1900 ALL ABOUT

2011-09-14T16:10:00.000+10:00

Car insurance coverage can be pricey if you don't take the time and make the effort to shop around and getting vehicle insurance in WA is no exception. The time to shop around for the best free car insurance coverage quote is a week or two before your vehicle insurance falls due. The old Aesop's fable "a stitch in time saves nine" is as suitable today as it was in Aesop's time. This principle to getting the cheapest vehicle insurance coverage quote is as relevant today in Washington (WA) state as it is in Western Australia (WA).

The differences that really count is the post code and the driving conditions. Car Insurance in WA or
Washington State in the US, has a climate where snow quite often has to be removed with the use of sodium and gravel. The stones that are used often has pebbles closer to the dimension of rocks rather than finer particles of sand and these large pebbles can put dents in a vehicle simply by being driven or parked on the street. Any time a car passes another, these pebbles are thrown up and can damage a vehicle or break a windscreen if the other driver isn't sincere enough to slow down and show a degree of courtesy to other road users. These dents are part and parcel of the post code that will be used to assess an insurance coverage quote.

Then there is the sodium that causes a great deal of damage to vehicles over a number of years. Even the most car-loving vehicle owners who washes his or her vehicle every week will still have the rust factor to contend with after a couple of years. The salt that is laid down to melt the snow is extremely corrosive and eats into a car's paintwork very quickly. That is why one see's so numerous rusted cars in the parking lots of browsing centres (or Malls as they are called in the US) because to claim the damage every year on their vehicle insurance would raise the cost of their automobile insurance past what the average person could afford.

Car Insurance coverage (WA) in Western Australia does not have the snow problem, but it also has the sodium problem for those who live in a seaside area in Western Australia.

Western Australia is a very big State including roughly one-third of the land mass of Australia.
The northern part of WA is monsoonal and has cyclones every year that cross the coast and cause considerable damage to facilities and individual possessions if you live on the coast. When these cyclones arrive they bring not only the destructive forces of nature but they carry seashore sodium a long way inland.

The southern part of WA is a temperate climate but the salt problem continues for any car housed along the coast. It doesn't matter whether you live in Washington State or Western Australia, there will always be something that will or could damage your car and that is why it is so necessary to have vehicle insurance.

Small Business Entrepreneurs Need Business Angels for Guidance

2011-08-09T14:26:00.000+10:00

Some people think of a small business entrepreneur as either a real go-getter or somebody that is either a ‘dreamer’ or possesses an unlimited bank balance. So what really constitutes a small business entrepreneur?A true entrepreneur is someone who is a both a go-getter and a dreamer. Entrepreneurs are not restricted to just business.

A genuine entrepreneur is someone that possesses the ability to visualize.

They can visualize something that isn’t yet available. They are often both a dreamer and a go-getter to create something available that isn’t available.

They dream that something can be achieved or is achievable and go about making it so. They start projects off and therefore are willing to invest their own personal money in the project before seeking to use other people’s money to go to the next stage of the project. But, with big projects they need financing to ensure they are a real possibility now we have to include the personal trait of salesmanship.

They must be capable of making other people, namely investors, ‘see’ the things they see. Individuals who're more than likely to advance these fledgling enterprises may also be business entrepreneurs and either come with an unlimited bank balance or have had great success in past projects. These kind of investors are also commonly known as “Business Angels”. Determining the right “Business Angel” to invest in your business enterprise isn’t simple as there aren’t that many readily available and anybody who takes a risky through these forms of investments often seeks a high return on their invested capital.

Being a small business entrepreneur seeking financial backing for the project, you will have to realize and accept some terms and conditions from a “business angel” that you might dislike initially.

Being a small business owner, the share for the capital borrowed can be very high and you will need to be conscious of most of them will require a percentage in the project despite the loan may be repaid.This is their business insurance to protect their capital and to make it grow.

By percentage of the project, some “business angels” require as part of the initial investment, a continuing and permanent percentage of the corporation.

Australia for example will likely require the structure of the small business is always for a company with its own Australian Company Number (ACN) for the reason that business structure is a that limits personal liability in the event of failure and because the structure is certainly one which allows for business growth and control.

“Business Angels” are entrepreneurial business owners first of all and bear little resemblance to the perceived notion of kind and caring entities. They didn’t make their fortunes because they are soft and gentle individuals. They are called Business Angels because they're prepared to invest where traditional money lenders fear to tread. They arrive on the development scene whenever a project requires capitalisation and so they supply the necessary financial resources at a time it's needed. That isn't to convey they are bad people because they definitely are not. They're business entrepreneurs too who've developed a business model that makes them money. As a small business entrepreneur you will appreciate their investment and expertise.

Buying an Email List ~ Is it worth it?

2011-03-11T13:03:00.000+11:00

Many small business owners working on the internet become disillusioned at the slow pace of subscribers to their subscription lists so they try to take a short-cut and buy a list.

Unethical marketers who sell their unsubscribed lists are adding to their own problems if they are also list buyers. Just because your list may have come from a group of gym-junkies and that is what their interests were, if you sell your small list to a list buyer and they are short of a few hundred email address at some point, guess what they are most likely to do? That’s right, they will add your email list of gym-junkies into whatever list they are short on numbers for and sell your list that way. They have already proven to be unethical so what is to stop them doing that?

List Buying

List buying may look like the fast track to a perceived end but the end is too often very different to what you’re hoping it will be. To buy email addresses to market a product to, that the person has not specifically requested, is much like buying “a pig in a poke” as you are not target marketing your efforts and money to an audience who may even be just a little bit interested in what you are trying to sell them.

Just because you think you are buying a list of chiropractors, accountants, dentists or internet marketers or any other professional list doesn’t mean that those email addresses actually belong to someone in a market that you are trying to reach. Just because someone says they do, doesn’t make it so.

Unethical email marketing simply annoys people; the spam filters, the search engines and gives other internet marketers a ‘bad name’ so is it worth the price?

Before you answer that, look in your spam filter first. Now you have some idea where part of all those unwanted emails come from!

Neon Signs Can be High Maintenance for Commercial Properties

2011-02-22T11:31:00.000+11:00

Neon signs light up, flash and do everything to attract people's attention. Unfortunately, this attention isn't always the attention the owner of the sign wants and can get very expensive. Too many hooligans see a neon sign as a good target for vandalism if situated in the wrong place or area of town.

For anyone thinking of installing a neon sign as a means of attracting customers, I would advise you to think again. Neon signs are best displayed at night so unless you are a night-time business, a neon sign may not be the ideal answer for you.

Large external neon signs have become a prime target for hooligans who throw rocks, bottles, cans and anything else they can lay their miserable little paws on in order to break the light. Some of these half-wits think it's great fun to destroy something that they can see disappear. This gives these cretins a sense of power and you yet another expensive insurance claim and the inconvenience of having it fixed and cleaning up the mess that this incident has caused.

Many insurance companies today won't even insure against neon sign breakages because they have just become too expensive and constant. If you can get insurance for sign damage, then you may be limited to making a limited number of claims. Also ask your insurance company if there is an excess to be paid (there usually is!) for every claim made for the repair of a neon sign. Over a very short period of time, you may find you could have purchased any number of different types of signs to advertise your business.

If you still think a neon sign is the best answer to advertise your business, then try for a sign that vandals can't readily access. Putting a neon sign inside your office or shop window can be a deterrent or a more expensive exercise. Many cretins will think twice before they break a shop window but if they decide that your sign is still 'fair game' then the expense of paying for a shop front window should deter you from using that type of sign again. Shop front windows may be hardier but they are three times as expensive too.

The other downside to a neon light to advertise your business is the electricity costs. Even with the use of a fluorescent globe it will still be powered by electricity and with the push on for using less power, will your customers be likely to see your business as wasting energy?

Many neon signs today are solar powered but this can only benefit you if the sign is placed outside to get powered up by the sun. So vandals then can destroy your solar system as well as the light.

Neon signs today have really become a thing of the past. Long gone are the days when streets were lit-up with flashing, happy, bright and cheery lights inviting customers to visit their stores or to do some 'window-shopping'. The maintenance costs to keep them lit has simply become far too expensive.

What Does Being Australian Mean to me in 2011?

2011-01-26T15:19:00.000+11:00

Four years ago on Australia Day January 26^th, I wrote what being Australian meant to me; so it is time for an update. Being Australian means as much, or more, to me today than at any other time in my life. One of the things I really appreciate is the freedom that being an Australian brings to our lives; but especially to my life.

For starters, I’m free to write this article and free to say what I think. I am free to feel what I feel without anyone telling me what or how I must feel. Freedom is one of God’s most precious gifts and there are those people in power in the world today, who would take this from us, if we allow them to.

Allowing someone to take something from you for greed or their own personal gain or aggrandizement is the sin of slothfulness.

Greed and slothfulness are two of the seven deadly sins and slothfulness still means being lazy. The only bigger sin is committed by those greedy individuals or groups who would take our freedom away and make us all debt slaves. Stealing is stealing any time that you take from someone else, something that doesn’t rightfully, morally belong to you. Whether that something being taken from you is physical, mental and financial or anything else ~if something is not rightfully yours, you have no right to remove it from another person.

Today in Australia too many people have become too enamored with financial gain to the detriment of others. Money doesn’t, nor has it ever, bought or brought happiness.

One of the reasons why Australia is such a free country to live in has been the fact that the majority of people have earned incomes to live comfortably on. Those people, who worked a bit harder than others, had more. That was only fair and anyone who wanted to could do it.

The Australian Legal system through our arbitration system oversaw fair play to both the employer and the employee. It was once frowned upon by society and considered immoral, unjust and unfair to take an unfair advantage over someone less fortunate than oneself.

We have been a very egalitarian society.

An egalitarian society is not based on communism as some would have others believe. Communism as a way of life hasn’t worked, just ask the people who live in Russia.

Capitalism is another failed life philosophy. Just ask those millions and millions of people who live in America and struggle to live freely. They have become such debt slaves to their financial institutions that many have hocked their kids and grandkids future well-being.

Capitalism is like a disease. Once it has eaten through all it can be allowed to, it looks for other avenues from which to leech more profit and gain financial benefit. When a capitalist has to choose between money or people, the money will win every time. If you don’t believe this, look to Wall Street. They own America but have enough political clout to put their own representatives in Government so the American people never realize that the American Taxpayer doesn’t even own their own Federal Reserve!

Capitalism or Communism simply doesn’t work for the majority of people where egalitarianism works well for the benefit of the majority. No system is perfect but the one like Australia where we can discuss our differences harmoniously has to have more going for it than either capitalism or communism.

I strongly suggest we don’t lose it through slothfulness and greed.

But today is the day I celebrate quietly and thoughtfully what Australia means to me. I have had the privilege of living in three other countries and enjoying their lifestyle. One of these countries has had centuries longer for their people to learn to live harmoniously but they still haven’t achieved that yet.

This morning I listened to hundreds of Parrots fly out of their overnight roosts and go on another day of foraging for food. Their noisy squawks each morning alert us that the sun has tipped the horizon and the gentle half-light of dawn is changing to daylight.

The lawn still smelt of freshly mown grass which will always remind me of childhood and cold water melon. A gentle sea breeze stirred the palm trees awake and the smell of coffee brewing next door reminded me the day had begun.

Australia is my home and we all know that there is no place quite like home. Australians everywhere on Australia Day need to realize our advantages and say “Thank you” for all that we have to share with those who share our Aussie values of peace and harmony, fairness for all.

Dot Com Registrations are harder to get today than Yesteryear

2011-01-19T14:35:00.000+11:00

To register a .com domain name today is getting harder and harder to find one that is easy enough to read. Many .com registrations today need at least a phrase if not more and without hyphens in between the words, they are becoming very hard to decipher.

So, to find a simple, easy-to-read .com name available on eBay could be an interesting exercise to see what market demand there is for domain name investors.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300516724186&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:AU:1123

This also has website that can, or not, go with it. The fact that there is free hosting being offered as a bonus may not be of interest to a purchaser at this price.

But it remains to be seen. Please leave feedback if there is a comment that you would like to make.

Qld Floods and Salvation Saturday

2011-01-15T09:45:00.000+11:00

Qld floods are receding and leaving their marks of destruction. There’s one good thing that is happening today. That is the willingness of Australians to help each other out when trouble strikes. When calamity strikes, friends, family and strangers will rally around to help. Mateship is part of the Australian psyche.

Today has been dubbed “Salvation Saturday”.

So what is salvation Saturday?

