Saturday 9 July 2011

A Credit Repair Agency – What Can It Do For You?

Do you really need a commercial credit repair agency? Probably not.

A credit repair agency advertises that it can help you repair bad credit so that you will qualify for that loan you need to buy a new car or take a vacation. However, you do have to be careful when engaging the services of one of these agencies because many of them will not provide you with any information. In fact, that is all you can hope for with a credit repair agency because you are the only one that can repair your bad credit.

If you contact a credit counselling agency, you will get valuable advice. However, you should not have to pay for this service. There is a wealth of information available on the Internet to help you with your credit problems and even workbooks that you can download for free. Instead of spending your hard earned money paying for advice from a credit repair agency, there are many tips and techniques that you can get free.

The main advice you about helping you to repair your credit is that you do need to request a free copy of your credit report. There are three major credit agencies that have a file on you and your borrowing habits. By law you are entitled to one free report a year and everyone should review his/her credit report at least once a year to make sure there are no mistakes. When you contact a credit repair agency, you may get a free report, but you might also have to sign up and pay for credit counselling services.

If you are having a difficult time keeping your credit in check and find yourself in over your head, then you might benefit from the services of a credit counselling agency. If you are contemplating bankruptcy, the people at these agencies can come up with ways to help you prevent this. The counselling agencies have people trained in dealing with creditors and will negotiate with them to take a lower amount of payment. They can also help you negotiate a debt consolidation loan, which will pay off your outstanding accounts. Just keep in mind that this type of credit repair agency cannot wipe any items from your credit report.

You can take charge of doing your own credit repair without having to resort to using a credit repair agency. If you are really determined to bring up your credit scores, you can start by making a conscientious effort to make all your payments on time. Maybe a consolidation loan is the route you should take. If you are just being remiss with sending in your payments and are not having any financial difficulty, you will just be wasting your money with a credit repair agency. Once you start taking charge of your finances, your credit rating will soon start to rise.

Do you really need a commercial credit repair agency? Probably not.

Friday 8 July 2011

A Cornish Walk - Pentire Point And Rumps Point

There’s nothing that quite compares to a bracing winter walk. During summer, the sea might be more enticing, you can stop off for numerous ice creams en route and meander in shorts and t-shirt as the sun warms your skin; but at the same time, it’s hot, clammy, you’re often jostling for position on the busy coast path, and parking at the start of the route can be somewhat problematic. No such problem today. We snare one of many available free seaside spaces in New Polzeath, an...

There’s nothing that quite compares to a bracing winter walk. During summer, the sea might be more enticing, you can stop off for numerous ice creams en route and meander in shorts and t-shirt as the sun warms your skin; but at the same time, it’s hot, clammy, you’re often jostling for position on the busy coast path, and parking at the start of the route can be somewhat problematic. No such problem today. We snare one of many available free seaside spaces in New Polzeath, and our spot provides a great vantage point for reading a newspaper and watching the surfers in the water, before heading a couple of steps away to the Doom Bar of the Atlantic Hotel for a pre-walk coffee.

Cornwall has a fantastic selection of walks which make the perfect setting for a winter getaway. Why not stay for the weekend and relax in one of Cornwall’s holiday cottages (http://www.cornwalltoday.co.uk/Accommodation/CottageInCornwall.aspx)prior to your walk, and wrap up warm before you head out into the cold.

This is one walk that you will be more than glad to have a woolly hat with you, to keep your ears nice and toasty and to stop your hair blowing in your eyes and obscuring the views. Also, as any conversation is stolen by the wind, it doesn’t matter if you can’t hear anything anyway; it’s actually quite nice to be engrossed in your own world for a while. After sitting inside and looking beach ward, it’s great to be heading away from Polzeath, and taking the coast path to Pentireglaze Haven, where the soft sand underfoot is the perfect place for a spot of beach rambling, though we find little aside from small mussels, plenty of kelp, and a cottage nestled at the back of the beach, which we enviably spy through the windows of. Heading away from the beach to climb the hillside, waving goodbye to our sleepy start point, we then return to beach level to discover a small pebbly cove. Tempted as we might be to take the grassy turning to Pentire Farm, we refrain in the knowledge that we will be passing through the farm on our return route.

Heading onwards and upwards, the increased puffing is worth it, the path levels out to provide expansive seaward views which include the day mark of Stepper Point and the lighthouse of Trevose Head in the distance. The deserted stretch of sand to the south of Stepper Point is Harbour Cove, usually peopled with bodies during the summer months. Looking inland, rolls of hay sit on the hillside, the lush green of the fields contrasting the grey and somewhat uninviting ocean. Eyes down, we discover a large hairy caterpillar in the undergrowth, and once we’ve seen one, a game of spot the caterpillar ensues; they’re out in abundance today. We pass a National Trust sign that points us up hill to the Tumuli – a prehistoric burial ground, where an abundance of heather disguises what lies beneath.

