Best Small Business Ideas For 2010

The Best And Most Inexpensive Business Advertising Ideas

About the author: You need something little, like promotional key rings to hand out while singing your way happily through town. Check out promotional items online and see what interesting stuff there is.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/the-best-and-most-inexpensive-business-advertising-ideas-1128104.html

Frequently Asked Questions

1. QUESTION:
   What type of stalls can two 15 year old girls (16 soon) open up to earn some money?
   We want to save some money cos it is our last year of school and we want to be all prepared for collage in september 2010. The money is going to be good used, for travel fares, equipment , uniforms and perhaps living expense.

   We thought to open a small business stalls: eg soap

   Anymore ideas? Please share the most an best get 10pnts ) Thnx

   • ANSWER:
     Handmade Jewellery
     Handmade Cards
     Handmade Candles
     Handmade Painted Glassware
     Handmade Personalised Door Plaques

     If any of these appeal, I would suggest getting how to books out from the library or use the internet for how to tips. Another idea is buying items from thrift stores and tweaking them to create a unique knick knack or clothes/ linen item. GOOD LUCK!!!

2. QUESTION:
   anyone know about the homestead act for 2010?
   just starting up a small home based business, no real liability its design work but may someday move up to general contracting/remodeling....we own our home which is where we work out of. is it worth paying to get our house covered by the homestead act? and just generally speaking is it a good idea to have it taken care of anyhow. my dad says yes....does father know best?!?!?!? thanks in advance!
   sorry i didnt mean literally "of 2010". its supposed to protect your house(primary residence) up to like 0,000 incase you are sued(i believe). i googled it and here is something i came across...

   http://www.sec.state.ma.us/rod/rodhom/homidx.htm

   • ANSWER:
     There is no such law.

3. QUESTION:
   What would you do if you had this situation?
   Here goes :
   1. I have been laid off from work for the last 11 months.
   2. I work part-time doing some cleaning 3 x per week
   3. My wife works Part-Time and goes to Nursing School Part-Time
   4. We have a Mortgage Debt of ,000 owing on a 0,000 home
   5. We have small amount of Credit Card Debt = ,351. Total
   ( 6 Lowes due by July 7 -2010 The other is 5 owing on a Visa

   6. We owe a relative ,301. for my wife's Nursing Schooling

   We own a Pick-up truck ( totally paid for - 1998 GMC Sierra ) and a car 1999 Buick Park Ave
   ( Totally paid for )

   We only get 6 every two weeks from Unemployment, my wife gets approx. 0 every two weeks for CNA Nursing Part-Time and I get 5 after expenses for doing part-time cleaning every month.

   We have a bi-weekly mortgage of 2 and so far we are barely hanging on.

   Any suggestions, - I have been trying to get meaningful work, but no success so far. It is my first time in my life that I have ever been laid off - let alone for this length of time ( 11 months )........

   We are 48 ( me ) and my wife is 52.

   We sold some land that we had to pay for over half of my wife's Nursing School Tuiton.

   Other than the obvious answer of myself to get a good paying job ( which would be answer to prayer ) any suggestions of any organizations that would be willing to help us to pay off my wife's realative for her Nursing School Loan ? We have already received some grants ( ,000 ) which we paid directly towards her tuition.

   We are not asking for a hand-out - but rather a hand - up -
   We don't believe in Debt and want to get out of debt as soon as possible

   Any sensible suggestions / ideas ( we don't want those stupid home-based business ideas or those make a quick buck schemes )

   So far we are hanging in there, but honestly it's really hard when it's been going on for over 11 months straight now.

   My wife is a wonderful lady and she is a very hard worker, but she suffers terribly with Sestemic Lupis and does the best she can. I apply for at least 5 + jobs per week, but so far no success.
   I have a Associates Degree ( 1993 ) and we are both US Citizens.

   Just very frustrating when you do the best you can - and still no breaks !
   I don't even use a Cell Phone - can't afford it.
   We just simply do without

   ANY IDEAS ???

   • ANSWER:
     Have you applied at temp agencies? It is hard to help without knowing what kind of work you have done in the past and are able to do.

