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February 27, 2009

Going Green

I remember a few years ago when people started the going green hype and everyone thought that they were crazy and that it was just a trend and it would fade away soon. People would have t-shirts and their reusable bags when they went grocery shopping and we thought that it would last about two months.
But now, being eco friendly and ‘going green' is bigger than ever. Everyone is finding ways now to protect the earth and their bodies as well. By car pooling, shopping organically and even building homes with solar panel roof tops, this is definitely not a fad.
In my political science class we have to do a project about a certain topic and spend the whole semester focusing on that one topic and reading article after article about it and writing journals about what we have learned. I chose international environmental concerns for my topic (it was one on the list) and I have found a lot of stuff that I had already known, but also a lot that is new. One of the articles I read was about green hosting. This type of web hosting helps to prevent thousands of pounds of green house emissions. I seriously had no idea about this.
I think that it's a really good thing that people are becoming more eco friendly and conscious. Because it doesn't just help the earth, it is also healthier for us as people. With less people driving and more car pooling there is less pollution for us and for the environment. And when people are eating organic foods it helps both as well.
I think a lot of people are skeptical about things like global warming and why we need to be eco conscious because they aren't seeing immediate harm or damage being done. But if we focus on the fact that we are helping ourselves and each other as well as the earth, those people may come around and start helping out too. It is hard to see when the consequences may be really far in the future and not affect us directly, but when we know that what we are doing to help the earth will also help out ourselves, our friends, our family and our community (and even our wallets most of the time, people love that) then it is something that we may consider doing more often or at least trying.

Posted by juliusp at 09:55 AM | Comments (0)

February 16, 2009

LEARNING MORE ABOUT WEB HOSTING AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU

When you are trying to set up your own website for the first time, there are some things that you should know. I just did it, and sometimes the terminology can drive you mad, but what you need to know is that although some things sound really complicated they are actually not so, once you understand the internet world and all the words and what they mean. For example, I thought I knew what I wanted to do, however I really didn't know what I was doing when it came to web hosting or even what is was. When I saw this term, I really didn't know what it meant, so the first thing I did was look up the meaning. Basically, web hosting is the company that gives you the space on their server so that your website can be seen all over the world. This obviously is important, because the more your site is seen, the more money you can potentially make. There are many different types of web hosts, some are free and some are more expensive and which one you choose basically has to do with what you will be doing with the space provided to you. If you are just starting out, then the most important thing that you need to know about your web hosting choice is the providers reliability of access. This basically means how often they are down. A good reliable web host will provide up time of about ninety nine percent or higher. For you this means that customers should pretty much be able to access your site and get the pages in quickly in accurately to insure that they have a smooth shopping experience with you. There are really only two ways to find out if the web host is providing you with good uptime. They are to either speak to people who are already using this web hosting service, and find out about their personal experiences, or to actually try out the service yourself and make sure that you can access your site at all hours of the day and night and that the pages are loading quickly and correctly. Now some web hosts may provide you with a trial period, while others are even free, and therefore trying them out won't cost you at all.

Either way, you want to make sure that you are choosing the right web host. Doing this will insure that you will have an effective site, bringing in the most potential business that it can.

Posted by juliusp at 12:40 PM | Comments (0)

Studying Abroad

One of my best friends is studying in Barcelona this semester (her sister went there last semester) and she has been keeping me updated on everything through email and Skype. They have classes they have to take and then the other days are spent going out and exploring and there is also a lot of traveling that they do in their free time since classes are only Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
She was telling me the other day how she is booking a few of her upcoming trips so she can try to find cheap hotels and airfare. A lot of them are going to Amsterdam for five days and she was telling me all about it and trying to decide if she wanted to go or not. She said as long as she could find a cheap hotel in Amsterdam or a hostel of some kind she would go (how can you study abroad and not go there ha).
It is really fun to hear about all of my friends traveling and studying abroad. My family went to Ireland last summer and I got to go, but I don't really have time to go during the school year because my major is so demanding and already so time consuming (seven total years at least) and also a lot of my courses are specific like anatomy and biology and they don't offer them through the study abroad programs. My friends who are business majors or communications or Spanish or a language of some sort are able to find programs that are based on their major or specific area and they are able to get credit for their whole trip which is nice.
My other friend Mike is in London (I am soooo jealous about that one) for the semester and he might plan on staying even into the summer and having his family come meet him and travel. I was looking at pictures though the other day that he posted in his blog of some of the hotels in London that they have stayed at or just taken tours of and they are so magnificent. I am seriously so jealous. It reminds me of the Lizzie McGuire movie (I know lame right?) where she gets to travel with her friends and go on adventures and falls in love. I know it is corny, but one day I am going to travel and that will happen to me too!

