You might have read some of my previous articles on feng shui and the 5-element pagoda. One of my favorite feng shui items, the 5-element pagoda, provides a measure of protection that is truly amazing. For all of those people who wonder what in the world happened to them-what turned their lives upside down all of a sudden-investigating how this pagoda works would be a good idea. In fact, this pagoda might be considered the number ONE item to purchase when moving into a new place.

Perhaps relating some of my personal experiences with this nifty device might aid understanding of those vagrant energies that cause havoc. First of all, energy is and energy moves around; it’s part of life. Whether you call it good or bad energy, vibes, chi, voodoo, or quantum physics, it’s all the same. The trick is to bring lots of good energy in and keep the bad energy out. The masters of feng shui observed and played with these energies and came up with some terrific tools to give us some control over them. In the Flying Star school of thought, certain specific types are given names. There are four auspicious and four inauspicious stars, the worst of which is the #5 Yellow Star of Misfortune, closely followed by the #2 Black Star of Illness. The pagoda of five elements, with its mantra of protection, is the cure (see my previous articles for more information on this).

For those who scoff at the very idea that there could be ‘stars’ causing problems, let me tell you this: I didn’t know anything about those flying stars and they still got me. When I first learned about the little buggers and looked back over the three preceding years, the proof was evident. 2010 has been slated to be a very bad year for the matriarch of the family who resides in a south-west bedroom (uh…that would be me) but my pagoda has been protecting me quite well.

Before the Chinese New Year came, I rearranged my home and paid particular attention to my about-to-be-afflicted bedroom. Placing my 5-element pagoda on a plastic tub in the south-west corner of my south-west bedroom, I retired for the night, blissfully protected. The next morning, shortly after awakening, a distinctive ‘ting’ came from that corner. Knowing that nothing was over there but the pagoda sitting on the plastic tub, I didn’t even turn to look. A few days later, there was a louder ‘ting…TING!” from the same corner. Puzzled, I picked up the pagoda, accidentally shaking it, and heard a mild ‘ting’. In case you just missed the meaning of that, here it is: the crystal inside the pagoda jumped up and hit against the wall of metal, all by itself. No it wasn’t poltergeist action; it means that a jolt of bad energy hit the device hard enough to make that crystal jump.

Although I have been a feng shui practitioner for years, I had never heard of such a thing happening. Since then I have beefed up the protective influences in my home and have replaced the simple pagoda with a much bigger and grander one, called a HoTu 5-element pagoda. That device is a gold-plated work of art created by a true Master of feng shui, to which I have added infusions of frequencies meant to protect one from anything and everything (ancient secrets, meet quantum physics). The results have astounded even me and are definitely something to write about. The first night that HoTu pagoda was placed in my bedroom, on that same plastic tub, there was a racket over in that corner, followed by something going over my head, picking up the top of another protective device as if looking into it, replacing the top with a clunk, and exiting stage left, out the door. It wasn’t a dream, since I wasn’t asleep yet. It was about one week later, shortly after retiring to bed, that through my closed eyes I saw a blinding flash of white light. Opening my eyes in alarm, another blinding flash occurred, followed by a few seconds of flickering white light and a really loud CRACK! in that corner. The rest of the night was quiet.

Examining the crystal within the next day was shocking. The crystal had been pointing right into the corner and was now flipped over, pointing into the bedroom. That crystal was also cracked and had turned from clear and beautiful into almost completely opaque. The only way that makes any kind of sense is by applying the quantum physics of energy movement as considered in feng shui. Knowing what I do about feng shui, I know that I was protected from something big enough to have caused me considerable disaster-if not death. I think I’ll get a couple more of those handy little devices and start an arrangement of them over in that corner!

2010 Dr.Valerie Olmsted All Rights Reserved

A 5-element pagoda is an energy tool of great protection for the home, especially if you know how to use it properly. For serious feng shui practitioners, it is the first item to be placed in the home or office. Most people who have heard a little bit about feng shui tend to concentrate on the wealth aspect; they tend to purchase a ‘money toad’ and then wonder why it doesn’t work. Feng shui is the study of energy (chi) movement through our dwellings and grounds. The energies are called ‘auspicious’ and ‘inauspicious’. An analogy would be blood flow in the body, where the blood circulating from the heart carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells and the blood returning to the heart is deoxygenated and has waste products needing to be carried out of the body. Good chi carries positive energies, good luck and health. Waste chi is stagnant, toxic and dangerous. Both occur as a normal course of living in the third dimension. It all circulates around the earth and sometimes the bad, or inauspicious, chi comes in and wreaks havoc in our lives.

