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If you happen to have bought a fountain pen recently, you are probably thrilled with your purchase. A good fountain pen can swoop you back to an era before computers. Fountain pens write smoothly, and they do so without making your hand or wrist ache at all. It even sometimes seems as though a fountain pen enables you to express your thoughts more clearly than you ever could with a computer or a ballpoint pen! But if you recently purchased a fountain pen, there is also a chance that you have come to be frustrated with your purchase. Perhaps the ink is sticking. Perhaps it is not writing as smoothly as you would like! You might even have a pen where no ink is coming out at all. If you have found any of these to be the case, you might be due for a lesson in fountain pen care.

One of the first things you need to know about your fountain pen is that it should always be stored with the point facing upward. If you store it with the point facing downward, ink can dry in the nib. Furthermore, whenever you are not using your fountain pen, you should make sure to keep the cap on it. This will also help to make sure ink is not drying in the nib.

Do not shake the pen like you would with a regular pen, if the ink gets stuck. Do not start scraping it all across the paper, pressed down really hard! These are both very bad for your fountain pen. Instead, you should remove the back end of the pen, and you should push the ink down just a bit. Your pen will start writing just fine once you do this, as this will open up the nib.

Lasly, keep in mind that one of the purposes of a fountain pen is for you to be able to write without pressing down really hard. Not only will you negate the benefits of a fountain pen if you get yourself in the habit of pressing down really hard with it, but you will also hurt your pen so that it eventually will no longer work like it is supposed to.

For anyone who enjoys journaling or keeping thoughts in a notebook, there are few joys as wonderful as a fountain pen. And your fountain pen can remain a real treat for you for a long time if you take the time to learn proper fountain pen care.

Are you putting forth effort to reduce your caffeine intake? Maybe you want to switch from drinking coffee and soda to drinking tea, but are afraid the caffeine level won’t be much different? After reading this article, you’ll be able to make informed choices when choosing teas.

If you’re switching from drinking coffee, you maybe interested to learn an eight-ounce serving of coffee contains 150-200 milligrams of caffeine. You can compare this to the following teas, which are listed from most caffeinated to lowest in caffeine content.

If you’re trying to avoid caffeine, take black tea off your list–it usually serves up 60-90 milligrams of caffeine per eight ounces. You’ll find out black tea is the tea served as traditional ice tea (or sweet tea, if you’re in the south) and is the basis for Earl Grey, Irish Breakfast and English Breakfast teas. Most people drink it either with lemon or with milk and honey.

Oolong tea, which is smooth and refreshing, delivers 50-75 milligrams of caffeine in each cup. That’s what you usually are served in Asian restaurants. You drink it straight, with nothing added.

If you swtich to green tea, you’ll take in 35-70 milligrams of caffeine each time. Most green teas are sold with some sort of flavoring added, such as lemongrass.

White teas usually deliver 3-55 milligrams per cup. White tea is similar in taste to green tea, although smoother.

Red rooibos tea is caffeine-free, as are herbal teas. Red rooibos is also called redbush tea; it is grown in Africa and is popular with milk and honey. Other examples of herbal teas are mint, orange zest, rosehip, chamomile, lemon zest, berry, and cinnamon spice teas.

One unusual caffeine-free tea is yerba matte; it contains a stimulant similr to caffeine that a lot of people like. It is served all over South America. People like the way the stimulant in yerba mattte makes them feel, since it is a gentler stimulant.

Spring is just around the corner as the slightly warmer weather is beginning to show. Although we still may be officially in winter, the yard work of summer is just around the corner. Using an edger to keep your landscape looking in tip top shape is a really great idea. Edgers can add a beautiful finishing touch around the grass on your lawn, as well as the flower boxes you have in your yard.

One of the best edgers available today is the Black and Decker LE750 Edge Hog. Two of its best features are its easy use and quick assembly. There is no need to piece together many parts to get started. This edger is also powered by electricity. You will need to use an extension cord, but being electric eliminates the hassle of gas and oil. Over time this will also allow you to save some money.

