Mount St. Helens is a National Monument

In December 2005, Manaro, the volcano in the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu showed signs it was about to erupt. Smoke and ashes shot up from the crater and many of the population fled their homes. In point of fact the volcano did not erupt. However, as the old year came to an end and we entered a new one, news flashed around the world that the South Pacific had experienced a large earthquake. Could there, I wonder, be a connection?

Mount St. Helens, located in the Washington State in the Pacific Northwest, also a volcano, erupted in May 1980. The eruption is attributed to an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale. Certainly, this was not the first time this mountain had outbelched larva, smoke and ash in its 50,000 history of eruption. This time the north face collapsed in a gigantic avalanche of sand, rock and larva, taking with it 230 square miles of verdant forest. The volcano spewed a mushroom cloud high into the sky that turned day into night and scattered gray ash over most of eastern Washington State and the surrounding area. The eruption itself lasted a mere nine hours but the affects felt as far away as Canada, have changed the area out of all recognition. It was as if an atom bomb had exploded in the area on that day almost 26 years ago.

In 1982, President Reagan and Congress voted to create 110,00 acre National Volcanic Monument not only to mark the events of that fateful day in May 1980, but also to take from what was described as a national disaster and turn something negative into a positive creation. Within the Park that comprises the Monument the land is left alone to recover from the shattering disturbance it had experienced. Slowly and without the help of man the area is beginning to return to life. The once gray, larva strewn terrain is now gently turning green as plants and shrubs take root within the ash and debris. Bird life, which deserted the area after the eruption, is now coming back and the elk that lived and grazed within the surrounding forest are now straying back to what was once their natural habitat. Who says these creatures do not have instinctual memory?

For the traveler who remembers the graphic TV pictures of the Mount St. Helen’s disaster a trip to the National Monument will help restore faith in the notion that no matter what happens, it will pass and life will move on to its next mighty stage of growth and development.

Interested in this subject? Try this link http://www.northwesttravelspots.com

Look Past the Bottom Line for a Property’s Potential

It’s unfortunate that many real estate investors tend to look at the bottom line when deliberating about a property, rather than the big picture. The real moneymakers in real estate investments are the people with vision, who think creatively, and are willing to assume some level of risk.

A client’s initial line of questioning about an investment property goes something like this: What has the property’s revenue been for the past three years? How much money will they make starting out? and, How much will they have to invest in the property in the beginning? These are all valid questions. After asking and answering them, investors might try taking off the blinders and thinking outside of the box.

Our population is growing, and land — unlike cars, furniture, or other structures — cannot be remade.

Real estate investors might ask themselves these simple questions:

1. Is there growth in the area where the property is located? Is there anywhere for the growth to go? If so, is it headed towards your property’s location?

2. Has the city or county zoned the are for revitilization or economic development? If so, are there any special funds or benefits available?

3. Is the property accessible to public transportation?

4. Are people beginning to look for homes in this area? If so, investors want to be looking far in advance of others to secure the best property deals.

5. Is the property value in the neighborhood in a slump or an upswing? Purchase during a slump for maximum profits.

The truth is, an investor not make a profit from the property for the first two years. Investment property owners should be looking at the long-term, because they may make money over the next 15 years, while others are not.

Check County Records for Property Value

Do your research, or hire a REALTOR who is motivated to do it correctly. Speak to neighbors to understand the benefits of living there. Look at the neighborhood surrounding the area, and try to determine if those homes have increased in value. For a solid indicator, consider county property tax figures. In some areas you will find a slight increase in the tax base of 1-3%. In other areas, like Williamsburg, Virginia, taxes have increased 15-13%. Tax base increases are linked to improved property value.

Are Revitalization Funds Available?

If your investment property venture is a legitimate business, contact the local Chamber of Commerce and county government to see if there are special funds available for revitalization projects. Most Chamber of Commerces provide such programs as well as classes where investors learn how to access these funds.