One of the most powerful tools to stop the inauspicious chi from damaging us is the 5-element pagoda. The five elements refer to earth, wood, fire, metal, and water; these are represented by the five shapes of the pagoda. The most common sort is about five inches tall, made of hollow brass that comes apart to reveal three sections. The top bowl-shaped section can be used as an incense burner. The mid-section is a nifty thing to have in case the screw-on base slot gets lost inside the pagoda (yeah, ask me how I know that). The base has a threaded slot-you know, one of those things you use a coin to turn-and is the access used to fill the pagoda. There are certain items that must be included inside; these increase the protective power of the item.

While some items placed inside the pagoda can be more personal, such as things that are considered protective by the owner, there is one thing that must always be included: dirt. A spoonful or two of dirt from around the home or business is used to ‘lock up the bad chi’. The pagoda usually contains a mantra of protection, incised into the brass, but including a small scroll of the Ten Mantras of Protection can add a layer of security. Stone chips, usually crystal, can be added, as well as some kind of grounding stone like hematite or tiger iron, pyrite or copper, in the shape of spheres. Add a charged crystal and it’s good to go. To charge the crystal, hold it in your hands and concentrate on having it act as your guardian-program it to serve as a repellant to any negative energy. The final step is to add a red ribbon or tassel and set it in place, instructing it to henceforth be always on guard to protect the home and its occupants.

Placement of the 5-element pagoda varies according to which school of feng shui one adheres to; the Flying Star school being my personal favorite (for more on this fascinating branch of feng shui, see my previous articles and website). Placing the device wherever the #5 Yellow Star of Misfortune resides for the year (South-west in 2010) pretty much takes care of those errant energies that could cause huge problems in life. Since that particular star brings “illness, injury and death” it seems prudent to guard against that. The 5-element pagoda is a handy little device that packs a big enough punch to knock those bad energies right out.

©2010 Dr.Valerie Olmsted All Rights Reserved

What is online shopping?

Online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase products on internet. There are number of online shopping store and online shopping malls, eshop, e-store, internet stop, web shop, are available over internet which gives option to buy or purchase products of your own choice.

Online shopping is nothing but electronics commerce (e-commerce) used for business-to-business (B2B) or Business-to-Consumer transactions or it relates to variety of business dealing conducted online.

Why is online shopping important and useful?

Online shopping is important because it offers buyers convenience that has never been achievable.

1) Options: For every product you can get number of vendors at one place. For example: if you want to buy mobile phones then you will get different mobile venders like Nokia, Motorola, lg, Samsung mobile phones are available at one shop.

Shoppers are provided with an abundance of merchant sites where almost any goods on earth can be bought. Consumers can also compare prices from a variety of different retailers with greater ease, compared to them physically going to shop in a built shopping centre to check prices.

2) Available 24*7: The technology that is now available allows customers to shop on the internet 24 hours a day and seven days a week without having to leave their homes or offices

3) Fast Service: Most of the online shopping websites delivers product with 3 working days. The best thing is there is no shipping cost included in the Cost price of the product.

4) Price and Selection: One advantage of shopping online is being able to quickly seek out deals for items or services with many different vendors. Shoppers find a greater selection online in certain market segments (for example, computers and consumer electronics) and in some cases lower prices.

5) Product Cost: Compared to normal shopping stores the products are available at cheaper then them.

6) Comparison: On internet you can compare pricing of product from one brand with other. So, there is option to buy product cheaper with better quality.

7) Easy Mode of Payment: There are very easy way / mode of payment. Credit cards are most preferable. But some online shopping vendors like cafegadgets.in, crazypricing.in gives option to their customer to purchase products on Emi or draft, Cheque are also acceptable by other online shopping. Means all facilities are given to customers and you don’t have to carry cash all the time.

Stores for Online Shopping in India

1) eBay

2) Cafegadgets.in

3) Crazypricing.in

4) Gadgets guru
and many more

Rakhi is basically a sacred thread of protection embellished with the love and affection of a sister for her brother. This day is also known as Raksha Bandhan which is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravana in India.

