Neil Armstrong made his first moon walk on July 20, 1969, two months before I entered college. I remember that many Americans were euphoric about this accomplishment. There were songs written, celebrations, ticker tape parades, and coins depicting an eagle landing on the moon.

Yet what really stands out in my memory was a poster on a classmate’s dorm-room wall. It looked like the front page of a newspaper’s special edition. The large photo dominating the upper half of the page showed Armstrong in his space suit, visor down, planting the U.S. flag into lunar soil. The banner headline screamed, “So what?”

I think the “So what?” poster was questioning whether the billions poured into the space program were justifiable while people in the U.S. and around the world were still suffering from hunger, poverty, illiteracy, and poor health care. Stewardship was the issue the poster was raising.

Most would agree the space program has been well worth its expense. The many spin-offs are not the only benefit. This great achievement forever transformed our assumptions of what is possible.

We should ask ourselves, “So what?” at the very moment we accomplish anything we are tempted to label “great.” We should do this so habitually that we learn to ask it at the beginning of a project, not just at its end. Is this thing into which I am pouring so much of my time, money, and energy really worth it all? Will it change the world for the better? Will it change me?

The Master asked, “So what?” again and again. He wanted his disciples to count the cost, to inspect the fruit, to look down the broad road and up the narrow road. Many of His parables have to do with Judgment Day. The fire of judgment will burn up all the unworthy pursuits and the fly-by-night goals. What survives will be only what can face such a probing question with solid confidence.

Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles on subjects of interest to Bible students. He has taught Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses Bible college, university, and adult education programs. He has taught seminars and workshops in 11 states and the Caribbean.

Go to his DeeperStudy.org for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore “The Shallows,” plumb “The Depths,” or use the well-organized “Study Links” for original sources in English translation. Sign up for Steve’s free “DeeperStudy Newsletter.”

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Spread trading is a technique that can be used to profit in bullish, neutral or bearish conditions. It basically functions to limit risk at the cost of limiting profit as well.

Spread trading is defined as opening a position by buying and selling the same type of option (ie. Call or Put) at the same time. For example, if you buy a call option for stock XYZ, and sell another call option for XYZ, you are in fact spread trading.

By buying one option and selling another, you limit your risk, since you know the exact difference in either the expiration date or strike price (or both) between the two options. This difference is known as the spread, hence the name of this spread treading technique.

VERTICAL SPREADS

A Vertical Spread is a spread where the 2 options (the one you bought, and the one you sold) have the same expiration date, but differ only in strike price. For example, if you bought a $60 June Call option and sold a $70 June Call option, you have created a Vertical Spread.

Let’s assume we have a stock XYZ that’s currently priced at $50. We think the stock will rise. However, we don’t think the rise will be substantial, maybe just a movement of $5.

We then initiate a Vertical Spread on this stock. We Buy a $50 Call option, and Sell a $55 Call option. Let’s assume that the $50 Call has a premium of $1 (since it’s just In-The-Money), and the $55 Call has a premium of $0.25 (since it’s $5 Out-Of-The-Money).

So we pay $1 for the $50 Call, and earn $0.25 off the $55 Call, giving us a total cost of $0.75.

Two things can happen. The stock can either rise, as predicted, or drop below the current price. Let’s look at the 2 scenarios:

Scenario 1: The price has dropped to $45. We have made a mistake and predicted the wrong price movement. However, since both Calls are Out-Of-The-Money and will expire worthless, we don’t have to do anything to Close the Position. Our loss would be the $0.75 we spent on this spread trading exercise.

Scenario 2: The price has risen to $55. The $50 Call is now $5 In-The-Money and has a premium of $6. The $55 Call is now just In-The-Money and has a premium of $1. We can’t just wait till expiration date, because we sold a Call that’s not covered by stocks we own (ie. a Naked Call). We therefore need to Close our Position before expiration.

So we need to sell the $50 Call which we bought earlier, and buy back the $55 Call that we sold earlier. So we sell the $50 Call for $6, and buy the $55 Call back for $1. This transaction has earned us $5, resulting in a nett gain of $4.25, taking into account the $0.75 we spent earlier.

What happens if the price of the stock jumps to $60 instead?