Gas edgers can be really noisy throughout a neighborhood, but this one is not allowing you to get to work early on the weekends. This edger has the same amount of power output as a gas one. It is a two and a quarter horsepower motor that can edge, trench, or trim around your lawn. You can easily switch up the heights it is edging at with the edge guide that raises and lowers the edger.

Being electric also saves the edger some weight. The weight you save allows you to zoom around your yard with much ease. Edging around curves is a snap with this edger and is usually the area that most edgers have problems. A trigger causes the blade to spin as long as you hold it down, but stops instantaneously upon release. This is a great feature that allows accidents to be avoided in many cases.

Overall the Black and Decker LE750 Edge Hog can help you to keep your lawn looking clean. Cost savings and energy savings are two main benefits of the electric design it incorporates. Simply mowing your lawn is no longer good enough for yard work. Edge it and give it a beautiful finished look.

If you have been paying attention, you have probably seen Pandora all over the place; it is a popular Internet music station. In fact, you might have even set up a Pandora of your own before getting confused and leaving it behind. When you understand how to use Pandora, it can be a great source of enjoyment! And the good news is, understanding Pandora is actually very easy.

Pandora aims to give you music that matches your tastes. They do this by trying to learn your musical tastes and giving you new songs that fit alongside the songs you like. Oftentimes, they give you songs you have never heard before; just as often, they end up giving you songs you already know and like. Pandora allows you to give each song a “Thumbs Up” or a “Thumbs Down,” depending on whether you like the song or not. As your stations grows older, it becomes better and better at picking songs that you will like.

Set up a number of Pandora stations; this is one of the keys to using Pandora well. Most people have different types of music they like to listen to for different moods. Don’t just set up one station that plays every type of music you like; set up a different station for each of your musical tastes. Once you have done this, you can create stations that combine a couple similar types of music. Finally, you can set up that station for eclectic moods – that station that contains every type of music you enjoy.

Another thing to keep in mind is this: Be careful with your “Thumbs Up”s and “Thumbs Down”s. As soon as you give a ”Thumbs Up” to a song, Pandora will start looking for music just like it. If you are surprised that you enjoy a song – maybe because it is in a genre you do not typically prefer – consider leaving the ”Thumbs Up” alone. After all, you do not want that genre to start clogging up your whole Pandora station. Also, make sure you are aware that Pandora will no longer play an artist if you give them a ”Thumbs Down” three times. Instead of giving a ”Thumbs Down” to songs you don’t like from an artist you do like, go ahead and just skip the song! If you give them the “Thumbs Down,” you risk kicking that artist off your station altogether.

If you set up your Pandora just the right way, you can finally enjoy it, and you will understand what all the fuss is about.

Are you concerned that your sales copy is not effective enough? Your marketing materials may need some adjusting before they’ll lead to sales. Use the following sales copy tips to improve your marketing materials: Make sure your sales copy contains an assertive call to action. This means all calls to action must be clear and simple to execute, eliminating any excess fluff or obstacles. Figure out what you want to see happen in response to the sales copy (Do you want to complie a contact list, sell them a product, offer a sample, get them to try out your services for a while?) and then make it easy for them to do so (type in your contact information here, register by filling out this form, come into the store to get your free sample, follow the link for your gift, etc.).

Your sales copy should explain why the customer wants this product, not how you created it. Don’t waste time explaining how you made this product; explain why the customer wants it and why the customer will be glad he bought it. Focus your sales copy of why your customer will benefit from the service or product.

Create a sense of urgency. Offer incentives to “buy now” or “commit now” such as limited tme offers or discounts for acting immediately. Instill fear that the product or service is only available for a short time, or that there is so much competition for it that supplies may not last, or that the cost of procrastinating will be high.

Good sales copy vividly describes the benefits of buying a service or product. Describe all the positive things the customer will experience if he or she buys, or describe how awful life can be without your product or service. It’s up to you which angle you want to take, but the point is to make the customer believe he needs the product or service and will suffer without it.

Take your time and try out different sales pitches until you find the one that works; it’ll be worth your time and effort!

