Reading like a writer means focusing on items that catch your attention, make you wonder, or make you angry or happy. So after you’ve read the paper or a magazine, don’t throw it out or put it aside yet. If that paper or magazine belongs to you, go back and mark or clip stuff that caught your attention and held it. Perhaps you read the entire article or skimmed it for information that mattered to you.

Chances are that you may have come across a sentence or paragraph that stated an idea much too briefly in passing. But there was something about it that engaged your curiosity and for a few seconds, raised questions. Perhaps you felt that it was too bad that the author did not explain his or her idea just a little further. Pay attention because this may be just the idea that you can develop into an article, story or book with more research.

At this point, consider clipping or highlighting that idea trigger and save it. You can do this by pasting or taping it on a blank notebook page and writing your questions and ideas below it.

Books, journals, pamphlets, fact sheets and even references are full of interesting stuff that can spark ideas. Of course, you will not be able to clip or highlight all of them, but no matter. Jot the idea trigger down, along with the name of the source and page numbers, if possible. If you need to refer to that source again, you will be able to locate it by looking at your notes.

And while you are at it, remember to take a look at your own published and unpublished articles and book manuscripts. As you reread, focus on seemingly little things that could have been expanded a bit more. For example, maybe you can grow that unpublished article into a book!

Another good source is that magazine or book subject that you’ve only been mildly interested in, but didn’t look at again. Even if you’re not “into” subjects such as RVs, astrology or mechanics or skiing, you might find it useful to at least skim magazines on those topics. How can one of those given topics be connected or related to your favorite activity or interest? And who else might be interested in it, or at least have problems understanding it or its implications? And be sure to peruse magazines such as Mother Jones, Utne, Harper’s, and Atlantic Monthly. You’ll notice stuff that may or should concern people, but isn’t getting a lot of attention — yet.

By the time you’re finished, you will have accumulated a number of ideas to write about. I can almost guarantee it! Happy hunting, reading and writing!

Dorothy Zjawin, a published writer, has included more ideas in her website, http://www.profitable-pen.com

What kind of personality does your dog have? Is she a confident, mellow pooch or a high-energy, somewhat fearful animal? Consider, too, your relationship with your dog. Does she see you as the pack leader and obey your commands? Both of these factors have an impact on how much work you’ll need to do before the two of you hit the road. A dog that is calm by nature and obedient will more quickly adjust to sitting still in a moving vehicle. On the other hand, a “hyper” animal that doesn’t respond to basic obedience commands requires specific training to ensure her (and your) safety in the car.

Remember not to shout at Rover if she does something wrong - this will only upset her and may make her misbehave even more.

An uncontrolled animal is a serious car accident waiting to happen. It is important to keep your dog confined to one area of the car. This might be the back of a truck or SUV, a kennel, or simply sitting on the seat, secured by a safety harness designed for use in cars. If you plan on using a safety harness, introduce it to your dog outside of the car. Let her sniff and otherwise investigate it. Drape it over her and praise her when she stands quietly. If she shakes it off and runs, try again using treats and only placing it against her so she gets the feel of it.

Once she accepts having it placed over her, let her wear it while you take walks or sitting in her kennel. Be sure to give her treats and verbal praise whenever you put the safety harness on her. Make sure you have her favorite toy in the car, and a trusted human friend sitting beside her will help relax her too. You want your dog to associate the car with positive things.

The same holds true for car rides in general. If the only time your dog rides in the car is to go to the vet’s surgery she’ll associate the car with an unpleasant experience. Let Rover sit in the car while it is parked to let her get used to sitting in the car. Once your dog is used to sitting in a confined space, take her for short rides. If she has gotten carsick in the past, drive slowly along as straight a path as possible. Take her for a ride at least once a day, slowly increasing the distance and speed. Talk to her in a happy voice as you go, and give her a treat before you take her out, so she connects the car ride to something yummy.

