Recipes from Famous Restaurants: Why Bother?

For a long time I did not understand the lengths that some people would go to to obtain recipes from famous restaurants. I've always received compliments on my cooking, and I found it more a source of pride to hear the oohs and ahhs that my own creations could inspire than to know my guests were simply excited over my ability to mechanically duplicate someone else's recipe.

Then I found out that sometimes, a restaurant gets a dish just perfect, and there's no way to improve on it. When that happens you might as well just swipe it.

This was brought home to me when I discovered that I had become utterly addicted to a particular signature dish at a particular widely known chain restaurant. Try as I might, I simply was unable to make the same dish at home and have it turn out as scrumptious as the restaurant could do it.

Finally I found a source for the exact recipe used by that restaurant. I followed it to the letter and was delighted (as were the members of my family) to discover that it was indeed as good as what I previously had to go out to enjoy.

Apart from surprising yourself and others with your ability to duplicate a restaurant's most famous dishes, such copycatting can save money. If you're used to dining out, say, three nights a week, and part of the reason is because you really like the food at a particular establishment, then try staying home one of those nights and duplicating that food in your own kitchen.

Cloning a famous restaurant dish can be just as satisfying as whipping up something completely original. Try it sometime.

Sarah Sandori is the food and entertaining columnist for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Have you ever wanted to be able to exactly duplicate a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant? Check out Sarah's article where she reveals her source for the most mouth-watering secret restaurant recipes in America: http://www.solid-gold.info/most-wanted-recipes.html

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Two Reasons Why Safelists Have Become Absolutely Useless for Advertising

------------------------------------- Two Reasons Why Safelists Have Become Absolutely Useless for Advertising. -------------------------------------

When the safelist concept was born, it was touted as the answer to every advertisers dream. Every member became an opt-in subscriber. There was no way anyone could be accused of spam.

At last, here was a system that was designed to guarantee advertisements delivered to all the members.

This caused a mass exodus from other programs like the FFA Free For All pages.

At first there was only a handful of programs to choose from. But when the safelist script writers realized the potential of this new advertising market, it caused an explosion, sprouting hundreds of safelists.

The MAIN reason that made safelists ineffective is the deluge of mail it created.

As in the case of FFA programs, having a junk mail throw-away address to store millions of emails, became a major priority. It was openly advocated by the list owners.

The enormous flood of mail created was accelerated by the arrival of automatic submission software. This in turn created another industry of large email storage providers. Some of them even offer automatic deletion.

If everyone is selling, where are the all the buyers?!

Let's be perfectly frank - safelist subscribers are all sellers - well at least 99% of them are. It's a big joke the way everyone is shoving their ads into each others face, trying to make a sale.

Who then is buying from a safelist?

Newbies. Anyone who has not been online long enough to know the ropes, are the only ones who even see the safelist ads. Professionals dump them. They never see the ads.

Safelist members are mostly free riders. If they don't spend on memberships the chances of them being buying anything online is remote.

This leads to the second most important reason why safelists have become extremely useless for advertising.

It is because many have become an excuse for running an MLM type of business.

What do you mean?! How?!

If this sounds controversial, then check out the facts. Owners of safelists entice paid memberships with instant commission and residual rewards when introducing new members.

Many paid members are even privileged with not having to receive ANY mail from other members.

So - the question is - who is responding to the advertisements?

The purpose of this article is not to question the business structure of a safelist, but to show why safelists are no longer the ideal way to advertise.

The less experienced marketer in particular, should take note about the tools that are available and the level of effectiveness to be expected.

To determine with any degree of accuracy if your ads are noticed, it is absolutely essential that you track your ads.The conclusions revealed here was thoroughly tested using an adtracking program.

It is important to understand that online advertising is only effective if it generates significant response.

If you have a lot of time on your hands and enjoy using a computer to waste that time, then you can play a game at posting to safelists. Otherwise you should seriously consider doing something far more rewarding.

Ezine advertising is still by far one of the most effective ways to reach your target market. Free ads and bottom sponsor ads are not very good, while middle sponsor and top sponsor ads are better. The best of all are of course solo ads.

Pay Per Click search engine advertising is probably one of the most direct ways of getting target customers to your site. This is when the customer is in fact using a search engine to find your advert. This is the highest quality of advertising available to the average online entrepreneur.

