SEJARAH KOMIK AMERIKA

SEJARAH KOMIK AMERIKA

Kemunculan komik Amerika diawali pada akhir abad ke 19. Tetapi komik–komik pada saat itu tidaklah sama dengan komik – komik Amerika yang banyak kita jumpai di toko – toko buku sekarang ini.

Late in 19th century America, comic strips began to appear in the Sunday
supplements of newspapers. The first among these comic strips was
1896's The Yellow Kid, considered the 1st comic strip Richard Felton
Outcault's The Yellow Kid which appeared in the February 16, 1896
Hearst New York American. In March 1897, these strips were compiled
into Hearst's Sunday Journal and and sold for 5 cents. From this humble
beginning an industry was born, though it would not have immediate
success. (The Comic Page, 2006)

Dari kutipan di atas kita dapat mengetahui bahwa salah satu dari komik strip yang pertama kali muncul di Amerika adalah ‘The Yellow Kid’ karya Richard Felton Outcault. Setelah setahun muncul di setiap edisi hari minggu, komik strip – komik strip dari ‘The Yellow Kid’ dikumpulkan menjadi satu kumpulan komik dan dijual dengan harga 5 sen. Untuk ukuran sekarang, harga 5 sen terlalu murah untuk suatu kumpulan komik. Setelah beberapa tahun sesudah kemunculan komik strip pertama yaitu ‘The Yellow Kid’, muncul satu tokoh komik strip baru yang berwujud binatang, yaitu ‘Krazy Kat’. Tokoh dalam komik ini dimasukkan ke dalam kategori ‘funny animal’ atau binatang lucu, karena tokoh utamanya memang binatang dan ceritanya lucu. ‘Krazy Kat’ pertama kali muncul di surat kabar "The Family Upstairs" milik George Herriman pada tahun 1910.

The year after Krazy Kat's debut, in an attempt to boost circulation, the
Chicago American produced a Mutt and Jeff promotion. Readers could
receive a 18 by 6 inch landscape book by clipping six coupons from the
newspaper. Despite the fact that this comic sold a remarkable 45,000
copies, it was not for another eighteen years that it would be done again.
In the meantime, in 1922 a reprint magazine, Comic Monthly, appeared
with each issue devoted to reprints of a separate comic strip. (The Comic
Page, 2006)

Kutipan di atas menjelaskan bahwa setahun setelah debut pertama dari ‘Krazy Kat’, seperti yang dilakukan terhadap komik ‘The Yellow Kid’, komik ini dikumpulkan menjadi satu album eksklusif yang berukuran 18 x 6 inch. Para pembaca dapat memperoleh buku ini dengan cara mengirimkan enam buah potongan kupon dari surat kabar "The Family Upstairs". Album komik ini terjual sebanyak 45.000 buah, jumlah yang luar biasa untuk ukuran jaman itu. Bentuk komik modern seperti yang kita jumpai saat ini, dimulai pada tahun 1933 ketika dua orang pegawai penerbitan melihat bahwa perusahaan ‘Ledger syndicate’ menerbitkan komik yang dimuat di surat kabar mereka pada edisi hari minggu dalam bentuk pelat sebesar 7 x 9 inch.

In 1933, after seeing the Ledger syndicate publish a small amount of their
Sunday comics on 7 by 9 inch plates, an idea hit upon two printer
employees. Sales manager Harry L. Wildenberg and saleman Max. C.
Gaines, employees of Eastern Color Printing Company in New York, saw
the plates and figured two of these plates could fit on a tabloid page and
produce a 7 1/2 by 10 inch book when folded. Gathering 32 pages of
newspaper reprints including Mutt and Jeff, Joe Palooka, and Reg'lar
Fellas, they created Funnies on Parade. This was the first comic produced
in a format similiar to modern comics. Looking to test their product, they
published 10,000 copies to be given out as premiums by Proctor and
Gamble. (The Comic Page, 2006)

Dari kutipan di atas, dapat diketahui proses lahirnya komik modern seperti yang kita jumpai sekarang ini. Kedua pegawai perusahaan penerbitan ini melihat bahwa dua dari dua buah pelat yang diterbitkan oleh ‘Ledger syndicate’ pas dengan ukuran halaman tabloid, dan jika dilipat akan mendapatkan sebuah buku dengan ukuran 7 ˝ x 10 inch. Mereka mengumpulkan 32 halaman surat kabar yang berisi komik untuk dicetak ulang dengan judul ‘Funnies on Parade’. Buku komik yang pertama ini dicetak sebanyak 10.000 buah dan diberikan secara cuma– cuma sebagai bonus oleh perusahaan Proctor and Gamble (di Indonesia lebih dikenal sebagai P&G).
Setelah pemunculan buku komik yang pertama, makin banyak buku komik yang diproduksi dan makin gencar promosi yang dilakukan. Setelah sekian lama, akhirnya promosi berhasil. Makin banyak orang yang berminat untuk membaca dan membeli buku komik.

Seeing potential in this new product, but unsure of how to best realize it,
Eastern Color turned to George Delacorte, remembering his earlier
attempt at selling comics. Eastern Color printed 35,000 copies of Famous
Funnies, Series 1 priced at 10 cents and proceeded to sell the entire print
run to Delacorte. Delacorte, after begin refused by American News, which
controlled newsstand distribution, made the comic available only through
chainstores. After it's promptly sold out on the stands, American News
reconsidered and contracted with Eastern color for 250,000 comics,
prompting Eastern Color, in May 1934, to issue Famous Funnies No. 1,
dated July 1934. It was the first newsstand comic. With the printing of No.
2 in July 1934 it became the first monthly comic magazine. Though the
title sold well, it was 7 issues before it showed a profit. The title continued
for another 216 issues and 20 years, reaching a peak circulation of
400,000 copies and ending in 1955. (The Comic Page, 2006)

Kutipan di atas menunjukan bahwa pembuatan buku komik yang pertama diikuti dengan yang kedua dengan judul ‘Famous Funnies’ yang diterbitkan sebanyak 35.000 buah dan dijual dengan harga 10 sen per buah. Buku komik ‘Famous Funnies’ adalah yang pertama diterbitkan dalam beberapa seri, keberhasilan promosi dan keuntungan dari seri ini baru bisa dirasakan ketika seri ke 7 diterbitkan. Komik ‘Famous Funnies’ bertahan selama 20 tahun dan berhasil menerbitkan 216 seri. Dimulai pada bulan Mei 1934 dan diakhiri pada tahun 1955, ‘Famous Funnies’ meraih puncak keberhasilannya dengan terjualnya komik tersebut sebanyak 400.000 buah.

Pada Juni, 1938, diterbitkanlah Superman, salah satu komik superhero yang paling terkenal. Debut komik superhero ini dimuat pada edisi pertama Action Comic.
Keberhasilan komik Superman mengilhami lahirnya komik – komik superhero lainnya. Kelahiran Bat-Man diilhami oleh rancangan mesin terbang Leonardo da Vinci. Sebelum menetapkan nama Bat-Man, Bob Kane mencoba beberapa nama seperti Bird-Man, Eagle-Man, dan Hawk-Man. Batman muncul pertama kali dalam edisi ke duapuluh tujuh Detective Comics.
Batman tidak mempunyai kekuatan super, aset utamanya adalah cerita yang menggairahkan yang lebih baik daripada cerita Superman. Tokoh di balik Batman, yaitu Bruce Wayne adalah seorang manusia biasa tanpa kekuatan super. Sumber kekuatannya adalah peralatan – peralatan canggih ciptaannya. Kekuatan komik Batman adalah penggunaan angle dan lighting yang luar biasa yang menghasilkan dunia fantasi yang unik yang menampilkan sosok ‘kegelapan’ (Batman selalu keluar pada malam hari). Pada musim semi tahun 1940, diterbitkan edisi pertama dari komik Batman yang menampilkan The Joker dan Catwoman.

Komik superhero semakin diidentikan dengan kejahatan. Kampanye melawan komik terus mendapat bantuan. Komite Senat tahun 1950 mencantumkan dalam laporannya tentang pengaruh komik terhadap kaum muda, yang meskipun tidak secara konklusif, telah menambahkan ‘bensin’ ke ‘api’ yang sudah mulai menyala. Komite Cincinnati secara terbuka mengutuk keberadaan indutri perkomikan. Para orang tua dan guru melarang keberadaan komik dirumah dah di sekolah, meskipun hal ini tidak menghentikan anak – anak mereka untuk membaca komik. Badan legislatif mengesahkan undang-undang yang membatasi dan melarang penjualan komik. Berusaha melewati semua ini, komik tetap bergerak maju, meskipun mejadi lebih gelap dan keras.

Tahun 1954, komik berada dalam periode yang paling gelap. Dr. Frederick Wertham's menerbitkan bukunya yang berjudul The Seduction of the Innoncent. Buku ini sangat kritis dan merusak industry komik. Dr. Wertham adalah konsultan psikiatris dari Kepala Sensor Lembaga Keuangan Amerika Serikat, dosen di Sekolah Hukum Yale, Konsultan di Biro penanganan remaja dan pernah menjadi psikiatris senior untuk Departemen Rumah Sakit di New York. Komik dianggap memberi pengaruh buruk terhadap perkembangan remaja di Amerika pada saat itu. Komik dianggap menjadi penyebab munculnya penyelewengan seksual yang terjadi di remaja Amerika pada saat itu. Batman dan Robin dianggap sebagai pasangan homoseksual.

Sometimes Batman ends up in bed injured and young Robin is shown sitting
next to him. At home they lead an idyllic life. They are Bruce Wayne and
"Dick" Grayson. Bruce is described as a "socialite" and the offical
relationship is that Dick is Bruce's ward. They live is sumptous quarters,
with beautiful flowers in large vase and have a butler, Alfred. Batman is
sometimes shown in a dressing gown. ...the young boy sometimes worries
about his partner. It is like a wish dream of two homosexuals living together.
Sometimes they are shown on a couch, Bruce reclining and Dick sitting next
to him, jacket off, collar open, and his hand on his friend's arm. Like girls in
other stories, Robin is sometimes held captive by the villians...
Robin is a handsome ephetic boy, usually showing his uniform with bare
legs. He is buoyant with energy and devoted to nothing on earth or
interplanetary space as much as to Bruce Wayne. He often stands with legs
spread, the genital region discreetly evident. (The Comic Page)

Kutipan di atas menjelaskan bahwa dalam saat – saat tertentu, Batman dan Robin sangat intim layaknya sepasang kekasih. Jika Batman terluka, Robin duduk di sebelah ranjangnya, mengkhawatirkan keadaan Batman. Kadang – kadang mereka digambarkan sedang duduk berdampingan di sofa, jaket dilepas, kerah terbuka, dan Bruce diletakkan di tangan Dick. Robin juga digambarkan sebagai seorang anak laki – laki yang tampan, mengenakan kostum yang mengekspos kakinya, dia juga sering berdiri dengan kaki terbuka, secara sembunyi – sembunyi menonjolkan area genitalnya. Deskripsi di atas sangat vulgar.
Pada 1956, Harvey Comics menutup tahun dengan menerbitkan tiga judul komik yaitu Baby Huey, Baby Huey, The Baby Giant edisi pertama pada bulan September dan Little Lotta edisi pertama, kemudian Spooky, The Tuff Little Ghost edisi pertama pada bulan November. Ini adalah awal dari era kebangkitan komik Amerika.
Pada tahun 1970, penjualan komik terbesar adalah komik yang bukan superhero, justru Komik Archie yang terjual rata – rata lebih dari 500.000 tiap edisi.
Salah satu komik produksi Amerika yang paling terkenal adalah komik – komik Disney. Komik Disney pertama kali muncul di koran harian pada tahun 1930 dengan Mickey Mouse sebaagai karakter utamanya. Dua tahun setelah pemunculan perdananya, Mickey mulai muncul pada edisi hari minggu dengan judul Silly Symphony. Pada tahun 1934, Donald Duck muncul untuk pertama kali pada komik adaptasi Silly Symphony yang berjudul The Wise Little Hen. Popularitas Donal Bebek semakin bertambah sejak saat itu sehingga dia menjadi bintang dari Silly Simphony. Donal mendapatkan komik stripnya sendiri yang pertama mulai 7 Februari 1938.

