Foreclosure is running rampant in northern california. what now for troubled residents

In this country’s uncertain economy, with sub-prime real estate meltdowns and rising gas prices, it is no wonder that American consumers are looking for some financial refuge when it comes to either short term or long term security. This especially rings true in our nation’s housing arena.

The foreclosure ratio has increased dramatically in the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento areas. This means good people and their real estate values are being negatively affected due to crippling market conditions. This in turn, floods the market with properties that don’t sell. Although, someone could say it is a buyer’s market, and that would be true. But what about the person that is in foreclosure? They can’t mortgage a property. What are their options?

I suppose they could rent an apartment. This could be a very pricey option in the San Francisco Bay (including the east bay) and Sacramento areas. For example, research shows that: as of 12/07 the rental markets in these large areas are down (Excluding San Francisco Proper).

Learning this, I researched further and discovered that a good portion of Americans that are in foreclosure in these areas, are spending their money smart: buying an RV and living in a Luxury RV Resort.

Surprisingly, there are many RV Resorts and Parks that cater to a growing rental market that no one else is utilizing. It is substantially cheaper to rent a site at an RV Park instead of renting a traditional apartment. Typically a one bedroom in Vacaville, CA (between San Francisco and Sacramento) for example, will go anywhere from $850.00 – $1400.00 plus utilities. A monthly site at the Vineyard RV Park in Vacaville, CA will only set you back $500.00 - $750.00 per month plus electric. Keep in mind you are powering a smaller area although, most RV’s on the market today have comparable dimension sizes to your average small apartment which is a huge plus.

“Many people that are or were in foreclosure, that have bad credit can rent in our park for half of what they would spend in the Vacaville/Fairfield area. It is also very convenient for our tenants to commute to work in the San Francisco/Sacramento areas, because of the fantastic freeway access our location offers”, says Carl Bertram, one of the owners of the Vineyard RV Park. He goes on to say “Not only is this option popular for people in foreclosure that have credit issues, but we also cater to a huge traveling nurse and union worker’s community as well (welders, carpenters, and electricians). With all the new construction in the East Bay Area, we figured that we would use this to our advantage”.

Most people would feel a transition like this would be disorientating. Not if you go to the right park. If you do your research, you will find upscale RV Parks and Resorts will offer many guest and tenant services that you would not normally find in the traditional rental situation such as: Round the Clock Security, Guest Concierge Services, and in the case of the Vineyard RV Park – they will even assist you in locating the perfect dealer when you purchase your first RV. It almost makes the transition effortless. I would imagine the smart consumer would take this alternate solution into major consideration when attempting the rental hunting process. If you are moving to the San Francisco or Sacramento Areas or are thinking about visiting and want to learn more about this option, you may contact Carl or Meaghan Bertram toll free at the Vineyard RV Park: 866-447-8797. Or you can view this first class facility at: VineyardRVPark. com.

Barbeque and grilling blunders - learn to eliminate outdoor cooking mistakes that kill your cookout

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Your average backyard cook is no expert in the barbeque or grilling field. He has no television shows on the Food Network. He has no grilling cookbooks out. Nor has any of those been part of his lifetime goal.


No, your average outdoor cooking enthusiast makes more mistakes with bbq grilling than you could ever imagine. The meat ends up dry and tough time after time, despite marinating for hours. Or the meat is burnt or cooked too long.


These mistakes are made time and time again because your average backyard cook usually does not know any different. He does not automatically know How to Barbeque.


Here are some of the more common mistakes and do's and don'ts made in bbq grill cooking:


1) If you started with frozen meat, make sure the meat is thawed completely. Trying to cook the inside of a still-frozen piece of meat is next to impossible without burning the outside.


2) When using a charcoal grill, try to start the fire without charcoal lighter fluid. Lighter fluid taste will always get into your meat no matter how much you cook the coals down first. A chimney starter makes starting the fire a breeze. It also allows you to add charcoal along the way should the coals burn out along the way.


3) Never poke the bbq meat with a fork after cooking has begun. This is one of the most common mistakes and one of the most deadly for your barbeque. When poking with a fork, the juices will run out of the meat and right into the bottom of the barbeque pit or grill. Your meat will be dry and less tender. Use a long set of tongs to turn the meat.


4) Lower the heat. Except for grilled steaks, which need a quick searing, cook slowly over low to medium heat. Lower heat is much more manageable and it will make the meat tender and juicy.


5) Quit lifting the lid to check the meat. Every time you do that it changes the temperature inside the bbq grill or pit. Air from you opening the lid acts like a sponge and dries the meat up. Opening the lid also increases your chances of flare-ups.


6) This is more of a food safety mistake. Do not put the cooked meat back on the same plate or platter that the raw meat was on without washing it first. Mixing the cooked with the raw just begs for someone to get sick.


7) After removing the meat from the bbq grill or pit, let it rest for at about 5-10 minutes. Cutting into or slicing the meat immediately after pulling it from the cooker will cause all the juices to flow out of the meat and onto the platter.


Of course, these are not all of the mistakes made by the amateur outdoor cook, but are some of the more common. But if you will prevent doing these yourself, you will eliminate many of the things that cause barbeque failures.


Your guests and family will wonder how come your grilled or barbequed food is so much better then it used to be. And, who knows?...Maybe the Food Network will come looking for you.

Finding secret swimming holes

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Swimming holes have a certain nostalgic feel about them. Long before swimming pools were common and in areas where there weren't many beaches, kids had to go to a wide spot in a stream, or to an old rock quarry to swim. Perhaps you did this as a child. Well, these spots are still out there, and they are not just for the kids.

Searching For A Swimming Hole

When we recently moved from Arizona to Canon City (pronounced canyon) in Colorado, we were looking forward to having water around. One of the real estate agents at the closing on our house told us about a swimming hole he had been to. He even drew us a small map, and it wasn't more than a week before we went looking for it.

We took highway 50 west out of town, then went north on highway 9. We came to Road # 11, and consulting our hand-drawn map, took a right. Fifteen minutes later we passed the turnoff to Cripple Creek, and a couple miles further we came over a hill. There was a parking area on the left, with a sign that had the various BLM regulations posted for the area.

Across the road and over a hill, a small trail started down a narrow gorge. It was beautiful, with large boulders, cliffs on both sides, and flowers everywhere. The stream was very small, however, so we wondered if it could really produce any decent swimming holes. About a mile down the trail we got our answer.

We saw the kids before we saw the water. There were a dozen young men and women, aged 16 to 22, sitting on rocks and grass and all looking in one direction. Following their gaze we looked in time to see one of them jump off a cliff and into a swimming hole that was about 40 feet across.

Of course I had to try it, so I climbed the hill above the hole and crossed over to the rocks. There was a rope to help me descend the last part, down to a low part of the cliff, just fifteen feet above the water. The deepest, and therefore safe, part of the water was probably only seven or eight feet across, so you have to jump with some accuracy. After leaning over the edge and staring down at the water for a minute or more, a young guy decided that I should go first. I jumped quickly, because hesitation just makes it worse.

I didn't hit bottom, and the water was deliciously cold. Afterwards Ana and I sat by the water and watched some of the crazier stunts. Two guys actually jumped off a sixty-five foot cliff on the other side of the swimming hole, fortunately landing in just the right part of the hole. It was almost too nerve-wracking to watch, so we walked down the stream, where we watched the trout scattering. It was a wonderful hike.

Finding Secret Swimming Holes

To find these spots, ask the locals. If you buy county map books for the states you'll be in, you can look for little ponds and lakes that have only trails going to them. You can also watch for anyplace that cars are parked, on the weekends especially. If people in shorts going off into the woods with a large cooler and a towel, you can be sure they aren't just hiking. In any case, it is a lot of fun just doing the exploring, even if you don't find any swimming holes.

Condotels condo-hotels - new hotel phenomenon set to sweep the philippines

Interest in the Philippines condominium hotels sector has increased significantly in the past two years following many years of intermittent development and association with other shared ownership vehicles, says Beth Collingz in her recent report: 'Condominium Hotels-The Philippines Latest Hotel Phenomenon'

Beth Collingz, Overseas Marketing Director, Investment Sales for PLC International Marketing the lead marketing partners for Pacific Concord Properties Inc's Lancaster Brand of Condotels in the Philippines explained: A condominium hotel is a hotel operating unit which is sold to individual equity investors, where each owner acquires a room, suite or studio whilst the whole enterprise is managed as a hotel operation under a single brand.

Buyers own their units the same as regular condos. There is no time limit to ownership. All Condos come with freehold title deeds. The Condotel model is similar to the serviced apartment or apart hotel sector and is suitable for an investor who wants to test the water in hotel investment.

We are seeing more and more sophisticated customers coming to the market and a change in demand patterns; the traditional timeshare products seem past their prime. This, plus an increase in investment appetite for the hospitality sector, suggests that the condominium market looks set to grow Collingz continued: Many international hotel brands have also declared that the Philippine hotel landscape is ready for condominium hotel developments, either in conjunction with self-contained hotel operations, as fully self-contained condominium plans or as a part of a mixed-use development plan such as the Lancaster Brand.

Condominium hotels are significantly less developed in the Philippines than in the US, in part owing to a low cost residential focused market as well as the lack of development in the hotel sector since the 1997 Asian Crisis. Alternative hotel ownership are featuring more and more in the hotels sector, with the rise of condominium hotels and a shift in investor strategy, thus creating a new investor profile. At the moment, the Philippine condominium market is being targeted and driven by private retail purchasers, typically reasonably net worth individuals attracted by a city centre or a resort investment foothold although we are now seeing more and more first time property buyers moving into the Condominium Hotel marketplace said Collingz.

