How to Provide Excellent Customer Service - 4 Tips For Employers to Improve Customer Service

Whether your business is an online store or a storefront downtown, providing excellent customer service will determine if you succeed in the long run. In today's economy, the businesses that will survive and thrive will be those that give each and every customer a better shopping experience than the competition. Win that battle. Grow your sales and your business by fine-tuning your store's customer service and by following these four key points.

Commit to High Standards and Communicate Them to Employees
Commit to and communicate company standards to improve employee performance.

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Adam Williams*, a longtime human resources consultant, specializes in retraining business staff who have low levels of customer service. "Customer service starts at the very top," Williams says. "Set your standards high, and let your employees know they are non-negotiable." Williams adds that customer service requires a commitment from the employer as well as the employees, and notes it is the employer's responsibility to make everyone aware of these policies.

How to Provide Excellent Customer Service - 4 Tips For Employers to Improve Customer Service

Cathy Ward, an online retailer, agrees. "Communicating standards is critical," Ward says. "I inform employees upon hiring the conduct that is expected. I monitor employee phone calls and watch them work. If they aren't meeting our standards I explain to them why and correct the issue."

Show your company's commitment to customer service with the following tips:
Post a written copy of your customer service policy where every employee can see it. Routinely review your customer service standards. Hold monthly quality meetings and training seminars. Create an incentive program that rewards great performance. Tape notes by the phone with appropriate phrases and service messages.

Making these a part of your operations will help keep everyone on the same page and ensure consistency.

Maintain Proper Employee Attitude
Train employees to keep their personal and professional lives separate to improve their attitudes and win customers.

Maintaining the right employee attitude is key. Your employees are your frontline to winning customers and their attitude is conveyed in everything they do. It's in their body language when face-to-face with a customer, in their tone of voice when answering the phone, and in their word choices when responding to an email.

This is why Williams describes all workers as actors on a stage, "Your customers are your audience. They're looking to you to provide a great performance." That means personal problems, gossip, and private matters must be left at home. Williams adds, "If you are miserable for whatever reason, it can't show at work."

Attitude is especially critical when you or an employee have to tell a customer what they don't want to hear. "The ability to be brutally honest and direct without being perceived as cold or uncaring is important," says Bob Bryant, a merchant services provider. "Service reps that can patiently resolve issues with a disgruntled customer, while winning that customer as an ally, are few and far between."

Here's an activity that will get employees thinking about the right attitude:
Ask them to describe a specific time when they received great customer service and to explain what made the experience special. Ask them to describe a time when they received poor customer service and identify what they disliked about the experience. Have your employees share their experiences as a group and list key points from each experience.

This exercise is a great reminder that while many of us are not experienced at providing good customer service, we are all experienced customers. Training your employees to see the mindset of their customers will help them improve their level of service.

Keep Your Level of Customer Service Consistent
Maintain consistent levels of customer service to gain customer trust and repeat business.

A positive attitude will gain your business little if your customer service is inconsistent. "The reason people go back to just about any business is because of the way they were treated when they were there the last time," Williams says. One bad experience is often all it takes to turn a customer away from a business forever.

"You have to make an effort with every customer," Ward says. "You may get three difficult customer calls in a row, but you can never take that out on the fourth person who calls."

A frustrated employee who is curt with a customer may lose that customer in addition to others who will hear about the experience. Being consistent with every customer lets them know what to expect when they interact with your company, gives them reasons to come back, and can bring in new business.

Use Teamwork to Implement Your Customer Service Policy
Use teamwork to keep customer service levels consistent and to motivate employees.

Teamwork is essential to bring everything together. Cutthroat work environments will hamper productivity, increase turnover, and will sabotage your customer service efforts. Employees need to feel that by working together everyone benefits and that promoting their company is a shared responsibility.

When employers and employees work together, the result is a seamless experience for the customer. There is no conflict between what one employee says and another, policies are upheld, and customers gain trust in your business.

