The Truth Bar

France is a popular country for all kinds of tourists. Whether you are interested in art and culture, wine, shopping or beautiful scenery, France has something to offer you. A unique and enjoyable way to experience France is to do stay at French camping sites. There are a plethora of sites all over the country that give you easy and affordable access to the most beautiful parts of the country.

Imagine staying at French camping sites in Burgundy, the best wine growing region of France. You will be able to drive through the countryside and stop off at different vineyards to taste the best wines available in France. If you camp in the Ardeche region you will see some amazing scenery from hills to cliffs to windy roads and castles. You could camp on the Riviera and enjoy the beautiful white sand beaches. Or travel to Provence for the great architecture, olive groves and culture. There are camping sites in northern France. In this region of the country you can stay near Paris to experience one of the most glamorous cities in Europe. The culture, cuisine, art and shopping are a must-see. Overall, you really can’t go wrong by camping in France. There is so much to see that you will surely find something to love.

In developing their business plans, companies of all sizes face the challenge of determining the size of their markets. To begin, companies must present the size of their “relevant market” in their plans. The relevant market equals the company’s sales if it were to capture 100% of its specific niche of the market. Conversely, stating that you were competing in the $1 trillion U.S. healthcare market, for example, is a telltale sign of a poorly reasoned business plan, as there is no company that could reap $1 trillion in healthcare sales. Defining and communicating a credible relevant market size is far more powerful than presenting generic industry figures.

The challenge that many firms face is their inability to size their relevant markets, particularly if they are competing in new or rapidly evolving markets. On one hand, the fact that the markets are new or evolving is the reason why there may be a large opportunity to establish them and become the market leader. Conversely, investors, shareholders and senior management are often skeptical to invest resources because, since the markets do not yet exist, the markets may be too small, or not really exist at all.

In developing over 200 business plans for emerging ventures, venture capital firms, SMEs and Fortune 500 spinouts, Growthink has encountered the challenge of sizing emerging markets numerous times and has developed a proprietary methodology to solve the problem.

To begin, it is critical to understand why traditional market sizing methodologies are ill-equipped to size emerging markets. To illustrate, if a research firm were to use traditional methods to size a mature market such as the coffee market in the United States, it would consider demographic trends (e.g., aging baby boomers), psychographic trends (e.g., increased health consciousness), past sales trends and consumption rates, price movements, competitor brand shares and new product development, and channels/retailers among others. However, conducting such an analysis for emerging markets presents a challenge as several of these factors (e.g., past sales, demographics of the customer when there are no current customers) don’t exist because the markets are presently untapped.

The methodology required to size these new markets requires two approaches. Each approach will yield a different approximation of the potential market size, and often the figures will work together to provide a solid foundation for the market’s potential. Growthink calls the first approach “peeling back the onion.” In this approach, we start with the generic market (e.g., the coffee market) that that company is trying to penetrate, and remove pieces of that market that it will not target.

For instance, if the company created an ultra high-speed coffee maker that retailed for $600, it would initially reduce the market size by factors such as retail channels (e.g., mass marketers would not carry the product), demographic factors (lower income customers would not purchase the product), etc. By peeling back the generic market, you eventually will be left with only the relevant portion of it.

The second methodology requires assessing the market from several angles to approximate the potential market share, answering questions including:

•Competitors: who is competing for the customer that you will be serving; what is in their product pipeline; once you release a product/service, how long will it take them to enter the market, who else may enter the market, etc.

•Customers: what are the demographics and psychographics of the customers you will be targeting; what products are they currently using to fulfill a similar need (substitute products); how are they currently purchasing these products; what is their degree of loyalty to current providers, etc.

•Market factors: what other factors exist that will influence the market size - government regulations; market consolidation in related markets, price changes for raw materials, etc.

•Case Studies: what other markets have experience similar transformations and what were the customer adoption rates in those markets, etc.

While these methodologies are often more painstaking than traditional market research techniques, they can be the difference in determining whether your company has the next iPod or the next Edsel.

