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How Do You Write Songs?

There was an interesting post today on a message board that I go to. It was about a guy that just started a new band and he wanted to know if anyone could give him some songwriting tips.

First off, there isn’t a wrong way to write songs. But after you’ve done it for a while, you’ll find out that some ways to go about it are easier than others.

This is how I do it.

1. Music and Melody Come First

I never fit a melody to pre-existing lyrics. It’s forced and it doesn’t sound good to me. When you write the words before the melody, you’re trying to force the melody to fit your lyrics. The result is it doesn’t sound natural.

A lot of songwriters start with an idea. It’s just easier for me to know what angle I’m coming from. Usually how it happens with me is the music comes first and the melody comes right after that.

Why do I write the melody first before my lyrics?

If I don’t know how many notes are in the melody, how do I know how many syllables need to be in my lines? I don’t.

If there’s 8 notes in the first part of the melody and 6 notes in the second part , you’ll have to have 8 syllables in the first line and 6 in the second.

Let’s say you want to put 4 lines in each of your verses, You’ll have 8 syllables in the first and third lines and six in the second and fourth.

Here’s an example:

In the song “I want you to want me” the lead singer for Cheap Trick wrote a four line melody that had six notes in the first three lines and seven in the last line. He knew that there had to be six syllables in the first three lines and seven syllables in the fourth.

I Want You To Want Me

I want you to want me =six syllables

I need you to need me =six syllables

I’d love you to love me =six syllables

I’m begging’ you to beg me =seven syllables

2. Figure Out An Idea To Work From

Ideas are everywhere. You can write about what a friend of yours is going through. You can write about what you’re going through.

I keep a journal just for this and make daily installments. I write down everything that I can think of that happened that day. And after a few months of that, I’ll go through the journal harvest my ideas.

I treat my journal like the garden it is. Most every song I write comes directly from my journals.

3. Put the idea into one to two sentences

The best way to show you this is to give you an example. Keeping with “I Want You To Want Me”, here’s the basic idea:

“I want you to want me as bad as I want you.”

You only want one idea for each song. If you have any more, your song is going to last too long. And you’re listeners won’t be able to keep up.

Believe me, nobody but you will understand them. I know from very bad experience.

4. Write The Lyrics To Fit The Melody

Once you have the idea, you start to explain the idea in the verses with the number of syllables you have in the melody. The chorus is just the overall idea in a summed up fashion.

That’s how I write songs. Music and melody come first. The idea comes after that. Write the idea in a statement form. And then, write the lyrics to fit the melody.

About the author:

Larry Ford runs a weblog giving beginner guitarist’s quick and easy tips to help them build their skills. His weblog can be found at http://www.larrysjournal.com

As typical with anything in this world, it takes years for the media to sit up and take notice and now it unfolds. I refer to the new series on ABC entitled “Hooking Up” that follows eleven women through the adventure of “online dating”. Albeit, another reality show, I found this depiction to be right on target to the ordinary dater’s experiences. The premiere episode, followed a hair salon owner to meet her “British Fabio” who turned out to be older than he stated, looked nothing like his posted photo and admitted to her it was 15 yrs old. I thought that was one of the golden rules of “online Dating”, post a current photo of yourself, be honest! Obviously he did not read the online manual. Things of this nature happen day after day all over the world and give the world of Online Dating a bad rep, but the bottom line is, this program will expose men and women who indulge in these habits and create a better understanding of what the opposite sex is looking for, what they expect and the aprropriate etiquette on the age old first “Blind Date”.

As the show progresses, we also meet “Claire”, an innocent but savvy career woman, she knows what she wants and steps up to the plate to reach her goals. She schedules the elusive first date, has a good time and agrees to a second date and finds during the second date that her feelings for this guy are more a platonic nature and lets the guy down via an email. Seems appropriate one would think, considering the method in which they met, but c’mon, how impersonal is that? Kind of reminds me of Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City when she got dumped on a post-it note. It may be the internet, but lets try to be a little more considerate and not cowardly. If you have the courage to meet this person in the first place, have the courage to end it in person or by a phone call.

While the internet is a wonderful means to meet people and find your life partner, it is also a means for the unstable, unemployed and undesirables to create a persona with the intention of attracting the unattainable.

