How to Reduce Pollution Using a Robotic Lawn Mower

By Kerry Clabaugh Even if you are not an environmentalist, the price of gas will definitely make you a conservationist. Gas prices continue to climb. Personally, going to the gas station with my little red gas can is not a trip of leisure, it has always been a chore. It is common knowledge that gas powered lawn mowers are serious environmental polluters. It is estimated that 1 hour of lawn mower use equals driving an SUV 100 miles. I have read that lawnmowers contribute up to 5% of the nations pollution. Even more alarming comparisons and statistics can be found on the internet. Fertilizers and weed killers are contaminating our rivers and streams. Herbicides that run off yards in Minnesota affect the Mississippi Delta just as much as those used in Arkansas. We worry about terrorists attacking our water supply as we cumulatively lay down the spring and fall weed-and-feed. Even as more cities are putting on water restrictions, lawn sprinkler companies are hard pressed to keep up with demand. During the driest times one only has to drive a few blocks in the early morning to get a free car wash. Even in a pouring rain sprinklers systems are going full tilt. So what can we do to keep our yards looking nice without doing harm to the environment? Robotic lawn mowers are one answer. Robotic lawn mowers can mow on a schedule and return to the charging base by them selves all season long without human intervention. This has two benefits, the most obvious is more time to do other things. The second is the less time people spend doing yard work the less money they are going to spend on their yards. Translation: fewer herbicides and pesticides equals less underground water contaminates. By allowing the grass to get too high and then cutting it too low causes thatch. Thatch is that long dead cut grass that smothers the roots and prevents the morning dew from reaching the tender roots on top, it also acts like a blanket in the hot sun. By allowing the robotic lawnmowers to cut frequently only the very tips of the grass are cut. Since the clippings are very small they break down very rapidly and become a natural fertilizer. This means the need for less water and less application fertilizer, yet a much lusher and greener yard. Robotic lawn mowers run on batteries, they burn no gas or oil. It is estimated that it costs only $7.00 a year in electricity to mow all season long. That is quite a savings! Due to higher quality components robotic lawn mowers built today have a life expectancy of about 10 years, the same as a quality riding lawn mower. In summary, robotic lawn mowers emit no pollution, are fully autonomous, and will dramatically reduce the need for watering and fertilizers while making your yard even more green and beautiful. Save the planet and save the sweat. Kerry Clabaugh runs http://www.bamabots.com, a website dedicated to robotic lawnmowers sales and education. Kerry is also interested in your experiences with robotic lawnmowers. He can be reached toll free (877) 383-6054 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kerry_Clabaugh http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Reduce-Pollution-Using-a-Robotic-Lawn-Mower&id=133186 the differences between secured and unsecured loan
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Decorative Metal Work Techniques From The Early 1900s

By Colin Croucher Today's Metal Craft workers should truly appreciate the artistic skills & techniques used exclusively by the highly skilled metal artisans from almost one hundred years ago. Decorative metalworking is undergoing a new renaissance as more &
more people become involved in hobby metal craft. The skilful use of simple metal craft hand tools, allows the worker to create fine metal work items. The casual onlooker of the magnificent ornamental metalwork's found on many historic public buildings in the USA, United Kingdom, Canada & many other countries, would hardly realize the many painstaking weeks or months of work involved in creating these elaborate metal works. Every day, thousands of people walk straight past the beautifully
crafted iron work, & decorative iron arches in public buildings &
gardens, and not give them a second glance. But the new age metal-craft worker of today would stop and admire
& appreciate the design & craftsmanship skills required to create
these superb handmade iron & metal-works of yesteryear. It is
a learning experience. Examples of old bent iron design work can also be used as inspiration for ideas to incorporate into new items made for today's lifestyle which any skilled metal worker of today could reproduce, things such as: garden structures, outdoor garden furniture, household utensils, or high quality items could be produced to sell to customers who are willing to pay the price
for custom made iron & metalwork items. But first, the metal craft worker needs to re-learn the special old time metal working skills used create these beautiful metal works Most of this knowledge has been preserved for anyone who wants to
become involved in artistic metal work. An ebook has just been republished which explains in full, the correct way to go about designing genuine reproduction bent ironwork, this ebook will show the novice or advanced metal worker the design concepts, and
