“Would you like to go out for dinner and a show….?” These are famous words that have been spoken time and time again in South Florida and elsewhere, often inevitably followed a few hours later with, “Would you like to come up and see my etchings?” “Dinner and a show” might well be as old as dating itself, starting when Homo Neanderthalis would invite his date to feast on mammoth while watching the elderly and infirm members of the tribe be devoured by saber-tooth tigers and giant sloths. Floor shows have changed quite a bit since those venerable days, with the fatality rate for spectators dropping well below the 50% mark. To better educate the populace about what is available for entertainment in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, I bring you my recommendations of what I believe to be the best floor shows in all of South Florida.
My favorite floorshow in South Florida is in a very nice Polynesian restaurant in Fort Lauderdale called Mai-Kai Polynesian Restaurant. In addition to fantastic food and cocktails, Mai-Kai offers an impressive array of traditional Polynesian dances to accompany your meal. The dances link together to be a narrative, making the show feel like a real story, and not just a disjointed medley. The most impressive dance for my money is without a doubt the Samoan Fire-Dance, which, as you might imagine, features man’s ancient and unknowable enemy: the all consuming flame. Mai Kai is well worth the trek up from Miami, and I recommend it to anyone.
The next listing comes as close to a traditional 1950’s era floor show as I can imagine. Located in the historic Fontainebleau Hotel (yes, you might recognize it from “Goldfinger”), Club Tropigala offers a show that seems as though Sinatra and the Rat pack got together with Desi Arnaz to create an amalgam of stereotypical dinner entertainment. Tropigala features two live orchestras in a Vegas-Style floor show (complete with showgirls) with a distinctly Latin twist. There’s nothing particularly original about this show, but that’s not to say it isn’t fun, or even excellent. It’s just exactly what you would expect a classy hotel show in South Florida to be, and if you’re in the mood for that, it’s one that you don’t want to miss. Guests staying at the hotel get into the show for free, so if you’re there anyway you have nothing to lose by checking it out.
The last place I am recommending is the only Irish pub on Broward Beach. You might think, “Irish Pub? Aren’t those establishments more known as havens for whiskey drinkers and Sinn Fein officials?” Perhaps in most cases they are, but at Sally O’brien’s, they are known for their shows as well. Home of a great band called “Fire in the Kitchen” (who feature vocalist Addie O’Connor), Sally Obrien’s is a great place to hear a band whose repertoire extends from traditional Irish melodies to slightly more modern fare. While Fire in the Kitchen is the standard entertainment, you can also occasionally catch skilled Irish step-dancers and even highland pipers winding their way through the bar, driving everyone insane. The food and drink prices are quite reasonable as well, so when you’re looking for something different for a reasonable price, you should keep Sally O’Brien’s in mind.
If I didn’t get to your favorite floor show, I’m really very sorry. There are countless excellent shows in South Florida, and I leave you to discover the rest of them. Happy travels, and happy eating/drinking/dancing/debauchery.
Nick Jurkowski is the senior editor for Millenium Limo where he educates the public about the limousine services they offer , as well as the bounty of Miami’s nightlife.
Some wise human once said “Learn from the mistakes of others. There isn’t nearly enough time to make them all yourself.” Hence this article. Here are five of the most annoying and common web design mistakes.
1. Slow download time - Don’t be that site that is filled with the coolest gizmos in the world. You know, animation, music and other “cool” things. Why? Because nobody is going to go to it because it takes too long to download. A nice clean site that downloads quickly will get you much further than a site with all the fixings that takes forever to download.
2. Unreadable text - If a user has to struggle to read the text on your web site, chances are they won’t. Here are some common readability issues:
A. Low contrast text and background - Don’t use light colored text on a light background. Also, don’t use dark text on a dark background. Text is most easily read with extreme contrasts between the background and text. Black on white is about as good as it gets for readability. Red on black is pretty bad. Yellow on white isn’t so hot either.
B. Text on a busy background - Text is most easily read on solid color background. Putting text on textured backgrounds can make it much harder to read.
