Technorati Tags: Assumption Worlds

There’s little debate amongst hard-core collector’s because they’ll have both the official bootleg series as well as underground Dylan bootlegs.

However, not everyone is a completist and will opt for one or the other. The official bootleg series is well thought out with good documentation and consistently good sound quality. These are easily available on iTunes as downloads or through Amazon, Borders and other online sellers as CDs.

On the other hand, underground Dylan bootlegs are of interest to collectors because of the number of concerts that are available. I think it’s safe to say that most of his shows from the last 10 years or more are available in one form or another. The sound quality can vary from poor to excellent. However, if you were at that show or Dylan played certain songs, the sound quality can be secondary. The problem with these is that records and CDs are hard to find. Dowloads are available from various collectors’ sites.

There you have it, two sources of rare Bob Dylan material. The choice is yours.

Technorati Tags: dylan bootlegs

We have all seen then the bumper stickers that say I would rather push a Ford than drive a Chevy. For many people, it is the truth. There is a great deal of consumer loyalty when it comes to Ford and Chevy. In fact, there is even a Playstation 2 game called Ford vs. Chevy. It may have to do with owning a particular vehicle that excelled so they stayed with that manufacturer. Maybe their family owned Ford’s or Chevy’s and they went with what was familiar.

Ford and Chevy continue to be stiff competitors out there. Ford does seem to excel though in many areas. If you want speed the Ford Mustang will out do the Chevy Corvette hands down. Chevy is in the process of making a come back with the Chevy Camaro but fans of the Camaro aren’t taking to the new design very well.

Ford Pickups are available in a variety of sizes from small trucks to large work trucks. The Ford F-150 is their basic full size truck, but they have smaller models, such as the Ranger, and larger models like the F-850 for super heavy duty hauling. Chevy has several of them as well. The safety ratings for Ford are slightly better though when several of the same style of pickups were compared to each other.

Mini vans are very popular these days as they look sporty and they offer plenty of room. The Ford Windstar and the Chevy Venture both offer plenty of room. Yet the Ford Windstar is more stylish and offers more features.

Ford also has the Ford Escape, which Chevy does not really have a good answer to. The Escape has good mpg, at about 24, but it still has the power to tow 3,500 pounds with the towing package. It’s a great vehicle for anyone who does need the extra room and towing power larger SUVs offer, because the Escape is great on gas, easy and fun to drive, and affordable.

Gabriel Adams
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/ford-vs-chevy-the-debate-goes-on-part-1-172546.html

I’ve seen this ongoing debate debate jump up again recently in
several Blogs and message boards and I can’t help but laugh.
It’s not a new debate… Ever since the long copy masters of the
early 1900’s, people have been arguing for or against the
practice.

As a copywriter and conversion specialist, convincing my clients
to test longer copy on their websites is often a very difficult
task. After all, online customers have microscopic attention
spans and are always in a hurry to move on.

Different visitors have different goals, different personalities
and different buying styles. Some visitors will want to read
everything you can give them before buying and then they still
need “more information” before they can decide. Others just want
to know “what are you selling”, “what does it do for me” and
“how much is it” and they want to know it NOW!

It may sound like an impossible task to write copy that sells
both of them… After all if you cut your copy to bone to sell the
second visitor, you won’t have enough information to persuade
the first visitor. And, if you waste the second visitors time by
forcing them to read a 20 page sales letter to “get to the
meat”, they will leave.

(Fortunately, there is a way to satisfy BOTH of them on the same
page… But more on that in a minute…)

There are two basic camps in this debate… The first group says
“Long copy ALWAYS outsells short copy”, while the second group
says stuff like “…as a consumer, I don’t have time to read all
that copy. I’ll NEVER buy from long copy.”

The part that makes me laugh is that 90% of the people in BOTH
camps have never scientifically tested copy of ANY length! They
make these statements of absolute facts, with no test results to
back up their claims.

The truth is, sometimes long copy out pulls short copy and
sometimes short copy out pulls long copy. But you have to TEST
it to know which is going to work for your site and your target
demographic. (Actually there is one absolute when it comes to
copy… Good copy always outsells Bad copy, regardless of length!)

Another thing to keep in mind is, just because you conduct a
test and find that a shorter version out pulls a longer version,
don’t automatically assume that “short copy is better than long
copy”. If you are testing a clear, attention grabbing short
message against a long, boring message, your test is not going
to tell you much.

