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BRIEF INTRODUCTION

French is a Romance language originating in France but spoken in many other parts of the world: in Europe in Southern Belgium and Western Switzerland; in North America in Quebec, New Brunswick, other parts of Canada, and parts of Louisiana; in the former French colonies in North Africa and West Africa; in Haiti and Martinique in the Caribbean; in French Guiana in South America; in Tahiti and numerous other islands in Oceania. It has long been the language of international diplomacy and communication, and although replaced largely by English since World War II, it remains de rigueur for educated people around the world to have some level of basic French ability.

PRONUNCIATION

Like English and unlike most other Romance languages, it is not phonetic. The same letter used in two different words can make two different sounds, and many letters are not pronounced at all. In general, it's not impossible to sound out words, but suffice it to say that many experienced non-native French speakers -- and some native speakers -- mispronounce words often.

One thing to note is that final consonants of a word are usually dropped: allez (go) is pronounced ahl-AY, not ahl-AYZ; tard (late) is pronounce tar, not tard. Also a final "e" is usually silent. But if the next word begins with a vowel, the consonant may be pronounced; this is called liaison.

Stress is usually on the last syllable of a phrase, but sometimes when a word is emphasized, the stress moves to the middle of the word.

For many French words, it is impossible to write something which, when pronounced as English, sounds like the French word. Use the transliteration as a guide to liaison and the French spelling to pronounce the vowels.

A QUICK NOTE ON VOWELS: Vowels in French can have accent marks; except for "e", this doesn't usually change the sound.

VOWELS

a like "a" in "father"
e like "uh" in "duh"
é like "ay" in "say"
ê like "e" in "set"
è like "e" in "set"
i like "ee" in "feed"
o like "o" in "home", but rounder
u more or less like "oo" in "food", but the tongue is like "ee" in "feed"; written uu in transcriptions
y like "ee" in "feed"

DIPHTHONGS

ai like "i" in "fight", like "ay" in "hay" (at the end of a word)
ail like "i" in "fight"
ais like "ea" in "bread" (at the end of a word)
au, eau like "ow" in "blow"
an nasal; kind of like "ahng", but without the hard "g" at the end
eu between "ew" in "dew" and "ur" in "burp"; written eu in transcriptions
œ more or less like "eu", slighlty more "open"
er like "ay" in "hay" -- usually found at the end of word/verb
ez like "ay" in "hay"
en, em nasal; same as "an"
in nasal; like "ang" in "Tang", but without the hard "g" at the end
oi like "wa" in "walk"
oin nasal; like "wang", but without the hard "g" at the end
ou like "oo" in "food"
on nasal; like "ong" in "long", but without the hard "g" at the end
oui like "wee" in "week"
ui like "wee" in "week", but with the tongue forward
un nasal; like "ung" in "hung", but without the hard "g" at the end
ch like "sh" in "bush"
gn like "ny" in "canyon". This is particularly difficult (even for little French kids) when followed by oi, as in baignoire (beh-NYWAR) "bathtub"
il like "y" in "three years", with some exceptions (ville is veel)
ll like "l"
ph like "f" in "fun"
tch like "ch" in "chew" (but kind of rare)
th like "t" in "tin"
tr "t" followed by a short gargle

CONSONANTS

b like "b" in "bed"
c like "k" in "kill" (before "a", "o", and "u"), like "s" in "sun" (before "e" and "i")
ç like "s" in "sun"
d like "d" in "death"
f like "f" in "fun"
g like "g" in "go" (before "a", "o", and "u"), like "g" in "sabotage" (before "e" and "i" and at the end of words)
h usually silent
j like "g" in "sabotage"
k like "k" in "kill"
l like "l" in "like"
m like "m" in "me"
n like "n" in "nurse" (but see Diphthongs above)
p like "p" in "push"
q(u) like "k" in "kill" (not like "qu" in "quick")
r gutteral; kind of like coughing up a hairball
s like "s" in "sun"; like "z" in "zero" (between two vowels)
t like "t" in "take"
v like "v" in "value"
x like "x" in "exit"
z like "z" in "zero"

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Search Engines are the gateway to the Internet; they are the first tool that potential customers use to find the products and services they need. This is why link popularity is so imperative. If the customers do not find your website, you have no possibilities of making any sales.

You're probably wondering what the blazes are popular about a link! Well, in a word - plenty! Link popularity refers to the ranking assigned to your website by the Search Engines, and it determines the ranking your page gets when keywords are entered into a Search Engine. So, you're probably wondering, how do I make my link popular?

Search Engines are discretionary, giving status and ranking to sites that have links to their pages from related, quality sites. It's a simple formula, but a very important one. Google created the system, and now virtually all the most popular Search Engines employ it to rank your web pages in their indexes.

The more commonly used your keyword is, the harder it will be to achieve link popularity, but without achieving this step, it is almost certain your site will never rank highly on any Search Engine. But don't be discouraged; there are tried and true ways of achieving link popularity using the most competitive keywords.