Excellent Customer Service Can Grow Your Business

If you and your employees can commit to work together to consistently create a positive performance that meets and exceeds the expectations of your customers, you will win the battle to grow your business. "Everyone wins," Williams says. "Your employees are happy, your customers are happy, and they will reward you with repeat business and new word-of-mouth customers."

*Name changed due to confidential requirements of employment.

How to Provide Excellent Customer Service - 4 Tips For Employers to Improve Customer Service

Brian Cross has been an active freelance writer and content researcher for small and independent businesses since 2007. While preparing this article he consulted with Cathy Ward, a wedding accessories retailer and owner of BridesVillage.

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How Do You Tell Fake Ivory From Real

Ivory comes from animal teeth and tusk and has been used traditionally by many different cultures. It can be very difficult to tell real ivory from synthetic or fake ivory. The problem is that real ivory varies so much in color and grain. There are ways of telling fake ivory from real ivory just by performing a few tests. Of course to be 100% sure a chemical test has to be done. Ivory was used for centuries in Chinese dragon artwork and Eskimo Carving.

Most fake ivory is made up of either plastic or a resin of old ivory that is ground down and mixed with another synthetic. Bone carvings are also easily confused with ivory carvings. Bone carvings are generally have far less value than those of ivory. Plastic and resins are usually smoother than real ivory. Looking at bone under magnification you will see a lot of pitting something that real ivory will not have.

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The hot pin test can help you determine the difference between plastic, synthetic, bone and ivory. Its best to perform this test on the bottom of the object that is not visible as it may cause damage to plastic objects. Heat a needle until it is extremely hot than touch the needle against the object you are testing. A hot needle can not penetrate real ivory like it will a plastic or resin. When you touch bone with a hot needle smell the area that you touched. It should have a very unique smell like burning hair. When you touch ivory with a hot needle you will smell something more like a burning teeth dentist office type smell. Passing this test is a pretty good indication that you have real ivory.

How Do You Tell Fake Ivory From Real

If your collecting ivory a magnifying glass of 15x is a must and a UV light is recommended.

How Do You Tell Fake Ivory From Real

To see two more tests you can perform to tell fake ivory [http://dragonartwork.net/2008/02/23/can-you-tell-fake-ivory-from-real] be sure to visit Dragon Artwork

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Pet Meds No Prescription Required Online - Is It Possible?

The fact is, that the Internet has changed many things about the way that people shop for the things that they need from day to day. Also, so much more information is readily available via the Internet. This means that more and more people are able to not only determine the cause of their pets maladies by using the Internet but they can also purchase the pet meds that they need for them online as well.

Buying Pet Meds Online is Easy

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This has led more and more people to head out to find and purchase the medications that they require for their pets treatment online with no prescription in hand. Is this a problem? Can they get what they need or will they be turned away empty handed? The fact of the matter is that a large percentage of pet medications that are commonly used require no prescription at all.

Pet Meds No Prescription Required Online - Is It Possible?

What is a Prescription?

Prescriptions for pets are written for a variety of reasons. Many people assume that a prescription is only written if a controlled drug is need to treat the problem that the pet is suffering from. The truth of the matter, is a prescription can just as often be written that prescribes a course of treatment the doesn't include any controlled substances. This is because a prescription is just a written course of treatment that a vet will provide for you to use.

Common Antibiotics Without a Prescription

This means that a wide variety of drugs and medications can be purchased for your pet from an online pet pharmacy with no prescription required at all. This even includes many commonly prescribed antibiotics such a penicillin. However; there are other pet medications such as powerful sedatives that will require a prescription to be purchased and besides you really should consult a veterinarian before you use them on your pet anyway.

Pet Meds No Prescription Required Online - Is It Possible?