As President of Growthink
Business Plans, Dave Lavinsky has helped the company become one of the
premier business planning firms.
Since its inception, Growthink has developed over 200 business plans. Growthink
clients have collectively raised over $750 million in financing, launched
numerous new product and service lines and gained competitive advantage and
market share.

Women’s walking shoes have to be one of the best pairs of shoes to own.

This has nothing to do with the colour, how they look or even how they fit; this has to do with you, your health and more importantly your life span.

An 8 year study of 13,000 people showed that those who walked for 30 minutes every day had a lower risk of premature death than those who rarely exercised.

The fad of two legged walking began around 4 million years BC. Womens walking shoes were probably not as readily available then as they are now!

1860-1903 saw The Pedestrian Age when walking became the leading sport across Europe and the United States.

In 1877 Mary Marshall walked 50 miles in 12 hours and in 1908 the first women’s 6 day race, covering 372 miles was won by Bertha Von Berg.

You and I will probably be more familiar with craze of the nineties when a staggering 65 million people made walking the most popular form of exercise.

Walking regularly means you will be less likely to lose your mobility [American Journal of Public Health]

It gets even better.

Across the many forms of exercise today, physicians recommend walking over any other physical fitness activity.

If you don’t already have any kind of walking program, here’s a few amazing facts to convince you why taking up walking is the best decision you could make today:-

• Maintains a healthy bodyweight
• Burns fat and speeds up the metabolism
• Increases levels of self esteem and self confidence
• Maintains lean muscle
• Reduces blood cholesterol
• Boosts bone strength and prevents osteoporosis
• Controls high blood pressure
• Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer
• Reduces the symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Reduces stress
• Reduces pain and joint swelling caused by arthritis
• Achieves cardiovascular fitness
• Presents an overall feeling of wellbeing and good health

Of course your health is the most important part of your life but walking is completely free, no gym membership required!

One of the most important ‘bits of kit’ you will need, other than yourself of course is walking shoes. Aim to look for the following:-

• Great fit!
• low heel
• flexible sole
• breathable, lightweight fabric

If you walk regularly you should aim to have a new pair of womens walking shoes every 3-6 months, depending on the distance you usually walk.

By implementing a regular walking program of just 30 minutes a day you are essentially reducing the possibilities of all the points listed above.

You don’t even have to do one 30 minute walk; you could walk for 10 minutes at lunch time and maybe 20 minutes after dinner.

Try not to walk yourself into a frenzy.

Swing your arms as you walk and at a pace that will increase your heart rate slightly.

If you are losing weight you should aim to lose no more than about 1-2 lbs a week.

If you walk a mile, depending on you as an individual, your speed and the terrain you are walking on you can look to burn around 100 calories every mile.

For more information and how to start a walking program visit the Womens Shoes Guru
http://www.womens-shoes-guru.com/womens-walking-shoes.html

The Women’s Shoes Guru website provides a comprehensive guide to choosing womens shoes online.
Visitors are given information on the benefits of womens shoes, the history of shoes and a clear understanding of shoe designs.
For more information visit the Womens Shoes Guru
http://www.womens-shoes-guru.com

Is your marketing less than you wish it to be? Is your marketing simply not pulling in the clientele you wish it would? Is your marketing not living up to your business or marketing plan? Is your marketing proper as per the MBA textbooks, but it is simply not working to your expectations? Do you feel these expectations are reasonable and achievable and yet you are not getting the results you planned for and expect?

There are so many ways to promote your business and simple ways to deliver your simple message. I can remember a storeowner once who was a good customer of mine when I first started my mobile car washing service. Each week I would wash his car and he would ask how come I was so successful. At the time I did not feel so successful, but I explained to him so of my theories on marketing.

He asked me what he should do to market his business better, so I rattled off some ideas; See that trash can out there on the side walk? Wall Paper it a 3-Day Holiday Weekend Sales Message? See that light pole? Take some banner ribbon and string it to your store? Get a sandwich sign out front with balloons? Cover the trash bin in back so it is not visible for those parking back there?

