Insurance for your semi truck and trailer is likely going to be one of your biggest expenses. And while it may be tempting to select the insurance company offering the lowest prices, that’s not always wise. Nor is it wise to put this task off until a later date. Being in an accident involving an uninsured or under-insured semi truck or trailer can leave you financially devastated for years. These tips are designed to help when it comes time to choose semi truck and trailer insurance.

Know what you need

Try to know the type and amount of coverage you need before contacting an insurance agent. It’ll take time for you to research your needs, but in the long run, doing so is your best chance of getting the right amount of coverage at a price that’s fair. Do you need insurance to cover you, your drivers, or both? Do you need workmen’s compensation? Are you looking for insurance to cover collision, fire, theft, CDC? Do you need full liability? Are you looking for bobtail liability? Do you want to insure your cargo? Do you need fuel bonds? Once you decide the type of insurance you need for your semi truck and trailer, you’ve also got to determine coverage limits.

Get multiple quotes

Getting multiple quotations for semi truck and trailer insurance is always a good idea. And if you’ve followed the above advice, shopping around for insurance quotations will be much easier. One way to comparison shop is to go online. Locating businesses that offer this type of insurance is simple and getting a quotation usually is fast. In most cases, all you have to do is fill out an online form and submit it. In no time you’ll have the pricing information you need.

Compare your quotes

Once you start getting quotations, be sure to review the coverage closely. When one quote is lower than another, it’s important to make sure you’re being quoted for comparable coverage. This is especially important when one quote is substantially lower than others. Some companies bundle their coverage while others offer a basic package and then offer additional coverage options as riders. A rider is generally offered at an additional cost. Also, find out if the company offers discounts for paying insurance premiums annually rather than monthly.

Research the insurance company

Just as with any major purchase, you want to find out as much as you can about the insurance company before purchasing a policy. Start by checking with the various rating services and regulatory agencies to see what you can find out. Also, find out what you can about the company’s claims processing policy. First and foremost, you want to work with an insurance company that is financially able to pay out claims, and you also want a company that processes claims in a timely manner.

Revisit your needs

Get into the habit of revisiting your semi truck and trailer insurance needs annually so that you can make changes as necessary.

For More Trucking Resources http://www.truckertotrucker.com

The success of rap music as the main expression of hip hop has elevated it beyond a cultural movement but to the status of financial powerhouse. Started in the 70’s by innovative DJ’s, rap has become a world wide phenomenon. The organic growth of the music has established the identity of rap music as a political tool for the underprivileged. It has been the voice of the oppressed and underrepresented. Today’s rap, however, has changed. The forces behind hip hop are no longer focused on the art and message. Instead rap has become a commercial boom to be used for profit. The hyper commercialization of rap music has led directly to the degrading of its potency as a form of pure art.

The rap industry posted revenues in excess of 1.5 billion dollars in 2005. It’s a far cry from the roots of rap, perfected in east coast ghettos some 25 years ago. Today, the industry of hip hop is run with the efficiency of major corporations. Potential rap stars are plucked from obscurity with the public psychology in mind. Businesses pour millions of dollars of advertising revenue into artists such as Nelly and Eminem to shill for their clothes and shoes. Music industry corporations have fully accepted and promoted gangsta rappers like 50 cent, leaving violence and sexism in their wake.

The over commercialization of rap has spawned a litany of pretenders hoping to strike gold. The use of controversy to garner attention is widespread. Involvement with a shooting, being associated with a gang or getting arrested for weapons charges can add “street credibility” to your image. It follows that in order to gain millions of dollars many artists may stage a shooting or purposefully get arrested. This misuse of violence is matched with a high degree of sexual exploitation of women. Females are valued for their physical attributes only. Video after video show us herds of women dressed in porous outfits dancing aimlessly. Rap lyrics reveal a general perception of woman as whores and liars. Sexist and violent mainstream rap no longer holds the position as the enlightened voice of a struggling generation coming to grips with the harsh realities of an unfair world.

The quality of the music itself has been diluted. Rappers who do make it tend not to produce great albums like we saw with the likes of Run DMC. Instead they focus on producing “hits” hoping to experience a windfall from the impulse buying public. Never mind about elevating the art craft, let’s get paid, now. The market is flooded with one hit wonders and fools pandering to target audiences. Meanwhile, the public is left with the bad taste of weak albums hurriedly slapped together in anticipation of advertising deadlines. The revolution that was rap is now a business model for hustlers.