There are a few things you should be aware of. The first is that just linking up with a large number of other websites will not achieve link popularity. In fact, it may have quite the opposite effect. This is particularly true when pertaining to websites that are nothing more than "link farms" - pages containing line after line of indiscriminate links. Search Engines may aggressively discriminate against your website if you are associated with a link farm, so steer clear of them!

The next thing to bear in mind is the quality of the site you are linking to. Never link to a page you have reservations about your visitors seeing. The last thing you want your website to appear as is indiscriminate and cheap. Linking to sites of poor quality will only lessen your link popularity, if not completely destroy it.

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Chapter 6: Why You Should Consider Support Groups

Everyone hates them and not one wants to go to support groups. But, think about why that is. Is it too hard for you to do? Do you hate admitting that something could be wrong? Perhaps you are like one of the many that actually find themselves struggling with the need to surround yourself with others that face the same challenges that you do.

The bottom line is that support groups do help and that they commonly can help to increase your quality of life and help you to realize what you are up against.

Learning to cope with bipolar disorder is not easy but it is challenging. It is something that you can learn to do. In fact, one of the best ways to do this is to work with others that are facing the same situations that you are.

Support groups offer that type of care, something that your family and friends can not give you nor can your doctor. Being around others that are struggling with the same problems you are struggling with, gives you hope, understanding and even a sense of peace.

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Let's imagine a situation where we have two Internet marketers who know each other. One has a great product that will sell very well but he has no mailing list, no affiliates, nothing. The other is a great marketer with tens of thousands of subscribers in his mailing list, but the problem is he has nothing to sell to them. The very obvious solution here is to give the product to the great marketer with lots of contacts, and split the profits between them. This, my friend, is the very essence of Joint Ventures.

As more and more people start their own home based businesses online, the market is going to get more and more saturated and the competition will grow fiercer by the minute. The fastest, most effective and easiest way to build your own online business empire is through joint ventures. That is, join forces with other marketers to sell your product.

When you joint venture with another marketer, you can ask him (or her) to send an endorsement of your product to his existing mailing list, so you do not need to worry about collecting subscribers from scratch. You already have an easily accessible target market. The trick is to find the right marketer whose subscribers will be interested in your product. Once you achieve that, you won't even have to worry about generating traffic to your salesletter or finding affiliates to promote your product. All of that is already done for you.

When you joint venture with a solid player in the field, your perceived value and reputation will instantly increase because if this well-known person in the field is willing to work with you as a team, you must have some substance! Hence, when you manage to hook up a joint venture with someone who's a “regular player” in your niche market, your status will instantly change from “total newbie” to “guru status” overnight!

Last but definitely not least, you will get a chance to build a lasting relationship with a big figure in your niche market, and that alone will worth more than the profits you pull in over that single Joint Venture. When you have a dominant figure in the market as your friend, you will gain a lot of privileges and perks that no newbie like you could ever get their hands on – for example new insights into interesting product ideas and marketing strategies. You can't even buy that for hard cash! So, start looking up a potential Joint Venture partner and try your best to convince him or her to strike up a deal with you!

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Chapter 7 Bio-Diesel Power

An option many consumers are interested in is bio-diesel power. This is a type of alternative power that means you won’t be relying upon gasoline in order to power your vehicle. It may sound crazy but this process involves using vegetable oil to keep your vehicle running.

The problem though is that the use of bio-diesel isn’t standard in the United States. So getting you hands on what you need at times can prove to be difficult. Yet many consumers say they don’t have any problems with their vehicles using this type of alternative fuel. It keeps the insides of it well lubricated and the oil stays clean.

There are starting to be more places though where you can get bio-diesel fuel at the pumps though. This is exciting for those who manufacture such vehicles as well as those consumers interested in buying them. It is sold for a price that is significantly lower than standard fuel as well.

Other consumers with bio-diesel vehicles are content to place fresh vegetable oil into their vehicles. Some people have been known to also use the used vegetable oil from restaurants without experiencing any problems. This is a very creative way to stop being robbed blind at the gas station.

Of course that used vegetable oil can’t be dumped directly into your vehicle in such a condition. Instead it has to be processed to remove pieces of food, various debris, and glycerin found in such forms of used vegetable oil. Failure to remove them will prevent your vehicle from operating like it should.

The fact that the use of bio-diesel fuel also results in less emissions into the air is important as well. Not only will you save money on fuel but you will be doing your part to protect the environment as well. Many people are buying conversion kits so they can start using bio-diesel and stop buying gasoline. This type of conversion can only be completed accurately if you have a diesel vehicle.

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Ask questions first before you join an affiliate program. Do a little research about the choices of program that you intend to join into. Get some answers because they will be the deciding point of what you will be achieving later on.

Will it cost you anything to join? Most affiliate programs being offered today are absolutely free of charge. So why settle for those that charge you some dollars before joining.

When do they issue the commission checks? Every program is different. Some issue their checks once a month, every quarter, etc. Select the one that is suited to your payment time choice. Many affiliate programs are setting a minimum earned commission amount that an affiliate must meet or exceed in order for their checks to be issued.