Offer one of my discount car wash coupons to everyone who buys over $50.00 and see what happens. Well he did all that all right and we have been friends ever sense. Consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

The stress of going to a brick and mortar gaming hall can be enough to drop the idea unless it’s inevitable. Certainly all those miles of driving, the stress, and thousands of things to bear in mind are too much troubles for the opportunity of playing at brick and mortar gaming hall, still, if you’re the sort who is the consummate fan of casinos then going for games of chance via the World Wide Web is sure to be the answer for you. For this, you won’t have to go outside to try your hand at online roulette as you can access it easily from your own home provided you have a fully functional computer with an Internet access account. On the other hand, read on first, for there are a number of rules that you should consider regarding online roulette, the more so should you be inexperienced in this space.

The first thing that any savvy web risk taker must target is an online roulette Web page of the category promoting top odds. Make certain the online roulette Web page is inspected by a reputable, secure certified public accountants firm in order to audit the online wager’s pay-out odds in a verifiable manner. You definitely must take care to ensure the online texas holdem Web page is verifiably licensed, for instance by examining the licensing information on the casino site’s pages. If you can’t locate any licensing information on a given online texas holdem Web page, don’t ever remotely think of anteing on that site. Don’t miss out on today’s top internet casino games. Play here!

Moreover, another advice could be to try your hand at the start with petty amounts instead of disbursing so much it will hurt right off. First of all, check the integrity and status of this particular online texas holdem setup rather than going for any major menace– the more so in regards to money! The last tip regarding virtual poker. It is bound to be this– never to forget that all gambling should be really only about pleasurable enjoyment rather than making money. Casino gambling is definitely no vocation, but, rather a diversion that should make you cheery and your entire life satisfying. If you have minded the facts described above, you’re free now to give in to the magic of online texas holdem!

It is only natural that when you start a business, you are
doing something different than most people. They not only
will look at you because you stick out like a sore thumb,
but human nature will cause people to naturally ridicule
what you are doing.

They will tell you all types of things like: “You’re not
Business material.” “You can’t make a living working for
yourself.” “You’ll fail because nobody can ever make any
money that way.”

Being an entrepreneur is not just about having a lot of
ideas or business sense. It is also about having a lot of
guts. You have to build self-confidence in yourself. You
have to only be concerned with pleasing yourself.

Then, when you should fail with this particular venture,
you’ll just dust yourself off and start again. It doesn’t
matter if people think you’re nuts. They aren’t paying your
rent and running your life. Don’t be concerned with what
people “think” you should be.

Simply please yourself and do what you feel is right.
People are too busy competing with society and “keeping up
with the Jones’s” that they do things they are not
comfortable with just to appease them and look normal
whatever that is.

And if you have to, start out small in building your self
confidence. I used to be so self-conscious that I would
never go to a public event alone because I thought people
would believe I was lonely and had no friends.

Unbelievable, but true. Everyday I worked on walking into
public places adjusting to their environment. I’d take a
magazine or would be by myself. I would glance around, and
to my amazement, no one ever looked at me. No one cared
that I was alone. Then it dawned on me. “Who cares what
these people think? I’ll never see them again.” Besides,
there were a lot of other people all by themselves also and
I could absorb myself in the magazine I had took to read.
Now I can enjoy the comfort of being by myself and not give
any thought to the people around me.

When most people do fail in business they try to “save
face” by telling everyone they are “just in a slump” and
every thing will be back to normal soon. Besides, they don’t
want people to say: “I told you so” and destroy any pride
they are still hanging onto. Unfortunately, this only
delays the problem and creates even more false hope for the
people in your life as well as yourself.

The best thing to do for anybody in this catastrophe is to
swallow their pride and admit they screwed up. Just face it
head on! Admit that you were so proud of your
accomplishments that your mind became diluted with “visions
of sugar plums and fantasyland.”

If your small business is beyond repair, go out and find a
job and begin working on your next small business in the
near future. Keep your family fed and your financial
obligations met but look forward to the day when you will
succeed with your new business venture.

And why should you try again? Simply because you won’t make
the same mistakes you made this time. If you built
some thing successful before, but failed, you are certain to
build the next business stronger and wiser. Even if you
fail the second time, it won’t be because of mistakes you
made the first time. You’ll learn more and more and
eventually be successful.

