When you sit down to write a steamy romance, a spine-tingling horror story, or an action-packed adventure, lock the door. The last thing you need is your mother, father, coach, English teacher or pastor reading over your shoulder and giving you advice.

While mom, dad, coach, Mrs. Smith and Reverend Jones all enjoy a good story, they don’t want action-packed, spine-tingling or steamy words flowing out of your pen or your word processor

What would your mother say if she saw you write, “Bob chopped off Bill’s ear with a rusty axe”? What would your English teacher say if she saw you write, “Janice discovered to her horror that reading Faulkner backwards called demons into the school library.” And, heaven help you, what would your pastor say if he saw you write, “When Arnold reached inside Amy’s blouse, she said, ’surely you can reach farther than that’”?

With a little luck, mom, dad, coach, Mrs. Smith and Reverend Jones won’t be physically in the room saying “tsk tsk” every time you mention rusty axes, demons, and blouses. However, if you write as though they are there, then they might as well be there.

In fact, if you worry about what any traditional authority figure in your life is going to say when s/he reads what you’ve written, you’ll never write it. The judgmental editor(s) inside your head will be so strong, your writing won’t get out of the blocks because you’ll be forever stuck between what you want to say and what you think you’re allowed to say.

Frankly, some writers will never get the critical voices out of their heads and write anything worth reading until the people they represent are all in prison, committed to psychiatric wards, or dead. But most of us don’t want to wait that long.

As your career progresses, you’ll ultimately come to the point where you live and breathe novelist Leon Uris’ words: “There are two weapons in the writer’s arsenal. The first is stamina and the second is uncompromising belief in yourself.”

Until you reach that point, here are a few ideas for banishing mom, dad, coach, the English teacher and the reverend from your mind while writing:

**Whether you write in a den or a spare corner in the kitchen or family room, design a rich, inspiring, and professional space. You are a professional writer doing professional work, not a child in need of any authority figure’s supervision. Some writers go a step farther and physically lock the door (if there is a door) and/or visualize their writing spaces surrounded by a force fields that repel unwanted intrusions like, “I don’t want you writing nothing naughty, you hear?”

**Resist the urge to tinker and pick at your work while writing the first draft. Tinkering stalls the creative process and allows those unwanted internal editors time to say, “No child of mine ought to be thinking about blood-spattered sheets.”

**Experiment with “free writing,” the process of writing at full-speed (as fast as you can type or move a pen) for 20 minutes, 45 minutes, or an hour without stopping or thinking for even a moment. In this unrestrained creative rush, there’s no time or space for discouraging words such as, “You’re not going to push that sweet woman off the roof are you?”

**Take the risk and pretend you are each of the characters you’re writing about as though you’re playing roles in a movie. This technique will not only help you get to know your characters and make them more real, but it might just keep those internal editors out of your face. Once you become transform yourself into a villain or a hero running down a dark alley with a knife, those voices will be much to frightened of you to say, “don’t run with sharp objects, dear.”

**Confront the authority figures inside your head directly. When one of them interrupts your work with “Mama don’t allow nothin’ gory in your story” or “Daddy can’t abide nothin’ stronger than ‘heck’ or ‘darn’ in your yarn,” stop writing and shout, “Get the #@#* out of my space.” Some writers draw faces on sheets of paper and tape them to pillows. Then, the next time they hear a discouraging word about the word they just wrote, they can shout at the pillow, while kicking and punching it as needed. (Don’t tape the picture of a real person on the pillow without consulting a counselor!)

Internal editorswhen they sneak into your mind under the guise of a mother, father, coach, teacher, or minister who claims s/he is “just trying to help”will try to sabotage your work before it sees the light of day, before it embarrasses the family, before it sullies their values, before it causes black marks to be inscribed on your permanent record.

In time, perhaps, the people in your life who matter will understand that the steam in the romance, the scream in the horror story, and the mangled corpse in the adventure are not the real you. Perhaps they already know that, but you don’t yet believe it and have been creating two fictions every time you sit down at your desk. One of these is the story you’re writing and the other is the equally fictional story your living inside your head filled with mothers, fathers, coaches, ministers, wives, husbands, sons, daughters and teachers who are forever criticizing your work before it’s half-way done.

