This may be your most important tournament poker strategy since you will either live or die in the event based on knowing how to play this situation.

You need to accumulate chips to win a poker tournament. When you get a good hand and need chips, look for an opportunity to put pressure on your opponent. A good hand is a medium pocket pair and higher, as well as an A-J suited or higher. This is an aggressive play that can build your stack or knock you out of a tournament.

The tournament poker strategy is this: Move all-in with your good hands when you have eight times or less than the initial raiser’s bet.

Example:

You have pocket 7’s. It is in the middle the tournament. The blinds are $200-$400. You have $10,500 in late position. A player with $20,000 raises to $1,400. What should you do?

There is $2,000 in the pot. You have less than eight times the initial raiser’s bet. If you call, you will most likely lose more than 20% of your stack. If you re-raise you are committed to the pot. And if you move all-in the following will happen:

a) Your opponent will fold and you will increase your stack by almost 20%

b) Your opponent will call and you will either get knocked out or more than double your stack size.

Calling is the play most players make. This is not a winning play. Folding is better than calling.

Moving all-in is the best option. You need to take risks. You need to gamble.

This is one out of 101 winning plays the Poker Pros use to win a poker tournament. Now you can get 10 Free plays and 5 Free Tips that the Pros use from the book “Tournament Poker: 101 Winning Moves.” Go to Tournament Poker Strategy.

If someone told you to study a hundred families with newborns and asked you to identify which babies would score highest on an IQ test at age three, what would you look for?… Birth weight? Income level? Parents’ IQ? Parents’ Education?

When a group of researchers went through this exercise, they found that it was the amount of baby-directed talk that mattered most. Talk, reading chatter, exclamations, observations narration and conversation all contributed to higher IQ scores.

There is evidence that talking to your baby helps organize her brain. As your baby is learning to understand and produce words and sentences, the brain is becoming more specialized for processing language. Prior to the growth spurts in vocabulary that occur around 18-months, the brain shows increased activity in the areas responsible for language processing. This suggest that the child who is spoken to in language rich with descriptions and explanations will often go on to speak well, read well and write well, which means she will be a good communicator, a better processor of information, a higher achiever in school and a good problem-solver.

Reading aloud is a particularly powerful form of talking to your baby. Reading provides a much more structured and organized form of communication than casual speech, helping your baby note where logical pauses in language occur and leading her to an understanding of

the grammatical structure of language. This is particularly true for rhyming books. Rhymes, by definition have a natural cadence that further highlight the breaks in language and make it even easier for your baby to understand what she is hearing. That is why rhyming books, especially those with bright, buy simple, illustrations are the best books for infants.

Although some of the benefits of reading to your baby may not start until after the age of three months, we recommend that you begin reading to your child as early as possible: it helps set a great precedent, give you some nice bonding time together and gets you in the habit of reading out loud to her. Many of us have fond memories of that favorite bedtime story read to us by mom and dad; and that alone is a terrific reason to continue the tradition.

More and more avid trekkers are opting for exciting trekking challenges all around the world and they’re raising money for charity as they do it. Trekkers are able to choose their dream trekking locations, like the base camp at Everest or opting to do a charity climb of Kilimanjaro.

These types of trekking challenge stretch the talents of experienced trekkers and by raising money for charity, they are not only helping others as they climb, they are giving themselves a goal and a reason to make it to the summit!

Many individuals opt for joining pre-organized charity treks where the trip is pre-planned with set routes and experienced guides. All the trekkers have to do is choose their charity and gather their sponsorships. Most of the reputable trek organizers don’t have minimum fundraising criteria in order to join. There will a set price for the planned trek, including your travel and accommodation, and then what you raise for the charity is your responsibility.

Thousands of trekkers successfully raised significant sums of money to help charities all over the world. Some chose charities close to their hearts, like cancer research charities or organizations that support certain illnesses that are meaningful to their families. Children’s charities are particularly popular amongst trekkers too.

The sense of personal achievement and satisfaction that can be gained from having reached a difficult summit after a long hard trek is made even more meaningful when you know every step you take is helping someone less fortunate than you.

