Are cats and children a good mix?

So, you had a cat in the family when you were a kid. And you are thinking that the addition of a cat into your home would make a terrific family pet, and would give your children the pleasure of loving and caring for an animal.

Most likely you’d be right.

But, just because you have nothing but pleasant memories of growing up with a much loved feline pet doesn’t mean that things always go faultlessly well.

There are things to remember and steps to take before introducing a cat to your children.

First thing make sure that your children would want a cat as a family pet. Most probably they will enthusiastically welcome the idea, but make sure that they understand that caring for a living breathing creature has responsibility attached to it as well as pleasure.

Be prepared to assume all the responsibilities of taking care of the family cat yourself. Children can, and should, be taught to take care of some of the chores if they are old enough, but if they lose interest it will be up to you.

No matter how laid back or tolerant your cat is you should never leave a toddler unattended with a cat. Even older children should be under your supervision until you are quite sure that the cat and your kids respect each other.

Try to have a place that your cat can retreat to when he or she does not want the attention of kids (or adults for that matter.) Sometimes children do not understand when a cat does not want to play or be petted and a room, or someplace that your cat can be alone when it feels the need to can save disharmony.

Children need to be told just how sharp the claws and teeth of a cat are, don’t let them find out by painful experience! Explain that cats can bite and scratch if teased, stressed or over excited. Show you children how to play gently with their pet and preferably with the sort of cat toy that keeps the cat at a little distance, such as a catnip mouse on a string.

Kittens may not be the best choice for very young children. A toddler may not be able to understand just how fragile a kitten is and that an over enthusiastic hug could harm their pet. A kitten is also less able to tolerate the rapid movement and gleeful shouting of a very young child than is an adult cat. An older cat, two years and up, would be more likely to be laid back about the attention of a toddler and certainly more robust than a kitten.

Demonstrate to your children the proper way to hold a cat. Show them how to gently pick kitty up with one hand supporting the chest and the other the back legs. If your kids are to young to learn how to do this they should be dissuaded from trying to pick up your cat. Tell your children to beware of a cat’s sensitive areas such as stomach, tail, ear and paws.

A strong bond can develop between kids and cats and this can teach them love and respect for animals that can last for the rest of their lives. Teaching your children the basics of looking after their pet will reward them for years to come.

About The Author

If you have a pet related web site and you wish to reproduce the above article you are welcome to do so, provided the article is reproduced in its entirety, including this resource box and live link to http://www.best-cat-art.com/cat-breeds.html Information about your favorite cat breed.

Posted by admin as Pet Care at 12:36 PM CDT

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Are you tired of the look of your furniture? Do you fancy changing the appearance of your room, but don’t want the cost and hassle of buying a whole new suite? Well, the good news is that giving your home a makeover can be as simple as adding some furniture slipcovers. If you have some pieces of furniture with mismatching upholstery or you simply want a change, then some new slipcovers could work wonders.

So, what exactly are furniture slipcovers? They are a cheaper alternative to re-upholstering your furniture. Re-upholstery can be an expensive option depending on the amount of work needed to make your furniture look as good as new. It can involve replacing the existing fabric, replacing worn out cushions and in some cases fixing the frame and springs. It depends on the value of the furniture as to whether it is worth the effort and expense. Furniture slip covers on the other hand are basically fabric covers that can easily be fitted over existing upholstery.

There are many benefits of using fitted slipcovers over re-upholstery, not least the lower costs. Sofa slipcovers are an excellent way to disguise unattractive upholstery on your existing sofa as well as transforming the look and color scheme of a whole room. You can use sofa slipcovers to create a completely different feel. For example, careful choice of the right slipcover patterns can help add a welcoming atmosphere of warmth to a room. Or maybe you want to create the illusion of space in a small room by adding some lighter colored sofa slip covers.

Another advantage of furniture slipcovers is that they can protect your existing fabric from becoming dirty or worn, prolonging the life of your furniture. Whether you have pets or small children or just want to prevent damage caused by accidental spills, slipcovers are an ideal solution. Slipcovers are made from durable, hardwearing materials. Cotton fabrics are common, but all sorts of other fabrics are popular too such as leather, suede, corduroy and velvet. They are designed to be easy to remove and clean, which means they can be changed as often as you like. Many are fully machine washable.

These days furniture slipcovers come in a huge variety of designs and colors. Many people like the ease with which slipcovers allow them to change their décor with the seasons or just whenever they fancy a change. And slipcovers can be found for furniture of all shapes and sizes. There are slipcovers for sofas, wing chairs, recliner chairs and ottomans. In addition, you can find fitted slipcovers for kitchen and dining room chairs, futons and loveseats. So, when home decorating, rather than rushing out to buy brand new furniture, consider slipcovers as an effective and inexpensive way to give your room a facelift.

Caroline Smith is a successful freelance writer who has written many articles for http://www.best-slipcovers.com your one stop source for finding the best deals on furniture slipcovers, sofa slipcovers, recliner slipcovers and much much more!

Posted by admin as Web Of Home Improvement at 2:07 AM CDT

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As a previous owner of a Franchise I know the importance of maintaining employee commitment, loyalty and enthusiasm in maximising customer satisfaction, generating positive customer perception and protecting your investment.

