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Growling is a normal form of doggie communication. Growling, along with body language and other vocalizations, gives us a view into the doggie psyche, into what’s going on in a dog’s brain. In this article, we’re going to dissect a growl – what does it mean, what should you do?

What is A Growl?

Dogs can’t use words to communicate, so they rely on body language and vocalizations (growls, barks, and whines, to name a few) to “have conversations.” Dogs converse with other dogs, as well as with people with these vocalizations. To really understand your dog, you have to know what growling does – and does not – mean.

Why Do Dogs Growl?

Not all growls are created equal. To decipher the meaning of a growl, we need to find out why the dog is growling. There are many reasons dogs growl – when playing, dreaming, protecting something of value, if they feel threatened, or scared.

What Does A Growl Mean?

Dog-to-Dog Growls

As mentioned earlier, it’s important to take into consideration the context in which your dog is growling. Remember, dogs don’t have words. They can only use their body language and vocalizations to communicate with their dog friends. Growling is one way dogs communicate with one another. Sometimes dogs growl when they are playing happily with another dog-friend.

Wondering how to tell the difference between a serious and a playful growl? Take a look at the dog’s bodies. Do you see the following?

• “Loose” bodies (not rigid and stiff)
• Mutual playing (both dogs are content to play together, neither one looks scared or threatened)
• Willingness to continue playing together (if one gets the chance to leave, does he?)
• Cooperative play (dogs take turns “winning” or pinning each other)

If you see these things, the dogs are most likely engaging in normal dog-play. If either dog looks scared, looks like they are bullying the other dog, or moves stiffly, it’s time to interrupt play-time and let them settle down before allowing them to play again.

Dogs also growl to communicate their uneasiness. Your dog may growl at another dog if that dog is:

• Unfamiliar
• Too close to a valued object
• Behaving inappropriately (jumping on your dog, for instance)
• Crowding your dog’s space

Dog-to-Human Growls

Much like dog-to-dog growling, dogs have different reasons for growling at humans. Some dogs growl playfully when interacting with humans. Other dogs growl at children, or men with hats, or some other elusive reason. Again, look at the context in which the growling happens – what does the dog’s body language tell you? Is he stiff or floppy?

What NOT To Do If Your Dog Growls

Knowing there are different reasons behind your dogs’ growls, it’s important to pay attention to the situation before deciding what to do with a growl. If the growl is playful, you probably don’t have to do anything about it, unless the growling bothers you. If you think the growl is more serious, it’s important to proceed with caution.

A growl is a good, clear warning signal and one that we should heed. The dog is clearly telling us that he’s not comfortable with the situation. The most important thing to note is that a growl is information. Punishing the dog for growling will not fix the problem. Punishing a growl will only take that form of communication away from your dog. The next time your dog is in the same situation, he will try a different form of communication – this time he may snarl or even snap. If you punish this form of communication, you’ll have a dog that bites without warning.

Forcing your dog to tolerate a situation that makes him uncomfortable is a recipe for disaster. By doing this, you are giving the dog no option to get out of the situation. If, for example, your dog is uncomfortable around small children and you hold your dog’s collar while allowing children to approach your dog, you aren’t helping alleviate your dog’s discomfort. You are actually contributing to the discomfort which could lead to a snarl, snap, or a bite. What to Do

If Your Dog Growls

Your first order of business is to determine what makes your dog uncomfortable in the situation. Is it the presence of small children surrounding him, another dog near a prized possession? Is he scared? Does he feel threatened? Once you know why your dog is uncomfortable, you can then do something about hearing his “call of distress” and do something to help him.

Here are some basic steps to follow. Please note that if you are afraid that your dog will bite, consult a professional positive reinforcement dog trainer and do not proceed with the following steps.

In this example let’s assume the dog is growling when you approach his food bowl.

1. Begin to hand feed your dog his meals. No more food in the bowl. If there isn’t food in the bowl, he’s much less likely to “guard” the bowl. Bonus: And it’s you that gives the dog the food. Therefore you become an important and welcome link to the food.

2. After your dog is eagerly accepting his food from your hand, begin to re-introduce the food bowl. Put the food bowl in your lap and drop three or four pieces of your dog’s food in the bowl. When he finishes those kibbles, drop three or four more in. Continue this until the dog’s entire meal has been eaten.

