Jesus crucified upon a cross, the third day Easter holiday was born. Easter Festival with religious origins to countries in Europe and the United States, Easter is a major holiday after Christmas. According to the “Bible Gospel According to Matthew” argument in the cross of Jesus Christ three days after the revival of torture, and thus the establishment of this section. According to the Western church tradition, the Spring equinox festival (March 21) or a full day to see the first month after the Spring equinox, the first encounter is Easter Sunday. Eastern Church provides that if one happens to appear in this first Sunday, Easter again postponed a week. Therefore, generally in a section from March 22 to April 25 between. On the death of Jesus Christ, according to the Christian creed is to change the world of crime. Thus, in Christianity, Easter is of great significance. However, and Christmas, along with social progress, Easter religious overtones increasingly weak, as a folk festival features are becoming increasingly evident.

Canfield, 24, was arrested Wednesday, hours after trash collectors found a newborn dead in an overstuffed bin outside the Redondo Beach home where the party was held, police Lt. Joe Hoffman said.

“She’s saying that she didn’t know” she was having a baby, and she appeared “distraught over a tragic situation,” Hoffman said.

After the party, Canfield left for Santa Barbara, where she stays with family.

Redondo Beach investigators found her there and took her to an emergency room for an examination and treatment before booking her for investigation of murder at Los Angeles County Jail. The name of her lawyer could not be immediately determined.

Detectives don’t know if the baby was alive when she was dumped in the bin. The baby was found just blocks from a fire station where unwanted babies can be surrendered.

The Safely Surrendered Baby Law was passed in California in 2001 to allow parents to give up their babies without fear of prosecution at fire stations, hospitals and other locations. California is one of at least 46 states with such a law.

Through December 2009, a total of 331 babies had been surrendered to authorities since the law went into effect. Another 151 babies have been found abandoned during that time.

Deanne Tilton-Durfee, executive director of the Los Angeles County Inter-Agency Council on Abuse and Neglect, said it might be time to consider relaunching a public awareness campaign for the program.

After the law was passed, the county distributed brochures and advertised the toll-free 1-877-BABY-SAFE phone number on buses. But the campaign has gone dormant since.

The agency doesn’t gather much information about who uses the service because parents can safely surrender their babies within 72 hours of birth with no questions asked.

However, Tilton-Durfee said many women who abandon their babies are teenagers or older moms who can’t afford to raise another child.

The women tend to share a “distorted, hysterical” state of mind, she said, “because they don’t know any alternative. They just want to find the fastest way to dispose of the baby and believe they can remain anonymous.”

Women who intend to abandon their babies usually hide their pregnancies, Tilton-Durfee said.

Friends and family should talk to women who appear to be pregnant, asking if they’re carrying a child and can use help, she said.

The two officers suffered grazing wounds and were being treated in a hospital, said Richard Keevill, chief of Pentagon police.

The suspect, believed to be a U.S. citizen, walked up to a security checkpoint at the Pentagon in an apparent attempt to get inside the massively fortified Defense Department headquarters, at about 6:40 p.m. “He just reached in his pocket, pulled out a gun and started shooting” at point-blank range, Keevill said. “He walked up very cool. He had no real emotion on his face.” The Pentagon officers returned fire with semiautomatic weapons.

Of the suspect, the chief said, “His injury is pretty critical.”

The assault at the very threshold of the Pentagon — the U.S. capital’s ground zero on Sept. 11, 2001 — came four months after a deadly attack on the Army’s Fort Hood, Texas, post allegedly by a U.S. Army psychiatrist with radical Islamic leanings. In the immediate aftermath Thursday, investigators did not think terrorism was involved but were not ruling that out and did not discuss possible motives.

Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as John Patrick Bedell, 36. They also said they were speaking with a second man, who might have accompanied the shooter, and were running his name through databases.

