We’re writing to let you know about a change to the Amazon Associates Program. After careful review of how we are investing our advertising resources, we have made the decision to no longer pay referral fees to Associates who send users to www.amazon.com, www.amazon.ca, or www.endless.com through keyword bidding and other paid search on Google, Yahoo, MSN, and other search engines, and their extended search networks. If you’re not sure if this change affects you, please visit this page for FAQs.

As of May 1, 2009, Associates will not be paid referral fees for paid search traffic. Also, in connection with this change, as of May 1, 2009, Amazon will no longer make data feeds available to Associates for the purpose of sending users to the Amazon websites in the US or Canada via paid search.

This change applies only to the Associates programs in North America. If you are conducting paid search activities in connection with one of Amazon’s Associates Programs outside of the US and Canada, please refer to the applicable country’s Associates Program Operating Agreement for relevant terms and conditions.

I know some people who made quite some money from direct linking to Amazon products from PPC. This would mean the end to their whole business model. I don’t know what Amazon was thinking, but I think this is a very bad move on their side and a lot of people will be very pissed off.

Makes me wonder what happened that Amazon made this change? Also what do you do if your business model is based on Amazon direct linking? Build landing pages?

Let’s see what comes out of this.

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The location for the event was a circus tent at the Long Beach shoreline village. The location itself was already very different than most self-development seminars and the circus tent gave the event a very different atmosphere. I have to say I liked this ideas since it made the whole seminar more fun and entertaining. This approach of mixing entertainment with education is a great idea.

The two days I visited the seminar provided a lot of great information. Brendon talked about overcoming your fears and getting rid of the herd mentality that so many of us have. He also talked in depth about his secrets of getting Fortune 500 companies and large non-profit organizations to sponsor you and work with you on your project. This was some truly amazing information.

One of the great elements of this event was that the circus tent belonged to an actual circus and the members of the circus performed their shows in between the speakers. This was really cool. Hearing these inspirational people and seeing a great show. A truly unique experience.

Brandon invited a lot of great speakers to his seminar. One of them was Bill Harris from the movie “The Secret” who talked about the importance of dreams and monitoring your thoughts. Another speaker was John Gray the famous autor of the bestseller “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus“. His presentation was very educational and at the same time hilarious funny. He explained in great detail why men and women act in different ways and what the sexes need to do to reduce their stress and live a more full filling life together. His information was especially great for women since they learned how to loose weight the easy way without going on a diet.

Also present at the event was Marianne Williamson who was also featured in “The Secret” movie. She gave some great information about the importance of spirit and meditation and opened my eyes in these aspects.

Next to the great shows and information at this seminar I also met some truly great people, such as Ken McArthur the author of the book “Impact: How to Get Noticed, Motivate Millions, and Make a Difference in a Noisy World” and the amazing Jeff Wellman from layoffyourboss.com.

Ken has started a truly inspirational project to raise awareness for the problem of teen suicide and help to save thousands of lives! His Impact Action Team did a great job speaking up for this cause at the Life’s Golden Ticket event.

All in all this was a truly great event. An amazing combination of eductaion, entertainment, networking and raising awareness for a good cause. Bendon is a great inspirational teacher and I am sure I will be back at one of his future events.

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The first impression of the store was good. A lot of space, very clean, and a lot of fresh produce. The look of the store is comparable to a whole foods store. However the prices are a little bit lower. The best thing however was that the carry raw milk. I was very happy to find this out since I was driving all the way down to Huntington Beach to Mothers Market to get my milk. This will save me a lot of gas and make shopping for milk way more convenient.

The store also has a great selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. I was also looking at the meat and fish and both looked very good and fresh. They have organic and all natural chicken and meat. The only thing I don’t like is the big candy selection in the middle of the store. I guess they do this because candy sells good to kids and is a money maker. However I would prefer less candy in a health food store. But then again I don’t have to buy it.

My wife and I had a great time shopping at Spouts and it looks like this will be our new regular store. We will probably no longer drive to Whole Foods or Mothers Market, since we get all the products we need here. We are still going to Trader Joe’s and the farmers market though. Produce and prices there are just too good.

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Negative health effects of chlorine:

1. Chlorine has been documented to aggravate asthma

2. Links have been found between chlorinated water and cancer

3. Chlorine contributes to heart disease

4. Chlorine gas released in the shower can reduce oxygen transfer capacity of the lungs

5. Taking a shower in chloridated water will also hasten the skin’s aging process

During my research I found out that shower water filters are not as expensive as I thought and one small filter can last for a whole year. Now I was convinced. I decided to go with the Paragon Water Systems Shower Water Filter, which had some convincing reviews. This filter is less than 20 dollars (and free shipping) at Home Depot Online, so I felt even if it wouldn’t work at least my loss would not have been too large. The filter arrived quickly in a couple of days after I ordered it. It was very easy to install. As long as you have a tool to loosen and tighten the screws you can easily screw it onto your shower head and the pipe. Since the filter is in a upright position it doesn’t take up a lot of space either. The first time I ran the filter black residue came out of it. According to the instructions this was suppose to happen. The residue appeared only the first time and only took a second until the water was clear. It’s a good idea to hold a bucket under the shower head for the first second, to catch the residue.

The first time I took a shower with the filter I noticed a major difference. The water was clear, had no odor to it and felt much softer than before. There was not the slightest smell of chlorine. I have to admit that I was surprised how good the filter worked. The filter also sat very tight between the pipe and the shower head, so that no water was dripping out.

More than 2 months later the filter still works like on the first day. I am very happy with my purchase, since my skin stopped smelling like chlorine instantly and my it is also not dry anymore after I take a shower. Even if I don’t use lotion my skin is still nice and smooth. My fiance, who was very skeptical in the beginning, likes the filter too. She even uses it to cook pasta and potatoes. So these 20 Dollars were definitely worth it and made a big different in our daily life.

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