Here’s where the - limited risk / limited profit - expression comes in. At a current price of $60, the $50 Call would be $10 In-The-Money and would have a premium of $11. The $55 Call would be $5 In-The-Money and would have a premium of $6. Closing the position will still give us $5, and still give us a nett gain of $4.25.

Once both Calls are In-The-Money, our profit will always be limited by the difference between the strike prices of the 2 Calls, minus the amount we paid at the start.

As a general rule, once the stock value goes above the lower Call (the $50 Call in this example), we start to earn profit. And when it goes above the higher Call (the $55 Call in this example), we reach our maximum profit.

So why would we want to perform this Spread?

If we had just done a simple Call option, we would have had to spend the $1 required to buy the $50 Call. In this spread trading exercise, we only had to spend $0.75, hence the - limited risk - expression. So you are risking less, but you will also profit less, since any price movement beyond the higher Call will not earn you any more profit. Hence this strategy is suitable for moderately bullish stocks.

HORIZONTAL SPREADS

We now look a Horizontal Spreads. Horizontal Spreads, otherwise known as Time Spreads or Calendar Spreads, are spreads where the strike prices of the 2 options stay the same, but the expiration dates differ.

To recap: Options have a Time Value associated with them. Generally, as time progresses, an option’s premium loses value. In addition, the closer you get to expiration date, the faster the value drops.

This spread takes advantage of this premium decay.

Let’s look at an example. Let’s say we are now in the middle of June. We decide to perform a Horizontal Spread on a stock. For a particular strike price, let’s say the August option has a premium of $4, and the September option has a premium of $4.50.

To initiate a Horizontal Spread, we would Sell the nearer option (in this case August), and buy the further option (in this case September). So we earn $4.00 from the sale and spend $4.50 on the purchase, netting us a $0.50 cost.

Let’s fast-forward to the middle of August. The August option is fast approaching its expiration date, and the premium has dropped drastically, say down to $1.50. However, the September option still has another month’s room, and the premium is still holding steady at $3.00.

At this point, we would close the spread position. We buy back the August option for $1.50, and sell the September option for $3.00. That gives us a profit of $1.50. When we deduct our initial cost of $0.50, we are left with a profit of $1.00.

That is basically how a Horizontal Spread works. The same technique can be used for Puts as well.

For more information on spread trading, visit:
http://www.option-trading-guide.com/spreads.html

Steven is the webmaster of http://www.option-trading-guide.com. If you would like to learn more about Option Trading or Technical Analysis, do visit for various strategies and resources to help your stock market investments.

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Many businesses of today are often driven to compete striclty on price, quality, and features of their products and services. Companies who prosper over the long term don’t simply offer the best deals, the best quality, or the most impressive bells and whistles. If you want to win big in today’s cutting edge world of business, you have to begin by thinking differently and by challenging the status quo. Whether you are a new or an established business owner, these ten powerful strategies will position your company for big success.

(1) Adopt the philosophy of “Givers Gain.”

In 2003, the members of Business Network International (BNI) passed over 2 million referrals to each other. Founded by CEO Ivan Misner, BNI is a business and professional networking organization that offers members the opportunity to share ideas, contacts and most importantly, referrals. Misner founded BNI based on the philosophy of “Givers Gain,” which is the belief that in order to get business, it is important to first give business. One of the critical factors in achieving success rests in the ability to develop reciprocal relationships where two parties naturally refer business to each other on a consistent basis. “It’s not what you know but who you know” has never been so true as it is in today’s competitive world of business. For more information on Ivan Misner and his philosophy of “Giver’s Gain,” access an interview here:

http://www.cvcommunity.com/utility/showArticle/?objectID=1452

(2) Focus on Soft Innovations

In today’s competitive marketplace, the old equation of spending more on advertising to increase profits it not working as it once did. In his latest book, Free Prize Inside, author Seth Godin, makes a strong case for using soft innovations as a way to get noticed in this crowded and noisy world. Soft innovations are the small yet insightful ideas that can take your product or service from good to remarkable. They are often hidden, and they usually solve a problem that is ” peripheral to what your product is ostensibly about.” At first glance, you think the soft innovation does not mean much, but once you have it in place, it becomes an essential part of your product or service. Examples of soft innovations include Starbuck’s Cards, Dinosaur-shaped pasta for kids, and Amazon.com cutting its ad spend and offering free shipping with the money saved. For more information, read an interview with Seth Godin in Today’s Coach here:

http://www.cvcommunity.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=1524

(3) Re-groove!

