Karma-Net Community

Japanese Cold Sake Glasses - Anyone?

2006-11-30T23:05:00.000-05:00

If you like Karma-Net, then you're sure to like The new Japanese online store. Wey've selected all of the most popular Japanese items - from sake sets, tea sets and chopsticks - to Geisha costumes, Japanese Pop music and Japanese Symbols shirts and artwork. Items are shipped fast with great service and discount prices - We're powered by Amazon.Com too, so ordering is secure, fast and reliable. Check us out at http://www.japanesegarden.net

Cross Training for Fitness and Fatloss

2006-08-16T14:40:00.000-04:00

Cross Training for Fitness and Fatloss: "Cross Training For Fitness And Fat Loss The numbers on your scale do not indicate whether you are fit or fat. Far more significant than your total body weight is the composition of your body tissue. If a man's fatty tissue is bigger than 14% up to 15% of his body mass, or if a woman's is more than 20% to 22%, he or she is overweight, or more precisely, overfat."

Get your WORD quickly!

2006-06-28T13:05:00.000-04:00

525Words.com: "Just 525 words - no more - no less. Own a word on 525Words.com and your word will be yours ALONE!
Don't spend your important advertising dollars on banner ads and other trendy overblown techniques that don't provide you with highly effective text links. 525Words.com gives you a direct hyperlink to your website. "

When you need Sticks and Rocks fast!

2006-06-14T15:59:00.000-04:00

From the SticksAndRocks.Com website...,

The SticksAndRocks.Com Facility

Our facility is located in a secret and very private location on an 8 acre hilltop. Do not attempt to visit the SticksAndRocks.Com facility as there are lots of sticks and rocks lying around. You are likely to trip and hurt yourself. Besides, our 24/7 security team has been instructed to maintain perimiter security at all costs. We employ night vision equipment, unmanned aerial drones, heat sensors, booby traps and other high-tech methods of maintaining control of our facility.

About Our Sticks and Rocks

All of our sticks and rocks are guaranteed to be real. When you buy from us, you can rest easy knowing that you have purchased a stick that came from a tree and/or a rock that came from the Earth. If you discover that your rock has originated from a planet other than Earth, or that a stick you have purchased has come from something other than a tree or a bush, just return it for an exchange or refund.

Types of Sticks and Rocks

Frankly, we don't have a clue as to what types of sticks and rocks we carry. The pictures will have to do the talking. We can tell you that for the most part, the rocks are hard - and the sticks will break if you bend them too far. Try to refrain from over-bending your sticks.

...this is just part of it! Go check out the rest of the site ;)
http://www.sticksandrocks.com

Zen Garden Design

2006-05-01T17:01:00.000-04:00

A traditional Zen Garden includes smaller-scale scenes of the natural environment - where the ocean meets the rocky shorelines - where the streams and rivers meet the mountain side - where simplicity follows the teachings of Zen.

Creating a Zen Garden requires great patience and the ability to work with nature, rather than against it. Mosses don't grow on rock overnight - trees take many years to train - and a Zen garden takes a great deal of dedication in order to maintain its Zen simplicity. Traditionally, Zen gardens were integrated with Buddhist temples. In this way, Monks would spend their time in a kind of working meditation tending to the garden. The results were, and still are breathtaking. A visit to a temple like Ginkakuji in Kyoto reveal the masterful craft of Zen Garden design and centuries of careful maintenance of both the temple and the grounds.

Asian Language Phrases Japanese MiniBook

2006-02-02T10:28:00.000-05:00

Learning to read Japanese may not be an easy task, but learning some snappy phrases is a piece of cake with this new
Asian Language Phrases Japanese MiniBook - I liked this mini-book quite a bit. I includes all the standard phrases you'd expect - for dealing with Japanese food, hotels, inns, money, etc., but it also includes some very interesting cultural facts and different things you may see when traveling through Japan. The site also mentions that there will soon be a companion downloadable e-book available from the site, so don't forget to bookmark it, http://www.japanesesymbol.com

Another must read is the new http://www.Karma-Net.Org - this site is a database of author-submitted articles on a wide variety of Holistic Health topics. Ayurveda, Feng Shui, Meditation, Zen - and many other categories. The site is fairly new, so there aren't thousands of articles available yet, but what is there is excellent and makes for fun, low-committment reading. One nice feature is that you can register free on the site to receive their daily digest of newly added artilces with links back to them. Take a look: http://www.karma-net.org/articles/index.php

