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How to Apply Onboard Automation with Junos OS

Junos automation is a broad suite of tools for automating the methods and procedures of operating a network. Automation can not only save your team time, it also helps to assure high performance in the operation of the network. In addition, it helps you manage greater scale in the network by simplifying complex tasks.

The toolsets enable you to automate a majority of the commands used within the Junos command line, further control the commit process, and automate the response to defined events.

Automation Function	Automation Trigger	Automation Activity
Operations Automation	Instructs Junos as prompted by the command line and other scripts.	Creates custom commands for specific solution/user needs. Combines a series of iterative steps to diagnose network problems. Automates configuration changes.
Event Automation	Instructs Junos of actions to take in response to events on the device or in the network.	Gathers relevant troubleshooting info and correlates events from leading indicators. Automates event responses with a set of actions. Automates time-of-day configuration changes.
Configuration Automation	Instructs Junos during the commit process.	Abstracts complex configuration into a simple set of variable-based commands. Provides change management to avert and correct misconfiguration. Enforces best practices and business rules.

The Juniper website offers a wealth of resources and tools that you can use to get started with Junos automation, including a library of templates to customize and run on your device.

Be sure to look for the "Day One" series on Junos automation to learn more about automating the methods and procedures of your network. The books provide step-by-step instructions and lots of examples, whether you are automating operations or configuration or want to set up event policies.

Then head over to the Junos Automation community page to find experts who share the latest tips and can answer your questions.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-apply-onboard-automation-with-junos-os.html

Excel 2010 View Commands Hot Keys

You can activate the Excel 2010 hot keys by pressing the Alt key before you type the mnemonic letters for a particular task. The mnemonic letter for all view-related commands in Excel 2010 is W (the last letter you see in vieW). Therefore, all the hot keys for switching the Excel worksheet into a new view begin with Alt+W. Remember that, and you’ll find most of the subsequent letters fairly easy to deal with.

Hot Key	Excel Ribbon Command	Function
Alt+WL	View→Normal View	Returns the worksheet to normal view from Page Layout or Page Break Preview
Alt+WP	View→Page Layout View	Puts the worksheet into Page Layout View showing the page breaks, margins, and rulers
Alt+WI	View→Page Break Preview	Puts the worksheet into Page Break Preview showing pages breaks that you can adjust
Alt+WE	View→Full Screen	Puts the worksheet in full-screen mode which hides the File Menu, Quick Access toolbar, and Ribbon — press the Esc key to restore previous viewing mode
Alt+WVG	View→Gridlines	Hides and redisplays the row and column gridlines that form the cells in the Worksheet area
Alt+WG	View→Zoom to Selection	Zooms the Worksheet area in or out to the magnification percentage needed to display just the cell selection
Alt+WJ	View→100%	Returns the Worksheet area to the default 100% magnification percentage
Alt+WN	View→New Window	Inserts a new window in the current workbook
Alt+WA	View→Arrange All	Opens the Arrange dialog box where you can select how workbook windows are displayed on the screen
Alt+WF	View→Freeze Panes	Opens the Freeze Panes drop-down menu where you select how to freeze rows and columns in the Worksheet area: Freeze Panes (to freeze all the rows above and columns to the left of the cell cursor); Freeze Top Row; or Freeze First Column
Alt+WS	View→Split	Splits the worksheet into four panes using the top and left edge of the cell cursor as the vertical and horizontal dividing lines — press hot keys again to remove all panes
Alt+WH	View→Hide	Hides the current worksheet window or workbook
Alt+WU	View→Unhide	Opens the Unhide dialog box where you can select the window or workbook to redisplay
Alt+WB	View→View Side by Side	Tiles two open windows or workbooks one above the other for comparison — press hot keys again to restore the original full windows
Alt+WW	View→Switch Windows	Opens the Switch Windows drop-down menu where you can select the open window or workbook to make active

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/excel-2010-view-commands-hot-keys.html

Avoiding Exposure to Toxic Minerals Lead and Mercury

Lead and mercury are toxic minerals found in food and water and some nondietary sources. Changes in your diet may help you avoid exposure to these minerals. Some nutrients are even known to help you metabolize these heavy metals if you are exposed to them.

Exposure to lead is common from old paints, contaminated water and foods, as well as from cosmetics, pottery, soldered cans, and gasoline. Fortunately, for your health and the well being of your children, exposure from paint, gas, and kitchenware has lessened over the last 20 years.

Here are a couple of key problems associated with lead:

Because lead gets into the nervous system and brain, it can cause learning and behavioral problems in children as well as adults, affecting attention span, memory, hyperactivity, and general learning capacity. Lead toxicity can also cause muscle pains, poor appetite, headaches, anemia, and problems with appetite and digestion. It also acts as an immunosuppressant.

Treatment of lead toxicity requires EDTA chelation therapy or other chelating agents. See your doctor for an assessment of your metal toxicity and to discuss chelation therapy.

Prevention involves avoiding exposure and maintaining adequate calcium and zinc levels. A high-calcium diet can reduce lead absorption, and increased vitamin C intake may enhance lead elimination. You can gain some protection with adequate intake of calcium, iron, zinc, copper, and vitamin C. These nutrients prevent lead from getting into the body.

The most widespread neurotoxin in modern society — and the one causing the most concern — these days is mercury, which is found in nearly all seafood as well as in dental fillings, cosmetics, pesticides, and fungicides.

Major issues associated with mercury include

Serious problems can result from acute mercury poisoning. However, most of the concern is with slow, chronic exposure, which can cause generally poor health with headaches, fatigue, loss of appetite and other gastrointestinal upset, loss of sex drive, and poor memory and other neurologic symptoms.

Treatment of mercury toxicity may require the same kind of chelation therapy used to treat lead toxicity. Mercury is difficult to eliminate from brain tissue. Increased intake of vitamin C, selenium, and the fibers pectin and alginate (from seaweeds) can lower absorption and help eliminate mercury from your body.

Prevention of mercury toxicity involves avoiding exposure by eating organic foods (which are grown without fungicides), limiting or rotating seafood intake, and using a safer material for dental fillings. Today, some dentists are refusing to use mercury filling materials and will even take your present fillings out. Unstable dental amalgams can release daily levels of mercury into the blood, which are then stored in the tissues. In Sweden and other countries, authorities have already banned mercury fillings.

Milk protein may bind some of the mercury in the stomach, reducing its absorption. Selenium and L-cysteine may help counteract and eliminate mercury.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/avoiding-exposure-to-toxic-minerals-lead-and-mercu.html

How to Edit Word Documents in Windows 7 WordPad

Many people resort to using WordPad because they're having issues with Microsoft Word. And, if you really want and need formatting — and you don't have time to get Word straightened out — you can use WordPad to edit Word documents, but you have to be careful. If you don't follow the process just right, WordPad will lose all your existing Microsoft Word formatting.

If Word has slipped into “reduced functionality mode” (because of activation issues), WordPad makes a good temporary substitute. But if you have to edit a Word 97, 2000, 2002, 2003, or 2007 .doc file with WordPad, you need to follow this process to preserve your formatting.

Make a copy of the Word document, and open the copy in WordPad.

Don't edit original Word documents with WordPad. You'll break them as soon as you save them.

Don't use the Save As command in WordPad to make copies of your original Word documents. It's too easy for things to go wrong.

