Ghaibat.com

There are some good reasons why you should clean the engine compartment of your vehicle periodically. For one thing, it makes it easier to see fluid leaks and worn belts, prevents rust, and makes a great impression if you are selling your car.

It also makes working on your car’s engine less of a chore because you don’t get as messy. You’ll notice when take your car to a garage that the mechanics tend to be more meticulous and precise when working on a clean engine.

A few precautions- Always wear good eye protection when using chemical cleaning agents like engine degreasers. You absolutely must disconnect your vehicle’s negative battery cable before beginning any cleaning work on the engine and/or electrical system. Please also refer to your vehicle’s service manual for any cleaning instructions or precautions that may specifically apply to your particular engine.

Step One- Before you begin the cleaning, start the engine, let it warm up for a few minutes then shut it off, in order to soften up collected grease and grit in your engine compartment. The correct cleaning temperature for the engine to be is warm but not hot- you should be able to hold your hand to the engine without burning it.

Before cleaning the engine with water, it’s imperative to cover electrical and mechanical components beneath the hood to protect them from water damage. The air intake/air filter, the distributor, the coil and the oil dipstick/breather should be covered using plastic baggies sealed with rubber bands It’s a good idea to also check the tightness of the oil filler cap, power steering filler cap, windshield washer fluid cap, oil dip stick, battery filler caps and secure baggies over them.

Step Two- Spray all over the engine and engine compartment with non-petroleum based degreaser, starting from the bottom and working up. Citrus degreasing products will not harm the paint or finish on aluminum components and are biodegradable. After 3-5 minutes use a soft cotton towel or brush to carefully scrub the heavy dirt. Re-spray and re-scrub any areas that need additional cleaning. Once the whole engine and engine compartment has been cleaned, rinse thoroughly with water. Try to avoid getting the degreaser on any exterior painted areas as it will strip the wax from your finish. If this happens, it’s okay, but you’ll have to give those areas a good wax job when you’re through.

Step three- Once clean, right away take off all the plastic baggies. Dry any collected water, especially on aluminum parts, with a soft cotton towel. Using paper towels, dry the battery. Start the engine and let it warm up, in order to dry the remainder of the engine and evaporate any moisture in sensitive components.
Once everything is dry and cooled off is a good chance to put a coating of rubber protectant on your rubber hoses, plastic shields and rubber gaskets.

Step Four- If the battery terminals are dirty, disconnect the cables and clean both the cable terminals and battery posts with a wire brush. Reconnect the terminals and retighten. Get some battery terminal spray and spray on the connected terminals to protect them from corrosion.

Step Five- A thin coating of non-silicone lubricant should be applied to any hinges, throttle cables, cruise control cables and similar moving parts. Now check and top off fluid levels.

Take your car out for a spin and make sure the engine runs satisfactorily. Congratulations, you’re done and now should have a spotless shiny engine compartment.

D.Demetre is an author and webmaster at Caroom.us, where you can find
Car Accessories to help keep your car clean.

Everyday, thousands of new surfers open their browsers for the first time, it is confusing in the beginning, but if you have some good advices in the early beginning, you can surf easier and faster with a friendly browser…

Tip 1: Surf in security.
The first action that you will do if you are new to the net is to open your browser to surf. If you have a PC, like most of the Internet population. You will have Internet explorer installed in your computer, but it is not the best browser available on the net, and it is in fact limited. You may think that it is hard to surf on Internet.
When you will discover Mozilla Firefox, you will be even more happy to surf on Internet, for sure.
One of the first reason you should use Firefox is the integrated Firewall, which protect you against spyware and other adawares.

Tip 2: No need to tape http://www.—.com all the time.
The second reason to choose Firefox is that you save time; for instance, when you went on ebay.com yesterday, you wrote: http://www.ebay.com with Firefox, you just tape “e” in the address bar of your browser, then http://www.ebay.com will appear in the drop down menu, it’s like magic, and it’s fun too.