Rap is not dead, yet. There are some bright stars. Artists like Kanye West and the more obscure Jurassic 5 have had success in the face of the emergence of commercialized rap. They represent a side of rap that can still be cutting edge but more responsible and socially aware of the consequences of their actions. They are conscious rappers who are concerned by more than their bottom line. Africa Bambaata was the first to identify hip hop as a cultural movement. Rappers like Common have carried that torch by not selling themselves through controversy or promoting violence. They use words to stimulate thought, discussion and hopefully change. The commercialized rapper will answer these charges by pointing out that violence and sexism is reality and he is just testifying. There is truth to these comments. But where is the responsibility to your community? Why not uplift the people with your music? The answer is not up to him but rather to us to reverse our bad habits with buying gangsta rap and establishing a commitment to our communities with our music choices.

Derek Belay works for www.jewelrypayless.com“>Jewelry Payless.com and KingIce.com as a marketing manager.

Despite the title of this article, the purpose of it is actually to HELP new emcees AVOID some common traps on their journey to learning how to rap better. You can come up with a million reasons why new rappers fail…or why any artist fails for that matter, but we’ve boiled the list down to three specific to new emcees.

The three reasons simply put are:

1) The Hobby Factor
2) The Experience Factor
3) The Focus Problem

Through dealing with countless aspiring rappers, we at The State of Hip Hop have noticed that most problems emcees face can in one way or another be traced to these three root troubles.

Simply stating the problems is of use, but of more use is what I’m sure you all are looking for…a solution.

So let’s begin…

1) The Hobby Factor:

Millions of people around the world play poker. Of those, only a few thousand are professional. The remainder would probably like to be…they sincerely like the game, yet they don’t have a passion for it…for them, poker remains simply a hobby.

This is the case with a good many aspiring emcees. They love rap, they have favorite rappers, know all the words to their songs…but in reality, hip-hop is simply their hobby - enjoyable entertainment. Even so, there is nothing wrong with this.

There are a good many rappers who are successful and yet don’t take rap very seriously. For every KRS-One and Common Sense, you have a pair of Ying Yang Twins or a Master P.

The idea of “not taking rap seriously” does not necessarily refer to the art of rhyme, but instead to rap as a career or business opportunity. So while Master P may not rack his brain trying to craft the most amazing rhyme, he does seriously analyze marketing strategies, distribution outlets, promotional events, etc…all part of the rap game.

But I’m jumping ahead. You may not think this pertains to you. You may think, “I’ll worry about that if and when I get that far.” But therein lies the problem…a mind that is not preparing itself for the big picture. It goes back to the old “thinking ten steps ahead” philosophy.

Some common signs that a new rapper is stuck in this rut are that they try and come up with good ideas, have writer’s block, and stop. Or come up with a few bars or verses, think they’re no good, get upset, give up for a while, and pick the pen up again in a couple of days or weeks. For these people rap is a hobby.

Rap is made a hobby by others because they are afraid to fail at it…Remember this! And it applies to everything you do; Success is achieved only after many failures. If you can’t handle failure, you’re not ready for success.

The Hobby Factor - Solution:

Make rap a priority, set some time aside to dedicate to it. This doesn’t mean “forget all your other responsibilities, but do write every day. Writing every day sounds very simple, agreed, but it is rarely practiced. The practice becomes understood to be “write a hot verse/song every day”…which it is not.

“Write every day” simply means that. Write down your freestyles, a poem, the opening page of a short story, ideas for a song, literally anything! You’ll be amazed at how drastically this will speed up your learning curve.

Another good idea is to change your entire frame of mind. Let’s say you’re living at home with your parents. Things are pretty straight, you’re not starving. You plan on being a mechanical engineer…What then is motivating you to improve your raps?

Now let’s say you got your girlfriend pregnant, are living partially on the streets, working two jobs to eek out a living…and you see rap as your way out. Well now you got some fire under your ass don’t you?

The point is not that you need to be in any particular circumstance to be a good rapper…but that if your situation isn’t motivating you, you need to force that motivation on you by some other means.

