#to save a life

[gardenofkore]

Ista Joanna Bonanno suspendatur in furcis altioribus donec ejus anima a corpore separetur, et exsequtio justitiae fiat in quadrivio plateas Villen huius Urbis

Extract from the death sentence

Giovanna Bonanno (otherwise known as "la vecchia dell'aceto", the old lady of the vinegar) was a beggar and later poisoner and convicted witch, who lived in XVIII century Palermo. According to some sources she was born Anna Pantò and in 1744 she married some Vincenzo Bonanno. The name Giovanna, as written in the recordings of the trial, might have been the result of an error or a falsification. She used to spend her days wandering and begging around Zisa quarter. One day, in 1786, while strolling through Papireto street, she witnessed (or someone related to her) a scene who'd change her life. 

In front of the aromatarius' shop (in ancient times the aromatarius dealt in spices, aromatic wines and sometimes also medicaments), she saw a woman holding a suffering little girl in her arms. The child had mistakenly drunk some of the "aceto per pidocchi"(lit. Vinegar for lices, a mixture of vinegar and arsenic used to kill those parasites), the same aromatarius, Saverio La Monica, had created. The man then forced the little girl to drink a lot of olive oil, to the point she threw up and expelled the poisonous liquid. Being a smart woman, Giovanna realised she could use that mixture to earn some money and improve her status, but she had to test her plan before. She bought a bottle of that special vinegar, then soaked a piece of bread in the liquid and gave it to a stray dog she had previously caught and tied at the rampart of Porta d'Ossuna. After some time, she returned to check on the dog and found it dead. She yanked the animal's fur and analysed the mucosa of the lips, finding of a natural colour. She was pleased with her finding, because if the fur had been easily ripped off or the mucosa had been black, it would have been clear the dog had been poisoned, but the lacking of these proofs, made it clear the animal died of natural death. Thinking she found a way to execute the perfect murder, Giovanna thought that now she was ready to test it on humans.

She started spreading the information she possessed a special liquor that could make families happy again. By paying out a modest sum (six tarì) , unhappy wives could acquire this potion to get rid of their unwanted husbands and finally being together with their lovers. She soon earned the reputation of being a magara, a witch, belief strengthened by her being an old, widowed beggar, the classic description of a sorceress. Her first client was Angela La Fata, who wanted to eliminate her husband, Giuseppe, to marry her lover Giuseppe Billotta. Giovanna gave the woman the same amount she had used in her experiment with the dog. The concoction didn't kill the man, but only caused him a dreadful stomachache. The following day Angela received another flask of poison, but again her husband didn't die. The wife kept administering the poison during the following days until the poor man died in great pain. As Giovanna had predicted, nobody had discovered Giuseppe La Fata had been poisoned, still she had to perfect the dosage.

The second client was Margherita Serio, who bought the poison on behalf of her friend Emanuela Molinari. The woman wanted to get rid of the husband, the baker Ferdinando Lo Piccolo. This time it had taken two administrations before the man died. Soon Giovanna's fame boosted to the point she appointed another woman, Rosa Billotta, to find her new clients, for a fee equal to a percentage of the reward. It's quite peculiar how the aromatarium never inquired about the large quantities of aceto the old woman kept buying from him nonstop, though certainly he enjoyed the profit. Other Giovanna's clients were Rosalia Consales who poisoned her husband Agostino Caracciolo, aided by her mother Michela Belviso; Giuseppe D'Ancona, who killed her wife Rosa Coschiera (the only female victim) and later refused to pay for the poison.  

Her business had got so big to the point she couldn't keep up with all her clients anymore, and often she had to delegate and wasn't able to keep everything under control. Among her agents, there was a Maria Pitarra. Pitarra procured Bonanno her last good clients, like Anna Maria Tabbita who poisoned her husband Cesare Ballo. But the last homicide proved to be fatal, and not only for the designated victim. In August 1788, a Francesco Costanzo, upon returning one evening in his house, found his wife Rosa Mangano in intimate conversation with the gardener, Emmanuele Cascino. Instead of fleeing, the gardener assaulted his lover's husband, and the poor man had to seek refuge in his mother's (Giovanna Lombardo) house for the night.  

Thanks to some friends, the married couple reconciled and moved in Costanzo's mother's house in Olivuzza quarter, while Giovanna Lombardo moved in turn in another house to give the couple some space and the opportunity to fully making up. By the end of September, the woman went to pay a visit to her son, only to find him seriously ill. He kept vomiting and suffered from severe stomachache. She then had him moved to her house, where she could tend on him and, in the meantime, she called for Doctor Giuseppe Ciofalo. Despite the mother and doctor's efforts, Francesco Costanzo died on September 27th among great pain.

Soon after Rosa Mangano (who had never showed any sign of being worried about her husband's condition) remarried, so Giovanna Lombardo started to grown suspicious her son's death might have been induced. She suspected his wife had bewitched him and started to make inquiries, determined to find out the truth. In the meantime, the actual supplier, Giovanna Bonanno, had only just recently discovered whom her last victim was. In fact, she had simply handed over to her accomplice Maria Pittarra a flask of the concoction, without asking about the identity of the person it was intended was. Bonanno knew Giovanna Lombardo, and thought she might have been able to earn some money by selling the mournful mother some information.

Little she knew, Giovanna Lombardo had managed to discover her former daughter-in-law had bought the special liqueur and from whom, and so she planned her revenge. She contacted the Captain of Justice, Matteo Fodali, who told her she needed to catch the culprit in flagrante delicto. Lombardo then faked her interest into purchasing herself a bottle of the liquor and arranged for a meeting with Bonanno. When the day arrived the old woman saw her supposed client had not come alone, but with a couple of witnesses. Caught in the act, with the poisonous liquid in her hand, Bonanno was finally arrested and took before the Captain of Justice. Along with her, many others were charged: the aromatarium, her accomplices, and her clients. All guilty, some more than the others.