The subway station is immediately adjacent to the Pentagon building, a five-sided northern Virginia colossus across the Potomac River from Washington. Since a redesign following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon, riders can no longer disembark directly into the building. Riders take a long escalator ride to the surface from the underground station, then pass through a security check outside the doors of the building, where further security awaits.

After the attack, all Pentagon entrances were secured, then all were reopened except one from the subway, said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman. He said the subway entrance was likely to remain closed overnight at least.

Keevill said the gunman gave no clue to the officers at the checkpoint about what he was going to do.

“There was no distress,” he said. “When he reached into his pocket, they assumed he was going to get a pass and he came up with a gun.”

“He wasn’t pretending to be anyone. He was wearing a coat and walked up and just started shooting.”

Keevill added: “We have layers of security and it worked. He never got inside the building to hurt anyone.”

A Pentagon official working late in the building said people inside first heard of the shooting on television. They were later told the building was locked down and to stay in place.

Then at around 7:30 p.m., they heard an announcement on the public address system that they could leave through Corridor 3 — one widely used to get access to one of the parking lots.

“We really don’t know anything, just that we can leave now through that corridor,” one official said on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak about the incident.

___

Associated Press writers Pauline Jelinek, Devlin Barrett, Matt Apuzzo, Anne Gearan, Nafeesa Syeed and Mike Gracia contributed to this report.

London is once again teeming with shared office party events for Christmas from burlesque in bars to medieval banquets in great halls but which ones are best for your Christmas Christmas party? After all not everyone is necessarily going to be into the theme chosen and surely other factors like how the quality of the food will be just as important as any entertainment offered?. This is where Christmas Insider comes in providing unbiased reviews of the best and worst of what London has to offer

Medieval banquets are having a big comeback this year courtesy of Lord of The Rings. Avoid all the other historic offerings and book in at The Medieval Banquet in Smithfield. Their dinner is a recession busting £55 per head which includes unlimited beer and wine during dinner. Only complaint is that 12am is a bit of an early finish.

Of the retro music themed events the New Connaught Rooms Abba Reunion party looks very good value . Cheaply priced at £65 per head the musical shows are first rate notch and the New Connaught Rooms have a good reputation for their kitchen and ballroom. No rubber chickens here and a good 1am license too. Roll on Dancing Queen

Of the burlesque cabaret and comedy themed shared office Christmas party packages Peacock Bar’s “Put Your Boss on The Stage” looks outstanding value A 3 course traditional Christmas turkey dinner or lunch for £25 with 6 burlesque cabaret shows, a host and a photographer all thrown in. A retro disco after till the small hours of the morning completes this top notch offering. As a multiple award winning venue expect first rate shows.

Fancy something more exotic maybe Cuban with a bit of Salsa after? Christmas Insider likes the Cuban Camden. £35 for a meal -albeit somewhat a somewhat un Christmas like one – is middling value. However with a 1am license weekdays and a 2am license weekends there is plenty of time for dancing later .

Where would one be without a James Bond themed night – but surely a Jason borne one might be more appropriate these days? The Bloomsbury Hotel has once again chosen James Bond themed night and Christmas Insider cannot fault them for that . the 4 course meal prepared by their Michelin starred executive chef £75 +VAT per head with courtesy glass of champagne is not too expensive by Central London standards. There’s plenty of time to strut your stuff in their ballroom after too.

Of the river options The Symphony River Cruise is the best of the cruise and dine packages. The all glass walls allows guests an excellent view without having to go up on deck and the 4 course meal at £75 per head while a bit pricey includes a ½ bottle of wine. As always though don’t be late as they will leave without you and you may need to arrange entertainment for later as docking is at an unfestively early time of 10.45pm. Shame.

Watch out for more reviews from Christmas Insider

Artificial Christmas trees can give you a chance to save up. Instead of using the money to buy a traditional Christmas tree every year, you can just buy an artificial tree, place it in storage by the end of the season and then bring it out by the next year. If stored properly, it will retain its shape and quality. Thus, it gives you the perfect tree for years to come.

