Archive for March, 2008

Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind

Monday, March 31st, 2008

By Heidi Richards What’s black and white and read all over? A newsletter of course! And while there are perhaps hundreds of ways to market your business and increase your bottom line, one of the singlemost effective tools in marketing is your own business-building newsletter. The Power of Newsletters: Newsletters show the customer you care - even when you can’t be there. Newsletters answer basic wants and needs, which leads to word of mouth referrals and greater loyalty - something your competitors can’t buy. Newsletters reinforce your message. Great newsletters get read and saved by decision makers. The more your readers see your name, the more inclined they are to refer you, hire you, and buy from you. Great newsletters establish you as their personal expert, someone they trust. Great newsletters can make even a “small” company look big. It builds your image. Your newsletter can help “qualify” a prospect. They can read it and learn about your product and services, cutting their buying curve. Before you begin your newsletter, decide… The purpose or objective in publishing your newsletter. Is it to educate and improve the personal and professional lives of your readers? Is it to market and position your company as the resource for answers to their problems? Who is your target audience? How often will you publish? A monthly newsletter keeps your company on the top of your customer’s and prospect’s minds. What type of newsletter is ideal for your readers? Paper publications have a longer life span; they create a strong impression in the customer’s mind, however they are costly to produce. Ezines can use basically the same format, are easy to read and are convenient for the reader to reply to. The downside is that they can be deleted too quickly (even before it is ever read). And many ezines I’ve read are filled with self-promotion and are basically a waste of time. What is your budget? Can you afford a four color or two/three color printed piece, or do you go for simple black and white? Simple can be better; as long as it is a professionally presented newsletter your readers will respond to. How long will it be? When you first start producing, focus on a one to four page newsletter to produce. Who gets it? You can send your message to a small or large group. You get to decide who gets it. This form of direct communication filled with information the reader can use creates a bond that is difficult to achieve through other forms of mass marketing. If you don’t enjoy writing, you could interview others for ideas, or invite others in your industry (those not in direct competition) to write guest articles. You could also purchase industry specific newsletters with your message and promotional info on them. Nearly every major industry has this service. Check with your associations for a referral. Remember that your newsletter is an extension of you and your company. The image it conveys is the image your readers will remember. Be consistent. If you publish and send monthly, then publish and send monthly. Maybe it’s time to increase your visibility with newsletters. Write-on! Excerpted from The PMS Principles - Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business 2005 - Heidi Richards Heidi Richards is the author of The PMS Principles, Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business and 7 other books. She is also the Founder & CEO of the Womens ECommerce Association, International http://www.WECAI.org (pronounced wee-kī) an Internet organization that Helps Women Do Business on the WEB. Basic Membership is FREE. Ms. Richards can be reached at http://www.HeidiRichards.com or heidi@wecai.org. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Heidi_Richards http://EzineArticles.com/?Out-of-Sight,-But-Not-Out-of-Mind&id=19344 buy zolpidem in uk what is zolpidem taken together xanax ambien buy generic ambien at low price

