Teak Wood Patio Furniture

When considering teak wood patio furniture, there are so many options, such as classic teak chairs, coffee or patio tables, chaise lounges, benches and gliders. The great thing about any furniture outdoor patio teak sets is that they are termite proof and last in many climates and weather conditions. Teak patio furniture will outlast most other types of wood furnishings, and will be worth every penny.

When you purchase teak patio furniture, you will also want to be sure and buy products that will keep your chairs and tables looking nice for many years. There are many teak wood patio furniture cleaners and oils to keep your wood hydrated and looking its best. The great thing about furniture outdoor patio teak benches and loungers is that you wont need to worry too much about weather elements like you might have to with other wood products.

You can buy items separately or perhaps purchase a complete teak wood patio furniture set with a table and chairs. Dont forget to look at other accessories for your yard such as a patio umbrella and a gazebo. Dont wait until summer has come and gone, design your backyard to be enjoyed all year round! Remember to ask about shipping policies for all products that you order and also what sort of assembly may be required.

Teak offers beauty, durability and style to make your patio the envy of your guests and neighbors. Imagine entertaining amongst your teak benches, table, chairs, and loungers. Your guests can be comfortable and will appreciate the natural beauty of the environment you have created with your teak patio outdoor furniture. You can also enhance the atmosphere of your patio with trellises, planters, screens, and other teak decorative pieces to match your furniture.

Teak is a durable hardwood grown in semi-tropical climates. It is a dense wood, and has a high oil content, which helps it withstand the elements in your outdoor environment, wherever you are. From a small teak side table to oversized banquet tables, you can find it all online. If you are an architect, designer, or ordering for a large installation, such as a hotel or country club, you may be able to save a bundle with bulk orders too!

Surfs Up Its Beach Party

The Most In-demand and Essential Tailgating Supplies - Have a Great Party

For decades, tailgating has become bigger and better, as people spend more time and money on new and innovative tailgating supplies with each passing season. A lot has changed in the world of tailgating. Many people spend over $700 a year on food and supplies for up to 10 parties a season. Some fans take it to the extreme. It is important though to make sure your parties are about having fun.

Always be prepared. Make a list of the items you will need for set up, cooking, serving, and clean-up. Check off each as you pack. Remember to bring plates, napkins, towels, cups, utensils, first aid kit, trash bags, water, food storage containers, and damp towels to clean hands and face.

To be able to have a nice party, you need to have good supplies.

You might want to consider some of the following supplies that can be helpful in an enjoyable party:

Bar-B-Gater- this is an ultimate barbecue pit. You can use this with almost all vehicles. All you need is a 2 receiver hitch that is common on most SUVs, trucks and vans. The best thing about this is that, you can hook it up to your vehicle or unhook it from the vehicle when you are home again.

Tailgate Tables- this can be set up in seconds and it provides storage for eating and cooking utensils inside. This is a very convenient table to use that you can easily store in your vehicle.

A portable sun shelter system. It comes with a detachable bag and it is fully retractable with guy lines. The detachable bag unwraps and can also be turned into a personalized team banner.

Fan gate- this is a large banner and has a licensed logo printed on it. It straps to the tailgate of your pickup truck SUV or van.

TailGator Gas-Powered Blender- Its a great gas-powered blender. It makes great frozen food for car races, camping, football games, kayaking, cross country skiing, or at picnics.

Car Flags- this help to identify if somebody is having a party from a distance. Your friends would never have to spend countless hours looking for your tailgate party at the lot.

Collapsible Cargo Bag/Trunk Organizer- in here, you can conveniently organize your party supplies and other important things you need.

Freedom grill- An easy-to-use grill, it connects to any 2 receiver ball on your SUV, van or truck. You can get your grill on with this unique useful setup

Tepee Portable Restroom/Shower- this provides a common solution to restroom and shower facilities. A portable restroom, and this can be packed easily.

Pyrex portables food carrier set- this is where you can keep your cooked foods without any worries.

Keep it simple. Plan your menu or the things you need in advance by doing the prep work a day or two prior to the game or choose easy-to-tackle products that combine convenience with homemade taste. Be sure to give everyone ample time to eat, socialize, and clean up.

Having all these supplies ready for your party and definitely you will be having a great time. This is a one of a kind experience that you will definitely never forget.

And remember, the early bird gets the ... bigger space!

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Fantasy Football Success: Three Basic Rules

You can search the Internet or the newsstands in June and July, and you'll find a wealth of information about fantasy football and fantasy football leagues. Most of it is statistics. Miles and miles of statistics. And most sites and magazines claim to offer more than all the others. What few offer, though, is sound advice on how to be successful every year. So, visit all the sites and magazines for your stats, but search no more for the secret to winning, because here it is.

I have played in extremely competitive fantasy football leagues for 15 years. I've missed the playoffs only twice, and I've been to three fantasy bowls. I won more games and scored more points than any other team in my league's history. Now, I'll give you my strategy, and it won't cost you a dime. Here is the three-step formula for winning in fantasy football year in and year out.

The first step is to draft for depth. It sounds easy enough, but many people in my league focus on getting their starters, and the rest of the draft is nothing more than throwing darts at names on a stat sheet. I've selected players beyond the seventh round (we have 14 rounds) who have led my team in scoring. I didn't even have them targeted as starters; I just saw the potential, through all of the research I'd done. For example, take special notice of second and third-year wide receivers. They often go overlooked, because their numbers are not spectacular. Receivers take a year or two, before they adjust to the NFL. Chad Johnson is a great example. Also, watch for rookies who may explode late in the season, once they've grasped a system. Lee Evans was a star after week nine this past season.

Step two is to manage your team every week, down to the most minor details. If you've drafted for depth, you'll have lineup decisions every week, because you'll have a team full of players scoring points. Check their histories against weekly opponents (a vastly overlooked strategy by novices). Some players simply flourish against particular teams, just as some teams tend to score differently against certain defenses. This can definitely affect your weekly lineup decisions.

The third step is to watch the waiver wire and make two key trades. No matter how well you've drafted, near the end of the season, you'll need to make changes. It's time to trade away your depth for stars. Also, watch for available players to pick up -- even if they may only help you for one week. I drafted both Domanick Davis and Chad Johnson last season. Later, I traded both, so I could acquire LaDanian Tomlinson. This simplified my weekly lineup decisions, while giving me a player who would score at least one TD every week.

If you stick to this simple formula, no matter what type of league you play in, you'll make the playoffs 85 to 90 percent of the time. That's not bad in any league.

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Premiership Transfer Window Review - Part Two

David Walker continues his review of the January transfer window and how the moves will impact each teams success, or survival at the end of the 2005/06 season.

Everton
After spending the early part of the season facing a relegation battle the only reinforcements came in the form of Alan Stubbs, joining from Sunderland for his second spell at the club.

Two players have left the club Marcus Bent to Charlton and Per Kroldrup to Fiorentina. The Danish defender arrived in a 5 million switch from Udinese but returned to Italy for substantially less after making just one league appearance.

At 10 points clear, Everton look safe from the drop but you may be tempted by the 33/1 relegation odds.

Fulham
Fulham are battling against relegation and have made five new signings. Goalkeepers Tony Warner and Antti Niemi joined from Cardiff and Southampton respectively while New Zealand international Simon Elliott arrived from Columbus Crew. Defender Wayne Bridge and midfielder Michael Brown joined from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur on loan.

Without an away win all season, Fulhams strength and key to survival lies in their form at Craven Cottage. 26 of the 29 points accumulated have come from home wins and manager Chris Coleman will need to keep up this momentum. Fulham can be backed at 14/1 for relegation.

