Outdoor furniture

Getting into the Great Outdoors has never been easier or more relaxing than with outdoor furniture and accessories! Outdoor furniture and outdoor accessories personalize your space; relaxing touches allow you to laze in your outdoor environment, knowing that you are truly 'home'.

Finding out about Outdoor Furniture

Perfect in the garden; as a gathering and sitting area at BBQs, pool parties and get-together; or as your own little oasis in the middle of your backyard, outdoor furniture is social, sophisticated and multi-functional. Available in aluminum, wrought iron, the highest quality teak, bamboo and other woods, you can find outdoor furniture to complete any outdoor living space.

The range of outdoor accessories is staggering. These are often designed to complement your outdoor furnishings. Consider solar-power or electric lights to line a pathway or any number of awnings or other shelter structures on your property. Add candleholders atop your outdoor tables. Pick up picnic accessories, chair cushions, outdoor games – no matter what type of luxuries you enjoy indoors, you can enjoy them outdoors, too, with outdoor accessories to fit every taste and style.

Outdoor Sets

In general, there are three types of outdoor sets. All three are made up of tables and chairs, although the types of chairs and size of the tables vary greatly. Patio dining sets are ideal for larger outdoor spaces, such as large patios or back porches. Bistro sets are designed for smaller spaces, such as an apartment balcony. The third type of outdoor set you will find is called a conversation set. Conversation sets often include an outdoor sofa and a few chairs accompanying a coffee table. Conversation sets tend to be larger pieces of furniture and fit most comfortably in big spaces.

Outdoor Lounge Chairs

Outdoor lounge chairs are typically fashioned from metal – often wrought iron – although synthetic materials are on the rise and offer the sophistication of metal and iron at a reduced cost. Outdoor lounge chairs are also available in hardwood and teak.

Outdoor Benches

Outdoor benches offer seating for 2 or more, depending on the style. Available with and without backs, outdoor benches are designed to accent and blend, and are the perfect accompaniment to furniture already decorating the space. Some people choose not to use benches for seating at all, but instead place an outdoor bench in the garden as a showpiece and setting for their prized plants.

Outdoor benches are available in a variety of materials including concrete, wrought iron, teak and other metals and woods.

Some benches offer the added benefit of extra storage. These benches are usually all-weather safe, and come in neutral-colored plastics designed to camouflage into the background. These benches are great for the garden and pool area, as they provide extra seating and a lovely place to store your stuff.

Final Considerations for Outdoor Furniture

When shopping for your outdoor furniture, think about the space you will be filling and the people who will be enjoying it. Also consider the weather conditions where you live. Outdoor furnishings should fit comfortably into the space, so if you are in the market for something to go on a patio or balcony, be sure to measure the area you want to fill. Is this furniture for BBQs and pool parties, or quiet coffee conversations with intimate friends? Do you experience long, harsh winters where you live, or are conditions generally mild all year long? Answering these questions will give you the information you need to pick the best outdoor furniture to fit your life and your style.

How to fight prostate cancer

Over the past few years Prostate Cancer has been targeted by health authorities as the largest hidden killer of men over 45 years of age. Although there have been advances in education and general public awareness, men are still demonstrating reluctance to acknowledge the need for vigilance in their everyday lives.

There are a number of ways that men can reassure themselves however.

Here is a list of facts and suggestions collated from a number of sources that you should know about.

One in every 6 men will suffer from prostate problems in their lives. So there is no need to feel isolated or a victim. Just take action and get to a doctor quickly at the first sign.

It is almost certain that quick action will lead to successful recovery. The sooner you visit your doctor and get referred to a Urologist the better your chances of successful treatment.

There is hope for the future. In 2002, scientists at Liverpool University in the UK isolated the gene that promotes the spread of prostate cancer. This information is still being explored to hopefully produce new drugs which will assist treatment of Prostate cancer outside of the normal Chemotherapy regimes currently in use.

Dietary habits are the common thread in most of the literature about prostate cancer.

• Dairy products should be eliminated and replaced by soya. Just a couple of glasses of soy milk a day can have dramatic effects.

• Lyocopene contained in tomatoes is another factor showing up in studies as an effective preventative element of a prostate cancer fighting diet. Eating one moderately sized tomato a day also provides approximately 4 mg of lycopene. Other tomato products, such as an 8-ounce portion of tomato juice or tomato paste may provide up to 25 mg of lycopene. See naturalhealthlive. com/Lycopene. html

• Other fruits and vegetables are also recommended, such as avocadoes, pumpkins, beans and carrots and green leafy vegetables like spinach.

• Garlic, which seems to pop up in every preventative healthy diet plan is also recommended as it contains allicin, which decreases the proliferation of cancer cells.

• Selenium which is found in garlic, tomatoes, and broccoli has also been shown to be effective.

Cut back on salt and seasonings as these have been linked to cancer.

Finally, green tea is a popular choice as a beverage so drink at least 6 cups a day.

All in all there are plenty of reasons to be positive about controlling the risk of contracting prostate Cancer. A healthy diet as outlined above, coupled with most others advocated by Dietician everywhere, will dramatically reduce your concerns and help you lead a normal healthy long life.

Got bills to pay you ve got a decision to make

Sometimes emergencies or once-in-a-lifetime opportunities get to us and we find ourselves in financial straits afterwards. If that’s you, don’t worry. You’re not alone. But what you may not realize is that it doesn’t have to be the case for you. There is a solution to your predicament. And the solution may surprise you.

A UK personal loan is one option that many people may want to choose because it gives them a variety of potential loan amounts and interest rates. If that’s you, the choice is yours! You can choose the loan amount that is right for your situation. And, the rate of interest on the principle is usually determined by several things. For example, the prevailing interest rates, the risk the lender faces from the recipient, the amount of money you want to borrow, and the repayment period. Also, a UK personal loan comes with several flexible repayment terms, including the repayment frequency and the loan period (which is the amount of time you expect to pay the loan back). That way, you can manage the loan over a period of time and suit it to your income.

Be sure to shop around. If you look around at the many options available, you’ll probably find a UK personal loan that provides you with a good amount to borrow, competitive rates, an attractive repayment period, and a repayment frequency that meets your needs. Consider this example:

If you have a large amount of utility bill debts, a UK personal loan might be a good option in order to help you consolidate those utility bills into one manageable payment. That way, you can keep the lights on and the water running! Get a loan for a little more than your current accumulated bill so that you can put a small credit on each outstanding amount. That way, you’ll gain back your good name from the utility companies, and you’ll have a month or two of reprieve before you have to start paying back both the loan and the new utility bills you incur. It may be a period of time where you tighten your belt, but it will allow you to live comfortably.

A UK personal loan has many options. One of those is to consolidate your utility bills and let you begin the fight to win back your good name while keeping the lights on in your home. Many people are choosing to add a personal loan to their financial portfolio. Is it the right thing for your out-of-control utility bills?

Recreational vehicle ownership

The joy of recreational vehicle ownership hasn't been dimmed by rising gas prices. As late as August of 2005 recreational vehicle sales were seeing only a very small affect of rising gas prices. Sales of recreational vehicles in 2004 were the highest see in twenty five years. The popularity of recreational vehicles doesn't seem to be waining at all. In fact, there is an RV and MV (Manufactured Vehicle) hall of fame located in Elkhart Indiana.

Today's motor homes or recreational vehicles have all the comforts of home, and then some. With luxury leather recliners, granite floors, washers and dryers, plasma TV's and looks of professionally designed spaces recreational vehicles are a stylish and comfortable home away from home.

There are several different types of vehicles considered "RV's". The first is a truck camper which is a unit affixed to the bed or chassis of a pickup truck. Then there is the folding camping trailer, or pop-up trailer. A travel trailer is a unit that is towed by another vehicle. A fifth wheel travel trailer is designed to be towed by a pickup truck. A motor home or what is frequently called a Winnebago which resembles a bus.

The process of purchasing a new recreational vehicle is somewhat like purchasing a new car. A recreational vehicle dealer will sometimes take advantage of an uniformed customer. There are huge markups on recreational vehicles by all dealers. The only way to come out with a fair deal is to do your homework before you buy.

There are several fixed prices when you are looking at new recreational vehicles. The dealer price, the taxes and any motor vehicle fees. As with a car, the only option left for the dealer is to play with the profit margin. As recreational vehicle dealers sell way less than car dealers do they must make a much higher profit margin per vehicle. As it is widely known that used recreational vehicles have a huge depreciation you don't want to overpay for your vehicle.

How did poker become so popular in the uk

Poker has always been played in homes in the UK, but it hasn’t always enjoyed the immense popularity that it does today. So what has made poker so popular in the UK today?

In my opinion there are three reasons for this increased popularity. The first reason is the introduction of the American form of the game: No Limit Texas Holdem. This popular form of the game is very addictive. The fact that each player only has two cards down each, and five community cards, makes it possible for good players to have a good estimation of what the other players may have. Texas holdem is now the most popular poker game in the UK, and in the world.

The second reason for the high popularity is the rise of small cable television channels, and the wide broadcasting of Texas Holdem games on TV. These games include big stake games, World Series of Poker ( worldseriesofpoker. com ) games, and even celebrity poker games. Celebrity poker games can be great fun to watch; they show famous celebs in a more natural light.