3. Once your dog is looking forward to your hand moving to his empty bowl to add more food, reserve an extra special treat (chicken, steak, fish – something REALLY delicious that he doesn’t normally get). Put five to ten pieces of food in his bowl and while he’s eating, drop in this delicious morsel. Your dog is learning that really good things happen when your hand moves toward his bowl.

4. If your dog readily accepts your hand approaching his bowl when he has a few kibbles in it, begin putting more kibble

in his bowl and then adding a delicious morsel every few moments.

Note: This process could take days, weeks, or months depending on your dog. Don’t rush these steps. If you are afraid that your dog will bite, DO NOT engage in this process. Find a professional positive reinforcement dog trainer.

By following these steps, you are solving the underlying problem (the dog’s dislike of approaching people) instead of just getting rid of his warning system. If, instead of implementing the steps above, you punished your dog for growling (by yelling or swatting at him, or taking his food bowl away), you are doing two things: (1) reinforcing his belief that people who approach his food bowl are dangerous and (2) getting rid of a perfectly good warning system. You are not, I repeat NOT, fixing the underlying problem.

Dogs can’t use words. It is up to each of us to listen to our dogs and try our best to decipher their language. Not all growls are created equal – know your dog. We expect dogs to listen to us, isn’t it time we start listening to them?

Laurie Luck, CPDT
Certified Pet Dog Trainer
Smart Dog University, LLC
Box 1111
Mount Airy, MD 21771
(240) 848-3468
laurie@smartdoguniversity.com
http://www.SmartDogUniversity.com
———————————————————————————————————————–
Laurie is one of only 1,300 certified pet dog trainers (CPDT) in the world and is the founder of Smart Dog University. She has been helping dogs and their owners for more than a decade. She is passionate about dog-friendly training and eschews punishment.

She works with dog lovers because she understand how frustrating it can be when people want to spend time with their dog, but don’t know how to get him to listen.

She loves what she does and has developed many happy friendships, both canine and human, along the way.

Laurie is owned by four dogs: two Labradors, a Great Dane Hound Cross, and an Australian shepherd.

Bear markets have a nasty habit of showing up every four years or so.

Like unwanted relatives, they show up whether we want them to or not.

They also have the nasty habit of taking away the punch bowl. And just when everybody is ready for a nice sip of that wonderful nectar. It doesn’t seem fair and many folks wonder why.

But listen up…fairness has nothing to do with the market.

Bear markets have a very definite purpose. They clear up the excesses that have developed since the last bear market. It’s kind of like when we indulge ourselves over a period of months and, lo and behold, we wake up one morning 20 pounds overweight.

We have to go on a diet or buy a bunch of new clothes. Bear markets are the market’s way of putting us on a diet.

Most folks don’t like them but they are a fact of life.

So where do we stand now?

The market has been a little wobbly recently and you hear some people starting to use the b word…as in bear. It makes you wonder what the market is telling us. Is the current weakness a normal correction or is the market telling us something else?

Let’s look at the evidence and see what we can make of it.

Bear markets are definitely an ongoing reality and occur with some regularity. In fact, during the last 100 years there have been 19 bear markets. And, for our purposes, I am defining a bear market as a decline of 20% or more in the Dow Jones Industrials.

Reviewing these 19 bear markets reveals some interesting facts…

• The average time from the end of one bear market to the beginning of the next is 45.3 months.
• The average length of a bear market is 18.5 months.
• The average bear market results in a decline of 36%.

While this is valuable information, keep in mind that these are only averages. The individual bear markets varied widely in length of time and severity of decline.

For instance, the longest bear markets lasted about three years. Specifically, they lasted 31, 34, and 37 months for the bear markets ending in 1942, 1932, and 1949 respectively.

The shortest bear market lasted two months. This was the crash in 1987 when the Dow Jones Industrials plunged 36%.

If you’re wondering about the most severe bear market, you probably know the answer. Yep…it’s the one associated with the start of the great depression…it ended in 1932. But this was only after it had sheared 89% off the value of the Dow.

And the mildest bear market? The 3 month affair that ended in October, 1990 which took 21% off the Dow.

Now…these are all interesting facts…but the question is…are they useful in analyzing the current market?

And the answer is yes. But they are only part of the process.

They’re useful in that they gives us some parameters to consider. But they’re only that…parameters. An actual determination of a bear market may take several months.