Make whatever changes or edits necessary and save the copy.

Be sure not to save your changes over the original file; you'll need both the copies of the file to get your changes back into Word.

When you get Word working again, open the original document, choose Tools→Compare and Merge Documents.

Pick the WordPad version of the document, and click the Merge button.

The resulting merged document probably looks like a mess, but it's a start.

In Word 2007, go to Review→Compare→Combine and then choose the WordPad version.

Use the Revisions toolbar (for Word 2003 and earlier) or the Review tab (in Word 2007) to apply the changes you made with WordPad.

It is a nuisance, but it's the only reliable way to ensure that WordPad doesn't accidentally swallow any of your formatting.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-edit-word-documents-in-windows-7-wordpad.html

The Hidden Danger of Buying Used Furniture

Buying used furniture certainly is easy on the budget, but there's an unseen danger: bugs. Bedbugs, fleas, or roaches can hide in used furniture no matter where it comes from: second-hand furniture stores, yard sales, the sidewalk on trash night, auctions, or newspaper listings.

Bedbugs. Bedbugs are a growing scourge across the country. You should never ever pick up a mattress off the street, and it would be wiser to stay away from used mattresses altogether. (Even if you don't plan to sleep on a second-hand sofa bed, don't forget there's a mattress inside.) But bedbugs can also hide in nightstands, dressers, and other types of furniture — and they're very difficult to get rid of once they've invaded your home. In some cases the only solution is to throw out most of your stuff.

Bedbugs are such a growing threat that these days you also need to be cautious when buying used clothing and used luggage, which carries clothing, as both can be a source of infestation.

Fleas. Fleas are a little easier to get rid of than bedbugs (though you probably will need a professional exterminator), but they can also be more embarrassing. Bedbugs come out only at night (usually in the wee hours of the morning) but fleas will attack any time, and if you have guests, they're just as good a source of food to a flea as you are. You could have a party that's really jumping — the fleas as well as your guests!

Roaches. Used furniture may not contain any live roaches, but if there were roaches in the home the furniture came from, there's a good chance there are tiny roach eggs in the furniture that will hatch in your house or apartment.

Thoroughly cleaning any item of furniture you bring home can help prevent infestation, but bedbugs burrow so deep into crevices that even the most powerful vacuum cleaner can't get at them. Spraying the furniture with insecticide could also help, but do it before you bring it into your home, or the bugs may just jump out to safety. Never use a pesticide or insecticide that's intended for outdoor use. These products are highly toxic.

Many insecticides are not effective against bedbugs, so your best bet is to hire a professional. If you don't have that option, check out the EPA-Registered Bed Bug Products tool.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/the-hidden-danger-of-buying-used-furniture.navId-323694.html

Schedule K-1 for Estates and Trusts: General Information

An estate or trust’s income retains its character, and so beneficiaries must be informed of this character. The Schedule K-1 (Form 1041) gives the beneficiary the specific allocation between all items of income, allowing easy transfer from the K-1 to the beneficiary’s Form 1040.

When there is one income beneficiary, the total amount of the income distribution deduction (IDD) is shown on a single Schedule K-1, with allocations made between the different types of income. When there are multiple beneficiaries, you’re required to prepare a separate K-1 for each, with the total IDD divided among the beneficiaries on their K-1s in the same proportion as the distributions were made.

Schedule K-1 allows your beneficiary to separate his or her income distribution into all the sorts of income received by the trust or estate. Because it is an attachment to Form 1041, you must distribute a copy of it to the income beneficiaries no later than the due date for Form 1041, as extended. Remember, the beneficiaries can’t prepare their 1040s until they receive their K-1s from you.

Part I: Information about the estate or trust

In Part I, fill out the tax identification number (the TIN), the name of the estate or trust, and the fiduciary’s name and address. You also have the opportunity to check a box to indicate whether and when you filed Form 1041-T, Allocation of Estimated Tax Payments to Beneficiaries (Under Code Section 643(g)).

By checking Part I, Box D of Schedule K-1, you tell the beneficiary that he or she now has credit for additional tax payments, even though the trustee originally paid them on behalf of the trust.

Code Section 643(g) allows you to assign estimated taxes paid by the trust or estate to individual beneficiaries in the final year of the trust or estate. Because the trust won’t owe any tax in its final year, it doesn’t need the estimated tax payments.

Form 1041-T may only be filed in the final year of the trust or estate, is irrevocable, and must be made on or before the 65th day of the year following the end of the trust or estate’s tax year. If you’ve made a Code Section 643(g) election and allocated the estimated taxes, you have to check Box E to indicate it’s the final year of the trust or estate.

Part II: Information about the beneficiary

Schedule K-1, Part II is about as simple as it gets. On line F, put in the beneficiary’s TIN, and on line G, fill in the beneficiary’s name and address.

In Box H, choose between a domestic or foreign beneficiary, whichever applies. If the beneficiary lives in the U.S., no further information is necessary. If the beneficiary resides in a foreign country, you may want to consult with a tax advisor who can check the foreign tax treaties involved and make sure you’re not required to withhold U.S. income taxes on distributions to this beneficiary.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/schedule-k1-for-estates-and-trusts-general-informa.html

Quality Control For Dummies

Without quality control, your organization can't survive for long. Successfully implementing, maintaining, and evaluating quality control standards is critical whether you're seeking ISO certification or just keeping up with customer needs. When implementing a quality control process, you'll likely face resistance from people within the organization. By staying vigilant and addressing potential problems early, however, your organization can function at a high level.

How to Obtain ISO Certification to Demonstrate Quality Control Standards

Meeting ISO (International Organization for Standardization) quality standards ensures customers that you'll provide quality product. ISO standards are the most recognized quality standards — after all, the organization's members consist of the national standards organizations of 150 countries. Follow these ISO quality standards, which provide a common language for companies to trade across the globe:

Get commitment from top management to ensure success.

Train all employees on the basics of quality.

Prepare your quality policy manual.

Document operating procedures.

Perform an internal audit.

Select an ISO certification agency to use.

Have the certification agency perform the audit.

If you pass the audit, congratulations!

If you don't pass the audit, take necessary corrective action and repeat the audit.

How to Introduce Quality Control to Your Organization

Introducing a quality control program into your organization requires careful planning and precise execution. Like any other major new program you introduce, thorough planning and attention to detail will greatly increase the odds of success. Just follow these steps:

Create a roadmap to guide your organization to its quality goals.

Prepare everyone for the changes to come.

Obtain a sponsor to be the organization's champion of quality.

Select a quality control manager.

Create an effective communications program.

Provide employee training on quality control.

Select a pilot project.

Perform the pilot, prove its value, and apply the lessons learned.

Implementing Quality Control Standards: How to Overcome Organizational Reluctance

Many people in the organization will see the introduction of a quality control process as an unwelcome change. Overcoming reluctance to a new quality control process calls for clear and consistent communication, and a constant eye on the "big picture." Here are some tips on how to rally the support of the willing, ease the fears of the reluctant, and overcome the obstacles put up by the unwilling.

Monitor and manage the risks as your project progresses.

Believe in your goal, and focus on the benefits that quality will bring to your organization.

Don't go it alone; find support from the quality sponsor or other experts in your organization.

Remain rational when you face challenges.

Keep everything in perspective.

Break down any obstacles into manageable pieces.

