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These games have become tools specifically put in place to attract new consumers to the video game industry. It's the perfect solution, since the online games never deteriorate and are affordably available to a large audience. The games are innovated, and not necessarily like any traditional video games that are reserved for computers, gaming systems, and even cellphones.

Today, shopping online is is the most popular service for finding the best video games online. Online services offer the most titles for the Wii, Playstation 3, and Xbox. Shortly after computers were introduced to the market, people started realizing the potential that games had with the new technology. The entertainment industry took a drastic turn, and the changes have been amazing.

It's now possible to compete against people around the world, simply by connecting to the internet. A recent AOL poll has shown that all age groups have taken an interest in these games, rather than just children. The evolution over the last thirty years has gained appeal for everybody, and the sales clearly reflect it. Online games are so unique because they connect thousands of users from around the world. Some individuals are so satisfied with the new technology, that they have developed unhealthy addictions to them.

An average person spends three hours a week playing games. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 34 devote closer to five hours a week to games. The online feature offers more than just a game. There's a communication aspect involved, which lets people develop relationships with other people, while never revealing their true self.

The improved graphics and quality, along with easy access and generally free play, make it a perfect past time. The online video games are popular because they run realistic scenarios that the gamers can control, but may never be able to actually participate in. This power and adventure is exhilarating. Involving other live players generally results in people playing longer than if they were alone. There is a new component involved, where the user doesn't want to leave the conversation that was taking place, or continue to develop a friendship.

Traditional games have never offered this, but the change is enjoyed by most of the gaming audience. It's clear that more young males use the online games than young females, regardless of their location.

However, anybody with a broadband connection, or a great DSL or cable connection, is able to participate. This form of entertainment is sure to have a bright future, with even more improvements and widening fan base.

Chris Jensen is a contributing author of Jetfly Blog. For more related articles and views visit Jetfly Computers and Tech Blog now. Also, for the best up-to-date related online products, check out Jetfly Internet Game Shop for todays current online deals.

Guitar Hero 3 xbox 360 is one of the best games I have ever played. The song selection surpasses the other two Guitar Heros. It has a song title for nearly every genre. It is neat how you can choose the level of experience. You can choose what difficulty level you want to play whether your a beginner (easy), medium, hard (hardcore) or an expert.

I also like it because you not only can play by yourself but you can face off in battle mode with a friend. "Through the Fire and Flames" by Dragonforce is one of the most challenging songs to play, your fingers will go crazy!! Like the other Guitar Hero games, Guitar Hero 3 xbox 360 also helps improve hand-eye coordination so you can perfect a motor skill while kicking it on a guitar.

In addition to the awesome battle mode it also has many other great new features. It has animated scenes on the Career Mode. It has new in game characters like: Slash (Guns N' Roses), Bret Michaels (Poison), and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine). Also, two players using the same console can participate in Co-op Career Mode, which is arranged similarly to the single player Career mode, with one player on lead guitar and the other on bass.

It is an awesome game to play. The song selection is really diverse and challenging. You can have a lot of fun rockin' out by yourself or with friends. I give Guitar Hero 3 xbox 360 a 10/10 rating for being able to rock your face off!!

http://www.squidoo.com/guitar_hero_three

If you really desire the most affordable quotes, you must shop around well. There are several ways to do that...

1

Make a few phone calls to your trusted acquaintances and ask them about their insurer. Find out the level of service they get and what they pay where you can ask them. You can ask to be referred to their agent if you're satisfied with what you hear.

Although it is wise to use an insurer or agent that has been highly recommended by a trusted acquaintance, it also pays to shortlist more than one great agent. This will ensure you compare better for the best service and quotes. Do your best to compare quotes from every agent your friends referred you to. Discuss with each of them, note their response, and who has the best price. This is very effective but at the same time quite time-consuming.

2

Use the Yellow Pages. This resource is viable for individuals who don't feel very comfortable with doing business on the internet and do not have enough agents' contacts from friends and acquaintances. There are a few challenges like the fact that it will take you more to ascertain the value they deliver beforehand.

3

All states have a department that oversees insurance there and always have useful information for anyone shopping for insurance in the state. They usually have resources that will make it easier for you to get the best value. The right information will definitely place you in a better position to get more savings.

4

Consumer guides are also useful resources for those shopping for insurance. They are a great for getting an idea of typical rates. You'll as well get great tips that will make it easier for you to get the best in health insurance. Remember that the quotes you see in these guides are not what you might get. They are only guides. Due to this, ensure you get quotes from as many insurers as makes sense. More quotes increase the chances that you'll get lower quotes and value.

5

If you already have existing policies, it is wise to tell your agent if you're happy with the value they give. Although you should do this I still suggest that you ask for quotes from other insurance agents. Not minding that it will be more demanding, you'll always guarantee better value by requesting for a lot of quotes.