4. QUESTION:
   What would you do in this situation ?
   Here goes :
   1. I have been laid off from work for the last 11 months.
   2. I work part-time doing some cleaning 3 x per week
   3. My wife works Part-Time and goes to Nursing School Part-Time
   4. We have a Mortgage Debt of ,000 owing on a 0,000 home
   5. We have small amount of Credit Card Debt = ,351. Total
   ( 6 Lowes due by July 7 -2010 The other is 5 owing on a Visa

   6. We owe a relative ,301. for my wife's Nursing Schooling

   We own a Pick-up truck ( totally paid for - 1998 GMC Sierra ) and a car 1999 Buick Park Ave
   ( Totally paid for )

   We only get 6 every two weeks from Unemployment, my wife gets approx. 0 every two weeks for CNA Nursing Part-Time and I get 5 after expenses for doing part-time cleaning every month.

   We have a bi-weekly mortgage of 2 and so far we are barely hanging on.

   Any suggestions, - I have been trying to get meaningful work, but no success so far. It is my first time in my life that I have ever been laid off - let alone for this length of time ( 11 months )........

   We are 48 ( me ) and my wife is 52.

   We sold some land that we had to pay for over half of my wife's Nursing School Tuiton.

   Other than the obvious answer of myself to get a good paying job ( which would be answer to prayer ) any suggestions of any organizations that would be willing to help us to pay off my wife's realative for her Nursing School Loan ? We have already received some grants ( ,000 ) which we paid directly towards her tuition.

   We are not asking for a hand-out - but rather a hand - up -
   We don't believe in Debt and want to get out of debt as soon as possible

   Any sensible suggestions / ideas ( we don't want those stupid home-based business ideas or those make a quick buck schemes )

   So far we are hanging in there, but honestly it's really hard when it's been going on for over 11 months straight now.

   My wife is a wonderful lady and she is a very hard worker, but she suffers terribly with Sestemic Lupis and does the best she can. I apply for at least 5 + jobs per week, but so far no success.
   I have a Associates Degree ( 1993 ) and we are both US Citizens.

   Just very frustrating when you do the best you can - and still no breaks !
   I don't even use a Cell Phone - can't afford it.
   We just simply do without

   ANY IDEAS ???

   • ANSWER:
     I'm sorry to hear about your situation.

     It sounds like you're making the most of it, though.

     Refinancing the home might be a good idea even if it takes longer to pay it off (assuming a bank will approve it).

     Possible job options: Go to a temp office and see about work because if an economic recovery is real, businesses hire temp workers first (that'll be a sign the job market is turning around).

5. QUESTION:
   Veterans, what to you think about privatizing the VA?
   Project Hero was a small pilot program of privatized health care to provide services for veterans in rural areas. The result has been that military hospitals have closed and these veterans are now stuck in an HMO named TRICARE. This private program has been costly for many retirees and it gives us an idea of what the complete privatization of the VA will look like."

   "So, instead of building VA clinics and staffing them with VA doctors and nurses...the VA, with the help and blessing of House Vets' Chair Rep. Steve Buyer, is privatizing the system by providing health care from private doctors at private hospitals."

   If this sounds like a good idea, then throw your support behind conservatives such as Ken Buck of Colorado. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Though they are not saying much about it in public, conservatives also want us to gamble away the protections provided by Social Security. Privatization is the best! That would be another give-a-way to Wall Street.

   This is exactly what can be expected of the politicians who are being paid handsomely to protect the interests of the insurance industry. Their bottom line is all that matters. Why else would major companies such as Aetna and Anthem Blue Cross stop providing child-only health care plans?

   Children? Seniors?

   http://www.vawatchdog.org/old%20newsflashes%20APR%2006/newsflash04-02-2006-1.htm

   http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=4398

   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/21/AR2005082101073.html

   http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39350011/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/39348947

   http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/09/dick-armey-calls-social-security-corrupt-payasyougo-ponzi-scheme/

   http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/21/business/la-fi-kids-health-insurance-20100921

   http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2010/09/23/missouri-health-insurance-companies-drop-child-only-policies/

   • ANSWER:
     i am a vietnam veteran..i use my local VA all the time...i have had major surgery and have had no problems..i also have PTSD and they treat me like a God..they have an agreement with my local hospital that a veteran goes their to get stabilized then sent to the VA

6. QUESTION:
   Nukes to close the oil plume?
   http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0529/ene...nuke-oil-leak/

   "Next, the so-called 'nuclear option' is about to get a lot of attention. In this case, of course, nuclear option is not a euphemism. It's the real idea that the best way to kill this thing is to stick a small nuke in there and bury the well under rubble. ... By the middle of the coming week, it will be all over cable news, as pundits press The White House hard on whether it's being considered and why not."

