Saturday, January 31, 2009

Car Seat Safety Laws For Children

Having your child restrained properly in a car seat, booster seat or seat belt is very important. Not only does it give your child a better chance of withstanding an accident but it is also the law. Laws vary from state to state as far as age, weight, height and what type of seat the child should be restrained in. So you should check with the state you live in to find out what the laws are for that particular state.

However the best rule of thumb is to follow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) guidelines. The NHTSA recommends that children stay in appropriate car seats through 8 years old, 80 pounds, or up to 4'9 in height.

Birth to Age One

For birth through one year of age, NHTSA recommends that infants should be an infant-only or rear-facing convertible seat and should ride rear facing up to one year of age or at least 20 pounds. Rear-facing seats should be at a 30 to 45 degree angle.

It may be hard for some parents to drive with their infant facing in the opposite direction. It almost seems unnatural not to be able to see your baby. But just as it is important to support a newborn's head as you cradle them in your arms, it is also important that their head and neck be protected in a vehicle. Since baby's neck muscles are not fully developed all those bumps in the road, twist and turns and sometimes-sudden stops can really impact a tiny baby. The rear-facing seat helps minimize these motions for the baby. You can purchase some mirrors to use so that you can keep an eye on your baby while they are in the rear-facing car seat.

One to Four Years

Children 1 to 4 years old and weigh 20 to 40 pounds should be in a convertible or forward facing car seat.

Four to Eight Years

Some states only require children to be restrained in car seats until the age of four. However, seat belts usually don't fit most four-year-olds properly. The NHTSA recommends that children who are 4 to 8 years old and more than 40 pounds, should be in a belt positioning booster seat either backless or high back.

Eight Years and Up

All children under the age of 12 should ride in the backseat. Never seat an infant or child in a position where an airbag can be deployed. When used with seat belts, air bags work very well to protect teenagers and adults. However, air bags can be very dangerous to children, particularly those riding in rear-facing car safety seats and to child passengers who are not properly positioned. Even in a relatively low-speed crash, the air bag can inflate, strike the car safety seat, and cause serious brain and neck injury and death.

Remember to Follow Manufacturer's Instructions

Always read and follow manufacturer's instructions. If you do not have the manufacturer's instructions for your car safety seat, write or call the company's customer service department. They will ask you for the model number, name of seat, and date of manufacture. The manufacturer's address and phone number are on the label on the seat. Also be sure to follow the instructions in your vehicle owner's manual about using car safety seats.

Stay safe and find the best deal on the auto insurance coverage you need. Visit us today for money-saving tips, free auto insurance quotes and helpful car insurance advice at http://www.AutoInsuranceRatesDirect.com

By Levi Quinn

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Baby Toys


There are a lot of important things to remember about buying baby toys for your baby. If you are buying toys for someone else's baby make sure you buy toys that are safe and toys the parents won't object to.


What are some of the best toys for baby? I'm glad you asked. Let's review some of the best baby toys available out there.


Alphabet Blocks are standard equipment of the well-stocked baby toy box. They have been one of the best developmental toys for centuries. Alphabet blocks appeared as early as 1693, when the philosopher John Locke pointed out that dice and play-things, with the letters on them to teach children the alphabet by playing would make learning to read a more enjoyable experience. A century and a quarter later, Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel, a museum curator who pioneered kindergarten, introduced geometric solids carved from wood. Known as Froebel's gifts, they soon led to alphabet blocks.


Parents may like them because they have educational value, but children like them because of their colors, the pictures on them, and their numbers, patterns, and symbols look nice piled up. These baby toys will always be a hit.


DVDs that teach letters and numbers. With today's technology we can move up to other ways to keep babies entertained, while teaching them the alphabet and their numbers and more. DVDs are perfect for teaching the letters and numbers to your little ones. It's amazing how babies and toddlers pick up letter and number recognition skills through these DVDs.


Toys that move with just a little help from baby. Toys like the Press N Go Inchworm, Tumble Time Tigger, and Carousels with lots of small moveable features that stay attached to the larger toy are great choices for your baby. They are colorful and with all those things that move, they can keep a baby entertained for hours.


Soft Dolls and Stuffed Animals are always a favorite. Make sure when you buy these baby toys, you check for loose parts, like eyes, buttons, and other parts that can be pulled off too easily. But babies love things that are soft, so choosing stuffed animals or soft dolls are a wonderful choice.


Colorful, Educational Books, introduce numbers, counting and equations to babies, toddlers and older kids. Lots of different activities are possible with these books, including number recognition, counting and more. As baby grows older, more possibilities emerge.


Baby Activity Belt; Hands-free entertainment is a valuable thing for busy parents! The Busy Belt is a portable activity center that allows parents to run errands or even ride a bike while baby plays contentedly. The rattling, squeaking and music-playing animals hold baby's attention, while the small mirror and picture frame provide familiar faces for gazing. Since the Busy Belt buckles around a parent's waist or onto a stroller or shopping cart, this is one toy you won't have to pick up several times when baby is at the toy-flinging age.


We hope the Tips on buying Baby Toys gave you plenty of ideas for what to get baby. There are more tips for buying Baby Toys at http://babyport.info Take time to choose the right baby toys and it will be very much appreciated by both parent and baby.

About the Author

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Downturn in New Home Sales for June

Sales of new homes were down 3% in June, with May's sales revised downwards.

June saw a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.13 million new homes sold in June. This was slightly below the market prediction of 1.16 million.

May's numbers were revised down from 1.23 million, reported last month, to 1.17 million. This indicates that the housing market is seeing quite a slowdown after five years of record growth.

While the downturn in housing is now undeniable, there is much uncertainty as to the net degree of drag this will have on the economy, said Michael Gregory, an economist for BMO Nesbitt Burns. This will be one of the key things to watch during the months ahead, as it will partially dictate whether the Fed pauses through autumn.

Sales are down approximately 18% from last summer's peak. Year-to-date sales in the first six months of 2006 were down 11.9% when compared to the first six months of 2005.

Sales are set to decline further so that they better approximate the signal being flashed by the home-builder survey, said Josh Shapiro, chief economist for MFR. He added that the home-builder survey has plummeted 46% in the past year.

The inventory of unsold homes has risen by 0.7%, to a record 566,000. This represents a 6.1 month supply at June's sales pace. Homes not under construction yet represented 19.8% of the inventory -- the highest percentage since 1991.

Builders are reportedly cutting prices and offering incentives in order to keep inventories from building. They are up 24% from January.

Builders have also cut their profit outlooks for the years. Cancellations are reportedly rising and confidence is at a low.

The median sales price is up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis, at $231,300, according to the Commerce Department. This is the weakest gain in three years.

It can take six months for a sales trend to emerge, says the govermnet. New-home sales have averaged 1.13 million for the past six months. The six-month sales average has fallen seven months consecutively.

Martin Lukac represents http://www.RateEmpire.com and http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate and mortgage rates. We specialize in daily updates, mortgage news, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies!

Monday, January 26, 2009

In Commercial Real Estate Always Get an MAI Certified Appraiser

The appraiser that you hire for your commercial investments before you buy can have a great impact on the amount of money you spend and your chances of getting funding from a lender. Most lenders will not accept just any appraiser. If you get an appraisal with an appraiser that a lender does not accept, you have just wasted your time and money, and you are no closer to getting the property you want.

In the world of commercial real estate, not all appraisers are considered equal. It takes a certain expertise and knowledge to correctly appraise commercial property, and not just anybody is qualified. There are two types of appraisers, a fee appraiser and a staff appraiser. A fee appraiser is generally available to the public for hire, and a staff appraiser works for a specific lender or lending firm.

Let's look at what makes a qualified appraiser and how they can help you purchase the property you want with as little hassle as possible.

It is common practice for a lender to appoint the appraiser that is to appraise the property in question. This practice is in place because there are dishonest buyers who work with certain appraisers that will inflate the property's true value. This, in turn, allows the buyer to borrow more money than what a lender would normally allow, thus increasing the lender's risk.

Inflating a property's true market value is surprisingly easy because appraisals are simply guesstimates of a property's true market value. They are interpretations based on the surrounding property and selected criteria. An appraisal can be ?fixed? according to a person's interest. That is why the two parties must not have any prior dealings or common interest in the subject property.

A very widely used and accepted type of appraiser is one that is certified by the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers. They are members, making them M.A.I. designated. Most lenders will require that you use only an MAI appraiser. These MAI appraisers have gone through intense study, years of practice, and have had to perform under tight supervision while appraising many different properties.

Most MAI appraisers will not conspire with a borrower because there is too much to lose and too much invested in their practice. For this reason, most lenders will accept MAI appraisals regardless of whether or not they know the appraiser personally. For the most part, lenders will have trusted appraisers that they work with all the time, and will require that you use only their appraisers. Be sure to get clarification on this issue before you hire an You can trust MAI appraisers to perform an accurate evaluation of your prospect property. With this appraisal, you will be able to get the proper amount of money loaned on the property and not come out short.

It is always a good idea to research your appraiser and view some of the work that he or she has done in the past. The appraiser and the appraisals should be of the utmost professional quality because so much is riding on their appraisal. Even if it costs you more money, always use an MAI appraiser to avoid problems with the lender and unnecessary expenditures.

MAI appraisers are crucial to your commercial real estate investing endeavors, and can carry quite an impact on the money that can be loaned to you. To get the money you expect from a lender, use a MAI appraiser every time!