However, one disadvantage with traditional trees that homeowners dislike is that real trees can make an absolute mess in your home. One thing that bothers most homeowners is the fact that traditional trees need water in order to remain fresh. This means constantly refilling their water containers. Apart from that, there are the needles. Some of them get embedded in the carpet and can be an absolutely tedious task to clean up. Moreover, there’s the tree sap. This can go into your floor or carpet and can be sticky, and a pain to get rid of.

One, it entails savings on expenses. Using an artificial tree means being able to use it year after year without having to buy a new Christmas tree. Two, having an artificial tree means you are safer from fire hazards. Three, taste and preference is not a problem since you have a variety of trees to choose from. For example, a four foot tree is available as well as a 30 foot tree. Four, the color as well as the tree shape is also varied. Five, artificial trees look just like real Christmas trees. It’s difficult to even tell the difference. Today’s artificial trees are made of high-quality that it’s hard to even tell them apart from the real thing. Details such as color, shape, even the branches are mimicked to the littlest degree.

Pre lit Artificial Christmas Trees

Buying prelit artificial Christmas trees means getting benefits. On the other hand, buying them also means receiving disadvantages. Here are two good reasons for the disadvantages of commercially sold Christmas trees in comparison to real Christmas trees.

First disadvantage with having an artificial tree is that for most people the process of having a traditional tree has become somewhat a tradition. There is no denying that there is an indescribable joy whenever you march out and pick you own tree. People who had strong traditions at home will definitely miss out on this feeling. When you decide to get a traditional tree, you will not get any of these special traditional and feelings. However, you can fix this problem by simply marching up to a tree lot or farm, walk around and feel the surrounding. This will ease your yearning for tradition and will also help you prepare to decorate your own artificial tree once you go home.

Plain tree stands for pre-lit artificial Christmas trees are trouble-free and undemanding to use. Most of the time, the setup won’ give you any problems. They fold into a triangle shape, but when you need to use them, they are usually shaped like an X. A word of caution, however, if you are going to use this tree stand for your artificial tree, make sure to line the bottom with cloth or place it on top of the carpet so that you will not scratch the floor.

Whatever type of tree you’ll settle with, whether its traditional trees or prelit artificial Christmas trees, it is important to remember that you are celebrating the season of sharing and loving.

You will also need to add some Unique Christmas Ornaments to your tree.

.

In this article, I’ll go over the most commonly used direct response advertising vehicles/types for small to medium-sized businesses, such as:

• Newspaper
• Direct Mail
• Magazine and Classified Ads
• TV and Radio
• Internet Ads
• Outdoor Media – Billboards, Transit Signs
• Press Releases and PR
• Yellow Pages

and more…

Obviously, the trick is to match your message to your market using a suitable vehicle. For instance, it makes no sense to advertise your retirement community using a fast-paced, loud, radio spot on a hip-hop station… no matter what the salesperson says! So before you buy, make sure you’ve correctly identified your target prospects; created messages that motivate them and selected the appropriate advertising.

Here are some general tips for choosing your advertising medium.

1. Unless your target audience is broad, it’s best to choose 2-3 primary advertising vehicles… ones that you can afford to dominate. Never, ever rely solely on one form of communicating with the public – this is simply too risky. Rather, choose media that complement each other and ensure that your prospects hear about you in multiple forms.

2. Choose methods according to cost, targeting and response… Any campaign can be broken down into costs per thousand, and if you’re using direct response advertising (which you should) benchmark your success using costs per sale. Your expenses include cost of design (also known as creative), production (producing or printing your ad), and placement (radio, advertisement, list purchase and postage).

As a general rule, the more targeted the medium, the higher the cost. In return, however, you should expect a higher response rate, so the cost per response can be lower than cheaper methods.