How to Get Your Quality Control Project Back on Track

Of course you expect your quality-control project to succeed, but things rarely go as smoothly as planned. Even the best-laid plans sometimes run into problems. Be ready for trouble and use the following tips to get your quality project back on track.

Review your goals and focus on what's really important.

Evaluate where your project stands — look at what you've achieved and where the project truly has problems.

Get professional help from an outside expert.

Learn from your mistakes by preventing them in the future.

Determine your minimum acceptable goals; you may have to scale back the project.

How to Improve Quality Control through Customer Feedback

Customer feedback is one of the most important resources for improving an organization's quality control. If you're serious about quality control, you can't assume that you know what the customer wants, and you can't wait for them to tell you. Actively seeking customer input ensures that you know exactly what the customer wants, which is the only way to keep your organization in business.

Your organization exists to provide for the needs of your customers. Use these tips to devise a feedback survey that reveals your customers' needs:

Define your objectives; know what you hope to accomplish before you begin.

Think about how you'll analyze the data you gather; consider your objectives as well as time and budget restraints.

Use good questions that fit within your objectives and data-analysis method.

Keep the data-collection process simple to minimize errors.

Use an unrelated party to collect data to prevent bias.

Train your data collectors to ensure consistency and accuracy.

Perform a trial run to work out any bugs in the collection process.

Make any modifications necessary and gather more information from a larger customer population.

How to Measure Your Current Quality Control Process

Careful measurement is key to managing your quality control processes. Use the following steps to ensure that you measure the right quality-control factors in the right way.

Determine what to measure (the items or processes you decide to measure are called metrics).

Determine your measurement process by selecting the best process for your needs.

Define exactly how you’ll use the selected measurement process.

Train your employees on the proper measurement process.

Perform gauge repeatability and reproducibility (R&R) tests to determine measurement variation.

Perform the measurements and compare to customer specifications.

Confirm the quality of your data with compare-and-review checks and the help of a computer.

Make sense of your data with coding and different data charts.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/quality-control-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html

Estimating How Many Beads You Need

When you're designing your jewelry, keep this handy chart close by — it lists individual bead size (in millimeters), strand lengths (in inches), and the approximate number of beads that will fit on the strand. So if you have a specific length for a necklace or bracelet, use this table to help you figure out about how many beads you need:

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/estimating-how-many-beads-you-need.html

How to Multiply and Divide Fractions in Algebra

This video shows how to multiply and divide fractions by multiplying the numerators and denominators - even if the fractions have unlike denominators. In algebra or basic math, cancelling out equal factors in the numerator and denominator results in faster fraction multiplication.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-multiply-and-divide-fractions-in-algebra.html

Acting Your Song: Character Motivation

Before singing a song, you want to know a few things. You want to know what happened just before this song to motivate your character to sing and say the words. Why does your character sing, and how does your character intend to overcome any obstacles?

Some songs aren’t from a musical or opera. For these songs, you need to do enough work with the text that your imagination leads you to the right answers.

Some event usually motivates the character to sing a song. Maybe the character has a problem to overcome, is in a predicament he wants to change, or wants to help someone. The character needs some sort of predicament, good or bad, to sing. The obstacles the character encounters also are pretty important.

The predicament or obstacle can be unrequited love, happiness so intense you have to tell the world, or a bad relationship that you don’t know how to end.

Aunt Eller in Oklahoma! sings “The Farmer and the Cowman Should be Friends” because she wants the men to stop fighting and get along. In the movie The Wizard of Oz, the Lion is motivated to sing “If I Were The King of the Forest” because he wants courage and he’s tired of being afraid.

Another song with a specific motivation is “Return to Sender,” which you may have heard Elvis Presley sing. He’s motivated to sing the song because his letters keep coming back, even though he’s said he’s sorry, and it’s breaking his heart.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/acting-your-song-character-motivation.html

How to Make Love Last

Everyone knows that it's much easier to start a relationship than it is to make one last. If you've found your special someone, keep your love alive with the tips in the following list:

Make it special and nurture emotional intimacy: Share feelings, thoughts, and experiences with one another that you don't share with others, and keep your communication healthy.

Share healthy, fun-filled sexual experiences only with one another to promote sexual intimacy.

Remember that good communication is Superglue #1, and good sex is Superglue #2. Use both generously and often to bond tightly with your mate.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-make-love-last.html?cid=embedlink

How to Make Windows XP Programs Run Faster

Cleaning up a PC that runs Windows XP can make all your programs run faster, jump higher, and throw farther (okay, maybe only run faster). If your machine is acting sluggish, try the tips in the following table to get it back up to speed:

What to Do	Why Do It?
Increase your RAM	Windows works best when you have plenty of RAM.
Transfer your pagefile to a faster hard drive	The pagefile is used by Windows to store virtual memory when you don’t have enough physical RAM. Moving it to a faster drive means Windows can access the data within it faster.
Don’t access data over a network	Grabbing data from a network is inherently slower than grabbing it from your local hard drive. If possible, transfer the data to your local hard drive and access it from there.
Place frequently accessed data on a faster hard drive	If you have multiple hard drives on your local system, place your data on the one that has the fastest rotational speed.
Defragment your hard drive	Fragmentation slows down programs, data access, and Windows itself.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-make-windows-xp-programs-run-faster.html

How to Make Gilded Walnut Christmas Ornaments

With little time and effort, you can turn a simple walnut into beautiful Christmas ornaments. This project is a fun activity for kids at Christmas time. They can give the ornaments as gifts or keep them and hang them on the tree at home.

Red, burgundy, or green ribbons look particularly striking against the metallic background.

These nuts are not edible due to the spray paint, glue, and pins.

To make 12 ornaments, gather these supplies:

Glue gun and glue sticks (optional)

You don’t need to use a glue gun. Just make sure to buy a heavy-bodied, clear glue that dries fairly quickly.

Newspaper

12 whole walnuts in the shell

Gold or silver spray paint

6 yards thin ribbon (1/8-inch to 1/4-inch width), cut into 18-inch lengths

12 straight pins

After you gather your supplies, follow these steps:

Set out the newspaper in a well-ventilated area. Lay out the walnuts so that they don’t touch one another. Spray the nuts, following the spray paint manufactuer’s instructions, rotating as they dry so that all the surfaces are covered. Let the nuts dry completely.

You can make these ornaments without the spray paint. Just let the natural beauty of the nuts shine through.

Place a drop of glue on the center bottom of a walnut’s shell. Affix the center point of a length of ribbon over the glue so that the ribbon can be pulled up along the seam of the nut. Insert a straight pin through the ribbon, into the nut right through the glue.

Using the small gap between the shell halves allows you to do this easily.

Some walnuts are so tightly built that you may not be able to insert the pin. Look for walnuts that have a visible seam.

After the glue dries, bring the ribbon up around the nut and tie a tight knot at the top of the nut. Place a drop of glue under the knot, if desired. Let dry. Tie a bow, using the ends of the ribbon, to create a large loop about the size of a bracelet between the nut and the bow. Use the loop to hang the ornament. Repeat with the remaining nuts.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-make-gilded-walnut-christmas-ornaments.navId-400688.html

How to Play Fantasy Football

2 of 7 in Series:
The Essentials of Fantasy Football

Fantasy football lets you try your skills as a fantasy coach. After you join a league, you scout for and draft players, compete against other fantasy coaches, and use all your skills to make it to the playoffs.