Repeat business is the life-blood of any business worth its salt. Coupled with a structured approach to increasing market share, looking at the ‘window of opportunity’ and delivering services with excellence and cultivating positive customer perceptions would appear to be a recipe for success.

Have you ever stood at the front counter of a business and overheard employee dialogue or noticed that some employees appear to convey displeasure with their jobs?

As a person, and practitioner, interested in people it has often been my observation that many Franchisees need to wake up and realise that people management is not that complicated or as difficult as they may have thought. There are a few simple things that can be done to build an environment of high trust amongst employees.

However, it appears that not all franchise owners practise what they preach. Many espouse that ‘we treat our employees as valuable assets of the business’. This has always been a great source of amusement to me (because experience has often demonstrated otherwise).

Some people engage subtlety in intimidating staff, constantly making nit picking comments, refusing to lead by example and reducing staff numbers to the point where the bear minimum of staff are left to serve in the business. This begins to seriously effect employee moral, customers are disenfranchised and owners wonder why profits are down.

Take this true, real life example which I was actively involved in some months ago (names and details changed to ensure privacy).

Aunty Marges was a Brisbane Franchise that appeared on the scene several years ago. Aunty Marges specialised in quality cookies, cake and coffee. A husband and wife bought two of these Franchises.

The new owner’s employed 4 staff in one particular location. Staff was rostered on at different times throughout the day with one of the owners helping for part of the day. The roster started at 7.30am and normally finished at 6.00pm

It was a busy business located in a popular shopping centre, was a pressurised environment. The owners had over-extended their borrowing capacity.

Janelle, a teenager had been employed along with the other 3 employees to work in the business.

Janelle was known to be a hard worker who went out of her way to up-sell, interacted well with customers and took her job seriously. Despite being in her last year of college she took her responsibilities seriously.

One morning the owners called a staff meeting where they admitted that they were over-committed and requested that employees put in an extra effort. When staff left they were not replaced.

The friendliness soon began to disappear and the owners began to leave critical notes scolding employees and placing more demands on them. As a result staff began resigning.

One night as our family was over at Janelle’s place the telephone rang. It was for Janelle. The business owner (the wife) rang up and was obviously berating the teenager on the telephone.

Janelle went to her room sobbing and came back some time later to tell her parents and our family what had occurred.

Over the next four months this became a consistent occurrence. Finally Janelle had enough and I was asked to speak with the owners, which I did.

Why is it that some people seem to have a moribund fascination in causing other people pain and afflicting them with a life a drudgery and frustration. Our teenagers need positive role models instead of having roadblocks placed in their paths.

Why is it that we consistently hear about businesses that seem to pay lip service to ‘our employees are our most valuable assets’ behave abominably and wonder why the books are down?

What is Workplace Harassment?

Under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 employers have an obligation to ensure the health and safety of all workers by managing risks at the workplace.

1. A person is subjected to “workplace harassment” if the person is subjected to repeated behaviour, by a person, including the person’s employer or a co-worker or group of co-workers of the person that-

(a) is unwelcome and unsolicited; and.

(b) the person considers to be offensive, intimidating, humiliating or threatening; and

(c) a reasonable person would consider to be offensive, humiliating, intimidating or threatening.

A recent draft statement released by the Queensland Government includes some examples of behaviour, where repeated or occurring as part of a pattern of behaviour, may be considered workplace harassment includes the following.

Abusing the person/s loudly, usually when others are present;

Repeated threats of dismissal or other severe punishment for no reason;

Constant ridicule and being put down;

Leaving offensive messages on email or the telephone;

Sabotaging the person’s work for example by deliberately withholding or supplying incorrect information; hiding documents or equipment; not passing on messages; and in other ways, getting the worker into trouble;

Maliciously excluding and isolating the person/s from workplace activities;
Persistent and unjustified criticisms, usually of the nit-picking variety;

Humiliating the person/s through sarcasm, criticism and insults, often in front of customers, management or other workers;

Spreading gossip or false, malicious rumours about the person/s with an intent to cause them harm;

Singling out and treating person/s differently from others, without good reason

Effects of Workplace Harassment on the Employees and the Business

Workplace harassment has detrimental effects on workers and the workplace.

Workers who are harassed can become:

distressed, anxious, withdrawn and depressed

physically ill, sleep deprived

aggressive, vengeful

less self-confident and develop low self-esteem.

Workplace harassment may result in:

loss of trained and talented workers;

loss of profits;

reduced productivity and morale;

an unsafe working environment; and

legal costs for a workplace.

Employer Costs - (off your bottom-line)

Employers who engage in these behaviours may face stiff penalties and the full weight of the law.

• Costs to the employer include high staff turnover, which inturn places added pressure on owners to spend longer hours in the business.

• Low morale which decreases productivity

• Workplace investigations by the OH&S people

• Higher workers compensation premiums where the claim has been proven

• Legal penalties and damages awards in some circumstances

• Mediation Fees

• Becoming known as a ‘bad’ employer

• Indirect costs (often significant) added to the bottom line.

• Incurring the displeasure of the master franchise holder.

It has been my experience that on average an employer will be out of pocket through direct and indirect means by $25,000 for one incidence.

Prevention

You can effectively manage workplace harassment by adopting some of the following procedures

Recognise your strengths and weaknesses and educate yourself and your employees.

