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Businesses have started to move along with the changing times by switching over to business VoIP solutions for their communication needs. There are a cluster of business VoIP providers claiming to offer best business VoIP solution. VoIP for business is a great opportunity for corporates to save more, increase their overall productivity with it finally leading to substantial increase in profitability.

The main need of business houses to upgrade their communication structure to VoIP services arises from the requirement to make cheaper calls. Calls through traditional modes of communication though providing good quality services are not affordable for most businesses, especially small businesses. Long distance and international calls cost corporates a lot, more so because they have gone global and regularly need to make such calls.

A solution was offered by voice over IP termination through which one can save up to almost 50% on calls as compared to PSTN.

business VoIP service can be utilised by any organisation -- big or small in order to enhance they way they operate. business VoIP because of its flexibility can be easily incorporated in the existing communication structure of any business.

finding the Best business VoIP Solution Provider

Following parameters should be ideally used to select the best business VoIP provider:

1. QoS - Since corporates need a consistent telephony service, reliable and uninterrupted service should be provided by the business VoIP service providers. For this purpose, it is better to opt for a provider with multiple points of presence, switches and interconnections with the Tier-1 operators to ensure that you get minimum latency and crystal clear voice quality.

2. Rates - It is essential that extensive research is carried out before finalizing any provider for due to rising competition there is a great difference in the call tariff that they charge. It is better to find the one with lowest call tariff than to be stuck with a high call tariff plan.

3. Ease of integration - All the corporates already have an existing telephone network through which they carry out their daily networking requirements. VoIP service provider should be able to easily integrate the existing service with VoIP so that the operations of the corporates are not affected by it.

4. Features - One of the best things about voice over IP termination service is the wide spectrum of features it has bring along with it. Features like call forwarding, 3 way calling and call waiting are what providers can offer you, which will ultimately increase your productivity. Emergency conferences can be easily arranged by VoIP video conferencing feature. Select the provider who offers you the services that you find beneficial for your organisation.

Select the best services provided by one of the leading VoIP Provider

posted by 45193  # 11:15 PM 0 comments

Downtown Orlando offers a welcome reprieve from the purpose-built areas to the south-west of the city that have been created solely to accommodate tourists. In fact, many of the historic downtown neighborhoods are beautiful, offer a great variety of architecture, and give you a feeling of community where regular people actually live and work.

Right around the downtown core are a number of beautiful neighbourhoods that lend themselves nicely to exploration on foot. Some of the streets are cobble-stoned, making them the perfect destination for a neighborhood walk.

after visiting Loch Haven Park, on this grey and drizzly day, we decided to drive south, park our vehicle and explore some of the central neighbourhoods on foot. We parked in lake Cherokee Park, walked all the way around the lake and delighted in admiring the upscale architecture and the wildlife on the lake.

Bird lovers are able to see a great variety of water birds right in the middle of town and we observed one waterbird, as it sat quietly and then catapulted its head forward to catch its winged prey, all within a split second...

On this misty day the atmosphere was even a bit mysterious, with Spanish moss hanging down from ancient oak trees. You could almost see mist drifting off the lake. One of the interesting features of Orlando are its lakes, more than 300 of them, that can be found throughout the entire city, and many of them are equipped with facilities and public parks.

We carried on from lake Cherokee to lake Lucerne, which is immediately south of Orlando's downtown core. Several fountains adorn the middle of the lake and you get a perfect view of downtown Orlando's architecture.

Orlando has a surprising number of public parks with special facilities that provide recreational opportunities for local residents as well as tourists. With the help of the City of Orlando's website I have compiled a list of some of the special outdoor public spaces that Orlando has to offer. These places include a very reasonably priced golf course, Loch Haven Park - Orlando's center of culture and science, the Dickson Azalea Park, a variety of wetland areas, an ecology center, camping and more. In one word, public spaces that offer free or inexpensive recreational and educational opportunities:

lake Cherokee is bordered by a 3.8 acre scenic park and surrounded by the lake Cherokee Historic district, a residential neighborhood with architecture representing virtually every significant period of Orlandos history.

lake Eola Park is a popular destination in the downtown area, with many people taking advantage of the beautiful surroundings to walk at lunch or in the evenings. The sidewalk that circles the lake is .9 miles in length, making it easy for visitors to keep track of their walking or running distances. Other activities available to park visitors include renting ($10 for hour) swan-shaped paddle boats, feeding the live swans and other birds inhabiting the park, being paddled around the lake on a romantic gondola cruise (www.gondola.com), seeing a concert or a play in the walt Disney Amphitheater, watching the children play in the playground, grabbing a bite to eat at The Terrace on lake Eola or relaxing amid beautiful flower beds and a spectacular view of Orlandos skyline.

Orlando Loch Haven Park covers 45 acres and serves as the regions premier cultural park. Nestled between three lakes, Lake Estelle on the north, Lake Rowena on the east, and Lake Formosa on the south, the park is located on North Mills Avenue and Princeton street. The park was renovated in February 2001. With the many museums or theatre groups located in the park, there is always something new to see or do. The lawn areas in the center portion of the park are wonderful places to sit and enjoy the lake views shaded by majestic oak trees. One of Central Floridas oldest and largest oak trees, "The Mayor", grows in the park near Orlandos Mennello Museum of American Folk Art.

