baby boy names

Preview of Everardt's blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: www.travelpod.com This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisorâ„¢ TripWow slideshow creator. Entry from: Trier, Germany Entry Title: "Zig-zagging through Switzerland, France & Germany" Entry: "So, we start this episode with me rolling down from the Forcola pass on the border of Italy and Switzerland after a very good meal and two-thirds of a bottle of excellent red wine - fortunately there were no booze buses on the way down the numerous hairpin bends into Switzerland. Then it was over the Bernina pass to St Moritz. The place names and business names are mainly Italian until there. This is also an area where Romansh is spoken, another language that developed from the vulgar latin of the late Roman empire, which is somewhat related to the Ladin of the Dolomite valleys in northern Italy. From St Moritz I proceed past Chur to Vaduz in Lichtenstein, another of those tiny countries that somehow or other kept their independence when Europe was being carved up in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I have now made a complete sweep of them - San Marino, Monaco, Andorra, Luxembourg and Lichtenstein (and Gibraltar). There are some nice old buildings in Lichtenstein, but otherwise, like the other tiny countries, it makes it's living by being a tax haven, I think (it has a population of only 35000 but around 75000 companies have their "offices" there) - one surprising thing is they even make wine there. The <b>...</b>

Most people don't realize it, but one of your first and most important business decisions can be picking your business name. A great name is one that attracts customers and can really give your business legs in terms of starting a buzz. Do you think Google would have created the fanatical sensation it has with a name like Search Engine USA? If you are not the creative type, then bring in others to help you to name your baby. Work with a team of advisors, family or even just some business savvy friends, but don't delegate this task completely to someone else, and especially not to a stranger or some internet naming company. A naming company is not going to understand your business or know you. If it is your business it should be a name that you like and that links back to your unique value proposition and the personality of your company. People will ask you, where did you come up with your name. This can be a golden opportunity for you to say something really brilliant and memorable, come up with a name that allows you to take this opportunity. If you are conservative, don't be persuaded into something wild, that makes you uncomfortable and if you are zany, then don't go conservative just because everyone else in your industry does. Picking a name should happen over a period of time, not in a day or an hour. Forcing creativity seldom works, so give yourself and your team time to percolate on it. Hold a series of brainstorming sessions until you are comfortable and excited about saying, seeing, hearing and owning a particular business name. During these brain storming sessions you should work through these eight rules for choosing a business name:

1) Be distinctive and be memorable, but be easy to spell and pronounce.

Your potential clients should be able to easily remember your business name. However, they also need to be able to find it easily if they're looking for it in a phone book, directory or online. So choosing a business name such as "Phorgetmeekknot" is not a good idea. While we usually encourage the unique, we also suggest that you be unique without the difficult spellings. Your business name should also be easily pronounced, which is why, for instance, we discourage our clients with predominately American clientele from using French words or names.

The test: If someone were to say your business name over the radio, would people be able to remember it, spell it correctly and easily translate it into a properly spelled dotcom address for surfing at another time during the day? A good name is something that can be mentioned on the radio or over the phone, without a lot of explanation. A great name does this and is memorable.

2) An attractive business name needs a visual element.

What popped into your head when you read "Phorgetmeekknot?" Most people wouldn't visualize anything when they read this name. Generally we are hard-wired to "See" images when we read or hear language. Incorporating a visual element into your business name can be a powerful aid to customers' memory and a powerful advertising tool. So you want your business name to have a strong visual element to it.

3) An attractive business name should have a positive connotation.

Many words suggest both literal meanings and emotional meanings. A word's literal meaning can be positive, neutral or negative depending on the emotional associations that people generally make. The classic example is the difference between "Mom," which has a very positive literal meaning and "Mother," which has a neutral connotation. It would not be advisable to name your company Mother's Toffee when Mom's Toffee has a more positive underlying suggestion.

When you create your business name, you need to choose words that suggest positive meanings that people will associate with your business while making sure that these meanings are suitable for your business. So, don't name your business Dad's Cookies if you're going to be selling Tofu.

4) An attractive business name should allude to what your business does.

You need to be sure that your new business name gives your potential clients some clues about what you actually do. That's why almost all banks have the word "Bank" in their name, and bars include words such as "Pub," "Saloon" or even "Bar" in their names.

Including information about what your business does in your business name also makes it easier for potential clients to find your business in phone books and directories on and offline.

Including a descriptive component in your name can help customers understand the nature of your business. However, you should avoid including descriptive elements that could quickly become out of date or inaccurate. We encourage our technology clients to not use technical abbreviations or words in their business names as those terms can quickly become archaic.

5) An attractive business name should be short, but not too short.