   The following video was broadcast on Bloomberg News, Friday May 28, 2010.

   http://www.youtube.com/v/4whiKQgnp4w&hl=en_US&fs=1&

   As the latest effort to plug the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico meets with failure, the idea of nuking the immediate area to seal the oil underground is gaining steam among some energy experts and researchers.

   One prominent energy expert known for predicting the oil price spike of 2008 says sending a small nuclear bomb down the leaking well is "probably the only thing we can do" to stop the leak.

   Matt Simmons, founder of energy investment bank Simmons & Company, also says that there is evidence of a second oil leak about five to seven miles from the initial leak that BP has focused on fixing. That second leak, he says, is so large that the initial one is "minor" in comparison.

   Simmons spoke to Bloomberg News on Friday, before BP announced that its latest effort to plug the leak, known as the "top kill" method, had failed.

   "A week ago Sunday the first research vessel ... was commissioned by NOAA to scour the area," he said. They found "a gigantic plume" growing about five to seven miles from the site of the original leak, Simmons said.

   Simmons said the US government should immediately take the effort to plug the leak out of the hands of BP and put the military in charge.

   "Probably the only thing we can do is create a weapons system and send it down 18,000 feet and detonate it, hopefully encasing the oil," he said.

   His idea echoes that of a Russian newspaper that earlier this month suggested the US detonate a small nuclear bomb to seal the oil beneath the sea. Komsomoloskaya Pravda argued in an editorial that Russia had successfully used nuclear weapons to seal oil spills on five occasions in the past.

   Live Science reports:

   Weapons labs in the former Soviet Union developed special nukes for use to help pinch off the gas wells. They believed that the force from a nuclear explosion could squeeze shut any hole within 82 to 164 feet (25 to 50 meters), depending on the explosion's power. That required drilling holes to place the nuclear device close to the target wells.

   A first test in the fall of 1966 proved successful in sealing up an underground gas well in southern Uzbekistan, and so the Russians used nukes four more times for capping runaway wells.

   Simmons also told Bloomberg that the idea to use radical measures like a nuclear bomb to seal the leak is probably not being contemplated by decision-makers "because BP is still totally in charge of the news and they have everyone focused on the top kill."

   Asked by a Bloomberg reporter about the risks involved in setting off a nuclear bomb off the coast of Louisiana, Simmons argued that a nuclear explosion deep inside a well bore would have little effect on surrounding areas.

   "If you're 18,000 feet under the sea bed, it basically wont do anything [on the surface]," he said.

   Joe Wiesenthal at Business Insider says the idea of using nukes will be getting a lot of attention now that the "top kill" procedure has failed.

   • ANSWER:
     whats ur question?

7. QUESTION:
   psychlover you asked (about anxiety)?
   Hi,

   I think I have had a disorder comporacy all my life

   When I was young I would always sleep with my parents, and need a light to be switched on. If I was ever in the dark, I will always run to light. <<----- 4-11. (Still kinder scared of dark places, but sleep in own bed)
   But that wasn't affecting my life

   Then I started to form habits, like pulling out my hair (not because of stress) just because I needed to play with something and I got addictive to playing with my hair. <<----- started in grade 5, but now I still Fidel with my hair, but don't pull it out. (I mean I didn't like pull it all out, just pulled small pieces out) then in grade 6 up till now I started to develop bad thinking skills like for example, I see the paper, lying on the floor, and I will be in bed, I'll say to myself I have to pick up that paper, and put it on the desk, or else my dog will die (that just an example) or if my cellphone is like sitting on a the computer, I'll say I have to pick it up and put it on that table. That started in 2008/2009 up to this day (not as bad as before, but it still bags me)

   Then end of 2009 beginning of 2010, I started to develop a bad habit, about diseases and germs (example HIV/AIDS, HEP C/B, Rabies, etc) and I would not eat at any food place, every time I ate, I had to wash my plate, I could not go near any friends or people germs (I mean, I still went to movies, with friends, but when they laughed, and came close I backed away) Now my germ problem isn't that bad, I mean, I still wash my hands before eating, I just rinse my plate & glass, yes now I eat out, and yes I join in with my friends conversation, so that is kinder over. It still their, but yeah, not bad.

