Elaine

During the French Revolutionary Wars, the Austrian Netherlands were overran and then annexed by France. However, following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, the area was removed from French control, and united with the Netherlands as part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

In 1830, revolution broke out in Belgium, which led to independence from the Netherlands. Leopold I became king, and the new country became an independent Catholic parliamentary democracy, The major powers of the Concert of Europe sanctioned the new country's existence on acceptance of it being permanently neutral, a status that Belgium retained until after World War I.

In 1885, King Leopold II of Belgium acquired the Congo Free State as a personal possession, although in 1908 it became a Belgian colony. Other Belgian colonial possessions included a concession in Tietsin, China (occupied until 1930 as a result of Belgian forces' role in surpressing the Boxer Rebellion), and Ruanda-Urundi (gained from Germany during World War I).

Durig the 20th century, Belgium has twice been invaded by Germany - in World War I in 1914, and in World War II in 1940. As a result of World War I and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles, Belgium gained several border towns from Germany, which is the origin of the German-speaking community in the East of the country.

After World War II, Belgium joined NATO, formed the Benelux group of countries (with Luxembourg and the Netherlands), and was a founder member of the European Coal and Steel Community and subsequent European Economic Community (which eventually led to today's European Union). Belgium's remaining colonial possessions were granted independence in the post-war period; the Congo in 1960, and Ruanda-Urundi (as the two new countries of Rwanda and Burundi) in 1962.

First published at http://www.travelguide2belgium.com/p1_history.php - Visit this link for more details, books, pictures, and more!

Discover all about Belgium at http://www.travelguide2belgium.com/

If you're curious about the business of selling photos online, but overwhelmed with questions such as what website (or blog) do you need, how and where do you start, and how much is it all going to cost, you'll find this article to be a welcome relief. We're about to go on a friendly and mind-opening adventure into the world of Squidoo.

But before we do, I'm sure you're aware that the many options out there can make things quite overwhelming at times. That can lead to confusion... and many people end up just not taking action at all. Where do you start? Blog or create a mini site? Design the site yourself or outsource? Photoshop? Web graphics? And how much time will an online photo business take up?

Of course, somewhere along the line, you need to actually just start doing something. Thankfully, for all you photographers, artists and modern day online entrepreneurs, a cool solution exists. The solution is called Squidoo. "Squidoo (is) a profitable, effective and free marketing strategy you can tap into for every niche you are involved in..."

Just picture your local book store, your favorite coffee shop and Wikipedia, all mixed together, and you sort of get the idea of what a Squidoo lens (or web-page) is like.

"Intelligent people who cared about other users, and wanted to share with them the fruits of their experience and expertise, build a LENS. A 'lens' is used to look through - and see things from a unique perspective... that of the person who created the lens. Squidoo calls these folks 'Lensmasters' - and gives them the creative tools to build lenses on just about anything they like."

But how can this help you with your selling photos online projects?

Well, for starters... Squidoo takes care of all the stuff that many artists, photographers and entrepreneurs don't want to think about. (Such as hosting, domain name, layout, etc). And then it leaves you an open canvas to create pictures in words, and share your best ideas to the world.

And, if you can talk about what you do, then you can write about it too. Squidoo makes it easy for you to start up a lens on a subject of your choice. Just write in your own voice, and focus on original, fresh and relevant content. If you have photos to promote or sell, put them on an image hosting site (and link to them from your lens - it's easy to do).

Over-deliver with helpful, remarkable content and watch as people come to your lens, read, sign up to your newsletter (or guest book) and click through to the sites you recommend. Do that and your lens will attracts lots of visitors, a good ranking, and quite possibly gets found in the search engines, providing you do a few things right.

You can see how I have set up my lens on the subject of selling photographs here: (www.squidoo.com/sellingphotosonline). It's a good idea to tell people who visit your lens to rate your lens and sign your guest book too. That will help to boost your lens popularity. So... if you wouldn't mind... thanks!

Of course there's a few tricks and methods to learn to make a successful lens. But with a little effort and exploration you can give it a go like I have done. And now that you know about this great website alternative, you have no excuses whatsoever to go and create your own remarkable, selling photos online adventure. See you there!

Copyright Martin Hurley 2007

Martin Hurley, the Sell Photos Online dude is an unconventional modern day artist and photographer who helps people uncover their inner talents and passions... and make money from taking photos! Why not start selling your photos online? Visit now to get powerful tips, ideas and secrets and sign up to my free ezine. Learn more about Selling Photos Online And Squidoo here.

If you have owned a home for some time, you probably have amassed a nice nest egg of equity, particularly if you owned it through the recent price run up. So, how do you use it for practical needs?

The equity in a home simply refers to the difference between the value of a home and the amount you owe on it. An example always helps, so lets use a simple one. Assume you purchased a home for $150,000 in 1990 and put $15,000 on it. As the years passed, the home appreciated in value and you paid down the mortgage. Today, the home is worth $200,000 and you owe $100,000 on it. Your equity is $100,000, the value minus the remaining amount you owe.