You can speculate until the ink in your pen dries up whether injunctions like “Mama don’t allow no fighting in my writing” have anything to do with real authority figures or represent your own concerns about what you ought to write and how you ought to write it. Either way, an important part of every writer’s on-the-job training is learning which technique will silence any internal editor with the gall to say, “I don’t want no crooks in your books” or “There better not be anything risqué in what you have to say.”

The author of the mythic new age adventure novel “The Sun Singer,” Malcolm R. Campbell provides manucript critiques and editing assistance at http://www.campbelleditorial.com

If there is one flowering plant that New Zealanders call their National Flower it is the Kowhai. It grows naturally throughout the dryer areas of New Zealand and because it is so popular it is planted in almost every garden.

There are however 2 main species of Kowhai. Sophora tetraptera, North Island Kowhai and Sophora microphylla, South Island Kowhai. Where these plant grow side by side in the wild natural hybrids also exist. Many hybrids have occurred in gardens as well. Additionally there are 2 naturally occurring varieties of S. micropyhlla and numerous forms, some of which have been named.

The North Island Kowhai, Sophora tetraptera is the easiest to grow and fastest to flower when grown from seed. It is probably the most commonly available in the
Nursery industry.

As a garden plant the North Island Kowhai is excellent. With its fast upright growth it is ready to flower in 3-5 years. It does not go through all the twiggy juvenile stages of other Kowhais. It is easy to grow and will succeed in almost all garden situations. It will reach a height of 4-6m with a trunk diameter of 30-60cm.

In the wild S. tetraptera grows naturally along forest margins, in lowlands and hill country and alongside streams. Its natural altitude range is from sea level to 450 metres.

Often described as an evergreen tree it losses all its leaves for a very short period each year. In spring all the old leaves drop off as the new leaf buds break and develop into new branchlets. All the old leaves are replaced to provide a fresh green look. The leaves are divided along the mid rib into a number of leaflets. Each leaflet is oval shaped 25-30mm long and 5-7mm wide. It creates a feathery look. The new young branchlets and young foliage covered with dense silky hairs which are smooth to touch.

The most distinctive feature is its flower. Each spring the large bright yellow flowers appear in pendulous clusters of 5-7 on naked branches. These showy clusters appear in great profusion. Individual flowers are up to 6cm long and the colour is a golden sulphur yellow. The calyx, which holds the petals in place, is a yellowish/green colour that adds further colour to the flowers.

Tuis and bellbirds love these flowers and visit them to drink the sweet nectar. Unfortunately these birds, in their haste, tear the flowers to pieces.

Following flowering seed pods are produced. These 4 winged pods house a single seed in specially constructed compartments. Each pod may have up to 8 seeds. When mature the seeds may be gathered and sown quickly to ensure they germinate.

Pests and diseases include the Kowhai moth whose larvae eat the leaves and the seeds. Scale insects may invade the Kowhai and they are easily controlled by spraying with all seasons spraying oil.

The Kowhai is the best known NZ Native flowering tree and one of the most beautiful. As a small tree it is excellent in many small gardens where light foliage cover is required and a burst of colour in spring when it smothers itself with blooms.

The botanical/Latin name has the following meanings. Sophora is an Arabian name for a tree with pea shaped flowers and tetraptera means 4 winged seed. Previously it was included in the genus Edwardia. Kowhai is the Maori name and means yellow.

Maori also recognised the Kowhai as an important plant. Its medicinal properties were explored by the Maori and poultices were made from bark and applied to wounds and tumours. An infusion of barks (a tea) from the Kowhai and manuka was used to treat internal pain, bruises and broken limbs. Wood ash from the Kowhai was used to treat ringworm.

The Maori are said to have regulated the planting of potatoes by the flowering time of the Kowhai.

The wood of the Kowhai is valuable as is it is very durable. Logs have been used straight from the bush and used in construction without any special treatment.

As an individual tree the Kowhai is a superb garden plant. It is small enough for even the smallest of gardens but it is large enough to make an impact. As a garden tree there is none better in spring.

In the larger landscape the Kowhai makes a big success. Mass plantings of Kowhai make a tremendous impact on the scenery. This can best be seen in some of the naturally occurring stands in the Rangitiki area of the North Island.

Plantings of the Kowhai should be encouraged throughout NZ and in other places around the world to ensure this icon of New Zealand plants is able to show us its best each spring.

