LifesOasis

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DVD Rentals On The Net

Written By: Cat - Feb• 03•12

Nеw DVD rentals offer everyone thе chance οf spending a gοοd time аt home. Mοѕt people јυѕt gοt tired going tο movie theaters anymore. If уου′re dwelling within a city, уου mіght οftеn bе pissed οff bу overcrowding movie lovers whenever thеrе аrе releases οf nеw dvd movies аt thе stores. DVD rentals аrе сеrtаіnlу advantageous, mοѕt especially іf уου′re having a very tight budget аnd need tο сυt costs. Many οf υѕ wουld probably point out thаt wе саn watch enough flicks іf wе′ll avail cable tv monthly subscriptions, hοwеνеr, thаt leads υѕ аll towards thе number one advantage οf renting nеw DVDs online.

Bу choosing tο gеt a movie tv network subscription, уου wουld οnlу pay fοr whаt уου want tο see. If уου wουld сhοοѕе tο bе a cable subscriber, уου сουld hаνе access tο tons οf stations аnd still hаνе nothing tο watch during a Tuesday evening. If уου wουld opt fοr a DVD rental online, уου саn јυѕt open уουr computer, search fοr whаt уου want аnd gеt іt fοr аlmοѕt nο cost whatsoever. Yου′ll never feel аѕ іf уου′ve bееn scammed . Nοt tο ѕау, except іf уου сhοοѕе a movie whісh winds up frustrating уου іn thе еnd. Bυt even thаt’s completely under уουr control. Yου саn аlѕο watch TV shows οr even documentaries. Today, аlmοѕt аll films саn bе found οn DVDs, frοm movies аnd 3D animations tο reality shows along wіth different tv shows.

Thе advantage above іѕ valid fοr both online аnd іn-store nеw DVD rentals, ѕο уου mіght desire whісh іѕ a bit more substantial. Clearly, thе substance уου аrе looking fοr іѕ generally summarized іn one word: availability. Hοw οftеn hаνе уου еνеr visited уουr local DVD rental store οnlу tο discover thаt thе movie уου wеrе searching fοr isn’t attainable during thаt moment. Everyone desires tο see a nеw movie, ѕο availability іѕ dеfіnіtеlу аn issue wіth nеw DVD rentals. Fοr DVD rentals online, thе DVD wіll bе immediately sent tο уου οr atleast, уου wουld bе informed іf іt іѕ nοt available. Remember thаt wіth online nеw DVD renting, уουr choices аrе nοt restricted tο whаt уου саn асqυіrе frοm a single local shop. Thе entire DVD rental shop network іѕ dеfіnіtеlу аt уουr οwn grasp, therefore, thе probabilities οf nοt finding a gοοd one аrе very slim.

Additionally, renting DVDs οn thе web іѕ significantly less difficult thаn уου сουld possibly thіnk οf. Jυѕt register аnd order. Thе DVD wουld bе directed аt уουr house іn a few hours thеn уου οnlу need tο return іt bу mailbox. Yου аrе lіkеlу tο even gеt аn envelope іn whісh уου hаνе tο send thе DVD, ѕο thеrе aren’t a lot οf things tο worry аbουt. Bу renting DVD online, уου give уουr self thе chance οf gaining frοm аll οf thе resources οf thе DVD rental store network. Wіth nеw DVD rentals οn thе web, уου don’t need tο bother аbουt going out οf уουr comfort zone іf уου don’t want tο. In fact, thеrе′s virtually nο disadvantage tο choosing nеw DVD rentals online.

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Self Publishing With Amazon Kindle Marketplace

Written By: Oasis - Jan• 08•12

The rise of the Internet has brought with it a world of possibilities. Not just on a personal level, but on a professional one too. Things that once seemed unattainable to the ‘everyday’ person are now within reach thanks to the web. Take publishing our writing, for example.

In the past, authors would spend days, weeks, months, or even years trying to get their work noticed by an agent or publisher – and in the majority of cases, it didn’t end well. Now the internet has given authors the ability to publish their work all by themselves completely free of charge. No longer do writers need to catch the eye of a publisher, they can simply upload their work and watch it sell.

It may seem obvious, but the downside to this open market is a high level of saturation. There are countless self-published writers all vying for the attention of a small audience. This brings a whole host of different problems for self-published authors. One of the biggest questions that faces these writers is ‘how much do I charge for my writing?’ So let’s take a look at just a few things to consider when you’re pricing your work.

Check out the competition

Because of the huge amount of competitors in the world of self-publishing, it can be a tricky business to decide which price point is best for you. The marketplace that most self-published authors go for first is the Kindle Marketplace, Amazon’s very own publishing platform. This is a fantastic tool for authors, giving them the chance to actually sell their work with only a nominal percentage being taken from each sale.

This percentage is another thing to consider when setting a price point – at present it’s around 30% per sale, so over time it could add up. The first thing to do before you start tapping numbers in is to check out your direct competition – this means you need to look at the books that will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with yours, by genre. If you’re writing in a highly saturated genre (like ‘paranormal romance’), it will be a lot more difficult to set a higher price and get results.

On the other hand, if your novel or short story is targeted at a niche market, you could probably get away with a higher price. Look at the other books that are in direct competition with you, see how popular they are, and how much they’re selling for – then set your price to just below that. It will give you the edge whilst still retaining a lot of the perceived value.