C. Small Text - Text that is really tiny may look cool, but is hard to read. If you must use small text, make sure changing the text size in a browser will change the size of your text. Using style sheets can some times over-ride a browser’s ability to increase text size.
3. Unpleasant designs - Designs that use too many colors, colors that clash, or a messy layout, are just plain hard to look at. A site should be pleasant to look at, not a chore.
4. Long pages - Long pages are a problem because your force people to sift through piles of information to get what they want. Pages that focus on just a few topics with links to related topics on other pages are much better. This approach allows the reader to isolate the specific subject they are interested in.
5. Poor Navigation - It is extremely important that a user be able to access all pages of your site from every page. Users will often enter your site from a search engine listing with a link other than your home page. You do not want your visitors at a dead-end with no way to access the rest of your site. You will have wasted the traffic and given the prospect a bad impression of your business.
As you surf the web, you should keep a list of annoying things you find on other sites. Every so often, check your site to see if you have the same problems. Regardless, if you avoid the common web design mistakes listed above, you will stand a better chance of running a successful web site.
Halstatt Pires is with the Internet marketing firm - www.marketingtitan.com - a San Diego Internet marketing and advertising company.
Why should you strive to learn how to become a millionaire?
Why should you develop the millionaire mindset?
For money? For attention?
Well here’s a powerful reason that’s worth your
time to consider….
You see, in a recent interview with multi-millionaire
Jim Rohn (Anthony Robbins’ original mentor) he
mentioned what he feels is the best reason for
learning how to become a millionaire.
Here’s what Jim Rohn said in the interview…
“Set a goal to become a millionaire for what it makes
of you to achieve it.”
Then Jim Rohn went on to talk about his own mentor.
A man with a true millionaire mindset.
Jim continued…
“My own mentor, Mr. Schoaff, had an interesting way
of teaching it. When I was 25 years old he said to me,
‘I suggest, Jim, that you set a goal to become a
millionaire.’ I was all intrigued by that. You know,
it’s got a nice ring to it - millionaire.
Then Mr. Shoaff said, ‘Here’s why.’
“I thought to myself, ‘gosh, he doesn’t need to teach
me why. Wouldn’t it be great to have a million dollars?’
Then Shoaff said, “No. Then you’ll never acquire it.
Instead, set a goal to become millionaire for what it
makes of you to achieve it.”
“Do it for the skills you have to learn and the person
you have to become. Do it for what you’ll end up
knowing about the marketplace. What you’ll learn about
the management of time and working with people. Do it
for the ability of discovering how to keep your ego in
check. For what you have to learn about being benevolent.
Being kind as well as being strong. What you have to
learn about society and business and government and
taxes and becoming an accomplished person to reach the
status of millionaire.”
“All that you have learned and all that you’ve become
to reach the status of millionaire is what’s valuable.
Not the million dollars.”
Jim Rohn mentioned a bunch of amazing things during this
interview. But, this lesson really stands out as advice
we should all follow.
In fact, Jim Rohn wasn’t the only millionaire who agrees
with the power of this lesson. Chicken Soup for the Soul
co-author, Jack Canfield gave the same lesson in an
interview with him.
Jack said, “It doesn’t make a lot of difference to become
a millionaire. I’ve done that many times over and I can
tell you that it’s nice to have a house and a car that
doesn’t fall apart and all that.”
“But, what’s more important is who did I have to become
in order to become a millionaire?”
“I had to learn how to overcome my fears. I had to learn
how to talk in front of groups. I had to learn how to
plan a speech. I had to learn how to ask people I was
initially afraid of to loan me money, etc.”
“All of that was scary. But, when I did it and survived
it, I was no longer afraid to do it in the future. Now
you can take away my house, my money, my car and
everything, and it wouldn’t matter. I know how to create
more of those things because of who I’ve become NOT what
I possess.”
The powerful lessons taught by the millionaires in these
interviews is priceless.