About the Author

Alan Jolliffe is a garden writer and lecturer. I am available to write special articles for you about Gardening and about New Zealand. I am a professional horticulturist, recreation manager,tourism advisor, teacher and local government manager. Contact jolliffe@slingshot.co.nz

If you own a boat maintenance business you may have considered what your charges should be and what the boat owners are willing to pay. Here are some thoughts on the type of charges and services you should consider.

Basic Services You Can Offer:

Outboards 1-25 Hp $ 40.00, Above 25 Hp $75.00

Change Gear Oil

Add Fuel Stabilizer

Start, Run and Fog Engine

Grease Fittings

Drain Fuel System

Spray Power Head with WD-40

Inboards $60.00-100.00 Single Engine, $100.00-150.00 for Twins

Oil Change

Change Gear Oil

Add Fuel Stabilizer

Start, Run and Fog Engine(s)

Drain Block and Manifolds, Fill with Non-Toxic Anti-Freeze

Grease All Fittings

Disconnect Battery

Check All Systems

Sprinkle Rock Salt Near Bilge Drain Plugs

Wipe Down Engine(s) with WD-40

Acid Wash Bottom (Out of Water):

$50.00 to $75.00 for small boats up to 22 feet

$75.00 to $$100.00 for 22 to 27 foot boats

$100.00 to $125.00 for 28 to 33 foot boats

Additional Winterization (at a per hour fee): $55.00 per hour

Some Franchisees Charge Simply by the Foot: $14.00-17.00 per foot

It is important to pay special attention to:

Bilge pump

Batteries

Sanitation system

Fresh water tanks

Main engines and generators

Canvas covers

Docking lines

Power cords

Deck gear

Fuel tanks

Cabin

Sailing yachts

Sail covers

Roller furling gear

Deck hardware

Dock box (give it a wash or shine it up before you go, customers will love it)

Bilge Pumps:

Check the operation of all your automatic bilge pumps. Trip the float switches by hand or better yet flush out the bilge with fresh water. This will also get rid of any stagnant water. Then after pumping out as much water as possible pour one to three cups of chlorine in to keep long standing water from smelling. If the boat doesn’t have automatic bilge pumps, suggest to the owner that they be installed and refer the work to a professional.

Batteries:

Check fluid levels. Remember fully charged batteries will not freeze. Top them off and remember to protect your eyes from splashing. Use terminal cleaner or a wire brush and coat with an anti-corrosive compound. Petroleum jelly prevents rust. Another option is for the boat owner to take them home, in this case advise him to trickle charge them every 30-60 days.

Sanitation System:

Pump out and rinse holding tanks three times. After cleaning add holding tank blue treatment chemical to eliminate odors. Close the head discharge, through-hull ball valve and raw water supply valve. Pour a small amount of chlorine bleach into any standing sea water in the head itself to eliminate the formation of bacterial growth and odor. Add a little anti-freeze such as Starbrite ‘Bio-Safe’ Anti-Freeze and pump it through hoses, holding tank, Y-valve, macerator and discharge hose. Check owner’s manual to make sure there are no other parts which need tending to. Make sure to check and see if your anti-freeze is alcohol based because it will not damage the system.

Water Heaters:

Put some non-toxic anti-freeze into the heater and make sure assembly and plumbing is surely fastened and secure.

Through Hull Openings:

With a screwdriver or similar tool, poke up inside each opening. Make sure there is no marine growth left on the inside.

Fresh Water Tanks:

Pump them dry and add some bleach and non-toxic anti-freeze to the system. Always use Propylene Gycol anti-freeze and not engine type anti-freeze. Refill and pump them dry again. Be sure to turn off the pressure pump. Isolate hot water by disconnecting the in and out lines. Some do not make noise when the fresh water tanks are empty. Make sure to also check faucets, sinks, shower stall drains, etc.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

So you still may ask, what is a life coach? Which is one of the reasons why I am writing this article..To me a life coach is the return of that buddy in the village, town, tribe, or clan that studied the medicine, herbs, lore, history, art, psychology, politics, semantics, behavior, mythology, and religion of the world that is at his hands to heal you so the coach can benefit from your labors in your chosen trade as well. Either you call Them Priest, Rabbi, Shaman, Sufi, Pastor, Druid, High Priestess, Reverend Mother, or Life Coach; it is all the same. But the best part of a life coach to me is telling and listening to stories around the camp fire!

