Decorating in the French Country Style

The French country look embraces the warmth and grace of the Provence region for France. By learning how to decorate in the French country manner at your home, you can add a sense of elegance and warmth.

French country has the warmth of American country, but its furnishings tend to have a less homespun feel:

• Earthy textures and bright calico patterns found in the fabrics make this look enduringly popular.

  
  



• Colors are strong: mustard, rusty red, indigo, and grass green.

  
  



• Fabrics stand up well against white plaster walls.

  
  



• Matching patterns on the walls to those in the room makes a definite style statement.

  
  



• Use rusted metal and wrought iron to accentuate furnishings and light fixtures.

  
  



• Add stone, wood, and brick to add depth and warmth to the room.

  
  



• Most walls should be white or stained plaster walls. You can get paint that is textured to look like plaster at most home centers.

  
  



• Natural fibers and textures add an old-world feel to the space.

  
  



• Go with traditional patterns in muted colors, such as toile.

  
  



• Furnishings should solid and fairly rustic. Be sure to keep the polish to a low sheen

  
  



• Use color pottery and glassware to accessorize your space.

  
  



• Keep the flooring natural. After all, there wasn't a lot of wall-to-wall carpeting a couple of hundred years ago.

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/decorating-your-home-in-the-french-country-style.html

How to Roast a Chicken

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

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This high temperature cooks the poultry while keeping it moist.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-roast-a-chicken.html

Sun Poisoning: Recognizing the Signs, Treating the Symptoms

When we think of all the life-sustaining benefits of sunlight, it’s hard to imagine that the sun can be poisonous for some of us. Yet more than 10 percent of Americans are sensitive to the sun’s rays and can’t enjoy a bright, clear day without becoming ill.

Many people who suffer from sun poisoning don’t seek medical treatment because their symptoms usually go away within a week or so. However, it’s important to know if you’re sun sensitive so you can properly treat the side effects caused by your sun exposure and avoid them in the future.

Sun poisoning, medically termed polymorphous light eruption, most commonly affects fair-skinned folks who live in northern climates. More women develop sun poisoning than men. You’re at greater risk for the condition if other family members are sun sensitive.

Your skin's varied reaction to the sun

The most common sign of sun poisoning is a proliferation of red bumps or lesions on the skin. These itchy breakouts can occur anywhere from one-half hour to several days after sun exposure. They’re usually confined to parts of the body that aren’t exposed to the sun in the winter months, such as the arms, legs, and chest. Breakouts rarely occur on the face.

If you’re suffering from polymorphous light eruption, you might also experience

• Blisters

  
  



• Burning

  
  



• Chills

  
  



• Headache

  
  



• Nausea

  
  



• Swelling

  
  

Treatments for sun-sensitivity symptoms

Polymorphous light eruption often strikes after that first, skin-baring late-spring or early-summer outing. Even though most people get over sun poisoning quickly, the days spent healing can be itchy and even painful. Luckily, most symptoms can be eased with treatments you probably already have in your medicine cabinet.

• Anti-inflammatory medication: To ease your pain and swelling, take aspirin or ibuprofen.

  
  



• Anti-itch cream: Gently apply a hydrocortisone cream or lotion containing at least one percent hydrocortisone to your rash.

  
  



• Cold compresses and cool baths: Put a cold, damp towel on any affected areas or soak in a tub of cool water to soothe your inflamed skin.

  
  



• Sunscreen: Use sunscreen and protective clothing whenever you’re not inside. Going outside without shielding your skin from the sun’s rays will only worsen your condition.

  
  

If you’ve developed blisters, leave them alone. Popping them will raise your risk for developing an infection and slow down the healing process. Loosely cover them with gauze if you need to curb your urge to pick.

Call your doctor if careful home treatment and a bit of time don’t eliminate your symptoms. Also contact your doctor if your rash covers a large part of your body or if you’re in a lot of pain or running a fever.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/sun-poisoning-recognizing-the-signs-treating-the-s.html

Medical Abbreviations Commonly Used During Pregnancy

So you know what’s going on throughout your pregnancy while at doctor’s visits, touring the hospital, and during labor and delivery, learn these medical abbreviations and what they mean:

Abbreviation	What It Stands For
AFP	Alpha-fetoprotein
AMA/APA	Advanced Maternal/Paternal Age
CNM	Certified Nurse-Midwife
CRL	Crown-Rump Length
CVS	Chorionic Villus Sampling
EDC or EDD	Estimated Date of Confinement or Estimated Due Date
EFW	Estimated Fetal Weight
EGA	Estimated Gestational Age
IUGR	Intrauterine Growth Restriction
LGA	Large-for-Gestational Age
LMP	Last Menstrual Period
MFM	Maternal-Fetal Medicine
SGA	Small-for-Gestational Age

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/medical-abbreviations-commonly-used-during-pregnan.html

How to Complete Schedule E for Estate Form 706

Use Schedule E: Jointly Owned Property, when filing federal estate tax returns (Form 706), if the decedent held property of any kind jointly at his or her death. Report property held jointly with the decedent’s spouse in Part 1 of Schedule E and list all other jointly held property in Part 2. File Schedule E even if none of the jointly held property is includible in the decedent’s taxable estate.

Describe the property you report on Schedule E in the same manner as you would on its respective schedule. For instance, describe real estate as you would on Schedule A of Form 706. The amount of the property includible in the taxable estate depends on the decedent’s interest in the property.

Part 1: Qualified joint interests

Part 1 of Schedule E deals with property held by the decedent and his or her spouse as the only joint tenants (section 2040 (b)(2)).

List all the property the decedent held with his or her surviving spouse either as joint tenants with right of survivorship (if they’re the only joint tenants) or as tenants by the entirety. Include the full value of the property at the date of death. These properties are identified as qualified joint interests under section 2040(b)(2), and as such only one-half of the property is includible in the gross estate.

You may only claim the special treatment under 2042(b)(2) and list the property on Part 1 if the surviving spouse is a U.S. citizen. Otherwise, include the property on Part 2.

Total the values of the properties on line 1a, and include one-half of the value of the properties on line 1b. The amount on line 1b is the amount includible in the gross estate.

Part 2: Other jointly owned property

Part 2 of Schedule E focuses on all other joint interests. Under 2a, list the names and addresses of all other surviving joint tenants. If you have more than three joint tenants, create a continuation sheet.

In completing Part 2, enter the letter corresponding to the surviving joint tenant’s name and address in the second column. In the third column, enter the property description. In the column entitled “Percentage includible,” enter 100 percent unless you can show that any of the following apply:

• Part of the property originally belonged to the surviving tenant or tenants and wasn’t acquired by gift from the decedent

  
  



• Part of the property was acquired with funds that came from the surviving joint tenant or tenants

  
  



• The property was acquired by the decedent and the other joint tenant(s) by gift, bequest, devise, or inheritance.

  
  

If you can prove any of the above circumstances, you may exclude an amount proportionate to what the surviving joint tenant(s) have contributed to the property from the gross estate.

If you aren’t including the full value of the joint property in the gross estate in Part 2, be sure to attach as an exhibit proof of the extent, nature, and origin of the interests of the decedent and the other joint tenants for each such property.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-complete-schedule-e-for-estate-form-706.html

Find Good Writers for Your Mom Blog

There really is no shortage of writers to hire on the web. The challenge is finding good ones. A typical way to find writers is through word of mouth. Ask a few friends to write about it on their blogs and have anyone interested in writing to contact you.