Tony Seruga, Yolanda Seruga and Yolanda Bishop of http://www.maverickrei.com specialize in commercial and investment real estate. As of May, 2006, they and their partners are managing over $600 million dollars worth of new projects.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Essentials of the Exhaust System and Its Exhaust Parts

For any and every person who owns or drives a car, the exhaust system is among the most essential parts of an automobile that one shouldn?t be remiss in learning about. The said system performs two vital functions: first, it disposes of the dangerous engine gases from the vehicle. Second, it reduces the noise made by the escaping gases. The exhaust system is incidentally regarded as a safety device because it transports the carbon monoxide to a point just behind the passenger compartment before it releases them to the outside air. Among the dangers that defective exhaust systems pose is the inevitable seepage of the gases into the passenger compartment, an event that could lead to headaches, nausea and even irritability. Exposure to huge doses of the gases can also result into a loss of consciousness and in some extreme cases, certain death. One thing that car owners must remember is that, because the exhaust system is responsible for cutting down on the noise, disproportionate engine rumblings are an absolute, dead-giveaway that the car is in immediate need for the services of a reliable auto shop.

In addition to its two primary functions, an exhaust system that works well is quite a boon to the emission control system of a vehicle because it enhances the behavior of emission control devices. And of course, vice versa since if the exhaust system is faulty, then problems?and not benefits?abound. For instance, restrictions in any of the exhaust pipes or mufflers can directly result into a loss of power for the car?s engine and misfiring. Such incidents, in turn, have ill effects on the precise calibration of the exhaust emission control system, which, in turn, still affects other systems of the car. Everything works through a series of connections so that one mishap, one tiny little problem in any of the exhaust parts could evolve into a huge problem that might cause thousands of dollars to repair. It is for this reason that an exhaust part that is in good working condition is quite the thing to have. Besides, in this day and age, the importance of having exhaust systems, and therefore of exhaust parts, that work without trouble, that last and endure, is fairly well known. With so many media campaigns in every possible medium, society, it seems, cannot stress it enough.

Principal exhaust components include the following: exhaust manifolds, exhaust pipes, muffler and resonator, tailpipe, as well as miscellaneous clamps and brackets. In addition, inline engines commonly have a single manifold with a corresponding system of pipes and mufflers that leads to the rear of the vehicle. Vehicles that employ v-type engines, on the other hand, have two manifolds and have the option to work with either a single or dual system of pipes and mufflers. Still, however certain of your exhaust system you are, the need for regular inspections should not be underestimated. Some problems might be too minute to take note of and could escape even one?s careful scrutiny. In every case, it is always best to let the experts work on what they do best rather than for one to attempt to carry out a task that one has only little knowledge of.

Chantal Smith is a 35-year old mother of 3 who owns a local auto parts store in Detroit, Michigan. Used to be an employee of Chrysler, she decided to put up her own parts store to attend more to her children. Visit exhaust system for more information.


Saturday, January 24, 2009

Science vs. Healers

Sherry (My ex) had a couple of problems of a medical nature. Her hypoglycemia had been miss-diagnosed and she had been given massive cortisone shots that I believe had contributed to the cancer that resulted in the partial mastectomy. I got her off caffiene and through the power of LOVE she was healed in two years. Women are not treated as men are when it comes to medical treatment; as well as every other aspect of misogyny in society. My studies of wholistics and hermetics were becoming quite extensive and alchemy founded and continues the real science. I am going to quote two authors from quite different sides of the fence.

Sherry (My ex) had a couple of problems of a medical nature. Her hypoglycemia had been miss-diagnosed and she had been given massive cortisone shots that I believe had contributed to the cancer that resulted in the partial mastectomy. I got her off caffiene and through the power of LOVE she was healed in two years. Women are not treated as men are when it comes to medical treatment; as well as every other aspect of misogyny in society. My studies of wholistics and hermetics were becoming quite extensive and alchemy founded and continues the real science. I am going to quote two authors from quite different sides of the fence.

These books are recent but representative of the studies I was engaged in as well as giving the reader an insight to the continuing problem of censorship and supposed 'expertise' that prevents a great deal of truth. David Depew and Bruce Weber of MIT wrote 'Darwinism Evolving' in 1995 and it says on pages 492 & 493:

They also made it harder for the scientific worldview to be received with equanimity by other sources of culture. Indeed, since the reducing impulse undermines fairly huge tracts of experience, people like Wallace, who feel deeply about protecting phenomena they regard as existentially important, frequently conclude that they have no alternative except to embrace spiritualism, and sometimes even to attack the scientific worldview itself, if that is the only way to protect important spheres of experience that have been ejected from science's confining Eden.

In response, scientists and philosophers who feel strongly about the liberating potential of a spare, materialistic worldview began to patrol the borderlands between the high-grade knowledge scientists have of natural systems and the low-grade opinions that in the view of science's most ardent defenders, dominate other spheres of culture and lead back toward the superstitious and authoritarian world of yester-year. 'Demarcating' science from other, less cognitively worthwhile forms of understanding was already a major feature of Darwin's world. A line beyond which the Newtonian Newton was a Rosicrucian who achieved the status of an alchemist per Haeffner's 'Dictionary of Alchemy') paradigm could not apply was drawn at the boundary between physics and biology. We have seen how hesitant Darwin was to cross that line and what happened when he did. Twentieth-century people are sometimes prone to congratulate themselves for being above these quaint Victorian battles. They may have less reason to do so, however, than they think, for the fact is that throughout our own century, the same sort of battles with emotional overtones no less charged, have been waged at the contested line where biology meets psychology, and more generally where the natural sciences confront the human sciences. Dualisms between spirit and matter, and even between the mind and body, may have been pushed to the margins of respectable intellectual discourse. But methodological dualisms between what is covered by laws and what is to be 'hermeneutically appropriated' are still very much at the center of our cultural, or rather 'two cultural', life. Cognitive psychologists and neurophysiologists are even now busy reducing mind- states to brain-states, while interpretive or humanistic psychologists are proclaiming how meaningless the world would be if mind is nothing but brain. Interpretive anthropologists are filled with horror at what would disappear from the world if the rich cultural practices that seem to give meaning to our lives were to be shown to be little more than extremely sophisticated calculations on the part of self-interested genes. Conflicts of this sort would have given Darwin stomachaches almost as bad as the ones he endured over earlier demarcation controversies.

These authors use the term hermeneuts much as the early 20th Century supposed scientists ridiculed the quantum physicists by calling them 'atom-mysticists'. Hermeneuts is a new epithet for alchemists such as myself who OBSERVE and try to fit ALL the facts together and don't eject anything 'from science's confining Eden'. This quote continues to raise the spectre of the 'Bible Narrative' and Bishop Ussher whose late nineteenth century proponent was Wilberforce.

The rhetorical pattern of these battles is still depressingly similar, in fact, to Huxley's confrontation with Wilberforce. Hermeneuts ridicule scientists like Hamilton, Dawkins, and Wilson when they suggest that nothing was ever known about social cooperation until biologists discovered kin selection. Reductionists in turn criticize hermeneuts, now transformed largely into 'culturists', for bringing back ghosts and gods, just as their nineteenth-century predecessors were taxed with being 'vitalists' every time they said something about the complexity of development. Humanists identify scientists with an outdated materialistic reductionism. Scientists insist that hermeneutical intentionality is little more than disguised religion.

Perhaps, a way out of this fruitless dialectic between the 'two cultures', can be found if each party could give up at least one of its cherished preconceptions. It would be a good thing, for example, if heirs of the Enlightenment Credited to Bacon, Shakespeare, Jonson and others with an alchemical background. would stop thinking that if cultural phenomena are not reduced to some sort of mechanism, religious authoritarianism will immediately flood into the breach. They should also stop assuming that nothing is really known about human beings until the spirit of reductionism gets to work. Students of the human sciences have, after all, been learning things alongside scientists ever since modernity began. Among other things they have learned that humans are individuated as persons within the bonds of cultures and cultural roles, they are bound together with others in ways no less meaningful and valuable than the ways promoted by strongly dualistic religions. By the same token, it would be helpful if advocates of the interpretive disciplines would. abandon a tacit assumption sometimes found among them that nature is so constituted that it can never accommodate the rich and meaningful cultural phenomena humanists are dedicated to protecting, and that therefore cultural 'ought never' to be allowed to slip comfortably into naturalism. Humanists seem to have internalized this belief from their reductionist enemies, whose commitment to materialism is generally inseparable from their resolve to show up large parts of culture, especially religion, as illusions. These opponents, we may safely say, take in each other's laundry.

I wonder if these authors and their reductivist buddies are aware that all humanists are not without the ability to incorporate hard physical science to an even higher factual degree than they do. The quantum physicists like Wigner (Nobel laureate), Schrdinger and Heisenberg think that humanistic richness is robbed by reductionist unspiritual thinking. The global reifying thrust of materialism (Dr. Boddy of U of T, anthropology) is hopefully, in due course, going to return to a global deifying thrust of spiritualism. The only REALITY is NATURE and it assuredly includes ALL observable facts not just the 'Toilet Philosophy'.

If I may be allowed to quote someone who tries to keep an 'open mind' and use WHATEVER WORKS even if it isn't 'modernity'. I choose to quote a wholistic doctor by the name of Zoltan Rona who has his M.D. and M. Sc. He edited the 'Encyclopedia of Natural Healing' in 1997 which says on pages 33 and 34:

It is misleading to call the natural health movement alternative medicine as is often done. Natural Medicine is considered the founder of contemporary Western medicine. What we now call modern medicine is actually an aberration, the result of social change at the dawn of industrialization in the eighteenth century.

He continues to discuss one of the greatest alchemists of all time whose books I found contain the key to understanding how to make the Philosopher's Stone. He does not identify Paracelsus as an alchemist due to cultural bias against alchemy that has led to many of them being burned at the stake. He says on pages 34 & 35:

PARACELSUS (1493-1541)
At the close of the Middle Ages, Paracelsus dared to challenge the orthodox medicine of his day, which, like today, had abandoned the teachings of Hippocrates Another alchemist. and become bogged down in superstitious, dogmatic practices. With the dramatic successes he achieved through observation and deduction to discover nature's latent healing powers, Paracelsus revolutionized medicine for centuries.

