A Guide to Cozumel Hotels

Cozumel has something to suit the tastes and budgets of a wide variety of travelers. From the most lavish of hotels with services that complement the prices, to the most basic of rooms, some with cooking facilities, you can find what you are looking for without looking too far. First, decide what you would like out of your vacation time. Are you longing to wake up to a beautiful sunrise pouring over the ocean, the beaches and directly into your room? Or are you a night owl, looking to party at any of many local discos and watering holes until you crawl into your bed and draw the curtains shut? Do you want beachfront and a swimming pool at your facility? Or do you prefer the small town atmosphere where you can walk over to restaurants and bars and sample the local flavor of the island? There are hotels that offer anything you could possibly want ? including some who specialize in singles events for those who are unattached.

There are hotels and resorts on the island built on or near some of the best beach diving available. They offer everything from diving equipment and lessons, to snorkeling gear and swim fins for an enjoyable underwater experience merely feet from your room. Others are built to take advantage of the offshore reefs a short boat ride from the beach where the diving and snorkeling is unbeatable. Still others offer family fun with a myriad of activities for the kids while the parents can enjoy their free time on the island however they choose. And then there are the lodges built for the serious fisherman who comes to catch some of the many types of ocean fish available around the island. These places offer serious equipment, including many boat excursions around the island to some of the well-known spots for catching fish.

Some hotels offer a choice of suites with kitchenettes, or modest air conditioned rooms just steps away from the excitement of the waterfront with its many restaurants, oceanfront bars and magnificent shopping. When you stay in this type of hotel, you have the best of both worlds as the best diving beaches are minutes away and yet you have many amenities available to you just a short walk from your comfortable room. There are condos for rent on the island as well as houses priced to fit any budget. You merely have to do a little research, decide what you want from your fabulous Cozumel vacation, and then go for it!

Cozumel Info provides detailed information about Cozumel beaches, weather, vacations, real estate, hotels, and more. Cozumel Info is the sister site of Punta Cana Web.

Tibetan Singing Bowls - Learn More Before You Buy

I recently had the pleasure to interview Richard Rudis, a Buddhist who has traveled to Tibet many times, who also teaches people how to work with Gongs, Tingshas, and Tibetan Singing Bowls.

One question I asked him was about the fact that lately it seems that everyone and their brother is offering Tibetan Singing Bowls for sale. I asked Richard to discuss this phenomenon:

Richard: In regard to the singing bowl proliferation, we should start in India. Now, India is a wonderful country and it is full of wonderful opportunists. If there is a way of financially gaining from anything within their realm of understanding, they are on it in a moment.

So in India there are warehouses full of what are referred to as "singing bowls" or "Tibetan bowls." They have been machined. They are not handmade like real Tibetan Singing Bowls. The alloy that real Tibetan bowls are made from is sacred in origin; I have no idea if these bowls are made from same alloy, but probably not. For example, the iron in ancient bowls is meteorite iron.

That's not to say that some of these Indian bowls can't be useful. It is just that they are being marketed in a way that is not completely honest.

There are only three sources in the United States that I can recommend where someone can go and say I want a Tibetan Bowl, and get a real one. There were two groups in Tibet that made them, and the groups have not existed for over a hundred years, so if the bowl was truly made by them, then the bowls are at least 100 years old.

The research I've done shows that the fourth Dalai Lama, separated these special bowls from drinking bowls, so we can date true bowls back from at least 100 to over 1000 years ago.

The older bowls coming from that spiritual path, they are spectacular. But there are a finite number of them, so when you see all these bowls out there, the sources have to be questioned. You need to use a lot of discernment and knowledge.

I do workshops over the country and people will bring me a bowl they have and to them, it's a wonderful bowl in their mind. But once they experience a true quality bowl that I bring to the workshop, the bowl that they thought was great now becomes mediocre. It can still work for them in many ways, but it is not the same bowl they once thought it was.

