05.30.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 7:37 pm by smartfinance
By GREG JOHNS
P-I REPORTER
Eight-year-old boys should never die. They should be forever running, chasing, playing, laughing.
They should be doing everything Kyle Roger did every day of his life, until the cancer in his brain finally overcame the spirit that pushed him to the very end Saturday morning.
Two years ago, I went to write a story on a little 6-year-old from Bellingham who wanted to meet Washington quarterback Jake Locker. At the time, Locker had yet to play a college game, but he was happy to accommodate a Huskies family from his hometown.
Turns out, that was a day to treasure. Locker was tremendous, a gentle soul willing to run around the turf at Husky Stadium playing catch, allowing Kyle to chase and tackle him, walking out of the tunnel hand-in-hand with Kyle and his brother, Nicolas, just like a pregame ritual, eventually finding out where Kyle sat in the stands on Saturdays and promising to point to his new friend the first time he scored a touchdown in a real game.
Locker was pure gold. But Kyle? This kid was the real star.
You’d never have known such a bright little boy was sick, that an insidious, inoperable cancer called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma was already weaving its way into his brainstem.
Kyle Roger had something special. An unpretentious spirit. A contagious enthusiasm. A natural ease uncommon for a child his age, or for most people, come to think of it.
This was a youngster who months later, at another visit to a UW practice, walked up to the intimidating Tyrone Willingham, stuck his hand out to introduce himself and then asked if it was OK if he could play with his quarterback.
That’s just the way he was. Happy to see you. Happy to be alive. And it was a spirit that touched everyone who met him.
“Whether he knew it or not, he was somebody I looked up to,” Locker said Sunday, a day after learning of his young friend’s death. “He was only 6 or 7 years old, but just how he went about living his life and how he treated people, he had a huge impact on me. He was somebody I really admired and respected.
“It doesn’t seem fair that a kid like him with such a great attitude and with so much life ahead should be cut short like that. It’s hard to wrap your head around why stuff like that happens.”
Locker formed a bond with Kyle from that first meeting and kept in touch. The two got together when the family came to Seattle for medical treatments. Locker played video games with the youngster, went to lunch, hung out whenever possible.
Six months after their initial meeting, Locker lived up to his promise, pointing up at Kyle after scoring his first Husky Stadium touchdown on a run against Boise State. And for more than a year, things seemed to be going amazingly well for the little fellow with the big heart.
His mom, Christin Willhite Roger, had one goal. She wanted her son to experience all of life he could in whatever time he had.
One of the first things was meeting Locker. But it didn’t end there. The family took Kyle to Disneyland and Hawaii. Went skiing, rode horses, swam with dolphins. Became Lucky Dawg for a day at a Huskies game, going out to midfield for the coin toss with the team captains.
In between school and vacations came constant trips for radiation and chemotherapy and MRIs of the brain to measure the disease’s progress, the kind of reality checks that stuck in the minds of everyone watching this family’s delicate journey.
After almost two years, Kyle’s body could no longer take the endless treatments and his “brain bump” as he called it, began returning at a rapid rate.
Unchecked, cancer can be quick and cruel. This past Christmas break, Kyle walked away from his elementary school in Bellingham on his own power. A few days later, he was in a wheelchair. He started losing his hearing, his sight, his muscle control.
Locker visited the family home over the holidays.
“Physically it was a lot worse,” Locker said. “You could tell things were wrong. But his attitude never changed. He always believed he was going to get through it and it was going to go away.
“That’s one of the things that’s changed how I look at life. He was so positive about everything, even facing the odds he did. Looking at that, it’s unbelievable how people complain about the things they do.”
Firefighters built a wheelchair ramp at the house. Neighbors helped light up the house like Clark Griswold in the movie “Christmas Vacation,” wanting Kyle to feel the love he deserved.
Just 10 days ago, the Squalicum High School basketball team invited him to be honorary captain for a game, taking him in the locker room, helping him shoot baskets from on top of shoulders, high-fiving the youngster who’d once excelled on his own at soccer and skiing but now could no longer walk or talk.
Kyle and his family fought on. They communicated by writing on a white board. They kept spirits up by playing the board games he loved. They continued to treasure every moment, every hug, every mind-numbing challenge until the battle ended Saturday morning with his family at his side less than three weeks after his 8th birthday.
It’s hard to imagine the pain of losing a child. Nobody should go through that struggle. None of us can understand why a little boy must pay that price.
But having met Kyle, having kept in touch with his family and followed their fight, it’s possible to see how one little man can touch a tremendous number of lives.
When Christin Roger told a co-worker a few months ago how much her son loved getting Christmas cards, the tale made its way to a reporter from the Bellingham Herald, who wrote a story that wound up getting passed on to several restaurant chains.
Before long, Kyle was flooded with thousands of cards from across the country, including one from the president of the United States. It’s impossible not to root for a youngster fighting for his life, whether you’re Jake Locker or George Bush.
And while thousands of children deal every day with equally difficult circumstances, no one should begrudge the attention Kyle received. His family succeeded in filling his short life with every possible highlight in their quest to make the best of the worst possible circumstance.
And in return, this bright little boy managed to reach so many people who slowed their own worlds long enough to see and remember what really matters.