Tip 3: See all your pages in only one window.
I really love this one; you can surf in tab. That is really powerful.
For instance, with Internet Explorer, whenever you click on a link, you have 2 choice: open the page in the same window, or open it in a new window. Firefox enable you to open several pages in one window.
Let’s explain: you are now looking yahoo.com, and you want to see the news, you just right click on the link, select open in a new tab, and you have now two pages in only one window. To switch between your pages, you just need to click on anyone of the page you want to look in, all that in the same window. You can open fifteen windows in one time if you want.
Better, you can bookmark(in Internet explorer, bookmark is favorites) a tab, and open it later. It is a very intelligent way of surfing. It is very efficient when you are doing some researches on a subject, on google for example.

Tip 4: All your downloads at the same place.
The fourth reason to choose Firefox is that when you download a file on your computer, sometimes, you want to open it, but you face a problem: Where did you save that file? With Firefox, just click on tools, and then you select download, and a pop up window appear. You just scroll to find your program. It will save you time and a lot of headaches.
However, it is recommended, for the first time, to save your download on your desktop, then after save your file in the folder you choose. You can download firefox for Free. You just type firefox in google.com and you’re done.

Tip 5: Don’t forget a good anti virus,
While you surf on Internet, some hijackers will attempt to damage your computer, by introducing a virus in it. If you don’t take your precaution, you may loose all that is stored in your hard disk. You can download AVG, which is excellent at download.com.

There is a lot to learn when you start on Internet, but take your time. And everything will go smoothly.

About The Author:
Franck Silvestre is a professional internet Marketer and author of numerous articles.
Finally! Discover a lifetime of amazing tips secrets and strategies at : www.MakeMoneyonlinehow.com
Get “Perpetual Profits”, Free and unique Ebook in Internet Marketing.
More than 12 hours of video tutorial for Beginners.

This really and truly is the easiest (and most profitable) small business direct marketing tip you’ll ever get.
And when I say easy… I really mean EASY.

It’s a no-brainer.

Once I tell you what it is you’re probably going to say, “Oh that? I already knew that.”

But if you own a small business and are doing this I can tell you right now you’re an exception. “If this is such an easy and profitable small business direct marketing tip why isn’t everyone using it?”

That’s a good question. I don’t know. Maybe most small business owners think it’s too much of a hassle?

Not so.

It doesn’t take much time. Costs little. You could even pay a high school geek to do the computer stuff for you if you don’t feel like messing with it.

The financial rewards can be huge… if you do it right. But this seems to be a small business direct marketing tip most people are happy to ignore.

So what’s the big tip?

Simple.

Every time you do business with a new customer ask them if they’d like to sign up for your free “e-mail alert.” Tell them you periodically offer specials and discounts for customers and ask them if they’d like to be included on your list so they can know when you have them. Many customers will gladly sign up.

Then … use your list.

Offer your customers something…

… specific …

… limited …

… and of value to them as well as yourself.

Let’s pretend… just for discussion’s sake… you’re the owner of Little Town Diner in Smallville.

You’d place a little E-mail address sign-up book right next to the cash register. Include spaces on each page for customers to write-in both their name and a Email address. Have the cashier invite customers to sign it.

Build up your list of names. It’s valuable.

Suppose every Wednesday is a slow day at the diner. On Wednesday mornings you start sending out an Email like this one to your list.

**********

Hi (Customer’s Name),

Pat here… from the Little Town Diner. How’d you like for me to do the cooking tonight? I just got a HUGE shipment of chicken breasts in today and I’ve got to move these babies out!

So I’m running a SPECIAL today…

Pat’s 2 for 1 Special (today only- – eat in or take out)

2 juicy, tender barbecued chicken breasts… 2 baked potatoes or French fries on the side… 2 servings of string beans or cole slaw…AND…2 slices from any of our delicious pies-of-the-day (your choice).

Don’t want to eat out? No problem.

We can have your dinner packaged and ready for you to pick up at your convenience if you place your order before 3pm. Let us know about what time you’ll be in for your pick-up.

**********

Or… here’s another way you could apply this small business direct marketing tip …

**********

Hi (Customer’s Name),

Pat here. I want to say, “thank you” for making Little Town Diner a part of your dining experience. Serving folks like you is what makes our business so enjoyable.

To formally say, “thanks” I’d like to offer you a special discount this week. If you visit us between now and Sunday tell your waitress you want the “Thank You Discount.” You and your family can order anything on our menu and get 20% off.

Now remember – - you have to ask for the discount to get it. This offer is just our way of saying, “thanks” for choosing us to serve you.