Bonanno was then brought to Steri prison, which had been used to host witches, magicians and heretics. She was shaved and had to wear a white robe and subjected to the torture of the corda (or reverse hanging). On October 1788 her trial began. She was accused of being a witch, while the aromatarium and her clients were called to testify. When asked if she started her murderous market only for money, or because she was simply evil, she answered she did everything for good. When pressed, she explained she meant to make families happy again and proceeded to illustrate her reasoning. If a marriage was unhappy, there was a high chance the wife would fall into another man's arms. The betrayed husband, upon discovering the affair, would certainly kill his wife and lover, but then he would be arrested, processed and executed. That would make three lost lives. By eliminating the husband beforehand, the other two lives would be saved, the woman would not sin anymore by laying with her beloved, and a new happy family would result from it.

Of course nobody was touched by Bonanno's  good intentions, and she was condemned to death, with the charges of being a witch and a poisoner. It was July 27th. The woman was brought back to prison and entrusted to the Compagnia dei Bianchi, a religious brotherhood, who took care of the spiritual needs of those condemned to death. On July 30th 1789 the sentence was executed. Giovanna Bonanno, at the time almost 80 years old, was hanged in Piazza Villena (better known as Quattro Canti), at one of the city's highest forks. Certainly Maria Pittarra's fate was worse. She was paraded through the streets of Palermo with a rope around her neck, and, when she arrived at the gallows, she had to kiss the executioner's feet, before being finally hanged.

Some people dared to climb up the gallows to tear Bonanno's few teeth, nails and part of the tunic. Giovanna Bonanno went thus down in history and folklore. Mothers used her name as though she was some kind of boogeyman to scare their unruly children and when someone has to describe some other person as ugly and evil, it's not uncommon to use the expression: E’ cchiù laria di la vecchia di l’acitu!  (she's uglier than the old vinegar lady).

[risottoneroo]

self indulgence, pt 17

a/n:shhhit im in such a rut rn im so glad i seem to be out of it lmaoo

warnings: mafia dynamics, mentions of heartbreak

Risotto’s phone rang in the middle of the night. You woke up, groaning softly, and Risotto was already up. He yawned. “Nero here. What is it?”

He listened, and he straightened up. “Fuck. No, I’ll be there. Yes. She’s coming.”

You rubbed your eyes. “I’m what?”

He hung up the phone. “Pesci had a Stand arrow when he died. Get dressed. We need to find out who he talked to.”

You nodded and got up, dressing quickly in a black shirt and red miniskirt. Risotto put on a black t shirt and red jeans, matching you subtly. You took his hand.

Doppio met you both at the train station, looking tired. You smiled and kissed his cheek. “Hi, Aceto.”

He smiled. “I’m so glad you two are happy.”

You nodded, and Risotto nodded. “Where was Pesci going? Rome, right?”

You swallowed. “Prosciutto’s territory.”

Doppio said nervously, “We think he has a network there.”

Risotto cursed, and his grip on your hand tightened. If Pesci had a network, that meant that Prosciutto’s intelligence was in danger. That he was in danger. Prosciutto’s Stand ability was powerful, but it wasn’t much for combat. You needed to go do damage control. 

The train ride to Rome was two hours long, but you didn’t mind. You were sitting in plush first class seats. Risotto was next to you, and Doppio was a few rows behind. You leaned into Risotto’s chest and closed your eyes, dozing off. 

Your dream started out slowly, as a date with Risotto on the streets of Naples. You held his hand, and he smiled at you as you walked down towards the beach. 

Then the sky turned black. You looked up, and a soft rain was beginning. But it wasn’t rain that fell. It was soft chunks of something green. You caught it in your free hand, looking at it. 

It began to spread, and you shrieked. You looked over at Risotto, and saw he was frozen, covered in green and black- Mold. It was spreading across his face. You screamed, and tried to yank at his hand. His arm crumbled in your fingers. It was spreading over you.

You woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. Risotto stirred and opened his eyes. “Are you okay?”

You nodded, sighing. “I’m fine.”

He rubbed your shoulder. “I think we’ve arrived.”

You nodded and stood. 

The first thing you noticed when you stepped out onto the street was the cooler air. Naples was never this cold, and you were grateful for your long sleeved shirt. You took Risotto’s hand, grateful for his presence. Doppio followed you two out. You smiled at him. “Do you still have a Stand?”

He nodded. “I can still use King Crimson’s arms and the Epitaph ability.”

You hummed and nodded. “That’s useful.”

He smiled widely. “Yeah, it is.”

Risotto smiled down at you both as Doppio chattered about his abilities. Then, he stopped. “Don’t you have a Stand?”

You nodded. “Bad Girlfriend.”

Doppio tilted his head. “What does it do?”

Risotto’s grip on your hand tightened. You swallowed. “I probably shouldn’t say.”

Doppio frowned, but nodded. You squeezed Risotto’s hands back.

The rest of the walk to Prosciutto’s headquarters was quiet. Risotto knocked on his door, and Prosciutto opened it. When he saw you, he stiffened. There was a beat, then he nodded curtly. “Welcome.”

Risotto nodded back and walked inside. Prosciutto held the door open. You felt his eyes rake over you, and you shivered a little. Risotto led the way to Prosciutto’s office and shut the door behind the four of you. Prosciutto nodded at him. “So you killed Pesci.”

Risotto winced. “Not me, personally.”

Prosciutto crossed his arms. “Bucciarati. Your men. You. No difference. Why?”

You frowned. “Prosciutto, he was a leak. He was telling civilians secrets. He betrayed you.”

Prosciutto turned to face you. “You would know.”

You recoiled. “That’s uncalled for.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “So Pesci was a leak. Why are you here?”

You nodded, and Doppio said, “He had a network of spies. You need to help us.”

Prosciutto nodded. “I can help.”

You smiled at him gratefully. He nodded curtly. “I’ll need some support from my men here. Melone is under me. He can help.”

RIsotto nodded to him. “Where is he?”

Prosciutto gestured. “Down the hall, to the right. He does all our computer work.”

