August 30, 2005
Safer Online Shopping
Everyone who thinks the Internet is nothing but a gargantuan black hole that sucks people’s money into it and never spits anything back out in return, please raise your hand.
Okay, you can all lower your arms now. Some information sharing is in order.
I too used to be like you. Especially after hearing stories of people losing their hard-earned green on some online order that never actually made it to their doorstep. They ordered a product, perhaps even something as expensive as a car or a horse, and the only thing that traveled off into the sunset was their dearly departed e-money.
Well, stop worrying so much because now you can purchase products online and not have to break a sweat for fear that your just-purchased product is never going to arrive. Why? Because you’re going to learn about paying close attention to three aspects of online ordering before you buy.
First, on any order page where you are asked to enter your credit card or check information never, and I mean never, provide any personal financial information unless you see that little locked padlock symbol in the lower left or right part of your computer screen. Double click on that padlock when you see it and read what pops up. All of it. Make sure the information looks right to you. If any of the dates are expired, or soon-to-be, don’t order. Anything.
Second, ensure that the order page that contains the form for you to input your personal information into has a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) with an ‘s’ in it. I know, I know - too much techie-speak. I’ll explain with two examples…
A non-secure website page has an URL that looks like this: http://www.mauigateway.com/seal/
A secure website page has an URL that looks like this: https://www.mauigateway.com/seal/
Notice the ‘s’ right after the ‘http’ letters in the second example? This makes all the difference because that ‘s’ is more than just an extra letter: it stands for ‘secure’. So, if the URL of the webpage you want to order from doesn’t have that extra ‘s’ in it, it’s not a truly secure website and you’d be wise to not order anything from it. Period.
Oh, and don’t believe anyone who tells you that all one needs to do to make a non-secure website’s order page secure is to type in an ‘s’ after the ‘http’ letters in the URL. Trust me, there is a lot more that goes into making a webpage secure than just hitting one key on a keyboard.
If you would like to get a primer on just how much more, so you can feel safer about your online ordering of those cars and horses, I highly suggest you click on the website URL in the second example above. It’s a very educational page on what makes a site genuinely authentic.
Now lets move on to the last piece to this sometimes-confusing online ordering puzzle. And that piece is a tiny piece of software: the ‘Alexa’ toolbar.
Alexa (that was bought out by Amazon.com) is a small, free program available at the Alexa.com website. It’s been downloaded over ten million times and only represents a small portion of Internet users, but that’s enough to help us out here.
Essentially, Alexa ranks a website’s popularity (e.g. Yahoo.com: #1, MSN.com: #2, Google.com: #3, Amazon.com: #18, Dell.com: #127, Verizon.com: #439, etc.) based on how frequently that site is visited by Alexa toolbar users.
Once installed on a computer Alexa tracks and ranks every website visited from that computer in relation to all the other 16,000,000+ websites on the World Wide Web. This ranking is easily visible in the toolbar itself and it changes as each page is visited. (Let me add that Alexa ranks all the web visits from a computer and it gathers cyber-crumbs wherever one goes, but the program cannot penetrate secure webpages (like order pages) so a toolbar user won’t be unknowingly giving away any financial/bank/credit card secrets. Also, the toolbar can be turned on or off in your browser at any time just by clicking on View>Toolbars>Alexa.)
So, how does this help you with your online ordering stuff? Good question. Let’s answer it.
Suppose you want to order something from a website that tells you it’s super-dee-duper e-popular and that it gets several million hits a week making it one of the ‘top sites on the Net’.
Also, that it’s won all these Top Site e-awards and it shows you all the twirling graphics and dancing enchiladas to prove this, and to cinch all this it provides a bunch of rave testimonials from past ‘satisfied buyers’. Sounds pretty convincing - so just place the order, right? Well, hold on little doggie. FIRST check out your Alexa toolbar.
Take a close look at that ranking in your trusty Alexa toolbar and what do you see? This site is ranked as the 2,615,573rd most popular site in the world. Hey, wait a minute! Something doesn’t mesh does it? Either they’re lying and trying to mislead visitors/buyers about their popularity (perhaps just to get their money?) or this site is EXTREMELY unpopular with those other ten million Alexa users, for some reason. Either way – not good.
So what should you do? How about you think twice about ordering from this site or wait at least until after you contact them (assuming they have a phone number listed) and perhaps see if they accept easily cancelable checks. And if they don’t then don’t buy. Simple.
So there you have it. With Alexa you can now know for yourself, versus just believing what you read or are told, if what you see is what you’re going to get.
And add this piece to the locking padlock and the secure order page pieces and you can be almost certain that your online ordering will piece together as perfectly as expected. And that you actually get what you paid for. Cool.