Choose advertising and publicity methods that are suitable for your target audience. Companies that sell advertising can provide you with a lot of helpful information about their audience. Also, it’s a good idea to look at other types of businesses that continually use various media. Then make sure they’re targeting the same audience as you. Bottom line: avoid guesswork, by testing before committing to major purchases.

3. Make sure you know your total marketing budget less what’s already spent or “promised”. This assumes that you’ve already developed this and that it’s based on:

• Industry norms
• Needed profit margins
• Available cash
• Opportunity costs
• Company’s risk tolerance
• Average Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) – the value of a customer over their time with business with a company. Simply put:

CLV = Revenues Received – Cost to Get and Keep

4. Find out what your competitors are spending on media in the same markets. For example, if you decide to run a radio ad in the Chicago market twice a day, on two stations for two weeks and a competitor is running a similar ad in the same market but running it 15 times a day, on 15 stations for 15 weeks you’d be foolish to waste your money by trying to compete… no one is going to notice your spot. This is another reason it’s so important to use reputable advertising agency to buy this type of advertising (goes for TV as well).

5. Even though your budget will significantly dictate your medium selection, you must also be aware and sensitive to your own sales cycles. For instance, if you’re the owner of an air-conditioning equipment company you understand that consumers don’t purchase a unit every year. Therefore, your communication has to be consistent and ongoing so you’re “top of mind” when they’re ready to buy. Also, you should develop another communication, particularly in the heat of summer, for folks who have a “burning” (no pun intended) desire to buy now.

Moreover, if you’re a jeweler you may want to beef up on your advertising right before Mother’s Day, Christmas and Valentine’s Day and do little, or nothing, in August.

6. Track and measure your results… Advertising is an intricate science. Therefore, the best way to be sure that something is, or is not, working is to measure it using predetermined indicators. Gauge the effectiveness of your advertising from the beginning by keeping detailed records on what you did; when; to whom; for how much; and what happened.

Admittedly, the results of certain advertising are difficult to gauge. However, if you don’t measure and record your results you may be wasting money and missing the opportunity to make your decisions much easier the next time around. Key indicators to be assessed are cost per thousand, cost per response and percentage response.

Remember also that advertising forms a part of your business plan which is aimed at being profitable. If your advertising does not produce an incremental gross profit (more than costs directly associated with the medium) you need to know why.

7. Understand and adhere to laws… Before choosing your advertising methods, make sure that you are aware of all local, county, state, and federal laws about data protection, consumer rights, customer privacy and opt-out regulations. This is especially important if you are involved in maintaining and using mailing lists (e-mail and otherwise), personal customer data, telemarketing, direct mail, fax-marketing and e-mailing.

Hope these tips will serve you well. Happy Marketing!

1. eBay and Internet auction sites The quickest and easiest way to earn some money is to join an online auction site such as eBay. Look around your home or office and you will probably find lots of things that you no longer use. It is surprising what people will buy – so try putting some of it on eBay. Remember that one persons rubbish is someone else’s treasure! Just be honest in describing the article and its condition and see what happens. Many people start by selling one or two items and end up making quite a business out of these sites.

2. Make your own product Have you any skills that you can bring to mind? Skills that can be converted to a product. For example, you may be able to knit, crochet, make wooden signs, make craft work items like cards or Christmas crackers, etc.. The list goes on. Any of these things could be produced in small quantities to sell on eBay for instance. Can you write about something you know about? Do you have any expertise? Many people have a knowledge of something through work or a hobby that other people will pay to read. For instance write a report on how to do something e.g. arrange a wedding, make model planes, gardening, repairing household goods, cars, decorating tips – again the list is endless. Think hard, it’s surprising what you can come up with. If you can write a short manual on something then save it and burn it onto a Cd – than, again, sell it on eBay!