Asian Language Phrases Japanese MiniBook

2006-01-28T20:06:00.000-05:00

Asian Language Phrases Japanese MiniBook - Wow, a Japanese phrasebook with all you need to brush up - and learn some very useful cultural info too. http://www.japanesesymbol.net

Technorati

2006-01-23T18:02:00.000-05:00

Technorati Profile

Yoga Month at Karma-Net

2006-01-15T22:10:00.000-05:00

January is unofficially Yoga month here at Karma-Net. We've added a collection of Yoga e-books, a bunch of interesting articles on the history of yoga, yoga apparel, yoga mats and many other topics. If you've been thinking of starting to practice Yoga this year, stop by and browse. We've also added a new holistic article database that's filling up quickly with articles on hundreds of holistic health topics, yoga included, http://www.karma-net.org/articles/index.php

Web Sites Make Good Use of Article Databases to Build Their Traffic

2006-01-11T15:17:00.000-05:00

Press Release by: BBI
Published on openPR 01-10-2006 08:28 am - CET

(openPR) - Great Barrington, MA - 1/9/2006 - There's a phrase commonly heard among webmasters seeking wider search engine exposure and that simple phrase is "content is king". With pay-per-click search engines, like Google and Overture, being an easy way to bring traffic to a web site, there are still many benefits of free (or organic) search engine traffic. Most importantly is that organic search engine traffic is free traffic. At a time when many online businesses spend hundreds of dollars each day on pay-per-click advertising, a steady stream of free daily search engine traffic is welcome.

Getting steady free search engine traffic is not easy, however, and can get downright tough when a web site is competing in a highly contested market. For this reason, web businesses are constantly searching for new techniques. Among the simplest and most legitimate techniques is adding quality content pages. If we used a camera site as an example, instead of just having one page listing all models and prices, create a separate page for each individual camera model, along with other pages that include product reviews, tips on taking great pictures, etc. Since these pages are much more targeted toward specific keywords, they are more likely to end up with many more indexed pages and consequently much more traffic.

"We advise our clients to regularly add visitor-centered content to their sites, in the form of articles and reviews in particular. This overlooked secret often improves organic search results tremendously," according to Stephen Rinaldi of BBIworld.Com, a Massachusetts-based web development company. "Many of our clients also do not enjoy writing their own content, so we often assist them in finding other methods of procuring quality articles and product reviews".

One of the more popular methods is simply reprinting content from other authors. Sites like Karma-Net's Holistic Article Database, http://www.karma-net.org/articles/index.php - make easy work of content collecting by offering an easily accessible collection of articles submitted by site members, all of which are available for reprinting online. Articles are searchable by category, as well as by popularity - and once found, adding an article to your web site is as easy as cutting and pasting onto a web page.

This trend is also great news for those writers that have their own products or services to promote, as most article databases require that sites reprinting the articles must also include links back to the author's web site and other contact information. This type of exchange is a win-win scenario for both web site owners and authors alike. Site owners receive much needed quality content and increased site traffic - authors have the opportunity to expand their readership and positioning as an expert in their field.

Contact Ms. Ura Kondo for more insights into this topic. Email: ukondo@bbiworld.com

Other helpful information regarding the this product or service can be found at:
http://www.karma-net.org/articles/

Holidays with Karma-Net

2005-12-07T18:38:00.000-05:00

* Your Holiday Thoughts...
* Top 3 Gift Picks for You or Someone Special

Hi Everyone,

Well, it's holiday time again and although I'm not a big fan of this hectic season..., I've got two young kids (and a family) who haven't yet warmed to my idea of moving ALL of our holiday celebrations to July!

So, I continue to tag along for the holiday ride...

It wasn't too long ago (about 8 years ago) that I was working in the retail industry. In fact, I probably spent a good ten years altogether in an extremely holiday-heavy retail business.

There is nothing like the holidays in retail to really sour you tothe whole concept. Long lines, impatient people, total commercialism and all-around chaos. Maybe it's changed a bit since my time, with the rise of online shopping, but I suspect it hasn't changed much, but I wouldn't know because I don't think I've been to a mall at holiday time since the turn ofthe millennium!

