New Idol site--Idol Exclusive

Whether you are a fan of Fantasia, Kelly, Clay or Carrie the new fan site Idol Exclusive has it!
It has Canadian and American Idol features, blog links where Bloggers are writing about their favorite Idol contestant and a cool Idol hit music player right on the site.
The forum is the best. It's where Idol fans everywhere can share their thoughts and ideas on the show or their favorite Idol participant.
The unofficial fan Web site also has polls, news and photos of contestants on the popular show as well. I like the fact that it links a lot of Idol resources in one place so that when I want to chime in, I can go to one place to post.
Click on the link below to find out more.

Manage your online poker leauge

Poker lovers everywhere will want to find out more about a new poker site, PokerDIY.
PokerDIY is a free service for connecting poker players. You can set up or join poker groups for live or online poker, schedule poker games with RSVP tracking and emails and most importantly you can manage your live or online poker league on PokerDIY.
You can even post your results in your profile.
Create your own home poker league, and define the blinds structure, duration, prizes etc.
View the latest Poker League table and see who is winning in a particular League
Create public or private Poker Leagues (public League results are shared with the world, and anyone can join) or check out the freeroll poker leauge scoreboards
Decide on your Poker League scoring system - for example - must you play in at least 3 games before your score is included? You can e-mail the latest results of a game to all players.
You can even create games that do not belong to Poker Leagues.
You can post ads for poker league players or find a poker league near you
Click on the link below to find out more:

MerchantCircle.com

Ahh, to be one's own boss. There is a lot of responsibility with running a business and business owners need to know how to access resources quickly. It also helps if you had someone--anyone in your world who could understand your frustration when one of the people who owes you money and one of the people to whom you owe money--is ganging up on you.

MerchantCircle is that Web site. The site is essentially an online directory, except that a business owner can claim their listing and customize it with backgrounds, pictures, blogs, coupons and newsletters.
Neat, isn't it?

Another cool thing about MerchantCircle is that business owners can communicate with each other, trading tips online, anywhere in the country. Many of our business owners do not have a website of their own and use us as their main web presence.

The creators of MerchantCircle have gotten a few people to agree with them. Search Engine Lowdown and Business Week have both written articles about them.

Also, business owners can find local customers or new customers with high search engine placement, track what people are saying about their business and advertise online with coupons, ads, newsletters & blogs.
Click on the link below to give it a try:

How Do You Choose?

In this instance, I have always wondered about Netflix but now I know the service is probably not for me. See, I'm the type of person who needs support at the video store. Even if I get the DVDs through the mail, I can't figure out what movie to choose after I have picked the ones I really want to watch. Like, I'm a big fan of Nic Cage and Jamie Foxx so of course I want to see those movies first. But what about Jake Gyllenhaal--I've seen two of his movies and he was good. Should I choose this one? Well, of course I'll ask the helpful staff at Blockbuster. At lease one of their employees has seen every movie in the store and can make informed suggestions. They even know about the kiddie movies and if the themes are too adult. (Some cartoons are made for adults and yes I watch Adult Swim)
So the comparison on the Best Buys Web site is useful--matter-of-fact--the whole site is useful.
Sometimes I just cannot decided which product is best and Best Buys Comparison Reviews help me with this. The site gives me details on each product. I can tell they actually put some thought into what they have written.
Click on the link below to compare a few things for yourself:

How to Become a New York Times Bestselling Author

Who will read your book if no one knows it exists?

Wouldn't you like a shot at becoming a New York Times bestselling author?
It is said that everyone has a book inside them and that is probably true. However, even if you have a book inside you and manage to write it, how do you get it into the hands of eager readers?

1001 Ways to Market Your Books, written by noted author John Kremer, describes more than 1000 ideas, tips, and suggestions for marketing books – all illustrated with real-life examples showing how other authors and publishers have marketed their books.
And who wouldn't want to become a New York Time's bestselling author?
Kremer is an acknowledged expert on book publishing and marketing. Besides being the owner of a publishing company (Open Horizons in Taos, New Mexico), he is the editor of the Book Marketing Tip of the Week newsletter.
Just think, in as few as 12 teleseminars, you could be a celebrated New York Times Bestselling author.Twenty-two people participated in the first teleseminar on April 10th. Kremer interacts with each caller so that no one feels left out.