When Your car is broken, you see the Mechanic. When you need help straightening the stuff flying through your mind, you see a life coach. Each an equal trade with tradesmen who took the time to specialize something so you can do the same in your career. All equal, all one. Bring the marshmallows.

How Does a Life Coach Work?

A Life Coach is some one that pulls various teaching principles together from history and various cultures to help you grow in a healthy holistic manner. After accessing your past, your becoming, and your skuld, or should be.
A humanistic market analysis, but the analysand is you

How does this happen; very safe, serene, open, and nonjudgmental manner.
Where do we meet; where we were suppose to meet all along. Which we did, or will. In your own personal comfort center, which is? Since we live on the surface of a globe, where the center is everywhere, your center is wherever you choose. I will travel to that point, no matter where it is.

Who shall we meet on our journey? You, yourself, the other you, and 3H, S.M.O.G., and Joe Smith. The person I usually meet within you first is 4H; Happy, Hear Anything, Honest, Hell of a Guy. When you are in this mood you will tell me anything without fear of shame, you trust me, you are fun, and truthful. In this mood your sins are true to its meaning; old Scythian archery term for missing your mark.

When we venture down the paths of your life and read the road maps of your future journeys; sometimes we hit potholes and road blocks. At these times we become like that guy who is arguing with his wife who needs not to ask for directions. Who has the kids in the back seat pulling pig tails and going through the “are we there yet routine!”. This is S.M.O.G.; Sensitive, Moody, offensive, and Grumpy. The four dwarfs. We can listen to him for awhile, which this mood will appreciate; for it is the little bigger brother of Joe Smith who picks the fight and leaves the four dwarfs known as S.M.O.G to take care of his battles. He likes to air out all of Joe’s dirty laundry, and some times he likes to trick you into believing its mine.

Now Joe Smith is a man who likes hats and masquerades, but hates Halloween. Joe Smith can where the hard hat, fireman hat, Fedora, and policemen’s hat. Which sometimes and sometimes not changes when he gets home; like Mr. Rogers changes his shoes and sweater. Joe Smith is your average mood that remains as long as you are calm. Even keel, paced (good or bad), content at the moment, and base line. Joe Smith should be an equal amount of King, hero, dreamer, and magician. The king coordinates and decides the actions to take. The magician creates the tools and gathers the information to accomplish those goals. The dreamer is the romantic that has the inspiration and love of life that influences the kings desires. The hero is the one who turns the dreamers desires into aspiration through the use of the magicians knowledge and tools to follow the King’s orders. Ancient Jews believed God had four parts or positions made in the universe. He, God, was responsible for the idea, the Archangels the planning and diagrams, Angels the manufacturing and transportation, and Us the consumer and the end user. The President, Designers, craftsmen, and final consumer or the one who applies the idea. You are the one who gets to eat the ice cream cone. Also Joe Smith can either talk to others as a parent, a child, or another equal adult. But he will never talk to Mr. S.M.O.G. And the Dwarfs. When S.M.O.G. Comes out to play, Joe disappears and hides in some little corner in the brain and sits up from the floor covered in ju ju bees occasionally only to duck back down when Frankenstein is still on the screen. He disappears on regular frequency over a period of hours, days, weeks or month for S.M.O.G. To deal with all the stuff it does not want or can not face. Joe does not even admit S.M.O.G. exists in the unhealthy Smith. When this happens he at times is no better than Mr. Smith from the Matrix or the sleeper in the pod. Victim/aggressor or Aggressor/victim. “Who is the slayer, who is the victim, speak…” When the King, Hero, Magician, and Dreamer are balanced and happy we are (add your name here).

Now with some people I can access any of these people in you. With some when S.M.O.G. Appears, I can get 4H to show up by slapping ones nose lightly or tapping another’s forehead. The dilation and brightness of the eye will show the switch along with the mood change. But Joe Smith is the hardest to bring out at times. For him the only person that can access him is a little child.