   The one that is currently affecting me the most is about having thoughts about after life, etc. (don't want to go into detail) This one is different to the others, this one makes me panic, brings WAY MORE fear, scarceness.

   Now it isn't like I got no friends, it isn't like my life sucks, It isn't like I want to kill my self. It just that I freak out/panic.

   I am also very clever, I was getting over 80% for almost all of my subjects, I am currently earning about 500-1000 USD a month, and I am 15 (opened a business) It also isn't like I study for hours, and I really learn VERY hard, that why I get over 80% it is just that I memories, and can comprehend what I learn. So it isn't like I am stupid, but I have also noticed, I come up with a whole lot ideas, what my friends and other people don't come up with, only when I tell them, they say "wow, great idea." I also think about like business for the future, etc.

   As I say my life doesn't suck, I am not on drugs, I don't smoke, I don't really drink alcohol, I got plenty of friends (trusted friends to) last weekend I went out to movies, and their were 8-10 friends at movies with me. I don't have a girlfriend, (not tho I need one) I try my best to lead a clean healthy life, etc.

   Please help!

   1) Is anxiety common?
   2) How can I get treated, what is the best way?

   Thanks
   Regards
   Jesus loves you

   • ANSWER:
     See my previous response.... From this post, its sounds very much like you have OCD. Are you seeking help? Please tell your doctor all these things and ask for a referral to a therapist who is trained in treating anxiety disorders. Tell your parents if they do not know. Get help. For OCD, the best treatment is usually Exposure and Response Prevention, which is exactly what it sounds like. The therapist exposes you to your fears in a controlled way and you learn to deal with them. There are also medications that are used to treat OCD that your doctor might prescribe, but you should probably be treated by a therapist as well.

     OCD is pretty common, about 1% of teens have it. Probably more but so many time it goes unrecognized. OCD symptoms wax and wane over time, usually depending on stress levels.

     Also, you say that your life doesn't suck, you don't drink, you get good grades,etc. While the anxiety has to effect your life and/or significantly distress you (which is does), many high-functioning people have OCD and other anxiety disorders, such as Howe Mandel and myself. Unfortunately, if you don't get help soon, then it's likely that your anxiety will get worse and you will develop other conditions such as other anxiety disorders, depression, or substance abuse, which will very much interfere with your life. However, by getting treatment now, you will hopefully avoid those things.

8. QUESTION:
   Suffering from Anxiety?
   Hi,

   I think I have had a disorder comporacy all my life

   When I was young I would always sleep with my parents, and need a light to be switched on. If I was ever in the dark, I will always run to light. <<----- 4-11. (Still kinder scared of dark places, but sleep in own bed)
   But that wasn't affecting my life

   Then I started to form habits, like pulling out my hair (not because of stress) just because I needed to play with something and I got addictive to playing with my hair. <<----- started in grade 5, but now I still Fidel with my hair, but don't pull it out. (I mean I didn't like pull it all out, just pulled small pieces out) then in grade 6 up till now I started to develop bad thinking skills like for example, I see the paper, lying on the floor, and I will be in bed, I'll say to myself I have to pick up that paper, and put it on the desk, or else my dog will die (that just an example) or if my cellphone is like sitting on a the computer, I'll say I have to pick it up and put it on that table. That started in 2008/2009 up to this day (not as bad as before, but it still bags me)

   Then end of 2009 beginning of 2010, I started to develop a bad habit, about diseases and germs (example HIV/AIDS, HEP C/B, Rabies, etc) and I would not eat at any food place, every time I ate, I had to wash my plate, I could not go near any friends or people germs (I mean, I still went to movies, with friends, but when they laughed, and came close I backed away) Now my germ problem isn't that bad, I mean, I still wash my hands before eating, I just rinse my plate & glass, yes now I eat out, and yes I join in with my friends conversation, so that is kinder over. It still their, but yeah, not bad.