How do you operate when the heat is on? How do you respond to chaos? When new skills or new behaviors are needed, how do you respond? Knowing what to do and how to do it is one thing but being able to respond effectively and to keep your cool under pressure and on a consistent basis is a very different ballgame.

As leaders in today’s world, it is crucial to learn how to work differently and how to be able to shift and bend to meet expectations which here one day and gone the next. The half-life of a great idea or a new product or service has never been shorter, and it is up to you as a business owner to become masterful with reshaping strategies, adding new perks to old products, and to stay on top of your game in the face of dramatically changing circumstances. You may find that your strength of achievement was required to get your company up and running but that same strength is now squelching the creativity of your team. It’s time to Re-Groove! It’s time to unlock the incredible potential that is inside of you that is required to get the job done under present day demands.

If you are dedicated to re-grooving (getting past the old worn out grooves of your past conditioning,) it is essential to work with a coach or trainer who can coach you through the new behaviors quickly and in real time. By learning to re-groove, you will be able to create incredible opportunities for your company and for yourself.

(4) Make your brand a “state of mind”

Are you winning when it comes to style, a smart and accessible mix of products and services, and first rate customer service? If so, Bravo! However, this is just a part of the equation of what it takes to truly succeed. In order to create a brand that is truly memorable, it is crucial for you to live an inspired life and to make your brand a “state of mind” for your customers. This state of mind could be a feeling of trust and confidence, a sense of well being, or a state of knowing that you are buying from a company who has your best interests at heart. This state of mind cannot develop behind the confines of the walls of your business. It grows and develops when you are in the middle of your potential buyers…in restaurants, traveling, checking out the competition, playing sports, tinkering with a hobby, having fun and lots of it! If you are living fully and in relationship with others, you will be re-energized every day and you will give your customers a vision of what an inspired life actually looks like, because you are living one! Your brand will become much more than your trimmings…it will become the connection that others feel when they think of you as a valued person in their lives.

(5) Become masterful at mobilizing resources

The ability to galvanize resources, both human and monetary, and to build effective and efficient projects with them is a critical component of success in today’s marketplace. We are quick to look first at the monetary costs of a project and quickly get cold feet, when the reality is that we have valuable resources hidden in our personal and professional lives which may not cost a dime. Social capital is one resource that is one of the most valuable assets available to business owners of today. The term social capital emphasizes that very specific benefits are made available from the trust, reciprocity, information, and cooperation associated with social networks. The value of social capital is that people can draw on the wisdom of each other to solve common problems, especially as it relates to money, time, and resources.

(6) Buck conventional wisdom

In 1971, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher decided to start an airline that you might say…was different and a little bit quirky. They began with one simple notion: If you get your passengers to their destinations on time, at the lowest fare possible, and make sure they have a fantastic time doing it, people will choose you over a competing airline. This is the story of Southwest Airlines, who chose to move beyond the status quo by offering services and a sense of style that bucked conventional wisdom. With their focus on fun, games, and “Love Southwest Style,” Southwest has made its mark with its strong focus on stellar customer service and conveniences such as allowing customers to proceed to their departure gate without stopping at the ticket counter, skycap, or self-service kiosk. Most importantly, Southwest has honed in on searching for important personal qualities in those they hire– the perfect blend of energy, humor, team spirit, and self-confidence to match its famously offbeat culture. Southwest was once dismissed as a maverick, as their strategies seemed strange to the “airline powerhouses.” These same powerhouses are now looking in awe at what this “maverick” has built. The strategy of originality worked…It had the sticking power required for success.

(7) Become a Talent Farm

When recruiting new employees, what are you looking for? Raw talent? Raw communication skills? Intellect? Athletic ability? Commitment? Skills? Flexbility? What about all of this and more? If you are a company who wants to operate at the leading edge, where change is the greatest and success is the goal, you will want to recruit the most talented group of people you can find…those people who are self- starters and who are living boldly in the world. By developing a “talent farm” culture, you can instill a mindset of excellence from the top to the bottom of your organization. This culture encompasses a deeply held belief that having high caliber people is crucial to your success. With this “talent farm” approach to recruiting, your company will also be required to recruit great talent every day. Successful businesses and organizations have a strong sense of what they are looking for, and they are always on the look for new talent and ways to retain them for a lifetime.