Here's a snapshot of what happens in a fantasy football season:

You join a league.

You can join a public league, where anyone can sign up for a spot, or a private league, where you need an invitation to play. Some people play just for fun and some play for money (in some cases, serious coin). League selection is an important factor, so don't take it lightly.

You prepare for your league draft by scouting players.

Before choosing your fantasy team, you need to research all the available players so you can pre-rank them according to your personal preference.

You build your fantasy team via the draft.

The draft is the most fun and exciting day of the fantasy season. During the draft, each fantasy coach selects one NFL player at a time until the rosters are complete.

Your team competes against another team every week.

During the NFL season, the real teams face each other and so do the fantasy teams in your league. The players' real-time stats are converted into fantasy points by your league provider, and the fantasy team that scores the most points wins the game for the week.

You make moves to improve your team.

As a fantasy coach, you're in total control. You can drop players you think aren't good enough and replace them with free agents. If one of your starters gets hurt, you can bench him and start a healthy player instead. You may even make a trade offer to another coach.

Your team (hopefully) makes the playoffs and wins your league.

Only the strong survive, and at the end of the fantasy season, the top teams square off in a tournament to decide the league champion. The last team standing may win a trophy, a cash prize, or just honor; but make no mistake, there will be only one winner.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-play-fantasy-football.html

How to Use Performance Appraisals to Motivate Employees

Motivation is the process that energizes employees and propels them to pursue their goals. Well-designed and well-executed performance appraisals have a strong motivational impact. Appraisals have the power to motivate employees because they provide a number of interconnected benefits:

They demonstrate the need for improvement. If employees don’t have a clear understanding of how they’ve been performing, they can’t be motivated to make any improvements.

They meet higher-level psychological needs. Researchers continue to find that recognition is one of the most powerful forms of motivation for large numbers of employees. Although you can find numerous possible sources of recognition on the job, performance appraisals are an opportunity for employees to receive formal, significant, and enduring recognition from their manager.

They build a sense of personal value. When managers take the time and effort to carefully review, analyze, document, and discuss performance with employees, the underlying message to the employees is that they’re important and valuable, and this alone is quite rewarding, whether the feedback is positive or not.

They enhance personal development. Performance evaluations are motivational for employees who are looking to enhance their personal learning, growth, and development. Appraisals are a highly valuable source of information, insights, and tools necessary for such progress. Performance appraisals are similarly motivational for employees whose needs are centered on achievement, goal attainment, and sensing personal effectiveness, respect, and trust.

They turn employees around. When employees are performing poorly, performance appraisals can provide the wakeup call that they need to get refocused and reenergized. With performance appraisal, however, the purpose of the session is not strictly disciplinary, so the employee is more likely to walk in with a more receptive and open mind. As a result, your comments regarding an employee’s questionable performance have an excellent chance of being heard and generating action as a result.

They increase satisfaction. When performance appraisals meet the employees’ needs in such areas as gaining recognition, sensing achievement and competence, experiencing growth, and meeting objectives, they’re also contributing to the employees’ job satisfaction, and this is one of the most important elements at work today. When employees are satisfied, some of the most visible indicators are reduced turnover, absenteeism, and tardiness.

On the flip side, when employees are subjected to a shoddy or even nonexistent performance appraisal system, the opportunities to fulfill these higher-level employee needs are substantially reduced.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-use-performance-appraisals-to-motivate-empl.html

What Are Etsy Forums?

Etsy offers member forums that let you interact with other members of the Etsy community. Anyone who has spent more than 30 seconds on Etsy knows that it's a bang-up place to buy and sell gorgeous handmade and vintage pieces. But Etsy is more than just an amazing online marketplace; it's also a vibrant community of interesting, creative people. On Etsy, connections are made, friendships are formed, love matches are made, and lives are enriched.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines forum as "a public meeting place for open discussion," derived from the marketplaces and public places found in ancient Roman cities across that great empire. Similarly, Etsy's forums serve as meeting places for Etsy members. In essence, Etsy forums are public message boards where members can discuss all manner of topics.

Etsy supports five main forums:

Announcements: This forum is reserved for Etsy staff, for posting site-related announcements. Check this forum for news about upcoming site changes.

Site Help: If you have general questions about how to use Etsy, questions about site features, or queries related to site policy, this forum is for you. Odds are someone in the Etsy community or on the Etsy staff can — and will — answer your question!

Business Topics: Are you looking for shop-related advice — for example, help running and marketing your Etsy shop, assistance with PayPal-related issues, info about shipping, or advice on navigating the ups and downs of running a small business? If so, visit the Business Topics forum.

Ideas: Did you wake up at 3 a.m. with an idea that could revolutionize Etsy? Then post it in the Ideas forum. It acts like a suggestion box of sorts. You can also use this forum to discuss changes to the site or offer site-related constructive criticism.

Bugs: If you come across some part of the site that's not working as intended, check the Bugs forum to see if anyone else has experienced the same glitch. If not, use the forum to report it.

None of Etsy's forums is meant to serve as a complaint desk. If you need to air a grievance, e-mail it to community@etsy.com.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/what-are-etsy-forums.html

How to Deal with a Negative Situation within an Online Community

Not all negativity is worthy of a public address. Many times, situations arise from misunderstandings during online discussions or community events. The situation may not even have anything to do with you or your brand, but because it happened within your community, it’s up to you to iron things out. Here’s what you need to do:

Assess the situation.

Don’t jump to conclusions and don’t dive in blind. Follow the trail of events. Find out who all the players are and read all the comments, feedback, and discussions relating to the event.

Determine whether the situation should be handled publicly or taken private.

If the negativity involves only one or two people, it may be easiest to settle matters during a conference call or Skype chat. If the issue has become a community free-for-all, a public discussion may be necessary.

Never take sides.

Although you may be able to identify a clear instigator or scapegoat, taking sides only escalates the situation.

Listen.

Hear all sides of the story, from the major players to eyewitnesses. Try to assess who is being truthful and who is simply backing up a friend.

Ask questions.

You may know all the answers from watching the situation unfold, but ask questions anyway. Your community wants to know that you care.

Take action.

The action may be an apology on your part; an apology on someone else’s part; a new rule; or a perk such as a discount, freebie, or free membership offered to an offended member. Determine how to make things right and take the appropriate action.

Move on.

When the situation has been handled and everyone is satisfied, move on. Don’t dwell on it or discuss it inappropriately with other members of the community.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-deal-with-a-negative-situation-within-an-on.navId-323004.html

How to Record a Business’s Unpaid Expenses

Neglecting to record your unpaid expenses can lead to accounting confusion. A typical business pays many expenses after the period in which the expenses are recorded — these are called unpaid expenses.

Some examples of unpaid expenses include the following:

A business hires a law firm that does a lot of legal work during the year, but the company doesn’t pay the bill until the following year.

A business matches retirement contributions made by its employees but doesn’t pay its share until the following year.

A business has unpaid bills for telephone service, gas, electricity, and water that it used during the year.

Accountants use three different types of liability accounts to record a business’s unpaid expenses:

Accounts payable: This account is used for items that the business buys on credit and for which it receives an invoice (a bill). For example, your business receives an invoice from its lawyers for legal work done. As soon as you receive the invoice, you record in the accounts payable liability account the amount that you owe. When you pay the invoice, you subtract that amount from the accounts payable account, and your cash goes down by that amount.