Born Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim He used some other names in conjunction with these such as Phillipus Aureolus. in Switzerland, this courageous genius had the early opportunity to accompany his father, a physician, on his rounds. He learned the value of observation and became acquainted with herbs and medicinal plants. In his university years, Paracelsus appreciated the critical spirit which reigned in Ferrara, Italy, compared to the close-mindedness in universities in other European cities. He was not content to limit himself to academic knowledge. He learned what he could practically from professionals and anyone else who had something to teach him about how to use the latent forces in nature. Due to his healing successes, notably in treating the plague, he began to gather a large following.

After returning to Basle, Switzerland, Paracelsus saved the leg of the rich printer Frobenius from amputation by applying his knowledge of nature's inner healing power. Paracelsus became Basle's official physician and was offered a professorship at the University of Basle. He soon ran into trouble with the authorities due to his blatant criticism of modern medicine. In a dramatic gesture Paracelsus burned the books of the medical authorities. Within several months he was forced to flee the university and found himself wandering penniless. . For the next eight years he lived with friends 'and worked on his manuscripts. The publication of DIE GROSSE WUNDANTZNEY in 1536 restored his reputation, and his fortune turned once more. Paracelsus became wealthy and was sought after by noblemen and royalty.

His actions against the sins and demons origins of disease and illness mirror the free medicine and knowledge of the Gnostic Cathars a couple of centuries earlier that led to their genocide in a crusade that was won by the new head of the Dominican Order of the Catholics. Man, Myth, and Magic promotes the MYTH that alchemy was dominated by hermits in pursuit of wealth and gold from lead. They say that Paracelsus was poor and proof that no Philosopher's Stone was ever created and that alchemists were greedy failures. This author says 'Paracelsus became wealthy' but that assuredly was not his purpose and when he died he had only one special goblet to give to someone who he knew understood its value. Continuing to quote Mr. Rona:

Paracelsus attacked the dogmatic belief of modern doctors that the human body is controlled exclusively by the stars and the planets. He insisted upon the right to discover latent powers of nature by daring to use his faculties of observation and imagination. He stressed the healing power of nature, and raged against modern methods, such as wound treatment that prevented natural drainage of bodily fluids.

One of Paracelsus's most important medical discoveries concerned the treatment of syphilis. He maintained that syphilis could be treated with carefully measured doses of poison mercury compounds taken internally. This contradicted all medical opinion of the day, but he was proven right. Paracelsus was the first to show that, if given in small doses, the cause of an illness also cures it. This discovery was an anticipation of the modern practice of homeopathy. In the summer of 1534, Paracelsus cured many people in the plague-infested town of Stertzing by applying the same principle.

At the time of the Plague the Flagellants were part of the Catholic hierarchy; they were burning Jewish people in cities across Europe. Men, women and children were surrounded in their neighborhoods and burned. The genocide in Rwanda that was initiated by the hatred' fostered by the Roman Catholic Church' according to the July 2000 report released by the Organization of African Unity is little different than the holocaust. The Catholic fostered anti-Semitism that was politically useful to Hitler (or Mississippi Senator John Stennis of the House Un-American Activities Committee) who was a Catholic and never ex-communicated; has been used throughout recent history to empower the Empire-builders from the Holy Roman Emperor Constantine to this very day. Yes, I know the Pope has meekly apologized, but the behavior continues. The 'War on Women' founded in the 'original sin' of St. Augustine and formalized at the Council of Carthage in 397 A.D. has far reaching influence across sociological norms in the Judaeo-Christian-Islamic complex. Thus we can see this author correctly uses the word courageous when referring to Paracelsus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author of Divere Druids
World-Mysteries.com has many of my books


Friday, January 23, 2009

Oregon Commercial Real Estate

Real estate is broadly categorized into two types. This includes residential and commercial real estate. As the name suggests, the latter revolves around sale and lease of property that is intended for use in trade and business. This includes a wide range of business opportunities including shopping malls, gas stations, car parks and office buildings. The Oregon commercial real estate market is huge and encompasses innumerable viable plots and property.

Oregon commercial real estate could refer to an empty plot of land, a building, a store or multiple shops, or even a park. The instant any property is to be used for a business purpose, it is categorized as commercial real estate. Oregon commercial real estate includes land, as well as anything that is permanently built or fixed onto it. These fixtures include nursing homes, buildings and fences. They also refer to pipes, plumbing, heating devices and light fixtures that are inbuilt or fixed on the exterior of a building. Commercial real estate can be purchased, sold or rented as required. Such commitments prove to be profitable for real estate agents who deal in them. Since commercial real estate deals with profitability in the long run, entrepreneurs do no rush into such commitments. It is important to find an Oregon commercial real estate property that is feasible and can help increase trade.

Price points for Oregon commercial real estate depend upon their location. Areas that are established as commercially profitable are categorized within higher price brackets, as compared to others located in developing areas. Their rates are calculated differently from residential real estate. A number of Oregon real estate listing companies have dedicated commercial real estate databases that are easy to access and designed to help clients find a viable property in a short time. Before finalizing an Oregon commercial real estate deal, it is important to ensure the property is not blacklisted and all fixtures within it are in compliance with state regulations.

Oregon Real Estate provides detailed information on Oregon Real Estate, Portland Oregon Real Estate, Bend Oregon Real Estate, Oregon Coast Real Estate and more. Oregon Real Estate is affiliated with Denver Real Estate Agents.


Thursday, January 22, 2009

Whitewater Rafting Natural Hot Springs and Backpacking are Just a Few Adventures in Ouray CO

Colorado offers the traveler a panorama of activities and delights for all ages and to suit all tastes. That is not an exaggeration! There?s not another small town in Colorado that offers the variety of things to see and to do and one-day trips through the most spectacular mountain scenery. Whether you?re a single person looking for the physically challenging activity or the mom and dad wanting to share age-appropriate recreation and excitement with your children, Ouray, Colorado, meets those needs. A week is not too long to schedule for this ?Gem of the Rockies.?

You may discover your greatest challenge is to do all you want to do in a week. So, what will it be today? For certain, it will begin early. If only once in your lifetime you take a brisk jog or a meandering stroll just as the sun rises over the surrounding peaks, you?ll know that the next few days in Ouray will begin early. Then indulge in one of the finest breakfasts available anywhere. What next? Take a walk down to the Natural Hot Springs Pool for the morning, or reserve that for later to soak out the knots in our legs from backpacking one of the many hiking trails? Or take a Jeep tour over Imogene Pass at 13,000 plus elevation, have a snowball fight, and then tour the gift and rock shops? OK, get the picture? Ouray is the center for fun and excitement for all.

Granted, the majority of activities are outdoors, but the rock and gift shops offer gems and art, and it?s never very far to a hot tub or nature slide show. Even though this mountain hamlet with a population of approximately 800 swells to a few thousand visitors a day during the peak summer days, that doesn?t mean that there?s no quiet and solitude for the weary of body and soul looking for some healing. Quiet aspen and spruce groves and cascading waterfalls provide a wonderful balm and escape from the stresses of our hectic lifestyle. And again, the natural hot springs work wonders!

This is one little town of Western Colorado, tucked back in a box canyon, that is just plain hard to beat. Do your research first (http://www.cedarviewresources.com in the articles section) Check the calendar of events. Look over the providers of jeep trips and gold mine tours. If you?re really adventurous, rent your own Jeep. Don?t overlook the neighboring communities that provide interesting day trips into the past gold and silver booms, legendary ski resorts, first-class Indian ruins of Mesa Verde, and the Durango-Silverton narrow-gauge train.

Is camping your thing? KOA hosts a beautiful camp north of town along the Uncompahgre River and the US Forest Service provides camp sites south of town with a bird?s eye view of the valley below and canyon walls surrounding the valley. Now there?s just no excuse! Plan a week, or at least 3 or 4 days to savor the beauty of Ouray. This is one place you will want to revisit, guaranteed!

Donald Pyle is a husband, father, and grandpa with experience in education and interpersonal relations. He specializes in helping others plan and realize their travel needs and their dream vacations. He is a certified referring travel agent, association specialist, and CLIA certified http://www.CedarViewTravelResources.com


Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Why Do People Cheat?

People usually cheat because there is a conflict between their physical and emotional desires, said an article I read on the Internet, and it went on to talk about the sex drive (which comes from the reptilian brain) and the emotional monogamous need, which has only been around for a few thousand years.

The reptilian brain has been around for millions of years, the limbic brain less than that, and the neocortex, still less than that. Those are our three brains, in evolutionary succession. The drives and instincts from the reptilian brain are very strong because theyre related to survival reproduction being one of them.

But the sex drive isnt the only instinct coming from the reptilian brain, and monogamy not the only societal restraint put on these drives, and when we fail to mitigate some of these instincts, to think them through before acting upon them, we always end up cheating ourselves, others, and the best deal in the situation.

Emotional intelligence is all about using all of our brains and their capacities. We will always be assaulted, so to speak, by feelings we cant, or shouldnt act upon.
And shouldnt isnt always a bad word.
Should you kill someone because they anger you? Of course not. What stops you from doing it? The thousands of years of evolutionary brain development, the constraints of the civilized society in which you live, and your ability to use your limbic and neocortex brains.

It is a rare parent, for instance, who will do willful damage to their own child, no matter what damage they cause. This is because the limbic brain controls the emotions of social bonding and parenting, and then we also have the neocortex which allows us to think. The catch is, we have to STOP and THINK. We understand when our toddler slams us across the nose with a brick all the things that we understand, while were seeing stars before out eyes, and our parental instinct is stronger than our desire to lash back, even when in pain.