Liverpool
Third in the table and a favourable draw in the Champions League has seen further recruits arrive at Anfield. Defender Jan Kromkamp arrived in a swap deal from Villarreal which saw Josemi return to Spain while Danish defender Daniel Agger cost 5.8 million from Brondby.

A host of fringe players left on loan deals but all transfers were eclipsed by the return of striker Robbie Fowler, five years after leaving Anfield. Fowler scored 120 goals in 236 Premiership matches for the Reds previously and with Manchester United wobbling, Liverpool could eclipse them in second position. They are three points behind in third but have two games in hand. Rafa Benitezs side can be backed at 6/5 to win the Premiership in the without Chelsea market.

Manchester City
Following a blistering start to the season, City are sitting comfortably in tenth position. Manager Stuart Pearce will not stand for half measures and has motivated his side into three wins out of their last four matches, including a 3-1 derby win over bitter rivals United.

Pearce has boosted the ranks with the 6 million signing of Greek striker Georgios Samaras from Heerenveen after allowing Robbie Fowler to rejoin Liverpool and the loan capture of Espanyol midfielder Alberto Riera. Pearces managerial qualities have not gone unnoticed and he is quoted at 20/1 to succeed Sven Goran Eriksson as the next England boss.

Manchester United
The former Premiership powerhouses have been exposed yet again this season as being nowhere near Chelsea in terms of results, consistency and strength in depth. However, the Glaziers sanctioned the arrivals of Spartak Moscow defender Nemanja Vidic Spartak for 7 million and 5.5 million signing Patrice Evra.

A dire spell in Europe has seen them with the Carling Cup one of their only chances of silverware this season although Sir Alex Fergusons side are still 5/6 favourites for the Premiership without Chelsea. Strike duo Ruud van Nistelrooy is 5/6 and Wayne Rooney 10/1 to top the Premiership scoring charts.

Middlesbrough
One of the pre season outsiders for a top four position, Middlesbrough are now staring relegation square in the face. Boro have won just once in their last 10 Premiership outings and that was away at rock bottom Sunderland.

No players arrived in January although Szilard Nemeth left for Strasbourg. One of the few bright spots, striker Yakubu, can be backed at 16/1 to top the Premiership goalscoring chart while speculative punters may fancy the 13/2 on offer of relegation.

Newcastle United
Manager Graham Souness became the latest Premiership managerial casualty after recently losing five of their last six league matches. With just 36 wins in his 83 matches in charge the club are hovering six points above the drop zone.

Big money arrivals Michael Owen and Alberto Luque failied to ignite an expected charge for European football and former West Ham manager Glenn Roeder and Alan Shearer have taken over the reigns temporarily. Bolton manager Sam Allardyce is the 9/2 favourite to take over permanently and despite a poor run of form the Magpies remain 20/1 outsiders for relegation.

The third and final part of the review will look at transfers involving Portsmouth, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United and Wigan Athletic.

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Old Tea Traditions

Tea has been consumed in China for centuries, but other cultures are rich in history of this popular beverage as well. Two of those countries, Russia and England have developed decidedly different traditions over the years.

It is said that drinking tea began in China where over 5000 years ago, leaves from the plant accidentally fell into water being boiled for drinking. Needless to say, it was found to be very refreshing and it's use became widespread. Tea was introduced to Europe through the Portuguese in the early 1500s and it didnt take long for this beverage to become popular in many countries and traditions for English tea parties and Russian tea were formed.

This drink became so popular in both countries the each developed certain traditions as well as pots, vessels and cups to drink it from. Although the introduction of tea is centuries old, the popularity of it and the traditions associated with it remain in these cultures to this day.

In the early 1600s, tea made its way to Russia. Of course, it was only the wealthy that could afford tea at first but by the end of the 1700's the price was dropping and it's popularity was spreading throughout the country.

In Russia, tea is never taken with meals. Traditionally it is taken after the meal or as a mid afternoon snack. For centuries, Russians have used a device called a Samovar to make tea. The samovar is usually put in the center of the table after dinner and everyone gathers round and takes tea which they can dilute or sweeten as they like. Russians traditionally sip tea in glasses set in silver holders and favor their tea as strong and highly sweetened some recipes even call for tang or lemonade added to tea!

Tea was introducted to England in the mid 1600's and it's popularity spread so quickly that it was soon as popular a drink as ale! In the late 1700s to well known tradition of afternoon tea was started by the Duchess of Bedford.

Prior to that, the English enjoyed only 2 meals a breakfast and a dinner. The dinner was served at the end of the day and by mid afternoon you can imagine how hungry and energy depleted many felt. So, the tradition of afternoon tea was begun where tea would be served along with little cakes and sandwiches. Of course, this proved to be immensely popular and still is today!

One of the great benefits of the afternoon tea was that it necessitated fancy pieces to for service and drinking. The main pot that heated the water was usually made of silver (still a very popular item today) and this was kept over a flame so that it would be hot at all times. In addition, small porcelain tea pots were used to pour at the table and they were refreshed with the hot water from the silver pot when needed. Of course the tradition included fancy porcelain tea cups to drink from as well. These pieces are still made and used today, and the antiques are highly collectible.

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Surprise - It's Party Time!

There are a lot of fun ways that you can incorporate a surprise party into your celebration. If you think the guest of honor would enjoy it some ideas are birthdays, anniversaries, retirement or any other congratulatory type party.

When making the guest list you will of course go according to the guest of honors address book. Friends, family, business associates or people from the past making a great starting point when sending out your invitations. If, for example, it=s a 50th birthday celebration, you could urge guests to bring an old photo to share. Whatever you decide, make sure to let everybody know its a surprise and not to spill the beans!

The photos people bring along will serve as a great party favor. They could be given to the guest of honor or tacked up on a bulletin board to be displayed. For a more in depth collage, try gathering photos ahead of time to create more elaborate displays.

Having a personalized banner made would give you a center piece for your decorations. A guest book could be used, or for a more original idea have a couple of markers on hand for party-goers to sign the banner and write a short message. This is a great party favor for the guest of honor to take home to be either put on display or tucked away as a keepsake.

When choosing the setting of your party, consider all of this persons favorite places. It could be anything from a restaurant to a golf dome. You should arrange a date of two to four people to go out to this place. By doing this, they will not suspect there is anything more to come. All the party-goers can be ready and waiting when the small group arrives.

If the surprise party is held at home, all of the decorations can be found at a party supply store. Plates, cups, crepe paper and balloons come in many colors to coordinate with any theme. A party planning specialist will help you coordinate all of your needs for the big surprise!

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Vacation in Liverpool - A City Guide

Introduction

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in the North West ofEngland. Liverpool is one of England's core cities, situated along theeastern side of the Mersey Estuary, with the city centre located about5 miles inland from the Irish Sea. Liverpool has a varied topographybeing built across a ridge of hills rising up to a height of around 70metres above sea-level at Everton Hill.

History

In 1190 the place was known as 'Liuerpul', meaning a pool or creek withmuddy water. Other origins of the name have been suggested, including'elverpool', a reference to the large number of eels in the Mersey. Theorigins of the city date back from August 1207 when patent letters wereissued by King John advertising the establishment of a the new boroughof Liverpool, and inviting settlers to come and take up holdings. Inthe 18th century, as trade from the West Indies grew on top of thatfrom Ireland and Europe, Liverpool began to grow.

The first wet dock in Britain was built in Liverpool in 1715. Liverpoolexpanded significantly in the 19th century and a number of majorbuildings were constructed. In the 1960s Liverpool became a centre ofyouth culture. The city produced the distinctive Merseybeat sound, and,most famously, The Beatles. In recent years, the city has emphasisedits cultural attractions, winning the accolade of European City ofCulture for 2008.