This is vital because you want your clients to be able to remember your business's name so they can tell other people what it is. It's also important for promotional purposes. You want a business name that will fit on a business card and stationary, look good displayed on a sign or in an ad and work well as a domain name for search engines if you choose to use search engine optimization. So, keep it as short as you can. That being said, avoid abbreviations or initials as a startup. Your name is part of your branding so it needs to convey meaning. Standalone letters do not convey meaning. This is a case where it is not wise to emulate the big boys. Names like IBM and DHL while now household names, are not good names for a startup, because they carry no meaning. You can shorten to initials after you have developed your image, but it will be easier to develop your brand image if you start with a name that has meaning built into it.

6) An attractive name should distinguish you from your competitors.

If your top competitor is Jewelry Works, you should not choose the business name, Jewelry Worx or Working Jewelry. You need to choose a name that will distinguish you from your competitors. There is a lot to be said for being the black sheep in business and targeting a market based on your unique value. Better to be bold and stand out then be timid and blend in.

7) An attractive business name in today's world has a dotcom option.

As the Internet reaches a critical mass, owning a good dotcom domain name has a tremendous value. If you believe the Internet will play an important role in the future of your business, you'll want to factor the availability of dotcom names into your name choice.

It's easy to find out what domain names are available, and which ones are taken. Use free online resources that determine the availability of a particular name. While .net, and .us are other options for the most part they are not seen as having the same status as a dotcom, so keep that in mind depending on your target market and their status sensitivity.

8) A lasting business name should not violate IP rights.

You must be sure to choose a name that does not violate the intellectual property rights of another business or organization with the name you choose, which could put your ability to use the name in jeopardy. You can use the internet to research if there are other businesses with your name or search businesses by name with the State government division in charge of registered businesses. This is a state affair so the body governing business registration will not let your register an already existing name. When searching a database, try different spacing and word combinations to find all possible matches. For example, try Prairie Dog, PrairieDog, PrairieDog.Com and Prairie Dog Café.

If you want to trademark your business name you should search the US Patent and Trademark Office website before you choose your name. You can also hire an attorney to do this work for you.

One last tip: think about colors and images when you're choosing a business name. Colors and images will be an important component of your business logo and other business promotion materials and your business web site. Colors and images have strong emotional associations that you and your team of advisors should take the time to consider. You can read up on this on the internet or at your local bookstore.

For more business tips or information about starting or developing your business visit www.flourishingbusiness.com.

Elizabeth Gordon

You've picked out the perfect puppy. You spent hours on the internet, researching the right breed for you and your family. Then you went from breeder to breeder or humane society to humane society, meeting and greeting pups until you find just the right match.

Now what? He needs a name!

Over the course of its life, you will use your dog's name more than 35,000 times. So be sure you're picking a name you can live with and love.

With these seven simple steps, the key to finding the perfect puppy name is at your fingertips!

• Dogs understand short commands. Easy names with two or fewer syllables work well.
• Your puppy's name shouldn't sound like any commands. "Stacy" and "stay" are too close for comfort. Such a name will only confuse the issue.
• Remember, you'll be using your pup's name in public. "Boner" may be cute among your fellow fraternity members, but it won't go over well at the veterinarian.
• Make your kids part of the decision process. Kids like it simple, too, so if calling your Champion Cavalier King Spaniel "Bootsie" works for them, consider keeping the hoity toity name strictly for AKC purposes.
• You may think it's an honor to name your pup after you're favorite Uncle Norbert. Naming your baby after him may keep you in the will, but naming your puppy after him won't.
• If you're bringing home an older dog, ideally, stick with the name it already owns. Can't stand it because "Barney" was the first boy who broke your heart? Then stick with similar sounds when choosing a new dog name. "Barney" morphs into "Farley" easily.
• Once you've chosen a name, try it out for a day or so. You'll know right away whether it's a keeper. If not, there's always more puppy names on your list!

Take a look around you. Everywhere you are, you'll find a variety of terrific ideas on what to name your pooch.

At first glance, a couple things will stand out about your new puppy. Enjoy him or her for a day or two and take these into consideration.

• Appearance. What's your dog look like? His color, size, and personal style inspires a variety of name choices. "Stubbs" would be a great name for a dachshund pup. Or you may call a cream colored cock-a-poo "Buffy."
• Personality. Given a couple of days, your new dog's personality will really shine through. Try "Cuddles" for the sweet little guy who loves to get cozy or "Puddles" for the pooch who can't seem to find the doggie door.

If you want to go beyond the basics, many famous dog names or foreign dog names can fit the bill. Consider these favorite puppy names when making your decision.

• Celebrity puppy names. Today, pooches have more celebrity following than their famous owners. Chew on "Lola," a name used by both Hilary Duff and the Osbournes.
• TV dogs. "Scooby" and "Astro" come to mind if you want to honor a famous TV pup.
• Movie dogs. Cool movies and cool dog names seem to go hand in hand. Cool Hand Luke's "Blue" would be a fitting label for a variety of dogs. Or try "Bodie," from the weeper Steel Magnolias.
• Comic dogs. "Snoopy" will always be a favorite, but also consider "Daisy" or "Odie."
• German dog names. For starters, try out "Fritz" or "Kaiser."
• Irish dog names. "Finn" fits well for any pup, as does "Murphy," which just happens to mean "hound of the sea."
• French puppy names. "Pierre" and "Gigi" are top contenders for any dog, especially those with a little oo-la-la in their genes.