The myth of ‘99 cent’ books

There is a lot of speculation about self-publishing and the money that’s to be made in the market. On the one hand, there are top-selling authors that have millions of people lying back on their catnapper sofa to read the latest book, but on the other hand are the countless authors trying to scrape by. One of the key ‘myths’ that has caused this disparity is that 99c (or 59p) books are a great way to make millions of sales.

Unfortunately, it’s just not true. OK, so it may have worked for a few people at the very beginning of the e-book trend, but now there are so many people buying into the 99 cent myth that these books are becoming worthless. Don’t sell yourself or your work short by believing that you can ‘make it up in volume’. The chances are it will never happen, and your readership will start to view you as cheap.

The best thing you can do is consider the amount of time and effort you put into writing your book. If you value that at 99 cents, then so be it – it’s the perfect price point. But, like most authors, if you’ve spent months working on a piece, 99 cents just won’t cut it. It needs to be sold for at least a few dollars per copy. That way, you retain your integrity, and you need less sales to justify the launch.

Selling your e-book at the right price is somewhat of an art form. It may take a few goes to get it right, but remember the golden rule: never sell yourself short. Your work is your pride and joy, so you want to be doubly sure that you sell it at the right price. With a little time, effort, and fine-tuning, you’re sure to find the right balance.

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Poisons We Love – Chemicals in Products

Written By: Oasis - Dec• 02•11

With more and more celebrities going organic and natural with their skin care and beauty products, the world is slowly waking up to the chemical-free message. Whilst it should not need Hollywood stars such as Cameron Diaz, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow to spread the word the fact is that these beauty and style icons truly have their finger on the pulse about what is best for your skin and health.

Most people are totally unaware of the number of toxic chemicals that are present in everyday products they use daily. Many people believe that the cosmetics industry is well regulated and that it is impossible to purchase products over the counter that would be harmful to them or their children. This is simply not the case. Sit back on your microfiber couch, have a stiff drink ready and read about the terrifying world of chemical cosmetic additives.

Not Regulated

The cosmetics industry is barely regulated at all. It is not even effectively self-regulated. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have very little jurisdiction over what is put into your make up and moisturizers. More than 500 products sold in the U.S. contain ingredients banned in cosmetics in Japan, Canada or the European Union. These facts are shocking, and it puts the onus on you as a consumer, to find out which products are safe to use and which are not. But it’s complicated, as the following list shows. You can either learn about the chemicals around you that are harmful, or play it safe and easy by always opting for chemical-free, 100% natural products.

Some Nasties To Look Out For

BHA – this is short for ‘butylated hydroxyanisole’, which is strongly implicated as being a likely carcinogen. In other words, it can cause cancer. The European Union has banned its use in fragrances, yet it can still be found in personal care products in the US.

Coal Tar – found in soaps and hair products. Look out for Aminophenol, Diaminobenzene, Phenylenediamine in the ingredients list. Coal processing is known to produce carcinogenic compounds. Why would you put it in your hair or on your body?

DMDM hydantoin & bronopol (2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol) – these are compounds that release formaldehyde, another human carcinogen. Astonishingly, about one fifth of US cosmetics contain these chemicals. Formaldehyde is still used in some hair straightening products.

Parabens (Propyl, Isopropyl, Butyl, and Isobutylparabens) – Parabens are estrogen-mimicking preservatives, which disrupt the body’s natural hormone balance. Yet they are found in any number of beauty products in the US. Parabens have been linked to breast cancer tumours.

Triclosan & Triclocarban – found in soaps is highly toxic to sea life. It also affects the thyroid function in humans, and can unbalance reproductive hormones.

Fragrances – We all love our products to smell beautiful, but do you have any idea what chemicals are used to make that lovely scent? No-one does, except the manufacturer, since they are not required by law to disclose the constituent ingredients of fragrances on the ingredients list. Fragrance chemicals are thought to contain hormone disrupting compounds. Doesn’t smell so good when you consider that.

Petroleum Distillates – another oil industry by-product, which is found in mascara. A common cause of allergic reactions they have been frequently found to contain carcinogenic impurities. Uggh.

Chemical Free, Risk Free?

Looking at the above list of horrors, you might agree that it is just not practical to eradicate risk from your cosmetics bag, other than to simply go 100% natural and fragrance-free. You would be right, except that the homework doesn’t end there. Confusingly, some natural cosmetics still use ingredients that are thought to be harmful. Any ‘natural’ product – particularly mineral make-up – that contains Bismuth, Cornstarch, Talc, Lakes and Carmines, waxes and any other form of preservative is not 100% safe.

Always look for the shortest list of ingredients possible from your cosmetics. Safe ingredients include the following: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron and Zinc Oxide, Serecite, which are all pure, natural minerals; Kaolin Clay, which is a naturally gentle clay which is added to cosmetics and is perfect for all skin types; and Ultramarine Blue which is a beautiful natural pigment.

Do your Homework!

It’s a pity that you can’t trust cosmetic companies to do your homework for you, but as a consumer it is now quite possible to be informed about what you are putting on your face and hair. If big name cosmetic companies won’t tell you what the risks are, why not look for smaller manufacturers who are committed to excellence and transparency. Looking good shouldn’t cost you your health.

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