Accrued expenses payable: A business has to make estimates for several unpaid costs at the end of the year because it hasn’t yet received invoices for them. Examples of accrued expenses include the following:
- Unused vacation and sick days that employees carry over to the following year, which the business has to pay for in the coming year
- Unpaid bonuses to salespeople
- The cost of future repairs and part replacements on products that customers have bought and haven’t yet returned for repair
- The daily accumulation of interest on borrowed money that won’t be paid until the end of the loan period
Without invoices to refer to, you have to examine your business operations carefully to determine which liabilities of this sort to record.

Income tax payable: This account is used for income taxes that a business still owes to the IRS at the end of the year. The income tax expense for the year is the total amount based on the taxable income for the entire year. Your business may not pay 100 percent of its income tax expense during the year; it may owe a small fraction to the IRS at year’s end. You record the unpaid amount in the income tax payable account.

A business may be organized legally as a pass-through tax entity for income tax purposes, which means that it doesn’t pay income tax itself but instead passes its taxable income on to its owners. The example mentioned here is for a business that is an ordinary corporation that pays income tax.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-record-a-businesss-unpaid-expenses.html

How to Understand Menu Language for Healthy Dining

Dieters must know how to translate menu descriptions to yield clues to the fat and calorie contents of a dish. Restaurant portion sizes have more to do with controlling operation expenses than with balancing nutrients. Most restaurants use standardized ladles, spoons, cups, and scoops, and their capacity is generally larger than what you would use at home. Some typical institutional measures are:

Salad dressing ladle = 1/4 cup

Pat of butter = 2 teaspoons

Scoop of ice cream = 1 1/2 to 2 cups

Burger = 6 to 8 ounces

Meat, poultry, or fish = 8 to 12 ounces

Beverages: small = 2 cups, medium = 4 cups, large = 6 cups

Theater popcorn: small = 4 cups, large = 10 cups, jumbo = 15 to 20 cups

Wine = 6 to 8 ounces

When reading the menu, the “Grande taco salad served in a crispy tortilla shell, topped with lean sautéed ground beef” may sound like a good choice to a dieter. But the words grande, crispy, and sautéed tell you that this is no low-cal salad. In fact, it contains about 700 calories! If you’re restricting your intake to 1,200 calories a day, do you really want to get more than half your calories from a single dish?

Following are the most commonly used menu words that speak volumes — calorically, that is.

Lots of fat:

Alfredo

Basted

Batter-dipped

Breaded

Buttery

Creamy

Crispy and crunchy (except when describing raw vegetables)

Deep-fried

Marinated

Pan-fried

Rich

Sautéed

Coated

Dressed

Dipped

Bathed

Huge portion sizes:

Combo

Feast

Grande

Jumbo

King-size

Supreme

Saner sizes:

Appetizer

Kiddie

Luncheon

Petite

Regular

Salad-size

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-understand-menu-language-for-healthy-dining.html

How to Make a Christmas Candy Garland

9 of 12 in Series:
Christmas Tree-Trimming Party for 20 Kids and Parents

Kids love to help make these candy garlands to decorate the home for Christmas. The garland can be draped on the Christmas tree, over a mantel or a doorway, or any other place where you would like a colorful accent. You can make the garland as long as you want, and you can vary the color scheme depending on what types of candy you choose to use.

You will need the following special equipment:

Strong thread, such as nylon or waxed cotton; needle

100 pieces wrapped candy, such as sourballs in cellophane, per 3 to 4 feet of thread

Have you have collected the candy and the thread, follow these steps:

Place the candy in a bowl for easy access.

Thread the needle and make a large knot about 6 inches from one end.

Start sewing the candy together, inserting the needle through the cellophane, stringing the candies together.

Insert the needle close to the candy, not the end of the cellophane where the thread might rip through it.

Place a knot after the last piece. Use the thread on the ends to tie the garland to branches or whatever else you choose to attach it to.

Children can be shown how to use the needle safely. They really like working with candy — as long as you let them have some, which is a just reward for being Santa’s helper.

You can approach this project in many ways. You can use multicolored candies or ones that fit your color scheme, if you like — red and green, silver and blue, and so on.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-make-a-christmas-candy-garland.html

Questions When Considering a Career

When choosing a career you really need to use your head and think about what job logically makes sense. If you’re like most career searchers, you’re not sure. To find out, start by asking yourself these questions about what you really want and need in a career:

What are your career non-negotiables? (For example, salary, prestige, location, glamour, short training, using your previous training.)

List your life’s major accomplishments. What skills did you frequently use?

If you didn’t care what society or your family thought, what career would you pursue?

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/questions-when-considering-a-career.html

Winterizing Your Beagle

Keeping your Beagle happy, healthy, and comfortable in all seasons isn't hard to do. The Snoopy-dog is a hardy soul, and a few adjustments are all that's needed to keep her in tip-top condition all year round, especially during the winter.

Caring for dry skin and paws

The winter-time Beagle may experience the same cold-weather phenomenon as the winter-time human: dry, flaky skin. But while human beings can slather on moisturizers and lotions to combat the dryness, your Beagle's dry skin may need treatment from within. Make sure your dog gets plenty of water, and talk with your veterinarian about adding fatty acid supplements to her diet.

We humans have lots of shoes and boots with which to cover our feet during the winter, but dogs generally have the dubious pleasure of walking barefoot over snow and ice. Be considerate of your Beagle. If she's running outside in the snow, make sure you remove any snow or ice that's accumulated between her toes after she gets inside. Leaving those little ice balls intact can spread your Beagle's toes in a most uncomfortable fashion.

During the winter, your considerate neighbors may sprinkle rock salt on their sidewalks to make them less slippery. But while that salt helps keep you upright, it causes your Beagle's sensitive paw pads to dry out and burn. When you and your pooch walk outside during snow season, try to avoid walking her over salted surfaces. If you can't avoid those surfaces, thoroughly rinse your Beagle's feet with warm water when you come back inside.

Bundling up Beagle

Does your Beagle need a sweater to keep her toasty warm during the winter? Probably not, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't appreciate a little help staying warm during those cold winter walks. Pet stores and upscale pet clothing catalogs abound with sweaters and coats to protect Beagles and other canine snow-bunnies (how's that for a contradiction in terms?) from the ravages of harsh winter weather.

How do you know which size is right for your Beagle? First, stretch a tape measure from the base of her neck to the base of her tail. This is her top line measurement. Then, measure her chest by wrapping the tape measure around her trunk at the widest point, just behind her front legs. Those two measurements can help you determine your Beagle's clothing size. Generally, Beagles wear a medium — but as with so many other issues, your mileage may vary.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/winterizing-your-beagle.html

Mixing It Up in Singing

Mix is a sound commonly used in contemporary music that you hear on the radio or in musicals. If middle singing voice is a transition between chest voice and head voice and uses a balance of those muscle groups, then mix occurs when you choose to vary the balance. If middle voice is a 50/50 balance of head voice and chest voice, the mix may shift those percentages.

For example, you may want to use 70 percent chest voice and 30 percent head voice, to create a sound that is fuller or thicker than middle voice. Other times you may want the mix to be 40 percent chest voice and 60 percent head voice; with more head voice mixed in, this sound is lighter than chest voice but fuller than head voice.