You might get overwhelmed with responses. While this is a good problem to have, it’s still a problem. You probably don’t have the resources to be able to interview and review every single applicant.

Set up a system in which you let applicants who are most serious about writing stand out from the crowd by asking them to participate in additional tasks, such as conference calls or sending you a proposal. Interestingly, a much smaller number of respondents will be willing to do additional tasks, which makes it much easier to filter down to the people you can rely on.

Besides regular contributors, you might hire out writing for your blogs on a per-project basis. This way, you can obtain multiple blog posts at one time and post them whenever you need them. This is a great arrangement; on days that you don’t feel like writing, you still have fresh content to post.

A great way to hire project writers is to use a website such as Elance or Guru.com. You can also post a help-wanted ad on the ProBlogger job board for a nominal fee. It’s important to clearly state exactly what you need a blogger to do in your job descriptions.

Plus, give some indication of the kind of writer you’re looking for — do you need someone who is very affordable (inexperienced) who will need guidance from you? Or do you want to pay a higher rate for someone who is more experienced and can work with very little oversight?

Offer a way for applicants to get in touch with you in case they have questions about things you may not have addressed in your help-wanted ad.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/find-good-writers-for-your-mom-blog.html

Benefits of Conferences for Online Community

Conferences can be expensive to attend, but they’re a good investment for online community managers in both business and personal branding. You see, you’re not only there on behalf of your company, but your name is also getting “out there” among peers and potential community members as the voice and face behind the brand.

It’s good for people to get to know you personally because it instills trust to see a real live person and not just a social networking account. Some community managers are very well known, and if they’re ever in the market for a new career opportunity, it serves well in their favor.

When your name is synonymous with your brand, your community, and community management in general, some interesting things happen:

• People who like you in person want to follow you to your community.

  
  



• When people see your name on a social network such as Twitter or Google+, they want to be friends online.

  
  



• People who have heard you speak in public at a conference or professional event may follow you online to learn more about what you do.

  
  



• When people meet you in person, they feel more connected, as if you’re their real-time friend.

  
  



• When you have good personal connections, you have good community connections. In fact, some of the people you meet may not be in the market to join an online community, but will join yours as a show of support.

  
  

When you attend professional or consumer events, either as a speaker or attendee, the people who use your brand feel they know it better.

If you’re warm, genuine, and outgoing, they’re going to equate you with the brand and want to be a part of your community. They’re going to want to follow you online and participate in your conversations. This type of trust goes a long way as you grow your reputation as a community manager.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/benefits-of-conferences-for-online-community.navId-323004.html

Keyboard Shortcuts for Selecting in Photoshop 6

In order to play with images in Photoshop 6, it’s nice to be able to choose, or select, an image or part of an image so that you can draw on it, add color to it, or even delete it. The keyboard shortcuts available in Photoshop 6 help you manage a variety of selection tasks, and the following table tells you what to press in both Windows and Mac systems.

Note: All selection tricks are performed with selection tools. (There’s a shocker.)

Action	PC	Mac
Draw straight lines	Alt+click with Lasso tool	Option+click with Lasso tool
Add to selection outline	Shift+drag	Shift+drag
Deselect specific area	Alt+drag	Option+drag
Deselect all but intersected area	Shift+Alt+drag	Shift+Option+drag
Deselect entire image	Ctrl+D	Apple command key+D
Reselect last selection	Ctrl+Shift+D	Apple command key+Shift+D
Select everything	Ctrl+A	Apple command key+A
Hide extras	Ctrl+H	Apple command key+H
Move selection outline only	Drag or press an arrow key	Drag or press an arrow key
Fill selection with foreground color	Alt+Backspace	Option+Delete
Fill selection with background color	Ctrl+Backspace	Apple command key command key+Delete
Display Fill dialog box	Shift+Backspace	Shift+Delete
Cut selection	Ctrl+X	Apple command key+X
Copy selection	Ctrl+C	Apple command key+C
Paste image last cut or copied	Ctrl+V	Apple command key+V
Reapply last filter	Ctrl+F	Apple command key+F
Adjust levels	Ctrl+L	Apple command key+L
Free transform	Ctrl+T	Apple command key+T
Transform again	Ctrl+Shift+T	Apple command key+Shift+T

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/keyboard-shortcuts-for-selecting-in-photoshop-6.html

How to Maintain Healthy Levels of Bacteria

Bacteria are on and in us all the time, including the kinds of bacteria that can cause infections. The trick is that they’re present in extremely small numbers, and they don’t start being harmful unless they’re given the chance to multiply. You want to make sure the bacteria around you don’t get enough momentum to grow in number and challenge your immune system on a dangerous level. Here goes:

• Wash your hands and bathe regularly. Although this is some pretty basic advice, the importance of washing your hands can't be overstated — especially before you eat anything. Bathing on a regular basis is equally important. If you do these two things, you’ll greatly reduce the bacterial threat without much effort at all.

  
  



• Wash your food. Of course, it doesn’t do you much good to wash your hands if bacteria are on your food. Fruits and vegetables should be washed thoroughly as soon as you get them home. Most people wait to wash until they’re going to eat their produce, but it’s better to wash it as soon as you get home from the store.

  
  

  Don’t let fruits and vegetables sit unwashed in the fridge or on the counter because that situation encourages bacterial growth and also allows any toxins on the produce to continue to penetrate into the interior of the food.

  
  



• Cook meat thoroughly. If you eat meat, be sure it’s cooked all the way through. And don’t allow meat to sit at room temperature for any extended period of time.

  
  



• Maintain a healthy level of stomach acid. You need the right amount and strength of stomach acid to kill off the bacteria that could otherwise enter your body through your digestive system. To assure that your stomach acid is at the right levels, don’t take acid reducers unless you have documented high acid levels.

  
  

  If you have problems with acid reflux or ulcers, you need to see a doctor and be tested for H. pylori, a bacterium that causes many of these types of ailments. You also need to have your stomach acid level tested with the Heidelberg gastric analysis. You can go to this doctor referral site to find a physician who has this equipment and can do the testing.

  
  



• Avoid contaminated water. If your main source of water is a well, make sure you have it tested for the presence of dangerous bacteria. If you travel internationally, be sure to drink water that you know has been treated to kill bacteria and other microorganisms. (Bottled water may be your only option in these situations.)

  
  

  When you travel to another country, don’t assume that you can drink from a water source just because you see the locals drinking from it. People adapt to the bacteria where they live, and what is commonplace and not detrimental to the health of one person in one area could cause disease in another person.

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-maintain-healthy-levels-of-bacteria.html

Positive Psychology For Dummies

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Using Positive Psychology to AIM for a Positive Life

According to Positive Psychology, you need to take three main steps in order to achieve health and wellbeing. They are covered by the acronym AIM:

• Attending: Pay attention to the genuinely good stuff which happens to you. Don’t just filter it out.

  
  



• Interpreting: Don’t always view experiences in a negative light. See the positive wherever you can.

  
  



• Memorising: Remember positive events and paint positive mental pictures of your experiences.

  
  

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How Positive Psychology Can Help at Work

Positive psychology can be used in many different ways within the workplace. Organisations often use the positive workplace practices in this list to increase productivity:

• Offering a variety of tasks: Employees need challenge and variety to keep them motivated, fresh and engaged in what they’re doing. For example, moving people around on the production line to allow them to master new tasks and so avoid boredom.