The choices are endless. However, with these simple tips and some thought, before long, you'll have found the perfect puppy name!

Jennifer McVey

Personal protection attack dog training video of a 7 month old German Shepherd/ Belgian Malinois mix puppy. Although this dog isn't old enough to do real guard dog work it is being prepared to do real protection work... sort of like sending a child to karate class. He will finish guard dog training at about 18 months old. Quality protection dog training takes patience, respect, and knowledge. If a dog is trained with yelling and intimidation...how do you expect them to do protection work on a yelling man? Beware of people who sell sport dogs (aka schutzhund trained dogs) as "personal protection dogs. Sport dogs are trained to look pretty doing specific protection routines on a training field and may be confused in a real situation when there is not a bite sleeve or protection suit to bite. Also these types of protection dogs are trained to take stick hits instead of avoiding them and attcking that arm. This is because you can't hold the stick with an arm within sleeve and schutzhund is a sport that is meant to prove a dogs bravery and show they are worthy of breeding, therefore they are trained to take stick hits that are always used with a stick that won't really hurt the dog and are always hit on safe spots of the body. This is setting the dog up for failer when they must fight a person for real that is planning on hitting them in the head with an iron bar. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the dog training video of Matrix... another client dog trained by K9-1 Specialized Dog <b>...</b>

"If War and Peace had a baby with The Breakfast Club and then left the baby to be raised by wolves, this book would be the result. I loved it." - Jon Stewart "Josh Lieb is on one of the great brave journeys in American literature. Or maybe he just signed my name to a blurb he wrote. Either way, you have to admit hes brave. And the book is hilarious." - Judd Apatow Oliver Watson is basically your average twelve-year-old kid. He lives in Omaha, Nebraska. His favorite after-school snack is a grilled cheese sandwich. His best friend is his pit bull mix, Lollipop. And...oh yeah. He's an evil genius on his way to total world domination. Nobody can stop Oliver from getting what he wants. Not Jordie Moscowitz, the seventh grade bully. Not his moronic English teacher, Mr. Moorhead. Not even his father and arch nemesis, "Daddy." (He hates being called that.) Until now. Because Oliver Watson is running for class president. And it turns out that overthrowing cranky foreign dictators is actually a lot easier than getting the other kids to vote for you. Even for a genius of unspeakable evil. JOSH LIEB is the Emmy-winning Executive Producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and has worked on such shows as The Simpsons and Newsradio. This is his first novel. He lives in New York City.

Are you troubled over the name of your newborn baby boy? Perhaps you need some help sourcing for some ideal baby boy names that you would like your baby to have. There are many different ways you can look for baby names. If you prefer more traditional methods, you can always try referring to some baby name books.

Baby name books are available in local bookstores, or online shopping stores like Amazon. You can easily find tons of books on the subjects. For quick references, you can even borrow baby name books from the public library, and you don't have to spend a single cent.

Here are 5 popular titles from Amazon online book store that you may be interested in:

1) The Baby Name Wizard: A Magical Method for Finding the Perfect Name for Your Baby by Laura Wattenberg

2) The Complete Book of Baby Names by Lesley Bolton

3) 100,000 + Baby Names: The Most Complete Baby Name Book: Including 300+ Fascinating Lists, The Latest Naming Trends, Key to Gender-Neutral Names by Bruce Lansky

4) Cool Names by Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz

5) Best Exotic Baby Names: New, Historical, Ancient, Mystical by Allison Jones and G. Kirscheimer

Each of the above titles cost no more that $12.00, so consider them inexpensive. The benefits of buying online is that you get to assess the titles quickly based on customer ratings and reviews.

Why use a baby name book.

A baby name book is a good place to start because it offers you lots of ideas. You can browse through the book in alphabetical order, and derive the meanings of the names from a baby name book.

Other ways you can get baby name ideas.

Family and friends - Talk to your family and friends. Often, you find that they are just bursting with ideas, and they are glad that you are willing to seek their opinion. Write down all the ideas you hear, and see if there is anything you like. If there are a few names that you like, you can always go back and do more research on the names.

Baby names website - The Internet is another ideal place for baby name ideas. You can browse these sites like you browse a baby name book. Simply select the alphabet, and you will be presented with a list of baby names, together with the meanings of the names. You can print out the entire list, or bookmark the websites so that you can revisit them at a later date.

Celebrity names - Celebrity names are widely promoted, so you may have a few ringing in your ears. If there is name that you particularly like, why not adopt the name for your baby? The name will sound like music to your ears as you continue to call your baby by name many years down the road.

Gen Wright