how to transfer drawings into real life full size objects. Ironworkers over a century ago did not have arc welders to join their creations together, instead, they used special methods to bind the intricate metal work together, many of which are still in good repair today, even after one hundred years, such was their skill. Metal work skills also combined the art of chemical etching of intricate designs onto copper and brass, & special methods of colouring or creating patinas on all kinds of metals for different unique effects. Sheet metal cross strips and borders were also used for outdoor garden tables and chairs, this exacting skill is explained and described in detail so that the home hobby metal worker can reproduce them. The special skills explained in the ebook will enable the artistic metal worker to recreate ornamental iron works just like the metal craft masters did over a century ago. To read the complete story on this intriguing art of decorative metal craft, visit the web site now - http://myhomefoundry.com/metalwork.html The Home Foundry Australia
Publishers of ebooks for the
Hobby Metal Worker
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Seven Common Marketing Problems Solved by Marketing Operations

By Gary Katz Corporate marketing groups - especially bandwidth-challenged small-to-mid-sized departments - can be so focused on tactics and fire fighting that they jeopardize their marketing investment. There is a tendency to overreact to events, to tackle symptoms rather than underlying fundamental problems and to jump at the opportunity to please the boss. Many times, this kind of tactical knee jerking may be fatal. Without great marketing, companies won't flourish, especially those in highly
competitive markets. Yet the chaotic nature of emerging or dynamic growth
companies and the tendency to place the marketing burden on too few individuals is
a setup for failure. Promising companies may be left in the dust, or at least
handicapped at the starting gate. Marketing Operations is emerging as an important discipline for improving
performance and measuring ROI in admired technology companies (like Intel, IBM
and Amazon) who have refined and fine-tuned their marketing organization with an
operational focus. Given the demands that these organizations face today, an
innovative approach is central to solving critical issues like results measurement,
bandwidth constraints and creativity limitations, and building value-added
outsourced supplier relationships and effectively managing budget. Many of the
best practices, efficient processes and systems approach from large company
Marketing Operations can and should be applied by emerging companies that are
serious about their marketing investment. Here's why: PROBLEM #1 Ill-defined metrics Today, more than ever, corporate marketing departments need to justify their
existence. The need to measure results is unavoidable. However, the instincts and
skills that make an outbound marketing practitioner great-action-orientation,
verbal and written acuity, persuasiveness, the ability to build strong relationships-
often don't translate into an ability or willingness to scientifically and objectively
evaluate success. Add in broken systems and the organization's unwillingness to
pay for marketing evaluation, and it's no surprise that many marketing departments
are unable to define meaningful success metrics. SOLUTION Marketing Operations ensures that the right processes are in place to establish
meaningful metrics at the front-end of marketing process, enabling the
measurement of success at key intervals, and as each program concludes. PROBLEM #2 Slammed resources The prevailing attitude of "doing more with less" can leave key people discouraged,
overwhelmed, near burnout, and eventually, circulating their
resumes. The consequences for organizations are costly mistakes, high turnover,
and collapsed programs when key people leave, and missed opportunities to
leverage the "ugly-stepsister-Cinderella-in-waiting" programs that never get off the
ground because of a lack of ownership. SOLUTION Marketing Operations addresses these resource limitations by ensuring workload is
effectively allocated, roles are clearly defined, interdependencies are understood,
team members feel satisfied with their jobs and the programs and additional
resources, whether through additional headcount or outsourcing, can be
successfully justified to executive management. PROBLEM #3 Sketchy institutional memory Marketing is dependent on accurate information, a historical view into past
successes and failures, and the ability to recognize patterns that link seemingly
unrelated data points. Unfortunately, knowledge in many marketing organizations is
scattered all over the company. It's in the heads of individual workers, on shelves,
on people's hard drives, in long forgotten filing systems. When people leave, a big
piece of organizational knowledge goes with them. Information loss is a huge
productivity killer for marketing teams. Lost insight that must be regained or
reacquired wastes previous marketing investments. SOLUTION Marketing Operations facilitates knowledge sharing, an enduring repository of
information and greater decision-making based on fact, as opposed to hunch. PROBLEM #4 Constrained creativity The best creativity comes from many brains working together in collaboration. A
consequence of the age of the "individual contributor" director is constrained
creativity. When the entire creative burden falls mostly on one outbound marketing
person, the ability to think out of the box can be severely impacted. Creative