Place of interest

The infrastructure of Liverpool contains over 2,500 listed buildings.It is the inheritance of high-minded public spirit since the later 18thcentury, largely with Dissenter impetus, that has resulted in morepublic sculptures created than in any UK city besides Westminster inLondon.

The Anglican Cathedral has the longest nave, largest organ and heaviestand highest peal of bells in the world.

Architects well represented in Liverpool:

Giles Gilbert Scott,
Peter Ellis,
Harvey Lonsdale Elmes, and
John Foster

Sir Edwin Lutyens is represented by the completed crypt of hisprojected Metropolitan Cathedral, which was built to a simpler designby Frederick Gibberd.

Some of the famous places to visit are:

Albert Dock
Bluecoat Arts Centre
Cast Iron Shore
Cunard Building
Lime Street Station
Royal Liver Building
Oriel Chambers design by Peter Ellis.
The Philharmonic Dining Rooms
Pier Head
Quiggins
St Georges Hall
The Beatles Story
Town-Hall
Williamson's tunnels

Museums & Art Galleries

Liverpool has some greatest museum and art galleries. BluecoatArts Centre, Merseyside Maritime Museum, Museum of Liverpool Life, theBeatles Story, and Walker Art Gallery are some of them. Besides museumand art galleries Liverpool possesses some famous theatres. Theyrepresent Liverpool and its culture, and also a good tourist attractionin Liverpool. Among all the theaters Empire, Everyman, Neptune,Philharmonic Hall, The Playhouse, Royal Court, Unity are big names tomention about.

Shopping

Pedestrian shopping areas with boutiques, specialty shops, anddepartment stores include Church Street, Lord Street, Bold Street,Whitechapel, and Paradise Street. On the river, Albert Dock also housesa collection of small shops. For shopping centers Cavern Walks onMathew Street, the heart of Beatleland, or Quiggins Centre.

To buy that special piece of Beatles memorabilia, wander through theBeatles Shop, or the Heritage Shop.
For a huge selection of British crafts, famous places are BluecoatDisplay Centre, with its gallery of metal, ceramics, glass, jewelry,and wood pieces by some 350 British craftspeople.

Frank Greens is where one can find prints by this famous local artistwho has been capturing the Liverpool scene on canvas since the 1960s.These art works includes city secular buildings, churches, and streetlife.

Food & Drink

For such a world-famous city, Liverpool has yet to host a world-classrestaurant. Listed are the best non-hotel restaurants it has to offer:60 Hope St., Bar Italia, Far East, Shangri-La, Simply Heathcote's, TateCaf.

Education

Primary education is available in various forms supported by the stateincluding Secular, Church of England, Islamic, Jewish and RomanCatholic. Currently no specific Islamic secondary education is provided.

Liverpool has three universities:

The University of Liverpool
Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool Hope University

It also has a university college, Edge Hill College of HigherEducation. Liverpool John Moores University is one of the polytechnicsgiven university status in 1992 and is named after the owner of theLittlewoods retail group. The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine wasfounded to address some of the problems created by trade; today itcontinues as a post graduate school and is one of only two institutionson world that house the de facto standard anti-venom repository.

The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, which was set up by SirPaul McCartney in 1996, is famous for training the artistes andtechnicians.

Sports

In sporting terms, it boasts two internationally known football clubs,Everton F.C. and Liverpool FC. Liverpool Football Club (often knownsimply as Liverpool), an English football club based in the North-Westof England, are the current champions of Europe (2004-2005) and themost successful English football team.
Liverpool has won five European Cups, and 18 Football League titles ontop of being the English club to have won the most number of UEFA Cups,European Supercups and English League Cups.

Liverpool Football Club is not to be confused with Liverpool (Rugby)Football Club, which was formed in 1858 and is now known as LiverpoolSt. Helens.

Hotels & Accommodation

The dedicated team at SleepUK can assist and advise on all yourLiverpool hotel requirements. Online and offline access to Liverpoolsaccommodation network ensures travelers will be offered the bestpossible deal at the time of your visit whether you require luxuryhotels in Liverpool or budget hotels in Liverpool.

Hotels in all categories are opening in Liverpool all the time,reflecting the citys renewed prosperity and popularity as ashort-break destination.

Or travelers may choose one of the fine hotels in Wirral, theattractive peninsula between the River Mersey and the River Dee. Aswell as some fine hotels, Wirral also boast large areas of NationalTrust land, country parks and spectacular coastal scenery. To the northof Liverpool, in the graceful resort of Southport, famed for thesplendour of its Victorian shopping arcades and promenade, theres agreat choice of hotels to suit every visitor.

Accommodation in the area frequently sells out so be sure to guaranteeyour stay by booking online today. Some other hotels, listed here, varyfrom affordable to luxury hotels -Hanover Hotel, Park Lodge, The SuitesHotel, Regent Maritime Hotel,The Dolby Hotel,Radisson SASLiverpool, HopeStreet Hotel,AachenHotel, CampanileHotel Liverpool, TheFeathers Hotel, ThistleLiverpool, DaysServiced Apartments Liverpool, Liverpool City CentrePremier Travel Inn, The Sir Thomas Hotel,Throstles Nest Hotel.

Tours and Sightseeing

Organised tours in Liverpool have variety in their theme and accordingto the theme the contents also changes. The most widely chosen toursare based on Sports or on The Beatles. These tours contains place ofinterests, famous buildings, museums etc. Cavern City Tours isthe most comprehensive tour operator in the city.

Transport

There are three tunnels under the River Mersey: one railway tunnel, theMersey Railway Tunnel, and two road tunnels, Queensway Tunnel andKingsway Tunnel. There is also the Mersey Ferry, made famous by thesong Ferry Cross the Mersey by Gerry and the Pacemakers. In fact thesong is now played on the ferryboats themselves every time they prepareto dock at Liverpool.

Speke Airport was renamed LiverpoolJohn Lennon Airport, in honour of the late Beatle John Lennon.

Liverpool has a train system called Merseyrail, the sections in thecity centre are mostly underground. The lines terminate at Southport,Ormskirk, Kirkby, Hunts Cross, Ellesmere Port, West Kirby, New Brightonand Chester.

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A Beginner's Guide to Flipping Houses

If you're dreaming of making money in real estate, it's time to stop dreaming and get to work, because making money in real estate isn't just a vague pipedream. It can be done, even by a young and inexperienced person, when you learn how to flip houses.

A friend of mine, we'll call her Tai, made a fortune in real estate, beginning at the age of twenty, with no help from anyone else. Here's how she did it:

Tai began by buying a HUD repo, which allowed her to get into the house for no money down. Then she fixed it up and sold it herself. At closing, she had made enough profit to by a second fixer-upper, but this time, she paid all cash. Tai went right to work fixing her second house, and when she sold that one, she collected profit of $44,000, which allowed her to pay cash for her third house!

By now, Tai was comfortable with her formula, and within a short time, she had flipped her third house, realizing enough profit to pay cash for yet another house, as well as being able to buy the custom pickup of her dreams. And all of this had happened in the span of just nine months!

Tais formula was simple. She located houses that needed only cosmetic work, avoiding those that required structural repairs. She did all the painting herself, inside and out, and updated the home's lighting, plumbing fixtures, and carpeting. Once renovations had been completed, all three houses sold quickly, and at a significant profit.

It's the most tried-and-true way to make a fortune in real estate, so don't listen to anyone who tries to tell you that it can't be done or that you need to have a great deal of start-up money. That's not true. You can buy houses with no money down through various loan programs, and sellers will often help you with the closing costs.