------------
Peter van Emmenis publishes his own free and friendly newsletter at http://www.ezebizz.com

He shares his experience with other online marketers and writes articles to help and educate his readers to profit from his own experience. Contact him anytime for a personal reply at: a href=mailto:hipeter@midweekdigest.com AOL access /a

Ultimate Checklist Reviving A Dead Computerotis cooper

Ultimate Checklist On How To Revive A Dead Computer

Its not something we like to think about but your computer will fail, if you keep it long enough.It may be a simple problem,such as the floppy drive not reading the disk to a major system crash.

Because computers are run by operators,User Error is the most common cause of computer malfunction.When the user is at the computer,he or she may add or delete certain files.Or he/she may remove or exchange certain hardware features.

When we look at user error,we must remember that since we're human,the user error may be easy to solve by simply asking the last user if he/she installed any software,re-configured any software or hardware settings,etc.

A large percentage of computer malfunctions are due to environmental factors such as power surges caused by lightning, resulting in overvoltage.

Another cause for failure may be room temperature being too high or low,as well as dust,dirt,or sunlight.If you're in business and heavily dependent on your computers,such fators as room temperature,sunlight and protection against power surges is of the utmost importance and simply cannot be overlooked.

The most common pc problem is when you can't access your PC at all.When you turn on the power switch,NOTHING HAPPENS. Here is a quick checklist of troublshooting procedures you should follow if you encounter this problem .We also have videos you can download from the Internet should you need assistance in just how to perform these procedures:

Try the Power Switch a second or third time.If nothing happens..

Check the wall outlet for power.If the outlet has power.

Check the power cord itself from wall to computer. http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com/files/outlet.mpg

Check the Power Supply inside the System Unit. http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com/files/powt.mpg

Replace the Power Supply rather than trying to repair it. http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com/files/inspower.mpg

If the system make those click noises,but the screen is blank, check the Monitor.
http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com/files/mont.mpg

If the monitor proves to be good,check the Video Card,even in a new system.
http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com/files/vid4.mpg

Another big headache you will most likely encounter if you're a regular user of your computer system,is the fact that Windows will fail to load or the system's POST will fail to run.Download the file below to learn much more about the Power On Self Test.Don't forget those preventive maintenance procedures that can be done often to keep your PC running at peek performance.

Running such Windows ultilities as Scandisk,Disk Defragment,and Disk Cleanup will help your computer performing at its best.Using a can of compressed air removes dust that could build to the point of causing a short.

If you get the computer to boot but it does not want to read from the hard drive'the Master Boot Record on the hard drive may be corrupted or even missing.To verify that the master boot record has not been damaged...

Boot from the floppy disk that contains the FDISK program and type the command fdisk mbr to restore the master boot record onto your hard drive.

Otis F. Cooper is solely dedicated to boosting the knowledge and confidence of every computer user that is serious about knowing computers.Use his informative articles and videos to understand every aspect about the PC. Read more about his formula for pc training at http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com

UNDENIABLE CHANGEEd Hirsch

Do you desire to have what others have?

Some people do not realize how well they are provided for
now in the present, and how MUCH opportunity is right
there in their midst.

Wanting what somebody else has is insignificant relative
to striving toward your purpose for Being.

I was in casual conversation last weekend discussing how
much we observed others complaining in general. When
my friend shared her frustration about the other's
negativity, my personal opinion was that I have a problem
with ALL people who simply take more than they give. In my
mind, I created an understanding of a most fundamental
challenge we each experience with the regular rising of the
sun.

Complaining about ANYTHING, only wastes time and diverts
precious energy away from investment of resource to what
matters most, depending on how you set your Life plan.

Hey YOU!, What is Your Life Plan?

Don't have one?

Why NOT!?

If you Don't, make one.

If you need help, ton's of support is available for free
online. Having a Life plan will provide a Reason to Be, to
focus your positive energy on ... to not waste, to make
good on why you even exist here and now.

Seek out and locate examples of how it should be for you.
Cut out clippings of exciting color pictures from books and
magazines which paint your world-to-be. When you do this,
something happens ... you change your thoughts and how
you process them in your mind. In short, organized
planning begins to start being put together and a foundation
is formed to build and to support this new and improved
destiny.

If you ever are tempted to go in a direction with your life
you should not be going in, fall back on the Plan. Failing
to Plan is the same as Planning to Fail ... it is that
simple. With the overload of negativity in the world, only
the Intentional changes you make will ever amount
to anything.

Who will protect and defend your Dream more than you?
Who knows how to create the world you live in more than
you? If you put this responsibility on another person
beside yourself, don't be surprised if it doesn't turn out
well and you find yourself not where you thought you
would be.

Be different and don't live in denial like so many do.

Undeniably change.