Salvation Saturday is when thousands of homes around Brisbane alone need cleaning up after the catastrophic floods that have occurred this week and thousands of volunteers are registering at volunteering centre’s to help with the job.

These wonderful volunteers are turning up with all their own cleaning gear, spades, mops, brooms, gloves, buckets and hoses. They are bringing with them everything they believe they will need to get the job done.

They have to bring everything themselves simply because there is absolutely nothing left in any home that is usable to do the job. The people they will be assigned to help in whatever street they will be working in, has had everything destroyed.

Why bring spades and shovels?

Spades and shovels are needed to remove the silt and slime left by floodwater's that have destroyed sewerage treatment plants, dead farm animals and picked up port-a-loos from building sites. All this mixture of vile sludge has to be removed first before hosing out and cleaning can start. It’s a filthy job.

The next group of volunteers that will be needed urgently are construction workers. All these thousands of homes need repairs. Firstly, they will be needing electricians and plumbers. Without energy and sewerage services to a house people will be unable to go home.

Once the insurance payouts come through and people can start the repairs and rebuilding of their homes, there will be enough work in Qld for construction contractors for a long time to come.

Salvation Saturday is just the beginning of a long hard climb back to normality.

Qld Floods

2011-01-14T16:29:00.000+11:00

The catastrophic floods currently devasting seventy-five percent of Queensland, have cost 15 lives so far with another 51 still reported as missing. One of the people previously reported as missing, has been found dead eighty kilometers down river from where they were last seen. That will give you some indication of the strength of the water.

Here is the link for the latest news report: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/body-found-80km-away--some-flood-victims-may-never-be-found-say-police-20110114-19qsu.html

So what is a flood?

A flood is when more water is to be found in a river, creek, dam or water-course than what the containment banks can hold back. A containment bank is like the sides of a bowl. These sides are what hold the liquid inside the bowl. When there is more liquid in a bowl or container than what those sides can hold, the outpouring is said to be a flood.

Now some of these floods are a slow rising and overflowing of the water over the sides. These can be devasting but at least anyone in the path of the overflow has some time to escape from the water. These are usually called a “Riverine flood”

The other type of flood is a flash flood.

Now as the name suggests, these hit within minutes and no-one has a chance to escape from them. They are like a Tsunami of water.

This type of flooding rarely happens in Australia but this time it happened in the Lockyer Valley just west of Brisbane. This flood 2 days ago killed 13 people and wiped the town off the map.

Flooding is what happens when the water that has escaped its containment banks spreads over the countryside. It will always follow a dried up water-course or some other low-lying ground first until it grows too big for that to contain or hold back the water. Then the water just keeps on rising higher and higher until it peaks; which means it has reached its maximum level.

When the flood waters start to go down, the water level is said to be receding. Sometimes this can take hours while other times it can take weeks.

The Qld weather is normally warm and balmy; “beautiful one day, perfect the next”. The weather is now being monitored very carefully in case there is more rain in the catchment areas of our inland river systems. If more rain falls in those areas, whole towns will be flooded again so the weather is being very closely monitored.

Due to the soils and ground being so saturated with water, it won’t take much more rain to cause another flood. The water can’t soak into the soil and the run-off goes into the lowest lying ground which is our creeks and rivers. Then these overflow and we have another flood.

The Courage to Heal Our Democracy

2010-12-18T12:39:00.000+11:00

Some people may argue that our democracies don’t need healing because they are working well.

It takes a great deal of courage to admit when there is a problem and it takes even more courage to do something about it. Sadly, there are few people or organizations today that will stand up and admit that everything is not well but even fewer who have the courage of their beliefs to do something about it.

Courage is one of those important intangibles of life. It is not a physical thing that can be touched, smelt, heard, tasted or seen but when it is absent, it is felt.

Courage is something that comes in degrees. Most of us have a bit of courage that gets us through each and every day. Other’s among us put their lives at risk every day so the rest of us can decide how much or how little courage we want to exercise or need to live our lives peacefully.

Courage is not something that is age-related. There have been bravery awards given to small children who acted courageously in times of trouble and saved the lives of those they loved.

Bravery is courageously doing what is necessary to achieve a desired outcome at the time it is needed. No one can predict how they will act under these extreme conditions and even those who consider themselves very courageous in some situations will balk at others. Bravery is stepping up to remedy a situation at great risk to their own lives or their own well-being.

One recent and well publicized event of extreme bravery last century was the lone figure in Tiananmen Square in China who walked in front of the Chinese Army Tanks and stopped a massacre.

Yesterday’s bravery award would have to go to the rescuers on Christmas Island who saved the lives of 30 people when their boat was shipwrecked while trying to reach Australian shores. These boat people were seeking asylum in our country. The seas pounded their small boat into matchstick size and people were hurled against razor sharp rocks. Christmas Island people risked their own safety and lives to throw life jackets into the ferocious waves which were crashing over them on the cliff face and trying to wash them into the broiling sea. That is bravery.

Courage for a better life for themselves and their families is what drove the asylum seekers to such a tragic end on Australian shores.

Courage to declare and live their lives ‘out of the mainstream’ happens every day by homosexual people. Equal rights may exists to some degree but homophobia is alive and well in our societies. It takes courage to live a life different to everyone else.

Courage is exercised on a daily basis for those who are hurt and disabled and in great pain yet refuse to stop living for fear of the pain. Courage is facing and overcoming fear.

Differences are what real democracies are based on. That is why people vote so that the biggest number of a difference can rule for a set time. Tragically, today that is not the case.

If we are all to heal our democracies, we need to exercise our democratic rights to free speech, open and transparent Governments, and have the courage of our convictions to make this happen.

Would you Answer 13 Questions for a Free $500 Grocery Gift Card?

2010-02-09T13:34:00.002+11:00

A free grocery coupon can save you a lot of money if you have the luxury of finding one in your area. Unfortunately, here in Australia we have some of the most expensive groceries in the world apparently according to some recent surveys. This doesn't surprise me because when you have lived in an overseas country for any lengthy period of time you get a very different perspective on a lot of things including groceries.

Groceries may sound like a mundane and uninteresting topic for an article but just remember that everyone gets hungry once or twice a day. It's only the really lucky ones who get to satisfy that hunger.

Even so, with the cost of living rising dramatically in most western countries, most housewives or grocery buyers are all looking for the best deals they can find. What can be saved on the groceries can go a long way towards paying off those rising energy bills. It's a bit like "robbing Peter to pay Paul" but as most families today are what Australians call "battlers" ( those who live from payday to payday) any savings are more than welcomed.

Here in Australia, our grocery costs are largely dictated by two major players who are in cahoots no matter how much they may deny it to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. It is an impossible ask of an under-funded and under-staffed Govt sanctioned organization to be able to adequately monitor large shareholder Companies like Coles and Woolworths. The other player in the Australian grocery scene is the Independent Grocers Association (IGA) but they don't yet have the numbers to access or control the buying power like the big two. And the big two are everywhere in Australia from the remote inland locations of regional towns in the outback to every suburb in the big cities.

And the "little Aussie Battlers" are Australia wide but we get offered 'weekly specials' in our mailboxes every two weeks or so and that is the best we get until we get a chance at Christmas time to enter a competition for free groceries. The big two grocery supermarkets in Australia don't have to work very hard to make a profit or to get their fair share of the buying public. Everyone has to eat. Every now and then for the sake of appearances, the big two will put on a marketing show for us so that we can never be absolutely sure they are in cahoots and some towns will benefit from these activities but rarely do they extend beyond state borders.

As you have probably gathered, Australians are not well served by their stores that sell groceries and it is something that the Australian Federal Government is talking about investigating but there aren't too many 'Aussie battlers' who are holding their breathe for this to happen. People seem to think it will go the same way as the Petrol price investigation.

So most Australian "battlers" will just have to wait until next Christmas to have another chance at winning any free grocery coupons. Would you answer 13 questions for a FREE $500 free grocery coupon?I know I would if it was available in my geo-location!

Is Tipping a Nonsense Way to Expect People to Earn a Living?

2009-12-23T20:33:00.001+11:00

To many people who don't live in North America, they find the business of tipping people who are doing their jobs a nonsense way for them to earn a living. When you stop to think about it, isn't it a way of making debt slaves? All the owner of the restaurant is doing is giving them a place to work and for this 'privilege' they get to clean up the restaurant, keep the owners customers happy, take the abuse of angry customers and put up with rowdy, rude ignorant and bad mannered people for the princely sum of $2-3 per hour? OK, so some restaurants would have to pay more than this but if the legislated rate is $2-3 then that is probably what the majority would be paying staff.

In most countries outside America and Canada, people get paid an hourly rate to do whatever they are employed to do whether that is waiting on tables and serving them food or beverages, hairdressing or any service oriented occupation. People get paid for their work and if they are good at it, often pick up a tip as well, as a sign of real appreciation for a job well done. This is extra on top of their hourly rate that has been determined by an Industrial relations tribunal so that people don't get abused and taken advantage of in an effort to earn a living wage.

The idea of earning a living wage being determined by so many variables as being dependant on people's 'generosity' is appaling. Isn't this what charity is? These people work hard and take a lot of unpleasantness on behalf of the restaurant owner when things go wrong and this often happens even in the best run restaurants. Also, rarely do people pay full price for something if they aren't 'encouraged' to do so. Depending on people who no longer need anything from you and expecting them to leave you a reasonable 'tip' is a disgusting way to expect people to be rewarded for their work.

OK, so it's often students who do this kind of work but during my 5 visits travelling around the US and my year of living in Canada, and eating out daily, my experience showed me that the good wait staff in these restaurants and diners, and now more often in the fast food chains, are older people, with a higher than average number being women.

Talking with many of these mistreated souls in my travels, I found the majority of them to be single mums with kids who have delinquent Ex's who aren't paying child support regularly. In the meantime they all have to survive and depending on tips to make up a livable income is unreasonable and quite unfair for their hard work.

Why is the service industry in North America thought so little of? Without these services, life wouldn't be nearly so comfortable. If a person does an apprenticeship of 3-4 years and learns to become a qualified hairdresser, why shouldn't they be paid for their labour, knowledge and experience? To expect them to be paid the lowest rate possible of $8-10 an hour is unfair.

Would a person with a business diploma work for that wage? They couldn't do more damage than a disgruntled hairdresser. If you are a beauty parlour owner and are under paying staff, just remember the price you may have to pay some day if one of them takes an extreme dislike to one of your regular customers and gives them a hair colouring or hair cut that becomes the talk of the town? Employer and employee is a symbiotic relationship that is certainly not appreciated in some North American industries.

The other thing I found to be total nonsense is how can retailers and business people expect a consumer driven economy to continue to thrive and prosper when the very people they want to sell their goods and services to, are the very ones they are determined to pay as little as possible for their work?

To those who live outside North America, this idea of staff being paid by customers "tipping" to make up a livable income is too much like "having your cake and eating it too" and as it is not the magic pudding formula, it has to stop sometime simply because it is devouring itself.

Compare Credit Card Interest Rates to Interest Rates Paid on Insurance Policies

2009-11-23T12:25:00.000+11:00

Credit card interest rates remain stable on high, have you noticed? If you have been lucky enough to get a legitimate zero credit card interest rate for the next 12 months then count yourself among the more fortunate among us because the rest of us are still paying at least 8% and higher.

How come financial institutions can keep the interest rate we pay on credit cards at a steady high rate of interest while managing to pay us such a pittance on our savings money? Perhaps this is another reason why we have all been duped into living on our credit cards rather than striving to put more savings into the bank. None of us feel that it's worth saving our 'real' money because it's considered not good enough to pay us a decent rate of interest on.

Here in Australia, once our money's in the bank they pay a pittance interest to us on it but loan it out to others at an astronomical rate of interest. I'm quite sure that the big four Australian banks weren't Robinson Crusoe in this practice but that still doesn't make it right, does it? Just because "everyone's doing it" or "that's the way it's always been done" still doesn't make it right. Immoral is immoral no matter which continent one is on. But the part that really, really bugs me, is that "WE the people" let them do this to us.

Our Governments, both Federal, State and Territory, colluded with them on the grounds that they needed to do this to remain stable and our elected officials believed them! There has been no statutory powers put in place with any real incentives or 'big sticks' to monitor the big conglomerates here in Australia and make them behave with respect to our general population. So consequently we have all had to pay exorbitant interest rate charges and then our bank fees and charges again on top of that. Then they charge us all over again for keeping our account in their banks.

I mean, it's so sad and bad it's almost funny. Ludicrous is the word that springs to mind.

Now if you are a holder of a term life insurance policy do you know what rate of interest they are paying you annually on that? If not, go and check it out now.

