Fashion Mode

Of all the songs Elton John and Bernie Taupin composed this was their most successful one. But its success was delayed 15-25 years. Originally released on the landmark 1973 album "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" the song received airplay but never made it to Billboard's Top 40 charts. That would have to wait until 1987 when a live version of the original song would become a top 10 hit. But it wasn't until the tragic death of Princess Diana that a revised version would become the highest selling single in musical history.

The first version was a touching tribute to Marilyn Monroe (who could miss the "Goodbye Norma Jean" reference?). Yet the title wasn't inspired by Monroe at all. Bernie Taupin came up with the words "Candle in the Wind" when he read a quote about Janis Joplin. The song didn't chart in the United States although it reached #11 on the British charts.

The next stop for this song was Sydney where in December of 1986 Elton performed "Candle in the Wind" with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. This was released in 1987 on Elton's album "Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra" and as a single. In 1988, it reached No. 5 in the UK charts and No. 6 in the United States.

Death seemed to follow this song. Three years later On April 7, 1990 Elton performed at the Farm Aid 4 benefit concert, dedicating "Candle in the Wind" to Ryan White, an early AIDS victim. White, who was only 18 years old, died the very next night, the victim of a contaminated blood transfusion.

But it wasn't until the heart wrenching death of England's Princess in a car accident on August 31, 1997 in Paris, France that the song would reach monster popularity. Elton was already in a depressed mood having already lost another good friend, the fashion designer Gianni Versace, earlier that summer. In a terrible twist of fate Diana comforted Elton at Versace's funeral (it's pertinent to note that Princess Diana loved the original "Candle in the Wind"). The death of his royal friend shortly afterward sent Elton into a severe depression.

To help him through his shock and grief, Elton decided to contact Taupin and ask him to rewrite the lyrics to their original hit. Taupin complied, saying, "I thought it was very important to project it from a nation's standpoint. I wanted to make it sound like a country singing it. From the first couple of lines I wrote [which began "Goodbye England's Rose"], the rest sort of fell into place". Among the changes made were the opening lines. The original version begins, "Goodbye Norma Jean, though I never knew you at all." Taupin revised it to, "Goodbye England's rose, may you ever grow in our hearts." Although most of the lyrics reflected Princess Diana one line from the original version was omitted. The accusatory line "Even when you died, the press still hounded you... " was replaced by, "Even though we try, the truth brings us to tears... "

Elton recorded the song with George Martin, of Beatles fame, with a completely different arrangement from the 1973 version. Whereas the original recording was done in a standard rock ballad style (piano, electric guitar, bass, and drums) Martin added a classical arrangement of strings and woodwind. Elton performed the song only once... at Diana's funeral in front of an estimated television audience of over 2.5 billion. It shows how he feels about the princess' loss that since her death he's performed the original version innumerable times but he steadfastly refuses to perform the 1997 version unless asked to do so by Princes William or Harry.

The revised version, now titled "Candle in the Wind '97", was released that September and promptly went to #1 on the American charts, remaining there for an astonishing 14 weeks. It also went to #1 on the charts of numerous other countries. The single proceeded to sell more copies than any other single since the beginning of the recording industry. It later won the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. It also received a unique honor: an RIAA Diamond Disc for US sales over 10 million.

And Elton never released the song again.

Men's Lacoste shorts are the sort of desirable item that many a discerning man will keep on his everyday wardrobe essential list. They can be teamed with fabulous Lacoste polo shirts which have also been a fashion staple for the summer months for many men. In fact they are so popular they have had reference made to them in many cultural ways such as rap songs and character's clothing in novels. This sort of identification is what makes a label an iconic item of the times, to go down in history. The man behind men's Lacoste shorts is Rene Lacoste who designed the famous clothing label back in 1933.

The shorts in his range eliminate the perennial problem men in all walks of life have every summer and on every holiday in the sun. This is: what shorts can they wear that make them look stylish and avoid the Boy Scout hiker look? They reflect form and function in an effortless way that combines utility, elegance and utmost simplicity in a design of character. In fact very little has changed over the eighty odd years since the clothing range was born.

The Lacoste company was formed in partnership between Rene and Andre Gillier, who was then the owner and president of the largest French knitwear manufacturer in the country. It was shirts, rather than shorts that were the first items to be manufactured. These were more in the form of a type of tennis shirt that was revolutionary as it was inspired by Lacoste's meteoric sporting career. The shirt became an overwhelming success. Naturally, the label then expanded to embrace other forms of clothing, applying the same principles of design and elegance, all in combination with embracing the function of the shirt rather than just a piece of cloth that looked good.