However, with that in mind, here’s what the averages tell us…

• 45 months from the end of the last bear market in October, 2002 is July, 2006.
• If the market high of 11,670 on May 10 was a market high, an average decline of 36% will take the market down to around 7,470.
• If the market high was May, 2006, the average bear market length of 18 months will end in November, 2007.

Am I saying a bear market is here and ready to unfold according to these averages? Of course not. I’m not even saying the market top is in.

This is only to point out certain facts related to bear markets in what seems to be turbulent economic times. That, plus the fact, that, historically speaking, this current bull market may be getting long in the tooth.

However, one fact is perfectly clear. History tells us that a bear market will occur again.

And, unfortunately, when they do occur, they strike fear into the hearts of investors. People who buy and hold are never ready for bear markets. Because of their buy and hold mentality, many investors try to ride them out.

It’s often not a pretty picture to sustain losses of 20%, 30%, or more in one’s portfolio.

Traders, however, are different. They don’t fear bear markets. They view them as another opportunity to make money.

In fact, money is often made quicker in bear markets. Markets generally go down faster than they go up. Yeah…traders don’t fear bear markets…they enjoy making money faster. And they trade them like any market…with their trading system and money/risk management.

So, is a bear market at hand? Nobody knows.

However, there are signs to look for…

• The market declines below its 200 day moving average.
• If it’s not a steep decline initially, the market may trade around the 200 day moving average for a while.
• Declines are larger and last longer than previous corrections.
• Sharp rallies occur but they fail to make new highs.
• Look for a long term Elliott Wave count…5 waves up to the recent high.
• The market starts making new lows.

These are some of the things you will likely see once the market tops out and begins rolling over into a bear market.

However, it may take a while before you know for sure. It’s like everything else associated with the market. There are no certainties…only probabilities.

But we know one thing is a near certainty. There will be another bear market. We just don’t know when.

However, it never hurts to look ahead. When a bear market starts, a lot of quick profits will be there for the taking.

Thomas McNatt trades full time. His website, http://www.trading-stocks-profits.com is a valuable source of information and resources for traders.

Cat Declawing

What is the use of cat declawing?

The main reason people decide to declaw their cat is to protect their furniture. An untrained cat’s claws can be very destructive in a home, damaging furniture, curtains and carpets. Cats like (and need) to scratch and claw at wood and rough surfaces, and if they are not properly trained, your furniture will look very inviting to them. Another reason people give for declawing their cat is to prevent the cat from injuring them. Cats use their claws and teeth to defend themselves and to fight. Small children may mishandle a cat and provoke it in scratching them. Some cats also have a more aggressive or nervous nature and will scratch people when they feel threatened.

Toxoplasmosis and Bartonellosis are two diseases that can be transmitted from cats. It is important to note though, that those diseases are most likely to be contracted from a litter box, or even from biting – but it is highly unlikely that it will be contracted from cat scratches.

Declawing a cat is a selfish and very drastic solution for problems that could be solved in many other ways and may bring forth much more serious problems. Owners that decide to declaw their cat do this solely for their own comfort and do not take in account the problems that may sprout from doing this.

What does the declawing process involve?

Cat declawing is also known as onychectomy and is a much more complex operation than simply removing your cat’s nails or claws. The declawing operation is in fact the amputation of each of the cat’s toes at the first joint. It involves cutting of the front part of a cat’s toes and means cutting through nerves and muscles and removing bone. This operation is extremely painful (it has been proven to be much more painful than sterilizing or spaying your cat) and it will take a long time to heal. Even after the wounds have healed, the cat may suffer from a series of after-effects.

Are there any disadvantages to declawing your cat?

Yes! There are numerous disadvantages, not only to your cat but to you as cat owner as well. Cat declawing is illegal in many countries around the world and considered as inhumane and as a form of animal abuse and mutilation.

Many people don’t realize just how painful a declawing operation can be. Scientists have proven cat declawing to be extremely painful and even test new painkiller drugs on cats that are being declawed. Although the cat may not show signs of pain outwardly and seem to be content, it will definitely be in a lot of pain after the operation. Big operations or rather amputations like declawing can hold many of the usual dangers related to surgical complications. A lot of vets also only use the minimum amount of painkillers and anesthetics during the operation, and prescribe no painkillers for the recovery process at home. The wounds take several weeks to heal, and the pain may continue months after the operation.