  
  



• Intrinsic motivation: Organisations are now coming to realise that money isn’t the only thing that matters. Many people say that enjoying job satisfaction is more important than the salary they take home.

  
  



• Generating employee confidence: Negative thinking breeds lack of motivation, so some organisations offer staff challenges to test their motivation. Positive thinking strategies encourage greater self-reliance and self-confidence in their employees.

  
  



• Focusing on strengths: Focusing on and developing an employee’s strengths is key to creating a loyal and motivated workforce. Individuals are encouraged to make full use of their own particular strengths, showing they’re good at what they’re doing, as well as enjoying job satisfaction.

  
  



• Team building: Organisations offer a range of team activities to help improve communication and cooperation, internally and externally. Focusing on Continuous Professional Development is now the name of the game, giving employees the opportunity to update and hone their skills in the workplace.

  
  



• Flow: Flow is the state of feeling fully engaged in what you’re doing. Enlightened organisations now give employees the type of feedback that is likely to keep staff motivated and, where possible, empower employees helping them to take more control over their day-to-day activities.

  
  

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Learning Resilience through Positive Psychology

There are seven main skills which can help you bounce back from any adverse experiences you may go through. Keep them handy to stay resilient.

Learnable Skill of Resilience	Applying the Skill
Emotional awareness /Regulation	Identifying what you’re feeling. Controlling your emotions.
Impulse control	Tolerating uncertainty. Taking time to think about decisions/actions.
Optimism	Having a realistically optimistic explanatory style.
Causal analysis	Looking at problems from all angles. Considering all the factors.
Empathy	Recognising and understanding the emotions of others. Building social support through well-maintained relationships.
Self-efficacy	Knowing your own strengths. Using those strengths to cope with adversity.
Reaching out	Taking appropriate risks. Trying new things. Accepting failure.

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Using Positive Psychology to Respond Healthily

Remember that harmful repetitive habits are the bane of the well-lived life. Taking the steps in this table can help you to tackle bad habits head-on.

Habit	Healthy Response
Stop being angry!	Anger is a primitive emotion geared to the fight or flight stress reaction. Cut down the amount of time you spend feeling hostile.
Cheer up, it may never happen!	Start looking on the bright side of life. Find the joy in ordinary things. Don’t waste time on negativity.
Get a life!	Engaging in activities with other people is good for you. Having a variety of activities to fall back on can reduce the negative impact of challenging times.
Cut back on harmful habits	Habits like drinking too much or smoking, especially where they’re connected to feeling low, are really destructive. Get help to change.

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Identifying Your Signature Strengths with Positive Psychology

Psychologists have identified 24 key strengths under six main headings. You have at least some of these – you really do. Identify them by using this list.

• Wisdom and knowledge: Creativity, Judgement, Curiosity, Love of Learning, Perspective

  
  



• Courage: Bravery, Perseverance, Integrity, Enthusiasm

  
  



• Love: Intimacy, Kindness, Sociability

  
  



• Justice: Sense of responsibility, Fairness, Leadership

  
  



• Temperance: Forgiveness, Humility, Caution, Self-control

  
  



• Transcendence: Appreciation, Gratitude, Optimism, Humour, Spirituality

  
  

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

Photoshop CS6 Filter Gallery Colors

Many of Photoshop CS6's creative filters use foreground color, background color, or both, and you should select these colors before you get into the Filter gallery. Use this list for important Photoshop filters and the colors they use:

Filter	Color(s)	Filter	Color(s)
Artistic→Colored Pencil	Background	Sketch→Graphic Pen	Foreground + background
Artistic→Neon Glow	Foreground + background	Sketch→Halftone Pattern	Foreground + background
Brush Strokes→Accented Edges	Foreground + background	Sketch→Note Paper	Foreground + background
Distort→Diffuse Glow	Background	Sketch→Photocopy	Foreground + background
Render→Clouds	Foreground + background	Sketch→Plaster	Foreground + background
Render→Fibers	Foreground + background	Sketch→Reticulation	Foreground + background
SketchBas→ Relief	Foreground + background	Sketch→Stamp	Foreground + background
Sketch→Chalk & Charcoal	Foreground + background	Sketch→Torn Edges	Foreground + background
Sketch→Conté Crayon	Foreground + background	Texture→Stained Glass	Foreground

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/photoshop-cs6-filter-gallery-colors.html

Replacing Butter, Spreads, and Toppings for a Dairy-Free Diet

You can find dozens of varieties of butter substitutes and margarines in supermarkets, but you need to read labels carefully to find those that contain no dairy byproducts.

The consistency and flavor of these alternatives are quite good. In fact, you probably won’t notice much, if any, difference between these dairy-free products and other varieties of margarine. Dairy-free margarine also melts well.

In addition to being dairy-free, these products are better for your health than butter or margarine that’s made with partially hydrogenated oils because they’re low in saturated fat and free of artery-clogging trans fats. Among many others, you can try Fleishmann’s Light Margarine, Smart Balance Light, and Earth Balance. Experiment to see which ones you like best.

On a baked potato or blintz, nondairy sour cream delivers the same creamy goodness as its dairy-based cousin — with zero lactose and no artery-clogging saturated fat. You also can use nondairy sour cream on burritos and nachos and in recipes for dips and spreads. Brands include Soymage, Tofutti Sour Supreme, Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream, and others.

If you love bagels, you probably love big smears of cream cheese on them. Face it: Jelly on a bagel just doesn’t cut it. The good news is that nondairy cream cheese products work as a great replacement. They’re creamy and spreadable, just like dairy cream cheese. They taste good, too. Find dairy-free cream cheese in the refrigerator case at any natural foods store. Brands you may try include Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, Soymage, and Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cream Cheese, among others.

You can use nondairy cream cheese in a wide variety of ways, including in recipes for cookies and brownies, and for dips and spreads. You can even use it to make old-fashioned cheesecake.

If you’re severely allergic to dairy products, however, be careful. Even kosher foods may be contaminated with tiny particles of dairy from food production lines that may be adjacent to those that are processing foods labeled as pareve or parve. Tiny particles of dairy may be able to migrate through the air and land in products that are otherwise dairy-free. The chances are slim, but it’s possible.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/replacing-butter-spreads-and-toppings-for-a-dairyf.html

Predictable Costs Come with Office 365

When you move to the cloud, you are taking all the uncertainty out of the cost of the infrastructure and implementation. With Office 365, Microsoft has already undertaken all the risky implementation projects that come along with enterprise software. The result of uncertainty is difficulty in planning and conflict.

A CFO or Project Manager would rather have an accurate figure than a low figure that could triple. If you talk to a chief financial officer, accountant, or project manager and ask them the type of project they prefer, they will tell you the one that comes in on budget. Unfortunately, in the technology industry, a predictable budget can be a difficult goal to achieve. Technology, by its very nature, has a lot of uncertainty and gray areas.

An analogy people like to use for custom software or a difficult implementation has to do with painting. Great technologists are often more artist than engineer. As a result, you might get an absolutely phenomenal product, or you might get a complete disaster that is five or ten times over budget and completely unusable.

That is not to say that Microsoft teams did not come in over budget or that Microsoft did not spend three or four times what they thought it would take to get Office 365 up and running. But that doesn’t matter to you. You know exactly how much Office 365 will cost you, and you won’t have to worry about overruns.