Written by Karlise Renaldson. Find the latest information on Frontline Plus Best Price

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Managing Garment Merchandising

Introduction

The textile and garment industry is booming in India, especially after elimination of the global quota system. Presently India is exporting garments to more than 100 countries including US, EU, Latin America, and Middle East. Last year, garment export was nearly 00 million and about 1200 million pieces. The main competitors of India are countries like China, Korea, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Sri-Lanka.

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The Indian garment industry is gaining ground in the world market at breakneck speed, but still not flourished at its fullest extent. Although the resources are available plentiful with a powerful foundation of fabric and spinning sector to support. The key factors behind this are low technological development, lower output, cut throat competition, high raw material cost, inadequate infrastructure, traditional productivity, unfavorable regulatory policies, and globalization impact. However, there is a fair list of the producers, suppliers, and exporters that are fully acknowledged with regulatory policies and formalities, international marketing policies and procedures. The only concern is in executing their productivity initiatives, and meeting with order deadlines.

Managing Garment Merchandising

Now days, major companies are adopting merchandising concepts, which comply with all procedures to execute and dispatch the shipment on time, considering quality, cost and time. Merchandisers are serious in the success of any garment retail business. They provide the right products at the right time, enabling a company to match with latest market trends and meet the market demand. In the merchandising concept, time management is a gig to manage one's time properly, so he can focus on value adding actions.

Today's garment merchandisers have to move with frequent changes in demand and the developing technologies utilized in manufacturing and production. To find out customer requirements, they regularly visit retail outlets, and come up with latest updates from frontline staff. In order to keep an eye on developments in sourcing, site visits are made every week to mainland factories to meet suppliers and study production.

In garment merchandising, there is no specific rule, so it's important to be able to think on one's feet.

The main procedures of merchandisers are as followed:
Understanding Sample Order

Merchandiser has to understand the buyer's requirements after receiving specification in the sample order. In many cases, there are modifications pertaining to the specifications in the order to dispatch on time and the right quality.

He has to talk with the in-house veterans on the execution problems of sample orders, as the right information is required in decision making.

Managing order route card and production timetable

Merchandiser has to manage every single production schedule and order route card that helps to follow-up the execution in the planned way. It is expected to be acknowledged of the various descriptions like: design, no. of modules, no. of operators, how many processes, date of dispatch, quantity, output capacity, and deadlines in the schedules.

The sub-ordinates are normally assigned to follow-up with execution of the plan. Merchandiser plans the activities depending on the essentials or non-essentials, and top priority are given to the most essential tasks. This is customary that the essential activities are handled personally or with the support of junior merchandisers/sub-ordinates.

In a "daily schedule", merchandiser has to carry-out and categorize which is the most significant and urgent task. The activity that has to be focused with full attention to sweep-off non-essential activities and have to be to be corrected by prioritizing to meet the deadlines.

Using route card to reschedule activities

To get updated on the current status on the order, the route cards should be utilized. The latest status can be fed into the computers. In case, the buyer ask for the goods prior to the deadline, then merchandiser has to reorganize the schedules to accomplish tasks, output capacity, no. of pieces to be produced daily, substitute arrangements, time availability, supply time, scheduling critical ratio, etc.

Submitting pre-production samples

The pre-production samples should be provided on time to the concerned buyers. Quality of the sample must be verified. If required, revised samples should be made available to the buyers. Merchandiser should adjust to the required changes demanded by the buyer. The execution of bulk orders should be made only after samples are approved by the buyer.

In-process inspection denote between any tasks in order-execution. In case of non- conformation, it is better to focus on the concerns of quality. Merchandisers that works on complete orders have to check deviation to the production teams so that any amendments can be done to avoid the non-conformities.

Solving shortage problem

The merchandiser should know about the dearth of any commodity such as fabric, yarn, etc... from the beginning. Actions should be taken immediately to arrange required materials, after discovering the shortage. It is expected that the merchandisers should verify quality of the goods prior to execution of the order. If the material is found unavailable, the superior should be informed about the concern.