(Referensi: http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:Z1rmM3haDd4J:digilib.petra.ac.id/jiunkpe/s1/jdkv/2006/jiunkpe-ns-s1-2006-42402068-4278-minerva_seed-chapter2.pdf+%22sejarah+komik+amerika%22&hl=id&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=id)

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Persahabatan Berujung Pertengkaran

Persahabatan Berujung Pertengkaran

Judul: Pertengkaran dan Kisah-kisah Lain
Judul asli: The Squabble
Penulis: Nikolai Gogol
Penerbit: PT Bentang Pustaka
Cetakan: I, Maret 2005
Tebal: v + 166 halaman

IVAN Ivanovich bersahabat karib dengan Ivan Nikiforovich. Keduanya merupakan bangsawan terhormat di zamannya. Ivan Ivanovich, duda tanpa anak, memiliki karakter yang sangat peka dan tidak akan mengeluarkan kata tidak senonoh dalam sebuah percakapan. Jika ia mendengarnya, ia akan sangat terluka. Sebaliknya, Ivan Nikiforovich adalah seorang yang sangat pendiam. Namun, ketika ia mengatakan sesuatu, ia akan menyatakan dengan sangat kuat, dengan pemilihan kata sangat tajam.

Cerita bergulir hingga sampai pada suatu hari, Ivan Ivanovich tertarik dengan senapan milik Ivan Nikiforovich yang hendak dijemur oleh pembantunya. Ivan Ivanovich memulai perdebatan konyol dengan Ivan Nikiforovich untuk menukarkan senapannya dengan gandum dan babi miliknya.

Perdebatan kedua sahabat memuncak dengan makian, "Dan kau, Ivan Ivanovich, benar-benar seperti angsa." Makian ini berarti menyamakan Ivan Ivanovich, bangsawan terhormat, dengan seekor angsa yang dungu. Sejak saat itu pertengkaran kedua laki-laki dewasa yang bersahabat itu dimulai. Kasus pertengkaran mereka pun sampai di ruang pengadilan. Berbagai pihak di Kota Mirgorod sangat menyayangkan kejadian ini dan berusaha keras mendamaikan keduanya. Namun, kasus pertengkaran mereka terus berlangsung tahun berganti tahun tanpa akhir.

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, sastrawan Rusia pelopor aliran realisme kritis dan penulis novel The Dead Souls, kali ini menyuguhkan novel tragikomedi, yang meledek kegemaran orang Ukraina mengajukan gugatan hukum dan menampilkan kehidupan sebagai suatu hal yang sesungguhnya agak absurd dalam sebuah novel bergaya jenaka. Persahabatan penulis dengan pujangga besar, Alexandra Pushkin, memengaruhi karya yang didasarkan pada dongeng rakyat Ukraina.(SHS/Litbang Kompas)

Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka

Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nikolai Gogol


Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka (Russian: Вечера на хуторе близ Диканьки, Vechera na khutore bliz Dikan'ki) is a collection of short stories by Nikolai Gogol, written from 1831-1832.

Contents [hide]
1 Stories
2 Significance
3 Preface
4 Trivia
5 References
6 External links



[edit] Stories
Evenings On A Farm Near Dikanka is separated into two volumes of four stories each:

Часть первая [Chast' pervaya], Part One

Сорочинская ярмарка [Sorochinskaya yarmarka], Sorochintsï Fair
Вечер накануне Ивана Купала [Vecher nakanune Ivana Kupala], St. John's Eve
Майская ночь, или Утопленница [Mayskaya noch', ili Utoplenitsa], May Night, or The Drowned Maiden
Пропавшая грамота [Propavshaya gramota], The Lost Letter
Часть вторая [Chast' vtoraya], Part Two

Ночь перед Рождеством [Noch' pyered Rozhdestvom], Christmas Eve
Страшная месть [Strashnaya myest'], A Terrible Vengeance
Иван Федорович Шпонька и его тетушка [Ivan Fyodorovich Shpon'ka i yevo tyotushka], Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt
Заколдованное место [Zakoldovannoye myesto], A Bewitched Place

[edit] Significance
This was Gogol's groundbreaking work, though not his first, and formed the core of his style, especially his sense of the macabre. It was this collection that proved he was a new power in Russian literature with unique innovation and a carefully arranged mingling of the horrifying and the humorous. Alexander Pushkin had a heavy influence on the writing of the collection, which features references to Ukraine, at that time referred to as Little Russia, where Gogol spent the early years of his life. The stories are heavily laced with Ukrainian folklore and cultural references, offering a unique perspective into life in the country during Gogol's time period. The work with structure found in this collection became characteristic of Gogol's writing later on, found in works such as Dead Souls. "Evenings" gained Gogol the fame that would lead him to a prominent placement in the Russian literary circle, as well as opening the doors for future works.


[edit] Preface
The preface is the opening to the first volume of Evenings on a Farm Near Dykanka by Nikolai Gogol, written in 1831.

Each of the segments were based on Ukrainian folklore and feature comedic elements and a binding narrator, Rudy Panko, who is dictating the stories to the reader. A few other characters are mentioned in terms of the stories they provide, but regardless these segments are still told through the beekeeper Rudy.

This short section introduces the beekeeper Rudy Panko, who begins to introduce his task of informing the reader of a set of wondrous tales he has heard. He speaks very matter-of-factly and personally to the reader, as though they were sitting in front of him at his dinner table or outside in his village. He talks about the pleasant serenity of peasant life and mentions lavish parties. He continues about the storytelling at these nightly parties and then comments that no one can tell stories like Rudy Panko. His name means “red” in Ukrainian and is a nickname, again making it seem informal and personal since the narrator is using a personal name. He eventually gets caught up in talking about mundane events, and stops himself so he can get on with his storytelling. The main stories begin after this section

Plot : The Government Inspector (Ревизор)

Plot : The Government Inspector
Ревизор
Nikolai Gogol

The top officials of a small provincial town, headed by the Mayor, react with terror to the rumors of an incognito inspector (the revizor) to be sent to their town for an undercover inspection. The flurry of activity to cover up the various misdeeds and clean up the town is interrupted by the report that a suspicious person from Saint Petersburg (at that time, the capital of Russia) has already arrived two weeks ago and is staying at the inn. That person, however, is not an inspector; it is Khlestakov, a young light-headed and ambitious office clerk from the capital who is travelling to his parents' estate and remains in the hotel simply because he ran out of money.

Blinded by their fear, unclean consciences, and deeply embedded servility, the Mayor and his retinue do not hesitate to mistake this comically insignificant dandy for the dreadful inspector. For quite some time, the pseudo-inspector does not even realize that he is mistaken for someone else; he enjoys the officials' servility, dines with them, extracts huge bribes from them, and ends up engaged to the Mayor's daughter.

Luckily for him, upon advice from his more sober servant, he flees the town (promising but not intending to return) just before the town's high society is astonished by the discovery (from an intercepted letter) of his true identity. The Mayor himself speaks to the audience, announcing that they are only laughing at themselves. While we hear the officials arguing, the play is ended with the message that the real Government Inspector has arrived and wants to see the Mayor immediately, upon which the characters freeze on stage.

Acne Fact and Fiction! Do Stress, Facials and Concealer's Help to Promote or Reduce Acne Breakouts?

Acne Fact and Fiction! Do Stress, Facials and Concealer's Help to Promote or Reduce Acne Breakouts?
by: Stephen M. Seabrook


What is Acne? People have differing opinions as to what acne really is. So, what exactly is acne? Do a couple of occasional but recurring zits qualify as a case of acne or do you have to have a lot of zits?

Believe it or not, the answer is that occasional pimples or zits do not constitute a true case of acne. Although zits do seem to have the ability to appear almost instantaneously and at the most inopportune times like picture day, prom night, spelling bees, sporting events, dates, and special award ceremonies, they are not a true acne outbreak.

The dictionary defines acne as "an inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands, characterized by comedones and pimples, especially on the face, back, chest, and, in severe cases, by cysts and nodules resulting in scarring."

The anatomical definition of sebaceous glands is: "small subcutaneous glands usually connected with hair follicles. The follicles secrete an oily semi-fluid matter, composed in great part of fat, which softens and lubricates the hair and skin."

Real acne outbreaks are actually a disease of the skin. However, the great news is that acne is treatable. Although it can be very embarrassing, cause great emotional distress, and lower your personal self-esteem for a period of time, acne is not fatal.

There are new and effective treatments being sought by researchers and great advances have been made in the treatment of acne in the last few years. Years ago, when a person had acne, they were pretty much stuck with the problem. There were very few treatments available and the medical profession didn't even consider acne a disease.

It was long thought that acne was the direct result of a diet that was too high in fat and/or sweets. That is no longer the case. Acne is most often associated with puberty and the onset of pre-teen and teenage years but it can and does develop in adults as well. When acne does finally heal, there can be permanent scars left (from picking and popping) that are unsightly and cause patients to suffer long term emotional distress and low self- esteem.

New and very effective skin resurfacing treatments have been developed over the last several years that have, if not completely removed acne scars, at least diminished their appearance and severity.

Acne Fact or Fiction:

You can hear a lot of tall tales about acne today, so let's take a look at the fact or fiction of acne. It is always better to be well armed with factual information so that you don't get fooled by the fictional facts that surround acne.

Fictional Fact #1: Acne is caused by a lack of sexual activity.

Factual Fact: Acne and sexual activity are two entirely separate issues. One has no bearing on the other. Hormones secreted during puberty and young adulthood does have a bearing on acne. They also have a bearing on sexual arousal and activity. However, acne has no bearing on sexual activity nor does sexual activity have any bearing on acne.

Fictional Fact #2: People have acne because they are dirty.

Factual Fact: Dirt has no part in acne. Dirt is dirt. Acne is acne. One has nothing to do with the other. Acne is a build up of oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria. Dirt isn't involved. Keeping the face clean can and will help to prevent clogged pores but dirt does not cause acne.

Fictional Fact #3: Dermatologists can cure acne.

Factual Fact: Dermatologists can TREAT acne. They can help to alleviate the symptoms and help to clear up the pimples, black-heads, and white heads. They can prescribe antibiotics and topical ointments, lotions, and creams that will help but there is no cure at this time for acne.

Fictional Fact #4: Acne is simply a skin problem.