Rakhi Festival 2009 is a traditional Hindu festival which symbolizes the love and affection between a brother and a sister. This is a festival wherein the sister prays for the safety and happiness of her brother. It is also known as 'Raksha Bandhan' that means a 'knot of protection'. This thread of Rakhi is considered as stronger than iron chains as it binds the most beautiful relationship in an inseparable bond of love and trust. Rakhi festival also has a social significance because it underlines the notice that everyone should live in harmonious coexistence with each other. Exchange of beautiful rakhi gifts among dear ones make this occasion a sweet remembrance for many years to come.

India is the land of fairs and festivals, and togetherness of relationships is the main essence of festive celebrations. Rakhi festival is also a celebration of such relationship between sisters and brothers. The rakhi tying ceremony has become an integral part of the Indian families and brothers and sisters, in any condition, trying to reach out to each other on this day that binds the entire family in an emotional bond. Although, Rakhi is a bond of care and affection between brother and sister but sometimes it goes way beyond it. Rakhi also signifies the peaceful co-existence of every individual which promotes the feeling of unity and also encourages the harmonious social life. The beautifully decorated Pooja Thali gives an impression of your love and care for your brother. The Pooja thali contains one diya, tika, rice, Beatle leaves, rakhi thread, flowers and incense sticks. The Pooja thali is either of silver, brass or simply of steel. Sweets sometimes add to the decor of this thali.

Rakhi Sweets Hamper is a delightful array of exclusive and aesthetically prepared Rakhi Sweets boxes filled with delectable sweets and designer Rakhis. Online Gifting for Send Rakhi in India has become more popular and easy. Send Gifts for your loved ones anywhere in India, USA, Rakhi Worldwide. The sacred festival of Raksha Bandhan embarks the celebration of eternal lifetime bonding between the siblings. It is the day for enjoying the unblemished relationship of love and care, followed with the tying ceremony of beautiful thread called 'rakhi' by sisters on the wrist of brothers. Right from the ancient times to the present scenario, many different methods have been used by sisters for sending rakhi to their dear brothers, staying at far distance. Thus, one must enjoy this Rakshabandhan with online shops which provides you the good facilities.

In feng shui study, the main entrance is considered the mouth where external qi enters and flows to the rest of the house. The facing, design, shape and size of the front door is believed to have a significant impact on the luck, wealth and the general well being of the family.

In the selection of the iron gate for the main door, one should avoid using arrow or spear designs. Sharp structures will create destructive energy that brings health problems to the family.

Based on the principle of a good feng shui design, the size and design of the front door must match the outlook and floor area of your home. Ideally, the main door should also have an auspicious measurement as dictated by the feng shui ruler. For example, a big house with a small entrance will restrict the inflow of qi into the house, thus, affecting the luck and wealth of the occupants.

Main door should open into a bright open area to invite yang qi (life force) into the house. Main door that opens into a wall will restrict sunlight and will not provide a smooth passage for qi to enter the house.

Main door should not form a straight path with the back door. Qi that enters the house will be funneled out through the back door without having enough time to circulate around the house. A quick exit of qi will hurt the finances of the occupants. They tend to experience difficulty in accumulating wealth or saving their income.

Avoid cluttering the entrance of the house with obstructive objects (like old newspapers, toys or large cabinets). Unnecessary objects or furniture will block the flow of qi into the house, thus, affecting the luck of the occupants.

It is inauspicious to see the toilet door upon entering the house. Bad vibes from the toilet will rush towards the main door causing poor health and bad luck.

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Living Hall

The living room is both a leisure area and a place for the family to entertain their guests. Living room should give a warm relaxing and welcoming feeling for one to tone down after a day’s work to read papers or to watch television. Good furniture arrangements, proper lighting and colour scheme will enhance the flow of qi and create an inviting atmosphere in the house. This in turn will bring forth a flow of good fortunes and opportunities from friends, colleagues, bosses or business associates.

It is inauspicious to seat under the downward pressure of the roof columns and to place the sofa without the support of a wall.

Cluttering the living room with unnecessary furniture or possessions (like toys, cabinets, old newspaper and documents) will restrict the circulation of qi.

Ideally, the sitting arrangement of the sofa should have the support of a solid wall and that one should have a clear view of the main door.

Decorating the house with antique figurines will increase the Yin qi of your home. Antique figurines unearthed from ancient sites tend to carry the energy of its previous owners and may attract spirits.

Avoid placing too many empty vases around the house. Empty vase is known as kong ping in Chinese, which sounds like poverty.

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Bedroom

On an average, a person spends about one third of their time resting in bed. As the bedroom is a sanctuary where one rejuvenate and nurtures the energy of the body, the location and facing of the bed will affect the quality of sleep, which in turn affects the health and luck of those who sleep there.