Emotions predate thinking, and are stronger. Theyre our guides and keep us safe and alive. But they arent always appropriate to living in this century. We can no longer eat what annoys us. When we get strong emotions, we can be hijacked, because theyre designed to shut down thinking. If, back when these instincts developed, we stopped to think, we would be dead.

Consider, for instance, if a wooly mammoth were headed your way. The brain pumps out chemicals saying fight or flight, because it doesnt want us to take the time to think. This triggers automatic responses we turn and run, or turn to fight, with all systems on full alert.

You know this feeling if youve avoided a car accident by very fast and automatic actions. Being a cerebral type, the thought even flashed through my mind as I slammed on the brakes the other day to avoid being blind-sided by a driver who mustve been drunk or stoned, that cake on the back seat is going to be all over this car. But slam the brakes and steer for dear-life I did, long before I thought, at least in terms of the seconds it takes to save your life.

People talk about this phenomenon, BTW, saying things like My life passed before my eyes. Its like you think, but it isnt connected to action, and theres a very distorted sense of time. If youve had it happen, you know what I mean. There are times when time stands still.

One strong emotion that hijacks us is anger. Say youre at work, tired and pressured to begin with, and maybe its too hot inside with no air circulation, and maybe the colleague you have to team with on a project isnt your favorite to begin with. If he says to you something that is, or is perceived to be, an insult, you can get hijacked and cheat yourself, the other, and the goals of the project.
You stop thinking and start yelling back, or walk out, and the project is left far behind in the dust and damage may also be done to the collegial relationship.

Must you react to this strong emotion of anger? Sometimes men say they couldnt help hitting their wives because she made me angry. The counter to that is think about it if Mike Tyson made you that angry could you help hitting him? I think you will agree with the statement that even the strongest emotions can be controlled in your self-interest, and stopping to think makes it clearer what your self-interest (and the general good) is.

Another strong emotion like this is fear. If you become intimidated by someone, that is to say scared, you will also get flooded with emotion and not think clearly. Youll cheat again yourself, the others, and the goals.

You know this feeling if youve ever received terrible news. I sat with someone as her doctor told her she had cancer and it was terminal, and the person did not absorb what was being said. Two weeks later she asked me why something was being done, and I had to tell her the news the doctor had. As a self-preservation measure, her brain just shut down.

So how do you keep from cheating? When the emotions are strong, note them, and experience them, but dont react immediately. Respond instead. This means putting a gap between the stimulus (the angering person or event) and your response (action). You can do this first of all by becoming aware. Self-awareness is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence. Without it, there can be no emotional intelligence.

You need to be able to observe yourself and recognize a feeling as it happens. Then handle it appropriately, realizing whats behind it and finding ways to manage fear, anger, anxieties and sadness. Then channel the emotions in the service of the goal, using emotional self-control, stifling impulses and delaying gratification. Finally, you have to be able to do this about the other person, being sensitive to their feelings and understanding their position, and, when necessary, managing the emotions of others using social competence.

Those impulses will always be lurking around. Cheating is an option, not a necessity. Its your ability to choose that gives you Personal Power, an EQ competency, and your freedom lies in that space between the stimulus and the response.

Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . I offer coaching, distance learning courses and ebooks around emotional intelligence for personal and professional development. For daily EQ tips, send blank email to EQ4U-subscribe@yahoogroups.com . i train and certify emotional intelligence coaches. Get in this field, dubbed white hot by the press, now. Classes starting monthly, no residence requirements.


Monday, January 19, 2009

Travelling safely with your child


Travelling safely with your child


When you have children your priorities change and you suddenly have to be completely responsible for someone else's life. A small child relies on you completely for its protection and welfare. A child's safety is particularly important when travelling. It is the drivers' responsibility to ensure that all passengers are properly strapped into the car, especially children until they can be taught to strap themselves in.


Every year around 30 children between the ages of 0 and 11 are killed in car accidents, 450 are seriously injured and another 8,000 are slightly injured, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). Many of these children could have been spared from injury if they had been properly restrained in the car they were travelling in. For example in a crash at 30 mph where a child is unrestrained they would be thrown forwards with a force of between 30 and 60 times their own body weight. There is no substitute for a proper child seat that is fitted according to the manufacturers' guidelines. Holding a child without restraint is dangerous as it would be impossible to hold on tight enough to them in the event of an accident.


A car seat is the only really safe way to transport your child in the car. There are different seats you can buy according to the size and weight of the child. You must buy a seat that is appropriate and get advice on fitting it in your car. Not all car seats fit in all cars so you should check with the retailer before you buy, that your seat is suitable for your car.


To help you buy the right seat for your child we've put together a list of hints and tips to follow when buying your child's car seat.


Tips for buying a car seat


*First of all you should make sure that every car seat you consider meets the United Nations standard Regulation 44.03 and carries the 'E' mark that verifies this.


*Look at the range of options available. Manufacturers have websites that list details of their car seats and also lots of information on safety and helpful user guides. Here is a list of some of the leading car seat manufacturers.


http://www.britax.co.uk/


http://www.mamasandpapasonline.com/


http://www.maxi-cosi.com/


*When you are buying a car seat for a newborn baby there are two options available to you. You can either buy a rearward facing seat which is suitable until your child weighs about 10/13kg. These are often supplied with buggies and can be lifted in and out of the car. You can also buy a two-way seat which faces inwards for about the first year and then outwards until the child is around 150cms tall. If you go for the rearward facing seat you will need to buy another seat for the child when it grows and possibly a booster seat in between for a child that weighs 15 - 25kgs


*Not all car seats fit all cars so find out which ones are suitable for your vehicle and then follow the instructions very carefully


*The car seat should be light and comfortable to carry. This will make it easier for you to take your baby in and out of the car


*It seat should be well padded for the child's comfort and have good head support as a small baby cannot support its own head


*You should never put a rearward facing car seat on a seat where there is an active airbag because if the airbag inflates in an accident it could kill your baby. Many cars allow you to disable the passenger airbag


*Never buy a second hand car seat as like motorcycle helmets you cannot see all damage that may have been sustained in a previous accident


*Make sure the seat doesn't wobble about at all and feels very secure, you could check this every time you put the baby into the seat


*Check the seat for wear and tear and for any harnesses that may be twisted


*If you are a member of the AA or the RAC then you can speak to one of their technical advisors and find out exactly how to fit your car seat. Call 0990 500600 for the AA and 0990 313131 for the RAC


All new car seats will have to meet the International Standards Organisation FIX (ISOFIX). This is a new standard for fitting car seats and lots of new cars will have to have ISOFIX fitting points which will enable the seat to be literally plugged into ISOFIX points in the car. This will make fitting car seats much safer and much more straightforward. Studies have shown that many car seats are not fitted properly so this will mean that children will be much safer in the future.


Car accidents happen all the time so it is better to be safe than sorry. Make sure that your child's seat is fitted correctly and that your child still fits the seat, this will help prevent injury in the event of a road traffic accident. If you are involved in a car accident that was not your fault and you or your child are injured then you may be able to make a personal injury claim.


For more information visit www.wheelsatonce.com and get free legal advice and assistance following a car accident.



-ENDS-


Editorial notes:


Wheelsatonce provides help to hundreds of people who have been involved in non fault accidents. They can organise a compensation claim, a replacement car, repairs to your car and if you need the services of a breakdown company they can also get your recovery and storage account paid.


Visit www.wheelsatonce.com or call 0800 78 38 846

About the Author

Author:
Sophie Evans - www.wheelsatonce.com
Call 0800 78 38 846 for more details

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Real Estate Forms Your "What's Hot" List

If you are involved in real estate, you know that no matter how simple the deal is, you will be tasked to prepare several documents, all of which are integral to its successful completion. If you miss out on one or a couple of the necessary supporting papers, your real estate transaction could be delayed, or worse, be rendered void. Even if it is time consuming and tedious, you really have to spend time poring over these papers, making sure that everything is in order and nothing is missing.

However, securing all the right papers is not that easy. To complete one real estate transaction, several forms are required and, if you are not that familiar with the business, you will, most likely get mixed up. You can ask professional real estate agents to help you complete all the necessary requirements, but they may ask that they be paid a professional fee for their services. Aside from the additional financial cost this will entail, you will have to adjust according to their schedule. If you are under time constraints, you also cannot afford to waste precious moments setting up meetings and schedules. If you are burdened with these conditions, it may be best if you did things on your own.

If you decide to attend to your real estate related business on your own, you don?t have to be overly afraid of missing out on the documents you need. There are websites that have been established with the aim of assisting consumers who opt to handle their real estate transactions themselves. These sites not only give valuable tips and information on how to properly market and sell their properties, they are also sources of all the necessary forms and documents needed in all kinds of real estate related arrangements.

To further aid the ordinary consumer, some of these real estate related websites have gone the extra mile by first categorizing all the documents according to what transaction these are for (selling, leasing, etc), then these forms are then further listed based on importance or popularity. Through this process, even the greenest of consumers will not find it difficult to select the forms they need.

If the form you need is not amongst the top ten or fifteen documents on the ?what?s hot? list, there are specific tabs which one can click and the full listing of all the pertinent real estate documents will then be shown.

If you are still wary about conducting your real estate business on your own, prior to any marketing activity, make initial consultations with a real estate officer or a lawyer. During this meeting, ask them what the standard procedures are and take note of these. Ask as much questions as you would like, and clarify what forms you will need and what these are for. Once you have all the details you need, you can now proceed with your business with caution. Just before the end of your real estate business, you can opt to verify the accuracy of all the information you have written on these forms. Bring drafts to the real estate agent or your lawyer and have them checked. When he gives you the go signal, you can then finalize all the details.

The availability of legal real estate forms on the internet allows you to minimize your contact with professionals, who normally charge clients by the hour.