The Perfect Wedding Budget

Saturday, March 29th, 2008

By Whitney Acke Creating a wedding budget is one of the first things a bride should do. Although it is extremely important, brides often fear the task and in turn do not create one at all. This is a huge mistake. Brides who plan weddings without a wedding budget spend anywhere from twenty to fifty percent more than they anticipated. This can be a financial disaster for whoever is taking care of the wedding bill. So, be a responsible bride and use these helpful ideas to create your own personal wedding budget. Tips A good thing to remember is you can plan a beautiful wedding on any wedding budget. The most important thing to remember is to stick to your budget, no matter if you must forgo things you truly want to include. Will you really remember if you had to use cheap ribbon for your wedding favors instead of the designer ribbon you desired? Probably not, and it is certain your guests won’t know the difference anyway. A wedding that has a guest list of over 400 may need a professional wedding planner. However, if you feel capable of taking on the task yourself, then by all means, give it a try. If you start to feel too overwhelmed you can always call in for backup later. Breaking It Down A bride can take the total amount she plans to spend on her wedding and divide it for each planning category. This formula is great no matter what your total wedding cost goal may be however it is based upon a $5000 wedding budget. At any time, if you must spend more on one area than the other, then you will have to deduct allotted money from another area to compensate. Try keeping a journal of every purchase you make in order to fulfill you wedding plan successfully. Opening a specific bank account for wedding expenses is a great way to stay on track as well. Location Brides should set aside no more than ten percent of their total wedding budget for their wedding location rental. Brides who desire church weddings may find that it is sometimes free for them to use their family church. Other ways to save money are to hold your wedding at the home or garden of a friend or family member. Attire The bride should not spend more than twenty-five percent of their total budget on wedding attire. This includes attire for the bride, her attendants, the groom, and his attendants. A good way to cut down attire costs is to ask your attendants to help pay for their gowns and tuxedos. If you simply cannot ask them to help contribute, then you should choose lower costs gowns for them to wear. Reception A total of thirty percent of the total budget can be spent of the wedding reception. Couples usually spend more on the reception than the ceremony because they are entertaining their guests and the reception lasts a lot longer. Decorations Decorations can account for twenty-five percent of the total wedding budget. Brides must be very careful in this area, and be sure about their purchases before hand. Many brides waste money in this category simply because they change their minds about the dcor several times. A bride with a tight budget cannot afford to be unsure and should wait until they are certain before purchasing. Making your own wedding decorations is a great way to save money in this area. Using creative and easy decoration ideas, you can make your wedding look fabulous for much less. Extra It is a good idea to leave ten percent of your total budget for last minute details or unexpected costs along the way. This is a good way to save money in the case you might not stick strictly with your budget and need extra funds. Now that you know how important your wedding budget is to the success of your wedding, you can be motivated to stick to your plan. Sticking to your budget will not only free you financially but also give you the satisfaction of knowing you planned your ideal wedding by staying in your budget boundaries. Whitney Acke is a freelance writer from Lexington, Kentucky. In addition to freelance writing she also enjoys songwriting. She and her husband have two young boys and four dogs. She is a regular contributor to http://www.wedding-decoration-idea.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Whitney_Acke http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Perfect-Wedding-Budget&id=43152 ambien discount ambien online indian ambien addiction plan free ambien cr

Solving Marriage Problems, Use the Right Tools for the Job

Friday, March 28th, 2008

By Terry Ross Its amazing how similar problems can be. Marriage problems are no different to any other problems you come across in daily life in that you need the right tools for the job. There is no real mystery surrounding what is perceived to be the perfect marriage you just have two people who have learnt how to make a marriage work. Take DIY for example. I jumped in with both feet many years ago by taking on a house that was derelict and had been so for many years. We needed to learn how to do things the best way and learn quickly and soon learnt that the only way to do a job well was to have the best tools for the job. This is no different to when you are trying to resolve marriage problems if you dont get the best advice the job is ten time harder. We arent born with an automatic marriage handling system although like anything in life some people are better at it than others. Some marriages have more problems than others and some couples manage to resolve marriage problems easier than other couples. This doesnt mean to say that with the right advice those who dont find marriage so easy cant fix their marriage problems and get their marriage back on track. Sometimes you need to just take a step back, put your emotions to the back of your mind and treat marriage problems just the same as any other issues in your life that need to be resolved. If you look at marriage problems as everyday hiccups in the otherwise smooth running of your life you are better equipped to take a more pragmatic approach to your marriage. In our early DIY days we decided to go for cheaper tools but this just made life more difficult and everything we did took twice as long as it would have if wed paid the price used products that were more fit for purpose. We now apply a long term approach to everything in our life and make sure whatever we buy will minimise the time taken to do a job and will last the tests of time. Marriage problems are no different, if you try and do things on the cheap or try and take unrealistic shortcuts your marriage problems will still be there in a few months time. If you value your marriage and are serious about fixing your marriage problems, but dont know how to do it, enlist the help of the best experts in the field. Like most people you probably havent spent many years of your life learning what makes a marriage work and what to do when things go wrong. When the going gets tough dont try and ride it out it will just compound the problems in your marriage. Enlist the help of experts and tackle marriage problems head on. For more on marriage problems visit http://www.commonmarriageproblems.marriagehealth.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Ross http://EzineArticles.com/?Solving-Marriage-Problems,-Use-the-Right-Tools-for-the-Job&id=407295 ambien and alochol ambien gift viagra ambien enlarged prostate zolpidem

