The Oscars: The award ceremony that gives due applause to the individuals who entertain us, captivate us, and move us in many ways.

Last night our country got together to watch a bunch of entertainers get trophies, (much of which went to Slumdog Millionaire which I have not seen but I heard was great) and to unwind while remembering our mutual love for film; unfortunately though, we received a bit more than just entertainment.

Sean Penn took the Hollywood stage to take home the award for “best actor” which many say is well deserved (and all credit to him for his performance) but he certainly did a lot more than simply say thank you and smile.

I thought America for once could have a night without politics, hard opinions, and perhaps one without generally aimed insults this year, I mean, we made it 3/4^th’s through the show without one person commenting on President Obama. That in itself was a miracle.

But no, I was wrong. Only a few precious moments passed before Sean Penn preached what he claims is a message of “love” and not hate despite his statement being fact to the contrary.

His claim essentially stated that anyone opposing “gay marriage” should spare the embarrassment of their future grandchildren and embrace the sweeping change that is coming. Furthermore, he went on to state how “blessed” he is to be in a country where someone like President Obama can get elected.

This blog isn’t about debating gay marriage, nor is it about pointing harsh criticism towards our newly elected president but it is about the principal of his statement and a representation of how far left Hollywood and its leaders really are.

Don’t fundamental Christians have the right to protest gay marriage as far as its definition in our constitution or what it means to them religiously? From the internet searching I did I was not able to come across any stories of rock tossing, disgusting or vile signs, or any major protest or rally taking place at the Oscars. So why the direct insult? Was the attack really warranted or was it just a cheap jab? Gays have their parades and push their message. Why can’t a group pose friendly opposition to it without being called hateful people.

Sean Penn embraced the Hollywood stage with the camera angles changing and the lights gleaming to do what he does best, cause controversy. Maybe he was aiming for some more air time on the O’Rielly Factor, who knows.

What I do know is that dictators like Hugo Chavez are not “great world leaders” so claims stating he meets with individuals holding such status is false. Last I checked he wasn’t advising the president or any free western European country. Not yet at least. I guess we will have to see where we are in four years.
GG Sean Penn! Way to keep business and your personal life separate.

We were supposed to be over the election. The campaign lead everyone to believe that under President Obama, swift changes would come, which in-turn would unite our country. The fact of the matter is that less than 1 month into the presidency an epic get together is underway as a strong and opposing voice.

The Chicago Tea Party. Ladies and Gents, republicans don’t lay in streets, throw trash at police, or wonder how much they are going to have to do in order to off-set their carbon footprint during a protest, they unite and organize their remarks.

Only time will tell at this point as to whether or not the opposition can live up to that of a “tea party”. After all, the “Boston Tea Party”  ignited our nation unlike any other event leaving big shoes to fill.

The video that sparked this idea can be seen below:

Conservative activists have rallied to CNBC’s Rick Santelli’s call, backed by mortgage traders, and many others for a “Chicago Tea Party” to protest the Obama Administration’s bailout plan.

Multiple news sources now state that this rally is being organized and will be held on Friday, February 27 in Chicago and at other locations around the U.S. I guess this means there won’t be anything thrown into the lake and to date the specific details on the location have not been disclosed.

Santelli’s criticism of the Obama mortgage plan is that it rewards the irresponsible, while penalizing the responsible. Furthermore, funds from the bailout are also heading in the direction of other controversial organizations such as ACORN.

Bottom line, if Republicans have ever had something to rally around in recent years, it is this message. If successful, it could be a huge turning point in our country and hold approval points that go along with it heading into an election 4 years from now. If it falls through, everyone will be able to look back and laugh at the idea, if they even remember it.

Update: 4/10/09

The Chicago Tea party did take place along with numerous other tax revolts and protests called “tea parties” which are taking place throughout the country. Fox News is a great source to review tea parties and their schedules taking place in various cities.

Salons/spas always have a rather large list of services that should be put up on the website for customer reference. This is part of the content that you are responsible for submitting to the web designer that you chose. Along with your list of services there should also be any of the other text that you can find on the salon/spa website. The welcome text or home page text, the about us page and anything else that needs to be written out. These areas can always be written by someone else and it’s possible that your web designer has content writers on staff for completing this task for you.

Images are also important; if you have any that you would like to see on your salon/spa website you need to make sure to get those submitted. This would include any pictures of your salon/spa that you want displayed so that your customers can get a feel for what your salon/spa offers and what the atmosphere is like in your establishment. It is a good idea to get these pictures to your web designer/developer right away because without it your project will be held up in progress. A web designer can’t create a website for you without knowing what is going to actually go into it and they don’t know what is going to go in it until you show them.