6

For people who have direct access to insurers, you can ask them directly for quotes. Still, I suggest that you get quotes from a number of insurance companies. You increase the probability of getting a great rate and an excellent service by doing detailed comparison of quotes returned.

7

The most vital key to huge savings in health insurance is comparison shopping -- Given that you do it correctly. All you have to do online is visit some quotes sites and get and compare quotes. You can get quotes that will have a difference in excess of $1,000. You could quickly save so much by just going with the lowest quote. This should be the case if you're simply after the lowest price.

Nevertheless, if you want the best price/value then you'd have to check the details of the cheapest offers. Different insurers may have slight differences for similar policies. It's important that you ask the agent what's part of the deal and what's not.

Here are my favorite pages for health insurance quotes...

InsureMe Health Insurance Quotes

Health Insurance Quotes

Publishers can get unique versions of my articles by following any of the links above. Click on "To Use My Articles" when you get to my site.

Chimezirim Odimba writes on insurance.

There are many risks that people are accustomed to insuring against. These will include, health insurance, auto insurance and fire insurance. There are others that are less familiar, such as dental and flood insurance but there are many reasons why you should reassess the insurances you currently have in place and perhaps consider relocating them to cover the risks that you are most afraid of experiencing.

For example, did you know that losses due to floods are thirty times more likely to occur than fire losses? This is especially true if your home is located in a flood prone zone. While flood loss is generally less devastating than fire loss, if your home is located in a flood prone zone, the chance of even experiencing catastrophic damage is still 25% greater from flood than from fire.

Flood loss

Most basic home insurance policies do not automatically include flood loss as standard. Commercial property policies are the same, with flood loss only being covered if it is specifically mentioned in the policy. If the flood is extremely severe, it may be classified as a disaster site by the federal government. This will cause some protection to be made available in the form of loans. These loans, which come through the Federal Emergency Management Assistance program, are not like insurance however, as you are required to pay back the loan that they give you, as well as any other home loans you already have. They will also require you to carry flood insurance in the future. The other thing about the Federal Emergency Management Assistance program is that it only kicks in if your area and flood are declared a federal disaster site. This can be fairly rare when compared to the amount of floods that are experienced annually.

Flood insurance will be offered by various insurance companies but should be backed by the National Flood Insurance Program. This type of coverage, which is supported and regulated by the federal government, is the only type of flood insurance that will fully protect your home and contents from rising water flood insurance.

Shop Around

If you are considering taking out a policy of this kind, shop around for the best rate and find out what is covered and what is excluded. It may be that a specific companys exclusion is exactly the situation in which you require coverage and other companies may not have the same exclusion so you are wise to shop around. Also, all insurance companies vary in what they offer and what they charge. Do not accept the first offer or quote you receive and do not expect all companies to provide the same deals. You should always shop around when it comes to insurance and find yourself the best deal available.

Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the insurance site http://www.insure121.com/ where you will find information, news and links to the leading providers of home insurance in the UK.

Web hosting Is A Necessity

Whatever people say about the keen and increasing competition between web hosting services, one truth remains. And that is the fact that everybody requires a web host. You cannot exist online without a host even if that host is a free service. There is a huge difference between selling a luxury product and a product that is a necessity, no matter how stiff the competition is.
There are numerous marketing methods and stratagems that you can employ to ensure that your web hosting business secures clients, starting from your area of influence amongst business associates, friends and even relations. It is all made easy because everybody requires web host.

Web Hosting Generates Continuous Earnings

With most businesses, clients tend to pay once. This is precisely why real estate ownership has often been an irresistible business for many. Once you have developed your property you will continue earning rental income from doing virtually nothing for many years to come. The online real estate equivalent has to be web hosting. Once you have secured a client, they will continue to pay you monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or even annually for many years to come. Until the day they stop using you as their web hosting service.

Get Your Own Hosting Paid

Many folks go into the web hosting business to reduce their own operating costs. For instance, they can easily use some of hosting capacity that they have acquired for the business, as a reliable and stable host for their very own websites and blogs.

Andrew McNaught has a degree in Computer Science and is a specialist in the area of web hosting. To find out more about hosting visit: http://www.cheap-hosting-information.com

For basic HTML web sites, there is no apparent difference.

As you may have guessed, Windows and
Linux accounts are differentiated by the operating system platform that the server runs on.

Windows is a Windows 2000 (or the new Windows server 2003), which are both very much like the Microsoft Windows 98, XP, etc...Except, web server versions are more specialized for hosting web sites and server applications that standard PC operating
systems.