Gloria Smith, a former licensed Real Estate Agent owns, runs and created LegalHomeForms.com, a website that was designed to offer consumers instant access to the most sought after types of real estate forms. The cost having instant access to over 60 downloadable real estate forms is roughly the same as what you would normally pay a professional to create one document for you. For a full listing of real estate forms, visit: http://www.legalhomeforms.com/list.htm.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Why Kids Toys Are For Kids

Why Kids Toys Are For Kids

 by: Jennifer Gove

I have made a discovery in my adult life, kids toys were made for kids. Now I know you may be puzzled about this because we all have sat down and played with our children, but if you peer deeper into this issue you will see as I do.

Lego Mines

Tell me why it is a child can run blind folded through a room littered with Legos. Yet me I carefully navigate threw the room watching my step, stepping like that of a cat carefully then it happens. I step down onto one of these plastic toys and it rips threw my heal. Of course that sends me to the floor only to have Legos sticking me in the rear. These blocks were not intended for adults.

Play Doh is wonderful, entertains the kids for hours, the mess it not to bad if you can stand the smell of the stuff. You have to love it though as a fashion statement. Where you sit in it unknowingly and you wear it on your hind side to the store. Of course you see this handsome man looking at you fanny, and you prance about feeling young and exuberant , only to get home and have you husband point out the gray blob of play doh stuck to your bum.

My kids like many other love to color, who would have though a pack of 96 crayons could be an issue, well if you have toddlers about you better love the arts because you walls will have plenty of art. The kind your cant remove unless you want to spend hours scrubbing think layers of the wax off your walls. But the very best thing I LOVE about crayon is how the melt in a car on a hot summer day. Like the time we took a trip to the beach, a lovely day it was. The kids happily colored in the back seat then we got there swan and came back to a car with a puddle of wax in the back seat.96 crayons and a huge colorful melting puddle. Six car details later you can still see our lesson it nice tints of yellows purples reds and greens.

Hot wheels are great, ya gotta love any thing that sends kids into a fit of move the fridge my car is under there. Or how about how they act as little unsuspecting roller skates that send you flailing across the room failing about the room.

My favorite is the super balls. That pelt about the room like little rubber bullets. They send you running for cover. Then they roll awayleaving your kids screaming you can never find these things once they go out of your site. I have eight kids. They love these little rubber balls. Of course they bounce them at a high rate of speed that only a child could get out of one of these things. I can tell you .They HURT!!! They ignore my pain and scream ear splitting head cracking screams to chase the balls that is theirs or the one they wished was theirs. Little arms searching wilding for the lost balls. Cries of anguish for those that are missingYou dont have to remind mein the adult world kids toys are for kids.

About The Author

Jennifer is a stay at home mother of eight and owner of Http://simplymoms.com . A wonderful parenting site just for mothers that offers - Forums, Chat, EDD Calculator, Baby name finder and more!


admin@simplymoms.com


Thursday, January 15, 2009

Atlanta Apartments

The population of Atlanta's metro area is almost 4.2 million people, with nearly 420,000 living in the city of Atlanta. You find a variety of lifestyles in its 28 distinct counties and their smaller neighborhoods. Atlanta's thriving housing market offers something for everyone. You spell out your needs and Atlanta is ready to fulfill them. Mixed-use developments, high-rise condominiums and loft spaces are the current trends.

Before finding an accommodation in Atlanta, first choose the setting that would suit you the most. The factors to be considered are likely to be your children's school, the amount of travel to reach your workplace, and a friendly and comfortable neighborhood. You will find many realtors and apartment search firms ready to help you in that process.

The options Metropolitan Atlanta offers in respect to housing are quite large in number. From multistoried luxury apartments to well-appointed subdivisions or older tree-lined streets to warehouse lofts, Atlanta offers you a wide variety.

You can find many affordable apartment homes spread across Metropolitan Atlanta. You will have to spend depending on your location, work or recreation requirements. Average monthly rent is less than the national average but the apartments still offer consumers more amenities.

A number of apartment homes are located near office parks, making commuting easier. More historic-style apartments dominate the in-town area, but the picture is different in the downtown area, which is ruled by modern luxury apartments.

For a first-timer, purchasing a home can turn out to be a complicated and often confusing process. Mind you, the task of obtaining finance is no easier even for an experienced buyer. While choosing the home that caters to your needs, you must also consider which lender to seek help from. Different lenders will offer you different loan products, types, services and personal attention. Try to find someone well trained in the mortgage business with profound knowledge in the type of mortgage you want to use.

Atlanta Apartments provides detailed information on Atlanta Apartments, Loft Atlanta Apartments, Atlanta Apartment Rentals, Cheap Atlanta Apartments and more. Atlanta Apartments is affiliated with Apartments for Rent in Chicago.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Computer Backgammon


The first strong computer opponent was BKG 9.8. It was programmed by Hans Berliner in the late 1970s on a PDP-10 as an experiment in evaluating board positions. Early versions of BKG played badly even against poor players, but Berliner noticed that the critical mistakes the program made were always at phase changes. He applied basic principles of fuzzy logic to smooth out the transition between phase changes, and by July 1979, BKG 9.8 was ready to play against then current world champion Luigi Villa. It won the match, 7-1, becoming the first computer program to defeat a world champion in any game, although this was mostly a matter of luck, as the computer happened to get better dice rolls than its opponent in that match.


Beginning in the late 1980s, creators of backgammon-playing software began to have even more success with a neural network approach. TD-Gammon, developed by Gerald Tesauro of IBM, was the first of these computer programs to play at or near the expert level. This program's neural network was trained using Temporal Difference learning applied to data generated from self-play.


This line of research has resulted in two modern commercial programs, Jellyfish and Snowie, the shareware BGBlitz (implemented in Java), and the free software GNU Backgammon, that play on a par with the best human players in the world. It is worth noting that without their associated weights tables which represent hours or even months of tedious neural net training, these programs play no better than a human child.


It is interesting to contrast the development of backgammon software with that of chess software:


For backgammon, neural networks work better than any other methods so far. For chess, brute force searching, with sophisticated pruning and other refinements, works better than neural networks.


Every advance in the power of computer hardware has significantly improved the strength of chess programs. In contrast, additional computing power appears to improve the strength of backgammon software only marginally.


For both backgammon and chess, it is at present unclear whether the best computer or the best human is best overall. For most other games, one or the other is unambiguously stronger.
About the Author

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Child Safety is Not Ignored in a 2006 Honda Accord


When purchasing a new car, do you consider safety above all the other decorative features? If you have children, your answer should definitely be yes. Most parents use their cars every single day, often with their children riding along. For this reason it is so important to always be aware of your child's safety while riding in the car. Automobile crashes are the leading cause of unintentional death among children under the age of 14, which is why it is surprising to hear that up to 14% of children are still riding unrestrained in cars.


Your children are the most important investments you have. What measures are you taking to guarantee your children safety while riding in a car? One step you can take is to be sure the car you drive offers only the highest level of protection. The 2006 Honda Accord is a reliable vehicle that not only meets all government regulations, but exceeds expectations on all safety features. Every feature emphasizes protection for children, including the LATCH and Child-Seat Anchors and the Front Side Airbags with Passenger-Side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS).


LATCH and Child-Seat Tether Anchors

By law, children must be restrained at all times while riding in a car. Child car seats are extremely effective at reducing the risk of death. In fact, they reduce the risk of death by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers. LATCH, standing for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, is a new car seat attachment system that was developed to make child car seats easier to use and safer. With LATCH, you no longer have to use seat belts to secure child car seats in your vehicle because of the lower anchors and attachments that are built into the car. This will make car seat installation easier and more secure. Most vehicles built in or after 2002 will have LATCH.


The 2006 Honda Accord is built with the outer rear seats featuring the LATCH system for child seats. It consists of 2 lower anchors and a single top tethor to make sure the car seat is properly mounted. It is estimated that about 85% of car seats are installed incorrectly. The LATCH system makes installation easy and completely secure. For car seats that are not compatible with LATCH, they can be safely mounted in the rear seat of any 2006 Honda Accord using the lockable seat belt retractor.


Front Side Airbags with Passenger-Side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)

The 2006 Honda Accord truly goes above and beyond any ordinary regulations with the safety features of front side airbags and OPDS. In the event of an impact to the side of the car, sensors will cause side airbag to immediately inflate. The airbag provide a cushion between the occupant's shoulder and door, ultimately protecting the driver's or front passenger's upper body from any significant impact. The OPDS uses a total of seven sensors in the front passenger's seatback to detect the height and seating position of the passenger. If a child or small-statured adult is leaning forward into the path of the side airbag, the sensors will deactivate it. The driver will immediately be notified by a warning light. Similarly, the warning light will turn off as soon as the passenger sits back in the upright position. This feature is convenient for parents with older children riding in the passenger seat. No longer are airbags a worry because of the advanced sensors that monitor your children for you. This feature is also built into the Honda CRV and Honda Odyssey.


The 2006 Honda Accord continues its tradition of being among the best cars on the market. Make safety your first priority with the 2006 Honda Accord. It will give you all the safety measures and precautions to keep your family safe.


The information for this article has been obtained from this Honda website.


About the Author

About the Author:Amber Sell is a Web Content Specialist for 10x Marketing in Orem, Utah. For more information about the 2006 Honda Accord, please feel free to contact SAM'S CLUB Auto today.


Monday, January 12, 2009

Science can be fun


In today's high-tech society it is important that children develop an interest in science at an early age and see that science is a part of our lives. By becoming comfortable with science at an early age, children can reap many long term benefits. Getting children interested in science does not take a lot of time and effort. Their natural curiosity will ease the way. Making it fun is the key element. The learning process in children happens through play. During play the world is not so threatening. Kids feel safe, secure and capable. They explore on their own. There is an old Chinese saying:
I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember
I do and I understand.
Information and knowledge gained from hands- on activities and self discovery remains in the long term memory.