Andrew Borakove is a gong aficionado and proprietor of the only store on the Internet devoted to gongs - http://www.gongs-unlimited.com. Richard Rudis leads pilgrimages to Tibet, teaches people how to use singing bowls, and sells remarkable Tibetan and other Asian artifacts and antiquities through his website - http://www.buddhistartifacts.com

Gic Number For Writing Sales Letters

When I write sales letters for my clients, one rule I always start with is The Rule of 7.

I learned about The Rule of 7 from one of my good friends who once ran for political office. In his campaign, he made certain that his name appeared seven times in all of his radio spots.

Why? Because that's generally the number of times required before a name "magically" sticks in the mind of a prospect. The Rule of 7 is often used in radio and television advertising. But this isn't an isolated occurrence-the number seven seems to be a bit magical in other areas, like prospecting and linguistics.

Do you know the average number of times experts say you need to make contact with a prospect before they will be ready to commit?

Seven.

Can you guess how many times linguists say a person must use a word before it becomes a true part of their vocabulary?

That's right-seven.

This "magic" is the reason I try to repeat my client's product name or business name seven times in the sales letters I write for them.

The truth is, we're not really talking about magic, here. It's really about generating recognition for a name or a concept. It's about embedding something in a prospect's subconscious mind. It's about branding. I use The Rule of 7 to write sales letters, but the idea can be applied to other areas of marketing, too.

Every person and every thing has an identity-and branding is about more than just a logo. A brand identity is about who you are, what you offer and the benefits of choosing you over the competition. The name you choose to operate under-whether your personal name, your business name, your product name, or your website address-is a link to all of that information. Repetition, which is what makes The Rule of 7 work, strengthens the recognition and recollection of your brand.

Now, all the "experts" may come back later and say that "seven" isn't the right number after all. It's nine. Or it's five. Or it's eight-point-three. But it doesn't really matter, does it? Seven works well as a general rule. (Besides, it is a lucky number.)

Of course, I know that fulfilling The Rule of 7 is no guarantee a prospect will accept an offer. But I know using the rule increases the chance that a prospect will see my name or the name of one of my websites and think, "Oh, yeah, I remember Seductive Sales Letters" or "I remember Matthew Cobb." Recognition and recollection-that's what The Rule of 7 is all about.

One word of warning, though. Just because seven times is good doesn't mean that seventy times is even better. Repeating the same name over and over again can grow annoying and cause prospects to quit reading. And then, you may not even be able to fulfill The Rule of 1.

About The Author

Matthew Cobb is an independent copywriter/consultant who operates Seductive Sales Letters. Visit SeductiveSalesLetters.com and sign up for the official monthly publication, The Seductive Sales Letter Clinic.

Managers Who Leave PR to Others

You're a business, non-profit or association manager who needs to achieve your organizational objectives on schedule. Since public relations should be helping you do just that, why leave it wholly in the hands of others?

In your own best interest, get personally involved in your public relations effort and ask the PR team servicing your department, division or subsidiary a few questions.

Are they focused on a workable, comprehensive plan for producing those key external audience behaviors like customers coming back for repeat purchases; new prospects starting to sniff around; capital donors asking for more information, and others deciding to specify your services or products, and similar good stuff?

Ask the PR folks how they feel about using the fundamental premise of public relations as a guide to the PR work they are doing for you. For that matter, what do you think about these two sentences? People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving- to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

The nice thing about that premise is that it shines the PR spotlight directly on those outside groups of people with a large say about how successful you're going to be ? namely, on your key external target audiences.

Then ask your PR team how they feel about using these tools to capture the perceptions, and thus behaviors of your most important outside audiences.

For example, do you and your PR people really know how your organization is perceived by those target audiences, and are you all really aware of the behaviors that flow from those perceptions?

Because that's where the rubber meets the road ? target audience behaviors that help or hinder you in achieving your operating objectives.