Factual Fact: It's true that acne affects the skin but it can also affect the way a person sees himself or herself. Acne and the scarring it can leave behind may cause a sufferer to become depressed and develop low self-esteem, both of which can lead to larger and more complex life socialization problems. Acne sufferers need the loving support and reassurance from their family and friends.

Acne and Stress:

Can stress actually cause acne? There is ample evidence available to suggest that stress can most assuredly cause an acne breakout or make an existing breakout worse. Our bodies are highly developed chemical laboratories that produce all sorts of stuff.

At puberty, our body begins to produce an abundance of male hormones and this happens in both boys and girls. This overproduction of male hormones can happen at other times in life besides puberty; for example, when a girl or woman starting or stops taking birth control pills.

These male hormones cause the bodies sebaceous glands to shift into overdrive and begin producing sebum. The sebum then travels up hair follicles, clogs the pores and begins the acne development cycle. However, male hormones are not the only cause for the sebaceous glands to begin producing an overabundance of sebum. When we become extremely stressed or overly emotional, our bodies react by causing the adrenal glands to produce a substance known as Cortisol, which is released directly into the bloodstream. Then the chemical chain reaction continues as the sebaceous glands release sebum, the sebum travels up the same hair follicles, clogs the pores and acne develops.

The physical changes in the body can cause exactly the same chemical chain reaction as the emotional changes in the mind. The mind/body connection is very real. Maybe some of it really IS in your head. If that's the case, there is help available to help people deal with the acne that is caused by stress. Reducing stress will just naturally reduce sebum production by the sebaceous glands and reducing sebum production will help to alleviate an acne breakout. Therefore, when you learn to reduce and control you stress levels, this part of the chemical chain reaction is minimized.

It really it isn't any different than restoring a hormonal balance to your body that reduces sebum production. So, in the final analysis, both factors that cause excessive sebum production should be addressed. Solving one problem might help; however, solving both problems could eliminate acne altogether.

Acne Facials:

If you are part of the 95 of the population who suffer from acne, you have more than likely seen TV or print media advertisements for acne facials. Have you ever wondered if there is anything to the claims that their manufacturers make?

In general, the answer is yes! Most acne facials are very effective, pretty much worth the price, and can be used in conjunction with your usual acne fighting regime. They won't necessarily replace any part of what you are already doing; but, rather enhance the overall effects.

You can find acne facials in most health stores, at many cosmetic counters, and online. As a matter of fact, you can probably complete a better comparison of available products online than you can anywhere else.

Most of these acne facial products provide for a three-step program. The first step is a complete facial cleansing. The next step is a steam massage. The final step is a facial mask. The first two steps are designed to prepare the face. The steam massage softens the black heads and the white heads to remove toxins from your skin. The facial mask serves to remove the dead skin cells from the face and to moisturize it as well. The overall effect of the acne facial is a very relaxing, calming, and cleansing experience. It just plain feels good. Anything that helps to calm and sooth your stress can't be bad because we all know that acne is aggravated by high stress levels. Acne facial masks can be used in addition to other parts of your acne prevention and treatment regime or you may find that the facial can, in fact, actually replace some things that you are currently doing.

Acne Concealer's:

One of Newton's laws of physics laws says that, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." That law of physics spills over into a lot of our life situations. For example: A young woman gets a zit and wants to cover it up. The cosmetics industry has a multitude of products designed to do just that. Okay, that's a little far out there but you get my point.

The acne pimples, whether they are white heads or black heads should never be picked at or popped. If they are popped or picked, it can and normally does result is a scar that is much harder to get rid of than the actual pimple, black head or white head. Popping a pimple is not going to make it go away. In fact, popping a pimple is only going to make the acne worse.

Still when you get a zit, you have to go out and face the world so you are looking for ways to make your skin look clear. You want to disguise the zit and make it as unnoticeable as possible. Here is where the cosmetic industry can help. There are a multitude of products designed to make a zit less noticeable. You don't want to use a product that just adds to the problem by adding additional oil to already oily skin. So, you do need to remember, that when you use a cover product to make the zit less noticeable, you need to totally clean the product from your skin immediately when you return home.

Some of the better known as well as more effective cosmetic concealer's on the market today are:

1. Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Concealer: This product produces a smooth matte appearance and was designed specifically for covering acne blemishes as well as for covering Rosacea and dark circles under the eyes.

2. Flawless Skin by Prescriptives: This product will not aggravate acne but will supply a medium to full coverage and it contains SPF 25 for protection from the sun.

Don't let acne control you; but rather, become smart and learn how to control the negative influences in your life that create a positive situation for acne to develop!

How to Diet Without the Myth of Fat Burning Foods

How to Diet Without the Myth of Fat Burning Foods


Sadly enough, fat burning foods are a fad. Yes, some foods have been shown to help people lose fat, but it is typically because the food is either low in calories or satisfies their appetite.

If you want to lose weight, here are some helpful instructions.

[edit] StepsFind your basal metabolic rate, which will tell you how many calories you need to consume per day. This will take about a week. You can find your basal metabolic rate online ( http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ ). Take 15-20% off that number and eat that number of calories instead.
Choose the proper foods. Dieting has a tendency to cause you to lose as much muscle as fat. Consuming more protein and dieting at a steady speed (as shown in step 2) will minimize this. A woman might not care much about muscle tissue, but losing it will mean that you have to reach a lower body fat percentage to appear just as skinny as someone who kept their muscle. It also sabotages your diet because it makes your metabolism fall off. Consume 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. This is higher than the recommended daily value, but it is far from dangerous. It will help you hang onto your muscle.
Balance your nutrients. The rest of your diet should be evenly balanced between fat and carbohydrates. Fat is not the enemy, and neither are carbohydrates. Avoid trans fats and saturated fats. Avoid refined and glycemic index carbohydrates. In general, avoid processed foods altogether. Don't eat fast food or food from restaurants. Don't eat anything with high fructose corn syrup or bleached wheat flour in it. Avoid "fake" sugars as well. Some claim they might affect insulin levels or affect the body in other ways.
Supplement your diet to some degree to meet the demands of a healthy diet. Take a multi-vitamin and get lots of water. You need healthy fats. There are certain essential fatty acids that your body cannot produce; they must be consumed. The best sources of these are salmon, walnuts, flax seeds (oil or ground, as whole won't digest) and fish oil caplets. Oils go rancid quickly, so be sure to refrigerate the oil and freeze any flax seeds. The best low-fat protein sources are skim milk, egg whites, and poultry. Some cuts of red meat are also very low in fat and high in protein. However, they are typically more expensive than their white counterparts. Tuna is also very good. As for carbohydrates, you can consume any low glycemic index carbohydrates you want (and some moderately high ones, too).
Divide up your meals so that you eat 5-6 small meals a day. Eating small meals gives your body time to digest and burn up your food or "fuel" at a steady rate.
Live an active lifestyle. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. The type of exercise you need will vary, depending on your body weight and physical health and well-being. Regardless, you should be doing a mix of both aerobic (fat-burning) exercises like jogging or interval training, and anaerobic(muscle-building) exercises like resistance or weight training. Anaerobic ensures your metabolism doesn't drop due to dieting while aerobic is best for targeting fat calories.



[edit] TipsWhen you do reach what you think is good in this diet, stick to eating the amount of calories you can burn, so you will stay at the size you want.
Take one day each week to eat whatever you want.
Stick with it - there are no tricks to it. Remember how you learned to ride a bike? It took a lot of practice and willpower. First, you had to have training wheels, and then you had them removed and it was scary, but the whole time, you had a vision in your head of yourself riding a two-wheel bike. You looked around the neighborhood and saw other kids and adults riding bikes, and you thought "I can do that too." And you can. With a strong will to do something, anything is possible!
By the way, so called "fat burning foods" are typically all dairy products and vegetables. Vegetables don't give you many calories and contain lots of water. Celery does contain more calories than it costs you, which is a common misconception. Dairy products contain lots of water, and they have fat in them. The fat is not a good fat, but it tends to calm appetites. This is why Atkins has so much success - you actually end up eating less calories. Also, the insulin response caused by carbohydrates means that without them, your body has a hard time storing fat. For the most part, your diet will go just as fast with the same number of calories, but it will go a little faster if you don't eat carbohydrates and fats at the same time. This way, you don't have a tendency to store fat and then burn it later. You just burn it in the first place, which is more comfortable for weight loss and less tiring to most people.
Stick with the exercise, this guide just covers the harder part that many get wrong.
This is all to make you feel better. Remember that.
Make sure you're getting enough fiber in your diet. Studies have shown that if you're not getting enough fiber and you increase it to about 25 - 30 grams per day, that this may help you to lose weight.



[edit] WarningsDon't reduce your calorie intake too much. Do not cut your calorie intake below 80% of your metabolic rate, because it can cause metabolism loss due to muscle loss, and trying too hard to conquer your instincts to eat can make it hard for you to stop eating.
When you do have your day to eat whatever you like, don't go overboard. Some people obsessed with calorie counting tend to go overboard during any stop in the diet, and this period is meant to prevent you from going overboard when you lost the weight you needed to lose.
Remember that if dieting is making you totally miserable, stick with the diet, don't get lax, but just don't be too extreme. You know it's working when you feel better.
Don't fall for any diet drugs. They're drugs, and so is heroin. Though not as addicting, they can be extremely dangerous.
Remember that carbohydrates are the substances that are foremost turned into bodily storage-fats versus essential fatty acids and proteins. There is no harm in reducing your carbohydrate consumption, though feeling sluggish can indicate that you are not eating enough carbohydrates.[1]

from: http://www.wikihow.com

Why Your Diet May Not Be As Rich In Iodine As You Assume

Why Your Diet May Not Be As Rich In Iodine As You Assume
by: Steve Smith





The trace mineral iodine is well known for its crucial role in enabling the body's manufacture of vital thyroid hormones, but it is also important for the health of the immune system and for optimal brain function. It is widely believed by many authorities that iodine deficiency should never be seen in the affluent West, although this problem affects millions throughout the developed world.

Some nutritionists argue, however, that this conventional view is too optimistic, because the content of all minerals in foods is heavily dependent on the mineral content of the soil from which those foods are derived. The assumption must therefore be that the continuing de-mineralisation of farm soils has led to a reduction in the amount of dietary iodine commonly consumed.

Fish and other seafood, however, remain a relatively rich source because these ocean creatures concentrate the sea's iodine in their flesh. Though not commonly eaten in the West, seaweed, or kelp, is also an excellent source of iodine for this reason, and is readily available in the form of a dietary supplements. Dairy products and certain meats may also be a good source, particularly where iodine is routinely added to farm animal feed. But in countries, including most of Western Europe, where animals are grazing fields growing on iodine depleted soils, levels are likely to be much lower.

So even in the West, those not including fish or seafood in their diets, and not using iodised or sea salt, may be at real risk of deficiency. In an effort to compensate for low levels of dietary iodine, the mineral has been routinely added to ordinary table salt in the US for many years. But the practice is not as common in the UK and other European countries, where specially iodised or natural "sea-salt" has been marketed more as a luxury alternative. The problem of insufficient dietary iodine has been compounded on both sides of the Atlantic, however, by increasing concern about the possible adverse health consequences, particularly high blood pressure, of excessive salt intake. Many nutritionists, however, regard these fears as exaggerated, and believe that any such potential problems are far less serious than the consequences of an insufficiency of iodine, and may be easily resolved by the use of the low sodium salt alternatives available.