It is a wonderful way to give yourself something while you give something back. Many trekkers choose charities from their home town, or give the money they raise to local schools or church groups.

If you are a keen and experienced trekker, and have always dreamt of reaching Everest base camp or reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro, why not add an extra special dimension to your trip by making it special for a deserving charity too.

A charity trek to Everest base camp will give you the most amazing views of the world’s highest peak. This trek will take you through the world’s highest most breathtakingly beautiful mountain range – the Himalayas, in Nepal.

Or, if you prefer the stunning views of the African plains when you reach the summit, a charity trek up Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, is the choice for you. With amazing 360 degree views you will never forget and a tough climb to achieve, the addition of raising much needed funds for your favorite charity will make it the trip of a lifetime and life changing for you and the recipients of all the fund raising you do.

Take pictures as you trek so you can share your epic journey with your chosen charity. Many charity trekkers have shared their experiences in blogs, photo diaries and some have even written books about their experiences and the personal challenges they faced to make it to the top.

A charity trekking holiday is not for the faint-hearted – they are for the dedicated and determined trekker who wants to make a difference to their own life and the lives of others.

The answer to this question is entirely up to you. First of all, do you want to do it? And second of all, are you good enough to pull something like this off? Think about these two questions before you do anything and if the answer to your first question is positive then read on.

Before you can hypnotize your boss into giving you a raise, you need to find out how susceptible he or she is to hypnosis. Depending on what you find out it may be quite easy or you may find out that it’s going to be tougher than you expected. Either way, you will need skills to get someone hypnotized especially if they don’t know anything about it. This is why you need to “practice” and “learn” before you can “do”.

Most people think that hypnosis is a strange and even a scary thing that they can’t explain. They have absolutely no clue how it really works and they don’t think that someone can get them hypnotized (especially not someone that works for them). This is why you can have the advantage of them being unaware. If someone knows that you will try to hypnotize him or her they will “lock” their mind and keep their guard up. If this happens, you will have no chance whatsoever. This is the reason why you need to “learn” first and “do” later. You don’t want to make a mistake and give someone a warning, because they will always have one thing in mind when they are with you, and you will not be able to get them relaxed enough for hypnosis.

Bearded dragons are becoming very popular pets, and it’s not hard to see why. Babies are extremely cute, and the adults so calm and placid that even people who say they’d never have a reptile in the house are often swayed to change their mind once they’ve have an opportunity to get up close to them.

Many are bought as pets as an impulse buy – babies are being sold quite cheaply nowadays and are readily available, and although some people do read up and prepare for their new pet, there are still a large number who take one on with little or no advice at all. Unfortunately many staff in pet shops and reptile centres are ignorant as to the proper housing and feeding arrangements leading to bearded dragons that have a unhealthy and often short life.

If you are tempted to buy a baby bearded dragon here is some advice to help you to raise a bearded dragon properly.

1. Bearded Dragons grow Big and Fast

Although you may be looking at a baby which is only 5 to 6 inches in length, by the time it is twelve months old it will be between 18 and 22 inches long and will weigh up to 700 grams. Adults need a vivarium that’s 4ft x 2ft x 2ft in size, and will probably need this by the time they are eight to ten months old. It’s therefore a false economy to buy a smaller vivarium with the intention to upgrade as it grows bigger, and it’s best to buy the larger size first. Too many live in vivariums where they cannot turn round properly without banging their nose on the glass and tail on the background.

Despite the myth baby bearded dragons do not feel lost in a large vivarium – after all, in the desert no one gives them a pen for the first few weeks!

To grow at the rate they do means they have large appetites and need to be fed lots and often as babies. They are not cheap pets to keep – a bearded dragon can cost as much as a small dog or cat to feed each week.

2. Bearded Dragons need the Right Temperatures

Coming from the hot arid desert of Australia they need to have a temperature range in their vivarium that mimics their natural environment. Setting up a mini desert in your home is part of the fun of keeping them. Being cold blooded animals they thermoregulate – that is, when too hot they should be able to move to a cooler area, and when too cold should be able to move to get warm. The vivarium needs to have a basking spot under a heat lamp which reaches a temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and the other end ‘the cool end’ of the vivarium should be no more than 85 degrees. At night they should be able to experience a good temperature drop, so the heating should be turned off as long as the ambient temperature does not fall below 65 degrees for babies, and 60 degrees for adults. Temperatures should be maintained at the correct levels by using a thermostat.