“He thought he was getting a chance of a lifetime to run around Husky Stadium and hang out with me,” Locker remembered of his first meeting. “But by the end of that day, I knew I was the lucky one.”
To those who met him, Kyle Roger was a shining star. Perhaps now more than ever.
P-I reporter Greg Johns can be reached at 206-448-8314 or gregjohns@seattlepi.com.
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05.28.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:17 am by smartfinance
Portions: 8-10
That is necessary:
Potato&
1 L of kefir or curdled milk
5 eggs welded
The big bunch of green onions&
200 g. a meat cutting
5 average cucumbers&
The big bunch of a garden radish (10–12 pieces)
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
What to do:
The potato to clear, cut small cubes, to fill in with 2 glasses of boiled water, to finish to boiling, to cook 5 minutes to Remove from fire and to cool a potato in broth. The green onions small to cut. A white part to pour into a pan, to add salt and yolks.
To pound a pestle to a condition of homogeneous paste, to dissolve with broth with a potato. Cucumbers to clear of a peel, to cut small cubes.
Garden radish to cut half-and-half, then slices. Fibers to crush, a meat cutting to cut small cubes.
To add vegetables, fibers and meat cutting in a pan, to pour in kefir. To stir, season with pepper, to close a cover, to put in a refrigerator. To submit cold.
Permalink
05.25.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:57 am by smartfinance
Author: Karen Sielski
Do you use lack of time as an excuse for starting a business? Let’s take a closer look at a fundamental principle of time. The 2 things you can do with time are spend it or invest it. Let’s look at each of these options. If you spend time, it’s gone forever. There’s no getting it back. However, when you invest your time appropriately, you can create a lifetime of residual income.
Here’s how it works. Start by determining how much residual income you want to make per year. Let’s say your goal is to earn $200,000 a year. That works out to about $100/hour for an 8 hour work day. Bottom line, your time is now worth $100/hour.
The next step is to look at your activities, for example, watching tv. If you are watching 3 hours per day, and the average in the US is actually much higher than 3 hours, and your time is worth $100/hour, you are throwing $300/day out the window.
Let me ask you, is it worth $300/day to watch that much tv? $300/day is $2,100 per week, and over $100,000 per year! Can you really afford to watch that much tv? Now, I’m not saying to stop watching tv completely, but hopefully knowing this information will make you more selective. Try to cut back to ~1 hour/day instead of going cold turkey.
Now let’s do an exercise with your goals. How much income would you like from a home business? Now take a look at how many hours of tv you watch per day or spend on other activities like hanging out at Starbucks.
Take your income goal and divide by 250. This will give you the approximate number of work days in a year. That’s how much you need to earn in 1 day. Divide by the number of hours/day you want to work. That’s how much your time is worth.
Now look at other ways you spend your time like cleaning your house or taking care of the yard. If you can hire someone to do those activities for less than the hourly cost of your time, you can use that time to work on achieving your income goal. What if you could hire a virtual assistant for $4-5/hr, just like I do, to do many tasks?
When you look at it this way, do you think you can find the time to start a business and create the life you want to have, not the life you currently have?
And now I would like to invite you to claim your Free Access to "15 Ways To Grow Your Business Online". Just send an email to kw-online-mktg@aweber.com and you’ll start receiving valuable information that can help you get more traffic to your website or blog and make more money from your visitors.
Do you use lack of time as an excuse for starting a business? Let’s take a closer look at a fundamental principle of time. The 2 things you can do with time are spend it or invest it. Let’s look at each of these options. If you spend time, it’s gone forever. There’s no getting it back. However, when you invest your time appropriately, you can create a lifetime of residual income.
Here’s how it works. Start by determining how much residual income you want to make per year. Let’s say your goal is to earn $200,000 a year. That works out to about $100/hour for an 8 hour work day. Bottom line, your time is now worth $100/hour.
The next step is to look at your activities, for example, watching tv. If you are watching 3 hours per day, and the average in the US is actually much higher than 3 hours, and your time is worth $100/hour, you are throwing $300/day out the window.
Let me ask you, is it worth $300/day to watch that much tv? $300/day is $2,100 per week, and over $100,000 per year! Can you really afford to watch that much tv? Now, I’m not saying to stop watching tv completely, but hopefully knowing this information will make you more selective. Try to cut back to ~1 hour/day instead of going cold turkey.
Now let’s do an exercise with your goals. How much income would you like from a home business? Now take a look at how many hours of tv you watch per day or spend on other activities like hanging out at Starbucks.
Take your income goal and divide by 250. This will give you the approximate number of work days in a year. That’s how much you need to earn in 1 day. Divide by the number of hours/day you want to work. That’s how much your time is worth.
Now look at other ways you spend your time like cleaning your house or taking care of the yard. If you can hire someone to do those activities for less than the hourly cost of your time, you can use that time to work on achieving your income goal. What if you could hire a virtual assistant for $4-5/hr, just like I do, to do many tasks?
When you look at it this way, do you think you can find the time to start a business and create the life you want to have, not the life you currently have?