Complications after a declawing operation are also very common. The wounds may become infected or some of the amputated toes can begin to grow back. Some cats may experience lameness and even be crippled. You may notice a declawed cat trying to scratch at surfaces. They reason for this is because it is common for the tendons of the severed joints to detract and cause a constant feeling of stiffness in their paws.

Cats need their claws for balance and also use it to hook their paws on surfaces and stretch themselves. This stretching forms a very important part of the cat’s exercise and muscle toning. A declawed cat will need to learn to walk differently (because it doesn’t have any front joints) and its body weight will rest on their feet which can even cause arthritis.

It is very common for declawed cats to develop behavioral problems. It may develop a fear for its sandbox, because scratching in the sand may be painful. So, instead of having a cat that damages your furniture, you will have a cat that refuses to use its litter box. Also, because it has been deprived of its best means of defense, its claws, it may now revert to using its teeth to protect itself and can start to bite people when feeling threatened.

Declawed cats will also not be able to defend themselves effectively against other cats or dogs and can even die in fights.

Because of these behavioral problems developed after declawing, many cat owners become detached from their cats and may even want to get rid of them.

Professional cat declawing

If you do decide to declaw your cat after all, at least make sure that it is done professionally and with as little discomfort to your cat as possible.

The most developed method of declawing to date is laser declawing. Laser declawing is less painful, because bleeding and swelling is reduced.

Always ensure that your cat or kitten is older than 4 months before declawing. It is also not advisable to declaw cats that are old and not so active anymore, because they will take a longer time to recover.

After the operation, your cat may be kept in the hospital for the night, or a longer period of time depending on the cat. When taking your cat home, try to keep it from getting overexcited and prevent it from jumping or putting heavy strain on its paws. It is common for the paws to start bleeding every now and again, but ask your vet’s advice if the bleeding alarms you.

To minimize the pain your cat can experience when using its sandbox, put newspaper strips in the sandbox. Sand or clay can infect the wounds on the paws or cause pain when “scratching” in the box. After your cat is fully recovered you can replace the sand again. Your cat may not like the newspapers and this can become a messy affair.

Always look out for the following warning signs, and notify your vet if any occur: Swollen paws and frequent bleeding. If your cat display extreme difficulty in standing up or walking after one day.

Alternatives to cat declawing

Before deciding on such a drastic measure or “solution” as declawing your cat, first consider some of the (often more effective) alternatives. The main reason for declawing a cat is to prevent it from damaging your furniture. Scratching is a necessary instinctive habit for removing the dead cells around its claws, practicing balance and stretching and toning muscles.

Cats are highly trainable animals and can be taught to use only a scratching post for these purposes. There are numerous scratching posts or “cat furniture” to choose from, whether your cat likes scratching vertical or horizontal surfaces. You can even buy “cat trees” with attractive objects hanging from the tree to catch your cat’s attention or build your own (just make sure they are stable and won’t fall over on your cat).

To train a cat to use scratching posts, and to discourage it from scratching your furniture, you can place netting or foil over your furniture. When you see your cat trying to scratch your furniture, pick it up and put it down in front of its scratching post.

Nail caps can be applied to a cat’s claws, this need to be applied every 3 to 6 months depending on the cat. Nail caps will prevent damage to your furniture and to yourself while causing almost no inconvenience to your cat (compared to the serious discomfort caused by declawing). You can also trim your cat’s nails frequently to keep it blunt.

For more information about taking care of cats see cat-urine.net

Claudine du Plessis is a cat lover and webmaster of http://www.cat-urine.net.

When shopping for a pair of hiking boots, it is important to know how they are made. No, you don’t need to know how to make your own, but you have to understand what goes into them and how it affects the comfort and durability – the overall quality – of the hiking boots. In this article I will describe the parts of a hiking boot, what they are made of, and how they come together to form the ideal hiking boot for you.

Like any shoe, a hiking boot consists of an upper and a sole joined together by a welt and with an inlet at the front covered by a tongue, and the whole is lined with various pads and cushions. I will discuss each of those parts in detail, in terms of what they are made of and what to look for in various types of hiking boots.

Sole and Welt

Let’s start at the bottom. The soul of the hiking boot is the sole.

