Information Country

Roughly a decade ago the suggestion of a wall-mounted television may have appeared like something from a sci-fi film It was out of the grasp of most electronic purchases, with especially costs that commanded taking out a second mortgage to purchase these ultra sleek TVs. Though, over time, these quality TV sets reached the level of attainability. Nevertheless, currently not something you might just go out & pay for, it has in recent time swiftly become much more of a possibility. Costs for these flat panel High-Definition Television sets are at this present time diminishing more rapidly than new home values, and have made the wishful vision a reality.

Presently there are 2 competing flat-panel equipment; plasma & LCD. Though each type provides a brilliant picture & these television sets can deem almost identical from the front, the technology on the inside is by a long way different. And even though LCD TV’s have been limited to 37″s & below, sets with the liquid crystal display technology are at this time in sizes as big as plasma. For the best prices on consumer electronics, then look no further than Digital Direct Online UK Retailer.

Although, even with that, a lot of buyers think plasma to deliver quite a lot of considerable improvements over LCD tellies. The main advantages is that plasma television sets generally incorporate deeper black levels-endorsing that the blacks are in truth be told black & not only a dark level of gray. This in turn means that the colours are much more eye-catching & credible. The hottest models from Sharp & Wharfedale have actually taken the black levels to superior depths, & accordingly have created the best images we have watched to date.

In spite of the gossip that plasma TV sets “needs to be recharged” after 9,000 hours, nothing could be further from the fact. Today’s flat panel plasma TVs would often function for 60,000 hours or more, offering years of top quality telly viewing. Despite the fact that there has been a concern over issues like that of burn-in (rightly so, as this may possible ruin that expensive telly), the up-to-the-minute TV’s contain technology to deal with image retention, providing pixel alter modes that slowly move the full display, and more decisively, take away any ghosting should static pictures actually “stick” the image. This includes a white wash mode on top of an inverse mode to take out all the burn-in.

It’s Valentine’s Day. Picture your wife or girlfriend at her desk working away, thinking of the good time she will have at the restaurant that night with you. She knows you’re not that romantic so she doesn’t expect flowers or candy, just a nice time with her lover.

Then one day you see a poster on the bulletin board at work. Printed in red and white, it depicts a singing quartet surrounded by Valentine hearts and a telephone number. You know how hard it is to surprise your girlfriend with a Valentine’s gift, but this seems a perfect way to blow her mind. She probably thinks you forgot all about Valentine’s Day and won’t be expecting anything special.

At the office his girlfriend is working away at her computer, getting through the last hour of a busy day. It’s February 14th, and still no mention of a special date from her boyfriend. Resigned to a boring evening, she hears her intercom calling her to the main lobby. Annoyed that her closing routine is being interrupted by some unknown visitor, she tries to think of who it might be. The hall seems crowded with unlikely traffic as she makes her way to the elevator. By the time she gets down to the lobby, dozens of her co-workers are jamming the area by the front desk. A path opens for her as she makes her way to the desk.

Suddenly, standing in front of her are four gentlemen dressed in tuxedos, one of them handing her a beautiful red rose and a romantic Valentine Card. Soon four part harmony fills the air, coworkers all crowding around smiling. The words of the love songs remind her of the husband’s love, her eyes suddenly starting to tear with happiness and just a little touch of embarrassment. Every girl in the place is instantly jealous that it’s not they who gets all this attention and every guy watching wishes he thought of it first. At the end of the first song, a quartet member invites her to stand in front of them for a quick Polaroid picture. The second song is even more beautiful as her co-workers gather around to give her a big hug.

Want to get in on the fun? All it takes is a phone call to your local Barbershop Chorus and about $45 to make her (or him) happy.

Retired portrait photographer. Main hobby - quartet singing.

Friday (12/30)


Best:

Celtics @ Kings: Sacramento has a losing record at home and really doesn’t look like the Western team that competed for the title a few years ago. Boston’s makeover wasn’t so subtle, ousting Walker and Payton last year. Sacramento still has their old identity: a team that can pass extremely well but can’t defend. Boston however has no identity. Normally they allow their opponent to dictate the tempo, and since the Kings know how to score, this game should be in the 100’s.


Runner-up:

Grizzlies @ Blazers: Both of these clubs are half-court low-scoring teams, which should make the game close. That isn’t something for Portland to brag about, since they are the second youngest team in the NBA and should be running up and down the floor. Memphis is a veteran team; their way of playing better suits their identity. Still, Potland should make it interesting at home.