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on
your web site as long as the byline is included and the
article is included in it’s entirety. I also ask that you
activate any html links found in the article and in the
byline. Please send a courtesy link or email where you
publish to: support@multiplestreammktg.com.

Abe Cherian is the founder of Multiple Stream Media,
a leading performance-based Internet advertising
company dedicated in helping small businesses create
online presence, brand recognition and online automation.
Main company web site: http://www.multiplestreammktg.com

There are three main types of car insurance available, starting with the cheapest and least common:

Third Party

This is the minimum level of insurance required by law - all drivers must take out at least this kind of policy. It covers damage caused to someone else’s car, or injury to them, in the event of an accident that is your fault. With this kind of insurance you won’t be able to claim for any injuries or losses sustained by yourself for any reason.

Third Party, Fire and Theft

This is a step above basic third party cover. If your car is stolen and not recovered, or destroyed by fire, you’ll be able to make a claim. You’ll still be insured against damage or injury to someone else in an accident blamed on you.

Comprehensive

With comprehensive insurance, you can claim for damage to your car even if the damage was caused in an incident that was your responsibility. This kind of insurance also covers the same things as third party, fire, and theft. Comprehensive cover usually allows you to drive someone else’s vehicle with their permission under 3rd party cover, though you should check your policy specifically for this.

Extra Features

So those are the basic kinds of insurance, but policies from different insurers can offer different extra features that you can take into account when choosing who to insure with. This is especially true of comprehensive policies, which can have quite a few added extras. When comparing policies you should bear in mind that nothing is ‘free’, no matter what the advertisments say. If you don’t need a specific feature, you might be able to get a lower price by getting a policy that doesn’t offer unnecessary frills.

No Claims Bonus

If your insurance cover includes a No Claims Bonus or No Claims Discount, then for every insured year that you don’t make a claim, your premiums will be reduced by a percentage, to reflect the fact that you’re showing you’re not a big risk to your insurance company. The discount will grow year by year until you hit the upper limit available, which is generally 60-70% depending on your insurer. If you make a claim, your bonus will usually be reduced, either back to it’s previous level or even cancelled completely.
Some policies offer a ‘no claims bonus for life’ option which locks your bonus at its current level, even if you make a claim. This can be a good option if you’ve already reached a maximum discount as this will be protected no matter what happens in the future. Finally on this topic, many insurers will allow you to transfer over your discount level built up on a policy from a different company. You’d obviously be less likely to switch insurance companies if it meant losing your discount, so this will be an option in almost all cases.

Named Drivers

You can also add named drivers onto your policy, so that they will be covered when driving your car. This is popular with parents, who often add their children who have just passed their driving test to their policies. Quite often this is the only economical way to get a new driver insured in today’s insurance market.

Courtesy Car

If your car needs repairing after an accident and is off the road, with this feature you’ll get free use of a hire car to keep you mobile until you get your own car back.

Windscreen Replacement

Broken windscreens will usually be replaced for free under a roadside assistance scheme, but if you don’t have that kind of cover or windscreens aren’t included, make sure you can get a free replacement from your insurance.

Audio equipment

If you plan to install expensive in-car audio equipment, check that the policy will cover replacing it if it’s stolen from your car. Some policies have limits on the value of audio equipment they are prepared to cover.

Roadside Assistance

Some policies come with an element of breakdown and recovery cover included, or will offer discounts on such cover. If you already have breakdown cover, you may find this saves you money by letting you cancel your separate policy.

George McGonigal
QuoteMeNow.biz

George is webmaster of an online insurance resource for Northern Ireland motorists and homeowners. We bring under one roof insurers who cover Northern Ireland that can offer online quotations to allow our visitors to compare rates in the comfort of their own homes. Visit Car Insurance Northern Ireland: for competitive insurance quotes online. Fast quotes for Home Insurance Northern Ireland: without obligation. Fast quotes for Motor Insurance Northern Ireland: from a panel of top insurers.