Rap with a hunger…like you literally need it to eat! Don’t treat it like a pastime. Whether you end up becoming a successful musician or not, the time you dedicated is never wasted. Good rap skills and song writing skills are amazingly beneficial to developing a good ability to express yourself in any field.

2) The Experience Factor:

This problem is very common among new rappers.

In the hood you might hear a 12-year-old kid spitting a raw 16 bars. That’s because 12 in the hood is like 21 anywhere else.

A lot of new emcees are hesitant about what to actually write about because of a lack of experience. They haven’t really seen the world first hand. It’s hard to write good raps when you don’t really know yourself yet…because part of what a rap does is communicate to the listener the personality and character of the rapper. Still, not knowing who you are is nothing to be ashamed of.

So while the 21 year old from the outskirts of New Zealand may be intelligent, he may not be quite sure he knows who he is, what he stands for and what really matters to him, perhaps precisely because he thinks too much.

On the other hand, the 12 year old from the slums of Tokyo may be illiterate, irrational, and arrogant, but he has already come to understand himself…he’s comfortable in knowing who he is (regardless of whether he is wrong or has limited his growth).

The Experience Factor - Solution:

Have fun, live, read, and think about who you are.

The best way around this obstacle, really, is just to put yourself into various situations, open your ears to knew ideas, learn your history, etc…All the while asking questions, analyzing things, finding out what in this world matters to you…

Everyone gets around this problem eventually, but for many it’s too late. Try to understand who you are at any given time, and spit your rhymes in that image…amped up a few notches…that’s what makes it art

3) The Focus Problem:

We’ve realized that a lot of people who are interested in rapping are simply naturally artistic and expressive. I personally have always enjoyed drawing since I was a child and could always appreciate a well-written book as well as various types of music.

Being as I grew up in the “hip-hop generation” I naturally gravitated towards the art form of rapping. I loved it, the rhyme, the rhythm, the meaning and wordplay…

However, I actually dove into my obsession with rap before I fully developed any of my previous interests.

There is a negative side effect or problem that comes about here.

An aspiring rapper, for example, might be naturally more skilled at or inclined to being a poet, novelist, journalist, public speaker or other type of musician. He or she might then decide to pursue an interest in rap, essentially ignoring their other talents. This is not fundamentally problematic, however…

Rap is NOT (contrary to some beliefs) the same as poetry. It is poetry and more. There are innumerous factors involved in making good rap music. One factor is the fact that it is a form of music…which separates it from other forms of literature on a number of levels.

Furthermore the skills necessary to writing well, speaking well, etc…are all forgone if one decides to skip these optional outlets for expression. This is a HUGE mistake.

The Focus Problem - Solution:

Stay on track and stick to what you’re good at.

This not only applies to the above-mentioned outlets of expression but ANY outlet of expression. Dance, art, ANYTHING. You will learn tremendously from these. I can’t even begin to explain how much you’ll be missing out on if you decide to forgo these means of expression.

Everything that you learn about being a good public speaker, for example, can be effectively applied to rap…whatever you learn about developing a good storyline…can be used in rap, non-verbal communication techniques you might subconsciously pick up in dance class…they help in rap…the list goes on and on.

So there you have it, 3 of the biggest reasons why new rappers fail or quit…

Another additional reason why rappers fail to succeed is that they don’t fully understand the business of music. Our section www.thestateofhiphop.com/rap-industry.html can begin to help you understand the workings of the music business. We’ll refrain from further detail until a future article.

Until next time, stay on the grind and you should be fine…

See you around!

-prof

TheStateofHipHop.com was created out of the tremendous worldwide demand for practical advice, pointers, rap tips, and more that aspiring musicians need on their journey to learn to rap.
Visit http://www.TheStateofHipHop.com for more great articles, tips and information on the music business all 100% free!

Hip Hop fans, don’t forget to sign up for our FREE E-Zine where you’ll get free hot new and classic rap songs sent to you, rap tips, hip hop news, rapper and producer interviews and more!
Check it out at http://www.TheStateofHipHop.com

Copyright © 2005 TheStateofHipHop.com All Rights Reserved

Anyone with the ability to use a camera correctly has the potential to sell their images. Picture agencies handle images of every subject and are always looking for emerging talent.

Pictures libraries and stock agencies are in the business of selling images. The don’t give you advice on how to take better images. Their purpose is business - they sell images to magazines, book publishers, the travel industry and many other industries that use images.

