The best places you’ve never heard of (and, frankly, neither had we). Go now, before the rest of the world catches up.

www.budgettravel.com

LA county residents will be asked to cast their yes or no vote on Proposition S on February 5. Read the lastest effort of politicians to tax the internet, DSL, wireless services, text messaging, instant messaging, VoIP, PCS and other similar services.

http://web.mac.com/waltermoore/NoOnPropS/Home.html

Do you drink diet soda by the gallon, but worry about possible long-term health effects? Well, worry no more because the new Diet Coke Plus will ease your mind.Billed as a "Health and ellness brand", it has 15 percent of the B vitmains you need daily and 10 percent of the zinc and magnesium. A Pepsi product called Tava, debuting this fall, will also have small amounts of B and E vitamins, plus chromium. The drinks are the latest in the fortified-food trend. (Orange juice, milk, bread, cereal, even bottled water — all "infused" with vitamins and minerals came first). Nutrition experts caution that these drinks aren’t true "health foods". While Diet Coke Plus has no sugar, fat or calories, it does contain caffeine. (The artificial sweeteners in sodas have no health risks, the latest research shows). Still, if you occasionally forget to take your daily multivitamin, a bottle or can of any vitamin-infused drink might help you out.

cabal • \kuh-BAHL\ • noun

1 : the artifices and intrigues of a group of persons secretly united in a plot (as to overturn a government); also : a group engaged in such artifices and intrigues

2 : club, group

Example Sentence:
The journalist uncovered evidence that a cabal of power brokers was plotting to overthrow the government.

Did you know?
In A Child’s History of England, Charles Dickens associates the word "cabal" with a group of five ministers in the government of England’s King Charles II. The initial letters of the names or titles of those men (Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale) spelled "cabal," and Dickens dubbed them the "Cabal Ministry." These five men were widely regarded as invidious, secretive plotters and their activities may have encouraged English speakers to associate "cabal" with high-level government intrigue. But their names are not the source of the word "cabal," which was in use decades before Charles II ascended the throne. The term can be traced back through French to "cabbala," the Medieval Latin name for the Kabbalah, a traditional system of esoteric Jewish mysticism.

(contiuned from last week)

11. FAQ’s. FAQ’s are content – content that your target audience wants to know. As you get questions from your readers, add additional Q&A’s to your FAQ’s to keep them current.

12. How-to guides. People love “how to” guides. If you sell online plumbing parts, why not have a “how to” guide on installing a new toilet? Make it easy on your customers, and they’ll come back to you again and again. Create a series of “how to” guides. Be The Toilet Guy on the Net. May not sound too glamorous, but if you’re highly visible on the Net and are converting traffic to sales, you can afford to be glamorous OFF the Net!

13. Content that solves a problem. Why do people visit the Web? To look for information or to comparison shop. If you can solve problems for your visitors, you’re giving them just what they’re looking for online. For example, let’s say that you sell Oriental rugs. Your potential customer might be looking for decorating ideas for her office. Her office is very small, and she’s trying to think of a way to add color. Most of the wall space is taken up with windows and metal bookcases. You’ve created a series of content that shows pictures of problems/solutions that your oriental rugs have solved, including one with an Oriental runner. Not only does the content have pictures, it also has text describing each problem and the corresponding solution. Your potential customer found your page in the search engine results.

14. Historical data. Let’s say that you sell steel pipes. What’s the history of steel pipes? Creating a page outlining its history is quite appropriate. In fact, taking it a step further, creating pages that compare steel to copper and other types of piping; what causes rust; how strong is steel; how valuable steel piping really is (how steel piping is used in almost every building, etc.); how long will steel last; and on and on and on will create a whole section of extremely valuable content to a Web site. Here’s the catch. Is this valuable to the target audience of the steel pipe company? Think of one target audience: vocational education classes all over the US. This would be a great resource for them. If they linked to this site, all of them being .edu’s, wouldn’t this be a great link popularity builder for the site? Think about that for a minute. We’re talking about quality content and quality link building. Another example of historical data would be a hotel on St. Simons Island. The hotel could certainly provide historical data about the island on its Web site as well as tour information, etc. How could a site that sells mustang parts use this strategy? A site that sells wedding dresses?

15. Interviews – the easiest way of building content yet! Interview an expert in your industry. Send the expert a list of questions and let the expert answer in his/her own words. Don’t change any of the expert’s answers, except to correct misspellings or grammatical errors. Always be upfront with the expert, and always maintain the integrity of the article and yourself. Write a series of interview articles, and highlight them on the main page of your site.

16. Seasonal articles. Is your industry “seasonal” in any respect? If so, seasonal articles are always extremely popular.

17. Statistics. Offering stats on your site is also another way of adding content to a Web site. If the stats aren’t your own, always indicate where you’re getting them. Quote the source! How could financial or mortgage sites use this strategy?

18. An advice column. This can be used for a dating site, or it can be used for other sites as well. How could an SEO site use this strategy? How could a decorating site? What about a plastic surgery site?

19. Winners of the month. Let’s say you have a site where you sell cut flowers. Get your Web audience to send in pictures of bouquets and arrangements they’ve made with your flowers. Post the pictures online. Pick a winner of the month, and have that winner’s picture posted on the main page of your site. Give the winner a $25 gift certificate.