There is no need for a special place or equipment for teaching science to kids. Most of the materials and equipment needed can be obtained in home, school, grocery store or local hardware store. Science activity can be carried out with a single kid or group of kids. It can be carried out whenever you want or wherever you want. For example when there is nothing to do and kids are bored. When the weather outside is not friendly. It can be carried out in the kitchen, in the garden, nature hikes, beach trips etc..


Science experiments in our house started in the kitchen. One day when I was baking cookies, my kids were helping. Curious as usual, they started asking questions. Why do we add sugar? Why do we add eggs? Why do we have to add baking powder? At that moment a bulb lighted in my head. We made some cookies without baking powder and compared. This became a hobby. We started experimenting with lot of things, sometimes purely on impulses. But we sure enjoyed that time. Some examples that quickly come to mind are: a) one day when we were folding laundry, some clothes had static. They made small cracking noises and stuck. We had fun learning and experimenting with lot of other things that produce static electricity. b) When we had gone to the beach we started talking about the sea/ocean water being salty and how salt is extracted from the sea water. Kids brought some sea water back home and placed it in sunlight in a shallow tray. In 2-3 days the water evaporated and they collected the salt crystals. The satisfaction in self discovery is incomparable. Without any prompting from me kids also experimented if saltwater freezes faster or tap water.


Looking at their interest, pretty soon me and my friend got together and started doing planned experiments with our children in a group setting. Kids enjoyed them and looked forward to the experiment days. Volcanoes and slimes were a lot of fun. When we did an experiment on coloring daisies, (white daisies if placed in colored water, pick up that color. In a few hours their petals start showing the color in the water) it did not end there. Pretty soon more flowers got experimented on and then came the question Why some flowers pick up colors faster than the others? One day while we were weeding in the garden we had an amusing finding. There were lots of Lady Bugs on one particular type of weed. That led us to the information on how and why certain bugs favor certain plants or animals. Similarly different kinds of rocks found in the garden piqued kids interest and we ended up doing a project on rocks.


I was happy to see that I had achieved what I was aiming for: 1) Questioning of observed events leading to finding information. 2) Promotion of independent thinking and reasoning process in the versatile young minds.


This first step Science is fun can be followed by the next more exciting step, where kids learn that Science is also an adventure and challenge. It often requires some detective work and it requires learning of a methodical step by step approach to solve problems. This approach is called The scientific method. The steps in a scientific method can be roughly outlined as follows. 1) If you have to solve a problem start by collecting data. Read books, talk to people, and make observations. 2) Brainstorm- Spend time looking over and understanding the information collected. Have discussions if you are working in a team. 3) Make predictions. 4) Design and carry out experiments. 5) Analyze your results and derive conclusions.


It is a lot more fun to do these activities in a group or as a team. Parents or friends can be very good companions. As kids grow up participation in science fairs can also bring a good learning experience.
So parents get involved with your kids science activities and share with them the excitement of being a scientist and an explorer. Kids will know that science can be fun. Once they get interested they will keep thinking, investigating and inventing for ever.



Dr.Kanchan Bodas
Editor
www.springboardmagazine.com

About the Author

Sunday, January 11, 2009

?Chocolates Beer Bikes & Barges? ? Adventures for Singles Belgium & Holland 2006

We arrived to cosmopolitan Brussels with 3 lost bags and 1 missing person. One suitcase went to Moscow but all caught up eventually. Janice and I led a perfect size group of 39, not too big to get lost in or too small for comfort.

Each July trip draws school teachers who have loyally followed me around the world and they do love Europe. We began with a light orientation tour in the historic heart of this capital, followed by a tour of the Chocolate Museum. I found this boring, but the tastings were great.

After a nap at the Sheraton, we enjoyed a welcome dinner at Chez Leon, a typical Belgium Brasserie located on the charming ?Rue de Restaurants.? You can get mussels in Brussels, but not brussel sprouts. And the french fry as it was invented here. Our menu consisted of egg puff pastry with Ardennes mouseline sauce, Flemish beef stew in Grimbergen ale and a dark chocolate mousse cake on a bed buttercream which was a culinary masterpiece never to be forgotten. I always say that a loud group is a happy group, but I think their decibel level here may have been due to their indulgence of amber ales. 428 different types are brewed in this country including a popular new blueberry beer. Later we scattered like chickens into the Grand Place which is considered by most to be the worlds most beautiful square. It comes to life at night every July with a light show and various unlicensed entertainers. One young lady is dressed in candy tempting men to buy a bite.

If it?s Tuesday, it must be Belgium. After breakfast, we began our morning walking tour of the 17th century Grand Place. It was actually 8:30 Sunday morning and I marveled that in over a dozen visits here, I?ve never seen this place so empty. It echoed in silence as tourists slept and the locals were gone for holiday. Sunlight brilliantly flooded the gothic cathedrals, classical facades and art nuveau houses. We were alone and it was breathtaking.

We then visited the famed confectioner ?Planet Chocolate? that opened especially for our group. Pedestrians peered in the windows with curiosity. A great demonstration was given by chocolatier Jon, grandson of the founder of this factory renowned for producing 67 different flavors. We learned about the history of cocoa. The ancient Mayans considered it an aphrodisiac and Montezuma consumed it in copious amounts. It was made famous in Belgium by J. Nuehus who added the praline hazelnut cream. Each cocoa fruit contains 25 beans. The best comes from Ghana, Ivory Coast and Indonesia. We learned all about the roasting and fermenting processes. Jon expounded on how healthy his dark chocolate is with more magnesium and antioxidants. He even asserts that it boosts energy and thus helps you loose weight?convoluted thinking. It was however, once sold at chemists as antidepressant medicine and unlimited amounts were given to soldiers in wartime to combat stress. At the end of the lecture, silver trays of truffles were presented along with a cup of hot ganache, which tasted like chocolate soup. I never really cared for chocolate but it was infatuation at first bite.

Our next stop was Chocolate Manon which I was told is run by a ?chocolate nazi? who will lock the doors if we?re one minute late. This small factory concentrates on quality over quantity and fancy packaging. The educational presentation was given by the owner Christian, who is both serious and hilarious. He only uses the highest quality vanilla, sugar, butter and 70% cocoa powder. This is a real factory with enormous chocolate blocks piled high and brown drippings everywhere. Sorry Hershey?s, but the cocoa here is not replaced with palm oil, chemicals, coloring, vegetable fats and lard. This is as pure as it gets and it?s better than Swiss. They sell direct to Bergoff and Neimans in NYC. There are 443 chocolate factories in Belgium all with the competitive spirit of Tour de France between them. Godiva still reigns supreme.

Christian explained that white chocolate is really an oxymoron. It contains only milk, sugar, cream and 21% white cocoa butter. As he lectured, he continually dipped his finger in to vats to taste his latest batch, while quickly running back and forth with frenetic energy from molds to freezer. He has a true passion for his product and consumes about 250 grams or a 1/2 lb a day, yet is as thin as Calista Flockhart.

I love my job, but would swap a month with him anytime.Over 1000 fillings are used inside the hollow shells. One by one, hundreds of shells are filled by hand. Each piece is a mini-sculpture. We?re invited to squeeze the ganache pastry bags, but made a terrible mess and had to eat our mistakes. Nothing is discarded here. Even table scrapings will be remelted.

Dark chocolate can be stored up to 15 years and molded into any shape. We?re shown pictures of intricate violins, a woman?s formal dress and a life size dinning room table and chairs all made of chocolate.

Monday we toured this proud and regal city that is revealed in its royal palaces, cathedrals, museums and onuments. We see the headquarters of the EU and site of the 1958 World?s Fair with the massive silver Atonium. We photograph the Mannekin Pis. [I never understood the love of this small bronze statue but it represents Brussels. Perhaps it?s found in the irreverence of the artist. Paula was our guide for several days here. Her stellar knowledge brought the history of Belgium to life, particularly the time when King Leopold purchased the Congo as his personal playground. Paula deeply cared for her work and later invited us to visit yet another chocolate factory, but fully sated, we declined. For free time we dispersed into tiny alleyways to intentionally get lost. Some searched out beer halls or hot sugar waffles, as others shopped for tapestries at give-away prices.

Things become a bit blurry from here. I?d taken some great notes on napkins throughout and managed to loose them all enroute. But memory serves well as we head to the capital of Flanders and enchanting Bruges. This town is a complete UNESCO World Heritage Site with a tranquil character that can?t be described. The people have done so much to protect its medieval feel, it provides the magical affect of stepping back into time. It is called ?Little Venice? and we enjoyed a boat cruise through the veritable maze of old canals that led to the Lake of Love. We strolled through ancient squares lined with houses of gabled rooftops and various cathedrals of holy this and holy that. Horse drawn carriages filled the cobbled streets. We entered the neo-gothic Basilica of Holy Blood and climbed 365 steps up the Belfry Tower with its carillon bells that chimed so loud it could blow an eardrum. We visited the cities finest lace shop for a demonstration on lace making, which I anticipated to be as exciting as watching paint dry. It was however, quite fascinating watching the delicate work of this 500 year old cottage industry.

We viewed an 18th century handkerchief so intricate that it took 4 ladies nearly 10 years to complete! All for a distant royal bride to blow her nose on.

I think I walked 67 kilometers that day. (Life lesson #122- NEVER wears heels on cobbled streets.) Bruges is entirely cozy and colorful, as if stepping into a postcard. At a caf?, I splurged on a waffle topped with chocolate, fruit and ice cream, so far, so good. For our entire trip we were blessed with no rain and perfect weather.