Allowing a little morning sun on the bed will energise its qi which in turn promote good health and relationship.

Avoid bedrooms that have an irregular shape. Missing corners or pillars with sharp edges that tend to create destructive energy.

Bed should always be placed against a solid wall or use a headboard as a support.

Avoid having too many open shelves in the bedroom. Open shelves resemble the edge of a knife and should be covered up with doors

Sleeping under a rotating ceiling fan or a pointed ceiling light tends to radiate negative vibes that will affect one’s health.

Position your bed carefully as it is inauspicious to overlook the toilet bowl. Foul odour and water vapour that is rushing towards the direction of the bed would bring forth ill health and bad luck.

One should avoid sleeping under an exposed beam or overhanging cabinets. The exertion of a downward pressure on the head will cause nightmares and headaches.

Placing sharp objects (like swords or scissors) underneath the bed is a feng shui taboo, which will bring forth a series of misfortunes.

Avoid sleeping with the head in line with the bedroom door. The rushing qi from the door will disrupt your sleep causing restlessness.

The human body is most vulnerable when one is asleep. Sleeping next to a full-length mirror will deflect the human qi. In the night, one may also be frightened by their own reflection.

Avoid placing a television set or computer in the bedroom. Long-term exposure to electromagnetic field emitted by electrical appliances is detrimental to one’s health.

Avoid placing the bed directly behind toilet, stove and air conditioning compressor, which will generate negative energy that would disrupt one’s sleep and health.

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Kitchen

In feng shui, the cooking stove is an important area that governs the health, finances and the bearing of offspring. As food is normally prepared in the kitchen, the placement and facing of the cooking stove will directly impact the health of the family. “Health is wealth”.

It is a Chinese custom for the family to pray to the Stove God during the Chinese Lunar New Year season. Chinese believed by making offerings of sweet sticky desserts to the Stove God, he would be unable to speak about the wrongdoings of the family in heaven.

Placing the cooking stove without the support of the wall will cause its qi to disperse and facing the stove directly opposite the tap will result in a clash between the elements of water and fire.

The cooking stove should not be visible from the main door or directly facing the toilet signifying financial losses.

For safety reason, one should avoid locating the washing basin in close proximity to the cooking stove. The conflicting elements of both fire and water tend to cause frequent quarrels and bring about financial woes.

The kitchen stove should not be erected under an overhead beam, which tends to affect the health of the female occupants.

It is inauspicious to chop foodstuff or drop cooking utensils on the cooking stove. Always keep the burners of the cooking stove clean and in working order.

Millions of people go online every day to buy items. They may be something they need for themselves or their business. They may be looking around and find something that tickles their fancy so they buy it. Others are looking for the lowest possible price on something they really want. With the economy being in the mess it is today, more consumers are being very scary when it comes to what they actually purchase.

As a result of that though they have turned to the internet more and more. Many businesses found online have slashed their prices. They feel it is better to make some money at a lower price offer than it is to not get any sales at all due to people not being able to afford it. Another option is that many businesses found online now offer payment plans. It can be hard to swallow a big ticket item these days, but it is easier when it is broken down into smaller monthly payments.

The internet allows people to pay for items very quickly so that convenience is in place. Why drive to the mall to get a new pair of shoes when you can shop for them online, compare prices, order them, and know that they are on the way to your home in a matter of a short period of time?

There are plenty of payment options offered as well for online shopping. You can use a bank card, credit card, Paypal, BillPay, and many other types of payments. This type of payment is very secure so you do not have to worry about someone compromising your information. It is easy to keep track of your purchases when you shop online too.

The internet is open around the clock too. You may be shopping at midnight, five in the morning, or at noon. It fits into your schedule rather than you having to organize your day to get where you need to be before they close. The selection is better too so you are never limited to what a local retailer has to offer.

Nothing is more convenient than getting all of your items delivered to your door too. Instead of having to haul them around in your car you can just meet the mail man and get them. For those that find it difficult to go out due to their health, the weather, and even due to having small children this is a huge benefit that they very appreciate.

Anything and everything you could ever want is found online which is why people shop there. It does not matter if you are looking for goods or services. It does not matter if you want to spend $ 10 or $ 10,000. New online businesses crop up every single day. The healthy competition helps to keep prices low.

At the same time though it also helps to improve the overall quality of what is offered. Some of the warranties and guarantees offered are excellent too which reduces the risk that a person will buy something online and then not be happy with it. When a person does buy something they can get signed up for email offers as well. This can entice them to make future purchases due to the additional savings that they will receive when they do so.