The third and most important reason that the game has become so popular is the advent and growth of online poker rooms. There are dozens of poker rooms nowadays; where you can play with players of all calibre; and play for all different stakes, and in tournaments with many other players. With the growth in the number of online poker rooms also has come the necessary growth of websites that can evaluate these poker rooms. Sites such as Poker Online UK provide a great insight into these many online poker sites, and offer you advice and criticisms about the top poker sites. With all this knowledge onboard it’s a lot easier to tell which sites you should avoid and which poker sites you should try. Poker, in my opinion, will continue to grow, so it’s important that we keep an eye on the sites that evaluate online poker rooms.

Find out more about poker rules ( pokeronlineuk. co. uk/poker-rules. htm ) and how to use these rules to play Texas Holdem ( pokeronlineuk. co. uk/texas-holdem-rules. htm ).

European cruises the new way to sea europe

Europe bound travelers who want to get the most value for their money should seriously consider Europe cruises. And to meet the expected demand for Europe cruises, cruise lines are offering exciting and diverse European cruise itineraries.

According to a recent article, a 10 day Europe land tour for a family of four could cost 45% more than a Europe cruise for the same family. Add the exchange rate to that, and it should be clear that a cruise simply makes more “cents”.

Still not convinced that cruising in Europe is an incredible value? Then consider these benefits:

1. You would wake up in a different European port each day

2. You could visit several European countries during one vacation

3. You unpack only ONCE!!

4. You are pampered and treated to the finest cuisine and amenities

5. You have better control over your expenses, since most cruise prices include both accommodations and food.

Holland America offers a vast amount of European cruise destinations, visiting more than 136 cities and 13 maiden ports of calls in 2007. These exciting European cruise vacations will range from 10 days to 56 days, enough choice and diversity to offer something for everyone!

Where can you go? How does the Baltic, Scandinavia , France, Great Britain, Greece, Spain , or Italy sound? And that is just mentioning a few that easily come to mind. So…move over land tours. Make way for the new trend in European travel: European cruise vacations!

Fun, Sea and Edutainment At One Affordable price!

The average cruise costs between $350-$1000, and travelers can save even more by taking advantage of available senior discounts and family discounts. Compare that to the cost of a “traditional” land tours. Once you factor in the cost of planes, accommodations, vehicles and food, you will come to the logical conclusion, that a cruise is a much better choice.

Add to that the fact that cruise vacations include visiting three to four destinations in one vacation and it is hard to imagine getting more bang for your dollar. But cruise lines are competing to offer even more!

Travelers nowadays are looking for more than just laying around in the sun, they are looking for intellectual stimulation and fulfillment during their vacations as well. To meet this demand, cruise lines are offering bigger ships, more innovative onboard facilities, global itineraries and ports with interesting shore excursions, highly themed and specific cruises, and outstanding onboard enrichment programs!

So make this your year to take your first cruise or relive the joys of a second or third one. Cruises are not just a luxury anymore, they are a cost-effective, economical and highly entertaining alternative vacation.

Fun, sea and edutainment at a price you can afford!

Real estate lingo for the newbie

In today's real estate market there is a lot of uncertainty. The sub-prime mortgage crisis is the buzz word phrase that has a lot of people talking. One lesson that can be learned from this situation, is that it is so important for prospective homeowners to know what they are getting themselves into. Buying a home can be stressful, and overwhelming, but knowing what you are signing on for is paramount to securing an investment that will serve you well. A little education can go a long way. Below is a glossary of key terms associated with all things real estate. If you are a "newbie", familiarize yourself with these as you begin your real estate search:

We'll begin in the middle of the alphabet with "M" words, as "mortgages" seem to be the hot topic these days.

Mortgage: is a lien on the property that secures the Promise to repay a loan. A loan to finance the purchase of real estate, usually with specified payment periods and interest rates.

Mortgage broker: Is a professional who works for a firm that originates and processes loans for a number of lenders.

Mortgage banker: Is a company that originates loans and resells them to secondary mortgage lenders such as:Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac."Who????", you ask. Just, read on.

Fannie Mae: Is a sort of acronym which stands for Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA); a federally-chartered enterprise owned by private stockholder. This enterprise purchases residential mortgages and converts them into securities for sale to investors;by purchasing mortgages, Fannie Mae supplies funds that lenders may loan to potential home buyers.

Freddie Mac: Is another acronym of sorts is the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLM); a federally-chartered corporation that purchases residential mortgages, coverts them into securities, and sells them to investors, providing lenders with funds for new home buyers.

Mortgage insurance: Is a policy that protects lenders against some or most of the losses that can occur when a borrower defaults on a mortgage loan. Mortgage insurance is required primarily for borrowers with a down payment of less than 20% of the home's purchase price.

ARM: Adjustable Rate Mortgage is a mortgage loan subject to changes in interest rates. When rates adjust, ARM monthly payments increase or decrease at intervals determined by the lender. The change in monthly - payment amount, however, is usually subject to a Cap. "What is Cap in this case?", you ponder. Again, just read on...

Cap: Is a limit, such as that placed on an adjustable rate mortgage, on how much a monthly payment or interest rate can increase or decrease.

Assumable mortgage: Is a mortgage that can be transferred from a seller to a buyer; once the loan is assumed by the buyer the seller is no longer responsible for repaying it; there may be a fee and/or a credit package involved in the transfer of an assumable mortgage.

Amortization: Is the repayment of a mortgage loan through monthly installments of principal and interest. The monthly payment amount is based on a schedule that will allow you to own your home at the end of a specific time period.

Appraisal: Is a document that gives an estimate of a property's fair market value; an appraisal is generally required by a lender before loan approval to ensure that the mortgage loan amount is not more than the value of the property.

Balloon Mortgage: Is a mortgage that typically offers low rates for an initial period of time, after the said time period elapses, the balance is due or is refinanced by the borrower.

Bankruptcy: Is a federal law whereby a person's assets are turned over to a trustee and used to pay off outstanding debts. This typically occurs when someone owes more than they have the ability to repay.

Building code: Is based on a set of agreed upon safety standards within a specific area. A building code is a regulation that determines the design, construction, and materials used in building.

Credit bureau score: a number representing the likelihood a borrower may default. This number is based upon credit history and is used to determine ability to qualify for a mortgage loan.

Debt-to-income ratio: a comparison of gross income to housing and non-housing expenses. With the FHA, the-monthly mortgage payment should be no more than 29% of monthly gross income (before taxes) and the mortgage payment combined with non-housing debts should not exceed 41% of income.

EEM: Is short for an Energy Efficient Mortgage. This is an FHA program that helps home buyers save money on utility bills by enabling them to finance the cost of adding energy efficiency features to a new or existing home as part of the home purchase

Fair Housing Act: Is a law that prohibits discrimination in all facets of the home buying process on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability.

Home Inspection: Is an examination of the structure and mechanical systems to determine a home's safety; makes the potential home buyer aware of any repairs that may be needed.

Interest rate: Is the amount of interest charged on a monthly loan payment. This is usually expressed as a percentage.

Lease purchase: This exits to assist low - to moderate-income home buyers in purchasing a home. It allows them to lease a home with an option to buy. The rent payment is made up of the monthly rental payment plus an additional amount that is credited to an account for use as a down payment.

Lien: Is a legal claim against property that must be satisfied When the property is sold

PITI: Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance. These are the four elements of a monthly mortgage payment. The payments of principal and interest go directly towards repaying the loan while the portion that covers taxes and insurance goes into an escrow account to cover the fees when they are due.

Pre-qualify: This is when a lender informally determines the maximum amount an individual is eligible to borrow.

Pre-payment: This is a payment of the mortgage loan before the scheduled due date; maybe Subject to a prepayment penalty.

Principal: The amount borrowed from a lender. The principal doesn't include interest or additional fees.

Real estate agent: Is an individual who is licensed to negotiate and arrange real estate sales; works for a real estate broker.

REALTOR ®: Is a real estate agent or broker who is a member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONOF REALTORS, and its local and state associations.

Refinancing: Means paying off one loan by obtaining another. refinancing is generally done to secure better loan terms such as a lower interest rate on a loan.

Rehabilitation mortgage: Is a mortgage that covers the costs of rehabilitating (repairing or Improving) a property. Some rehabilitation mortgages, allow a borrower to roll the costs of rehabilitation and home purchase into one mortgage loan.

Sweat equity: Using your own labor to build or improve a property as part of the down payment

Title insurance: This is insurance that protects the lender against any claims that arise from arguments about ownership of the property;also available for home buyers.

Title search: Is a check of public records to be sure that the seller is the recognized owner of the real estate and that there are no unsettled liens or other claims against the property.

Of course, there are many more terms and different types of mortgage situations to explore and educate yourself on. But, the above definitions are a good start toward becoming acquainted with the language, lingo and important concepts in real estate.

Betting on the tigers this weekend gets tricky

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Wasn’t it me that predicted that Twins manager Ron Gardenhire would be the first baseball manager to be shown the door in 2006? Yes I also think that Barry Bonds is being unfairly accused of using performance enhancing drugs? No Gardenhire is doing just fine these days as he and his troops prepare for a crucial three game set in the Twin Cities tonight.

Minnesota (59-41) has won 34 of 42 since June 8 to cut what was an 11-game deficit in the wild card to a half-game.