********************************************************************
Contributed by Ed Hirsch
#1 REASON stopping your business growth ...
WASTED resources on those who QUIT!
Eliminate the ZERO'S on your Genie report 650-872-1024
A Networkers RETENTION Dream Come True
mailto:fourthwave@earthlink.net?SUBJECT=dream1

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A Guide for Choosing Perfect Valentine's Day Flower

Valentines Day is globally accepted as the special day for expressing love towards the special people. It has become hugely popular among all the sections of the society. And people of all ages are joining in on the days celebrations with enthusiasm.

To make the occasion more special, it is a very novel idea to exchange gifts. Even though it can be indeed a tough task to come up with varied gift ideas, flowers for ages have played the role of a perfect gift. Flowers represent eternal beauty and thus can be an apt expression for love.

How to make the choice

Valentines day gift should be as special as the day itself. The choice of the Valentines Day gift should be done rationally. The flowers perfectly suit the occasion and the atmosphere to the tee. It is very necessary to keep few things in mind while making the choice of the flower. The primary thing to look out for is the nature of the flowers. The receiver must like the flowers selected.

Keeping in mind the nature of the occasion, the flower chosen should be very vibrant in color. If the flower imparts good fragrance then it will add to the essence of the occasion. Flowers are often considered as feminine so it can be the perfect Valentines for wife.

There are few popular choices among the flowers. And to make the valentines gift presentation even more special, present the flowers with candy or another special gift. Popular flowers to give in February for this event are:


Roses

Carnations

Tulips

Daffodils

Hyacinths

Tuberoses

Freesias

To choose, consider what the recipient likes; favorite colors and scents (some are stronger than others), size (will they go in a small area or a large empty dining room). Ask the florist for help.

Presentation of flowers

The next thing to consider when choosing flowers is the packaging and presentation. The packaging and presentation of the flowers should be as such that they make the right impact on the receiver. And there are several experts available in the market that assists in designing a bouquet of flower.

Foremost to consider is the container of the flowers. Several options like baskets and pots are available in the market as the container for the flowers. Flowers can even be presented simply by tying the stems. And there are many decorative items that can be put in the bouquet of flowers.

A good caption or a nice card can be attached to the bouquet of flowers. Flowers can be the perfect gift for valentine. It is the messenger of love and prosperity.




By Natalie Aranda

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Chinese Tattoo Designs A Warning

 



Chinese Tattoo Designs - A WarningSubmitted By: Gustavo Gomez  

I n recent years Chinese tattoos have become extremely popular. The authentic characters are fully of history and mystery, especially if you come from a non-Chinese culture. And it's easy to appreciate the beauty and artistry of Chinese calligraphy whether or not you understand the subtle meanings that it conveys.

But it's so easy to let all that excitement blind you to the dangers of getting an impulsive Chinese tattoo, as these two stories illustrate;

Chinese Tattoo Mistake 1

In 2002 a newspaper reported that 18 year old hairdresser Lee Becks paid ?90 to get a Chinese characters tattooed onto his upper arm. He was really pleased with his new tattoo and thought that the mandarin letters meant Love, honour and obey.

But when he visited his local Chinese take-away a young Chinese woman reluctantly told him that his new design really meant At the end of day, this is an ugly boy.

So the next day he went back to the tattoo studio, only to discover that the artist had shut up shop and was nowhere to be found. To make matters worse, when he uncovered the design at a nightclub, it attracted a group of Chinese girls who thought it was a great joke. After that, he made sure that his new Chinese tattoo was kept covered until he could afford the ?600 for laser removal treatment.

Chinese Tattoo Mistake 2

In 2004, Joanne Raine, a 19 year old from Darlington spent ?80 getting her boyfriend's nickname Roo tattooed on her stomach. She was delighted with the design, which was a symbol of her commitment and undying love.

Then her problems began with a visit to her local Chinese take-away. When she revealed her new tattoo, an embarrassed member of staff told her that the design meant Supermarket. She subsequently split up with her boyfriend and can't afford to have the design removed.

So to make sure that you avoid a real horror show under your skin, take great care when planning your new Chinese tattoo.

The most important thing is to consult a native speaker. Make sure that they actually grew up in the country and are fluent in the language. Third or fourth generation Chinese Americans or Chinese Europeans won't have such a thorough understanding of the language. And just to make sure, get a second and third opinion if possible. Somebody else may be able to suggest a better option.

Once you find someone you trust, avoid the temptation to show them a design that you like and ask them what it means. They may agree with you just to make things easy, when it would be better to use different characters.