3. Start blogging is becoming very popular.Going on from the last suggestion, if you didn’t want to sell your information on eBay, then publish it on a blog. You can set up a blog at no cost and post useful information on it. Make regular contributions to it and invite people to comment on it. Discussions soon start and traffic will begin to increase. If you keep at it the blog can become popular and other means of income earning can be introduced. You can add affiliate, adsense and private sales to a successful blog.

4. Google adsense Once you have a blog you can apply to Google to become a member of adsense. Putting one of their ads on your site will help you to earn a little money just from people clicking that ad. It does not pay a lot, but if your site becomes popular then the earnings potential will increase. You can put the adsense ads on any web sites or blogs that you own.
 
5. Affiliate sales Joining an affiliate program such as Clickbank, PayDotCom or Commission Junction can be very profitable. People click on your ads or links and if they buy the product, you get a commission. These are free to join so risk free. The problem, as always, is getting people to click on your links! Try putting them on your web site or blog. Make sure that the product you are selling is relevant to the subject matter on that page. You could also try advertising free on USfreeads and linking back to your web site.

6. Provide product reviews There are sites on the internet that pay you for submitting product reviews. People like to search the web for reviews on products they are interested in so some companies will look out for reviewers. This can be a fairly easy way to earn a little extra cash for writing about something you have tried.

7. Write articles for people Places such as Elance will pay you for writing articles. Customers go to Elance and request articles on certain subjects. If you have basic writing skills you could write these for them. Usually around 500 words is sufficient and you can find plenty of supporting information to put in the article by searching the internet! Just make sure you don’t simply copy and paste things – all work has to be unique and written by yourself. This can be quite fun to do as well as profitable.

8. Complete paid surveys There are several companies online that ask people to complete surveys. You can do it online and just need to register with a few of them. Joining is free so doing not pay anyone for it. The first few you do may not give you anything much, but keep doing them and they will come to accept you as a reliable and regular responder. Then you will start to get better payments. At that stage you can choose the best surveys to complete.

9. Proof reading Have you a good basic English grammar? If so you can proof read documents and web sites and get paid for it. Check out Elance for offers of work here.

10. Translation This may not be suitable for many, but if you have a good command of a second language, there are always requests for translations online. Again check out Elance for work offers. I realize that not all of these methods will suit everyone but I hope that one or two of them may inspire you to take those first steps to earning some money online and, who knows, start you on your online business. Keep reading and you will find further tips and methods on making money as you learn more.

Today, retailers are turning to the web and to internet technology more and more, and as those in the retail sector turn increasingly to the internet, so do shoppers and consumers. It’s been a hard journey for some shops and companies, whilst others have embraced the online world of shopping. It’s a similar story for consumers, with an increasing number turning to websites for their shopping needs rather than the high street.

There are a number of obvious benefits in terms of online shopping, both for the customer and for the retailer; some of these are obvious, but others are less so. Perhaps the most obvious advantage from the point of view of both customers and retailers is that there are no crowds. As a customer I much prefer being able to sit in a comfy chair with a cup of tea, browsing at my leisure. It allows me to compare products easily, without having to rush up and down the high street darting in to half a dozen shops just to compare prices and offers. It also allows me to save and bookmark items or products conveniently, so that I can come back to them a little later, at my complete convenience.

But the world of online shopping isn’t as simple as just taking a high street shop, and building a website which closely resembles the business image with which customers are familiar. Those retailers who have taken the simplistic approach are not only likely to be missing out on a significant portion of sales, but are missing a number of tricks.

Take the idea of music, for example. Thankfully retailers haven’t seen the need to stream background music through our speakers whilst we browse their website, whereas we are often forced to tolerate such music when in the shops. Most of us are aware that this piped music is designed to make us feel good, to relax us, and to make us want to hang around a little more, possibly buying a little more.

But when it comes to online retailing, this isn’t as necessary. Generally consumers are comfortable, and relaxed, perhaps with a drink, or a snack with them. They’ll have logged on at a time that is convenient to them, and so as a retailer you have at least a temporarily captive audience. They’re already within your domain, and relaxed, so what do you do about that next?