The last personality is one Joe Smith uses as a fair weather friend when it suites or prospers him; 3H. 3H is Hedonistic, Hellenistic, and hung over. He promises the instant fix, the cure of the symptoms, and the reprications 3H grabs the bottle to forget about your problems. He is the trust me guy. He is Willie E coyote who keeps following his stomach even after the 400th time he falls off the cliff. He is the one leads us into the drunk cell or screams when the sun creaks in the window in the morning. He is the one who keeps the sleeper in his pod tuned out on t.V. He keeps us at work so we do not have to face our fear of self decision and direction. He finds it easier for others tell him what to do, so he can secretly do something contrary.

A Life Coach is a person who can get all these moods or personalities inside you to come to the table and ratify a treaty for prosperity, health, and happiness of your true Self. To introduce you once again to that little child within you and let him fly and grow up finally. So you can truly save your parents and raise healthy children of your own so our society will never vote another Bush or his like in office again. Or vote any one in to do anything we should be doing ourselves.

Come read other articles
like this one at TheGuide
or learn about an old cantankerous old man in the 20’s and the pond he created. Come join the lifestyle @ Docspond

Christopher Jon Luke Dowgin has been a life coach for twenty years counseling
people and propietor of his own Artistic company Norgeforge.

Know Money to Make Money

by Ivon T. Hughes http://www.writerscontest.ca/

The experts are always telling us that getting paid for what you know is one of the most effective, least time-intensive ways to make a buck. Well, if you know anything about money (and you don’t need to be a financial whiz), writing articles for financial websites can be a very lucrative way to get paid for what you know.

We all understand that demand for your product is essential in any business. Well, how’s this for demand: EVERYONE is interested in money. We want to know how we can earn it, save it, and grow it. After all, isn’t making money your basic motivation for reading this article or subscribing to this newsletter? If you do want to make money, and you have any insight or even anecdotes about things like investing, business, family finances, taxes, or even being flat broke, there is a huge online demand for what you have to say. And surprisingly, you don’t have to be a professional writer to get in the game.

There are many different types of financial businesses that are always looking for articles (yes, even your articles) to use on their websites. Stock brokers need technical articles, as well as articles on how families like yours invest, and what they think about stocks and mutual funds. Even banks, insurance companies, and mutual fund companies are always looking for human interest stories about how money, or the lack thereof, can affect families and individuals just like you, from all walks of life.

You’ve probably heard a dozen times that the best selling product on the Internet is information. Well, for you and your articles, this can clearly be the case. Financial websites are willing to pay you for your articles, because their customers and people visiting the sites are HUNGRY for the information. Providing the information people want makes these firms look good, making people want to do business with them. If you can help their business with your articles, they are often willing to pay you handsomely for your assistance.

In all seasons, and at specific times of year, there are articles needed on issues like retirement planning, education funding,savings, tax filing and brackets, insurance, estate planning,family finances, and more.

But what if you don’t know anything about any of these topics? If you’re willing to do some research and learn a few things, you’ll not only be armed with the knowledge you’ve gained, but you will also be poised to make some great money. Try going to a search engine like Google, and you will find thousands of articles on money, investments, and all types of insurance. Spend some time learning the ropes and your study could pay off big time.

In fact, many websites even hold contests to promote themselves and build a crop of writers. These sites are looking for interesting articles that teach, entertain, and inform on money, finances, investments, and insurance. The major prizes can be worth thousands to the writer, making a few hours of research and time spent writing well worth it. As sites build a list of writers, they will typically increase the number of writing contests they hold, making it easier and easier to get in on the action.

Have you ever heard this quote?

“There is a wonderful, mystical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life- happiness, freedom, and peace of mind- are always attained by giving them to someone else.”

It’s so true, isn’t it? I don’t know who it was who first said those wise words (if you do know then please tell me), but I have no doubt they lived a very happy life, because they have discovered one of the secrets to happiness.

In fact, the secret to success in all endeavours is found in this quote. No matter what you desire, give first and you will receive.

If you want to receive love, then give love. Not exclusively to one person, but to everyone and everything. Express love to your life, your circumstances, your friends and family, and even the people you pass in the street. If you love all, you will receive love back, and you’ll become the kind of person who attracts that special person, and those special relationships, and a life of blissful love.