Thanks Again,

Pat

**********

There’s no limit to how you can use this.

If you’re a tree trimmer you could use this small business marketing tip too.

Let’s pretend you drop off some of the wood from your tree cutting business to someone who makes mulch. This person tells you one day, “I’ve got a LOT of excess mulch here I’d like to get rid of for cheap. Do you know anyone who might want some?”

So you e-mail your list…

**********

“Hi (Customer’s Name),

Fred here… from Smallville Tree Trimming Service.

I’ve got a friend who has a lot of mulch. They practically want to give it away. You can have as much as you want for $xxx per yard. Every yard of mulch covers xxx square feet.

If you’d like some call 800-555-5555 and place your order. It’ll probably go quickly at this price so call and reserve yours now.

I’ll even drop it off at your home to save you the hassle of having to pick it up.

Sincerely,
Fred

**********

You then split the profits with your friend who is in the wood mulch business. The people on your list know you. They trust you. You’ve done work for them before. They’re more likely to buy from you than from anyone else.

Many on your list aren’t going to be interested in mulch. Some of them will… and they’ll be glad you contacted them with a great deal to help them out.

This small business direct marketing tip applies to ALL types of small businesses.

Get your message out. The people most likely to buy from you are waiting to hear from you. You can contact them for next to nothing. Anytime you want.

Joe Farinaccio is a direct-response copywriter. In addition to writing sales letters for online clients Joe specializes in putting together successful direct mail packages for small and medium sized businesses. You can learn more about how to market your business successfully and sign up to receive his free monthly Ezine at http://www.sales-letters-and-marketing.com

Unless you are independently wealthy or have a very successful spouse then every parent must face an important decision — whether to work outside the home or to work from home.

Many people choose the traditional option of working outside the home and find themselves spending far too much time away from their children as well as trying to juggle daycare and health issues while still trying to get ahead in their chosen profession.

Other parents choose the less traditional path of working from home. While they are not subject to problems with daycare or a child’s illness, they do struggle with a different sort of problem balancing home and work time.

Any parent who has attempted to focus on a task while also taking care of children knows how challenging it can be. For many work from home parents that challenge is a part of their every day life.

So how do work from home parents find the right balance that allows them to be productive workers while also being good primary caregivers?

The first thing you need to do is work out a priority list for the tasks you want to accomplish for the week. It is better to plan conservatively for a week because sometimes unexpected events can derail a day here and there in even the best run homes.

Now go back over the list and highlight the items that need your full concentration. For example, something you cannot do while reassembling a transformer.

Your next step will be working out two schedules. The first will cover your child’s day. I don’t mean that you need to plan out every minute but perhaps give a general outline in half hour chunks. Try to strike a balance between activities that involve high-level parenting and low-level parenting.

For example, when my son first wakes up he isn’t hungry and he doesn’t really want much from me. He is content to watch a little TV as he fully wakes up. This is a time of low-level parenting as I am nearby but as he doesn’t require much from me then I am free to work.

After he is fully awake we switch into high-parenting mode. He wants to be fed and he is ready to play. At this point I usually spend time interacting with him, perhaps helping him set up art supplies or designing his train set.

Once he is fully engaged in his activity I then have a small window of time to focus on my own projects. He is well able to entertain himself but likes to share his games and art projects with me so while I can work I certainly cannot get anything done that requires a high level of concentration.

Then it is time for high-level parenting again as we prepare lunch and then spend some time reading. When my son was younger this would then lead to a nap and I could have an hour or two of prime work time. However now he rarely naps. For a while we struggled with this newly opened slot but I decided he really needed some down time, we needed a little time apart, and I needed time to get some serious work done. Our new plan involves him spending a quiet hour in his room. I put in a CD (preferably one at least 60 minutes long) and he can entertain himself quietly as he chooses within his room. He can read or play but he must be quiet. Some days he does end up taking a nap and other days we just enjoy a little break from each other.

After this break I switch back into high-level parenting mode again. We will play a game, go for a walk, or visit the park. In the summer this is the time we go to the community pool. My son understands that this time is his reward for letting me get some work done earlier in the day and this is my way of letting him know that he is important to me.