   The one that is currently affecting me the most is about having thoughts about after life, etc. (don't want to go into detail) This one is different to the others, this one makes me panic, brings WAY MORE fear, scarceness.

   Now it isn't like I got no friends, it isn't like my life sucks, It isn't like I want to kill my self. It just that I freak out/panic.

   I am also very clever, I was getting over 80% for almost all of my subjects, I am currently earning about 500-1000 USD a month, and I am 15 (opened a business) It also isn't like I study for hours, and I really learn VERY hard, that why I get over 80% it is just that I memories, and can comprehend what I learn. So it isn't like I am stupid, but I have also noticed, I come up with a whole lot ideas, what my friends and other people don't come up with, only when I tell them, they say "wow, great idea." I also think about like business for the future, etc.

   As I say my life doesn't suck, I am not on drugs, I don't smoke, I don't really drink alcohol, I got plenty of friends (trusted friends to) last weekend I went out to movies, and their were 8-10 friends at movies with me. I don't have a girlfriend, (not tho I need one) I try my best to lead a clean healthy life, etc.

   Please help!

   1) Is anxiety common?
   2) How can I get treated, what is the best way?

   Thanks
   Regards
   Jesus loves you

   • ANSWER:
     It sounds like you may have an anxiety disorder, with a touch of obsessive compulsive disorder as well.
     I'd recommend getting cognitive behavioral therapy, this is very effective for your type of problem.

9. QUESTION:
   summary this article?
   i want this artical in between 900 to 1000 words

   The credibility of the author:
   Thirty one year old Edward Attwood is the author of "Small island, big plans" who is British national based in Dubai. He is currently working as a senior reporter on the (AB), Arabian Business website which involves reporting and feature-writing on a variety of fields including (but not limited to) finance, real estate, energy and transport. Ed has been known for working in a lot of countries in the Middle East and the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) in particular, and before moving to the (GCC) two years ago, he worked on the Middle East desk of a US-based company called Global Insight which is a political and an economical forecaster for more than fourty years. Before GI, he worked for a law firm for a few years before eventually deciding that he did not want to be a lawyer, also before that he got his BA honors degree in English, literature from a UK University (2001)(E. Attwood, personal communication- Email, March 18, 2010).
   It appears that Ed has the experience in writing these types of topics because he has been writing for a large number of websites and magazines mostly about the Middle East and the (GCC) countries and since he is living there for a period of time. Moreover he is an expert writer and from the information that he is mentioning in the articles so we can say that he is credible.
   It is possible to say that Ed has a motivating perspective in writing his articles which are globalization, open market and free trade which makes him a believer of capitalism and development. However when it comes to his assumptions politically I think that he is a bias for not mentioning any types of political views and for giving positive attitude towards Bahrain and the other (GCC) countries when it comes to growing. But yet this does not make a reader stop criticizing his writings and beliefs!
   The timelines of the reading:
   "Small island, big plans" was published in Friday the 26th February 2010, Publication date tends to be important because It is a grand way to stay in touch with the customers and to keep the writers name out there in a positive way (if he is mentioning a positive topic), readers will remember the name of the article and writer when they need what he offers as well as sharing it with a friend in a similar need. Nevertheless at the same time it is the future and past.

   The intended audience of the reading:
   All types of people who are interested in business, logistics, real estate, telecommunication and finance sector which are business men and women, Middle Eastern and (GCC) investors, tourists, economists and others that may be fairly interested which are freshly graduated students who are called job seekers.
   The content of the reading:
   There are many ideas brought up in this article but there is a considerable support that despite the fact that Bahrain is bounded by its limited area, in the writers opinion it has the best growing potential to flourish economically in the international arena. However the writer is comparing Bahrain to the other (GCC) countries in its well stabled and rising economy when he mentioned Islamic banking and many other examples of Formula 1, real estate, logistics and finance, therefore showing the reader that Bahrain is way different than the others which he named neighbours; by taking smaller steps into developing instead of jumping all at once.
   There are several examples in favor to this idea, such as The Bahrain Grand Prix (Formula 1) when he mentioned tourism or the world of media attention. Durrat Al Bahrain and Reef Island, an artificial island located close to Bahrain's Financial Harbour as he mentioned housing and real estate. Bahrain Central Bank, The Middle East largest bank by asset size, Emirates (NDB), Global Finance House (GFH), an Islamic investment house that bet heavily on the Gulf's now battered property markets as he mentioned finance and economics.
   Gulf Air and Bahrain Air as he mentioned transport, as well as Holland-based APM Terminals, one of the DP World's few competitors in the ports trade, masterminded the launch of the 0m Khalifa Bin Salman port – (the Bahrain Gateway). Moreover for logistics as he mentioned the 0m Bahrain Logistics Zone (BLZ) that is expected to be up and running by the end of this year and other sites like The Salman Industrial City include the Bahrain International Investment Park. Saudi Telecom (STC), Zain(2003) and Viva(2010) for telecommunication.
   Many ideas and beliefs were supported and quoted in this article by important business men from the Middle East and the (GCC) countries which are Rasheed Mohammed Al Maraj that recently pointed out that despite the amount of building activity in the country, very little of it had been speculative. Dr. Hatim Tahir, the new head of the centre of Islamic banking as he claims: "we decided to build the Islamic finance in Bahrain as we believe the country has substantial