Continuing on the blustery route to the rocky outcrop of Pentire Point, here barren volcanic rock makes up the headland; look carefully and you’ll see gas bubbles in the rocks that formed when the lava cooled rapidly in the ancient seas some 350 million years ago. Newland Rock can be seen offshore, whilst Rumps Point is visible in the distance, like a stegosaurus, sporadic triangular rocks rearing out of the grass headland. As you head to explore Rumps, you will find area of shelter from the wind, although you won’t want to stay too long in these quiet pockets as the views are far more spectacular the further up that you climb.

On the unusually shaped double headland of the Rumps are the remains of an Iron-Age cliff castle, where a massive triple rampart and ditch system protected an area of around six acres at the tip of the headland. We explored the stone circles that sat within the enclosure, trying to envisage those who had stood in the very spot from which we now admired the views. If the hills could talk they’d have a lot to say; excavations in the same area have unearthed pottery from the first century BC, indicating trade with the Mediterranean area. The large offshore rock behind the eastern headland is The Mouls, which is a breeding site for puffins, gannets and kittiwakes.

Once you’re looking to head on, I challenge you not to want to roll down the hills that you have so recently puffed your way up. Carry on your circular route; following the stone wall until you reach a junction and bear right to start your inward loop.

Heading towards Pentire Farm, a helpful information board reveals that the whole peninsula is part of a working farm which produces beef, corn and sheep, the latter of which we’ve seen plenty of during our walk. Though there’s not a person around when we pass through the farmyard, there are cream teas available here in season. Descending to your start point, you’ll be able to appreciate the shelter, peace and quiet, before a last uphill stretch towards the car. As we hungry walkers head towards Trebetherick we pass Mowhay CafĂ© and Gallery where the atmosphere is warm and welcoming – it’s like stepping into someone’s front room. We feast on what can only be described as a delicious lunch before, quite frankly, wanting nothing more than to go home and curl up in front of the fire – with that lovely feeling that only fresh air exertion can bring on.

If you would like to visit this region and are looking for somewhere to stay nearby, why not log onto http://www.cornwalltoday.co.uk where you will find a wide variety of either self-catering cottages and farmhouses or bed and breakfasts to suit your needs.

Thursday 7 July 2011

A Clothing Optional Vacation - Give A Unique Father's Day Gift

If your husband is like most men, he is the hardest person to buy gifts for. How many new ties, power tools, or bottles of liquor does he really need? Here's a great idea for a gift this Father's Day - a vacation at a clothing optional resort.

Sound far fetched? Not really. Nude recreation is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry. It is a booming travel niche with over $400 million in annual revenues reported by USA Today newspaper. In a recent Roper poll, 25%...

If your husband is like most men, he is the hardest person to buy gifts for. How many new ties, power tools, or bottles of liquor does he really need? Here's a great idea for a gift this Father's Day - a vacation at a clothing optional resort.

Sound far fetched? Not really. Nude recreation is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry. It is a booming travel niche with over $400 million in annual revenues reported by USA Today newspaper. In a recent Roper poll, 25% of Americans have gone skinny dipping in mixed company. You may have already done this when you were young. Now is the time to recapture that lost freedom of your youth.

Traditionally, Americans had to go to Europe or the Caribbean to find upscale topless, nudist, or naturist resorts. In the U.S., most nude places were just rustic campgrounds, the old style "nudist colonies" that movies like the Pink Panther showed. But, in the last decade, the U.S. has now surpassed the rest of the world and has some of the finest clothing optional resorts around.

American clothing optional resorts cater to different customers. Many are still the rustic campgrounds where families with their kids go on the weekends. However, in Florida and Palm Springs, California, you will now find nudist resorts that are able to compete with the best regular 4 and 5 star resorts. Nudism in America has now grown up and some of these new resorts are considered the best in the world.

