let anyone deter you from reaching this remarkable goal

My name is Ray and I’m a veteran of over 25 years of endurances events including 14 Ironman Triathlons. I’ve created a site called “IRONSTRUCK” that is full of training and racing tips for the beginner triathlete and Novice Ironman. triathlon-ironman-myfirstironman-ironstruck.com

Your company is on the web, your site is receiving few hits, but you know that the number of Internet users is growing by leaps and bounds (285 million users worldwide, to be exact). So it is only a matter of time until the number of Internet users reaches “critical mass” and the multitudes will come streaming to your site, right? Wrong.

At the same time that the number of Internet users is growing, the number of Internet pages top 1 billion and the list is growing rapidly every day. So the chances of your site being found is like finding a needle in a very big virtual haystack, unless you actively market your site via Internet and traditional avenues.

In this column, we will address the following question: “How do I drive traffic to my site? We will also take this question to its logical conclusion by answering the following question: “Once I have traffic flowing to my site, how do I get them to return?”

Keep in mind that these questions are better asked prior to the development of your site than after it is finished. It is far less painful to incorporate these features during development, than after the site is completed. Doing this will save a lot of site redesign, not to mention ulcers.

When addressing the question of driving traffic to your site it is important to look at who your target market is and identify the top avenues for driving those individuals to your site.

The first step in this process is identifying the different Internet channels available for driving traffic to your site. Some possible mediums are:

Links with other related sites
Web rings
Affiliate programs
Search engine optimization
Internet Press Releases
Listserves
Newsgroups
Opt-in e-mail lists
Banner ads & site sponsorships
Viral marketing (e.g. e-mail to a friend)

It will be important to research these channels in order to find the right mix for reaching the individuals you want to target.

Now that you have opened your virtual door to the world, how do you get site visitors to return? To a large degree, this depends on the type of product or service you are offering. But regardless of the line of business you are in, there are very definitely ways that you can reinforce reasons for visitors to return to your site.

The following are ideas on how you can get your site visitors to return:

Live content feeds of news and information
Online surveys that change regularly - This can also provide valuable marketing information!
Provide relevant information that changes regularly
Opt-in e-mail - Ask permission to e-mail visitors updates, newsletters, etc.
Rent opt-in e-mail lists - send broadcast e-mails touting your site to individuals who have opted in to your area of interest
Online contests - if you have a brick and mortar presence, tie the contest in with your store to drive traffic both places, make it fun!
Make it easy for them to bookmark your site

By developing an ongoing program of driving and maintaining traffic on your site, you can be assured of a continual stream of traffic. By regularly following up with individuals who have opted into your e-mail program, you can be assured that your company will remain at the forefront of potential customers minds when it comes time to purchase.

After the purchase, this also presents an opportunity to maintain contact with your customers to further strengthen and cement the relationship with the goal of making them a customer for life. By proactively anticipating their needs based on prior buying patterns, you can provide an indispensable service to your customers. As we all know, it is much less expensive to keep an established customer than to develop a new one.

While this article focuses on Internet strategies, traditional marketing channels should not be ignored. It is important to include your URL on all published materials, advertisements, and broadcasts. It is also important that your web site and traditional advertising channels be co-branded with a similar look and feel so that visitors can expect the same appearance across all channels.

The Internet presents tremendous opportunity to develop prospects and customers. It also allows you to further strengthen your bond with customers so that you can develop a relationship with them that they are unwilling to walk away from.

About the Author

Brent Niland
Spindustry Systems, Inc.
ph. 515-225-0920
bniland@spindustry.com
www.spindustrysystems.com

The nectar collected from the flowers is transformed into honey to dress upon some of the most mouth-watering desserts. With the passage of time honey has continued to be one of the main ingredients for skin care. It has maintained its importance due to the beneficial factors. The healing capacity of honey is stupendous making it one of the favorite components for home remedies. Honey has many good properties like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, chlorine, sulfur, iron and phosphate. It contains vitamins like B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3. There is presence of copper, iodine and zinc in small quantities.