If you have not started shopping online, then you are definitely missing out. It does not matter if you want something that is brand new or a collectible from decades ago. There is not a better place for you to find those items and to make them your own for a price that fits well into your budget.

Do you have a website and have a dilemma on what type of advertisements will earn you more money? Are you not sure what is better – AdSense or affiliate programs? This article will explain which websites will earn more from Google AdSense and which should go with affiliate programs.

When searching for the answer to the question what is better you should know a something about your website visitors. Why they come to your website? Can this target group to buy something? If yes, what they can be interested in? Affiliate programs are always the best solution for webs targeted to the specific group of people who may be interested to purchase something. E. g. if you run webmaster related forum, you may promote some PPC networks which pay commission for referred members. If you run soccer website, find some eShop selling soccer equipment and join their affiliate program.

In the other hand, if your visitors are not people who may be interested in commercial offers, Google AdSense will work better for you. Good example of websites which will earn more money from AdSense than from affiliate program are jokes sites, online games and other entertainment websites. Visitors of such websites are usually teenagers without money so the best way how to monetize this traffic is PPC.

When you are not sure what will generate more money for you, simply use both affiliate programs and AdSense. Compare the results, try different affiliate program to find the best converting one and spend some time with improving AdSense placement.

“I never had it in mind that I would start a company one day and it would really be successful. I have just been motivated by working on interesting technology.”

Growing Up

Omidyar was born in Paris in 1967. He moved to Baltimore when his father began his term of residence at Johns Hopkins. Omidyar became captivated by computers while at high school and skipped his gym classes in order to use it. Noticing the boy’s keen interest, the principle gave him the job of creating a program that would produce catalog cards for the library. He was paid $6 an hour.

At Tufts University, Omidyar worked on a program to assist Macintosh programmers with computer memory problems. His request that users of this shareware file pay on the honour system did not bring many replies; the cheques that should have been going to fund his years as a computer science undergraduate went solely to paying for the post office box.

In 1991, Omidyar went to work with three friends to create pen-computing programs. Though Pen computing was a dismal failure, the e-commerce site (eShop) on the Web site that Omidyar introduced and operated enticed Microsoft to buy the company.

Starting The Business

Omidyar went to work with General Magic, a software company, in 1994 and made extra money designing Web pages on the side. The girl he was dating at the time, Pamela Wesley, who would later become his wife, collected Pez dispensers and often complained how difficult it was to meet others passionate about her hobby on the internet. Thoughtfully, Omidyar appended a small online auction to his personal website so Pamela would make contacts with other collectors as well as buy and sell.

eBay (electronic Bay, as in the San Francisco Bay area), as it was when it first appeared in 1995, operated merely as a forum for people to sell and bid on various items. Omidyar did not back goods, mediate conflicts, or get involved if there were accusations of dishonesty or abuse of the system. Almost immediately, collectors of Barbie dolls, Beanie babies and the like flocked to eBay.

Three months after its launch, Omidyar had to ask his friend Jeff Skoll, also a programmer, for help. In order to cover the new costs involved with the growth of the business, Omidyar began charging small change to list an item on the site and took a small commission if the item was bought.

Building An Empire

Omidyar was surpised by his continued success and had to hire someone to open the large number of cheques that were being sent in. He was also surprised that people were not simply using the site to buy and sell, but also as a meeting place where relationships were made over common interests.

After qutting his day job, Omidyar worked along with Skoll to improve eBay. They felt that if a sturdy framework was in place, business would generate by itself. After just under two years of operation, eBay was one of the most popular internet sites, 150 users bidding on 794,000 items daily. And the company was now doubling every three months.

At such a rate of growth, Omidyar and Skoll sought venture capital assistance and a management team that would further move the company forward. Benchmark Capital gave the partners a $4.5 million cheque for 22% of the company. Benchmark also found a CEO for eBay, Margaret Whitham, an executive from Hasbro, and with her leadership, the business became a slick corporate entity. With a new look, better publicity, and greater organization, eBay went public on September 24, 1998. Within four months of trading, the stock, which started at $18 per share, was worth $300. Omidyar became a billionaire.

Now selling far more than just Pez dispensers, eBay has completely changed e-commerce. Despite increasing competition, eBay continues to grow. Omidyar recognized and seized the opportunity that essentially fell into his lap and revolutionized internet use.