synergy results from many minds thinking as one. SOLUTION Marketing Operations enables the creative process to benefit from the synergy of
team. PROBLEM #5 Failed supplier relationships Most successful companies can point to strong, long-term marketing supplier
relationships as integral to their success. Likewise, a pattern of failed supplier
relationships is often an indicator of marketing department failure, rather than poor
vendor performance. Unfortunately, companies that have had consistently bad
relationships with outsource suppliers often react by seizing control and bringing
everything in house. While this strategy may provides the illusion of control, it lets
marketing managers deflect blame for failures, rather than teaching them how to
manage their outsource suppliers by taking responsibility for the results. In
addition, this strategy won't scale with the growth of the organization. SOLUTION Marketing Operations helps set realistic expectations and mutual accountability
between suppliers and the organization, increasing the effectiveness of outsource
partners by empowering them to act as an extension of the internal team. PROBLEM #6 Lost discretionary budgets Use it or lose it. Misuse it and lose it anyway. Many corporate marketing
departments are leaving discretionary budget on the table or allocating it to
the wrong initiatives. This discretionary marketing budget "Catch 22" occurs
because: It's very time consuming to manage the budget effectively, especially in companies
with broken financial systems Each marketing spend-decision creates more work for the one-person or small-
team
marketing department in terms of project management, measurement, supplier
management, etc. Doubt persists about the ability to successfully justify the expenditure to
management Focus is instinctively on high-visibility marketing activities and C-level executive
"requests" over fiscal management (marketing people are more inclined toward
marketing than finance) SOLUTION Marketing Operations facilitates implementing the system support infrastructure
and financial management discipline needed to protect precious marketing budgets. PROBLEM #7 Narrow marketing mix Many companies align their fate with the success of too few marketing programs.
Whether it's lead generation, public relations, trade shows or advertising, the over-
reliance on any one particular program can derail a company-especially if a key
program unexpectedly loses momentum. In the meantime, programs that could
have had strong leverage never get a chance to prove their mettle and are forever
relegated to the "B" list. SOLUTION Marketing Operations puts the means in place to launch potentially high-value
marketing programs that would never otherwise get out of the starting gate. The Bottom Line In a nutshell, Marketing Operations is an organization's best bet to: Ensure that success can be measured and replicated
Leverage systems and processes to enable consistently excellent performance Encourage great marketing departments to stay together Allow the marketing organization to flourish, despite the unexpected, but often
inevitable, loss of a key employee. Gary M. Katz, APR, is president and CEO of CommPros Group, a Santa-Clara, Calif.-
based firm that provides marketing operations services to help companies leverage
their marketing investment, plus a variety of outsourced marketing program
management services to support lean marketing departments. Gary is a veteran with
more than twenty years of experience in the technology industry where he directed
corporate marketing, communications, public relations, lead generation and
qualification, investor relations, and employee communications programs. He has
served as director of communications for ShoreTel, director of corporate marketing
for Aplix Corporation, senior manager of corporate communications for Insignia
Solutions, and as a director, account supervisor, or preferred subcontractor
for more than a dozen leading public relations and marketing communications
agencies. A past president of Silicon Valley PRSA, he holds a master's degree in
organization development from the University of San Francisco and a BA degree in
public relations from San Jose State University. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Katz http://EzineArticles.com/?Seven-Common-Marketing-Problems-Solved-by-Marketing-Operations&id=44916 private party unsecured loans
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How To Plan A Stress Free Bridal Shower

By Gregg Hall If you are the person planning the bridal shower you may be feeling stressed but there is no need. This can be one of the most exciting things you have ever done and you will be part of bringing joy to the bride as well as the guests who are more than happy to attend and bring a gift for her. Here are some tips to help make the planning less stressful. When you are planning a bridal shower one of the most important things to consider is how many people to invite. The optimal number should be from five to twenty, any more than that will just be too much to deal with for the bride and will take away from something that should be cozy and intimate. Talk to the bride and see who she wants at the top of her list. The first people on the list will be family members from both sides of the wedding party, as well as the bride's closest friends. Make absolutely sure that anyone invited to the bridal shower also gets a