Communicating with associated people and buyer

It is essential to communicate with the buyers regarding the order. It is expected to give some time to the buyer to read the sent messages. Merchandiser should to go through the messages received from the buyer and reply on time. In many cases, merchandisers have to provide order status to the buyers. Also, merchandiser has to communicate with the people that are in-house, venders, contractors and job-workers. Only through the right communication can one meet deadline for the concerned orders.

Conclusion

Apart from the above mention procedures, merchandiser has to assign subordinates to help him in the order execution, and direct the procedures. He has to revise his knowledge from time-to-time to know current market trends. To record preferences for all the planned activities, use daily or time log systems.

The Merchandiser should find out exact reasons for time consumption. It is necessary to keep record of time value and keeping it safe, as it is going to be shared with concerned parties/buyers. It is certain that merchandising jobs need huge time planning.

Last but not least, KEEP YOUR EYES & EARS OPEN.

Managing Garment Merchandising

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Frontline Flea Treatment Side Effects - What We Need to Know

Frontline flea treatment contains Fipronil. An insecticide that causes hyperexcitation of contaminated insects' nerves and muscles. It remains effective even after bathing or swimming. Frontline kills most fleas before they bite, which is great for pets suffering from flea allergies. Apply this between the shoulder blades.

Frontline kills fleas and ticks for 30 days or more. It is safe to use on puppies at ten weeks and kittens at 12 weeks of age, when used as directed. Fipronil, the powerful active ingredient in Frontline flea treatment, collects naturally in the hair follicles and oil-producing glands of the skin, where it remains protected from removal by shampooing or swimming.

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Then it continually reapplies itself to the hair, providing long lasting control for a month or more. It is packaged with 3 separate applications per pack, a three month supply for one pet. It provides convenient and effective flea and tick control for dogs and cats, puppies and kittens. It is effective against all stages of the brown dog tick, the American dog tick, lone star tick and deer ticks.

Frontline Flea Treatment Side Effects - What We Need to Know

Pets may experience some temporary irritation at the site of product application. If signs persist or become more severe within a few days of application, consult a veterinarian immediately. This product is for external use on dogs and puppies 10 weeks or older and cats and kittens 12 weeks or older. Consult a veterinarian before using on medicated animals, animals using this product with other pesticides, and debilitated, aged, pregnant or nursing animals.

This product is flammable. Keep away from heat and open flame. This product is harmful to humans if swallowed. Call a physician or poison control center. Drink 1 or 2 glasses of water and induce vomiting unless patient is unconscious. This product can cause eye injury. Flush eyes with plenty of water.

Call a physician if irritation persists. Persistent irritation may be the cause of allergies. Along with medicating our pets, we must also take precautionary measures to safeguard ourselves from being contaminated. Washing our hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling will free us from infection and viral transmission. We can be carriers of fleas if we are not careful.

It is important to understand our pet's health conditions. A simple health illness may lead to complications and may cause death of our animals. Only we know the real condition of our pets and only we can prevent the disease to worsen. If we act upon seeing the signs and symptoms, we can save our pets from acquiring any type of disease.

Let our pets be checked regularly by a vet. We have the responsibility to take care of these creatures while they are on our care. Proper hygiene is the most important factor to consider in order to prevent viral infection or flea growth. Give your dog a bath once daily. Just like humans, they need to be clean and fresh all the time. Provide them with shampoo and soap. Always make sure they have clean shelter, and they do not go littering outside dirty areas. Free your pets from ticks and fleas with the Frontline Flea treatment.

Frontline Flea Treatment Side Effects - What We Need to Know

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Dog Skin Problems - My Dog Can't Stop Itching!

We often hear of dogs with a chronic and insistent itching problem. And guess what? The problem can't always be prevented by a flea collar. There are a number of reasons why your dog might non-stop scratch and require some form of pet medication. Below I will list and try to explain 6 reasons why your dog might scratch himself.