Iodine, however, cannot in any case be regarded as a luxury. Its essential function lies in the production of the vital thyroid hormones; thyroxine, sometimes known as T4, and tri-iodothyronine, or T3. And as is well known, these hormones are crucially important in ensuring a healthy metabolic rate and the release of energy from food; so an underactive thyroid gland is commonly the villain in cases of excessive weight gain, particularly where this of sudden onset, and in cases of difficulty in losing weight even when following a sensible reducing programme. A healthy thyroid gland is also crucial for the optimal functioning of the immune system.

But perhaps even more importantly, iodine deficiency is also known as a major cause of avoidable brain damage; a problem which the World Health Organisation has estimated to affect an astonishing 50 million people worldwide. Sadly, many of these cases occur in children whose mothers were iodine deficient in pregnancy, resulting in a condition of severely retarded brain development known as congenital hypothyroidism, or "cretinism". Even where such catastrophic consequences are avoided, iodine deficiency in childhood may also have serious effects on the developing brain, leading to low energy and motivation for learning, and measurable impairment of IQ scores.

Since 2001 the Food and Nutrition Board of the US Institute of Medicine (FNB) has prescribed a Recommended Dietary Allowance for iodine of 150 mcg for all individuals over 14, rising to 220 mcg for pregnant women and 290 mcg for those breastfeeding. Somewhat confusingly, however, an excessive consumption of iodine is also associated with a malfunctioning or enlargement of the thyroid gland, as well as mouth ulcers, headaches and gastric upsets, and the FNB therefore advises an upper safe limit for daily iodine consumption of 1,100 mcg for adults. Most people eating a conventional Western diet are unlikely to exceed this level.

With the possible exception of pregnant and breastfeeding women, people in the West who use liberal quantities of iodised salt as a regular seasoning are unlikely to need further supplements. But many commercial multi-mineral preparations contain iodine in reasonable quantities, usually in the form of potassium iodide, and whilst not perhaps strictly necessary, such supplementary doses will do no harm and may be regarded as a useful insurance policy given that, like all minerals needed by the body, iodine functions best in the presence of adequate supplies of all the others. And it should be particularly noted in this context that the effects of any deficiency of iodine may be intensified by any deficiency of selenium, iron or vitamin A.

Intensity grows as presidential election looms

Intensity grows as presidential election looms

Featured Topics: John McCain Barack Obama Play Video Yahoo! News – Barack Obama airs TV ad
Play Video Video: Obama widens lead CNN Play Video Video: McCain discusses Obama tape CNN Play Video Video: Obama sharpens tone against McCain AP AP – Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, shakes hands with former President … KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Fresh off a day defined by flash and cash, Barack Obama is targeting the tight states of Florida, Virginia and Missouri. A resilient John McCain aptly picks up his campaign in the Ohio town of Defiance, battling long odds to victory.

With five days until the election, the presidential race is picking up pace.

Obama, the Democratic Illinois senator, holds the leads in polls nationally and in most of the states still in competition. McCain, a Republican Arizona senator, has tried to erode Obama's lead by raising doubts about his tax plan and his ability to protect the nation.

Both candidates keep hitting the same states that could decide the election. The majority of states already tilt to one candidate and aren't getting showered with any attention.

Obama starts Wednesday in Florida, shifts north to Virginia and ends his day in Missouri. McCain plans to campaign all day in Ohio, which tipped the 2004 election for President Bush.

Campaigns are famous for tightening and getting even more unpredictable at the end. McCain and running mate Sarah Palin say they will surprise election predictors with a win.

Obama tried to lock up undecideds Wednesday with a prime-time informercial that seamlessly cut to some live comments he was making in Florida. The air time cost $4 million.

For a capper, Obama got a big boost late in the evening from Bill Clinton. Pushing aside hard feelings over Obama's winning primary campaign against his wife, the former president got on stage with Obama for the first time and called him the future of the country.

McCain, in Florida, argued that Obama lacks "what it takes to protect America from terrorists" as he sought to shift attention away from the economy.

Associated Press-GfK polls taken within the past several days showed Obama ahead in four states that supported Bush in 2004, and essentially even with McCain in two others. A separate survey suggested even McCain's home state of Arizona was not safely in his column.

The campaigns will make a mad dash until Tuesday.

But in a telling comment in describing his 30-minute television ad, Obama said Wednesday: "At this stage, everything that needs to be said has probably been heard by a lot of voters. And what you want to do is just remind them one more time, `Here's what I'm going to do.'"

Online Dating-Why We Can't Find Our Soul Mate Online

Online Dating-Why We Can't Find Our Soul Mate Online
by: Vivian Johnson


Some of us singles feel like our life is incomplete without our “soul mate”. So we are on a mission to find this illusive person!

Why we can’t find our soul mate online is that we do not know what characteristics our soul mate will have. We may be ignoring our soul mate everyday!

Our “soul mate” may have a gentle nature and aren’t as persistent as the other Singles that force their way into our worlds.

You will find the persons that are the most persistent and aggressive online are not your soul mate.

So if we are waiting for our soul mate to “steam roll” their way into our lives, we are wasting our time. This will never happen!

Why we can’t find our soul mate online is that when we first go online we are pursued by the stronger personality types. The ones that will email us over and over again without even waiting for a response.

We may not know it at the time but the people that monopolize most of our time online is not our soul mate. So we aren’t available when our soul mate comes along.

For this reason, I tell all singles do not spend your “down time” communicating with Singles you really aren’t interested in.

The “nicer” singles will not pursue you if they perceive you really aren’t interested in them. They will move on,

The reason why we can’t find our soul mate online is that we are usually overlooking them!

Stay away from the time wasters, that will insure you are available when your “soul mate” finds you!

Do you know how to Find, Catch & Keep the love of your life in 7 days? If not, please get your copy of:

For A Limited Time Only - Free Internet Dating Course ($27.00 Value)
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Bad Men You Should Avoid When Dating

Bad Men You Should Avoid When Dating
by: Nicholl McGuire


Women always say, “I didn’t know he was like that” when their boyfriends perform acts that cause everyone around them shame. In some cases they really weren’t aware of the boyfriend’s mischievous deeds, but in other cases women knew well in advance they just hoped he would stop.

Most women are not stupid, gullible, dumb, or any other name critics choose to call them for the selections in men they make. For some, they truly had no idea their boyfriend meant bad news for them. The ever-popular question of, “Why did she get herself involved with him anyway?” continues to loom over their heads and the reasons vary depending on whom you ask. Some women may have found out about their problem boyfriend and stayed because of love, status, money and/or power. Others may have stayed because they didn’t want to carry the guilt of leaving their children’s father over issues they feel could be resolved. Still many women feel they can change him. As long as women continue to believe that the power of sex, money, counseling, personal sacrifice or a host of other strategies to change a bad man will work, they will continue to subject themselves to mental and physical abuse. These strategies simply will never work for some men. There comes a time when women will have to get off their knees whether she is praying to God or pleading to her mate to change. She will have to stand up carrying her self-respect in hand and walk right through the door of “end the relationship now.”

The following advice is written for women who haven’t yet made a commitment or a baby with a “bad boy.” She may be struggling with whether she is ready to settle down with him, distance herself from him or keep him as a friend. Although the best advice is not to offer to carry him or his burdens and just leave him alone, there will be those women who will still stay. If those women choose to stay, they have committed themselves to a hard life of many restless nights, aches and pains at times mentally and/or physically and they most likely will past negative behaviors to their future children and their children.

The Liar – In the beginning of the relationship, you caught him in a few white lies. He had what seemed like convincing excuses; therefore you let him get away with them. Now the lying has increased and the excuses have become minimal if not at all. Actions you may want to consider are the following: Approach him not only with what you think, but what you know; in other words have proof. Stop taking his lying lightly. Let him know that this behavior you will not accept any longer. If he chooses to continue lying, then tell him you will have to end the relationship for good. Once you have made a decision that you are leaving, begin to make efforts to not be contacted by him (change your cell phone number, block his email address, put places you hang out frequently on hold, and avoid telling mutual friends about your personal whereabouts, thoughts and feelings. You must not leave and then go back to him, he will only get better about lying to you over time.

The Player also known as The Pimp – This man is obsessed with being contacted or making contact with the opposite sex. He will use cell phone, email, your house phone or friends to make contact with whomever he meets. He will leave a trail of evidence whether it is the popular piece of paper that slips out of his pocket with a phone number without a name, restaurant receipts, hotel charges, cologne or jewelry gifts, read and sent email that sits in his account that he forgot to delete. He begins to create a pattern in his actions when you have become old and someone else becomes new. Look out for this repetitious pattern. He may develop his pattern after work on a daily basis working later and later nights at the office then when he comes home he is providing almost too much detail about what happened at work or not at all. Another pattern he may create may be choosing a hobby or interest that is very unusual to his personality and attending this faithfully, what you can do to find out if he is sincere is offer to pick him up from the pottery class on some nights. Watch his reaction. There may also be the weekend pattern of always “needing to get away, have some time to myself, or I’m so busy with errands.” All the while making little or no time for the two of you to go out and be seen together. When you suggest new places to visit, he finds an excuse to take you to the same area you both are familiar to keep from running into the other woman or women. He finds a way, anyway, to travel to places without you regularly using an excuse such as “I’m going to my mother’s house or hanging out with Rick, Joe or someone you never heard of Frank.” Be careful family and friends will cover for him. He will call you, at times when he knows you are out and about to see if you will be in the proximity where he will be entertaining the other woman or women. He is protective of his cell phone and his computer; if you tried to check either it maybe password protected. You may want to consider whether having to worry over your man’s whereabouts is worth all of this aggravation. In time, you will become insecure, angry for no apparent reason, and develop a since of distrust toward everyone you meet. This is baggage you don’t need.

The Thief – He has been around when things go missing. At first you didn’t suspect him and thought items had just been misplaced or he blamed someone else for taking them. Yet, you have always had a funny feeling in your gut that he was the one who made off with your dad’s tools, took your favorite CD, helped himself to some cash sitting around, and other important items. It is time to come up with a plan, set him up. The kind of plan you come up with can’t be easily figured out by him and if you sincerely want your restless conscience to be at peace, then go to great lengths to figure out whether he is trustworthy. Time is money and the longer you stay with him, the more items will go missing.

The Hustler – He is always thinking of a way to separate people from their money illegally. From identity theft to standing on the street corner selling drugs, he always has a knot of money and doesn’t mind living lavishly. Now you may think that what he has told you about his daytime job is paying the bills, but the truth of the matter that job didn’t pay for the designer clothing and expensive jewelry you wear; instead it was the second one you may or may not know about. This man is dangerous. He has enemies and one day some one will catch up with him, you or anyone who associates with either of you, and the sight won’t be pretty. You must ask yourself this question, is he worth putting your life and everyone else’s lives around you in danger?

The Abuser/Controller – You can never do anything right. He is often critical, walks around with an attitude and every opportunity he has alone he wants you to stop living your world to be with him. In the beginning of the relationship, you justified his negative personality with excuse after excuse. Whether he is physically ill, illiterate, disabled or mentally disturbed and on medication, you have a right to explain how you feel about him to him. You may have done this already and got knocked to the ground whether verbally or physically. You may have told yourself that things will get better and he is making an effort to change. Well that is good if he is sincere about becoming a better man; however, he can make those strides without you living with him and subjecting yourself to his name calling, mood swings, choking, punching, and grabbing. There are no rewards in heaven given to women who allow themselves to be abused by men. There was only one Christ in the Holy Bible and you are not He. (Read more about the abuser in an article I wrote entitled, “How To Know Your Boyfriend Is Abusive” at this site.)