Metro Manila and Cebu are particular favorites as an investment destination. There is room for a wider pool of institutional and real estate investors to invest in a portfolio of condominium units or the establishment of an investor-developer partnership.

Collingz continued that a lot of this interest is being driven by the relatively cheap market prices in the Philippines compared to Europe, specially UK Housing prices, and the easy payment options available for our Condo Hotel Developments, but there are other factors, too. Offshore Property Investors, Foreign baby boomers as well as overseas Filipinos, are looking for ways to maximize their return on investments as they approach retirement, and so are purchasing second homes, particularly Condo Hotel Investments where they can use the Condo for vacations and rent it out through our In-House Condotel Management when they are not using the unit thereby gaining rental incomes that on today’s purchase prices, give a projected ROI on their investments of some 12-16% depending upon the mode of payment for the unit.

Pacific Concord Properties Inc’s Lancaster - The Atrium, Shaw Boulevard, Metro Manila, Philippines is a "Full Service" Condominium Hotel offering Studio, One, Two and Three Bedroom Suites for sale. To be completed and ready for turnover from December 2010, the Lancaster Atrium will provide unit owners with premier residential condo units with option of enrolling their units in the Lancaster Condo Hotel Rental Pool and earn Rental Incomes as Owner Non-Residents when not using their units through Condotel Management. This makes the Lancaster Brand of Condotels, one of the Hottest Investment Opportunities in the Philippines.

Part of the success story for this sector will be the education of a whole new investor base previously accustomed to buy-to-let residential plans or conventional commercial real estate investments, together with the emergence of a secondary market in the Philippines to demonstrate transparency and liquidity said Collingz.

Beth Collingz

PLC International Marketing Networks

The power of joint venture

what is a joint venture?

Although it is the key to increase your profit and your time off (you sell while you are doing nothing), joint venture is the biggest unused marketing technique.

It is a complete win-win situation, and it can be your most powerful tool to succeed online.

The reason why people do not start joint venture is that they are intimidated .

There is different ways to start a joint venture.

Find someone in your niche and try to establish a relationship with him, it is much better than trying to do everything by yourself, and you will see amazing results.

You can search for partners in different forums, there is a lot of forums out there, just search for them in the major search engines.

You can get other website send emails to their list, and place links on their webpages, and pay them only when they make a sale!

You must give a high commission to your joint venture partners; 50% or more.

You should not give them additional work to sell your products, but you should do all the work for them. They will only have to follow your instructions step by step, and the sales will go on.

Prepare for your partner the following:

The email promotions, the text links and banner ads, the classifieds ads, a product review, the Pay-Per-Clicks campaigns, The famous pop up windows, the product images...

When you do that, your partner will be more eager to sell your products, because it becomes a no brainer, and no time is needed to succeed.

A good joint venture will help you to have a fast track start, even if you don' t have a list or a product, because other people will sell the product to their list.

You should understand that other people in your niche are not competitors, but actually they are your partners.

Remember: other people is the way to succeed in your business.

Affiliate revenue tapping into the cash cow

Commercial radio stations will sometimes fill up their advertising slots with a type of commercial known as Per Inquiry (PI). This type of advertising guarantees absolutely nothing up front, but the radio station does receive a commission when a listener uses an individualized toll free number to purchase the advertised product.

The reasons some radio (and television) stations accept this type of advertising is because there is the potential for revenue whereas that potential goes away if they choose not to accept this type of advertising.

This is the same premise behind affiliate revenue strategies online. In this scenario businesses offer other, secondary, website owners the potential to earn income when the secondary website is successfully used as a portal between the potential customer and the primary website.

In essence when you become an affiliate you are provided a means to track incoming traffic. If the individual purchasing a product started the process at your website then you will be credited for the sale. In turn, you will receive a commission for that sale. In an online environment this can be done hands-free.

Because you can only receive money on sales completed using your site it is important to make sure your site is as well developed as possible. This means your site not only has to look great, but it should rank well in search engines.

You may be asking yourself why someone would even be interested in developing an affiliate program. After all, why would they need to pay you for something that is featured prominently on their website.

One of the key principles in business is the need to advertise your product. Affiliate revenue programs provide a relatively inexpensive way to advertise a product.

Secondary sites willingly agree to place product information on their website, they further work to present the product in a very positive light. Some affiliate revenue sites will dedicate an entire website to the product. For the primary site this provides an incredible vehicle for advertising. What’s more, the originating site owner pays absolutely nothing until the product is sold through this secondary site.

Many primary site owners have found that it is both cheaper and more effective to pay an individual for actual sales than it is to pay for advertising that may or may not deliver customers.

This process allows virtually any site owner to claim a stake in revenue that has typically been reserved only for advertising agents.

Protect against the unknown with redundancy insurance

Redundancy insurance is also known as ASU insurance or payment protection insurance and can be taken out if you have monthly loan repayments, credit card or mortgage repayments to make each month. Providing you are working full time and are aware of the exclusions which are in all policies, then redundancy cover could be a lifeline if you should find yourself unemployed through involuntary redundancy or out of work due to accident or long term sickness.

A redundancy insurance policy would begin to pay out usually once you had been out of work for 30 days or more and would continue to give you a lump sum which is tax free each and every month that you are out of work for up to 12-24 months.

You can take redundancy cover out in the form of mortgage payment protection insurance, loan payment protection insurance or income payment protection insurance and all policies work the same way and have similar exclusions which could stop you from being eligible to claim. Some of the most common include being retired, self-employed, not in full time work or if you suffer from a pre-existing medical condition. There are others and it is essential that you understand these before purchasing your cover.

Redundancy insurance can protect against the unknown but it has to be bought carefully and a good policy with a low premium will take some finding. The best way of securing the lowest premiums for your redundancy cover is to go with a standalone specialist.

Premiums do vary from provider to provider and you have to know where to look. However it is down to you to understand the conditions and key facts of your policy before purchasing to ensure that it is right for your circumstances and that you would be able to claim successfully.

Achieve your most elusive goals

Everyone has something in their life that they would like to change. Some really big goals include overcoming addiction, achieving and sustaining weight loss, attaining inner peace, manifesting health, or becoming more successful. We are born to continuously expand our abilities. The beginning of most goals are exciting. Visions of triumph flourish in the minds of those starting a path of change. Each new day brings energy to chase down the most elusive of goals. But what if you've been working on manifesting the same dream for years? And one day, despite your optimism, despite the effort of applying the tools of empowerment, you realize that you have not acquired the goal which you set for yourself.

Encountering a obstacle, even a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, doesn't mean you are on the wrong path. We all experience despair and doubt. Times where we question the worth of what we do. Moments of temptation to give up. I have them, as does each person I work with. I would wager that everyone striving to become more than they were before, reaches a critical time of choice. Feeling sorry for yourself is not a wrong action. What we often fail to see is the value in this pit of despair. This experience of despair is precisely what is necessary for the breakthrough to occur.

BELIEF SYSTEMS AND INTERNAL TAPES

The dark experiences of despair are not logical, nor solved intellectually. These moments of darkness mean we have brought ourselves back to the core of what we believe about ourselves. Deep painful beliefs that we would rather keep hidden from ourselves and from others. The pain of not yet achieving our goals forces us to look at what we believe to be true about ourselves. Limiting beliefs are varied, but can include the following:

"Something is wrong with me."

"I never get what I want."

"I cant' get what I want, no matter what I do. It's hopeless."

"Who I am is not enough."

"I don't belong."

When we are undergoing change, the realization we must make is that is it not what faces us that is the problem, but how we are reacting to it. How we react to the situation is based on our inner beliefs about ourselves. The despair is felt because you have increased inner conflict. Conflict of what you want to believe versus what you actually believe. This conflict must either be suppressed (by giving up the goal) or the conflict must be resolved (goal is attained or a new belief system becomes integrated.).

It is at this very pressure point, giving up or moving forward, that allows the choice to step into a new belief about yourself or to reinforce an old belief. Just because things seem insurmountable right now, doesn't mean you shouldn't be following this path. It only means you are face to face with what you believe. And an inner belief system being threatened can result in a variety of symptoms, the most common being negative thoughts, suicidal thoughts, hopelessness, low energy, panic or anxiety, or worrying about small details.

DARK PITS

With great change comes the risk of facing the darkness of what we believe about ourselves. Sometimes it's fairly easy to face the darkness and bring light. But sometimes we fall directly into the pit. If you fall in, take a breath and know this experience has great value. You are only here because you are ready to explore and encounter a horrible idea that you have about yourself. An idea that you can't have what you want, that your best isn't good enough, or that no matter what you do things remain hopeless. Inside the dark hole are ideas you made up about yourself when you were a child as an attempt to explain the experience of growing up. Your spirit is hiding in the darkness, waiting for your return. So if you are in the dark pit of despair you are in a place of blest fortune. You have reached the place in which you have hidden your spirit. Only you can choose to bring you spirit back into the light. As you face the darkness, will you decide to heal your spirit by offering it encouragement? Will you reassure your spirit and bring new information?