Some evenings I will get some more time to work after we’ve had some family time. My husband will spend some one-on-one time with our son and take care of bath and other bedtime preparations. Usually I’m done in time to take care of the tuck-in and bedtime story.

On the weekends my husband will usually arrange several hours on either Saturday or Sunday when he is primarily responsible for child care so I can also get some work done.

In this way I manage to operate a profitable internet business while also serving as the primary caregiver for my preschool son. I do not work the equivalent of a 40-hour work week but concentrating on accomplishing small tasks throughout the day I manage to meet all my priorities and then some.

I want to also share a few additional tips about balancing your work and your family at home.

~ Teach your child to be independent. My son can dress himself and even prepare his own snacks. He may not be wearing the clothes I would have chosen but then he did save me time and who else will see him wearing that odd ensemble? I make fruit, water bottles, juice boxes, cheese, and crackers easily available to him so when he is hungry he can serve himself (although he may bring me a juice box to insert the straw or a package to open). I don’t worry about what he is eating and he knows the rules about crumbs and messes. My office is adjacent to the kitchen so I can observe and intervene if necessary.

~ Teach your child to be responsible. Put your child in charge of picking up their toys and putting them away. Not only will this make your life easier later when you need to take care of household chores but it can buy you some time to get work done.

~ Set up a play date. I have learned that play dates are a win-win for me as a work-at-home parent. It is actually easier to keep two four-year-olds entertained as they tend to entertain each other and when it is time to reciprocate I get hours of free time to concentrate on my work.

~ Check out community activities. Does your library offer a story hour for children? This offers me the opportunity to do some research in the library, make notes for upcoming projects, or even log onto the internet. My son loves visiting the library and we usually go one other day of the week and he will play, work on puzzles, and look at books while I can get some work done nearby. Similarly I can take my laptop or a notebook to the park while he plays on the playground. I’ve even learned to get work done at the local McDonald’s playland.

Finally, you and your family will need to learn patience and understanding. You need to understand that your work will have to get accomplished in small chunks. Your child needs to learn that while he or she is your top priority that doesn’t mean their sudden need for juice takes precedence over all else. Your entire family needs to learn that housework comes third on the list of priorities and that if the whole family contributed to the mess then the whole family can contribute to the cleanup.

Deanna Mascle shares more tips about Working From Home and Home Business in her blogs.

Combine everybody’s chief pursuits and you’re sure to discover a vogue called a sportsbook wagering web property. And seriously: what could be more creative. If you picture a mix of fans cheering in support of their local lineup, and constantly lays will be geared up right along with the racket. Hoping to catch more of the enjoyment, bystanders typically venture to envisage who is most likely to win the approaching fight. At the end of the day, this finally turns into a little affable fight called sportsbook wagering web property.

True, it might easily appear dependency forming but indeed sports wagering is essentially simply for fun and of forging a bond with fellow sports addicts. You can wager a a minute budget of gold and nonetheless enjoy yourself. Looking further, here are a few select guidelines and details to get you going sports wagering. In order to wager, you should call on a sportsbook wagering web property, i.e. a setup which proffers sportsbook wagering web property. In the USA, there’s four states where to go for sports wagering officially, but if legality is no concern, you can go for it anyplace assuming you are able to find a bookie and you’re legally of age. Included among the sporting contests you can bet on are pro + college basketball plus college league football, professional hockey, professional hockey, + dog and horse racing. Patrons may choose to wager on the overall tally of a competition or game, when any given competitor will be vanquished, and even whether a tossed coin in a competition or game will land either heads or tails.

Glavine goes on DL for first time

The bookies put their face in statistical mathematics to help you come to a decision which lineup you may judge is most likely to win. First, there’s the balance, meaning advantage tallied to a weaker contestor expected to lose by X number points. This constitutes the sportsbook provider’s established approach of offering fair bets for a Sportsbook. As an example we can choose to risk money on a contestant expected to lose and and nonetheless profit from the wager assuming the contestor does actually get defeated by X number of points. We’ll be able to select miscellaneous sorts of antes: parlays i.e. combined stakes on several sporting contests, straight bets, over/unders, teaser antes etc., the straight bets, where you merely pinpoint the lineup you’re guessing will make it or lose being the most typical in sports wagering.