Microsoft won’t tell you that it is actually going to cost four times more per month because the software is complicated. In fact, Microsoft has a service guarantee so that if the software is not up and running per the agreement, then they are on the hook for it.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/predictable-costs-come-with-office-365.html

Combine Artificial and Natural Light for Macro Photography

Available, natural light (like that coming in from a window) can sometimes be very dim and require large apertures and slow shutter speeds to capture a correct exposure. This combination causes images to have a shallow depth of field, and slow shutter speeds often lead to motion blur.

A well-lit studio with large windows or skylights can provide enough natural light to eliminate your need for an artificial fill light. Combining the natural, ambient light (as a fill) with an artificial light source (as your key light) can provide beautiful results. This combination is referred to as a one-light setup.

Cutting out some of the lighting equipment on your set can simplify shooting in some macro and close-up situations. Doing so means you can get your camera in close to the subject and more easily make changes to your scene (such as removing dust with a small brush, adjusting the position of elements in a scene, or replacing one subject with another).

Using available, natural light to fill your shadows in a studio shoot is a good choice in the following situations:

• Consistency in your images is not a major concern: As the sun changes by rising, setting, or passing through clouds, the color and intensity of your fill light changes with it. Be prepared to adjust your exposure settings to compensate for these changes.

  
  



• You don’t have to worry about motion blur: If your camera is on a tripod, you can capture sharp images with slower shutter speeds — as long as your subject isn’t moving. Consider using a cable release or your camera’s self-timer to reduce camera shake during your exposure.

  
  



• You want a shallow depth of field: To create an image with a shallow depth of field, you can open your aperture very wide. Doing so lets in more light during your exposure, so you shouldn’t have any worries about the intensity of the natural light.

  
  



• You’re short on light sources: If you have access to only one artificial light source, then natural light may be your only option for filling in shadows.

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/combine-artificial-and-natural-light-for-macro-pho.html

WordPress Content Types (Query Posts Tag)

WordPress makes it possible to pull in specific types of content on your website through the query_posts(); template tag. You place this template tag before The Loop, and it lets you specify which content types you want to pull information from.

If you have a WordPress category, for example, and you want to display the last three posts from that category on your front page, in a sidebar, or somewhere else on your site, you can use this template tag. You can also use the query_posts(); tag to pull content from individual pages.

Tag parameters

The query_posts template tag has several parameters that let you display different types of content, such as posts in specific categories, content from specific pages/posts, or dates in your blog archives. Here’s an example of two parameters you can use with the query_posts tag:

• showposts=X: This parameter tells WordPress how many posts you want to display. If you want to display only three posts, for example, enter showposts=3.

  
  



• category_name=X: This parameter tells WordPress that you want to pull posts from the category with this specific slug. If the category slug is books-i-read, for example, enter category_name=books-i-read.

  
  

The parameter category_name is slightly misleading because you don’t use the category name, but rather the category slug, which is different.

The query_posts template tag lets you pass so many variables and parameters that it’s impossible to list all the possibilities, so let's look at how to use the tag to display content from a specific category only. To find out about all the possible combinations of parameters you can use for the query_posts tag, visit the WordPress Codex page and read about the options available with this tag.

Add the query posts tag

Choose which category you want to list posts from and locate the slug that belongs to the category. After you do that, you’re ready to add the query_posts tag to your template.

The category slug is usually the same as the category name, except in lowercase with words separated by dashes; for example, a Books I Read category has a books-i-read slug. To double-check, visit the Category page in your Dashboard by choosing Posts→Categories, click the name of the category you want to use, and find the category slug listed.

Follow these steps to add the query_posts tag to your template:

1. In your Dashboard, choose Appearance→Editor.

   
   

   The Edit Themes page opens.

   
   



2. In the Templates list on the right side of the page, click the template in which you want to display the content.

   
   

   For example, if you want to display content in a sidebar, choose the Sidebar template: sidebar.php.

   
   

   The template you select appears in the editor in the middle of the page.

   
   



3. Locate the ending </ul> tag at the bottom of the template for the theme you’re using.

   
   

   If you’re using the Twenty Ten theme, for example, the ending </ul> tag is the second-to-the-last line.

   
   



4. Type the following code directly above the ending </ul> tag:

   
   

   <?php query_posts('showposts=3&category_name=books-i-read); ?>
   <h2>Type Your Desired Title Here</h2>
   <?php if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post(); ?>
   <strong><a href="<?php the_permalink() ?>" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to
   <?php the_title_attribute(); ?>"><?php the_title(); ?></a></strong>
   <?php the_excerpt();endwhile;endif; ?>

   
   



5. Click the Update File button to save the changes to your template.

   
   

In the first line, the following was indicated: showposts=3&category_name=books-i-read. You can change these numbers to suit your specific needs. Just change 3 to whatever number of posts you want to display (there is no limit!), and change books-i-read to the specific category slug that you want to use.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/wordpress-content-types-query-posts-tag.html

Troubleshoot Your iPad: Reset Settings and Content

Resetting your iPad involves two methods: resetting iPad settings and erasing all content and settings. The first approach, resetting your iPad settings, resets every iPad setting to its default — the way it was when you took it out of the box. Resetting the iPad’s settings doesn’t erase any of your data or media.

The only downside is that you may have to go back and change some settings afterward — so you can try this step without trepidation. To reset your settings, tap the Settings icon on your Home screen and then tap General→Reset→Reset All Settings.

Be careful not to tap Erase All Content and Settings, at least not yet. Erasing all content takes more time to recover from (because your next sync takes a long time), so try Reset All Settings first. If this solves your iPad's problems, great, you don't need to take more drastic measures.

Now, if resetting all settings didn’t cure your iPad, you have to try Erase All Content and Settings. You find it in the same place as Reset All Settings (tap Settings→General→Reset→Erase All Content and Settings).

The Erase All Content strategy deletes everything from your iPad — all your data, media, and settings. Because all these items are stored on your computer — at least in theory — you should be able to put things back the way they were during your next sync.

But you lose any photos you’ve taken (iPad 2 only) or screen shots, as well as e-mail, apps purchased on your iPad, contacts, calendar events, playlists, and anything else you’ve created or modified on the iPad since your last sync.

After using Erase All Content and Settings, check to see whether your iPad works properly. If it doesn’t cure what ails your iPad, restoring your iPad using iTunes, can help.

The seven steps for troubleshooting your iPad are: Recharge, Restart, Reset your iPad, Remove your content, Reset settings and content, Restore, and Recovery mode.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/troubleshoot-your-ipad-reset-settings-and-content.html

How to Open Your Brokerage Account

After you’ve made the decision about which broker to help you manage your online investments, the hard work is done. All you need to do to get started is open an account and get your cash to the broker. You can do this online or through the mail.

If you’re comfortable opening a brokerage account over the Internet, the online route is definitely the way to go, because the cash can be transferred from your bank account and you can be up and running in a few hours or days. Signing up by mailing in a check and application, on the other hand, could take weeks.

Don’t be shocked by the seemingly endless number of questions you’ll be asked when setting up a new account. It’s common for the broker to ask for your social security number and other personal information. Given the sensitivity of the information you’ll be sharing, that’s all the more reason to make sure that you understand online security.

The biggest button on most brokers' Web sites is the Open an Account or Start Now button, so you won’t have trouble finding it. Typically, that’s all you need to click to launch the area of the Web site that can set up your account. (If you want to sign up through the mail, click a link to download the necessary forms.)

Typically, you need to know three things to complete the application:

• The kind of account you want to create: This is usually a cash account or margin account.