Risotto gestured to Doppio, and they both went out the door. You moved to accompany them, and Prosciutto stopped you. “You need to talk.”

You blinked. “Why?”

He tilted his head. “You know Risotto came to me when he left. Do you know why?”

You shook your head. “I just thought you were one of his friends.”

Prosciutto nodded. “He came to talk to me because I loved you.”

You swallowed and said, “I know. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

Prosciutto laughed. “No, you’re not. You hurt me so that you could be with the love of your life, and so you could be a queen. You are justified in that.”

You smiled at him. “You’re a good man.”

He laughed. “Don’t give me too much credit.”

He took your hand and examined the ring. “You could kill a man with that.”

You shrugged. “I’m queen of Passione. I might have to.”

Prosciutto smiled at you and kissed the ring gently. “You are my queen. And Risotto is my king because of you, not the other way around.”

You flushed and pulled your hand back. He straightened. You shook your head. “What do you mean?”

Prosciutto smiled, clasping his hands behind his back. “You made him. He would still be a shittily paid assassin if not for you. We all know it, trust me.”

You flushed. “I can’t- That doesn’t make sense.”

He walked behind his desk, picking up a sheaf of paperwork. “You think people love you because of your Stand. I’m telling you, we are loyal to you because you deserve it. We know how much you did, how you saved everyone and achieved what you wanted. That is why we admire you, why we follow you. You keep the people you care for alive. That is a rare trait in this business.”

You looked down at your hands. “Why are you telling me this?”

Prosciutto shrugged. “You have a share of Passione. Take it. Be in control. Rule with your husband, equally.”

You nodded, and the door opened. Risotto walked in, followed by Melone and Doppio. Melone grinned rakishly at you. He’d cleaned up. His hair was tied up, and he was in a well-fitted button-down and suit pants. A blazer was slung over his shoulder. He knelt in front of you and kissed your engagement ring. “Reina.”

Queen. You swallowed and nodded to him. “Stand.”

He obeyed, and Risotto moved behind you. His hand slid to your waist. He kissed your cheek quickly. Melone nodded to you, his eyes hiding an emotion you couldn’t quite understand. You leaned into Risotto. “Melone, did you find the people we’re looking for?”

He nodded, pulling out his Stand. “We were able to find a network of people that Pesci corresponded with. Wasn’t hard. We can take them all out pretty easily.”

He grinned crookedly, and you shivered gently. “They have Stand arrows. You two have to be careful.”

Prosciutto nodded. “We will be. Trust me.”

You sighed softly. “Risotto and I will be staying in Rome until this is worked out.”

Prosciutto bowed his head. “I would expect nothing less.”

Risotto nodded to the group, and you both left to find a hotel room.

[ahmeddawn]

An Interview With The CEO Of ING Direct Canada – Peter Aceto

A Dawn Journal Interviews ING Direct Canada CEO, Peter Aceto

First Published Date : September 22, 2010

ING Direct Canada recently added a free chequing account, called a THRiVE Chequing, to their inventory. This online no-fee chequing account created a huge buzz as Canadians were waiting long for a free chequing account from ING Direct Canada, who pioneered online banking across the globe and made high-interest savings account popular in Canada. Today, I am going to present an interview with the CEO of ING Direct Canada, Peter Aceto. Peter provides his valuable insight on ING Direct, THRiVE Chequing, economy in general, and much more in this interview.

1 – Please tell us about yourself and your experience in the banking industry

I am a passionate leader and savings advocate, a volunteer, a mentor, an athlete, a Canadian, a dad and a husband.

I began my career with ING DIRECT nearly 14 years ago as a founding member of the senior leadership team. Before becoming President & CEO of ING DIRECT Canada, I held many roles in the organization in both Canada and the USA – everything from sales and marketing to lending, risk management and legal.

I am involved in our community in my current role on the Business Development Committee for Mt. Sinai Hospital and as a champion for Habitat for Humanity. I am also passionate about improving the communities where we live and work which led to an initiative at ING DIRECT that we call “Orange in the Community”. This past year we have contributed funding and volunteer hours from over 700 of our staff to build natural playgrounds in two parks in areas needing help in Ottawa and Toronto.

I keep active playing in a hockey league, running and working out regularly at the gym.

I love social media and the dialogue it allows me to have with our clients and employees.

Outside of work, I’m fortunate to have three great kids and a smart, beautiful wife who likes me (I think).

2- Could you please tell us a little bit about THRiVE and how it is different from chequing accounts offered by other Canadian banks

THRiVE Chequing is a game changer in the Canadian banking industry and redefines what Canadians should expect from a chequing account. It’s the first chequing account made by Savers for Savers, and that’s why we choose to launch it as a preview for our clients first so that we can continue to gather feedback about the product before we launch it to all Canadians in early 2011. Our first 10,000 clients have the chance to open an account starting this week. Very exciting for us!

The most distinct thing about THRiVE Chequing is that it is an online, no-fee daily chequing account that actually pays interest. This means that regardless of the balance in their THRiVE Chequing accounts, clients will get free ABM access at any of the 2,400 EXCHANGE Network ABMs across the country (and more than 265,000 in the USA), free email alerts (so you can stay close to your money), free money transfers, free monthly online account statements, a free chequebook and we’re protecting or clients from NSF charges through the industry first Whoops! Protection. I know it sounds fun, but Whoops! Protection is also very practical. It allows you to pay a bill for up to $250 even when you don’t have the money. We won’t charge you interest or a fee as long as you pay it back within 30 days.

We believe THRiVE Chequing will make Canadians question why they are paying fees for daily banking and what value they are getting for their hard earned money.

3 – THRiVE Chequing customers will be using THE EXCHANGE® Network for ABM access. This network is not widespread and it is difficult to locate an ABM unless you are in a big city.  Does this mean that ING DIRECT is currently targeting consumers only in big cities? Do you have any plans to offer a broader network affiliated with a major Canadian bank to reach every corner across Canada in the future?