This program I am sure will prove to be very enlightening and educational to those re entering the dating world. Within this program you are sure to learn the do’s and don’t’s, the benefits and the pitfalls as well as the plethera of available sites from which to choose from. Of course there are the big guns, E-Harmony, Match.com, Craigslist, etc, but it would have been great to have seen them profile a site such as Cupids Black Book, a site I found to be very personal and unique, offering services not found on other sites,not to mention it is free. There are as many Dating / Singles sites as there are single men and women in this world, each with a unique platform. Should you choose to enter this world, and you will have a good time I guarantee, check out the sites, contact the webmaster, and choose one that has awards and accolades from their collegues. The goal is to feel safe and comfortable with your Online Dating experience and to not to be blinded by the fakes.

Keep your eye on this new reality show, you will be entertained, informed and educated. You may even learn a few new tricks of the trade. I’m gonna be glued to my set next week and I will be back to let you know what happens next.

About the Author

Linda Reeves is a 47 year old advice columnist who writes for Cupids Blackbook
She lives in the American Midwest.

Texas Holdem Poker is very easy to learn and for this reason you’ll often find new holdem poker players at an online casino like Trident Poker, which offers Pot-Limit Poker tables as well as free online poker games. For this reason it can be quite easy to win if you follow this basic texas holdem poker strategy.

This easy Texas Holdem Poker Strategy should increase your win percentage by taking advantage of some of the most common errors that novices tend to make.

To begin you need to consider how many players are in the poker room. The more players there are at the table the more likely it is going to be that a simple 2 pair could win. But the fewer the players the higher your hand rank will have to be to win.

As a general rule you should fold if you are dealt two low non-pair cards, for example 9 and 8. Although there is still a chance that you may get a straight, by it is very unlikely that this will occur at a full table.

The Trident Poker software features detailed descriptions of all the POKER TERMS. Click Here to download the software.

Some of the most experienced players will fold if only one of their cards is lower than 10.

Patience is the key, winning hands will come.

If after the Flop is dealt, you still don’t have high pair (2 jacks) or better you should fold.

Many new players believe that because they have already placed a bet, they might as well stay in the game.

Remember though that if you still have the option to check after seeing the flop you should stay in the game. You could get through to the Turn or River without having to place another bet.

If you have a strong hand you should still consider checking if it is possible, this could trick the other players into believing that you have a weak hand.

After the turn and river it is common for only a few players to be left in the game. You should only be in the game at this stage if you have a strong hand, preferably 2 pairs or higher…

Read more: Texas Holdem Poker StrategyStanley Majors is an experienced online poker journalist who writes articles on a range of poker topics. His numerous articles found on Texas Holdem Net,provide useful and factual poker information and insight.

Satellite TV is Making the Cable Companies Run Scared

Satellite TV holds a great advantage over the cable TV companies. Not only is the picture and sound quality superior, but there’s more choice in what to watch. If you said to yourself ‘there’s nothing on TV’, switch to satellite. The differences couldn’t be more obvious.

Cable quality vs. Satellite quality

With the limited bandwidth that cable offers, it’s no wonder the quality is poor. First, the cable wire comes from a hub transmission system somewhere near your home. At source, the signal is passable, but by the time it runs through your community, splitting to each house, the signal has degraded. As the cable is RF (radio frequency) based, it has converted from an audio/video signal (at source) to RF and then needs to re-convert back into audio/video for your television. Along the way, anything broadcasting through the air has tried to get into the cable line and will appear as noise on your TV screen.

Unfortunately, we are our worst enemy as well. Look at your cables and splitters inside your house. Poor quality RG6 or RF cable can cause great loss of signal too. Turn on your TV and have someone bend your cable in half and watch for ghosting on your picture. If it is ghosting, you have unshielded cables! Replace them with something better like Monster Cable. RF cable has a tough time producing stereo sound too, so don’t expect great audio. Another culprit of poor cable quality is the cable splitter. Most splitters have just a positive and negative wire inside (it’s a noise box). Throw it out and again replace with a good splitter (Monster Cable makes quality ones).

Satellite signals stay digital until the receiver. That means better picture and audio. The picture can be 2-3 times better resolution from your cable picture. The sound from the satellite receiver is true stereo and can be Dolby Digital surround depending on the program you are watching. Plus there are many more channels to choose from.

By the way, if you have a digital box from the cable company, you have only a handful of digital channels, the rest are the same if you remove the cable box.

Satellite companies like Direct TV (or DirecTV) and Dish Network, provide national satellite service with hundreds of digital stations. The picture is clear and crisp, especially if you spring for a high definition receiver to match your HD ready TV. While most cable signals are below 150 lines of interlaced resolution, standard satellite can approach DVD quality (480i) and HD content will be sent at either 1080i or 720p (progressive). A regular 27″ TV has the capability of no more than 500i while a HD television can produce the full range.