"We’re just playing really good baseball," said manager Ron Gardenhire, whose team was 25-33 nearly seven weeks ago. "People keep talking about the streak we’re on, but streaks don’t last two months or a month and a half."

The Twins caught the struggling Chicago White Sox, who have led the wild-card race for most of the season, by completing a three-game sweep with a 7-4 victory Wednesday. Minnesota and Chicago are right behind the New York Yankees, who open a three-game home set against Tampa Bay on Friday night.

The Tigers under veteran skipper Jim Leyland have maintained their composure and now must deal with the newest phenom in the American League and that would be none other then rookie pitcher Francisco Liariano. The Twins look to keep rolling Friday behind Liriano (12-2, 1.93 ERA), who pitched poorly against the Tigers in two relief outings this season, allowing seven runs and 11 hits in 3 2-3 innings for a 17.18 ERA.

Since being moved into the rotation, though, the rookie left-hander has become a leading contender for the CY Young Award, going 11-2 with a 1.59 ERA in 13 starts. Minnesota is 2-7 this season against Detroit and has been outscored 64-25. In a three-game sweep from April 28-30 at Comerica Park, the Twins were outscored 33-1. The Tigers (68-33) have the best record in the major leagues, and their 30-13 mark against divisional opponents is also tops in baseball. Detroit leads the AL Central by 8 1/2 games over Minnesota and Chicago.

The question mark for all contending teams is the starting pitching and the Tigers send a struggling Zach Miner to the hill tonight. Miner has lasted only 6 2-3 combined innings and given up 10 earned runs in losing both of his starts since the break. In his first seven starts after being recalled in early June, the right-hander was 6-1 with a 2.57 ERA and didn’t allow more than three runs in a game.

Detroit gave Miner a five-run lead after one inning Saturday against Oakland, but he surrendered five runs in the top of the second and was pulled after a season-low 2 1-3 innings of a 9-5 loss.
Detroit has lost 9 of the past 12 in Minnesota and will be a dog tonight!

Bob Acton

Online Sports Betting

Live poker pros and cons of participating in a tournament

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If you have had enough of playing poker with friends or with playing it online and winning some money and then losing some money to only win that money back again, then you have reached the stage in your poker playing experience where you need to start entering live tournaments. That is the real deal. No more long hours in front of the computer, no more feeling guilty for taking your friends' money: you are now ready to turn pro.

But, before you do, here are a few things you must consider:
1) One of the big differences of playing in a tournament is that you need to pick you hands carefully. Spend most of your time throwing your cards away at the right beginning. If you see that your cards won't amount to much, fight the urge to exchange most of them, and just hand them all in. This is what most tournament players do anyway. If you don't believe me, watch the others play.

2) Money you take with you to tournaments lasts for a much lengthier period than when playing with friends or online. This is one of the advantages of not playing every hand you are dealt. (Hint: You should do the same thing when playing with friends even though that then becomes boring.)

3) Do not sit to the left of the dealer. Ensure that there are at least two players between the dealer and the players to the left. Why? Only the first 2 players seated on the left of the dealer have to place the ante. Since, most of the tournaments involve ten players on each table, you save this much each time you play. This also means that each hand that you fold will mean that you have spent only half that of the lower limit. This amounts to three dollars in a two to four dollar rake tournament.

4) Take into consideration that the mere fact that you are away from home means that you will spend money on food and drinks. Try and get your own, but in any case keep it light.

5) Tournament dealers are not paid much, and so it' general practice to give them about three percent of whatever you win. Consider that all gambling halls and poker rooms also take a certain percentage but at least this comes from the money you win and so you don't feel it.

6) One of the other advantages of playing in a tournament is that you can use more money than you had. For instance, for a hundred dollar sit-in, many casinos and poker rooms will give you about five hundred in tournament chips to bet with.

7) If high odds and high risk is not what you are looking for you can take advantage of the late night satellite tournaments. These generally begin at one in the morning and since the number of players won't be high, you stand a bigger chance of winning.

Conclusion:
Playing poker requires tremendous skill as well as come luck. While you cannot depend on luck, improve your skills and your online casino or other kind of betting account will show a profit.

Christmas - giving is a blessing

Christmas brings a new life to the believers. Much before Christmas comes, the mood around the world changes. It is the anticipation of lovely days ahead of giving joy, meeting friends and family and feeling the spirit in the air that changes the most negative person to positive moods. Chistmas makes a person different. The same man, who you never see smiling, laughs during Christmas. That is the festive spirit of Christmas and that is why it is a lovely festival.

The most important part of Christmas is of course celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Another ritual of Christmas that makes it so special is giving. We send so many cards to friends and family that we lose the count. Similarly giving gifts is very important. Selecting the right gift for everyone, wrapping it lovingly and sending it across, all this is joyful. This joy cannot be described in words.

As I said earlier, it is the giving that is the major reason of happiness. If we look at our moods and behavior, we find that we always derive greater joy in giving compared to receiving. Can we not celebrate this spirit of giving everyday? Can we not get this joy everyday? Can we not make someone happy everyday? We can. With conscious effort, we can do one act a day that makes somebody genuinely happy. Why not carry the spirit of Christmas all the year and enjoy the happiness of giving. One is blessed when one gives. Let us get these blessings round the year.

Digital blood pressure monitors

There are different ways of measuring your blood pressure, which lets you measure your true blood pressure and get a list of blood pressure measurements. Electronic or digital devices are the easiest ones to use. Digital blood pressure monitors can also be considered the same way. They are especially convenient for anyone who is not used to testing his or her own blood pressure. Testing your own pressure is more convenient than visiting the doctor, as was once required. It allows you to test your blood pressure regularly, keep an accurate record of the readings and have the information ready for your doctor at each visit.

Digital monitors have either manual or automatic cuffs, and come with a built-in LCD screen that shows the reading. Some models allow for wrist or finger readings. Most of these digital blood pressure monitors come with self-inflating cuffs that inflate once the cuff has been secured and the device has been turned on. These monitors also have the feature of digital readouts that help the patient get a more accurate pressure reading. And is a good option for people who are hard of hearing or have poor eyesight. They also detect blood surges underneath the blood pressure cuff. Many digital blood pressure monitors also include a paper printout to provide a handy hard-copy record for your doctor.

In addition to all these, it is also important to consider the location and size of the cuff to check the accuracy of the monitor. The accuracy of the monitor or the reading can be checked if the reading is compared to the reading of a professional measuring device. Also, the monitors have to be tested for accuracy before use at least once a year.

How to mount number plates on uk cars

Having spent hundreds or even thousands on a personalised registration number many people put very little thought into how to fix the physical number plates to their car if this is not done correctly the appearance of their pride and joy can quickly go downhill. In the past number plates were drilled and fixed to the car with self tapping screws , with the advent of plastic bumpers and double sided tape plates are now usually stuck to the car. Both methods have advantages and pitfalls which will be discussed here. Drilling the plates and fixing with screws gives a good solid mounting but sometimes the screw heads can alter the look of the registration number if they land close to or in a digit , also water can seep into the holes and separate the reflective and acrylic over time, ruining the number plate. Before deciding to drill , work out where the screw heads will be and if you do drill, start from the front face and stop just as the drill breaks through , then flip the plate over and drill from the back , this will prevent seperation of the reflective from the acrylic. To ensure that the plates are level and postioned correctly tape the old plates over the new ones and drill through the holes in the old plates to mark the positions on the new ones. If you do find that the screw head has gone through a digit , a touch of black paint on the screw head will improve the appearance , if the screw heads land in a blank space, there are available screw head covers you can use so they blend in with acrylic , these are available in both white and yellow for font and rear number plates. You can also get white and yellow plastic bolts and nuts although these are less useful on the new style integrated bumpers and valances used on modern cars.

The main problem with sticking the plates onto the car is one of them falling off ! The trick here is to thoroughly clean the surface where the plate is going and de-grease it with a solvent , then use a reputable make of sticky fixers and use lots of them they come in pakets and you may as well use them all up.

There is a third option , you can use mounting frames , these are screwed to the car and then the number plate clips into the frame giving the advantages of both systems of fixing , if you change your car often these would be a worthwhile investment as you could keep your plates when you sell the car and transfer them to your new car when you transfer the registration number.

History of the barber dime

In 1887, Mint Director James P. Kimball noted in his annual report the “inferiority of our coinage” compared to other advanced nations and that in his opinion, the coinage of the U. S. was out of date and should be changed. At the request of Kimball, Senator Justin S. Morill introduced a bill authorizing the Treasury Department to redesign coins without first obtaining the permission of Congress, as long as the current design had been in use for at least 25 years. The bill passed on September 26, 1890 and the dime, quarter and half dollar were targeted for change. The decision of who should redesign the coins eventually fell to his successor, Edward O. Leech.