Blowout:

Suns @ Bobcats: Regardless of how crummy the Bobcats may be, their attendance is about 5,000 people greater than it was in Charlotte. Unfortunately, starting a new team like the Bobcats mean that they’re chump change to teams like Phoenix. The game should be a quick win for the Suns, but that doesn’t mean it won’t have a bright spot. Both Nash and Brevin Knight are the two top leaders in assists despite both not having a lot to pass to.

Visit NBA Basketball Handicapping Systems for more expert articles on sports.

Plant ‘em if you’ve got ‘em. If you don’t have ‘em, get ‘em. They are not referred to as “Jewel of the Landscape” by accident. Those wonderful ornamental flowering crabapples offer a distinct landscape feature for every single season, are easy to grow, generally require little maintenance and somewhere at a local nursery or garden center there is one with your name on it.

First, let’s chat a bit about crabapples. Both apples and crabapples are in the rose family (Rosaceae) and the genus, Malus. This is where size really matters. Trees that produce fruit in excess of two inches in diameter are considered to be apples. Trees that produce fruit two inches or less in size are considered crabapples.

There are several wonderful varieties of crabapples such as Dolgo and Hopa that do produce fruit large enough for nibbling on and which are more frequently used for making jelly. What we will be sharing in this article, however, is information about a baker’s dozen of my favorite ornamental crabapples. Here we go.

1. Malus ‘Adams’ (Adams Crabapple) has a rounded shape with a mature height of approximately 25′ and spread of 20′. It is adorned with pink flowers, orange to red fall color and ” to 5/8″ red fruit which holds well into the winter. Considered hardy in zones 4-7, it also has good disease resistance.

2. Malus ‘Indian Magic’ (Indian Magic Crabapple) is somewhat vase shaped in form, with a height of 18′ and spread that is similar. It has red buds that open to deep pink flowers, and has glossy orange to red ” fruit that persists all winter. The foliage is dark green, turning orange to reddish in the fall. This one is disease resistant and considered hardy in zones 4-7.

3. Malus ‘Donald Wyman’ (Donald Wyman Crabapple) exhibits a rounded form at maturity with a height and spread of approximately 20′ each. It has large white flowers, 3/8″ red fruit which persists well into the winter, and glossy green summer foliage. Hardy in zones 4-7 it has excellent disease resistance.

4. Malus ‘Liset’ (Liset Crabapple) is an 18′ high by 15′ wide spread and has a dense rounded form. Its flowers are a deep red color, the foliage is shiny purplish, and the fruit is ” red to maroon in color. It is very disease resistant and rated for zones 4-7.

5. Malus ‘Pink Spires’ (Pink Spires Crabapple) is one of my favorites where space is limited, because it is upright in form and only has a 12′ spread. It can even be used in boulevards for this very reason. It ultimately attains a height of 20′, has profuse pink flowers and small, dark red fruit. The foliage is reddish in the spring, becoming green to bronze during the summer. This crab has great hardiness, being rated for zones 2-7.

6. Malus ‘Profusion’ (Profusion Crabapple) becomes a 20′ high tree with a 25′ spread at maturity. It exhibits bronze foliage in the spring, becoming more green over time. The flowers are reddish with a pink center and the fruit is a deep red. It has shown good disease resistance and is rated for zones 4-7.

7. Malus ‘Red Jade’ (Red Jade Crabapple) is my favorite of all the crabs. It reaches a maximum height of 10′ with a spread of 12′, has a distinctive weeping form and extremely interesting branching habit. Although a zone 4-7 tree, I have one that is doing famously here in the northern reaches of zone 3. With a little protection from the winter winds and rabbits, it has been a real success story for us. In addition to its branching characteristics it exhibits white to pale pink flowers and nice green summer foliage. As I now look out my window on this mid-January morning, I observe the small red fruit contrasting with the fresh snow. This crab really makes a statement along the edge of an ornamental pond or waterway or in a secluded courtyard.

8. Malus ‘Red Splendor’ (Red Splendor Crabapple) has an upright spreading form with a height and spread both of 20′. It is adorned with single pink flowers, small red fruit persisting through the winter and foliage that turns reddish purple in the fall. A zone 3-7 tree, it has shown excellent disease resistance.