Are you really surprised? More likely you may never even thought too much about it in the past because you've never needed to. But now that "Crunch time" has arrived with a THUD, perhaps it's time to draw up the drawbridge and batten down the hatches. If you are like me, as I suspect you probably are, then it's time to investigate cashing in that structured settlement policy if the cost to do so is not also going to be too exorbitant (but you can shop around for the best rates) and start negotiations with your financial institution to pay them out and then cut up their credit card.

Once you become fully aware of the interest rate difference between what you are paying out each year to a credit card company or other financial institution, to what an insurance company is paying you on a term life insurance policy, then perhaps its time to say "Enough and no more!"

If you are more concerned with who or how you are going to be buried, then perhaps you could purchase your burial plot or cremation through your local Undertaker now? Many Funeral homes are now offering these facilities because people want to know where and how their bodies are going to be laid to rest or otherwise disposed off when they die. And doing this isn't going to shorten your life any because you can purchase years ahead. This solves your Funeral problem so you may as well enjoy your life insurance while you still have life and not give it away in interest payments to credit card institutions.

Getting Life Insurance Without Undergoing a Medical Examination

2009-11-18T09:06:00.001+11:00

Some insurance companies still require insurance applicants to undergo a medical examination prior to insuring them. This largely depends on the type of insurance policy being applied for but there are many insurance companies today who don't require a medical exam prior to insuring them for a term life policy.
As with every insurance policy there will always be terms and conditions that have to be met. Click Here for More

What is a Subprime Loan?

2009-10-30T19:42:00.000+11:00

A subprime loan is a loan made to someone who wouldn't or couldn't qualify for a loan from a financial institution using existing credit law as set out as guidelines for safe lending practices under existing legislation. This legislation is either Federal or State law.
There are any number of reasons as to why a person may not qualify for a loan under standard credit lending criteria but this wouldn't stop a less ethical institution from making the loan. However, they would have, and did have, exorbitant loan repayment schedules that the mortgagees weren't able to comply with to meet their monthly mortgage payments.

In Australia back in1982 when we applied for our first home loan, the bank was not able to loan us above 90% of the purchase price required. These laws were put in place to protect the lender from unnecessary defaults on payments and the borrower from over extending their financial commitments. This meant that every person applying for a loan had to have a 10% stake of their own money in the residence.

When I looked at getting another loan from a mortgage broker in 2003 all I needed was to have a 5% deposit on the new residence. Needless to say, we didn't go ahead with the investment property with the home mortgage broker but went with the bank again. These are all decisions that have to be investigated and evaluated before you sign anything.

Taking out any monetary loan is a business decision. If the loan is to be repaid over twenty five years then that means that you will be paying that bank or that financial institution money every month for the next quarter century.

This is where I think a lot of people have forgotten to remember. And a subprime loan is made on the agreement that the person accepting the loan will be paying a lot more money back to the mortgager than that originally borrowed because they have accepted the money on a higher interest rate and some of these loan repayments have been made with minimal payments in the beginning because then the interest is accrued on the biggest amount of the loan. Go to http://www.sell-structured-settlements.info/ for more information

Womens Car Insurance Quotes

2009-10-29T13:40:00.000+11:00

It often surprises me to hear a woman ask if there is any levy that has to be paid on a car insurance policy quote just because she's a woman. So much for Government non-discrimination policies; now all the Government has to do is educate some women themselves to feel equal. But I guess this probably happens for several reasons. One of which is the not-so-funny-fact that women have been the butt of so many cruel and uncomplimentary jokes about women drivers. The jokes have been going on for so long that some women who aren't used to buying their own car insurance policies actually believe that there could be a distinction between men and women drivers.

Well, there is a distinction and its simply that one is a male driver and the other driver is a female. Sex has absolutely nothing to do with being a good driver or not. Your car can't tell the difference when you get behind the wheel. Well, probably not until you put your foot on the accelerator and then the car engine will often know the difference. Women do tend to be a little more hesitant about 'gunning' the motor and prefer to slip up to the wanted speed more slowly and cautiously than a male driver.

One of the bigger problems I've had as a woman when buying car insurance is trying to prove that I've been covered for twenty years as a joint policy holder in my ex-husbands name. I've never had a traffic accident so I've never needed to make a claim but after we divorced I had to start all over again to get my full 'no-claim' bonus discount. I thought this was grossly unfair but that seemed to be the policy of all the insurance companies that I asked for a quote from, including the one where we had had our joint policy. I couldn't help wondering at the time if it was a 'male' thing of "there but for the grace of God go I". Needless to say, I did find one that was a bit more understanding and gave me a 25% no-claim discount and I've been with that insurance company ever since and they now have all my insurance policies.

Womens car insurance quotes and policies should not be subject to any undue levy's based on their sex. Women who are in the process of divorce or are thinking of a divorce, get a copy of all your insurance policies with your name on them because you are going to need those when you resettle into your new home.

Your Personal Phone Number Finder

2009-10-27T13:32:00.001+11:00

Have you ever been caught in a situation where you have both hands full and the cell or mobile phone rings and you just can't answer it? I have seen a person balance china very precariously on a shopping trolley just to answer her phone. I held my breathe and walked away because I couldn't bear to watch the smashing of such beautiful china on the shop floor because she felt she had to answer a phone call. Coalport is very fine and expensive fine china for those who are not aficionados of the brand.

I have also seen painters high up on scaffolding painting a three story building and they have had their mobile phone with them. Scaffolding is not designed or placed to serve like an office and watching this poor painter try to write something on paper, hold his phone, stop his paint tray from spilling while the planks bounced about from the movements of his partner on the same scaffold made me realise that there simply has to be a better system invented somewhere where people could still get phone calls or contact details without so much inconvenience and personal risk.

When you are a small business you simply can't afford to miss phone calls. Each phone call just may be the one to save your bank balance that month from dipping too far into the red and you getting a phone call from your bank manager.

We all know that we can easily call any missed call on our phones simply by returning the call. But what if you don't know who the caller is because it's not a phone number you recognize? What if you are a small business and you are having money troubles and creditors are hounding you so much that you can't complete a work job to get paid to pay them back because you are always on the phone explaining to them that you are in financial difficulties?

Well now with a special phone number finder you get to choose who you speak to and when, which allows you the freedom to screen your calls, get on with your work and get out of any financial difficulties if you are in any.

Online Card Games Good for Companionship

2009-10-24T15:31:00.001+11:00

nline card games provide companionship and interest for many people who are now living on their own. Everyone uses the Internet according to their own interests and bias but it would seem some of my older friends have turned into 'die-hard' internet gamers. Card games seem to be their choice of battle ground with the game of Patience being the preferred weapon of choice.

This really surprised me as much as I surprised them when I said that I didn't play games online. They found this hard to believe because they frequently issue personal challenges to each other and love the competition. I don't mind competition; I just compete in a different type of game on the internet.

Two of my closest friends are "X's", that is they are still married to each other but live apart. They are still good friends and really enjoy challenging each other mentally. One is of a Mensa intelligence and the other is a Scientist. I'm just an occasional referee who gets called in only as much as I can't avoid doing so. It's not that I don't appreciate the request for reconciliation but I refuse to take anyone's side so my diplomatic nature is challenged more than I'm comfortable with.

I have seen both of them fire up their computers at really unreasonable hours of the morning and start a game. They will sit and play this game for hours sometimes without moving more than a mouse. I don't understand how they focus so strongly and no matter well I observe, I'm still not able to dedicate that amount of attention for that length of time on a computer screen.

But they frequently compare scores and take great delight in beating each others score. When I see this competitive behaviour between them both I fully understand why they couldn't live together. But these online card games are providing them both with companionship and mental stimulation and everyone, especially me, is happy for them both even more so when I don't get asked to referee!

Alice in Wonderland

2009-10-22T10:15:00.000+11:00

Situated in the middle of Australia is a wonderland of sparse beauty called Alice Springs. The beauty of "the Alice" as it's known will not appeal to everyone. It's a place of deep emotions, either end of the emotional spectrum. You either love it deeply or hate it but either way, you will feel it.

It's probably the only town in the world that has a boat race that has to be canceled if there is water in the river. The Todd river runs through Alice Springs and it's normally a dry sandy creek bed until the rains come and then it is a thrusting torrent of angry unconstrained water flowing freely across the dry sandy desert until it gets constrained by the McDonnell Ranges surrounding Alice Springs.

The town is red. Wherever you look at the ground it is a deep, old-blood red soil. When you look off into the distance at the McDonnell ranges the hills take on a purplish hue. This is caused by the type of scrubby trees that emit an oil and combined with the blood-red soil it turns the distance purple. This is best seen early morning or later in the evening because during the day the heat haze shimmers around or not much above ground level.

The Alice is located about 350 kilometers from that well-known Australian rock called Ayers rock. Many people have the impression that Ayers rock is close to Alice Springs but that's only by Australian standards where distances in the Northern Territory are considered to be 'just down the track' if they are only a few hundred K's and it's the next stop for a "coldie" or a real toilet at what is known as a roadhouse or maybe a town.

Distances, heat, flies, crows, cattle, lizards, snakes, bandicoots, camels and geckos are all just part of the wonderland of Alice Springs. If you think I'm one of the lovers of "the Alice" you would be correct, because to me as much as I've traveled, I have yet to see anywhere that pulls at my heart and makes my eyes tear-up like thoughts and memories of 'the Alice' and it's wonderland of harsh beauty.

When you travel why not take a minglestick with you? That way you can collect names, address and photos of travelling companions you meet along the way?

What Makes a Personalized Christmas Gift?

2009-10-20T21:20:00.000+11:00

This question is one which has about as many answers as the age old question "How long is a piece of string?". People's ideas of personal vary as much as there are people. What may be considered personal by you may not mean the same thing to me. What I consider as personal may not have the same impact on you but somewhere in between there is common ground where we will agree.

There are the obvious very personal gifts like underwear and sexy lingerie but these are not the type of personalized gifts we are considering here. This conversation is about the personal gifts that we can give to each other when we think about the individual persons likes, dislikes, hobbies, passions, interests. This to me is what constitutes a truly personalized gift both to receive and to give. By using this system of buying a gift for someone is really showing that person that you have thought carefully about them before or during the buying process and shows them just how well or how little you really know them. This makes it very personal.

So many gifts seem to be bought at Christmas time "because they will probably give us one so we better have one ready to give to them". This to me is more a system of bartering than of gift giving but to my way of thinking it is quite a common scenario. Yes, I plead guilty and if you are really honest with yourself, you probably will too.

Now there have been some very special people in my life who it turned out knew me very well indeed. Over the years I have received some wonderfully appropriate gifts that came to me right when I needed them most. My younger brother has this knack and so our Christmas time together is one of great comfort and pleasure for both of us. I've been lucky enough to be able to give him the unexpected and loved gifts over the years too. It comes down to communication during the year and enough love to know what they need, would use or want. This to me is what makes a truly personalized Christmas gift.

So why not add a minglestick into your loved one's stocking this Christmas? They make the perfect, inexpensive, useful stocking filler of all time!

Car Insurance Too Expensive Not to Have Today

2009-10-18T18:22:00.000+11:00

Has the idea of going without a fully insured car or vehicle ever crossed your mind over your low bank balance? If you are honest with yourself, I'm sure it probably has. Just as it has for many of us but the real question is can you really afford not to have your car insured today?

There are some car insurances like CTP (Compulsory Third Party) that you are obliged by law to have so you can register your car. Don't ever think about not registering your vehicle because as sure as God made little green apples, you could end up in the 'cider' and lose a lot more than just the price of the CTP and registration costs. I think it galls everyone who owns a vehicle today just how expensive it has become to own a vehicle each year.

But can you afford not to have your vehicle also covered for theft, fire and your death and many other things that you can insure against today. Yes, additions to a policy means a higher premium but its when something goes horribly wrong that is when you seriously appreciate your forward thinking. You see, in today's world its not just you insuring yourself against doing something wrong or fatal, it's also insuring yourself and your family about someone else doing wrong by you.

When you watch some of the reckless and irresponsible drivers taking so many life-threatening chances on our motorways and freeways they are the ones that you need to insure yourself, your vehicle and your family against.

Dodging them is obviously the preferred option, but the percentages of doing it indefinitely lessen as you spend more years on the road without having a serious incident or accident. Car insurance is an expensive item in a families budget but it is far more expensive not to have it

Don't Forget Your No Claim Bonus when getting Car Insurance Quotes

2009-10-14T13:17:00.000+11:00

Car insurance is something that seems to come around quicker and quicker every year. That is, unless you have had a car accident and haven't been insured. If that has happened to you then you probably aren't too happy right now. But did you know that this accident will probably now increase any future car insurance quote?