Let's say you decide to be with your darkness? Now what? You must sit with it. Sit with the pain of what this darkness represents. Yes, it feels overwhelming. Confusing. Hopeless. In the darkness there are only dark thoughts. Do not fight the darkness with more darkness (anger, frustration, threats, hopelessness . . ). It would only create a larger darkness. ACCEPTANCE alone is the key. The darkness and despair fights with all it's might to keep us believing that we are weak and defective. Not because it is evil, but because we put these beliefs into place to keep our spirits safely hidden in the dark. As an adult, you now hold the key to accept the darkness, to accept all the dark thoughts, and offer it love and light. Listen to your spirit. Let it speak its words of fear. Then offer your spirit comfort and acceptance. After all, your spirit went through some pretty tough times that it deciding hiding was the only safe option.

You have traveled quite a distance, only to come to a dead end. Accept that you do not have what you want. Accept this. Not with anger, not with frustration. Simply breath and accept. It doesn't matter why you are at this point. It is as it is. Now go more deeply into it.

This point of transition can provide opportunity to strengthen your spirit and not let outside circumstances throw you off balance. This is a pivotal occasion to choose empowering thoughts, practice gentleness and reassurance, and reinforce your belief that you can have what you want. Accept the experience as best you can. It will lead to insight. Acceptance of what is, even though it might feel terrifying, is the way out. Acceptance is not apathy. Use acceptance to allow you to go deeper. A journal, a therapist, or a trusted friend may help as you sit with these questions:

1. What am I experiencing right now?

2. What are my thoughts concerning this experience?

3. What am I feeling?

4. What do I believe about myself, my place in the world, as I encounter this dead end?

5. Is this similar to how I felt in certain situations as a child?

5. What does my spirit need to feel safe and trusting?

6. If I was wise and loving, how would I comfort myself?

WHICH PATH TO CHOOSE

Go forward or give up? There are no wrong choices. At this point of transition, do not force yourself. Do not inflict judgement upon yourself. Realize that you have invited yourself to question an essential belief you hold to be true about yourself. Maybe the time is right to sit with this, maybe the time is not yet right. If it is your destiny to allow yourself to have what your goal represents, you will create the opportunity once again. Relax. Recognize how terrifying this moment is and find compassion for yourself. What path should you choose? Carlos Castaneda wrote in, "The Teaching of Don Juan", "Does the path have heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has heart and the other doesn't. One makes you strong; the other weakens you." Perhaps the real transition at this choice point is the courage to open your heart to yourself as you witness yourself experiencing what you fear most.

SITTING WITH WHAT IS

To move through this doubt and despair, sit with what you feel. Speak the words of frustration and anger. Write them down. Often times what we most need is someone else to allow us to fully be in a place of utter hopeless. For them to say, "I see you there, and it's okay." And to know they won't attempt to fix it or make it better.

We need to offer ourselves the same compassion. To look at ourselves in our moments of despair and say, "It's okay that I feel this. It's okay that I am experiencing this." To offer ourselves the love and compassion of not trying to fix ourselves. If confusion is what you feel, fully feel confusion, with love for yourself as you feel it. Open your body and let confusion and expand within you. Experiment (with a therapist if this is too difficult) with not being afraid of your own emotions. Avoid the temptation to retreat into old patterns of starving, overeating, bingeing, or numbing out with other addictions. The fact that you are feeling such confusion is not a sign of failure. This is a sign of growth and courage.

Even though the feelings are difficult, recognize the value of being exactly where you are. Attempt to be with your feeling without judgement. Feel what you feel with acceptance. Accept that you are experiencing despair, hopelessness or frustration. No need to judge it. No need to defend it. No need to analyze it and figure out where this came from. It is acceptable to feel misery. It is acceptable to want to give up. We've all felt that at times. Your task at this critical point is to find a way to open your heart and receive to your own despair. Cry the tears, shout the anger, give witness to the unfairness of it all. Then decide. Even though you are at a dead end, what can you do right now? It might seem so much easier to go back to food, bingeing, alcohol, starving, exercise, or diversions for comfort. But is that what you really want? Refocus your thoughts away from the future and bring yourself back to right now. Bring words of power and encouragement. "I possess the gifts of inner belief, patience, conviction and discipline. I can choose my goals and I have the strength and stamina to reach for them. I am a working and viable part of the world and I have an important job to do. I am not afraid to believe in my inner strength or my power."

GREATER FAITH

As I continue on my journey, I have learned that achieving greater faith is an ongoing journey. and not just a one step process. Each of us have many limiting belief systems within that must be faced, accepted, and released. Faith in anything, including myself, is an infinite and ever expanding experience. There is a passage in Betty Eadie's book, "Awakening the Heart" where she describes faith as an ongoing process. First we have knowledge. Then belief. We practice belief over and over again, and eventually faith begins to develop. Whether you are talking about faith in a god, or faith in yourself, it is not something you wake up with one day. At least that is not my experience. It takes going back to the dark places to re-establish faith. Learning to be kind to our spirit that may be scared, stubborn, and even defiant.

Although it is painful and we may desperately want to run from what we feel, only by sitting with our spirit that is hiding in the darkness and bringing it love that we can re-establish faith. I have often wished at times it weren't so. It is excruciatingly painful to uncover what hurts within us. But we eventually discover truth: it is only our own misconception, our own belief, our own judgement and punishment, that we are not worthy. The reward is deciding, to our amazement, that it really is okay to open our own heart to all aspects of our self.

Tips for redeeming and collecting flyer miles

We all like to get something for free but there is an old adage that says “nothing is ever free”. A free airplane ticket is the draw of frequent flyer points but since airlines are not in the business of giving away seats for free there are some things you need to be aware of. There are also some tricks to using your accumulated air miles so you can get the most benefit out of them.

First off you need to choose a frequent flyer program and stick to that one program. Research the program and choose one that you will use most often. These programs also have partners including other airlines, retail stores, dining and car rental companies. Also research how many miles you receive for your flights and how many miles it takes to redeem a free ticket. Keep in mind that some airlines only give a percentage of the actual miles on discounted tickets so if you’re a bargain hunter then pick a program that gives you one hundred percent of the miles on cheap tickets.

Once you’ve chosen and signed up for a program it’s time to start earning frequent flyer points. Sign up for email newsletters and check the airline’s website constantly so you are on top of any promotions. Check if there are any retail partners that will earn you points before shopping online. Christmas shopping can earn you a free flight so research before you buy.

Credit cards are also available that will earn you miles for each dollar you spend. Be cautious of these; they usually have an annual fee. You need to use the card as much as possible to make this worth it. There are creative ways of spending and earning. Offer to pay using your credit card when you dine out with a large party. You can also use your credit card for large purchases and on line shopping. These will add up quick and collecting flyer miles will become second nature.

Now that you’re earning air miles make sure you stay organized and on top of your accumulated miles. Since there are so many partners and vendors involved there is a likely chance that some of your miles won’t show up. Keep your receipts and any flight stubs in case you need to submit proof to receive credit.

Once you have a significant number of miles it’s time to redeem them. Don’t be too hasty in redeeming your miles. The more you accumulate the better the free ticket’s value. Since airlines don’t like to give away things for free there are only a limited number of seats per flight for frequent flyer redemption. Plan and book as far in advance as possible. Most airlines permit booking nine to twelve month in advance. Also check for redemption promotions since airlines often offer off season destinations at a discount. Don’t waste your miles on a cheap flight; use them on trips that would normally be out of your price range.

Airline flyer miles are a great way to earn free flights but keep organized and wisely redeem them to get their full benefit.

Sedu ceramic hair straightener tips

In order to get the best from your sedu hair straightener, I have compiled a list of the best sedu ceramic hair straightener tips. Whether it’s achieving perfect celebrity sedu hairstyles such as the Jennifer Lopez sedu hair, the Jennifer Aniston sedu look, or even the Hilary Duff sedu hair style, these sedu ceramic hair straightener tips will have you looking like a celebrity in no time.

Before Use:

Tip 1: Always shampoo, condition, and blow dry your hair before using the sedu hair straightener as grease and excess oils will cook and burn if not removed before use.

Tip 2: Always use the correct temperature setting for your hair type to avoid hair damage. The sedu hair straightener comes with adjustable temperatures; use the low temperature setting on your sedu hair iron if your hair is bleached, damaged, or thin and the high setting for thick, course, uncontrollable, or stubborn hair.

Tip 3: To achieve the best results from your sedu hair straightener it is worth knowing that there are a variety of widths available for the ceramic plates of the sedu hair iron and choosing the best width for your hair will give you the best results. The best width to aim for is a maximum width of 1.5”.

Using Your Sedu Hair Straightener:

Tip 1: Remember it only takes 25 seconds for the sedu hair iron to heat up.

Tip 2: Separate your hair into sections and start with the bottom layer, gradually letting more hair down until complete.

Tip 3: You will only need to pass the sedu hair straightener over your hair once or maybe twice compared with other models.

Tip 4: Do not touch your hair immediately after passing your sedu hair iron over it as your hair will be extremely hot.

Perfect Styles:

The sedu ceramic hair straightener tips listed below are designed to help you to achieve perfect results and those all important celebrity sedu hairstyles.

Tip 1: The Sleek flip sedu hairstyle is simple and easy to create and looks great on anyone from a business woman to an energetic young woman. Using your sedu flat iron, straighten your hair and then take the ends and flip them either in or out to achieve this casual yet sleek look.