The sight of a dog with her head out the car window, nose in the wind, makes just about everyone smile. Smell is your dog’s best sense. With the window down, she’s picking up all kinds of new, interesting smells. This stimulating experience is fine at slow speeds for short distances, be careful about letting your dog make it a habit. While dogs love the feel of the wind in their noses, dust and debris can cause respiratory problems.

If you can ensure that your dog is safe, and enjoying herself, in the car, you will find that going for a drive with your best friend will enhance both your life, and Rover’s, too.

Best Pet Health Information http://www.best-pet-health.info is a resource which will help you find infomation, hints and tips to keep your dog happy and healthy.

1. The document isn’t tailored for its audience. For example, a proposal does not speak to a client in a “you” tone. Sometimes, it includes terms that a client may not understand. After giving your document some time to cool off, reread it as your client would. Remember to mark jargon and underline unclear sentences.

2. The document isn’t organized well. In other words, its paragraphs do not flow smoothly from one to the next. That is, a given paragraph may cover a totally different aspect instead of clarifying a point. This problem can be fixed or avoided altogether by numbering paragraphs in a draft and writing a few words that summarize what you said. What you’ll have is a quick outline of the entire document. You’ll also see any organizational flaws in a glance and be able to deal with them directly.

3. The document’s sentences don’t flow well. One sentence does not flow smoothly from the last. No examples, clarification or short explanations are included. To avoid this problem, never assume that your reader automatically understands what you mean. Help your audience to visualize. Instead of writing “some” or “many,” use numbers or percents. This will help to prevent misunderstandings. For example, I may interpret “many” as one thousand instead of a million.

4. The document merely ends or uses trite words such as “in conclusion.” Doing something like this leaves an audience cold. Fix this problem by capitalizing on one last opportunity to emphasize your main point and summarize and highlight your point or points in the final paragraphs. Even if your readers forget all of the other details, they will likely remember your main point.

5. Check for mechanical and spelling errors. Have you used “there” when you meant “their?” Do your subjects and verbs agree?

Dorothy Zjawin, a technical writing mentor and instructor, has helped and continues to assist her clients in improving their writing skills. She has also written technical documents and developed her own website, http://www.profitable-pen.com

The ability to tell when products are baked seems to cause more consternation than almost any other phase of baking. And of course, it is important. Over baked cookies are dry and hard; under baked bread is soggy. But you can get it right. In this article, we will give you the techniques and pointers for baking your goods to perfection.

Yeast breads

The tendency is to under bake yeast breads. The internal temperature of yeast breads should be 210 degrees and must be at least 185 degrees. The only way to reliably tell what is going on inside that loaf is with a probe type thermometer. Remove the bread from the pan and insert the thermometer through the bottom crust into the center of the loaf.

(If you are going to bake bread and you don’t have a thermometer, we strongly recommend that you purchase one. You will need it to test the temperature of the water, the dough, and the finished bread. You can buy one on our site.)

When the bread is done, the crust color will range from a golden brown to a deep brown for artisan breads baked in a hot oven. Breads with a higher sugar content or in a hot oven will tend to brown more rapidly as the sugar caramelizes. If the bread is browning too rapidly, make a tent of aluminum foil and cover the top of the loaf.

In light colored pans, the bottom crust is the last to brown. With a done loaf, the bottom will color even in a light-colored pan.

My mother was a bread baker. She tested doneness by tapping the loaf with her finger–a done loaf will sound hollow when tapped. I don’t remember her ever making a mistake. Though she taught me to do the same, I’m not as good as she was. Out of habit, I still tap the loaf but I nearly always follow with a thermometer probe and sometimes the thermometer proves me wrong.

Cookies

If the tendency is to under bake breads, the tendency is to over bake cookies. Take them out just before you think they are done; you won’t be wrong often.

My father is a consummate cookie baker. If you ask him what his secret is, he’ll tell you: "I don’t over bake cookies." The difference between a just right cookie and an over baked one is dramatic.