What are interlaced and progressive signals? Interlaced broadcast was developed from the old NTSC format where the designers in the 1920’s and 30’s couldn’t get the TV to scan every line from the top of the screen to the bottom fast enough. They needed to cheat by having the TV scan all the odd lines; 1, 3, 5 etc. then go back and scan the even lines; 2, 4, 6 etc. The result is thick black lines running horizontally across your screen and only half the picture appearing. These flickering lines prevented you from sitting close to the television without getting eye strain. As the TVs got bigger, you sat farther away.

The new HD televisions scan all the lines progressively and refresh the screen much quicker. It is like looking through your front window with horizontal blinds. Turn the rod so the blinds are half open. The street outside is now half covered like interlaced pictures and you only see half the picture at one time. Now pull the cord to fully open the blinds. You now see the entire window unobstructed or like a progressive signal.

Satellite TV and Radio: Your #1 Source for Satellite Television and Satellite Radio.

Satellite TV and Radio is a resource-based site bringing the latest satellite TV and radio information. If you want to read more, please visit my site.

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”The natural progress for things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground.” - Thomas Jefferson
“The natural progress for things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground.”

— Thomas Jefferson

“When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with one another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

With these words, written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the colonies over 226 years ago, independence from the oppressive rule of the British Crown was declared.

The Declaration of Independence goes on to state: “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government.” Now it is entirely appropriate to revisit the thinking that created this great Declaration. In our situation we have a great advantage over the colonists. We can work within the Constitution to create a Government which does in fact derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

The Declaration also provides us with a guide to when it is proper to exercise our right to revolt with the following words: “Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Government long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; … But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government.” The long train of abuses and usurpations that have developed over the last few decades should compel all citizens of the United States to challenge those long standing institutions that remove from the people the element of consent. To initiate a new American Revolution to restore the voice of the people to its rightful place in the Government of the United States

As we approach the 227th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, all concerned Americans must face one salient fact. If we sit by in silent affirmation, we will encourage the relentless pursuit of tyranny. And we will cause these new truths to become self-evident. That Government for the people and by the people will vanish from our once great Republic.

The Declaration of Independence ends with this sentence: And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor. The colonists who fought for our independence and created, arguably, the greatest Constitution in history, risked not only their property and freedom, but their very lives. Today we must only become informed and united then invest our time and commit our vote.

We must note that it took those courageous patriots almost 14 years from the first battle of the Revolution to the ratification of the Constitution to create this great nation whose ideal was to be rule by the consent of the governed. We can prevail in this new revolution just as the colonists prevailed over 200 years ago. But it will take time and dedicated citizens united to reverse the erosions of our liberties. As Benjamin Franklin said upon signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776: “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” This admonition is as pertinent at the beginning of the 21st century as it was in 1776. While we do not risk our lives by our dissent, we do risk our liberty by our inactivity. Apathy is the armor of the Despot. If we stand idly by and say we cannot change the system, we insulate our contemporary politicians from the one thing they fear, our vote for change.

Therefore, it is with some trepidation and great expectations that we declare a new independence for the people of America. And we ask that you, the people of The United States join this new American Revolution and add your voice to the growing chorus of Americans who insist that the voice of the people be heard! Click here to learn more.

About the Author

Lee is the Director of The American Idea Factory and host of a weekly radio show of the same name every Sunday morning at 11:00 on TalkRadio 1340 in Atlanta Georgia. He is a Personal and Life Coach and loves supporting entrepreneurs and professionals in their desire to dramatically increase their business and enhance the quality of their lives.

Love to return next week at Pebble Beach

Some betters have seen the caption “offshore sports betting”, though some might not be altogether in the know what it means. An overseas betting web site essentially works external to the control of a distinct nation or else it can also mean an on-line betting website deploying their host servers inside a nation in which internet wagering is not illegal. Briefly then, it is a betting website functioning outside the nation of the gamer. Computer accessible gambling websites are at present modulated by three federations. These syndicates are OSGA (the Offshore Gaming Association), IGC (Interactive Gaming Council) and finally the Fidelity Trust Gaming Association (the FTGA).

