Microsoft has announced the next generation release of Microsoft Office and the good news is that, following in the tradition of previous releases, the new version contains a glut of Mac-only features.

Microsoft Office for Mac 2004 includes new and improved versions of Word X, PowerPoint X, Excel X and Entourage X, and having seen a sneak preview, iCreate is happy to report that several of the new features are likely to turn Windows users green with envy.

Among the main draws in Office 2004 are the new Office Project Centre, which is a new feature for managing large ongoing projects; the ability to record audio in Word X and embed sound files into documents; and the Toolbox, which is a new palette of productivity-boosting tools that appears across Word X, Excel X and PowerPoint X.

PowerPoint X has also been totally overhauled in an attempt to head off strong competition from Apple’s own presentation software, Keynote. Mimicking the product strategy established with the last Office update, three new versions of Office will be available: Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Standard Edition, a discounted Student and Teacher Edition and the Professional Edition, which also includes Virtual PC 7, the latest version of Microsoft’s emulation software for running Windows on the Mac platform. “When I first joined Microsoft 13 years ago I worked on Office 1.5 for Mac. I’ve seen the evolution of our products first hand and Office 2004 is our proudest accomplishment to date,” said Roz Ho, general manager of Microsoft’s Mac Business Unit.

Pricing was still to be confirmed as iCreate went to press, but for more information on the new release point your Web browser at www.mactopia.com

If you were given the choice to either win 1 Million dollars, a BMW 3 series or a 50 inch HDTV Plasma TV, which one do you prefer? I would of course go for the 1 Million cold hard cash. Although being a millionaire nowadays is totally different if compared to 5 to 10 years ago due to money inflation, it could still assist me in alot of matters. For one, it could of course assist me to give my daughter a better education.

How are you going to win this? The rules is simple. You have to bid for the lowest unique price for the item. Bidding $0.01 would not always win you the price as it is hard for that price to be unique. For instance, if two persons is bidding at $0.01 at that being the lowest price, and you are bidding at $0.02 where no one else is bidding at that price, you would take howe the price that you have chosen to bid for! Visit www.bid4prizes.com and try your luck on the lowest bid today!

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Acknowledged as The Master by many photographers, John Shaw combines technical skill with a deep understanding and respect for his subject. He’s been a professional photographer since the early 1970s, concentrating on landscape, plant and wildlife work, and his work’s appeared in all the US photography magazines that matter. He’s the author of six books on photography (and one on Photoshop printing techniques) and leads numerous photographic tours every year.

Picture this: A comprehensive time management software system that assists you day in day out to keep track of all your projects and tasks, focus on what is priority, make you feel like you are finally in control of your time and dramatically increases your productivity.

Would you believe it if I tell you that Achieve Planner can do for you? Well, believe it, because it is 100% true! Achieve Planner is a Windows personal time management software system that helps do everything it promises.

The price is very affordable and definitely worth every penny at only $49 for the Achieve Planner Standard or $79 for the Achieve Planner Pro. Please visit the Achieve Planner website for more information at www.effexis.com/achieve/planner.htm or by following the link above.

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The Hue/Saturation dialog works in a subtly different way. The Hue slider shifts all the colours along the colour spectrum. This can solve some colour problems, but the effects can be unpredictable and hard to control. At the same time, you have a Saturation slider for increasing the strength of all the colours in the image. Our original image was shot on an overcast day and has distorted and fl at-looking colours. We can try to boost the colours by increasing the Saturation level, but this also exaggerates the unwelcome red/purple cast in the brickwork beneath the ivy leaves. The solution is to adjust the colours independently. First choose the nearest colour from the pop-up in the Hue/Saturation ‘Edit’ menu.

Then use the eyedropper to click on the part of the image you want to alter. Your hue and saturation changes will be applied to this range of colours only. Our fi nal shot features ‘reddened’ brickwork and greener leaves.

Credit cards are widely used in the modern age. Consumers are spoilt for choice in choosing this cash vehicle. However, there is one particular company that I would like to talk about today and that is a credit card and pre-paid card company known as Mint!

For your information, Mint Credit Cards offer a card with an attractive introductory offer and have recently lowered their typical APR to 14.9%. TYpical benefits you get are 24 hour Mint customer service, managing your accoun online, shop online securely, you get up to a 56 day interest free period and many more.

This uk credit card is really excellent and you definitely ought to check it out. Get a card online today at Mint or follow the link above for more information about Mint!

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Colour Balance adjustments can be carried out directly on the image or using an adjustment layer. You’re presented with three sliders – Cyan/Red, Magenta/Green and Yellow/Blue. Note that these are pairs of complementary colours. In our sample shot, our subject’s skin tones have a magenta tinge, so we’d counteract that by moving the Magenta/Green slider to the right, which will shift the image’s colour balance towards green and away from magenta. You need to develop a good eye for colour casts to use the Colour Balance dialog effectively. For example, fi xing our original shot effectively meant spotting that the unwanted tinge was magenta rather than red (which is what it looks like at fi rst glance).

For a more extreme effect, we can increase the Red/ Cyan to 100 and reduce the Yellow/Blue to -100. This gives the warm colours you’d expect from candlelight or fi relight.

Do you know what Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are? If you or someone you know is suffering from it, ADD Health and Wellness Centers is the one place you can turn to.

Integration is defined as: “to make into a whole by bringing all parts together; to unify”. This concept of integration represents ADD Health and Wellness Centers’ philosophy for treating ADD and ADHD. They understand the fact that no one solution works for everyone. Hence the best solution is always one that is customized to meet the different needs of individual.