1. Environmental Skin Disorders - Dogs with environmental skin problems are otherwise healthy, but present with signs of itchy skin and/or hair loss. By matching what is visible on the dog's skin with a probable environmental irritant - the cause of the skin problem can be determined and corrective measures taken. Contact with some plastics can create an environmental pet skin disorder.

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2. Nutritional Skin Disorders - Correction of these cases of itchy dog should be a very simple and no pet medication is required. Unfortunately, many dogs and cats live their entire lives in less than optimum health because their caretaker feeds them the least expensive food in the grocery store and feels secure in doing so because of that "Complete and Balanced" statement on the packaging! Without proper nourishment this dog's entire body, not just its skin and coat, will be continuously under stress.

Dog Skin Problems - My Dog Can't Stop Itching!

3. Parasitic Skin Disorders - Pet owners most commonly associate dog scratching with fleas. Often, but not always, this guess is correct.

There are a number of highly effective and safe flea medications and natural flea remedies. Repeated exposure to fleas can trigger a hypersensitivity to the bite of even a single flea. In some cases a simple flea bite can turn into an allergy itch from the flea's saliva. It is very important to get rid of dog and cat fleas as soon as possible. Cheyletiella mites are often called "Walking Dandruff" because upon close inspection it seems like little flakes of dry skin are actually moving about. These mites can be eliminated easily by using any common flea shampoo and no further pet medication is needed. Sarcoptic mites can be a terrible problem and can only be solved under vet care and with pet medication. Also called scabies or red mange, they create very intense itchy skin, hair loss, and inflamed skin with multiple small scabs. Sarcoptic mite infestation, more than any other pest, is frequently misdiagnosed as Allergic Pet Skin Disorder. There are also Demodex mites (mange). These parasites live just under the skin surface in the tiny hair follicles and oil glands of the dog's skin. Demodex mites can be seen on a skin scraping viewed under the microscope. Demodex is most commonly seen in young dogs. An older dog with these mites might have a different and more serious problem

4. Infectious Skin Disorders - Bacterial, fungal and yeast organisms can lead to awful skin and coat problems. Ringworm is an example of a Fungal organism. Yeasts can irritate an already diseased skin surface. Yeast infections typically create greasy, smelly and itchy signs in affected dogs. If a yeast infection is diagnosed, there's generally some other problem going. Bacterial problems rarely occur spontaneously on a dog with normal healthy skin.

Infectious pet skin disorders are often is so irritating that dogs will lick continuously at a spot and undo any healing that has taken place. These spots can spread rapidly to other areas of the skin through chewing, licking, biting and scratching of previously healthy areas.

The treatment for Infectious skin disorders often include clipping the hair from the area to allow the air to dry it. The application of topical pet cream is helpful as is the administration of oral antibiotics.

5. Allergic Skin Disorders - These can be a challenge to diagnose, and once identified they can be difficult to treat. Food ingredients, synthetic and natural fibers, medications and pharmaceutical products, plant material and even dust all can trigger an Allergic Pet Skin Disorder.

Even common bacteria on the dog's skin can provoke an allergic reaction to themselves! Food allergies are so common that pet food manufacturers have invested millions of dollars in research for diets to help dogs and cats with food allergies.

The treatments of allergic skin disorders include topical medicated soothing baths and ointments. The use of oral antihistamines can relieve some of the itch. More effective in alleviating the discomfort of allergies is cortisone.

6. Neurogenic Skin Disorders - This group presents a major challenge to diagnose and treat. Although rarely seen in cats, in the dog something creates an impulse to lick at a specific area of skin. Characterized by persistent, obsessive licking and chewing at a specific area, the cause of these problems is unknown. Most cases have a suspected cause such as boredom, confinement, separation anxiety, family disruption, new environment, frustration or even a minor physical origin such as a tiny wound that catches the dog's interest. No specific pet medication can be used to prevent this skin disorder.

In summary, keep in mind that any dog whose skin and coat are not in good condition needs vet attention and possibly pet medication because that dog likely does not feel very well.