It was never going to stop there and Lacoste went on to design a range of shirts for other sports such as sailing and golf. By taking away the unnecessary embellishments, wealthy sportsmen around the world began to see the label as a status symbol. The clothing was an instant hit with such people who would also lead a lifestyle with more leisure and thus were in need of these items.

Men's Lacoste shorts have also been a big hit giving men that preppy look combined with a flavor of sporting prowess. The infamous crocodile logo makes the items instantly recognizable.

The compound effect is remarkable and small consistent, well directed efforts over time, add up to remarkable results in our lives and businesses. Unfortunately the compound effect does not only work in a positive direction. Consistent neglect of your health, career, and relationships or around building wealth eventually results in disaster.

Failure is seldom the result of a single cataclysmic event; it is the accumulation over a prolonged period of poor thinking and choices. Failure is nothing more than a few small errors in judgment, repeated day after day, for a prolonged period of time. Have you ever wondered why someone would make errors in judgment or bad choices and just keep repeating these mistakes, again and again for years and years?

The reason is simple; the negative outcomes, as a result of the neglect or bad choices are not immediately visible and so people think that the small compounding errors do not matter. Each little piece of neglect or lack of discipline does not seem to have any effect on their lives at all. We seem to escape unscathed and it appears that we have escaped any immediate consequences.

The Result of Neglect is Slow and Subtle
Our lack of discipline and our total disregard toward our on-going education and growth seems to have no effect on our lives at all. Not reading any books for the past ninety days seems insignificant. We look back over the past ninety days where we have neglected one small, yet very significant discipline, namely daily reading, and nothing drastic has happened so we repeat the error in judgment for the next ninety days.

This is where the true danger to our future success lies. Not only are we not showing any discipline and not reading the all-important books, which are going to help us to grow and constantly develop, but we are oblivious to the fact that it even matters. Sitting every night in front of the television, entertaining ourselves to death brings what feels like instant gratification and helps us in the moment, escape from the stresses of our day.

Repeated Neglect and Bad Choices Spells Disaster
Unfortunately repeating this behaviour only keeps us trapped in the circumstances, which cause us the stress in the first place. We repeat this cycle every day, we go to work at a place that we hate, do a job we cannot stand and which causes us unbelievable stress. Then we arrive home in the evening and collapse in front of the television, so that we can cope with everything that is wrong in our lives. This cycle repeats for years and years and we remain trapped.

The pleasure of the moment, watching television, makes us feel better in the moment, so we neglect to make the changes necessary to break the negative cycle, which is keeping us trapped. The consequences of a future, where we remain stuck in circumstances that are making our lives miserable goes unnoticed.

The consequences of this on-going neglect is seldom, if ever, instant and the compounding effect of the neglect and poor choices, compounds and accumulates over time. Unless you make a conscious effort to change and you finally choose to begin taking positive daily actions, which will have the opposite effect and will eventually result in success. The on-going neglect in your life will just keep compounding into a wasted life in which you never get to realize your full potential. Failure is subtle and does not shout out immediate warnings about the impending, inevitable disaster, which is looming, due to your on-going errors in judgment. Wrestle back control of your life and begin using the compounding effect in a positive fashion and you can reverse the cycle.

Reverse the Cycle by Making Better Choices
As you make better choices, you will reverse this negative cycle and using the same principles, which have resulted in your living an unfulfilling life, you can create massive success in your life and business. By reversing the formula for failure and applying a few daily disciplines consistently in your life, you can create a formula for success.

The way to achieve this change in your philosophy is to change the way you look at your future. You must make the outcomes you want to see in the future an integral part of your current thinking and philosophy. This means that you must look to your future and create a crystal clear picture of exactly what you want your future to look like. Once you have this vivid picture in your mind you must identify the new habits you must develop to support this vision.

The Future you Get to Live is the Result of Your Actions Today
The success or failures you will see in your future are both future consequences of the actions you take or fail to take today. As long as you stay focused on the instant gratification in the moment and you never look at the potential rewards, which will flow to you in your future, with the application of a few small daily disciplines. You will remain trapped in a life of mediocrity.

To break free from the place you are trapped at the moment, look a little further down the road and visualize the future you desire. Commit to amend the current errors in judgment, which are holding you away from that visualized future. Develop and apply a few new success orientated disciplines, which will move you one small almost insignificant step at a time; closer and closer to the future you desire.