Make cookies uniform in size. Not only are they more attractive but different sizes of cookies take different times to bake.

Most recipe writers tell you to leave the cookies on the sheet for a minute or two. Cookies continue to bake on a hot baking sheet. Sometimes that’s necessary for an easy release but for most recipes, we remove them as quickly as we can.

If the cookies look a little soggy in the middle, then leave them on the sheet for a few minutes and they will firm up.

Most cookies should be gold in color, not brown. Both the amount of sugar and soda in the recipe will affect how fast a cookie browns.

Chocolate cookies represent another challenge: you can’t tell if they are browning. If you are baking with a new recipe, bake a few cookies and check them for doneness before baking the entire batch. Chocolate cookies will tend to lose their "wet" look when done.

Many bar cookies will have a dry, shiny crust when done.

Cakes

For most baked goods–but especially cakes–it is best to set the timer for a few minutes less than directed in the recipe-different ovens or even different positions in the oven bake differently. A dark pan bakes more quickly than a light pan. When you find your cake not quite done and continue baking, set the timer for three or four minutes and check again.

A toothpick inserted in the center of the cake will come out clean when done. "Clean" means a few crumbs. If there is wet looking batter clinging to the toothpick, it’s not done.

If you don’t want to poke a whole in the center of the cake, check for doneness with your finger. There should be some resiliency to the touch and the cake should spring back. When done, the cake will usually have a golden brown color to the top though different recipes will brown more or less quickly. When done, the cake will tend to pull away form the edges.

Quick Breads

Quick breads are basically cakes in a loaf pan. The same tests that you use on cakes can be used with quick breads. Stick the toothpick or skewer right in the open crack in the center of the bread. The area under that crack seems to be the last area in the loaf to set up.

Incidentally, quick breads release from the pan easier if left to cool for few minutes before removing. Because of the larger mass, a loaf does not continue cooking as quickly as cookies do.

Custard Pies

Custard pies-including pumpkin pies-are a special problem. It takes quite a while for the protein in the eggs to set and make the pie firm. Often, the crust is becoming too brown before the eggs set. If so, cover the crust with strips of aluminum foil to retard further browning.

When a custard pie is done, a knife inserted in the center of the pie will come out clean. If you don’t want a cut mark in the center of your pie, use the jiggle test. Pick the pie up with two hot pads or mitts and gently shake the pie back and forth. If done, all but the center should be firm-there will be a little jiggle in the center. The center will continue to cook and firm up after you remove the pie from the oven.

We hope these guidelines help. With practice and observation, you’ll soon become very proficient at judging when your bread or cookies are baked to perfection. Your baked goods will then be irresistible.

Dennis Weaver is the general manager at The Prepared Pantry (http://www.preparedpantry.com) with recipes, ideas, and the best selection of mixes and ingredients. Visit the free Bakers’ Library for more articles like this, free baking guides, and tested recipes.

Online classifieds scams pose threats to both sellers and buyers.

Posing As A Seller:

A Person can post an ad for a puppy that only exist in the item description. Actually, seller doesn’t have the puppy that he/she is trying sell or give away. Seller will then ask for money and refer them to the shipping company who is supposed to send the puppy to the buyer. Buyer waits for few days and contacts the seller, but no answer. Tries again for couple of more days..no answer. Finally buyer decides to call the shipping company with the reference number for the puppy. Shipping company replies that they don’t have anything related to this reference number or it is not for your puppy. Buyer loses money.

Posing As A Buyer:

A scammer can pose as a buyer of a puppy and contacts the seller. Buyer is desperate to buy and accepts your listed price and suggest that his/her agent will pick up the puppy with a check that is more than the asking price. In return, they ask buyer to deduct amount for the item, get remaining amount and give a fake cashier’s check. Seller will lose the puppy and the money.

Check any websites who have classifieds, if they don’t have a warning about online scams, they should have!

