The Jeffrey And Tracey Info Emporium

The head collar has become an increasingly popular dog training
tool in the past couple of years. Two of the most well known
brands of head collar on the market are the Gentle Leader and
the Halti, but there are many other brands that incorporate the
basic head collar concept.

Many people find the Gentle Leader easier to fit that the Halti,
and in addition the Gentle Leader is designed to fasten around
the dog’s neck. The advantage of this design is that even if the
dog is somehow able to wriggle out of the muzzle, it is still
wearing a collar. This safety feature is very important,
especially during training outside or in novel situations. On
the other hand, the Halti offers better control of the dog, and
for this reason it is often favored when working with very
aggressive dogs.

Training a dog with a head collar has a number of advantages
over training with a traditional or training collar. For one
thing, head collars are often easier to use for beginning dog
trainers than are training collars. Head collars are also quite
effective at preventing dogs from pulling, or controlling and
retraining dogs that tend to pull.

Head collars can also be quite effective at controlling dogs in
difficult situations, such as controlling a dog that wants to be
with other dogs. Most owners know of some situations in which
their dogs are difficult to control, and head collars can be
quite effective at controlling these volatile situations.

Head collars can be excellent for controlling dogs that are very
strong, or for working with a dog in an area that contains a
great many distractions. For instance, head collars are great
for when your dog is on an outing, or in an area where there
will be other dogs and other distractions.

Even though a head collar can be a great tool, it should not be
used as a replacement for effective dog training. A head collar
is most effective when it is used in combination with strong and
sensible dog training methods, such as reward training and other
forms of positive reinforcement.

Disadvantages of head collars Even though head collars have many
advantages, they have some distinct disadvantages as well. For
one thing, head collars tend to make many dogs dependent on the
equipment, and they quickly learn the difference between their
regular collar and the head collar, and adjust their behavior
accordingly.

In addition, some dogs, particularly those not accustomed to
wearing a head collar, dislike wearing it and paw at it, try to
rub it off or pull excessively. If your dog exhibits this
behavior, the best strategy is to keep it moving until it learns
to accept the collar. A good alternative is to have the dog sit
by pulling up on the dog’s head.

Another disadvantage of the head collar is the reaction that
many people have to it. Many people think that a head collar is
a muzzle, and react to the dog as if it may bite. While this is
not necessarily a defect of the head collar, many people do find
it troublesome.

In conclusion, training with a head collar is much like
training with a training collar or any other equipment. While
the head collar can be an important and useful tool, it is
important to use it appropriately, follow all package
instructions, and to combine its use with solid training
methods. The eventual goal of dog training with a head collar
should be to have the dog behave as well with a regular collar
as it does with the specialized head collar.

Every morning the trader sits down at his computer to begin the
day, and the dilemma faced is always the same - finding a stock
or two or three to make a buck on for that day. This really
shouldn’t be that hard, but for some traders it is. Let’s see if
we can break it down and maybe make it a little easier.

First let’s start with a few basics about your work habits. The
markets open at 9:30 EST, right? WRONG! Trading these days
starts at 7 A.M.! That’s the very early morning action. Then you
have what some traders call the official pre-market trading that
starts at 8 A.M. following that is the official market opening
at 9:30 A.M. EST. This means that if you have been sleeping in,
you could be missing some very interesting early morning trades.
However, a word of caution here - pre marketing trading also has
a higher element of risk attached to it because of a lack of
liquidity.

Okay, so now that I have gotten you out of bed, you can start
scanning the pages of Wall-Street Journal, Independent Business
Daily and… WRONG again! Oh sure, you may find a trade or two
in one of these publications, but in all too many cases that
news is going be too old to trade. In addition, the news in
those publications, or the reaction by the stock, is going to
show up in other places.

The first thing you may want to do in the morning is check the
after hours action from the day before. This information can be
found a number of places. I use the NASDAQ home page under the
Extended Hours Trading link found on the left side of the page.
This will give you a list of the stocks that were most active in
after hours for the day before. In most cases these stocks are
moving on news released after the close. These links as well as
others can be found at www.TraderAide.com.