The Offshore Gaming Association is in fact a self-regulating institute which currently supervises the thriving overseas gambling business in an enterprise to present gaming fanatics access to track down trust-worthy enterprises to play gambling games with. It strives to watch over the concerns of consumers, also they don’t demand any particaption fees. The agency is a well-qualified not to mention nonpartisan third party agency who voice neutral viewpoints, indicated by your feedback, independent inquiry, phone chats, insider advice not to mention imparts inside news.

The Interactive Gaming Council is a nonprofit organisation. The organisation has been established to supply a forum for interested individuals to talk over matters also to advance relevant matters in the worldwide web-based gambling profession, in an effort to establish scrupulous and accountable commercial rules and routines that aim to raise end user confidence in internet based gambling products and functions, and also to help as the gambling trade’s extensive practise counselor and in addition the Interactive Gaming Council supplies an information clearing house.

The Interactive Gaming Council have built a reputation for promoting safety, candor and believability via the ethical standards it establishes, and in addition its appeal for business enterprises of honorable practise. The Interactive Gaming Council regularises offshore sports gambling by utilizing a particular 10-step running policy and in addition charges sports betting internet sites fees to display the council’s logo. Disillusioned gamers may moreover give an account of their challenges to the Interactive Gaming Council.

The FTGA was established in a venture to construct a standard which will reform the standards of web based betting internet sites. The authority believe that by conducting business with credible businesses, they are able to set up an alliance of the fairest and most competent cyberspace gaming businesses worldwide.

These are agencies who guide the practises of on-line gambling and which should function to relieve some of the trepidation held by numerous bettors. Live gaming websites are totally free from risk, since private data are not demanded also the recompense and the odds are invariably just as balanced and sportsmanlike as a common Vegas-type Vegas type sports bet. They lower traveling time, but retain of a traditional gambling casino, but nowadays you may game in your own house.

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We are fast approaching the 4th anniversary of the event that shook the world, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, I still cannot erase those horrific images that were seared into my mind. Like most Americans my memory of that fateful day is one of standing frozen mouthed, staring at the television screen. The pictures that flood my mind are of scenes that I never imagined on U.S. soil. We all thought the Twin Towers would stand forever, cathedrals to commerce. Before our eyes they were falling, falling and falling down, over and over again. Those weren’t the only impressions that would horrify us that day.

Unlike any other tragedy in world history the attacks of 9-/11 were captured on film from every possible angle. Much like our forefathers in the early part of the 1900’s who would never forget the first moment they saw headlines screaming the Titanic has sunk. And later that century the early morning radio reports, on a cold and drowsy Sunday morning December, 7 1941, telling of the carnage at Pearl Harbor spurring America’s entrance into World War II. Then on a beautiful Indian Summer morning September 11, 2001, we Americans awoke to moment by moment television coverage documenting the events of that fateful day. One that will also never be forgotten

Now, we have been given a chance to add to those memories in a way that we all can choose. A way that is uplifting. A new documentary is being released that shows the truth and honor of Ground Zero’s search and recovery effort. The images conjured in this mold breaking film are ones of courage, heroism, fearlessness, endurance, in other words the true human spirit. Answering the Call is a film comprised of never-before-seen footage of the single greatest rescue/recovery effort in US history. Unlike the controversial documentary Farenheit911, produced by Michael Moore, which attempted to polarize America into red and blue states, Answering the Call presents the Ground Zero volunteer community showing it as the wonderful tapestry of people working together to save livesany lives no matter their race, nationality, color or creed (www.AnsweringTheCall911.com).

The film is made by 25 year veteran firefighter and filmmaker, Lou Angeli, who was one of the trusted few permitted onto the highly secure Ground Zero site to film the rescue effort. Lou’s footage has been donated to FEMA and the NIST and is a very valuable part of this nation’s historical collection of material. He donated a film library, that could have been worth over a million dollars saying humbly, ” I will never seek profit from my disaster coverage, I wouldn’t do it at the Olahoma City Bombing either.” Angeli notes, “I am an EMT and firefighter, we work to save lives not profit from death and destruction.”

What many Americans have never seen or heard about was the sheer size and magnitude of the rescue effort as 40,000 citizens from all over the nation and the world streamed to lower Manhattan in answer to New York City’s call for help. One such citizen was filmmaker Bunny Dubin, a Philadelphia emergency services volunteer and charity fundraiser, who, while watching the disaster on TV, decided that she had to get to Ground Zero and do her part. “It was a call to go restore order, I had no choice. When you answer the call, you just make your way and do the right thing.”, reveals Bunny. “I was never one to sit in shock no matter the situation.” New York City gained an honorary citizen, as Dubin became a permanent fixture at the disaster site, assigned the role of volunteer coordinator for all non-medical personnel arriving at West Sector, Ground Zero.