One of the most popular of these new upscale nude resorts is The Terra Cotta Inn Clothing Optional Resort and Spa. It is very popular as it was the first upscale boutique clothing optional resort to cater just to couples. So, leave the kids with the grandparents or baby sitter an be prepared to be spoiled and pampered. The press reports it is the most mainstream nudist resort in the U.S. It is truly clothing optional. Although, repeat guests go there to go nude sunbathing, sometimes "first timers" are nervous and need some time to ease into nude sunbathing. The Terra Cotta Inn is perfect for couples trying nude sunbathing for the first time. There is never any pressure. Guests go nude as soon as they feel comfortable. And everyone always feels comfortable as 99% of the guests go nude sunbathing. The Terra Cotta Inn is located in sunny Palm Springs, California. http://palmsprings.com This beautiful resort community averages 340 days of sunshine a year and is the sunniest city in America. It has world championship golf, casinos, shopping, theater, and more. Everything anyone could ask for on their vacation.

Who takes clothing optional vacations? Everyone! People have been nude sunbathing for centuries. Even one of our founding fathers, Ben Franklin was a major advocate of nude sunbathing. Now that some nude resorts have gone upscale, more and more people are discovering the fun of nude recreation. Nude sunbathers range from their 20's to 70's in age. They are teachers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, police, firefighters, movie stars, Democrats and Republicans, etc. They are everyone. What they all have in common is they wanted to try something new. They were tired of the same old boring, stuffy vacations at chain hotels, They wanted to experience something different. Nude recreation is perfect. It is a great way to add excitement to a marriage or relationship. It is very romantic. Everyone feels comfortable at clothing optional resorts because guests are screened first and everyone knows that they are not wild, orgy places. Romantic? Absolutely! But, everyone always behaves themselves around others. So it is a very safe environment for couples. And once you have stayed at a clothing optional resort, you are hooked for life. For instance, a recent TV Travel show called "Ultimate Hotels" just reported that one clothing optional resort averages just over 75% repeat guests which is one the highest repeat guest rates in the travel industry.

Why go to a clothing optional resort? You go to relax and have fun. Marie Claire Magazine in an article about nudity and body image sent a reporter to a clothing optional resort. She reported, "After a hours of lounging and chatting, I started to feel totally relaxed with both myself and my new environment... As the weekend progressed, I became more and more comfortable being naked and I sure didn't miss the pressure of picking out something to wear every morning! But most of all, I found myself feeling less critical about my body. In fact, since it was clear nobody there cared about body size, I found myself being less self-critical overall- and naturally more health-conscious." And you will have so much fun. At many of the best clothing optional resorts, you get to meet vacationers from around the world. Many life long friendships are started up from guests chatting with each other. Without wearing clothes, people are just naturally more free and friendly.

So this Father's Day, or any day for that matter, if you are looking for a new vacation experience, contact a clothing optional resort and make your next vacation a fun, nude vacation

Wednesday 6 July 2011

A Classic Toy For The Ages

Throughout the years the toy market has seen many toys come and go but few have the staying power and the unique history of the Teddy Bear. Let’s explore this unique story of this classic toy and a piece of American heritage.

It was November 1902 and our president at the time, Theodore Roosevelt went on a hunting excursion to Mississippi. The trip was business and pleasure: He was there to try to settle a boundary dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana and a hunting exc...

Throughout the years the toy market has seen many toys come and go but few have the staying power and the unique history of the Teddy Bear. Let’s explore this unique story of this classic toy and a piece of American heritage.

It was November 1902 and our president at the time, Theodore Roosevelt went on a hunting excursion to Mississippi. The trip was business and pleasure: He was there to try to settle a boundary dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana and a hunting excursion for the president, who loved the sport.

But on that particular day, the hunt did not go as planned as President Roosevelt could not find a suitable target to his liking. However, his staff, in an effort to accommodate him, somehow managed to capture a Louisiana black bear cub for him to shoot and tied it to a tree. The thought of shooting a baby bear tied to a tree did not seem sporting to the accomplished outdoorsman and he refused, instead sparing the life of the black bear cub and setting it free.

Mr. Clifford Berryman, a famous political cartoonist for the Washington Star at the time, drew a cartoon titled, “Drawing The Line In Mississippi”, depicting the President letting the bear live, and using the story as a metaphor as for how the president dealt with the boundary dispute.

The cartoon also showed the President with his rifle and his back turned on the cute, cowering, baby bear. This gave Brooklyn toy store owner, Morris Michtom the inspiration for a display for his shop.

He placed a copy of the newspaper cartoon next to a hand-sewn stuffed bear his wife made in the window of his store. To his surprise, he was inundated with customers eager to buy his stuffed bear!

Michtom quickly requested and received President Theodore Roosevelt’s permission to use his name for the stuffed bears that he and his wife were now selling. Thus the “teddy bear” was born, and soon Michtom was producing the bears by the thousands. With the profits from the sales of the teddy bears Michtom went on to form the Ideal Toy Company.