Written by Andre Best
President, Ultimate Results, Inc.
http://www.andrebest.com - Learn About Life From Another Perspective
(Author's permission is granted to share this full article with others. Just leave the signature line intact, please.)
Posted by Andre Best at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2005
Google Search Engine Savvy
If you use a computer you most likely have heard of Google.com. Google is only several years old and now is both the third most viewed web page and the most widely used Search Engine in existence. In case you’re wondering, an extremely simplified definition of a Search Engine is to think of one of these e-monsters as one humongous encyclopedia.
Google states that it has catalogued over 8.3 billion (yes, billion) web pages yet you can easily sift through all this information to make your life easier in times of need. How? Well, you can put Google to maximum use by having it do amazingly complex research on your behalf. Here’s how.
First, think of any tidbit of information that you desire to know more about. Perhaps you’ve gotten an error message on your computer, or you want to know the meaning of a term not commonly used, or perhaps you’re looking for a replacement part for an older model Sony tape recorder. It really doesn’t matter what the information is about because Google can help.
Second, you need to pull up Google.com on Internet Explorer or Firefox and input some exact text into the box on the simple main page. Just be absolutely sure to put the words you desire information on between quotes. This way Google searches for that exact phrase, not just portions of it. Some examples are:
“Error 0010507B: Unacceptable parameter”
“98 to XP”
“two long beeps on startup”
“Sony Model #35068BA”
“Jane Winnifred Smith”
“stuffing tomatoes with rice”
Third, press the ‘Google Search’ button and watch in amazement as Google shuffles around its cyber-database containing those 8.3 billion web pages. And it’ll do all this in about a millisecond(!).
Finally, if all went as it should, you now most likely have in front of you many webpages from discussion boards and other websites containing the exact same phrase you just typed in. Now it’s up to you to sift and sort through these Google-found pages to find the relevant information that will help you with your inquiry.
Isn’t technology wonderful? With proper use of Google.com as your e-research buddy you can find accurate answers to virtually any question or problem you want answered.
Written by Andre Best
President, Ultimate Results, Inc.
http://www.andrebest.com - Learn About Life From Another Perspective
(Author's permission is granted to share this full article with others. Just leave the signature line intact, please.)
Posted by Andre Best at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)
August 28, 2005
Car Travel Tips
These car travel tips may save your life. How? By helping you BEFORE you need it and when you LEAST expect it. Do good trip planning with these car travel tips and THEN go travel Arizona by car. SAFE.
There are a number of ways that one can choose to use to get to Arizona. Amongst them is to travel by car. Car travel may not be the fastest route, or even the cheapest, but in my opinion car travel can be the most scenic way to travel.
You see...
Arizona is Mostly a Desert State And THAT is Why You Need SPECIAL Car Travel Tips So You Can Travel SAFE
Why?
Because, what's so unique about the desert? Well...three things. The biggies...
1. Heat
2. Cacti
3. Lack of visible water
Two of these three desert aspects require specific guidance for the non-Arizona resident looking for good car travel information and tips. This is vital if a person, or family, is to have the safest vacation they can while traveling to Arizona or in Arizona by car, during one of their southwest vacations.
So, I'll be discussing in slight detail travel tips specifically relating to Arizona's high heat and Arizona's lack of water.
I'll leave the car travel tip related to cacti for someone else at another website to discuss. But, hmmmm, maybe I'll just add a short little tip for these prickly pieces of greenery when you're doing your car travel.
And what would that car travel tip be?
Don't drive over them. Your tires won't like that. Okay, silliness aside...
Moving on to these two critical car travelling tips...
1. This first car travel tip details the issue of the Arizona heat.
Now, why be concerned about this when travelling to Arizona by car? Because, I'll bet that you're thinking of travelling here from a state that doesn't get too warm in the summer. Perhaps a state that gets lots of snow?
I'll also bet that your car may not have had a recent major tune up too. Don't worry, most everybody doesn't give their car the attention it deserves. Me included.
So, this car travel tip may sound rather fundamental and elementary but you need to make sure that your car is in absolute tip-top shape when you do your car travel in Arizona. This is especially critical if you're going to be travelling or doing your vacation Arizona stuff in the hotter summer months.
Trust me when I say that you do not want to be doing your car travel stuff and have your poorly maintained car break down on your way to Phoenix on a hot summer day at a location where the still air next to the highway is 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
Not fun.
So, key point with this car travel tip is to make sure you have your friendly neighborhood mechanic do a last-minute checkup on your car before you travel. And be sure to make it one of those thorough 150-point inspections where the entire car is detailed.
Trust me, you won't regret it after experiencing a true Arizona summer daytime 'road trip'.
Now, let's move on to the second car travel tip...
2. This second car travel tip involves that liquid we all need, use, and love (no, not coffee ).
Water.