A healthy lifestyle is extremely important, as it is difficult to feel like you are living life to its fullest potential when you are not healthy. Without a healthy lifestyle pushing you forward, you will likely find that you feel sluggish and unmotivated, and that your body is prone to illness. On the other hand, those who are able to keep their lifestlye healthy are much more likely to be full of energy and motivation! At the same time, however, a lot of people feel that it is difficult to consistently lead a healthy lifestyle. Quite frankly, part of the problem is that a lot of people try to do too much at once! Starting small is the best way to kick off a healthy lifestyle. Once you change the little things, you will find that the big things start to change as well.

The first step of leading a healthy lifestyle is to watch what goes into your body. While plenty of people understand this step and know how important it is, they do not understand exactly what they should and should not put into their bodies. For instance, while most poeple understand that smoking and drinking in excess are unhealthy, they do not know the difference between bad fat and good fat, or between bad cholesterol and good cholesterol. Take the time to study up on these smaller, more subtle areas, and your body will notice the difference.

Another big step in leading a healthy lifestyle is exercise. When it comes to exercise, many people fail to follow through on their good intentions. If you set up a workout plan that has you visiting the gym for an hour a day, seven days a week, you are likely to drop the whole thing eventually! Instead of doing this, you should start small. Schedule a few days a week, for ten minutes each day. In time, you can increase this, and your body will feel noticeably different.

Finally, remember that sleep is important! For some, this is an easy step, but for a lot of others it can be extremely difficult! In the long run – even for those who feel like they are “losing hours” when they sleep eight hours each night – extra sleep will make a big difference!

Sure, it is easy to neglect your body and its health, but it is just as easy to do the opposite. Follow these simple tips, and get your body on the track to health.

If you have a saltwater fish tank, one of the things you will naturally want to do is add brightly colored fish. One fish that sits near the top of the list of brightly colored fish – and is a favorite of many saltwater enthusiasts – is the saltwater tang. Before you decide to add this splash of color to your tank and rush out to purchase a yellow tang, however, you need to make sure they will be a good fish for your tank.

If you are thinking of getting a yellow tang, you will want to keep in mind the fact that the yellow tang is partial to plants. Your live plants may not survive very long if you put a yellow tang in with them, so you may want to think twice before putting the two in a tank together.

Another thing that is important for you to keep in mind is the fact that the yellow tang grows to between six and eight inches. In order to keep such a big fish happy, you should not keep them in a tank any smaller than 75 gallons; and really, 100 gallons and larger is optimal. Your 55 gallon tank might look like a big tank to you, but it will not feel big to a yellow tang that needs room to roam. If you have enough room for them, the yellow tang can be reef safe and can also be a good tankmate.

If the other fish in your tank are close to the same size as your yellow tang, they will typically do just fine interacting with the other fish. They are semi-aggressive, however, and if you have much smaller fish clogging up their area, they will not take kindly to this.

Finally, you need to be aware that the yellow tang requires temperatures between 72 and 78 degrees; this is a bit cooler than some other saltwater fish. They also require salinity between 1.020 and 1.025, which should be taken into account when deciding whether a yellow tang is a good fit for you.

The yellow tang is a fun, friendly fish as long as it is a good fit for your tank; do your research first, and you just might be able to make this colorful addition!

Amazon was one of the first of major players to release their cloud drive, which works in conjunction with their cloud player. Their player runs on both a web browser or is available for download on your android phone, allowing you to stream music hosted on their cloud.

Amazon made a smart move by offering a free 5 gigs of storage to all their current customers. This has helped to encourage their customers to sample the service. You are allowed to upload your music directly to their cloud storage, and then play back any music you have their directly to your web player, or to your android phone.

The web interface is simple and easy to use, allowing you the ability to quickly upload your music files. The largest limitation is that they require you to upload your files from a web browser only. There is also a downloadable client which will scan you hard drive for music and allows you an option to import your itunes playlists.