Make a commitment to treat staff with respect. You have a vested interest in doing this.

Introduce a workplace specific harassment policy for all levels of management and staff.

Arrange for an in-house seminar on workplace harassment and have employees sign to say they will comply with the policy.

Deal with all complaints immediately, confidentially and thoroughly.

The place where Janelle previously was employed continues to be an unhappy place, the owners are stressed and the master franchise holder is unhappy with the owners.

Do not ignore workplace harassment and think you will get away with it. You can find other helpful articles at www.biz-momentum.com

Philip Lye is the founder of Biz Momentum providing strategic human resource management to help you grow your business. He is an expert in workplace team building and prevention of workplace conflict. Drop by today and find helpful information at http://www.biz-momentum.com. Send us your question for an answer from us.

Posted by admin as House Of Sales at 10:06 AM CDT

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Yes you can do it without being loathsome

Parties are times of celebration. They can also be a fun opportunity to network with people you don’t often get to meet or be with.

This is the season for weddings, graduations, college reunions and family reunions. At these events, everyone knows why you are there. Take advantage of that connection.

They know you in connection to the bridal couple at a wedding reception, the new graduate at the graduation party, your class year at the college reunion, or who is your mother/father, son/daughter at the family reunion. But have you laid the foundation so well and so broad that they all know what you do, what business you are in, and who your market is?

Often we don’t see these people enough to keep up. So celebrations are a great relaxing time to get the word out in a low key way and have fun at the same time. And if networking is not usually your cup of tea, this is a safe environment to practice.

Obviously, you don’t want to be known as the MLM person cruising the room to recruit everyone within three feet. But, you do want them to know what you do and to become a great referral source for your business when they meet someone who is an ideal prospect for your business. They can’t help you if they don’t know what you do. Here are a few basic guidelines I suggest when you talk about work at social occasions.

- Don’t ask for names - rather leave the door open for you to followup with a phone call.

- Don’t sell - you don’t want to become persona non-grata.

- Don’t book sales appointments or bring out your datebook - followup with a phone call to do that during business hours.

- Don’t hog the conversation - If you find yourself engrossed with one person more than 30 minutes, you need to close the conversation and move on. Your listener did not come to the party to hear a sales pitch by you.

- Don’t corner anyone - As tempting as it might be to try to hook an ideal client, strategic partner or person of influence. Don’t do it. You’ll burn too many bridges.

- Do be specific about who your ideal prospect is, the person, title, company size, industry, niche, etc. - This makes it easy for your listener to relax knowing you are not targeting him.

- Do clarify what problem you solve - This will engage your listener in the benefits of your product/service.

- Do brag on one or two recent successes, opportunities, or achievements - At celebration events, everyone is in high spirits, so good news will be well received.

- Do move about the gathering and meet lots of people - if they don’t know who you are, they won’t be able to tell their friends about you.

When they remember you after the party, you want them to still like you and enjoy your company. To be memorable, it is important that you spend more time asking about them than talking about you. It’s that easy to get free advertising among people you know at all the festivities this spring.

Kerri Salls, MBA runs a virtual business school to train, consult and coach small business CEO’s and entrepreneurs in 10 key strategies to make more profit in less time. Learn more at www.breakthrough-business-school.com/products.html or sign up for a free weekly newsletter at www.breakthrough-business-school.com/newsletter.shtml

Posted by admin as Promotion at 5:16 AM CDT

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I have finally come to believe something about myself because so many people
have said the same thing to me - I mean the EXACT same sentence - over the
past year. It is about something about me that others notice, which quite
frankly, just comes so naturally to me that I have never noticed before.

It
is a characteristic that, when applied to your life, will enable you to live
the life you have always dreamed of because it will put you in the middle of
relationships that will literally propel you to success! You see, no one
lives their dreams without a lot of help from other people. I know a lot of
successful people and all along the way, they all had others you went to bat
for them and gave them a helping hand.

So, you are probably wondering what it is that I discovered about my self,
aren’t you?

Here is what I hear a lot:
“Chris, you know more people than anyone I know.”

Here are some other variations:
“Chris, you are the most connected person I know.”
“Chris, your network includes almost everyone!”

So I started thinking about it and I realized some things.

In the last year I have put people together, as in “Call this guy. He’ll
help you. Tell him I told you to call.” so many times that I am guessing
there will be at least $500,000 worth of business done and maybe that much
again in salaries made.

Do you remember the “Six Degrees of Separation” principle? It says that most
people on earth are connected by only six people connections - i.e. I know
you who knows Joe who knows Sue etc until you get to the other person. Most
people can do this with any other person in just six degrees. The more
connected you are, the less degrees - and the easier it is to accomplish
what you want to accomplish. So I started thinking and I came to the
conclusion that most connections for me are two degrees and even the
“toughies” are just three. Don’t ask me to pass word on to the President
though - he’s busy!

Now, let me say this: I am not bragging at all (though I am sure it sounds
like it, which is why I was a little reluctant to write about this topic).
In reality, this is something I had never really thought about until just
recently.

And, after thinking about it, I believe ANYONE - yes, even you - can have
the same kinds of network! ANYONE! Why do I believe this? Because I started
thinking about what has made my network so supercharged and it comes down to
a few simple basics that anyone can do. I am no better than anyone else at
all. My Supercharged Network has nothing to do whatsoever with me being
anymore talented or intelligent than anyone else! It has to do with a basic
understanding of human nature and the nature of relationships as well as how
to apply some principles that will maximize your relationships so you can
live the life you have always dreamed of!