Heat should be provided by way of a heat lamp – bearded dragons do not absorb heat from below, and indeed, cannot feel it. Heat rocks and heat mats can easily burn them so should not be used.

3. Bearded dragons need Exposure to UVB

In the desert they bask under the strong rays of the sun which provides UVB and helps them synthesize vitamin D3. This is vital as it means they can utilize calcium which is essential to aid their growth. The lack of UVB will lead to Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) which causes deformities of the limbs, and which can only be treated if caught early, and is often fatal. Their UVB requirements are the highest of all reptiles kept in captivity. A fluorescent tube running the length of the vivarium ensures they are exposed to UVB for the whole time the light in on. The best tubes to use are the Reptisun 10% or Arcadia 12%.

If they are exposed to UVB for 12 hours in the vivarium they get sufficient UVB, but even this is only equivalent to about 20 minutes under the full Australian sun. For that reason hides should not be provided for bearded dragons as hiding away will lessen their exposure to the beneficial UVB rays.

4. Substrate

Babies are not accurate feeders and tend to pick up loose substrate with mouthfuls of food. Kitchen towel is the best substrate for babies as it carries no risk. Do not use sand until the baby is six months old, and NEVER use woodchip. This is to prevent impaction in the stomach which is usually fatal.

5. Set up the Vivarium Before buying a Bearded Dragon

When you have got your vivarium you will find the temperatures will fluctuate at first, and you will need time to play around with the position of the probe for the thermostat before you obtain the correct temperature range. Setting up the vivarium and letting it settle down for about a week before you bring your baby home is the best idea.

6. Bringing Home a Baby Bearded Dragon

Most babies will travel quite comfortably in a small dark box. There is no need for additional heating unless the weather is very cold. In this case you can use a hot water bottle to keep the box warm.

When you first bring your new baby home you may find it eats the first lot of crickets you eagerly put in the vivarium, and then refuses to eat. Many new owners worry about this, but it’s only a reaction to the stress of moving. It takes up to a fortnight for a baby to settle in to a normal eating pattern.

To help it settle in it is best to resist that urge to take it out and handle it. Give it two weeks to settle before you pick it up. You can start getting it used to you by putting your hand in the vivarium when feeding or cleaning it out.

When it is time to start handling, pick it up by sliding your hand underneath it and scooping it up. In the wild their main predators are birds, so anything coming at them above scares them.

From time to time your baby will get lines like tiger markings on its belly. These are stress lines, but don’t over worry about them. Many things cause momentary stress to a baby, and most are nothing to be concerned about. It could be a dark coloured coat they suddenly see out of the corner of their eye.

In the morning your beardie will be cold and still. It takes about an hour for them to warm up and start moving around which is just as it would be in the desert. Just make sure you allow them time to wake up properly before offering food.

7. Feeding your baby Bearded Dragon

Babies up to the age of 12 weeks need to be fed 3 times a day with small sized crickets (first or second instar). Each feed should be as many as they can eat in 10 minutes. One feed per day should be dusted with calcium to prevent MBD. Finely chopped vegetables or fruit should always be available. When adult your beardie will be 80% vegetarian, so he needs to get used to eating vegetables early.

The best livefood is crickets due to the amount they eat. You can feed locusts, but this will work out much more expensive, and once they have eaten locusts some do not take to eating crickets against as they are more bitter. Do not feed a staple diet of meal worms as their skins are high in chitin which bearded dragons cannot digest very well. Meal worms and wax worms can be offered as an occasional treat.

Most bearded dragons do not eat dried or frozen food, so you will need to get used to feeding livefood.

8. Join a Forum

Baby bearded dragons seem to enjoy perplexing and worrying their new owners. Join a bearded dragon or reptile forum so you can ask for advice from people who’ve had the same worries as you and will be able to give you advice and reassurance.