I know what I'm talking about! My husband and I bought our 27th house earlier this year, for no money down, and we expect to make a profit of at least $100,000 for just one month of hard work!

But we take the process a step further, making our houses outshine the competition by also using Design Psychology, although our buyers never know that. All they know is that they feel good when they're in our homes, which makes them want to buy them, even if they're more expensive than the house next door.

There's no other business that can make you as much money, with as little start-up cost, in as short a time, as investing in real estate. In fact, more millionaires made their fortunes in real estate than in any other business. And you can do it, too. You just have to stop dreaming and get started.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

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Retirement Party Oh the Easy Life

You or someone in your life has worked hard for many years. Retirement is just around the corner and so is a big party! The retirement party can follow a theme, be a complete surprise or even a small, intimate gathering. Whatever you decide, a party supply store will have all of the products you need for a successful celebration.

When sending invitations out, include an old picture from the retirees workplace. If the guests work with the honoree, have them write down or remember old memories to share at the party. You can also ask if they have pictures from the job that can be included in a scrapbook for the retiree.

A scrapbook detailing their career and all of the accomplishments is a great gift. Make copies of any certificates, awards or pictures with important people to include. Have guests sign the book and add their own good wishes for the retiree. Take lots of pictures, and after the party add pictures of the person by their signature in the scrapbook.

A retirement party requires decorations. If you pick a theme, a party supply store will have all of the paper products such as plates, napkins, silverware and cups you need. If you dont want a theme, they have plain colors available in every shade. Balloons and crepe paper also coordinate with all of the supplies and make your party extra festive.

Personalized banners can be made with the retirees name and start and end date of working. Party favors can also be given out to everyone in the shape of a timecard, lunch pail or whatever matches your theme.

Games to play at a Retirement Party could involve the gift giving. Make it gag gifts only so the entertainment is covered, as well as some fun. Think of some trivia questions about the company the retiree worked for and who has the most right answers. Have fun!

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Fun Pirate Birthday Party Ideas

Thar be fun pirate birthday party ideas ahead me buckos...AAARRRH! So haul in the gang plank, trim yer sails and be watchin' for ships flyin' the Jolly Roger.

"Avast and ahoy maties, this here be yer captain speakin to ya... Captain Grandpa Mike says me."

Yer birthday child and all their guests will be havin' a swashbucklin' good time with this here adventure on the fun kid birthday parties high seas!

Fun Pirate Birthday Party Ideas - Invitations

Yo Ho A Pirate's Treasure Map

Your party guests will really get into your Pirate theme when you send them an invitation that looks like an old Pirate Treasure map...

Cut a brown paper bag into a square.

Then, with a black marker write something like "Captain__________'s (insert your birthday child's name) treasure map"...

"Ye be invited to a swash-buckling good time matey... (then give the party date, time, length of the party and any other details) then close the invitation by saying something like...

"If you dare, you'll be findin the party by followin this here treasure map... And remember this me buckos... "X" marks the spot!"

The map is actually directions to your party location and the "X" is the actual birthday party address...

Then crumble up the paper so your map looks old and mail it to your guest... You can even be creative with the envelope.

Fun Pirate Birthday Party Ideas - Treasure Map

Have some fun with your Pirate Party Invitation buy constructing another treasure map for a real treasure hidden somewhere at your party location.

Cut this map up into puzzle pieces (one for each child you're inviting).

Include a piece of the treasure map in the envelope and instruct your guests to bring their piece of the treasure map to the party.

When your guests arrive, have them put their puzzle pieces together, then they can all hunt for the treasure you've hidden...

Make sure you keep a copy of the map in case one of your guests doesn't show up.

For treasure, put some chocolate coins (always a big hit with our kids) in a box and hid them somewhere for your guests to find together with their map.

Fun Kid Pirate Costume

Your birthday child will love wearing a special pirate costume at their party.

*A Tip From Grandpa Mike

When I was a boy, one of my favorite Halloween costumes was a pirate costume.

You can find a head bandanna at your local thrift store, a colorful old shirt and grey stripped pants.

Cut the shirt sleeves to 3/4 length and fray the edge of the sleeves so they look worn... Cut the pant legs to 3/4 length and fray the edges so they look worn and "ship wrecked".

You can make an eye patch out of a small piece of black card stock or black cloth... Attach a black string or shoe lace to the eye patch and tie it around your child's head.

A wide black belt with a large buckle (you can make a buckle) can be cut to fit around your child's waist.

Fun Pirate Make-Up

You can complete your child's pirate look by putting black smudges on their face with an eyebrow pencil. Smear it around to look like a beard on a rough pirate face.

Fun Pirate Birthday Party Ideas - Decorations

Black, red, yellow, orange, blue and white are great pirate colors.

Use streamers and balloons to decorate your party area.

You can also pick up some pirate flags and make treasure maps and swords to put on the walls.

Fish nets, star fish and sea shells will help give yer party a sea goin' look.

Fun Pirate Birthday Party Ideas - Pirate Pinata

Imagine the fun when one of yer ship mates breaks open a pirate treasure chest pinata aaarrrh, an all kinds ah "treasures" fill yer pirate ships cabin. You can easily find online stores that feature pinatas for just about any party theme.

Fun Pirate Birthday Party Ideas

With these ideas to get your creative juices flowing, you'll be able to come up with lots more great ideas that will make your child's Pirate birthday party adventure a great success.

"Shiver me timbers, this be Captain Grandpa Mike sayin have a swashbucklin' fun Pirate birthday party, AAARRRH!"

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Perseverance and Commitment

Re-dedicating yourself over and over to a goal...

Feeling the fear and doubts and not succumbing to it...

Reaching deep down inside to connect with the part of you that is not going to roll over and play dead.

In High School, I played left back (defense) for my school field hockey team. My job was to defend our goal, back up our forwards and mid-field players. I was committed to our team. I believed in us and I had faith that we would play to the best of our ability and have fun in the process. We did.

Occasionally, the other team got past me and the other defender and I would feel like throwing my hockey stick after them to hit the ball and them away from the goal. I wanted to, but I didn't.

What I did do, was to re-visit my commitment to defend to the best of my ability... to give it my all.

At the end, win or lose, when I gave it my all, I felt proud.

Now, 30 years later, I am involved in different games of life. I want to be a good mother, a good person. I want to practise the spiritual principles and the Avatar tools that I know, to be the kind of person that my Higher Self calls me to be.

There are days when I have my dips and I don't feel like trying anymore. I can feel what it would feel like to quit, to bale on myself and that fighting spirit in me re-ignites.

I know where I have been.

I don't want to go back there. Too much darkness and struggle.

I have a good taste of what is possible... what lies ahead.. and I want it! I want it badly enough to push past my "stuff". I want it enough to do whatever it takes to get myself out of that hole and keep moving forward.

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Two Hot Tips for Bass Fishing

Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in Bass fishing and this has led to many new business sprouting up to ride along with the wave of excitement. Hooking, pardon the pun, new Bass anglers is easy. All you have to do is to invite them for a Bass fishing trip and before you know it, they are now passionate about the sport. Businesses seek out hot interests like a heat seeking missle and we see resorts, sports gears and fishing related things being built - all with the aim to capture this hot market. As a Bass angler, clearly we have benefited from all these interests.

Right now, more and more are getting their feet wet to learn and find out what the big bass buzz is all about. For the uninitiated, Bass fishing is more than just fishing. Having a prized big bass in your hands and the opportunity to show it off is a feeling that is hard to describe. Only those who have done it will know the feeling and once you have done it once, you want to do it over and over again. But after the first bass fishing expedition, for the beginner, there is still lots more to learn.

First, you have to know the lures that you must have to enjoy bass fishing.