wedding invitation. Next you want to choose the bridal shower invitations. This is a totally subjective thing, the invitations can be themed or look any way that you and the bride decide. If you are going to have a bridal shower on the beach then it would be really cool to have invitations to reflect that kind of attitude. If your bridal shower is going to be just kind of generic with no particular theme then consider matching the bridal shower invitations up to the wedding invitations. Just like wedding invitations you will want to have an RSVP deadline and the theme if any. Be sure to include the name of the guest of honor and the hostess' name and contact information, plus the location of the event. Send them out about a month ahead of the shower. Now that you are done with the invitations you need to begin the planning for the shower itself. As far as food is concerned you should begin with appetizers, nothing too heavy then try to include a wide variety to give the guests a lot of choices. The best practice is to try to stay clear of foods that people may be allergic to, such as peanuts, as some people have deadly reactions to them. Include a good choice of beverages too including fruit juices and water. Make sure that when you are planning games, opening of gifts, and other events for the shower that you also plan for time to allow the guests to announce themselves and how they are connected to the bride this will help to bring everyone together. Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. Find more about wedding announcements and bridal shower invitations at http://www.monkeybusinessinvitations.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gregg_Hall http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Plan-A-Stress-Free-Bridal-Shower&id=253555 no tele check cash advance
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Wabi-Sabi Savvy

By Maddy Cranley Just when we have all learned to correctly pronounce Feng Shui, the Chinese art of appropriate placement of objects in our living spaces, along comes another ancient Oriental aesthetic philosophy, "wabi-sabi". Seemingly destined to become as popular as Feng Shui, wabi-sabi addresses our relationship to all things that surround us, not just to their positioning in our living and working environments. Plainly stated, the basic tenets of wabi-sabi are simple is best, less is more. Leonard Koren in his book "Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers (Stonebridge Press, 1995) describes it as a beauty " of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete, modest and humble and of things unconventional." It is actually a difficult concept to describe. Once it is defined, thereby giving it a form, it loses the essence which makes it what it is. Wabi-sabi began in 14th century Japan as a reaction to the rich materials, brilliant colors and lavish ornamentation displayed by the Chinese culture. Today the popularity of wabi-sabi could be viewed as a response to our high tech world in which exactness and duplicaton are so prized that designer logos are worn front and center on clothing to identify it as being a perfect match to all others produced by that same designer. Something so exact and mass-produced is definitely not wabi-sabi. Natural and crafted objects are wabi-sabi because they so often display an individuality that cannot be duplicated. A handknit sweater would definitely qualify as wabi-sabi. Yes, many knitters may knit the same sweater from the exact same pattern instructions, even using an identical yarn, but each resulting sweater will likely have subtle differences. An individual knitter's tension, which can sometimes vary from day to day, will certainly vary from knitter to knitter. Slubs and bumps even in the same brand of yarn will appear in different places in the garment and differences in needle-holding technique can sometimes be evident in the twist of the finished knitting. This is wabi-sabi. In contrast, a mass-produced knit sweater, created with the same computer-controlled machinery will guarantee that all the sweaters will look exactly alike - definitely not wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi also prizes the dented and scratched, the bumpy and irregular, the weathered and worn. Perfection is sterile. Imperfection is beautiful. So here's a different way to look at those dropped stitches that were recovered onto the needle, with that ever so slight a twist of the yarn, or at the variance in a dye lot that results in a line across your back that only you can see. It is these imperfections that give the sweater its unique beauty. The concept of wabi-sabi embraces the passage of time. The slightly felted but dearly loved old woollen sweater that you cannot part with and the knitted teddy bear, torn and ragged from a child's love, all embody wabi-sabi. These characteristics suggest that the object has a history. No brand name or high price tag could change what these objects mean to the owner. It's value is gauged on a very personal and private level. So take pride in your wabi-sabi knitting. Be proud of that noticeable slub in the yarn, the slightly stretchy neckline or the twisted picked-up stitch. You have seen a simple strand of yarn develop into a unique garment, one that stands alone and unmatched, but best of all prized by you - that's wabi-sabi. Maddy Cranley 2006 Maddy Cranley is a professional knitwear designer, who has created exclusive designs for knitting and craft magazines, authored and published three books on the subject of knitting and felting, and produces an ever-expanding line of maddy laine and maddy baby handknitting patterns. For additional information, see http://www.maddycraft.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maddy_Cranley http://EzineArticles.com/?Wabi-Sabi-Savvy&id=146377 high interest bad credit private student loan