Positive Results will Show-up in a Reasonable Length of Time
The wonder of choosing to apply a few success orientated new disciplines into your life, is that the positive results will be seen within a reasonable length of time. Stay focused on the future outcome you see in your future and stay focused and committed to that outcome. Keep applying yourself to carry out the new daily disciplines and you will begin to feel a new level of satisfaction and vitality. The positive results will begin to show in your life and this will give you a new level of self-confidence.

The real magic of the new disciplines you will introduce into your life, is found in the fact that it will help you to shift your thinking. Once you begin to reap the rewards of a life of substance, you will no longer be content to simply live a life of subsistence. Make this the first day of your new life, try a little harder, and make a conscious effort to change those deadly dream destroying habits, which are keeping you trapped in mediocrity. Commit to apply a few new disciplines in your life every day. The rewards of these few small subtle positive changes will be magical and well worth the effort.

Coffee houses have recently introduced a new cold beverage. Currently available in either lime or raspberry flavor, it is offered as a way to recharge and refresh. One of the key ingredients in this new beverage is green coffee bean extract (GCBE). In some circles, the use of green coffee bean extract for weight loss is becoming popular.

There is a group of scientists in Scranton, Pennsylvania, who have been conducting research since 1998 into the benefits of drinking hot beverages like coffee and tea. In Spring 2012, they presented results indicating that the compound in GCBE that aids weight loss is a chemical cousin of chlorophyll. It is called chlorogenic acid. Subjects in their study experienced an overall loss of 16% body fat.

The mechanism by which chlorogenic acid is thought to promote weight loss is through slowing the rate of glucose absorption, forcing the body to utilize stored fat instead as an energy source. When the body start to break down its fat stores for energy, weight loss does happen faster. Skeptics attribute this effect to caffeine rather than chlorogenic acid. GCBE only contains half the caffeine as a strong cup of coffee.

Patients seeking cheap and easy ways to lose weight have been keeping their doctors busy for centuries. Greek physician, Soranus of Ephesus, could legitimately be described as the world's first bariatric specialist. Bariatrics is the study of weight loss. For his patients, he prescribed exercise, massage, heat, purgatives and laxatives. Perhaps surprisingly, these became the mainstay of treatment for over a thousand years.

By the late 1930s, amphetamines became popular as effective appetite suppressants. Unfortunately, these turned out to have dangerous cardiotoxic and addictive side effects. Following a spate of deaths in the 1960s, their use as a weight loss aid was discontinued.

For a while in the 1990s, a drug called Fen-Phen was fashionable with physicians and their patients as a treatment for obesity. It was named after its two active ingredients, fenfluramine and phentermine. This, too, proved dangerous and was withdrawn from the market in 1997 because of its connection with pulmonary hypertension and damage to heart valves.

Ephedra was the next trend in weight loss at the beginning of the 21st century. It is tantalizing to speculate that this was named in honor of the good doctor Soranus, from Ephesus. Eventually, Ephedra became linked with high blood pressure, stroke and deaths and was banned from use.

However promising the emerging data concerning green coffee bean extract for weight loss may appear to be, GCBE should be used with caution. All drugs are 'dirty' and have harmful side effects at high doses or over time. Drinking water in too high a concentration can be fatal. Green coffee bean extract contains thousands of different chemicals. Not all of them have been as thoroughly characterized as caffeine and, to a lesser extent, chlorogenic acid. Some of the GCBE preparations currently available over the Internet contain as much as 800 milligrams of coffee extract. People considering using this dietary supplement as an aid to losing weight should certainly consult their medical adviser. Enjoying the occasional refreshing, revitalizing iced beverage should be harmless to most people.

Finally, multi-level and network marketing companies are taking a giant step forward in providing their downlines with automated marketing systems. They have moved into the 21st century and are using technology to help people build their network marketing businesses. I myself am involved in two companies who provide these automated marketing tools. These forward-thinking companies are taking the one-one-one coffee shop presentation out of Starbucks and onto the web with sites such as gotomeeting.com, where the same presentation can be given to a group all at once, instead of to one person at a time. These companies are finally recognizing the inefficiency of old-fashioned MLM marketing techniques and are doing things to help their network marketing business builders become successful more quickly and easily than ever before. Let's now talk about the automated marketing system that actually leads an interested prospect, step by step, to the desired end result of becoming a member of your network marketing downline.