Yes, good ol' H2O.
Now, why is this part of these travel tips? I'll explain.
You see, this car travel tip is in here because it ties in with the first car travel tip. That is, if you're going to be doing your car travelling through the Arizona desert during the hotter summer months, which are about from April to September, you need to be totally prepared for the remote possibility of being stuck out on a desert highway without water.
Yes, it's true.
Most people who travel to Arizona don't even give it another thought as to the absolute necessity of having water in their car during their car travel trips. Why? Because they are travelling here from a non-desert state. And they're usually not having to worry about having enough water in the car.
But, those of us who live here year-round know how critical having available water is, especially when it starts to get hot here.
So, the key point of this car travel tip is if you're going to travel by car to Arizona during the hotter months I would suggest that you have in your car at least one-gallon for each person in the car.
Trust me, when your car breaks down (along with your A/C) and you're stuck by the side of the road for three hours waiting for AAA to show up you'll be ever so glad that you have water to drink, or put in the radiator, or even to pour on your head or your kids heads to keep them cool.
Again, I know these travel tips may sound rather simple but they can save you from a life or death situation.
That is, you might have the bad fortune of having your automobile break down somewhere remote in the desert, but with proper planning through using these car travel tips, you can still make the best of the worst and still come out with a good, fun vacation experience.
Good luck. I hope these Arizona car travel tips prove useful should you need them. Let's hope you don't.
Thank you kindly.
Written by Andre Best
President, Ultimate Results, Inc.
http://www.andrebest.com - Learn About Life From Another Perspective
(Author's permission is granted to share this full article with others. Just leave the signature line intact, please.)
Posted by Andre Best at 6:25 AM | Comments (0)
August 26, 2005
Arizona Maps Can Make or BREAK a Trip
Planning to travel Arizona backroads, highways, or streets? Get Arizona maps that help YOU travel right. We help you HERE find maps that will help get you THERE.
Let's face it. When you vacation Arizona you're going to need a good set of Arizona maps just like you should for any type of trip you may take somewhere.
It won't matter whether you're traveling to Arizona via road or train or you're planning on doing a lot of travelling around Arizona once you get here...
...When you do one of your southwest vacations in Arizona you're going to have to know where you're going. And of course the only way you're going to know how to get where you want to go is to have some good maps.
Of course, you may know what type of maps you're looking for but you may not know where to find them. One can get maps of Arizona at any of several places at their local retail stores.
But, as you may have found out, most of the time...
The Maps at YOUR Local Maps Store DON'T Have the Same Level of Detail as the Maps Found at the Local Maps Store of the Destination Place. In this Case the Arizona Maps Store.
I found this to be too true when my wife and I were searching for detailed maps of Arizona when we were looking to buy a parcel of land in Arizona. We found maps here we could only find here. Of course, this was before the Internet so now you have virtual fingers that reach across the land, or the oceans if you're abroad.
Nevertheless, you're going to need one of several different types of maps. If you're looking to travel Arizona highways then you're going to need a good map that'll show you how to get around Arizona.
And if you're just looking to find your way around metropolitan Phoenix then you're going to need a very different detailed navigation map.
I'll share with you that even though I've lived here for more than twelve years, I still need sometimes to reference a good city of Phoenix Arizona map since this place is HUGE. It's more than 500 square miles large. And still growing.
And locally you won't go wrong getting the Phoenix and Arizona maps you need here at the Wide World of Maps store online or at the old stand-by RandMcnally.com
So, I do hope that this little tidbit of information comes in handy as you vacation Arizona and travel around this wonderful state.
And as you probably already know... having the right maps will help you know exactly how you're supposed to get around this state.
And how to do it hassle free.
Good luck with your search for Arizona maps. I hope the information I've provided on Arizona maps proves helpful in your efforts.
Thank you kindly.
Written by Andre Best
President, Ultimate Results, Inc.
http://www.andrebest.com - Learn About Life From Another Perspective
(Author's permission is granted to share this full article with others. Just leave the signature line intact, please.)
Posted by Andre Best at 6:20 AM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2005
Depression Symptoms CAN be Tricky to See
Depression symptoms look like other conditions people experience. But there ARE signs of depression that easily indicate depression symptoms. Learn them here.
But first, let me share that I think depression is kind of a tricky state to determine the existence of. At least for the person who is afflicted with it.
Why? Well, what I recall when I was deeply afflicted with depression is that when I was depressed I was, for most of the time, unaware that I was depressed. To me, I didn't have any depression symptoms or signs of depression outright.
Life just sucked. Basically.
It wasn't me. It was life that was bad.
It wasn't the dynamics going on inside my brain and body that was making my days so bad and miserable for myself and those around me. It was...
Those people.