Raising a reptile which grows so rapidly is a great experience, and if you ensure their environment and feeding regime is right you’ll have a pet who will live a healthy live in excess of 10 years. The first few weeks and months are a critical period in raising a baby bearded dragon – they are not difficult to keep just as long as you take time to understand what they need to grow and develop properly.

Parents are usually happy when they welcome a new bundle of joy to the family. As parents watch their children grow, they are happy when they get to see their first steps, their first words and their first milk teeth among other things.

The joy turns to frustration when the children start misbehaving. This is the start of a headache for the parents. Once this stage arrives, being nice goes out the window and as a parent, you have to become a disciplinarian.

Below are parenting discipline tips that will help you raise well behaved children.

Understand your children

The key to raising well behaved children is to understand them first. You need to know their temperamental style, their talents and tendencies. Understanding your children will help you to come up with discipline methods that will help your children achieve their potential.

It is important as a parent not to try and change your child, you need to accept them with their strengths and weaknesses. As a parent, you can help your child overcome their weakness and convert them into strength.

Communicate your parenting discipline tactics early

This is very important especially if you are introducing new disciplinary techniques. This is vital for kids who still need guidance unlike those who are old enough and can understand. To explain a new technique, have a family meeting with your children, start by explaining the technique, explain why you are using it and what results you want to achieve. As a parent, you can give your children a chance to choose a reward or consequence.

Respect your children

It is important to know that respect is a two way road. When you respect your children and it comes a time to discipline them, they will accord you the same respect plus other fellow family members. If by mistake you overreact, it is important to apologize. You need to behave the same way you want your child to behave.

Practice consistency

Any parenting discipline technique you try to enforce and you don’t practice consistency, you are bound to fail. Once you have set a particular consequence for a particular disciplinary technique, you need not to change it. For example if you are in a public place and your child starts to throw tantrums, do not give in. Once you do, the same behavior will always recur.

You need to enforce rules for your children to follow especially when you are in a public area.

A “Money Finder” is an individual or company who, for a fee, finds willing investors interested to invest in growing companies. The Finder formally links the Investors and Entrepreneurs with the purpose of creating a mutually beneficial financial arrangement.

Terms

Some terms used here may be unfamiliar. “Intermediary” and “Money Broker”, as used here, are other terms with the same meaning as “Finder.” “Entrepreneur” is an individual who seeks and assumes the risk of business growth, usually through direct ownership and management. “Angel Investor” is an individual with high net worth willing to take the risk of lending money to an Entrepreneur.

How does a Finder find willing Investors?

Finders spend many years building a reliable network of investors. The network is built through business contacts, successful business deals, and the personal reputation of the Finder. The Finder’s network is the heart and foundation of his own entrepreneurial business.

There are many types of Investors, including Institutional Investors, individual or Angel Investors, Venture Capital firm and Private Equity groups. New Investors are added to the Finder’s network on a regular basis, but not without considerable scrutiny, thought and analysis.

How does a Finder find worthy Entrepreneurs?

Many entrepreneurial businesses are ready and worthy of funding, but not all need the services of a Finder. Usually businesses using a Finder 1) need at least $1 million, 2) have a strong management team, 3) have a proven track record of growth and potential to continue, and 4) has the ability to generate revenue. Therefore, the Finder usually asks potential clients for information and documentation about their businesses. These include biographies and resumes of the management team, business plans, and financial statements. The Finder evaluates and analyzes the information to propose the best solution for the client.

How are Finders paid?

Finder’s fees are based on the amount of capital received. Usually, the fees are paid in cash or company stock or a combination. In general, the Finders fees are 5 – 10 percent of the amount of capital received with the higher percentage paid for smaller amounts raised. The Finder’s fees are often negotiable and always agreed upon before any services are provided.

Does a Finder need to be licensed?

The SEC, which regulates money-raising activities, sees a Finder as someone who’s acting as a promoter of the sale of securities and thus is required to have a Broker Dealer license. Ben Hendricks from Annacore Business Capital, LLC says” If they don’t have the proper license, then (a) they’re acting illegally and (b) any contract they sign with you is unenforceable, and therefore any portion of their fee that’s based on a percentage of the money raised is not collectable”

If you are an Entrepreneur looking for capital, take the time to ask the right questions before you hire any Finder.