The interviews and lessons above were excerpted from the #1 best-selling book ‘Conversations with Millionaires’. It’s packed full of secrets on how to become a millionaire and develop the millionaire mindset. Get your own copy of Conversations with Millionaires for FREE when you visit the new site:
http://FreeMillionaireEbook.com
Do you want cash now? A quick and simple solution is through a fast payday loan. The quickest way to do this is go online and search for pay day loan centers. There are several available to you at your finger tips. All that you have to do is fill out the application and you are on your way with money in your pocket.
All you really need is a bank account and you are guaranteed instance access to your cash that you can use to pay additional bills or for your enjoyment. The process is simple and when you use an online application your information is protected and secure.
This is a simple solution if you find yourself short on cash. Simply go online for the quickest pay day loan center and have funds deposited into your account. This process is set up for your convenience. There are several options to choose from and individuals are willing to work with you. If you have poor credit you can still qualify for a fast pay day loan. Contact your payday loan center either in your neighborhood or online and within minutes you will have funds deposited into your bank account.
When you want to get a job done in your home or in the yard, it is important to have the right equipment. If you are building a foundation to a home, garage or shed, repairing a sidewalk, or repairing the side of the building, having the right type of concrete mixer can ensure that you will do a job in excellence. There are several tools and types of concrete mixers that can be used to ensure that your job gets done easier.
The first type of concrete mixer that you may want to consider using is a mobile concrete dispenser. This is used to batch concrete in one area then move to another area. Usually, these dispensers are used to pour sidewalks and other projects that need concrete batched into several areas. You are able to control the amount of concrete that is needed in one area at one time as well as be able to mix other types of rocks in with the concrete. Usually, this type of concrete mixer will also mix the concrete and other materials without having to use extra water with the process.
The second type of concrete mixer that you can use is the stationary concrete dispenser. This is designed to stay in the same place while you pour the concrete. Most of the time, this type of mixer will be used if you are pouring molds for a building or are using cement for a pre-caster for a project that you are doing. If you are in a remote location or are going to be staying in one area to build a project, then a stationary concrete dispenser is the better type of mixer to get.
Another thing to look at with concrete mixers is the parts that you will need. Even if you are simply renting a mixer, it is important to know what is being used in the mixer. This will eliminate problems and will help you in understanding how the concrete is mixed. If any problems arise with the process, you will know which parts is not working properly or need replaced. One of the main things to look at is the type of blades that are being used. There are certain sizes that are included with the blades and different materials that are used, depending on the type of mixer that you are getting.
There are also different types of belts that will be in the mixer. This helps to turn the mixture before and while you are pouring concrete. The sizes on these belts will differ, as well as the type of belt that is being used. Chutes, filter bags, air pads, cartridges, and other parts are some of the other things that will be included in the mixer. You should always make sure that these are in tact when you get your mixer.
By having the right type of mixer and the right parts that go with it, it will be easier for you to finish your large and small projects. Concrete mixers, no matter what kind, can help you to get your landscape or home project looking new again.
Everything you need to know about cement concrete mixers
The easy way to change back to chlorine in your pool.
Baquacil was a huge hit when introduced to the pool market in the late 1980’s. While pricey, it gave pool owners the convenience and confidence of a “cook book” solution to the hit or miss job of pool care. If you followed the Baquacil recipe your time invested in keeping your pool water clean and ready was drastically reduced and water quality was rarely a problem. Sound too good to be true?
After a time word began to circulate that it was too good to be true. Too often after two or three years of using the product not only did water quality decline but some weird and unusual infestations took hold in pools on the Baquacil program. Don’t misunderstand, Baquacil is safe and has all the proper approvals but as with other sanitizing systems things can go wrong. Unfortunately with the Baquacil system putting things right again usually involves draining the pool and starting fresh.
If this has happened to you and you’ve decided you want to switch back to good ole chlorine here’s the simplest recipe I know to do it.
1. Shut off your pump and shock your pool with 2 lbs. of granular dichlor per 10,000 gallons. Prepare for a jolt because the pool will almost instantly develop a heavy and unsightly surface scum. This is supposed to happen.