What the top 3 lures for catching Bass? No real surveys have been conducted but it is generally agreed by pro bass fishermen that plastic worms makes the best lures, followed by the spinner bait and then the crank bait.

After considering the lures, there are still other factors to consider, chief of which is how you intend to cover the waters

in your fishing. Do you want to cover a smaller segment of water thoroughly or do you want to skim across a larger area as quickly as possible to find fishg. Worm baits are very effective and Bass are absolutely seduced by it. However, worm baits tend to be slower and are best in certain areas which will come with experience.

One main problem with learners fishing with a worm is that they do not realise that the worm does not have the ability to sense strikes. And the main reason for the inability to sense them is due to the fisherman using a sinker that is too heavy and a line that is too thick.

To overcome this predicament, a variable buoyancy worm using lead strip sinkers can be adopted. The advantages are:

No moving lead on the line to dampen the feel of a gentle pickup

Precise amount of lead can be applied to deliver the worm action needed

Bass finds it easier to inhale the worm

It helps in hook setting

In snags, you can quickly shake yourself loose

Worms can be hung virtually suspended over the bottom when fishing in shallow water.

To tell how much lead strip is needed, wrap one strip around the hook and bury the barb in the worm. Ease it into the water

and watch it sink, it should barely settle toward the bottom. If it sinks to fast, take some off, etc. Make sure to use no heavier than 8-pound mono line - preferably 6 pound.

How much lead strip do you need? Well, one tested way is to wrap one strip around the hook and bury the barb in the worm.

Now, gently ease it into the water and watch it sink. It should barely settle toward the bottom. If it sinks too fast, start

again by taking some off, etc. Use a mono line that is no heavier than 8-pounds - preferably 6 pound.

Spinner baits, by virture of its construction, can move more quickly across the surface. It can be bounced on the bottom,

against tree limbs and moved in many different ways in order to stimulate strikes. It is a great probing lure for the shoreline because of its tangle-free construction.

Lastly, Crank baits are great if you want to check out a spot without wasting too much time. They cover a lot of water in a hurrry and you can use them for locating fish that may be scattered.

The most important rule is this - make it easy for the Bass to get to the lure - no matter where you are fishing in. Drop that lure right in front of them! Scientists have proven that Bass can calculate the amount of energy it will take them to go after the prey and if they decide its too much effort, they won't bother.

The bottom line is this - discover and learn to use each type of lures and find what suits you. Once you find the right one for you, you will really find enjoyment in bass fishing!

Aside from considering the lures, the other important factor is to know the accurate time in going for bass fishing.

The Biggest Bass are definitely caught at dawn or dusk. Remember - bass love to prey at ambush spots, which seems to offer lots of cover for the baitfish. They like to hide, and then pounce on their prey.

These bait fish are most active in the dusk or dawn. When they feeding, the bait fish's guard is down and less aware of threats, So that is when the bass strikes. Fish during these times for the best chances of success.

When retrieving an underwater lure in poor light conditions, pull in the lure at a steady pace once it is set in motion. This makes it easier for bass to locate and grab it.

Although I mentioned that dawn or dusk is the best time to fish for bass, there is one exception. Don't bother trying when the water is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature causes certain aquatics species to disappear, which in turn, nullifies the food chain feeding.

Just by keeping these 2 factors in mind for bass fishing - lures and the time to fish - you are on your start to winning the game of bass fishing. Once mastered, you can then consider other factors like water quality and weather conditions. Happy Bass fishing!

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A Quick Look at Jewelry Hallmarks

British Hallmarks are the best in the world.

Who says so, the rest of the World. Although to be fair, other countries have great hallmarks too, it is just that they are NOT so often seen.

A book on World Hallmarks for Gold or Silver items is a must for any serious collector or dealer, but they can be a little intimidating and time consuming. Is that mark a Cockerel or a Tree? Could it be made in Switzerland or Germany?

Thankfully for the rest of us, a small pocket book on UK Hallmarks is more than up to the task, coupled with that very useful plastic 10X eyeglass I keep on hinting for you to buy.

It will show you that the item has been tested and stamped, to prove it is - what it says it is (9ct or 18ct etc).

British Jewelry with a full UKHM (United Kingdom Hall Mark) is generally clearly stamped and readable after you clean it (check the website below for another complimentary article on 'How to Clean your Jewelry at Home').

Once you are aware of the marks, you will always feel just that little bit better when you buy that 'Could it be an Antique?' item at the local market, or from the guy in the Pub that everyone talks about but nobody knows.

Buyer Beware....

*Six marks on British Jewelry.*

Yes... Six?

# 1: The Maker's Mark (Usually some initials). Not all that important for everyday items, unless you want to collect Jewelry from one maker. Silver collectors may want to buy items from say, Bateman (I should be so lucky).

# 2: The second stamp is the Assay Office mark or 'Mark of Origin'. It tells you where the item came from. The most common is the LONDON Hallmark. A Leopard's Head. Sometimes this has a crown on the Leopard's Head (until circa 1821). Modern items do NOT have a crown on the Leopard Stamp.

The other most common Assay Office marks are from Birmingham (an Anchor). Once there were many Assay offices around Great Britain and Ireland, the Chester mark for instance. Now there are just three offices left in England, Sheffield being the last using a 'Rose' on gold Jewelry (DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH 'ROSE GOLD' JEWELRY) as that is a color, not a mark.

In Scotland there is Edinburgh, while in Ireland there is Dublin. Pity the poor Welsh are left out again!

# 3: The next is the Assay Quality mark and is shown as the 'Lion Passant' (which means 'looking ahead') and is a guarantee of quality. This was later changed to a 'CROWN' mark with a stamp showing the quality of Gold.... 9ct or 18ct etc.

# 4: Finally, and possibly the most important mark, was the Date letter mark. It changed each year so we can tell when the item was made.

Occasionally there is an extra mark.

# 5: An example was the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977.

Suffice to say if you see a Brooch with four or five marks and one of them is an Anchor with an 18 next to it and a letter 'C' next to that.... It's a safe bet it was made in Birmingham in 1927, or was that 1952, or 1902, or, or, or.....

Buyer Beware the man in the Pub.

As with most Jewelry items though, our advise has always been to buy the best QUALITY you can afford from a reputable dealer who will guarantee it.

Other than that, your plastic 10X eyeglass sure helps a lot....

P.S.
If you administer a website or publish an ezine, please feel free to use this article as long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include our resource box as listed below. Although it's NOT compulsory I would personally appreciate it if you could send me an email at: gemmo1@online-jewelry-appraisals.com to let me know if and where you used it. If you need other great content - complimentary of course - then drop me a line at the email address given - 'cause I've got Quality Content and Gallons of the stuff....

(c)David Foard - All Rights reserved

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Meet the New Look Ronald McDonald

In a global television commercial just launched (10 June 2005), Ronald McDonald energetically rides a bike. He deftly shoots hoops with basketball megastar Yao Ming. He even snowboards like a pro.

It's enough to make you choke on your super-sized Big Mac meal. Yes, McDonald's "Chief Happiness Officer" now has a new title: "Amabassador of Balanced Lifestyles".

But he won't be giving up his old job.

The McDonald's-owned website, GoActive.com, explains how Ronald juggles the two titles. "As McDonald's Chief Happiness Officer, Ronald McDonald is involved with anything and everything that makes people happy. He wants the best for everyone."

And it seems that when it comes to what's best for everyone, fatty junk fare (described by GoActive as "tasty, wholesome food") is just not enough any more. In a stunning revelation, the site tells us that we now also need "physical activity that seems like play" and "robust good health".