That situation.
These circumstances.
Everyone and everything was to blame for what I was experiencing, except me.
You see, this lack of awareness of depression symptoms in oneself is not too atypical from the average experience of life for the average person.
That is, the world outside of one is what is responsible for life's problems.
So, what does this tell us about depression symptoms and specific signs of depression?
Well, let's see...
I think it tells us that...
A Person Can Become Very Aware of Obvious Depression Symptoms and Signs of Depression by Really Becoming AWARE of How They are Perceiving Life and What's Going on Inside Them
It also tells us that if life seems, all the time, to be...
* dark
* negative
* lousy
* never going right
* problematic
* and just plain 'hard'
...then that is more than just a bad attitude for the person. That's a good indicator of depression and one of the tell-tale signs of depression existing.
I think another one of the obvious signs of depression is how the person feels inside. You know - physically.
If a person finds that their energy level is inexplicably low all of the time and that it is just so difficult to do just about anything, then that's a good indicator and symptom of depression as well.
If a person finds themselves sleeping a lot or napping all day long constantly just wanting to shut out the world that's another giveaway.
You see, I know that these are good signs showing someone what is depression because I suffered from my personal bout of depression for over twenty years.
I know about the general sense of malaise that permeates one's day, everyday. Even to the point of potentially being suicidal. It's not fun to live like this.
I remember when I was a teenager when I first started experiencing outright depression symptoms my parents didn't know what to make of this. They didn't know what was going on inside of me and they were frustrated with my behavior because I was inexplicably emotionally paralysed.
But, all I knew was that I couldn't smile.
So, just to let you know that although I'm not a doctor, a professional practitioner, or a trained psychologist or involved in any one of those medical fields I do know from firsthand experience what many of the tell-tale depression symptoms are.
Let me share a few depression symptoms that I've experienced at one time or another when I was steeped in my twenty year depression bout...
* literally unable to smile genuinely
* lack of energy to do virtualy anything
* wanting to sleep a lot during normal waking hours
* wanting to be left alone a lot
* don't care attitude
* non-existent conversational needs
* unexplained ongoing sense of sadness
* internal feeling of emptiness
* general dread of life
These depression symptoms don't sound too good for someone experiencing major depression, do they?
But, let me share that the good thing is is that these depression symptoms don't necessarily all show up inside a person experiencing signs of depression.
So, to finish up, what can you do about this self help information about depression and its symptoms now that you know more firsthand about the definite signs of depression as I've described them?
Well, let's see...
If you are the one experiencing these depression symptoms then now you at least know what your real situation is, as I discussed at the beginning of this little blurb. Perhaps you are now certain that you are experiencing major depression.
And this should help you decide what you now need to do about handling your depression. That is, what direction to take if you want to rid yourself of your depression. Agree?
And if you came here seeking answers for someone you know and/or love who may be experiencing signs of depression than you now are armed with knowledge of what definite depression symptoms are.
And now you can approach them informed, if you so choose. Essentially, you can be unlike my parents, who didn't have the knowledge you now have.
Thank you kindly.
Written by Andre Best
President, Ultimate Results, Inc.
http://www.andrebest.com - Learn About Life From Another Perspective
(Author's permission is granted to share this full article with others. Just leave the signature line intact, please.)
Posted by Andre Best at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)
Spoken Only In Arizona
I overhead this conversation while riding in the elevator at work last Friday.
Woman one: "Thank God it's Friday."
Woman two: "Thank God it's Friday and payday."
Woman three: "Thank God it's Friday, payday, and it's finally below 100 degrees outside."
A conversation like this happens only in Phoenix.
Thank you kindly.
Andre
Posted by Andre Best at 12:32 PM | Comments (0)
August 23, 2005
Stop Just TRAVELING Arizona Highways
Instead, let our Arizona highways help you TOUR Arizona. DISCOVER secret places all along our roads that will make your Arizona trip SPECIAL. SEE Arizona. RIGHT.
Why make this effort? Because Arizona's highways are quite easy to use to get around the state.
Arizona has a main highway from Phoenix to Flagstaff and a main highway through Flagstaff heading east/west. It goes east to Albuquerque, New Mexico and west towards California. Phoenix has a highway heading west towards Los Angeles, California and one heading east down to Mexico and southern New Mexico.
As you may have expected, when traveling these highways, perhaps during one of your southwest vacations when you vacation Arizona, you're going to see some mighty beautiful desert scenery along these Arizona highways.
You'll see sites from sand dunes to snow covered peaks. And you'll see everything in-between including desert dwellings and a meteor impact crater.
Yup. Lots of stuff.
Now, most of Arizona's highways are in good shape. They are divided, or four lane separated. Some of the major highways have speed limits of 75 miles per hour. If you're from Europe this might not seem fast, but in America this is some serious speed.