Tip 2: The casual chic sedu hairstyle. This sedu hairstyle is very quick and simple to achieve and this one also allows you to show off your face. Once you have straightened your hair using your sedu hair straightener, brush your hair into a pony tail leaving a little hair at the front of your face which you can mould using either your hands or a brush. This sedu hairstyle looks great during the day or for partying at night.

Tip 3: The messy twist is a sedu hairstyle that is very common among business women and one that is also very easy to create. Using your sedu hair iron, straighten your hair, then take the back section of hair, make a twist and secure it with pins. Next take the side sections of your hair creating mini twists which are attached to the back twist and secured with pins. To complete the look pull out some hair sections around the face and mould using a brush or your hands. This look should be finalized with some holding spray.

So there you have it, the best sedu ceramic hair straightener tips. Follow these and you are sure to have great sedu hairstyles.

Fulfill all your dreams with a guide to secured personal loans

Everyone has some dreams. You might dream of having your own house or owning a car. You want to make your daughter’s wedding a rememberable moment. But lack of funds has been stopping you from doing so. If you find yourself in a similar situation, you should opt for secured personal loans.

Secured personal loans are capable of meeting all the requirements of a common man. It is secured against a property to act as collateral to the lender you decide to borrow from. An automobile, equity in home or any other fixed asset can be placed as collateral.

The rate of interest that is charged on secured personal loans is comparatively lower than other loans. The repayment terms are also flexible. Secured personal loans enable the borrower to borrow amount ranging from Ј 3000 to Ј 75,000. The repayment period is between 3-25 years.

It often happens that the bad credit score of a person becomes a barrier in applying for loan. Here secured personal loans come to their rescue. These loans are ideal for people who have faced the problem of arrears, defaults, CCJ’s or bankruptcy. If they place a collateral and promise to repay on time, they can avail the same advantages of the loan. The loan provider will require the latest credit report, which includes the borrowing and repayment details of the bad debtor. The lender will then provide the best deal to the borrower according to his financial status and repayment potential.

The borrower has the flexibility of using the loan for any personal purpose. He has the liberty to use the loan amount for debt consolidation, home renovation, purchasing a car or holiday package and meeting wedding expenses.

Secured personal loans are attached with the following benefits-:

§ Fast and friendly service

§ Easy to obtain

§ Low interest rates

§ Flexible repayment options

§ Longer repayment tenure

§ Reduced paper work

§ Ideal for bad debtors

§ Provision of online calculator

Variety of lenders dealing in secured personal loans exists in the market. Approaching banks and financial institutions is considered as the traditional way. Now an easy access to secured personal loans is through the Internet. Applying for the loan online via Internet is the quickest way. It prevents you against facing all hassles that you may encounter while dealing with physical lenders. You just need to fill in a simple online loan application form. Collect quotes from different lenders and compare them on the basis of loan amount, loan term and rate of interest. This will help you determine the best loan deal for you.

Make your dreams come true with secured personal loans. They provide you the amount required to satisfy all your needs and desires.

Unsure how to get started in golf it s not surgery

Those who are interested in golf but are unsure how to get started will discover that it is not spinal surgery with blinders on. The first question you probably have is 'Where can I play?' Most communities have a few options. Many people who love to golf, and tend to play often, will become members of a private club, but for beginners that may be too much too soon. Many state and local parks offer golfing greens for players to use for free, or for a nominal fee.

Another thing you may be wondering about is equipment. To start off you probably don't need much special gear or clothing. If you plan to use a local park to practice you should inquire about equipment rental before hand, because many parks do not offer a pro-shop to buy/rent equipment. Most private clubs however and driving ranges offer relatively inexpensive beginner lessons and will provide clubs and balls for you.

As for acceptable golfing attire, men and women should invest in a pair of khaki pants and a polo shirt with shoes meant for walking on grass—something with a textured sole is best. No Timberland boots, sweats or jeans allowed. If you would like to buy your own equipment try to find a second hand half-set which will include a wood, usually a 3 wood, 3,5,7,9 irons & a sand wedge. It really doesn't make a whole lot of sense buying a ton of equipment before you decide whether or not you really like the sport. You might even want to share with a friend until you are sure. It’s very important to dress the par. You wouldn’t where a clown’s outfit to a wedding and you certainly wouldn’t wear a dinner suit to mow your lawn.

Speaking of sharing with a friend—why not make beginner golf a group or couples affair. It is always more fun to learn (and hey, lets face it, look silly as a beginner) with other beginners you are familiar with.

Ok so you have a place to play, you are all decked out for golf and you have a group of friends ready to have at it, what now? Talk to the Golf Pro at a local green to see about options in your area. This is the best person to confer with about lessons, prices, practice schedules, rules and any other questions you may have.

Is a log cabin construction a good investment

Log cabins are generally low-maintenance houses since they are located in far out places and it is obviously not easy to get maintenance staff or equipment there. Log cabin plans tell the whole story. Most of the building material including the floor textures used in a log cabin requires very basic maintenance and it looks as good as new. The exterior of a log cabin has to face the nature’s wrath and thus is very simple to maintain.

However, some people might like to keep the interiors of the log cabin in a very good condition and might use professional maintenance and restoration services. These services provide detailed maintenance services for the log cabin and do not come cheap. Some of the steps of maintenance for a log cabin include staining of the interior and exterior wood, chinking repair and replacement, borate treatment to safeguard against pests, stay dry, chemical strip and cob blasting. Deck cleaning and sealing are also important since that is where most of the time of the log cabin residents is spent.

Log cabin plans should include inspection of the entire log cabin along with finishing of rough edges is part of the maintenance procedure. If you are a log cabin owner and rent it out on frequent occasions to holiday-makers then good maintenance will go a long way to fetch you an attractive rental income. Apart from that, the overall value of log cabins tends to be higher if they are well maintained and clean. A quick search online will provide you with details of a number of agencies who deal in maintenance services for log cabins. It is advisable that you narrow down your selection to a few companies in the region where your log cabin is situated and take comparative quotes for them for the maintenance requirement and then make a decision.

The purpose of life and the power of eve

What is the purpose of your life? Have you ever wondered? Have you ever attended a funeral, touched the lifeless body, listened to the eulogies, and asked yourself, “Why am I alive?” or “What am I doing with myself?” Maybe the questions arrest you when you encounter the limitless expanse of an ocean or the lumbering enormity of a mountain. Nature has that mystical power to lift our inner gaze and cause us to ask big and important questions. Just a brief walk in the woods under a canopy of trees, surrounded by a million unseen organisms has the power to re-focus our attention away from the distractions of daily life ! and back to those haunting, often perplexing, questions of purpose.

Best-selling author Dr. Wayne W. Dyer has suggested that the purpose of life is to know God. Similarly, another best-selling author and pastor, Rick Warren, notes in The Purpose Driven Life that the search for life’s purpose begins with God. Both Dyer and Warren are correct, we think, but by pointing us to God they place a bigger – maybe the biggest – question squarely before us: What do we mean by “God”?

Multiple religious traditions across millennia have reflected on the divine. Taking just one notion, albeit a persistently popular one, let’s turn to Michelangelo’s sixteenth century depiction at the Sistine Chapel. Here one encounters the classic white beard and muscles image. Does the purpose of life really begin with this attractive, sixty-something grandfather with a piercing gaze and bulging biceps? Is this the guy who we are supposed to get to know in order to fully understand ourselves? Does he—the Man Upstairs—hold the key to discovering our life’s purpose?

We do not think so. While some might find inner inspiration with this notion of God, it does not work for us. As we struggle with questions of purpose and meaning, we are only frustrated by the literal and mental images and energy conjured by this classic portrait of the divine.

While a host of religious traditions point to a God who is “out-there” somewhere, waiting for our prayers and perhaps willing to help us (at least to the extent we are aligning our lives with “His purposes”), we wonder whether our search for the divine, meaning, and purpose in our lives ought to start “in-here” somewhere. Perhaps the first step to discovering God and ultimate meaning in our lives is through discovering and exploring the divinity that inhabits each one of us.

We are suggesting that traditional notions of a God who has wisdom, power, and goodness wholly external to us is possibly a distraction that keeps us from recognizing the divine potential for flourishing that each person already contains within his or her Authentic Self. What would happen if we broke-free of ancient ideas regarding humanity’s limitations, sinfulness, and powerlessness? What if we consciously rejected the language of divine parent residing outside and apart from us – this Father God “upstairs” or “out there” – to whom we as subservient children must look to and rely upon? What if we instead embraced a more universal concept of the divine as the animating and empowering Source of everything that has been, is, and might be created? What if our life’s purpose was understood as harmonizing with the Uni-Verse, the One Song that sustains and connects all of us? What if we viewed our ultimate life’s purpose and destiny as knowing our Authentic Self, learnin! g to sing our own song in harmony with others, and playing our own music in concert with this Animating Energy that connects everything? Perhaps it is in discovering our own divine attributes and then living a life with the intent of collaborating with God that we might fully realize our life’s greatest purpose and meaning.

These insights are ancient and their inspiration rooted in our earliest texts. Consider the exchange between Eve and the Serpent in the mythical Garden of Eden. God had commanded Adam not to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because doing so, God warned, would result in death. But we are told that the Serpent was crafty, and the snake suggested to Eve that far from death, taking and eating the tree’s fruit would open Eve’s eyes, animate her awareness, and make her like God. And the Serpent was right. Eve took a bite of the luscious fruit, and she did not die. She then shared the fruit with Adam, and he did not die either. Rather, the eyes of both Eve and Adam were opened, and, as the Serpent had predicted, the holy scripture tells us that they became like Gods.