Teddy bears continue to be best friends to children of all ages all over the world. Their mass appeal will never go out of style and they are a true classic to, albeit, with a little presidential help.

Tuesday 5 July 2011

A Buyers' Guide To Laminators And Laminate

Lamination is simply the process of enveloping a document between two layers of plastic film and sealing its edges in order to provide a level of protection against outside influences that may cause damage. Photos, posters, letters, certificates and cards are all examples of documents that commonly utilize such a technique, and the items can either be produced professionally or with special laminating products that are used in the home.

Of the different types of laminators...

Lamination is simply the process of enveloping a document between two layers of plastic film and sealing its edges in order to provide a level of protection against outside influences that may cause damage. Photos, posters, letters, certificates and cards are all examples of documents that commonly utilize such a technique, and the items can either be produced professionally or with special laminating products that are used in the home.

Of the different types of laminators that are available, those which use the process of thermal (or heat) lamination are actually layers of film which are constructed of a polyester base and resin. During the heating process, the resin layer melts and is then spread across the surface of the print through the means of pressure. Once spread, the adhesive begins to cool, hardening as it goes, in order to form a permanent bond between the film and the print.

There are several types of laminating machines, each using different kinds of laminators. The easiest of these will allow you to feed the document into a laminating machine, where it comes into contact with the adhesive, which are then pressed together by rollers or - in some cases - an oversized plate.

Using the Proper Laminator

+ Depending upon the material of the print to be protected, certain laminators must be used in order to complete the job correctly. That being the case, it's important to match the correct type of laminator with the particular material that's being used. In other words, prints of paper, wood or fabric are going to require different types of laminators.

+ Due to the steps that are necessary to successfully laminate a print, it's important to know the size of the document. Since lamination pouches are used during part of the process, you'll need to ensure that these are a proper fit before the technique can be successfully completed.

+ The frequency in which you use the lamination machine and the size of the jobs should be considered, as well. If you plan to use it on a daily basis, or for large lamination jobs, then it's best to invest in a heavy duty laminating machine. For particularly large jobs, you might be better off obtaining an industrial machine.

+ Thickness is an important consideration, as well, since prints that are of a thicker nature will need to utilize a spring-loaded roller in order to be fed through the machine properly. The advantage to this type of tool is that it will automatically adjust to the thickness of the material that's being introduced.

+ Machines that are equipped with a stand-by mode and a readiness indicator are best for those times when you're planning to use them throughout the day, such as in an office environment.

Hot Lamination

Different jobs will require specific types of laminators - either hot or cold - depending upon the material and desired effect.

+ For documents that are up to 20" in width, pouch laminators are used. Photographs, ID tags and other jobs that are of similar size would do best using this approach.

+ You'll need to use a roll laminator if you're planning to process prints that are between 20" and 60" wide and 1" in thickness.

+ Dry mounting is the most expensive of the three types, and is performed by using a tissue adhesive as well as precise heat and pressure regulations, in addition to the necessary time that it takes to apply a substrate to the product. Specialized machinery needs to be used in order to perform this technique, and is often used in professional print shops.

Cold Lamination

Tape lamination uses a cold version of adhering a protective plastic film to the print. By inserting a pre-wound, rolled cartridge of laminated film into the machine and introducing the document, both the adhesives and the print are pulled into the machine with two rollers after pushing a button or using a hand crank. These types are often used in the home environment, office, photo-finishing labs and sign shops.

Various Types of Finishes

There are five basic finishes that can be applied to a laminated product. Depending upon the type of effect that you wish to produce will determine the best finish for the job.

+ Standard Clear - produces a glossy finish
+ Satin - reduces glare without frosting
+ Matte - applies a slightly frosted finish
+ Crystal - produces a granular texture
+ Scratch Resistant - hard finish for extra protection

With the right tools, you can produce a variety of high quality products that are suitable for framing, posting or inserting into a binding that houses keepsakes. Laminated documents are also more professionally protected when prepared for packaging, in the event that documents must be transported through mailing or shipping services.

Monday 4 July 2011

A Bench that serves its Purpose

A bench doesn’t serve its purpose until it’s a storage box at the same time. Hundreds, even thousands of years ago, chairs were saved for the more important members of society (or ‘chairmen’); leaving the inferior sharing chest-like benches

A bench doesn’t serve its purpose until it’s a storage box at the same time. Hundreds, even thousands of years ago, chairs were saved for the more important members of society (or ‘chairmen’); leaving the inferior sharing chest-like benches. Eventually, these benches developed four legs, arms and a back and became a more desirable place to sit, especially for children and couples (hence the name ‘love seat’).
The first benches to hold storage were most likely Piano benches, designed so that one or more people can sit and play the instrument at one time, in comfort. Storage is built into piano stools to allow the owner to keep all their sheets of music in easily accessible one place.