   • ANSWER:
     Have you estimated the length of this article? By my rough calculations,ie;
     73 lines x 14 words =1022 words.
     So you have nothing to do.

10. QUESTION:
    Do you have a perfect pub in your area/town/city?
    Apparently this is the perfect pub in my country:

    The perfect pub?
    By MARIKA HILL - Manawatu Standard
    Last updated 12:00 02/10/2010

    Manawatu can claim New Zealand's best country pub, after the iconic Cheltenham Hotel was crowned Best Country Hotel.

    The Cheltenham Hotel – fondly referred to as the Chelty – beat an all-southern lineup at the Hospitality Association of NZ Awards for Excellence.

    It was third time lucky for Chelty publicans Pauline and Dave Scott, who missed out in two previous finals.

    The iconic live-in pub already draws customers for its ghost, but the win could boost its popularity, Mr Scott said.

    "We're delighted," he said. "We must be doing things right."

    The husband-and-wife team travelled to Auckland with five staff to receive the award.

    Caring for the pub in their absence, Mr Scott's niece Vicky-Lee Smith-Butters said the Chelty had a simple formula for success. "It's really laid-back and the locals are friendly."

    HANZ chief executive Bruce Robertson said the Manawatu pub epitomises the perfect Kiwi pub with its warm, country feel.

    "The Chelty is what's great about country pubs. It's the heart of the community, everybody supports it. Everything that happens in the community happens at the Chelty."

    Pig-hunters, rugby-heads and women's groups all utilise the Cheltenham – and they can expect more customers following the win, Mr Robertson said.

    "The innovation and flair seen throughout the Cheltenham is a tribute to its operators – who are constantly seeking new services and ideas with which to keep their businesses vibrant, fun, and of course profitable," he said.

    Opened in 1876, the Chelty has plenty of history and ghost stories.

    The Scotts bought the pub and hotel five years ago. Recent improvements include garden bar extensions and dining room renovations.

    The Chelty was up against Waiau Hotel and the Manapouri Lakeview Motor Inn in Southland. Judges marked the hotels on marketing, profits and customer service.

    Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/4191504/The-perfect-pub

    ps: Something tells me that Marika is the same girl my cousin knows, NZ is such a small world/country after all lol.
    MM: I emailed you one that might work this time
    (((*Moon Erin*))) - It's a crescent moon here at the moment

    • ANSWER:
      Lucky to have one Sphinx all ours have closed down. some were real Rockers no smoking and high prices killed em off. life aint the same now. better sail my ship to yours ?

11. QUESTION:
    My NEA Proposal -- I Need Some Help to get it Just Right?
    The National Endowment for the Arts provides grant support for the performing arts, which inspires my Dolphin314etc Goes to Broadway Venture, which is a combination of "Cats" with "La Boheme".

    It would be kind of an Opera, except sung entirely in "meow meow" -- every note would be a meow, except for a few hisses and screeches and banshee-like sounds.

    I don't want Prima Donnas for this, I want Secundus Donnas, or even Tertia Donnas. They all have to wear catface makeup, like in "cats", but from the neck down it's strictly 18th Century big hoop skirt dresses and pantaloons.