In this story, which circulated as an oral tradition throughout the wandering tribes of the ancient Near East, we are confronted with two important concepts. First, the concept of a God up in Heaven answering prayers and demanding our allegiance – the parental God that many of us were raised to believe in – provides an inadequate conceptual framework for realizing our divine potential. If you continue reading beyond these opening verses of Genesis’s third chapter, you will find these first two human beings making clothes and making offspring. Neither of them died on the day they touched and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Rather, and this brings us to the second point, Eve and Adam demonstrated an admirable boldness as they challenged the received wisdom. Rather then accepting the limits imposed by the social forces of her environment, Eve challenged the constraints of both Adam and God, and she modeled an unbridled courage that refused to settle for less than life’s best fruit. And in the process of recklessly and passionately pursuing where her instincts guided her, Eve had her eyes opened. She was enlightened and empowered. She discovered something about herself that living a safe, uninspired life would have always kept hidden.

And in this act of challenging the status quo and rejecting the conventional wisdom – the commands from those in authority – Eve models the type of behavior that always enlightens and empowers us to discover the Authentic Self – our unique voice in the song of the Uni-Verse. Eve gives us an example to follow. Eve points us down the path to discovery of our Authentic Self. The danger lies not in eating of life’s fruits, rather it lies in the limitation we place on our ability to be open and aware. As quantum theory demonstrates, every thing emanates from Source energy and every thing is, ultimately, connected. We should not be surprised, therefore, when our departure from the collective whole leaves us feeling inadequate and incomplete. What we must do to reclaim our Authentic Self is to reclaim that we are entirely Source, wholly god - vibrations. And when we are operating like Eve with our eyes wide open and our spiritual frequency tuned to the unity vibrations of! the divine One Song, such a state resonates with our soul. When we live a life of divine resonance we are living a life of authenticity.

Thus, the first step in our exploration of the Authentic Self is the realization that a divine Spirit vibrates within each one of us. And what do we mean by “divine”? Originally from the Latin, divinus literally translates as “of a god.” So, the first step in recognizing and realizing your Authentic Self is the acknowledgment that you are “of a god.” You are divine. You are eternal. Embrace the possibilities. Feel the resonance. Take the first step.

Hundreds of thousands come together to pray

On Sept. 8, hundreds of thousands of people will come together in prayer during the 12th annual Unity World Day of Prayer. This interfaith event is open to people of all religions and all walks of life.

Unity is a worldwide movement founded in 1889 that helps people of all faiths apply positive spiritual principles to their daily lives. It is best known for Daily Word, a monthly magazine of inspirational messages that is distributed to about 1 million people in 175 countries.

Since 1994, millions of people have been embraced in prayer during special World Day of Prayer vigils held at many of the nearly 900 Unity churches and centers around the world. Last year, participants offered prayers for an estimated 1.3 million people during the prayer vigil at the Unity world headquarters at Unity Village, Mo.

"This is a day filled with the energy of prayer," said Tom Zender, president of Unity. "As people around the world join in prayer on this day, the energy intensifies. It will be a day of transformation."

Silent Unity, the trans-denominational prayer ministry of Unity, maintains a 24-hour prayer vigil every day of the year and receives more than 2 million letters, telephone calls and Internet requests for prayer annually.

To learn more about the Unity World Day of Prayer, to submit names of friends and family members for the prayer vigil and to enjoy an affirmation set to sound and motion, visit worlddayofprayer. org/news. You also can find local Unity churches that serve as host centers for local World Day of Prayer activities.

"World Day of Prayer is an opportunity to transform the world through prayer," Zender said. "Praying together, we open our minds and hearts to the unconditional love of God that heals, inspires, guides and strengthens."

Bad credit personal loans delivers finances irrespective of credit

To constantly live with the tag of bad credit is certainly not a good one. More so, it affects the financial stability of a person. This is where Bad Credit Personal Loans can help these specific individuals a lot. It is because these loans offer finances to the individuals irrespective of their poor credit record.

Bad credit happens when a borrower does not repay or skip his past loans which results in creating a series of problems like CCJs, IVA, arrears, defaults etc. It can be also attributed to various factors like sudden illness, transfer, loss of employment on the part of borrower. But with the finances obtained form the loans, borrower can meet the various needs like purchasing a car, renovation of home, education, wedding, travelling etc.

Lenders offer these loans in two forms i. e. secured and unsecured. The secured form of the loans can be availed only by placing collateral of value such as home, real estate property, car etc. Placing of the asset assures the lender that the amount is safe and will be safely returned. The amount offered depends a lot on the equity value of collateral. Besides as there is a security attached, the rates of interest are comparatively low.

Unsecured from of these loans are accessible without the involvement of any collateral. This makes it beneficial for borrowers who do not own any asset such as tenants and non homeowners. Homeowners too can apply for these loans. The amount offered is based mainly on the repayment capability and income drawn. However the rates of interest for this loan option is slightly higher.

These loans not only assist the borrower by offering finances, it also helps to strengthen the credit record. By ensuring regular monthly installments towards the borrowed amount, they can very much improve their credit record

Most of the lenders now offer these loans through the online mode. It is also preferable as these lenders due to stiff competition in the market are offering these loans at cheap rates.

Bad credit personal loans assist the borrower to fulfill various needs without worrying about their credit record. Moreover by repaying the borrowed amount, they can improve their credit record.

Hawaii s a great place for a vacation

Hawaii is rated one of the most popular vacation destination for American travelers by Ask Doc Travel. This destination is also popular with American Express Vacations. But why? What makes this destination so wonderful? For those of us who have traveled to Hawaii, there are so many reasons to visit that we become muddled, answering only “What do you mean what’s so great about Hawaii?” Well, here is some things to keep in mind when you speak of the many wonders which make Hawaii such a popular destination.

Hawaii is comprised of eight islands. These islands are natural wonders that were created in the middle of the ocean by underwater volcanoes. As the magma from these volcanoes cooled, they hardened into rocks. These rock formations became the Hawaiian Islands. The volcanic phenomenon created Hawaii’s famous black sand beaches and the rich soil from which springs the islands lush vegetation. These main islands are Niihau, Kauai , Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii. The island Hawaii is the largest, and is sometimes called the "Big Island" or "Big Isle". This phenomenon created Hawaii’s famous black sand beaches and the rich soil from which springs the islands lush vegetation.

The climate of Hawaii is one more reason why these islands remain a popular vacation destination. The weather is more moderate than typical tropical areas because of the cooling effect of the surrounding ocean. In layman's terms, this means that temperatures and humidity tend to be less extreme than places such as the Caribbean or Mexico. In the tourist high season, summer, the high temperatures reaching the upper 80s °F, rarely going into the 90s°F . During the tourist low season of winter, temperatures at the lowest elevation average in the mid-60s. One more reason that Hawaii is preferred is because hurricanes are a rare occurrence compared to Mexico and the Caribbean.

Compared to other tropical paradises, Hawaii is monitored by American safety and health regulations. Yes, it’s ok to drink the tap water! Also, you still have all the rights and protections of a United States citizen. If you or someone you are traveling with should suddenly need medical attention, you have access to regulated and state of the art care. Hawaii can be a real home away from home.

When people think of Hawaii, they think of the aquamarine water and clean sandy beaches. But what else should one experience in Hawaii? Besides the amazingly pristine beach activities, Hawaii offers deluxe shopping that is reminiscent of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, including couture boutiques such as Coach, Gucci, Tiffany’s and more. The islands are also rich in culture and history. One way to experience the beauty of Hawaiian culture is to attend an old fashioned luau. One of the best traditional Luaus is Famous Germaine's Luau in Kapolei Oahu. Take in some American History by visiting the infamous Pearl Harbor. With so much to see and do, you’ll never get bored.

There is one snag in this otherwise amazing destination: cost. Because Hawaii is an isolated island chain, everything is more expensive. And because Hawaii is the 50th American state, there is no lower currency exchange like in the Caribbean. Thankfully, there are a number of hotel and travel providers who offer different packages and accommodations. Although hotels and air flights can be on sale and are widely available, consumer products like food, souvenirs and sundries are expensive. Food for one person could cost between $50 to $100! One way to avoid expenses is by making sure you pack all the sundries you can think of, such as sunblock, ChapStick, sunglasses and such.

However, when all is said and done, Hawaii is a top destination for a number of good reasons. There is no better place to go for a tropical vacation.

The best toys for your dogs

Dogs is a major status symbol in American pet-keeping. Every year, over 12 billion dollars have been spent on dog food and veterinary care alone. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association’s 2003-2004 Pet Owners’ Survey, more than half of dog owners purchase toys for their dogs.

Playing with toys is not the monopoly of little kids but also pets of different kind. Dogs have their own sets of toys to enjoy during their playing time.

Dogs benefit from these toys, health and training wise. There are dog toys that can strengthen their teeth or build their intelligence especially if they also attend a series of training classes with the experts. Like man, dogs are very sociable. Interaction with their companion or a sibling dog is very important in avoiding behavioral problems in the future.

When buying toys for your dog, you may want to match them with your dog’s needs, demands and even personality. Is your dog the type that enjoys chasing and retrieving games, or chewing, sitting and sprawling? You may want to try experimenting first to find out which toys make your dogs the happiest.