Ironically, new designs were submitted by Mint engravers throughout the early 1880’s but the only change that occurred was a new nickel designed by Charles E. Barber in 1883. In 1891, when there was discussion of a public competition for new designs. Barber reported to Mint director Kimball that there was no one in the country capable in assisting him in preparing original designs. Augustus Saint-Gaudens confided to Kimball there were only four men in the world competent do to such a redesign: three were in France and he was the fourth. It did not matter. Kimball insisted that rather than going abroad to find the best design talent available, it would be possible to find able designers in America. Against the advice of Barber, the Treasury Department organized a competition to produce new designs. A panel of 10 of the leading artist and sculptors of the day were commissioned to judge which would be the best designs for new coinage. The panel met and instead of discussing the competition, they instead rejected the terms of the competition as proposed by Mint officials on the ground that the preparation time was too short and the compensation woeful. The Mint director rejected the panels’ suggestions and threw the competition out to the public. The results were disastrous. Of the more than 300 drawings submitted, only two received an honorable mention by a smaller judging panel. It is interesting to note that two of the judges were Barber and Saint-Gaudens.

When Leech took over as Mint director, he was well aware of the problems his predecessor had experienced. In order to get new designs into production and avoid another disaster of a competition, he simply directed Barber to draw up new designs. This is what Barber had wanted all along has he felt as Chief Engraver, he, and he alone was responsible for coin design.

The result was not much in the way of originality. That would have to wait for more than another 25 years. What Barber did was to modify the large head used on the Morgan dollar by adding a Liberty cap and cropping Liberty’s hair shorter in back. He then placed his initial B on the truncation of the neck. This was the design used not only on the dime, but the new quarter and the new half dollar as well.

The reverse did not go through much of an overhaul either as it uses almost the exact same reverse of its predecessor, the Seated Liberty Dime. While many do not credit Barber with much artistic ability, what he lacked in design capabilities he made up for in knowledge in regards to designing a coin that would withstand a modern high-speed coin press. On January 2, 1892, the first of over half a billion Barber dimes were struck.

Collectibility

General

The Barber dime series consists of 74 regular issues, plus the super-rare 1894-S. While half a billion dimes for an entire series pales in comparison to today’s coin production, it was big numbers back in the 1800’s. With a low relief, Barber dimes faired well and although there are a few semi-key issues (not including 1894-s), an entire set in circulated condition can be assembled for under $1500.00 in G4 or so condition. As is common with many series of this time period, Philadelphia was the main producer of coinage. The San Francisco and New Orleans mint typically produced far few examples in almost all years of production making earlier years more difficult to obtain. Denver did not begin producing Barber dimes until 1906.

Key/Semi Key Dates

While most Barber Dimes are obtainable, one of the rarest of all coins came from this series. The 1894-S dime had a total mintage of 24 and only 10 can now be accounted for which presents one of the great numismatic mysteries of the time. Allegedly, 24 pieces were struck at the order of San Francisco Mint Superintendent J. Daggett. Of the ten known, all were struck from the same set of dies. The best known story is that Daggett gave three to his daughter Hallie and told her to keep them until she was as old as he was, when they would be worth a lot of money. On her way home from the mint, her newfound riches got the best of her and she spent one of the dimes on a dish of ice cream. Today that coin is known as the ice cream specimen. Although there is no to prove it was the one that a young Hallie spent, one of the known specimens is heavily circulated. It has been graded as a G4 while all other coins are MS/PR60+ condition. Robert Freidberg bought this coin over the counter for $2.40 (24 times face value) at Gimbels Department Store, NY, in 1957. If it is the “Ice Cream Specimen”, it certainly got around.

Why did the mint only produce 24 dimes that year? There are two stories. The first is that the coins were struck to provide a balance of forty cents needed to close a bullion account at the San Francisco Mint by June 30, 1894 - the end of the fiscal year. Since any even numbered (2, 4, 6, 8) dollar amount ending in forty cents was acceptable, the employees were said to have struck 24 pieces, or $2.40. The expectation was that the Mint would receive orders for more dimes before the end of the calendar year. December 31 passed without a request for further production. According to the story, two or three pieces were obtained by Mint employees "just to have a new dime," and when they realized the coins were now rare, they sold them to collectors for $25 or more apiece. The remaining 1894-S dimes went into a bag with other dimes and into circulation. The more widely accept story is that the dimes were minted as a special request for some visiting bankers. According to an account from California dealer Earl Parker, who bought the two remaining dimes that Hallie Daggett had, Hallie told Parker that her father minted the coins and presented 3 to each of the 7 visitors and gave the remaining three to her which has previously mentioned, she spent one dime on ice cream.

Most experts believe the “visiting bankers” theory as the likely reason. Of the known high grade coins, they all seem to be proof strikes. It is unlikely that such care would have taken place to produce a few dimes to even out the books but it quite likely for coins made for presentation.

Putting the 1894-S aside, most, if not all dimes are readily available in low grades. Collecting the series in higher grades is still achievable but certainly more challenging. Recall that this coin was heavily circulated. Assembling a collecting of all MS65 or better, while no doubt out of the financial reach of most collectors, is possible, as there is at least 1 coin graded in MS65 by PCGS for each mint and year. For the rest of us, collecting this series in average circulated grades is without a doubt doable. Back during the days of this coin, a dime was real money and as such, this series is heavily circulated. While many dates had mintages in the millions, there are a few dates where the total mintage is around 500,000 thereby making the acquisition of these a little more challenging and painful to the wallet/purse. For example, the 1895-O had a mintage of 440,000. Obtaining this coin in a grade of G to VG could cost you between $400-$600. It only gets worse from there as an XF-40 will cost you over $2000. The 1901-S had a mintage of 593,022 and is not quite as expensive and can be had for less than $100 in G condition and for around $500 in XF-40 condition. The 1903-S had a mintage of 613,300 and is similar priced on lower grades but is higher priced than the 1901-S in higher grades suggesting the 1903-S did not fair as well in circulation. The second lowest mintage dime was the 1913-S with a mintage of 510,000. While having the second lowest mintage, it is not in the top 10 as far as price and can be had for around $20 in G4 and $35 for VG8. Earlier coins, even those with mintages over a million pieces, will cost you more than the 1913-S suggesting that earlier dates, even those with high mintages may be tough to acquire.

If the cost of an entire set is too much, a year set could prove to be a much more frugal approach. As mentioned earlier, the Philadelphia mint generally produced the majority of Barber dimes. The only year that a branch-mint exceeded production of Philadelphia was in 1895 when Philadelphia produced only 690,880 pieces while San Francisco produced 1,120,000. With the expectation of a few earlier dates, most Philadelphia examples can be obtained for a few dollars in G4 and for less than $10.00 per coin in F to VF condition.

If you are into collecting Barber type coins, the Barber dime may be just the ticket for the budget conscience collector.

Errors

The Barber dime series consists two major varieties (1893/2-P and 1905-O micro-O).

Proofs

There are 24 coins in the proof Barber dime series, not counting the branch mint proof 1894-S. The mintages range from 425 for the 1914 to 1,245 for the first-year-of-issue 1892. A grand total of 17,353 proof coins were produced for the whole series. While extremely low, the rarest of proofs in MS-65 is the 1908 with 12 pieces certified at PCGS.

Vital Statistics Summary

Key Coin Info

Designed by: Charles E. Barber

Issue dates: 1892-1916

Composition: 0.900 part silver, 0.100 part copper

Diameter: 17.9 mm.

Weight: 38.58 grains

Edge: Reeded

Business strike mintage: 504,317,075

Proof mintage: 17,353

Know all about the evaporative cooler prices

Evaporative coolers are a better option when compared to the costly air conditioners. Since the evaporative coolers are cheap in their prices, possess high-tech systems and are quite reliable, so people prefer to use them. Portable and small in size, the air coolers keep your home and office truly cool spreading fresh and healthy air throughout the space. Evaporative cooler prices vary from cooler to cooler because each of the coolers has its own set of features and benefits. These outstanding features that differentiate them from one another include the speed fans, washable filters, and anti-bacterial water tank.

The evaporative coolers range in prices due to their different features that are sometimes common in each of the air coolers. If the air coolers have features like fans, remote control operating system, heater systems, and follow humidifier methods, then the prices of those evaporative coolers range from $64.89 to $114.99. These air coolers usually work with 60 to 200 watts of power and reduce the air temperature in the surrounding space to a considerable extent.

Different Types And Their Different Prices

The prices of the evaporative coolers also vary for the different types of the air coolers. The portable air coolers that can be moved from one place to another are quite durable and reliable. They cost lesser as compared to the air-conditioners that usually have exorbitant prices. The regular prices of these evaporative coolers are approximately $139.99 and the sale price of the coolers is $109.99. The evaporative air coolers that contain ionizers have their prices ranging from $129.99 to $149.99. The sale prices of these air coolers, however, range from being $89 to $99. These air coolers are truly advantageous, as the prices remain low yet they offer the highest cooling ambience to the entire space around.

Variation In Prices Due To The Size And Capacity Of The Air Coolers

The prices of the evaporative coolers also differ due to the size and capacity of the air coolers. If the coolers have a fan, humidifier and ionic air purifier system operated by a remote control then the prices range from being $100 to $120. The air coolers capable of cooling huge areas like 200 square feet range in prices from being $70 to $120. These coolers work great in dry conditions under 50 % humidity level.

The evaporative cooler prices also depend upon the brands of the coolers. So while the Fujitronic portable coolers range in prices from being $90 to $129, the hi-cool evaporative air coolers range from being $250 to $400. The slant/fin air-cooling system uses water evaporation systems to cool the air much more than the fan. So these air coolers range in prices from $93.49 to $103.49. The portable air coolers that can be operated with the remote controls can range in prices $229 to $250. So if you need an evaporative cooler that is portable, powerful, energy-efficient and considerable prices, then you should compare the prices and then opt for the air-cooler that will best suit your purposes. You should make a thorough survey of the online prices to get an air cooler that will be just suitable for the area space of your home or office and come in useful package within your budget.