I know it seems like kicking a person when they are down but if you had been driving for 20 years continuously without incident or accident, why did you decide this year to cancel your policy? Now most insurance companies may need you to start right back at the beginning again and build up a new responsible driver record so you can once again enjoy the safe driver discount most insurance companies offer to trouble free policy holders.

This "no claim" bonus can be a substantial saving on your car insurance. When you are phoning around comparing insurance prices again this year you will have to tell them the whole story because if you don't and you get into another car accident they probably will say your car insurance policy is "null and void" because you didn't disclose relevant facts to them when you took the policy out.

You will lose more than the cost of the car repairs should this happen but the insurance company will keep your policy money too and probably put you onto some list somewhere so that next time you go for any insurance, your name could well pop up as a problem and distrusted client. It will cost you more in reputation and credibility than being honest and 'up front' at all times.

So if you have been an accident free driver for any amount of time and enjoy some sort of "no claim" bonus discount, don't forget to tell each insurance company you apply for a free quote from exactly what it is. By doing this you are telling the Insurance Company you are a safe driver and can be trusted and you expect their best priced quote.

Free car insurance quotes can vary considerably and so do the policy terms and conditions so be sure you know exactly what you are getting before signing on the dotted line.

Car Insurance Almost Forgotten

2009-10-09T19:25:00.000+11:00

Have you ever had one of those moments when for some reason you suddenly remembere something that you had to do? I had mine this week and I can only say I must have some well organized Angels looking after me. It was my car rego and it was due that day by COB. I hadn't organized any insirance or a vehiclke check for the pink slip...nothing...nada...talk about scramble!

That, quiet frankly is a really stupid and dumb way to buy insurance. Here we have to have what is known as CTP (Third Party Policy) in case we hit someone or damage another car. It has just gone up in price here in Qld a month before my car was due so I had put it off as long as possible and very nearly made it too long!

Moral of the story is "Don't put off until tomorrow what you should do today!"

Anyway, it's the weekend so I hope everyone has a good'un! Have you got your Minglestick yet ready for meeting all those gorgeous hunks/foxes just waiting out there somewhere for you?

Mobile Phones, Phone Charges and Social Networking Contacts

2009-10-07T21:09:00.000+11:00

Mobile phones are called cell phones in the US and Canada and here in Australia they come with some heavy call charges. For some reason best known to Telstra and other phone company shareholders, they have decreed that mobile phones are much more expensive to operate than any other phone service with the exception of a satellite phone.

Satellite phone call charges I can understand as being out of this world but for the life of me, I can' t come to any other conclusion than the profit factor when it comes to mobile phones. Frankly, my motto is now "use it only when I'm about to lose it" in other words only in extreme emergency.

I see so many young people getting themselves financially thrashed by phone companies because of these excessive charges attached to mobile phones. Even the cost of texting in the quantities that many youngsters text today gets expensive.

Mobile phone contact lists are good and essential for storing names and phone numbers but if they are to use them they cost "big-time". So many people today keep all their contacts in their mobile phone but what happens when they lose their phone? And it happens far too often for most people to realise just how many phones for example, get left behind in Taxi's. It's only if you have ever worked for a taxi company on a Saturday or Sunday morning that you get to hear the wail of despair.

Today you don't have to rely on keeping all your friend's contact details in a mobile phone that could easily get stolen or lost. Or worse still, every time you wanted to make contact with someone it was going to cost you a heap of money. Now you can store all their personal details on a Minglestick which is attached to your key chain or key ring and login to one or more of their social book marking sites or just send them an email. Phones don't usually allow for all this information to be exchanged or made available so readily so next time you want to really stay in touch securely with someone special do it with a Minglestick.

Would you Benefit Fairly from Selling Your Structured Settlement Today?

2009-10-06T20:37:00.000+11:00

Many people today have a structured settlement that pays them out in dribs-and-drabs but they really need the money this month. The urgent need for ready cash could be to pay of credit cards or other debts or you may want to purchase stocks and bonds while the prices are lower than they could be in the future. Whatever your reason is for wanting the cash now is entirely up to you. It is your structured settlement entitlement and you can do with it as you will; so if you want to sell it, you need to be prepared to take less than its current value.

How much less is up to what you can negotiate with the buyer. But I suggest you make really sure that this is the best way of achieving a fix for whatever problem you are trying to solve. Sometimes, even if it takes years, a little bit of extra regular cash income coming in frequently can be a bonus.

Selling a structured settlement is a big decision read more here

Do you Mingle? Then you need a Minglestick....

Minglesticks

2009-10-04T10:49:00.000+11:00

Get your Minglestick Today and start Mingling!

Minglesticks are a Unique Corporate Christmas Gift

2009-10-03T08:27:00.001+10:00

Once again it's the time of year when Personal Assistants are asked to start thinking about ordering those unique corporate Christmas Gifts.

As in past years the Personal Assistant (PA) will turn to the Internet and probably a couple dozen Catalogs sent from past suppliers in the hope that one or more of their products will be chosen again this year.

But if the PA is the sort of person who is usually employed to assist the Boss, she will be looking for something special to suggest. She'll probably be looking for something that will put them both in a good light with the client, and possibly their own Marketing Director and or shareholders too. In these stressful and uncertain economic times it is wise to err on the side of prudence.

So how does a PA find such a unique present that not everyone has yet, will be extremely useful to the client or customer, will remind them frequently of where they got the present from, and is most likely to be the best promotional tool available for the Company for the coming year. So where can a forward thinking PA find such a unique corporate Christmas gift?

Well, as strange as it sounds all she has to do is mingle to hear about the Minglestick.

A Minglestick is the technological replacement of the business card. A Minglestick gives more than just a person's name, address and phone number or as little as a person wants another person to have access to.

Minglesticks can be carried on a lanyard, key chain or key ring so you never leave home or the office again without your Minglestick business card replacement. Point and click is all it takes to plug and play even when you're away. Now with your company logo emblazoned discreetly for all to see when people swap contact details can you think of any better exposure for such a small price?

So if you are looking for a really unique corporate Christmas gift for special clients what better way do you have than to remind them every time they collect someone else's contact details that you are 'the company' that they do business with?

Flat Belly's and Tee Shirts

2009-09-30T11:26:00.000+10:00

Have you ever noticed a guy walking towards you with a big belly tightly held inside a tee shirt? Here in Australia we call this "dressing the verandah" which is not exactly complimentary but it is pretty accurate when you see how much overhang there is over his belt. This overhang is probably better known though as a beer belly.

Some women have pretty big un-pregnant bellys too but they are usually discretly ignored. For some reason everyone feels 'entitled' to remark on a mans big belly.

But big bellys for either men or women need to be flat to wear a tee shirt comfortably and to look half way good.

BustedTees have some very funny tee shirts to cover this problem so suggest you go take a look!

Climate Change and Alternative Energy Urgently Needed

2009-09-24T20:02:00.001+10:00

Climate Change is happening all around us and it's time we got our heads out from the dust now blowing over the Sydney Harbour bridge out to the Pacific Ocean and actually starting taking this problem of climate change very seriously!

Alternative energy sources are urgently needed along with some political will and legislation to keep lobbyist away from our elected representatives!

Alternative Energy Sources: Solar, Wind, Wave, Hot Rocks or Thermal?

2009-09-23T19:18:00.000+10:00

Alternative energy supplies have been hampered largely because of one major fact about electricity: It dissipates as it travels long distances. This means which ever form of energy is generated it has to be stored close by and it loses too much energy if transferred long distances without being stored and passed on. This will mean 'booster' farms will need to be built but this is already happening if you look around your town and see the discreetly placed sub-stations. We will simply have more of them and in more places.

Let's look at the different possibilities of alternative energy sources. I believe each geographical location will harness and develop the one that is most suitable to their region. Australia is blessed because we have the choice of all of the five above.

Solar is suitable for all regions of Australia; Wind power is well suited to western Australia in particular and Wave generated electricity could be generated from between Bathurst and Melville Islands in the Northern Territory but there is only the people who live on those remote Islands who could benefit. The Islands are located too far off the mainland for the electricity to benefit Darwin residents. Solar power is suitable for both Islands and all other Northern Territory residents.

Hot Rock technology is probably better known as geothermal dynamics and is available and viable in the south-west of Queensland/South Australia border area but once again the generated electricity can't be transferred any great distances. But these hot rocks power one of the biggest mining ventures in Australia at Roxby Downs. This is a very good symbiotic arrangement for both the Mining Company and the geothermal power industry as a proving ground for the technology.

Homemade Ice Cream

2009-09-22T19:46:00.000+10:00

When I was a kid growing up in the Australian bush; to get some homemade ice cream was an absolute treat. Usually it was reserved for our Sunday lunch which was always a special meal as we often used to have our Church Minister come for lunch after the church service finished. It was a long way back into town but I think he really just enjoyed Mums homemade ice cream too with the special hot chocolate sauce she used to make!

We had all the necessary ingredients on the property like plenty of cream and eggs etc but our poor Mother had to use an egg beater to mix everything up because we didn't have any electricity to run a Mixmaster or electric beater.

We never had any electric power on at our property until Dad got the 240volt diesel engine in 1964.

Things like electric fridges, electric jugs, vacuum cleaners, toasters didn't exist at our place until we were all well into our teens. When it came time to whip the cream and sugar for the homemade ice cream before it was put into the old kerosene fridge to cool first before it had its final whipping, meant poor Mum had to use a lot of energy on that old battered egg beater!

Once the ice cream mix in the old kerosene fridge had cooled off and was about half frozen, Mum would take it out and give it a final whipping. This final whipping used to make it so smooth and creamy. Sometimes for a treat she would add some glace cherries into it but we all preferred the hot chocolate sauce she used to make for us to pour over and melt into the frozen icecream.

The only flavour available when Mum made homemade ice cream was vanilla but the hot chocolate sauce made up for any chocolate cravings or preferences we never had.

Mums homemade ice cream was always special and just thinking back to those days makes me happy again remembering the happy laughter and all that love that was put into each whipping of the icecream.

XsitePro Boosted with XHeader Templates

2009-09-21T15:16:00.000+10:00

XsitePro has saved me hundred's and hundred's of dollars. Then the XsitePro team 'upped' the value and gave me the XHeader programme saving me hundred's more. Now I not only whip all my own websites up in a matter of hours, I also make all my own graphic headers that, even if I am immodest enough to say so, look pretty 'acceptable'. Australians are not given to singing our own praises~ we consider that 'bad form'.

I am what is euphemistically called a "technophobe" in the warrior forum but I know me and I would say "I'm a scaredy cat" I am so afraid of breaking something that I tend to walk around it, poke it, prod it, smell it, watch it, until I'm sure I can actually use something before I give anything a go. Unless I'm 200% sure I can do something I don't get around to using anything. And this was my biggest mistake so far in my quest to become an Internet Marketer.

Then I bit the bullet and started doing as I was instructed by the teaching videos supplied with XsitePro.

What a right royal idiot I had been to not have used the software when I first bought XsitePro1. It was so easy to use and so user friendly and it all worked brilliantly. I went from a toddler to a runner. But then the XsitePro team produced XSP2 and now I am both a marathon runner and a sprinter. It is so incredibly easy to whip up a website before the new domain name has even percolated through all the Registrars.

I've often finished my website before my new domain name is ready to be uploaded to. And that is also inclusive of a terrific graphic header made with XHeader and writing 99.99% of all my own content and with as many affiliate links and / or redirects included in the website as I want.

It is a real credit to Paul Smithson and his team at Intellimon Ltd. for providing such a dynamic and helpful tool for any aspiring Internet Marketer who is looking for an easy to use and sophisticated piece of software.

Solar Power Provides Water in the Australian Outback

2009-09-20T14:36:00.000+10:00

Solar power is a gift from God and Australia is blessed with a lot of sunshine. In some very remote parts of Australia they have learnt how to harness solar power to provide water both for domestic consumption and for stock.

The Australian Government had a scheme going until recently that encouraged solar power to be installed on many outback properties and remote Aboriginal communities.

The installation of these solar powered generators provided power to some very remote areas in outback Australia but because the programme was so quickly snapped up by eligible recipients the funds delegated for the project has now been expended so the programme has been closed off early and no more applications are being accepted.