Amazon has been hard at work to take on Apple’s iTunes. It was rumored that Apple is currently in the works on a similar solution that will work in tandom with their iphone. Amazon has been working very hard to pull customers into using their service for purchasing digital music. Such as a free upgrade to 20 gigs of storage if you purchase an album online this year. They also won’t count mp3s downloaded from their store against your storage limits. All of these offers are to help draw customers away from using iTunes or similar services

The player works great on the android and the interface is easy to use with a clean design. Overall the entire setup works great and is simple and easy to use. Like any player they support playlists, album art, etc. Yet their are a few downsides. Storage costs are high for cloud storage, you are unable to upload from a mobile device, and they currently only support AAC and MP3 formats. Though with these limitations, the fact is for a free service, I believe it is a worthy contender.

If you feel like joining the green movement, it is easy to do. Going green is becoming more of a life style for the average person now days then it used to be. If you are just joining the green movement, you may not be sure where are easy places to begin. The bathroom can be a very quick and easy place to make changes.

Consider how you clean your bathroom. Most people use a combination of harsh chemicals to dissolve soap scum and shine up their chrome fixtures. I prefer not to use any of them.  Instead I use a single spray bottle filled with white vinegar.  It doesn’t take much elbow grease at all.  Even better the kids can help, because vinegar is so safe. Vinegar is a true multi surface cleaner. A spray bottle filled with white vinegar can clean your mirrors, sink, toilet, and bathtub. You cut down your tub of cleaners to a single spray bottle.

Tougher soap scum can be scrubbed away using a baking soda/ water paste. Finish off with a simple vinegar rinse and you are done. Without the harsh chemical residue on the tub, I don’t feel guilty letting my kids soak in the bathtub.

Anti-bacterial soap can be a choice of the past. Go for a bar soap or a liquid soap that is not anti-bacterial. The use of anti-bacterial soap may be helping to create super strains of resistant bacteria. There are many beneficial bacteria that live on our skin that are supposed to be there. Killing off beneficial bacteria is never good.  This bacteria helps to out compete bad opportunistic bacteria that you don’t want to live on you. Ultimately ditching the anti-bacterial soap is safer for both you and the environment.

Think renewable or organic when you replace your old towels. There are great organic cotton, and bamboo towels and robes that you can find in many stores now. The quaility is very good on both of these towels and the price isn’t too bad either. Bamboo is very soft and is a very fast growing renewable resource.

It isn’t too hard to put a little green in your bathroom routine. Next time you buy towels try to go organic or bamboo. Buying a bar of soap is just as easy to do as anti-bacterial gel. Think about what other little changes you can do that can go a long way.

If you are a huge lover of books, you may have wondered whether there are any jobs that will allow you to get paid for reading – perhaps a job that requires you to read books for bookstores and tell them what you do and do not like! And while there are not really any jobs that make it quite so easy to get paid to read (wouldn’t it be great if there were!), there are still jobs that will enable you to get paid (mostly) for reading.

A great idea for making money to read is to get involved in editing, as most expert readers have the ability to become expert editors in time, and will then be able to work for a publishing house – or better yet, will be able to hire out as a freelance editor – to be able to read and edit books. Of course, when you go the route of editing, you will not simply be able to read, as you will have to edit as well - which is more “work” than you might have been looking for – but if you do not mind this aspect, you can read books all the time and get paid for doing so.

One way that allows you to enjoy the books you read a lot more than you would if you were having to edit is to begin reviewing books - and even though reviewing books will not pay you a ton of money, you will be able to get lots of free books! Once you start a book review website of your own or make some contacts for freelance book reviewing, you can begin to let small publishers and large publishers know that you are open to reviewing new books, and you can start to get advance reading copies sent your way for free!

And finally, you should keep in mind the fact that there are a lot of overnight jobs that need nothing more than a warm body in a seat, which requires those who “work” at the job to pretty much just stay awake and keep an eye on things! When you find a job like this, you will usually find that they have no problem with you bringing a book to keep you company throughout the night, or with you bringing schoolwork with you if you are a college student; this can certainly be a great way to make some money and get some reading in at the same time, as long as you don’t mind the long nights!