You can have a Supercharged Network too! Here are ten “secrets” to success
through a supercharged network.

Be successful. Successful people are sought out. If you succeed at what you
put your mind and heart to, you will be sought out by other successful
people. Yes, many unsuccessful people will seek you out as well, but that is
the high price you pay to put yourself into the rank of those who succeed!
Do your best, accomplish much and watch your network grow!

Be nice. If you are a jerk people will write you off and will quit taking
your phone calls as well as avoid the people you recommend. I am amazed at
how many people will sabotage their own success because they aren’t nice to
people.

Love to learn. Developing a network is about learning. You need to learn
about each person you come in contact with. You need to learn human nature.
You need to learn how people work together. And this is fascinating stuff!
If you do this simply to network, people will realize you are a phony. And
phonies get left outside of the network. I truly love to learn!

Like people. I genuinely like people. There is always a mystery with people,
always something new and exciting. Okay, sometimes they burn you, but
generally speaking I like people - and that gets noticed. People like to be
liked. They like to take phone calls from people who like them. They like to
do business with people who are referred by people who like them. Don’t
pretend to like people - like people!

Listen. Listen to people. Listen to what makes them tick. Listen to their
likes and dislikes. Listen to their dreams and fears. Listen to their
hobbies. Listen to what they do. I once got a job for a guy who I couldn’t
even explain what he did. But I knew enough to know that when a guy I was
standing in an elevator next to (3000 miles from my home) was talking about
something I didn’t understand, the two things I didn’t understand matched
up! I turned to the guy in the elevator and told him I knew just the guy for
the job he was talking about. He looked condescendingly at me as though I
couldn’t possibly understand what he was talking about (give him credit - I
didn’t), and assured me that I was probably mistaken. This was a very niche
job he assured me. I simply asked him for the website address and the
position. He told me the website and that the position was for the CEO job.
Within an hour my friend sent an email to my “friend” in the elevator. Two
weeks later he was the CEO of the company! B-I-N-G-O!

Pursue “big-shots.” Face it; big-shots know more people than little-shots!
So it helps to know big-shots. Now this takes some chutzpah! First, you have
to deal with your own self-esteem. You have to understand that you are more
worthy than you think you are. Secondly, you have to deal with your esteem
of the big-shot. Big-shots are really just little-shots with a bigger title
(And they are usually more interesting. Think about it: Even a pompous
blowhard big-shot is more interesting than a pompous blowhard little-shot.
One brags about how they sat around and watched reruns while the other sits
around bragging how they took over another company, which is definitely more
interesting).

Most of the big-shots I know are the nicest people you would want to know.
Very few of them are jerks or think too highly of themselves. Once you
figure this out, call them and introduce yourself. Go up to them at the
meeting and say hello. Note: This doesn’t mean bother them at dinner or
inappropriate times - I have seen famous people in public and my friends
will say, “Let’s go talk to him.” I NEVER do. They are busy with their
families for crying out loud! Bugging them is the best thing you can do to
CLOSE your network. What I would do is walk past and nonchalantly nod hello
to them. They will appreciate that you knew who they were and left them
alone. Then, if you need to, drop them a line or call their office. They
will remember you and return the favor for not bugging them like everyone
else does!

Be helpful.
Help those who you network with. Always be helpful. If someone needs
something you can provide for him or her, or someone you know can provide
for them, be sure to offer the help. Nothing bonds a friendship (and that is
really what we are talking about here - I want as many friends as I can get)
like helping someone out. I can’t tell you how many times someone has been
saying that they needed this or that and I said, “Do you know so and so? He
can help you.” They got the phone number and usually a few weeks later they
call and say thanks. Additionally, this only builds on itself as your
network grows.

Help others via those who you network with. Here is what I mean. Give people
the opportunity to help other people. For example, one time I knew someone
who was going on a medical mission and needed to get some pharmaceutical
supplies soon and at cost. I knew virtually no one in the industry but I did
know an executive of a large company in a state that has more than it’s
share of drug companies. I figured he had to know somebody. It was a shot in
the dark but it worked and the executive felt great being able to tap his
network for the sake of needy kids in another country.

Keep records. Names, dates, phone numbers, addresses. Anything to help you
remember people. Harvey Mackay has his “Mackay 66″ which I think is too
long, but it is the right idea. Take notes and use the information to build
your network. Somebody needs tickets to a State U. football game? Call that
lady in accounting that graduated there. She can help!

Give more than you ask for. Ultimately you have to be more of a giver than a
taker. Otherwise you are more of a leech on the side of a network than you
are a part of the network. Give to others any time you can help, have the
resources, or know someone who does. This will make you a valuable asset in
the network and people will want you around and active in the network.

Be social. The final idea is simply to be social. The more people you know,
the wider your network will be. Not everyone will be a big part of your
working network, but even those who aren’t offer you one of the most
cherished things on earth - friendship.

If you want to be successful in this life it will take the help of other
people. We pursue relationships for relationships sake, not to use people.
But we are wise enough to know that the people we develop friendships with
are people who we can help and be helped by - so all of us can achieve our
dreams! Take the above to heart and you will surely Supercharge Your
Network - which in turn will put you on track to live the life of your
dreams!