(8) Embrace your core values

What is it in life that you most value? Do you value beauty, leadership, creativity, stability, or family? You can choose to orient your life around your wants and needs or the list of things you feel you “should” be doing, but if you embrace your core values and build your life around them, you will find experience inspiration and joy at a level you never thought was possible. Whole Foods Market is one of the fastest growing supermarkets of today, because its commitment to fresh, nutritious products is a value that keeps customers coming back for more and employees happy, hard working, and committed. When you focus your business on doing what feels right and what fulfills you, you will have no regrets, because you have been true to the very core of your being.

(9) Become a “white hot center” of influence

A “white hot center” of influence is an organization or group that you most want your company to be aligned with tightly and in a relationship which is reciprocal. One connection into a strong center of influence can position your company to attract a stream of qualified opportunities. (Example: You are an interior designer, and you want to be in the middle of Southern Accent or Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.) In order to attract a “white hot center” of influence, you have to become what you want to attract. Be well educated, highly skilled, experienced, trained and innovative in your product development. Fill your network with other business owners who are up to big things in the world and who are experts in their respective fields. Attract talented people into your company, and tap each and every talent and skill available in your company. As you begin to raise your bar in all areas of your business and enhance your network, you will eventually become a “white hot center” that will attract others by the thousands.

(10) Just Begin!

Start where you are, and begin today to create success in your life. Drop the excuses, reasons or people to blame, dis-empowering attitudes and behaviors and get on with the business of living the life you know you were born to live. Do what you know you want to do, and do it with passion. Begin today to create the tomorrow you want. As Peter Drucker said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it”

About The Author

This piece was originally submitted by Bea Fields and Kimberly George, Business Coaches, who can be reached at bea@coachville.com and kim@coachville.com, or visited on the web at www.CoachVille.com, www.FiveStarLeader.com or www.RebelBusiness.com.

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Online DVD rental is very popular right now for many reasons. Convenience, choice, and cost are only a few of those reasons. Some people still haven’t gotten in on it yet for one reason or another, but it is probably due to plain old common misconceptions.

One misconception that people have about online DVD rental is that it is way too complicated. Online DVD rental isn’t complicated. All you have to know how to do is use your mailbox and navigate a mouse. All you really need to do is pick your company. Compare costs and how many you are allowed to rent at once. Also compare available insurance and costs on the rentals.

After you pick a company, you join. Usually you pay per month or per year. This is usually much cheaper than renting if you rent on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter how many you rent because the cost doesn’t go up. Of course, if you only rent one or two a year, it might not be cost efficient unless you are ever late returning those movies. Late fees are usually as much or more as renting the movie was. This is probably the best thing about online DVD rental - there are absolutely no late fees with most of your companies.

When you join a rental club, you make your movie selections ahead of time. The first selections on your list are sent to you first. If you want to keep that movie for a while and watch it over and over again, that is okay. It is never deemed to be late with most of online DVD rental providers. You send your first selections back whenever you decide to. After the company gets those selections back, they send the next selections on your list to you.

For those people who don’t like getting online very often, this selection procedure can be a real plus. You can make your selections way in advance and only get back online after you have gotten through your entire selection list. But you can still get online and change your list before they are sent to you if you change your mind. Just make sure that you give them a day or two of notice so they are sure to have your selections on hand.

Online DVD rental is a better choice as far as selection goes. Online companies usually have a much greater selection of movies than your local movie rental stores do. Also, they are less likely to have all of their new releases checked out when you want them. All in all, online is a pretty good way to go.

For more information about Online DVD rental visit www.onlinedvd-rental.info to get your DVD rental questions answered.

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Are you giving and receiving a special Valentine this year? Is there someone wonderful in your life who brings thoughts of love on this holiday of hearts and flowers?

Some of the love quotes listed below remind me that we are never too old to hope for a romance, find our true love, or–wish for a Valentine.