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Auto Financing with Bad Credit

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Garry_Chaples]Garry Chaples Are you one of the many people who have credit problems? Bad credit is more common than you think! The good news is, more and more lenders are now targeting consumers with bad credit! Even if you have bad credit, you can still qualify for an auto loan...and it's become easier and less humiliating now due to the wonders of the internet! You can apply online, and not have to put up with the unneeded stress of trying to get financed through the dealership! Here's how to buy a vehicle if you have bad credit... Set up financing before even stepping onto the car lot! You can get "pre-approvals" from many online lenders. This way you know when you walk onto the first car lot exactly how much you can spend, and how much your monthly payments will be! The lenders will approve you for the loan, and mail you a voucher that you give to the dealership once you work the deal on the car you want. You simply fill in the amount borrowed (up to your pre-approved limit,) sign, send your signed contract into the lender, and you're done! In order to qualify for a bad credit car loan, lenders look at some specific things. They will want to see if you have sufficient income to cover your current bills, the loan payment you are about to commit to, as well as the costs of maintaining and insuring your new vehicle. Most lenders also prefer that you've held your current job for about a year, and that you've had a consistent home address. It sounds a bit simplistic, but don't take on any more of a car payment than you can afford! Use this opportunity to rebuild your credit...make your payments on time, and when your credit situation improves, you can get your loan refinanced at a lower interest rate. Like with any other buying situation, it is best to compare rates among different lenders. Be careful not to apply at too many places though, as too many credit inquiries will have a negative effect on your credit score. Should you need any recommendations, please go to http://bad-credit-lenders.net Good Luck to you in that new car! Garry Chaples is the owner of http://bad-credit-lenders.net and
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Fishing Creeks

By Michael Kilby The first question is Why fish creeks? every one has small lakes, rivers, and large lakes near their home. If your area is like mine the small ponds are highly pressured and the only way to fish the larger lakes is to use a boat. Yes, I have a boat but not everyone does. The other problem is I may only have an hour or two to fish, is it worth it to put the boat in an out of the water I dont believe so. The benefits I see of fishing the creeks are I can fish for as little time as 30 minutes or all day if I have the time. The deepest part of the creeks I fish is just 8 feet and if youre wading you can always walk around the deeper holes. Bank fishing is always an option especially in early spring before the weeds and brush grows too thick to get to all the good spots. When the water warms up just an old pair of gym shoes and a pair of shorts will do the job. If you wish to purchase waders I would suggest chest waders. When I use hip waders I always find areas I would like to go but the hip wader always seem to be a little to short for where I what to go. In the little creeks by the house I have landed Large Mouth Bass, Small Mouth Bass, Rock Bass, Bluegill, Crappie, Cats, Saugeye and by accident a turtle. Tackle is simple a medium light rod or ultra light if you prefer, a small reel I like one that will hold 80 yards of 6 lb test line. I have used 4 lb test line and had no problems landing fish but it is more likely to break if you get hung up on a rock or bush. Using 6 lb test line the hooks I use will straighten before I break the line. I have to give a plug here for Yo-Zuri hybrid fishing line because it is simply awesome. I have found for best results which means to catch the most fish is to down size your hooks and bait. I use 16th oz jigs and 1 to 2 inch grubs. If you like using in line spinners use 16th oz. I take 4 twister tail worms and pinch off about an inch and use a size 1 or 2 offset worm hook. When fishing the creek I use a small waist tackle pouch with three pockets to carry all the tackle I need. My tackle is in the truck at all times incase the opportunity presents itself to fish a while. The jigs, small spinners, small top water poppers work well in fast running water even just a couple feet deep. I have better luck in deeper water with the twister tail worms and small tubes. Small crank baits work well also if the water is clear. Dont miss the opportunity to have great day fishing at your nearby creek. Michael Kilby is the owner of Blue Lake Tackle, LTD - http://www.bluelaketackle.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Kilby http://EzineArticles.com/?Fishing-Creeks&id=322216 the last pay day
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