Its much like comments I get from time to time about using audio
as a sales tool on websites. Occasionally a client will tell me
“we tested using audio and it didn’t work”. Well… Just testing
audio vs. no audio, doesn’t mean your test result is valid.
Perhaps your message was not effective, maybe they didn’t like
your voice. You need to test multiple audio scripts and even
multiple speakers, before you can draw a valid conclusion.

In the end the length of the copy is irrelevant, the response
rate is what matters.

From my own testing I have found, as long as you keep your
reader interested, keep your copy active and ensure a good flow,
longer copy usually out performs short.

To often, people who have heard that “long copy is better”,
write long copy for the sake of long copy. The result is usually
long-boring copy. Adding more words, just to have longer copy is
missing the point… The copy still needs to be tight, clean and
laser focused.

The good news is, if your prospect is truly qualified and in
real need (or want) of your product or service, they will read
everything you give them, as long as you keep it interesting.

My friend (and long copy sales letter king) Michel Fortin
recently posted an excellent article to his Blog about how to
keep long copy interesting. You can read it here:
http://michelfortin.com/archives/2005/05/how_to_write_co.htm

At the beginning I told you that there is a way to write your
copy to persuade and keep the interest of both long copy AND
short copy fans.

You can cater to both visitor types by using “Dual Readership
Paths”. You do this by using your headlines and sub-headlines
within your copy to tell the “scan and buy” visitors everything
they need to know to make their buying decision. By creatively
using your sub-headlines and bullet points you can persuade
those who do not have the time to read your entire message,
without sacrificing needed benefits and copy for those who won’t
buy without a “full” explanation of your product or service.

The bottom line is this…

The LENGTH of your copy is not what is important, it is the
EFFECTIVENESS and response rate that matters

Eric Graham
http://www.articlesbase.com/copywriting-articles/long-copy-vs-short-copy-if-youre-still-debating-this-youre-missing-the-point-761.html

The 28th World Universities Debating Championship is finished but friendships started here will never end.

   Click here for video.

Technorati Tags: Assumption Worlds

There’s a debate about different ways for potty training puppies.  One camp says you should use a dog-crate while the other favors paper training.  Both have their pros and cons.  In many ways, it comes down to your lifestyle.  If you’re not home very much, crate training is the way to go.  Even if you’re home all the time, crate training gives you more options than paper training.

There’s a great article about crate training here.

Technorati Tags: potty training a puppy, potty training puppies

As far as many of the exercises go it doesn’t matter if you use an eco friendly yoga mat or a regular yoga mat as long as they are non slip and provide a good cushioning effect.  However, it does matter to the planet!  There is enough non-degradable waste going into land fills today that adding more just doesn’t make sense.  An eco friendly mat can be as good if not better than any other kind of mat.  However, any mat, eco friendly or not, can have toxins so be sure to read the label to see what the mat you’re buying is made of.  There a good opinion piece about toxic yoga mats here.

Technorati Tags: debate

Fertilizers - Pro’s and Con’s

The following is in no way intended to be the last word on the chemical-vs-organic debate, but rather a basic outline describing the pros and cons of each.

If you were to ask 100 people for their opinions on this subject, you might well receive a hundred different points of view. In my humble opinion, if used properly, both chemical and organic fertilizers can be safe. However, if used improperly, both can be, without question, unsafe.

Chemical

In very basic and general terms, a chemical fertilizer is a compound (collection of ingredients) that has been chemically processed or refined to increase its potency.

The introduction of chemical fertilizers in the early to mid 20th century is in many ways responsible for the massive increase in food an individual farmer can produce.

The main problem is the result of applying too much or an over-application of this class of fertilizers.

Any plant (wheat, corn, etc.), can only use so much food during its growth cycle.

What’s left over tends to travel into groundwater, streams, lakes and the ocean, due to rain or irrigation. This pollutes the natural environment and has caused a great number of problems.

More recently most farmers and fertilizer manufacturers are well aware of these problems and work hard to use this class of fertilizers responsibly.

The home gardener needs to be aware and use any chemical in a responsible manner as well. This is one instance where “too little” is much better than “too much.”

Organic

The organic class of fertilizers (again, in very basic terms) tends to be less refined and involve little or no chemical processing. Also, the natural environment tends to have an easier time of breaking down and absorbing them. However, a few types can and do pollute ground water and other water systems.

Animal manure (cow, chicken) can cause many problems if used improperly. Manure is a highly concentrated source of nitrogen, which is easily released when exposed to rain or other forms of irrigation.