Before going on a toy hunt, take a look at this list of toys that may help you identify the right kind of toy for your dog.

* CHEW TOYS. These are perfect for the dog that likes to chew a lot. Instead of your dog chewing your furniture, why not buy these TOUGH little babies for them. These types of dog toy are usually made of nylon or latex rubber. The "King Kong Toys" are among the popular brands of chew toys. You can experiment by stuffing these toys with peanut butter or cheese spread, freeze them and give them to your dog for hours of licking and chewing fun.

Doggie “potato chips” is also a favorite. These "edible chips" can last to a minimum of an hour to a couple of days. They are available in different shapes like pig ears, snouts, cow knuckles, femurs, hooves and bully sticks. Others are bone-shaped made from a variety of vegetables such as carrots.

Another good toy for your dog’s chewing pleasure is the rawhide. These are non - consumable, mummified skin-like toy that you have to throw away when they get soggy, and give your dog a new one. Some rawhides are basted with a variety of flavorings. Be sure to get the “USA rawhide” with a little flag sticker on the label because these do not contain preservative flavorings that are harmful for your dogs.

SQUEAKY TOYS. For these toys, choose the rubber over the stuffed toys for durability and to avoid synthetic materials. These little noisemakers are good for training your dog’s hunting skills.

RETRIEVING TOYS. These are perfect for the chase-and-retrieve types of dogs. Dogs enjoy these toys because they get to play with you. Frisbees and balls made specifically for this activity, are the best to be used. Your dog will get a good workout and so is your arm.

TUG TOYS. These toys are best for dogs that like to grab hold and never let go. Available in rope-like designs.

BRAIN TEASERS. Best for dogs that is left alone a lot. “Biscuit balls” and “food cubes” are great examples. These toys require the dog to solve types of puzzle in order to get a treat.

Various toys of these forms are available in the market.

1. For Chewers of all Sizes

SQUIRREL DUDE – tough, durable and fun too; this hollow rubber chew toy takes on a new level in innovation; this helps to exercise your dog’s jaw a little more with the four little rubber prongs blocking the hole slightly that the dog has to work a little harder to get the goodies out.

2. Ball Launchers and Throwers (Retrieve Toys)

FRISBEES – is an all-time favorite dog toy especially the soft version; fold to fit in a pocket; comes in blue and orange colors, size six to nine inches, prices at eleven to sixteen dollars.

THE ROUND ORBEE - a tough ball hallowed with Ѕ inch thick membraney surface and it’s softish; it is flexible, durable, grippy, bouncy, and buoyant and has a peppermint scent; good for sniffing-and-getting-the - ball game; prices at five to twelve dollars depending on the size and form you choose

3. Squeaky Toys

SQUEAKERS – available in packages of ten each; dogs that love to silence squeakers are the best for this toy; excellent as attention and pocket squeaker as well; prices go lower if you buy in packages, from five to three dollars each box/package.

4. Tug Toys

LEATHER TUGS – great for tug-of-war games with your dog; made of high grade leather, 3/8 inches thick, tanned and not-treated; dogs like them a lot especially those with active lifestyle.

THE MONGO FETCH TOY – a chew and tug toy combined in one; the natural rubber bar is vanilla scented; rope running through the center gives you a grip for tug games and the soft tasseled ends are made for exciting action with your dogs; medium to large in size, from five to seven dollars each.

5. Brain Teasers

I CUBE - this is a toy that challenges and develops your dog's intelligence and puzzle solving skills; be sure you are there for supervision; available in junior and jumbo sizes, six to eleven dollars.

DUCK EGG BABY - egg Babies are a plush toy with three squeaker eggs inside; there is an opening on the bottom of the toy so your dog can get the hidden treasures inside; this is a toy that challenges and develops your dog's intelligence and puzzle solving skills too.

Toys are a fun way to enjoy with your dog in a sunny day at the park. But be sure to apply proper safety measures especially when playing with balls, sticks and stones. You do not want to harm them in any way. Remember, this is a dog-eat-dog world! Even as harmless as playing can cause indestructible damage to your dog.

Mihail Fortomas is a teacher of Biology in a High School of Athens Greece. For the dog owner who wants dog health care information - everything for Dog Diseases and Treats, Foods and Diet, visit:

1source-body-health. com/dog-health-care. html

Vyatta launches community edition 4

Vyatta (meaning ‘open’ in ancient Sanskrit), which took the networking world by storm through its introduction of the first commercially supported, open-source router and firewall solution a few years ago, is back in the news once again, this time with its robust and innovative network operating system, Vyatta Community Edition 4 (VC4).

Vyatta, the open source networking company, had announced to the media that they had released Vyatta Community Edition 4 (VC4), the latest version of its already popular, open source based network operating system to users. Over most currently available proprietary network solutions, the VC4 offers significant scalability improvements and expanded application support to its router/firewall/VPN feature set and achieves a 10X price/performance advantage. Pricing has one of the major advantages of Vyatta, which places it as a viable open-source alternative to solutions from majors like Cisco/Juniper.

According to Vyatta sources, VC4 now scales from DSL to 10 Gigabit Ethernet environments, offering big and small enterprises and service providers with high-performance networks a robust, open alternative to expensive proprietary network systems. Further, VC4 incorporates new routing technology for enhanced performance and leverages the constant improvement in open-source components and the rapid advances within the x86 ecosystem for a substantial price over performance advantage. A recent Tolly Group analysis on the same showed that Vyatta achieved 2-3 times higher performance in internet routing against a cost saving of over 75% against the performance of Cisco's 7200 product family. This adds up to 10X price/performance, as the company claims. Similarly, VC4 delivers high-performance 10 Gbps networking for as cost as less as $6,000 against $50,000+ for most competing proprietary products.

Apart from these, the Vyatta Community Edition 4 is designed to accommodate virtually any number of future applications and extensions to existing ones. Also, much to the relief of managers of smaller networks using DSL or cable connections, VC4 provides support for PPPoE and dynamic interface IP addresses, and WAN load balancing.

At the launch of the new product, Vyatta CEO quipped "Customers can now deploy and manage a single network OS, instead of juggling dozens of incompatible versions chasing after different product requirements. Along with a 10X price/performance advantage, the management advantages bring a radically better TCO to customers who embrace open networking. We're thrilled with Vyatta's adoption and community development to date, and are looking forward to delivering more advancements at a modern pace of innovation."

Vyatta’s Community Edition software has been downloaded over 150,000 times already by organizations in aerospace and defense, financial services, education, government, technology etc, and the number is increasing by the day. Hopefully, the new Community Edition version VC4 also draws similar interest from industries across all spectrums.

Vyatta’s Community Edition 3, the predecessor to VC4, was launched in November 07.

Vyatta’s other services include online training (called Vyatta University), worldwide technical support to the buyers of its products, and professional consulting services. Readers could find more about Vyatta products and services from vyatta. com.

More web hosting review available at ixwebhostingreview. org

Thinking about buying a mountain bike

Are you a biking enthusiast? If you are, then you probably know how problematic buying the perfect mountain bike can be. If you are a newbie and wish to buy your very first mountain bike, you have to be prepared for a tough hunt. You should never settle for anything less than satisfactory. If it is anything to go by, you should settle for the best there is in the market. Quality and price do come hand in hand, however, and it is a reality that we all have a specific budget range. But that is of little consequence. There are so many quality mountain bikes that you can afford. It's a matter of looking for the best deals.

First thing to consider when buying a mountain bike is your budget. Do some research on the different price levels of available mountain bikes. You need not go inside every sporting goods store to compare prices. The internet will do just fine, maybe even better, as there are countless of online stores and biking websites from which you may get the information you need. When you have an estimate of how much a mountain bike costs, you can set out and begin looking for the bike that you want. Here's a little tip - try buying from a local community sporting goods or bike shop. The prices are considerably lower than those from mass merchant stores like Wal-Mart.

What is your style? Mountain bikes are manufactured differently from one another. The reason for this is that there are different specifications and requirements on mountain bikes depending on your riding style and the terrain types that you will be conquering. Among the different styles of biking are - smooth riding, cross country racing, mountain cruising, or lift accessed downhill. You need to know which of these styles you will be embarking on. This is very important in finding out the right mountain bike for you. Here's another tip - salespeople are in it for the commission. Don't listen to their tiny voices which say you need to buy this or that bike because they are top of the line. Buy according to your needs and style.

There is another very important point that you need to consider when buying a mountain bike. Full suspension or hard tail? To be honest, a full suspension mountain bike is the best choice. That is, if you can afford it. However you can still choose a hard tail. If you opt for the hard tail, which means the bike has no rear suspension, the bike will be much lighter and pedal more efficiently. Full suspensions are of course the most comfortable. However, since there is a satisfactory alternative in the presence of the hard tail, this decision will be based on what you really want and what your budget is.

Don't forget to take the bike for a test ride. Try testing out several different bikes, so you will be sure which one works best for you and with you. Also, try checking out seasonal sales and promos. This way, you will be able to save some money and afford the best possible mountain bike within your price range.

I hope that this little guide was able to help you. With the tips given, I am sure that you and your new bike will work together for that ultimate mountain biking adventure.

Renting a waikiki oceanfront rental activities you may enjoy

Have you recently booked a stay at a Waikiki oceanfront rental? If so, you are well on your way to having your vacation fully planned out. Once you have taken the time to schedule your reservations, such as the reservations for your Waikiki oceanfront rental, you may want to start thinking about the activities and attractions that can be found in or around Waikiki. Whether you are traveling with a group of friends, your romantic partner, or your family, you will find that are, literally, an unlimited number of things to do in this popular Oahu city.