Here are some words of love that strike a chord in the heart. They create a need to pause for reflection, because when you read them or hear them, your thoughts fly immediately to the one you love or the one you would like to find to love:

Love those who love you. Voltaire

Do you have people in your life who hurt your feelings, never appreciate all you do for them, and take your time and energy when they feel like it? Maybe it is time to set some boundaries with them. Let them know what is and is not okay with you and then take some giant steps back. When you remove yourself from their presence, you have just made a space for people who are capable of returning the love you give. When you spend less time with those who take advantage, and when you make more room for those people who love you, you have just made it possible for true love to find you.

The road to a friend’s house is never long. Danish proverb

The love of your life should share two important qualities with you to forge a lasting relationship: chemistry and friendship. A friend is someone who never judges, listens with their heart, and forgives your errors along the way. A friend is someone who always invites you in with a warm hug when you knock on their door. Make sure your lover is a good friend.

The heart that loves is always young. Greek proverb

Deep abiding love transcends time, age, future and past. When it comes to love, there is no time.
Further, whatever age you were when you met your love, that is the age they will always see you as. No matter how old you are, as long as you are in love, you feel young.

Where there is great love, there are always miracles. Willa Cather

Loving and growing with someone is a miracle. If you are with your soul mate, the example of love that you model for others is like a beacon of light, which causes many more miracles.

Whether you have a love interest or not on this Valentine’s Day, the above quotes give you some words to live by. They set a standard for what you can have and what you can look for in the relationship that waits for you.

Visit http://www.tonjaweimer.com for more tips, skills, and insight on dating, relationships, singles, and love. Subscribe to our F*r*e*e Savvy Dating Newsletter from master single’s coach, life coach, and syndicated columnist, Tonja Weimer. Copyright 2006, Tonja Weimer. (Please note source if reprinting this article.)

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Compact discs are amongst the most popular forms of storage available for computer users. Whether we buy new CDs or burn back up discs, the storage case in which the CD is stored is as essential as the quality of the CD itself. They usually take the form of jewel cases, or a brittle plastic that can break easily when too much pressure is applied; this way, the case and not the CD is what breaks.

CD cases are required to protect the data on the CD. If a CD is dropped, it may get scratched, crack or even break. Keeping the CDs in a case, however, will protect them from scratches and damage. There are many materials used to make CD cases. They may be classified as soft or hard cases. Soft CD cases are pouched designs in leather of plastic. Hard cases are made of molded plastic and offer more protection from impact. The most popular types of CD cases are CD jewel cases, CD plastic cases, CD visors, CD wallets, CD bubble mailers, DVD cases, and DVD folders.

Hard CD cases are known as jewel cases and are similar to audio CD cases. There are also folder-like CD cases that can store a very large number of compact discs. Also available are paper CD cases, which are paper thin, but offer protection from scratches and other surface damage.

It is recommended that one evaluates the specific needs and features required and compare with those available in each type of CD case, before purchasing one.

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Before you can get your fantasy world to come alive in your readers mind you have to first get it to come alive in your own mind. It has to be tangible and real. And you have to see it before you can expect your reader to see it. So how do you do this? I have three suggested methods for bringing your vision of a world to life.

Draw maps of your world

If you read a lot of epic fantasy chances are you have looked at the maps that come with many of these books. They are a wonderful addition to the writing. They bring a visual reality to the world contained in the novel and they are not an afterthought to the novel. They are a valuable part of the novel reading experience.

Maps are not just for the reader though. They can serve a very useful function to you as a writer. Chances are good that your main character or main characters have to travel around the world you have created. Where are the rivers? How far apart are the cities and towns? What are the main features of the landscape? Are there mountains? How long would it take your character to walk from one place in the world to another place in the world. A good map can help you answer all these questions.

Too often maps are almost an afterthought. The story is written and then the map is drawn to fit the story. You should turn this approach on it’s head and draw the maps early in the writing process.

A map or even a series of maps can ground your story in a sense of reality. It can also spur new ideas in the story. The visual layout of a map can bring out new ideas. Does the map feel like it is missing something. Does it feel natural for a lake to be at the base of a mountain? Draw it in and see if it brings a new chapter to your story. Are there two rivers that meet? What should be at this meeting point? Is there a city? Maybe there is a dark forest. Maybe these new terrain features will play a role in your story.