Make A Word Perfect Wedding Speech

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

By Carl DiNello It has been said that the right words can change the world. With this in mind, imagine how words can affect a wedding! At some point during the wedding reception a wedding speech will be given to the new bride and groom by members of both family and friends. Unfortunately, giving a wedding speech can be quite difficult for someone who is just not eloquent. This situation worsens should the speech maker have celebrated a little too much, a little too early. Should you find yourself having been asked to give a wedding speech, don’t take this task for granted. You need to prepare and be aware of certain precautions in order to give a wedding speech that the newlywed couple can treasure and remember, and not be embarrassed about. Here are a few ideas and reminders to help you prepare to make that perfect wedding speech. Be An Early Bird Start preparing early. Waiting until the last minute to put together your speech may only lead to problems. It makes no difference whether you are planning a long or a short wedding speech, you’re better off planning ahead. Think of your wedding speech as a part of your gift and make a sincere effort to do it well. If you need additional motivation, remember there will probably be a videographer, a photographer, or both in attendance to immortalize your wedding speech. It pays to be camera ready. Long Speech Or Short Speech Generally, people in a party mood don’t like long speeches because they usually are boring, and they would rather party than listen. It is very likely that you will be better off keeping your speech short and simple. But, not too short! This is still supposed to be a meaningful speech to the bride and groom. Prepare an outline to help organize your thoughts. Even a short speech still benefits from an outline. In fact, many people prefer to bring just an outline to the reception and refer to that, rather then having to write the entire wedding speech. However, only try speaking from an outline if you are confident about speaking in front of people. This Should Be Obvious - Stay Sober Toast the newlyweds, have some wine with your meal, but do these things moderately. Don’t get drunk! Drunk while delivering a wedding speech; not a good idea. The laughter you hear will be directed at you. Don’t fool yourself into the typical drunk thinking that believes you’re funny and the crowd is laughing with you. Not only that, but speech making drunks have a habit of saying things that might not be appropriate for the occasion. A Wedding Speech Alternative If preparing and giving a wedding speech is something you really are uncomfortable doing, consider something novel and different instead. A sure winner for this situation, and something that the bride and groom will enjoy right along with their guests, is an audio visual presentation. Collect photos that tell a story with pictures of the bride and groom at various stages of their lives. Baby time, childhood, high school, college, the options are endless and always enjoyable. Add a little music along with a few choice phrases of your own and you now have a non-traditional wedding speech that everyone can enjoy. Copyright &copy2007 Carl DiNello Carl DiNello is an Article Author whose articles are featured on websites covering the Internet’s most popular topics. To read more on this topic, please visit Planning The Perfect Wedding! You may republish this article on your website, or e-zine so long as none of the content, or author information has been edited or changed in any way, and all links are left active and unchanged. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carl_DiNello http://EzineArticles.com/?Make-A-Word-Perfect-Wedding-Speech&id=523164 free consultation cheapest ambien generic b ambien b purchase ambien online ambien buy line

Decorating Should Not Come First

Monday, March 24th, 2008

By LaJoyce Kerns Organizer shows are popular on television right now. You know, the ones where a team of people descend on a messy house and spend a frantic weekend clearing clutter, organizing and re-decorating a room or two. Usually someone who lives in the house has requested the services of the commando organizers. These shows fascinate me. I guess its because the houses are so beyond messy and cluttered and disorganized that my own closets look pretty good in comparison. Anyway, the last show I saw featured a couple with the usual collection of knick-knacks and keepsakes and old clothes and broken what-nots. This particular show required each of the homeowners to select a favorite item they did not want to discard. A yard sale was held and each person tried to outsell the other. The money collected from the yard sale was kept separately for each and at the end of the sale, the money was counted. The person who sold the most got to keep his or her treasured item. The other person lost whatever item had been selected as the favorite. In this case, the man lost. His treasured item was a stuffed animal that his father had signed. His father is deceased and the little stuffed dog was quite special to the man. The man had tears in his eyes as the organizer yanked the toy away from him. I thought that the mans wife would surely offer to relinquish her item, which did not have a sentimental connection, but no. Now, Im all for organizing and tossing out old or broken or unneeded items. A good decorating plan almost always starts with clearing the clutter and cutting down on items that take up storage space. I also believe that decorating means creating beauty, convenience, comfort, and a sense of belonging to the space we live in. We should not have to give up the things that have meaning to us, that touch a special place in our hearts, for the sake of a decorated room. The things that we cherish have contributed in some way to the creation of who we are now. If you banish the treasures, do you banish the person? Im not saying that nothing gets tossed. Some items are just things that we have grown accustomed to having around. We might miss them a bit when they are gone, but they arent really treasures. Maybe it has been too much trouble to sort through, box up, decide what to do with, and ultimately dispose of. Or maybe, like me, you think that as soon as you get rid of whatever it is, youll discover the perfect use for it. These arent treasures. However, if you get a strong gut reaction when you think about disposing of a particular item, put it aside. If youre anything like me, you have a great pile of stuff to sort through and you likely wont get that inner no with everything. Remove the things you feel comfortable getting rid of and congratulate yourself for getting that far. An important point- if you are decorating (or organizing) a room for someone else, you must be sensitive to what is important to that person. It may look like an old worn stuffed animal to you, but it might mean more than you know to someone else. Decorating should not take first priority in our lives. LaJoyce Kerns is the creator of the website: http://www.Decorate-Bedrooms-For-Less.com where you will find information and tips on decorating when the decorating budget isn’t as hefty as it could be. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=LaJoyce_Kerns http://EzineArticles.com/?Decorating-Should-Not-Come-First&id=272078 efectos secundarios de zolpidem ativan suicide zolpidem xanax ambien and librax