THE EXCHANGE Network does reach every corner of the country. With 2,400 ABMs in Canada and over 265,000 in the USA, an EXCHANGE Network ABM is never far away. By comparison, BMO, Scotia and TD’s ABM networks fall somewhere within the 2,000-3,000 range.

Most all Credit Unions, which are popular in Canada and particularly in smaller cities, belong to THE EXCHANGE Network.

I encourage you to visit our web site where we have an ABM locator as well as a list of all THE EXCHANGE Network ABMs by province ING Direct ABM Locator. If you are on the go, our mobile apps available for the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android devices include an ABM locator, highlighting THE EXCHANGE Network ABMs in your area.

4 – What are your thoughts on Canada’s ongoing economic recovery from the financial crisis?

Overall Canada seems to be on a solid footing for a gradual economic recovery but we should expect some bumps along the way. During the crisis both the Department of Finance and the Bank of Canada did a very good job of introducing a number of measures to ensure the stability of the Canadian financial system. Since then they have been involved in a number of initiatives to further improve the integrity of the financial system which will only serve to increase the resiliency of the Canadian economy.

From a housing perspective, which is important to us because of the size of our mortgage business, unlike the USA we don’t feel that there is large over supply of housing in Canada and therefore expect housing prices to remain relatively stable over the next couple of years. Continued low interest rates should also serve to provide affordable opportunities for home buyers.

5 – ING pioneered online banking across the globe and made the high-interest savings account popular across Canada through its clever marketing strategies.  However, other banks have started providing higher interest rates on their savings accounts.  How does ING plan to remain competitive?

Our value proposition is all about offering value for money. This doesn’t mean that we will always have the highest rates on savings or the lowest rates on mortgages but our products will always be fair and do three things: save you money, save you time and make your life simpler. These attributes combined with our award winning customer service make us the number one recommended brand to family and friends. Canadians should keep in mind that many rates they see advertised are promotional and intended to get their business, but those rates often won’t remain that high for long. Our objective is to offer value over a longer period of time.

6 – Do you see more companies emulating the ING banking model and if so, how will ING stay ahead of the game?

We do see some companies also now offering elements of our products but I don’t believe anyone can replicate what our brand stands for in the minds of Canadians. ING DIRECT is a place where consumers are guaranteed to get a fair deal regardless of what product(s) they have with us.

7 – ING’s marketing always emphasizes saving money. We are coming out of a global recession and saving money is more important now than ever before. Do you have any tips for our readers on saving money – especially with regards to day to day banking?

In a nutshell: Don’t let fees eat away at your hard earned money.

On average Canadians pays $185 per year to use their chequing accounts and many require you keep a minimum balance while they pay little to no interest. Most actively managed mutual funds charge over 2% in fees. My advice to Canadians is to find a no fee, high interest savings account, invest in low cost, index-based mutual funds, get a no fee daily chequing account and pay attention to the fees you are charged by banks for “special services” like drafts and money transfers.

On the mortgage side of things, don’t let your bank dictate your mortgage rate and terms. A mortgage is one of the biggest investments many of us will take on in our lives yet we often spend less time researching our mortgage than we do planning a weekend getaway. Take advantage of extra payments on your mortgage where possible.

Finally, pay yourself first. An easy way to do this is by using an automatic savings plan like we offer with most of our savings products at ING DIRECT.

8 – ING is known for introducing innovative financial products to the marketplace. Are you working on anything new for Canadians right now? If not, do you see anything coming up in the near future?

We are always looking for new ways to help Canadians save their money. Our goal is to design products that make Canadians’ financial life simpler. For years, many of our clients have been asking for a chequing account. It took us 14 years to launch THRiVE Chequing and that’s because if it was going to be an ING DIRECT chequing account, it had to be different. It had to save you money, save you time and make your life simpler. Like all of our products do.

We continue to listen to Canadians’ concerns and will bring new products to the market when they make business sense for us and benefit Canadians in a big way. Currently, we have a number of great products to offer from our popular investment savings account , GICs, Streetwise Funds, Children’s Savings Account and the unmortgage, as well as many RRSP and Tax-Free Savings Accounts options.

9 – ING has been operating as an online bank for quite some time.  Are there any plans for physical locations?

We pride ourselves on being a highly successful and efficient DIRECT Bank. We have no branches and because we can service our clients’ needs over the phone and online, we can pass more savings onto our clients. Canadians are welcome to visit us at one of our Save Your Money Cafés located in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto or Montreal to learn more about any of our products. We have a new location opening in downtown Toronto early next year that will include a community meeting space and free WIFI.

10 – ING DIRECT has been named one of the Greater Toronto Area’s top 90 employers of 2010.  Can you tell us what makes ING a desirable employer?

There are so many things that make ING DIRECT a great place work. Some of things that I hear employees value the most include:

· Orientation Program hosted by HR that welcomes employees on their 1st, 30th and 90th days.

· Our Leadership Blueprint program which captures the competencies that are unique to being a leader at ING DIRECT, and then providing coaching, mentorship, and even curriculum to help people strengthen these pillars. We are actually going to be building these into performance appraisals and systems for how our people get feedback about their performance, particularly with regard to a leadership role.

· Our recognition program which allows employees to purchase vacations, iPods, iPads, etc. online.

· Orange Spark – a unique, online portal that promotes new ideas, knowledge sharing and continue improvements. Everyone is encouraged to participate by adding a new idea or voting on those submitted by others.

· Orange Grove is our intranet site that enables employees to know what’s happening in the business at all times.  Postings occur on a daily basis. A feature on the site is “Peter’s Corner” which enables employees to connect directly with me.

· Our diverse workforce. We recently received an award from the federal Minister of Labour for our industry best practices on this front. Diversity is engrained in our culture and we have a series of events that promote this including our own diversity day where people come to work in their national dress, international potluck and stations to explain their different cultures.

· Social events throughout the year – bowling, gala, children’s party, etc.

· I host informal “lunch and learns” with employees across the organization where we bring our lunches and talk casually about the business.