Why not give it a go and enjoy the recreation as well. Just determine that you won’t get unduly carried away and drain your total retirement income on a conceit. Because else you’re sure to be caught repentant all your life.

Have you ever had the experience that you always seem to notice
the things around you that make you unhappy or fail?
Is it so that you don’t notice the possibilities to succeed in your goals?
Or even worse… are you convinced it is not possible at all?

Why is it that some people seem to have the luck of
finding nearly all they would like to get?

Well, here is the answer!

Did it occur to you that you really felt enthusiastic about something
you totally had the feeling you already had it?

E.g. you were going to buy a car.
You had the drive to get it…
You knew exactly what you wanted…
You went for window shopping…
You did a test drive…
You felt and smelt the car just as it was your own…
You loved the colour and the shape of it…
You totally had the vision of you with this car…

What did you notice from that moment on in the streets?
What has changed in the way you look to cars?

All of a sudden you see cars that resemble to your choice everywhere, right?
It seems that many people bought such a car that day, isn’t it?

How come you didn’t notice these cars before?
They must have been there all the time!
That is what your conscious rational thinking says!
But your unconscious had never paid attention to them,
so you didn’t see them!

How does that work?

Well, your unconscious mind can process about
400,000,000 bits of information per second.
It regulates your breathing, heartbeat, movements, hormones, digestion,
blood pressure, réflexes, automatic responses, feelings, perception,…
It can give attention to millions of events at the same time!

Your conscious mind can process only about
1,000 bits of information per second.
It can give attention to only 2 or 3 events at the same time.
E.g. when you are writing something down,
you might be able to talk to someone at the same time,
but when then the phone rings you probably
will have to choose where to give your attention to!

What filters which of this enormous amount of
bits of information is consciously noticed?

That is the job of the R.A.S. in our brain,
the Reticular Activation System.
This system has a kind of ‘priority list’
to what is important to us to notice.
And you can change that unconscious ‘priority list’
by your conscious free will!

The R.A.S. is susceptible to what you pay most attention to
by your thinking, feeling and action,
and will make you repeat that again.

In the example of the car above
You were thinking about the car all the time…
You felt wonderful enthusiastic about it all the time…
You took actions to it all the time…
(looking in brochures, window shopping, test driving,…)

So your R.A.S. got the message:
“This is important! Give me more of it!”
And so it did…
You got more of it and saw it everywhere!

So take action now!
Whatever you want more in your life…

THINK about it as though you already have it!
FEEL about it as though you already have it!
ACT upon it as though you already have it!

And your R.A.S. will make you see lots of opportunities
to make it a tangible experience!
ACT upon these possibilities
and HAVE what you want!

To your Happy Success!

Bart Wils (http://www.QuantumMind.biz) has more than 20 years’ experience in Communication Skills and People Management at group and individual levels.
He works with managers and high-skilled technicians to build Self-Management Competencies to accomplish organizational and personal objectives.

He has Degrees of Industrial Engineer, Master Degree in Adult Learning and qualified in MBTI, NLP, Psycho-Energetics and is a Certified Trainer.

If you are looking to lose some weight or get in shape, a fitness club is a great idea. There are many benefits to working in a health or fitness club but with so many options these days, how do you choose the one that is best for you?

Well, one good idea is to find out about all the ones in your area and then compare them. But how do you know what to compare? Below are some of the most important things you should look for in your fitness club and you can compare to find the best fitness club in your location.

Location

The location of your fitness club is going to be very important. Not only do you want one that is close to your home and/or work place but you also want one that is easy to get to. Convenience is going to be extra important on those days when you are not really feeling up to a work out and you are looking for any excuse to skip out on your routine.

Staff

You may want to interview some of the staff at the facility that you are thinking of signing up for. Staff can be very helpful to you, especially if you have never used some of the equipment before. Helpful staff will guide you through so that everything makes sense and you know you are using the equipment properly.

Fitness Equipment

Do they have the equipment that you need for the workout you plan on getting? Do they have updated and safe equipment? Do they have enough equipment to accommodate the number of members of the facility? You lose benefit of your workout if you spend most of your gym time waiting on a machine.