About The Author:

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of
Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn
their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and
achieve their dreams.

To see Chris “live” at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on
the subject of Secrets of Influence go to
http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.

Posted by admin as Make Me Beautiful at 7:54 PM CDT

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Step 2:

Days, weeks, or sometimes months after a move has started, there is a brief mention in the electronic media (radio, cable, TV) or on one of the internet chat boards that a market has moved. The public hears for the first time and begins to get interested, but does not buy.

Step 3:

A blurb of information appears in print media. The move also begins getting more exposure on blogs and internet message boards. The public starts paying a little more attention, and will buy a little bit.

Step 4:

Wall Street and LaSalle Street brokers go into full hype mode and hawk the market to their customers. The public begins buying in greater volume.

Step 5:

A full-blown front-page article appears about the particular stock or market in one of the major financial newspapers, magazines, or financial websites. This is often six months after the fact and after a market has shown its greatest appreciation. There is often heavy public buying, even a possible frenzy, as all media, brokers, and so-called “gurus” start to tout the market.

Step 6:

As step 5 gets underway, the sponsors or smart traders begin to move out of the market and take their profits off the table.

The finale: The move ends, the market falls, and investors lose money.

The good news: It doesn’t have to be this way.

Mark Crisp

The Stress Free Momentum Stock Trader

http://www.stressfreetrading.com

Posted by admin as Great Investments at 7:28 PM CDT

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What are discount codes?

Discount codes are basically alpha numeric codes that can be used to get your a discount or cash back for many products you buy online. There are lots of discount offers to choose from, at any time, and from many of the top retailers; especially considering most homes are now internet connected, you can find discount codes for almost anything you’d every want to buy. A simple search online is all that is needed and is almost guaranteed to give you what you’re looking for within a matter of seconds.

Usually these discount codes are issued by retailers for all types of goods, as part of their ongoing sales promotions offering discounts and value to the consumer.

Discount codes are becoming very popular and have emerged into a new marketing channel for most online stores, increasing their revenue and increasing your savings!

Finding discount sites

There are many of discount code sites to choose from and one I came across today, which sparked this quick post, is Uk Discount Shopping. This site has regularly updated lists of discount codes and big savings from, what seem to me to be, some of the top shopping sites from that side of the pond. So if you are thinking of going online to buy anything it’s a good idea to search for discount codes or visit sites like this to see if there are any offers available to keep more money in your wallet!

Posted by admin as Consumer Protection, Shopping Hall at 11:42 AM CDT

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In June 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States Navy led a squadron of four heavily armed warships into Sagami Bay, to the Port of Uraga, just south of the shogun’s capital at Edo. What the Americans found was a technologically backward, though intricately complicated, island nation, under the rule of the House of Tokugawa, that had been isolated from the rest of the world for two and a half centuries.

Whether or not the Americans realized the far-reaching effects of their gunboat diplomacy, they now set into motion a coup de theatre which fifteen years hence would transform the conglomerate of some 260 feudal domains into a single, unified country. When the fifteenth and last shogun, Yoshinobu Tokugawa, abdicated his rule and restored the emperor to his ancient seat of power in November 1867, Japan was well on its way to becoming an industrialized nation, rapidly modernizing and Westernizing in a unique Japanese sense.

Quite a transformation in just fifteen years, and much of the credit goes to a lower ranking samurai from the Tosa domain named Sakamoto Ryoma. When Ryoma fled his native Tosa in spring 1862, he was a “nobody.” Although he was a renowned swordsman who had served as head of an elite fencing academy in Edo, and was also a leader of the young samurai in Tosa who advocated the radical slogans Expelling the Barbarians, Imperial Reverence and Toppling the Shogunate, in the eyes of the power that were he was a “nobody.” He had never held an official post, and he never would. When in the following October the “nobody” met Katsu Kaishu, the enlightened commissioner of the shogun’s navy, it might have been with intent to assassinate him. But, of course, Ryoma did not kill Kaishu. Instead, this champion of samurai who would overthrow the shogunate and expel the barbarians became the devoted follower of the elite shogunal official. Kaishu opened Ryoma’s eyes to the futility of trying to defend against a foreign onslaught without first developing a powerful navy; and to this end Japan desperately needed Western technology and expertise.

Ryoma now worked with Kaishu, whom he called “the greatest man in Japan,” to establish a naval academy in Kobe, where he and his comrades studied the naval arts and sciences under their revered mentor. But certain of his hotheaded comrades called Ryoma a turncoat for siding with the enemy, which, of course, was not true. As if to belie the false accusation, in the following June Ryoma vowed, in a letter to his sister, to “clean up Japan once and for all.” What he was talking about was overthrowing the military government, which Kaishu loyally served. Earlier in the same month, ships of the United States and France had shelled the radical Choshu domain in retaliation for Choshu’s having recently fired upon foreign ships passing through Shimonoseki Strait. News of the attack deeply troubled Ryoma, who was concerned about possible designs among the Western powers, particularly France and England, to colonize Japan as the latter had China. When Ryoma learned that the foreign ships that had bombarded Choshu were subsequently repaired at a Tokugawa shipyard in Edo, he was fighting mad. “It is really too bad that Choshu started a war last month by shelling foreign ships,” he wrote his sister. “This does not benefit Japan at all. But what really disgusts me is that the ships they shot up in Choshu are being repaired at Edo, and when they’re fixed will head right back to Choshu to fight again. This is all because corrupt officials in Edo are in league with the barbarians.” But, now, through the good offices of Katsu Kaishu, Ryoma too was in league with some very powerful men. “Although those corrupt shogunal officials have a great deal of power now, I’m going to get the help of two or three daimyo and enlist likeminded men so we can start thinking more about the good of Japan, and not only the Imperial Court. Then, I’ll get together with my friends in Edo (you know, Tokugawa retainers, daimyo and so on) to go after those wicked officials and cut them down.”