There are lots of great examples of properties with potential. I’d like to share some background about one of my own listings, a motel in Williamsburg that has not been open for three years. The owners do not know when it was built - probably in the 50s or 60s. The motel sits on 2 1/3 acres of land, which is all zoned commercially. The motel is situated right on a main thoroughfare that was once called “The Golden Mile” of Williamsburg. It’s geographic location is near York County a phenomenal leader in economic development. York County is enticing businesses by zoning the northern section of town commercial and it will be the site of the new hospital complex that is currently housed in Williamsburg.

Thinking Outside the Box

An important fact is not widely known about the motel’s location, which is key to its investment potential. One mile from the motel property, across from the Williamsburg Pottery, a gated senior community with full amenities (golf courses, recreation center, pool) will break ground in April 2004. The Fortune 500 Company behind the building of this project is set to build 3,000 homes, with an estimated completion date of 2006. Scanning the area, it is obvious there are no European Bakeries, international shops, or stores and eateries which deliver (drug stores, groceries, take out, etc.). A strip mall with leasing options for different businesses, or even an extended stay hotel could be built on this land, and run for a profit. Investors I have shown the property to are wary of the $1,000,000 price tag on the motel. In the coming years this price will seem like a steal for commercial property in the area.

There are many other examples of properties whose potential have not yet been discovered. Remember, once you land that investment property of your dreams, make sure you have a marketing plan, which includes a decent web site, to launch your business. When speculating, trust your creativity and vision, and rely upon the expertise of a REALTOR who knows the area, and shares your vision.

About The Author

Elaine VonCannon is a REALTOR with RE/Max Capital in Williamsburg, Virginia, and she manages investment property as part of her business. Her husband Joe is a contractor who collaborates with her on rehabilitation of properties. She has helped numerous clients invest in and make money on property investments in Southeastern Virginia. vonmor1@cox.net

Vasectomy Reversal - Is It Right for You?

This is the question that many couples are beginning to ask themselves these days. After all, you went thru the trouble and discomfort to get a vasectomy in the first place, and now you’re thinking about undoing it? Are you sure? Here are some things to help you decide if a vasectomy reversal is right for you:

• How has your situation changed since your vasectomy? There was a definite reason behind getting a vasectomy however many years ago. Has that changed?

• Were you persuaded to get a vasectomy? Do you feel you were emotionally forced to get one against your better judgment and will? If you are now single, you may be rethinking that decision. Having a family could be a high priority in your life.

• Were you young? Some men get their vasectomies in the 20s and 30s. That’s quite young to make a life-altering decision. Many times these men regret the decision later on down the road. Do you really know what you want now?

• Do you have children? Another mistake men make is having a vasectomy before ever having a child of their own. Even if they have stepchildren, some men begin to yearn for their own. You may now know in your heart that you want your own birth child(ren).

• Are you remarried? Often times men have children with their former wife and believe that’s all they’ll ever want. Other times, they decide not to have any children at all. Then they get divorced, remarried and they are in a situation where he and his new wife want children of their own. Is that you?

• Have you and your partner changed your minds? Hey, it’s your prerogative. It’s perfectly okay to change your mind. It’s your life! Maybe your relationship is stronger now and you feel more secure in bringing a child into the mix.

There may be other reasons behind wanting a vasectomy reversal. Just be sure to take inventory of your life in the present day. As you know, having children is (at least) an 18 year commitment. Wanting a family, or an addition to an existing family, can be very emotional for you and your partner. Discuss it with each other so you can come up with the best resolution.

A vasectomy reversal can make your dreams a reality. The permanent can be undone. And really, it’s all worth it in the end.

Oops! Changed your mind on that vasectomy? There is still hope to have (more) birth children. A vasectomy reversal can help give you the greatest gift in life. Vasectomy-Reversal-Site.com provides resources and information about this increasingly popular procedure. Make an informed decision. The sooner you take action the better - don’t wait. There’s a baby counting on you.

Groups Assist the ‘Make Money Online’ Syndrome

William Shakespeare once wrote; “The world is a stage on which everyone is a player” … and in Network Marketing, each player must play his/her part. To make money on the internet, working from home, you need to find the players that play their parts.