While you are on the NASDAQ page make sure you take note of the
Pre-Market Most Active list. This is going to be another great
source of potential stocks for you to consider. An additional
source on the NASDAQ page is the NASDAQ-100 Pre-Market Heat Map.
This is especially useful right at the beginning and for the
first hour of so after the beginning of the 5 A.M. premarket
trading action. In both cases, after-hours movers and pre-market
movers, the action is usually news related.

An excellent source of this news is MarketWatch. You can find it
in a hundred other locations on the net, but I find the
MarketWatch site easy to use and even more important, easier to
search. It is also less likely to be full of non-trading” news
that you really don’t need to trade.

A few of the things you want to be looking for include events on
stocks that take place nearly every day, such as: analyst
up/downgrades; earnings reports’ and FDA actions which could
include approval, disapprovals or merely making comments on
application.

I also suggest you watch Bloomberg TV early in the morning,
before the 5 A.M. premarket trading begins. I prefer Bloomberg
to CNBC at this time in the morning because of their
presentation of the futures and the news streamer on the bottom
of the screen. Once the pre market opens I suggest you change
over to CNBC simply because they have, what appears to be, a
much larger audience. On CNBC the stocks reported on or
mentioned are often sent up or down, offering excellent trading
opportunities in many cases.

Once the markets opens, almost all real-time quote systems have
an element built into them that will give you at least the top
ten most active on the three main exchanges, both gainers and
losers. Also, they may have a more advanced “screener” of some
sort. With RealTick by Townsend Analytics, Ltd, it’s called
Hottrend Realtime Radar. You can leave this running throughout
the day. Stocks that show unusual volume compared to their
historic volume patterns will show up automatically on the
Radar. It is available for both NASDAQ and NYSE traded stocks.
Check with your supplier to see if this feature, or something
like it, is offered.

Last but not least, you want to be checking your Dow Jones news
feed for the latest breaking news starting at about 6:30 A.M.,
New York time. Sorry “West Coasters, but as the bank robber said
when asked why he robbed banks, “Because that is where the money
is”.

Happy trading!

No permission is needed to reproduce an unedited copy of this
article as long the About The Author tag is left in tact and hot
links included. Questions and comments can be sent to Floyd at
floyd@TraderAide.com.

Firms can choose whatever mix of debt and equity they desire to finance their assets, subject to the willingness of investors to provide such funds. And, as we shall see, there exist many different mixes of debt and equity, or capital structures - in some firms, such as Chrysler Corporation, debt accounts for more than 70 percent of the financing, while other firms, such as Microsoft, have little or no debt.

In the next few sections, we discuss factors that affect a firm’s capital structure, and we conclude a firm should attempt to determine what its optimal, or best, mix of financing should be. But, you will find that determining the exact optimal capital structure is not a science, so after analyzing a number of factors, a firm establishes a target capital structure it believes is optimal, which is then used as a guide for raising funds in the future. This target might change over time as conditions vary, but at any given moment the firm’s management has a specific capital structure in mind, and individual financing decisions should be consistent with this target. If the actual proportion of debt is below the target level, new funds will probably be raised by issuing debt, whereas if the proportion of debt is above the target, stock will probably be sold to bring the firm back in line with the target debt/assets ratio.

Capital structure policy involves a trade-off between risk and return. Using more debt raises the riskiness of the firm’s earnings stream, but a higher propor- tion of debt generally leads to a higher expected rate of return; and, we know that the higher risk associated with greater debt tends to lower the stock’s price. At the same time, however, the higher expected rate of return makes the stock more attractive to investors, which, in turn, ultimately increases the stock’s price. Therefore, the optimal capital structure is the one that strikes a balance between risk and return to achieve our ultimate goal of maximizing the price of the stock.

Four primary factors influence capital structure decisions:

1. The first is the firm’s business risk, or the riskiness that would be inherent in the firm’s operations if it used no debt. The greater the firm’s business risk, the lower the amount of debt that is optimal.

2. The second key factor is the firm’s tax position. A major reason for using debt is that interest is tax deductible, which lowers the effective cost of debt. However, if much of a firm’s income is already sheltered from taxes by accelerated depreciation or tax loss carryforwards, its tax rate will be low, and debt will not be as advantageous as it would be to a firm with a higher effective tax rate.