If you want to get rich then don’t do it through the dog-eat-dog world of competition and win-lose deals. Give increased value to others. Wallace D. Wattles talks about this in his book Science Of Getting Rich better than anyone else I’ve come across (see the Resources Page on my website to get a free copy). You get rich by providing more in use-value than the cash-value you receive. You get rich through co-operation rather than competition. You get rich through providing win-win deals. You get rich through providing others with the opportunities to improve their own lives. Once again, give and you will receive so much more back.

The same applies to happiness. If you want to be happy, give happiness.

Turn your focus around. It’s not all about you. Look out into the world and find opportunities to give happiness.

James Matthew Barrie said, “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.”

The great Mark Twain said, “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”

Give happiness and you will get happiness. It’s the only way.

Who can you make happy today?

Who can you go and see, just to hang out together?

Who can you phone to tell them you miss them?

It doesn’t take much. Smile to someone who is feeling down. Hold a door open for someone behind you. Compliment someone on their clothing. Thank someone for a job well done at work.

Happiness is so easy. Just give it to someone else, and you’ll find more than enough is magically left behind for you.

Give happiness. Be happy. And smile!

Lance Beggs

Copyright Lance Beggs. All Rights Reserved.

Lance Beggs is the author of “How to be Happy Now”. His mission is to help others live a life of meaning, love and happiness! Subscribe to his FREE ezine at www.HowToBeHappyNow.com

Inspiration – where does it come from and how do you get it when you want it? This age-old question highlights a problem that plagues those whose life work revolved around ideas, and new concepts, themes, or subject matter.

Take writing for example, if you don’t have ideas, then what do you write about? Of course, life happenings, news articles, and world events supply subjects for a lot that is written. If, however, you do not deal with “news” per se, then where do you stand? Well, ideas are there, all around you, and in everything you do. For example, your family, people you know, or mere brief encounters are food for thought and can produce a myriad of ideas and suggestions for topics. Talking to people, reading a magazine, or a newspaper will light up a little bulb that may produce a time-worthy article, or even your next novel. Even the simple act of taking a walk allows you the pleasure of opening up a storehouse of possibilities. In essence, everything you do is a possibility – every person you meet, every activity you engage in, and even doing absolutely nothing will inspire, enlighten and give you a storehouse of ideas. So, what is the catch to your cornucopia of subject matter. You must be open to them. You must quiet your mind, your worries, your everyday problems, and let the ideas flow in. Take the time daily and open your mind, heart, and even your soul to the vast enlightenments that are a part of each and every day. In reality, there is never a day that is closed to new ideas, insights, or perspectives.

No matter what your personal or business life has in store for you each day, don’t limit yourself to these “daily occurrences.” If you don’t train yourself to take notice of everything around you, a lack of ideas will soon be the malady of the day. Just think of it – there is wonder in the warmth of sunshine, a million stories in a big city train station, and a poem is just resting in the beauty of nature. Thoughts do have one bad habit though. They will not come to you if you are not receptive. They don’t open your mind for you – they just stroll in if the door is open.

So put out that welcome mat – and let everyday life supply you with its wonder and its magic supply of ideas. You can pick and choose, but don’t let a day go by that life itself is not allowed entry. If you do close the door, you will never know what great literary achievements could have surfaced on the day you decided you were too busy to bother.
Take each day as a new adventure, a clean slate, a storehouse of knowledge and wisdom.
ENJOY!
©Arleen M. Kaptur 2002 June 1

About the Author

Arleen Kaptur has written numerous articles, cookbooks, and the novel:
SEARCHING FOR AUSTIN JAMES
Websites:
http://www.arleenssite.com
http://www.Arleens-RusticLiving.com
http://www.webspawner.com/users/rusticliving
http://topica.com/lists/simpleliving

Introduction To ISDN, Part III: Configuring PPP PAP Authentication

Now we know how the ISDN link comes up (interesting traffic), and some scenarios that might cause the link to stay up, we need to look at ISDN authentication schemes. The two methods Cisco certification candidates must be familiar with are PAP and CHAP.

Password Authentication Protocol (PAP) sends the username and password over the ISDN link in clear-text. Sending any passwords over any WAN link in clear-text is generally a bad idea, but it’s important to know you have this option.

Regarding both PAP and CHAP, it’s a common misunderstanding that each side must authenticate the other. PAP and CHAP both support bidirectional and unidirectional authentication; that is, R1 can authenticate R2 without R2 necessarily authenticating R1. It’s more common to use unidirectional authentication in a lab environment than a production network, but keep in mind that bidirectional authentication is an option, not a requirement.