Soles are usually made of synthetic rubber in varying degrees of hardness. A harder sole will last longer, but generally will have poorer traction on hard surfaces (such as bare rock) and will provide less cushioning. A softer sole gives you the cushioning you need for long hikes and the traction you need on rough ground, but it will wear out faster.

Manufacturers have made their trade-offs in choosing the materials to make their boots out of. The final choice is up to you when you choose which boot to buy. If you expect to do most of your hiking on soft surfaces, such as desert sand or bare soil, you might lean more toward harder soles. But most of us hike on fairly rugged trails with a good deal of bare rock, and we need the traction of a softer sole.

Inside the sole is a shank. It is a stiffening structure, either fiberglass or steel, that prevents the sole of the boot from twisting and that provides arch support. Shanks may be only three-quarter or half-length. Hiking shoes generally have no shank at all, deriving all their stiffness from the molded rubber sole. Good day-hiking boots may have a full-length fiberglass shank. High-quality backpacking boots will give you the choice of fiberglass or steel. It will depend on how strong you need your hiking boots to be, and how heavy.

Look for deep, knobby tread. Deep cuts in the sole allow water and mud to flow out so you can get traction. “Fake” hiking boots, designed to look like hiking boots but not to perform like them, may have thinner soles and shallow tread. Working boots also may have shallow tread, and they generally have harder soles than hiking boots have.

The welt is the connection between the sole and the upper. Virtually all hiking boots these days are glued together rather than sewn. If you are buying a very expensive pair of backpacking boots, give preference to a sewn welt. Boots with a sewn welt will be easier to resole when the original sole wears out. For hiking shoes or day-hiking boots, when the sole wears out, the upper is not worth salvaging, either, so a glued welt is just fine.

Upper

The upper of the hiking boot provides warmth, protects the sides of your feet from rocks and brush, and repels water. It must also allow your feet to “breathe,” so that moisture from perspiration will not build up inside the boots and cause blisters.

Uppers of hiking boots are usually at least partially made of leather. High-quality backpacking boots are often made of full-grain leather (leather that has not been split). Lighter boots may be made of split-grain leather (leather that has been split or sueded on one side), or a combination of split-grain leather with various fabrics.

Fabrics that are combined with leather are usually some type of nylon. Heavy nylon wears nearly as well as leather, and it is much lighter and cheaper than leather.

In any hiking boot, especially those made of combinations of leather and fabric, there will be seams. Seams are bad. Seams are points of failure. Seams are points of wear, as one panel of the boot rubs against another. Seams are penetrations that are difficult to waterproof.

The uppers of backpacking boots are sometimes made of a single piece of full-grain leather with only one seam at the back. This is good, for all the reasons that seams are bad, but it is expensive.

You’re going to have to deal with seams. But as you shop for hiking boots, look for customer reviews that mention failure or undue wearing of the seams, and avoid those brands.

Inlet and Tongue

There are two things to look for in the inlet and the tongue:

1. How the laces are attached and adjusted

2. How the tongue is attached to the sides of the inlet

The inlet may be provided with eyelets, D-rings, hooks, and webbing, alone or in combination. They each have these advantages and disadvantages:

* Eyelets: Simplest and most durable way to lace a boot. Not so easily adjusted.

* D-rings: Easier to adjust than eyelets, more durable than hooks. More failure-prone than eyelets. (They can break, and they can tear out of the leather.)

* Hooks: Easiest to adjust of all lace attachments. Subject to getting hooked on brush, or bent or broken in impacts with boulders, main cause of breakage of laces.

* Webbing: Cause less chafing of laces, slightly easier to adjust than eyelets, slightly more durable than D-rings. More failure-prone than eyelets.

The most common lace attachment of any hiking boot is eyelets below ankle-level and hooks above. You may see eyelets all the way up, as in classic military-style combat boots, or a combination of either D-rings or webbing with hooks.

The attachment of the tongue is a critical factor in how waterproof the hiking boots are. Provided the leather and/or fabric and seams of the upper are waterproof, water will not get into the boots until it gets higher than the attachment point of the tongue.

Most hiking shoes and day-hiking boots have the tongue attached all the way to the top. If the tongue is not fully attached, consider carefully whether you will need that extra inch or two of waterproofing.

High-rise backpacking boots have the tongue attached only partway up, but that still reaches higher than most day-hiking boots. It’s difficult to get the boot on and off if the tongue is attached very high.