Actress Kathleen Turner, herself a Ground Zero volunteer, narrates the film with a voice that is filled with the emotion of those unparalleled moments. “When we began to develop the first draft of the script, we thought only of Kathleen as the narrator,’ says co-writer Angeli. During taping of her narration Ms. Turner congratulated the filmmakers with, “I know when a script is good, I have goose bumps”

The film score alone is enough to draw in enthusiasts of every genre’ of film. Created by Geoff Levin, the original music helps set the tone of the film and underscores this behind the scenes look of what it was like to be at Ground Zero. The theme song, written by Levin, is entitled “Everyday Heroes, Down To Earth Angels”, a striking ballad that solidifies the film’s statement of spirit and humanity.

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani had become the voice of America in her time of peril. He spoke of the spirit of the American people that he witnessed in lower Manhattan during and after the attack. “Tomorrow New York is going to be here,” he said. “And we’re going to rebuild, and we’re going to be stronger than we were before…I want the people of New York to be an example to the rest of the country, and the rest of the world, that terrorism can’t stop us.”

Answering the Call thoroughly depicts the very themes uttered by Mayor Giuliani and does so in a way that marvels fellow filmmakers. Maria Florio, Academy Award winning documentarian (Broken Rainbow) stated, “I was deeply touched by this film, It should be nominated for an Academy Award.”. Nathanial Kahn, 2003 Academy Award Winning documentarian, “My Architect” told Angeli and Dubin, “I look forward to seeing your film, as most others on Ground Zero have been rather lackluster.” Jim Careless, himself a video journalist, writes: “The integrity of Angeli’s work stands as a memorial to the fallen, a tribute to their rescuers, and a trusted record for the future.”

There has been tremendous controversy as to what really happened before and after 9-11 detailed in such works as the 9-11 Commission report (www.9-11Commission.gov). Unlike these accounts, Answering the Call doesn’t point a finger. Instead, the film offers a non-partisan view of what happened behind the yellow crime-scene tape. It is a poignant and inspirational take on an event that has become a political hotbed. As Ms Turner so convincingly states in the closing moments of the film, “Call” serves to remind everyone that we are all vulnerable and in need of each other,

What you will see in the film will swell your heart with pride and gratitude as you watch frame after frame of people from every walk of life do the impossiblemove tens of thousands of tons of steel, concrete, and debris in an effort to save any survivors unlucky enough to have been in the World Trade Center Complex on that day. “I seriously get choked up hearing about the experiences these people had,” writes Ty Sieger, a firefighter from Washington, DC who served in as a peer reviewer for the film.” And the video is unbelievable…indescribable. I can’t wait to see the entire film”.

I must congratulate the movie distributor that signed on very early with the Answering the Call team, Illuminare Entertainment (www.Illuminare-Ent.com). Often, film companies are often cast in a negative light due to the poor quality of products pumped onto screens .But executives at Illuminare rose bravely to the call and decided it was time to show the rest of the world what an estimated 40,000 volunteers actually did. The film was produced with guidance from Warner Sisters’ Studios, whose motto the filmmakers plan to incorporate in their futures works. It’s the good old original Warner Brothers motto: “Educate, entertain and enlighten.”

If you want to feel good about life as an American, I recommend that you venture out this week to one of the theaters showing Answering the Call. I know that many Americans will want more theater owners to show this film, so I recommend that theater goers call and request that it be screened. In so doing you will help add more positive memories to our collective feelings about 9/11.

Dubin refers to the film as a “Sublimentary”, a feature film presentation that she says, “presents a true and honest portrayal of what is inarguably the best in humanity, our spirit.” Sublime means to elevate something into a higher state, and Angeli and Dubin have done just that with this fitting testament to Ground Zero’s volunteers. “We put the love we all shared for our fellow man into every inch of this film.” Says Dubin. “Lou and I indeed had a love affair with Ground Zero’s volunteers and you will love them too.”