Making money online is much easier when everyone is part of the performance…

Groups play a large part in forming such an association. A Yahoo group is easy to form and allows communication to flow freely amongst the members. Keeping everyone informed of latest developments and ideas, is easily done through groups.

To truely realise the “make money at home” principle, you have to communicate and allow people to interact with each other. Team players are known to be more likely to make money online, than their individual opposites. Many minds are greater than one.

Groups are a think tank of ideas that can transform an individuals personal performance by injecting new ideas and methods into their flagging marketing strategies. To make money online, you sometimes need the sort of push that a Group can give you.

While some groups live a short life, many have been around for over 6 years or more and still give that sort of unconditional support that a new person needs, to make money on the internet. Failure rates are lower when a group is active and being led by motivational methods. The Group structure produces loyalty and belief to many people.

Anyone who is serious about learning how to make money online, should ask if there is a support group available within the business and then check it out, to see how active the group is, by looking at the mailing figures. Most groups record the number of posts made in any particular month. 78 or more would indicate some moderate activity.

Belonging to a number of groups is also a great way of relationship marketing. Joining groups that are aligned to your own personal interests, often foster a great number of business associates. Those are the sort people who are most likely to play their part.

Always remember that to make money on the internet, you have to socialise and be online on a consistent basis. Plugging people into an online group will also help you in your quest to make money online.

Michael A Fowler, M.B.A. is the editor of the Internet’s premier work at home resource: Work from Home Journal.

An Online Trainer, Mentor and Coach, Michael has been helping people to succeed online since 1998.

http://www.the-mba-way.com | Goldcard43@aol.com

The Beauty Of Stained Glass

Creating or purchasing a unique piece of stained glass can be the perfect addition to any part of your home. A great stained glass piece will add texture, color, and give all of your guests something to admire.

Stained glass is just what you would expect. Basically, stained glass is made of pieces of glass infused with shades of almost any color you can imagine. The pieces of glass are fused together to create stained glass pieces of many sizes and varieties. Sometimes small pieces of glass will come together and represent a scene of something recognizable like a tree, flower, or animal. Other finished works of stained glass will be a collage of colors that do not create anything we recognize.

If you are interested in learning more about stained glass and perhaps even in creating a finished piece or two of your own, the chances are high that you can find a class or a seminar in a town near you. While creating glass does take hard work and patience, you will be happy to learn that almost anyone can learn the skills necessary for making a beautiful work of stained glass. Check in your local newspaper or at a local art shop to see where you might find a stained glass class offered to the public. In a class you will be taught by an expert and able to play around with stained glass until you find a color scheme and pattern that is attractive to your eye. Consider a spot in your home that could used a little decoration and create stained glass that will match that area of your home.

If making great pieces of stained glass seems like too much of a stretch for you, consider purchasing stained glass pieces that have already been made and are ready for sale. Look in local art shops, galleries or even on the internet to find stained glass that catches your eye. Take your time and look at a variety of locations if they are available to you. You may find a particular artist or style of stained glass that you enjoy more than others. You may find that you prefer stained glass that is more random is design rather than stained glass that has been made into something recognizable.

Whatever your taste, you will enoy having unique stained glass pieces in any part of your home. Whether you decide to create your own or to purchase from a more accomplished artist, first decide to make great stained glass pieces part of your home today.

After seeing what stained glass added to her home, Hallidae Thomason has been advising all of her friends and family to add stained glass to their homes as well. Learn more at www.mystainedglass.info

Dining Out 101

Do you consistantly starve yourself until you get to the restaurant, and then order everything on the menu to fill the hunger gap? If you are serious about watching your weight there are things you can do to be a more ‘informed diner’ so you make the right decisions on what food to eat when you dine out.

Fitness expert Bob Green (yes, the same Bob Green from the Oprah show) gives us a few tips on what to consider at different types of restaurants.

Italian Restaurants

-Skip the bread basket. At the very least, don’t have it sitting in front of you for the whole meal.
-Split the pasta dishes. Portions are normally large enough for two.
-Choose soup for a meal, like Minestrone.
-Avoid anything called ‘parmagiana’ as it is usually fried and layered with cheese.

