The next place I'm excited to see is Hsi Lai Temple. I've heard so
much about it. It's a Buddhist Temple that has quite a history.
It's suppose to be one of the largest temples in the area.

The Hsi Lai Temple will be a great historical place to see
this weekend. The hours are from 9 am to 5 pm. This will be a
definite treat. What I can't wait to see is it's layout. The temple
offers group tours up to 15 people. So this can be a treat for
even a nice small group of people.

Here are some insights to their philosophy.

I'll fill you in on the details real soon. Have a happy Easter.


Drifters Memoirs
Travel Banter Blog
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Tags: travel memoirs

The Best Web 2.0 Software of 2005
http://web2.wsj2.com/the_best_web_20_software_of_2005.htm

Here is an article which tells you exactly how to unshrink wool.

When wool gets wet and warm, the fibres in the wool lock themselves together and don't want to let go, resulting in shrinkage (you can get wool warm or wet, but not both), which kind of makes washing wool garments a dangerous business.
To un-shrink the wool, soak the garment in warm water with a mild wool friendly soap for about 10 minutes. This unlocks the fibres in the wool. Then lay the garment out on some towels in a cool place. Stretch the garment out to its original dimensions. The stretching pulls the unlocked wool fibres away from each other. Once this is done relax and allow your wool garment to dry. The absence of heat from the drying process allows the wool fibres to set in place without locking together and shrinking the garment again.

Avoiding the Blame Game Between Sales and Marketing
by Anneke Seley
coauthor, Sales 2.0: Improve Business Results Using Innovative Sales Practices and Technology

One of the strategic prerequisites of Sales 2.0 — the use of innovative sales practices enabled by technology — is the alignment of sales and marketing. Organizations often have different executives with separate goals, perspectives, and compensation-plan objectives running sales and marketing. This can lead not only to internal unrest but also to negative customer experiences or perceptions of your company, not to mention poor sales results. Those companies that engineer their organizations to guarantee sales and marketing cooperation, however, achieve both competitive advantage and improved revenue.

One company that exemplifies a high level of collaboration between sales and marketing is newScale (link to newScale.com), a company that offers IT service catalog and service portfolio management software solutions. This is due to the close working relationship and shared compensation-plan targets of the company’s EVP and head of sales, David Satterwhite, and VP of marketing, Mark Hamilton. Their partnership commitment is so strong that they not only co-develop integrated programs and practices, but they also make presentations as a team. These executives’ dedication to collaboration, elusive in many companies, earned them a market-leading position in its field, with more than 1.5 million users worldwide, including 20 percent of the Fortune 50.

David and Mark are evangelists of sales and marketing communication and collaboration at the top level.

They make it a priority.
Both believe alignment has a critically positive impact on both top- and bottom-line results and frees them to focus on making their numbers. They also stress that it is a prerequisite to a healthy and productive company culture.
David and Mark maintain their commitment to alignment by considering each other members of their management teams, attending the other’s management meetings, and holding weekly one-on-one meetings or phone calls. They treat the annual marketing plan as a customer proposal, with sales being the customer, and share staffing and head-count planning.

They develop shared rules of the road.
This includes assuming a positive rather than adversarial intent on the part of the other department, which they model at the highest level, and recognizing that they have a shared ultimate metric of success — revenue growth — on which compensation in both sales and marketing is based.
David underlines the importance of upbeat psychology, as well as personal relationships, in business. By coaching his sales team to give marketing staff the benefit of the doubt when something goes wrong and by helping them resolve conflicts through trust, he avoids hours of management “therapy” and keeps his group focused on sales effectiveness and efficiency.

They leverage each other’s strengths.
David contributes his sales instincts for what produces revenue, understands what motivates his customers to buy and his sales team to sell, and has highly developed skills negotiating and winning deals. Mark is expert at operations, systems, and processes, distilling and analyzing complex concepts, and seeding and growing markets.