Save money through home mortgage refinancing in five easy steps

Home mortgage refinancing sounds a little complicated, but it is actually manageable when done right. Here is a guide to help you get started.

Home mortgage refinancing has been most sought after in the recent years. It is an easy way to get some cash while at the same time a great opportunity to reduce your monthly interest and monthly payment. So, how do you go about this? Well, here are five steps to get you started:

1.Find out whether getting home mortgage refinancing now is a good idea. You should only refinance at the right time for the right reasons. Your interest rate must be lowered by at least 2 or 3%. You should also consider factors such as the remaining balance of your existing mortgage, the number of years you still need to pay for it, your current credit record, your monthly payables, and the time you intend to stay in your home, and so on. Remember that to get the best deals, home refinance should be done at the right time and at the right circumstances. If not, you may end up paying more than you should have with your existing loan. For example, if you plan to move in a year or two, refinancing would be meaningless and can prove to be a waste of time, effort and money.

2.Use a mortgage calculator (readily available online) to help you decide quantitatively whether a deal is favorable enough. Compare the amount of money you need to pay for your existing loan with the new monthly payment terms you need to pay for refinancing. You should also include closing costs, points, escrow fees and other charges. Subtract the monthly payment you make on your current mortgage with that of the refinanced terms to get your monthly savings.

3.If the numbers and the circumstances appear very favorable to you, start looking through home mortgage refinancing options. It is very important that you choose your lender and the new mortgage terms. There are a lot of mortgage lenders available, each providing different set of terms, interest rates, fees and charges. What you want is a term that fits your financial objectives well. Choose whether you would like to refinance to a variable interest rate or to a fixed one depending on your needs. You should also determine how much you need to help you get the best deal.

4.Pay close attention to closing costs and fees. Fees differ greatly from one lender to another. If this is a factor for you, make sure you get some free　home mortgage refinancing quotes from various lenders and choose accordingly. Note that some lenders impose more points with lower interest rates. Make sure you weigh things well before deciding.

5.Try to limit your new mortgage loan terms to not be longer than the terms left in your existing mortgage. You do not want to end up with lower payments but with twice as much longer term. When it adds up, you may end up paying more than you originally intended.

Home mortgage refinancing is an excellent way to cut down on your mortgage payments. However, you have to make sure that you choose the best deal given your financial circumstances.

Customize those error pages

Let me ask you this question. How many times have you made changes to the page structure of your site? Ten times? 100 times? 1000 times? If you have a large site, the number of changes can grow rapidly. This is especially true if you deal with dynamic sites that are driven by a complex scripting language and a database.

Now let me ask you one more question. How many times have you "fat fingered" the keyboard when typing code? I cannot speak for anyone else, but I do it all the time. Now, what happens when you are coding hundreds or thousands of lines of code? Are you going to catch that one little mistake, or are your clients going to catch it?

So, what happens when a link is no longer active on your site, or when you "fat finger" while typing your code and a link cannot be found? Error pages are generated. The most common of these is the 404 error. This error is generated by your web server software to let the end user know that it cannot find the file specified. The big issue here is that this page does not include a link back to your site. And unless you are the server administrator, it may not include your email address, in which case the end user cannot notify you of the dead link.

There is a new trend among hosting providers to capitalize on your dead links. That's right. They are making money from pages that don't exist on your site! You might think this concept is silly, but I assure you, there is big money in error pages. Just think about how many times a day end-users might "fat finger" typing in URLs. Let's just say it happens 1,000 times per day (and I'm probably being conservative here). Now multiply that by an average of $0.10 per click for the credit the host receives when the end-user starts browsing their "convenience page". If you are quick at math, you figured out that that equals $100 per day! Now, if you take into consideration the size of the Internet and start scaling this figure accordingly, you can easily see where this is a seven-figure industry.

What can you do about this? How can you stop your web host from profiting from your visitors without your permission? How can you start getting a piece of this very lucrative pie? The answer is really quite simple.

Most web hosting providers will allow you to customize at least a minimal subset of the configuration parameters of the web server for your hosting account. I'm going to show you exactly how to do this for Apache, the most common web server application on the Internet. Similar steps can be taken for IIS or any other web server application, but I trust that you can use Google™ to find those specific commands.

Ok, the first thing you want to do is come up with a template for your error pages. I suggest you use the basic layout of your site so you can maintain a sense of consistency.

Next, you will need to decide what content to display on the page. You should let your visitors know that they have stumbled across a dead link, but you also want to provide a streamlined method for them to find their way back to your site. I recommend using the appropriate error message in the page title and at the beginning of the page using h1 tags. You should append a description of the error message to your page title and display this description using h2 tags in your page.

Example:

<html>

<head>

<title>Error 404: The page you are looking for was not found</title>

</head>

<body>

<h1>Error 404</h1>

</h2>The page you are looking for was not found. Please check the URL and try again.</h2>

</body>

</html>

Now you need to provide a easy "one-click" path to your website. This can be accomplished using a simple text link in the page footer.

Example:

<html>

<head>

<title>Error 404: The page you are looking for was not found</title>

</head>

<body>

<h1>Error 404</h1>

</h2>The page you are looking for was not found. Please check the URL and try again.</h2>

To return to the [Company Name] homepage, click <a href="yourdomain. com">here</a>.

</body>

</html>

Now, upload your template as error404.html to your website's root directory (usually public_html).

To get the above template to function correctly when a user comes across an invalid link, all you need to do is create a. htaccess file, using your favorite plain text editor, with the following line in it and place it in the root directory (usually public_html) of your website.

ErrorDocument 404 yourdomain. com/error404.html

For each error type you wish to provide a custom page for, simply repeat the above steps, adjusting the file name and ErrorDocument statement appropriately. To gather a complete list of server response codes, search Google™ for "Apache error codes". (Adjust as needed for your server software.)

As you can see, this process is extremely simple and only takes about five minutes. If you are good with HTML and you have a Google AdSense™ account and other affiliate accounts, you can easily customize your template to include your AdSense™ search box and your affiliate links. If you are really savvy, you can use a free script like CaRP (RSS to HTML converter) to provide relevant content on your error pages and further enhance the likelihood of driving the end-user to your site.

Of course, if you are not that good with HTML but still want to retain your customers, there is hope. I've created a very clean template that does all of the above for you. All you have to do is update a few variables in the code and you are ready to go. Simply go to my site and search for MyErrorPages. It's a free script that you are welcome to use on as many sites as you like.

Now that you see how easy it is to customize your error pages and retain your valuable visitors, what are you doing here still? Customize those error pages!

Top 10 dumbest things pro athletes do

There seems to be an endless stream of idiotic things professional athletes do. I guess if you put a bunch of young men together, give them a boat-load of money and lots of free time, what can you expect? When beautiful women, the media and the luxuries of life are thrown at them, their cockiness and stupidity are only amplified. Here are my top ten, but of course there are lots more. However, we must always remember, they are only human too.

1. Me Make Good Play!

Ever see NFL players beat their chest like a gorilla after they just made a good play? I guess it’s a Tarzan thing or something, but they look kinda ridiculous. Maybe if I was out there on the field and I was a 170-pound kicker watching a defensive lineman beating his chest after a sack, I may be a little intimidated, but overall, they look really silly doing it. (I attended a professional all-women’s football game this year and saw a 350-pound woman do this, which was particularly scary.)

2. The God Factor, Part I

I hate it when players point up to Heaven and thank God after a good play too. Bear in mind however, that I am not criticizing religion or anyone for having faith in God. But this just looks lame. It happens a lot in MLB for some reason. A strikeout will cause Pedro Martinez to do the chest-touch and double-index-finger-point to God as if he and God were chatting earlier about possible pitching strategies in the locker room, and the strategy they chose together worked, so he had to personally thank God using his direct line.

3. The God Factor, Part II

Locker rooms, sidelines, dugouts, bullpens, and court sides are often full of praying men. One question: “If you are praying to win, and your opponent is praying to win, who does God choose?

4. Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You?

Why do pro jocks get arrested for drug and/or gun possession so much? Of course, lots of people do this one unfortunately, we just happen to hear about the famous athletes who do. C’mon guys, keep the drugs at home, stop driving while high, and for crying out loud, stop packin’! You don’t need a gun. Who’s going to harm you? You’re six six and weigh 275 pounds!

5. It Wasn’t Me!

Telling Congress you don’t do steroids, then getting caught doing steroids is pretty dumb. I loved watching the clips where Rafael Palmero sat pointing a finger at the Congressional hearing stating with disgust and confidence, “I do not take steroids.” And then the next clip showing him apologizing profusely for taking steroids.

6. I Love You To Death

Murdering ex-lovers doesn’t happen very often fortunately, but my list wouldn’t be complete without at least mentioning O. J.

7. Rabbits

It seems that there are a lot of NBA players out there who use the phrase, “My baby’s mom” a little too often. And there’s too many pro athletes’ offspring introducing their buddies as “My brother from another mother.” Ever hear of a condom?