Excess nitrogen and phosphorous have proven to be major problems when released into our waterways and other water sources.

One benefit of using an organic “fert” is an increase in the biological activities in the soil.

Micro-organism’s within the soil help plants convert nutrients into food and help to break down old plant material which adds to the over all health of the soil and garden.

Chemical products in general do not offer this benefit which is one of the complaints from the proponents of organic style gardening.

Chemical fert’s have been popular for a long time, though because of over-application have caused many problems. However, if used correctly, they have also proven to be beneficial and safe for food crop production.

With the rise in popularity of organic style gardening there is a risk of misusing this class of fertilizer as well. To say that an organic product is completely safe and leave it at that is to not really understand the question of fertilizers in general.

I strongly recommend learning more about the chemical vs organic issue, and deciding for yourself which type is best suited for your needs.

A Word on Plant Nutrients

Most garden centers will have a huge array of fertilizers to choose from and all will have numbers on the packaging such as 4-10-5 or 15-15-15.

A very simple and accurate way to understand the meaning of those numbers is to remember, leaf-flower-root.

For example, a 4-10-5 fertilizer indicates good leaves - big/many flowers or fruit - good roots. 4-10-5 = leaf-flower-root.

Think of “10″ as being the middle ground on a scale of one to twenty, one being the lowest, 20 being the highest.

A set of equal numbers such as 10-10-10 or 5-5-5 indicates an all-purpose plant food and as the name implies should work well with most plants.

Always follow the directions for application of any gardening product and remember that too much fertilizer can ultimately burn part or all of your plants.

Tip: Length times Width will provide your total square footage for a planting bed. Example: 10 feet x 3 feet = 30 square feet.

Most garden centers or nurseries will be happy to answer any questions you may have and will assist you in obtaining the right type and amount of fertilizer or other garden additives.

Good Luck and Happy Gardening!

Bill Watson
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/the-debate-on-chemical-vs-organic-fertilizers-54249.html

Since the early 1950s, there has been a debate about which guitar was best… the Fender Stratocaster or the Gibson Les Paul electric guitar. Each has it’s good points and bad points. Most guitarists prefer one or the other. Learn more about each guitar in this video wich demonstrates both the Strat and Les Paul. Watch the video and you can be the judge.

Duration : 0:4:17

Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: fender, gibson, guitar, prs, strat, vs

Climate Change and Global Warming are indeed a huge debate topic in all its controversy and media hysteria. The majority of people are up in arms over the thought of global warming and indeed they want the United States to sign the Kyoto Treaty and agree to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases.

We cannot say for sure how much the globe may be warming up though, how much is due to human activities versus natural activities, or whether these movements in global temperature would be mostly good or mostly bad for the majority of us.

Recently in an online think tank one person was berrated for placing a post in the Global Warming area of the website on a Chinese Flooding event which washed away 90 people and in another province killed 117 folks.

Though Global Warming doesn’t seem that bad, with many people’s idea of it being that of a world wrapped snuggly in a warm blanket, it’s something that needs to be taken seriously and it’s something that could greatly hinder, and destroythe future.

In a nutshell, Global Warming is the gradual increase of the temperature of the earth’s lower atmosphere. Basically global warming is the ascent of the earth’s surface temperature due to chemicals in the atmosphere. Some Global Warming Alarmists believe it is too late to stop the effects of mankind on our atmosphere and that these undesired effects will cause the triggering of major storms, freak weather and catastrophic situations. In order to control and avoid the effects of global warming we must first agree with a fact that it is happening, and take some steps to end or even reduce it. Maybe the whole world needs to rethink the level playing field rules over again and then we can sit down and talk about Global Warming, CO2 emissions and the Kyoto Treaty or a more realistic version of it.

Luckily most of the Global Warming theories are not based on very solid scientific evidence, but our Planet is going through a climate change cycle and this cycle, which is being caused by a series of inter-related cycles are warming areas our Planet among other things. There is no compelling scientific evidence that global warming is caused by anything other than ordinary, natural climatic cycles.Some Global Warming alarmists are now thinking it is time to invest their money in House Boat Stocks and pick out a big ship to live on?

So the debate of climate change battles on and whilst I see no end in site to it the doomsdayers will have you agree the sky is falling ,remember chicken little.So get yourself some scientific knowledge on the subject because if you dont you’ll end up becoming one of them.

Calvin Leonard
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/the-new-climate-change-debate-124416.html