A wonderful aquarium or fish tank can earn you lots of appreciation from whoever is visiting your house. And discus fish is the best fish that you can choose for your tank. This is because not only are they very colorful and attractive, but also they adapt to aquariums better than most tropical fishes.

However, they do have some specific habits and thus you require proper care so that they can adorn your tank for long.

Discus are shy and this can complicate their overall behavior when put them together with other breeds. However, the following tips can ensure that you do not have any problems in raising them.

The tips on how to raise discus fish are:

1. Make sure that the water in the tank remains between 74 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the ideal temperature for discus fish to grow because it is similar to the warm water of their natural habitat.

2. Also maintain a pH level between 6.5 and 7.5 for discus fishes. In case the water becomes too acidic, bring down the pH level with soda.

3. Keep the water clean at all times with the help of filter pumps. Also clean the filter regularly to ensure that it functions properly.

4. Buy discus fish food only, because they have very specific food habits. You should give them small and frequent meals, to facilitate growth.

5. As far as the right ambiance is concerned, you can try to keep the fish tank in a quiet part of your house, because discus don’t like din.

Unlike many of my financial blogging peers, I got street cred (credentials) when it comes to having been poor. When we first arrived in San Jose, CA back in the early 1980’s, my family lived with another family until my parents were able to save to rent an apartment. The house we lived in was a typical three bedroom, two bath home, situated along McLaughlin Avenue. My parents were friends of the adults who rented this home. They knew each other back in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Things didn’t get any easier once my parents were able to rent an apartment. All they could afford despite both of them working full-time was a one-bedroom on Sunny Court. My sister and I slept in the living room. Food wasn’t always abundant. I recall many times there not being much to eat and school was where I had my only steady meals. Clothing was bought on an as needed basis at the thrift shop. Shoes came handed down from friends or if money had been saved, from Payless Shoes.

Living month to month back in those days was stressful, even for a kid. There’s nothing worse than your parents visibly trying to make ends meet and you not being able to help. Back in Mexico, I’d have gone out to the streets and sold gum or shined shoes to bring in cash. But in the United States, there are laws… child labor laws. You also need to be able to speak the language in most cases. At that time, I had just begun to learn English.

I am not embarrassed to admit that as a kid I dumpster dived, stole from supermarkets, and worked clean-up jobs for adults around the neighborhood. Anything to help my family out. I’m not proud of the acts that were illegal, seeing them as avoidable now with adult eyes, but as necessary to me back in those days. Life without regrets is no life at all.

From my experience, I am able to offer you today ways of raising money that may be widely known among poor folk, but not so much among middle class folk. Okay, perhaps my middle class brethren do know of the following ways they too can raise money, but may see it as “beneath” them.

Most people perform these actions because they are in need of money to pay bills, eat, and survive. I have done these simply because I wanted cash to invest and wasn’t willing to use leverage (debt).

1) Store aluminum cans and glass bottles instead of placing them in my recycling bin. After four months, I take these in to the recycling plant in Oceanside, CA and sell them, making anywhere from $15 to $25. It’s not a lot I know, but multiply it by 3, and you have anywhere from $45 to $75 extra per year. Poor people don’t recycle; they look for cans, plastic and glass bottles, and sell them!

2) Sell something of value at the pawn shop for quick cash. I have sold watches I didn’t wear (gifts given to me for birthdays/Christmas) and electronics. Saves lots of time.

3) Sell stuff on Craigslist. Not using your bicycle any longer? Do a Craigslist ad and sell it to a private party. Find stuff around the house you no longer need and is of value to sell on Craigslist. If you have plenty of things but not of great value then do #4.

4) Garage or yard sale. Jessica and I have a garage sale at least twice a year. We rake in from our sold junk about $100 each time.

5) Sell a gift card for cash. What!? Yea… ever get a gift card with cash value and knew you weren’t going to use it? Sell it to a friend or go to the spot and scalp it. Have the person take the card in and get a balance check if they don’t trust you.

6) Sell blood (I have never done this… too chicken). Find your local blood bank and sell that plasma!