Enter Ronald in his new, ambassadorial role ... "Ronald believes in an active, balanced lifestyle. He lives one himeself. And he is the ambassador of active, blanced lifestyles for everyone."

So just what does this new diplomatic status entail? GoActive,com explains that Ronald considers physical activity a "critical component of the energy balance equation".

Wow, Ronald's starting to speak like an ambassador already! We ordinary folk would have said something low-brow like, "If you're going to eat fattening, junk food, you'd better try to burn it off with some exercise".

Like any good diplomat, Ronald's pretty vague about how he's going to achieve this goal, promising to work "with the people of McDonald's in various ways to help parents and children identify realistic, fun ways to incorporate fitness and exercise into their daily lives."

If Ronald's sounding ambassadorial, his boss, McDonald's Chief Executive Officer Jim Skinner, sounded positively Presidential when he announced his company's "It's what I eat and what I do ... I'm lovin' it" campaign.

"We will use our size and strength to set an example," he told the media. The campaign includes television adverts, new packaging, an updated Web site and a fresh series a videos featuring Ambassador Ronald teaching children how to eat well and stay active.

And like a true diplomat, Ronald will soon get to demostrate just how multi-lingual he is. The new commercial airs first in the United States and will soon be broadcast in Canada, Germany, Italy, Portugal, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina.

And that's only the beginning. The TV spots will be followed later this year with a series of "Go Active with Ronald McDonald" interactive community shows accross the US and in other countries.

Active he may be, but it's obvious even Ronald will need some help in this historic mission. Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, hockey player Wayne Gretzky and speed skater Bonnie Blair are among the sporting luminaries McDonald's has pressed into service.

CEO Skinner has declined to put a price tag on the mission, but perhaps the TV networks and sports stars will get with the public-spiritedness of the campaign and donate their services gratis.

Of course, the company is adamant that none of this has anything to do with all those unfairly-critical articles in the media, alarmist books like Fast Food Nation, and muck-raking documetaries like Super Size Me. Nor, its insists, has it anything to do with recent court actions in which money-grabbing litigants have won millions of dollars in settlements.

On the contrary, we're told, the latest campaign is just a natural evolution of previous efforts on Ronald's part to teach children how to keep safe, like fastening seat belts and wearing bicycle helmets - both very important things for kids to know, so we'll understand if Ronald forgot to warn them not to eat unhealthy food like burgers and fries.

"This is just another way we're communicating with our customers on the importance of energy balance," company spokesperson Lisa Howard said.

Hey, there's that "energy balance" term again.

Sounds like Lisa's been getting some lessons in diplomat-speak from Uncle Ronald!

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Fly Fishing Spring Creeks

Perusing fly fishing articles is a great way to learn more about the passion of fly fishing. The library of fly fishing literature rivals other forms of fishing even though in sheer numbers fly fisherman are out numbered by almost all other forms of fishing. There are terms in fly fishing literature that are thrown out frequently without explanation or definition. One such subset of these terms is the classification of fly fishing rivers. One can read for years and hear about freestone rivers, tailwaters, and spring creeks, without elaboration of what these terms actually mean in general and to fly fishers in general. We will attempt here to explain these classifications a little bit. This first in a series of articles will go into the spring creek.

Spring Creeks are infamous in the United Kingdom, long credited as the ancient birthplace of fly fishing. Specifically, in the UK and the Midwest United States, are the limestone spring creeks. By definition spring creeks are fed obviously by springs. What this means for fly fishing is that the water temperature will most likely remain stable year around, ideally in the high forties to low fifties on the Fahrenheit scale. Stable temperatures allow for a healthy environment for aquatic insects to grow, which doesn't take a huge amount of mental power, to make the jump to the thought that this is also great for the growth of fish.

Not only do the water temperatures remain steady but the volume does as well. Unlike other rivers that depend upon snow melt, and/or dams, spring creeks water comes bubbling up from the surface, and is fed by springs and smaller spring creeks as it works itself downstream.

When one thinks of spring creeks, one thinks of, meandering hills, gentle slopes, meadows, and wide shallow valleys. Although spring creeks can occur in mountainous regions as well, carving out a niche that is usually reserved for freestone streams. They typically are at lower elevations.

The characteristics of spring creeks, leads to some special considerations when selecting your arsenal of fly fishing flies. The meandering of the typical spring creek, with all its stable features lends also to vegetation growth. Therefore insects that feed of vegetation are the rule here. Also the banks tend to be cut into the earth, perfect habitat for mud dwelling grubs, worms and nymphs like the hex. There also tend to be abundance of scuds, sow bugs, as well as midge patterns. Since the terrain is likely grassy, look for terrestrials like hoppers and crickets. And in the riverbank itself will be ants and beetles. Terrestrials make a good bet all summer long. A good selection for spring creeks will include, patterns imitating species above, as well as some small classic dry flies, like Adams, BWOs and PMDs.

Spring creeks are likely to be small and certain tactics need to be remembered. Everything is more likely to be noticed by your wary prey. Including your approach, your colors, your silhouette. It is best not to wade, it is best to approach from upriver, and you are likely only going to get a few casts, and then moving on is your best bet. With gentle gradient the spring creek will have many, many holding areas for trout. Using tippet down to 7x is common, as is long leaders. Perfect presentations are required, and it is a great time to practice your accuracy and line management. Bring your 4x or smaller for precise fly placement, mending if necessary must be done early in your drift and without ruckus.

Many think of the spring creek as the epitome of fly fishing. And with good reason. Their very nature, evokes relaxation, tranquillity, and all the things fly fishers love.

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Grandfather Clock Do It Yourself Repair - Part III

In this last article of the series, repairing your grandfather clock on your own, we're going to go over some more things you can do at home before taking your grandfather clock in for repair.

Another common problem with grandfather clocks is for the chimes to go out of sequence with the time that's displayed. This usually happens on the quarter hour chimes. If this happens there may not necessarily be anything wrong with the chimes mechanism. Most grandfather clocks that have been manufactured in the last 50 years have a chime correction device that should recycle the chimes back in sync with the minute hand when it reaches the hour. If your particular grandfather clock doesn't have an automatic chime correction device, the problem can be manually corrected by turning the minute hand back 15 minutes then forward past the quarter hour. Just keep doing this until the number of chimes match the quarter hour the hand is pointing to.

To give you an example, Westminster chimes play 4 notes on the first quarter hour, 8 notes on the half hour, 12 notes on the three quarter hour and 16 notes at the top of the hour. If the problem still continues it may mean that the minute hand has been installed on its arbor in the wrong direction. To fix this, remove the nut holding down the minute hand with a pair of pliers. Then, pull the minute hand off, rotate it to the quarter hour indicated by the number of chimes being played and then reinstall the nut. This should get the chimes back in sync with the timing mechanism.

One final problem is when the weights refuse to drop. Every quarter hour the time train causes the chimes to strike. That in turn causes the left strike weight to fall at the top of the hour. So if the time train center pendulum doesn't drop then the chime and the strike weights won't drop either. The first step in fixing this is to get the pendulum swinging again. We covered that in the first article.

If the right and left weights refuse to drop, meaning the pendulum is swinging and the clock hands are moving but the chime is not operating, then what will happen is the chime will not operate and in turn the strike will not operate either. What you do is check to see if the chime lever on the grandfather dial is properly centered over a chime and not in the off position. After doing that, you take the side panel off your grandfather clock and check to make sure that the steel chime retard bar has NOT been lowered onto the chime hammers causing the chimes not to operate.

If only the left weight will not drop that means only the hour strike is not operating. To fix this open the side panel and make sure that the steel retard bar has not been lowered onto the strike hammers causing them not to operate. Also make sure the hammers are operating freely. Finally, check and make sure that the trip lever from the chimes is releasing the strike train.