3. The third important consideration is financial flexibility, or the ability to raise capital on reasonable terms under adverse conditions. Corporate treasurers know that a steady supply of capital is necessary for stable operations, which, in turn, are vital for long-run success. They also know that when money is tight in the economy, or when a firm is experiencing operating difficulties, a strong balance sheet is needed to obtain funds from suppliers of capital. Thus, it might be advantageous to issue equity to strengthen the firm’s capital base and financial stability.

4. The fourth debt-determining factor has to do with managerial attitude (conservatism or aggressiveness) with regard to borrowing. Some managers are more aggressive than others, hence some firms are more inclined to use debt in an effort to boost profits. This factor does not affect the optimal, or value- maximizing, capital structure, but it does influence the target capital structure a firm actually establishes.

These four points largely determine the target capital structure, but, as we shall see, operating conditions can cause the actual capital structure to vary from the target at any given time. For example, as discussed in the Managerial Perspective at the beginning of the chapter, the debt/assets ratio of Unisys clearly has been . much higher than its target, and the company has taken some significant correc- tive actions in recent years to improve its financial position.

Analia Jones is a Business Developer Manager of http://www.my-mortgege-loans.co.uk
http://www.my-mortgage-loans.com
http://www.2-structured-settlement.com

When you install stained-glass windows, you will feel like you are living in another world. Air of your house will be kaleidoscopically colorful, when sun will glance at your place. There will be no grey sky and sad mood already!

Any room requires its own color filling. We are used that as a rule carpets, wall-papers, pictures, posters fulfill this function. But even our ancestors knew that stained glass could make the most modest interior fascinating. It turns out, that these “colorful glasses”, attributes of Gothic cathedrals and art exhibitions, are quite appropriate in our houses and apartments.

Fine art fine arts inform: stained glass window is a decorative composition of color glass or other materials, which let pass light. Stained glass art - is one of the most conservative. A beautiful toy made of pieces of color glass, braided with metal, still charms us, although it was invented centuries ago.

There are several stained glass techniques
In classic stained glass window pieces of color glasses, cut according to a certain drawing, are combined with a lead, copper or brass profile between each other.

In these stained glass windows plot is on the second place. The main in them is material, i.e. glasses, which are chosen the way they would give that very colour spectrum while peek-a-boo. And then sun beams, being refracted, make glass burning with bright sun colors.

Typesetting stained glass window will really serve you during whole life. While draw one (varnished pseudo-stained glass window) will last much less, as even most persistent colors become fading in 6-7 years. But there are situation, when typesetting stained glass window looks heavy and bulky and suits not every room or furniture. Thus, instead of boring transparent glasses you can insert those draw stained glass windows in doors of your sideboards and cupboards, they will look lighter by sight.

In the end of a century before last a new technology in style “Tiffany” was invented, named in honor of its creator (a jeweler, who is also known for his wonderful stained glass table lamps). According to this technology, every glass plate was set in foil and glasses were soldered together. Refusal of a hard frame allows using these items not only as elements of décor in embrasures, but also as shades for lamps or decoration for ceilings.

Besides classic, there are several modern techniques of making stained glass windows. One of them is according to American technology SGO. A steadfast surface is applied on a transparent sheet silicate glass, this surface adds color and structure to a future stained glass window. This technology has several pluses, which contribute to its popularity.

Firstly, application of sheet glass makes possible using of such stained glass windows in insulating glass units with observation of all technological norms. Agree, sometimes it is just vitally important to close unattractive view.

Secondly, not only silicate, but also acrylic glass can be a base for such stained glass window, and this reduces its weight significantly, and thus widens opportunities of usage.

And, thirdly, such stained glass window is twice cheaper, than a classic one.

Technology of making “fusing” stained glass windows in home conditions is complicated, as this process means fusing of a future stained glass window, composed on pieces of color glass, glass granules, charge, in a special stove at the temperature up to 850 C. Such stained glass windows have different form, thickness and texture. And this allows using them as effective elements of interior: in the form of partitions, blocks in wall, as tabletop.

There is also “casting” technology. In this technology they use metallic forms with relief hollows, in which melted color glass is poured.

But, unlike stained-glass windows in “fusing” style, draw and texture on stained-glass window in “casting” style are restricted by that metallic form, of which it is produced.

If doors, windows, ceilings of color glasses are not appropriate for you at all, you can limit yourself with a small mini-stained-glass window on your window.