They collaborate on designing and implementing sales tools and technologies.
Price lists, closed-loop lead processes, weekly sales tips, win/loss programs, and continual surveys of marketing-program effectiveness are some of the tools the company developed that have passed the sales “sniff test.” Because they are designed by both sales and marketing, they actually get used.
Mark describes the difficulty he faced getting newScale’s sales people to report on lost deals. Sales people like to celebrate successes, not dwell on failures. By documenting the deals they haven’t won, sales people may feel they bring attention to their weaknesses in sales process or skills. When he asked his marketing group to call “lost” customers, though, Mark uncovered a solution to the problem of engaging the sales team. The calls revealed that many customers weren’t lost at all, as they weren’t happy with their chosen alternative solution to newScale’s product. Though newScale’s sales team didn’t win these sales initially, these customers became part of the pipeline a second time through Mark’s calling program. The sales group happily adopted the program when they understood it as a sales campaign that could unearth recycled, newly qualified leads.
Mark also recognized an opportunity to improve lead qualification and pipeline building using products from Genius.com (link to genius.com), but he wouldn’t dream of signing up to try them without running the idea by the manager of David’s deal-development team. Genius’ products truly support a Sales 2.0 (link to phoneworks.com/sales20) collaboration between marketing and sales by allowing reps in both departments to track and act on important data on potential customers (such as who is responding to e-mail messages, and what web pages they are looking at right now and for how long). By including the sales team in the evaluation and decision-making process, Mark succeeded in bringing a valuable sales tool into the company that is enthusiastically embraced by the lead qualifiers.

As customer requirements and economic conditions change, the old way of selling — independently of or in contradiction to marketing efforts — doesn’t work. Sales 2.0, the evolution of the sales function, includes rethinking sales strategy, people, process, and technology. With a business strategy that emphasizes sales and marketing alignment and collaborative planning and execution, companies will stay competitive and achieve sales success.

Anneke Seley is the CEO and founder of Phone Works, a consultancy that helps large and small businesses build and restructure sales teams to achieve predictable, measurable, and sustainable sales growth. As the 12th employee at Oracle, she designed the company’s revolutionary inside sales operation. Her book, Sales 2.0: Improve Business Results Using Innovative Sales Practices and Technology, is available at online retailers including amazon.com, bn.com, booksamillion.com, and borders.com. For more information, visit www.sales20book.com.

Session 6 The human touch – using podcasts for interaction and to create new relationships Dave Slusher – Evil Genius Chronicles Podcast This session focused on the relationship it is possible to build with an audience on a small scale,...

Why is the BBC getting involved in blogging? It's a question that was raised in a session I was running the other day. Followed by the comment: 'Blogging is for amateurs, and provides an easy way for them to put...

SiteSell.com, E-commerce for the Rest of Us: "Site Build It! is the all-in-one site-building-hosting-&-marketing system of software tools that delivers thriving, profitable businesses.

SBI! sites succeed. SBI! OVERdelivers... "

The Ezine Acts Blog has complete insights to show you why building is more beneficial than blogging. A blog is just a personal diary, while a website is about the interests of other people.

Blog It, is the smart solution to blog automatically and relief yourself from the headache of blogging. Read the smart features of blog-it carefully, to automate it and avoid the hard work.

RSS Blogging Ezine helps you understand how to blog, ping or syndicate your content and how to automate your website through this process, so you never need to do it manually.

Use the Ezine Act RSS Feeds Center to build your news and distribute it using some HTML codes. It helps you integrate some of your content, or news from other providers on your pages.

The Ezine Acts Feeds show you how to get newsfeed as a news consumer and how to use them to feed your website as a website owner. There's a limit here, though to avoid search engines' penalty.

Love and romance is about how to achieve love and romantic compatibility regardless to your age? Single, married, divorced or even aged! It doesn't matter since your heart is still beating.

The Ezine Acts Love Entries are about emotional problems some people have. There are so many problems with some solutions provided on this network. Your emotional problem could be among them.

The Ezine Acts Love Stories may colour your day by love. Written by hundred of people about their love experiences & the emotional problems they have to get solutions. Yours could be here.

The Ezine Acts Sentimental Stories delight and make you evening light. Written by real people in love about love experiences and emotional problems, they open knowledge into solutions.

ARABIC PHOENIX POETRY web page for Arabic reading and ordering "Rising of the Phoenix" selected poetry collection in four formats, audio book, e-book, pics iBook & hardcover book.

Wakening of the Phoenix, or Rising of the Phoenix? Could YOU help me determine which is better to write the English version of this Arabic poetry book? The Arabic version is here.

My books on the Ezine Acts Bookshop & some other useful books by titles and authors. You can save money on selected books about your interests, or use the bookstore to publish your books, or to promote books you like.

The HOME BIZ TRENDS offer three meditation services in business, love & politics. The HBT network helps you improve your life by stepping into the right passion.