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The Direct TV Versus Dish Network Dilemma

Eenie meenie, miney mo - to which satellite TV service shall I go? Choosing between Direct TV (it is really called Directv) and the Dish Network is like deciding which political party is more corrupt than the other. It is all a matter of your perception of the programming and preference. Is one really better than the other? Not really. They even have similar marketing promotions like a free satellite TV system when you purchase their satellite TV receiver or buy a certain programming package.

If you go by the number of customers alone, Directv would the outstanding choice. However, that is not necessarily true. They just have a lot more money to spend on advertising. How about price? Should you go by price alone to decide on a satellite dish network or a Direct satellite TV? The answer is no. Each of these satellite TV providers offers something a little different, which could make or break the choice, depending on preference. There is that pesky 'preference' thing again!

First of all, let us look at what they both have in common. Both companies present similar deals like free installation or a free satellite TV system. When it comes to movie and local television programming, the pricing is practically the same. Both the Dish Network and Direct TV offer DVR or digital video recording. With your Direct satellite TV however, you could upgrade to the Directv Tivo option for a nominal fee.

The differentiation is in the programming offered to subscribers. If you are aiming for a more international flavor, then the Dish Network would be your best bet. They have networks available in foreign markets that are broadcast in a variety of languages. So if you have transplanted yourself in the United States from somewhere else, chances are you might be able to catch the news and other shows from your homeland. Direct TV does have some foreign programming, mostly on the movie channels, but not the scope that the Dish Network offers.

Now, Directv subscribers have a plethora of options when it comes to American sports. Football, baseball, hockey, NASCAR ... these are important to sports fans. When the major sports have play-offs like the NFL or NBA, you can count on those rabid sports fans purchasing a 'pass' which buys a whole block of games. The Dish Network does offer sports, but they are more global in their choices. You will likely find rugby, lacrosse and soccer just as much as the football or baseball. They just don't have as much of a selection. So, if sports are your thing, then going for a Directv dish and satellite system is the best choice for you.

Now you have a perspective from both sides of the two major satellite TV service providers. Both offer similar programming. It is choosing the little things that will influence your decision. Think about the Directv Tivo option. Think about the future possibility of Directv HDTV. If having these things in the future is important, then perhaps your mind is already made up, unlike that decision about which political party is more corrupt ...

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Lantern Festival - Celebration for Some, Torture for Some

My university, here in Huainan, that has looked so deserted for the past few weeks has started showing some signs of life. The odd student has started returning and there is certainly more activity here than in the last few weeks. The early birds here are the ones looking for their worms of love. Apparently, unable to bear the long Spring Festival-induced separation, they have come back to school sooner than necessary - sooner than necessary as per the school's diktats but perhaps, less sooner than the necessity imposed by nature. Which means, they have borne the festivities with some sort of stoicism. Spring Festival is the time when reunions are de rigeur for families. But lovers do not qualify as family and so they must make do with a period of segregation. They walk now, hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm, smiles on their faces, homes and hearths forgotten in the fire of love.

Lantern Festival! Today, the fifteenth day of the Spring Festival, a full moon day, is the Lantern Festival when people remember their ancestors, if I recall rightly. After today, this year's Spring Festival will be consigned to the caves in the minds of the people and the hearts of lovers. Some will remember it with fondness and others, perhaps, with a little less, depending on what the festival gave or took from them. The streets this morning are deserted. The morning was noisy though, with firecrackers rousing me from my tossing-turning sleep well before fingers of light could brighten the horizon.

Xia Wu Fandian (Afternoon Restaurant, if my translation skills are any good), my head-office as I refer to it since most of my meals and drinking are 'accomplished' there, was crowded. I walked on to see more of the festivities. All I saw was unenforced curfew - or, perhaps, a curfew enforced by tradition. I imagined people sitting to a lavish spread with their ones at home, leaving the streets to be trawled by the homeless and the foreigners, perhaps, equally homeless in some sense. I returned an hour later and the restaurant was as deserted as the streets and I sat down to my small measure of baijiu (white wine) appetizer and cabbage with fried and diced pieces of doufu (tofu, beancurd) and a bowl of rice to go with it. It tasted good, as usual. It's a dish created by a student's (Chris's) pretty girl firend, Peace. She directed the restaurant's owner-cum-chef on how to prepare it and it has become a hit with me and a few others I have taken with me to sample the dish.

While I waited, I asked the owner's mother, who helps clean and wash the dishes there, where the lao ban niang (mistress of the establishment) was. 'Mama', a genial old lady, with an ever smiling face and busy hands, signalled that she was at home in bed. Why, I asked. She indicated that he, her son the lao ban, (the boss) had beaten her. I am about to call him and ask why he did that, forgetting for a moment, that men have been beatiing their wives for thousands of years, not only in China, India or Asia but all over the world. Thankfully, most women don't cower in the face of domestic violence anymore. Instead, they are more than willing to desert their violent husbands/mates. Unfortunately, in parts of Asia, women still allow that and don't raise a hand against their partners, nor their voice against the 'practice'. I wonder when this violence will end, when men will return their women the dignity they not only deserve but have earned over centuries. I believe, it's men with a huge sense of inferiority that do this, not men who are real men.

Festival times are not times to rejoice for all...for some they are times of torture!

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Home Not Selling In Today's Hot Market? Tips and Ideas to Help You Sell

So, your selling your home. Prepare yourself both physically and mentally for the agony of the endless phone calls and interruptions to your daily schedule. But more importantly, prepare your home for the ever critical eye of each person walking through the door. For it is not their goal to see the good in your home, but to see each and every flaw that has ever been. What can you do as a seller to minimize these flaws and highlight your homes best features? Let's take a look at several reasons why your home may not be selling and some easy-to-do remedies.

Reason #1 - Curb Appeal. Stand across the street and critically evaluate your front yard. Is it weed free? What about the "For Sale" sign? Is it easily visible from the street with current information? Do you have flyers available? Seems small, but this is actually a "biggie".

Reason #2 - Clutter. From the front yard to the back gate, get rid of everything that takes up space (everything that you can live without). You're moving into your new home (soon), so why not start packing now? Home buyers are looking for cabinets, closets and kitchen space. Home sellers need to reduce, reduce, reduce!

Reason #3 - Clean. How long has it been since you had a professional cleaning service do the job right? Having the property cleaned by someone who is not emotionally attached to the property is the only way to go. Not only do they see things that you don't, they're especially detailed oriented in cleaning the home.

Reason #4 - Color. "Real Estate Beige" comes in many different shades these days, but whatever shade of neutral you decide to go with, make sure it is properly applied. If painting over dark colors, be sure to use a primer. Hiring quality contracts to paint for you is worth the money. Walls in good condition are important, but so are walls that buyers can see.

Reason #5 - Compromise. Pick challenges with your children based on what is truly important. The kids room need to be organized, but it's more important that the dirty clothes are out of sight.

Reason #6 - Creativity. Setting matching accessories together and displaying nice towels are not labor intensive or expensive. It's using what you alreayd own to highlight the home.

Reason #7 - Consistency. Make sure the home is prepared daily for buyers. Put wet towels in the dryer during the day (running the dryer before heading off to work). Dirty clothes need to be picked up and put in the laundry basket. Used dishes should also be put in the dishwasher each morning. Remember, people will recall what they saw, more than what they didn't see.

Reason #8 - Check Your Senses. How do the house smell? (Cinnamon? Vanilla? Wet dog?) What do you hear? (Leaky faucets? Soft music?) What's the first thing you see when you open the door? (Nice entry, clean floors? Walls with cracks? Stained carpet?)