The way stained-glass windows are made

Materials, necessary in work:

Stained glass

Soldering tin

Leaden profile

Chopping-knife

Steel-wheel glass cutter

Soldering iron

Scale

Base-support (you can use veneer)

You can buy stained glass and profile in artistic shops, specializing in selling materials for making stained glass windows.

Let’s examine production of stained glass window of bought stained glass.

Firstly you should make a full-scale draft of a future stained glass window.

Then choose glasses, considering thickness of profile, and cut fragments of necessary form.

Cut glass is broken off without tension. Put glass under rib of a bar and then you can break it off accurately and precisely with two fingers.

Put T-shaped profile between glass fragments, and frame a window with P-shape profile, which serves also as frame.

Leaded profile can be cut off with a knife easily.

Another variant, when instead of profile they use soldering tin (stannic wire
2-3 mm thick in diameter).

Tabs for scaffolding are made of thin wire and soldered - your stained-glass window is ready.

Yana Mikheeva is the creator of All about women site, it is an on-line resource for women and about women. Here you can find articles on various subjects, such as: diets, receipts, health, cellulite, figure, aromatherapy, wholesome food, psychology of relationships, pregnancy, parenting, fashion and many others.
She also has Blog for women.

Anyone with older aluminum siding is well aware of the paint chalking problem. Just rub your hand along the old siding and the chalky old paint will be all over your palm. Trying to get paint to stick to this could be a real problem. This is due to oxidation of the paint. Siding manufacturers originally referred to this problem as a “benefit”. They called it, “self cleaning”, as the paint literally washed off the house.

Older vinyl siding is also a problem. UV light fades vinyl siding over time and the siding becomes very unsightly.
Many unfortunate homeowners and contractors have experienced the dismay, when they repainted their homes, only to find the new paint peeling off a few months later. Both problems with older aluminum and vinyl siding can be overcome with proper cleaning, surface preparation and re-painting.

Cleaning

You will need to rent a powerful pressure washer with at least 3000 psi. You will want a pressure washer powerful enough to remove most of the old chalky paint off the aluminum siding or, to remove any dirt buildup on the old vinyl siding.

Start at the top course of siding and work your way down. You will need to keep the pressure wand fairly close to the siding surface to effectively remove the old paint. In some areas, you may find that the paint comes off to the bare metal. Be careful near windows, corners, soffits and doorways. The water under pressure, can be forced behind these areas causing damage. You can add TSP or other cleaning solutions to the reservoir for mildew, algae or other grime built up. If you do use a cleaning solution, be sure to completely rinse it off with your pressure washer. You should allow your home to dry for several days in dry, sunny weather before proceeding to the painting process.

If you are repainting vinyl siding or vinyl coated aluminum siding, you may need a surface de-glosser. This is a solvent type product used to remove any shine on the surface and to help your first coat to adhere better. You will have no trouble finding a good de-glosser at your local paint supply store.

Application

I like a commercial type airless sprayer. It will draw the paint directly out of your 5 gallon paint pails, through the hose and into your spray gun. These are available to rent at many tool rental locations and even some paint supply stores that supply contractors. If your paint is real high quality latex, it will be thicker than regular latex paint and will require a more powerful airless sprayer.

Priming

This step is equally as critical as the step above. Actually, the cleaning and surface preparation phases will make or break the results of your project.

I like a latex paint additive called emulsa-bond for the first coat. Emulsa-bond is a bonding agent you will add to the first coat of paint or primer, to help it to bond to the old siding.

I buy the best grade exterior latex paint, rather than oil or other solvent based paint. Latex paint seems to keep up with the expansion and contraction of the siding very well. The high quality latex paint I buy needs no primer. I add the bonding agent directly into the first color coat. Check with your paint supplier whether or not to use a primer. The rule of thumb is, when in doubt, use a primer. If you use a primer, add the bonding agent into it before applying. There are also bonding agents available for oil or other solvent based paints. One type is called penetrol. These are usually available at a painting contractor supply store.

Many contractors will spot prime areas, especially where bare metal is exposed. I don’t like spot priming because it can lead to an uneven looking top coat. When I put a primer coat on, I prime the entire home. This gives a uniform surface finish later on.

Finish Coat

Your top coat will be color only. You should check with your paint manufacturer to see if you need one or two top coats after the base coat. Like I mentioned above, buy the highest quality exterior paint.