Linings and Pads

There are many pieces that go into the lining and padding of a hiking boot, but two in particular you need to pay attention to:

1. The sole lining

2. The scree collar

The sole lining must be appropriately cushioned. You want a firm, durable surface in immediate contact with your socks, but enough cushioning below that to absorb impact.

The scree collar is a cushion around the top of most hiking boots. It enables you to pull the boots tight enough to keep out loose rocks (“scree”) but without chafing against your ankle and Achilles tendon. This is the thickest and softest cushion in the whole hiking boot. It must be soft enough to conform to your ankle and Achilles tendon as they move, and still keep close enough contact with your leg to keep the rocks out.

Very high hiking boots, such as military-style combat boots, may have no scree collar at all. The height of the boot is what keeps the rocks out.

Throughout, the lining and padding of the hiking boots must be thick enough to provide warmth, durable enough to last, and smooth enough that it will not cause chafing and blisters.

Conclusion

So, these are the things you need to pay attention to when choosing a pair of hiking boots. Be prepared to compromise, and pay attention to which features are really important to the style of hiking you intend to do.

Chuck Bonner is a lifelong hiker and amateur naturalist, and webmaster of http://www.HikingWithChuck.com. For more information about hiking boots and other hiking equipment based on many years on the trail, visit [http://www.hikingwithchuck.com/Gear/HikingGear.htm].

Since the Internet has become so popular today, more and more people are interested in developing programs or applications that people can view and use online. One of the more popular programming language that has a wide variety of functions is called PHP.

PHP has been around for a while and originally PHP stood for “personal home page”. It is now considered to be one of the most widely used programming languages of all time. It has been updated several times and is now currently in version 6. You can also use PHP with another language called MySQL which is often used to do database work or other kinds of tasks involving database entries.

PHP is very nice because it has an easy, clean syntax which can be easy to pick up if you know a programming language already. If you do not know a programming language already, do not worry. PHP can be a great place to start because it has such an intuitive syntax. If you are curious about learning a programming language, PHP may be the place to start for you.

If online programming is what you are looking for, then PHP should definitely be on your list of programming languages to study. It is something that will surprise you at how useful and intuitve it really is. Add to this the fact that PHP is a powerful language that can handle a multitude of tasks and you can see why it has become so popular today.

PHP gives you a powerful toolbox for programming whatever program or task you need designed for the web. If you want to make projects that can be seen by others online, then go ahead and begin to learn PHP. It can be a great way to break into the programming world, or if you already know a programming language, it can be a great way to expand your knowledge and skills. Make sure you get some learning resources soon if you want to learn PHP better!

Get more great information about learning PHP online right now at how to learn PHP. If you are truly interested in learning PHP, you will want the best resources around available for study now over at Simple PHP Review.

Fashion designers help create the billions of clothing articles, shoes, and accessories purchased every year by consumers. Fashion designers working for apparel wholesalers or manufacturers create designs for the mass market. Fashion designers are the people who create the elegant, whimsical, fun, silly, and often expensive clothes we see parading down runways twice a year. Fashion designers design and create clothing and accessories for men, women and children. Some high-fashion designers are self-employed and design for individual clients. Other high-fashion designers cater to specialty stores or high-fashion department stores.

Fashion

Fashion design is the applied art dedicated to the design of clothing and lifestyle accessories created within the cultural and social influences of a specific time. Fashion designers have brought about a storm in this glamour world with their commendably fabulous variety. Fashion industry has always welcomed new talent giving rise to the budding stars of tomorrow. While all articles of clothing from any time period are studied by academics as costume design, only clothing created after 1858 could be considered as fashion design.

Before the former draper set up his maison couture (fashion house) in Paris, clothing design and creation was handled by largely anonymous seamstresses, and high fashion descended from that worn at royal courts. Throughout the early 20th century, practically all high fashion originated in Paris, and to a lesser extent London. At this time in fashion history the division between haute couture and ready-to-wear was not sharply defined.

Designers

Designers know they have this power, and will continue to use it to influence global fashions throughout the eras. These designers create original garments, as well as those that follow established fashion trends. Most fashion designers, however, work for apparel manufacturers, creating designs of men’s, women’s, and children’s fashions for the mass market. Designer brands which have a ‘name’ as their brand such as Calvin Klein or Ralph Lauren are likely to be designed by a team of individual designers under the direction of a designer director. Thus, the tradition of designers sketching out garment designs instead of presenting completed garments on models to customers began as an economy.