· Our Orange in the Community events, which allow our employees to engage and help improve the communities where we live and work. Last year, close to 500 of our employees in Toronto volunteered time away from work and built the city’s first natural playground in McLeary Park. And just last month in Ottawa, 200 of our employees worked on a similar initiative at Fairlea Park.

11 – The internet has transformed the way we do banking.  Do you see any further changes on the horizon for the traditional brick and mortar model?

Mobile banking is big and all banks are adopting it in a big way. We need and want to be wherever our clients want to bank and save their money. Over the past year we’ve been a leader on the mobile banking front. We were the first bank in Canada to simultaneously launch mobile banking on our mobile website, BlackBerry App, iPhone App, and just recently launched an iPad App and Android app making saving easier and more accessible for our clients.

THRiVE Chequing will be supported with all of our mobile applications. Our mobile software has a handy ABM locator so clients will always be able to locate the nearest ABM. Meanwhile, email alerts linked to THRiVE Chequing will come in handy for those with handheld devices, allowing clients to stay close to their money, literally. It’s like having a branch in your pocket.

[rafi1228]

Start your own web design business this week by following this step-by-step action course and make your goal a reality

What you’ll learn

Be able to have your new web design business up and running by the end of this course by following the step-by-step action plan provided

Web Design business documents to download and use in your business (including proposal, contract, and more!)

Access to the instructor for any feedback, questions and assistance needed to make setting up your home web design business a reality

Learn how to find new web design customers, keep the ones you have and continually increase your income

Understand what to do to get clients to hire you over anyone else

Learn what (free) tools you can use to save your money while still providing a high quality service to your customers

Learn how to put together a web design portfolio quickly and easily if you don’t already have one to get started

Understand the important sections of a web design proposal and contract – and download one provided that you can tweak and use for your business

Learn how to set-up your service so you can finish projects quickly, keep customers happy and ultimately make money faster

Requirements

No experience is needed to set-up this business – just the drive to put what’s learned into action

Find time to focus on following the step-by-step action plan in the course to set-up your business

Description

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION

Course updated for 2017 & regularly updated

Students of this course get access to our exclusive web design business Facebook group where we provide feedback and share tips and resources to help you start and grow your business.

Daily discussions for you to join in (Instructor is available inside for questions)

____________________________________________________________________

Learn what it takes to start your own web design business from home and start living life on your own terms.

If you’ve been thinking about working in web design, so you can do freelance work from home, or anywhere in the world, this course will give you all the tools you need to succeed.

Get a Piece of the $20 Billion Dollar Web Design Industry

Learn the 3 different ways to make money as a web designer

Choose a niche, so you can charge ‘expert’ rates

Develop your client roster and keep the projects flowing

Gain 11 techniques for upselling clients and boosting profits

Turn Your Hobby Into a Profitable Business.

Get advice from a professional and skip the new business learning curve.

It’s easy to make mistakes when starting a new business, and this course is designed to save you time and money by minimizing those mistakes.

____________________________________________________________________

“Pure Quality! Christine does a fantastic job in explaining what it takes to start your own web design business. Not only is the provided material of high value, but Christine goes above and beyond with offering additional assistance. If you have any questions, she is right there to help. I am more than satisfied with this course.” – Vincent M Aceto

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As a bonus, this course will give many of the documents you’ll need in your business including: contracts, proposals, questionnaires and more. You will also get access to an exclusive web design business Facebook group.

If you’ve got some web design know-how, this course will help you establish yourself as a professional, so you can work from home, or remotely from anywhere.

This course won’t teach you how to code, but it will teach you how to launch, manage, and run a profitable web design business.

Content and Overview

After a brief introduction, you’ll learn how to establish yourself in the web design industry by working within a particular niche, so you differentiate yourself from your competition.

Then, you’ll get tips for building your portfolio, if you don’t already have one or are looking to update yours. You’ll even get ideas for what to name your business.

Lay the groundwork for your success by learning how to productize some of your offerings that you can reuse to save time. You’ll learn to package your work and upsell clients.

Plus, you’ll also get tips and tools to help you better manage your finances.

____________________________________________________________________

“Excellent Course! A very comprehensive course on how to start a home web design business. Christine is a great trainer that will guide you along the way to achieve your objective in taking this course. Highly recommended!” – Vanda Chan

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Communication is critical to the success of your business, so you’ll get strategies for communicating with clients, creating long-term relationships, and establishing expectations that will ensure your continued success.

You’ll also learn the key strategies to finding ideal customers and how to keep them happy.

By the end of this course, you’ll be prepared to launch your web design business from home or from anywhere in the world.

You’ll walk away with the skills to be able to minimize the risk of starting a new business and employ tried and tested techniques to boost profits. Best of all, you’ll be on the road to being your own boss.

Who this course is for:

Anyone who is willing to work hard to set-up their business while they have support from a successful home web design business owner

Anyone who wants or needs to start making money from home

Anyone who is looking for a business they can run part-time or full-time to supplement their income

Anyone from anywhere in the world (with internet access of course!) can start this business

Created by Christine Maisel Last updated 8/2017 English English

Size: 397.43 MB

   Download Now

https://ift.tt/2d7zxel.

The post Start and Run a Successful Web Design Business from Home appeared first on Free Course Lab.

[itsjaybullme]

The Trials of Sergio

Per Bernal

DATELINE: SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2017, WESTCHESTER COUNTY CENTER, WHITE PLAINS, NY

It was 10:20 p.m. as Jon Delarosa and Sergio Oliva Jr. stood waiting as the last two men standing—one of them would be declared winner of the 2017 New York Pro. It was Delarosa’s fifth attempt at the event and Oliva’s first. In fact it was the latter’s pro debut, a status earned when he took the super-heavyweight and overall titles at the 2015 NPC Nationals. Because of the inheritance of one of the most famous and lauded names in bodybuilding (his father, Sergio Senior, was three-time Mr. Olympia, 1967–69, and a leading icon of the sport), his debut was under extreme observation. It was like watching Mickey Mantle Jr. getting into the major leagues. Could the kid handle the burden of one of the most famous names in bodybuilding?