So, what exactly IS an automated marketing system? Usually it contains a few key components. The first and most important component of the system is a lead capture page, also known as a landing page. This is a web page that someone may visit as a result of advertising, either online or offline, to find out more information about a product, service or business. Usually on the lead capture page of the automated marketing system there is some cleverly written copy, or perhaps a video for them to watch, that will cause the person to want more information and go further down the line toward becoming a member of your organization. A very important feature of the lead capture page is the opt-in form. This form asks the person viewing the site to provide you with his or her name, email address, and if you would like, even their phone number, before you give them more information. That is really exciting, because this one step, and whether or not they choose to take it, is what separates the information gatherers from the people who are hot for whatever it is you have to offer. Do you realize the importance of what I just wrote? The people who fill out the opt-in form have raised their hands and showed you that they are very interested in what you have to offer, and they are giving you permission to market to them. Each person who opts in to your site becomes what is known as a pre-qualified lead, which means they have just pre-qualified themselves as an interested prospect! That has just eliminated most of the work for you in finding out who really wants to hear your story and who doesn't. With that one landing page, how many people did you have to speak to in order to obtain their contact information? In most cases, absolutely no one! Sure, in some instances you will speak to someone in the course of your day and verbally send them to your site (landing page). Even right there in that one step do you see how the conversation has changed? You are not trying to sell the whole idea right there and set up another meeting with them, you are just sending them somewhere to get more information on their own, and if they want to know more, they will let you know! More importantly though, with this automated lead generating marketing system, once you get all the components up and running and you are driving traffic to your site (more about that in a forthcoming article), it is on autopilot for you! Are you beginning to understand how valuable this type of automated marketing system can be?

Once the reader has opted in to receive more information, this is where the MLM companies with automated marketing systems truly deliver. Some really great companies provide you, the network marketer, with really great marketing pieces that explain the business to the prospect in one or a series of videos, and they provide a way for the prospect to take action. By that I mean there is usually a link for them to sign up or go onto your waiting list, making it virtually effortless for you to bring them under you in your downline. If they don't sign up then and there, though, all is not lost. That is where the next key component of a good automated marketing system comes into play.

The next important part of an automated marketing system is what is known as an autoresponder. Remember when your prospect opted in to your marketing system to learn more about your business? Well, they handed you valuable information about themselves - their name, their email address, and depending on the opt in form, their phone number. The autoresponder enables you to collect those email addresses and keep them stored in a database so that you can easily send follow up emails to them as a group, instead of sending out individual emails. Guess what else autoresponders can do? You can set up a series of emails and designate on which days you will send them to each prospect, even if they were added to the database on different days! So, you only have to write them once, the autoresponder takes care of the rest. It is sheer genius. One example of an autoresponder site is aweber.com. There are others as well. Better yet, the MLM and network marketing companies who are providing you with automated marketing systems usually have an autoresponder in place for you as part of that marketing system!

Ultimately, a good MLM automated marketing system drives your prospects to join a live recruiting webinar that is usually done by the master marketers of the company, using sites like gotomeeting.com or gotowebinar.com. This is invaluable to you, because let's face it, anyone in the beginning of their network marketing career isn't very savvy at giving the presentation and making conversions happen; that comes with practice and listening to the masters.

By using all the components described above in an automated marketing system to build your MLM or network marketing business, you can see that many more opportunities for people to sign up with you are provided. It no longer depends on that 5 minute conversation you have with them on a chance meeting in the course of your day.

Home Based Money Making Jobs

It is very possible to grow rich working from home! The economy has really took a nose dive. Politicians continue to talk about how the economy is on the rise, even economists don't agree with that statement. The fact is it may take years for the economy to bounce back. In the mean time you may be at risk of losing your job. It is time to do something that will secure your financial future.

There are many steps to be taken to work online! Don't settle for just a job, work for yourself. Follow the path that will make you wealthy! Work for yourself, but not by yourself. Be your own boss.

You can ask anyone that is successful and they will tell you that you will never become rich working for someone else.

I am a successful internet businessman, working from home, happy to be part of this industry and proud to have helped so many people reach their goals!

What can I do start you might say?

The first step is to change the way you think about yourself, take control your life, be positive!

When people ask "how I became rich" it brings a smile to my face. I remember thinking (when I was poor) I have to do something, take action, and I did... very successfully!

The only person that can change your life around is you!

You have the power right now to decide to make the changes in your life that will lead you down the road to success. The internet has opened up a world of opportunities. To run an internet business is not a far-fetched idea. The internet has made more people into millionaires than the industrialization of the western world!

Take the first step today by deciding that you will be able to succeed in a home based business!

If you are afraid to take the full time plunge into creating your own business and working from home you can still get on track by creating a part time business from home.

A part time business from home can be the first step to success.