Participants may receive their choice of taped reproductions of both teleseminar phone calls (April 10th and May 8th), a step-by-step document outlining everything you have to do to carry out this proven method and create a New York Times bestseller and or a downloadable audio of the talk he's given for years on "How to Out-Sell the New York Times Bestsellers Without Breaking the Bank."

Ultimately, the choice is yours to make. Either you can continue to struggle with a bare bones self-publishing company and selling books out of the trunk of you vehicle or you can save yourself time and money by listening to a proven leader in book marketing and jump start your career as an author.

The 58-year-old author has written and published a number of books on publishing and marketing, including 1001 Ways to Market Your Books: For Authors and Publishers (6th Edition), The Complete Direct Marketing Sourcebook, High Impact Marketing on a Low Impact Budget, and Celebrate Today. He has also designed the Do-It-Yourself Book Publicity Kit, Book Publishing Reports on CD-Rom, and Book Marketing Mini-Book series.

As a consultant, his clients include a self-published author who has sold over a million books, a new age publisher with 60 titles, and a $100,000,000 publisher with a rapidly growing list of 1,000 titles. Kremer could do the same thing for you.
Even with all of his hard work, Kremer knows how to have fun so his siminars are engaging.
Click on the link below to find out how to get on the New York Times bestselling author's list.

Talk121.com

Have you ever wondered what those Free Chat lines are like?
Talk121 is a phone chat service where you can chat with singles all over the states or in your local area.
Callers chat live or leave a Voice Personal ad on the system for others to hear when you are not chatting live, so I gave it a whirl. I dialed the number for an area in which I wanted to chat and pressed through the prompts. I was nervous but still I went forward. The service was described as an exciting new source for romance but callers aren't pre-screened so be careful, the service warned me when I called late one night.The service was easy to use and offered tips on safe dating.
I was also warned that the calls can be explicit, so be prepared--besides, I figured that I could always hang up. The service also said the conversations are unmonitored.
The call is free for females so I pressed the star key and heard some sexy voices and some friendly voices.
Joe was looking for "hot talk" but I skipped to the next caller and then I skipped again. The next voice I heard was sooooo sexy that I had to talk to him. I'm not going to tell you the rest because you have to experience Talk121 for yourself.
Link: Free Chat

Orlando--the City Beautiful

O.K. Now for my take on things.
I lived in Orlando for maybe a week. I met this guy who was originally from there so I since I was set on visiting the Sunshine State, I visited Orlando first.
I'm from Indiana so it reminded me of Indianapolis in that, it too is situated in the middle of the state. The huge difference is that Coco Beach is not far away and neither is the Gulf.
The people who lived there were very friendly and honest. I was pleasantly surprised. I could have stayed there forever but I just had to get to the costs of South Florida. Anyway, Universal Studios was the best--I was too old to go to Disneyland by myself. Everyone goes to U.S.--everyone. There is something there for everyone. (can you tell I'm still excited about it?)
Orlando is huge but it's easy to navigate and people will help with directions. I was able to find a place to get my brows and nails done just the way I liked them. I wanted for nothing while I was there. I regret not staying and getting a job so that I could have put down roots. Just about everyone lives in a gated community with a screened patio--seriously. Even the so-called O-Town part was so tame and clean. The residents seemed so happy.
Beautiful Orlando sunshine all year 'round--just imagine the golf courses. The public course are nice. Boy did I sleep on Orlando.
Once you find a niche to settle into, it's easy to want to never leave. Orlando is a vibrant city with a variety of cultures living there. It's a very clean city as well. The Disney clean attitude is contagious!
Now, there are a whole host of facts that you can find on the Web but for first hand experiences please see me.
Now for some facts (Why search the Web?)

1.According to Carlson Wagonlit's 2006 Travel Trends Survey, Orlando is the second most popular domestic travel destination in the country (Las Vegas placed first).

2.Out of the estimated 50 million tourists who visit Orlando each year, over 2 million are international visitors, with the majority of foreign tourists coming from the United Kingdom.

3.There are now 20,000 to 25,000 rental properties in Central Florida, mostly located near the theme parks.

4.The official nickname of the city of Orlando is “The City Beautiful,” although it is also known as “O-Town.”

5.Ever wonder why there are so many Olive Gardens and Red Lobsters in town? Orlando is the corporate headquarters of Darden Restaurants, which also runs the Bahama Breeze, Smokey Bones, and Seasons 52 restaurants.