Honey is very good for your skin due to its properties. You can use honey for face mask as it treats your skin very well. It nourishes your skin by the essential properties present in it. It is very good to remove wrinkles from face and works as an anti-aging remedy. Honey is able to maintain moisture which helps your skin remain soft and supple. The hydration quality of the honey proves to maintain the skins elasticity, smoothness and softness. The presence of antioxidants in honey protects you from UV rays.

Recipes

Honey Cleanser
Mix 1 tbsp. honey, 2 tbsp. finely ground almonds with 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Rub it on your face. Rinse it with warm water.

Honey Toner
Make a concoction of 1 tbsp. honey with peeled and deseeded apple. Apply this paste on your face for 15 minutes. Rinse it with cool water.

Honey Facial Mask
1 tbsp. honey, 1 egg white, 1 tsp glycerin and in proportion add flour to all the ingredients to whisk up a smooth paste. Spread this paste all over your face including the neck and leave it for 10 minutes. Wash it off with warm water.

For A Pleasing Bath
To have relaxing bath add 1/4 cup honey to your bath water and ease out in that smooth and silky water.

A Smooth Conditioner
Mix 1 tsp. honey with 1 tsp. vegetable oil and 1/4 tsp lemon juice. This mixture is very natural conditioner to be rubbed on every part of your body which is dry. Leave it on for 10 minutes and later rinse it off.

Acne Reliever
Mix 1/2 cup warm water with 1/4 tsp salt. Use a cotton ball to soften the blemish by applying constant pressure. Apply honey with the help of cotton and leave it for 10 minutes. Wash it and pat it dry.

Lip Care
The use of honey on chapped lips is a great hit.

Body Scrub
Use 1/4 cup freshly ground coffee, 1/4 cup buttermilk, 2 tbsp. wheat germ, 2 tbsp. honey, 1 tbsp grape seed oil, 1 egg white. Mix buttermilk, honey, grape seed oil and egg white. Keep adding coffee and wheat germ to this mixture slowly to avoid any lumps. Apply this paste all over your body when in bath helping in exfoliation. Rinse it completely and pat dry to see the effects.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautions while following instructions on the recipes from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Sharon Hopkins guides us about the various needs and wants of our skin and hair through his site. Skin Care With Honey. It is used to fight your skin problems as well as used as an anti-aging product.

OK, first of all, you must know that newborns only need two or three times a week of thorough bathing. Other than that, all you have to do is completely clean her after feedings and don’t forget also the diaper section when you change her diaper.

If you bath your baby more frequent, it will only cause rashes and damages to her skin. Remember also that as long as the leftover of the umbilical cord remains intact, you should only bath your newborn with sponge.

When should you bath your baby?

Well, basically you can do it any time of the day, but if you want her to sleep better, you might want to bath your newborn just before bedtime.

Prepare all of the bathing equipments you might need before you start your baby shower and place them near you. Things like towels, blankets, diapers and clothes should be ready. Of course don’t forget to have wash-clothes and those cleaning stuffs close to you.

You don’t want to rush for those items in the middle of the bathing process! This is vital, because you must not leave your baby neglected even for a glance. You should always at least one hand on your newborn.

When is your baby ready for a tub bath?

Well, after sponge baths (that means after the umbilical cord leftover is healed), you can bath your baby in a sink, or a plastic tub lined with a clean towel. If your newborn’s been circumcised, then you should wait until it heals, then a tub bath is OK for her.

Finally, here are some extra points you should consider during your baby shower:

o Make sure the room where you bath your newborn is free from wind breeze.

o Make sure the bath water is warm. Not too hot, nor too cold. Feel the water first with the inside of your wrist.

o Wrap your baby in a towel instantly after pulling her out of the water, so she won’t slip from you.

Have a merry baby shower!