One of the more popular uses applied for in the programmes applications were for solar panels to power up the bore pumps. The Station featured on the TV programme last week was a 2000sq kilometre (yes, that’s two thousand square kilometres) and it showed how the solar panels are fitted to the bore pumps. These pumps pump the bore water from bores sunk deep into the artesian water supply deep in the ground into troughs for the stock to access. Without these pumps to pump the water to the surface, people and stock would die of dehydration.

As you can see, solar panels are life giving.

Now as you can imagine, driving around a 2000sq km property every week is both time and fuel intensive. The outcome if you didn't do it is considerably worse. Sure, there are some bigger stations out there that do it by helicopter but its still fuel intensive.

What if these outback stations were offered a means of making their own solar panels on the property, taking any necessary parts for any possible breakages in the panels on their trucks with them so they could repair any problems on site immediately? Well, the technology is now available and if there is any trade construction business out there looking for a value add to their business I can't think of one offhand that has more potential, can you?

Free Weight Loss Diet

2009-09-18T12:13:00.000+10:00

Free weight loss diets can be found anywhere on the internet or they can be found in any one of the thousands of women's magazines published each week around the world. If you don't want to purchase any of these magazines then perhaps you can access them through your nearest public library. Instead of looking at just those diets that are 'free' as in they don't cost you any money to buy, try to remember the age-old adage "nothing in this world is for free".

Free doesn't mean they are right for you or your metabolism. What will work well for one person may not work at all well for another. If the diet is for free then has it been assessed by a dietician? Or is perhaps the diet concocted by a writer like me who has had to fill some empty slots in a woman's magazine? At least I have "been there and done that" which I believe makes me an experienced person but I would not presume to call myself an expert!

Come to think on it, a good question to ask your dietician sometime is "have you ever been overweight and what did you do to lose the weight?"

This does one of three things:

1) Your dietician will have a lot more understanding of the problems a dieter faces or

2) They are 'in theory' only dieticians or

3) They are telling you 'porkies' and I'd be off to find myself another dietician!

If you are slightly to moderately overweight, and really want a free diet plan then do some homework like you are doing now in reading this. I recommend trying weight watchers first because if nothing else they will give you a good grounding and understanding of basic nutrition. This is essential if you are to lose the weight and stay healthy.

I believe weight watchers are in most countries around the world today so Google them to find the nearest one to you.

If you are considerably overweight then I strongly recommend you see your Doctor and investigate the possibility of a laparoscopic lap band.

Weight Loss Surgeries

2009-09-17T11:15:00.000+10:00

Weight loss surgeries have been around for years. The first procedure was stomach stapling and evolved and progressed from there as more scientific and medically safer procedures became available.

Stomach stapling and gastric bypass surgery is still available in most countries and is in fact preferred by some bariatric surgeons. There are several more serious problems that can and do arise from these procedures that rarely happen with laparoscopic lap banding. Stomach stapling or gastric bypass surgery is not something that I personally would ever think about or have done.

Lap Banding is something that I did do and it has worked wonders for me.

Any weight loss surgery is about a lot more than just losing weight even though that is a primary goal for all of us. For me personally, it was the additional coping mechanisms that I was introduced to following the surgical procedure. The combination of surgery and back up team follow-up is what did work and is continuing to work for me.

Initially I did the wrong thing because my ego kicked in and I thought I was smarter than a rat with a gold tooth. I was so proud of myself that I went against my dietician's advice and got below my recommended weight that she wanted me to achieve.

This turned out to be a bad decision on my part. I tried to get to my weight that I was when I was 21. Bad decision on my part because I looked at a passport photo that I had had taken and really didn't like what I saw. I looked like someone just released from Auschwitz.

So then I went back the other way and started eating high calorie foods again. Sure, this put those extra kilos back on and fattened me up a bit but then I sort of forgot to stop and before I knew it I was back to 95 kilos! This is known as Yo-yo dieting and is a very definite "No-No".

If you do decide to have any weight loss surgery performed, my recommendation would be to well, basically,"do as you are told" because I can guarantee you that it does work if you follow the expert's advice explicitly.

Supermodel Diet Secrets

2009-09-16T16:17:00.000+10:00

Supermodels have a diet secret that we can all share. Their diet happens in their mind and their mind is what controls what they eat and drink. And the other secret is that you can do exactly the same.

Before anything happens to our bodies it first has to be thought of in our minds. It's our minds that control what we do and how we do it. Once you have mastered your own mind you will be a long way along the path to dieting success.

If the mind can conceive a subject or thought, the body can do the action. They work in tandem with the mind being the 'boss'. Once you accept the fact that if you decide something in your mind, your thoughts will make sure that is what you get. So if you focus your mind on success that will simply be the way you go. Yes, it sounds simplistic but what have you got to lose by trying it out? If I'm right (and I know I am because "I've been there, done that")

If you spend the larger proportion of your diet in feeling deprived or hard done by, this is what your thoughts are telling your body so your body reacts by feeling deprived.

If you focus your thoughts on how good you feel, how much energy you have and now that you have all this energy you decide that a walk in the sunshine would be nice so then you get your exercise in for the day without feeling deprived or 'hard done by' in needing to go and do some exercise.

We refer to this as "self-talk" and it can be either your very best friend or you can make it to be your very real enemy. This self-talk is a case of 'either-or' and represents either end of the success scale. It is either all good or all really, really bad.

This is the secret that supermodels have sown in their minds from a very early age and they harvest it daily to stay super slim and still enjoy their lives. You too can enjoy this supermodel diet secret simply by practising it every day.

Losing Weight and Lower Back Exercises

2009-09-15T18:36:00.000+10:00

Losing weight helps every part of our body but particularly our lower backs when we lose fat off our stomachs. Doing lower back exercises helps us in two ways:

1) It assists the removal of fat globules off vital organs in our stomachs and

2) Losing the weight off our stomachs strengthens muscles around our rib cages that are connected to our lower backs.

Many people don't associate lower back pain and discomfort with a large protruding belly or with carrying a lot of weight around their midriff or lower stomach. Every part of our body is connected via something whether it is muscle, bone or tissue. Doing lower back exercises builds up the muscles around our rib cages that are connected to our stomach muscles. By strengthening our stomach muscles we are building stronger back muscles.

Lower back exercises need not be drastic. In fact, if you overdo these exercises you can easily rip rib muscles and believe me that hurts for days. Be gentle but firm with yourself.

Here in Australia we have a lot of slang words for big stomachs. Two of the more common ones are a beer belly or a veranda; sometimes an over-hang but whatever we call it and laugh about, it is no joke when your lower back starts to hurt. And Australia does have a high percentage of back injuries.

One of the best exercises for losing weight off the belly and exercising the lower back at the same time is as simple as walking. I don't mean walking as in a marathon but a bit more than a saunter. A gentle walk around the block or down the paddock each night to stretch out and ease tight muscles from the day will bring hours of back pain relief during the night and help lose weight.

Diamonds are Now Used in Nano Technology

2009-09-15T12:28:00.000+10:00

Australian Scientists have developed a new method for delivering chemotherapy to breast cancer patients via a patch composed of diamonds.

Traditional chemotherapy has always been delivered by drip and has carried some horrific side effects like nausea and hair loss because of the high dose of treatment required with each chemo session. Sometimes the side effects of these cures have been more problematic than the cancer disease to a patient.

Because of the side effects like vomiting and hair loss caused by traditional chemotherapy treatment it has left the patient fighting on too many fronts and slowed down the body's progress towards a cure.

Another side effect of traditional chemotherapy has always been the damage done to the healthy cells in a person's body. In other warfare it would be called 'collateral damage'.

With the use of Nano technology, they have combined the use of small diamond particles with the cancer drug and this is now able to deliver the cancer killing drugs at a slower and more continual basis rather than the heavy hit normally used with chemotherapy drug drip delivery.

By releasing the drug at a slower rate over a period of months, the scientists have found that they need approx. 20% less chemicals to kill the cancer cells while leaving the healthy cells unharmed. This eliminates some side effects like vomiting and hair loss while damaging fewer healthy cells in a person's body allowing for a faster recovery rate overall.

The diamond particles are apparently the ideal transport for the chemical molecules because they are acceptable into the human body without causing damage anywhere and they lend themselves to 'stick ability' for the chemical molecules to cling to.

The diamond patch can be placed anywhere on the body and once again it is proving the fact that diamonds really are a girls best friend!

Diamonds Aid Nano Technology

2009-09-11T11:44:00.001+10:00

Thining Hair

2009-09-03T15:23:00.000+10:00

Thining hair is an embarassment to those whose crowning glory is now more crown than glory! Just ask me, I'm a woman and my hair is thining and I find it a source of embarassment too. Especially when I have a loving son who loves to come along and give me a pat on the head occassionally.

This would be even nicer if he remembered not to comment on the thining bit. I laugh it off and say that brains have to be seen some time but I wish I didn't have to say anything at all.

I know that it may be a family problem as my brothers are rapidly balding too. I'm not bald yet, just very thin on top.

Why is it that men are considered debonair and sophisticated if they have a crowning patch but women are looked at weirdly if they have thining hair.

This is another example of gender discrimination because the same cause of thining hair is the same for men and women. Men don't have one reason for going bald and women another, it's something to do with our human condition and it doesn't seem to discriminate.

But science has stepped up to the plate (pate?) and now offers a natural and simple solution without all the high-de-ho-doe of times past. Go to http://www.1900allabout.com/Stop-Your-Hair-Loss.html to get your hair regrowth started today.

Gypsy People

2009-08-28T17:41:00.003+10:00

You know, some people are simply born gypsies. I believe I am one of them.

Not that I come from Romania or anything so terribly exciting as that, but simply because I have been on the move since I was 11 years old.

Gypsies roam around the country side but this little 'ole gypsy has roamed around the world. And all over Australia. To be a grey-haired nomad roaming Australia is a marvelous adventure.

I was born in the New England region of northern NSW where it snows most winters so I guess that's why they named the region New England. My family pioneered the Wandsworth area and I have the papers to prove it.

When they first took up the lease from the Government of NSW (which by the way was still a penal colony ~ this was in the early 1800's and because they were 'free settlers' they were assigned two convicts~ that is another story for another day)

Part of the conditions of this lease was that they had to clear "x" amount of acres before applying for freehold title. It took them a few years but they eventually accomplished it and were granted freehold title over "x" acres. Sorry, I can't remember offhand without going to the deeds and right now I'm trying to explain to you why I think I am a 21st century gypsy. Either that or just a plain old, grey haired Nomad.

Anyway, over the past 30 years I have lived all over Australia or visited everywhere and I have to tell you, it's a big country. The varying landscapes are phenomenal and the people of each region do differ silightly in their slang and customs.

It seems to me that Australia has been divided the wrong way. I think it should have been divided in thirds. That is, the Tropical North of Australia from above the tropic of Capricorn across to Shark Bay and the middle third from the tropic of Capricorn down to around Woollongong and across to Wanneroo in the West and then the southern states from Wanneroo /Woollongong down to McQuarie Island.

Tasmania is a very pretty state and it struck me as being the most conservative state of Australia. Followed very closely by the people of Adelaide and southern part of Sourth Australia so that is another reason why I think our forefathers divided Australia the wrong way.

The middle third of Australia seems to take in the largest population and also the largest desert sections. You see, so much of Australias population is based on the East coast of Australia between Woollongong and Rockhampton or on the west coast of Australia from just north of Perth and down to Albany in the south of Western Australia. That way, the country would have been divided more climatically.

Northern Australia ia tropical and has two seasons a year ~ the 'wet' and the 'dry'.

The middle part of Australia is more a temperate climate. It has the four seasons of summer, autumn, winter and spring.

The bottom third of Australia, well, it just depends on who you ask. Ask the wrong person in Melbourne and they will tell you that they get all 4 seasons in one day. Basically though they are also a temperate climate but a more severe temperate. I don't know the scientific terminology but the bottom half is considerably colder than the middle half.

So this grey-haired gypsy has divided the counrty up by climate because that is what affects me the most.

I like the warmth and the more tropical regions of this great country are where I have put down my roots and made my home.

If you are thinking of becoming a grey haired nomad too, you can't go too far wrong by spending your winters in the more northerly climes.

Happy travelling!

Blogging News Stories as They Happen Can Pay

2009-08-23T12:34:00.001+10:00

Blogging news stories as they unfold is one of the most
exciting and controversial applications of technology
that bloggers have discovered. One thing that makes the
blogosphere so active is the fact that it is possible to
update a blog instantaneously, so the news on blogs
tends to be more current than the news in the paper, or
on television. Unlike news delivered by these other
media, news that appears on blogs does not have to
travel through a series of editors and administrators
before it reaches the public eye. This has some
advantages, and some distinct disadvantages.