You create these variations by changing the combination of resonance, weight, and breath compression. Mix is appropriate for almost any style of singing, but it isn’t as commonly used in classical music.

The terminology can be confusing, but you need to know the phrases you may hear from other singers:

A heavy mix or a mix that has more than 50 percent chest voice is often called a chest-dominated mix because it feels full like chest voice and sounds similar to chest voice. The difference is that it isn’t pure chest voice; it has some head voice mixed in.

Likewise, a mix that’s lighter or has more than 50 percent head voice in it is often called a head voice–dominated mix.

No measuring scale can tell you the percentages; you discover how to hear the amount of weight or resonance in a sound and know that it’s a mix.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/mixing-it-up-in-singing.html

Web Marketing Social Media Measurement

Social media measurement takes three forms: analyzing traditional metrics such as numbers of visitors and referrals; monitoring for mentions of your company, brands, products, or employees on social media; and assessing channel-specific performance in terms of user participation or engagement.

Social media must be incorporated into your overall analytics review, either in the aggregate or by individual service. Often, analytical metrics treat social media as referrers to your primary web presence and integrate them into funnels to assess conversion rates.

You can analyze the effectiveness of individual social media campaigns or obtain a comparative overview of your overall web marketing strategy. You can choose from several tools that combine and sort data from social media, blogs, and your primary website.

In addition to traditional analytics, monitoring the incessant chatter of social media has become an essential component of online marketing. Monitoring tools allow you to track and respond nearly in real-time to the ocean of comments, posts, and tweets from others.

You use these tools particularly when negative word-of-mouth might affect your reputation or your brand or when positive word-of-mouth might signal a need for your company to gear up its performance.

Finally, every form of social media generates a whole new set of parameters to measure success within a specific medium, often categorized under the term engagement.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/web-marketing-social-media-measurement.navId-811455.html

How to Stabilize the Camera without a Tripod

Here are some ways you can steady your digital camera without a tripod. With a bit of ingenuity, you can still get a great nature or landscape shot even when you forget your tripod.

Imagine it’s dusk. The billowing clouds are tinted in 20 hues ranging from purple to sky blue to pink. You have all the ingredients for a great shot except your tripod, which is in your closet gathering dust. You can:

Place the camera near the edge of a table.

If you can see the tabletop in the viewfinder or LCD monitor, move the camera closer to the edge.

Hold the camera against a wall.

Use this technique when you rotate the camera 90 degrees (Portrait mode).

Lean against a wall and spread your legs slightly.

This is known as “the human tripod.” Press the shutter gently after you exhale.

Carry a small beanbag in your camera bag.

Place your camera on the beanbag and move it to achieve the desired composition. You can purchase beanbags at your local camera store.

Carry a baggie filled with uncooked rice in your camera bag.

(Cooked rice is messy and will spoil.) Place your camera on the bag and move it until you achieve the desired composition.

Use your camera self-timer.

This gives the camera a chance to stabilize from any vibration that occurs when you press the shutter button. Using the self-timer works great when you have the camera on a stable surface. It will also work if you handhold the camera and exhale when you press the shutter button and remain as steady as possible.

These techniques are also great when you’re on vacation and don’t have the room to carry a tripod in your baggage.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-stabilize-the-camera-without-a-tripod.html

Common Landing Page Optimization Terms

Landing page optimization terms such as conversion and SEO may look familiar but remain a mystery to you. Before trying to optimize your landing page, get to know some common landing page optimization terms:

Benefit statements: Benefit statements show how your product or service solves an immediate problem. Benefit statements often address base motivators like saving time, making money, increasing business, or improving looks.

Bounce rates: Measured in percentages, the bounce rate represents the number of visitors who leave your page within a specified period of time or pages viewed.

Call to action: Directions within an ad or landing page prompting a user to take a specific action.

Conversion: A desirable action taken by an online visitor, such as buying a product, signing up for a newsletter, joining a mailing list, and so on.

Cost per click (CPC): CPC represents the amount you (as an advertiser) pay each time a user clicks on your ad.

Click through rate (CTR): The CTR is a method of gauging success for online advertising campaigns. The CTR represents the number of clicks your ad receives divided by the number of times your ad is shown.

Demographic profile: Demographics refer to the statistical characteristics of a segment of the population. Customer demographics identify the specific characteristics of your customers, allowing you to segment your visitors.

Fold: The fold refers to the viewable area on the computer screen that visitors don't have to scroll to see more content. It is known by several names, including the fold, above the fold, or viewable area.

Landing page: A landing page is the Web page your visitors arrive at after clicking an online ad, e-mail link, following a search engine result, or any form of offline advertising campaign such as radio ads.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Increasing visitors to your Web site or landing page by improving positioning within browser search results.

Split test: A test that randomly divides traffic between two or more landing page designs to identify the one which generates the most conversions.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/common-landing-page-optimization-terms.html

Wine All-In-One For Dummies

Both red wine and white wine come in myriad styles, from delicate to robust. They taste best when paired with the right foods. Fortunately, you can find a red or a white wine to go with any meal you might serve at home or order in a restaurant — or to enjoy on its own or to suit your mood.

Finding the Right Red Wine

Not sure how to choose a red wine to complement your meal? If you’re new to red wine or don't have time to browse at the wine shop, this reliable chart can help.

If You Want a . . .	Try . . .
Crisp, light-bodied red wine to go with light meat dishes, sausage, hamburgers, pasta, pizza, or casseroles	Bardolino or Valpolicella Beaujolais Inexpensive U.S. Pinot Noir Inexpensive Chianti Loire Valley reds (Chinon, Bourgueil)
Medium-bodied, firm red wine to go with lamb, venison, simple roasts, or hard cheeses.	Less-expensive Bordeaux wines Chianti Classico Rioja Cabernets or Syrahs from southern France Less-expensive red Burgundies Beaujolais crus
Medium-bodied, soft red wine to go with spicy meat dishes, grilled meats, roast chicken, game birds, turkey, lamb, venison, or salmon	Most U.S. Pinot Noirs Inexpensive California Cabernets and Merlots Inexpensive Zinfandels Many Australian Shiraz wines Australian Cabernets Most Côtes du Rhône reds Chilean Cabernets and Merlots
Full-bodied, intense red wine to go with rich meat dishes, venison, game birds, roast turkey, or spicy pastas	Better California Cabernets, Merlots, and Zinfandels Better Bordeaux wines Barolo, Barbaresco, and Brunello di Montalcino Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hermitage and Côte Rôtie Better red Burgundy wines

Choosing a White Wine

Choosing the right white wine to enjoy with dinner or to serve guests doesn't have to be hard. Try one of the white wines recommended here and save yourself some hassle.