In Conclusion

Proper cleaning and surface preparation are the two main ingredients to a successful painting job. A bonding agent in the first coat is also very critical to avoid paint peeling off later on. Using these techniques, I’ve re-painted homes that have lasted far longer than the original factory applied finish.

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You may reprint the above article in your electronic or print newsletter; however, please include my byline and bio and keep the article intact. I retain all copyrights.

About the Author: Robert Clarke has operated home improvement companies over the last 30 years. He is the owner of ContractorsUSA,Inc, a nationwide contractor referral service at http://www.contractorsusa.info/ . Get more information about aluminum and vinyl siding at http://www.contractorsusa.info/install-vinyl-siding.html

Source: www.isnare.com

The Massachusetts State Agency that oversees the collection and reporting of State income taxes deducted from payroll checks is:

Department of Revenue
51 Sleeper St.
Boston, MA 02205
(617) 887-6367
(800) 392-6089 (in state)
www.state.ma.us/dor/dorpg.htm

Massachusetts allows the use of the federal W-4 form if exemptions claimed are the same for state and federal. Otherwise, you must use “M4 Massachusetts Employee’s Withholding Exemption Certificate” for Massachusetts income tax withholding.

Not all states allow salary reductions made under Section 125 cafeteria plans or 401(k) to be treated in the same manner as the IRS code allows. In Massachusetts cafeteria plans are not taxable for income tax calculation; taxable for unemployment insurance purposes. 401(k) plan deferrals are not taxable for income taxes; taxable for unemployment purposes.

In Massachusetts supplemental wages are required to be aggregated for the state income tax withholding calculation.

You must file your Massachusetts State W-2s by magnetic media if you are required to file your federal W-2s by magnetic media.

The Massachusetts State Unemployment Insurance Agency is:

Division of Employment Security
Charles F. Hurley Bldg.
19 Staniford St., 5th Fl. DET
Boston, MA 02114-2589
(617) 626-6855
http://www.detma.org/

The State of Massachusetts taxable wage base for unemployment purposes is wages up to $14,000.00.

Massachusetts requires Magnetic media reporting of quarterly wage reporting if the employer has at least 250 employees that they are reporting that quarter.

Unemployment records must be retained in Massachusetts for a minimum period of four years. This information generally includes: name; social security number; dates of hire, rehire and termination; wages by period; payroll pay periods and pay dates; date and circumstances of termination.

The Massachusetts State Agency charged with enforcing the state wage and hour laws is:

Department of Labor and Industries
Fair Labor and Business Practices Division
200 Portland St.
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 727-3465
http://www.ago.state.ma.us/

The minimum wage in Massachusetts is $6.75 per hour.

The general provision in Massachusetts concerning paying overtime in a non-FLSA covered employer is one and one half times regular rate after 40-hour week.

Massachusetts State new hire reporting requirements are that every employer must report every new hire and rehire and contractors over $600. The employer must report the federally required elements of:

• Employee’s name
• date of hire or contract
• Employee’s address
• Employee’s social security number
• Employer’s name
• Employers address
• Employer’s Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)

This information must be reported within 14 days of the hiring or rehiring.
The information can be sent as a W4 or equivalent by mail, fax or electronically.
There is a $25.00 penalty for a late report and $500 for conspiracy in Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts new hire-reporting agency can be reached at 800-332-2733 or 617-626-4154 or on the web at http://www.cse.state.ma.us/.

Massachusetts does not allow compulsory direct deposit.

Massachusetts requires the following information on an employee’s pay stub:

• Gross and Net Earnings
• Employer’s and employee’s name.
• payment date
• amount and nature of deductions
• increases
• straight time and overtime pay
• hours worked
• itemized deductions

Massachusetts requires that employee be paid biweekly or weekly; semimonthly or biweekly for FLSA-exempts or salaried employees (monthly if they agree).

Massachusetts requires that the lag time between the end of the pay period and the payment of wages to the employee not exceed six days if workweek is 5 or 6 days; 7 days after pay period if workweek is 7 days or less than 5 days.

Massachusetts payroll law requires that involuntarily terminated employees must be paid their final pay immediately and that voluntarily terminated employees must be paid their final pay by the next regular payday (if there is none, the next Saturday) or by mail if employee requests it.