If you are looking for a loan center that will serve your convenience, payday loans online are the way to go. Just search the internet for a center that works best for you, you can fill out the application day or night. The information on the application is secure and safe.

All you need for a payday loan online is a bank account and you must be over 18. You can request to have funds deposited directly into your bank account. These loans are set up for your convenience. Find centers that will give you access to the most cash with the least payback loan rate. That way you can rebuild your credit and maintain your financial costs. Using online for payday loans are simple and there are plenty of options to choose from. If you have questions, you can contact them. Most centers have access to an 800 number that will be of great service to you.

Payday loans online provide you with simple and easy access to cash in your account. If you can not wait for bank processing fees, this is a simple solution. You will have cash available to you immediately. The process is simple and affordable.

Maybe your doctor suggested it. Maybe your favorite outfit doesn’t fit you just the way you like, or maybe you’ve just decided that you want to be the healthiest you that you can be. Whatever the reason, it’s time to put a weight-loss program into place.

Your weight-loss checklist might look like this:

√ Eat healthier (include more veggies and fruit!).

√ Get notebook to keep track of calories.

√ Check-up with Dr. Rogers to get ready for exercise.

√ Exercise! (3 days week to start).

√ Calendar to keep track of progress?

√ Diet pills?

Hmmm…what about diet pills? If you have a high body-mass index (height-to-weight ratio) you might want to talk with your doctor about Tenuate.

What’s Tenuate?

Tenuate, or diethylpropion hydrochloride, reduces your appetite. It acts on your body the same way that amphetamine weight-loss pills of yesteryear worked on 50’s movie stars. BUT Tenuate doesn’t cause the tidal wave of anxiety, jitteriness, and sleeplessness those older drugs caused.

Taking Tenuate is like getting the weight-loss effect of amphetamines without having to take amphetamines!

How Does Tenuate Fit into my Weight Loss Program?

Tenuate is used to jump start a diet and exercise program. You will feel less hungry as you adjust to eating a healthier, lower-calorie diet, which makes a new diet much easier to stick to! You can make your daily Tenuate dose into your progress calendar - you and your doctor will probably decide to try Tenuate for 8 to 12 weeks for the best effect.

It Sounds So Simple - What’s the Catch?

There is no catch - it’s as simple as it sounds. The key is to make sure that this drug is the right one for you. When you head to your doctor to talk about weight-loss, make sure you’ve got:

√ An exercise plan to discuss with her, to make sure it’s right for your current fitness level.

√ A list of the drugs you take regularly, prescription and non-prescription.

√ A list of health issues (such as high blood pressure, seizures, pregnancy or breast feeding).

Tenuate can’t be mixed with some antidepressants, antiseizure medications, and medications that can raise your heart rate, so bringing in your list of medications is key, as is your list of health issues.

The Plan’s In Motion

For the first few days on Tenuate, some people might notice some mild side effects (like constipation or other stomach upset or dizziness), but many people don’t have them. While you’re starting and taking Tenuate, keep this checklist handy:

√ No operating heavy machinery! (Tenuate can affect your coordination especially when you’re starting on it).

√ No driving until I’m used to Tenuate (good time stroll to the local art galleries and cinemas, and let the spouse chauffeur the kids for a change!).

√ Check in with side effects: worse? not going away? (If it’s been a week and they’re not disappearing, call the doctor!).

√ Do I feel like I need more of the drug or I’m scared of going without it? (This drug can be habit-forming, so you should let the doctor know if you’re having these sorts of feelings).

The last checkpoint is probably the most satisfying of all: when Tenuate has jump-started your weight-loss, check in with your doctor about going off the drug. She may tell you to stop taking the pills, or to slowly taper the dose. The end result is a great start a long term weight-loss plan and a healthier you!

Copyright (C) Shoppe.MD and Ian Mason, 2004-2005

Ian Mason, owner of Shoppe.MD, your source for health news and Tenuate.

Ian is a fat-to-fit student of health, weight loss, exercise, and several martial arts; maintaining several websites in an effort to help provide up-to-date and helpful information for other who share his interests in health of body and mind.