In his stentorian “Live from Burbank” TV announcer voice, emcee Bob Cicherillo rasped out the name “Jon Delarosa!” The runner-up slumped forward in disappointment, the winner sank to his knees and held his head in his hands, his body shaking with emotion.

It should have been one of the happiest moments of Oliva’s life; a dream fulfilled, critics answered. Instead it was the culmination of the most miserable and desperate period of his life. Absorbing the win caused a sense of relief to slowly, slowly envelop him. He digested his present position. At that moment of victory, he had hardly any money to his name. A long-standing sponsor had terminated his contract earlier in the year, and then a prospective new sponsor who seemed ready to make a deal pulled out eight weeks before his Big Apple assignment.

Courtesy of Sergio Oliva Jr.

A synchronized double biceps with wife Brooke.

That lack of income led to the domino effect of the power and services in his Venice, Southern California, apartment being switched off, and the reality was he was so broke he didn’t have a return flight ticket home to California. It gets worse. He married his Australian wife, Brooke, in December 2016, and a few weeks into his prep, she had to return Down Under for a family emergency. Once there she ran into an immigration dispute in which there was a snafu in approving her visa to the U.S., so she couldn’t return. And it gets even worse: Arriving in New York for the contest a few days before zero hour, Sergio contracted an infection and could literally not get out of a chair for two days. In apportioning nicknames, don’t call him “Lucky.” The bottom line was some relief came with the knowledge that the $12,000 first-place check would fill some of his needs.

The aforementioned is one of the craziest stories I’ve ever heard about battling contest prep hurdles, and Sergio, who is so refreshingly honest, opened up in a drama-laden interview in which he spoke his mind and revealed just what the hell was going on.

  Click "NEXT PAGE" to continue >>

[pagebreak]

Per Bernal

THE BIG LEAP

“Winning the New York Pro was a quantum leap in my career. It was the major step in a journey I had started back in 2003 when, as an 18-year-old, I weighed 140 pounds at 6' and decided to take up bodybuilding. I won the Nationals weighing 240 pounds, so here I am in New York 18 months later, 20 pounds heavier and the leanest I’ve ever been.

“It took me 14 years to get here, and it’s been a helluva journey with plenty of self-inflicted bumps. Mentally, I’ve always been unsure, sort of like the same little kid I had started out as. I was so nervous. I couldn’t get a pump, could barely eat, and was scared to talk to anyone backstage. I even left the hotel without my posing trunks and had my friends run back to get them since the competitors were already doing their routines onstage. It was simply a train-wreck ride toward victory.”

Per Bernal

VALIDATION

“I feel this was validation to everyone else that I had not only arrived but that I’m also here to do more than place at shows and be an average pro bodybuilder or someone who is feeding off the notion that I’m only just my dad’s son. I’m here to not only win pro shows but also to win an Olympia one day. While this win was validation to people in general, it is validation as well that I was right to be confident in myself. And in a topsy-turvy way it proved I had the guts to progress, during the worst contest prep of my life, when everything was falling apart.

“I had to hustle to get a flight to New York, and then Brooke having to remain in Australia just about did me in. I needed her next to me as I trained and prepared, but that wasn’t possible. That hit me hard, real hard. But even from 8,000 miles away she kept me going and on track. Then I had the infection, and I thought that torpedoed everything. When I stood alone with Jon onstage I just felt as if I had put every one of my eggs into the basket that was the New York Pro. Didn’t even have a return ticket to L.A. I thought I might have to do a Kai Greene and do some dancing in Times Square to get a ticket back home. I couldn’t have gambled any more on myself. So I’m now proud of what I achieved. All the sacrifices and trauma ended up being worth it.”

  Click "NEXT PAGE" to continue >>

[pagebreak]

Per Bernal

NAVIGATING THE CONTEST

“I’m quite a historian and there are just too many statistics of pros not winning their pro debut, that it’s difficult to ignore—I wanted to win, of course! Don’t get me wrong. It’s crazy I had to win to save my life and be able to afford an immigration lawyer to get my wife back. So it wasn’t until they brought us three [Morel, Delarosa, and himself] out at the end of pre-judging that I knew for sure I was in the hunt. Then at night they brought just Jon and me out for a comparison, and damn, was I ready.

“The Sergio who appeared at pre-judging and the one in the finals were two different men. I knew after pre-judging I was behind, so I wasn’t going to do the standard post-pre-judging thing: Eat a big burger and fill up on Gatorade. Instead, I didn’t eat or drink even a drop of water and had to put ChapStick on my teeth ’cause my lips kept sticking to my teeth. I could literally taste that win and knew after all I went through, I needed to prove to myself and other up-and-coming young bodybuilders that you can still compete against people with lucrative sponsors and fewer obstacles and still win. Everyone I went against had sponsors, a home, their spouses to go home to, while I didn’t have any of those things, and I couldn’t let stuff like that stop me. I just wanted to show everyone I don’t need any special treatment. Because even with my name I still had to swallow bullets like every other regular up-and-coming bodybuilder.”

Per Bernal

WHY ME?

Don’t say it too loud, but sometimes it’s hard to banish the thought that Sergio maybe thrives on punishment. Like the masochist who loves a cold shower, so he takes a warm one. Hear him.

“Maybe I rise above adversity when things get tough. Maybe my New York experience was just one giant motivator for me. I’ve always been very pessimistic. I always say things like, ‘This always happens to me,’ ‘Bad things only happen to me,’ and ‘Why me?!’ But you know, I’m starting to alter that mindset. One reason is that I had conversations with Flex Lewis, Shawn Rhoden, and Phil Heath. They all told me stories that they’d endured that were way worse than mine. It’s crazy because all three represent what I hope to be one day, so their stories got through to me big time. It was the ultimate light at the end of the tunnel for me: It woke me up. And it’s weird I now am glad all those things happened. It’s like if they didn’t, I wouldn’t have worked as hard as I did. We all lift as if it’s life or death, but this time around I literally trained and did cardio like my life and my wife’s were at stake. So now that I went through that and so many other things people will never know— I’m the most confident I’ve ever been in my life.”