The Mooch – You have invited him once again on an outing and he never has any money in his wallet. During inopportune times, he says he needs to stop at the ATM and you know there is none even close to where the two of you are located. When he offers to take you out, he usually picks a place that he doesn’t have to pay much (despite the fact that when it was on your tab he ordered steak and another time lobster!) He drives your car and doesn’t fill it up, when you mention it; he finally puts some gas in the tank -- a measly $5 or $10. Holidays come and go with very little if any acknowledgement from him. Yet, you bought him (and possibly his relatives) really nice gifts whether it was a holiday or not. He displays affection, says all the right things, and listens to your concerns only when he knows he needs something from you. If you choose to continue a relationship with this man you have options and they are as follows. You could stop being so generous and treat him how he treats you. For example, when you invite him out, treat him to the kind of places he takes you. Put a limit on how often he drives your car. Avoid helping him when he is in a bind since you know he won’t help you. Make yourself unavailable to run errands for him and anyone associated with him (that includes his children by a previous relationship, his mother, sister or brother.) If he begins to see you are no fool, he won’t continue to run over you and will grow to appreciate you. However, if he doesn’t you will be making it easy for him to walk away from you without you having to break up with him.

The Drunk/ Drug Abuser – How many times have you seen him intoxicated or using drugs? Is he fun, angry, disgusting or depressed afterward? Are most of the relationship problems you have been facing associated with this type of behavior? If so, then you will have to consider whether or not you will help him get counseling from a distance, continue to live with him and endure the abuse, leave him alone altogether or create an intervention for him that includes a professional counselor, family and friends who have all been affected by his negative ways. If he consistently refuses help, then for your own sanity and safety, leave him alone.

Dead Souls (Jiwa-jiwa mati)

Dead Souls

Nikolai Gogol

The story follows the exploits of Chichikov, a young gentleman of middling social class and position. Chichikov arrives in a small town and quickly tries to make a good name for himself by impressing the many petty officials of the town. Despite his limited funds, he spends extravagantly on the premise that a great show of wealth and power at the start will gain him the connections he needs to live easily in the future. He also hopes to befriend the town so that he can more easily carry out his bizarre and mysterious plan to acquire "dead souls."


Chichikov and Nozdryov.The government would tax the landowners on a regular basis, with the assessment based on how many serfs (or "souls") the landowner had on their records at the time of the collection. These records were determined by census, but censuses in this period were infrequent, far less so than the tax collection, so landowners would often find themselves in the position of paying taxes on serfs that were no longer living, yet were registered on the census to them, thus they were paying on "dead souls." It is these dead souls, manifested as property, that Chichikov seeks to purchase from people in the villages he visits; he merely tells the prospective sellers that he has a use for them, and that the sellers would be better off anyway, since selling them would relieve the present owners of a needless tax burden.

Although the townspeople Chichikov comes across are gross caricatures, they are not flat stereotypes by any means. Instead, each is neurotically individual, combining the official failings that Gogol typically satirizes (greed, corruption, paranoia) with a curious set of personal quirks. Furthermore, everything in the house seems to mirror the character of its owner: for instance, every piece of furniture in the house of Sobakevich is described as a miniature version of its owner.

Chichikov's macabre mission to acquire "dead souls" is actually just another complicated scheme to inflate his social standing (essentially a 19th century Russian version of the ever popular "get rich quick" scheme). He hopes to collect the legal ownership rights to dead serfs as a way of inflating his apparent wealth and power. Once he acquires enough dead souls, he will retire to a large farm and take out an enormous loan against them, finally acquiring the great wealth he desires.

Setting off for the surrounding estates, Chichikov at first assumes that the ignorant provincials will be more than eager to give their dead souls up in exchange for a token payment. The task of collecting the rights to dead people proves difficult, however, due to the persistent greed, suspicion, and general distrust of the landowners. He still manages to acquire some 400 souls, and returns to the town to have the transactions recorded legally.

Back in the town, Chichikov continues to be treated like a prince amongst the petty officials, and a celebration is thrown in honour of his purchases. Very suddenly however, rumours flare up that the serfs he bought are all dead, and that he was planning on eloping with the Governor's daughter. In the confusion that ensues, the backwardness of the irrational, gossip-hungry townspeople is most delicately conveyed. Absurd suggestions come to light, such as the possibility that Chichikov is Napoleon in disguise or the notorious and retired 'Captain Kopeikin,' who had lost an arm and a leg during a war. The now disgraced traveller is immediately ostracized from the company he had been enjoying and has no choice but to flee the town in disgrace.

Taras Bulba (plot)

Taras Bulba (plot)
Nikolai Gogol

In the story, Taras Bulba’s two sons, Ostap and Andriy, return home from a Orthodox seminary in Kiev. Of Taras' sons, Ostap is the more adventurous, true to the Cossack spirit, whereas Andriy has deeply romantic feelings stirring within him. While in Kiev, he fell in love with a young Polish noble girl, the daughter of the Governor of Dubno, but after a few meetings, saw her no longer when her family returned home.

As a Dnieper Cossack, Taras Bulba sets out to give his sons the opportunity to go to war as a Cossack. A Cossack is not a man and does not marry until he has seen combat. Taras and his sons reach the Cossack camp at the Zaporozhian Sich, where there is much merrymaking, and Taras works to rouse the Cossacks to go into battle. Taras sets actions underway to replace the existing Ataman when the Ataman is reluctant to break the peace, and works to create the opportunity for combat.

Fortunately they soon have the opportunity to fight the Poles, who rule all of western Ukraine to the Dnieper River. The Poles are accused of atrocities against Orthodox Christians, in which they are aided by Jews. After killing many of the Jewish merchants at the Sich, the Cossacks set off on a campaign against the Poles. Ultimately they reach the fortress-town of Dubno, which they besiege. Surrounded by the Cossacks and short of supplies, the inhabitants begin to starve.

One night a Tatar woman comes to Andriy and rouses him. He finds her face familiar and then recalls she is the servant of the Polish girl he was in love with from his youth. She advises him that all are starving inside the walls. He accompanies her through a secret passage starting in the marsh that goes into the monastery inside the city walls. Andriy brings loaves of bread with him for the starving girl and her mother. He is horrified by what he sees and in a fury of love, forsakes his heritage for the Polish girl.

Meanwhile, several companies of Polish soldiers march into Dubno to relieve the siege, passing through and killing or capturing a regiment of Cossacks, who are too drunk to stop them. A number of battles ensue and Taras learns of his son’s forsaking his Cossack heritage from Yankel the Jew, whom he saved from Cossacks earlier in the story. During one of the final battles, he sees Andriy riding in Polish garb from the castle and has his men draw him to the woods, where he takes him off his horse. Taras then shoots his son from close range. Taras and Ostap continue fighting the Poles and the latter is captured while the former is knocked out.

Taras awakens in a state of delirium. When he regains his composure he learns that Ostap was among the Cossacks captured and is in the hands of the Poles. Yankel agrees to take him to Warsaw where Ostap is held captive, hiding Taras in a cart of bricks, which he knows no one will tamper with on their journey. Once there a group of Jews help Yankel to dress Taras as a Jew, and they attempt to go into the prison to see his son. They almost succeed, but a guard recognizes Taras as a Cossack, though they convince him otherwise. Still, he does not let them through and only after being paid 100 gold pieces does he allow them to leave, instructing them to go to the execution the following day if they wish to see the Cossacks.

During the execution, Ostap, in fine Cossack form, does not make a single sound, even while being broken on the wheel, and only near the end calls out to his father, asking if he “can hear this?” Taras calls out that he can, and Yankel turns to him, terrified for him revealing their location, to find that the Cossack has disappeared.

Having lost both of his sons, Taras returns home to find all of his old Cossack friends dead and younger Cossacks in their place; unfazed he goes to war again. The new Ataman wishes to make peace with the Poles, which Taras counsels firmly against, warning that the Poles are treacherous and will not honor their words. Failing to convince the Cossacks, Taras takes his regiment away with him to continue the battle independently. As Taras predicted, once the new Ataman agrees to a truce, the Poles betray the Cossacks and kill a number of them. Taras and his men continue to fight and are finally caught in a ruined fortress, where they battle until the last man is defeated.

Taras is nailed and tied to a tree and set aflame. Even in this state, in true Cossack spirit, Taras calls out to his men to continue the fight, advising them that a Russian Tsar is coming who will rule the earth. Defeat and fire are not sufficient to quench his great Cossack soul.

The story ends with Cossacks on the Dniester River who recall the great feats of Taras and his great Cossack spirit.

How to Make Email Marketing Works for Your Business

How to Make Email Marketing Works for Your Business
by: Mr JH Saw





Topic 1 ~ Your Email Subject Lines ~

How To Write A Good E-mail Subject Lines That Works?

Here are the 5 tips:

1. Ask a question. One of the best ways to get a reader's attention is to ask a question. But like a trial lawyer questioning a witness on the stand, make sure it'll get you the response you're looking for. "What's the best way to grow your business?" is a great subject line for business owners. After all, what business owner wouldn't want to grow his or her business? Or let's say you run a health club. An e-mail with the subject line, "How can you lose 5 pounds in one month?" would certainly be compelling. It's important your question be relevant to your audience.

2. Be a tease. A clever subject line can be enticing. When it's done right, reader curiosity is piqued. They want to know more--and they'll open your e-mail. Writing a teaser-style subject line requires some creativity, and your content needs to deliver. A company that sells high-definition TVs could use the subject line, "You're not going to believe your eyes" as a teaser to introduce a new addition to their product line.

3. Tell it like it is. Often, what works best is to say exactly what you want your reader to know. Examples of this straightforward approach are, "Sale on all sweaters this weekend," "Master jazz pianist plays live this Friday" and "The seven secrets of a profitable business." This just-the-facts approach works especially well when you can appeal directly to your audience's interests. It's also the best approach to use when you send a newsletter.

4. Remember "WIIFM". When a person gets your e-mail, the first thing they consider is "what's in it for me?" They have a decision to make. Do they open your e-mail, leave it for later or delete it? If there isn't something about the subject line that lets them know why it's worth their precious time to see what's inside, then the choice will be clear. Keep WIIFM in mind when creating every aspect of your e-mails, including the offer, content, images--and most definitely the subject line. It's all about them. They know that; just make sure you know it, too.

5. Get personal. The more you can make each contact feel you're speaking directly to them, the more effective your communication will be. Whatever style of subject line you use, you can make it personal by using the word "you." Professional copywriters know the secret of using this powerful little word. Just look at the advertisements, mail and e-mail you receive. A few examples are, "Find the right swimsuit for you," "You can save 50 percent on travel," and "You'd look phenomenal in a custom-tailored suit." "You" is ideal, but "your" works too.

6. Not sure which approach is right for you? Try them all, and then show a friend or colleague to get their feedback. Pick the one you believe will be most effective for your audience. Whichever approach you choose, it's always worth spending the time and effort to write a great subject line. Because if your readers don't open your e-mail, they'll never have the chance to read the important message you've created for them inside.

