Toni Edwards is one lady who knows her cars, as in NASCAR.

The Sam's Town Sports Book supervisor will have one eye peeled on veteran Ryan Newman and the other on rookie Denny Hamlin as she watches the rest of the field with both when NASCAR christens a new season at the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Unlike other sports, the auto racing loop annually launches a new campaign with its biggest race of the season.

The 43 anointed drivers will make 200 trips around the 2 1/2-mile high-banked oval as they attempt to get a new year off on the right foot.

Daytona, like Talladega, is a restrictor plate track, meaning cars are equipped with plates that keep speeds under 200 mph.

"It's so exciting," Edwards enthused.

"There are new drivers, different crew chiefs, different sponsors. There's so much going on."

Daytona used to be NASCAR's big attraction as far as Nevada bet shops were concerned, but that was before Las Vegas became a regular stop on the auto racing circuit.

Now the Daimler-Chrysler 400 commands about twice as much action.

"It's in that neighborhood," Edwards said.

While there weren't snaking lines like books expect when NASCAR hits Vegas three weeks down the road (March 12), Daytona still was drawing a fair share of weekend wagering action.

According to Jake Kolleth, a supervisor at the Stardust, flagship property of the Boyd Group, including Sam's Town, the Friday night favorites were defending champion and three-time Daytona winner Jeff Gordon at 4/1; Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 2004 champ whose legendary father was killed on the final lap of the race five years ago, at 6/1; and Tony Stewart, the reigning Nextel Cup champion who has never won the Daytona, at 7/1.

All three were 9/2 at the Stratosphere Tower, with Jimmie Johnson at 8/1.

Jeff Burton is the polesitter, with Gordon and Elliott Sadler completing the front row; Earnhardt will come out of the No. 7 spot and Stewart from the No. 15.

Edwards long has adored Newman (20/1), who has just one Top 10 Daytona finish on his lengthy resume.

"I just love him and have since he grabbed eight poles in 11 races," she said.

Hamlin (35/1), who raced for the Joe Gibbs team at the tail end of the 2005 season, registering a trio of Top 10 finishes before landing a regular spot, won last weekend's exhibition Budweiser Shootout, also at Daytona.

The race was replete with considerable bump drafting (shoving), which has become Daytona's big issue this year.

"He's a young kid (25) with a lot of promise who has a very smart crew chief (Mike Ford)," Edwards said. "I'm impressed."

Edwards believes one reason Sam's Town doesn't lure more business for the Daytona is that the Boyd Group doesn't post driver matchups on the race.

"That's what the customers want," she said.

"They jump all over them when they see them. I'm going to talk to Jake about getting some up for the Las Vegas race."

Brian Gabrielle is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Brian_Gabrielle.htm

Kao-Ya, as they say it in Chinese, or Peking Duck, is a beautiful and delicious dish, a roasted duck with especially tender and crispy skin. The legends trace its history to the Qing Dynasty in China. To prepare Kao-Ya you need a full duck with its head attached. Then, if you are strong enough, you need to inflate it through a straw (that's how they did it centuries ago) or use a pump to separate the duck skin from the body. After that you have to pour some boiled water and brush it on with some sweet substance, like molasses, honey, or plum syrup depending on your preferences. That allows the duck skin to acquire the light caramel taste. After drying it for about 12 hours, place it in a large oven to roast it over apple wood charcoal (the best choice!) for a couple of hours, and finally you will have a crispy and tasty Chinese delicacy. (Now dont try to do it in your home oven, you will need to build a special traditional oven for that!)

While wrapping finely sliced duck pieces into pancake, and mixing them with a plum sauce, I want to introduce you to Ben Joffe, CEO of Plus Eight Star Ltd. (www.plus8star.com), who invited me to the "Kao-Ya" feast in one of the central Beijing restaurants. This French guy with a shy smile created a very interesting company that in his words is engaged in helping Western companies to understand the technology innovation process in Asia, and how these innovations can be applied in their home countries. In other words he will even make kao-ya work in your steak recipe, just watch!

With seven years of Asian experience and fluent in Mandarin and Japanese, Ben is very confident about his companys future. When I asked him if he was interested in new clients, he quickly said sorry, not for a few months, we are completely booked with a number of projects. Nevertheless, he still finds time in his busy schedule to organize highly popular Mobile Monday (www.mobilemonday.cn) events in Beijing, which gather enormous crowds of mo-co people, operators, software developers, journalists and bloggers. If you are in Beijing, dont miss the next Mobile Monday as you might well meet your future business partner there!