6.Even though few people outside of Florida knew where Orlando was before Walt Disney World opened in 1971, the city of Orlando had been around for more than century before that; it was incorporated in 1875.

7.Orlando is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, although the vast citrus groves for which the county was named no longer exist.

8.Before there was Disney, there was also a considerable amount of cattle ranching in Central Florida; you can still see cattle grazing along certain stretches of the 417 GreeneWay Expressway.

9.Although many of Orlando’s citizens (especially the most famous ones) are originally from somewhere else, there are a few celebrities who were born and raised in Orlando, including Wayne Brady and Delta Burke.

10.Beat generation icon Jack Kerouac lived in the College Park neighborhood of Orlando during the time his novel On the Road was published in 1957.

Online Dating Services

Onlinedatingtips.org is the type of site that does half of the work for you. One click and site uses get to access PerfectMatch, eHarmony, Match.com, JDate, Chemistry, Christian Cafe, LavaLife and MatchMaker.
More than that, Onlinedatingtips.org reviews each site so that important points are brought right to the front.
As the old saying goes, every thing is not for every body, so the reviewing is helpful. Statements like, “the key to developing a good, healthy relationship at any level is honesty. You want to present yourself as someone with integrity who is interested in learning about other people,” are helpful to those who are either new to the dating scene altogether or just new to online dating. A quick peruse through most online ads proves Onlinedatingtips.org knows what type of advice to give.
A good example is when searching for which site to pick. Onlinedatingtips.org said that it’s best to choose an online dating service that has been around for a few years. The ability to browse photos and profiles is also a good feature. Another good feature is on site messaging and a free trial period.
These are the types of thing someone who is newly divorced or out of a relationship may not be immediately aware of when they are trying to decide whether or not to join the online dating pool.
My own experiences with online dating services have been positive but I know I would have had better luck out-of-the-gate had I researched Online Dating Services like onlinedatingtips.org, first. I would have been given the advice that I ultimately had to find out on my own.
A good example is with online dating services profiles. There are some really good tips on the Web site to get potential daters off to a good start. I found out through my own experiences that a picture of oneself is important. I won't respond to profiles without photos and many who use online dating services seem to feel that way too.

However, my very first profile had no photo. Anyway, I can't remember if I got any responses. I do remember the look in my date's eyes when he finally got to see me in person and not just from a photo.

I noticed that he couldn't take his eyes off of my face and my eyes. The date was wonderful. Many of my online dates have been nice. Maybe you should give it a try!
Link: Online Dating Services

Spring ISTEP testing slated for next school year

INDIANAPOLIS (October 5, 2007) – Governor Mitch Daniels announced today that the ISTEP test will move back to the spring.
“Some commitments we were able to keep on the first day, dozens more in the first couple of years. Putting ISTEP back where it should be took a little longer, but this is a great result,” said Daniels. “The test will be in the spring, the results will be in hand months sooner, the cost to taxpayers will go down, and school will no longer start sooner than it should.”

The governor said the State Board of Education informed him it has concluded negotiations for a spring test and expects to soon enter into agreement with CTB-McGraw Hill and Questar Assessment, Inc. to provide the new assessment at a lower cost than now paid annually.

The cost of the test was $31 million annually. It will drop to $29.5 million each year for two years, then to $28.5 million in the third and fourth years.

Spring testing will begin in the 2008-09 academic year. Students will take the current ISTEP for the last time in September 2008 to be tested on what they learned in the 2007-08 school year, then take the new test in spring 2009 on what they’ve learned in the current academic year (see attached schedule). Thereafter, the test will be given only in the spring.

As a result of 2006 legislation, the State Board of Education was assigned to develop a comprehensive state assessment system. After much public input, the board unanimously approved a new comprehensive testing plan for K-12 students and schools in November 2006, which includes diagnostic testing in the fall and throughout the year and accountability testing in the spring for grades 3-8 and high school end of course exams. The board issued a Request for Proposal early this year for the new assessment system.

“This is the first step in the comprehensive plan that was unanimously adopted by the board,” said Dr. Suellen Reed, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “We’re making good gains, and there will be more to discuss soon about incorporating diagnostic testing for kindergarten through eighth grade.”
This marks the first step from a standalone test toward a true assessment system that measures student progress throughout the school year.

We are hopeful that our testing vendors will deliver on the promises outlined in their proposals, and the associated cost-savings can be reinvested in on-demand classroom assessments that help guide instruction and student learning throughout the year.