9. Malus ‘Royal Gem’ (Royal Gem Crabapple) has a very small and compact form with a height and width both being 5′ - 8′. This zone 3-7 variety has red flowers, yellow fall color and great disease resistance. Because of its small stature it makes a great accent or specimen plant.

10. Malus ‘Royalty’ (Royalty Crabapple) displays a height and spread each of 20′ and an upright rounded form. Its flowers are dark red, the fruit deep red and up to ” and it has glossy red to purplish foliage all summer. This zone 3-7 tree is very hardy and also blight resistant.

11. Malus sargentii (Sargent Crab) is a very small spreading crabapple with dark green foliage, fragrant ” flowers with red buds opening to white. The small red fruits hold on until the birds get them. It achieves a height of up to 8′ and a spread of 15′ or more. A zone 4-7 plant it is one of the very best specimen crabapples available.

12. Malus ‘Snowdrift’ (Snowdrift Crabapple) is one extremely hardy hombre that will brighten any yard. It has been a favorite of mine for many years, displaying pink buds opening to masses of white flowers, has glossy green summer foliage and small orange to red fruit which holds well into the winter. Its zone 3-7 hardiness makes it very useful in the north country.

13. Malus ‘Spring Snow’ (Spring Snow Crabapple) is an unusual variety in that it does not fruit. It attains a mature height of 20′ with a spread of 15′, is somewhat upright in form, has pink buds opening to white flowers and has glossy green summer foliage. Although a zone 4-7 tree, I have used it with good results in zone 3. It displays good heat tolerance as well as disease resistance.

While there are many other nice crabapples to select from, this is a pretty good list to start with. Grace your yard in the spring with those beautiful blooms, in the summer with the developing fruit and lovely foliage, in the fall with the changing colors and mature fruit, and winter brings a wonderful view of the branching structure, the persistent fruit and if you are lucky a visit by the Bohemian or Cedar Waxwings. If you don’t already have a flowering crabapple, by all means bring home one of these orphans from your local garden center. You will be glad you did.

William Henry is a co-owner of Gizmo Creations LLC, a landscape and website design company, located in the Brainerd Minnesota Lakes Area. Henry is a licensed landscape architect and has over 20 years of landscape design experience. For more articles on landscape design and a forum where you can post your questions on landscape design and plants go to Gizmo’s website at http://www.gizmocreations.com

It’s no picnic for moms raising children in a home without a father, without the emotional or financial support. Seems like a big ol’ ‘Doh’!

But sometimes, our little minds just can’t grasp the reality of a tragic situation and believe me, this is tragic. Even in America, the richest nation on earth, mothers without fathers in the home suffer the most far more than you ever thought.

Father’s historical role in the family has been breadwinner. When he goes, so does the financial stability of the family in most cases. Immediately, the children of solo mothers (or children whose fathers are absent from the home where the mother is responsible for raising them) are plunged into poverty.

Research conducted in 1990 throughout all industrialized nations proved that children in solo-mother families are at greater risk of poverty. In places like Australia, Canada and the United States the “more advanced nations” more than 50% of children in solo-mother families are living below the ‘Luxembourg Income Study poverty line’.

Other countries implement government policies that do not diminish the effects but alleviate them to a certain extent. Denmark, Finland, and Sweden also have a high percentage of children in solo-mother families, yet fewer than 10% live below the poverty line.

The following table represents the percentage of children who are living below the poverty line, according to research conducted in 1990-1992.

********************************************************

         Percent of Children In Poverty

two parent family      solo mother family


Sweden 	          2.2              5.2
 Denmark           2.5              7.3
 Finland           1.9              7.5
 Belgium           3.2             10.0
 Italy             9.5             13.9
 Norway            1.9             18.4
 Netherlands       3.1             39.5
 Canada            7.4             50.2
 Australia         7.7             56.2
 United States    11.1             59.5

********************************************************

On June 16, 1995 President Clinton requested every agency of the Federal government to review its programs and policies with the purpose of strengthening the role of fathers in families.

His heart was in the right place, but unfortunately, like most government initiatives, it lost momentum.

Fathering: The Man and The Family is the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) response to this directive.

Their guiding principles are:

* All fathers can be important contributors to the well-being of their children.

* Parents are partners in raising their children, even when they do not live in the same household.

* The roles fathers play in families are diverse and related to cultural and community norms.

* Men should receive the education and support necessary to prepare them for the responsibility of parenthood.

* Government can encourage and promote father involvement through its programs and through its own workforce policies.