And now I would like to invite you to claim your Free Access to "15 Ways To Grow Your Business Online". Just send an email to kw-online-mktg@aweber.com and you’ll start receiving valuable information that can help you get more traffic to your website or blog and make more money from your visitors.
To receive the information series "Top 15 Ways To Grow Your Business Online", send an email to kw-online-mktg@aweb.com.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – How To Find More Time For Your Business
Permalink
05.22.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:37 pm by smartfinance
Spicy and sweet
Pacheco was born in Mexico City and moved to California as a teenager. His Mexican roots come through in dishes that can be quite piquant — layered with heat and spice and sometimes surprising bursts of sweetness. One night, the soup du jour was a rich, dark puree of black beans with a pronounced chile kick, topped with tortilla strips and a drizzle of cilantro oil. Grilled Caesar salad is an appealing mix of long sections of charred romaine, creamy-spicy dressing and crunchy garlic crostoni. Pacheco’s signature sesame crusted salmon is nicely cooked, combining a crispy crust and moist, pink flesh. And a green curry beurre blanc makes a tasty accompaniment. But a strawberry red onion ragu, layered between the salmon and a scoop of sticky rice, is a rather jarring, pickled-sweet contrast.
Other entrees include airline chicken breast, grilled flank steak with chimmi churrie sauce, panned seared snapper or sea bass, and grilled lamb loin with couscous.
Starters range from deep fried calamari and mini fish tacos to avocado spring rolls and a duck quesadilla.
House-made ice cream, such as cinnamon and vanilla raspberry, is a feature of the dessert menu.
Besides the usual omelets and Eggs Benedict, the Sunday brunch menu displays Latin and New Orleans influences, with shrimp and grits, huevos and chorizo, and enchiladas suizas.
Red plum sangria and a Key lime martini are among the offerings on the bar menu, along with a thoughtful selection of mostly California and South American wines.
AT A GLANCE
• Where: 913 Bernina Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-584-7275
• Signature dish: Sesame crusted salmon
• Entree prices: $17-$27
• Hours: Dinner: 5-10 p.m. Sundays, Tuesdays-Thursdays; 5-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. Brunch: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays.
• Reservations: Yes
• Credit cards: Yes
• Online: parksedgeatl.com
Permalink
05.19.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:17 pm by smartfinance
Newport Citadel
If you are visiting Newport, why not go and see the Newport Castle which stands on the banks of the River Usk. It was built in the early 14th century to guardian the area and control the river. Most of the stone structure that still stands is the original structure from around 1405 when the castle was strengthened following an charge by Owain Glyndwr. The castle has three tall towers and its linear formation is dictated by the river usk and its proximity.
The hall had an active life of around 200 years but the lord of the castle was only in residence for a small amount of this. For a short period of span at the beginning of the 16th century, Henry VIII?s uncle, Jasper Tudor lived in the castle.
Newport Medieval transport
Another attraction that is on the river Usk, is the City?s famous medieval ship. The ship was discovered in the banks of the river when the Riverfront theater was being built in 2002. Once discovered, the wind-jammer was excavated by a group of archaeologists and raised from the ground, piece by piece.
Now that the timber from the viagra on line has been recovered, an foreign team of specialists are now cleaning and recording information from all 1700 pieces of timber. This work is being funded by a present from the Heritage Lottery fund and is enabling a lot of interesting information to be gathered from the pieces, including its size and show improvement and where it has sailed to.
This project can be visited by the public thanks to the Newport City Council arranging unobstruct days.
Newport Museum
The Newport Museum and Art gallery has been documenting and collecting pieces of Newport?s sense of values, environment and history since 1888.
The history of the residents that have lived in Newport have been traced back to 250,000 years ago and embody the Romans, Vikings and Normans. The social history of the city is shown through the collection of around 20,700 objects that show distinct aspects of the residents through time. Quite a large portion of theses objects have been donated by local residents.
As well as documenting the people that have lived in Newport, the museum also looks at the experiences of the area itself with its geological story being told through rocks, minerals and fossils. The museum is great for learning some of the telling behind the city of Newport and ideal for school parties to come and visit.
These attractions are great for residents of Newport, visitors or people who are looking to lease property in Newport.
Permalink
05.16.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:57 pm by smartfinance
Mountain excitement: The delights of the Himalayan mountain kingdom of Bhutan have become more affordable.
Bhutan & Beyond has dropped the price of all-inclusive land tours by up to $US50 ($75) a person a night, with its nine-night Mini-Explorer now from $US2230 a person. In addition, two of the country’s luxury hotels have put together special deals. You can even get free archery lessons. More: www.bhutan.com.au.
London calling: Virgin Atlantic has launched cut-price fares from Sydney to London from $1892, including taxes; Premium Economy starts at $3617. Valid for departures to March 29 but must be booked by January 31. More; 1300 727 340; www.virginatlantic.com.au.
Snow freeze: Victoria’s Falls Creek resort has made an early strike for the Australian ski season with news that season lift ticket prices will be frozen at last year’s level if purchased by the end of February. Adult passes, $999; children six to 14 and secondary students 15 to 18, $520; tertiary students, $699. More: www.fallscreek.com.au.