Topic 2 ~ Increase Click-Through Rate (CTR) ~

How to Increased Click-Through Rate (CTR)?

Here are some guidelines:

1. Include a feature, a benefit, and an advantage in the opening. This needs to be used in a subtle way, but in the opening you're really doing a small marketing job for this issue of your email newsletter. Highlight an article or two that are important, explain what you're providing the readers that they won't get elsewhere, and tell them what the benefit will be. A great example is something like "Nokia and Sprint announced second quarter earnings today. Learn what our Wireless Week experts say about the results, and what effect you can expect them to have on the industry at large."

2. Put the email newsletter in the context of your readers' day. This goes hand in hand with the last point. Your readers are busy, and if you can make a compelling case for why they should stop what they are doing and take a few minutes now to read your email newsletter, you'll get them in. We recommend editors reference important events, upcoming trade shows, or other things that say to the reader "You will find it worthwhile to stop and read this email newsletter now, because the information in it will help you stay on top of your business."

3. Keep it fresh. Don't craft a "perfect paragraph" and use it issue after issue after issue. One of the keys to success is to keep the copy fresh and highlight items in that issue of the email newsletter. If you use the same generic language repeatedly, people will stop reading it and it'll be a waste of your time.

4. Keep it short. This is critical. We recommend no more than two to three sentences -- just enough to get them interested and pull them in to read the rest of your email newsletter.

Try it out and see the results! This is just one of the simple things you can do to engage your reader and optimize your CTR.

Topic 3 ~ Killer Email Sales Letter ~

How to Write Killer Email Sales Letter That Get Results?

Here are what we've found works best. Use these tips properly and your results will skyrocket.

1. Your email "from" sender line should be your brand name or company name and stay consistent. Use your own personal name only if that is your brand image.

2. Send emails only when you have something to say that will benefit the reader. No fluff. No filler. You must be relevant. If you can't be, don't send an email until you have something beneficial to say.

3. Start your emails with the specific benefit the reader can get from your message. You have no more than 3 seconds to pass the crucial "what's in it for me?" test.

4. The copywriting tone and language should be personal and conversational, instead of stuffy and "corporate".

5. Make a specific offer to the reader and, if possible, include a short deadline by which he must respond to get it.

6. Use as much copy as is needed to fully pile on all the benefits the reader will get by ordering, answer objections, create urgency, and close the sale.

7. Test your subject lines and offers on small segments of your list before you send the email to your entire list.

8. Include "Email this to a friend" service in all your communications for pass along and viral marketing.

Topic 4 ~ Good Call-to-Action ~

Get More Clicks With a Good Call-to-Action!

The call-to-action is a determining factor of your click-through rate. It is an important component of your email copy because it answers three important questions for the recipient. They are:

1. What you want them to do

2. Why they should do it, and

3. How to take that next step.

Whatever action you want your recipients to take, you can make it happen more often with a good call-to-action. First, decide what you want them to do:

1. Buy something

2. Sign up for a service

3. Fill out a form

4. Read an article or get more information

5. Visit your website or store

6. Make an appointment

Etc…

Then, make sure you incorporate these 6 characteristics to get the results you're looking for. Make your call-to action:

1. Visible - People read, react, make decisions and take action differently. Some make decisions right away ("You had me at hello.") and some need more details ("I'm from Missouri."). Place call-to-action links in the beginning, middle and end of the email so that recipients can click whenever they are ready.

2. Clear - Stick to simple words, short phrases, bulleted benefits and paragraphs of 1-3 short sentences. Include appropriate graphics and cut the clutter by making effective use of white space.

3. Compelling - Use action-oriented verbs and phrases: "buy now," "call today," "save" and so on.

4. Rewarding - Offer an incentive or reward for action. For example, "Act now and also receives...," or "the First 100 respondents will be entered into a raffle to win..." The giveaway, or prize, you choose should be closely related to your product or service. That way, you will be targeting customers who are interested in what you have to offer, not just the latest gadget.

5. Urgent - The longer an email sits in an inbox, the less likely it is to be acted on. Create a sense of urgency to get a more immediate response. Try limiting the offer to a specific time period, to the "first 50 customers," "while supplies last," etc.

6. Direct - Your call-to-action links should go to the appropriate page on your website with more details on the specific product or service you're promoting. If you don't have a website, the call-to-action might be store locations to visit or a number to call for an appointment.

Keep in mind that, in addition to repeating your call-to-action, you can vary your call-to-action to appeal to different types of buyers (and to fit your sales cycle). For example: "Click here to buy now" will naturally work better with loyal customers. The softer, "Click here to learn more" may be better for newer prospects.

Topic 5 ~ Avoid Common Pitfalls ~

Read Your Email Message Backwards to Avoid Common Pitfalls

Here are some common problems to look out for:

1. Misspelled words - It's a good idea to spell-check a document, but it's not enough. A spell checker won't catch every error.

2. Wrong word used - This is why a spell checker isn't enough. A spell checker will only flag words it doesn't recognize. It can't tell if a legitimate word is used incorrectly. Some words commonly confused: accept, except; your, you're; then, than; there, their, they're; cite, site, sight; lay, lie; loose, loosen, lose. Also, look out for a missing "r" in the word "your." It's easy to overlook a sentence such as "Visit our Web site now to receive you free copy."

3. Grammar error - Again, if you know you're not a good writer, have someone else check your writing for grammatical errors. Mistakes make you look bad.

4. Punctuation error - This is another area where you'll benefit from a review by someone who knows their stuff. If you're determined to do it yourself, purchase a good grammar or style book. One of the most common punctuation problems: Too many stupid commas!

5. Vague or confusing statement - Make sure every sentence is crystal-clear. You don't want your promotional message to raise more questions than it answers.

6. Illogical statement - Read over what you have written slowly. At the end of each paragraph, ask yourself: "Did that make sense?" Rewrite so that it does.

Topic 6 ~ Frequency of Sending Emails ~

How Often (Frequency) Should You Send Email?

There's no quick answer to the frequency question. It depends on the goals for your email and the type of content you send. Some rough guidelines:

1. Mail at least once a month. Mail less often than this, and you risk being forgotten by recipients. Monthly is the bare minimum if you want to keep your brand or company name top of mind (a common email goal).

2. Let content be your guide. Look at what you provide readers and you'll get a feel for proper frequency. Analyze how often the information changes and how quickly readers must receive it to act on it.

3. Work within your resources. A daily email requires many more resources than a monthly. Better a well-done monthly email than shoddy weekly or daily. It's recommended to start with a monthly. Once that's going smoothly, they can think about moving to weekly. You need to walk before you can run!

4. Watch for trends. Declining response, open, and click-through rates can be signs of list fatigue. Though some decrease is normal, watch carefully and cut back frequency if you see a problem. Don't assume if the unsubscribe rate is stable you're OK. Many people prefer to forward email directly to their delete folder rather than unsubscribe.

Topic 7 ~ Understanding Spam Filters ~

Understanding Spam Filters to Avoid Your Emails Get Junked!

If you send email campaigns long enough, you will inevitably run into spam filter issues. On average, you can expect 10-20% of your emails to just get lost in cyberspace, mostly due to overzealous spam filters. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix. If you want to avoid getting your emails junked by spam filters, you have to understand how they work.

Generally speaking, spam filters look at a long list of criteria to judge whether or not your email is junk. For example, they might look for spammy phrases like "CLICK HERE!" or "FREE! BUY NOW!". They'll assign points each time they see one of those phrases. Certain criteria get more points than others. Here's a sample of criteria from Spam Assassin, one of the most popular spam filters out there:

• Talks about lots of money (.193 points)

• Describes some sort of breakthrough (.232 points)

• Looks like mortgage pitch (.297 points)

• Contains urgent matter (.288 points)

• Money back guarantee (2.051 points)

• Why Pay More? (1.249 points)

It's easy to use "spammy" keywords in your email without even knowing it. Here are some common ways marketers unwittingly trigger spam filters with their campaigns:

1. Using spammy phrases, like "Click here!" or "Once in a lifetime opportunity!" too many times in your email. Sometimes, you can't avoid phrases like "FREE SHIPPING!" but use them sparingly, and don't do anything else risky.

2. Going crazy with exclamation points!!!!!!

3. USING ALL CAPS, WHICH IS LIKE YELLING IN EMAIL

4. Coloring their fonts bright red, or green

5. Coding sloppy HTML (such as by converting a Microsoft Word file to HTML)

6. Creating an HTML email that's nothing but one big image, with no text (since spam filters can't read images, they assume you're a spammer that's trying to trick 'em)

7. Using the word "Test" in the subject line (agencies run into this all the time, when sending drafts to clients for approval)

Topic 8 ~ Why Email Marketing Does not Work? ~

If Your Email Marketing Does not Work, Think Again Why?

Before you arrive at the faulty conclusion that email marketing doesn't work, let’s look at this from a different perspective for a moment that would make your emails ineffective.

First there's what you are writing in the body of the email. If this is your first attempt to get in touch with a prospect, what are you putting in the email? A dissertation? If it's longer than one or two paragraphs, it's too long. Look at your emails like an initial cold call. You need to laser in and deliver a compelling opening statement that's going to grab their interest and stimulate a conversation. Because there's no one to cut you off in an email or stop you from persistent pontification, people have tendency to ramble on and on in an email, giving the prospect the life story of the product or service they want them to consider. Keep it short and focus on the one or two benefits, opening up the opportunity to have a dialogue. That's it.

Second, are you sending attachments in the first email? No attachments! It's hard enough sending an unsolicited email to a prospect. Now you're adding more barriers and increasing the chances of your email winding up in their spam box or junk email folder. Some people have filters on their email that if an attachment is sent it automatically gets deleted. No attachment until that information in the attachment is solicited by the person.

Third, html or text? Once again, with all the email filters people use today, you will increase your odds by sending a text message only rather than trying to get fancy with formatting, graphics and pictures. The prospect really doesn't care about how beautiful your email looks; they care about the core message. Besides, they will never even get a chance to see your beautiful masterpiece in an html email if it's winding up in the trash.

Finally, you are using way too many spam words. As mentioned, the biggest enemy to email marketing or selling via email is the additional security that companies and individuals have on their network or computer. As such, the specific words you are using in the body of the email can be the culprit who is sending your email directly into the trash or spam box. In other words, you are using words that are often identified is spam and in turn, you email is getting flagged and deleted. Not even eye contact! The prospect is not getting a chance to, at the very least, see your email let alone read it and have a chance to respond accordingly.

Ending ~ Please Forward ~

Feel Free To Forward This E-Book To Your Friends!

Thank you for reading this e-book on “How to Make Email Marketing Works for Your Business”. This e-book provides useful guides on email marketing, and helps e-marketers to avoid several pitfalls in email marketing.

We hope you may regard this e-book as a book of guidance and that we can help you in your e-marketing effort.

If you think the outlined tips can help you, please take a few seconds to help us distribute or forward this e-book to as many people as possible.

I appreciate your time taken to read this e-book and I always appreciate reading your thoughtful and well considered comments, please drop an email to me at sales@blastsg.com if you have something to say about this e-book.

Thank you!