Maps are something that a reader often refers to. A map is a bonus in a novel and whenever there is a map in a novel that I am reading the map pages are deeply dog-eared. It brings a different part of the readers brain into the story. Don’t neglect maps and don’t save them as an afterthought. Use them to their fullest potential. Even if you don’t have much skill with drawing, your map may be good enough to actually use in the final print version. It is the roughest maps that look like they are hand-drawn that are the best accompaniment to a fantasy story.

Make 3d scenes and dioramas for your world

I am a diorama maker. I love creating little scenes with wizards, barbarians and all sorts of evil creatures. When I wrote my first novel I took on the ambitious project of creating a tabletop diorama for one particular area of the world I had created. It was a project that covered a custom built table that was seven feet long and four feet wide and it took a lot of time to build but the reward for this project was also big. Having an actual layout of a scene in the novel allowed me to breathe life into the novel. I could now see the terrain and the characters as they moved over it. I could envision the weather and the plant life. It made it much easier for me to draws pictures in my reader’s minds. You don’t have to do a project as ambitious as the one I did, you could just do a small scene but this type of world building in a visual sense will add a sense of depth to your writing.

Create a video game that you can walk around in

This sounds like a lot of work, and a couple of years ago this was not an option for a hobbyist; but today the technology and tools are here that allow you to actually create some pretty amazing worlds in just a few hours. There are plenty of free resources that allow you to make indoor and outdoor worlds without spending a penny. You just need to invest some time. The technology has developed to the point where it is almost plug and play. Let me give you an example. You can sketch out in a world building tool a city. You can make it a certain size, place terrain and buildings in it then add all sorts of pre-made extras. In a weekend you can have a small and complete world that you can actually use a pre made character to walk around in your world.

There are two distinct benefits to putting the effort into doing this. First of all you can build a pseudo realistic rendition of an area of your story and this can help you to visualize it better. And visualizing it better means you will describe it to your reader better. But secondly, and even more importantly, the process of creating this world in a medium other than pencil and paper will take your imagination and creativity to new levels. As you are building your world you will see it in a new way. This will bring you new ideas, ideas that you would have never thought of with just a word processor.

I have worked with several different software suites for creating worlds and one of the new ones is the Kaneva game platform. I haven’t used it yet but it looks very appealing and very user friendly. If you use this platform to make a world you can even invite other people to come and explore it with you. Wouldn’t that be something? You can tell them it is the world that your novel takes place in.

Epic fantasy and fantasy writing is, by its very nature, a creative art form. But too often we as writers in the genre tend to focus too much on either the physical action or the social interaction in the story. You must never forget that your story takes place in a world you created. And this world is the ground to which your whole story is tethered. It must be solid as stone and be clearly envisioned by you. And it must be clearly and vividly expressed to your reader. Building a physical representation of your created world brings it to a new level and helps you convey its sense of reality to your reader.

Will Kalif is the author of two epic fantasy novels and is currently working on his third. You can check out his novels, his blog, and his podcast. or see his fantasy dioramas and get good advice on how to make your own video game worlds at his website:
http://www.stormthecastle.com creativity with attitude

You can also check out his site devoted to epic fantasy at:
http://www.epic-fantasy.com

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Technology has yet to reach its full potential and still, there is a promising future in fighting against crimes with the use of printers alone. With the unlimited possibility of the capabilities of every technology available on earth, laser printers are not logging behind. The future promises that laser printers can fight crimes. And it is a big possibility with the on going research in Purdue University.

This is a very big development on the part printing industry and also the safety of every one. Imagine, in the future, you will be able to print a driver’s license at home? It will reduce immensely the waited time of fall in line and wait all day at DVM. But the safety and the validity of each document is questionable. How did the research resolve this?

With the on going research, I am impressed to know that every printing has the capacity to give identification. Although it may not be obvious, as was said, laser printers leave specific markings on each document they print. Bonding is this process. The article also states that Purdue’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering has pioneered a tracking system that uses banding to trace a document back to the printer from which it originated.

I look forward to this development and acclaim the people behind the research who will make this thing possible. I am also dreaming of having a faster acquisition of my documents but still I would not want to compromise my safety in exchange of it.