8. How Much Bling Bling Do You Need!?

It’s fascinating to watch professional athletes blow through all their millions in their first year or two and then have nothing left at retirement, which is usually only a few years later. How many fifty-year-olds are still playing pro sports? Not many (minus golfers of course, who will drag their canes and oxygen tanks with them on the fairway). So why don’t pro athletes save a couple of bucks?

9. Love My Hog

It’s not too smart to get injured off the job when you’re a pro athlete. Cleveland Browns Kellen Winslow Jr. crashed his motorcycle recently and will now miss the 2005 NFL season. Jay Williams, a number one draft pick of the Chicago Bulls, also got into a motorcycle accident and has not played since. What’s with motorcycles anyhow? Talk about killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

10. “When You Come To a Fork in the Road, Take It” – Yogi Berra

Saying really dumb things in the media seems to be a particularly easy thing to do if you’re a professional athlete. I looked in a lot of places online to come up with a good list here. My problem was that there were so many good ones, I wasn’t sure which ones to pick. But here are a few gems:

a. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: "I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father."

b. Baseball player Tito Fuentes, after getting hit by a pitch: “They shouldn't throw at me. I'm the father of five or six kids."

c. Football coach Ray Malavasi: "I don't care what the tape says. I didn't say it."

d. Baseball player Dizzy Dean, after a 1-0 game: "The game was closer than the score indicated."

e. Boxing Analyst: "Sure there have been injuries, and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious."

f. Soccer commentator: "Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field."

g. Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh Steelers coach: "We're not attempting to circumcise rules."

h. Jim Wohford: "Ninety percent of the game is half mental."

i. Joe Theismann: "Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."

j. Charles Shackleford of the NCSU basketball team: "Left hand, right hand, it doesn't matter. I'm amphibious."

k. Shaquille O'Neal, on his lack of championships: "I've won at every level, except college and pro."

As I already asked before, what can we expect from professional athletes? They often reflect society as a whole. Too much time, money and fame at a really young age can augment stupidity, simple as that. We all say and do dumb things, but thankfully, we don’t have microphones and video cameras pointed at us all the time. As Norman Einstein used to say, “Really smart athletes stay away from problems because they can predict the future with their ESPN.”

Beat the weeds and save time in the garden

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New gardeners are so often put off gardening at the thought that it has to involve hours and hours of hard work. The popular idea of a low-maintenance garden is one of covering the space with decking and gravel, planted with a few grasses and pots of evergreens.

However, I have discovered an ideal way to help thwart one of the most time-consuming chores in the garden - that of weeding.

This came about almost by accident, as I have a cat who thinks that any uncovered ground is a glorious litter tray! I quickly had to find a way to cover up as much of the soil as possible, but soon realised that ground cover plants gave me the even greater benefit of vastly reducing the number of weeds.

Of course, there are many gardeners who enjoy the time spent weeding, and I admire them tremendously - there are great physical and mental benefits to spending time outdoors among your plants.

But for those of us whose time spent in the garden must be limited because of work commitments or perhaps physical limitations, there is a way to enjoy our plants with a minimum of fuss. Of course, time has to be spent on the initial ground preparation and planting, however, this would probably take far less time than laying decking and gravel!

Weeds are great survivors and they very quickly take over any bare patch of soil. Once they take hold they can very easily smother existing plants and become notoriously difficult to get rid of.

So the idea is to find plants that form dense clumps or spread via their roots to cover the ground. As with most plants, there are ground cover plants for each season when they are at their best, and some that look good all year round.

One word of caution. Because some of these plants spread quickly - which is of course what we want - they also don't actually know when to stop! So you may need to cut them back occasionally to keep them within their allotted space.

What to plant?

I have discovered that plants such as bugle (ajuga) - you can get plants with purple, bronze or variegated foliage; euphorbia - with stunning acid-green flowers in early to late spring; lesser periwinkle (vinca minor); bergenias - commonly known as elephant's ears; as well as small-leaved variegated ivies, all provide year round ground cover. Another advantage of these particular plants is that they are also slug and snail resistant!

In spring and summer, you can use aubretia, arabis, alyssum and candytuft (iberis), which all hug the ground. And particularly useful, and providing some height to a border, is aquilegia - the old-fashioned cottage garden variety - which after flowering retains its foliage in attractive clumps. They also self-seed prolifically, giving you extra plants each year.

Another favourite plant of mine is the hardy geranium. Some varieties do die down in the winter - weeds don't grow much then anyway - but the plants soon romp away in spring and provide ground cover and masses of flowers all summer.

Other useful plants to use for ground cover are herbs. Among a wide variety to choose from are comfrey, feverfew, catmint, golden marjoram and mallow.

So there you have it! Once your ground cover plants are established, you'll no longer have to spend hours on your knees, but can spend quality time in your garden.

Adult autism growing old with autism

For many people adult autism is just the way of life. They have to endure living with this disorder, which can be very difficult because they can't function as normal people can function. For some people, they have learned to accept this disorder and live with it, but what makes it really difficult for some, is how those around them treat them and by society in general. As a society, we should try our best to study and learn and understand what adult autism is and not just for those who were diagnosed with this disorder. By learning as much as we can as a society, we can better help those who have to live with this disorder for which there is no known cure for. After all, these are people too, just like the rest of us and are just as important as everyone else's.

This Disorder is Not a Curse

There many people who do not see adult autism as a curse. In fact, there are many people who actually enjoy being autistic. They considered being autistic a part of who they are and wouldn't have it any other way. They don't want to be cured; they just want to be accepted by everyone. Yes, they too have strengths and weaknesses like everyone else, but most of all, they are people and have every right to enjoy life just like you and me.

Generally speaking, autism starts in infancy. What this means is that this person has been living with this disorder for some time now. Autistic adults see the world differently from others. Their five senses work normally, however their brains just process the information differently. The way information is processed and stored and interpreted are slightly different from that of a normal person. Some experts believe that this may cause some of the more detrimental effects of autism, such as fits and tantrums. Reacting to the world normally would be extremely difficult for someone that already has a lot of stress and anxiety.

Heightened Senses

With some individuals, they have heightened senses or uncontrollable senses. What this basically means is that very often they can't decide if they're hungry or stuffed, hot or cold. Some autistics can't stand bad, strong odors or loud noises; and most do not like being touched or any other forms of contact from other people. Often times, they will reject hugs and kisses or any other acts of affection. Some people will see this as weird or unusual.

Trying to socialize with others can be a real challenge for people with adult autism. That is why it is a good idea to get them involved in programs and activities that encourage human contact and teach them how to socialize with others. And just as important, we must educate those around us about this disorder, so that we can assist autistic adults in their struggle to fit in. By teaching others about this disorder, we can hopefully develop into a more understanding and accepting society.

A subjective insight of the future automobile

A subjective insight of the future automobile by Jeff Darling

The future car, lets say a 2025 model will be a very different machine to its present day Grandfather. They will be packed with computers and safety devices ensuring that not even a stunt driver can crash, and they will run on carbon dioxide and emit strawberry scented oxygen. Well they might.

Predictions of future vehicles are usually wildly inaccurate, by now we should all have space programs to rival NASA based out of our backyard. However some of the automobile related cutting edge technology emerging now may well make it into production models of the future. But how much of this technology will be needed or even wanted? Car design of the present is already influenced by politicians, bureaucrats, health and safety regulations and emissions regulations and the stunning concept seen at the motorshow emerges into the world as a 1.0 litre shopping cart, but at least its legal.

Personally I like the idea of fuel efficient hybrid cars, and fuel cell cars emitting nothing but water. However, like most enthusiasts I also like powerful loud convertibles with with the ability to snap a vertabrae at 10 paces. A sensible mix therefore is required and this will be the job entrusted to car designers and engineers of the future, to make a politically correct car that is also desirable.

Another immenent problem facing designers of the future is coming up with styling ideas that are fresh and new. Some of the more recent concepts are certainly striking but not necessarily beautiful in the classic sense of the word. But if there is one thing the automobile industry is good at that is innovation, and I for one am confident that radical and extreme concepts never before imagined will continue to appear at motorshows around the world.

Computer technology has already taken a firm hold of the automobile and the modern driver is less and less responsible for the actions of their vehicle, soon crash victims will try to sue the electronics companies for accidents they caused because their computer system failed to brake the car even though they were fast asleep at the wheel on a three lane highway. Until you have automation of every single vehicle on every single road computer driven cars are just not feasible, in my mind there are just far too many on-the-road variables, with all the logic in the world you cannot beat a brain. Now computer assisted driving is already available in certain Mercedes models which brake for you if your not looking where your going and your too close to the car in front, but there is still a driver in control of the car, or is there. What if for some reason you wanted to get closer to the car in front, you needed to get closer to the car, if you didn't get closer to the car something terrible would happen to civilization. Where do you draw the line with vehicle automation?