Ryoma was not opposed to boasting, and he had a big ego, declaring to his sister: “It’s a shame that there aren’t more men like me around the country.” For all his boasting, however, Ryoma was also a realist. “I don’t expect that I’ll be around too long. But I’m not about to die like any average person either. I’m only prepared to die when big changes finally come, when even if I continue to live I will no longer be of any use to the country. But since I’m fairly shifty, I’m not likely to die so easily. But seriously, although I was born a mere potato digger in Tosa, a nobody, I’m destined to bring about great changes in the nation. But I’m definitely not going to get puffed up about it. Quite the contrary! I’m going to keep my nose to the ground, like a clam in the mud. So don’t worry about me!”

It seems that Ryoma was also an incredible visionary who foresaw his own destination. Four years later the “nobody” from Tosa forced the peaceful abdication of Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu, and the restoration of the emperor to power - the event that historians call the Meiji Restoration.

But how could Ryoma - who had plunged from the status of “nobody,” to that of outlaw, and one of the most wanted men on a long list of Tokugawa enemies - be of sufficient consequence to force the abdication of the generalissimo of the 267-year-old samurai government? And what were his reasons for doing so, even at the risk of his own life? To answer the second question first, and to put it quite simply, Ryoma was a lover of freedom - the freedom to act, the freedom to think, and the freedom to be. These were the ideals that drove Ryoma on his dangerous quest for freedom - which, of course, was nothing less than the salvation of Japan. But the greatest obstacle to this freedom, and to the salvation of Japan from foreign subjugation, was the antiquated Tokugawa system, with its hundreds of feudal domains and suppressive class structure, which men like Katsu Kaishu and Sakamoto Ryoma meant to replace with a representative form of government styled after the great Western powers, and based on a free-class society and open commerce with the rest of the world.

While Ryoma was painfully aware of the necessity to eliminate the shogunate, the means for revolution eluded him. Having abandoned Tosa, he was a ronin, an outlaw samurai - a status which at once aided and confounded him. Unlike his comrades-in-arms from Choshu, Satsuma and other samurai clans, he was not bound to the service of feudal lord and clan. On the other hand he did not enjoy the financial support and protection of a powerful feudal domain. After much trial and tribulation, and as his first giant step toward realizing his great objective, Ryoma devised a preposterous plan of convincing Satsuma and Choshu to join forces with one another as the only means to topple the shogunate. But Satsuma and Choshu were bitter enemies whose hate for one another surpassed even that hate which they had historically harbored toward the Tokugawa. What’s more, the braggart Ryoma had a reputation for exaggerating. When he told his friends of his plan, some initially dismissed it as so much “hot air,” while others simply thought he was crazy. But in addition to many other talents, Ryoma, a truly Renaissance man, was endowed with an uncanny power of persuasion. After a year of planning and negotiation, in January 1866, Ryoma, now an indispensable “nobody,” successfully brokered a military alliance between Satsuma and Choshu, which more than anything else hastened the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Although the shogunate had not yet learned of the secret alliance, Tokugawa police agents strongly suspected that Ryoma was up to no good. On the night after the alliance was sealed in Kyoto, Ryoma was ambushed by a Tokugawa police squad, as he and a samurai of Choshu, who had been assigned as Ryoma’s bodyguard, celebrated their great success in a second-story room at Ryoma’s favorite inn, the Teradaya, on the outskirts of the Imperial capital. A young maidservant at the inn, named Oryo, had been soaking in a hot bath when she heard the assailants break into the house. Oryo immediately ran from the bathroom stark naked up the dark staircase to warn the two men upstairs. The scene is a very famous one, as is the ensuing battle, during which Ryoma wielded a Smith & Wesson revolver, his bodyguard a lethal spear, to fend off their assailants and escape through the backdoor. Equally famous is the wedding between Ryoma and Oryo, which took place soon after, and their subsequent trip to the hot-spring baths in the Kirishima mountains of Satsuma, which was supposedly the first honeymoon in Japan.

In spring 1867, Ryoma established his Kaientai, Japan’s first modern corporation and the precursor to the Mitsubishi. Based in the international port-city of Nagasaki, the Kaientai was a private navy and shipping firm through which Ryoma and his men ran guns for the Choshu and Satsuma revolutionaries.