Equity in a home is a beautiful thing. Why? Well you can use it to fund those things in life that you just have to do. If you want to improve your home, you can use the equity to do it. Most people seem to want three types of improvements a new kitchen, new bathrooms or a new bedroom or two. All of these can be paid for using your home equity. The real beauty of taking this step is the improvements also add to the value of your home.

So, how do you access the equity in a home? There are a number of ways, but many people choose to use a home equity line of credit. That is a mouthful, so most refer to it as a HELOC. As the name suggests, it is a line of credit based on the value in your home. Using our example above, a lender would verify you have $100,000 in equity and give you a credit line for a percentage of the equity.

The percentage of equity that can be used depends on the lender. It tends to be capped at 80 percent of the total value of your home. In the example above, the credit line would be for $60,000 since 80 percent of $200,000 is this amount. That being said, lenders have all types of programs.

You can expect to pay a bit more in interest on your credit line. The loan is a second on your home, meaning that it is more risky than the original loan. With risk comes increased borrowing costs, in this case a higher interest rate. You should expect rates to be a point or two higher than what first mortgages are going for.

Sergio Haros is with Great Western Mortgage - providing California second home mortgage loan solutions.

It is the duty of technology not only to improve itself, but to become more and more user friendly. We can see this happen within the ever evolving sphere of Wireless LAN connections. Here the only constant is the easy to install, plug and play hardware which is well complimented by simple user friendly software. One only has to plug in the device to explore the network or even the Internet, however, Wireless LAN connections are often vulnerable to hackers or even virus threats. These malicious entities try to infiltrate the network and destroy important data. Then again, there is good news for all those people who wish to secure their Wireless LAN connections. Now you can enjoy the benefits of a protected Wireless LAN experience for less than a hundred dollars.

The first step after installing the hardware is to work out the configuration best suited for your network. Pay close attention to the security settings in particular and do not enable the Wireless LAN before you have everything in place and configured. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry. There are a few safety precautions one can adopt after setting up the Wireless LAN network.

Let us begin with the router and the access points. We recommend that you deploy an administrator password to reinforce and bolster access routes. In this way, the intruder will not be able to log into your Wireless LAN system without entering the correct password. Then again, certain systems or devices are preconfigured with default passwords.

Unfortunately, these passwords are often the manufacturers own name, because it is easy to remember although it lacks originality. We know that leaving a network unguarded with default passwords is the fool hardy option. This is why we must customize all the access points and the wireless router with our own unique passwords. Often we forget these passwords since we do not need to use them on a regular basis. At this point there is no option but to revert back to the default settings to reenter your network. The only problem is that all your time spent on customization will go to waste as those change are erased when default settings are applied.

Remember that the access points and the routers are specifically configured to retain and protect vital information like the SSID (Service Identifier) and even the name of the Wireless LAN network. This system makes it difficult to identify our own network, but thankfully, it doesnt compromise the security. Without this elaborate masking system, you could be leaking away important details or clues that prove handy to outsiders with ill-intentions.

Now we study the two types of encryption employed to secure a Wireless LAN system. They are WEP or Wired Equivalency Privacy and the WPA or WiFi Protected Access. We know that the WEP system is widely used but it also has a sequence of easy to exploit weaknesses because of its poorly designed encryption software. On the other hand, there is the highly recommended WPA option which reinforces your network while proving surprisingly easier to install and configure. One should note that unlike WEP, WPA is not inhibited by a limited number of password combinations as it explores the keyboard beyond the alphabets and number keys. There is a preloaded WPA support system within the Windows XP software package. WPA2 is the next generation WPA, which provides greater security but relies on specially downloaded updates.

Read more about wireless network installation and know all there is to know about wireless networking

Mortgage lenders are allowed to make there own application processes, so sometimes if not done with a formal written document, and with the use of employees and other loan officers or brokers, it can be unclear on whether or not the applicant is simply an inquiry or an applicant.

When the loan process begins with a potential applicant asking for the mortgage lender's qualifications, which may include loan amount, interest rates, loan to value ratio and debt to income ratio, it is considered just an inquiry. However, it is how the mortgage lender responds that qualifies the person as an inquiry or applicant, not what the applicant says or asks for. Meaning, the mortgage lender calls the shot when it comes to whether or not the information is just an inquiry or actual application.

For example, if a mortgage lender verbally disqualifies a potential borrower on legitimate underwriting basis, then the lender is treating the inquiry as an application. If enough information has been collected by the lender to qualify a loan, regardless if it is done through written documentation, and a denial has been communicated to the applicant, then it is considered an application. This is true regardless of the amount of information that has been collected, whether or not any fees have been paid, the lender's application process, if the prospective applicant has identified a loan amount, or whether the communication is verbal or written.