2. Let the scum sit overnight. Next day the scum should be sitting on the bottom of the pool in a fine layer. At this point turn on your pump and set the filter to waste and vacuum the scum out of the pool. You will lose some water during this process.
3. Shut down the pump again and test your water with the Baquacil test kit. If it shows Baquacil still present shock the pool again as in step 1 but use 1 lb dichlor per 10,000 gallons. The scum may reappear but should be much lighter and easier to remove. Let the pool sit overnight, vacuum and retest.
4. If your test kit shows no Baquacil present you can refill the pool and restart on a chlorine program right away.
This program is virtually foolproof and is what the pool chemical manufacturers actually recommend. Instead of having your pool drained and out of service, not to mention the expense of refilling, you’re up and swimming again in a couple of days.
VITALLY IMPORTANT-Never vacuum the scum into your filter or you will have to change your sand or replace your cartridge. Always vacuume to waste during this process. Baquacil is NOT compatible with chlorine products (that’s why it scums up) and is extremely difficult to remove once introduced into a filter.
Rob Coxworth
Webfoot Leisure.com
http://www.webfootleisure.com
A down-turned market is not the time to quit marketing yourself and your listings. It’s also not the time to spend your days latched to your office’s front desk, complaining to the receptionists and listing coordinators how bad business is lately. Truly successful REALTORS® are always successful, even in a bad real estate market. The key to their success is learning how to drive qualified buyers to their listings.
Savvy REALTORS® know that GlobalPropertyDirectory.com is the way to find new buyers for your old listings. Have you been sitting on a palace fit for a queen? Then you should be marketing to queens looking for palaces. Do you really think your local newspaper’s real estate section taps in to the palace-seeking queen market? GlobalPropertyDirectory.com markets your listings through a cutting-edge technology platform with a global audience.
What happens when there just aren’t any buyers out there for your listings? First, stop lying to yourself. There are always buyers out there for your listings. If a listing is priced right, staged to wow buyers during a showing, and you’ve done your part, there will be a buyer for your listing. Have you missed something? Have you failed to think of potential relocation buyers who are searching the Internet desperately for a house you already have in your inventory? Logon to GlobalPropertyDirectory.com and post your listings today! It’s FREE! It’s easy! It works!
Introduction
The question for leaders in organizations today is how do we go about unleashing motivation, facilitating idea creation, promoting information flow and go beyond being Number One? How do we distance ourselves from our competitors? We cannot relax and take our success for granted. Our competitors are fierce and anxious to take back market share, produce the next blockbuster product, or invent some new technology to better serve customers.
One of our greatest competitive advantages is our people and culture. If we can continue to teach, inspire, and select the best, we can continue to be a premier organization in the world. We will continue to be first in bringing value added and quality enhancing products to people around the world. We will also continue to be the employer of choice.
In order to achieve this goal, managers can subscribe to many leadership theories and concepts. Some of these theories provide only a general awareness of successful leadership techniques. Some are too complex and academic to be useful in the real world. Today’s manager needs tools that are specific, detailed, and practical that will enable managers to:
help team members achieve their highest potential
motivate team members to contribute their best effort
maintain core values and standards of conduct
manage performance and results
promote innovation and help others think “outside the box”
create a culture of continuous improvement
build productive and valued relationships with customers
tap into each employee’s reservoir of experience, talent, and creativity
achieve maximum teamwork, inclusion, and communication across functions
Leaders today want practical and uncomplicated solutions that they can apply immediately. The Coaching program was designed by Dr. Steven J. Stowell and his team at the Center For Management and Organization Effectiveness (CMOE) for this purpose. Research over the past two decades revealed a lack of effective coaching skills by many leaders. As a result of field research and hands on interaction with 325 organizations in 13 different countries, Dr. Stowell has defined a set of coaching skills used by effective leaders. This road map is not a checklist or a “quick fix.” Although the steps are easy to learn, effective coaching skills are only developed when managers decide to apply them and tackle the real issues that drive business forward.