Over the dinner we discussed some peculiarities of doing business in the mobile content sector in China, the secret life of Chinese content providers and many fruitless attempts to enter this market by some Western companies. My "whys" and "hows" were answered with patience and good humor, while Kao-Ya quickly disappeared just to be replaced by a nice Chinese ice cream. Finally I asked Ben to respond to some of my questions regarding the VAS market in China, and you can find his answers below. In short, his recipe for success is working with a local partner and tuning in to the local culture and preferences.

Current state of the VAS market in China. What are the hottest trends?

AG: Ben, what are some innovative technologies that Chinese CPs use to engage new subscribers?

Ben: The current state of the VAS market in China is both great and terrible: Great because it's growing overall at a fast pace: 20% of China Mobile's ARPU comes from data, also the mobile content market was estimated close to 1 billion USD in 2006 and keeps growing.

Now, it's terrible because the market is very opaque: operators' regulations keep changing and rocking the life of the thousands of VAS service providers in China. Also, most of the offer is rather commoditized (ringtones, screensavers, ringback tones, SMS jokes) so it is very hard for them to differentiate. Also, operators tend to develop their own service every time they see a service is picking up: mobile music, mobile IM, etc. So life for local mobile entrepreneurs can be fairly depressing as China Mobile reaps the rewards of SP's market building efforts. Very few foreign companies dared to enter the market (only 6 officially have a VAS license) and apart from major record companies, none is really making money in China.

All hope is not lost, as many companies now concentrate on the off-portal market, with advertising models or cross-media cooperation. In China, technology is not the key. Smart combination of ideas and proper execution are way more critical.

AG: What are the top Chinese CPs? What are their strengths?

Ben: Top 8 ones are easy to list as they are also listed on NASDAQ or HKSE:

- Tom Online: leading VAS SP, they entered JVs with Skype and eBay. None is really delivering much, though.

- KongZhong: top WAP provider. Trying hard to push its independent mobile portal, Kong.net via offline advertising (on bus, billboards, etc.). Not much result yet.

- Linktone: partners with record labels and brands. Had a lot of changes in top management and no clear direction at the moment.

- Hurray: moving up the music value chain by purchasing record labels. Its strategy might pay off if they don't damage those companies and integrate with mobile VAS for monetization.

- Sina: leading Internet portal. Makes money also through mobile services.

-Sohu: #2 Internet portal. Official partner for Beijing Olympics 2008. Not clear yet what kind of results it will bring.

- Tencent: leading IM service in China called QQ. Hundreds of millions of registered users. Monetizes through a healthy personalization model and casual games. A very good and healthy company that is almost a new media by itself.

- Netease: dropped most of its VAS activities to concentrate on online RPG and casual games. Doing pretty well since then and its top management probably sleeps much better. Most VAS companies do not manage to differentiate or monetize properly yet.

AG: China Mobile and VAS: what are some examples of interesting VAS campaigns?

Ben: China Mobile do not really focus much of its marketing on VAS. We are still in a fairly unsophisticated market where people buy hardware...

AG: China Unicom: how does it BREW its stuff?

Ben: China Unicom has difficulties getting traction with BREW. Also, the future of CDMA as a whole is a bit unclear in China. SK Telecom (Korea's leading operator) invested 1 billion USD in bonds and is building some cooperation, but overall the market creation effort around mobile services is insufficient.

AG: Internet market in China: major trends

Ben: Internet in China is still a lot about page views and number of subscribers. Most of the US-based services have been adapted to China ('Copy-to-China' or C2C) but very few actually deliver the same results as the online advertising market is still small.

There is a web 2.0 and online communities fever, and a lot of venture capital fueling it, but I don't see so many profitable companies around. Some interesting sectors such as online travel or online real estate are doing well, though.

Online video you-tube-like services are still largely a money-wasting area. Last, the user-generated content trend is definitely here to stay: from online karaoke to video creations, a few artists actually came out from the Internet in the past 2 years.

AG: What is so unique about your company? How can you help Russian CPs or techno companies in China and Asia?