20. Using the flower example, create video tutorials for creating flower arrangements. Make sure you sell all of the materials they’ll need to create the flower arrangements they can make if they follow the video tutorials.

21. Again with the flower example, have customers send in an outline of how they created their flower arrangement, the materials they used, as well as the pictures. Link to all of those materials in your online store. Be creative. Can you do something similar with your own Web site in your own industry? What if you had a costume site? An art site? Give it a few twists and use it on a hunting or fishing site.

22. Send out a monthly newsletter offering your own tips, tips from customers, sale items, holiday ideas, the winner of the month, etc. Encourage readers to post their ideas to the blog. Post past newsletters on your site for more content.

23. A biography about someone’s life, if it relates to your industry. You can see how this would work well if you have a Civil War site or a used book store.

24. News events pertaining to your particular industry.

25. Community-related page, if this is a local Web site. For example, you could discuss local restaurants, little league baseball, school openings, etc., on community-related pages or a blog.

• Hitchcock Releases First Film, The Pleasure Garden (1927)
  Alfred Hitchcock was an iconic English-American director and producer and a master of the suspense thriller genre. Hitchcock directed more than 50 feature films during his 60 year career. His pioneering style, which uses suspense and voyeurism to draw the audience members into the film’s action and blur the line between reality and fiction, has made him one of the most popular directors of all time.

Get the details on these distinct boutique properties in the capital of Thailand.

Continue to full article…

Neurologists say that if they can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours they can totally reverse the effects of a stroke…totally. The trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

• S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
• T * Ask the person to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE(Coherently – i.e. It is sunny out today)
• R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

NOTE: Another ‘sign’ of a stroke is this: Ask the person to ‘stick’ out their tongue. If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately!!

Eating a handful of almonds a day is a simple choice that makes a tasty and healthy difference. Low in saturated fat and high in vitamin E, almonds are one snack you can literally take to heart. Research shows that eating an ounce of almonds (about 23) a day in place of foods higher in saturated fat can help you maintain a healthy cholesterol level. Plus, they’re a great source of protein and fiber! One once of almonds provides:

• 35 percent daily value of vitamin E
• 20 percent daily value of magnesium
• 6 grams of protein
• 3 grams of fiber

Almonds — a tasty way to also get calcium, iron and other important nutrients.

imbricate • \IM-brih-kut\ • adjective

: lying lapped over each other in regular order

Example Sentence:
The antique mirror had tiny imbricate gold squares around its edge.

Did you know?
The ancient Romans knew how to keep the interior of their villas dry when it rained. They covered their roofs with overlapping curved tiles so the "imber" (Latin for "pelting rain" or "rain shower") couldn’t seep in. The tiles were, in effect, "rain tiles," so the Romans called them "imbrices" (singular "imbrex"). The verb for installing the tiles was "imbricare," and English speakers used its past participle — "imbricatus" — to create "imbricate," which was first used as adjective meaning "overlapping (like roof tiles)" and later became a verb meaning "to overlap."

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez on Thursday urged the Senate to make permanent the moratorium on taxes for Internet access and electronic commerce.

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• Football Association Formed (1863)
  The Football Association (FA), the governing body of football in England, played a leading role in establishing rules for the modern game. All of England’s professional football clubs must be members of the FA, and the organization holds a special place in the hearts of many soccer historians and fans worldwide. The FA runs several competitions, including the FA Cup, which is the oldest football competition in the world.

The editor of ManhattanUsersGuide.com recommends five great hotels that usually cost under $200 a night.

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The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a four-year extension of a moratorium on state and local taxes on Internet access, despite widespread support in both parties for a permanent ban.

The tax ban, first passed in 1998, is set to expire on Nov. 1. The extension exempts some states that approved taxes prior to the original enactment.

The vote was 405-2.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hCUqSs-yXjCses53YM8D_cIHMQsgD8SAFR700

enmity • \EN-muh-tee\ • noun

: positive, active, and typically mutual hatred or ill will

Example Sentence:
Having to work on the project together only increased the enmity between Ralph and Debra, who had never gotten along.

Did you know?
"Enmity" and its synonyms "hostility," "animosity," and "animus" all indicate deep-seated dislike or ill will. "Enmity" (which derives from an Anglo-French word meaning "enemy") suggests true hatred, either overt or concealed. "Hostility" implies strong, open enmity that shows itself in attacks or aggression. "Animosity" carries the sense of anger, vindictiveness, and sometimes the desire to destroy what one hates. "Animus" is generally less violent than "animosity," but definitely conveys active prejudice or ill will.

Al Gore told there are nine inconvienient truths in his film.
A High Court judge today ruled that An Inconvenient Truth can be distributed to every school in the country but only if it comes with a note explaining nine scientific errors in Al Gore’s Oscar-winning film.

The Government had pledged to send thousands of copies of the film to schools across the country, but a Kent father challenged that policy saying it would “brainwash” children.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2632660.ece

• Taipei 101 Becomes World’s Tallest Building (2003)
  Taipei 101, located in Xinyi District, Taiwan, is the tallest building in the world according to three of the four standards designated by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. On this date, a pinnacle was placed on its rooftop, allowing it to surpass the height of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by 57 m (188 ft).