In advanced cities of the future CCTV will be so prevalent that visible crimes such as car theft are all but wiped out, but that still won't stop the determined thief. GPS (Global Positioning System) units fitted as standard to all new automobiles will be able to track any vehicle at anytime anywhere, this technology is already common but more widespread use is inevitable. In the UK the government is already talking about fitting GPS to charge motorists depending on what road they travel on and at what times to cut spiraling congestion. This technology coupled with an improved mobile phone and bluetooth network can be used to track and recover stolen vehicles. When the vehicle is found to be stolen a call can be made which shuts down the engine of the car. At the same time a call is sent out which alerts available nearby police, by using the GPS installed in both the stolen car and the police car officers can track the car even if they cannot see it. The police will also have much more insight into a vehicles record when out on patrol, using bluetooth technology a police car can tail a vehicle and receive information on the owner, the current driver and their driving history, and even find out recent top speed and acceleration figures. Of course who wants that, you think you've just had a fun little blast on your favorite bit of road you get pulled over five miles later and the officer gives you a speeding ticket for something he didn't see. But if this technology is mandatory then what choice do you have.

Access to future automobiles may be very different to the keys of today, push button code entry and keycard systems where the key doesn't even leave you pocket, already available, will become common place. You hear the term keyless entry but it still uses a remote control attached to a key which is then used to start the car. Biometrics which are available on some computer systems and use fingerprinting as a password could be an effective alternative to the key, you could even program it for members of your family deciding between access only for the children or access and drive functions for those with licenses. However I belive it will be some time before this is the only means of vehicle entry or start up, what if you are lending your car to a friend and you cannot be present to allow start up.

Multimedia systems will continue to develop in cars until the point where the "are we there yet" phrase develops into "can we stay here". Manufacturers are continuing to cram more and more video screens into increasingly ingenious places providing a rolling cinematic Dolby 7.0 surround sound experience. DVDs are going to go the way of the VCR with hard disk recording of video being the dominant power much as MP3s are killing off CDs. This MP4 technology will save space in the car and allow for far more footage to be kept on board. Improvements in wireless Internet connections could mean that the larger roads can support Internet capable vehicles and constantly inform the driver with up to date relevant road information. A screen in the dash can display live images to show traffic reports and also predict traffic jams by using the GPS systems in all vehicles to show areas where vehicles have been stopped or are congested, and then supply alternate routes. The sound systems of cars will also improve and become more personalised for the various passengers, with headphone sockets and multiple sound outlets, there might be four different radio stations that can be played at once through the different jacks, and a variety of MP3s that can be played at once.

Passenger safety is already a priority for modern day car manufacturers and this will only increase in importance into the future. The widespread use of airbags will increase, the side impact protection airbags featured in some models have proved to be extremely effective in saving lives, more research and better positioning will continue to improve their performance and reliability. Airbags at the moment can only be deployed once so in a multiple collision crash their effectiveness is voided after the first impact, future airbag systems however may take this into consideration and incorporate multiple single use airbags in one position or reusable airbags which can be inflated several times. Some manufacturers use a dynamic headrest in some high-spec models, these move forward during a collision to stop the head snapping back quite so far and reducing the chance of spinal injury (whiplash.

It has been found that a vehicles bumper and frame height is a very important factor when it comes to safety during a collision, if a vehicle has bumper which is too high it can override the bumper of the other vehicle and plough directly into the passenger compartment putting the occupants at severe risk. Accidents like this usually occur when a average size car collides with a truck or SUV, this mismatch can be avoided by having adjustable ride heights on the larger vehicles, when they are on a smooth road lowering the vehicle to a suitable height would reduce the dangers normally associated with these sorts of collision, as a by product this would also reduce the top heavy nature of trucks and SUVs and rollover accidents could be avoided.

Sensors will be increasingly responsible for predicting and safeguarding against avoidable accidents. Sensors will monitor the road surface scanning for black ice and hazardous conditions, this information will then be displayed to the driver and the vehicle may take appropriate steps to improve traction thus reducing the chance of an accident. The information gathered may also be relayed to a central road monitoring network which can inform other motorists of changing weather conditions, in effect every vehicle would become a roving weather station.

Sensors will also monitor the cars position on the road and if the vehicle is found to be straying from the road or traffic lane an alarm would sound this feature is already found on the Citroen C4 amongst others. Sensors could also monitor the drivers well-being, imaging sensors would track eye movement and if the eyes close for more than a few seconds an alarm would sound to alert the driver. Audi uses sensors on its new A6 which monitor for wet conditions, if found the BOSCH brakes are applied intermittently to wipe off the water and ensure good contact when they are needed, the pressure applied in this process is so slight the driver does not notice. Improved night vision and spatial awareness would help cut down on night time crashes which account for half the road related fatalities each year even though only a quarter of all driving occurs at night. Cadillac already includes infrared night vision as an option on some of its more desirable models, infrared vision does not see light it sees heat and the warmer an object is the more it stand out on the screen. The screen is a heads up display projected onto the windscreen infront of the drivers line of sight allowing the driver to see the real world and also the digital projection. Honda has a similar system with the added ability to identify objects and pick out pedestrians and digitally highlight those which are likely to step into the vehicles path and then emit an audible warning.

New materials are constantly brought into the automotive field, in 2005 Chrysler Daimler began using biological composite materials made from coconut, sisal, jute and other plants. This biological material is used mostly on the interior of the car and finds its way into seat cushions, seat backs, underfloor body panels and interior door panels. One of the benefits of using these biological compounds is that they can be recycled and reused and the manufacturing process involved is far more environmentally friendly than that of conventional synthetic compounds. Ceramics first used in braking by Porsche are becoming increasingly popular, although still very expensive limiting them to exclusive vehicles. The benefits of using ceramics is their high tolerance to intense heat making them suitable for high performance vehicles, and where the heavy use of the brakes is needed regularly. Their ability to perform under these extremes help reduce the brake fade associated with exessive use and high temperatures. Materials first such as carbon fibre and carbon kevlar first used on race cars and famed for their high strength and lightweight properties have now filtered down to the production car level, mainly in high-end vehicles but in due time these composites will begin to appear in the average car, cutting weight and increasing fuel economy whilst maintaining structural rigidity.

In the future car designers will have to explore new themes and find alternative influences for their designs. In an effort to catch peoples eye the designs will have to be increasingly bold and brash often sacrificing the aesthetic balance of the design in attempt to be different in an increasingly 'done before' market. This is not to say all designs are going to be hideous, just some. Another influence to exterior design will be made by law as stricter pedestrian protection laws are enforced requiring the front ends of cars to be 'softer', this thinking has already been introduced on some models, overall though it is difficult to project how this will ultimately affect the face of car design. With the increased use of alternative fuel sources such as the hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen combustion engine, vehicle bodies may begin reflect the green nature of their power. However I belive this to be a mistake. The Honda Insight Hybrid might have been more of a success had it not been utterly repulsive, people were already wary of its power source and to then make them vomit in disgust at its styling is just not intelligent. Why do all the eco-friendly cars look like a 60's psychedelic nightmare, why can't they just look like a decent concept car with an alternative engine. Things seem to be improving however and BMW's H2R is an undeniably stunning vehicle if somewhat impractical. And hybrid technology is finding its way into mainstream prodution vehicles as an optional power source.

The interior of vehicles will also change, becoming more user friendly and personalised. Ergonomically positioned controls and lumbar support seats with adjustable everything will come as standard to increase driver and passenger comfort and reduce chronic pain and discomfort. Customisable and personalised interior space will also become desirable features on the future automobile. Just as you swap mobile phone covers an entire dash could be swapped to match your mood, if your a little bigger than average why not fit an XXL seat in two easy steps, the possibilities will be endless in order to cater for an increasingly demanding consumer.

Alternative power sources for vehicles are becoming ever more popular. Government incentives will eventually force all but the super rich into environmentally friendly cars, no problem, by then fuel cell cars will be just as rapid as their fossil fuel counterparts but with none of the mess or stench. However it may take some convincing to get a 'petrol head' to put down his piston and pick up a proton exchange membrane cathode, its just not the same is it. Eventually common conventional fuel cars will become classics and extremely sought after by collectors, but not for a long long time.

Find out more about concept vehicles, designs, current vehicles, and strange vehicles at diseno-art. com/

Home based business wannabe s survival guide part 2

Online marketing and in particular, direct sales is one of today’s fastest growing industries. It’s an honorable business that’s filling a great demand while providing a far better than average income for those who persevere and desire to succeed. Sadly, because there are large sums of money being earned in this industry it will inevitably attract a selection of scumbags and bottom feeders who’ll use their dubious talents to take advantage of people.

In my previous article, Home Based Business – Wannabe’s Survival Guide I outlined three useful guidelines a marketing newbie can use to avoid be taken to the cleaners when looking for an online business opportunity. I’d now like to expand on those guidelines and provide a greater detail on what to look for when you research a company, its products and marketing system. Sooner or later you will have to trust your gut instinct to tell you if you’re on the right track but by following this advice, you can save time, your hard earned money and avoid many of the common mistakes.

CHECK THE FINE PRINTClick on the company’s website. Check out their vision and mission statements. Do they even have one? What’s their long-term vision for growth? This may sound insignificant but any legitimate company will take this very seriously. They will go out of their way to show that they are above the majority and have definite substance and appeal by laying their out their cards for you to see.

Do a web search to check for bad publicity. Any company will have complaints (there are certainly unscrupulous folks who will invent “scam” claims in order to lure you away from legitimate opportunities to whatever they have for sale so please beware). But bad publicity will kill a company in short order so look for patterns of complaints. If there’s a history of bad publicity, it’s likely for a good reason.