Remember, buyers will make their decision within the first few seconds of driving up to your house. It is your responsibility to give them an invitation to come in!

Methods of Website Promotion

Promoting a Website is not an easy task. New Website Developers may have the impression of building a Website and sales are generated. This is far from true. There are millions of Websites. Within those millions, there are bound to be competitors. To rise above, or obtain a portion of the market-share, developers need to utilize an effective promotion campaign.

Establishing a Website is not much different than a brick-and-mortar business. Open a Deli in the heart of a City and millions of potential customers will pass daily. In contrast, open the Deli in the suburbs, and there would be one quarter of the potential customers. Obviously, the City would be much more expensive to get started and maintain, but the revenue should provide for the added expense.

The same holds true in Website Promotion. However, the landscape is different. There are no streets and sidewalks customers have to use. Therefore, our businesses need to be found by customers in a variety of places. It needs to be brought to the potential customer, or viewable from wherever they may be lurking.

Where do we start with Website Promotion?

One of the topics sweeping the developers world is Optimization. The internet will naturally bring potential customers, if the site is optimized properly. Computers work hard on matching relevant information. This is a huge benefit to e-business owners.

Before promotion begins, or altering existing efforts, understand the Internets backbone. Why has the World Wide Web become popular? Most should agree, information retrieval rules. Internet users dont have to sit down and watch television waiting for local weather. They dont have to wait for news of interest. They dont have to drive to find the best prices. They dont have to look through cook-books to find a recipe. They dont have to talk to salespeople for a car. Today its all on the, information, super highway.

As a developer, focus on information delivery before beginning promotion of a Website. If a page can be divided into two topics, make two separate pages. Over-use of graphics can present problems too. While its nice to make a Site pretty, most people dont care. They want the information or products they are seeking. Sectors such as art could be an exception, but for the most part, lots of graphics are a waste. People read on the internet. Give people something to read, not just something to view.

Promotion Budget

If launching a new campaign, it may take time to decipher an effective budget. There are simple variables that should be considered with budgeting. Given the potential scope of a Website, advertising should be devoted to different areas of the site. For example, paying to promote the free portion of a Website is not logical. In contrast, a free forum may sell advertising. The advertising segment of the site should be exploited.

There is a simple formula to develop a budget. If a site is new, it takes some research and investment to draw an accurate conclusion. Put simply, consider the following; how many potential customers are required to make a sale? From each sale, how much profit is generated? Of the profits, how much is invested into advertising? This identifies the value of potential customers. If ten customers make one sale, and ten dollars are allocated towards advertising, each customer is potentially worth one dollar. However, room for growth could be made by reducing the value of a potential customer or increasing the advertising contribution. A competitive sector may force reduced profits rather than reduced value of potential customers.

Comprehensive budgeting could be applied to aspects of the business. Promote each aspect as a unique entity. For example, a Website that sells music and movies could have separate budgets for the segments. This could reveal vital information to the survival of a business. Implement effective models that assist in tracking expense and results. This is fairly simple with website statistics and tracking tools.

Free Traffic Promotion Keywords and Phrases

When it comes to free traffic, its about information retrieval. People utilize tools that provide information accurately and quickly. These tools rely on the developers interpretation of a Website or page (On-Site Optimization). What is the Website or page about? What phrases are people looking for that want to use this site? Information retrieval is a complicated double-edge-sword between people surfing the web and people creating the web. When the people creating the web do not create clear and focused pages, people surfing the Web cannot find them.

Free traffic is a gift from creating user friendly pages, clearly focusing on a specific topic, and the result of promotion efforts. It stems from a good balance. While free traffic primarily comes from Search Engines, it also comes from referring sites. People will write about a Website in blogs, forums, or on their personal pages. People will add links to Sites they like.

If developers hunt for free traffic, problems can arise. Hunting for free traffic has made developers try tricks that got the site removed from Search Engines. This can present a big problem as they are a large source of free targeted traffic. Keep free traffic in mind while promoting a Website, but dont make it the focus of promotion. It will come naturally over time. Take it as a gift and an acknowledgement that a Website has been optimized well, presents clear information, and is promoted in the right places. Although some may argue the point, dont anticipate quality free traffic to begin immediately. It takes extensive thought, advertising, and planning for this to happen, especially within competitive sectors.

Promoting in Directories

One place to start promoting a Website is Website Directories. Most directories are organized by topic. Some are more comprehensive than others. In addition, there are, Niche, directories that focus on one topic. For example, there are directories for shopping, reference, art, and automotive sites. In contrast, there are general directories that provide all the niches.

Finding an appropriate place within a directory may be difficult. Directories can a large structure. However, a comprehensive structure benefits advertisers with targeting. Comprehensive directories enable developers to classify a Website. For example, it maybe possible to promote a site the sells speakers, for cars, but only domestic cars, and ones that are late model. In addition, some directories may implement regional indexing. Targeting an index in a directory can be complex, but it can be a great benefit too.

Dont expect to rush from directory to directory and establish a bunch or references. Each directory is unique. Take time to understand how the directory is structured, what they expect as a title and description, and how the suggestion process works. Seek similar sites; take note of where they appear, and how they are described.

Directories are generally affordable solutions. Most Directories are indexed by search engines. They help search engines understand a sites focus. In addition, they are a reference point for some people. It may be a good idea to seek-out one or two directories a week, or as appropriate to a budget. Finding good directories will consume a lot of time. However, once a link is added, it will remain there for a long duration.

News and Media Promotion Public Relations

Public Relations an important factor when promoting any Business. News and Media channels are the vehicles that convey information to the public. News about a business can make a huge impact on the public. Good news can make lots of people remember a business. Some developers release news about every change or added feature to a Website. Ironically, some developers never utilize this area of promotion.

There are a variety of distribution sites that will expose news releases to numerous channels, for a modest fee. In addition, most will offer free options. It may be a good idea to utilize free options for news that is not very important. For example, adding a, Calculator, to a Website probably will not gain much attention. However, anything that may be important to the public needs to be announced.

If it can be added to the budget, outsource public relations efforts. PR companies have knowledge of what the media likes and contacts that make them valuable. PR specialists can be found in almost every City.

Ezine Articles - Provide Rich Content

Writing articles is a powerful promotion tool. Some developers refer to this as, Viral Marketing. There are Websites that require content. Content brings them traffic. Traffic builds valuable ad space.

Article Distribution sites assist promoters with circulating articles. Many Ezines rely on Distribution Sites for their content. Post an article to a distribution site and the article is, up-for-grabs, to anyone. The article begins to circulate the internet like a virus. Everywhere it appears, reference is given to the author and their Website.

Advertising on the Web

There are a variety of reference websites. Generally, these sites consist of Forums, Article content, and Online Chats. They rely on selling ad space as the main revenue stream. While some reference developers are, trying to rich quick, there are sites that offer affordable solutions to promote a Website. With free traffic in mind, seek-out text link advertising venues. Look for sites that charge a flat fee. Sites that charge per click or by the impression usually mask links for tracking. This does not build good recognition with search engines.

Seek relevant opportunities for promoting the Website. If the allows people to buy tennis shoes, a sports reference and information area may be prove beneficial. Another might be a reference site about footwear. Trial and error will reveal good advertising sources for promotion. Regardless of the site being promoted, there are reference areas that are valuable promotion tools.

Promotion Summary

The internet moves fast in certain aspects. When it comes to Website promotion, it moves slowly. Modifications that are made to a Web Page are not going to be seen the next day. Significant results appear months later. The most important area of promotion, is keeping accurate records. Website promotion is complex. Developers need to consider on-site and off-site optimization, targeting, and ad construction. The right mix can provide a significant advantage over the competition.