In the previous June, Ryoma had commanded a warship in a sea-battle off Shimonoseki, in which he aided Choshu’s Extraordinary Corps, Japan’s first modern militia, comprising both samurai and peasants, in a rout of Tokugawa naval forces. While Ryoma’s anti-Tokugawa comrades from Satsuma and Choshu prepared to crush the shogunate by military might, the “nobody” from Tosa devised a plan to avoid bloody civil war and foreign intervention. Ryoma’s “Great Plan at Sea,” an eight-point plan which he wrote aboard ship, called for the shogun to return the reins of government to the Imperial Court; for the establishment of Upper and Lower Houses of government; for all government measures to be based on public opinion, and decided by councilors comprised of the most able feudal lords, court nobles and the Japanese people at large. Rather than merely saying that Ryoma was once again “blowing hot air,” or that he was “crazy,” there were now some among his comrades who felt betrayed. These men advocated complete annihilation of the shogunate to assure it would never rise again, and felt that Ryoma was a traitor. But Ryoma convinced one of his more level-headed friends, Goto Shojiro, who was a close aide to Yamanouchi Yodo, the influential Lord of Tosa, to urge Yodo to endorse the plan. Meanwhile, Ryoma continued to run guns for the revolutionaries, because he knew that the only way to convince the shogun to abdicate would be to demonstrate that his only alternative was military annihilation, which, of course, was no alternative at all. Lord Yodo took Goto’s advice and sent Ryoma’s plan to the shogun, as if it were his own brainchild. Eleven days later, on October 14, 1867, in the Grand Hall of Nijo Castle in Kyoto, as Satsuma and Choshu hastened their final war plans, the shogun announced his abdication before his adversaries had the chance to strike.

With the overthrow of the corrupt and decrepit Tokugawa regime, the “nobody” from Tosa had made good on his vow to “clean up Japan” - although, unfortunately for his country, he would pay for it with his life. Sakamoto Ryoma was assassinated one month later, on November 15, his thirty-second birthday, in the second-story room in the house of a wealthy soy dealer in Kyoto which he used as a hideout.

Equally unfortunate for Ryoma’s country was that cleaning up Japan “once and for all” proved to be too long a period of time, even for a genius like Ryoma. This is why, amidst the rampant corruption in Japanese business circles today, many people in Japan have expressed their wish that a leader of Ryoma’s caliber would somehow miraculously emerge. A couple years ago executives of 200 Japanese corporations were asked by Asahi Shimbun, an national daily newspaper, the question: “Who from the past millennium of world history would be most useful in overcoming Japan’s current financial crisis?” Sakamoto Ryoma received more mention than any other historical figure, topping such giants as Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, Saigo Takamori, Oda Nobunaga and the founders of NEC and Honda. Evidently many Japanese people today think their country needs a good scrubbing once again.

Copyright(c)2002 Romulus Hillsborough

About the Author

Romulus Hillsborough is a writer of Japanese historical biography, focusing on the Meiji Restoration. His widely acclaimed RYOMA - Life of a Renaissance Samurai (Ridgeback Press, 1999) is the only biographical novel in English of Sakamoto Ryoma (1835 - 1867), founder of Japan’s first corporation, key player in the overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate and one of the most revered men in Japanese history. More info: http://www.ridgebackpress.com.

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I’ve recently begun a search for my primary residence in Santa Fe, NM. I was hoping that the lull in real estate would have brought some of the prices in this market down but it doesn’t seem that way. Just as the cost of living in Santa Fe continues to go up, so do the prices of homes. As I began hunting around for what is available I was rather shocked that prices were so high. Out of frustration, I decided to use NewMexicoHomeDirectory.com as a resource to find a perfect agent. In financial times like these, it’s even more important to arm yourself with thorough and expert advice.

After a few weeks of hunting around and asking questions, I began to hear some interesting feedback. Some of my friends (mind you these are NOT real estate experts) told me about how they had offers accepted that were dramatically lower than the asking price. My inference from that bit of information is that while sellers aren’t willing to take the hit to their pride via the listing price on their home, they are willing to take it at the closing table.

What does this mean to me as a person looking to buy a home in Santa Fe? It means that all things are not as they appear. I’m glad I found my perfect REALTOR at NewMexicoHomeDirectory.com.

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The sleep industry is suddenly booming with new materials, terminology and options. The new word on the street: Specialty Sleep. But what does that really mean? These specialty sleep mattresses are expensive and the people selling them are full of promises about a better night’s sleep, or pain free rest, or heaven in your bedroom - the list goes on! Of course, you should at least lay down on one of these mattresses before you spend the money, but you also need to be a knowledgeable consumer. How long will your new specialty sleep mattress last? What are the real long term health benefits? How can you get the most mattress for your money?

To help you out, here is a quick specialty sleep technology guide to the top three new bed options that are on the market.

Memory Foam

At this point, most of us are aware of memory foam - having seen countless television commercials with that image of the hand pressing on the foam and the imprint remaining once the hand has been removed. Tempur-Pedic truly paved the way in the memory foam market with its high quality product and high profile branding. Memory foam has a reputation for offering numerous health benefits and is very popular, but how do you get the most for your money? Additionally, there are other memory foam players in the market and other beds of varying thickness and density; so how do you tell which are quality and which are poorly made knock-offs?