Linux is an alternative operating system platform originally developed from open source code and Unix (not from a software corporate giant, like Microsoft). It is not very popular in the Desktop PC market, but has become huge in
the server arena with versions like RedHat, Debian, CentOS and others.

Q: I have a Windows PC, does this mean I need Windows web hosting?
A: No - That does not matter.

So, which one is better for a basic website?

Performance-wise, it is hard to tell any difference at all. With Linux, you tend to get more "bang for the buck", since there are not the extensive licensing fees as are associated with a Microsoft product. You will notice that in web hosting plans, the Linux accounts typically cost a little less than the Windows hosting accounts.

For the beginning webmaster or hobbyist, Linux seems to be a good starting place due to it's affordability and versatility. You may find it interesting that about 2/3 of all web sites are hosted on Linux platform. About 1/4 are Windows driven.

For the advanced web developer, the opposing platforms represent different flavors of technology associated to each. For example, Microsoft developers can use "Access Database" and "ASP Script"- while
Linux developers can use "MOD_PERL" and "MYSQL Database" (with HostNed, PHP, CGI and Perl are supported on both platforms). All of this garble is simply different technologies for driving dynamic and very complex sites (like auction sites or shopping malls).

Whichever one you choose, it is not a big deal. Both Linux and Windows are excellent server platforms that can be a very fast and reliable vessel to serve up your website to the world!

Contributed by Dan Wright, Owner/GM of HostNed.com - Affordable web hosting for personal and small business websites.

How does an Illinois resident with a pre-existing health condition find a quality Illinois health insurance plan? Why does it seem like it is so difficult to find a pre-existing condition Illinois health insurance plan?

Pre-existing conditions are defined as illnesses in which the person has gone to a physician, clinic, or medical facility and has received medical care in the past. Insurance companies are using these questionnaires as well as an exclusion period in order to defend themselves from people with pre-existing conditions that are seeking medical insurance.

In the state of Illinois people that are applying for an individual health insurance plan can be turned down at the insurance company's discretion due to pre-existing conditions unless that person is eligible for an Illinois HIPAA health insurance plan.

In the state of Illinois they follow HIPAA laws very strict. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act created in 1996 and effective in 1997 provides protection for people that have medical pre-existing illnesses. The law protects people by limiting their exclusion period when purchasing health insurance, lowering the chances for a member with a pre-existing condition to lose coverage, providing protections when they change jobs and guaranteeing that your health insurance policy gets renewed at the end of your coverage year.

The law however, has not eliminated the ability of individual carriers of denying health insurance to pre-existing condition people or exclude medical conditions. The only guarantee issue provisions lie in State sponsored plans and insurance company funded plans. What HIPAA does provide is for guaranteed acceptance health insurance coverage for people that meet 6 HIPAA requirements. When someone meets these 6 requirements they are considered "HIPAA eligible" and can qualify for a guaranteed issue HIPAA health insurance plan. The 6 requirements for HIPAA eligibility can often be the only avenue of health insurance coverage available to some high risk individuals with major pre-existing health conditions.

Some of the most important insurance companies in the state of Illinois handle pre-existing conditions a little bit differently, because of this it is important to do some research and actually shop around for a policy before deciding to apply. Individual plans have more exclusion that group plans and that is why they are quite a bit less expensive, because they are more restrictive.

Aetna Health Insurance who is one of the "big dogs" in the health insurance business across the United States is a primary example of exclusion period. They offer a 365 day period starting from the day of enrollment, in which a person with a pre-existing condition is not covered. It is important to note however, that if the person that has a pre-existing condition has had prior creditable coverage within 63 days immediately before the signature of the application; then the exclusion period will be waived.

Another example of this can be seen with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, who is one of the 39 independent, community-based insurance companies that make up the national Blue Cross Blue Shield network. Since they are independent that means they might not have the same provisions as Blue Cross Blue Shield companies in other states. In Illinois, BCBS requires a member with a pre-existing condition to wait a 365 day exclusion period from the day that they sign the policy before receiving coverage for their illness.

Compared to individual coverage, group plans are a little better. They cannot turn you down due to a pre-existing condition, which makes group plans more expensive. Under HIPAA law an employer can only deny pre-existing condition coverage if the person is diagnosed, receives treatment or has care and treatment 6 months before the enrollment date. A good thing to note is that pregnancy cannot be accounted as a pre-existing condition by an employer insurer.

The total time a person can be excluded from a group health plan if they have a pre-existing condition is 12 months after enrollment (18 months if they enroll late), for this reason it is important for a person to sign up for health insurance as soon as they are offered it (if not you can be subject to 18 months instead of 12). Fortunately for some, the time can be less in case that they were covered by an insurance company for the 63 days before enrollment. Also, an insurer cannot deny coverage to a small employer (2-50) under HIPAA law.