    The audience are invited to bring their cats. Special Cat-taners will be provided which can be clamped securely to the regular opera seats. There is a bit of audience interaction in this preformance -- the singers come down off the stage and do some meowing directly into the Cat-Tainers for the greater delight of the feline portion of the audience.

    During intermission, of course there will be sardine canapes and tuna rolls for the cats, and for the people, same thing except with champagne, or sparkling grape juice for the kids. The whole Opera is about that Democratic feeling, so why not make it a little inter-species, (but I'm not inviting any PETA people, I would have to get special organic nut rolls for them.)

    Kids would get a lot of joy from this Opera. They don't speak French anyway, so most of the regular opera might as well be meowing as far as they are concerned. I would also design the big flouncey dresses to be more authentically 18th Century French Court than you usually see, with some extra exposed areas, so the male kids could have squirty pants and sweet dreams, like I did when I saw Brigitte Bardot movies as a 10 year old -- WOW!

    The idea is to make a performance that bridges differences and that brings harmony and bonery to the world while providing new and exciting experiences for our feline friends who are tired of staring at squirrels out the window all day.

    Little girls would learn that cats are people too, and that one need not learn any particular language to sing opera. All you need is love, confidence, and a willingness to extend yourself to your audience. I'm not looking for a Renaissance in music appreciation, I'm no Lorenzo de Medici, just a little servant of all mankind trying to make the world a better place.

    The NEA has 0 million in grant money to pass out in 2010, and I don't think I need more than a a couple of million to get me started. It might be best to skip Summer Stock on this one -- I already get tarred and feathered in enough small towns -- we'll go straight for Broadway, or Off-Broadway, more likely.

    I want it to be tingent, witty, sharp, whiskery, crisp, and with ping -- the best of Opera, of France, of Felines, and of the Spirit of True Art -- which is to make em laugh, make em cry, make em squirt, make em sigh. There's no business like Show Business.

    • ANSWER:
      The cats wouldn't know what was going on... all they would know is that they are being restrained & there are a lot of other cats there... they would be very scared... so, just invite the people to dress up & leave their cats at home.

12. QUESTION:
    What would you do in this situation ?
    Here goes :
    1. I have been laid off from work for the last 11 months.
    2. I work part-time doing some cleaning 3 x per week
    3. My wife works Part-Time and goes to Nursing School Part-Time
    4. We have a Mortgage Debt of ,000 owing on a 0,000 home
    5. We have small amount of Credit Card Debt = ,351. Total
    ( 6 Lowes due by July 7 -2010 The other is 5 owing on a Visa

    6. We owe a relative ,301. for my wife's Nursing Schooling

    We own a Pick-up truck ( totally paid for - 1998 GMC Sierra ) and a car 1999 Buick Park Ave
    ( Totally paid for )

    We only get 6 every two weeks from Unemployment, my wife gets approx. 0 every two weeks for CNA Nursing Part-Time and I get 5 after expenses for doing part-time cleaning every month.

    We have a bi-weekly mortgage of 2 and so far we are barely hanging on.

    Any suggestions, - I have been trying to get meaningful work, but no success so far. It is my first time in my life that I have ever been laid off - let alone for this length of time ( 11 months )........

    We are 48 ( me ) and my wife is 52.

    We sold some land that we had to pay for over half of my wife's Nursing School Tuiton.

    Other than the obvious answer of myself to get a good paying job ( which would be answer to prayer ) any suggestions of any organizations that would be willing to help us to pay off my wife's realative for her Nursing School Loan ? We have already received some grants ( ,000 ) which we paid directly towards her tuition.

    We are not asking for a hand-out - but rather a hand - up -
    We don't believe in Debt and want to get out of debt as soon as possible

    Any sensible suggestions / ideas ( we don't want those stupid home-based business ideas or those make a quick buck schemes )

    So far we are hanging in there, but honestly it's really hard when it's been going on for over 11 months straight now.

    My wife is a wonderful lady and she is a very hard worker, but she suffers terribly with Sestemic Lupis and does the best she can. I apply for at least 5 + jobs per week, but so far no success.
    I have a Associates Degree ( 1993 ) and we are both US Citizens.

    Just very frustrating when you do the best you can - and still no breaks !
    I don't even use a Cell Phone - can't afford it.
    We just simply do without

    ANY IDEAS ???

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