As I have long said, this is not merely a choice between fall or spring testing, but rather an opportunity to provide our schools with more resources that support increased academic achievement for all Indiana students.

– Dr. Suellen Reed, Superintendent of Public Instruction

News around Indiana

Governor opens window for homeowners to file for homestead deductions and credits

INDIANAPOLIS (September 5, 2007) - Governor Mitch Daniels took action today that will help more homeowners get property tax relief in 2008. The governor directed counties to accept homestead deduction and credit applications from now to October 15 for those who previously missed the filing deadline this year.

The standard homestead deduction reduces the taxable value of a home occupied by its owner by as much as $45,000 in 2008 while the homestead credit reduces the amount of taxes owed. The application for the homestead deduction and credit are filed with the county auditor.

"As I travel, I am meeting citizens who overlooked this deadline and are now facing the double whammy of a property tax increase without the protection of the homestead deduction and credit they are entitled to," said Daniels. "I've received bipartisan assurances from the legislative leadership that this extension will be ratified when they convene in November."

To be eligible for a homestead deduction in 2008, persons must be the owner of their primary residence as of March 1, 2007. The deadline to file for a homestead deduction and credit in 2007 was June 10. Those who filed by then need not do so again.

Legislation approved and signed by the governor provides for an additional $300 million in state provided property tax relief this year and $250 million more in 2008. Those who missed the June 10 filing deadline but meet the October 15 deadline will now be eligible for this 2008 property tax relief they otherwise would have missed.

The governor's action requires ratification by the Indiana General Assembly. Legislative leaders already have concurred with the governor's action.

This is the latest in a series of actions Daniels has taken to address the state's property tax problems. Most recently, on August 24, the governor extended the deadline for counties to adopt a local option income tax to December 31 and directed that the Department of Local Government Finance issue a memo to remind assessors throughout the state that it is not necessary for homeowners to provide an appraisal to appeal a property assessment.

Link to this event

Governor, Congressman Visclosky seek additional Little Calumet funding

(September 24, 2007) - Governor Mitch Daniels and Congressman Pete Visclosky today sent a joint letter to the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) to request assistance with funding to complete the Little Calumet River Flood Control and Recreation project.

Daniels and Visclosky have asked the RDA's Board to provide $6 million in local match funds needed to complete the work. They have suggested that the RDA consider an advance to be repaid over the next several years in state appropriations that are contained in the state's budget. Since 1990, $119.2 million in federal funds have been obtained to support the levee construction, and there is $15 million in Fiscal Year 2008 Appropriations to support construction activities.

"When complete, the Little Calumet River Flood Control project will get people, homes and businesses out of the floodplain and eliminate their mandatory flood insurance payments - which is essentially an automatic tax cut for the people affected in Northwest Indiana," said Congressman Visclosky. "I applaud Governor Daniels for thinking outside the box and collaborating on a creative solution to finish this important economic development project."

"Congressman Visclosky and I discussed the project while I was in Washington last week and quickly agreed that we would approach the RDA to seek the assistance needed to complete this project that will benefit so many people in Northwest Indiana," said Governor Daniels.

A copy of the letter sent to RDA Chairman John Clark may be found at this link

Governor names Voors commissioner of Department of Workforce Development Sep 14, 2007

INDIANAPOLIS (September 14, 2007) - Governor Mitch Daniels today announced the appointment of Teresa Voors as commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD). She will replace Andrew Penca who is resigning to return to the private sector.

"We're grateful Andrew interrupted a successful career to give three years to help develop Indiana's workforce for today's global economy," said Daniels. "Teresa's service since day one of this administration at DWD makes her a natural choice to assume this role as we continue our economic comeback."

Voors, of Zionsville, currently serves as the agency's deputy commissioner of strategic planning and policy as well as DWD's chief counsel. Prior to joining the Daniels' administration in 2005, she practiced labor and employment law at Baker & Daniels. Voors received her undergraduate degree from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and her law degree from Indiana University-Bloomington.

Martin "Marty" Morrow, currently DWD deputy commissioner and chief information officer, will assume the role of chief operating officer for the agency. He previously worked for Eli Lilly and Company and founded several software companies. He received his undergraduate degree from Iowa State University and his masters in business administration from Purdue University.

DWD manages and executes employment programs and unemployment insurance systems for Hoosiers and facilitates regional economic growth initiatives for Indiana.

Voors' appointment will be effective September 21.