If You Want a . . .	Try . . .
Crisp, lighter-bodied, dry, unoaked white wine to go with fish, shellfish, game birds, pork, veal, Thai dishes, or Chinese food	Soave, Pinot Grigio, Frascati, or other Italian white wines Muscadet Sancerre Dry German Riesling Chablis Inexpensive white Bordeaux wines
Fuller-bodied, dry, unoaked white wine to go with fish, shellfish, chicken, spicy sausage, or vegetarian dishes	Mâcon-Villages St. Veran New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Alsace wines Oregon Pinot Gris Most Austrian whites
Fuller-bodied, dry white wine with oaky character to go with fish, shellfish, poultry, veal, pork, cream sauces, or egg dishes	Better California Chardonnays Australian Chardonnays White Burgundy wines from the Côte d’Or district Most Pouilly-Fuissé wines Most Rhône Valley whites Some California Sauvignon Blancs Better white Bordeaux wines
Soft, fruity white wine that’s not fully dry to go with shellfish, chicken, pork, light cream dishes, Asian dishes, light curries, or smoked fish	Inexpensive California Chardonnays Liebfraumilch Many German Rieslings Many U.S. Rieslings Most U.S. Gewürztraminers Vouvray

Taste-Testing a Bottle of Wine when Dining Out

The process of tasting wine from a bottle that you've ordered in a restaurant can be intimidating, but this quick guide to the wine-tasting ritual makes it easy. Evaluating wine involves a bit of ceremony, but there’s logic behind it. Step by step, the wine-presentation goes like this:

The server or sommelier presents the bottle to you (assuming that you’re the person who ordered the wine) for inspection. Check the label carefully and feel the bottle with your hand to determine whether its temperature seems to be correct. If you’re satisfied with the bottle, nod your approval to the server.

This step enables you to make sure that the bottle is, in fact, the bottle you ordered.

The server removes the cork and places it in front of you. Inspect the cork and sniff it to make sure it’s in good condition.

In rare instances, a wine may be so corky that the cork itself will have an unpleasant odor. On even rarer occasions, the cork might be wet and shriveled or dry and crumbly; either situation suggests that air has gotten into the wine and spoiled it.

If the cork raises your suspicions, wait to smell or taste the wine itself before deciding whether to reject the bottle.

The server pours a small amount of wine into your glass and waits. Now is when you swirl the wine in the glass, take a sniff, perhaps a little sip, and then indicate whether you find the wine acceptable.

If the wine is fine, you can nod or murmur, “It’s fine.” If something is wrong with the wine, now is the time to return it — not after you’ve finished half the bottle!

If you decide that the bottle is out of condition, describe to the server what you find wrong with the wine. If the sommelier or wine specialist agrees that it’s a bad bottle, he may bring you another bottle of the same, or he may bring you the wine list so you can select a different wine. Either way, the ritual begins again.

If you accept the wine, the server pours the wine into your guests’ glasses and then finally into yours.

Now you’re allowed to relax.

>
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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/wine-allinone-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html

Quieting a Barking Puppy

A chronic barker is a real headache. How you handle your puppy, especially as she’s initially testing her voice, will dictate how much barking you’re going to hear over the next decade-plus! Your reactions should depend on what’s prompting her to bark in the first place.

The cardinal sin when rehabilitating your barker is to yell. When you yell, your puppy thinks you’re barking too, which leads to — you guessed it — more barking. To solve your problem, stay cool and follow the advice listed here.

Barking at everything

Does your puppy bark at everything she sees and hears? For some people, after a while, the puppy’s barking can seem as much a part of their daily routine as the wind passing through the trees. For those who don’t fall into that category, however, perpetual barking is a big pain.

To quiet your incessant barker, try these strategies:

Start training immediately. Puppies who bark at everything perceive themselves (not you) as the protector and guardian of the home, and one of the leader’s duties is to guard her territory and her group from intruders. Your puppy needs to understand that you’re the boss.

Avoid leaving your puppy alone outdoors for long stretches of time. Unsupervised confinement often breeds boredom and territorial behavior. Put those two together, and you’re likely to end up with a barkaholic.

Block off areas that your puppy uses as lookout posts, such as the front yard or a living room couch or windowsill. If she’s a night guard, crate her or secure her on a lead in your room at night, giving her 3 feet of freedom — just enough to lie comfortably on her bed.

Anytime you see (or hear) your puppy start to perk up, say “Shhht” (the extra “t” is critical for emphasis) and use a treat cup to call her back to your side. If she ignores you, place her on a drag leash so you can quickly gain control.

Barking in the car

Being locked in a car creates a territorial situation: Your puppy barks, and the passing object quickly disappears, so your puppy thinks she did her job well.

Yelling at your puppy isn’t the thing to do, and pleading doesn’t lead to good behavior, either. This problem tends to disappear slowly as you progress through training. However, you can do the following things in the meantime to discourage this behavior:

Make your puppy pause before you let her enter or exit the car. Instruct “Wait” and give her permission to enter with “Okay.” Calming your puppy before going into the car sets the stage for calm behavior while you drive.

Station your puppy in the car. Choose a place in the back seat or cargo area and secure her with a chew toy while you drive.

When possible, ask someone else to drive so that you can sit next to your puppy and handle her while you ride.

Play calm music and stay cool. If you’re tense, you’ll unnerve your puppy, which increases her ferocity.

Ignore the barking if your car’s moving. Driving is a job in itself.

If you’re riding as a passenger or the car isn’t moving when your puppy is barking, discreetly spray her (without turning and glaring — yes, this is quite a feat) or shake a penny can as you say “Shhht.”

If your puppy barks at gas station or tollbooth attendants, ask them to toss a treat into the car window from afar. This special treatment may help your puppy make a more positive association.

If you think your puppy is bordering on territorial aggression, call for professional help.

Barking for attention or protest

All puppies go through a phase when they demand more attention and can’t bear to be left alone. If you respond to a barking puppy, you end up with a barking dog, so take charge of this situation before it becomes an all-out habit. Follow these guidelines:

Focus on good behavior! Reconnect warmly to your puppy whenever she’s chewing a toy, exploring calmly, or resting on her bed. Give her a sense of how to get your attention positively.

Ignore the barking if you can, and never yell. Earplugs help.

Avoid problems in your home by keeping her nearby. Dogs like to be with you, so lead or station her nearby.

Place peanut butter in a hollow bone and give it to your puppy when you need to leave her in a room alone.

Discreetly spray your pup from behind or toss a penny can toward (not at) her when she starts up. The goal is to have her think the reaction came from the environment, not you.

If you must interfere with her barking tantrum, go to her quietly without eye contact or comments, place her on a leash, and either seclude her or lead her around for half an hour.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/quieting-a-barking-puppy.html

Calculating How Much Wallpaper to Use

If you’ve decided on wallpaper for your home improvement project, you want to make sure to buy the right amount for your needs. These formulas help you determine how much wall paper to purchase:

Wall Area:

[Total Length of All Walls] x [Wall Height] = Wall Area

Unpapered Areas:

[Window Height] x [Window Width] x [Number of Windows] = Window Area

[Door Height] x [Door Width] x [Number of Doors] = Door Area

Wallpapering Area:

[Wall Area] – [Unpapered Areas] = Wallpapering Area

Wallpaper to Order:

[Wallpapering Area] ÷ [Usable Yield] = Number of Single Rolls Needed

Usable Yield Charts:

Pattern Repeat (Drop)	Usable Yield (American Rolls)	Usable Yield (European Rolls)
0 to 6 in.	32 sq. ft.	25 sq. ft.
7 to 12 in.	30 sq. ft.	22 sq. ft.
13 to 18 in.	27 sq. ft.	20 sq. ft.
19 to 23 in.	25 sq. ft.	18 sq. ft.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/calculating-how-much-wallpaper-to-use.html

Home Decorating For Dummies

Home decorating draws on your creative side, as well as your inner engineer. Whether you dabble in home decorating or make it a career, you get to play with color, texture, and pattern, in addition to tape measures, graph paper, and paint. Finding the furniture you want is important, and so is doing the planning that makes your decorating a delight.