Taking good care of your baby means that you also have to stay healthy and live healthy. Here is the information your hospital doesn’t want you to know and I think this must be the best-kept healing secrets in the world! Feel free to download this FREE Report

A virtual private network or VPN is a network that is used to connect nodes. It is constructed using public wires. Many systems enable users to create a network using the Internet. The Internet is used as a means of transporting data. Security mechanism such as encryptations and others are used to make sure that only an authorized person can access the data stored.

Many businesses deal with a global market rather than with just local clients. Most companies today have their business interests spread out across the country or around the world. These companies need a means to conduct fast, secure and reliable communication. VPN provides a convenient way to do so. It is a private network that uses a public network such as the internet to connect remote sites or users together. The VPN technology doesn’t use a leased line. Instead, it uses virtual connections routed through the Internet from the private network of the company to the remote site or employee. The advantage of VPN is that it provides an organization with the same capabilities as a leased line, but at a much lower cost.

VPN uses a shared public infrastructure. It maintains privacy through security procedures and tunneling protocols like the Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP). This protocol sends the data through a “”virtual tunnel”", It encrypts the data before sending it and decrypts it on receiving it at the other end. Security can be further be tightened by encrypting the originating and receiving network addresses.

A secure VPN uses cryptographic tunneling protocols. This provides the necessary confidentiality, prevents unauthorized access and protects private data. Proper selection, implementation and usage of a VPN system can ensure secure communication over an unsecured network. There are many insecure VPN products on the market. Users should thoroughly investigate the products and how secure they are before purchasing any VPN technology.

Do you have a product so good you want everybody to know about it? How about generating more profits from it? If you want the answer, affiliates are the key. Nevertheless, how do you actually get swarms of affiliates to promote your product? Look below:

1. Create An Affiliate Program

The first step of course, is to create your affiliate program. Make sure you have a good affiliate program that works perfectly well. Nobody will want to know that they have lost their commissions due to the malfunction of an affiliate program.

If you don’t have an affiliate program, you can use the service from ClickBank. They provide an easy, one step affiliate program that will send you checks every 2 weeks for your earnings.

2. Prepare The Tools

This is one of the largest mistakes an affiliate program owner ever has. Preparing the right tools for your affiliates is crucial as it can boost the response from your affiliates. When you do, you give your affiliates a big reason why they should promote your products.

They don’t need to start everything over from zero, they can improve, or upgrade your tools and sell more effectively, or they can save their precious time preparing and instead, start selling your products right away.

3. Urge Your Visitors

On your sales page, try and urge your visitors in affiliating your product. Many people just need a push on the back before they will do something. By urging them to do so, you not only get more affiliates, you can generate more profits as well.

4. Request Subscribers

If you have a list of subscribers, send out an email asking them to become an affiliate for your product. Your subscribers know you better than just normal visitors, they’ll be more responsive to your request.

5. Create Viral Reports

This is a very effective way of getting more affiliates to promote your products. A viral report consists of great contents to educate your readers and you’ll be able to request these readers in promoting your products as well.

Viral reports get passed around a lot, they are one of the greatest ways of spreading the word on the Internet. If you haven’t created your own viral report, create one today!

6. Have A High Ticket Product

Many affiliates are searching for products that have very high price tag so that they can earn more commissions upon a sale. Of course, make sure the price is reasonable so people will actually dig their wallets out for it.

7. Offer High Commissions

A high commission is a great motivation for affiliates. If they can earn a big portion of commissions from a product or service upon their sales, it gives them a reason to continue promoting your product or service to people. Be generous on this, because affiliates can earn you twice as much alone, maybe even more! As the saying goes “give and you shall receive.”

8. Embed the Tell-A-Friend Function

Did you place the tell-a-friend function on your sales page? Did you place any of it on your order page either? How about the thank you page? And the page after people subscribed to your newsletter? If you haven’t, you’re a sales killer, you’re an affiliate killer.

Humans are lazy, they need a nudge before doing anything. Many people think that the tell-a-friend functions are not effective but the fact is, they rock hard. Have you been on a page where you feel like telling a friend but it takes so many things to do that so you simply leave the page and forget it?