  Click "NEXT PAGE" to continue >>

[pagebreak]

Per Bernal

NEXT STEP: COLUMBUS

“I decided to not do the 2017 Mr. Olympia. Instead, I need to get my wife back, get a sponsor, and get my personal life back together. I would rather work on resetting my future than keep dieting just to get a third callout at the Olympia. I know my place. It would be a historical first for me to step on the same stage as my father, plus it would be a first for my mom: being the only woman to have a husband and child compete on that stage. But to go in not at my best would be a slap in her face and my father’s. I got the invite to the Arnold Classic in Columbus from Arnold himself, so that is my next show. I’m going to clean my body out, let my system heal from this horribly rough prep, get my rock, Brooke, back, and have a good off-season to get even bigger, and even maybe shock myself and a few other pros in Columbus.

“Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to keep mine and Chris Aceto’s [his contest prep coach] winning streak going. We’re two-for-two, but poor Chris needs a break from my emotional breakdowns. I wouldn’t have been even half the man/competitor I was in New York, if it weren’t for him. He’s more than a dietician to me. I have so many anxieties and issues, and he knows how to deal with me and kept me confident and motivated.”

Courtesy of Weider Health & Fitness

Making his Olympia debut with his dad, Sergio, in 1984.

THE PATIENT IS CURED

“I’ve changed a lot of my thinking since the New York Pro. I keep thinking I got this far with zero help without truly believing 100% in myself. I look at it as if I were on my deathbed for the past 13 years, struggling, not performing at my best, and I still beat guys while I was suffering. And now they found a cure for me. I’m getting out of the hospital a new man. I appreciate life so much more and also now feel unstoppable. I have a winner’s ring on my finger, reminding me I don’t have bad luck. The world isn’t out to get me.

“In fact, I have great luck because not that many people have done what I’ve done. I’m now more grateful for the bad things that happened to me ’cause I see life in a whole new light now and know now that all those horrible things that have happened to me since my first show were all for a reason— and a gateway to a new beginning.”

Postscript: As of Aug. 5, Sergio is sponsored by Old School Labs Supplements, Angry Mills Sinister Labs, Pro Tan, and Body by Eddie Inc. He also has his own clothing line named after his father’s signature pose, VictoryClothing.com. Things are looking up!

 FLEX   

from Bodybuilding Feed https://www.flexonline.com/ifbb/trials-sergio via http://www.rssmix.com/

[itsjaybullme]

The Trials of Sergio

Per Bernal

DATELINE: SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2017, WESTCHESTER COUNTY CENTER, WHITE PLAINS, NY

It was 10:20 p.m. as Jon Delarosa and Sergio Oliva Jr. stood waiting as the last two men standing—one of them would be declared winner of the 2017 New York Pro. It was Delarosa’s fifth attempt at the event and Oliva’s first. In fact it was the latter’s pro debut, a status earned when he took the super-heavyweight and overall titles at the 2015 NPC Nationals. Because of the inheritance of one of the most famous and lauded names in bodybuilding (his father, Sergio Senior, was three-time Mr. Olympia, 1967–69, and a leading icon of the sport), his debut was under extreme observation. It was like watching Mickey Mantle Jr. getting into the major leagues. Could the kid handle the burden of one of the most famous names in bodybuilding?

In his stentorian “Live from Burbank” TV announcer voice, emcee Bob Cicherillo rasped out the name “Jon Delarosa!” The runner-up slumped forward in disappointment, the winner sank to his knees and held his head in his hands, his body shaking with emotion.

It should have been one of the happiest moments of Oliva’s life; a dream fulfilled, critics answered. Instead it was the culmination of the most miserable and desperate period of his life. Absorbing the win caused a sense of relief to slowly, slowly envelop him. He digested his present position. At that moment of victory, he had hardly any money to his name. A long-standing sponsor had terminated his contract earlier in the year, and then a prospective new sponsor who seemed ready to make a deal pulled out eight weeks before his Big Apple assignment.

Courtesy of Sergio Oliva Jr.

A synchronized double biceps with wife Brooke.

That lack of income led to the domino effect of the power and services in his Venice, Southern California, apartment being switched off, and the reality was he was so broke he didn’t have a return flight ticket home to California. It gets worse. He married his Australian wife, Brooke, in December 2016, and a few weeks into his prep, she had to return Down Under for a family emergency. Once there she ran into an immigration dispute in which there was a snafu in approving her visa to the U.S., so she couldn’t return. And it gets even worse: Arriving in New York for the contest a few days before zero hour, Sergio contracted an infection and could literally not get out of a chair for two days. In apportioning nicknames, don’t call him “Lucky.” The bottom line was some relief came with the knowledge that the $12,000 first-place check would fill some of his needs.

The aforementioned is one of the craziest stories I’ve ever heard about battling contest prep hurdles, and Sergio, who is so refreshingly honest, opened up in a drama-laden interview in which he spoke his mind and revealed just what the hell was going on.

  Click "NEXT PAGE" to continue >>

[pagebreak]

Per Bernal

THE BIG LEAP

“Winning the New York Pro was a quantum leap in my career. It was the major step in a journey I had started back in 2003 when, as an 18-year-old, I weighed 140 pounds at 6' and decided to take up bodybuilding. I won the Nationals weighing 240 pounds, so here I am in New York 18 months later, 20 pounds heavier and the leanest I’ve ever been.

“It took me 14 years to get here, and it’s been a helluva journey with plenty of self-inflicted bumps. Mentally, I’ve always been unsure, sort of like the same little kid I had started out as. I was so nervous. I couldn’t get a pump, could barely eat, and was scared to talk to anyone backstage. I even left the hotel without my posing trunks and had my friends run back to get them since the competitors were already doing their routines onstage. It was simply a train-wreck ride toward victory.”