On these highways I'd highly suggest that you do not speed. The Arizona government is being very generous here with the high speed limits and they have zero tolerance for those who speed above these high thresholds.
Now, Arizona does have some highways that are a little less than desirable, like for example the highway through Wickenburg.
It's been a few years since I travelled it but last time I did it was a non-divided, one-lane in each direction highway. It passes through some very hilly areas, has almost no shoulder and is notorious for the highest number of highway deaths in the state.
So why even consider traveling this Arizona highway?
Because if you choose to drive from Phoenix to Las Vegas it cuts off about one hour off this road trip. I will grant you though, this route is pretty - but it is also very risky.
Now, in case you didn't know...
Arizona Highways WILL Take You to All Sorts of Destinations Throughout the Southwestern US
And when travelling around Arizona you can literally travel through every possible climate type found within the United States. Yes, all within the state of Arizona.
Of course, you do have to do a lot of traveling along our Arizona highways at different times of the year. But it is possible to do this. And if you do this much traveling you WILL need a good Arizona map to see a whole bunch of neat things in the state.
You see, most people just think that Arizona is nothing but desert. Not true.
All one has to do is take the Phoenix to Flagstaff highway and you'll discover that you've entered a lower forest area as you've made your way to Flagstaff.
Want to see a true forested area with a desert feel to it? Take the Arizona highway from Phoenix to Pinetop-Lakeside. It's only about 2 hours northeast of Phoenix.
Want to travel through some genuine sand dunes. The same sand dunes used to film some of the most famous Hollywood movies? Travel southwest from Phoenix towards Yuma.
Want to travel Arizona's historic Route 66 highway? Take the highway out of Flagstaff east towards Gallup New Mexico and you're on it.
Have an inkling for Mexican food? REAL Mexican food? Take the Arizona highway from Phoenix south to Nogales. It's only about 3 hours and you are then in Mexico.
Yes, Mexico.
So, I hope you're beginning to see that there is a whole bunch of stuff that exists along our Arizona highways. And when one makes a genuine effort to see this stuff one can have some truly remarkable memories to take back home when the trip is done.
Go ahead. Do travel our Arizona's highways.
Explore Arizona's highways.
Discover Arizona's highways.
And if you want to learn so much more about our Arizona highways you can simply subscribe to the genuine Arizona Highways magazine. It's packed full of stuff you'll love to learn about Arizona. And it's highways.
Good luck with your Arizona highways travels.
Thank you kindly.
Written by Andre Best
President, Ultimate Results, Inc.
http://www.andrebest.com - Learn About Life From Another Perspective
(Author's permission is granted to share this full article with others. Just leave the signature line intact, please.)
Posted by Andre Best at 5:42 PM | Comments (0)
August 22, 2005
KNOWING What is Depression is GOOD
And learning what is depression in one is VITAL. But focussing on what one can DO about depression is KEY to rid one of the state. Learn what YOU can do. Here. Now.
Let's start out with the understanding that depression is a somewhat tricky state to define sometimes. But generally I think a good depression definition is a condition wherein a person is experiencing a state of
* emotional shutdown
* sadness
* loneliness
* inability to concentrate or function properly
* general feelings of hopelessness
And what I've found is that most of these states occur in combination, depending upon the actual severity of the condition in the person. In my case I experienced a majority of these for many years.
As it may be obvious, one can feel loneliness without being depressed. But to feel loneliness with hopelessness, sadness, and emptiness - then that is what I would say is a good definition of what is depression in that person.
But I think what happens in most people trying to figure out what is depression is that they only focus on coming up with one precise definition of what is depression. And I think that this is where the thinking process goes awry.
I firmly believe that...
To Attempt to Determine what is Depression and ONLY Focussing on what Causes Depression is Leading a Person Down the Wrong Path to Dissolving the State of Depression in a Person
In my opinion, what I've discovered is that it doesn't matter what is causing depression in a person. The cause of what is depression for that person is relatively meaningless. For the most part.
Oh, of course, there are certain instances where medical intervention is necessary such as is the case when a person is suicidal. But for the most part, I've found out that getting caught in the vicious cycle of attempting to determine specifically what is depression in a person and what causes depression only solidifies and prolongs that state in the person.
Instead, a person is better off switching from trying to find out what is depression in them to finding out how to get out of the state.
Now I know this may seem rather obvious, but for most people it isn't. They think that if they can figure out what the cause of depression is in them then that will be the answer to dissolving what is depression inside of them.
This is wrong.
The key is to fully understand the state of depression out of existence. Not to attempt to understand its illusory cause as a means to end it. That just doesn't work as you may have discovered on your own.
How can I be so certain of this? Because I found teachings that do work. They worked for me.