Some of you will understand, as you may have, or may be working in retail right now.
To those of you that are .., hats off toyou! Get plenty of rest and vitamin C - only a few more weeksto go!

I guess the main point of this e-mail is that it's so easy to get caught up in what commercial interests want you to do...

If you haven't yet done this..., stop sometime and think about all the things that cause you added stress in life. Don't just list the very general things..., dig deep and think about thatongoing day-to-day stress throughout the year.

Chances are that some of your stress comes from trying to fit the desires of commercialized interests into your life. This season's holidays are one example of that. It wasn't always the case that x-mas was celebrated this way. In fact it's a very young tradition that's been built-up into a shopping frenzy.

Of course, there are a lot of other examples of this type of commercialism. One of my favorite pet-peeves is the greeting card business. Need to say thank-you? Go buy a card that says "thanks" on it. Need to say happy birthday? Go buy a card that says "happy birthday" on it..., and just sign your name to it.

What in the world ever happened to writing our own thoughts on a piece of paper? We've all become trained to equate life eventswith a greeting card and store-bought gifts with little thought andeven less value for the recipient.

Well, I'm done complaining for now. If you agree, or disagree with me on any of this rambling, stop by our new Karma-Net Blog and share your thoughts here on this blog.

Now..., understanding that there may be a backlash from this ;) I'm going to make a few suggestions of gifts well-suited for our Karma-Net subscribers and the people on their lists.
Please don't write saying I'm being a hypocrite here..., because I too experience the stress of fitting into the holiday mold andtrying to find unique and useful gifts for the people on my list.

I have put together a short list of 3 gifts that are geared toward personal development and are sure to be used all year long - Or, if you're in the "one for you, one for me" mode, grab one ofthese for yourself.

1) Wild Divine

This is a great gift. It's an interactive, bio-feedback "game" that youplug into your computer and immerse yourself into an amazingmeditative virtual world! Really! The main version comes with thebio-feedback gizmo that links your hand to the computer and thefirst game program. The second game can be purchased on it's own. I noticed on the site this morning that there is free shipping available right now. There's a demo on the site for you to view too.Learn more at the site: http://www.myaffiliateprogram.com/u/wdivine/t.asp?id=3472

2) Transformational Book Club

This is a really wonderful program that I've been a member of forabout 6 months now. They send out a new personal development book each month that each come with a companion CD, introduction and guide for using the book. This makes a really great gift, as eacharrives in a recognizable box and is wrapped in a special paper.

Another nice touch is that all the books are identical in size, so it'seasy to keep them handy for reference. Membership is $19.95 - The books are excellent for your own personal development, but why not give a subscription to a special person too? http://www.transformationalbookcircle.com?af=51757

3) Centerpointe

Wow..., is about all you can say about these CDs! If you're not familiar with Centerpointe, check it out. They'll even send you a free demo CDif you request it on the site link below. You can try it at home and see for yourself how effective this program really is. Now, this is also not a cheap gift and there are something like 10 levels to the program, BUT...., it's really something. AND they always over-deliver with bonus CDs, books and other goodies that magically arrive in the mail. I've been part of this program for about a year or so myself and very impressed. You can give this as a gift with confidence! http://www.centerpointe.com/?aid=368084

So there you go! And if you do choose one or more of my 3 gift picks above, send me a quick email with your name, email and the product(s)you purchased and you'll get a special e-book package of 5 health and wellness e-books with compliments of the season!

To qualify for the bonuses, you MUST use the links above and make purchase before December 15th. We'll send out your download linksthe following week.

Have a great week and don't forget to post your comments..., We'd love to hear from you!

Stephen Rinaldi
spr@karma-net.com
http://www.karma-net.com

Holistic Medicine - Health and Healing

2005-11-18T15:13:00.000-05:00

Holistic medicine is a major focus of the Karma-Net website and the following concise article does the best job I've seen in explaining the tension between allopathic and holistic medicine - and why it's important for us to listen to our mind, body and spirit when it comes to keeping ourselves holistically balanced. The article is
Holistic Medicine - Health and Healing and it is highly recommended.

Deodorant Crystals!