Popular Western styles were adopted all over the world, and many designers from outside of the West had a profound impact on fashion. Currently, modern fashion has seen a reference to technology such as designers Hussein Chalayan and Miuccia Prada who have introduced industrial textiles and modern technology into their fall collections. Mass market designers generally adapt the trends set by the famous names in fashion. Increasingly, many modern high-end designers are now beginning to turn to mass market retailers to produce lower-priced merchandise, and to broaden their customer base. Perhaps most importantly, designers use their imaginations to come up with new ideas.

There are a number of well known fashion design schools worldwide. Most fashion design courses last for three years. As well as teaching students about the artistic and technical side of the subject, some courses include a year working in the fashion industry, to give students a taste of commercial fashion design. Others offer the chance to visit fashion houses abroad.

Trishia Lopez is a successful Webmaster and publisher of www.TheFashionGurus.com. She provides more information about Fashion and fashion issues that you can research in your pajamas on her website.

In spite of the world wide recession the retail sector of automotive is thriving day by day. One can make a lucrative business in this sector, provided he needs to have the technical knowledge, the know how of what to do and hands on practical experience of working with vehicles. There are many schools all around the world which offers different automotive courses readily. The available colleges and schools offer all the courses that one needs to learn in order to handle the various demands of the retail market. Now, many courses that are not available on campus are available online and through this one can get knowledge without going to school or college. These automotive courses become a part of the distance study programs offered by the universities.

Automotive courses offered by many schools are designed to match different segment of people. Some schools offer courses which are as short as one week. These short courses are mainly structured for people who are already in automotive business and they feel that it is necessary to enhance their existing skills and knowledge by learning about the new technology and practices. Short automotive courses are perfect for people who are hard pressed for time and can only spend few hours in a day at school to learn new innovative methods. These courses are created for convenience to suit each individual’s requirement.

Most courses are full time, which include class room study, hands on experience in work shops and practical experience in managing and operating an automotive facility. The course aims in equipping their students with technical knowledge, practical skill and managerial quality to help them to start their own automotive unit or get an employment in top auto firm in the country. When the students graduate they would have had hands on experience of working on different parts of the vehicles.

Several colleges around the world offer automotive courses like automotive technology, automotive service technicians, automotive management, automotive mechanical technology, automotive vehicle body and many more.

A course based on car maintenance will educate the students to learn the basic working of a car and what is required to maintain the car in good condition. One is educated about the various parts of the car, their functioning and what to look for when there is a trouble.

Another popular automotive course which has become rapidly popular with car fanatics is the “collision refinishing” which educates on restoring a car. It guides on the metal working, painting and detailing. This course is usually divided into two segments which involve repairing and refinishing. This guides on the finer aspects of finishing the car to look cool. Other related automotive courses are trim and upholstery, applied service management, motor sports chassis fabrication, street rod and custom fabrication.

Automotive study is versatile segment where there is no end to ones learning. With each year there is an improvement in technology and man pushes the machines to a higher level. Hence these automotive courses are ever evolving with new addition to the curriculum. Automotive course are beneficial and can set the path to a lucrative career where one can take technology to new levels.

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Are you afraid to speak in the public? Do you want to overcome your fear of public speaking? If your answer to the two questions above is yes, then read on as I share with you my own personal experience on how I overcame my fear of public speaking.

If you think you are alone with this fear of public speaking; then think again. I also had the same fears and many people all over the world also share your fears to speak in public. I recall several incidents that occurred while I was growing up. As a child, I often got punished with the rest of my classmates for failing to answer the teacher’s question; even though I had the right answer within me.

I preferred to be punished with others than raise my hand to answer a question; my fear of public speaking was so strong that I would rather risked being punished in school than to see myself being exempted from punishment, simply because I answered a question.

If there was anything I hated most, it was standing out from the crowd; and public speaking was one thing I hate. I often missed school feigning illness just to avoid the debate classes organized by the school management. Now how did I overcome my fear of public speaking? That’s what I am going to share with you now.

In this article, I am going to share with you my step by step strategy to overcoming my fear of public speaking. If you are willing to learn and take some actions, then below is my ten step guide to overcoming your fear of public speaking.