7) Sell your hair on eBay. Yes, you can sell your hair online. I’ve never done it because nobody wants my hair, but if I had Fabio’s locks…

8) Got coins? Look under your couch cushions, your bed, dusty utility drawers, under your car mat, wherever. If you’ve been saving spare change, then it’s time to hit up the supermarket and find your nearest Coin Star machine. It’s easy to use. Just dump all your change and the machine will count every single penny, print you a receipt you can then take to the line and cash out, like a casino!

9) Start using coupons and take a break on organic. Poor people don’t get a choice when it comes to buying preservatives and crap free foods from the grocery store. For them, price is the selling point. But for us, we can opt for healthier foods from Trader Joe’s, for example. Not telling you to eat below your means, but if you want to save a little extra for a few months, this may be an option.

10) Take the bus or commute to work. This is an option we have that the poor may not have. A bus pass will run you about $30-$45, depending on the city you live in. You probably spend twice this amount, even with gas prices falling, driving yourself to work and back home each day. Like #8 above, this too would be a temporary strategy. Don’t want to sit among the poor? Convince a co-worker to get on your savings plan. Or if you didn’t sell your bike, ride it to work for a month.

11) Buy cheap wine. I used to buy $11-15 Cabernet Sauvignon. I’d drink about two bottles a month. Then I found Sutter Home Moscato and Cab’s selling for $3.99! Back in the hood I used to drink malt liquor and nasty beer. Now I’m all about cheap tasty wine and micro/craft beers. However, I have scaled back at times on the latter when on a savings for investing “program.” You could brew your own!

Being once poor has given me insight most people at my level of wealth do not have. I can get into doing several of the options above without feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed. I am secure enough with my circumstances that to me, the above scenarios are optional ways of raising money for investing purposes only. But what about the people who have to rely on these money raising strategies to survive? I can imagine it. If this is your life, I can tell you one huge piece of advice: Stop blaming others and feeling sorry for yourself! This won’t help you one bit. Instead, start by creating a list of ways you can improve. Improve what? Here are some of the lists you need to make and brainstorm on:

1) Free ways I can improve myself (what I know and am able to do).

2) Ways I can improve my decision-making.

3) Ways I can improve what I spend money on.

4) Free ways I can improve who I know (emphasis is on finding money smart, “better off,” people to have as part of your network). You can count me in as part of your network!

Arowana are very interesting fish. Many people who raise Arowana as pets, choose the silver Arowana fish. After all, folklore says that owning an Arowana can bring about good fortune and ward off evil spirits. Sounds like great reasons to me for owning one of these fish.

The fish is unique looking, elongated with a body that is covered in silvery scales. The fish is also known for its short head and rigid jaw. This fish is found in many parts of the world such as South America, parts of Africa, Vietnam, Australia, and Asia, to name a few.

Although the Arowana is a very pretty fish, it’s very much a predator. In the wild, the Arowana eats other fish, insects, and even birds. Because the fish has the ability to literally jump out of the water, it can snag animals off of low hanging tree branches and brush. As pets, this fish is known for often jumping out of their fish tanks. This especially happens when they are spooked by loud noises and other disturbances.

Also, because of the fish’s aggressive nature, it’s known for eating tank mates and even attacking other Arowana. In other words, it’s hard for these guys to make friends in the fish tank.

Not only are these fish tough themselves, they are also tough to raise at home. To raise these fish on your own, you need a very large tank. Most experts recommend a fish tank that is at least 250 gallons. That’s because a full-grown Arowana can get to 47 inches long. And having a small tank would not allow them to swim about and turn as needed.

Additionally, the water, like with any fish tank, needs to be at just the right temperature and have the correct pH.

For Arowana, the temperature should be between 75 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (24-30 C) and the pH should be kept between 6.5 and 7.5.

Since the fish is so aggressive, adding other fish to the fish tank can be tricky. However, it is possible to find tank mates for the fish. For example, sometimes Oscars, Jack Dempsey fish, and catfish can work. Having said that, there is absolutely no guarantee because of the aggressive nature of the fish.

The Silver Arowana can be challenging to raise from home, proper care is essential to be successful. However, raising them can also be a very rewarding hobby.