There are ways you can protect yourself from these scams, visit our Scam Alert page on http://www.petboro.com/scam.aspx where you can find examples of scams and emails and list of known scammer emails that people have reported to us.

Courtesy of Petboro.com

Unlikely as it may seem, recent scientific research suggests this hypothesis might actually be true. It appears studying music can, in fact, impact the development of the human personality, especially in the area of socialization. In particular, music education encourages self-discipline and diligence, traits which carry over into other areas.

According to statistics compiled by the National Data Resource Center, students who can be classified as ‘disruptive’ (based on factors such as frequent skipping of classes, times in trouble, in-school suspensions, disciplinary reasons given, arrests, and drop-outs) total 12.14 percent of the total school population. In contrast, only 8.08 percent of students involved in music classes meet the same criteria as ‘disruptive’.

Neurobiologist Norman Weinberger reports on another research study by Martin Gardiner of Brown University. According to Weinberger, writing in the Winter 2000 Issue of MuSICA Research Notes, Gardiner’s study checked the relationship between arrest records of teenagers and their degree of involvement in music. He analyzed a large-scale data base that included information gathered over a period of many years for more than a thousand residents of Rhode Island.

Gardiner tracked people from birth through the age of thirty, and found that the greater the involvement in music, the lower the arrest record. Teens who had music education were less likely to get into trouble than students who didn’t. However, those who were also involved in playing a musical instrument had even fewer brushes with the law. Those who had the most experience, including good sight-reading ability, had a negligible arrest record.

Gardiner’s study, which took place in 2000, is backed by others. The National Association for Music Education publishes a fact sheet on its website which quotes the Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse Report. According to the January 1998 report, secondary students who participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetime - and current - use of all substances (alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs).

And a 1990 study at the National Arts Education Research Center, concluded that students who participated in arts programs in selected elementary and middle schools in New York City showed significant increases in self-esteem and thinking skills.

The results of studies such as these are promising for the future of our society, especially in the light of a 2003 Gallup Poll Survey showing record numbers of Americans now play musical instruments.

This survey - conducted by the Gallup Organization (commissioned by NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants) - found that Americans are playing musical instruments at the highest levels since 1978.

Just over half, (54 percent), of households surveyed had a member who plays a musical instrument. And in 48 percent of households where at least one person played an instrument, there were two or more additional members who also played.

Ninety-seven percent of respondents agreed that playing a musical instrument provides a sense of accomplishment and encourages expression, and 85 percent believe it makes someone smarter. An equal number regretted not learning to play an instrument and 67 percent said they would still like to learn.

Interestingly, the survey also showed that an increasing number of young people are becoming involved in music, with the percentage of people ages of 5 to 17 who play an instrument at 31 percent, up from 25 percent in 1985.

Of the total respondents a further 27 percent were between the ages of 18 to 24.

Most of those questioned began their music education before their teens with 64 percent saying they started music study between the ages of 5 to 11 and 18 percent between the ages of 12 to 14.

In his highly acclaimed book, A Users Guide to the Brain, Ratey John J, MD notes: “The musician is constantly adjusting decisions on tempo, style, rhythm, phrasing and feeling - training the brain to become incredibly good at organizing and conducting numerous activities at once. Dedicated practice of this orchestration can have a great payoff for lifelong attention skills, intelligence and an ability for self-knowledge and expression.”

Good citizens require many of these same skills in order to live harmoniously with other human beings. So as you move to a new town or take up a new job, it could just be worth enquiring if your neighbors and colleagues are musicians.