To find out what target audience members think about your organ- ization, you and your PR team must interact with them and ask a lot of questions. The alternative is to spend considerable money on professional survey work, but let's assume that's not really an alternative at this point in the budget cycle.

At any rate, we're talking about questions like "What do you think of us? Have you had dealings with us? Were they satisfactory?" Stay alert to negativities such as misconceptions, inaccuracies, false assumptions and rumors.

With such data in hand, you're ready to establish your public relations goal. Often, it can be expressed in a few words: clear up that misconception, correct that inaccuracy, or clarify that false assumption.

But no PR goal is ready for battle without a sound strategy to tell you how to reach it. In matters dealing with perception and opinion, there are just three strategies from which to choose: reinforce existing perception, create perception where there is none, or change it. A word here, make certain the strategy you choose is a good fit with your public relations goal.

Clearly, the most challenging aspect of the PR problem-solving sequence is preparing the message that will do the heavy lifting ? altering individual perception within your target audience pop ulation. It can do so only if it's both persuasive and compelling. As the PR team's "client manager," you must also be involved in message preparation. Is it clear as to what perception needs to be altered, and is your rationale believable and persuasive?

Next, hitch up your "beasts of burden," the communications tactics you need to carry that message to the eyes and ears of your key target audience. Fortunately, you and your PR team have a long list of such tactics available ranging from press releases, media briefings, newsletters and facility tours to radio and newspaper interviews, brochures and face-to-face meetings. Just be sure that the tactics chosen have a record of actually reaching folks like those in your target audience, and that the budget can accommodate the type and frequency of communications tactics required to do the job.

Pretty quick-like, you will wonder just how much progress towards your public relations goal you are really making. Which is the signal to re-monitor perceptions of those members of your target audience. Same questions, but a new objective: watch closely for signs that perceptions are actually being altered.

You can always apply more pressure to the effort by adding new communications tactics to the battle, AND bumping up some of their frequencies.

By keeping a managerial eye on your public relations program ? and satisfying yourself that it is focused on helping you achieve your operating objectives ? you can be certain your PR dollars are being spent on that workable, comprehensive plan for producing those key audience behaviors that impact your operation the most.

About The Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net. Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

Clean Kid Syndrome - Does Your Child Suffer from it?

The learning and development of Australian kids is under threat because they're not playing outdoors, engaging in constructive, creative play.

A nationwide Newspoll survey revealed that the average kid is spending at most, just 10 percent of their free time playing outdoors at home. Alarmingly one in 20 parents (5%) admits when their kids are at home they NEVER play outdoors. Instead the majority of Australian kids are spending far more time indoors, watching television, playing computer games or playing with toys.

Years of research shows that constructive play is an essential part of fostering inquisitive and strong minds. Playing outdoors is therefore key to normal development and lack of exposure to this kind of experience may put some children at a disadvantage.

Getting messy is how they learn, explore and express their creativity. It also helps them to stay healthy by encouraging them to exercise and by bolstering their immune system. Importantly it is through play that children learn to explore

The Newspoll study has revealed that the 'clean kid' syndrome is widespread. Two in five kids (40%) are permitted by their parents to get dirty no more than two or three times per week.

And, according to the research it's mainly because their parents are concerned about their child's safety, but also because they're worried about cleaning up any mess their kids make.

Almost all those parents polled (96%) said they wanted their kids to excel at school, in sport and socially, yet they're reluctant to let them kids get their hands dirty. One in four (23%) youngsters never get the chance to get messed up indoors either by cooking or doing craft activities.

It is clear also that Australian parents underestimate the benefits of free, unrestricted play for children as most would prefer their children to do homework than play outside.

So, just how restrictive has outdoor play become for Australia's youngest generation? Six in ten (62%) parents claim that as kids they spent more time playing outdoors getting dirty than their own children do now, including three in ten who spent more than twice as much time outdoors getting dirty as their children.

There is a clear need to rethink how children spend their free time and how their lives are organised. Australian parents are a well-intentioned, anxious, misinformed group. We all care greatly about our children's futures however in an effort to give them the best possible start in life we are run the danger of robbing of them of childhood that we are trying to protect.