What's in a Home Decorator's Bag of Tricks?

As a home decorator, you never know when you'll need to create some magic. Take a tip from professional home decorators: Pack a portable carry-all filled with all the must-haves of the trade — suggestions are in the following list — and you'll have decorating magic to go!

Glue gun: Use this for a variety of decorating and crafts projects.	Pins: Keep straight pins and safety pins for draping and shaping.
Hammer: Choose one that lets you hammer in nails and pry them up, too. Pick a size that fits comfortably in your hand.	Plate hangers: Look for these in different sizes for both small and large plates.
Magic Hem: Iron-on Magic Hem creates seams without sewing. It's available at grocery stores and craft or sewing shops.	Screwdriver set: Pick a pack that includes several sizes of both standard and Phillips head (cross-shaped head) screwdrivers. Don't use the wrong size or style driver — you'll destroy the screw.
Measuring tape: A 25-foot retractable steel tape works best.	Screws: Choose a variety pack of styles and sizes.
Nail kit: Look for a set that includes a variety of sizes for various jobs. Or assemble your own, including fine nails, long nails, short nails, and finishing nails.	Tool kit, tackle box, bucket, or basket: Use this for storing your gear. Keep it handy for quick fix-its and instant decorating.
Notebook: Pick one that has unlined sheets (for sketching and note-taking) and is small enough to fit inside your tool kit.	Velcro: This comes in handy for making items such as easy-to-remove slipcovers.
Picture hangers: Use these to make hanging art easier.	Wire: Use wire for hanging, fixing, and holding things.

Quick-Start Home Decorating Tips

You can't wait to get started on your home decorating project, but taking a few minutes beforehand can save you time, money, and aggravation down the road. Use the tips in the following list to ensure that your home decorating projects run smoothly:

Fix your budget! Spend no more than what you have.

Formulate an action plan. Establish goals. Set priorities. Decide what room or rooms you want finished and in what order. Decorating goes faster when you have a plan.

Scope out the job. Create a floor plan using a computer-aided program or draw one by hand on graph paper.

Discover your personal style. Are you Contemporary or Traditional? Knowing your style eliminates confusion (and wasted time) by steering you toward the best choices.

Shop! Pick stores that stock a large selection for quick delivery or carrying home. Shop by mail. Surf the Internet for information on prices and products from the comfort of your home.

Do first things first. Have all carpentry and wiring performed before you cover your walls and floors. Decorate the ceiling, walls, and floor before you bring in furniture.

Buy major pieces of furniture first and accessories last.

Spice up your decor with accessories galore! Pick pieces with personal meaning.

Furniture Facts for Home Decorating

A large part, literally, of your home decorating scheme is the furniture that populates the room(s). The following list offers definitions and tips to help you choose these large (and often large-ticket) items:

Furniture is marketed in three distinct price ranges: budget (affordable), moderate, and expensive.

To the trade means that only a decorator or designer can purchase these exclusive home furnishings.

Fully-assembled (or pre-assembled) furniture is ready to use right out of the crate.

RTA (ready-to-assemble) and KD (knock down) furniture come unassembled in flat boxes and must be put together by the buyer. RTA and KD items cost less than fully-assembled furniture.

Case goods are cabinets, tables, or any piece of furniture that has no upholstery.

Upholstered furniture is any furniture that is covered with upholstery, such as sofas and lounge chairs.

The manufacturer's brochures and hang-tags provide information on whether furniture is fireproof or fire-retardant.

Quality furniture features good materials, careful construction techniques, and durable finishes.

Handy Measurements for Home Decorating

Decorating your home requires lots of measurements. You need to know whether furniture will fit where you want it, how wide and long windows are for window treatments, and how much paint you need. Use the tips in the following list to help you decide what you need to measure and how to calculate quantities:

Find your room's overall square footage by multiplying the room's length by its width and squaring it (this is the area). You need this handy number for determining if a piece of furniture will fit in the room and for estimating quantities and prices.

Figure the amount of tile you need by dividing the width of the floor by the width of the tile (horizontal row) and the length of the floor by the height of the tile (vertical row). Buy up to 10 percent more tiles than you need, to allow for breakage and error.

Determine how many gallons of paint you need in order to paint a ceiling by measuring your floor's length and width, multiplying them, and then squaring the numbers. Divide this number by the spreading rate (see the paint can for this figure).

Establish how many gallons of paint you need for walls by adding the areas of the ceiling and walls. Divide this figure by the spreading rate (located on the can). If you're going from light to dark, double the amount (for a second coat). If the surface is porous, you may need 25 to 50 percent more paint — ask your store's paint pro for advice.

Measure the wall from floor to ceiling to determine wall space.

Average ceilings are about 8 feet high. Tall ceilings range from 10 to 12 feet or more. Low ceilings are anything under 8 feet. Use corrective decorating techniques by using the right color, texture, or pattern to make the most of space.

Be sure to add walk-around and breathing space between pieces of furniture to avoid clutter. Between chairs and sofas in seating groups, allow about 2 to 5 feet. Add up to a foot around your bed for bed-dressing and sheet changing. Leave 4 to 5 feet of clear walking space for traffic flow through rooms.

Using Color, Pattern, and Texture in Home Decorating

Color, pattern, and texture are the stylistic building blocks of your home decorating palette. You use these three elements to create the style, mood, and feel of each room in your home.

Creating with color

Paint small spaces in whispers of a cool, light color.

Cover big spaces in a cozy, warm, confident color.

Light, cool colors make walls seem to fade away into the distance, making rooms seem spacious.

Dark, warm colors make walls seem to come closer.

For the best color schemes, pick neutral colors that you'll never grow tired of.

Distribute colors naturally, with dark colors on the floor, medium colors on the walls, and light colors on the ceiling. Use the law of chromatic distribution:

1. Put neutral colors on large surfaces or objects, such as the floor and sofa.

2. Use stronger shades in a smaller amount on smaller spaces or items, such as a short wall or a chair.

3. Employ the strongest accent color in the smallest spaces and places.

4. Scatter accent color around the room to make an impact.

Playing with pattern

Mix patterns such as checks with florals or large-scaled patterns with small-scaled patterns.

Not sure when enough is enough? Play it safe! Use three different patterns that contrast in scale but relate in color.

More is more when you confidently mix up to five patterns. To do so, let one large-scaled pattern dominate over one medium-scaled floral and another geometric, and toss in two small-scaled accent patterns (your choice of floral or geometric). Make sure the colors in the large-scaled pattern are repeated in all the others.

Place pattern everywhere! Put the same pattern on the walls, windows, and furnishings.

Toying with texture

Traditional rooms look best in refined, smooth textures.

Contemporary spaces need more textural interest.

Feminine rooms need elegant and subtle textures.

Masculine decor calls for nubby, tweedy, and rugged texture.

The more neutrally colored the room, the more important texture becomes.

Heavy textures "eat" space, so use them only in large or cozy rooms.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/home-decorating-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html

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Part II: Information about the beneficiary

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Quick-Start Home Decorating Tips

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Handy Measurements for Home Decorating

Using Color, Pattern, and Texture in Home Decorating

Creating with color

Playing with pattern

Toying with texture

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Christmas Tree-Trimming Party for 20 Kids and Parents