Slip away: Skimax already has deals for the Australian snow season. Children stay free at Falls Creek Hotel in a five-night package from $1966 an adult with dinners, breakfasts and five-day lift pass. Costs based on a family of two adults and two children (five to 14) staying at the end of July or the end of August. More: 1300 136 997; www.skimax.com.au.
Rail savings: Exclusively Canada is offering savings of up to $1000 a couple in its Canadian Rail sale for Cross Canada and Rocky Mountain rail vacations booked and paid for by February 28. For travel between June 1 and August 15; more than 20 packages available. More: 1300 886 817; www.exclusivelycanada.com.au.
Kiwi cut: Expedia has released a series of New Zealand deals with free nights at selected hotels. For instance, pay for two nights, get a third free at Mercure Resort Queenstown; from $69 a night for two. Valid for stays from February 1 to the end of March. More: www.expedia.com.au.
Free night: Stay in the Maldives for five nights, pay for four is the offer from Adventure World. From $5137 ex Perth, $5174 ex Melbourne, $5184 ex Sydney, $5194 ex Brisbane and $5188 ex Adelaide, including air taxes, accommodation at the Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, breakfasts and return speedboat transfers from Male airport. Valid for travel from February 1 to April 16. More: 1300 363 055; www.adventureworld.com.au.
Class act: Captain Cook Cruises is breaking down the class divide by selling all levels of accommodation at the same price in its First In Best Room sale. The offer applies to three, four and seven-night Fiji cruises and saves up to 45 per cent on brochure prices. On sale to March 16 for travel to March 31. From $897 for a three-night Yasawa cruise. More: www.captaincook.com.au .
Surf’s up: Four nights for the price of three is on offer at BreakFree Imperial Surf Resort at Queensland’s Surfer’s Paradise with one-bedroom apartments from $169 a night. For sale to February 15 for travel to the end of March. More: 132 007; www.breakfree.com.au.
Celebration time: To celebrate Barack Obama’s inauguration, Freestyle Holidays has combined a three-night stay at Hawaii’s Aqua Island Colony hotel in Waikiki with flights from Sydney; from $1299 a person. Add six more nights from $200 a person. Valid for departures from February to the end of March. More: 1300 880 268; www.freestyleholidays.com.au.
Flight relief: Melbourne newcomer Mantra Tullamarine has launched an opening special to take the stress out of early morning departures and late-night arrivals for air travellers. From $125 for an overnight stay in a studio room; valid to the end of March. More: (03) 9093 6500; www.mantra.com.au.
Pacific plus: Adventure World has packages for more than 25 resorts in Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tahiti and Norfolk Island with specials such as free nights plus extras such as free upgrades and children under 12 stay-free options. Six nights at Fiji’s Plantation Resort, for instance, is from $995 a person, with a seventh free night at Raffles Gateway Hotel and flights from Brisbane; also available from Sydney and Melbourne; for travel to September 20. More: 1300 363 055; www.adventureworld.com.au.
New Broome: Western Australia’s Cable Beach Club Resort at Broome is offering free room upgrades from February 27 to March 3 to mark its reopening following refurbishment. More: 1800 199 099; www.cablebeachclub.com.
Happy campers: DriveNow is offering a $100 cashback deal on Britz campervans booked by the end of March. For travel between April and the end of March 2010; applies to bookings of 14 days or more. More: www.drivenow.com.au.
Easter special: Melbourne’s Hotel Windsor has released a three-night Easter special from $450 a room; available from April 5-19. Upgrade to a superior room for $105. More: (03) 9633 6002; www.thehotelwindsor.com.au.
Who, what, when: Peppers has accommodation and ticket packages to see The Who’s outdoor show at Hope Estate in NSW’s Hunter Valley on March 28. Nearby Peppers Guest House is offering a two-night package that includes breakfasts, transfers, dinner with wine and beer, A-reserve concert tickets, hamper of dessert and wine and access to the after-show Supper Club; $945 a person More: 1800 777 444; www.hopeestate.com.au.
Late show: A two-night weekend stay at participating Mercure hotels comes with breakfasts for two, 2pm checkout and $50 restaurant credit. Valid to April 5. More: www.mercure.com.au.
Fizz plus: Valentine’s Day looms and Sydney’s refurbished Novotel Manly Pacific is offering a seductive overnight package from $460 a couple that includes an ocean-view room, bottle of Bollinger champagne, strawberries with chocolate sauce and whipped cream and breakfast in bed. Available February 13-15. More: (02) 9977 7666; www.novotelmanlypacific.com.au.
Take one: Pay four nights and get the fifth free until March 26 at Western Australia’s Novotel Ningaloo Resort Exmouth. The resort has a range of hotel rooms and one, two and three-bedroom self-contained apartments. More: (08) 9949 0000; www.novotelningaloo.com.au.
Full steam ahead: Value Tours has a stay for 10 nights but pay for seven ski deal at Colorado’s Steamboat Springs. From $1697 a person with nine-day liftpass; flights extra. For travel from February 17 to March 13; More: 1300 361 322; www.valuetours.com.au.
Rail savings: Rail Plus has earlybird deals on its popular Eurostar train between London, Paris and Brussels. On sale until March 9 for travel to the end of August. More: www.railplus.com.au.