Posted by juliusp at 07:17 AM | Comments (0)

February 11, 2009

marketing_ideas

Posted by juliusp at 01:01 PM | Comments (0)

February 10, 2009

DESIGNER LAMPS FOR ROCK BOTTOM PRICES

If you can afford to shop these days, then you can really pick up some nice deals. I went shopping with a friend of mine a few days ago at the mall, and we couldn't believe all the deals that there were. Some really great clearance items in clothing, home decor, the markdowns were incredible. I tend to be a shopper, but I do work and I don't spend money frivolously, but I love a bargain, and these days, that is almost all you find anywhere. Well, I picked up a pair of lounge pants and a tee for under $5, and then we went into a little store, I don't even remember the name of it honestly, but they had the most incredible designer lamps and they were all marked down to about 20% of their original price. Now, I thought maybe they were defective lamps or something, so I asked the salesperson, and she told me that they had just decided not to carry these Pendant Lamps anymore, and that they were trying to find some new products to try and stimulate business in the store. Now, I know that businesses are suffering and I am sorry that everyone is experiencing such financial troubles, however, I know if it weren't for all these factors I would not be able to get such a great deal on these beautiful lamps that will go beautifully with my new bedroom suite, which I also got for a really good deal because it was the last one and it was a floor model. It had a few marks, but I paid about 25% of what I would have paid for it so it was all okay.

The bottom line is that whether you are looking for designer lamps or a new bedroom suite, don't be afraid to shop around, and don't pay full price for anything. With deals all around you, take the time and find exactly what you want, but find it for less. This will not only save you some green, but will allow you to get a lot more stuff. Be a wise shopper!

Posted by juliusp at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)

February 02, 2009

My Neighbors

I remember my neighbor when I was younger was in a wheelchair and he always had a handicap vehicle and for some reason, I thought it was so cool when I was little because he would get to have that sticker in the window and park up close. Now that I am older though, I realize that being in a wheelchair isn't really that cool (or at least for him).
But I actually saw him a few weeks ago because his wife died around Christmas, which was really sad because now he is all by himself, and my family went to the wake. And we ended up planning on meeting a few days later to catch up with him and his daughter and the rest of my family. When we met he was telling us about how he just had a new house built and it is really spacey and he can get around easily which takes a lot of stress off of his daughter because she is always worried about him (he now lives about 3 blocks away from her). He was also telling us about how he found a new van in the wheelchair van classifieds (which I had no idea existed). It is really nice though that you can get wheelchair vehicles much easier now and they have brought them more up to date and more modern. He was even telling us how cool some of them looked. They really are much more fashionable now.
It was really nice to see him though. It was sad to see that his wife died, she used to make us cookies when we were younger and watch us play in the yard and he would wheel around after us. They were such a nice couple and it was also nice to see that he had really made peace with her death and that he knew she wanted him to be happy and live his life and then meet up with her later (that's what he told us). They have been through so much together and it is so great to see a couple last their entire lives together and still be so happy and so in love. Even after the death of a child and being in a wheelchair and her having to take care of them, they were still so happy and I can only hope to be like that some day.

Posted by juliusp at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

Lingerie Bowl

The lingerie bowl is coming up soon. It is and has been a popular half time show during the super bowl and not just for the men. I have always liked watching things like the lingerie bowl and the Victoria's Secret fashion show (maybe even more than some of the guys that I know). I think women like to watch these types of shows just as much as the men do. We like to see what's out there and I think women have changed a lot over the years and no longer find things like this offensive.
My grandma was telling me about how no one would ever put something like this on when she was younger with women walking around in lingerie on television. And she is appalled when we watch shows like Girls Next Door where they follow around the girls from the Playboy mansion. I guess times really have changed though. Women are much less modest and even if you see past issues of magazines like playboy or something similar, you can see the transformation. Or the sports illustrated swimsuit edition that comes over, over the years the suits have become more and more revealing and I think this past year there were even a few painted on suits.
The point though is that women (well most of the women that I know at least) aren't really offended by the portrayal of women. I think that you should be able to do what you want with your body (hey if I looked like that I would probably strut around like they do with almost nothing on too). And I think that when we watch shows like that we are actually interested in them as much or more than the men are. No, it's not because we are attracted to these women, but we do like to see what they look like and what they are wearing. We are no longer jealous and caddy about other pretty women (well maybe a teeny bit jealous still) but we have a greater acceptance of people no matter what they look like and I think women are confident enough now in themselves to watch other beautiful women.
So this year I will definitely be watching the lingerie bowl with my guy and girl friends during the super bowl half time and probably loving every minute of it.

Posted by juliusp at 09:52 AM | Comments (0)