What if there’s a tell-a-friend function right in front of your eyes? You’d just fill in the form in 5 seconds and send it all to your friends. That’s how Tickle, MySpace, Friendster and all the other high traffic website works - the word of mouth!

Therefore, if you haven’t applied any of the steps above, take action now and do it today. To your success.

Seth Chong is the owner of IMViral, one of the largest, biggest viral Internet Marketing Newsletter which is being spread around the world, you can sign up for the Newsletter(worths $197) for Free at http://www.IMViral.com

Have you ever wondered how much a serving really is. Well, pull out your box of Raisin Bran, grab the milk a bowl and a spoon. Now fill up your bowl with cereal pour on the milk and get ready. This is around four servings. On average a single serving of raisin bran is cup cereal and cup milk. If this was all anyone ever ate for breakfast refrigerators world wide would be open for raiding by 9 am.

Fruits and vegetables are no different. The U.S. government has stated we should consume 5 to 9 servings of fruits and veggies a day. To think about eating 9 apples a day or chomp down half a dozen carrots is overwhelming. Take a look at what constitutes a serving.

FRUITS

• 1 medium piece of fruit, this is not the fruit size you get from Harry and David, this is about the size of a closed fist.

• cup chopped fruit, measure this out it really is not that much fruit.

• grapefruit

• small cantaloupe

• cup fruit juice, make sure this is 100% juice. Try fresh squeezing your own juice. A small citrus juicer is extremely affordable and available at most department stores. Many of the large where house stores are now carrying the Jack Lalane Power Juicer. The price is affordable and it works well for in home juicing.

• One dozen grapes

• cup berries

• cup dried fruit

VEGETABLES

• cup chopped vegetables

• 1 cup raw leafy vegetables, this makes for a small salad. If measuring the vegetables each time feels to restrictive try marking a plastic cup with a one cup line or measure one cup into a small bowl and mark where the bowl should be filled to.

• cup vegetable juice. The commercially marketed vegetable juices are a good option; however, if you want to control the sodium in your juice try a power juicer. The juice tastes fresh and you feel good after drinking it. Many of the power juicers come with recipes that liven up your juicing experience.

• cup cooked dry beans

• cup canned vegetables

• 1 medium potato, keep in mind the closed fist as an indicator of medium. This is a small closed fist, not an MBA player’s fist.

• 6-8 carrot sticks cut 3″ long

Once you know how much a serving is that 5-9 serving recommendation is not so overwhelming. Some handy tips, measure out in your favorite bowl how much a serving is. Mark where the serving comes to this way you can fill the bowl to this level and not have to measure each time. Try marking a plastic glass at cup, this way you can fill the juice to the line and not have to measure.

Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who specializes in creating gourmet meal plans. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. She is also the publisher of a no cost bi-monthly gourmet newsletter. Her newsletter is always fun and informational packed with tips and trivia you can use everyday. http://www.gourmayeats.com

Where do you go to find the PEOPLE you need to make your dreams a reality? Read the 7 suggestions below to get started. You might find the people you need are closer than you think.

1. Form or participate in a success team.

This is my secret. For every major project I commit to I surround myself with other people with similar goals. For example: I wanted help keeping my business on track. I formed a group with three other business owners who had the same goal. We learn a ton from each other, share resources, provide feedback and offer unending encouragement. We’ve been together for over a year and they play a big role in my ability to consistently get things done and make things happen.

2. Get coached!

I may be biased, but before I was a coach I hired a coach. It gave me the shot in the arm I needed to launch my business. Coaching is amazing because you get to work one-on-one with someone totally dedicated to you and your success. A coach will offer you encouragement, accountability and help you plan strategic courses of action.

3. Find a mentor.

A mentor will help you shorten your learning curve because they’ve already been where you want to go. Who in your profession or life do you admire? Ask them if they’d be willing to meet with you on a regular basis and be your mentor. For tips on setting up a good mentor-mentee relationship, search Google with the keywords “mentoring tips” or something similar. You’ll find lots of information.