Dieters: What Gift Will You Give Yourself?

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008

By Janice Elizabeth Small You can drop all pretense of trying to lose weight and let yourself go for the whole month, making the most of every opportunity to wolf down more calories. Or you can carry on eating when you’re hungry, stopping when you’re full, making the best of the food choices available to you - even at parties. And you can eat extra healthily on the days when there’s really nothing special happening. You can give up exercise for the month and slump down on the sofa every night watching your waistline expand. Or you can keep active (even if you don’t have time for your usual routine) by putting lots of energy into your preparations, keeping moving as you go about your day and fitting in 10 minutes of exercise (a walk, a stair climb, a few stretches) here and there. You can get completely frazzled leaving everything until the last minute and set yourself up for a huge amount of stress and comfort eating. Or you can spend just a few minutes each day on preparations and cut out last minute panics. You can make yourself sad and depressed by comparing your family party with the ones portrayed in the media or you can just decide to enjoy it, knowing that the media parties are the figment of the producer’s and the designer’s imagination (and the pictures were shot in August in a studio). You can spend all your energy and time finding great gifts for everyone else and set yourself up for disappointment by just hoping something nice comes your way. Or you can make sure that you have something you really want this year, by dropping hints, asking directly (some people would love to know - it takes the pressure off!) or even just buying whatever it is you want and wrapping up the perfect gift just for yourself. So you choose what kind of December to have. You can come out of it frazzled, overweight and disappointed or happy that you’ve enjoyed the break and haven’t done too much damage to your waistline. Which will it be this year? Choose wisely, give yourself the gift of a great December and have a fantastic time. Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach and slimming club owner with a no diet approach to permanent weight loss. Subscribe to her FREE weekly “No More Diets” ezine full of tips and recipes and receive a 24 page special report “How to have a Great Christmas without piling on the pounds”. Subscribe at http://www.SimplySlimming.com/Christmas TODAY! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janice_Elizabeth_Small http://EzineArticles.com/?Dieters:-What-Gift-Will-You-Give-Yourself?&id=110108 ativan adiction stilnox zolpidem tarte ambien and children lorazepam intensol