Y2k… Great Recession of 2008… Dot Com Bubble… Black Tuesday 1929… Tulip Mania… The people that saw it as opportunity… Not a crisis… …ended up becoming filthy sticking rich. Not just any opportunity… But an opportunity to help better others lives. Right now… There’s a golden opportunity to do just that. Go here to see […]

Artificial Intelligence is all the rage. However, it already has a dark side, and no, we're not talking about Skynet-level annihilation.

DepoIQ is excited to announce the launch of CrossView, a new AI-powered tool designed to enhance the review of deposition materials for complex litigation. This innovative platform leverages proprietary Behavioral AI to identify discrepancies and highlight patterns, enabling legal teams to conduct more precise and strategic analyses. "With CrossView, we’re empowering litigation teams to spot critical insights faster [PR.com]

SABRE has secured the first long-term location for SOTO Method, an emerging leader in fitness, solidifying its presence in the New York City market. [PR.com]

Sunrise Heat & Air is dedicated to supporting veterans, whose sacrifices have ensured freedom and safety. The Free A/C System giveaway is a way of expressing deep gratitude to the heroes and to recognize the unwavering commitment to the country. The "Home of the Brave" event celebrates not only the service but also the importance of providing a comfortable, welcoming home environment for those who have given so much. [PR.com]

Whether shopping for friends, family, or colleagues, this fun-sized book is sure to spark conversation and bring some unexpected humor to the holiday season. Words like "moist," "load," and "soil" have a way of making people squirm, chuckle, or even cringe. In his latest release, "The Book of Those Words," author and branding expert Russ Napolitano delves into the humor and [PR.com]

Matthew Hoag Techno Chart December 2006

Sylvain & Shark ft Neuropolitan - The Exit EP

Thomas Christopher & Steve Payne - Back to the front

Andre Bramwell brings his innovative, customer-first approach to the auto transport industry with Bigfella Auto Express, offering flexibility and transparency in car shipping. [PR.com]

Sencore, a recognized leader in video delivery solutions for the broadcast industry, is pleased to announce the addition of a new 12G-SDI encoder input option to the Sencore AFN platform. This enhancement underscores Sencore’s ongoing commitment to advancing the AFN platform and delivering cutting-edge technology for professional video contribution and remote production applications. Sencore has focused on [PR.com]

Veeno.it offers a unique wine experience through a monthly subscription, delivering two carefully selected bottles to your door. Each box includes tasting notes and insights on winemaking and regions, offering an accessible way to explore wine culture. Subscribers gain access to exclusive events, tastings, and workshops, connecting them to quality wines and local producers. Veeno.it blends tradition with innovation, [PR.com]

Regal and refined, a traditional size chair that looks like a throne. [PR.com]

Paynet.Red now offers Etisalat Visitor Line recharge in the UAE, providing tourists with a seamless way to top up their accounts online for uninterrupted connectivity. With flexible plans for local and international calls and secure payments via Visa or Mastercard, travelers can avoid the hassle of finding physical recharge points. [PR.com]

It's been known for more than a century that acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol and marketed as Tylenol and Panadol) is an effective painkiller, but according to a new Canadian study it could also be impeding error-detection in the brain...

I have started work on version 7 of the SproutWorks layout. I have decided to incorporate a scrolling tile engine I made. It uses scrolling tiles in a similar way that Google maps does, only it's not for displaying maps. I intend to use it for games and animations. When the new layout is completed, it should look far more interesting than the current one. It will probably have some interactive elements in place of where the logo is now. Last night I wrote a PHP program that draws a spinning gear. It can draw the gear in any given size, color, and with different numbers of teeth. I will make some sort of interesting animation with the gears.

I decided to work on a javascript canvas experiment where I can drag the mouse and scroll within a map. I got a simple "map" drawing colored squares that can be dragged around. I found a perlin noise library, and made the map look like wavy colors. It was pretty slow at that point, so I rewrote the drawing code so it writes directly into the image data. Now I have a smoothly scrolling wavy thing, but I'm not sure what I'm going to use it for. sproutworks.com/demos/perlin

There is wave of new coffee shops popping up across the nation, and the coffee here benefits more than your health! Cat cafes seem to be all the rage lately. …

The post Kitties and Coffee? Welcome to the Cat Cafe! appeared first on Coffee Sage : Blog About Coffee.

Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug 2 I haven’t bought one of these myself, since I’m “probably” getting one as a Christmas gift, but they are trending this year and are …

The post Is this smart temperature mug the hottest gift of the holiday season? appeared first on Coffee Sage : Blog About Coffee.

1. Your left side fold 1/4 of 'kepala' 2. Your left side fold 3/4 of 'kepala'. 3. Bring right 'badan' fold across your front and slightly higher. Pleat excess fabric and tuck at side tightly. 4. Bring left 'kepala' fold to front - about 3/4 way across. Temporarily tuck in edge at waist. Secure with metal belt. Fold excess fabric over belt and neaten.

Nyonya Kebayas are a hot commodity among fashion designers but the sense of tradition is either missing in many of the new fusion designs or lost in the hefty price tags.

Not wanting to see glitter and glamour get in the way of what a truly traditional Nyonya Kebaya is, Penang Nyonya Lily Yew Chooi Lian took up the hobby of sewing the transparent garments three years ago.

Spending about five hours to make one kebaya, Yew has made numerous garments for friends and family and has had several of her creations flying off to distant places like San Francisco and Saigon.

“What used to be worn for going out of the house is now reserved for festive and formal occasions and it is a pity because the Kebaya is so elegant and beautiful,” said Yew.

“The Kebaya is part of my cultural heritage and it looks good for all occasions, which is why I took up sewing the blouses three years ago,” she added.

While the more than RM1,000 price tag on most modern Kebayas prevent many from owning one, Yew does what she can to spread her love for the traditional wear by making it affordable for friends and family.

Her quest for affordable material was a long one because the embroidered sleeves and hems are difficult to do.

“The motifs are done by machine and are usually floral but with the imagination of some embroiderers, you can find cute animals, insects, geishas in kimonos, little China dolls, dragons and phoenix, to name a few,” said Yew.

Luckily, Yew was able to find a cheaper alternative with a shop that orders the material from Indonesia, but stocks can be sporadic.

“I like my Kebayas elegant and feminine so I sew them as close to the traditional style as possible with princess cut (pesak) and all French seams.”

This style leaves no margin for mistakes and makes it very hard to sew, which is why Yew only does them in standard sizes of small, medium and large.

Yew is open to orders from people but stressed that she is only sewing the Kebayas in her spare time as she is a busy grandmother. Yew has a variety of fabrics that customers can use to make the transparent blouse.

“I want to share my love for the Kebaya and make it affordable,” said Yew.

“I try to sew a whole range of colours to suit everyone and I also have pieces of embroidered materials in different shades for clients to choose from, but I do not make to measure.”

The Kebaya began as a long sleeved blouse with lace appliquéd around the edges. It is the traditional costume of Straits Chinese ladies and other Peranakan women from Indonesia and Thailand.

It is worn with a Javanese batik sarong and to be properly dressed, a Nyonya will have her hair in a chignon (sanggul) with flowers and gold pins.

The lapel of the Nyonya Kebaya is held together with a set of three brooches (kerosang) while the sarong is folded and secured with a gold or silver chain-link belt.

For the feet, beaded slippers are a must. In Penang Hokkien, the Kebaya is called Pua T’ng Teh, meaning midway between long and short.

For the modern look, the Kebaya can be worn with pants, over a simple sleeveless or spaghetti-strapped dress or even used over a tank top as a jacket.

Materials used to make the Kebaya include coarse voile (kasar robia), non-iron georgette and shantung for its lovely sheen.

Nyonya Kebaya has to be hand washed, using a little starch for the voile ones so they can last a long time. Antique pieces have lasted through the years because of the use of starch.

RSS is the newest technology for communicating with others. It avoids spam and it puts you in the control seat...learm more about RSS...
RSS Overview

Best Regards
Bob
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Yes, stress free orchid growing - wow that's great and here it is.

You may be as surprised as I was to learn about this orchid and its unique role in todays cooking.

Leaf orchid care will help you to spot diseases early. Orchids like other plants get diseases spot trouble early before it turns to disaster. Read more on this;

Best Regards
Bob
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When an orchid is sick the blooms will hold a lot of hints for the diagnosis. Read More...



Best Regards
Bob
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The Marketing Dictionary is a comprehensive glossary of marketing terms. You should find most of the marketing related terms you will need throughout this subject. You can use this dictionary while writing a contract or negotiating with an international partner. It also will be useful for studying marketing in high school or a university.