Social Factors

If you have friends or family that uses a certain facility, it may take precedence over one where you do not know anyone. Some people like to have someone to work out with. Does your fitness club encourage social interaction with a common gathering area? Do they have a location you can sit around and have a cup of coffee or tea and say hello to one another? Little details like this can help sway your option toward a particular club.

Programs

What programs and classes does the facility offer? If you are looking for yoga, kickboxing, etc then you will want a fitness club that offers these programs to you.

Maintenance

The next thing you are going to want to look at is the maintenance of the property. How well do they keep the facilities clean? Are the restrooms clean and properly stocked? Are the equipment and floors cleaned regularly after people have been using them? Is the trash regularly removed from the building? These are all important factors that can make your visit to the fitness club more pleasurable. Plus, if they show they have proper cleanliness then they likely perform proper safety maintenance on the equipment as well.

Copyright 2006, Brad Howard

Are you afraid of choosing the wrong fitness club? You should be. Do yourself a favor and get the free resource, “Health Club Secrets: How to Command the Lowest Rate at Any Health Club”.

Brad Howard is a renowned industry consultant and will show you the biggest pitfalls and money sucking scams known to man.
http://www.healthclubsecrets.com

I Shall Wait..

On all the new mornings,
and every singking evening,
I wear a small crescent,
in the finest of my accent…

Those memories come up storming,
that tender touch so warming,
That lovely soothing weather,
Feeling as light as a feather,
With hands across each other,
And nothing else to bother…

With a feeliing as to fly,
in the open blue sky,
That lonely bank of the river,
and a mild wintery shiver,

With silence all around us,
and the huge Eucalyptus
The water flowing faster
with our murmur and our laughter,
Those cascading whispers,
Calm nature being a listener..

The sky appeared timid,
and the rivir far too vivid,
That firm hug under the vine,
Sent chills down my spine.

A flicker on the nose and a peck on cheeks,
and then apart for several weeks,
I miss, so much the warm affection,
Soul to soul- a pious connection,
The care in your eyes and a tickle on chin
and those caresses par satin…

It’s lonely sans you, Oh my dear!
Being far away, I feel you near
I feel your sound right within,
Like droplets sound on the terrace tin.

When the world goes dark you be light,
To cross over the fiercest night,
I shall keep waiting like the stars in space…
Till the darkness vanishes to send new phase.

I long for you, I long for you,
For morning sun, just like nights passed do,
I shall find a new way to my fate,
I shall wait and wait and wait and wait…

Shilpa Malaiya is a computer science engineer and currently pursuing her masters in Human Resources. She writes poetry and articles on a wide range of topics- Malaiya.shilpa@gmail.com

If you are like me, you are living some distance from the devastation wrought by Katrina. If you are like me you not physically impacted and can watch the plight of others on television in the comfort of your home. And if you are like me, you are wondering what you can do.

I believe the answer to that question is an important one. It can help define who you are and what you have and choose to give to the world. The list that follows is not meant to stimulate your thinking. It is meant to stimulate action. All of us can do all of these things. And in doing them we will not only be helping others, we will be helping ourselves deal with and grow from these events as well.

Give Resources. You have heard it and will hear it often. The resources required by these events will be unprecedented. Open your wallet and give. It doesn’t matter which charity you choose, just give. Pick a number, then add to it. Do a search on Katrina relief to find places to contribute. You can give more than money though. Perhaps you have other resources that you could offer. Spare blankets or other supplies will inevitably be leaving from your community in the coming days. Watch for these announcements and donate. If you know someone affected, or know someone who knows someone, perhaps you can provide a spare bedroom. You can even support relief efforts each time you search the internet. Go to http://allgive.com to search and learn more.

Give Yourself. If your situation allows, perhaps you feel drawn to go and help. If you are thinking about that and you can, go. Many of us won’t be able to go and lend a hand directly. You can still give of time and talents locally and have a direct impact on efforts there. Organizations like The Salvation Army and The Red Cross will be spread thin for months. If you volunteer in your town, more physical resources can remain on the Gulf Coast longer.

Encourage Others to Give. This is a way for you to give of your talents. Use the leadership and influence skills that you have to encourage others to give. If you own a business, match employee contributions to relief efforts. If you are involved in any sort of organization, start a fund raising effort. A colleague of mine sent an email saying he would match any gifts given by those on his list up to a total of $500. Every person could do this. Ask yourself who you could influence and how you could personally help increase giving. Get creative! And get started.