Per Bernal

VALIDATION

“I feel this was validation to everyone else that I had not only arrived but that I’m also here to do more than place at shows and be an average pro bodybuilder or someone who is feeding off the notion that I’m only just my dad’s son. I’m here to not only win pro shows but also to win an Olympia one day. While this win was validation to people in general, it is validation as well that I was right to be confident in myself. And in a topsy-turvy way it proved I had the guts to progress, during the worst contest prep of my life, when everything was falling apart.

“I had to hustle to get a flight to New York, and then Brooke having to remain in Australia just about did me in. I needed her next to me as I trained and prepared, but that wasn’t possible. That hit me hard, real hard. But even from 8,000 miles away she kept me going and on track. Then I had the infection, and I thought that torpedoed everything. When I stood alone with Jon onstage I just felt as if I had put every one of my eggs into the basket that was the New York Pro. Didn’t even have a return ticket to L.A. I thought I might have to do a Kai Greene and do some dancing in Times Square to get a ticket back home. I couldn’t have gambled any more on myself. So I’m now proud of what I achieved. All the sacrifices and trauma ended up being worth it.”

  Click "NEXT PAGE" to continue >>

[pagebreak]

Per Bernal

NAVIGATING THE CONTEST

“I’m quite a historian and there are just too many statistics of pros not winning their pro debut, that it’s difficult to ignore—I wanted to win, of course! Don’t get me wrong. It’s crazy I had to win to save my life and be able to afford an immigration lawyer to get my wife back. So it wasn’t until they brought us three [Morel, Delarosa, and himself] out at the end of pre-judging that I knew for sure I was in the hunt. Then at night they brought just Jon and me out for a comparison, and damn, was I ready.

“The Sergio who appeared at pre-judging and the one in the finals were two different men. I knew after pre-judging I was behind, so I wasn’t going to do the standard post-pre-judging thing: Eat a big burger and fill up on Gatorade. Instead, I didn’t eat or drink even a drop of water and had to put ChapStick on my teeth ’cause my lips kept sticking to my teeth. I could literally taste that win and knew after all I went through, I needed to prove to myself and other up-and-coming young bodybuilders that you can still compete against people with lucrative sponsors and fewer obstacles and still win. Everyone I went against had sponsors, a home, their spouses to go home to, while I didn’t have any of those things, and I couldn’t let stuff like that stop me. I just wanted to show everyone I don’t need any special treatment. Because even with my name I still had to swallow bullets like every other regular up-and-coming bodybuilder.”

Per Bernal

WHY ME?

Don’t say it too loud, but sometimes it’s hard to banish the thought that Sergio maybe thrives on punishment. Like the masochist who loves a cold shower, so he takes a warm one. Hear him.

“Maybe I rise above adversity when things get tough. Maybe my New York experience was just one giant motivator for me. I’ve always been very pessimistic. I always say things like, ‘This always happens to me,’ ‘Bad things only happen to me,’ and ‘Why me?!’ But you know, I’m starting to alter that mindset. One reason is that I had conversations with Flex Lewis, Shawn Rhoden, and Phil Heath. They all told me stories that they’d endured that were way worse than mine. It’s crazy because all three represent what I hope to be one day, so their stories got through to me big time. It was the ultimate light at the end of the tunnel for me: It woke me up. And it’s weird I now am glad all those things happened. It’s like if they didn’t, I wouldn’t have worked as hard as I did. We all lift as if it’s life or death, but this time around I literally trained and did cardio like my life and my wife’s were at stake. So now that I went through that and so many other things people will never know— I’m the most confident I’ve ever been in my life.”

  Click "NEXT PAGE" to continue >>

[pagebreak]

Per Bernal

NEXT STEP: COLUMBUS

“I decided to not do the 2017 Mr. Olympia. Instead, I need to get my wife back, get a sponsor, and get my personal life back together. I would rather work on resetting my future than keep dieting just to get a third callout at the Olympia. I know my place. It would be a historical first for me to step on the same stage as my father, plus it would be a first for my mom: being the only woman to have a husband and child compete on that stage. But to go in not at my best would be a slap in her face and my father’s. I got the invite to the Arnold Classic in Columbus from Arnold himself, so that is my next show. I’m going to clean my body out, let my system heal from this horribly rough prep, get my rock, Brooke, back, and have a good off-season to get even bigger, and even maybe shock myself and a few other pros in Columbus.

“Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to keep mine and Chris Aceto’s [his contest prep coach] winning streak going. We’re two-for-two, but poor Chris needs a break from my emotional breakdowns. I wouldn’t have been even half the man/competitor I was in New York, if it weren’t for him. He’s more than a dietician to me. I have so many anxieties and issues, and he knows how to deal with me and kept me confident and motivated.”

Courtesy of Weider Health & Fitness

Making his Olympia debut with his dad, Sergio, in 1984.

THE PATIENT IS CURED

“I’ve changed a lot of my thinking since the New York Pro. I keep thinking I got this far with zero help without truly believing 100% in myself. I look at it as if I were on my deathbed for the past 13 years, struggling, not performing at my best, and I still beat guys while I was suffering. And now they found a cure for me. I’m getting out of the hospital a new man. I appreciate life so much more and also now feel unstoppable. I have a winner’s ring on my finger, reminding me I don’t have bad luck. The world isn’t out to get me.

“In fact, I have great luck because not that many people have done what I’ve done. I’m now more grateful for the bad things that happened to me ’cause I see life in a whole new light now and know now that all those horrible things that have happened to me since my first show were all for a reason— and a gateway to a new beginning.”

Postscript: As of Aug. 5, Sergio is sponsored by Old School Labs Supplements, Angry Mills Sinister Labs, Pro Tan, and Body by Eddie Inc. He also has his own clothing line named after his father’s signature pose, VictoryClothing.com. Things are looking up!

 FLEX   

from Bodybuilding Feed https://www.flexonline.com/ifbb/trials-sergio via http://www.rssmix.com/