Located just minutes from downtown Orlando, Dubsdread Golf Course features the oldest public layout in the area, originally designed in 1923. This classic course has plenty of history attached to it as the former site of the Orlando Open, when it hosted such golf legends as Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, and Claude Harmon. Today, golfers are treated to the same beautiful scenery and challenges of the original course, including narrow fairways and heavily bunkered greens. A full restaurant and bar complete the ultimate golfing experience. Dubsdread is also the home of the Dubsdread Golf Learning Center, a full service teaching facility. visit "www.historicaldubsdread.com" for more information.

The Mayor Carl T. Langford Neighborhood Center provides a natural oasis in downtown Orlando. The center is located in a shady oasis of mature oaks, wide sidewalks, green lawns, birds, butterflies and plenty of room for the kids to play. Young children will love the swinging bridge over the creek and the playground . There are a great deal of educational and fun nature programs offered in this beautiful neighorbood center.It offers a yearly summer nature and art camp, as well as family and corporate picnics at a reasonable rate. The Mayor Carl T. Langford Park is a beautiful place to have a quaint wedding ceremony at an affordable rate. The Central florida Folk, Inc. performs the second Sunday of each month through fall and spring.

The Wetlands Park is a great place to come out, relax and enjoy nature. The most popular activities are bird-watching, nature photography, jogging and bicycling. Nature enthusiasts will be greeted by 1,650 acres of hardwood hammocks, marshes and lakes. There are over 20 miles of roads and woodland trails crisscrossing the Park.

experience a walk through time as you meander along Fern Creek in historic Dickson Azalea Park located across the street from the City of Orlandos Mayor Carl T. Langford Park. The Washington street Bridge was constructed in 1926 and is reflective of many bridges found in South florida. The lush landscaping, singing birds and flowing water are a treat to many visitors. This park is an oasis for those needing a quiet place to eat lunch or to reflect when this area was a watering hole years ago for cattle ranchers to quench the thirst of their cattle in Ferncreek. The dragonflies, shady trees and quietness of Dickson Azalea Park are a must see for people of all ages to experience.

Enjoy a day of family fun and play in the City of Orlando's beautiful 300-acre Bill Frederick Park at Turkey lake. Open year-round, seven days a week this park has something for everyone. A swimming pool is open for those hot summer days, large pavilions for huge group picnics are available for rent and small sun shelters for family gatherings are available on a first come first serve basis. The well stocked lake for fishing is tempting to all anglers from novice to experienced. A children's farm is on-site as a remnant of the farm era of the property. The Ecology Center has an air conditioned meeting room. The camping area is a reasonably priced destination for people from all over the U.S. and the world who visit Orlando and area attractions. Another area has bunk houses and grills for those nature based group retreats or chaperoned youth groups. Park visitors are offered a wide variety of nature-oriented activities including: hiking, baseball / softball, volleyball, biking, and large playground for the kids. Feel free to take advantage of our Youth Group rates, Family Pass and Individual Pass.

As you can see, in addition to theme parks, Orlando offers a surprising variety of inexpensive family fun and recreational opportunities off the beaten path that offer interesting things to explore for the whole family.

For more information about Orlando please contact the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau.

This entire article including photos is located at http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/orlando_parks_neighbhourhoods.htm

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of http://www.travelandtransitions.com, a web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand new http://www.travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html FREE ebooks about travel.

posted by 45193  # 11:53 AM 0 comments

In the Journal of Neuroscience, November, 2004, researchers at Northwestern University, concluded that sufferers of chronic back pain had brains that aged 20 times that of normal healthy folks.

They went further and reported that the brains of those with chronic back pain had as much as 11% brain shrinkage. It is gray matter that is lost, which is responsible for information processing (I.Q), and memory.

The leading researcher, A. Vania Apkanian, said the average healthy person loses 0.5% of gray matter annually, but having sciatica, chronic back pain, produces 10 to 20 years of normal aging. The longer one suffers from chronic back pain (years), larger the brain loss. Yes, really.

The reason for brain shrinkage appears to be the almost permanent state of a negative mood and attitude, and the stress associated with it. Apkanian believes brain shrinkage (loss of gray matter), is a result of nerve cells in a constant state of activity they are overworked to the extreme.

He concludes, that the longer the back pain persists, the greater its irreversibility because the brain structures and functions change permanently.

What is New?

In 2006, Dr. sean Mackey, Stanford University, reported a different approach in the Proceedings of the national Academy of Sciences.

Dealing with chronic back pain, his research indicates that patients looking at their own live brain scans can learn to control pain activation.

There are two brain systems involved in pain - pain perception and pain modulation. Wait there is no single pain center, but 5-10 areas that transmit pain feedback.

Here is the killer conclusion of Dr. Mackey, top-gun at Stanford Medical school:

Pain modulation (change, alteration), is triggered by BELIEF. A placebo (sugar pill or an injection of plain water), can shut down the pain, while a nocibo (belief in harm), will augment the pain, when your brain is convinced you are being hurt.