Ben: We do 'Innovation arbitrage', meaning we help companies operating in foreign markets to understand why and how leaders in Japan, Korea and China became successful. Especially, we go beyond the cultural layer to highlight fundamentally good ideas and the way to implement them in other markets. As of today, there is little room for foreign CPs in China and Korea, but top-notch technology companies might stand a chance. In Japan, high quality content also has opportunities and the market is much more transparent.

Unfortunately, starting cost is much higher. I believe however we bring a lot of value to our customers when we bring them ideas that work from Japan, Korea or China, to improve their business in their home market.

AG: What is the secret of your success?

Ben: I spent over 7 years in Asia. First in Japan, then Korea and now China.

What I noticed is that:

(1) Very little of what happens in those countries, including their most incredible successes, is known outside;

(2) Most reporting about those countries will tell you maybe the result but not the process and will often explain them with cultural reasons. The problem is that if you say "it works because they are [whatever country]" you stop thinking and will likely fail to see how a good idea could be adapted to your own market.

This has happened repeatedly over time: from text messaging to camera phones, to flip-phones, to ringtones, etc. The West eventually 'rediscovers' those ideas much later and then forgets the whole cultural debate. Such attitude cost Nokia a lot of market share as they could not see the good idea behind flip-phone design and stuck to their 'candybar' for too long.

Eventually, I think the key of our work - aside from our talented multicultural team - is our cross-cultural and cross-market expertise. Something that takes quite a bit of time to develop.

Dr. Andrey Gidaspov has over ten years of experience in business consulting in the IT and telecom (ICT) fields in Russia, CIS and Asia. Andrey has sealed deals for hundreds of American companies with Russian and CIS partners, ranging from start-up businesses to large multi-national corporations throughout Eurasia. His past clients include well-known technology leaders such as Motorola, Harris, Tekelec, Oracle, Corning, Tellabs, Qualcomm, Net2Phone, Nortel, Andrew and many others.

In September 2004 Andrey opened his own consulting business, Gidabyte (http://www.gidabyte.com), based in Hong Kong, China. The company provides a wide range of business consulting in the ICT sector for international companies in Eurasia and Asia Pacific. GidaByte's bi-monthly newsletter "GidaScope" has become an instant success (http://www.gidabyte.com/newsletters) among various businesses interested in doing business in Russia. Andrey recently authored his first book - "Riding the Russian Technology Boom" - which will soon be available on Amazon. For more information check: http://www.russiantechboom.com

Ah! School is almost over for another year. Over will be days filled with getting up and getting to school on time, homework, last minute school projects and school programs. For about two weeks after school ends everyone is loving life. But then reality sets in. Children become bored. The parent's normal schedule is gone. The rest of the summer is a constant challenge.

As a young mother, "Summer Vacation" was a real challenge. I had seven children, very little money, a small hot house and a husband that was out of town most of the time. It was enough to drive the most stable mother to the edge of insanity. So, we would pack up the old station wagon with a picnic lunch and find places to go. Over the years we visited every park, lake and canyon in three counties. We visited museums, went to community events and toured local factories. Once a month we would go somewhere that required money such as a zoo or amusement park. Our summer days were busy and fun.

I was lucky in many ways that I had the ability to stay home with my children. In today's world most parents have to work to survive. This only compounds the problem of keeping children constructively busy during summer vacation. It is a proven fact that when most children are left to their own devices for extended periods of time they tend to get into trouble.

What is a parent to do? The key to surviving the summer is planning. It is good to provide a variety of activities. Whether as a parent you have the time to spend with your children or you leave them with someone while you work, it is important to have a plan. Even if you work, it is important to plan time with your children doing constructive and fun activities. Spending time with our children will create lasting memories and traditions that will be handed down for generations. These are some activities that have worked well for others.

1. Museums. Everywhere there are museums. Most counties have may museums. Museums can be entertaining as well as educational.

2. Parks. Pack a picnic lunch and visit a different park every week until you have found all the parks in your area.

3. Reading Chart. It is important for children to keep reading over the summer or they can loose some of the progress they have made. Make a chart and have rewards for certain numbers of pages read. There can be small rewards for a few pages read and then when a larger number of pages are accomplished a trip or large item can be the reward.