Chinese Restaurants
-Watch the oil and avoid anything deep-fried.
-Remember most of the calories are hidden in the sauces.
-Say “no” to egg rolls - they are filled with fat.
-Avoid dishes with eggplant in them - they soak up the oil like a sponge.
-Choose brown rice over white. Don’t mistake fried rice for brown rice.
-Fortune cookies are okay to eat - they only have about 30 calories.

Mexican Restaurants
-Skip the chips/nachos.
-Substitute salsa for other toppings such as cheese, guacamole and sour cream.
-Avoid quesadillas and enchiladas that are filled with cheese. Tamales are filled with fat.
-Try to only eat half a burrito - save the rest for later.
-Taco salads are a good option - just don’t eat the shell. The shell doubles the calories.
-Fajitas are a good option. Load them up with veggies and salsa, skip the sour cream.

Bob believes there is “nothing more dangerous than showing up at a restaurant really hungry.” Being an informed diner can save you hundreds of calories in just one meal. To buffer the hunger, be sure to snack before you go out.

Chester is a health nutrition consultant and is the owner of AstroNutrition - a provider of premium health nutrition and sports supplements. Check out our Health and Fitness Blog!

Alternative Strategy To Get An Alusive PR For Your Website?

There is a common misconception about major search engines today, as well as getting listed in them. Engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN all have a system known as page rank. Page rank determines where, and if, your website is listed in their results. The PR of your site is determined by how many other sites link to it, the page rank of their sites, and the content of their pages (Whether or not it relates to your page/s).

The problem with this type of system is that it can take alot of capital to get listed in the top results in a search engine such as Google. Unless your website is a directory, having a thousand exchange links on your home page is just not feasable. It makes web pages confusing and a cluttered mess. All major search engines search for hidden text, so that will not work either. So what is a person to do?

The best out of the big three search engines right now is MSN. Google is by far the most used, but in my opinion, it has gone down hill. The search results seem to be geared toward corporations and big business’. Seach engines are suppose to help you find what you are looking for. In many instances, it becomes a chore to accomplish what the search engine is supposed to do for you. Sure I might find some interesting sites, but many times it is not what I was trying to find in the first place.

I’ve sat down several times within th last few months and noticed that Google results were close to worthless, compared to their former selves. Unfortunatly for Yahoo, they are having their new search engine designed by Google. I think that is a bad move on their part. Like I said MSN is the best right now of the big three, however it is still plagued by corporations and big business.

I have searched the web and have came up with what I believe is the next best search engine of the future. It is called Warp Rocket Search engine located at www.warprocket.com It actually allows the most modest of websites to get listed for free. It has a 99.9% acceptance rate and the search results are fresher than ever.

I think it may be time to start considering some of these up and coming search engines for the time being. If they allow the smaller website owner to get listed easily and the search content is as good as big three, we should reward them by using their services.

Why reward the larger search engines for going down hill? Why reward them for making it almost impossible to getting a website listed? If they don’t want to scratch my back, why should I scratch theirs.

Article related links- http://www.warprocket.com

China Trade Show, China Sourcing Fair is Giving Away a Hotel Stay in Hong Kong, during their China T

China trade shows are common but China Sourcing Fair the host of
the upcoming trade show in China is set to give away hotel
accommodations in Hong Kong to lucky china tradeshows attendees.

Attend the China Sourcing Fair for Fashion Accessories or the
China Sourcing Fair for Electronics & Components this year and
you could win free hotel accommodations in Hong Kong for the
event. Going to a China Trade Show is something that many people
haven’t done due the distance and cost to attend, but this years
China Sourcing Fair which is being held for the first time in
Hong Kong making it easier for people to attend.

Even I was thinking about going down to the event, but was
reluctant until I realized that attendance of this China Trade
Show is free. In addition by registering for the trade show I am
eligible to win free accommodations in Hong Kong. “Hotels in
Hong Kong are very costly especially when an event like this
happens”, said David Green, the manager of my local
import/export committee. David Green was very pleased to see
that China Sourcing Fair is willing to give away accommodations
to one lucky china trade show attendee.