If your dog is suffering from Chronic Itching, all is not hopeless, but you must consult your vet as soon as possible.

I hope you found this information on pet skin disorders helpful. This article was condensed from a much longer article which can be found on the my-dog-has-fleas.com website at: dog skin problems

Dog Skin Problems - My Dog Can't Stop Itching!

J.Moore writes on pet issues for http://my-dog-has-fleas.com/

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What Makes a Person Successful?

Success is talked about throughout society and people seem to be working towards being successful with almost every job that is done. It is interesting that people even decide at an early age at times which profession will be looked at as a successful one. A prestigious job so to speak is one that seems to say successful by just the title. Certain titles are accepted as indicating that a person has made it to the top. This is great and means a person has worked hard to get that title in most cases. But this doesn't always make a person successful. There are examples where poor jobs were done by people with impressive titles. There are also examples where people are doing well financially and yet others have little respect for these people. We have also seen people without titles doing an incredible and note worthy job. Success also is often gauged in regards to careers or the workplace.

However the workplace is not the only gauge of success. Sometimes people spend so much time at work that the home structure suffers. It seems they have no time for family or simply having fun. Is this success? Or at times people are late for work a lot or do not complete the job in a correct manner. That can't be success. Success is at times gauged by awards but this is a fleeting reward though terrific for a good job, it never means a person can stop there. Plus a person can be a success without ever receiving an award.

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Success is something that must be decided individually. The workplace can assist in this in explaining what is wanted and needed at the job but it will really be the person doing the job that sees rewards in this work. Each day this is done is a success for the day. Success needs to have the home life included in its definition seeing that life is also dealt with there. There needs to be a balance of fun and relaxation in regards to life and to evaluate success. When one aspect is sacrificed for another aspect of life though someone may seem successful, sometimes the price is too high. A balance in life is thrown off and aspects of life will be missed. I don't know of anyone that got to the end of life and said he or she wished they had worked more.

What Makes a Person Successful?

When looking at success a person needs to take into consideration the happiness that will come from the life lived. If there is not a balance in regards to life something will fail along the way. There will be regrets of experiences missed or lost. Instead there should be definition realized of all the aspects of life that a person wishes to have included that explains the success wanted. One area of life should not get all the attention while sacrificing other areas. Friends and family also need attention. It doesn't have to be one way or the other.

What Makes a Person Successful?

Liz Cosline
Ownership Coach - developed frontline manager training system.

Coaching individuals and teams to address employee engagement issues and get them corrected. Certifying.

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http://fromthefrontmanagement.com

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How Long Does it Take to Get Rid of Fleas?

If you're trying to get rid of a flea infestation in your home it can sometimes seem like an impossible task. One of the main problems associated with fleas is their life cycle. Most people only concentrate on the fleas they can see--the adults. Problem is, adults only compromise 5% of the total life cycle. The remaining 95% of fleas in your home consist of "baby" fleas. These include eggs, pupae, and larvae. These baby stages are not visible to the naked eye and live off the host animal. Therefore, if you concentrate 100% of your efforts on trying to kill only the adult fleas on your pet, you're never going to have a flea free home!

Unfortunately, because of its life cycle, a flea infestation cannot be eliminated within just a few short days. If only it were that easy! Flea products may claim to kill up to 90-100% of adult fleas on your pet within a period of 24 hours or less, but there are plenty of baby fleas in your home which will eventually develop into adults and jump on your pet.

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There are three main goals of an effective flea control program:

How Long Does it Take to Get Rid of Fleas?

1. Kill adult fleas on pets before reproduction begins.
2. Eliminate existing environmental infestations including eggs, larvae, and pupae.
3. Prevent further infestations on the pet and the environment by preventing the development of flea eggs, larvae, and pupae.