Deceased employee’s wages of $100 must be paid to the surviving spouse, adult child, or parent (in that order) 30 days after death and if there is no will.

Escheat laws in Massachusetts require that unclaimed wages be paid over to the state after three years.

The employer is further required in Massachusetts to keep a record of the wages abandoned and turned over to the state for a period of 5 years.

Massachusetts’s payroll law mandates no more than $4.125 may be used as a tip credit.

In Massachusetts the payroll laws covering mandatory rest or meal breaks are only that all employees must have 30 minutes rest after six hours of work.

Massachusetts’s statute requires that wage and hour records be kept for a period of not less than two years. These records will normally consist of at least the information required under FLSA.

The Massachusetts agency charged with enforcing Child Support Orders and laws is:

Massachusetts Department of Revenue
Child Support Enforcement Division
51 Sleeper St.
P.O. Box 9492
Boston, MA 02205-9492
(800) 332-2733
http://www.cse.state.ma.us/

Massachusetts has the following provisions for child support deductions:

• When to start Withholding? Next payday more than 3 days after notice.
• When to send Payment? Within 3 days of Payday.
• When to send Termination Notice? Within 3 days of payday.
• Maximum Administrative Fee? $1 per payment.
• Withholding Limits? Federal Rules under CCPA.

Please note that this article is not updated for changes that can and will happen from time to time.

Charles J. Read, CPA has been in the payroll, accounting and tax business for 30 years, the last fifteen in private practice. Mr. Read is the author of “How to Start a New Business”. For Professional Payroll services at a Budget Price go to http://www.PayrollonaBudget.com a Paperless Payroll Company. Go to http://www.CustomPayroll.com For a full service payroll service bureau with CPA’s on staff. See an excerpt of Mr. Read’s interviews from William Shatners “Heartbeat of America” television show on the websites linked above.

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Rattanakosin came into being when King Rama I ascended the
throne in 1782. He decided to establish the new capital on the
east bank of the Chao Phraya River for better security from
Burma. King Rama I was determined to build a new capital to
revive the glory and splendor of old Ayutthaya. The new
capital was proclaimed

Krungthep Mahanakorn Amorn Rattanakosin Mahintra
Yuttaya Mahadilokpop Noparat Burirom Udom Rachnivet
Mahasathan Amornpimarn Avartarnsathit Sakkatiya
Witsanukamprasit

and hence began the Rattanakosin era or Bangkok period
under the glorious reign of the Chakri Kings.

King Rama I choose a site just north of Wat Po, an old temple
from the 17th century. With the Chao Phraya on the west and
the Lod Canal on the east, the new capital was far more
defensible.

In accordance with Thai customs, the first task was laying the
foundation pillar for the new city. The City Pillar Shrine or Sao
Lak Muang was established on 21 April 1782. Later King
Rama IV, an avid astrologer, felt that a more auspicious
location was required. The shrine was moved to the present
location on 5 December 1852.

Construction of the Grand Palace commenced on 6 May and
King Rama I occupied the royal residence on 13 June.
Hundreds of boatloads of rubble were shipped from the ruins
of Ayutthaya to build the city walls and public buildings of
Rattanakosin.

At the same time, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha or Wat
Phra Kaeo was constructed and completed in 1784. The
Emerald Buddha was brought across the river from Wat Arun
and installed in the new temple in the same year.

King Rama I appointed his younger brother the Uparat or
Prince of the Front Palace, the equivalent of a second or
deputy king. Part of the Front Palace is now the National
Museum and National Theater.

In 1934, the palace grounds south of the National Museum was
taken over by the government to start Thammasat University,
one of the leading universities in Thailand. The remaining
Front Palace wall line the southern edge of the university along
Phra Chan Road.

Across Phra Chan Road is Wat Mahathat, another old temple
since the pre-Rattanakosin era. The statue at the entrance to
the temple is in honor of the Uparat or Prince of the Front
Palace, who played a pivotal role in establishing the new
capital. Also located here is the Mahachulalongkorn Buddhist
University.

The Silapakorn University of Fine Arts and the Fine Arts
Department were built on the site of three former palaces in
the first reign.