The Carbs Go In, the Cravings Come Out, that’s What Weight Gain is All About

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008

By Beth Badore It can happen with one bite. The moment those refined carbohydrates enter my body, it sets off this chain reaction. Even the most innocent “healthy” carbs can cause an immediate and intense craving cycle. Think, pretzels, popcorn, crackers, etc. Those kinds of foods are easily eaten in quantity with a small pouch, and are all empty calories that I shouldn’t bother with. You’d think just one snack couldn’t harm the situation. You’d think one single-serve bag of pretzels wouldn’t send you in a downward spiral for an entire day. They do trigger an intense reaction, sometimes without even being aware that I am picking and and grazing on worse carbs. If the food I ingest is not only a carbohydrate, but a carbohydrate containing refined sugars in any form, I may begin to have a slight dumping sensation. It begins with a wave of feeling like You Must Lie Down For Just A Minute, dizziness, general lethargy, and if the food was something I really shouldn’t have, it may be compounded with sweating, heart-racing, gagging, retching, nausea, but never an actual vomit. Vomit would be a welcome addition to the true nasty dump session, because it would help alleviate the discomfort. You’d think that knowing you’re risking “taking a dump” by eating inappropriate foods, you’d steer clear of all foods that set off that internal warning system. DING DING DING, RED LIGHT, RED LIGHT, STEP AWAY FROM THE PRETZELS, DRY CEREAL, CRACKERS! How many of us post-op gastric bypass folks cheat anyway, knowing full well a food may make us sick, but the hell with it? How many of us find logical reasons to support our choices in inappropriate foods? You do know, I am referring to the really basic stuff, like mentioned above (like a graham cracker, dry cereals, pretzels, tortilla chips, etc… those comfort carbs that go down so easily that it’s scary), not the foods that are the most obvious and would be insane to mess with at large amounts (think, Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk?). Eating either type of food (”harmless carbs vs. high sugar high fat sweets”) is reason to question your motivation to eat, since it’s not for nutrition, but sometimes it’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that a handful of Shredded Mini-Wheats is really not good for you. Think about it for a moment. When was the last time you ate _______? (Your main comfort trigger food, something you wouldn’t start eating in front of other people because you know you shouldn’t be having it at all, for me, it’s dry crunchy carbs!) Was it for nutrition? Did the calories count? The protein? Did you eat it mindfully, and take note of every bite? Did you add it to your food journal, or perhaps “forgot” that you had it altogether? I should note, since I’m not a dietician or anything, that if you’re underweight and past goal and needing to gain weight/maintain a precarious weight, you’re supposed to “break the rules.” That includes adding back these refined carbs, or drinking with meals, etc. Why? It works if you break the rules, you can gain weight. You can gain weight, you can even gain all your excess weight back. According to the research, most of us do gain, at least some of our weight. We all know how to lose weight, the surgery gives us that tool, but what we don’t realize is that it doesn’t take away the motivations we have to overeat, nor does it teach us that we can gain weight back, and fast. Melting Mama http://meltingmama.blogspot.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beth_Badore http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Carbs-Go-In,-the-Cravings-Come-Out,-thats-What-Weight-Gain-is-All-About&id=52236 ambien price online qoclick ambien overdose during pregnancy ambien sales without prescription ambien 7day free trial

Fulfill a Wedding Tradition with Estate Bridal Jewelry

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

By Sher Matsen We all know the old verse Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. But its way more than a verse, its something many brides follow to the rule. So why not fulfill a wedding tradition with estate bridal jewelry? Future brides from every corner of the globe try very hard to follow this little verse. Their wedding gowns, accessories and jewelry must all play into this little verse. Whats really great is that estate bridal jewelry can fill the requirements very easy! Lets look at each portion of the vers. Something old could be a piece of bridal jewelry that is a family heirloom. It may come from the brides side of the family or the grooms side. It may have been owned by a mother, a grandmother, or even just a traditional piece that is worn by all brides in the family. And if there is no family heirloom bridal jewelry not to worry, you are certainly not alone. Thats where estate jewelry can fill the gap. Find a piece of estate jewelry you love and adore, buy it, wear it. Youll keep the tradition of something old alive and well! Something new Not much explaining to do here. New is a pretty easy bill to fill. There are thousands of online stores and brick and mortar stores offering a great mix of modern stylish jewelry that is perfect as bridal jewelry. But wait! Estate jewelry can help here too. Not all estate jewelry is very old. Estate simply means previously owned and that means by looking at estate jewelry that dates within the last year you can often find that perfect piece that may never have been worn and meets the something new requirement. The added bonus is you wont look like every other bride because your bridal jewelry will have a unique look all of its own Something borrowed May require the most thought. After all most brides want their look to be theirs complete with their own choices in bridal jewelry. Remember borrowing that special piece from a friend or family member can add the finishing touches to your look and it can save you thousands of dollars. Gemstones arent cheap! And if you have no one to borrow from never fear there are many retailers that rent out beautiful estate jewelry for weddings. This fulfills your need for something borrowed and you get the added effect of something beautiful and unique. Something blue Is your final quest and can be quite an easy task. The most important is to remember there are thousands of shades of blue and youll want to choose one that matches your attire. You can choose from sapphires, aqua marines, or even blue pearls to name a few. Your blue can be bold and noticeable or it can be just a hint of blue. Once again estate jewelry comes through. You can find a beautiful piece of jewelry that is unique and affordable and of the highest quality by shopping for estate jewelry. On your wedding day you are the attraction and youll want to look your very best for this important occasion. Choosing estate bridal jewelry will do its part to make you look gorgeous and it will have you radiant as you waltz down the aisle! Sher from Estate Jewelry International have been serving customers for over 20 years, providing affordable estate jewelry, and a wealth of information on jewelry, fashion, designers, and beauty with on staff industry professionals. Please visit us at Estate Jewelry International. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sher_Matsen http://EzineArticles.com/?Fulfill-a-Wedding-Tradition-with-Estate-Bridal-Jewelry&id=75474 ambien withdrawl addiction to zolpidem dosage tapering discontinuation sniffing lorazepam ambien best price