I used these teachings over a period of many months and gradually I was able to completely, yes completely, stop the states of depression that kept me in an emotional straightjacket for twenty years of my life.
If you want to really understand what is depression and what is causing depression inside of you it might behoove you to really take to heart what I've shared here. And the non-religious teachings that did the trick to rid me of depression can be found at either Guy Finley's or Vernon Howard's website.
But do remember, these are not 'magic bullets'. There are NO quick fixes in this world. Dealing with depression included.
Trust me on this.
And again, of course, you can go ahead and continue on your path of trying to figure out what is depression and its causes and all that self-help stuff. But I'm saying that the understanding of the cause of it isn't so important as what one can do right now to rid themselves of it.
And what it takes to do that. Now.
Good luck with your figuring out what is depression. And do think about what I've alluded to here.
Thank you kindly.
Written by Andre Best
President, Ultimate Results, Inc.
http://www.andrebest.com - Learn About Life From Another Perspective
(Author's permission is granted to share this full article with others. Just leave the signature line intact, please.)
Posted by Andre Best at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2005
There are Only TWO Causes of Depression
To escape from twenty years of depression I learned these REAL causes of depression and then I beat them. Learn what they are and how to overcome them here.
But first I need to state that I'm not a scientist or a psychologist or anyone like that. I'm just a man who experienced twenty years of chronic depression and was able to crawl out of my own personal deep hole. Yes, all on my own.
So what I share with you today about what are the causes of depression, as far as I'm concerned, is based on actual firsthand experience and results.
Clear on that? Good.
Let's continue...
So, just what is depression or what might be probable depression causes? I think there are two main causes of depression that define what is depression in most people. And they are both rather simple to discuss and become familiar with.
Causes of Depression - Cause #1
The first cause that I've come up with define what causes depression is a simple physical imbalance in the body's chemistry.
You see, the one thing that I've found out through all this figuring out what are the causes of depression stuff is that I'm a strong believer that exactly what causes depression is a general imbalance in the body's chemical balances.
Think about it.
The body is nothing but an assortment of chemicals and compounds and after a number of years of being suppressed in their proper manufacturing inside the vessel, the body, of course there's going to be imbalances and things are generally going to be out of whack.
And how can a 'machine' such as the human body properly function when it is out of balance. I found out, through direct experience, that it can't. It doesn't.
Plain and simple, it won't.
So, what can one do? Simple...
Get the body back in the direction of being in balance. This directly attacks one of the major causes of depression and in my case directly reduced the severity of my symptoms.
Think about it... what do you think all the anti-depressants are? Chemicals!
Although some people do need anti-depressants to function, there's no doubt about that because I did 'need' them at one time too. But there are other ways to alleviate what causes depression in some folks.
I was able to do this with the help of a specific liquid vitamin and I even appeared on television testifying that this product helped alleviate my depression symptoms.
This tactic of re-regulating the body's chemical balance worked to combat depression in me, perhaps it can work for you too. Look into it.
Causes of Depression - Cause #2
I think the second of these causes of depression I'm describing is the simple process of what goes on in a person's brain. Thinking, thoughts, responses, reaction, actions. All that stuff.
I'll explain.
Let's face it. Depression is a reaction to something. And for those of us who experience depression it perhaps has become the only way that we know to use to respond to situations we've encountered.
And after a while it's become ingrained in every cell of our brain that that is the only way that we can respond to life, the problem, the situation. And before we know it the world is a heavy, dark, negative, depressing place that's 'out to get us' and we have only one weapon in our personal arsenal to protect ourselves.
And that tool is to shut down.
Get depressed.
Completely.
Goodbye world and goodbye troubles. We suppress it all. We depress our feelings.
Let me ask you... what IS depression? Or rather what is A depression? It's a deepening in something, isn't it?.
You know, a depression. THAT'S what happens inside someone who is depressed.
They have depressed their feelings into a dark hole inside themselves and after a while that hole becomes too deep to crawl out of no matter how hard that person tries to escape it.
So, what is needed here to combat what causes depression in that person?
Simple answer: a changing inside them. A different response pattern.
You see, the absolute most vital watershed moment in my path out of my depression stage was to completely, totally, absolutely without a doubt, understand that I was NOT my depression.
Period.
And then to understand that I couldn't control what happened to me in life. But I could control how I reacted to what happened to me in life.
That is very vital that you get this...
You Can't Control What Happens to You In Life, You Can Only Control How You REACT to What Happens to You In Life
When I understood that completely my life changed dramatically and forever. My bouts of depression disappeared completely. And it's been years now since they've occurred.
And what also helped me with this second of these causes of depression was my following the teachings of certain people like Guy Finley and Vernon Howard who at first showed me where my responding to life was incorrect and then they educated me on how to correct my thinking and also training me in other areas of my life that used to adversely affect my ability to go through life.