4. Follow an expert.

If you’re looking for advice on a specific topic, let’s say boosting self-confidence, read books, attend seminars or check online. When you find someone whose style you enjoy become an “expert groupie”. Read their books, check out their website and watch for special programs they offer.

5. Join a special interest group.

There’s a group for every interest and everyone! Group members often share best practices, swap referrals and bring in experts related to their unique niche. Look for existing groups in your local newspaper, community education and flyers on coffee shop bulletin boards. Your alumni association may have suggestions, as well as your local chamber of commerce and networking organizations.

6. Go online.

Join online discussion groups. My sister-in-law made a bevy of new friends when she joined an online discussion group of moms with kids all the same age. They’ve become friends, share parenting tips and even meet for an annual girl’s weekend away! One note: always be careful when you join online communities. Although great ones exist there are plenty with unscrupulous characters just waiting to take advantage of trusting individuals.

7. Ask a friend.

Do you have a friend that would just love it if you asked for their help? Sometimes help is closer than you think. Do you have a friend that is particularly supportive and encouraging? If so, tell them your goal and ask for their support. They’ll probably be thrilled and honored you thought of them and asked for their help. They may surprise you and ask for your help in return!

Surrounding yourself with PEOPLE that will help you get what you want is easier than you think but you have to ASK! Don’t hesitate and don’t be afraid. Ask and keep asking until you find “just the right” people to help you achieve your most important goals!

Copyright 2006 Cari Vollmer

Choosing to bid on the right keywords can be key to your pay per click success. By choosing the proper keywords - words that your potential customers would use to search for your product - you can pre-qualify web traffic and skyrocket your conversion rate.

But how do you choose the right keywords? Here are 3 powerful tips to uncovering profit-pulling keywords for your pay per click campaign.

#1) Choose Relevant Keywords

While this SEEMS obvious, you’d be surprised at how many ppc campaigns bid on unrelated keywords (Their logic might have a foundation but we just can’t see it from a searcher’s point of view).

So for example if you’re selling an e-book on how to make money buying foreclosures, don’t bid on keywords related to stock trading. Yes, these both have ‘money’ in common but that is a WIDE net to cast - and a huge waste of your money.

Even when you bid on a keyword - make sure the description not only fits the keyword but matches what the searcher will find when they click on your ad. Nothing ticks internet searchers off more than misleading ads.

You’ll not only NOT make the sale - but you’ll be making a non-customer for life, even IF they would have eventually bought your product.

#2) Choose Lots of Low-Cost Keywords

Unless you’re Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig, chances are you can’t afford to spend $5.00 on the keyword ‘diet’. That’s ok, you don’t have to.

Think niche with your keywords and you’ll find lots of low-cost related keywords - sometimes with absolutely no competition.

Now obviously these keywords are low cost because there are not a lot of searches on them (say 50-100 searches per month). But if you bid on a LOT of these keywords (say 200-300) that adds up to a lot of CHEAP traffic over time:

100 searches x 300 keywords = 30,000 searches and possible hits a month.

How do you find these low-cost keywords?

Use the keyword selection tool provided by most ppc engines to look up a main keyword. Then start from the bottom up to pick out related, low volume (less than 1000 searches a month) keywords.

Also, don’t forget to use misspellings. So many people don’t bid on misspellings that you can usually top positions quite cheap.

#3) Use Your Keywords In Your Title or Your Description or Both

Using your keyword in the description can double your click throughs, which means more interested prospects visiting your website.

You want the visitor to click on your link, only if they are really interested. Including your keyword in the title or description is a great way to weed out the tire-kickers from the sincere customers.

It reinforces the idea that YOUR website can give them what they are searching for - a sort of mirroring back what they typed, which breeds trust and likeability.

So those are several tips to helping you choose the right keywords for your pay per click campaign. Good luck and may your traffic (and sales) increase exponentially!

Kathryn O’Neill is contributing writer for Pay Per Click Advertising, a website helping you get the most for your pay per click dollars.

For more pay per click tips, reviews, and ppc savings, visit http://www.payperclick.homestead.com