Double bonus: Coast Resort in Merimbula on the NSW south coast is offering a stay for seven nights but pay for five deal until April 3. It reduces the price of a one-bedroom apartment to $810, a saving of $240; two and three-bedroom apartments also available. In addition, there’s a 25 per cent discount at the resort’s Zanzibar Cafe. More: www.coastresort.com.au.
Fiji for free: Air Pacific has included a free stopover in Fiji in a special $1399 return fare for travel between Australia’s east coast and Los Angeles. Available from Brisbane, Queensland’s Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne for $839 one way, plus taxes. On sale to March 31; children travel for 75 per cent of the adult fare. More: 1800 230 151; www.airpacific.com.
Mauritius licked: Six nights at Le Coco Beach Resort Mauritius is available from $2059 a person ex Melbourne with transfers, all meals, free ice cream, unlimited drinks (from 10am to 1am), free minibar, free beach trolley service and non-motorised sports. Taxes are an extra $630. For travel to the end of April. More: 1300 362 166.
Boots and all: Trade in your old boots at a Paddy Pallin store from February 2-22 for 20 per cent off a new pair. In a collaboration with trekking company South Sea Horizons, the hand-ins will go to porters in Papua New Guinea. More: www.paddypallin.com.au.
Book in: Bonus nights and free breakfasts come with most stays of more than three nights in the new Hawaii brochure from Qantas Holidays. More: 131 415; www.qantas.com.au/holidays.
River roving: European river cruising specialist Beyond Travel has extended its discounts of $700 to $1000 a couple on a range of Viking River cruise itineraries in eastern and western Europe, Russia and China. The offer applies to 18 itineraries and more than 350 departures. Must be booked and paid for by the end of February. More: 1300 363 554; www.beyondtravel.com.au.
Surcharges dropped: Low fares, reduced deposits and a suspension of fuel surcharges are part of Holland America Line’s so-called stimulus plan being offered to boost interest in a range of cruises. Deposit requirements have been cut by 50 per cent on all cruises and Alaska cruise tours departing from May. More: 1300 766 566; www.traveltheworld.com.au.
Family fun: Imaginative Traveller has savings of $681 on its 11-day Tropical Treasures family adventure in Bali. The escorted small-group trip is from $1021, plus a local payment of about $390 a person. Includes arrival transfer, family-style hotels (most with pools), transport by minivan and boat plus activities; flights extra. More: 1300 135 088; www.imaginative-traveller.com.au.
Free air: Active Travel is offering free return flights from Sydney to Ushuaia, Argentina, in conjunction with One Ocean Expeditions’ cruise to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. A quick decision’s needed as the 18-night voyage departs on February 24. It was priced from $US12,990 ($18,360) a person, ex Ushuaia. More: 02) 9264 1231.
Crystal clear: Crystal Cruises has savings of up to $US1500 ($2110) a person on most 2009 European sailings. The offer applies to Penthouse accommodation, veranda staterooms and deluxe staterooms. More: www.crystalcruises.com.
Bali extras: Bali’s Dreamland Luxury Villas & Spa has released a February-March special of three nights for the price of two in a one-bedroom villa. From $US730 ($1000) with breakfast and extras ranging from fresh fruit and flowers on arrival to massages for two; flights extra. Located close to Uluwatu, the resort’s villas come with private pools. More: www.dreamland-villas.com.
Cruise control: Fiji’s Blue Lagoon Cruises is offering a 15 per cent discount and free cabin upgrade on all Club and Gold Club Yasawa Island cruises booked by the end of February (for travel to August 31). The discount applies to three and four-day Club cruises and four and seven-day Gold Club trips. With the discount, two-night Club cruises start at $479 a person; flights extra. A daily fuel surcharge of about $20 a person also applies. More: www.bluelagooncruises.com.
On sail: Beyond Travel’s eight-day cruises along Croatia’s Dalmatian coast on motorised sailboats come with a free upgrade to an A-grade vessel where all cabins have private facilities. From $748 a person with breakfast and lunch; flights extra. Round-trip voyages depart from Split or Opatija with departures from April 18 to October 17. More: 1300 363 554; www.beyondtravel.com.au.
Thai break: Fly free from all Australian mainland capitals to Phuket in Thailand to join a February 14 cruise on the luxury yacht Star Clipper. The seven-night voyage is from $3289 a person; must be booked by January 31. More: 1300 362 599; www.creativecruising.com.au.
To the Hunter: NSW’s Plaza Hunter Valley has added three-bedroom villas to its accommodation options. Midweek stays are from $333 and weekends from $513 a night. The self-contained villas sleep up to six guests and feature two bathrooms, living and dining area and a kitchen. More: (02) 4991 0900; www.crowneplaza.com.au.
On the house: Two free nights are on offer at Queensland’s Hamilton Island in a pay for five nights, stay for seven package. From $737.50 a person; valid to the end of March. More: 137 333; www.hamiltonisland.com.au.