There are two shows that China Sourcing Fair is putting on, the
one is Fashion Accessories trade show,
http://tradeshow.globalsources.com/TRADESHW/HONGKONG-FASHION.HTM
and the other is the Electronics & Components trade show,
http://tradeshow.globalsources.com/TRADESHW/HONGKONG-ELECTRONICS.
HTM it appears what their offer is if you register for either of
these tradeshows in China then you are eligible to win one of
their 6 prizes, I’m hoping to win the free hotel accommodations
in Hong Kong during the China tradeshow.

Winner or not, I look forward to attending these trade show in
China. For more information on the China Sourcing Fair and their
other tradeshows in China you can visit:
http://tradeshow.globalsources.com/TRADESHW/CSF/INDEX.HTM

Holding Brilliant Staff Parties Within London

Preparation for a workforce’s event, particularly Within the city of London, will be an intricate, and time intensive process if your company are not prepared, and don’t have the right resources close to hand. From hiring bartenders, to making certain employees are set up to clear up the mess, organising cabaret entertainers, champagne, it can often all remarkably quickly grow to be out of your control.

And it is all about your business’s staff. Please do not fail to notice that for one second. While having an outstanding water fall feature of chocolate splashing from one’s party entry will be your business’s plan of corporate event paradise, if one haven’t say provided to vegetarians then your company are perhaps going to be Around a mess! Please take care to make sure that every one of your workforce are joyful, their individual needs are covered, and you will probably be well on the way to arranging a nice shindig. Make certain your people plan, arrange and plan again.

Arranging is necessary to the smooth running of your party and your firm cannot do too much here. Please always make certain transport is coordinated thus when the choice does come to run off from the festivity, your company workers are not floundering everywhere trying to pick up taxis. Corporate festivities can be a challenge if your business are managing a corporate party for a great number of staff, hence it could be an idea to acquire some support from skilled professionals if the company are unaccustomed to undertaking this type of corporate event thing! Get some help with finding venues for corporate entertainment with Harden’s guides.

Pick a function venue wisely. If the best part of the business’s work force live Around south west of London, sourcing a place Within north of the capital might not be the best thought, even if it’s the most wonderful Workforce Event Venues venue Around the entire universe. Please don’t always make things complicated for your staff when they just don’t have to be. One can get lists of corporate shindig planners and dealers with Hardens Work events.

In The Citu of London they have an online list of UK caterers, circus performers, fancy dress hire, cakes, you name it, you’ll be able to find just about any sort of workforce. festivity facility, helping your firm’s gathering, go with a massive wallop…

Herbs and Natural Cures

Hello folks. Does anybody out there know anything about herbs and natural cures? I am no great pro but even I have picked up some pointers over the years.

Take lavender! I love lavender. Lavender is so easy to plant and look after, flourishes year after year, has a lovely, soothing scent, is known to induce relaxation, and keeps the moths away. I have a lavender plant on my kitchen window sill and sachets of lavender in my cupboards.

There are many methods to learn about herbal gardening. I personally have plenty of herbal gardening books on hand. You can exchange information with fellow gardeners or plant nursery salespersons too. And don’t forget elderly people. They have a wealth of information about herbs and natural cures.

Just the other day I mentioned to an elderly friend that my hair has been losing its luster. “No problem,” she said. “Take one egg yolk, olive oil, juice of one lemon. Mix together in a bowl. Using your fingers or a basting brush, rub or brush the mixture thoroughly onto your scalp, around the hair roots, and onto the hair. Wrap a towel around your hair for two hours, then rinse in lukewarm water and shampoo as usual”.

I followed her instructions. Sure enough, my hair has a renewed luster and more body than it has had in a long time.

You can learn about natural cures by improvising with things found at home. Did you ever feel like your face was an elastic mask? I did. I desperately needed something to soothe and moisturize my skin. Yogurt was the perfect solution. After rubbing some on my face and letting it soak in I felt and looked twenty years younger.

Natural cures are my idea of fun!

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