The configurations of PAP and CHAP do have their similarities. For both, you’ll configure a username/password combination in global configuration mode. Newcomers to ISDN sometimes put the local router name in for the username; remember that the remote router name is the username.

The only real advantage of PAP over CHAP comes in the password configuration. Since PAP actually sends the password as a whole over the link, the two routers can send different passwords during authentication. The operation of CHAP requires that both routers use the same password, and we’ll see why in tomorrow’s article.

Under the BRI interface, you’ll enter encapsulation ppp and ppp authentication pap. So far, your authentication scheme looks like this:

username R2 password CCNA

Int bri0

PAP requires an extra command at this point. The ppp pap sent-username command is required under the interface, indicating the username and password this router will be sending to the remote router.

Int bri0

I always encourage CCNA and CCNP candidates to use as many debugs as possible when working in their lab, since these commands show us how things work. For any PPP authentication, always run debug ppp negotiation before sending interesting traffic to trigger the call. Watching exactly how PAP and CHAP work give you a much better understanding of what’s going on “behind the command”, and makes you a stronger candidate and a stronger networking engineer.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at CHAP, and why routers cannot use the same password on both ends of the link.

Keep studying!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage (http://www.thebryantadvantage.com), home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. Video courses and training, binary and subnetting help, and corporate training are also available. Pass the CCNA exam with Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933!

I was doing some planning tonight over a cup of coffee, when something struck me.

I’m launching more consulting programs and seminars, internationally, yet I haven’t made a commitment to learning additional languages.

How could I overlook something so obvious?

Then, it occurred to me that I haven’t made this commitment because I’ve failed to adopt a Personal Learning Program. It has been a while since I earned my last degree, so I’ve been in a state of suspended animation when it comes to systematic knowledge acquisition.

Of course this is like the shoemaker who has no time to fix his kids’ soles. Here I am, a proponent of lifelong learning, yet I’ve somehow strayed from that path, myself.

I don’t want to overstate this. I have kept up with my fields of endeavor, and I’ve continued to do research and to write, all of which involves learning.

Yet, still, these activities are not he same as having a Personal Learning Program in place.

To me, this is a plan for general self-improvement through study. There can be a monetary or professional payoff in it, but really, the main goal is GROWTH as a thinking, creative being.

Such a program won’t just happen. It needs to be planned and executed.

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Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations from Santa Monica to South Africa. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

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It seems that we’re invited to a party or family get-together every other night in the weeks before the Holidays. Unfortunately most of the dishes that are brought to those events are not exactly healthy. We all tend to overindulge during the holiday season, tempted by all the unhealthy treats around. But to be honest with you, I get tired of all the rich and fattening food rather quickly and welcome a healthy fresh alternative. This is your year to shine with that healthy dish the next time you are asked to bring something to a holiday party. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1. Veggies and Dip

Just cut up some fresh veggies. Good choices are celery, broccoli, cauliflower and cucumber. Add some baby carrots and grape tomatoes. Serve it with a low fat ranch dip and you’re good to go.

2. Fruits and Dip Serve some fruit that’s in season in bite size chunks with a side of low fat vanilla yogurt. Wash some strawberries, peel and cut up some apples, pears, cantaloupe and even some fresh pineapple for a sweet treat that’s actually good for you.

3. Cheese and Crackers

Make a platter of several low fat cheeses and get a box of whole-wheat crackers. To make it even more fun, use some holiday cookie cutters and cut shapes out of the cheese. Just arrange everything on a platter and take it to the party.

4. Bring A Salad

A salad of mixed greens with some other veggies mixed in always makes for a great side dish and will go with any other foods that are served. Start with some basic mixed greens, preferably dark greens. I like to mix baby spinach with some other dark greens. Dice up some red and yellow peppers for color and some slices of cucumber for crunchy texture. Top it off with some grape tomatoes and you will have a colorful and yummy salad. I like to bring several ready-made low fat dressings form the grocery store to serve with the salad.

Go ahead; give one of these ideas a try. You’ll be surprised how well received your healthy dish will be. Plus you’ll know there will be at least one dish at the party you can fill up on that is actually good for you and your health.

Happy Holidays!