Northeast of the Grand Palace is the Royal Field or Sanam
Luang where royal cremations were held in the past. Today it’s
a location for local fairs and festivities. An important annual
event that takes place here is the Royal Ploughing Ceremony in
May to mark the start of the agricultural year.

The first canal, Lod Canal, was dug during the reign of King
Taksin. In 1785, the second canal ring called Rob Krung
(literally around the city) turned the city into an island and so
gave rise to the name Rattanakosin Island.

Forts were built along the Chao Phraya River and the Rob
Krung Canal for the defense of Rattanakosin. The third canal
ring, Padung Krung Kasem Canal, was added in 1851-54.

Opposite the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is the Ministry of
Defense with old cannon displayed on the front lawn. This was
built in 1882, during the reign of King Rama V, on the grounds
of three old palaces from the reign of King Rama I.

The Saranrom Palace, opposite the Grand Palace, was built in
1866 during the reign of King IV. In 1960, part of the palace
grounds became a public park, the Saranrom Park.

It’s a pity that modern buildings have replaced some of the old
palaces. The old walls and forts protecting the city have been
demolished; only two forts and part of the old city walls
remain. But the remaining buildings in Rattanakosin give a
glimpse of old Bangkok and recapture the glory of that era.

This article first
appeared in Tour Bangkok Legacies a historical travel
site on people, places and events that shaped the landscape of
Bangkok. The author Eric Lim, a free-lance writer, lives in
Bangkok Thailand.

If you have a business, you must have a website. It is the way
business is done. It’s as important as the sign on the front of
your building. Sales of online services and goods have climbed
well into the billions and this is only the beginning. What will
a well designed and Internet ready website do for you? The
question is what won’t it do? It will drive new revenue, slash
expenses and build customer loyalty while saving you time and
making your work life easier.

Many think a website is hard to understand, harder yet to use,
and hardest of all, to afford. Not true. A good website design
firm, that speaks plain English, and is well versed in Internet
marketing will help. These agencies should also give you a free
review and perhaps samples of what they can do for you.
Depending on your needs, some websites can be had for as little
as $10 per month after the initial design and marketing fee.
Caution should be exercised here. A very high priced website may
not bring you all you imagined, but a very inexpensive one will
surely disappoint. After your website is built and ready to
begin working for you, there is the tricky task of submitting
and marketing to the search engines. Search engines like Yahoo
and Google are where most of your prospects find you. Submission
and marketing is a tricky proposition because the search engines
change the rules often and there are very specific steps you
need to follow so that you are ranked well. Everyone wants a
first or second page listing, but getting there takes the work
of an expert. Don’t undertake this task yourself. Let a search
engine specialist do it for you. Their fee will be worth its
weight in gold.

Make no mistake about it; the Internet is the most powerful
marketing tool we have ever seen. Build your website, market it
well and watch your fortunes grow.

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I think most of you have noticed the popularity of sites about adsense, and even more of you have noticed how much the adsense stock is going up in value. It’s like all Webmaster are flooding google trying to get in the “new easy way to earn money”.

First let me laugh at the mere thought of anyone who thinks there is such a thing as easy or free money. The only way to get this kind of money is to milk your parents or friends. Even this requires a lot of begging and losing of one’s dignity.

Many fellow webmasters, especially new ones, don’t realize the profession that is webmastering. It’s more than a hobby it’s to some a full time job or a career. And to some the only job they need to live their lives. So many entrepreneurs start their own websites just to join google adsense and earn “easy money”. Not realizing the hard work and sweat that goes into making a succeful website. As well as a money making one.

So a piece of advice to all. Webmastering is a serious field so people please take it serious because if you are not serious at anything you do you are just disappoint a lot of your visitors and as well as wasting your time. Not to mention the money lost in those visitors that think your site is a joke.

Start by doing research and seriously focusing your time. No one just rushes into success it takes time and patience as well as the necessary skills. But one must admit with hard work anything can be accoplished. So please instead of starting 50 websites with about 10 visitors each a day. Start one and focus on it and get those 1,000 as well as your pride and experience. And not to mention the satisfaction that comes from knowing you didn’t litter the internet with another trashy website instead you’ve just better it.

These all will pay off in your adsense earnings sooner or later. And even if it doesn’t have the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve created something worthy of keeping an onlooker coming back over and over again.

Thank You

I am the proud owner of

And I write articles on my experiences as a webmaster.