These guidelines are great. Recognition, education, responsibility, encouragement and enforcement great concepts. But. . .

It lacked genuine teeth. If the government focused on the protection of the rights of fathers in addition to those of the mother, more children would be able to benefit from the special relationship of ‘two’ parents who care for them and are actively involved in their lives, even when the two parents don’t live together any longer.

And worse yet, radical father’s rights groups have used the directive to ensure less paternal responsibility instead of ensuring greater child benefits.

As always, the voiceless children lost. What are we to do?

****************************************************

David Perdew, author of “Bad Dad: 10 Keys to Regaining
Trust,” is a father and former Bad Dad. Claim your free
Special Report — Absentee Dads: A Child’s Worst
Nightmare! at => http://www.Bad-Dad.com/srad.htm

****************************************************

Read personal stories of the search for inner peace in
a not-so-peaceful world at
=> http://www.WorldWantingPeace.com/ar.htm

Everyone wants Peace. Today’s a good day to start.

****************************************************

~~~ Attn Ezine editors / Site owners ~~~
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in
your ezine, blog, autoresponder, or on your site so
long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the
content and include our resource box as listed above.

Feel free to sign up for our affiliate program and
substitute your own affiliate link in the resouce box:
=> http://www.maximizecommunications.com/aff_signup.htm

A number of notable Texas traffic and driving laws intended to increase safety on the roads and drivers education knowingness go into effect on Sept 1.

Drivers under the age of Operators will currently have a harder time getting traffic tickets elminated from their motor vehicle operators. SB 1005 provides that if a driver younger than operators years of age commits a traffic offense classified as a moving violation, the judge must require the driver to complete a classroom based or online defensive driving course. Beyond that, if the driver holds a provisional driver license - in other words, is under drivers years of age - they must submit to a Texas DPS road test in addition to taking an offline or online defensive driving course. Failure by the driver to meet this requirement will result in a final conviction for that traffic offense.

Proof of insurance will be enforced through the new Lone Star State law SB 1670. This law demands the Department of Insurance, in conjunction with DOT and other government agency, to establish a verification program for vehicle insurance in order to try and trim down the amount of uninsured motor vehicle operators.

SB 1257 prohibits use of wireless communications devices (including cell telephones) for the first six calendar months after adolescents receive their driver licenses. The bill also interdicts passenger bus drivers carrying minors from utilizing wireless communications hardware, except in emergencies or when the vehicle is stopped. Use of wireless equipment has become ubiquitous and is under suspicion of stimulating accidents.

Many of the items covered by these laws are talked over in the available State of Texas defensive driving courses tendered online and in classroom settings. Prices can vary for motor vehicle operators safety courses but the minimum they can be by law in the state of Texas is $25.

<
About the Author

Cindy Cashman operates Official Defensive Driving where traffic tickets can be eliminated through a defensive driving online course. Go to http://www.OfficialDefensiveDriving.com to Save the time, money and hassle of attending classroom based defensive driving classes.

This past weekend was the first opportunity during the 2006 season for fans and teams alike to renew relatively young but sometimes heated rivalries between teams of different leagues. It’s hard to believe, but this is already the 10th season of interleague play, and the argument for and against the scheduling of games between different leagues continues to rage. The “purists” who decry interleague play generally lean on a few standard points to make their case, and we’ll examine some of these below.

Argument One: Interleague play creates scheduling inequity.

Baseball lovers everywhere claim that interleague “draws” that are logically eschewed somewhat based upon geographic considerations create an unfair advantage. For example, this past weekend, the Cardinals got to play the lowly Royals while the Cubs had to play the World Champion White Sox.

Although the numbers may somewhat support the notion that as a result of these scheduling considerations, the teams have unequal strength of schedules, the fact remains that we are talking about a very small number of games within a 162-game season. Not to mention, a championship-caliber team in any sport needs to measure up to any test that’s presented. If the Cubs are going to contend for the pennant, they need to step up for these few games and play well. Also, the chance to play a very good team from the other league creates an opportunity for invaluable experience. Teams that are battle-tested are better suited for a late-season surge, which is really what makes the difference between winning a division or not in October.

Argument Two: Interleague play devalues the World Series.

Purists claim that one of the historic draws of the World Series is the mystery that surrounds the match ups once they’re determined. If two teams have already played each other, the teams will already have an idea as to how to approach specific hitters and pitchers before the World Series starts.