1. I acknowledged my fears: The first step I took to overcome my fear of public speaking was to acknowledge my fears. I wasn’t shy about it; I openly admitted that I was afraid to speak publicly. One of the mistakes people make is that they hide their fears; and this fear eats them up silently. They feign boldness on the outside but inside; they pray that the earth should open and swallow them.

The positive side of openly admitting your fears is that you will become more challenged to overcome it. Openly admitting your fears means you are facing your fears head on. It might earn you some mockery but it’s a way to go especially if you can use that mockery as leverage to boost your determination.

2. I traced the root cause of this fear: The next step I took to overcome my fear of public speaking was to trace the root cause of the fear. I came to understand that the root cause of this fear was the mentality I grew up with. During my primary school days, I recall coming first in class term after term. I was happy and my parents were, but it put a strain between me and some of my childhood friends.

My friends began to pull back from me because they felt they were out of my league academically and it hurt me. I wanted to be like everyone else; that was where I developed the attitude to avoid “standing out.” If being outstanding was going to single me out of the crowd, then I didn’t want it. Now having understood the cause of my fears, I decided to attack the root cause. I began to be me, regardless of what people said. I began to take on challenges, not because I loved challenges but I just wanted people to talk. This attitude pitched me against people who felt I was showing off but I didn’t care; I just wanted to be me.

3. I developed a strong desire to overcome my fear of public speaking: To be sincere, I don’t think you can overcome your fear of public speaking if you don’t desire it strongly. I was able to overcome mine because I desired it. I wanted to express myself in public without an iota of fear and I was prepared to do whatever it takes to bring such desire into reality.

4. I prepared my mindset to take whatever comes: I had a strong desire to overcome my fear of public speaking and also develop my public speaking skills. But deep down in me, I knew it wasn’t going to come easy; I knew there has to be a price and I was willing to pay it. I prepared my mind to accept whatever comes; I knew the worst may come so I prepared to meet it in advance. I prepared to take the booing, mockery and rejection that may arise in the process of learning to speak confidently in public. So if you really want to overcome your fear of public speaking, then you must be prepared to take whatever comes.

5. I kept an open mind: To overcome my fears, I kept an open mind. I knew I had to learn and learn real fast. Learning in this case is not the classroom kind of learning; it’s a type of lesson that can come in the form of suggestion, advice or even criticism.

6. I learned from the masters: The next step I took to overcome my fear of public speaking was to seek advice from the masters. I began to read books and listen to tapes authored by people such as Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Dale Carnegie, etc. By reading the materials published by these great public speakers, I tapped into their wisdom and gained inspiration from them.

7. I harnessed the power of positive affirmation: Another step I took to enhance my public speaking ability was to use positive affirmations. You might think it’s not effective but I stand to tell you that it works like magic. By using positive affirmations such as “I can do it” or “I know I am destined for this”, you will unconsciously boost your self esteem. Remember the bible says that the power of life and death is in the tongue, so learn to use the power of spoken words to your advantage.

8. I developed the passion to teach: Public speaking is more or less teaching. Most great public speakers are teachers so if I am going to excel as a public speaker; if I am to overcome my fear of public speaking, then I have to develop the passion to teach. That was how I became a teacher; sharing information over the web, on platforms and through hard copy materials.

9. I started small: Today, I speak on platforms; hold seminars and engage in one on one consultations but it was not so few years ago. I started small. I started out by practicing in front of a mirror; imagining myself standing on a stage. I worked on my body language and movement in my closet and from there; I proceeded to speaking for free. I also engaged in positive discussions and I wasn’t afraid to take a stand. I began to accept the crowd as a group of friends; never again was I to be scared of speaking in front of an audience.

10. I became a confident speaker: After taking the nine simple steps above, I became a confident speaker. I can now speak to any capacity of audience provided I am well grounded on the subject. But I want you to know that I didn’t develop my public speaking skills overnight; I underwent a process that was triggered off by my desire to overcome my fear of public speaking.

As a final note, these are the exact steps I took to overcome my fear of public speaking. If you take a close observation, you will notice that they are very simple steps. Well, overcoming your fear of public speaking will not occur by just reading this article. It will only happen if you take action just as I took action. I wish you good luck.

And just before I drop my pen, if you need Expert Advice on How to Start a Business from scratch; please feel free to visit my blog. In addition, you can also download my free definitive guide on How to Become a Millionaire fast in less than a year.