Say a Prayer. Regardless of your religious beliefs, or how you would state this, say a prayer. Say one for those who have lost family. For those who have lost their homes. For those who are sick or thirsty or hungry. And say a special prayer those involved in rescue and recovery efforts – those giving of themselves to make things better for others.

Keep Your Perspective. It is sometimes hard to keep a healthy perspective as you watch the events on television. It is easy to let the worry and concern become overwhelming. Do yourself a favor and don’t let these events overpower your life. Be grateful for your situation. Rethink how upset or frustrated you become at little inconveniences or challenges, because these situations mean little in the bigger scheme of things, and the events of recent days should make this very clear to us.

Conserve. Our country is going to be dealing with the aftermath of Katrina for a long time. There are other little things that we can do that will make a difference. Conserve fuel. Carpool to work. Combine your errands, or just stay home. Turn off your air conditioning and turn off the lights. Fossil fuels will be in short supply and every little bit helps. Plus every dollar you don’t spend on fuel, is another dollar you could choose to donate to relief efforts.

Give Again, Later. Many will give now, but agencies like The Red Cross will tell you that after the situation leaves most people’s conscious thoughts, the needs will still be great. Make a commitment now to make another contribution later in the year. One way to do this is to reduce your holiday spending and earmarking the difference for Katrina relief.

I’m sure there are many more things that you can do to help both yourself and others in the coming weeks. It matters less what you do than that you do something. That is my urging to you. You can make a difference, but only if you take action.

Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company. One of the ways I am taking my own advice to “Encourage Others to Give” is by offering you (and anyone you know) a choice of a 6 month membership to our Powerquotes Plus service, a $30 value, or a seat in our tele-seminar, The Leader as a Coach, a $49 value, if you simply let us know you made any donation at all. Visit www.kevineikenberry.com/katrina.asp to learn more and contact us with your choice.

Penlac nail lacquer is the only topical prescription drug for treating nail fungus infections. The active ingredient is the drug, ciclopirox. Penlac is a solution; it comes packaged in a glass bottle with a little paintbrush, like fingernail polish, and it is used in much the same way. Every day you paint the affected nail, and once a week you clean the nail with alcohol to remove any buildup of the lacquer. You also need to visit your physician regularly to have any affected nail that is coming away removed.

Penlac nail lacquer is an attractive alternative to the oral prescription drug, Lamisil (terbinafine). When considering Penlac vs Lamisil, you need to consider a number of things. First, Penlac is not recommended if the fungal infection is so advanced that the fungus has invaded the lunula (the crescent-shaped lighter area near the base of the nail). If the lunula is involved, Lamisil is a better choice. Penlac nail lacquer is a much safer alternative to Lamisil because it is not taken internally – patients don’t have to worry about liver damage or other unpleasant side effects. Side effects experienced with Penlac generally only involve the nail area, if they occur at all.

Finally, the cost of Penlac vs Lamisil could be a deciding factor, but this will be a matter of guesswork. Per day, Penlac nail lacquer may be cheaper than Lamisil, depending on how many nails are infected; however, the recommended length of treatment with Penlac is 48 weeks, while a course of treatment with Lamisil is often considerably shorter. Unfortunately, the cost comparison cannot be done accurately, because fungal nail infections often resolve very slowly and there is no way to know at the beginning of treatment how long it is going to take. Both drugs may be required for a longer period of time than originally predicted.

Penlac nail lacquer and Lamisil tablets are not the only prescription drugs available for treatment of fungal nail infections, but they are probably the best choices among the prescription medications simply because they are the most effective. Combination therapy is not recommended, so your choice is Penlac vs Lamisil – both at the same time is not a good option.

In deciding between Penlac vs Lamisil, your choice will ultimately depend on which form of treatment has more appeal. If you are comfortable with taking a daily pill and you don’t have a tendency to experience side effects with oral prescription drugs, Lamisil may be the right choice. If you’re worried about potential side effects, however, and you can commit to applying Penlac nail lacquer to your infected nails each and every day for a minimum of 11 months, then you’ll probably opt for Penlac. Only time will tell if you’ve made the right choice.