First, let’s demystify the benefits of memory foam and tempur-pedic mattresses. In a traditional mattress (like an inner spring, for instance) because the bed is universally firm, most of the pressure from the weight of your body will rest on specific points of your body depending on how you sleep. A side sleeper, for instance, will put most of their body pressure on hips, shoulders and knees. Your spine is also sort of suspended between these pressure points, or curving to find support, which means you are not in alignment. Memory foam is a different material altogether, and allows your joints to sink in to the mattress and then offers spinal support once the mattress has molded to your form. This means that your spine is aligned and you are no longer stressing your joints with extra pressure.

Memory foam, or visco-elastic memory foam, was famously designed by NASA for potential use in the space shuttle. The technology was never used by them, but it has been used widely in hospitals and now in the residential market. The key to memory foam is in the density. For instance, Tempur Pedic uses foam with a minimum density of 5.3lb. When that hand presses into the foam and leaves the imprint, the imprint fades quickly as the memory foam regains its shape. This foam is long lasting and returns easily and quickly to its flat state because of its high density- if you buy a memory foam mattress with a lower Lb weight, it will not return to its flat state as effectively or as many times and is therefore less desirable because of its quick deterioration. An important note - there are plenty of memory foam manufacturers who make memory foam products with high density foam, so don’t think that just because you need to buy according to density, that you have to buy according to brand. Nasa-Pedic, for instance, make a high quality product for a much lower price point, but the foam is still high density and very reliable.
When you are shopping for memory foam, you should try and find a location where you can try out this kind of bed, but DO NOT feel like you have to buy from them. Store fronts have high overhead and sometimes they therefore have higher prices. Online you can usually find better prices and they often offer free shipping and installation so you literally have nothing to lose. Look for sites that offer to price match or throw in extras like memory foam pillows or memory foam mattress covers and calculate which site has the best deal. Buy smart and you’ll sleep even better.

If you can’t justify this kind of investment in a specialty sleep bed, consider getting a memory foam mattress topper. Memory foam toppers give you some of the pressure relieving and therapeutic benefits of a memory foam bed at a fraction of the price. This can offer a preview of what you can get with a memory foam bed and you don’t have to break the bank to try it out.

Air Beds

If you and your partner have very different sleep styles or body types, you may want to consider an Air Bed. If you haven’t been convinced of the benefits of an air bed by those infomercials about the Sleep Number Bed, or had the pleasure of sleeping on a high quality air mattress, you should open you mind (and maybe your wallet) because air beds have come a long way.

Your initial impression of an airbed may be that it is just a giant inflatable, flat vinyl balloon. This is just not the case - most air beds are now filled with multiple chambers that keep the pressure consistent throughout the whole bed. The beauty of an air bed, especially a really good one, is that the pressure on your “side” can be adjusted to be firmer or softer depending on what works for your body.

The other major benefit of air beds is that they are excellent for allergy sufferers. Dust mites don’t live in air beds - and even if you choose an air bed with a pillow top or memory foam topper, you can always remove that for frequent cleaning. This means your bed can be universally healthful.

High quality air beds and air bed mattresses are also made to last a long time. Most of them come with at least a limited 20 year warranty and they are priced for anyone’s budget - from $700-800 all the way up to $2,000 and beyond. You should test out the feeling of an air bed to make sure that you are comfortable. But, like memory foam, you don’t have to buy from a traditional storefront. Look online and you are almost sure to get a better price and free shipping, which means a MUCH better price. If you take into account your savings, you may be able to buy a better bed or even a special memory foam mattress topper so you can have the benefits of two specialty sleep technologies in one!

Latex

Latex mattresses are now gaining ground as another popular specialty sleep option and many think it will evolve into the “next” memory foam. Latex is actually widely used now as an additive in some memory foam to offer additional firmness, and memory foam is often used in latex mattresses to achieve increased softness. Latex mattresses are made out of the same latex rubber we all know, but it is molded into mattress form and makes a wonderful, hypoallergenic and firm sleep surface. There are “natural” latex mattresses and “synthetic” latex mattresses as well as those that use both natural and synthetic latexes. They are also made to create different levels of firmness and softness depending on your needs.

Latex mattresses have a completely latex “core” in which dust mites cannot live. They are also pierced by tiny holes throughout, which determine the amount of “give” in a specific area. As discussed earlier in the article, memory foam is good because it releases the pressure on specific joints of the body - latex can offer the same kind of universal support, in fact some latex mattresses have pin core holes in locations like the shoulder, hip and knee area to add “give” to those sections and therefore release that pressure.

Again, you should see if these mattresses feel good to your body before you buy, but you do NOT need to buy from a brick and mortar storefront. Go home and hop online and shop and compare. If you can get a price match and free shipping with add-ons, you know where you should be shopping. Right now there is no huge brand of Latex mattress running away with the market - but Sealy is coming out with its own whole line of specialty sleep beds, including latex mattresses, so be on the lookout!

Summary

If you suffer from chronic back pain, pressure conditions like arthritis or bursitis or if you have insomnia, a specialty sleep mattress could mean the different between good rest and a sleepless night. Don’t stick with your super firm mattress - just because it’s supposed to be “therapeutic” - if you wake up in pain the next morning. Let the new specialty sleep technologies like memory foam, latex and airbeds give you the rest you deserve.

Speciality sleep is offering new rest and comfort to millions of people. MyRest.com is proud to offer a comprehensive sleep resource center to help people identify which sleep surface will work for them. Compare memory foam, airbeds, latex and more.

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