A mortgage lender can treat an inquiry as an inquiry if the information given is general, such as loan terms, the maximum amount that could be borrowed under various loan programs, and of course explaining the loan process that the prospect must follow in order to submit a mortgage application. If however, after this initial meeting occurs, and the mortgage lender has an opportunity to review the inquirers information and decides not to approve the inquirer and notifies him or her of this decision, the inquiry just became an application, and the mortgage lender is responsible for paper work to address this denied application.

An example of this would be if in the process of reviewing the inquirers information and the mortgage lender finds out about a pre-qualification aspect that is not met, such as not having a certain credit score or bankruptcy, and the mortgage lender does not approve this information, then this case has been treated as an application.

Another example of distinguishing an inquiry from an application is if the mortgage lender communicates with the potential borrower that his or her qualifications do not fall within the mortgage lender's guidelines, but offers compensating factors that might get the application approved, this is still an inquiry.

However, if the mortgage lender does not give positive compensating factors and the applicant is left with the impression that the lender would not approve the loan, then the inquiry would have turned into a denied application. The denial does not have to be explicit in nature and can be conveyed in any sort of communication that would lead a reasonable person to conclude that an application would be or has been denied.

If a prospective applicant is urged to continue, then the mortgage lender must further define what will be taking place or constitutes as an application. The mortgage lender can decide the qualifying factor for an application. For example, the lender may want the applicant to show a written contract to purchase a certain property and file a formal application with the lender to be reviewed, and then accepted or denied. Because it can be somewhat unclear in what is an inquiry and application, if you are unsure in the response you get, go ahead and ask the lender. If they do deny at any point in the process, whether it be beginning or end, they just give you a valid reason why. This reason why must be legitimate, meaning it is based only on your financial history and current information, and not on such factor as age, race, ethnicity etc.

Always speak directly and honestly with the mortgage lender or his or her staff, and understand all terms of a mortgage before you do apply. Also, pay attention to how they speak with you, and whether or not they turn your inquiry into an application by making decisions on the spot. If you have any discrepancies or questions, get clear by asking for clarification. Never make any decisions unless it is based on your own free will and on accurate, verified information.

John R Blakefield is a mortgage and real estate specialist. For more information, articles, news, tools and valuable resources on home mortgages or investment loans, refinancing, debt solutions, visit this site: http://www.scourtheweb.com/mortgage/

Mesothelioma is a rare but deadly type of cancer usually caused by exposure to asbestos or asbestos-containing products. The mesothelium is a thin mucous membrane that covers most major organs, and provides the moisture the organs need to move properly. Lubrication allows organs to move in order to circulate blood in the heart, or infuse it with oxygen in the lungs, or process food properly in the gastrointestinal tract.

There are several different kinds of mesothelioma, but by far the most common is pleural, or lung-related mesothelioma. As asbestos enters the body through respiration, the microscopic shards pierce the lungs and lodge in the delicate pleural mesothelium. The shards irritate and fester in the mesothelium, and over time will most likely develop into mesothelioma. Most cases of this cancer take decades before any symptoms begin to appear, but by the time they manifest they are too advanced to treat.

Other kinds of mesothelioma include pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the lining around the stomach and digestive tract; and pericardial mesothelioma that affects the lining of the sac that contains the heart. Most mesothelioma prognoses are not positive; victims rarely live longer than five years after their first diagnosis, and most succumb between six and 12 months.

Many experts call mesothelioma the silent epidemic, because virtually every person in the United States has been exposed to asbestos at some point in time. Asbestos is naturally heat and flame resistant, pliable, durable, and was made into everything from babys clothing to brake pads to insulation to potting ceramics. Many of the current victims of the mesothelioma epidemic worked in or around military installations, as asbestos was a critical part of shipbuilding and other large scale manufacturing industries, but mesothelioma can strike anyone of any age.

Part of the tragedy of mesothelioma is that many asbestos companies or industries that used the material refused to acknowledge it is dangerous. Civilizations around the world used asbestos for thousands of years, and even peoples as early as the ancient Romans knew that people who worked with the mineral died of lung ailments. Even into the 20th and 21st century these companies denied or covered up the evidence that linked their product to not only mesothelioma, but lung cancer and asbestosis as well.

In order to address the mounting concerns about the legacy of asbestos, Senator Arlen Specter proposed a bill that would remove the ability of victims of mesothelioma to pursue legal settlements against the companies or industries that may be responsible. The government expects thousands of new cases of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases in the years to come, and so the bill will establish a $140 billion trust to compensate victims or their families. Ostensibly, this is to relieve the stress on the courts of thousands of lawsuits, but it in fact would severely limit the amount of financial restitution the companies would owe their victims. Furthermore it would disallow many types of asbestos suits, and would potentially extend legal proceedings far beyond the expected lifespan of the people afflicted with this deadly disease.

To learn more about hiring a mesothelioma lawyer or filing a mesothelioma lawsuit, please visit our website at http://www.resource4mesothelioma.com. This article may be freely reprinted as long as this resource box stays intact and all links remain active as hyperlinks.