Warning Against Soma Abuse

Monday, March 17th, 2008

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Rachel_Honrales] Rachel Honrales Increasing incidents of abuse has prompted medical practitioners to follow strict guidelines in the dispense of Soma. Soma whose generic name is carisoprodol, is prescribed frequently by family physicians, internists, orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, and psychiatrists as well as other healthcare professionals. Carisoprodol prescribers need to be made aware of its abuse potential. Stricter controls may be necessary in the future to properly control the prescribing and distribution of this potentially addictive agent. Carisoprodol (Soma), a nonscheduled prescription medication, is a centrally acting synthetic skeletal muscle relaxant structurally and pharmacologically related to meprobamate.This is a potentially addictive agent. The substance undergoes hepatic biotransformation to three primary metabolites: hydroxycarisoprodol, hydroxymeprobamate, and meprobamate. The significant serum levels of meprobamate after chronic use of carisoprodol may lead to meprobarnate dependency: Meprobamate dependence is a possible complication of chronic carisoprodol use due to hepatic conversion of carisoprodol to meprobamate. Withdrawal from meprobamate may result in severe reactions including seizures and coma. There have been reports of abuse of Soma, which is readily available online through drugstoretm.com, in the past and some of the cases were fatal. These incidents have raised public and medical practitioners awareness on the ill effects of the drug. A stern warning is issued to all users and would-be users of the drug to be very particular on prescribed dosages. Soma is no doubt one of the most popular and so far proven most effective pain killers but when taken improperly, it may do more harm than good on the patient. Rachel Honrales is a Writer for DrugStoreTM.Com, for more information please visit [http://www.drugstoretm.com/Soma.php] BuySomaOnline Article Source: [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Rachel_Honrales ] http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rachel_Honrales [http://ezinearticles.com/?Warning-Against-Soma-Abuse&id=540832 ] http://EzineArticles.com/?Warning-Against-Soma-Abuse&id=540832 ativan pill zolpidem sandoz canadian ambien ambien and product liability

The More Magnificent the Dowry, the Greater the Love

Saturday, March 15th, 2008

By Vlady Peters Although we think of dowries as an old fashioned custom where the parents need to add to the brides charms by bribing the groom or his family with a few essentials such as a cow or two, in many countries where the womans status is no different than it was centuries ago, the custom continues with some very tragic twists. These days dowries may take the form of cars, white goods such as washing machines, and of course the most acceptable, money. Problems arise once the wedding is over. Having had time to think about it, the groom and his family, wonder whether the bargain they made was as profitable as it could have been. While some make the best of it, others turn to blackmail to squeeze a little bit more out of the brides family. There are veiled threats that if the dowry is not increased, the bride will not be the happy young wife that she is. Physical violence to the young wife is not unheard of, and thousands of deaths of wives are being attributed to the ill-will of the groom and his family unhappy with the size of the dowry. The continuation of keeping a woman as either her fathers or her husband’s servant, is often defended on the grounds of custom and culture. It is the custom of the particular culture to restrict a woman’s movement. And it is unlikely, so say the defenders’ of this custom, that a woman would want to be more free if given that right of greater personal freedom. It is culture that a woman desires nothing more than to stay at home, and they would take no pleasure in being able to attend the theatre, or eat at a restaurant, or take a walk in a public place without being thought a floozy. Couple of centuries ago, it was the custom throughout Europe that mining industrialists in good times paid their workers just enough to keep them alive. It was also the custom that when the mining industry was not doing so well, then the subsistent wage was cut down to starvation level. It was the custom that children as young as four or five worked underground for as long as twelve hours a day. It was the custom that in those same mines pregnant women were dying giving birth to still-born babies. I doubt that theres too many people bewailing the change to those particular practices, although, no doubt, the industrialists werent too happy at the time. Those who defend the current subjugation of women on the grounds that it is culture, and that the women themselves do not seek to be free from it, would probably find that the culture invoked, is benefiting someone and its not the women. Vlady Peters is an Australian Civil Marriage Celebrant authorized to perform marriages in Australia. She also performs general ceremonies such as Baby Naming, Renewal of Vows and Commitment Ceremonies. To learn more about Vlady, visit her at http://www.weddings-celebrant.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vlady_Peters http://EzineArticles.com/?The-More-Magnificent-the-Dowry,-the-Greater-the-Love&id=234965 ativan and sexual side effects ambien and breast feeding tips for a nervous flyer ativan what is ativan