One of the most notable cases of news hitting a blog
before appearing in other media took place in July 2005
when terrorism struck London. As passengers were
evacuated from a subway car near an explosion, one
man took several photographs of the scene with his
cellular phone, and within an hour these images were
posted online. First-person accounts of the catastrophe
began appearing on blogs soon after these photos
appeared, and people all over the world learned about
the events in London by reading the words and seeing
the photos posted by bloggers.

The fact that these stories and images were being spread
directly by individuals operating without the added
filter of a reporter helped to make the crisis feel very
immediate to people across the globe. When it comes to
blogging, news often appears in a very personal context.
This has the potential to be the beginning of an exciting
new era of reporting, one that takes "New Journalism"
to it's logical next step by putting the power to shape
how the news is written and read directly into the hands
of the public.

Many bloggers and cultural commentators who are
champions of the weblog movement feel that this
growing trend of individuals who getting their news
from blogs is a good thing, because it makes the flow of
information more democratic. By decentralizing the
control of news, blogs allow more voices to enter the
field of debate about important current events.
However, many people are adamantly opposed to the
use of blogs as news outlets, and there are plenty of
good arguments on this side of the debate. Unlike
newspapers or television stations, few blogs have fact-
checkers, and there is little attention paid to journalistic
accountability on many blogs. This can lead to the rapid
spread of misinformation, and more than one falsehood
has taken the blogosphere by storm. The questions
about whether blogging news as it happens is ethical or
not are very complicated, but no matter where you stand
on the topic of current events blogs you are almost sure
to agree that this movement has the potential to
revolutionize how modern people get their news.

Build Up Your Blogs and Watch Your Adsense Cash Grow

2009-08-22T19:18:00.002+10:00

The best thing about blogging is that there are no rules. You can write about anything you want. A self-publisher’s dream! There are some things you can do though to maximize your Google Adsense profits.

Narrow your subject. Don’t just write about shopping. Write about shopping for antique dresser drawer pulls. Write every day. Have a blog at more than one site. If you develop a readership, you’re more likely to increase your profits.

Write about something you know or want to know or at the very least care about. If you try to write a great blog based on a “hot keyword” yet it’s something you could care less about, you’ll likely not stay with it long. Experiment and see what works for you. You can write based on your own opinion or something factual. You can review a product or service or a movie.

Read other people’s blogs and notice how many reads they’re getting. Above all, have fun. After all, it’s free and if you’re persistent you’ll see your Google Adsense dollars adding up.

Choosing The Right Free Blogging Tools

There are many free blogging tools on the market, but loading up your blog with all of the free accessories that you can find isn't necessarily a good idea. While it may be tempting to add a visitor counter, a flashy background, an exciting new font, and a cluster of quirky animated gifs to your blog, this kind of plan can easily backfire. The key to getting the most from free blog tools is being selective.

It is a great idea to learn about all of the kinds of free blogging tools that are available so that you can make an informed decision about what to add to your blog, but try to remember that just because you can have something doesn't mean that you need it. Practice restraint and only choose the options that you think will really be useful.

If you can find out how many visitors are reading your blog by checking your traffic statistics, a visitor counter is likely to add unnecessary clutter to your page. If your blog is text-based, a flashy background can be more of a distraction than an benefit.

Be realistic about assessing what kinds of blog accessories will help you realize your vision and improve your site. Remember that even a blog tool that doesn't cost you any cash may not be an asset in the long run.

Regards,

Jan

PS
If you found the above useful, then you may enjoy this too:
http://dailynicheidea.com/j/cb/0/atomicblog

Sudoku Help : It is Simply a Game of Logic

2009-08-21T14:43:00.001+10:00

Over the years, the Sudoku game has gained great popularity. If you often play the game, then you probably have an idea why the game is such extraordinary fun to play. If you haven’t played the game, on the other hand, surely you will be asking a lot of questions about the unusual puzzle.

I’ll bet that when you first heard of the puzzle, the first thing that comes to your mind is mathematics. Well, the game does not have anything to do with mathematics or math skills. The puzzle is basically a logic exercise and it just all about logic. The numbers comprising the game will have nothing to do with addition, multiplication, subtraction or division arithmetic. The Sudoku puzzle doesn’t require such fundamentals. The game has to do with logic alone.

Sudoku puzzle requires logical reasoning and provides your brain cells a lot of pretty fine workout. However, let me back you a little bit. You basically need to fill up corresponding numbers to the puzzle grid. Every column and row should contain of any digit ranging from 1 to 9. The easiest way to understand is maybe to check and browse on through online sites wherein there are posted ideas and information of the game’s basics. It’s absolutely amazingly easy to play.

There is really no proper place to play the Sudoku puzzle. One can when shut his eyes and simply just start putting your finger on the game, and that would be a right place as any. Possible the most rational and logical place to begin is any place in a column, row or any square which has a few numbers inside it.

The aid of simple logic to the puzzle needs only focused visual analysis along with a mind question if certain number can go to the box. I presume that the most essential distinct is that Sudoku is a logic puzzle. It is not a puzzle of obscure knowledge as well as literate mischievousness. Logic is not much as your bag. You will probably choose to mingle with one’s valuable, careful creation than interact with a buck of numbers argued out by computer software.

The reality that you need to decipher the puzzle only with the aid of logic also entails a particular solution. For the game to have numerous solutions, the logic though alone cannot help you put in numbers in the boxes. Sometimes, it is better to ignore logic and just simply presume or make a guess. Furthermore, if your presumption is correct, you will still need to think back and make other presumptions for you to make sure that no right guesses were made. You should only rely on the presumptions that were made incorrectly, given that such guesses could be incorrect for the entire solutions and so in the long run you will be having a set of boxes which may not be decisively filled. Thus, there is basically nothing left from the guesses of a distinct solution.

In fact, there is nothing logical in doubting the distinctness of the solution. You could believe it every piece and also you can believe whatever on the first board whether if it is a legitimate Sudoku puzzle or an invalid one. If the initial circumstances are incorrect, the outcome will be incorrect. If there are numerous solutions, even a monster force would be unsuccessful to get rid of other candidates.

Most puzzle solvers differentiate between puzzles that are deciphered with logic alone and puzzles that are solved by guesses or trial-and-error technique. Solving by logic, you will not put in a number into a square until you have thought about it or you have proven that such number is right for that position. When guessing, on the other hand, you will write a number hesitantly and just discover the consequences, you will probably be backtracking, not consider your number choice then put in another. A backtracker can work with a pencil and eraser while a logic solver requires a pen.

The peculiarity between logic and guessing appears to be a potential criteria for assessing the Sudoku puzzle difficulty.

But in the end it's all simply a logical game.

Facts about Diamonds

2009-08-20T19:41:00.001+10:00

Natural Diamonds are formed deep in the ground under extreme pressure. They are the second purest form of carbon coming only after Graphite as the second hardest substance known to man.

Diamonds are formed from compressed carbon molecules at up to 200km under the earth’s surface where previously existing rock gets melted by the magma and new carbon molecules are formed. These carbon molecules are then compressed at extreme pressures for billions of years until they are forced to the earth’s surface by a volcanic eruption or from some other catastrophic event.

If a Diamond is brought to the earth’s surface through a volcanic eruption, the diamonds come up through volcanic pipes or sometimes they are called Kimberlite pipes.

These volcanic pipes are currents of magma that has flowed through the volcano’s melted wall or been physically ejected through the volcanic eruption and virtually spewed from deep within the earth to the surface. Usually though they flow up in volcanic pipes at a more sedate pace.

Just because they have been ejected from deep within the earth doesn’t mean they will lie around on the ground waiting to be picked up by any passer-by.

To read more click here:

Australian Diamond Mines

2009-08-19T21:09:00.002+10:00

Diamonds are rare and usually located in remote areas around the world. In Australia, two of the Diamond mines are located in the far north of Australia.

Merlin mine before being sold off from Rio Tinto to Xstrata and closing in 2003, was located 80 kilometres south-west of Borroloola in the Northern Territory. It was here that Australia’s biggest diamond was ever found, weighing in at a respectable 104.73 carats and has been valued at over US$500,000.

Merlin was an unusual Diamond mine in that it produced a very large percentage of quality gem stones. Around 65% of the production was of gem quality where the norm is in the vicinity of 20% of a mines production. The remaining 35% of the diamonds found are called industrial grade and are used in a very large variety of products, including the computer that you are reading this on.

Argyle mine is located in the Kimberley region in the far north of Western Australia.

This is a very remote region of Northern Australia and the heat, flies and distances are formidable. The landscape is extremely old but very, very beautiful. It is a beauty that won’t appeal to everyone though because it is very stark and an unkind environment to anyone who is careless.

It is a rocky, arid and ‘scrubby’ type landscape; but the short stunted trees whose leaves turn sideways to the hot sun during the heat of the day, give off a blueness against the old blood red soil that cause the hills in the distance to turn a purplish colour.

Owned by Rio Tinto, this mine is the world’s largest single producer by volume of diamonds. However, due to the low proportion of gem quality diamonds, it is not the world’s most financially rewarding diamond mine. It does produce 90-95% of the world’s supply of pink diamonds and it also produces a large quantity of champagne diamonds.

Diamonds are never found in convenient locations except at the end of their journey when they rest in a display case in a jewellers shop.

Very Short Skirts and Stockings

2009-08-17T18:32:00.003+10:00

Very short skirts and a pair of silky stockings go together like ham and cheese. The finer the stockings are and a colour to compliment the colour of the skirt rather than to detract or clash with it makes the clothing combination even more attractive.

A word of warning here though: If you are going to wear a very short skirt to show of a pair of dazzlingly fine stockings, it is not a good idea to wear a blouse or T-shirt with a low décolletage because it can end up making you look ‘cheap’.

Dressing well means you don’t have to show off everything you have as it’s best to keep some in reserve and keeps the opposite sex guessing. Sometimes folks, imaginations are just that much better than reality.

When wearing a very short skirt, you need to be aware all the time of how you sit or how you get into or out of a car. Unfortunately if you are more used to wearing jeans you need to get into a car differently to the way you can flounce in when wearing a pair of jeans.

When wearing a very short skirt with stockings, you need to sit your rear end carefully into the car seat first and then gracefully swing your legs inside together. Otherwise you end up showing more than you bargained for or splitting your nice silky stockings in the crutch. And quite frankly, they are far too expensive to just ruin through something as simple as sitting into a car carefully. Besides, it does look a lot more lady-like.

The Queen or Princess Di learnt how to get into and out of a vehicle with care and grace so if you study their movements you won’t go wrong. Old fashioned? Maybe ~ but it does show care for your clothes and a respect for those around you.

Good manners need to go with good grooming and very short skirts can bring out the best in a girl.

For more information on how to care for your stockings go to
http:www.mumsdomain.com/womensstockings

Clickbank Affiliate Network

2009-08-15T13:40:00.001+10:00

Clickbank affiliate network is extremely easy to join but not so easy to make money in. Unless you are prepared for a big learning curve and are prepared to put the required time in to learn.

So many producers of info products say that you don’t need to know any html or have a website of your own. And yes, there are a lot of products where that is quite true. Or alternatively they point you in the way of Elance or Rentacoder or some other similar service. Now these services are good and I’m not knocking them remotely.

But, quite frankly, this was some of the worst advice I’ve ever received and I believed these gurus. Why wouldn’t I? They were the gurus and I was learning. And I could get information products where I didn’t need to have my own website. Everything was provided except the making money bit.

But this approach to a business is much like trying to do your hair with your hands tied behind your back. The limitations are so frustratingly unbelievable!

If you are going to give clickbank and affiliate marketing a fair go, you do need to know some really basic html and how to build and tweak your own websites. I strongly recommend a product called XsitePro which is a WYSIWYG website building programme that was designed for internet marketers and especially affiliate marketers.

To try clickbank affiliate marketing without being able to make your own websites is like a carpenter trying to build a house without a hammer. Believe me; I tried that because it was an easy way out for me of not having to learn but the cost was horrendous. Strongly suggest you don’t go there.

The clickbank affiliate network has thousands and thousands of products in its data giga vaults and being able to make your own websites is like having a key to this money vault.

Sailing ~ What a Nonsense Word

2009-08-14T15:07:00.001+10:00

We sail on the sea, we sail through the air and we set sail. What is clearly nonsense is the sailing through the air part. Unless of, course, you are in an aeroplane. Then it is more likely that the plane is sailing and you are the passenger. Still, we mustn’t get too pedantic here.