What is the hit per sale ratio? This is the average number of hits to a banner or text link it takes to generate a sale based on all affiliate statistics. This factor is extremely important because this will tell you how much traffic you must generate before you can earn a commission from the sale.

How are referrals from an affiliate’s site tracked and for how long do they remain in the system? You need to be confident on the program enough to track those people you refer from your site. This is the only way that you can credit for a sale. The period of time that those people stay in the system is also important. This is because some visitors do not buy initially but may want to return later to make the purchase. Know if you will still get credit for the sale if it is done some months from a certain day.

What are the kinds of affiliate stats available? Your choice of affiliate program should be capable of offering detailed stats. They should be available online anytime you decide to check them out. Constantly checking your individual stats is important to know how many impressions, hits and sales are already generated from your site. Impressions are the number of times the banner or text link was viewed by a visitor of your site. A hit is the one clicking on the banner or text links.

Does the affiliate program also pay for the hits and impressions besides the commissions on sales? It is important that impressions and hits are also paid, as this will add to the earnings you get from the sales commission. This is especially important if the program you are in offers low sales to be able to hit ratio.

Who is the online retailer? Find out whom you are doing business with to know if it is really a solid company. Know the products they are selling and the average amount they are achieving. The more you know about the retailer offering you the affiliate program, the easier it will be for you to know if that program is really for you and your site.

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Whilst we're on this subject, please, please take note here, because if I see anyone trying to flog their product, thinking that an e-book entitled ' Doing business today, in the 60's' is going to shift more of their products, I really might have to start wondering about peoples motives. Things like this won't add $500 to your price tag, in fact let me tell you how serious this issue is. If you put a dodgy bonus together, or do this in the wrong way, you can devalue your product so much, that it becomes worthless, and you just won't sell any. Simple as that.

So here's a general rule for you. If you've really thought about it, dug about and tried to find something to add in as a good worthwhile bonus to try and tip customers over the edge and to have more of them buy your product, and you honestly can't find anything that fits the bill, go with nothing or create an original info product yourself. No bonuses are better than one that puts all your customers off. As obvious as that sounds, it seems to be occurring more and more often recently, which is strange, because of the sheer number of people that claim to know what they're talking about that are teaching people what to do with online business nowadays.

Using the example above I want to demonstrate something to you now that also seems to have become a strange epidemic that pretty much makes me and everyone else I know click right off the website and go somewhere else when looking for their products, and that's when people take too much time and put in a little too much effort into adding value to one of their products. Or so they think anyway. Have a look at this one, how many times have you seen this recently?

Example: Get your hard hitting, intensive training course, entitled 'Improve Your Fishing', consisting of two CD's packed with audio and video, showing you all the tricks, tips and tactics in use today by some of the most successful fisherman in the world!. Order now and get this proven course worth over $2500 for a measly $300. In fact, I'm so confident that it's going to help you, I'm going to knock the price down further. You can get all this expertise in one place for an amazing $49.95. Order your copy now!

See where I'm coming from? Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with giving special offers to people who buy there and then catering to impulse buyers, and bargain hunters, or just to show people they're getting a real good deal out of you, but from $2500 down to $49.95? That's going over the top, and unfortunately just makes your product look like a defect. How would you feel if you walked into a store and saw a top of the range 62" plasma screen knocked down from $12000 to $200? I can tell you, your first reaction would either be 'Yeah right, this a joke', or even more likely 'What’s the catch?' or 'What’s wrong with it?'.

Remember when we talked earlier about increasing customer confidence in your products, and the whole idea of a sales letter is to squish all these problems and questions people might have with a product, while at the same time creating a want, and sometimes even a need for it. Do you see how adding too much value too soon, or going really over the top can be detrimental? Where as you see it as giving the customers a bargain, they're seeing it as another question in their minds. Another hurdle that they need to cross, or a question they need to find the answer to before they buy your product. It's everywhere nowadays. Discounts aren't bad on their own, but in this type of circumstance, they are going to kill your sales. Most people don't even know why. If you didn't before, now you do. Don't make the same mistake.

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Have you ever thought of changing your room’s design? Do you think your porch needs a little makeover? Then it is time for you to make some improvements in your home and create a difference.

Home improvement can add sparkle to a dull wall color, a new shade to a dreary interior design, or vigor to a lifeless porch. It simply pertains to the method of refurbishing or repairing a home.

In most cases, an expert executes home improvements. However, with the cost of commodities nowadays, plus the real service fees of “professional handyman,” many people have opted to work on their home improvements through their own initiative.

No wonder why the so-called “do-it-yourself” jobs have been pretty popular. Through this process, homeowners can enjoy renovating their own homes like professionals. There are shops that provide seminars or workshops regarding their products and the way homeowners can operate them at home.

There are many types of home improvements. Each category can provide optimum modernization to one’s home. However, home improvement package prices may vary. It is best to identify the right measures to save more on home improvements.