You Snooze You Lose: Use Your Subconscious To Get You Out Of Bed And To The Gym

Imagine your alarm clock next to your bed. I want you to picture it clearly in your mind. What color is it? Are the numbers red or green? Are they small or big? Now, imagine the sound it makes. You can hear it clearly in your mind right now, can’t you? Does that buzz or beep make you cringe? Is it soft, loud or does it make your heart feel like it’s going to jump out of your chest? Whatever your alarm clock does, I’m sure of one thing: it is one of the worst sounds in the world, because when you’re snuggled warmly under your covers and that piercing sound sends shivers down your back, the most tempting thing to do is to hit snooze and roll back over under the covers. So there’s definitely nothing exciting about your alarm clock, unless of course you’re a child on Christmas morning or you’re a golfer with a 7:00 A.M tee-time at Pebble Beach.

How about this: does your alarm give you a kick-start, encouraging you to get out of bed and exercise? My guess would be no, nothing of the sorts. I bet the snooze button is practically worn off the surface. But what if I told you that you could train your mind to get you excited to go to the gym or go for a run when you hear that “bone-chilling” buzz or beep? Would you believe me? Read on.

When people come to my office for weight-loss, the number one excuse that I hear for not exercising is that there’s just not enough time. And when I say, “how about getting-up a half hour of forty five minutes earlier in the morning and doing it then,” most of my clients cringe. But I can tell you this; I have helped countless people to do just that, including myself. It’s all relative; whatever your mind believes, it will produce, and when it associates exercising at 6:00 A.M with being tied to a whipping post, it’s not likely that you’re going to get out of bed and do it. But this is changeable. You just have to change the way your mind thinks.

Power Programming is a system I created that will teach you how to associate excitement and determination with waking-up and getting your workout in then. It’s pretty simple in fact. All you have to do is train your mind, but most of us don’t really know how to do this. The techniques are pretty simple in fact. Here’s how it works:

1. The first step is to dedicate 15 or 20 minutes of your time, several times a week. Go find a comfortable place with no distractions. Close your eyes and begin breathing deeply and let your mind drift into a comfortable, relaxed place for a little while. Anytime you do this, you are opening your subconscious reservoir, and this is the part of your mind that is easily programmable. This is how you change the way you react to your thoughts.

2. Once you’ve reached a relaxed state, the next step is to use some simple imagery. First see an image of yourself, exactly how you want to look and feel. Make the image vivid and get excited about it. Make it your goal. Next, imagine yourself feeling more motivated than you’ve ever felt before. See and feel yourself walking or running briskly on your treadmill. See and feel yourself pumping iron at the gym and feeling good about it. Create whatever you want, but feel it baby, feel it.

3. Finally, imagine the sound of your alarm and say to yourself over and over again in your mind, “from now on the very first thing I think as soon as I hear that alarm go off is leaping out of bed and exercising.” Surprisingly, you’re going to see that this indeed will be the first thing running through your mind when you hear that alarm. And instantly, all of those positive feeling and images you created earlier are going to emerge. You will actually feel motivated to get out of bed and after you do it for a couple of weeks you’re going to start feeling excited about it. I know it sounds too good to be true, maybe even a bit quirky, but I’m telling you it works. Everything is mind over matter. Soon, getting-up and getting-in your workout in the morning will just be another part of your day, much like brushing your teeth or taking a shower. You just have to dedicate the 15 or 20 minutes of mental work to make it happen.

If exercising in the morning is something you long for, or, if you are in a little bit of a rut with your workout routine, training your mind should be the first thing you do. Soon you will see that the agonizing sound of your alarm clock isn’t so agonizing after all. It’s all in your head and once you learn how to change what goes on up there, anything is possible.

Thomas J. Kersting, LPC, Ph.D is the author of FAT PROOF: Power Programming Your Bodies Weight-Loss Computer (Harbor Press, coming in Winter 2006). Dr. Tom has helped countless people to lose weight with his methods. Please visit his website to receive a free copy of his Power Programming Weight-Loss CD. http://www.fatproof.net.