In a high street outlet you’re more likely to try to entice customers with the geographical layout of your shop. These are old tricks of course, but ones which invariably still work. Have the sale sign on the front window, but the actual sale items at the back of the shop, encouraging people in, but presenting full price, latest fashion items all the way there and back. This is a tried and tested way of enticing customers in to your shop, and getting them deeply involved, right to the back, at which point your impressive displays, helpful staff and relaxing music will all help.

But what about your website? Online retail needs to employ tricks as well. It simply isn’t a virtual catalogue, and those companies who do present nothing less than a version of their catalogue in digital form are missing out on many opportunities. So, you’ve worked hard optimizing your website for the search engines, and promoting the address through offline and online advertising, but what will you do to encourage your customers to explore more deeply into your website – to metaphorically dig all the way to the back?

There’s no single right answer to this, but there are plenty of ways in which it can be achieved. Having large banners on the front page advertising sale items, but linking to pages which contain both sale items and full price items is just one, rather basic way in which this can be achieved. Depending on the nature of your business, you’ll need to think carefully about what tactics you can use to encourage visitors right to the back of your virtual store. But please, don’t start streaming piped music.

From mineral-rich black mud body masques to health treatments in thermo-mineral springs and the Dead Sea brine, the region’s abundant cosmetological and therapeutic natural resources are truly legendary.

Cleopatra knew well the value of the naturally beautifying and restorative products that came from the Dead Sea region. She so coveted the bounty of the mineral-laden bath salts, the skin-revitalizing mud baths and the intoxicating balsamic perfumes extracted from the oases that her lover, Marc Anthony, led his troops into a fierce and bloody war to secure the region for his beautiful Queen.
And Cleopatra herself built the very first Dead Sea cosmetic facilities. Visitors to Ein Bokek and the Biblical, historic Ein Gedi can still see the bones of those factories today.

What makes Dead Sea products so clinically beneficial is their source — a unique mix of solar radiation, an oxygen-rich atmosphere and geological features unlike any other on earth.

Flanked by mountains to its east and west, the heavily saline Dead Sea is cradled in a deep, sealed basin with hot, arid air above its surface. More than 400 meters below sea level, the Sea takes in water and mineralized run-off from mountain streams and alluvial springs, but loses the water rapidly to evaporation.

The resultant residue of leeched minerals and thick salts has long been used the world over to relieve the effects of muscle pains, psoriasis and other human ills.

The mineral cocktail produced in the Dead Sea waters and absorbed into the human body is believed to help skin to literally regenerate.

Today, the Dead Sea’s reputation as a healer, revitalizer, replenisher and therapy treatment is thriving. Visitors travel to the Holy Land the year-round to bask on the sunny beaches and luxuriate or heal at one of the many top-quality day spas and treatment centers.

Today’s Dead Sea products aficionados are finding that Cleopatra was right on the target about the value and effectiveness of the region’s bounty!

Based on years of scientific testing, manufacturers report their products will smooth wrinkles, revitalize the skin’s appearance, relieve muscle tension and cure acne.

There are also products to stimulate, cleanse and tighten skin, shrink large pores, rejuvenate hair luster, moisturize dry skin and give a healthy glow to whatever body part is enjoying treatment.

Among the many different types of Dead Sea beauty and pharmaceutical products marketed today are:

• Therapeutic Black Mud masks, soaps, hair restorer, body cleansers, pain relievers, dry-skin treatments and scalp treatments. Many firms also market the mineral-rich mud as a topical application to relieve soreness caused by inflamed muscles.
• Dead Sea mineral-based shampoos, conditioners and anti-dandruff treatments
• Dead Sea bath gels, shower gels, foot spas, foot creams, sun screens, skin toners, and astringents for oily skin
• Dead Sea chloride salts rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, iodine and bromide
• Balsam-based cosmetics, perfumes and medicines.