For too long Australian parents have been fed the message that they need to start their children on the educational track from an early age. So kids from as young as two are routinely shunted around from one organised activity to another in an effort to maximise their development.

Parents need to be encouraged to buck the 'clean kid' trend and be less anxious about their kids getting messy. But where to start?

Let's start by insisting kids turn off the TV or computer and get outside more often. In a back to the future move let's introduce some old-fashioned activities such as finger painting, making mudpies, leaf stencilling and generally mucking all in the name of good clean fun.

Importantly, parents need to value the simple interactions that they have with children on a daily basis such as cleaning up a spill together or making a bed. From my experience parents underestimate the positive impact that these ordinary interactions have on children.

And it would be good for the well-being of both parents and kids if they spent some time getting down and dirty together. My hunch is that most parents do this anyway but they just don't value these messy experiences enough.

Michael Grose is Australia's leading parenting educator. He is the author of six books and gives over 100 presentations a year and appears regularly on television, radio and in print.

For further ideas to help you raise happy children and resilient teenagers visit http://www.parentingideas.com.au . While you are there subscribe to Happy Kids newsletter and receive a free report Seven ways to beat sibling rivalry.

What Are Smart Phones And Do You Need One?

Smart phones are a combination of a cell phone and PDA functions all in one device and are much bigger and notably more expensive than regular handsets, generally costing in the neighborhood of $600. However, one won't need to carry around two separate units.

Most individuals who would need a smart phone are people who are out of the office for long periods of time that require connectivity to e-mail and appointments. While the regular individual can get by with a basic cell phone or if you already have a separate PDA device and don't wish to incur the additional expense of combining the two features into a smart phone.

If you are thinking about purchasing a smart phone, you will need to consider finding a cell phone plan that can provide the additional data for e-mail and for Internet browsing. For example, some cellular phone providers charge a flat fee for the megabyte usage while other cellular phone providers furnish a monthly allowance for megabyte usage. Finally, if your smart phone comes with Wi-Fi access, see if you cellular phone provider offers Wi-Fi plans.

Now you have the scoop. So what it really boils down to is the PDA functions. If you need to be connected to the internet and need email capability, it's worth checking out. But for most of us, a regular cellular phone should meet our needs quite nicely.

Catherine Kenyeres is a free lance writer and publisher for Best-4u-Cell-Phones.com. Catherine provides the latest information, reviews and comparisons for her cell phone clients.

Where to Get Your Military Signature Loan

Military signature loans are easy to come by. When looking for a military signature loan you might even get overwhelmed by what seems like an endless supply of lenders, APRs and added perks. Not all lenders are the same though.

When looking for military signature loans, the yellow pages and internet are a great place to start. If you're close to a military base you are most likely close to a military lender. If you choose to go with finding you military signature loan online some good advice would be to do your research. The internet will allow you so most of the dirty work from the comforts of your own home and once you have submitted your online application and it has been approved the most you will have to do is sign the paper work when it gets to you. On confirmation of your signature the money is yours. Some good advice would be to stick with companies that have a strong track history of proper business; you can do this by checking with the Better Business Bureau. You can never be too careful when it comes to your finances!

Another reliable way to get your military signature loan is to check with whom you currently are banking with or possibly open a new account with a military bank. The rates are often times very reasonable and going about your loan this way has its many added perks as well. Often times the banks will allow you more time to pay the loan off, and nine times out of ten, if you sign up for automatic withdrawal of payments from either you're checking or savings account they will lower your APR. This is a win win situation; you get a discount and the conveniences of on time bill paying!

Keep your options open when looking for your military signature loan and check out all avenues before truly perusing one particular lender. Leave no stone uncovered if you want the best deal.

Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Military-Loans-Online.com. He provides more military auto loans, home loans, payday loans and military motorcycle loans that you can research in your pajamas on his website.