The other alternative is that some object comes sailing through the air and klonks you on the head in which case, it is still not you sailing through the air so its nonsense again. But I have every confidence you may have the bruises to prove that you were struck by something sailing through the air. Bad luck but it still doesn’t make the sailing bit any more accurate unless, of course, the object actually has sails attached to guide its flight.

This is all enough to make a person set sail, right? Now if you take today’s meaning of the word you are probably about to board a cruise ship and sail off over the wide blue ocean. Strictly speaking, even this isn’t quite accurate because most cruise ships that I’ve seen lately have had engines somewhere in the bowels of the ship to power the cruise liner along.

Now perhaps I’m on the wrong tack here and you will give me a bit of leeway before you set sail and get stuck into me for being too pedantic again.

Then we have sailing Majorca or sailing the Caribbean. Funny, I always thought we sailed in a yacht or a skiff powered by sail? The idea of the Caribbean setting sail around the world leads me to ask which island is leaving the group?

Absolute nonsense is quite true but that’s what some people are lucky enough to be able to do. Just ask them and they will tell you that they have been sailing the Caribbean or Majorca. Perhaps it’s just my imagination or misunderstanding of the English language.

Until we learn to sail properly it would probably be a good idea to remain a land lubber.

But if you were intent on learning to sail I suggest you try doing it first in a dinghy and work your way up through the different types of sailing vessels.

And I would strongly recommend sailing on water. Just ask anyone who has tried sailing through the air without an aeroplane wrapped around them. Sailing on water began eons ago and if you want to learn to sail properly, I suggest practising on calm water first before setting sail over the horizon into the wide blue yonder.

And that is not a nonsense sailing suggestion.

Nonsense Website

2009-08-13T18:37:00.003+10:00

Hi everyone,

Do you sometimes get fed up with all the nonsense that we find on the internet. It's not just on the internet but in our media and all around us.

Well now we want to give it a special place to park so we welcome your contributions as and when you come across it. See the contact page on our website for details.

English Nonsense:

English words are not really nonsense even though they sound the same, spelt differently or have different nuances to the same word and often these differences sound just plain nonsense sometimes. Our language has developed over the millenniums since man first got beyond the grunting stage.

What was once commonplace language yesteryear is no longer applicable today but we have converted many of the expressions and words from yesterday into similar meanings that relate to activities of today.

As many of our ancestors go back to the sea-faring days when ships were powered by sail, many of our sayings come from that era. This highlights the fact to me that I’m rather glad I was born in this time because I don’t think I would have enjoyed life very much aboard a sailing ship.

By and Large, this is probably the case but even in saying that it probably originates from those days. It probably would have meant sailing too close or at an angle to the wind and I could well end up being stuck hard and fast on a reef or sandbank somewhere which is what I would have been if I had been born in the above era.

So I’m going to give that thought a wide berth but once again, it’s back to those sailing days which would put me in the same boat.

Here I’m probably sailing too close to the wind for plain sailing. Which would have meant that I was too close to capsizing for comfort and there was nothing easy about the way I ‘m writing this article.

I have every confidence that there’s probably a reader out there somewhere who would like to take the wind out of my sails and turn me on my beam end.

This is likely to put me between the devil and the deep blue sea which would not be a comfortable place to be.

Interestingly, the devil in this instance refers to a seam between the planking on a wooden sailing ship which had to be caulked with Tar to seal it. If a leak could not be repaired with tar from inside the ship, then some unfortunate individual was hoisted over the side of the ship to repair the caulking. This, if you haven’t already guessed it, put him between the devil and the deep blue sea.

This may sound like nonsense but the origin of words has developed and evolved over time and we have managed to include their meaning into life today and to enlarge on their original meaning.

It highlights to me that there was absolutely no nonsense aboard a sailing ship

Regards all,

Jan

Don’t Flog when you Blog

2009-08-12T16:12:00.002+10:00

Hi Everyone,

How many times have you looked forward to reading a blog post only to find that for the second or third post in a row they have been flogging one product after another?

I find this really disappointing because I’ll go to someone’s blog just to read their latest missive because up until this happens, I’ve learnt something from what they have had to say. IMHO they are shooting themselves in the foot.

Now if I go to read a favourite blog and I occasionally get recommended a good product because they have pricked my interest with their review, I will often buy it purely because they have recommended it. It all comes down to trust, doesn’t it?

Trust is a very fragile thing between people at the best of times. In the real world it can be easily destroyed but in the online world it is even easier to destroy the trust that you nurture with your list of customers. And sometimes you don’t even know it.

That is, until you get a rash of unsubscribes then you know that you have done the wrong thing but by then it’s often too late. Some people will not unsubscribe immediately but you can ‘bet your boots’ that they don’t open your emails so regularly now.

If you really need money in a hurry then having a big list is helpful. It’s even more useful though if they trust you. Sometimes your needs have to take a back seat in favour of the people who trust you to be always honest with them.

Blogs are useful tools in an internet marketer’s arsenal because they can be very interactive. They can answer a question quickly and a conversation can be started between like minded people.

The blog owner can learn a lot more about the people on his list if they can get one of these viral type blog conversations started.

My suggestion would be before you set up a blog that you intend to keep and grow daily, have a plan for what you want it to achieve and how you are going to do it.

Sounds obvious right? But if you read through the blogosphere you will quickly see how many unloved and underutilised blogs are floating aimlessly through the search results.

As a person who often goes to blogs looking for the latest info, I find this annoying and a great time waster. So when I see an active, loved blog I will bookmark it.

Give me what I need and you will get more of what you want. Isn’t that how we are taught?

Kind Regards,

Jan

Free to Join Affiliate Programs

2009-08-10T18:10:00.003+10:00

Hi Everyone,

Free to join affiliate programs can be found everywhere on the internet but some are definitely better than others.

I came across an unusual situation the other day and one that surprised me. Why would someone charge exhorbitant fees to have someone join their affiliate program?

An affiliate program is a very beneficial relationship to both parties. The wanna-be affiliate gets a good product they want to sell and the producer gets an extra marketing arm to sell his product that doesn't cost him anything until a sale is made. Everyone benefits.

Yes, I know that there are some who would charge to become an affiliate of but it has been my experience that they didn't give me any benefit. They didn't give me the things I needed to achieve any real benefit from my monthly charge apart from handling all packing and shipping.

Once bitten, three times shy!

Anyway, head on over to http://www.assistingaffiliates.com/ for a lot more learning experiences.

Regards to all,
Jan

CB-Pirate has put cat among the Pidgeons

2009-08-08T18:53:00.002+10:00

Clickbank Pirate Review

I was on the Warrior forum today and there is varying opinions as to whether it is good or not. My personal opinion is that it is absolutely "the bees knees". It suits me down to the ground...I think it's terrific.

Why do I think it's so good? Because it fits in with my business plan and solves an outsourcing problem before it could become a problem.

Anyway, go to www.assistingaffiliates.com/cb-pirate and make up your own mind.

Cheers,
Jan

Commercial Real Estate

2009-08-05T18:33:00.003+10:00

Hi Everyone,

With Lloyds posting such a heavy loss due to bad debts, I wonder what will now happen to commercial real estate and the bigger development companies who invest in the bigger building projects?

I really don't think we are quite at the end of all the hardships yet regardless of how well certain analysts try to talk it up. What are your thoughts?

Cheers all,
Jan

Back to 1900 All About

2009-07-25T18:53:00.003+10:00

Hi All,

Well, since I last posted I took a few gambles. I've had 2 knee replacements, a long stay in Edmonton, Canada where the weather got down to minus 44 with a windchill of minus 55. Believe me, it was cold. But I took the gamble of changing countries and decided that I liked Australia and warm weather a whole lot more!

I have updated www.1900allabout.com and this years feature is horse racing. Why horse racing? Because it's about the only sport I can now enjoy! I returned back to Australia and went straight into hospital and had my right knee replacement fixed along with a total hip replacement. So can you imagine how long it's going to take me to get through airport security the next time I travel? Blimey Charlie......

Anyway, take a punt and go and have a look at our new website.

Warm Regards to all,

Jan

Lace Stockings

2008-09-18T07:52:00.001+10:00

Nylon lace stockings when worn with the correct clothing, can be sexy, feminine, attractive and appearance enhancing.

Have you ever heard the expression “too busy”? This phrase is just as applicable to how a woman dresses as to what an over-filled business card will look like if it has too much information inserted into too small a space.

In my humble opinion, nylon lace stockings should only ever be worn with clothing that they don’t have to compete with. This enhances all clothing articles by allowing them to shine in their own beauty.

For example, the other day I saw a woman in a plaid skirt wearing a contrasting colour stocking with a vivid and raised hexagonal pattern. One took away from the other and caused a jarring eye effect on anyone looking. I’m quite sure that this was not the intended effect the lady was looking for on anyone looking at her.

If you are going to wear a highly patterned nylon lace stocking, I would strongly suggest pairing it off with a simple colour coordinated skirt/dress.

Alternatively, if you are going to wear a brightly patterned skirt, contrast it with a nylon lace stocking of subdued colour to compliment a colour in the skirt.

This wardrobe colour and style coordinating compliments both the items of clothing and the appropriate hosiery to give any viewer a pleasant view.

Nylon lace stocking are wonderful wardrobe enhancers when used to compliment an outfit rather than to compete against it.

McCain & Palin video compilations - By McCain & Palin Videos

2008-09-14T05:20:00.000+10:00

Funny, isn't it, how some things will come home to roost?

I watched Sarah Palin being interviewed the other night and I cringed for her.... and for the whole world if she should ever become the 45th(?) President.

To think that someone like this gun carrying, female '"Barbie" replica will have the ability to make decisions that will affect my life and this planet is alarming, to be very polite about it all......

And as Dr Phil would say of John McCain ......"What was he thinking?" Watch these videos for yourself as some of them clearly show what he was really thinking and somehow I think it was with the wrong head... McCain & Palin video compilations - By McCain & Palin Videos

But that is just my opinion. What's yours?

Nylon Stockings

2008-09-12T13:18:00.002+10:00

As a young lady growing up in the mid 1960’s, it was a time of hope, expectation, adventure and dreams. Being given my first pair of nylon stockings for a Christmas present from my Mother and Father was their acknowledgment to me that they now considered me old enough to wear nylon stockings and to be considered an eligible young lady. It was so exciting!

I was a ‘bush kid’ which means I was a child raised on a Property in the Australian bush. Nothing unusual in that but what was different was that we were heading off on Boxing Day for our annual Christmas holidays and I had my first pair of nylon stockings to wear to the local dances on the coast.

I spent most of that Christmas Day feeling the texture of the nylon stockings as it ran through my fingers and with each slide, I had dreams of meeting and dancing with a very handsome “Mr. Right” whoever he might be. My dreams were as soft and silky as the nylon stockings. Oh the hopes and dreams of a young Australian girl with her first pair of nylon stockings.

Many people particularly young girls may not be aware but at this time all nylon stockings were worn with garter belts or suspenders. There was no such thing as pantyhose or tights. It was either a full corset or suspender belts to hold nylon stockings up.

Pantyhose or tights didn’t come into existence in Australia until 1968. The first improvement to holding up stockings was the thigh-high glue-elasticized top which cut off circulation and caused many allergic reactions. Weeks later, the first pantyhose were in the shops.

Now that time has moved on and garter belts and nylon stockings are a discarded thing of the past in my life, I can look back and still vividly remember the joy in being given my first pair of nylon stockings and the dreams and hopes I had with them. I cherished them immensely and took great care not to snag or ladder them because I knew it would be some time before I got another pair.

To view a selection of stocking videos click here

9 11 video compilations | 9 11 Videos

2008-09-12T06:19:00.000+10:00

Where were you and what were you doing when you first heard about the attack on the world trade centre and Pentagon? Perhaps these videos will remind you of some of the first TV pictures available from the attack? 9 11 video compilations 9 11 Videos

I remember vividly because I was working for the Dept. of Defence in Darwin, Australia telling sailors to return to their ships immediately because the US was under attack. Naturally, at first they thought I was having a 'go' at them until they I repeated my request and my voice showed my shock and horror.

After my shift was finished and I was on my way home, I was stopped twice by local Police to see if I had any US service personnel in my vehicle. I assured them I had just finished my shift with the DoD and had 'done my bit' at trying to get everyone back onboard ships ASAP.

It's a time I will always remember with horror, sadness and all tinged with disbelieve.

Seamed Stockings Hard to Wear

2008-09-11T09:49:00.004+10:00

Seamed stockings may have looked very glamorous but they were hugely uncomfortable to wear and even worse trouble was in keeping the seam straight.