2005-11-18T10:30:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to write a quick review on deodorant crystals for a long time now. If you're used to using those chemical-laden "glue" sticks, or "toxic" sprays to help control underarm odor, here's my recommendation to you...,

Get rid of them! Yes, you can stop using those things and replace them with something natural, safe and, importantly..., EFFECTIVE!

Say goodbye to that sticky goopy mess under your arms - say so-long to that caked-on waxy stuff and discoloration that ends up on your clothes. And stop taking chances, hoping that those aluminums and other chemicals are safe for you.

Here's the story:

About two years ago, I was getting fed up with the discoloration I was noticing on my white undershirts - and the hard waxy substance that seemed to be impregnated into my favorite black t-shirts. It was ruining my clothes. Like many men, I used either that clear chemical roll-on or stick. One day my wife came home from a local co-op market with a couple bottles of this roll-on from a company called TCCD in Florida.

While I figured it wouldn't work, I did give it a try. And gues what? It really works!

What's in it? Well, the label says "purified water, natural mineral salts, xanthan gum (a stabilizer - also used in cooking), phytophingosine (a antimicrobial and skin restorative) and chamomile extract". That's it. I Googled the two odd-sounding ingredients and added my findings in parentheses above.

Anyway, the roll-on just glides right on. It's not sticky and it dries quickly. It leaves you feeling clean and clean smelling all day long - and seems to have a cumulative effect too - if, for some reason you miss a day, you're likely still covered.

I had been using the roll-on for a while now - and recently also tried the crystal stick, which looks a lot like the typical stick - but it's actually a mineral salt crystal. You just moisten the top of the stick slightly and glide it under your arms. Again, no stickiness, no perfumes, nothing but clean-smelling protection. And it lasts for up to a year - and only costs about $6! So this one also gets my highest rating.

Here's their site: http://www.tccd.com/

All Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystals have the same benefits:
100% Pure & Natural
Fragrance Free
Hypoallergenic
Lasts Up to One Year
24 Hour Protection
No Harmful Aluminums
Non-Staining
Cruelty Free- No Animal Testing or Byproducts

All of their products are listed as free of harmful chemicals and propellants, making them environmentally friendly and ozone safe!

This is a real testimonial from a real customer..., ME! So, toss out those other chemical sticks and start using these excellent mineral crystal products. You'll be glad you did!

http://www.karma-net.com

Massage Therapy Schools

2005-11-07T14:06:00.000-05:00

Massage therapy is one of those professions that can really make people happy :) After all, most everyone loves to have a good massage! Well, professional massage therpists are probably not born, but rather "made" through good training from a quality massage therapy school.

If you're someone who is currently thinking about getting into the massage therapy field, you're likely trying to find, and then ultimately choose a training school. But where do you look? And, more importantly, how do you choose?

Fortunately, we have sites like Massage-Therapy-School-Info.Com to help. This is a cleanly designed site that sticks to the facts about massage therapy and what to look for in a good program. The site is not affiliated with any Massage Therapy school, so all you'll see is an unbiased professional, growing resource.

For example, how many types of massage specialization do you think there are? While I knew there were different types, I hadn't realized there were so many - and certainly neglected to consider that one would have to select the right school to match a chosen specialty. And even more critical, finding the right style to match one's personality and comfort-level.

So go check out Massage-Therapy-School-Info.Com today and get started toward your new career!

http://www.massage-therapy-school-info.com

Stephen Rinaldi
http://www.holistic-health-courses.com

SwitchISP.com: Amazing Internet Service Provider & BIG Lifetime Payplan For You!

2005-11-07T12:02:00.000-05:00

IMPORTANT UPDATE - IMPORTANT UPDATE - SwitchISP.Com

It's not often I have to un-recommend a product or service, but unfortunately that is what I have to do with SwitchISP.

In my opinion, this company started out as a great idea. They offered a great service at a good price and gave their customers the chance to earn good revenue by referring the service to others. They must have also outsourced to a great tech support company because their technical support for new sign-ups was excellent.

However - and this is a big "however" - last summer (July 2005) I noticed that they were not crediting all my referrals properly. I tried just about every method to contact someone at the company many DOZENS of times (no exaggeration) to at least get someone to look into it and get back to me with a fix. Well, now almost a year later, that still hasn't happened. But, "those were the good 'ol days" because starting somewhere around December or January, they decided not to pay commissions to their partners anymore. Then in March, the member forum suddenly disappeared.