I?m a city girl at heart and was happy to depart for Holland. William of Orange is our jovial driver who just loaded our suitcases that have now swelled to 71 pieces. This is a super double-decker with plenty of room for our 150 mile journey. I joked on the mic as we crossed the border into Holland that there will be a 3 hour time change and never to drink the water. Much to my surprise my dear novice travelers actually started changing their watches! We passed many Smart Cars manufactured by Mercedes and Swatch. These toy-like hybrid two-seaters are expensive, but so adorable. On arrival, we checked into the Novotel Amsterdam for 4 days of touring pleasure.

We boarded our private glass topped boat and cruised through a labyrinth of canals. Amsterdam has 140 miles in all. Our wonderful guide Marilyn commentated on the picturesque neighborhoods and unique architecture. I photographed the world?s skinniest house, built in 1664. It was 5 stories high and only the width of the front door! Many locals live on houseboats and the area starts to resemble a floating trailer park. Holland is about 100? below sea level. Pumps are used to constantly pump out water and basements do not exist.

The beer drinkers in this group loved the ?Heineken Experience? with plenty of tastings and virtual games all over this famous brewery. The shoppers liked the Coster Diamond Factory where we learned about cutting and polishing the precious stones. They locked us in a room with guards where a gazillion euros worth of diamonds were displayed. We each had are own agenda for free time. The art lovers explored the national museums of Rembrandt and Van Gough. Many toured Ann Franks House where one can really sense the drama as she hid from the Nazi?s in the tiny attic writing her diary. Others went to Edam for cheese and Delft for porcelain. I visited friends and indulged on Dutch pancakes of every style imaginable.

One day we visited Zaanse Schans, a typical village for total Dutch immersion. We began at the Ratterman Clog Factory where 3 million pairs are produced annually. They?re used for working in the fields and are still worn today. Wooden shoes do not stretch so how can locals proclaim these to be comfortable? I prefer my Jimmy Choo?s stilettos and instead buy tulip bulbs for souvenirs. We then visit a cheese farm and watched as they separated curds from whey. Here we bought enough wheels of flavored Goudas to make Wisconsin jealous. [We never considered the weight it would add later to our carry-ons. We explored the open air museum with a backdrop of working windmills. There were also small period cast farms with curious ducks, goats and sheep.

That evening I had dinner with a friend I usually only see once every 5 years. Paul says, ?Suzy, you are like a good old book in the library of my life that I tucked away. You re-enter out of nowhere. I dust it off and the memories return.? As we catch up, I thought I had some stories to tell but his life is as captivating as a best selling novel. He is an undercover agent in the Special Forces, trains Dutch combat troops in Germany preparing for tours in Kabul, works narcotics infiltration and is a body guard for the royal family. Kind of like Jack Bauer on ?24.? Everything is ?top secret? yet he reveals that he basically gets paid by the government to work out daily. Recently he transported orangutans form the Amsterdam zoo to freedom in Borneo.

The highlight of this trip for me was our 2 hour city tour on bicycles. We looked like a motley crew as we headed out into narrow cobbled streets and over countless bridges. As I peddled, I observed my group behind me. One woman is nearing 70, two are smoking cigarettes, Janice is talking to America on her cell and one unmentionable crashes into a car! She had to pay the driver for damages on the spot. It took complete concentration to cross the busy tram tracks. That morning we rode through Vodelpark and the Red Light district. It was interesting to see the prostitutes as they just woke up to get their coffee dressed in jeans and sneakers.

Holland is the land of the free. With prostitution legal, my group is most inquisitive on this matter. We laughed as Marilyn said,? Suzy, they all ask questions on sex. Are they frustrated??

I arranged a professional guided walking tour of the Red Light district in the oldest part of Amsterdam for the world?s oldest profession. Since the 1400?s, seamen would dock here to unload. Guides Gabriel and Shuert boldly led us through alleys of half clad ladies. No photos allowed. We?re told that some fear it?ll go out on the web. Our guides explained that some women are forced here nowadays and some are simply ashamed. Ladies differ in size, shape and color as we strolled through different quarters. On one street they?re all obese. We learned to identify the transsexuals by two things surgery can?t change ? an adam's apple and a straight waist. Tastes differ; the oldest woman here is 76 and only works in summer. Only half use protection and monthly health checks are required.

There are around 1000 prostitutes working 500 windows. They pay 150? to rent a window for 6-8 hours, and can make up to 450? per day. They pay taxes and can write receipts for services rendered. If the curtain is closed they are not on break. The area is flooded with tourists. Men pay 50? for 30 minutes, yet statistics reveal the average time spent is just 6 minutes.

We crossed ?Pill Bridge? named for the drugs pushed there and then toured the Erotic Museum with photographs and ?tools of the trade? dating back to the 17th century on display. As I pondered and stared at a metal chastity belt, Gabriel said ?that blacksmiths always had a spare key which came in handy when the husbands were away at sea.? She also insisted the Dutch were far less promiscuous than Americans. I was concerned about my ultra-conservative teachers but nothing seemed to shock them. After awhile, our senses were over saturated and it became dull. The saddest sight was seeing a ?heroin hooker?. She was emaciated with glazed eyes and so many track marks that she had to shoot it now under her tongue. Police cameras were everywhere 24/7, there is little crime and we felt totally safe.

Pot and hash are legal here in over 400 ?coffee shops? that sell joints and ?ganja-space milkshakes.? Locals told me they felt Americans were oppressed by too many rules and can?t understand how our drug companies can sell meds on TV.

Enough on the wild side, this is also the art capital of Europe boasting more museums per square foot than any other city. Marilyn gave us a quick art lesson in a nutshell. She explained that this is the 400 year celebration of Rembrandt (1606-2006). He came from a family rich in windmills. As a child, he was an expert sketcher. Later in medical school, he did anatomical drawings of corpses from criminals. He studied more and soon rose above the Dutch masters with the ability to capture light and shadows in paint. He always began with a black canvas. Though blessed with enormous artistic talent, he couldn?t manage his finances. He died penniless and was entombed in a pauper?s grave.

Van Gogh grew up a lonely child and was very attached to his mother. His hyper-critical father didn?t like his artwork. He went to Paris to study the impressionists. He was schizophrenic and when he had episodes, it was seen in his paintings that grew wilder and wilder each time. He cut off his ear and later committed suicide. His paintings were discovered stored away in his family home. We learned so much here.

Many think they?ve seen Europe, but miss the countries with the most charm. Here we were enveloped by history, culture and all that the Old Continent should be. Also this wasn?t a typical EU vacation with endless museums and cathedrals, but a creative itinerary which provided large fun. Total cost was $1175 plus air (www.AdventuresForSingles.com 877-813-9421 or in GA 770-432-8225). Everyone?s favorite stop was Bruges, but for me Amsterdam was an urban masterpiece. I found the Dutch far friendlier than other Europeans. This visit rekindled my love for the Netherlands, that tiny country with 2 names. This time I looked through new eyeballs with my teachers who were experiencing their first trip abroad.

It was a wonderful group. One couple connected whom we later labeled ?The Honeymooners? and I hope they last. In flight home on Delta, I noticed among my sleepy group that some were munching on their chocolates that were meant for gifts back home. And once in line at US Customs, some were proudly wearing their new, brightly painted, uncomfortable wooden clogs. I just have to do this trip again.




Saturday, January 10, 2009

All About Bullhead City Arizona

When searching for information about Arizona it is more than likely that you will come across one amusing fact: The largest freshwater striped bass caught in Arizona was at Bullhead City. It weighted 59 lbs. 12oz.. But bullhead city, Arizona has much more to offer you than fish tales. Bullhead City, Arizona has estimated 36,255 citizens in 2003 (up with 3 000 from 2000) and has relatively low crime. FBI reported in 2003 for a low 215 violent crimes and only 4 homicides, so the crime rate comes to 5.9 per 1, 000 people.

In 1990 there were 13,453 families in Bullhead city, Arizona and about 100-150 homosexuals living there. It is known that 17% of the residents have German origin, 16% are Mexican, 13% are Irish, 11% are English, 5% came from Italy and there are also people from France, Spain, Poland, Norway, Holland, Scotland, Sweden, Canada, Portugal, Denmark and Wells. There are also some Native Americans and African Americans. Even though the inhabitants of Bullhead City, Arizona are multicultural most of them are keen on the annual city celebration called Hardyville Days which takes place every October.

During this month Bullhead City, Arizona hosts cooking competitions, musical events, art-painting and sculpture awards, crafts fairs and parades. All these events keep everyone busy with their preparation. During the year the residents of Bullhead City, Arizona work so that they could get the reported income between $30,221 and $40,994. The inhabitants also use their free time to visit the local museums, read in the library, enjoy their newspaper and coffee which is of the Starbuck brand.

Bullhead City, Arizona is considered to be a tourist area, so it has two hotels, the Colorado River Museums and many retail markets. The city offers wonderful weather conditions - a reasonable 86 degrees F on the average. Bullhead City, Arizona was once called Hardyville, and then it was abandoned. After that it was resettled and renamed. Bullhead City has been a navigation point for riverboats first, then a gold-mining site. Now it is a lovely place for both tourists and inhabitants.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning properties. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Bullhead City Arizona

Friday, January 9, 2009

Nursing Comfortably Using A Breastfeeding Pillow

A breastfeeding pillow can be a perfect solution to ease the strain of sitting up and holding the baby soon after birth and during the entire period of nursing. Many mothers are exhausted physically after childbirth, after having gone through the various stages of pregnancy. Many mothers-to-be take the time and shop for a breastfeeding pillow as it ensures a healthy posture while feeding as well as eases the strain on them while nursing the baby.