Why should anyone worry about keeping a seam straight? Well, for our younger readers, perhaps we had better describe what a seam actually was or is.

A seam in a stocking is where the two sides of a stocking meet and are sewn together to form a seam. Usually the stocking is comprised of one piece of nylon or silk material sewn up at the seam. This seam then becomes a slight ridge and this ridge, known as a seam, runs up the back of the stocking which runs up the back of a woman’s leg.

Yes, it does look sexy to see a seam following a woman’s leg contour up under her skirt but from the woman’s point of view, it is often problematic. Why? Read more here

Womens Stockings - Black Stockings & Cold Feet

2008-09-09T08:23:00.000+10:00

Womens Stockings - Black Stockings & Cold Feet

Black Stockings Do Not Keep Feet Warm

Women's black nylon stockings are usually a 'clingy' type of material; but being such a fine, thin fabric makes them quite cold if worn on their own in fall and winter.

Now it is fall and the days are cooling down rapidly. Just wearing stockings alone in the early morning means having cold feet.

Most sensible women today are starting to haul out from the bottom drawer those good old stand-bys called socks or the more fashionable sockets. These sockets are often worn during the summer too just to stop shoes and feet from dirtying each other or to prevent running shoes from blistering feet.

Sockets are little socks that cover feet to the just below the ankles. Some have pom-poms as adornments on the heels but after summer is over, the pom-poms are removed because they don't fit into shoes comfortably over the top of the nylon stockings. It isn't quite cold enough yet to go for the heavier socks to cover feet inside snug boots but the sockets are definitely needed these mornings and evenings.

But no woman ever really considers not wearing stockings under those shorter skirts because beautifying legs is the name of the game if you want to attract a man's attention. Nothing beautifies legs better than a clean, clinging, ladder-less pair of black stockings. To read more of this article click here

Allergy video compilations - By Allergy Videos

2008-09-07T07:50:00.002+10:00

வோமேன்'ச ச்டோச்கிங்க்ஸ் ஸ்கின் Allegies
The most usual form that an allergy to nylon takes is with hives and or skin rashes.

Skin rashes as annoying and unattractive as they are, are usually the milder form of signaling a skin irritation caused by the nylon. These can be readily relieved with the application of an ointment or salve applied locally to the area.

Hives signal a very bad allergy reaction and come up like skin welts. They can be extremely itchy, sore and unattractive. And if you scratch them and break the skin, they can get infected and sore for days or weeks.

I personally have found the best way to cure hive reactions to nylon was by a visit to a Doctor or Pharmacist for a dose of antihistamine tablets combined with an antihistamine cream. This is not recommended for everyone but well worth talking to your Doctor or Pharmacist about. Read More

Womens Stockings - Allergic Reaction to Nylon Stockings

2008-09-07T07:34:00.000+10:00

Womens Stockings - Allergic Reaction to Nylon Stockings

Nylon comes in various thicknesses or weights. This is a measurement of so many stitches of a thread thickness to the square inch. It is often these variations in nylon weights that cause the allergic reaction to nylon stockings.

Some people may be able to withstand a thin amount of nylon against their skin without any mishap or reaction but when they use a different brand of stocking or clothing made with a different quantity of nylon thickness, they can develop an allergic reaction.

An allergic reaction can be evidenced by a couple of things. Read More here

LearningHowSite - Dr Blair's Express Lane: Spanish

2008-09-05T07:03:00.001+10:00

LearningHowSite - Dr Blair's Express Lane: Spanish

With school starting back again for another year, it's a great time to consider audio books as a text book alternative for your child.

If your child has decided to learn to speak Spanish, then hearing the language spoken is a great way for them to learn comfortably and in an environment they are already very familiar with, namely their iPod or MP3 player. Perhaps they have an iPhone they can look really 'cool' with while they use it and they are actually learning something as they fit in well with their peers......who knows? worth a try perhaps?

Learning a new language at any time is difficult but if they get the added advantage of being perceived by their peers as being a "kewl" character, then isn't it a small price to pay towards your children's education?

Womens Stockings - Whalebone Corsets to Black Nylon Pantyhose Stockings

2008-09-04T15:55:00.000+10:00

Womens Stockings - Whalebone Corsets to Black Nylon Pantyhose Stockings

Can you remember the first time you wore a pair of nylon stockings? They are so different today to what they were back in the late '50's.

I remember so vividly the first time I came across an option to wearing a suspender belt to hold up my stockings. But I quickly became very disenchanted as the glue started to itch ...and in a place where I couldn't scratch in public....oh, the agony....

But today we have nylon stockings in black, white, beige and many other cvolours....and they come in pantyhose!

To all us women who suffered in the name of beauty to all those appreciatve men reading this today...LOL...

Watching: Weird al ebay | Ebay Videos

2008-03-23T09:52:00.000+11:00

Hi Everyone,

Here's a terrific song about Ebay! Watching: Weird al ebay Ebay Videos I thought these guys were particulary harmonious and the song was very, very clever!

In case you haven't looked in on ebay for a while, I suggest now would be a good time to have a browse to see what's being sold because everyone is doing their spring cleaning :-) Arh, the feelings that a change in seasons brings. As they say, someone else trash can be your treasure.

Have fun browsing everyone.

Warmly,

Jan

Beijing Olympics video compilations | Beijing Olympics Videos

2008-03-22T20:37:00.000+11:00

Hi Everyone,

With all the current turmoil going on between Tibet and China, do you think the 2008 Olympics will be peaceful? Check out these videos Beijing Olympics video compilations Beijing Olympics Videos as the Chinese people have done a lot to make them a success. While I feel great sympathy for the Tibetans, I'm not particulary sure they are going about gaining their freedom the right way. What do you think?

Warmly,

Jan

Drink Recipe video compilations | Drink Recipe Videos

2008-03-22T12:23:00.000+11:00

Hi Everyone,

Well, it's been a long time since I last had something to blog about. It's been a long hard winter but now Spring is just around the corner. This means time for lazy, crazy days sitting in the sunshine and enjoying a soothing drink.

Many of you have good recipe books but how many of you have drink recipe books? Not me anyway even though I have 5 generations of recipe books none of them have any alcoholic drink ideas in them. So I went looking and here is a good drink recipe compilation of videos
Drink Recipe video compilations Drink Recipe Videos showing us how to make exceptional beverages just like our favourite bartenders do!

Now when you have visitors that you want to impress you can do so with ease and aplomb! Stager them with your expertise before the alcohol does it for you!

Warmly,

Jan

Macular Degeneration is so debilating!

2007-06-18T17:19:00.000+10:00

Down and Dirty Bush Bashing

2007-06-01T19:00:00.000+10:00

Down a dirt track makes one very dusty and dirty!

Bush bashing is a pretty common recreational pursuit in Australia and an even better way to enjoy it is to listen to audio recordings of a really good crime thriller! Somehow the gun shots often coincide with a particulary hard bump.

Sure makes life interesting!

Warmly,
Jan

Audio Books are easier to learn from!

2007-05-31T19:47:00.000+10:00

Have you ever wondered how Koala Bears manage to survive? Hear all about them by learning how from www.Books-that-Talk.com and watch how this little Joey (all Koala Bear young are called Joeys) clings on for dear life!

Enjoy!
Warmly,
Jan

Notebook Computers

2007-05-18T15:54:00.000+10:00

There's no doubt that Notebook computers are very handy little items to have. Especially if you travel a lot.

There are some very good deals around at the moment and well worth checking out as soon as possible before they disappear.

Computers are a bit like clothes ~ one size rarely fits all.

If you are just starting out and haven't yet become used to using a computer, you just need the basics. But when you have been working with computers for a while and have 'hit your straps' you are used to using things a certain way and you know what you use and what you don't need. By being able to add or subtract into your computer is a real bonus.

There are some great deals around now and this one's a good one so I strongly recommend you wander in and take a good look. You'll be glad you did.

Warmly,
Jan

Discover when to bare it

2007-05-16T16:32:00.000+10:00

I simply can’t bear being asked to bare with you any longer without saying something. We all have our ‘pet peeves’ and these two are laid bare more frequently than most people are aware of.

I read a lot of documents, especially EBooks, and the number of times I’m absorbed in the information and then they ask me to ‘bare’ with them. I don’t mean they show all, I mean they are talking about bearing with them.

If I could, I might but I simply cannot. Not only because they are too far away (even though many webcams these days are doing just that rather frequently, I might add) but I simply can’t bear the misspellings.

I mean, if any of my contractors wrote to their clients talking about a load baring beam I doubt many husbands would leave their wives at home all day with them.

So please bear with me while I add the concise Oxford Dictionary 1964 meaning to the two words so we are clear about what this article is all about ~ apart from my gripe. Yes it is an old dictionary but it has stood the test of the English language over the decades.

By understanding the basics of the English language, it allows the language to expand as it has done over the years.

We have no confusion whatsoever over the Bear animal. Nobody sticks around long enough when they are on the scene to bare anything.

Another bear is a word with four major differences of meaning and within those four groups are another assortment of meanings; but here we are concerned with ‘bear (2) ~ Sustain (weight, responsibility, cost; bear a part in, share); stand (test etc.)endure (grin and bear it) Tolerate, put up with(cannot bear him),whence bearable a.; be capable of upholding weight (ice bears); be fit for(his language won’t bear repeating); bear with, treat forbearingly; bear up, (trans.) uphold, (intro.) not despair; borne on the books of, paid by.

The other bare is defined as “unclothed, undisguised, uncovered, bald, unfurnished, unprotected, threadbare, unsheathed, ill-provided, empty, unadorned, scanty, mere;” ~ and we won’t worry too much about whether the meaning is a noun, adverb or whatever at this point.

Once understanding the difference in meaning of two totally different words, spelt differently but both pronounced the same way yet have widely different meanings and outcomes, you can see why I always suggest to my contractors that they spell THAT particular word with great care. As I said previously, no right thinking husband is going to leave their wife at home with a man who is working with a load ‘baring’ beam.

So next time you want your readers to bear with you on details in your EBook, please don’t ask them to bare with you. Your partner wouldn’t like it, your spell-checker rarely picks it up and it’s simply not possible. Besides, your Mother probably wouldn’t approve either.

Discover Amazon Books for Notebook Computers

2007-05-07T19:20:00.000+10:00

Amazon Books have a broad range of Notebook Computers as well as a wide range of other products. Often people forget to look there because they are mislead by the 'book' part in the name. Pity for some, bonus for others.1900allabout notebook computers

What was that old addage? "One man's loss is another man's gain" ~ or so my Great Aunt used to quote quite regularly. She was a very wise old lady and lived in good health until 95 years. I often wonder about her life and her adaptability. She went from living in a stone house, dirt floor and bark roof. Her mode of transport when growing up was walking, riding or horse and buggy.

She never married. She looked after and out-lived 5 sisters and two brothers even though she was the eldest child in the family. Then in her 40's one of her brothers bought his first car and of course, she was then driven wherever she wanted to go. But then they went and put men on the moon~ and she took it all in her stride. Are we as adaptabile? I think so, don't you?

Discover the great prices and range that Amazon has on notebook computers at 1900allabout notebook computers

Happy shopping!

Jan

PS
If you ever get tired of listening to music on your iPod or MP3 player, try listening to an audio book www.Books-that-Talk.com

Baby Slings

2007-04-29T08:03:00.000+10:00

Baby Slings are the most natural way in the world to carry a child. There are all sorts of different products now available to make carrying a child so much easier! Here's a good place to start your search Shop Clearance up to 70% Off & Free Shipping at BabyCenter.

When I lived in Papua New Guinea the women there used to make their own baby slings and they were called "Billums". Mind you, these Billums carried everything ~ Children, pigs, firewood, vegetables ~ and often at the same time! Now that was an experience that I was very fortunate to have experienced. I really, seriously liked the people of PNG.

Isn't it funny? These women have used Billums for centuries, and us westerners are only now realising just how practical they really are!

Oh well, better late than never :-)

Warmly,
Jan

Notebook Computers

2007-04-28T21:04:00.000+10:00

I have a notebook computer and I reckon they are absolutely the 'ants pants'. They go anywhere without being too heavy to carry, they give you internet access virtually anywhere you go and you don't have to stay at high-priced hotels just to get Internet access!

Most of all though they save your feet. Why? Because you don't have to hunt down an Internet cafe.

There are some really good prices around at the moment like here 1900 Notebook Comp so I suggest you click on over and check it out for yourself. And if you want more info check out www.Books-that-Talk.com for more information.

Cheers for now,
Jan