Regards,

Good Reasons To Download World Of Warcraft The Burning Crusades

Good Reasons To Download World Of Warcraft The Burning Crusades
by: Jenny Cumbersome


There are numerous reasons for wanting to download World Of Warcraft The Burning Crusades for instance when you want to play it for the first time, or when your dog ate your World Of Warcraft The Burning Crusades Cd's or your computer crashed and your downloaded version got lost too. It is possible to download World Of Warcraft The Burning Crusades game client. You still need the account information so always keep the CD key information saved, and not only on your computer.

Do you Want to try out World Of Warcraft The Burning Crusades First? Then Download The Trial Version. When you want to join the community of nine million world of warcraft players and want to explore the outlands and Azeroth and make friends with fellow questers you can download the trial version of World of Warcraft, you will get a trial key from Blizzard that will work for ten days.

If you don't already have an account with Blizzard you'll need to register and set up billing information. For the trial version, the first ten days are free, after that you'll need to begin paying fifteen dollars a month if you wish to continue questing and raiding in World of Warcraft. Chances are that you will be hooked by the time those first ten days are gone. Maybe you should think before you try the game make sure you can afford to spend those fifteen dollars every month for at least the next year. Ones you have entered the trial period you will probably want to continue playing after it ends.

The Burning Crusade is the first expansion pack for the popular World of Warcraft game. The Burning Crusade was the best-selling PC game of 2007 in North America and Europe, and it is also the fastest-selling PC game of all time, selling nearly 2.4 million copies in its first 24 hours and approximately 3.5 million in its first month. You can download World Of Warcraft The Burning Crusades game client directly through the account-management section of www.worldofwarcraft.com. The direct online upgrade method is the most convenient way to upgrade to The Burning Crusade and join the millions of players who are already adventuring beyond the Dark Portal.

A lot of people have Downloaded World Of Warcraft The Burning Crusades this way, and it's also a helpful tool if you lose your Cd's. Burning Crusade has until now received three major content patches, with another one currently in development. The patch release schedule is radically different from the original World of Warcraft - you can download this content that is introduced in large chunks, and balancing fixes are often added as separate minor patches between the content patches. If you have any problems while downloading, installing, or playing the game, you can find information on Blizzard's FAQ.

If you want to play this exciting online game then download World Of Warcraft The Burning Crusades. You will need a fast internet connection, with just a dial up internet account you will not get far.

Join the millions of people who are playing this wonderful game.

Learning Tips for Students

Learning Tips for Students
by: Dev Sri


Long ago, there was a time, when parents told children to read slowly and loudly to understand everything they read.

A lot of things have changed. Today's children have bigger syllabi to learn. Now, learning experts and teachers ask students to read faster and grasp important points.

Here are a few tips for students who have a lot to learn, but very little time.

Make a Timetable

Your timetable should have separate time for eating, playing games, exercise, reading newspaper and study materials. You should not only make a timetable, but also should stick to it.

Give priority to leisure and games in the afternoon, but separate early morning time for studies. Make sure you read all the class notes before you go to bed.

While allotting time to different subjects, allot more time to difficult subjects. You need only less time for the subjects that are easier for you to learn.

Taking Notes

Taking notes is an important part of learning. You need to take lecture notes (classroom notes) and notes from your textbook.

- Go through the lessons on the day before your teacher would teach it in the class. This gives you an idea of what to expect.

- Write down important ideas as bullet points. One word or a phrase is enough to include an idea.

- Give prominence to important ideas by underlining them in your notes.

- Leave lot of space in each face of paper. This will help you add new points later.

- Organize your notes into separate files. Each subject should have a different file. Label the outer page of the file with name of the subject and your teacher. You should also neatly organize each file according to chapters and topics.

- Read the notes (important points) in the night, before going to bed. Read only once. This helps you memorize the lessons clearly.

- While taking notes from a book, label the name of the book and author. Also, note the page number next to your notes. It makes it easy for you to refer to the book three or six months later.

Reading Techniques

You need to read fast and grasp more things. Here are some pointers to fast reading.

- Note the name of the book and its author in the reading log.

- Take a quick look from cover to cover to identify the important chapters.

- Take a quick look over the chapter, identify the important points, and note them down.

- Read the lesson fast. To increase the speed of learning, pass your eyes through the top of the letters and not through the centre. For example, while reading, pass your eyes through the area where the dot above the letter i appears and not through the loop of the letter o.

- Don't take notes while reading.

- Don't go back to read a word or a sentence. If you don't get the idea of the subject, you can come back to the sentence after you finish reading the chapter. Never look up a dictionary while in the middle of reading a chapter. Refer dictionary only if you don't automatically understand the meaning of a word after finishing the paragraph and the chapter.

- Note down the points you remember. Now check if you have taken all the important points, with another fast reading.

How to increase memory

Try to understand completely what you read or hear.

Repeat what you hear or read in your mind.

Make notes of what you learn at school or read from books. A single word can help you remember a whole idea.

Give number to the points.

Don't try to bring to memory all the things you have learned. Learn the technique of bringing to memory one thing at a time.

How to increase concentration

Mental concentration is important to memory and better learning.

Stick to your reading timetable. You should separate a specific place and specific time of the day for reading.

Sit erect. It increases your concentration.

Don't allow disturbances like phone calls, music etc while reading.

Concentrate on the lessons you read. Don't think about the next book you have to read while you are reading a book. A better way is to make an order of the books and lessons to read and arrange them in order before you start reading.

Immediately after reading a paragraph, try to recall the idea from that paragraph. This helps you concentrate more on your reading.

Ideal conditions for reading/learning

A silent location that you don't use for sleeping, eating or leisure purposes is the most ideal condition for reading.

Install a fluorescent tube light in the reading room. This helps mild light to fall evenly all over the room. Don't sit in the darkness while reading. If you use table lamp, arrange it towards your left if you are a right-hander.

Arrange the papers, pencils, boards and books on the table before you start reading.

Never try to read while you are tired or ill.

Eat healthy food rich in carbohydrates, proteins and fibres. Replace fast food, pizza, burger, chocolates, ice creams, etc with fresh fruits, whole grain food items (like chapatti), milk, fruit juices, etc.

Exercise daily. Swimming, cycling and jogging are good for students. Practise yoga. It increases concentration and willpower.

Don't watch TV. Instead, play some games in the outdoors. While TV makes you dumb, the games make you smarter.

Read lot of books. Read classic stories, fables (like Aesop fables, Panchatantra stories, etc), etc. Don't spend too much time on comic cartoons.

The Battle of the Browsers – The History and the Future of Internet Browsers

The Battle of the Browsers – The History and the Future of Internet Browsers
by: Nicholas C Smith


With Internet Explorer 8 now available, can Microsoft hope to retain market dominance over fierce open source rivals such as Mozilla's Firefox or the feature packed Opera web browser. Can history give us a clue to what the future of web browsers/browsing might hold? How did Netscape Navigator go from having a dominant 89.36% market share of all web browsers in 1996 and yet only 3.76% by mid 1999?

Let us take a journey that will begin long before even the intellectual conception of Internet Explorer, that will glance at its long defeated rivals, examine the current browsers available and will end with a prediction of what the future of browsing will offer us – and which browser(s) will still be around to offer it.

People often think that Internet Explorer has been the dominant web browser since the golden age of the internet began. Well for a very long time now it has indeed been the most popular browser and at times been almost totally unrivalled. This was mainly a result of it being packaged free with Microsoft Windows, in what some would later call a brutal monopolisation attempt by Microsoft. The last few years however have heralded the arrival of new, possibly superior browsers. Mozilla's Firefox has been particularly successful at chipping away at Explorers market dominance. So where did it all begin, and why were Microsoft ever allowed to have a hundred percent market dominance?

Origins

The truth is they never did have total dominance, but at times they have come very close. Microsoft actually entered the Browser Battle quite late on. Infact a man named Neil Larson is credited to be one of the originators of internet browsers, when in 1977 he created a program – The TRS-80 - that allowed browsing between “sites” via hypertext jumps. This was a DOS program and the basis of much to come. Slowly other browsers powered by DOS and inspired by the TRS 80 were developed. Unfortunately they were often constricted by the limitations of the still fairly young internet itself.

In 1988, Peter Scott and Earle Fogel created a simple, fast browser called Hytelnet, which by 1990 offered users instant logon and access to the online catalogues of over five thousand libraries around the world – an exhilarating taste of what the internet, and web browsers, would soon be able to offer.

In 1989 the original World Wide Web was born. Using a NeXTcube computer, Tim Berners-Lee created a web browser that would change how people used the internet forever. He called his browser the WorldWideWeb(http://www., which is still likely to sound familiar to internet users today. It was a windowed browser capable of displaying simple style sheet, capable of editing sites and able to download and open any file type supported by the NeXTcube.

In 1993 the first popular graphical browser was released. Its name was Mosaic and it was created by Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina. Mosaic could be run on both Unix, and very importantly, on the highly popular Microsoft Windows operating system (incidentally it could also be used on Amiga and Apple computers). It was the first browser on Windows that could display graphics/pictures on a page where there was also textual content. It is often cited as being responsible for triggering the internet boom due to it making the internet bearable for the masses. (It should be noted that the web browser Cello was the first browser to be used on Windows – but it was non graphical and made very little impact compared to Mosaic).

The Browser Wars - Netscape Navigator versus Internet Explorer

Mosaic's decline began almost as soon as Netscape Navigator was released (1994). Netscape Navigator was a browser created by Marc Andreessen, one of the men behind Mosaic and co-founder of Netscape Communications Corporation. Netscape was unrivalled in terms of features and usability at the time. For example, one major change from previous browsers was that it allowed surfers to see parts of a website before the whole site was downloaded. This meant that people did not have to wait for minutes simply to see if the site they were loading was the actual one the were after, whilst also allowing them to read information on the site as the rest of it downloaded. By 1996 Netscape had almost 90% market dominance, as shown below.

Market Share Comparisons of Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer from 1996 to 1998

....................Netscape.......IE
October 1998..........64%.........32.2%
April 1998............70%.........22.7%
October 1997..........59.67%......15.13%
April 1997............81.13%......12.13%
October 1996..........80.45%......12.18%
April 1996............89.36%.......3.76%

In these two years Netscape clearly dominated the internet browser market, but a new browser named Internet Explorer was quickly gaining ground on it.

Microsoft released their own browser (ironically based on the earlier Mosaic browser which was created by one of the men now running Netscape), clearly worried about Netscape's dominance. It was not so much the worry that it would have a 100% market share of internet browsers on their Windows operating system, but more the worry that browsers would soon be capable of running all types programs on them. That would mean foregoing the need for an actual operating system, or at the most only a very basic one would be needed. This in turn would mean Netscape would soon be able to dictate terms to Microsoft, and Microsoft were not going to let that happen easily. Thus in August 1995, Internet Explorer was released.

By 1999 Internet explorer had captured an 89.03% market share, whilst Netscape was down to 10.47%. How could Internet Explorer make this much ground in just two years? Well this was down to two things really. The first, and by far the most important was that Microsoft bundled Internet Explorer in with every new copy of Windows, and as Windows was used by about 90% of the computer using population it clearly gave them a huge advantage. Internet Explorer had one other ace it held over Netscape – it was much better. Netscape Navigator was stagnant and had been for some time. The only new features it ever seemed to introduce were often perceived by the public as beneficial for Netscape's parent company rather than Netscape's user base. (i.e., features that would help it monopolise the market). Explorer, on the other hand, was given much attention by Microsoft. Regular updates and excellent usability plus a hundred million dollar investment would prove too much for Netscape Explorer.