As you can see, this whole step is really mostly up to you and it is an important step. Try to get with your web designer if you’re having problems gathering your content for the salon/spa website. They will be more than happy to help you figure things out because in the end it helps them along with the project as well. For more information on salon/spa web design check us out at DreamCo Design – Salon/Spa Web Design. For more information on other types of web design take a look at DreamCo Design – Web Design.

          After the decision to make the investment towards a salon/spa website there are a few kinks that have to be worked out. The next steps that immediately come to mind have to do with finding a web designer that is going to take on your project. There are a lot of them out there and the decision is going to be a hard one because each company is different in what they offer and how they go about business. Talking to multiple companies is going to be the best option that you have.

          I would recommend that you talk to a least 5 different companies; now this may seem like a lot and it sounds like it is going to be a lot of explaining your idea over and over, and it will be. Talking to this many companies is going to give you good pricing options and it is also good for finding out how companies differ and what the differences are in services and benefits of each company. Your salon/spa website should be built for you at a reasonable price with the best benefits you can find. By benefits I’m talking about if the company offers SEO or if they have some sort of discount for other services because you will be using them.

          When you talk to each of these companies you are going to find that you will be swayed heavily by one of them because of everything they offer. Don’t hesitate to go with the company that you feel is going to give you the best service for your salon/spa website. The best thing that you can feel for a web designer or web design company is trust because it is so hard to do that in this industry. Deciding is the hardest part and should be thought about for a considerable amount of time before making the final say. For more information on salon/spa web design check us out at DreamCo Design – Salon/Spa Web Design. For more information on other types of web design take a look at DreamCo Design – Web Design.

          Salon/spa websites are far a few between and the decision to have one built is a great investment on your part as a business owner. There are a lot of ways to market and promote a business and having a salon/spa website is one at the top of the list as far as returned investment comes. With that I mean that although there are many things you could do, building a salon/spa website is going to be the one that brings you back the most business and returns that investment quickly. As soon as your salon/spa website is up you can expect to see a gentle flow of customers that found you by looking for a salon/spa in their area on the internet, most likely from a major search engine like Google or Yahoo.

          How much of an investment you put into the website is going to depend on a few factors, the main being how much functionality you want your salon/spa website to have. The more functionality the more of an investment, its simple math. You should decide beforehand how much you are looking to spend on a salon/spa website but also be flexible with this number. This is because if you really have no idea how much web design costs you are most likely going to greatly underestimate your budget. A good idea is to call around for a few quotes from web designers and web design companies so you can get a good idea what range you are looking at for your salon/spa website idea.

          Salon/spa websites are not that common unless you are a bigger company with more than one location. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider this type of marketing approach, if anything, it means that you should get a salon/spa website built right away. With the competition out there possibly not having a website you will have the upper hand when it comes to people browsing the internet for salons/spas in your area. Investing in a salon/spas website is going to increase your business and help you grow as a company. For more information on salon/spa web design check us out at DreamCo Design – Salon/Spa Web Design. For more information on other types of web design take a look at DreamCo Design – Web Design.

          Salon/spa web design is one of the smaller areas of web design and this is only because most salon/spa owners don’t think about having a website built for their business. I’m talking about all salons/spas: the major companies that have chains all around the nation and the smaller family owned salons/spas that just have the one location in your local neighborhood. Most of the time the larger companies have a website built for them already and this is because they know that by promoting their business it can only grow larger and larger. That is the point behind having a salon/spa website, to market your salon/spa and try to bring in new customers.

          Smaller salon/spa companies probably feel like they aren’t in need of a website because they are on such a smaller scale than other businesses, but this couldn’t be more wrong. Any and every salon/spa should have a salon/spa website if they are looking to grow in the future. There are only benefits to having a website that is going to show your services and where you are located. If there was ever a time that a salon/spa could use a website it is now! A salon/spa could use a website the moment it starts up.

          Salons/spas are something that everyone woman uses and making permanent customers is how any salon/spa keeps its business going. Customers are going to be grateful that you have a website as well because it makes you easy to look up on the internet. Finding out what your services are and what the prices may be, or what hours you are open, or where you are located or contact information. Get yourself a website so that you can boost your presence in the community and start growing as a business; it only makes sense to invest in this kind of marketing. For more information on salon/spa web design check us out at DreamCo Design – Salon/Spa Web Design. For more information on other types of web design take a look at DreamCo Design – Web Design.