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD’s, CD’s, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. His book-CD-DVD course titled “How To Play Chord Piano” (http://www.chordpiano.com) has sold over 100,000 copies around the world. He holds an advanced degree from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. Previous to that he worked as an assistant music therapist at DeWitt State Hospital in Auburn, California. He can be reached at http://www.pianolessonsbyvideo.com. He is the author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter titled “Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions” with over 55,000 current subscribers. Those interested may obtain a free subscription by going to http://www.playpiano.com/

Making your Candle Throw (or cast its fragrance over a wide area) is the primary goal of making a Fragranced Candle. This is not hard to achieve if you understand the basic parameters. There are 5 things to consider when making a successfully Fragranced Candle. If you have the following in place, the Candle will be excellent and Fragrant.

Do not be discouraged if your first try is not as good as you had hoped. These things are easily achieved when you know what to plan and look for.

1. Make sure you are using very high grade fragrance concentrates. If you wonder what you have, read the article about the differences between A Grade and B Grade fragrances in the frequently asked questions section.

2. Make sure you use 1 to 1.5 oz of your fragrance per pound. (1 oz to 20 oz liquid wax) You can use less after testing for strength, but start here. With our fragrance it will run you out at that level, and you can back off to your desired fragrance strength. Also make sure that your fragrance is mixing completely into your wax. You will know this when you pour into your candle containers. If there is a bunch of unmixed fragrance on the bottom of the pot, raise your temperature next time and stir it in better before pouring.

3. Make sure your wax is holding the fragrance in the wax evenly, all the way to the top. You will know this if there is not any watery substance at the bottom of the container after it sets up. Also, if your candle has very little smell when initially lit or has to burn about half way down before it starts to smell good, then you know the fragrance is settling down into the lower part of your wax. To make sure this does not happen, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of the additive Vybar 260 to your container blend to hold it in properly. This will allow the wax to hold your scent in evenly to the top of the candle after it sets up and in most cases will not noticeably effect the burn of the candle.

4. So, now you have made sure you have; Quality fragrance, and you are Using an adequate amount of it, and the fragrance is mixing properly with your wax, and your wax is holding it evenly after it sets up, Make sure the top of the candle is level flat before lighting it. This means in most cases that no matter if you are using a one pour wax, or regular paraffin, you will still have to either do a repour if you are using regular paraffin to fill the crater in the center, or if you are using a one pour container blend, you will have to take a heat gun and remelt the top and fill any holes or dips in the top. Ideally, where the wick comes out of the wax will be level, or a little above the edges of the container where the wax touches the edge of the jar. (like a mini pyramid is shaped) If you do not do this, the wick no matter how big it is, will core down and drown out if it is in a well when lit. The candle tops are easily remelted flat with a heat gun. A hot hair dryer will work in some cases also. Take care not to light the wick with your heat gun, people will complain that the candle is used and want to return it if the wick is charred.

5. Ok, now here it is, The Whole Secret to a Candle that throws is to know where the Throw comes from. The Throw and Fragrance from a candle comes from the melt pool of the candle wax when it burns. The actual fragrance oil burning makes no smell at all. Raw Fragrance only creates soot if burned directly with an oil lamp wick by itself. (dont try that yourself by the way, its dangerous) This is why Melts or Tarts smell so good when used in a tart melter. The tart melter makes a melt pool to warm up the candle fragrance in the wax pool creating a warm updraft to spread the fragrance throughout your home. The same applies to a Candle. The Melt Pool should be ¼ inch to the thickness of your pinkie finger at the most. A deeper melt pool can make your container hot and could possibly spill onto your customers table or carpeting if bumped so be careful and find the ideal melt pool for your container by varying your wick size up or down. A Melt Pool of ¼ inch works fine in most cases and will throw the fragrance as the candle is burning, making the melt pool, and creating a slight heat updraft from the candle that takes the fragrance with it to fill your home.

Copyright 2006 The Candlemakers Store

About The Author

Steve Pollard has been in the Candles, Cosmetic and Personal Products Industry for over 10 years. His background includes Manufacturing, Product development and Formulation of Candles, Fragrance and Color development and personal products.

For the Technical edge and to claim some valuable bonuses, you can subscribe to his popular newsletter at: http://www.TheCandlemakersStore.com.