Design Of A Breast feeding Pillow

It is shaped like the alphabet U and consists of an arched portion and two bolsters. It is usually easy to dismantle and the pillow and its cover are machine washable. It usually fits snugly around the waist of a lactating mother and maintains a correct height to ensure a good posture as well as to ensure correct latching. The best breast feeding pillows therefore are made of a soft and comfortable material, yet not too soft as to be uncomfortable with the baby sinking too deep into the pillow. It has to be washable and should not get lumpy on washing as it may then not be very useful. Some pillows have a waterproof inner cover to ensure that only the case needs washing and that the pillow remains free from dust and mites keeping it safe and clean for your baby.

It is a fairly common complaint that the back, neck and arms of a nursing mother are most strained while nursing a baby, but with a proper breastfeeding pillow such complaints may be a thing of the past. Many of these pillows are ergonomically designed to ensure that they protect the nursing mother from the most common complaint, back pain.

Uses Of A Breastfeeding Pillow

A breastfeeding pillow is not very expensive and is extremely useful. Many mothers-to-be use it even during pregnancy to rest their limbs, it even has uses after the nursing period! While the baby is trying to sit up the pillow offers it a cushion to sit in and play with. It is also great for mothers who bottlefeed the baby, ensuring the baby is held in the right position reducing the chances of choking etc.

It can be a perfect gift to give to your loved ones who are expecting and one that will be much appreciated. There are so many designs and brands available that expectant mothers enjoy shopping around for the perfect pillow that will be extremely useful to them.

It is recommended as a must have necessity of a nursing mother as it helps protect her from the after effects of maintaining bad posture while the body is recovering from the ordeal of childbirth. As the pillow takes away most of the strain the mother can enjoy breastfeeding her child and strengthen her bond with the baby. Relatively inexpensive and extremely useful, a breastfeeding pillow is indeed a must have accessory for a nursing mother.

A Breastfeeding Pillow helps the lactating mother to enjoy the process of breastfeeding her baby and to avoid complications such as back pain. Similarly Pregnancy Clothes as breastfeeding tops and breastfeeding covers are good for mothers. More information related to breastfeeding and pregnancy is available on Pregnancy-Period.Com


Thursday, January 8, 2009

A Review of Camping Heaters


Have you done any camping recently? What have you been doing lately anyway? When we are talking about fighting with the wilderness, there are so many things we should get to make nature more welcoming and cozy. Actually this is how I personally feel about it. To make myself feel comfortable in the wilderness I need anything from water-proof tents, to portable showers, campfire grills and camping heaters. I could go on but what matters is for you to determine what is the one thing you cannot live without when it comes to that bout with the wilderness.


I couldn't survive without my knife. It might be a little old-school but a knife is a must for me. You can surely find online everything you need for a fun and exciting camping adventure. How often do you take camping trips? Do you venture off on a camping once a year or you do it all year round? I regret to say that nowadays for my family it has become an annual thing, though we used to do it much often before. Now it is extremely hard to get away from work, school and other family functions so that you can enjoy spending some time in the wilderness.


Personally I have never been taking lots of camping supplies, it is evident that we've added quite a lot to our backpacks these days. Of course, my wife is to take the blame for that as she doesn't really like being outdoors. When we take a camping trip I know she will certainly take one thing- her modern camping heater. Have you ever heard of this item before? The truth is that camping heaters have been on the market for a while. However, they were only used in ice fishing tents. Despite that, my wife has to have it when we are camping. She is definitely the cold-blooded in our family as she is always shivering while I am sweating.


Thus, we have to take all the right supplies for our camping trips. I have to admit that my wife has to take that camping heater also because I insist on having our camping during the autumn or the winter when the weather is pretty chilly. In case you are not aware of it, camping in the cooler seasons is the best. There are no bugs and no poison ivy. So, if you are planning a camping tour consider my advice. If you don't know what supplies you might need or where to get them from, just hop online and search the Internet for camping heaters, tents, portable showers and so on. Get online and find the best deals.
About the Author

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning information. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Camping Heaters

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

AllNew NISMO 350Z Debuts At NYIAS

The Nissan North America, Inc. has officially launched it most recent addition to the legendary Z sports car clan. The automaker has proudly pulled the wraps off the all-new NISMO 350Z at the much-concluded New York International Auto Show (NYIAS).

NISMO is one of the leading providers of high-performance aftermarket parts and accessories for Nissan vehicles worldwide. This new NISMO 350Z is the fifth in this year?s 350Z Coupe lineup. The car features a comprehensively developed list of unique equipment such as the special body package and enhanced handling equipment. The vehicle is set to go on sale in July this year at Nissan dealers nationwide.

The most captivating visual feature of the NISMO 350Z is the aerodynamics package. The car is specially designed to resemble the Super GT championship winning Z?s. Moreover, the NISMO 350Z features an aggressive front fascia mated to chin spoiler and side skirts. It is also given an extended rear fascia with underbody diffuser and a rear wing to blend well with its powerful stance. The NISMO 350Z delivers additional aerodynamic downforce to offer enhanced cornering and handling capabilities.

Worth-noting extra performance features of the sports car include a special NISMO-tuned independent multi-link suspension, Brembo brakes with four-piston front and two-piston rear calipers, Nissan release bearings, and distinct NISMO-branded gunmetal gray RAYS super lightweight forged-alloy wheels. To further boost the performance of the car, a NISMO-branded tuned exhaust is integrated to the car to deliver an even more reliable tone to the Z??s V6 engine.

The NISMO 350Z package also includes full complement standard features like the new VQ35HR 3.5-liter V6 engine that delivers 306 horsepower and 268 lb-ft of torque. Aside from the powerful engine, it is also offering a close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission, the Traction Control System (TCS) and the Viscous Limited-Slip Differential (VLSD).

Other standard equipment includes cruise control, a HomeLink Universal Transceiver, aluminum pedals, an auto dimming rearview mirror, illuminated steering wheel audio controls, power windows, 3-bay gauge cluster, LED taillights, High Intensity Discharge (HID) bi-xenon (high and low beam) headlights, the Advanced Air Bag System, side and curtain side-impact supplemental air bags and Active Head Restraints.

Inside the exceptional sports car is a pampering ergonomics with unique black cloth seats with red inserts, special NISMO white-faced tachometer, and red stitching throughout the interior. The automaker includes the NISMO-etched aluminum plaque mounted on the center console to all NISMO 350Zs and designating its limited edition standing.

?The combination of aerodynamic enhancements and performance tuning adds up to a Z? with enhanced cornering, steering precision and handling,? said Bill Bosley, the vice president and general manager, Nissan Division, Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA).

Bosley added, The NISMO 350Z is the ideal package for true enthusiasts ? adding a high level of aesthetic and performance enhancing equipment not available in the aftermarket ? while retaining the reliability, durability, and comprehensive warranty found standard on every 2007 Nissan 350Z.?

Ryan Thomas is a native of Denver, Colorado. He grew up in a family of car afficionados. He now resides in Detroit where he owns a service shop and works part time as a consultant for a local automotive magazine. Please visit Nissan release bearings for more information.


Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Bridal Jewelry to Wear Again and Again


You want your bridal jewelry to make an impression, while not interfering with the wow factor of the wedding gown. For some brides, their bridal jewelry exists to be worn at their wedding. Then it goes into the jewelry box or safe to never be worn again. That is just not right!


You took a lot of time choosing the bridal jewelry. It should be a memento that you can wear over and over again. Every time you put it on, you will remember your special day that you became someone's wife. The cake gets eaten and forgotten. The flowers eventually wilt and die. Your wedding dress gets preserved in the hopes that you can pass it down to your own little girl some day. But your bridal jewelry, that is something you can take out time after time to enjoy. Liken it to the pictures in a photo album. You can relive those moments, then put them away to treasure for another time.


Pearls are often a part of the bridal jewelry. They are classy, elegant and have a timeless quality. No matter what setting it is in - gold, silver or platinum - bridal jewelry pearls can accentuate your features and your wedding dress. Not all pearls are created equal. There are a number of color variations, so you may have to bring your wedding dress with you when selecting your bridal jewelry. A warm, creamy color is one variation of pearls. Another variety has a pinkish hue.


When considering other bridal jewelry options, think about the design of your wedding dress. The neckline is important in your decision of bridal jewelry. If the neckline is high, you can choose a necklace with a special pendant or charm. Perhaps there is no neckline and the wedding gown is strapless. Your choice of bridal jewelry would then be a choker and possibly earrings to match. If the neckline is low or open, you could wear a necklace with complementary earrings. You could forget about the necklace part entirely if the wedding gown is very ornate in the front. If that is the case, then earrings are your best bet in bridal jewelry.


Another thing to think about in selecting bridal jewelry is whether or not the dress is really ornate and elaborate. If it is, perhaps a basic, understated bridal jewelry set is your choice. A simple dress with casual, elegant lines calls for more sophisticated bridal jewelry.


Feeling a bit funky? Punch up your bridal jewelry with a little color. Highlight the wedding colors in your necklace, bracelet and/or earrings. Colorizing your bridal jewelry gives you more options to wear them after the wedding is over too.


Shop around. If you are near a jewelry store while running errands, pop in and browse. Sometimes finding the right bridal jewelry for you will happen when you least expect it. Or, you can sketch out your vision of what you want your bridal jewelry to look like. A business that custom crafts jewelry could probably make what you want. Of course, there is always a higher cost involved for original work.
Just remember, you are the star of the wedding. The bride and wedding dress usually are. Your bridal jewelry reflects the inner you, so wear something that speaks to your heart. Pick something that you can wear again and again. Your memories, thanks to the bridal jewelry, are priceless.
About the Author

Dave Poon is the owner of Go Wedding Gifts. We take the headache out of selecting gifts for your wedding party, whether they are Bridesmaids or Groomsmen. Come and see our selection of bridal jewelry at http://www.GoWeddingGifts.com.