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Work for many people is changing, and you have to admit that
it’s like a silent revolution occurring for many of us who do
our job on computers and the Internet. It’s not just a trend;
more and more people are working freelance or simply getting
things done at the home office. The Internet has given us the
power to do our work in our own space, still connected to others
of importance, all while saving much time and many resources
that were still necessary a decade ago.

I’m a creative writer working for an Internet company. I can
write my articles and stories on my laptop computer no matter
where I am, then send them as files via my email or messenger
service. My parents are both academics working at universities
in the local area. The funny thing is, and the incredible power
of freedom that they’ve unwittingly (or not?) achieved, is that
they hardly ever go into their offices at the schools. They get
everything done in the comfortable space of their home.

This has so many positive repercussions when looking at the
changing paradigm of the modern-day workforce. First of all, it
is empowering many people in that they can do their work by
their own volition. No one is standing next to them in the
office spouting off small-talk about the weekend or telling them
what they should be doing, so they can get on with the job at
hand with limited distraction. My parents are both workaholics
so it also means they can just get up and work whenever they
feel like it; there isn’t any restriction brought about by the
old issue of transport. This has huge implications. How much
time is wasted in a day commuting to and from your place of
employment? Consider the amount of fossil fuels that are saved,
and consequently the environmental benefits of not having to
travel everyday. The amount of time available to do actual work
increases massively as I’m sure you know some people who spend
whole hours travelling to and from their jobs.

Some would argue that one could feel isolated if they worked at
home alone. The truth is however, you are more connected than
ever. My father has three-way work conferences on webcams using
voice-over IP. You can see and hear your colleagues, as well as
having the option of writing messages to them in both email and
messenger services. Sharing information is easy as you can send
files and links to websites with a click of a button.

As I said before, the issue of time is greatly affected by no
longer having to travel. It goes further than this. Fifty years
ago our grandparents had to clock-in at the beginning and end of
the day. Not anymore. Say you have to work a standard 8 hour
day. It’s up to you how you construct your schedule. This means
that you can go to the gym in the morning, and pick up the kids
after school without any questions being asked. You get to work
out your routine so that the proper amount of time for work gets
completed, but within your preferred time periods. The result of
this newfound freedom is happiness, and we all know a happy
worker is a productive and creative worker.

Freelance work from home is now becoming a more prominent type
of job structure in our society. You can be your own boss. This
was unheard of a century ago for anyone but the millionaires.
The hierarchy of the age-old company dissolves for you as you
specialise in an area of expertise which companies and
individuals require to achieve their success. Working from home
means you can save a lot of capital that used to be deemed
necessary when running a business. I’m talking about rental fees
for office space, not to mention office equipment.

The Internet is taking the idea of workplace to a new level. If
you’re on the road, in a foreign country, or at the park, you
can still get things done. Laptops have long-lasting batteries,
and new wireless broadband Internet services connect you to the
World Wide Web whenever you are in the proximity of a ‘hotspot’.
It would have been astonishing to be able to do work at the
beach and have the means to send it to your employer or
customer. Oh, how the working life is changing! This means life
in general is evolving as work is such an important element for
human survival and achievement. Are you tired of your old
dead-end job? Get creative with your thinking and join the new
generation of people who don’t just work to live. Live to work.

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Like our farm, Highland Hill Farm, Dublin Pa. is located in an
eara with lots of clay. We therefore like plants that grow well
in clay. Arborvitae, in particular the Green Giant is our
favorite. Here is why. The hardiness zone for the Green Giant
Arborvitae is from zones 5 to 8. Its evergreen with rapid growth
rates that in ideal conditions can be up to 3 feet per year.
Site requirements for the green giant is sun to partial shade,
moist well drained soil but does well in clay, and needs
protection from wind . Its texture is fine with its form conical
being narrow to broadly pyramidal, reaching from 50 to 80′ in
height to 15 to 20 feet in width. The leaf is rich green
graceful foliage. It keeps its foliage color in the winter. The
Green Giants flowers/fruit are .5″ erect female cones. The Green
Giant has strong wood, casts dense shade, and has cinnamon red
bark when young. Arborvitae do not tolerate salt spray. These
arborvitae should outlive even your children.

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