Purists need to look at a few surrounding facts before staking this claim. First, the World Series is the World Series. It’s highly dubious that baseball fans will not be as interested in a World Series simply because the two teams playing had a series in May. Secondly, many Super Bowls have featured teams that have played each other during the NFL season, and this has never diminished the competitive nature of that game. NBA Finals series always feature teams that have played each other, and there doesn’t appear to be any falloff in terms of competitiveness or fan interest in this setting either. If anything, a small dose of familiarity creates better games, as adjustments need to be made immediately.

Argument Three: Fan and player interest has waned as the novelty of interleague play has dissipated.

Purists argue that interleague play was a fun idea for the first year or two, but now fans and players treat each series as just another set of games on the schedule.

One only needs to look at this past weekend to completely debunk this argument. Anyone who watched the White Sox-Cubs series can tell you that there was definitely not a lack of intensity during these games, and the packed house of mixed fans in Chicago was frenzied for every game. The “Subway Series” between the Yankees and Mets is as feverishly-anticipated as any series in baseball, and every game was a battle to the end. Overall, attendance for these interleague games is higher than the average regular season figures, and that’s no accident.

Basically, the chance to see players that fans don’t normally get to see at their home parks, the opportunity for intra-city or intra-state bragging rights creates tangible interest for fans, and experience in adjusting to playing different teams under a different set of rules is valuable experience for the teams involved.

What else could you ask for during May, before pennant races heat up? Not to mention, baseball is a sport that’s as important in regards to off-field debate as it is in regards to on-field results. Interleague play creates interest in the game, and hopefully it will continue for the foreseeable future.

Written by Jay Nault sponsored by www.stubhub.com/. StubHub sells sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and more to just about any event in the world. Please link to this site when using this article.

The method know as 3d ultrasound is used in early pregnancy, it can provide 3d pictures of the fetus. Most of the time the ultrasound pictures are captured and combined and animated to created a 4d ultrasound scan.

Three dimensional scanning works similarly to the usual ultrasound methods except that the ultrasound scanning pulses can be sent from multiple directions. The ultrasound waves can be reflected back then captured to provide information to construct a 3 d image in much the same way as 3d pictures. 3d ultrasound was started by stephen smith and olaf von ramm.

It’s important to understand that sonologists worldwide always conjured three-dimensional images of anatomy or pathology in their minds whilst doing 2d scans. However, until recently it was very difficult to do this kind of reconstruction on on info using ultrasound. With the advent of baby scans for the first time allowed us a peek into the thinking of a sonologist and so allowing us see the images on the ultrasound machine.

3d/4d imaging should utilize ultrasound energy following the same limits as conventional 2d ultrasound to create the 3d images. There is no data to suggest any harm due to 3d ultrasound, its use in none essential situations needs to be undertaken with the understanding of the risks.

Remember, save your new born babies umbilical cord blood stem cells by involving people like cells4life.

One of the common claims by young earth creationists is that if Noah’s Flood were a local flood, then God has broken his promise many times. According to The Answers Book, chapter 10,

“If the Flood were local, God would have repeatedly broken His promise never to send such a Flood again. There have been huge ‘local’ floods in recent times: in Bangladesh, for example, where 80% of that country has been inundated, or Europe in 2002.”(Footnote 1)

Is there any truth to this claim? Do the local floods we see today constitute a breaking of the covenant God made with Noah? First, let’s read the covenant in Genesis 9:8-15.

8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
9 “Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you;
10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth.
11 And I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be shut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations;
13 I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.
14 And it shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud,
15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.”

To answer this question, one must look at exactly what the covenant says. First, who is the covenant with? This is contained in verses 9-10. Clearly, it was made with Noah and his sons, and their descendents. It was also made with every living creature that is with Noah. At the end of verse 10, God extends it to “even every beast of the earth.” There is no question who the covenant is with, however it is interesting that God makes a distinction between the living creatures with Noah (with every living creature that is with you), and the rest of the creatures (even every beast of the earth). Why would God make this distinction? If all the animals were killed, and Noah had all the survivors on the ark, then it was useless to extend the covenant beyond the ark’s inhabitants. This indicates that the flood was local, and there were animal populations outside of the inhabitants of the ark. If every living thing were on the ark, the term “even every beast of the earth” gives no additional meaning to the text.

But what is the exact covenant? This is in verses 11 and 15.