To have any furniture that has more than one use is always an advantage and considering people started out sitting on chests, it made sense that those chests were filled. Storage benches open via the seat, which acts as a lid usually spanning the whole length of the bench or two separate lids. Sometimes the lid comes off completely; otherwise it will open just at one side using hinges. Some storage boxes feature lids with prop-ups so that the lid can be opened and will stay there while you use both hands to retrieve what’s inside, without having to hold it open. Storage benches do not have legs, and are supported by the box underneath the seat. Once opened, the storage compartment usually stretches the height of the box, with a base and can hold almost anything. Storage chests can often be seen attached to a wall, underneath a windowsill as a ‘window seat’ and are likely to be upholstered either fully or just on the seat in satin, normal cotton or leather.

However, benches are not confined to being indoors. In fact, a common use nowadays is as a outdoor storage bench, placed outdoors to hold children’s toys, firewood, hay and garden tools amongst other things. Such outdoor benches are very successful as storage boxes, providing the wood they are made out of is treated and varnishes appropriately to avoid rotting, or that they are made from a material that isn’t subject to harsh weather such as plastic.

Also, many decorated storage benches are commonly found in children’s nurseries and bedrooms and are a perfect and attractive place to hold toys or baby blankets. Single-seated storage boxes are sometimes fitted with casters on the bottom to allow the child to sit down and pull up to a desk or scoot around the room. Casters on larger models of storage bench provide a great deal of flexibility and allow for a room to be rearranged as often as necessary or even to transport the contents to a more suitable place.

In general, storage benches provide a place for clutter to be hidden, organised and to be stored in a place that is easily accessed. Their double usage as a seat only makes this piece of furniture more appealing and they are especially useful in houses or gardens with limited space available for extra storage.

Sunday 3 July 2011

A Bedwetting Teen Back In Diapers – Could Be A Serious Medical Problem

Teenage bedwetting can be a major problem. What do you do about it?

A bedwetting teen back in diapers is a stressful situation both for the teen and the parents. Even if you are concerned, you should never let your fears transfer to the child. However, you should try to be as sensitive as possible because any teen that has to wear diapers for a bedwetting problem does not feel very good about the situation. He/She knows there is a problem and the stress of worrying about the possibility of bedwetting could actually make the situation worse. When you have a bedwetting teen back in diapers, you need to look very carefully at the diet, the amount of liquids consumed, any stressful triggers and any medication that he/she might be taking.

One thing that you should do with a bedwetting teen back in diapers is to take the teen for a full check up by the doctor. This will help to rule out any medical problems, which could be causing the bedwetting, especially if this is something new that has developed. Once the doctor has done necessary tests to rule out diabetes, problems with the excretory system, then he/she will help you look for solutions to help the bed wetting teen back in diapers. While disposable diapers and pull ups do help the teen in situations where others might find out about the bedwetting, bedwetting diapers are not a cure for the problem.

A bed wetting teen back in diapers will probably try to hide that fact that he/she is wetting the bed. This is easy to do by changing the bed early each morning while you may be wondering where all the laundry is coming from. If you try to be sensitive, you can have a stack of bed sheets handy so the young person can do this without being conspicuous to others in the house. You do have to be careful you don’t let the teen know that you are worried because a bedwetting teen back in diapers can pick up these vibes quite easily. Point out that it is not his/her fault, but that you need to consult with a doctor just to make sure there is nothing wrong.

With bedwetting teens in diapers, if you make cleaning up a form of punishment, this will make the teen more uncomfortable. He/She will dread waking up in the morning just in case they find that the bed is wet. If you discuss the problem and discuss possible solutions along with bedwetting diapers, chances are the teen will be very receptive to various bedwetting solutions. Behavior modification may be one method you can use with the many models of bed wetting alarms that are on the market. These will help a bedwetting teen back in diapers to wake up at the first sign of moisture so that he/she can get to the bathroom in time.

There are also medications to help a bedwetting teen back in diapers. One of these is DDAVP, a medication that works by reducing the amount of urine that the body produces during the night. According to the research results of this medication, bed wetting teens back in diapers relish the thought of something to help ensure they do not wet the bed. They may use bedwetting diapers when they first start taking this medication because they are not sure if it will work or not. However, a bedwetting teen back in diapers usually has low levels of the hormone that regulates the amount of urine their bodies produce and the DDAVP helps to bring this into the normal range.