To support ADD Health and Wellness Centers’ new concept in the treatment of ADD and ADHD, they comprise of an established a team of professionals at each center who work directly with their clients. Please be informed that each of their centers are staffed by a team consisting of medical doctors, psychologists, coaches and support services teams who work together as a unit to build a comprehensive and individualized treatment plan for each person.

Therefore as a client of ADD Health and Wellness Centers, you can be well assured of obtaining maximized outcomes with their team based approach method. For more information about new ADD/ADHD treatments, please visit www.addhealthandwellness.com today!

Below is a press release for your reference:

Dallas Five-Year-Old with ADD Finds Relief with Integrated Treatment Program
ADD Health and Wellness Center’s customized treatment program focused on the full range of medical and non-medical options

DALLAS, TX, May 10, 2007 – Five-year old Shelby couldn’t pay attention. She didn’t listen and always had that glazed-over look. Her parents worried she suffered from attention deficit disorder (ADD), just like her dad, and would need medication to help control the condition. They wanted to find alternative treatment options but had no idea where to turn.

A common condition in the U.S., ADD/ADHD is estimated to affect up to 7 percent of U.S. school children, or around 4 million. ADD has a strong genetic link so parents and children often share the condition. It’s estimated that 8 million adults have ADD, but only 25 percent know it. Many struggle to find the right treatment options.

“ADD is almost as inheritable as height,” said Theresa Cerulli, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for the national ADD Health and Wellness Centers. “In families, if a child has ADD there’s almost always a parent with the condition.” Adults and children with ADD can be forgetful, fidgety, distracted and have difficulty following through on instructions.

Drugs are the single-most common treatment for ADD/ADHD and related conditions in this country. Shelby’s parents Annette and Eric Miguez were familiar with the medical treatment options, but they wanted to know about other treatment choices for Shelby, including effective alternative therapies.

Based on a friend’s suggestion, they visited the ADD Health and Wellness Center in Dallas. The Center is a unique, one-stop care facility where medical treatment, testing and counseling for ADD and related conditions are integrated. At the Center, treatment tools include nutritional counseling, psychologists and social workers offering individual and group therapy, education and coaching as well as medical treatment.

After an initial evaluation and assessment, the Miguezes worked with Dr. Karen Friedman, a psychologist at the ADD Health and Wellness Centers, to create a customized treatment program for Shelby focusing on behavior modification. Through non-pharmaceutical treatments like coaching, counseling and nutrition therapy, an effective integrated program was created for their daughter.

The Miguezes quickly learned how to manage and modify Shelby’s behavior with positive reinforcement using a powerful technique called the “token system.” When Shelby achieved specific goals in her program, she received pink chips. The chips were special because her mother made them for her.

“The token system is an effective technique because it focuses on positive reinforcement and well-defined goals,” said Dr. Friedman. “It’s like giving a child with poor eyesight the glasses she needs to see. ADD/ADHD children need something external to help modulate their behavior.”

The ADD Health and Wellness Centers’ treatment programs generally involve the entire family, which doctors, therapists and counselors have found to be most effective. In Shelby’s case, Dr. Friedman worked directly with her parents to create the program and coach them on administering Shelby’s treatment in the comfort of their home. After the initial assessment Shelby never visited the Center.

Shelby and her parents noticed an immediate change when a few simple changes were made to her diet and daily activities. For breakfast, protein replaced sugars and processed foods. And Shelby’s day was structured around a programmed schedule so she knew what to expect and could remain comfortably focused.

“It’s amazing to the see the turnaround in Shelby,” said Annette. “It’s like night and day. She is much more focused. Her teachers immediately noticed an improvement, as did her Tae Kwon Do coaches. By focusing our time and energy on this treatment program, we’ve made huge progress.”

Other important treatment components available at ADD Health and Wellness Centers include:
• Neuropsychological evaluations and diagnostic clarifications
• Education and counseling
• Behavioral and cognitive treatment for ADD and other co-existing conditions
• Academic tutoring and placement specialists
• Coaching services
• Support groups
• Social skills groups
• Skills-based group treatment
• Intensive workshops
• Medication therapies
• Complementary and alternative non-medication therapies
• Nutritional counseling and supplementation

About ADD Health and Wellness Centers: ADD Health and Wellness Centers, Inc. is dedicated to individualized, comprehensive, accessible, results-driven treatment for ADD and related conditions. The ADD Health and Wellness Centers are located in Greater Dallas, Boston, Austin and Houston, and more than a half dozen Centers are scheduled to launch around the country in the next year.

For more information, visit www.ADDhealthandwellness.com.

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Although it’s generally best from a quality and even a visualisation point of view to get the colours right at the time of shooting, that’s not always possible. There may not be enough time, the equipment or the conditions might not allow it, or you may only see the image’s true potential when you’ve opened it on your computer screen back at home. Here, then, is a selection of techniques you can use in Photoshop and (all but the Curves adjustment) in Elements too. Each adjustment has pros and cons, which we explain individually.

Is it bad to have a loan? Loans may come in many types that includes the housing loan, personal loan, car loan, commercial loan, business loan or corporate loan. Many of us would not be aware that the credit card is also considered a type of loan. We have 2 categorize of loans which is the secured and the unsecured loans, with the secured one being colletarelized with either a house, car or even cash and the other not.

In my opinion, all loans are dangerous to an individual if he or she does not have good financial knowledge. I would strongly advise those who does not know how to manage their finances well, pay down their loan as soon as possible with all their extra cash when possible. Default in payment will always lead to bad credit mortgage loans or even bakruptcy if it is an unsecured loan. Leveraging for investment with loans is only applicable for usage for those who has very sound financial knowledge in the money market.

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