Drive time: NSW’s Grand Pacific Drive, on the south coast an hour’s drive from Sydney, is celebrating its third birthday with deals that include a two-park pass that combines entry to Jamberoo Action Park and the Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk with a stay at Wollongong’s Novotel Northbeach, Belmore All-Suite Hotel or the Sebel Harbourside Kiama. From $207 a night for two adults and $299 for a family of four. Valid to March 31. More: 1800 240 737; www.2parkpass.com; www.grandpacificdrive.com.au.
Drive time: Renault Eurodrive has deals ranging from seven days lease-free driving, full insurance cover with no excess in 44 countries, free delivery and return in 20 French centres and 50 per cent off delivery and return costs at 14 centres in eight other European countries. In addition, past customers get an extra three days driving at no additional cost. More: 1300 551 160; www.renaulteurodrive.com.au.
At the double: Luxury New Zealand north island lodges Kauri Cliffs and The Farm at Cape Kidnappers are offering a free night with joint stays from March to the end of April. Stay a combined five nights at the properties (at least two nights at each) and the sixth night is free. Includes dinner and breakfasts. More: + 64 6875 1900; reservations@capekidnappers.com.
Bula bargain: Radisson Resort Fiji Denarau Island has a new Early Bird Stay offering holidaymakers five nights accommodation for the price of three. On sale to March 31 for travel for the next 12 months, the deal applies to all room types and Early Bird Stay guests also receive unlimited use of non-motorised watercraft, complimentary in-room broadband internet access and a welcome drink on arrival. More: 1800 333 333; www.radisson.com.
Euro savings: Mercure has 40 per cent discounts at 340 hotels in Europe until the end of February. Two-night packages are available in Paris from $208 a room, Berlin from $128, Vienna from $192, Budapest from $124, London from $198 and Rome from $184 with breakfasts for two. More: 1300 65 6565; www.mercure.com.
Lasting impression: All Seasons Olims Hotel Canberra has a deal linked with the National Gallery of Australia’s exhibition featuring the work of French Impressionist Edgar Degas. The package, with overnight accommodation, parking, room service breakfast and two tickets to the exhibition, is from $184 a room. The exhibition runs until March 22. More: (02) 6243 0000; stay@olimshotel.com.
Going down: APT has discounts of up to $750 a person on four European cruises . They include a 13-day Black Sea voyage (now from $3495 a person) from Istanbul to Budapest and a 16-day Budapest to Paris trip (now from $5395). Departures from May 13 to August 15; air fares and port charges extra. More: 1300 656 985; www.aptouring.com.au.
Pedal power: Experience Mt Buller’s mountain bike trails with a two-night adventure package from $246 a person. Includes accommodation at Bulller Avalanche Lodge, dinners and breakfasts, bike and helmet hire and two-hour guided tour of the Victorian resort’s trails. Available to April 12. More: 1800 28 5537.
Sail on sale: Queensland’s Sunsail Yacht Charters is offering two free nights on holidays until March 31. In addition, the Hamilton Island-based company is reducing the minimum charter time from five nights to one. More: 1800 803 988; www.sunsail.com.au.
So low: APT has half-price solo traveller fares and savings of up to $730 on selected Western Australia and Queensland tours next year. Must be booked by February 28. More: www.aptouring.com.au.
Get in early: AAT Kings is offering “early eagle” savings of up to $1100 a couple on its 16-day Outback Wonders escorted holiday that includes the Northern Territory’s Kakadu and Alice Springs and South Australia’s Coober Pedy and Clare Valley. Must be booked by the end of February for travel from April 6 to January 12, 2010. From $5045 a person, land only. More: www.aatkings.com.
Spring to it: Peppers Springs Retreat & Spa in Victoria’s Hepburn Springs has launched five two-bedroom spa villas with introductory rates for two-nights from $890 for two, including breakfasts, three-course dinner and spa pass. More: (03) 5321 6200; www.peppers.com.au.
Tassie discounts: APT has discounts of $350 a person on five of its 12-day tours of Tasmania to April, bringing the price to $3795. In addition, its 10-day Gourmet Adventurer small-group tour is reduced to $3545 for three departures to March. Includes touring, accommodation, most meals, cruises and national park and entrance fees; for both tours, flights to Lauceston are extra. More: 1300 656 985; www.aptouring.com.au.
Meeting demand: Pearl Sea Coastal Cruises says it is meeting the demand for shorter trips with its new five-day West Australian Kimberley voyage. Savings of 20 per cent are available on the shorter cruise, as well as on its seven and 14-day 2009 trips. Prices range from $5000 to $6300 a person, which includes local flights, guided excursions, all meals and transfers. More: (08) 9193 6131; www.kimberleyquest.com.au.
Bali bonuses: New Bali resort The Dreamland Luxury Villas & Spa at Uluwatu has a rate of $437 a night for a one-bedroom villa until March 31. Includes breakfasts and extras such as fresh fruit on arrival, massage for two and afternoon tea. Plus there’s a choice between a free dinner for two or a two-hour Dream Spa package with bookings of three nights or more. More: www.dreamlandvillas.com.
Free air: Rail Plus has launched an Explore the Top End package from Sydney or Perth to Darwin on the Indian Pacific and The Ghan with a free return economy-class flight thrown in. From $2675 a person ex Sydney, $3385 ex Perth, for gold-class, which includes restaurant car dining, private cabin with ensuite, cabin service steward, welcome kit and tea and coffee on demand. The Sydney-Darwin trip is over three nights; from Perth it’s four nights. For sale to February 24 for travel to March 31. More: www.railplus.com.au.