Before it did though, there were some really clever excuses from their PR - let's see..., what were some of the good ones - oh yes, "terrorists had infiltrated their system and screwed everything up" or how about "we're just minutes away from releasing a super-duper steroid-powered ISP - wait 'till you see THIS! - It's going to take the world by storm!" Must have been at least 525,600 minutes..., because we all heard that one for at least the last ten months.

Anyhow, I should have seen all this coming back when I first signed on in June 2005 and saw a "coming this month" sign on the promotion materials page - you know what..., it still says that on that page!

Bottom line:

I now officially UNrecommend SwitchISP.com and place them in my "wasted potential, bordering on scam" folder along with George W. and Enron.

* SwitchISP does NOT pay commissions any longer
* They do not respond to members
* Their accounting@switchisp.com e-mail no longer functions
* The member forum was "conveniently" taken off-line in March 2006
* They do not communicate to members any updates on the current status of the company.
* They offered extremely limited marketing materials

So, in my opinion, you should stay clear of SwitchISP. The service still actually works, but based on the current state of their member area and all the rest, including the fact that they stopped paying commissions - it would probably be well-advised to get a back-up ISP in place asap.

================
ORIGINAL POST
================

Well, this may be slightly off-topic -- but I'm sure many of you will benefit from this so here goes.

If you live in an area that cannot get a DSL or Cable internet connection - and don't want to invest big bucks in a satellite internet system (which is what we had to do for our business), then it looks like you'll be stuck with dial-up for a while!

And if you've been dealing with dial-up, I'm sure you know that there are many drawbacks. Dial up ISP's are generally non-responsive, full of ads, spyware, adware and cost you a bundle for generally weak performance.

Thankfully there's a great option now. It's called Switch ISP. Not only is their service cheap at $14.90 a month, it's also very fast. They dramatically increase surfing speeds by incorporating acceleration programs that optimize images and html code so that it doesn't slow you down. What happens is that you're basically just loading text and super-optimized images. The end result is DSL like speed over a dial-up connection.

I've seen this first hand as we use the service for one of our computers that is currently located too far away from our satellite modem. What's funny is that, in many cases, the computer connected to Switch ISP dial-up performs faster than our high-speed satellite! This probably has much to do with the way a satellite modem downloads web information in packets, rather than in a linear fashion as with dial up and DSL - but nonetheless, Switch ISP really does speed up surfing speed!

There are many other perks to the service too. The support is second to none. For those who live in the USA, you'll be happy to know that support is actually located in the USA!! - not somewhere in India. Nothing against call-center employees in India, of course, but for most Americans, there's something strange about calling your bank, insurance company or internet provider and dealing with someone 8,000 miles outside of the U.S.

I forgot to mention one very important thing about Switch ISP. You also have a built-in distributorship that comes with your $14.90 plan! At first glance, this doesn't sound like such a big deal..., but think about it for a second - how often does the subject of conecting to the internet come up? I hear people talking about it all the time. Now, instead of referring them to MSN or AOL (both of which I've used and have been disapponted with), I refer them to a truly great service at a great rate and earn $6 per month for each for the life of that customer. Do you think AOL will do that for you? No way! Not only that, but you'll also earn a $3 per month residual on the people your referrals refer too.

Basically, your ISP is free after you've referred just 3 people. So not only do you get the best dial-up service available today, you can very easily get it free -and- if you're a bit more motivated, you could potentially retire in a couple of years from your Switch ISP income if you really spread the word.

I've left out many other perks and features of Switch ISP, but you can find more on this page, which has a run down of the two plans and features of each.

Japanese Symbols Characters - Japanese Kanji Tattoos - Karma-Net Cultural Series

2005-11-04T21:20:00.000-05:00

It's no secret I've got a real fondness for Japanese symbols - Traditional Kanji, that is. We have traditional Japanese calligraphy all around the house and office. Items we get whenever in Japan, a piece or two from our stock we sell online - or things that my wife's parents send to us from Japan. Fortunately, my wife is Japanese, so the task of figuring out what these things say is a bit easier.

But, as I discovered, not even native speakers can decipher some of the real traditional calligraphy commonly seen in Buddhist temples, or in the beautifully fluid writing of the old texts. In any case, Karma-Net does have an excellent Japanese translation service, so visit the site if you need a custom translation of your name, a favorite saying, your business, etc.