  
  



• The number of people associated with this account: Is this just for you or for you and a spouse? This determines whether you create an individual or joint account.

  
  



• The tax status of the account: Is this a taxable account or a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA or a fund for college?

  
  

Most brokers waive maintenance fees if you’re opening an IRA account because they figure you’ll keep your money with them for quite some time. Many also waive the minimum deposits. For these reasons, if you’re just starting out with online investing, you might consider opening a retirement account first.

You need these bits of info if you want to set up an account:

• Identification, such as a driver’s license or government-issued ID card.

  
  



• A Social Security Number is necessary, of course. If you’re creating a joint account, you’ll also need the Social Security Number of the person you’re setting up the account with. This is used for tax-reporting purposes.

  
  



• The bank statement of the financial institution from which you’ll transfer money. This contains the account and bank routing numbers you’ll need to instruct the broker to get your cash. Keep in mind that some brokers won’t let you open an account with electronically transferred money if you’re depositing less than $500. In those cases, you need to mail a check.

  
  



• The address of your employer if you’re an officer, director, or large shareholder of a publicly traded company.

  
  

See, that wasn’t hard. And here’s the best part: Now that you’ve entered all your information and funded your account, you are all set to start investing.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-open-your-brokerage-account.html

Why Convert HDR Photos to Black and White

A lot of people wonder why on earth you would want to convert a high dynamic range (HDR) image to black and white. In general, you should convert an HDR photo to black and white for the same reasons you would convert any other photo.

Those reasons boil down to aesthetics (it looks cool and makes a statement in black and white) or solving color problems (color has problems, so maybe black and white looks better). The difference is how the HDR tone mapping process gives you more to work with from the outset. You’ll have more contrast, more tone, more of everything, leaving you with a more interesting and powerful black-and-white image.

Of the many ways to create black-and-white HDR, whatever method you choose and when you employ it depends on the applications you use and how much effort you want to put into it. Having said that, you can create pretty good results quickly and easily in most programs. So, all the fuss in this chapter comes down to degree.

In general, you’ll achieve the best results (and the greatest power to control the outcome) if you use Photoshop, Lightroom, or another application that allows you to individually tweak the black and white tones.

Analyze HDR photos you can find online to see whether those images work as black and white as well or better than as color HDR. Hopefully, you’ll see why you should even bother because converting photos to black and white is another step to incorporate into your workflow.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/why-convert-hdr-photos-to-black-and-white.html

Crystal Reports 9 Standard Toolbar

You can produce great reports with Crystal Reports 9, and to help you do just that, you need to be familiar with the buttons on the basic toolbar. The following figure shows the Crystal Reports 9 standard toolbar:

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/crystal-reports-9-standard-toolbar.html

What Are Commodities Exchange Traded Funds All About?

3 of 8 in Series:
The Essentials of Commodities Trading

Many financial institutions are now offering commodities Exchange Traded Funds, or ETFs. This new breed of ETF enables you to buy into a fund that offers the diversification inherent in a mutual fund, with the added benefit of being able to trade that fund like a regular stock, giving you the powerful combination of diversification and liquidity.

Here is a list of some commodity ETFs:

• United States Oil Fund (AMEX: USO): The Unites States Oil Fund (USO) is an ETF that seeks to mirror the performance of the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). Although the ETF doesn’t reflect the movement of the WTI contract tick by tick, it does a good job of broadly mirroring its performance.

  
  



• streetTRACKS Gold Shares (AMEX: GLD): This ETF seeks to mirror the performance of the price of gold on a daily basis. The fund actually holds physical gold in vaults located in secure locations to provide investors with the ability to get exposure to physical gold without actually holding gold bullion.

  
  



• iShares Silver Trust (AMEX: SLV): This is the first ever ETF to track the performance of the price of physical silver. Like the gold ETF, the silver ETF holds actual physical silver in vaults. This is a safe way to invest in the silver markets without going through the futures or physical markets.

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/what-are-commodities-exchange-traded-funds-all-abo.html

How to Ask for an Online Referral in Your Job Search

Along with most traditional résumés, people often included recommendation letters. Most employers require references to call at the very least. So smart careerists strive to collect agreements from former bosses to vouch for them.

What do you do when you ask a former boss or co-worker for an online referral and he says, “Why don’t you write it up for me, and I’ll paste it into your online résumé”? Apart from letting him know that his attitude is a bit outdated, you can always softly explain that you’ve already written several versions of a recommendation letter and you’re concerned about them sounding the same.

Tell your former boss or co-worker that you’d appreciate if he could take just five minutes of his time and write a few sentences covering a few points you provide.

Offering your recommenders three points you’d like them to cover can help them collect their thoughts and organize their words. It also helps ensure that whoever reads the recommendation finds out what you want him or her to know. When you give your recommender guidance, think about what elements of your personal brand you want to reinforce. And don’t give everyone the same topic to focus on.

When asking a former boss or co-worker for a recommendation, these tips may come in handy:

• Expect a 50 percent response rate. If you’re aiming for three recommendations, send out six requests.

  
  



• Follow up your request with a phone call. Using e-mail or LinkedIn’s request system alone can be ineffective.

  
  



• Use the online résumé’s recommendation system, if it has one. Using the online résumé service’s recommendation system makes writing recommendations easier.

  
  



• Tell your recommenders how little time it takes to write a recommendation and how much it’ll impact your career. If you put your request into concrete terms, people feel a less perceived commitment. For example, you can say, “It will take only five to ten minutes of your time.”

  
  



• Make certain the person you choose can offer concrete examples to each of the points you want her to make. A recommendation can look pretty weak without a real-life example. The person you ask should be in a position to draw from experiences with you.

  
  

This person did take time out of his day to help you. Show how much you appreciate his effort by sending him a personal e-mail to thank him.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-ask-for-an-online-referral-in-your-job-sear.html

Optimizing Your Business Facebook Page for Search

Take advantage of myriad opportunities to gain traffic from your business's Facebook pages by applying optimization techniques. Next to blogs and LinkedIn, Facebook pages offer the largest number of opportunities to use SEO on social media to reach people who don’t already know you.

The Search function on Facebook doesn’t work particularly well, but you still have a better chance to be found in an internal search if you follow best practices for SEO. The techniques described in the following list provide opportunities for some of your Facebook pages to appear in search engine results:

• Use, as your Facebook business page name, an easy-to-remember version of your business name, alone or combined with a search term. Try to use the same username on both Twitter and Facebook, for branding reasons. Facebook doesn’t like generic names.

  
  



• In the websites field on your business page (previously called a profile), list all relevant domain names, including your blog and other social media pages. Later, you can place links to your website or blog or another type of social media within your posting stream.

  
  



• Place keyword-loaded content in the first paragraph of every field, to help with onsite product searches. Note: Contact and address information also help with local searches. Your page description meta tag may work well in the Mission field because it’s already optimized for search terms. Include in the Products field all your brand names and all the products or services you offer.

  
  



• As on Twitter, popularity matters. The more Facebook Likes you have, the more internal links you have to your own page. Even better, when people comment on or recommend your content, Google sees reciprocal links between your page and your friends’ pages, which may increase your PageRank.

  
  



• More search term opportunities abound if you use HTML rather than iFrames or Fan graphics on a page. You can create additional tabs to display text or images or links. Try to use a good search term in any tab name (limited to ten characters) and include text links in your content. It’s a pain, but you can do this on your own.