2000 – 2005

These years were fairly quiet in the Battle of the Browsers. It seemed as if Internet Explorer had won the war and that nobody could even hope to compete with it. In 2002/2003 it had attained about 95% of the market share – about the time of IE 5/6. With over 1000 people working on it and millions of dollars being poured in, few people had the resources to compete. Then again, who wanted to compete? It was clearly a volatile market, and besides that everybody was content with Internet Explorer. Or were they? Some people saw faults with IE – security issues, incompatibility issues or simply bad programming. Not only that, it was being shoved down peoples throats. There was almost no competition to keep it in line or to turn to as an alternative. Something had to change. The only people with the ability and the power to compete with Microsoft took matters into their own hands.

Netscape was now supported by AOL. A few years prior, just after they had lost the Browser Wars to Microsoft, they had released the coding for Netscape into the public domain. This meant anybody could develop their own browser using the Netscape skeleton. And people did. Epiphany, Galeon and Camino, amongst others, were born out of Netscape's ashes. However the two most popular newcomers were called Mozilla and Firefox.

Mozilla was originally an open sourced project aimed to improve the Netscape browser. Eventually it was released as Netscape Navigator 7 and then 8. Later it was released as Mozilla 1.0.

Mozilla was almost an early version on another open source browser, Firefox. With it being an open source the public were able to contribute to it - adding in what features it needed, the programming it required and the support it deserved. The problems people saw in Internet Explorer were being fixed by members of the open sourced browser community via Firefox. For instance, the many security issues IE 6 had were almost entirely fixed in the very first release of Firefox. Microsoft had another fight on their hands.

2005 – Present

Firefox was the browser that grew and grew in these years. Every year capturing an even larger market share percentage than before. More user friendly than most of its rivals along with high security levels and arguably more intelligent programming helped its popularity. With such a large programming community behind it, updates have always been regular and add on programs/features are often released. It prides itself on being the peoples browser. It currently has a 28.38% market share.

Apple computers have had their own browser since the mid 1990's – Safari - complete with its own problems, such as (until recently) the inability to run Java scripts. However most Apple users seemed happy with it and a version capable of running on Windows has been released. It has had no major competitor on Apple Macs, and as such has largely been out of the Browser Wars. It currently holds a 2.54% market share and is slowly increasing.

Internet Explorer's market share has dropped from over 90% to around 75%, and is falling. It will be interesting to see what Microsoft will attempt to regain such a high market share.

Opera currently holds 1.07%.

Mozilla itself only has a 0.6% market share these days.

The Future of Web Browsing

Web browsers come and go. It is the nature of technology (if such a term can be used), to supplant inferior software in very short periods of time. It is almost impossible for a single company to stay ahead of the competition for long. Microsoft have the advantage of being able to release IE with any Windows using PC. That covers over 90% of the market. They also have the advantage of unprecedented resources. They can compete how they wish for as long as they wish. So there is no counting IE out of the future of web browsing.

Safari is in a similar position, being easily the most popular Mac web browser. Its long term survival is dependant upon Apple and the sale of their computers.

These are the only two browsers that are almost guaranteed another five years of life, at least. Firefox may seem like another candidate, but the public is fickle, and one bad release, or if it seriously lags behind the new Internet Explorer 8 for long, could easily see its popularity quickly descend into virtual oblivion.

However, it seems likely community driven browsers, such as Mozilla and Firefox, will be the only types of browser capable of competing with the wealthy internet arm of Microsoft in the near future.

As for web browsing itself, will it change any time soon? Well it already has for some online communities. For example, if you want to buy clothes you could try entering an online 'world' creating an online virtual You to go from 'shop to shop' with, looking at products and trying/buying what you see. Some 'worlds' allow you to recreate yourself accurately including weight and height and then try on things apparel such as jeans to give you an idea of how you would look in that particular item.

Will 'worlds' like this destroy normal web browsers such as IE ? - It seems unlikely. Traditional web browsers provide such freedom and ease of access that it is hard to see any other alternative taking over. However they are part of the new, 'thinking out of the box' wave of alternatives that some people will find attractive, and really who knows what the future will bring.

Advantages of a Custom Website versus using a Website Builder Tool

Advantages of a Custom Website versus using a Website Builder Tool
by: Rodney Ringler


Advantages of a custom website versus using a Website Builder Tool

The internet has revolutionized business all around the globe. Almost every competent new or existing business wishes to exploit the incredible potential of the internet, and the first step is to have a web site designed done and maintained by a professional web site design service or build and maintain it yourself. One of the first things to consider is your computer ability. If you despise computers and software and find them confusing and frustrating then building your own website can be quite a task. One that you may not want to undertake. However, if you enjoy working with computers and learning new things or if you just have the patience to stick with it, then building a website is within your grasp. You may also decide to do it yourself to save cost. If you still feel that you want to build your own site you should choose software that is easy to use and user friendly.

Your website should be as unique as you and your business. You should select the website that is specialized in what will meet all your needs, both now and in the future. Custom based websites are for those who already have a website but are looking for those special finishing touches that quality custom graphics can provide. Designer graphics can make your website stand out above the rest and a custom website specializes in taking your original graphic or photo and turning it into a unique work of art. Quality graphics make an incredible difference in the visual appeal of your website.

Actual site "content" continues to be essential to the success of a website. More often than not though, visual appeal is the determining factor as to whether or not a client or customer will remain on a website long enough, to actually see the product or service the business is providing. Custom websites are for those who don’t have the time to design or create, but want to get things mush better and fast with a nice graphics.

Web site builders are online tools which anyone can use to build a professional looking Web site without programming and have it hosted instantly. No software to buy, no code to learn, all you need is to be a little Internet savvy and know how to click your mouse.

Most business owners today know that having a web site is an essential component of marketing. In the past, the choices were to hire a professional web designer, hire a local teenager to create a site for mall money, or learn to do it yourself. The last two options, are the least expensive, and were the preferred method for small businesses. The results are often not what businesses need to grow, reach, and impress new potential customers, however. They seem good at the start but quickly become limiting.

If you operate or manage a business, you surely must realize the increase in e-commerce taking place today. Many businesses find themselves searching for the best way to increase their exposure on the internet, and for most a website is the first course of action. As most businesses operate on firm budgets, finding cost effective solutions are usually one of the first thoughts when looking to make new purchases. When it comes to creating a website there are many affordable software programs that can produce professional results. Business software should be capable of handling your needs today and in the future. Business are always changing, adding new products, changing or removing old products, offering specials, having sales, etc. By choosing a business website builder over a professional web designer you will be able to make changes to your website whenever you want to. Another benefit is that you will be avoiding the high costs associated with developing the website and costs for making any necessary changes.

Website Builder tools advantages to you are increased revenue, cost control, caters to the large demand existing for web designing in the SME sector and can increase the client base without adding to your overhead. The advantage that your customers gets is a professional quality website, up and running in minutes and a User friendly and easily customizable interfaces that gives a complete website with all its frills and features and a nice attractive design. The downside is that you are limited to the look and functions of the tool and the templates or designs they provide.

On of the advantage of a custom website design is that the web site will look and function exactly as you want. A custom made web site can promote your brand and increase sales. The functionality and design of your website is important, because the images and text on the screen can make an indifferent visitor turn into a keen client, and the goal is to optimize your site to evolve maximum traffic conversion.

As more and more people are starting their own small home business many are finding that having a website is an important factor to consider. When one starts to consider building a website, especially the novice, many questions arise including…. can I create a website myself or should I hire a professional?

Hiring a professional is a great way to go if you can afford it. Although there are several things to keep in mind: how much will it cost? How much will ongoing maintenance cost? What will changes cost? How long will changes take? etc. As a result, many people opt to build their own website and begin searching for software that can easily help them.

As you start searching for an easy web site builder, there are some factors that you should take into consideration so that your new software will serve you now and the future.

There is quite a variety of easy web site building software and content management(CMS) based websites on the market today. In addition, some of the software available today is very expensive, geared more for the professional web designer, and come with a huge learning curve.

The options for small businesses to get a site developed have changed from the past. There are now sophisticated "site builder" tools available to small business owners, bundled with many web hosting packages. By using templates, and a content management system to manage updates to the site, it became easier to set up and maintain a web site, and many development companies have canned this functionality, for a fee. Hosting providers are increasingly offering tools to automate the web site building process, and with good reason. This new option has many benefits, as long as the business owner recognizes that there are trade offs and limitations to getting a web site this way. Some of the downsides are…the design is limited to their predefined templates. The functionality is limited to the tool. Also, in most website builder tools it is hard to perform search engine optimization, which is essential for a site to be found in the major search engines.

One of the biggest attractions for site building tools is the cost. It won't necessarily cost less to get your site this way, but it does provide a way to spread the cost over time. The cost for a custom website varies as per the feature and function it carries with itself.

Many people are concerned with building their own website, fearing boring designs and complexity. However, it is now becoming apparent that there are many custom web site builder software products on the market that promise dynamic layouts, professional templates, and user friendly web design tools. The professional web designers know there are a few more things to know, but sometimes they find some irony in the fact that web developers, in their quest to improve and better the web, have made themselves "optional". Most site building tools today are very robust, making it simple to add forms, searching, maps, guest books, calendars, and a whole variety of elements to a web site. Even better, the hosting company sometimes offers an entire suite of services - the site builder, email marketing, search engine optimization and statistics, all in one package along with the hosting.

There is also a possibility that the service will require you to keep some branding on the site telling people that you used their website designs and tools. This is more common with the free site builders - which pay for themselves by putting ads on your site. If your goal is to build a business web site, it's really not worth sacrificing your professional image by getting something free, which screams CHEAP.

Low quality websites sometimes attempt to sell expensive products or services. These websites cannot succeed. Studies reveals people spend more time on a well designed web page than on a low quality web page. There is a comparative relationship between the amount of time that an average visitor will spend on a web page and the amount of time that was spent building the web page.

Websites are an important aspect of online businesses. They are the first face of interaction between the user and the business. The website creates the first impression on the user and hence needs to be effective and impressive too. It is the job of web design services to make the website user friendly and search engine friendly too, so that it can serve the purpose of both effectively.

A tool can make things happen - but if you don't know what to make happen, it is either a useless tool or a dangerous one. There is a learning curve in knowing how to present information online (called information architecture in the profession), as well as for using the site builder. In other word, the fuller featured the tool; the more there is to learn. If you aren't familiar with color theory, use of typography, information architecture, navigation and interface design, and page layout and design, you can potentially make something that will hurt your business more than help it. So, unless you are already computer and web savvy, figuring out all the features within your web hosting and site builder package can be time consuming and frustrating.

In the end there are ways that a business can take advantage of these new options and still create a functional and professional web site. One way is simply take your time and research the available website templates, and find the one that has the most features and flexibility, that meet your functional requirements. In other words, spend the time to learn the things a seasoned pro would bring to the table. The internet is a massive library of "how to" information, where you can literally teach yourself anything - and with enough time spent, you could potentially learn how to layout information, what colors and fonts work well together, how to conduct your marketing online and optimize the site for search engines. The second is choosing the best suitable custom website design company and work with them to build a professional website that meets your needs get your imaginations carried and make business a greta success.

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