I know I've rambled on but I do hope that I've given you some useable information in your quest to figure out what the causes of depression are.
And I do hope that perhaps you can have the same positive results I experienced with this self help approach to figuring out the causes of depression in you.
Thank you kindly.
Written by Andre Best
President, Ultimate Results, Inc.
http://www.andrebest.com - Learn About Life From Another Perspective
(Author's permission is granted to share this full article with others. Just leave the signature line intact, please.)
Posted by Andre Best at 5:47 PM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2005
Making Money on the Internet
Almost everyone wants to make money on the internet. But almost no one is. At least decent money. Why? I have an idea about this.
I think one of the biggest reasons people don't make money on the Internet is because they are focussing on making money on the Internet.
Am I confusing you because I'm sounding like I forgot to take my latest dose of medication? Sorry, but, no, I haven't forgotten.
What I'm embracing is that people put the money first and everything else last.
They put the ability to earn money first and the vehicle that will get them to that earning secondary.
Now, for the lucky few, this may and does work. But is it sustainable? In some cases, still - yes. But for most - no.
Why? The massive and rapid changes in the web catch up to most who take the shortcut to web riches.
Think of all those web pages you can now find by doing a search on the Search Engines using virtually any topic. Take your pick.
Religion.
Politics.
Computers.
News.
Dating.
Whatever.
And what comes up in all the Search Engines? Yes, even Google results?
Crap.
Useless garbage.
Essentially, websites that put the money first and actual usable information second.
And what do you do when you come across one of these pages that has Google Adsense ads, and virtually nothing but Google Adsense ads plastered all over the place? Let me guess...after trying to find actual usable content, instead of ADS, you finally give up.
At least that's what I do.
And it's gotten to the point since these websites are proliferating at a seemingly exponential rate that one can easily discern what is one of these sites within a few seconds of the webpage loading on the computer screen.
And that's too bad for the user, you and me, and the Internet as a whole.
Why has it come to this?
Well, why do we search for information - whether its useable information for entertainment or actual shopping needs - and only, or mostly, come across pages such from these billboard-like useless sites?
Because the person behind that website is looking at the money first. And the user second.
I don't know about you but I don't like being second.
~~~~
Think about all the websites you have bookmarked as one of your 'favorites' along the left side of your computer screen. Why have you done that?
Let me guess, is it because the website you flagged had usable information that you thought worthy of keeping one-click away from using again? If you agreed, that's why the popular sites just keep getting more popular.
They offer the ubiquitous 'content'. In other words, 'information' that people are seeking.
So if you're one of the unlucky many who are still struggling to make ends meet on the Internet, then perhaps you might want to consider taking the back road into town. The which is lately virtually wide-open for travel. Think about setting up your site along that path.
Would someone who comes across your site be interested in what YOU have to say? I'd wholeheartedly bet they would.
Focus on the content first. The money part will naturally take care of itself.
Try it. You might like it.
Written by Andre Best
President, Ultimate Results, Inc.
http://www.andrebest.com
'Learn About Life From Another Perspective'
(Author's permission is granted to share this full article with others. Just leave the signature line intact, please.)
Posted by Andre Best at 5:47 PM | Comments (0)
A Great Movable Type Site
As I'm new to this whole blogging thing using Movable Type, I've found that there is one indispensible site that I'm using to help me figure all this out.
And that site is Elise.com
The part of Elise's site that focusses on Movable Type is extremely user friendly and intuitive to what a newbie like me would need to know about Movable Type, in my case the MT 3.17 version.
Elise shows her extensive knowledge of Movable Type throughout each tutorial. I've read a couple dozen of them to help me figure this blogging stuff out. She writes each article as if it were a personal letter or email response to an inquiry to her. That's a nice style to learn from.
None of the multi-syllabic words and run-on sentences with her trainings.
The main reason why I think you should, as I have, bookmark her site - especially if you're a newbie to all this Movable Type stuff - is because her teachings are considerably more user-friendly then that actual Movable Type online 'manual' offered by Six Apart (the makers of Movable Type).
I started reading the online manual and could barely make heads nor tails of what they were teaching. They seemed to be writing based on the assumption that the reader is a good techie, or at least seriously technically inclined. That's not especially the case with me.
And so fortunately I found Elise's site and now share this information with you - the Movable Type newbies out there.
Do yourself a favor and be sure to check out Elise.com and get yourself up to speed with all this blogging stuff. Good luck.
Andre
Posted by Andre Best at 6:17 AM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2005
Just What IS A Blog?
So just what is a blog? Well, that's a very good question to ask. Why? Because a blog is such a new communication tool that it is at times hard to categorize it. But here goes...