  
  

You cannot “own” your Facebook URL, even after you claim your name. Your pages are still an extension of Facebook. This situation constrains your ability to advertise with it online, because you can’t link from a paid ad to a page you don’t own. You can’t even submit the name Facebook.com/yourcompany to certain directories.

Search engines cannot “read” a graphical fan page or content within an iFrame. However, Google monitors wall postings in its real-time search, and all search engines can read your profile.

For an independent assessment of the quality of your business page (not fan page), try Facebook Grader from HubSpot. Links from Facebook to your website are visible under the Referrer section in Google Analytics.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/optimizing-your-business-facebook-page-for-search.html?cid=RSS_DUMMIES2_CONTENT

DTS-HD Surround Sound

The folks at Digital Theater Systems (DTS) have developed a lossless surround-sound format known as DTS-HD Master Audio. DTS-HD is available on Blu-ray discs and players, and can provide (to begin with) up to 7.1 channels of lossless surround sound when it’s used with one of these discs. With a lossless format, the sound being encoded comes out of your home theater system the same as it went in, without data loss.

There are two variants of DTS-HD:

• DTS-HD High-Resolution Audio: This format is roughly equivalent to Dolby Digital Plus, providing a compressed but higher-resolution surround-sound format with up to 7.1 channels of 96 KHz, 24-bit surround sound. It’s used on Blu-ray discs when there isn’t enough space on the disc for the uncompressed Master Audio format.

  
  



• DTS-HD Master Audio: This is the top dog of DTS audio formats, and can be thought of as DTS’s equivalent to Dolby’s TrueHD. Master Audio provides up to 7.1 channels of uncompressed surround-sound audio.

  
  

DTS-HD has the great feature of being backward compatible with older variants of DTS. So although you need a DTS-HD decoder to gain the full benefits of the lossless encoding that DTS-HD provides, you can still get great sound with your existing gear.

In fact, a DTS-HD-encoded Blu-ray disc — when connected to an existing DTS-capable receiver — will be able to send a relatively high bit rate (1536 Kbps) surround signal to any existing DTS receiver. And although this same bit rate has been used on hundreds of conventional DVDs, this is about twice the bit rate of the average DVD using DTS encoding, providing a good boost in sound quality. When you have a DTS-HD decoder in the loop, you’ll get great lossless decoding and superb sound quality.

Both variants of DTS-HD require an HDMI 1.3 connection and a receiver with a built-in DTS-HD decoder if you want to decode the high-resolution surround sound inside your receiver. Without those two features in your receiver, you’ll need to use the DTS-HD decoder inside your Blu-ray disc player, along with either an HDMI 1.1 connection (for linear PCM) or a set of analog audio connections.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/dtshd-surround-sound.html

How to Take Your Laptop through Airport Security

Going through airport security with a laptop can be nerve-wracking. How do you make sure your notebook gets safely through the airport X-ray if you're on the other side?

• Travel with a wing man or wing woman. Let your confederate go through the metal detector ahead of you and wait for valuables to arrive.

  
  



• If you're traveling alone, try this procedure:

  
  

  1. Put your wallet, cell phone, keys, and other valuables in zipper pockets of your jacket.

  
  

  2. Send items through the X-ray machine in reverse order of their value:

  
  
  
  

  • Shoes

    
    
  
  

  • Books and papers

    
    
  
  

  • Laptop case (minus the laptop itself)

    
    
  
  

  • Jacket

    
    
  
  

  • Your laptop

    
    
  
  
  
  

  3. When you see the laptop go through the scanner, go through the metal detector.

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-take-your-laptop-through-airport-security.html

Enhancing iLife with AppleScript

With the exception of iMovie, the iLife applications (and the iPod, as well) are scriptable. This means that you can write AppleScript code to automate repetitive tasks, communicate data from one program to another, and perform operations that are inaccessible from the program's menus and buttons.

Even if you don't want to learn to program, you shouldn't skip over this material. Untold numbers of useful AppleScripts are ready for you to use. You don't have to know C++, Objective-C, Pascal, Java, or some other language to use programs written by others in these languages for iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto, iDVD, Photoshop, and so on.

Of course, if you're a little curious and willing to put some time and effort into learning AppleScript programming, you'll have an even richer experience because most of the AppleScripts you can download are easily modifiable.

Scripting iTunes

Of all the iLife applications, iTunes has the longest, richest AppleScript history and the greatest AppleScript support. iTunes even includes a Scripts menu (the little scroll icon between Window and Help) to provide easy access to your iTunes scripts. These scripts live in one of the following locations:

• A Scripts folder contained in your Home Library's iTunes folder

• A Scripts folder in the iTunes folder of your startup disk's Library folder

The scripts in your startup disk's Library folder are accessible to any user on your Mac running iTunes. The scripts in your Home Library's iTunes folder are accessible only by you.

AppleScripting iPhoto

Although iPhoto doesn't offer a Scripts menu of its own, you can get the same effect by using the system-wide Scripts menu. Inside the AppleScript folder within your Applications folder is a file that bears a folder icon named Script Menu.menu. Double-click this folder icon to add a system-wide Scripts menu to the right side of your menu bar. The system-wide Scripts menu provides a home for the scripts used with applications that don't provide Scripts menus of their own.

Apple makes a nice assortment of example scripts available at Apple.com. Not only are these great examples from which you can figure out scripting techniques, but most of them are also extremely useful in their own right. One example, Find Unassigned Images, creates an album for you consisting only of images from your photo library that aren't already in at least one album. Not only is that script useful, but you can also easily modify the script to create a list of albums to which an individual photo belongs.

AppleScripting iDVD

As with iPhoto, you can most easily access iDVD's scripts by using the system-wide Scripts menu. A good starter set is available at Apple.com.

Even as handy as those scripts are, a full-blown application named iDVD Companion is available from the AppleScript iDVD Web page. iDVD Companion is written in AppleScript Studio, a pure OS X development environment where you use AppleScripts to do your work and Apple's development tools (they're part of your OS X distribution but aren't installed by default) to create the user interface. Note that some scripts may not work with the current version of iDVD.

The iDVD Companion window contains the following tabs:

• Nudge: Use this tab to move selected buttons in 1-, 6-, 36-, or 72-pixel increments to the left, right, up, or down.

• Align: With this tab, you can line up the left, right, top, or bottom edges of two or more selected buttons.

• Title: This tab sets the location for the menu's title.

The iDVD Companion menu bar includes other helpful shortcuts. In addition to the Select Back Button choice, the Edit menu also includes commands that allow you to Select All buttons, Deselect All buttons, and Delete All buttons. Be careful, though, with the Delete All buttons command; no undo is available.

Navigating your menu structure in iDVD to make changes to subordinate menus can be time-consuming and annoying. iDVD Companion provides a Go menu that enables you to select your destination menu from a list and then tells iDVD to display that menu, eliminating the need to navigate a possibly complex menu structure. The Themes menu sports a handy little Layouts submenu with four predefined button layouts. The Button menu enables you to name buttons, specify exact positions for buttons, and swap the positions of two selected buttons.

One of the better features of iDVD Companion is that all these palette and menu operations take place by calling AppleScripts, and the source code for all those scripts is present for you to look over and modify as you desire.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/enhancing-ilife-with-applescript.html

Watching for the Dilution of Stock Share Values

Watch out for developments that cause a dilution effect on the value of your stock shares — that is, that cause each stock share to drop in value. Sometimes the dilution effect may be the result of a good business decision, so even though your share of the business has decreased in the short term, the long-term profit performance of the business (and, therefore, your investment) may benefit.