A Road Map
Coaching Skills training provides leaders with powerful, proven, and practical skills that help you define direction, shows you the sharp turns mileposts in a coaching discussion. But just like driving, the weather and road conditions change each time you set out on a coaching journey. Good judgment, common sense, along with an understanding of the person is needed to be successful. This will allow managers to gain maximum effectiveness from each interaction.
What is Coaching?
Coaching is a skill that leaders practice as they manage performance, mentor, problem solve, teach, and guide others. Coaching requires:
effective two-way communication and dialogue
observation of performance, followed by constructive feedback
an investment in helping others succeed
a focus on performance and achieving results
courage to address difficult issues, and engage others in growth opportunities
time to help people improve as jobs, technology, and markets change
Coaching is a process, not an event. It is the ongoing and consistent way in which we present ourselves, and through which we build and maintain relationships with others. Coaching is not a top-down weapon you use on a subordinate. Coaching is a partnership designed to tap into the knowledge, information, synergy, and talents people bring to the problem solving process.
Coaching Behaviors
A good coach:
- promotes open and constructive discussion
- is comfortable with differences
- uses authority and power sparingly
- is not demeaning or disrespectful of others
- creates a safe environment for interaction, disclosure, and information flow
- shares views, facts, and information in a non-threatening manner
- is open to new ideas, and to the possibility that he/she has an incomplete understanding of the situation
- focuses on learning and change
- strengthens and empowers others
- maintains high expectations and performance standards
- unleashes motivation and creativity
Conclusion
Coaching skills are not “found,” they are actively “developed” by people who want to lead and be an influence in their organization. Coaching takes some time (but not a lot of time). Time is an important ingredient and you will need discipline to manage all the priorities and business demands leaders face today. Extra time isn’t going to come looking for you. You have to think of coaching is an investment.
Coaching also takes energy. You will need to pick your battles and decide what is important and what isn’t. Your coaching effort is an asset that must be deployed wisely.
Coaching takes courage. There is always a risk that someone could feel hurt or take offense when you put the microscope on some element of his or her performance. Don’t take reactions personally. You should be more concerned if people don’t react, if they seem indifferent. If you inadvertently touch a nerve, or if people are extremely sensitive, you will need to draw on your support account.
Finally, be patient and persistent. Change frequently happens slowly for people. If you encounter someone who wants to make a quantum leap, it’s a real bonus. Enjoy it, but remember that the real work of a leader is helping those who don’t immediately recognize the need or opportunity to improve. Keep in mind that when you coach you won’t be receiving accolades and embraced as a hero. Most people need time to process and grasp the magnitude of what you are conveying to them.
Learning to be a good coach is a life long journey. The learning you are about to engage in represents a solid step along that journey. Enjoy the trip, participate and ask questions in the workshop, trust yourself in the practice sessions, and learn from your colleagues.
To learn more about CMOE’s Coaching Skills model please contact a Regional Manager at (801)569-3444 and discover what 100,000 managers have learned around the world.
By the 1930’s, the Peking Kennel Club was faced with the
existence of a variety of colors. The Peking Kennel Club wanted
to do justice to the facts of history regarding the highly
favoured Imperial color of “Tawny or honey-coloured or Golden -
The Yellows.” At that time, their Shih Tzu standard read: “All
colors permissible, single and mixed. Tawny or honey-coloured
highly favoured.” The British Shih Tzu standard read: “All
colors permissible,” but adds the words, “a white blaze on the
forehead and a white tip to the tail are highly prized.” And now
the French Shih Tzu standard of the mid-1950’s comments
“honey-colored and white are rare and much appreciated.”
It has been said the color “white” in Shih Tzu is recessive and
such Shih Tzu should not be bred. However, there is fact that a
leading French breeder in Peking - not the Countess d’anjou -
had a large number of all-white Shih Tzu. There is question of
who actually appreciated the all-white Shih Tzu. Was it the
Westerners more than the natives of the Peking? This question
arises out of the fact that there seems little doubt that a “a
pure white dog, being the color of mourning to the Chinese
people, was not an asset, because the Chinese people truly hate
to be reminded of death.” The aversion did not apply to the
white markings on the head or the tail. This could also account
to the scarcity we now have of the all-white Shih Tzu. Down
through time, the American Kennel Club judged them in the
Miscellaneous Class, which ran “all colors are allowable but in
general the darker shades predominate. The white blaze, collar,
socks and tail-tip combine to create a highly prized ensemble”
of a Shih Tzu.