Bruce Prokopets
Executive Editor
Press Direct International
www.pressdirectinternational.org

About the Author

Bruce Prokopets, Executive Editor of Press Direct International

1. “A baby is God’s way of saying the world should go on.” - Doris Smith

2. “My Dad knew I was going to be a comedian. When I was a baby he said, ‘Is this a joke?” - Ken Dodd

3. “Being touched and caressed, being massaged, is food for the infant; food as necessary as minerals, vitamins, and proteins. Deprived of this food, the name of which is love, Babies would rather die. And often they do.” - Frederick Leboyer

4. “I always wondered why babies spend so much time sucking their thumbs. Then I tasted “baby food.” - Robert Orben

5. “Did you ever notice that a new baby always seem to bear a striking resemblance to the relative who has the most money?” - Robert Paul

6. “There are three reasons for breast-feeding: the milk is always at the right temperature; it comes in attractive containers; and the cat can’t get it.” - Irena Chalmers

7. “You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she’s pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.” - Dave Barry, “Things That It Took Me 50 Years to Learn”

8. “It sometimes happens, even in the best of families, that a baby is born. This is not necessarily cause for alarm. The important thing is to keep your wits about you and borrow some money.” - Elinor Goulding Smith

9. “Getting down on all fours and imitating a rhinoceros stops babies from crying. (Put an empty cigarette pack on your nose for a horn and make loud “snort” noises.) I don’t know why parents don’t do this more often. Usually it makes the kid laugh. Sometimes it sends him into shock. Either way it quiets him down. If you’re a parent, acting like a rhino has another advantage. Keep it up until the kid is a teenager and he definitely won’t have his friends hanging around your house all the time.” - P.J. O’Rourke

10. “It is a pleasant thing to reflect upon, and furnishes a complete answer to those who contend for the gradual degeneration of the human species, that every baby born into the world is a finer one than the last.” - Charles Dickens

11. “If you desire to drain to the dregs the fullest cup of scorn and hatred that a fellow human being can pour out for you, let a young mother hear you call dear baby ‘it’.” -Jerome K. Jerome

12. “Every new baby is a blind desperate vote for survival: people who find themselves unable to register an effective political protest against extermination do so by a biological act.” - Lewis Mumford

13. “Babies are necessary to grown-ups. A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. In a world that is cutting down its trees to build highways, losing its earth to concrete… babies are almost the only remaining link with nature, with the natural world of living things from which we spring.” - Eda J. Le Shan

14. “A woman has two smiles that an angel might envy - the smile that accepts a lover before words are uttered, and the smile that lights on the first born babe, and assures it of a mother’s love.” - Thomas C. Haliburton

15. “I don’t know any parents that look into the eyes of a newborn baby and say, How can we screw this kid up.” - Russell Bishop

16. “Families with babies and families without are so sorry for each other.” - Ed Howe

17. “If you want a baby, have a new one. Don’t baby the old one.” - Jessamyn West

18. “There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies.” - Winston Churchill

19. “People who say they sleep like a baby usually don’t have one.” -Leo J. Burke

20. “A baby is born with a need to be loved and never outgrows it.” - Frank A. Clark

Copyright © 2005, Bridget Mwape writes for the Baby Shop UK: http://www.baby-shop.org.uk/ which features baby information including articles and discounts on baby products, gifts and advice from other parents. This article may be republished as long as all the above links are active and clickable and this author box (byline) is not edited.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Copyright © 2005, Bridget Mwape writes for the Baby Shop UK:http://www.baby-shop.org.uk/ which features baby information including articles and discounts on baby products, gifts & advice from other parents.

You can make 50% a year (heck, one of our recent picks made us over 80% in just seven months) investing in the stocks Warren Buffett only dreams about. You can invest as little or as much as you want in any company you like.

You can buy an “illiquid” stock and have no fears of being able to get out of it quickly - because you aren’t buying half the company (like a fund would have to).

And you can take some calculated risks - if it means a chance for much bigger rewards. The bottom line is that unlike your fund manager, you can invest in ANY of the 9,000 stocks on the market you wish. This is the objective advantage you have over some of the richest investors on Earth.

Once you’re open to small-cap penny stocks - and a little bit educated about them - it isn’t difficult to gain 40%, 50%, even 80% per year in the stock market (even a seventh-grader could do it). You don’t need a high-dollar investment adviser, you don’t need high-tech computer software and you don’t need to trade shares constantly or monitor the markets every minute to make amazing gains in stocks. YOU can do it for yourself. All you need is the right information.

The problem is that instead of doing their own research or relying on a single, credible source, a lot of amateur stock investors listen to a hot stock tip from one of their golfing buddies - or they read about a big company’s cutting-edge new products in a trade magazine and go “all in” on it. Inevitably, they lose out.