The following situations may cause a dilution effect on stock share values:

• A business issues additional stock shares at the going market value but doesn’t really need the additional capital — the business is in no better profit-making position than it was before issuing the new stock shares.

  
  

  For example, a business may issue new stock shares in order to let a newly hired chief executive officer buy them. The immediate effect may be a dilution in the value per share. Over the long term, however, the new CEO may turn the business around and lead it to higher levels of profit that increase the stock’s value.

  
  



• A business issues new stock shares at a discount below its stock shares’ current value. For example, the business may issue a new batch of stock shares at a price lower than the current market value to employees who take advantage of an employee stock-purchase plan.

  
  

  Selling stock shares at a discount, by itself, has a dilution effect on the market value of the shares. But in the grand scheme of things, the stock-purchase plan may motivate its employees to achieve higher productivity levels, which can lead to superior profit performance.

  
  

The main purpose of issuing additional stock shares is to deliberately dilute the market value per share. For example, a publicly owned corporation doubles its number of shares by issuing a two-for-one stock split. Each shareholder gets one new share for each share presently owned, without investing any additional money in the business.

As you would expect, the market value of the stock drops in half — which is exactly the purpose of the split because the lower stock price is better for stock market trading (according to conventional wisdom).

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/watching-for-the-dilution-of-stock-share-values.html

How to Clean a Laptop Keyboard

All computers require cleaning, and laptops require cleaning even more than desktops. That’s because you end up handling a laptop more than you do a normal computer. The keyboard can get particularly dirty, especially if you use it in places where you might also be eating.

Cleaning the keyboard is easy, but be sure to do it right or you might cause damage. When you feel like cleaning the keyboard, heed this advice:

The best way to clean the laptop’s keyboard is by using a small, portable vacuum. Using the vacuum’s tiniest attachment, gently suck the hair, scone flakes, and crud from between the laptop’s keys. Thwoop!

To clean the laptop’s key caps, turn off the laptop and then use a pencil eraser to rub off the crud and buildup. Afterward, use the vacuum again to clean out any eraser stubble and crud between the cracks.

• Some people use a can of compressed air to clean a laptop’s (or desktop PC’s) keyboard. The air may clear away the debris, but it may also blow it deeper into the laptop. After the gunk is inside, there’s no way to clean it out.

  
  



• Do not wash a laptop keyboard by using liquid. In fact, if you spill anything into a laptop keyboard, you’re pretty much screwed.

  
  



• Watch Video 343 to witness the author deftly cleaning a laptop keyboard.

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-clean-a-laptop-keyboard.html

Where to Post Your Online Community Comment Policy

How your members learn about your community guidelines has a lot to do with the type of online community you are managing. For example, many forums require brand new members to agree to guidelines before they can sign up for membership. Once the “I agree” box is checked off, a member’s first stop should be the Welcome folder where they can introduce themselves and read comment policies, FAQs, and other important information.

Many e-mail newsgroups and communities send guidelines to members via e-mail and have members agree to guidelines before participating.

For other communities such as Twitter chats and Facebook groups, it’s not as easy to post comments and guidelines, but directing members to a specific policy or guidelines page on a blog or website will help them to understand which behaviors won’t be tolerated and what words and actions are acceptable to conversation.

The key to all policies and guidelines is to put them in a place where everyone can see them immediately upon landing on the community. If possible, guidelines or links to guidelines should be placed “above the fold” or at immediate eye level and not in a place where members have to look around or scroll down to read.

Creating a comment policy and posting it somewhere no one sees it doesn’t make sense. Always place your terms of use or community guidelines where they’re immediately visible.

Community Type	Placement
Forum	Your forum’s Welcome folder or wherever you host the first stop for newbies
Blog	A static page with visible tab, hopefully above the fold, or at eye level
E-mail group	Send to new members immediately upon signing up, but also posted in a folder on the group’s home page or website

Your community guidelines, FAQs, terms of service, and comment policy are all-important documents, deserving of a prominent place of honor in your community. Make sure that they’re placed where they easily catch the eye so that users don’t have to hunt to find them.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/where-to-post-your-online-community-comment-policy.html

SharePoint Online Site Templates

When you need to develop a SharePoint Online site to solve a problem, be sure that you start with a solid understanding of the available site templates. It’s often much easier to start with a site template that almost does what you want and then develop it from this starting point than to develop everything from scratch.

Before you start building custom applications for SharePoint, having a solid working knowledge of its various components is a good idea. The best way to get to know SharePoint is to start with a blank site and develop it from scratch so you understand what the templates are doing. Then you can more easily start with a template as a baseline and develop your site from there.

Creating a new site is as simple as clicking Site Actions→New Site from the parent site and then clicking through the templates to find the site you want to create. A parent site is simply a site that holds another site.

SharePoint Online Site Templates

Site Template	Description
Assets Web Database	Create a database to keep track of your organization’s information assets, including the details and owner(s) of each asset.
Basic Meeting Workspace	A site on which you can plan, organize, and capture the results of a meeting. It provides lists for managing the agenda, meeting attendees, and documents.
Basic Search Center	This site provides SharePoint search functionality, including pages for search results and advanced searches.
Blank Meeting Workspace	You can use this blank meeting site to customize to your meeting’s requirements. The difference from a Blank Site is that a Blank Meeting Workspace has the components available that you need to build out a site geared toward meetings.
Blank Site	A blank site has no built-in features; customize it to match your requirements. What you are actually doing is creating a container for SharePoint stuff, a site, without actually putting any of the SharePoint stuff in there at the time of creation.
Blog	This site works like an Internet blog; a person or team can post ideas, observations, and expertise that site visitors can comment on.
Charitable Contributions Web Database	By using this site, you can create a database that keeps track of information about fundraising campaigns — including donations, contributors, campaign-related events, and scheduled tasks.
Contacts Web Database	By using this site, you can create a database to manage contact information from customers, partners, and other people who work with your team.
Decision Meeting Workspace	You can use this site at meetings to track the status of projects or make decisions. The site includes lists you can use to create tasks, store documents, and record decisions.
Document Center	You can manage documents centrally for your entire enterprise from this site.
Document Workspace	Colleagues can use that famous SharePoint collaborative capability to work together on a document. The site provides a document library for storing the primary document and supporting files, a list for to-do tasks, and a list that can hold links to resources related to the document.
Enterprise Search Center	This site provides the SharePoint search capability. The Welcome Page includes a search box that has two tabs: one for general searches and another for searches for information about people. You can add tabs, delete them, or customize them with different search scopes or specified result types.
Enterprise Wiki	You can use this site for publishing knowledge that you capture and want to share across the enterprise. Use this site to edit, coauthor, and discuss content, as well as to manage projects.
Express Team Site	This site is for teams to quickly create, organize, and share information. It provides a document library and a list for managing announcements.
Group Work Site	This template provides a site that teams can use to create, organize, and share information. It includes the Group Calendar, Circulation, Phone-Call Memo, the document library, and the other basic lists.
Issues Web Database	Create an issues database to manage a set of issues or problems. You can assign, prioritize, and follow the progress of issues from start to finish.
Multipage Meeting Workspace	You can use this site to plan a meeting and make note of the meeting's decisions and other results. The site provides lists for managing the agenda and meeting attendees, as well as two blank pages you can customize to your requirements.
Personalization Site	You can use this site to deliver personalized views, data, and navigation from this site collection to My Site. It includes Web Parts that are specific to personalization and navigation that is optimized for My Site sites. This template is available only at the site level.
Projects Web Database	You can create a project-tracking database to track multiple projects and assign tasks to different people.
Publishing Site	This template offers a starter site hierarchy (grouping of SharePoint sites) for an Internet site or a large intranet portal. You can use distinctive branding to customize this site. It includes a home page, a sample press-releases site, a Search Center, and a logon page. This template is available only at the site-collection level. A site collection is a special SharePoint site that allows you to separate key aspects of the sites contained within the site collection.
Publishing Site with Workflow	A site for publishing web pages on a schedule by using approval workflows. It includes document and image libraries for storing web-publishing assets. By default, only sites that have this template can be created under this site.
Social Meeting Workspace	A site on which you can plan social occasions and use lists to track attendees, provide directions, and store pictures of the event.
Team Site	A site on which a team can organize, generate, and share information. It provides a document library as well as lists for managing announcements, calendar items, tasks, and discussions.
Visio Process Repository	A collaborative site on which teams can view, share, and store Visio process diagrams. It provides a document library (with version control) for storing process diagrams as well as lists for managing announcements, tasks, and review discussions.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/sharepoint-online-site-templates.html