Many people who started off working part time, moved on to a full time career in a very short time!

If you are looking to become a millionaire overnight, then forget that right now! Yes a few had done very well for themselves, but most of us have to work a bit harder to get there!

I was lucky! I picked the right web based business (eventually after a few months) with full support in place and when I mean full support, I mean virtually leading you by the hand every step of the way until I started to make my first buck!!

It's not difficult, but takes time, and you have to be patient! It may take a couple of months, it may take a year but stick at it, do not give up!

You are going to have to work! You may not work the way you are used to working, you may not have to work from nine to five but a new venture requires a bit of elbow grease to get things going. Be prepared to nurture your new endeavor and put the hours in.

You should pick a business that you are interested in.

Some choices could be:

• Online Store

• Online Consulting

• Writing Content

• Affiliate Marketing

Perhaps you have a passion for fashion. There is no better place to express yourself than in an online boutique. Maybe you are crafty and want to sell your wares, there are sites that you can list your items for a small fee and literally reach millions of people.

Online consulting is a great idea for anyone that has a professional degree or experience in a particular field!

Writing content for websites is another way to make money online, and has become very popular with work at home mothers.

Start out with a few clients and before you know it you will have a staff of twenty.

Affiliate marketing is really where the money is. Affiliate marketing is an easy to understand concept and largely depends on your personal interest. In a nutshell company's pay you're per click or per sale for letting them advertise on your website. There are affiliate networks that can help you get started!

Money makes the world go round. It is nice to think that you can get by on less money. The reality is you probably can but we live in a society where money is freedom. Freedom from stress and worry. Freedom from being tied to the clock everyday.

Working for yourself gives you the ability to spend valuable time with your friends and family but more than that you can build a legacy for generations to come. Building your own business is a gift that you can leave behind for your children. Working for yourself provides you with the best opportunity there is, to have total job satisfaction and the possibility to earn a high income.

The benefits of working for yourself from home are simply too numerous to list, as I well know and experience every day in running my business!

I get up when I want (within reason, normally before 10:00 am) take a jog around the golf course, which is about 70 yards from my current residence, then shower and change ready for the days business!

Did I mention, that I actually do some work every day, not much, but what I do is effective and very easy to carry out from the comfort of my home or wherever I choose to be at the time.

Windows are a beautiful enhancement to any home. The way the panes of glass are dressed can create inviting ambiance that is unique and captivating. Today, there are many options available to decorate in a multitude of styles. The best results are achieved when a lot of thought is put into the planning process. Choosing drapes are more than simply hanging a boring piece of material to block out the sunlight. The art of creating a customized window display can be an extraordinarily fun, exciting and fulfilling activity. Drapes can insulate against energy loss. Some considerations are decorative appeal, cost and other function aspects.

People should look into all their alternatives before deciding on the perfect window coverings. Prospective buyers should browse through the vast selection of window treatments. This can be done the traditional way by walking the aisles of stores that sell home decorating supplies. A novel way to search is to utilize the Internet. Some sites have design programs that give a consumer a realistic idea of how each window dressing will look. Accurate window measurements should be taken to purchase items that fit correctly. This information will save the consumer the headache of choosing the wrong size.

Existing furniture, color scheme and overall decorative style are essential considerations. The entire atmosphere of a room can be changed with the right selection of draperies. A bold dash of color can enrich the room with warmth. Light, airy materials can allow more light into the space. Silk or velvet fabrics can permeate the area with tranquil eloquence. Adding textures and patterns can promote charm and coziness. The length and size of the drapes can make a room feel larger or smaller. It is crucial for the consumer to know in advance what look they hope to attain.

Drapes can add interior mystique and curbside appeal. Decorating inspirations can be found in home and decorating magazines. An interior decorator can be hired to work their artistic, customized magic. These professionals know the latest trends, and they work to make the consumer happy. Picking insulated liners or materials can ward off chills. The savings in energy costs year round are worth the added cost. Window treatments can match, or they can vary in style. The result should blend smoothly throughout each room or area. The planning stage is so critical when selecting drapes.

A house can become a home with the right decorative touches. Windows present a fantastic framework to showcase personalized style. There are numerous ways to drape or hang window coverings to meet every consumer's individual needs. The eyes can be drawn to a gorgeous outdoor view. Fashionable drapes can block unsightly scenes. Consumers can choose how much light enters the home. Many drapes are adjustable for convenience. Privacy issues can be resolved. Choosing the right drapes take some thought and planning. The time spent is well worth the spectacular results and effects that can be achieved.