Finding Illinois health insurance coverage when one has a pre-existing condition can be very tough. Not to mention that pre-existing conditions cover everything from cancer, HIV, Hepatitis C and even high cholesterol. It is key however, for a person that has a pre-existing condition to know all the exclusions and their rights that are provided under the HIPAA law. This is important because once you know your rights, you will be able to be more knowledgeable about the subject and avoid long exclusion periods.

You will only find good health insurance that covers pre-existing conditions if you shop around. Remember that not all insurance companies have the same approval criteria so it is important to shop around and speak with a licensed Illinois health insurance agent if you have pre-existing conditions and need assistance finding health insurance coverage. Be sure and do your research to learn more about Illinois HIPAA health insurance and about health insurance for pre-existing conditions.

OK, I quit!

Im tired of beating my head against the wall in a healthcare system that believes that its most valuable resource, the healthcare professional is indiscriminately disposable.

Lets face it; nurses have the hardest job in healthcare today. Hours are getting longer; job duties now include public relations, maid services, complaint resolution, cryptography and social work. Nurses are absolutely abused by the very hospitals that are in desperate need of nurses now and will soon discover the true meaning of the phrase nursing shortage.

The baby boomers are aging and the current generation of healthcare professionals is aging with them. Healthcare needs more geriatricians, those physicians who specialize in the care and treatment of patients over 55 years of age, but as our physicians age, we will need more not only to replace those retiring, but also to participate in disaster care.

Im a geriatrician as well as emergency medicine and disaster medicine and Im out!

Ive taught medical students and residents; given my specialties it will take 3 of them to fill my shoes. The problem is that most medical students are now gravitating towards the high pay, low stress, low time demand specialties. Surgical, Pediatric, Obstetrical, and Primary Care specialty residencies are closing for lack of applicants. In short, there is no one to fill my 3 sets of shoes.

Now I am not prone resigning from the field of battle. Ive earned multiple degrees and multiple certifications. Ive worked at the scene of many disasters at all levels of care. Ive served every deployment to the end regardless of personal or professional issues that may have arisen. But enough is enough.

I have recently seen healthcare take a turn that is not only unprofessional, but immoral and unethical. Money has always been a necessary evil in healthcare and I do not mind making a very comfortable living in medicine, but when outright extortion determines care, staffing and caregivers available, the stench of the system has become too great to stand.

I am not alone. I have spent the past several weeks with healthcare professionals from around the nation at a number of venues. The recurrent theme, they quit or are in the process of phasing out. Physicians are willing to spend well over $5000 per weekend for seminars on Alternatives to Clinical Practice but whine about spending less than $500 for continuing medical education. Programs in law, business and research aimed at nurses are full across the nation. None of these professionals are planning on returning to the healthcare industry after they graduate, they plan on non-healthcare careers.

Why are so many leaving? The same reasons I am, because our focus is no longer healthcare, its money. We are no longer partners with those who run the business side of healthcare; we are their opponent or their victim. Problems are no longer discussed; the business people mandate a specific solution and the healthcare professionals are expected to comply.

The latest odious trend is policies that state that an individual nurse may NOT determine that he or she is in a patient care situation that endangers their license and the life of those for whom they care. This is absolutely contrary to basic safety operations. On a railroad, on an airline, or in a mine, anyone from the baggage carrier to the captain of the jet can stop all operations for safety reasons. The Institutes of Medicine in 1999 pointed out the fact that medicine is the only safety sensitive industry in America where the ability to determine what is safe is restricted to those also charged with keeping the income flowing. This is an irreconcilable conflict of interest.

Healthcare professionals are also leaving because they are tired of being cannon fodder. With the coming pandemic those of us in healthcare know we will die in the line of duty just as our colleagues did in Toronto with SARS. We simply wont sacrifice our lives for a system that no longer values us, our positions, our education or our experience.

What impact will all this have on healthcare? If I am the only one who leaves, no one will care, but Im not alone and the pandemic is coming.

Will you let us leave?

If you do, who will fill our shoes?

Dr. Maurice A. Ramirez is co-founder of Disaster Life Support of North America, Inc., a national provider of Disaster Preparation, Planning, Response and Recovery education. Through his consulting firm High Alert, LLC., he serves on expert panels for pandemic preparedness and healthcare surge planning with Congressional and Cabinet Members. Board certified in multiple medical specialties, Dr. Ramirez is Founding Chairperson of the American Board of Disaster Medicine and a Senior Physician-Federal Medical Officer for the Department of Homeland Security. Cited in 24 textbooks with numerous published articles, he is co-creator of C5RITICAL and author of Mastery Against Adversity. Dr. Ramirez invites comments at: http://www.disaster-blog.com