11 “And I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be shut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
15 “and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.”

The key term to examine is “all flesh.” What is the meaning of this term? This is tied to the beginning of the ark story, where God stated the purpose of the Flood.

Morris and Whitcomb in their book, The Genesis Flood, (Footnote 2) say the purpose of the flood was to destroy both man, beast, creeping things, and birds. The key is in Genesis 6:12:

And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. (KJV)

The purpose of the flood was to wipe out this corruption. The main meaning for the Hebrew word for flesh in the Flood chapters, bsr, is person or man. The Hebrew dictionary doesn’t even make it possible to extend this to animal flesh. God is not talking about the corruption of the animal kingdom, but about man’s corruption. This is corrected in some other translations (NIV=”people”; Amplified=”humanity”). The purpose of the flood was to wipe out man, not animals. Yes, animals in the flooded locations would be killed, but they are not the target of God.

The main point of the covenant is that man shall never again be wiped from the face of the earth. Local floods since the time of Noah have never wiped man from the face of the earth. Yes, many have been killed, but never to the scale of Noah’s Flood, where only eight people were left alive.

When local floods occur today, they come nowhere close to wiping out humanity. The Answers Book lists the Bangladesh floods, where thousands have died. Yet there are billions of people still on planet earth after those floods. Clearly this does not compare with Noah’s Flood, where more than 99 percent of mankind was wiped out. Even the Tsunami of 2004, which killed hundreds of thousands, cannot compare to Noah’s Flood.

In local floods today, less than 1/100th of one percent of the worlds populations are killed. In Noah’s flood, almost 100 percent of mankind was killed. There is no comparison.

God extends his covenant to the creatures of the earth as well, saying that they would also be spared from floods of the magnitude of Noah’s Flood. Yes, animals are killed when local floods occur, but they do not come close to the magnitude of Noah’s Flood, where an entire species was almost wiped out (humankind, except for Noah’s family).

The only other term to consider is “neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” We cannot know the extent of Noah’s Flood geographically…we can only assume that it covered all the lands inhabited by humans at the time. Although local floods do harm the earth, it is a safe assumption that the extent of Noah’s Flood has not been repeated. It may also be important to note that the Hebrew word for earth, ‘erets, also means land in general, such as a field, or nations, or even “ground”.

Conclusion

Clearly, God has not flooded the earth in the same way he did during Noah’s time, with the same impact. God has not broken His promise. Mankind has never been wiped from the face of the earth again. This claim made by young earth creationists has no basis in fact.

1 Was the Flood global?, The Answers Book (web version), answersingenesis.org/Home/Area/AnswersBook/global10.asp

2 Henry Morris, John Whitcomb, The Genesis Flood. Baker Book House, 1961. pp. 11-14

Greg Neyman is the founder of the website ministry Answers In Creation. The original location of this article is here.

Those of us doing business over the internet have to become especially adept at our listening and speaking skills since we don’t have the luxury of talking with our customers face to face. It’s especially important to give those on the phone extra attention - listening to their voice, because that is the only thing you have to go on, to sense their emotion. You can’t observe their body language or their eyes like you can in person. They have the same limitations in listening to us. A great method to use when talking on the phone to come across as being really interested is to raise your eyebrows and smile as you talk. It will give you voice a lift. Try it on one your friends. It really works. It makes you sound very cheerful, etc. The thing is, they can’t see you either, so you have to work a bit harder to let them know that you’re really with them. They can’t see you smile, so they have to hear the warmth of your heart through your voice. If you practice, it’ll start to come naturally to you.

Another very important tip is to realize the value of remembering and using the name of the individual in whom you are engaged in conversation. I can’t stress this enough. People love their name and love to hear their name - and the fact that you remember it means more than you know. We sell personalized cards because we know that people like to see their name in print, plus it looks more professional to have it printed. But hearing one’s own name is music to one’s ears. Always be listening closely to catch the name and somehow make a mental note, or even quickly write it down so you won’t forget it. We have a tendency to be so concerned about impressing others with what we are going to say or how we are going to respond to them, that the name escapes us. Big mistake. It’s not easy, but is of paramount importance. Also try to find out something you can ask them about that they would enjoy sharing with you.

For a complete report including 8 simple things you can do, any one of which will boost your relationships - personally and professionally, you can download it at: www.designcrafters.com - wait for the popover.

Debby Sibert is the president of Design Crafters, a thriving internet business specializing in Personalized Christmas Cards and invitations. They attribute most of their success to their dynamic customer serivce. Get more tips at http://www.designcrafters.com