Make sure that you explain to them the underlying meaning or message that you want the design to convey. Someone who understands the language may be able to suggest another design that is more appropriate. In many cases there may be an idiom which is more suitable than a direct translation.

The Chinese language is packed full of great sounding four character idioms which can't be directly translated into English but are able to convey almost any concept or idea. However, if you go for this option, it's even more impressive if you can learn the translation, transliteration and pronunciation in Chinese. After all, nearly every non-Chinese person that you meet will ask what it means.

If you want to have your name translated into a Chinese tattoo, please be aware that different speakers may provide different translations depending upon their local dialect.

Certain western names can't be directly translated into Chinese. So consider adopting a real Chinese name just as many Chinese people adopt Westernized names. Get a Chinese person that you know to suggest a few names and choose the one that you like best. Just make sure that you cross check what it means with other Chinese speakers.

Once you've decided upon the characters that you want, get a native speaker who is good at calligraphy to write out your design. Get them to make a few sketches of the design which you can take to your tattoo artist.

Make sure that your artist understands the Chinese language and has experience of turning Chinese calligraphy into tattoos. Finally, discuss the type of font that you want your artist to use. As with all languages some fonts are better than others. Do you want modern handwriting or the elegance of classic Chinese calligraphy brush strokes?

Take your time, find the right design, get the right people to help and your Chinese tattoo will be a source of pride for the rest of your life.

About the Author:

For more information about selecting chinese tattoo designs visit Gustavo Gomez's site at SuperTattooDesigns.com

Article Tags: chinese, design, tattoo

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Tattoo Books Help You Make An Informed Decision

Tattoo books are a very helpful and informative source of ideas. With the help of tattoo books you will be able to decide what may be the right tattoo for you personally. There are literally hundreds of tattoos available on the market so finding a good one will not be a problem. When you go into a licensed parlor you will often find that they have tattoo books available for you to take a look at with many different tattoo designs. Everything from Chinese symbols and more risqu? designs, to traditional tattoos can be found in tattoo books. Some of these books will also show depictions of these tattoos on an individual so that you can see what they would look like on someone else.

Some people opt for very extravagant tattoos, whereas others go for more simple aesthetic designs. Regardless, a tattoo book will help you in your search and you will find designs jump out at you from the page giving you new ideas for what tattoo design you finally decide upon, or it may even give you inspiration to modify a design, make it unique and call it your own.

If you find a tattoo design you like in a tattoo book, then the best thing you can do is consult your recommended tattoo artist at the parlor and let him/her view it so they can give you advice on whether the design is possible and the right one for you. They may even have some other ideas for you to consider before you take the plunge.

Above all, you want that vision of design transferred from a lifeless piece of paper onto you in the most perfect way possible as you will have to live with it for a long time. Make sure everything about the design and artist you choose is spot on before you commit to having it done.

About the Author

Article by Richard Davies at Tattoo And Piercing. A dedicated resource for everything you need to know about getting tattoos and piercings, including more information on Tattoo Books , Tattoo Design, Temporary Tattoos, Henna Design and more.

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Why do I need the custom designs for a Chinese tattoo

Chinese symbol tattoos are very popular today because they are really beautiful. And because most of us in the Western Hemisphere cannot read Chinese symbol, Chinese symbol tattoos become an “exotic” form of expression.So how to get perfect Chinese symbol tattoos you truly deserve?Unlike most other tattoos which you can pick up and get inked from tattoo parlors, Chinese symbol tattoos need to be carefully prepared before tattooing.First, you need to use custom Chinese symbol translation service to translate whatever you want to express. And resist the urge to pull over the Chinese waiter and ask him to write out the Chinese symbol for you. He may not know exactly what meaning you really want and may unintentionally give you the wrong symbol.Second, the Symbols need to be custom designed to make it worth inking. Without Custom designed Chinese symbol Tattoos, there are many ways to screw it up. The typical Chinese symbol Tattoo mistakes include missing strokes, being inked back forward and defaced Chinese symbol Tattoos. The last two mistakes can not be undone. The laser removal is the only way to remove the bad Chinese symbol tattoos.Chinese character symbols are complex and can easily be mean something other than intended. Get the wrong one… and your new tattoo can be a permanent source of embarrassment to you! So do not make the same Chinese symbol tattoo mistakes many other people have been made. Use the custom Chinese symbol translation and design service to get the Chinese symbol tattoos you truly deserve.