It's important to keep in mind that the fleas you currently see on your pet came from eggs which were laid three to eight weeks ago. Unless your pet picked up a random flea or two from the outdoors, that means the eggs that are currently in your home will also be hatching into adult fleas in around three to eight weeks. Plus, if your home or yard is already infested with flea eggs, larvae, and pupae, there will be adult fleas emerging daily.

On average, the flea life cycle will last between 21 and 56 days depending on environmental conditions. The cycle can occur in as little as 14 days or take as long as 300 days. The longest delay can occur in the pupae stage while they wait in their cocoons for a suitable host. This is why many people moving into a new home or apartment are often greeted with fleas. When the old residents moved out the fleas were forced to hunker down and wait for new hosts to arrive.

How Long Does it Take to Get Rid of Fleas?

When all is said and done, it can take up to 3 months to completely eliminate fleas from your home because of all of the flea life stages that existed before you started treating your pets. However, getting rid of fleas isn't really as hard as it sounds. The key is knowing which flea products to use and how to use them correctly. Two of my favorite flea products include Capstar and Sentinel for dogs. When used in conjunction, these two products will get rid of fleas for good.

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North Korea - Suspicious Minds - Part 3 of 3

Frontline/World: Suspicious Minds Parte 3 of 3 www.pbs.org Their journey begins on a rainy day in South Korea at "the absurdly named demilitarized zone, one of the most heavily armed places on earth," according to reporter Ben Anderson. An American soldier takes Anderson and Daws on a tour of the border that has divided the Korean peninsula since the end of World War II -- and that is a last vestige of the Cold War. The soldier points out North Korean "jammers," which block foreign radio and television broadcasts. "So they have no idea of what actually goes on in the outside world," says the soldier. "They think that a BMW is manufactured by North Korea." Before leaving for North Korea, Anderson meets in Seoul with a group of North Korean refugees who had fled from famine and political repression. "The moment a child utters a word they start him on ideological training," one refugee says. "So they can't think for themselves." As soon as they land in North Korea, Anderson and his producer are greeted by their official "minders," Mr. Pak and Miss Pak (no relation). Anderson's first impression is of the streets outside the hotel, how quiet and empty they are. "North Korea is desperate to engage with the outside world," he notes. But the regime takes a heavy-handed approach to public relations. North Korea is infamous for the "cult of personality" surrounding the late dictator Kim Il-sung, who ruled from 1948 until his death in 1994. Anderson's obligatory first stop is an ...

How Do You Tell Fake Ivory From Real

Ivory comes from animal teeth and tusk and has been used traditionally by many different cultures. It can be very difficult to tell real ivory from synthetic or fake ivory. The problem is that real ivory varies so much in color and grain. There are ways of telling fake ivory from real ivory just by performing a few tests. Of course to be 100% sure a chemical test has to be done. Ivory was used for centuries in Chinese dragon artwork and Eskimo Carving.

Most fake ivory is made up of either plastic or a resin of old ivory that is ground down and mixed with another synthetic. Bone carvings are also easily confused with ivory carvings. Bone carvings are generally have far less value than those of ivory. Plastic and resins are usually smoother than real ivory. Looking at bone under magnification you will see a lot of pitting something that real ivory will not have.

The hot pin test can help you determine the difference between plastic, synthetic, bone and ivory. Its best to perform this test on the bottom of the object that is not visible as it may cause damage to plastic objects. Heat a needle until it is extremely hot than touch the needle against the object you are testing. A hot needle can not penetrate real ivory like it will a plastic or resin. When you touch bone with a hot needle smell the area that you touched. It should have a very unique smell like burning hair. When you touch ivory with a hot needle you will smell something more like a burning teeth dentist office type smell. Passing this test is a pretty good indication that you have real ivory.

If your collecting ivory a magnifying glass of 15x is a must and a UV light is recommended.

To see two more tests you can perform to tell fake ivory [http://dragonartwork.net/2008/02/23/can-you-tell-fake-ivory-from-real] be sure to visit Dragon Artwork