When staying in Waikiki, in a Waikiki oceanfront rental, you are urged to visit the Diamond Head Crater. The Diamond Head is a scenic volcanic crater. What is nice about the Diamond Head Crater, aside from the absolutely amazing view, the fact that the hike is relatively easy. In fact, it is often considered “a moderate hike.” With the hike up to the crater being less than a mile, individuals of all ages should be able to enjoy the Diamond Head Crater and everything that is has to offer. In addition to hiking the trails, you may enjoy seeing a World War II bunker, as well as the lookout, which spans over most of Waikiki.

Whether you are traveling with children or not, you will want make a stop at the Honolulu Zoo. The Honolulu Zoo has a wide array of different exhibits. These exhibits house elephants, giraffes, zebras, birds, hippopotamuses, and much more! Although the Honolulu Zoo is ideal for individuals of all ages, the zoo places an extra focus on children and family friendly vacations. In fact, one of the exhibits at the Honolulu Zoo is a children’s zoo. Before you set off to enjoy Waikiki’s amazing nightlife or just retreat back to your Waikiki oceanfront rental, you are advised to take a few hours and visit the Honolulu Zoo, you will likely be glad that you did!

In addition to the Honolulu Zoo, you are also urged to visit the Waikiki Aquarium. As with the Honolulu Zoo, the Waikiki Aquarium is ideal for children, but it is the perfect fit for individuals of all ages. Whether you are looking to incorporate a little bit of education into your next Oahu vacation or if you are just looking to see the amazing world of underwater life, the Waikiki Aquarium should be a must stop on your list of things to do. With over two thousand marine animals, a gift shop, and a wide array of educational projects, the Waikiki Aquarium is the perfect place to spend one of your vacation days.

It was also mentioned above that Waikiki is also well-known for its amazing nightlife. If you are on a family vacation, you can enjoy that nightlife to some extent. You can do so by dinning at one of the many fine restaurants that can be found on the Waikiki resort. If you are able to spend your nights out, you are advised to do so. In Waikiki, you can have your choice of just about any nightlife activity. These activities include, but are in no way limited to, dancing, dining, drinking, watching a movie, catching a play, and attending a concert. Whichever way you are looking to wind down your day, you can easily do so right near your Waikiki oceanfront rental. In fact, not having to traveling far is one of the reasons why Waikiki vacations come so highly recommended.

Once you have made your Waikiki oceanfront rental reservations, you can begin to focus on planning the rest of your vacation activities. The above mentioned Waikiki activities and attractions are just a few of the many that exist. Whether you wait until you arrive in Waikiki and plan your vacation on a whim, request vacation guides, or use the internet to research additional Waikiki attractions, you are sure to find a number of activities that you and the rest of your traveling party are guaranteed to enjoy.

The cost of car insurance is set to rise again

The cost of car insurance is forever on the rise and it looks like it will continue to rise in the future, so now it is essential more than ever that consumers shop around when it comes to taking out their car insurance. By far the best way to purchase car insurance and to get the best deal is by making comparisons online, this is also the easiest way to find out about the many different policies available and what they entail.

A recent study into the cost of car insurance has shown that premiums have risen and then levelled out but it is thought that they will continue to rise in the near future. On average it currently costs around Ј800 in order to take fully comprehensive for your car insurance.

Over recent times the cost of car insurance has been rising by around 6% and it is estimated that the current trends will continue to rise at rates such as this in the coming year. However while this could happen there will always be bargains to be found by providers offering discounts, of course the best bargains to be found without a doubt are online.

By looking online you are able to not only shop around for the cheapest and best deals when it comes to premiums but you are also able to make comparisons with many companies. In just a few minutes by using one of the popular search engines you are able to find a huge amount of insurers and not only compare the premiums they offer but also what the particular policies entail.

Thee are many different types of insurance policy and many additions you can take with them, it is essential that you understand what these entail and there is much free information to be found when it comes to this aspect.

Choosing the cheapest premium isn’t always in your best interest and what might seem like a very good deal could in fact end up costing you much more if you have to take additional cover with the basic. The policy that one company offers isn’t always the same as one which another offers and this should be taken into account when making the comparison in premiums.

So when looking online for the best deal always take this into account and also make sure that you understand what the exceptions and exclusions are, for the majority of time exclusions are hidden in the small print of policies, so be aware of this when choosing your policy.

Menopause and hair loss

The onset of menopause can often lead to hair loss and has long been a part of aging that many women fear the most. These days many more women are also experiencing thinning and bald spots as they mature, and both men and women are reaching out for new solutions. Even though there is no real ‘cure', there are many things that can be done to help. Some products claim to help revive weakened hair roots and promote healthy hair growth.

Both hormones and genes are to blame for menopause causing acute hair loss, as is the aging process. Confirming the causes of your loss with a competent and experienced dermatologist is the first step in determining your best treatment options.

It’s possible to have temporary loss of hair caused by physical stress, emotional stress, thyroid abnormalities, medications and hormonal changes (such as androgens and estrogens during menopause) normally associated with females. Tension on the hair by prolonged use of hair weaving or corn rows can also cause permanent loss.

There are autoimmune disorders such as Alopecia Areata that cause patchy loss of hair often in small circular areas in different areas of the scalp. Alopecia Totalis is a total loss of hair on the scalp and is considered an advanced form of Areata. Alopecia Universalis is total hair loss of the entire body. People with diseases such as diabetes and lupus have also reported losing hair as a result.

It’s normal to shed some hair each day as about 90 percent of the hair on your scalp is growing at any one time during a normal phase that lasts for 2 to 6 years at one time. Some women notice they are losing hair about 3 months after delivering a child. This is related to a hormone loss and is usually temporary.

Several medicines have been known to cause hair loss such as blood thinners (anticoagulants), medicines used for gout and in chemotherapy to treat cancer. Also, the use of vitamin A, birth control pills and antidepressants has been known to cause hair loss.

For women, missed periods and hair loss can be connected. Lack of ovulation in a skipped period causes the adrenal cortex to secrete androstenedione (a steroid hormone). This hormone is associated with some male characteristics such as male pattern baldness. However, if you raise your progesterone level with natural progesterone cream, your androstenedione level gradually declines and your hair will grow back normally. This could take months before you see a difference, so be patient.

Male pattern baldness is usually inherited from your genes. An over abundance of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is an active form of testosterone, within the hair follicle can create this type of hair loss. Current medications are aimed at slowing this common type of baldness including Minoxidil which is commonly called Rogaine and is available without a prescription.

Another medicine, Finasteride, and called Propecia, is available in pill form without prescription but is meant only for men. It can take up to 6 months in order to tell if these medications are helping.

Remember, the onset of menopause can often lead to hair loss and has long been a part of aging that many women and men fear the most. Even though there is no real cute, there are many things that can be done to help. Select the Hair Loss Doc Shop to locate a doctor near you.

The information in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice.

Debunking the most common internet marketing myths

Today we will look at the most common myths about making a living on the Internet. There is no shortage of scams and hucksters out there.

1. "Build your downline" - Beware of any program or person that promises to "build a downline" for you. Usually what they don't tell you is that almost all of these people placed under you are completely useless. Read the fine print and you will find that most of them don't even have anything to do with your commissions. They are just numbers and names that are below you. Also beware of "one big downline". Same concept, same scam.

2. "Overnight success" - I don't care what program you are a part of. You will not be a complete success overnight and quit your job next week. This kind of hype is counterproductive and cheapens the honest programs that are lumped in with this garbage. Any success will be due to hard work and persistence.

3. "It's all in the list!" - Maybe this is partly true. However, the quality of your list is also important. If you have a list full of harvested email addresses or a list of other marketers, you won't make much progress. That is unless you are selling shovels instead of gold.

4. "All I need to do is join an affiliate program, buy a million email addresses, do one email blast and I'm rich!" - This is the quickest way to lose your internet service provider, and probably your position in any reputable affiliate program. If you have received spam emails about Viagra or cheap software, then you have seen this in action. The best way to profit from email marketing is to use reputable sources.

5. "I need a modern, flashy, techno-geek site" - Everyone does not have a high-speed internet connection. If your site takes too long to load, visitors will go elsewhere. Make your point with words and use the smallest amount of graphic "clutter" that you can.

Here is the bottom line. If you are looking to make extra money online, then take action and then jump in for the long haul. Doing things right in the beginning will increase your success later. Learn from the best and don't make the same mistakes others have.

Free home schooling a short guide on how to save money

A free home schooling program is not impossible to achieve. You do need to do some planning and creativity though. By the way, when I say 'free', I mean you do not need to spend money aside from the pen and papers which any regular school kid needs. Also I recommend getting a whiteboard when teaching your kids.

The key to free home schooling for your kid is to take advantage of resources already available to you, but you may not realize or think of it.

So read on and I'll give you some ideas on where to start.

The biggest problem for most parents when deciding on home schooling is the need to create a home schooling curriculum catered to the needs of the child. Most parents would opt to purchase books or hire a professional to assist them in creating a home school curriculum. They typically cost anywhere from a hundred bucks all the way to a few thousand.

But do you know, the internet has free homeschooling information available? One example of such a site is homeschoolmum. com. There are many others as well. Home schooling forums also provides a platform for parents to interact and share knowledge on just about everything home schooling.