Take a bow: Travel the World has savings of up to $2556 a person on brochure prices for MS Volendam’s 14-night Sydney to Auckland round cruise. Now from $1299 a person; add taxes of $247 and fuel supplement of $168. There are departures to March 2. Also available as a fly-cruise package. More: 1300 766 566; www.traveltheworld.com.au.
Spring to it: Aurora Alice Springs in the Northern Territory has cut the cost of its three-day accommodation package from $978 a couple to $498. Includes a bottle of wine, breakfasts and $50 dinner credit. For travel to the end of March next year but bookings can only be made up to 28 days in advance. More: www.totaltravel.com.
Paris match: Tempo Holidays is offering a stay for four nights, pay for three deal at five Paris hotels during the northern winter (to the end of February). For example, the nightly rate at the four-star Hotel Luxembourge Parc is from $238 a person and the three-star Courcelles Etoile is from $102. All include breakfast. More: 1300 558 987; www.tempoholidays.com.
Double up: Two can cruise for the price of one on Dawn Princess’s 17-night voyage from Hawaii to Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Sydney in May. From $3699 a person, which includes flights from Sydney to Honolulu, two-nights at the Aqua Waikiki Wave hotel, port charges and taxes; air taxes extra. More: 1300 369 848; www.ecruising.travel.
source: theaustralian.news.com.au
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05.14.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:36 am by smartfinance
Vodafone has joined forces with Western Union on an international mobile money transfer pilot; residents in the U.K. town of Reading will be able to send money to the mobile phones of relatives and friends in Kenya.
Money transfers has already become a success in Kenya via the M-PESA (”M” for “mobile” and “Pesa,” the Swahili word for “money”) system, which, for example, can be used by someone in an urban area to forward money to relatives in rural areas, and people in rural areas can pay off a loan in an urban area.
The service is marketed by Safaricom, in which Vodafone holds a stake, and there are currently around 4 million M-PESA customers, and that number is growing by approximately 200,000 users a month, according to Caroline Dewing, a spokeswoman at Vodafone.
“What we are doing is extending M-PESA internationally, and we are partnering with Western Union to do this, because they have such a huge foot print in terms of stores and knowledge in the space of international remittances,” Dewing said.
A person who wants to transfer money will be able to go into a Western Union store in Reading and say that they want to transfer some money to a Safaricom cell phone in Kenya. For the receiver in Kenya it will work just like any M-PESA transfer.
“They’ll get a text message saying you have been given X amount of money, and they can then choose how to store that: money on the phone, send it on to someone else or go to an M-PESA agent and cash it,” Dewing said.
Convenience and the ability to send smaller amounts for a low fee are the two major benefits compared to traditional money transfers. Sending up to ?100 costs ?4.90 (US$7.35), and ?100 to ?200 is ?6.90, according to Dewing.
The trial will be conducted for three to four months. During those Vodafone will test all elements of the service and also see if the fee structure works, according to Dewing.
The goal is to roll it out between the U.K and Kenya, and then on to other markets within the near future, said Dewing, who declined to be more specific.
Using the mobile for either money transfers or as an electronic wallet is getting a lot of attention from the financial and telecom sectors.
Western Union is, for example, already working with Orascom Telecom, Globe Telecom and SMART Communications.
Last month, phone manufacturers were urged to include NFC (Near Field Communications) functionality in mobile handsets in order to speed adoption of mobile payment systems by the GSM Association, which is also involved with Western Union.
Payment card companies are also getting on board. In October, MasterCard announced PayPass, an over-the-air provisioning service.
In September, Visa announced it was working with Nokia on payment-related services and applications using the Android platform.
Vodafone currently sees opportunity in the mobile money transfer market, simply because there isn’t a traditional banking infrastructure in place in countries like Kenya, and in the developed world “we have credit cards coming out of our ears,” according to Dewing.
The push from operators and phone vendors is about making people even more dependent on the phone, according to Richard Webb, directing analyst at Infonetics Research.
“It continues the trend of adding more application and functionality to the phone. Making the mobile phone the single device you never leave home without, along with your door keys, and that might come to a mobile phone as well with biometric fingerprinting or something like that in the future,” said Webb.
Challenges include getting people to trust the services and getting the retail sector on board, but Webb expects both to fall into place eventually.
Source
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05.11.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:16 am by smartfinance
Matt Kepnes gave up the rat race to forever explore, dream, and discovery. You can find his articles here and his daily musings at his own website, www.nomadicmatt.com
It was the third time the bus broke down. Somewhere right outside a small mining community in Western Australia,
our bus had enough and it wanted us to know. With an explosion and puff of smoke, the bus came to a slow halt.
It was the end to a long 
journey that began back in Perth. I was on a backpacker bus heading up to Broome. On the outskirts of the city, during our first stop was when the problems began. The bus wouldn’t start. Our driver tried again, looked under the hood, did something, and said “ok, we’re ready to go.” But not that ready. The bus still didn’t go. We were going to have to push.