4. Neighborhood Carnival. Have your children plan a carnival for the neighborhood. They can make up games and serve bags of popcorn or candy.

5. Theme Days. There are many days that celebrate everything from donuts to airplanes. Hera are a few examples: National Doughnut day in June 6th, Space Day is July 16th and Peter Rabbit Day is July 28th. Research what days fall in your schedule and plan activities for the day around the theme.

6. Nature Scavenger Hunt. Send the children into the yard or neighborhood or take them to a park. Have them find as many different kinds of leaves and rocks that they can. When they are done, have them research what kind of leaves and rocks they are and then have them make a picture or craft out of the items.

7. Bird watching. Obtain a book about birds. Make binoculars by gluing two toilet paper rolls together and having the children decorate them. Send them out with their binoculars to look for as many different kind of birds as they can. Making and hanging a bird feeder will attract birds to your yard.

8. Meals. Let each child help plan and prepare a meal each week.

9. Historical Sites. Every town has a history. Find the historical sites in your area, learn about them and visit them.

10. Tye dye. Learn how to tye dye clothes. Buy white T-shirts and let the children design their own shirts.

As you plan out your activities you will have a lot of fun, create memories and most importantly, retain your sanity as you go through the summer months.

Christopher Anderson wants to share his success as a business owner with others who desire to own their own business. He also believes that the economy is stronger with more business owners, and as a result, He is focused on helping business owners succeed. http://www.lonepeakbusiness.com

The following article is one of a series of articles which focus on penis health and Safe Penis Enlargement. It is based on research done over a number of years as well as reviewing countless sites and content. I know exactly how sensitive this subject is and as a personal coach I fully appreciate the value of improving your self confidence and self esteem. I sincerely hope you find the following information of value as well as address the challenges that people have with this subject.

Penis Enlargement Does Size Really Matter?

Ever since sex was discovered, this is probably the most commonly asked question of all time.

Visit the library, a museum, a bookshop or the internet and study ancient history and cultures across the world.. Look for pictures of artifacts and symbols of manhood, virility or even power. If you dont find images of men on jugs, statues and other objects where the man is displayed as having a huge penis, I would be very, very surprised.

The size of a mans penis continues to be a huge concern for men, and women, alike. Most men obsess whether having big penises make them more manly and thus better lovers. In reality, a large penis is not always synonymous with being a great lover. In truth, however, the perception is exactly that.

Furthermore, research seems to indicate that a mans fear emanates from male vanity rather than the pleasure it will give a woman. Its actually the fear of being exposed as a having a small penis that worries most men.

Some men feel having a small penis is a reflection of low standing and low self-worth. He feels impotent, has low self confidence and feels less of a man than others. To many this may seem ridiculous but we are not talking about logical argument here. We are talking about perception, the power of our individual minds, and the oh so real messages that our minds send us on a daily basis.

When it comes to penises, many cultures both ancient and modern - have considered bigger to be better. Unsurprisingly, this obsession about penis size has seen the amazing growth (no pun intended) of a competitive, large and lucrative industry across the world, solely devoted to sexual prowess and penis enlargement.

There is a wide range of penis enlargement products, methods and procedures that you can opt for, ranging from the ridiculous to the downright dangerous. You must be wary of businesses promoting and advertising untested and unsafe penis enlargement methods and programs. The other concern I have is that men may be damaging the health of their penis, sacrificing their current sexual prowess and sexual activity by following ill advised penis enlargement techniques.

By far, the better penis enlargement systems and techniques are those which safely and steadily lead to long term penis enlargement as well as protecting, and in a few cases, even enhancing those critical areas of sexual performance, long lasting erections, sperm count and, above all, sustained pleasure.

The best penis enlargement companies, however, are those that also provide true value-added by providing first class customer support in dealing with this sensitive subject. Some will go even further and provide the facility for customers to share their experiences and help each other (real belief in their products and services).

We have years of experience dealing with this sensitive subject, we know which techniques are effective and which products can actually achieve the aims they promise. We have helped thousands of people like you to choose the right product and achieve the success they have longed for.

You and you alone can make the decision continue as is or make the commitment today to start living the lifestyle of your dreams. Know that both your physical and mental well being will improve as well as your self esteem. Motivate yourself. Make the effort to achieve your goals. Look and feel the person you want to be you deserve it.

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