For buying books, you can head to ebay to pick up bargains. Another place is your local book dealer who may have books that they may give away. If even they do not have any books to give away, they usually have various discounts for book sets.

The benefits of getting your own book sets include the convenience of having these books in the comfort of your home. The costs of purchasing the books will be well worth it because your succeeding children can make use of these same books when they reach the same educational level.

Otherwise, you can visit your local library near your city. Your library will likely carry a huge wealth of books (some may no longer be sold in your regular bookstores!) that you can borrow when you need them.

Your regular school field trip can easily be replaced with the fraction of the cost. You can opt to see sites within the proximity of your home. Your city and your state may offer you a rich array of cultural and historical sites to visit. You can also opt to tie in education with whatever family trips and vacations you? d be making. Build a lesson around the family trip so that you can use this time and the money you spend in homeschooling your child as well.

With some planning and thought, you can make home schooling free in terms of financial cost and effort.

Acne treatment- regime for moderate to severely moderate acne

In this kind of acne, a large portion of face or other affected areas get affected with whiteheads, blackheads, pustules and papules. A dermatologist should preferably treat this acne and the treatment should begin as soon as you observe the outbreak. If this kind of acne persists it can cause scars. Scars can be of two types - pockmarks or pits or raised thick tissue. To prevent the formation of scares and to prevent progression to sever form, consult your doctor as soon as such acne appears. If you are prone to scar formation, you should consult a dermatologist immediately. For those who are prone to keloid formation, it is more essential. Treating scars can become a trouble some process. Do not let acne grow to severe form so that scars can be prevented.

To treat moderate to severely moderate acne your doctor may adopt many methods. One choice may be physical treatment. Your doctor may remove the comedones physically or give blue light to treat acne. This physical treatment may be combined with topical application or oral medication.

Oral medication for acne treatment may include use of antibiotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, oral isotretinoin or any other medicine your doctor feels suitable. The choice will depend upon the severity of acne and your skin. Your doctor may also prescribe topical medication that may include antimicrobials, retinoids

and OTC medications. Women may be prescribed Oral contraceptives to treat acne.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article

Forex there is no sure fire system

Anyone claiming to have a sure fire trading strategy for the Forex is either lying or truly a genius because none exists—period. The Foreign Exchange market, or Forex, is the single largest market in the world. Actually, the Forex has no centralized market location but instead exists as an informal trading network where banks, governments, and retail investors can all come together and exchange currencies. Retail investors trade on the Forex via a software platform typically supplied by their broker. Nearly 2 trillion dollars are exchanged every day (the Forex is open 24 hours per day in between Sunday and Friday) giving investors ample opportunities to profit from the volatility and liquidity of the Forex.

But in truth, while the Forex offers a very simple and attainable path to sustainable investment income—it is extremely volatile for the retail investor. The standard transaction size on the Forex is $100,000 and would be very prohibitive to the majority of investors were it not for leveraging. The typical margin on a Forex trade is 1%, or $1,000. Highly leveraged positions definitely give investors more access to potentially profitable opportunities—but they also are very susceptible to losses. That is why Forex investors need a solid investment strategy to find the best currency pairs and entry/exit points.

Unfortunately, there just is no sure fire system but that is no reason to come to the market unprepared. Dow Theory states that long-term, identifiable trends exist with respect to price movements. These trends can be identified using technical analysis. There are a number of Forex investment strategies that involve the use of technical indicators to identify and capitalize upon these pricing trends. Once you find the best strategy for your particular investing style, here are a few tips to help improve your odds of success on the Forex currency market:

1. Never move your stops—these are in place to prevent losing more than you are comfortable with and investors typically move them when emotions are guiding their decisions.

2. Trust your charts—charts are everything to a technical trader and you must trust your investment strategy and interpretation of the charts in order to succeed. Don’t allow short-term price fluctuations distract you from the bigger trend—because that is where the profits lie!

3. Back testing is critical! You back test an investment strategy by creating a hypothetical investment portfolio performance history of a currency pair you are interested in. Then, apply your current asset criteria to the hypothetical portfolio and see how accurately your strategy predicts movement. You want to find a strategy with a 70% success rate or higher in order to be profitable on the Forex.

4. Never over trade! Short-term investors lose their money to the long-term investors. You can make more profit with 5-6 great trades than by using some scalping strategy which is very vulnerable to loss due to the highly leveraged positions common to the Forex.

While there is no sure fire system for trading on the Forex, these simple steps will greatly improve your odds of success and help you develop a reliable strategy that will consistently produce profits—even when it does miss occasionally!

See the world with colibri money clips

These days, more and more people are leaving the comforts of their own homes to discover the joys of traveling. Barely a few years ago, it was the past time of the rich and famous. Now, however, even college students with little money can now travel to their heart’s content. What was once a luxury has now become a way of life.

Indulge Your Wanderlust

There is truth in the adage: "The world is a book and those who don’t travel read but a page." There are indeed many marvels in the world, marvels that people are now traveling far and wide to see. Think of the pyramids of Giza, the beauty of Venice, and the full moon celebrated in Koh Phangan. These are things you don’t see in your own backyard, so pack your bags, get your passport, and keep your cash on you at all times with one of those Colibri money clips.

Rough It Up

Of course, travel does not come cheap but it does not have to be expensive either. Budget travel is now being made possible by budget airlines, hostels, and tours. You won’t be sipping champagne in first class seats, staying at the Hilton, and driven around in a limousine, but you will be seeing the sights that you so long to see. And don’t worry. Chances are you won’t be staying in the wilderness, unless, of course, you choose to.

Indeed, budget traveling means roughing it up. You might have to share your room and bathroom with strangers in hostels, so keep your valuables under lock and key and your cash in Colibri money clips. Some of the most beautiful sights in the world are in very poor areas with very bad living conditions. Get yourself vaccinated. You don’t want your holiday cut short because of some strange, exotic illness. Prepare to live on street food as they are the cheapest food there is. Keep your Colibri money clips on hand to pay for your food on the go. You don’t want to spend a lot of time distracted while rummaging through your backpack for your money. Your Colibri money clips will also come in handy when you buy souvenirs from your trip.

Do It Right

Banish the image of fancy Louis Vuitton trolley bags and fashionable travel clothes from your head. If you’re going to go budget traveling, you need to pack light and dress right. You can never go wrong with a big strong backpack. Pack wash and wear clothes because you don’t have the luxury of ironing. Wear sensible footwear, such as hiking boots, rubber sandals, and flip flops. Keep a sturdy pair of sunglasses, a hat or two, Colibri money clips, and lots of sunblock.

Remember, you’re not Paris Hilton jet setting from one location to the other. You are a budget traveler, a backpacker, and practicality is your best friend. At the end of the day, you’ll find that you’ve had more fun backpacking than traveling first class. And when you find yourself watching the amazing sunset in the island of Boracay or listening to the call of thousands of birds in the Canary Islands, you’ll know it was definitely worth it.

Ottoman enjoy and relax in the luxurious couch

An Ottoman is a piece of furniture that is usually padded, upholstered seat without arms and often used as a stool or footrest. It derives its name from the ancient discovery of Ottoman Turks. These Turks were artistic people who showed much interest in fields of calligraphy, poetry and painting. With their interest in art flourishing, the Ottoman Turks also started inventing plush furniture that would add elegance and style to everyday living.

An ottoman is also known as a hassock or pouffe. In the United Kingdom, the ottomans have a plush hollow that can also be used as a blanket box to store bedding accessories. According to the Encyclopedia of Furniture by Joseph Aronson, Ottoman is defined as an “upholstered seat or bench having neither backs nor arms, so named after the Turkish influence in the early 18th Century…” So an Ottoman, reminiscent of ancient splendor, can add a high degree of grace, charm and dйcor to your drab room.

Decorate your home with ottoman

If you can decorate your home with an ottoman, it will give a traditional aura to the home dйcor. Extending from being a simple sofa to a luxurious footstool, the ottoman offers you to sit and relax in its luxuriousness. However, if you want to add modern trends to the traditional home dйcor, then furnish the ottoman with plush cushions and soft pillow settings.

Another way to decorate the ottoman is covering it with slipcovers. It is a good way to breathe new life and style to the old furniture. You can simply change the ragged look with the slipcovers ranging in a variety of colors. Some great benefits associated with slipcovers are having the ability to protect the furniture from unplanned accidents or spills. The slipcovers also offer you to protect your existing furniture without dealing with the expense of having to re-upholster your furniture again and again.

You can simply try a ribbed skirt or a patterned cloth to add some zest to your old ottoman or simply get a piece of plain old cloth to impart a little extra protection to your footrest.

Advantages of using ottoman

Sometimes the ottomans are made of such material that they have the prints ingrained in them. Choices of prints range from floral designs to country checks, to contemporary prints or simple stripes. They are also sometimes made of hardwearing but fascinating fabric that ranges from being denim, chenille, and suede to faux leather.

There are various advantages of using ottoman as your furniture:

- They are durable and flexible

- Machine washable

- Removable slip cover

- Adds luxury and elegance

- Cheap prices

- Enhances the traditional dйcor of your rooms

Are you interested to give a theatrical look to your home within affordable budget rates? Then decorate it with ottomans instead of loveseats, chairs and sofas. They will give a fresh lease of life to the otherwise drab dйcor in your room.