Many photographers look upon agencies as a last resort to sell their work; if you have been unable to sell any of your images, the chances are that most agencies won’t accept them.

If you are interested in an agency selling your images, you must be able to produce high quality images which are suited to the agencies market. Check out their website to view samples that are currently in use.
If you feel your work meets their standards and suits their customers - then approach them by e-mail or by standard mail.

But, before placing your work at an agency make a short-list of the agencies that seem to suit your work. Contact each agency outlining your work and which magazines have already published your images. If an agency is then interested they will ask you to send them samples.

If an agency accepts your work, don’t take this as a guarantee that your images will sell.

Don’t approach an agency until you have a large collection of images. Minimum first submissions can consist of anything from 50 images to 500 and regular submissions are normally required thereafter. Most agencies work on a commission basis - 50 % being the standard rate. If an image sells for two hundred euro - the photographer receives a one hundred euro fee.

When an agency takes on a photographer’s work, they normally require a four or five year retention period. Agencies normally sell the reproduction rights of a pictures - the image being licensed to a buyer for a specified purpose.

It may take as long as six months before an agency sells a picture belonging to you. First they need to scan your images if they are submitted by film; then they need to contact their clients and let them know that there is new material available - all of this takes time, so you must look at supplying a picture agency as a long term investment. It is only when you have several hundred images placed in a library that you’ll start to see regular sales.

Remember: agencies can’t sell images if there isn’t a market for them and placing images at an agency does not guarantee you sales.

TJ Tierney is an award winning Irish Landscape photographer and a freelance writer. If you are looking for some photo tips visit the photography directory he frequently writes for: www.goldprints.com To view some of his images visit his on line gallery @ www.goldenirishlight.com

Graduation Gowns

Graduation Regalia

Graduation Stoles

If you are having your graduation in a little while, why not take the opportunity to graduate in unique fashion. This fit is no trouble achieving, with the availability of tailor made graduation stoles that are designed to specifically meet your criteria. You now have the ability to create your own design and specifications as a result of online embroidery houses that will allow individuals to make alterations to their graduation stoles. Moreover, the cost is nothing above what you would expect for custom design graduation stoles that can depict traditional heritage from Eastern European cultures to Native American traditions.

Graduation Information On The Internet

Graduation information is available all over the internet. You’ll find multiple links which can assist you in your research. Gordon International offers a lot of information which can be useful to anyone ordering graduation regalia but if you’re looking for specific history please see the link provided below.
The Following Site Offers Great Information About Graduation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_dress wikipedia provides the searcher with a great information source for any type of search. You can go to their search wiki and place an random search in the engine and you’ll come across a few useful sources & articles.

Life today is full of stress and anxiety and especially in metropolitan cities situation is the worst. No need to explain, you can easily analyze when you are in hurry to reach the office thinking of some of your personal tensions and then the whole day hectic schedule where there is no time to relax and release your stress. On top of all, there is noise pollution, air pollution leading to a whole distress and discomfort.

Music is a great way to relive your day to day stress and is also used for therapeutic purposes. Even researches have proved that music’s ubiquity and portability has made it the number one stress buster. It is a matter of fact that everyone on this earth has an inclination towards listening good quality music.

The passion for music differs as per genre whereby youngsters mostly love fast and groovy numbers. People of the older times love classical music whereas kids like rhymes and children music. Not only this, many are attracted to listen natural sounds such as chirping of birds, water falling from the mountains and religious chants.

It may be any form of music but when you sit down for a moment, close down your eyes to listen, your heart rate and breathing slows down with your thoughts. As you get tuned to the music you get free of all the worries and concerns of the outer world and an inner journey begins. Within a couple of minutes, you will find yourself refreshed and renewed as if the sound has washed you and cleaned. You just need to have a CD player and a quality CD and some leisure time for this wonderful experience.

Many people even find pleasure and refreshed by playing music. It depends upon the individual as to which form of musical instrument he is able to play. Playing music in a routine brings comfort and joy that is immeasurable. It may be a piano or guitar but when you touch its keys or strings it contributes to a calming ritual allowing one to relax and unwind.

Visit our recommended website music-future.com

Olivia Andrews, writer of music-future.com is a freelance journalist and has written many reviews on subjects such as finance, education, health, entertainment, music, gifts, crafts, travel, apparels and mobile phones.