So what is Custom designed Chinese symbol Tattoos?Custom designed Chinese symbol Tattoos is writing the Chinese symbols in calligraphy. Chinese calligraphy has hundreds of year’s history; Calligraphy is one of the highest forms of Chinese art. Chinese calligraphy shows the 'abstract' beauty of the line. The Rhythm, line, and structure are more perfectly embodied in calligraphy than in painting or sculpture. Writing Chinese symbol without calligraphy could be bored and humdrum. Whereas Writing Chinese symbol in calligraphy can create stunning visual effects. Moreover, Custom designed Chinese symbol Tattoos also include stencil outline. So what is a matching stencil? Most people don't realize that every tattoo design has a matching stencil. To apply tattoos on the skin, the tattoo artist needs both a good clear reference of the actual design, and well drawn stencils (line drawings) as the "blueprint" for the actual tattoo. When you get tattooed, your tattoo artist will use stencil outlines to trace the artwork onto your body. Stencil outlines are vital for inking Chinese symbol tattoos as it can prevent tattooists from making mistakes while inking.Having your body inked can be a very rewarding experience which can last for the rest of your life. Many people who have Chinese symbol tattoos feel that they are very much symbolic representations of their inner feelings and personality. That is the power of choosing a Chinese symbol tattoo that represents your true self, so it is of the up most importance to take your time and select custom designed Chinese symbol Tattoos that speaks to you on a symbolic level."Below Are Just A Few of the Benefits You Could Be Experiencing When You wear custom designed Chinese symbol Tattoos" Increase Your Self-Confidence... Knowing Your Tattoo Looks Awesome! Become The Center Of Attention When Out In Public! Make you different and stand out from the crowd People Will Come Up To You And Comment On How Cool Your Chinese symbol Tattoo Looks! Attract The Opposite Sex Hearing Them Whisper How Sexy You Look! The Chinese symbol Tattoo is a way of your self expression Don’t hurry your Chinese symbol tattoo by going to a tattoo parlor, skimming through the binders and getting inked. You will regret it later. Yes, you can get a tattoo removed, but removing unwanted tattoos is a very expensive, lengthy and painful ordeal! You are wise to research your best possible options before going through with it.My Name is Yingying, I am a Chinese tattoo artist, and have been helping the western people get their Chinese symbol tattoos for three years. I provide free Chinese Tattoo Translation service. By Yingying Lin

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Everything You Need To Know About Chinese Symbol Tattoos

Chinese symbol tattoos are very popular today because they are really beautiful. And because most of us in the Western people cannot read Chinese symbol, Chinese symbol tattoos become an exotic form of expression.My Name is Yingying and I am a Chinese Tattoo Artist. I have been providing custom Chinese tattoo translation and design service during the past three years. Western people sometimes ask me some questions when they are planning to get Chinese symbols tattoos.I have listed some of the most FAQs as below. you may find the answers are very useful information if you are planning to get one soon.Can anything be translated and written in Chinese symbols? Yes, anything can be translated and written in Chinese symbols. Chinese has more than 4000 years history. The most ancient Chinese symbols called oracle were written on animal bones. Chinese is a fully developed writing system with over 70,000 symbols (characters), capable of recording all nuances of contemporary language.What are the differences between kanji and Chinese symbols? Kanji is the term for Chinese symbols that are used in the Japanese language. Kanji in Japanese are typically characters from the Chinese language that have been adapted to mean Japanese words. The meanings in Chinese and Japanese can be the same but pronounced differently, or they may have entirely different meanings.

Why do I need the custom designs for a Chinese tattoo? Your tattooist needs the design as a clear reference while inking. If you get free translation from web or somewhere else, it is usually a small and blur image which can not be used for inking purpose. If the tattooist does use it for inking, then your Chinese tattoo is worse than do not have one at all. (You may find some vivid samples of both bad and good Chinese tattoos on my website). Comparing the free crap, the custom tattoo design is large clear image come with stencil outline which your tattooist will use it to ink a high quality Chinese symbol tattoo on your body.Can one English word be translated into either one symbol or two symbols? The answer is it depends on the English word to be translated. Some English words can be translated into either one symbol or two symbols. For example, beauty can be translated into either one or two symbols, and the meaning is the same. Whereas, some words must be translated into two symbols, hope is an example, there is no single Chinese symbol which can be express the meaning of hope. Having your body inked can be a very rewarding experience which can last for the rest of your life. Many people who have Chinese symbol tattoos feel that they are very much symbolic representations of their inner feelings and personality. That is the power of choosing a Chinese symbol tattoo that represents your true self, so it is of the up most importance to select the Chinese Symbols perfect match the meanings you want to express through your tattoos. By Yingying Lin

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