Manage Exchange Online Inbox Overload

Exchange Online from Office 365 attempts to help you manage your e-mail by using a number of different features. The number of e-mails most people send and receive in a given day is amazing! If you are like many office workers, your inbox can quickly become overloaded.

One of the most important features is that you can access your e-mail any time and from any location that has either cell reception for your smartphone or a computer with a web browser and Internet connection. This feature allows you to stay current with your e-mail on your own time and not just when you are sitting in front of your work computer staring at hundreds of unread e-mails.

Have some downtime while waiting for the bus? Twiddling your thumbs at the doctor’s office? Get caught up on your e-mail and find out whether that important proposal has arrived.

In addition to anywhere access, some powerful productivity features come along with Outlook. For example, you can view all those messages about the same topic in a single e-mail thread known as a conversation. You can also quickly set up a meeting with those involved in the topic of the e-mail with a few clicks of the mouse.

Lync Online is closely integrated with Exchange Online and provides even more communication and productivity saving options.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/manage-exchange-online-inbox-overload.html

Breeding Dogs For Dummies

If you're interested in breeding dogs, take a look at how the AKC (American Kennel Club) classifies dog breeds. Whether you're considering becoming a dog breeder, or just looking to find one, go through a list of practices that a reliable dog breeder follows.

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American Kennel Club (AKC) Classifications

Currently, the American Kennel Club (AKC) recognizes 150 separate breeds of dogs. Breeds are categorized by the AKC into seven groups, mainly based upon the original purpose: sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting, herding, and a separate interim classification of Miscellaneous. Have a look at the AKC groups and the breeds that fall within each:

AKC Group	Breeds
Sporting group	American Water Spaniel, Brittany, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Clumber Spaniel, Cocker Spaniel, Curly-Coated Retriever, English Cocker Spaniel, English Setter, English Springer Spaniel, Field Spaniel, Flat-Coated Retriever, German Shorthaired Pointer, German Wirehaired Pointer, Golden Retriever, Gordon Setter, Irish Setter, Irish Water Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, Pointer, Spinone Italiano, Sussex Spaniel, Vizsla, Weimaraner, Welsh Springer Spaniel, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
Hound group	Afghan Hound, American Foxhound, Basenji, Basset Hound, Beagle, Black and Tan Coonhound, Bloodhound, Borzoi, Dachshund, English Foxhound, Greyhound, Harrier, Ibizan Hound, Irish Wolfhound, Norwegian Elkhound, Otterhound, Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen, Pharoh Hound, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Saluki, Scottish Deerhound, Whippet
Working group	Akita, Alaskan Malamute, Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Bernese Mountain Dog, Boxer, Bullmastiff, Doberman Pinscher, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Great Pyrenees, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Komondor, Kuvaz, Mastiff, Newfoundland, Portuguese Water Dog, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, Samoyed, Siberian Husky, Standard Schnauzer
Terrier group	Airedale Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Australian Terrier, Bedlington Terrier, Border Terrier, Bull Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Irish Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, Kerry Blue Terrier, Lakeland Terrier, Manchester Terrier, Miniature Bull Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Norfolk Terrier, Norwich Terrier, Scottish Terrier, Sealyham Terrier, Skye Terrier, Smooth Fox Terrier, Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Welsh Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Wire Fox Terrier
Toy group	Affenpinscher, Brussels Griffon, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chihuahua, Chinese Crested, English Toy Spaniel, Havanese, Italian Greyhound, Japanese Chin, Maltese, Miniature Pinscher, Papillon, Pekingese, Pomeranian, Toy Poodle, Pug, Shih Tzu, Silky Terrier, Toy Manchester Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier
Non-Sporting group	American Eskimo Dog, Bichons Frise, Boston Terrier, Bulldog, Chinese Shar-Pei, Chow Chow, Dalmatian, Finnish Spitz, French Bulldog, Keeshond, Lhasa Apso, Lowchen, Poodle, Schipperke, Shiba Inu, Tibetan Spaniel, Tibetan Terrier
Herding group	Australian Cattle Dog, Australian Shepherd, Bearded Collie, Belgian Malinois, Belgian Sheepdog, Belgian Tervuren, Border Collie, Bouviers des Flandres, Briard, Canaan Dog, Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Collie, German Shepherd Dog, Old English Sheepdog, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Puli, Shetland Sheepdog
Miscellaneous	Beauceron, Black Russian Terrier, German Pinscher , Glen of Imal Terrier, Neopolitan Mastiff, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Plotthound, Redbone Coonhound, Toy Fox Terrier

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Checklist for Responsible Dog Breeders

Being a responsible dog breeder means more than just loving dogs. Dog breeding is a huge responsibility made up of hard work and occasional setbacks and disappointments. So before you decide to become a dog breeder or find one, go through this list of qualities that define a dependable breeder:

• Becomes a member of the national breed club and participates in activities that support the breed: Conformation Shows, Obedience Trials, Agility Competitions, Breed-specific events.

  
  



• Follows all breed-club recommendations for hereditary defect testing of all breeding stock.

  
  



• Does not release any dog, puppy or adult, to a new home before it is sexually altered, unless the dog is specifically designated as show or breeding stock.

  
  



• Does not release any dog, puppy or adult, who has not had an identifying microchip implanted.

  
  



• Takes all necessary steps to insure that each and every dog bred is given all the socialization that's appropriate for the dog's age.

  
  



• Maintains proper housing for the breed with adequate room for exercise.

  
  



• Remains vigilant in maintaining clean and sanitary conditions at all times.

  
  



• Prepared to make appointments for prospective buyers or those interested in breeding to view the dogs.

  
  



• Guarantees in writing the health of all stock sold.

  
  



• Available for the lifetime of the dog to answer questions related to dogs sold.

  
  



• Will take back any dog sold if the buyer is unable to keep the dog.

  
  



• Uses a sales contract in all instances that clearly defines the rights and expectations of both buyer and seller.

  
  



• Keeps all registration and veterinary documents relating to the dog available for inspection at the time of the sale.

  
  



• Does not permit any dog to go to a home or environment that is not entirely suitable for the breed of dog.

  
  



• Completes all inoculations appropriate for the age of the dog being sold.

  
  

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