Since the Chinese regarded the yellow-colored Shih Tzu as
especially precious we can also understand that it was
particularly difficult for westerners to get hold of them. In
the Lion Dog Through the Looking Glass (a publication during the
1950’s) it is told that the black and white, and grey and white
were the first found on the market at street fairs in China, yet
even in their cases exportation was at first forbidden. It seems
to me we can conclude, the Shih Tzu owners and breeders of
Peking, The Chinese People, were extremely possessive of the
Shih Tzu in their favoured color, of Yellow, yet were also
somewhat possessive of all of the other colors as well. The Shih
Tzu was surely very highly treasured by the Chinese people in
those days. They were selfish with them. Makes one think they
knew something about them very secret and most likely it was
something that brought them great emotional pleasure. All humans
are drawn to anything that brings them great emotional pleasure.
When it did become possible to export specimens of the breed,
the least favoured colors were the most easily obtainable. Some
years later, in the Great Britain show ring the dominant colors
were black and white, grey and white and shades of brindle and
white with a few solid blacks. Even today, these are the same
exact colors I started out with in my breeding of the Shih Tzu.
I have a few of the Chinese Yellow, honey, or golden colors.
Most plentiful to purchase for me has been the black and the
white, the grey and white and the brindles. I still tend to
believe our deep hershey chocolate color is a “new” color in the
breed, as is the “blue.” The American Kennel Club has just
recently added the color “blue” to their list of colors on their
AKC registration forms.
Color in the Shih Tzu is so fascinating and to me are the most
beautiful shades of several basic colors of the black, gold and
grey. We might even owe the highly prized white tips to the tail
and on top the head to the very early French breeder who had the
all-white Shih Tzu that left us few descendants. White still
seems to be harder to find, and does not seem as popular as the
blue and chocolate in the years of 2000. I have one white
female, Bailey of whom I am hoping to produce other solid
whites, but also the chocolates and blue’s as I mate her to my
different males. Visit us and sign up for our NEW weekly ezine
for future breedings to see what we come up with.
Getting a loan has become a norm these days. Everyone takes out a loan of one kind or the other. The rise of consumerism has promoted this phenomenon. The standard of living of people has improved a lot over the years. Use of loans has contributed to this high standard of living. Youngsters start buying things as soon as they get jobs. They use loans to buy house, car and household items. The use of credit cards has also increased over the years. In order to cater to the needs of borrowers, lenders offer a variety of loan options. Therefore, it is very important to compare various loan options and go for one of the best loan deals available in the market.
One of the most important elements of a loan is its rate of interest. The rate of interest is the price that you pay for availing a loan. It is calculated as a certain percentage of the loan amount. You must look for a loan that carries a low rate of interest. A cheap loan reduces your debt burden. A cheap loan can save a huge amount of money if you are planning to repay the loan over a long period of time.
Secured loans are cheap loans since they are given against collateral. Home equity loans are among the most popular secured loans. If you have taken out a mortgage loan against your house, then the home equity is the value of your house minus the unpaid mortgaged balance. If your house is not mortgaged, then the entire value of your house is its home equity. You may release the equity that is tied up in your house by taking out a home equity loan. A home equity loan can serve a number of purposes. You may avail a home equity loan to fulfill all your needs, be it home improvement, car, holiday, education, etc. If your house is not mortgaged, you may obtain a home equity loan to buy a second house.
A cheap loan becomes even more important in case of bad credit history. Since bad credit loans carry high rates of interest, it is recommended that you go for a home equity cheap loan to reduce the interest burden.
About The Author:
The author is a business writer specializing in finance and credit products and has written authoritative articles on the finance industry. He has done his masters in Business Administration and is currently assisting Ask4Loan as a finance specialist.
For more information please visit at http://www.ask4loan.co.uk
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