How Come?

The brain releases its endogenous (originating from within), endorphins (pleasure hormones), an opiate-like substance.

The reason a placebo works is the brain releases a chemical that attaches to our Mu Opioid Receptors. Get this fake opiates cause the brain to produce its own real ones in response. It is the bandwagon effect.

Does Believing in Change Cause Change in Reality?

The answer is yes, with practice, as the mind unites with the body.

It appears to be a brain thing called the power of suggestion. The same one used in hypnosis and auto-suggestion, where you convince yourself.

A physician telling a group of patients in an experiment, that the pain they were feeling would positively be relieved by their (placebo) medication, resulted in 99% effectiveness. We believe in the authority and his/her expertise. It sounds weird, but our belief changes our state-of-mind, which in turn alters our body receptors.

Hold it! Thinking about pain produces physical changes in our - pain, no-pain - perception. It is visible on the fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imagery), and is not a schizophrenic episode.

They have zeroed in on the area that produces human awareness of our mind-numbing pain it is called - rostral Anterior Cingulate Cotex (rACC). We can see it in action, in living color, on the fMRI, and see it modulated by our Prefrontal Cortex, the brain area that makes decisions.

The scientists do not claim they know why cognitive effort can reduce the activation of the rACC, it just does. Thinking too deeply about the why, delivers us to the realm of Huh? We are rational creatures motivated by emotion, let us not go any further.

Soft Wired

You have heard that our genes make us hard-wired, we come to life preprogrammed to a substantial degree.

Another reality is that our brain is Soft-Wired, (plastic), so that we can learn. When we learn it is followed by structural and functional changes in our brain. Practice, according to the experts, can reduce pain an average of 64%, no mean trick.

One more once what you believe and expect, creates your reality. It does not alter the world, only your world. Another thing we do not know a whit about the source of consciousness. It is not neurons firing, but depends on our neurons that are wired together, to fire together.

Endwords

It is intuitive that having a positive attitude is better than holding a belief that you will fail. We are at the next threshold of reason what you actively believe, mentally visualize and expect come to pass in your brain, and perhaps in your motivations and behaviors.

Professor William James, 1890, at Harvard, created the Law of As-If. Whatever your mind consistently thinks and feels drives your brain to discover and bring to pass. If you Act, Think, Feel and Believe AS-IF you have already obtain the goal you are chasing it is a direction to both hemispheres of your brain to attract it.

The latest research states that folks with chronic back pain have annual brain shrinkage of an extra 1.3%. That is far too much. We have over 100 billion brain cells, so it is not an immediate ticket to Alzheimers, but it does you no good.

Here is the core of it meditation, hypnosis, distractions, mental visualizations, and placebos all offer a method to train the brain to obey our prefrontal cortex our active consciousness. It works for me personally, to reduce pain, and enhance healing.

It is your assignment to check it out. The Indian charkas are real, seven subtle areas of energy that can be manipulated by acupressure and acupuncture to help you heal faster, and reduce pain. My personal favorite is daily chanting Uh-(as in Accountant, OO (as in Book), and Mng as in Mee-ing (Uh-OO-Mng) for 20 minutes twice a day. google Mudras (hand gestures), too

Now I know that you are far too busy to find a total of forty minutes daily to maintain your health, reduce if not eliminate pain, and actively live to age 90.

Deal-Or-No-Deal?

See ya,

copyright
H. Bernard Wechsler
www.speedlearning.org
hbw@speedlearning.org

Author of Speed Reading For Professionals, published by Barron's Educational, original partner of Evelyn Wood, creator of speed reading, graduating 2 million, including the White House staff of four U.S. Presidents.

posted by 45193  # 7:35 AM 0 comments

nintendo has announced a new fitness game Wii Fit which is a full on exercise product set to give you more of a workout than Wii sports, while still retaining all the fun of gaming. Wii Fit will help to keep you physically fit via a dedicated peripheral, a wireless balance board which comes with the game. There are over 40 different activities, including hula hooping, ski jumping and heading soccer balls.

The hula hooping consists of, as youd expect, gyrating your hips with a virtual hoop onscreen and then as the game progresses, characters will throw more hoops for you to catch and rotate as many times as you can until the time runs out.

The skiing game gives you two chances to make the longest jump you can whilst keeping your balance when landing. Players can increase speed by leaning forward, the more you lean the faster youll go, and upon reaching the jump, you stand up straight ensuring your weight is evenly balanced for a good landing.

For the football game, you will need to balance on the board moving from side to side whilst balls are fired at you to hit back on to the field and avoiding other objects that are thrown at you at the same time.

Training falls into 4 categories: Aerobics, muscle conditioning, yoga and balance games. Players can assign their height to a profile to measure body mass index and Wii fitness age as well as monitor progress and record performance statistics.

The calorie busting fun could appeal to couch potato kids as well a non gamers, perhaps using the nintendo Wii as a slimming tool which would be a move into the lifestyle category rather than gaming, covering the market from another angle.

nintendo hasn't given a release date yet for Wii Fit, although its thought to hit the highstreet in early 2008.

Karen Bennett

posted by 45193  # 2:58 AM 0 comments