Here’s an instant red flag for you. If your prospective company’s headquarters are located offshore in the Caribbean or Panama, this is likely done for a specific reason and that reason may not include benefits to your business.

BE A PRODUCT OF THE PRODUCTI mentioned this in the previous article, but it bears restating; check out the products to make sure they’re legitimate stand alone products. If it’s not a product you would purchase without the marketing system behind it – DON’T BUY IN!! Again, think long term sales and profits. Would you feel good buying this product if it was just the product? If the answer’s no, it’s a money game not a legitimate business and your chances of success just plummeted.

You know you’re probably on the right track when you find a company that makes its revenue strictly from the sale of its products. If your prospective company spends more time and resources pushing incidental items like lead sales than it does its products; if they have large monthly charges for things like duplicated websites; or if they are big on pushing you into “alliances” with partners where they get a cut of the action, chances are the products are not their main focus and neither is your success. You have every right to ask blunt questions about who’s getting your money. If you’re not satisfied with the answer, tell them to take a hike. There are too many good companies online to waste your time and effort dealing with shadows, hype and promises. At the very least demand to talk to a few of their consultants who’ve been with them for several months to get the inside track. Check out the training and support offered to get an idea of the culture of the company. Keep in mind that a company that sells you their product up front and offers little in the way of continuing training and support after the fact has already made a profit from you and might be more inclined to move on to the next pigeon rather than focus on you.

MONEY IN YOUR POCKETMy advice is to avoid any company that makes you pass up the first few sales before you receive commissions. This goes back to the fact that once they and your sponsoring consultant have your cash, they’re less likely to be there for you. Remember, this is your new career and you have to think long term. Just like the companies, if you’re serious about long term growth you want to look after your customers because they’re your source of residual profits for years to come.

The financial and lifestyle benefits of a successful online home based business are outstanding The bottom line is if you can find a company with great products, a solid financial foundation and a vision for the future combined with a legitimate compensation plan that allows you to earn what you feel your effort is worth, you should pursue it with everything you have. It will be the last position you will ever have.

In the WANNABE’S SURVIVAL GUIDE PART 3 I will outline a reasonable cost for starting an online home based business and the vital mental requirements of being successful in this business. As former New York Yankee great Yogi Berra once said. 90% of this game is half mental. It’s not harshly difficult to make a lot of money as an online marketing entrepreneur, but there are certain similarities the ultra successful entrepreneurs share and you need to know. I wish you all the best of success.

Tips to stick to your diet

It has happened to all of us at some point or another: we were doing so well with our weight loss diet or exercise regime. Then suddenly we fell off the horse and decided that if we had already gone this far we might as well give up entirely.

There's an old Chinese tale about a father and his son who lived on a farm. Together they raised sheep and cared for them. They lived off of these sheep and were able to make money from the sheep's fur. Every day both the father and the son walked around the field where they were raising the sheep to check that the fence was in good order. One night, the fence broke and some wolves sneaked into the field and ate some of the sheep.

The son cried out to his father saying that all was lost and that they were now ruined! But the father simply picked up his tools and took his son to the fence to patch it up. Once the fence had been fixed, the father told his son that just because there was a weakness in the fence it does not mean that it cannot be fixed nor that it is impossible for them to keep raising sheep.

Your diet or exercise regime is like sheep, it is always at risk of violated or destroyed. The fence represents your will power and your circumstances. It might happen that you're too busy to go to the gym or go jogging every morning for a period of time. It might happen that you were forced to stop at a fast food joint on the side of the high way. It might happen that you cave in to eating some chips, some chocolate, or any one of your other cravings. But that doesn't mean you should give up and let your sheep continue to be eaten by wolves. After you've stuffed yourself with what you know to be unhealthy food: stop and think about it. It's not the end of the world.

If you go end up on a binge of food, you don't need to eat more bad food to "get it out of your system", to feel better or to make sure it never happens again. You will be faced with times where you want to eat something unhealthy, or you want to sleep in and skip your step class. No problem, but don't let that one incident ruin your motivation or your commitment to your diet or exercise regime. It happens to everyone, but if you're one of the people who is able to pick yourself up and fix the fence you'll be able to keep losing weight and get healthier.

I hope this story has helped you to understand that not all is lost if your resolve waivers for a day or a week, or what have you. You are the boss of yourself and you can chose to return to eating healthy foods and working out on a regular basis without any fear. Trust in yourself and make sure you keep your eyes focused on the goal since that's what keeps us all motivated.

Two in one in microwave oven

One of mom's greatest assets in her kitchen is the oven. It takes in different features and usage. The conventional oven was primarily used in baking, heating and drying. Today, the microwave became a vogue to chefs and in the households, makes cooking and heating a lot faster and easier, with highest degree of convenience.

If you look few years back, you can't imagine yourself roaming around the house, especially in the kitchen without the modern-day appliances. It is unthinkable; we went thru the discomforts without those before.

Present conveniences in the homes are favorable to housewives and domestic assistants, be they working moms, or non-working. Kitchen appliances reduce work pressure and tension. Operations either in touch, push button, and mere switching denote big leap in the development and growth in the industrial environment.

Reviewing from a series of most advanced novelty techniques from among different manufacturers in home appliances, you'll never find one owner of a certain brand who had not gone thru great expense, energy, time and effort just to achieve top quality products that would enhance overall acceptance.

The microwave oven with a lot of trials from the beginning came up with one that outstands beyond expectations. The creation of the microwave propped up without intent. Incidental in its start, it had soared its way to global popularity because of a series of iterative regressions, discarding previous trials in production stages; bridging towards the latest usage-input, durability, and design.

Ensuing of Combination Microwave Oven into the Market

Combination microwave post-opted the convection oven. By dauntless efforts to regress the older models that were inferior in design, materials' durability, functions, easy operational know-how, and advanced capabilities, efforts were never futile.

Improved cooking features as heating, broiling, roasting, microwave grills exceed points of considerations. Inventories to search on how several models to devaluate or render obsolete reached no point of drawbacks. The result is a revolutionary front of a new model with the combination of microwave and the convection ovens complimented with everything that draw acceptance on general patronage.

Basic features include (1) cavity, (2) cooking, and (3) Programming features.

One brand name NEFF (United Kingdom), note exhibit sample of combination microwave oven:

1. Cooking Functions - Microware, Hot air, Hot air grill, Full surface/center surface grill, 41 automatic cooking programs.

2. Features - 24-hour lead clock, Clear text display, Drop down door, Push button and Rotary Controls, Stainless Steel interior, Interior light, microwave stirrer, 5-Power level microwave (90-180-360-600-1000), InnoWave Technology for more even cooking, Rapid heat facility, Child safety lock, self-cleaning back liner, and cooling system.

3. Standard Accessories - 1 flat wire shelf, 1 full width enamel tray

4. Available in Black, White & Stainless Steel

There are countless combination microwave but specifications of the above-named type present a general view of all. Somehow, differences will vary according to adaptability in usage of certain place and culture.

The formula the guru s use to market online

You see it in action every day, but have you ever taken a moment to pay attention to what todays online marketing "guru's" are doing, rather than just what they're saying?

If you have, then you should be having no problems making money online, because the best way to become successful is by copying what other successful people are doing.

Well, in case you haven't studied what these successful online marketers are doing, here's a breakdown of the basic formula...

First of all, you need a product or service. If you don't have something to sell, how are you gonna get paid?

If you don't have your own product or service, an affiliate program allows you to get paid for promoting someone else's products or services. They usually give you your own unique website url to send referrals to, and when one of your referrals makes a purchase, you get paid. It's really quite simple.

When choosing an affiliate program, you should always look for some things about the company that runs it. For example, how long they've been in business; memberships they have with resolution companies such as The Better Business Bureau, Online Business Bureau, etc; how much and how often you'll get paid; among other things.

The next thing you need is a website to promote your affiliate program. Yes, most of the time you'll be given a website url to promote the affiliate program, but using this as your main site will set you up for failure before you even begin!

There are quite a few reasons for this, the biggest one being that you have no control over the content on that site. You can't keep track of your web stats, you can't optimize it for the search engines... you can't do anything but promote it!

Basically what you want to do on this site is "presell" people to the product or service... make them want to buy! Give them reasons they can't go without it, or how much better life will be with it... give them bonuses if they order... use your immagination! Many times, even just recommending the product or service works best if you do it right.

Sometimes, an affiliate program will pay you for the commissions of people that you refer to the affiliate program, as well as to the product or service. In this case, you'd also want to make a page on your website that "presells" people to the affiliate program.

The next thing you need is an autoresponder. This is, by far, the most important part of running an online business. With an

autoresponder, you can keep in contact with anyone who signs up to receive your messages for as long as they remain subscribers.

Use your autoresponder to let your subscribers know of any specials, updates, etc. about your product, service, or affiliate program. This will keep your product, service, or affiliate program fresh in the minds of your subscribers, and this will lead to many more first time sales... and even better... repeat customers!

Finally, you'll need a "lead capture page". Simply put, a "lead capture page" is the page you use to subscribe people to your autoresponder. You'll want to "presell" people to your autoresponder the same way you do for your product, service, or affiliate program.

This is just a breakdown this formula. To take a look at this system in action, and learn how to set up and successfully run this entire system right now for free, visit my site at the url below. Pay attention not only to what I'm saying, but also what I'm doing for maximum results!