Down the hill we went and on the bus went. The bus was moving, all was right in the world, and we wouldn’t have to go back to Perth. Our wise driver tried not to turn the buss off for fear of this happening again. It was a well founded fear because soon, at the Pinnacles, our bus turned off. Out we went again, pushing as hard as we could, getting our bus moving and grooving.
In Geraldton, our driver stopped to fix the bus and, assured it was fixed, we continued on. I wasn’t sure what the problem was and, when he explained it in car lingo, my unmechanical ears couldn’t decipher what he was saying. I was just happy the bus was moving. I didn’t feel like going back to Perth.
Pretty soon our air conditioner stopped working and we were forced to drive in a sauna, the bus amplifying the 100 degree desert heat. This wasn’t what I had expected, though I dealt with it better than some of my other riders. Having experienced worse in Asia, I wasn’t too bothered by this and I learnt to expect the unexpected. I was still in Australia after all, about to spend 2 months traveling- nothing could be that bad.
Our bus always seemed to be on its last leg and finally, that leg gave out with a large explosion. The bus clicked and clacked, grinding sounds were made, and the stick bounced up with an explosion. We all knew what had happened though none dared say it. The driver pushed the bus for a bit longer but eventually, he resigned himself to the fact that we weren’t going to reach the next town. The problem with breaking down in the outback is that there aren’t many people around and, break down too far outside the last town, and you’ll be stuck for hours, without any mobile reception. That was our case. We were stuck until a car passed to help us.
We entertained ourselves by drinking and playing trivia games. Nothing passes the time in the desert like drinking. As the day continued on, a car finally drove by. Our driver went over, explained the situation and told us he was going to get help. We would be out here for an hour by ourselves. Visions of wolf creek suddenly jumped though my head. This was going to be an interesting hour. Luckily, we still had plenty of beer.
True to his word, an hour later, our driver returned with a tow truck and we all got into town. Half our problem was solved. The half we still needed to solve was how we were going to continue on with no bus. We were told that the earliest we could get our bus back was on Tuesday. Not a big deal but it was Thursday. I wouldn’t mind spending a night in the town but not four. None of the other passengers were keen on the idea either and, after some phone calls, our driver found a four wheel drive that we six would have to cram into. A difficult task as we had two big people and the car was meant for five people- five people without luggage. It was going to be a squished trip up to Broome but at least we were on our way now.
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05.08.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:56 pm by smartfinance
Losing weight is? not? a very difficult task, if you have a strong will and determination. We provide you with the essential data about diet, diet plans, calorie intake and exercise to manage weight. The hazards, tre?atments of obesity, health, nut?rition, fitness, daily intake ar?e disc?ussed in specific here so that the obesity can be restricted by some exercise and right food intake.
Yoga practice for controlling obesity can help lose weight and gain eternal peace. Weight loss diet recipes are described with? thei?r implication to he?lp you know better ab?out your diet each day. Information on topics such as ideal weight, BMI, personal trainer will aid you to get back your natural tempo by loosing weight. Obesity is not merely a physical condition but it is now a disease which can be managed by taking appropriate advice, exercises, treatment.
The key word is to just get started. Why not set your aim to be 8 pounds or 10% of your present weight? Do ?attempt to reach small goals along the way. That is much simpler tha?n being under pressure to meet the final goal. You have to flexible eno?ugh to re?ach your way out. This is very necessary as it keeps you mentally fit. During weight loss trials sometimes very extreme stands ca?n cause great problems.
If yo?u do not go for weight loss programs presently, then? try to implement a diet plan you fit into and live a healthy, dis?ease free life. As diet plays an important role in ones health. Also taking nutritious ingredients in the diet according to the nature of health is? the key to remain fit for long.
Obesity is a ?physical state that cause anxiety and? prob?ably may give rise to diseases like high blood pressure, osteoarthritis and diabetes. It harmfully affects a person’s efficiency and sometimes psychological disorders are also possible. When obese people lose their weight an?d make their bodies relative by executing prescribed diet plan, exercises etc.? the entire world looks at them with respect.
Every individual once decided that he/she has to lose weight, then he/she mu?st focus on it till they achieve the target and never lose the hope that he/she are incapable of doing it along the process. This will boost his or her goal towards a positive attitude for his or her well-being and ?to lead healthy lifestyle that comes in a long run in the near future.
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05.05.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:35 pm by smartfinance
A new patent from Nokia shows a pretty interesting new design: a full widescreen that can swivel behind a QWERTY keyboard so only half the screen is visible.
When held in one position, the phone looks a lot like Nokia’s traditional QWERTY candybars, but the screen can swivel up and out to present a widescreen, presumably for media or web browsing, apps that need a lot of screen real estate. It’s a cool way to combine the appeal of a giant touchscreen with the utility of a QWERTY keyboard, except unlike sliders like the T-Mobile G1 or the Sidekick, the keys are always available on this concept. The screen can also apparently rotate side to side, though I’m not really sure what use could be had from that.
It’s just a patent, and I’m sure there are a number of reasons why this idea won’t come to fruition (how is that screen attached?). But I like the idea and maybe we’ll see elements of it in future products from Nokia.
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