My Name in Japanese - Karma-Net Cultural Series 1

2005-10-29T15:45:00.000-04:00

My Name in Japanese - Kanji Tattoos - Karma-Net Cultural Series 1

Japanese writing is exotic and in many cases, very beautiful too. Having your name written in Japanese script, otherwise known as Hiragana or Kanji, is very popular today. Fortunately, there's a great site that offers this popular service - and has been since 1999! So, the next time you're thinking "what's my name in Japanese?", surf on over to Karma-Net for more information.

Metaphysics College - International College of Metaphysical Theology

2005-10-28T11:07:00.000-04:00

Metaphysics College - International College of Metaphysical Theology

A course of study in metaphysics is a fascinating exploration of our view of reality. Most traditional colleges focus on the study of classical metaphysics, reading from such authors as Dennett, Gould, Leslie, Nagel, for example. In my studies in metaphysics at Harvard University, the approach was more on the scientific side of metaphysics - in other words, greater emphasis on the "physics" and less stress on the "meta". This focus is much like that of some physicists today with the verbal expanation of more exotic theories.

There is also another approach to metaphysics today, which focuses more on the role of universal energy - and the interconnectedness of all things in a more "spiritual" way. Not spiritual in the way of most organized religions of today - but rather, more in the Buddhist and Hindu tradition of Universal Consciousness.

There are colleges out there that do focus on the latter approach that have great programs. Two in particular are the University of Metaphysics / University of Sedona - http://www.metaphysics.com - and the International College of Metaphysical Theology - http://www.metaphysicscollege.com

Both schools offer legitimate, authorized degree programs. For example, the ICMT program has been approved by Washington State Board of Ed.

If your passion is in this area of metaphysical study, research and work, then take a look at these programs, do a little research and get started.

Holistic Education Online

2005-10-25T15:05:00.000-04:00

Gone are the days when earning an accredited college degree meant packing off to a university campus somewhere, or if you were already a working professional, dragging yourself out to night classes after a long day of work!

The added commute, the extra time and added costs of studying on campus have always been a hurdle for adults seeking to expand their education and credentials.

Nowadays, it's hard NOT to find a college or university that doesn't at least offer a handful of distance degrees and probably many more credit courses online. From Ivy League to Community Colleges, there's much to choose from.

Online Graduate Programs

For those who have already earned an undergraduate degree, a online masters degree program could be for you. As with online bachelors degrees, online masters and even Ph.D. programs are now very common.

There are many benefits to earning your bachelors, masters, or Ph.D. entirely, or at least partly online. First, you could likely earn your diploma faster than you would by attending entirely on campus. Due to the overall ease of taking courses online, you may be able to carry a larger course load than you would if you had to attend live classes.

Non-Accredited Degree Programs

Non-Regionally-Accredited college degree programs have gotten a bad rap over the years. However, there are actually many good schools that choose not to pursue regional accreditation due to the costs, or other factors - or may be in the long process of obtaining regional accreditation.

If your job, or career path does not require a regionally accredited degree and you find a program that interests you, then by all means, do some research and find out if that school may be a good fit for you. Many fields also have specialized accrediting bodies, separate from regional accreditation. This should also be taken into consideration when choosing a school. Remember, just because a school is not regionally accredited, does not mean that the degrees it confers are not legal. In the USA, each state has its own regulations for degree-granting institutions. Schools that follow these regulations within their state can legally confer degrees. It is your employer, or professional licensing board that determines whether they will accept your credentials - or in the case of transferring course credit to another institution, the school will determine whether or not they will accept your transfer credit.

Visit www.online-college-university-degree.com for more information.

Other sites that provide great information on this topic include:

http://www.aceti.org/online_college_degree.htm

http://www.holistic-health-courses.com/

http://www.natural-health-courses.com/

For those specifically intersted in holistic health degrees, there are many specialized colleges out there. Be aware, though, that you are less likely to find regionally accredited colleges with degrees in your preferred area of study. However, this is not as much of an issue for those in the holistic health field, as there are other respected accrediting bodies and professional organizations - as well as state boards of education - that certify and / or authorize the conferral of degrees or professional licensure.

Do your research and check out all of your options - but most of all, enjoy the process of learning and discovery!