Ahem...
..."A blog is a compendium of web-based entries constituting written resources, text, and articles designed and formatted to relay information to the readers of that information in such a way that the readers are informed about the topic, or log, they are reading about."
Pretty good, eh?
No, but seriously, let's get down to brass tacks here and give you the real definition for what is a blog.
Simply put, a blog is a bunch of articles posted on a website, kind of like an online diary, for people to read - sometimes interactively through the ability to leave comments regarding the blog article they're reading.
It's different from an HTML website in that the site is not designed to simply relay information in a one-way manner, from the website owner to the publisher, but rather allow for a 'conversation' to be held, if desired, with the blog readers.
Blogs have been around on the Internet for a few years now, essentially from the very beginning. But only in the past year or two have they exploded in popularity and use. Estimates show that millions of blogs are put into use during very short time periods now and this rate is increasing daily.
~~~~
I've had a couple of other blogs for the past year or so and what I found that I liked about them was the ability to post articles to my hearts content on the particular subject. Kind of like a dairy, in a way.
That's what's so neat about blogs, the ability to share, literally with the world, your thoughts on any subject. Sometimes the information shared is very controversial. It's always opinionated, which is okay, since it is a 'personal' blog. But most blogs offer useful information for their particular readers.
When seeking a blog you will naturally find the blogs that are of interest to you since they can be of rather esoteric subjects and you will naturally drift to or away from the blogs that repulse you or attract you. That's a good thing.
I've found that blogging allows me to 'unload' when I need to. Like now. And if I can help others through sharing my thoughts, or in the case of this blog, my insights on subject matters - then cool.
I hope I've relayed to you exactly what it was that you were seeking by asking 'what is a blog'.
Thank you kindly.
Written by Andre Best
President, Ultimate Results, Inc.
http://www.andrebest.com
'Learn About Life From Another Perspective'
(Author's permission is granted to share this full article with others. Just leave the signature line intact, please.)
Posted by Andre Best at 9:29 PM | Comments (0)
August 8, 2005
Arizona Monsoons
If you have ever wondered what an Arizona monsoon cloud looks like, take a good look at the picture below.
It's all pretty cool when one has monsoon weather clouds like the 30,000 foot behemoth you see in the picture below... eh?
Arizona Monsoon Cloud
Where else can one see clouds like this? Perhaps in the tropics, or south of the equator perhaps. But they are pretty cool. And with coming from Canada I never saw clouds like this my entire life.
But don't let their beauty deceive you. They are also very deadly since they bring the monsoon rains to Arizona as well.
Sometimes vacationers go hiking in the desert areas of the state with clear, cloudless skies everywhere one looks up.
But somewhere else, even hundreds of miles away, one - or a group of these humongous clouds looms on the horizon and is pouring out it's contents onto the dry desert floor and desert washes.
And where does this rain go when it is unable to soak into the parched ground? Horizontal. Fast.
And if one of the unlucky tourists from Germany happens to be hiking with the group in a wash that is connected downhill to one of these torrential downpours, well, you can guess what happens next.
Many a time I've read in the local papers that people were swept away in washes in the northern part of Arizona after encountering a 'wall' of water 40 feet high speeding down a (before) dry wash.
So, beautiful, yes. But also killers, at times.
Ain't nature wonderful how it doesn't let us forget that WE are the puny visitors on this huge and powerful rotating ball?
Andre
Posted by Andre Best at 6:23 AM | Comments (0)
August 3, 2005
A Blogging We Will Go...
"...Here a blog, there a blog, everywhere a blog-blog."
Kinda catchy tune eh?
But oh so appropriate when it comes to this funky genre that has recently gone mainstream.
Blogs. Blogging. Bloggers. Pinging. And all that stuff.
And now I'm part of it. Formally.
But what do I have to offer you beyond thoughts streaming out of the grey-matter inside this noggin? Personal experience through several decades of existence on this planet.
Essentially...as the name of this blog says...insights.
Why insights? So that hopefully you can be helped out through some of the teachings I've had and put myself through over the years. I know you're not asking for this but with the blogging world there are many a blog that standout over time. And those are the ones that offer true value for their (RSS) readers.
Might that be you? I'm betting on it.
So what will this all be about? Everything. And nothing. At times. Kinda like Seinfeld.
But I hope that my insights, although expected to spread the gamut from, like I said above, material matters to spiritual relevancy will offer true purpose and gainful measure to my readers. Namely you.
So stay tuned to my periodic updates. As I have done in my other blogs, I only share when the notion strikes me. After all - there's enough dross in your life. You don't need mine to clog up the arteries in your brain. Now do you, eh?
Andre
Posted by Andre Best at 10:41 PM | Comments (0)