be fortuned

The word 'gypsy' originates from the name given to the inhabitants of an area called Little Egypt when they migrated to the land of the Romanic people in Southern Balkan. The term is loosely referred to the nomadic tribes who used to roam all over Europe during the Middle Ages. The gypsies were wandering tribes who lived and travelled by caravans in large groups.

During the 15th and 16th century the usual dress of the gypsy woman consisted of a simple robe gathered at the neck. It was worn over an under gown made of chemise. They would also drape a cloth behind their backs, cross it at the front and tie it at the shoulder in the fashion of the toga which the Romans wore. They also wore a turban on their heads.

In time, however, fashions changed and the gypsies began to adapt to the local culture of the places they went. Usually they dressed themselves as the local peasants of the area. Most of the Gypsy fashion which we understand and recognize today probably originated from the Renaissance period. The idea of the so called "gypsy life" was popular and "gypsy clothing" such as laced vests, flounced skirts, men's breeches and pirate shirts were considered the height of fashion.

Fortune telling

Fortune Telling is a mystical practice which deals with the prediction of future through supernatural means and is usually done for commercial gain. Western Fortune telling mainly concerns future romances, financial predictions and those related to child birth. Fortune tellers are also sought to help in the decisions of jobs, illness, marriage or divorce.

The major reason as to why people come to card readings is to know whether or not they will be happy. Fortunately, more often than not, cards bring joy and hope into their lives. However, along with predicting our client's happiness we also have to explain the essence of the Fortune card. Fortune telling can only show us the source of our happiness while it is our responsibility to recognize, capture and protect it.

The Fortune card shows Fortune walking daintily over the planet with the cornucopia in her hand, distributing gifts. If we observe closely we will realize that Fortune never looks down on us but instead it gives away a random gift which makes them even more valuable and worth cherishing.

When fortune is seen as in a spread it indicates the advent of great happiness and joy. When there is the promise of such a gift we are left in a dilemma as to whether we should act or merely sit back and watch? We are justified if we choose to sit back since, after all, destiny cannot be hindered and events must take their own natural course. However, we must also understand that good fortune is the result of a certain rhythm of destiny and total inactivity maybe destructive since destiny requires our active participation to keep functioning in its proper rhythm and balance.

drive in

If you're thinking of hiring a taxi or limo service, price might be at the top of your mind. You may even be obsessed with trying to find the lowest possible price. While this is a good thing to do for your wallet, it might not be the best choice. It's just as important to make sure that you are hiring a competent taxi driver as it is to find a good price.

If you're lucky, these things will go hand-in-hand. Companies like to be competitive with the pricing and the service they provide. However, it's not always accurate, so you'll need to do a little sleuthing to find the best driver.

Before we go into that, it's important to discuss why it's necessary to figure out what kind of drivers are likely to get with a certain company. First of all, your driver needs to know the area so you can get from one point to the other safely and efficiently.

You also need to make sure that the driver is not likely to try to pull the wool over your eyes by taking longer route to get more money. The driver also needs to be fully certified and know all there is to know about both driving safely and providing good customer service. Without those things, getting the best deal is not a good deal after all!

Your driver should also be very professional. This means helping you with your door if you prefer, and helping you with your bags as well. If you're hiring a luxury taxi or limo, the driver should also be dressed to fit in with your event. This is especially true for a wedding or an important business meeting.

The driver should also be very courteous without being overwhelming. They should understand that many passengers will be busy preparing for a meeting or talking with other passengers during travel. The driver should not try to overwhelm the discussion or ask probing questions. At the same time, if the passenger wants to talk the driver should be kind and professional.

There is no shame in calling a company and asking for more information about their drivers if you are unsure. Hopefully they will have excellent drivers on staff who will more than meet your expectations. Having a professional driver for your taxi or limo should be at the top of your list when you're making this important choice.

by Rob Gill

locked.

The security of your home and your family is important. When you are having locks changed or installed to your home, you need to know that the locksmith you use is both trustworthy and qualified at what he does. Knowing a good locksmith can come in handy, you never know when your going to need a key cut, or lock your keys in the car.

A good locksmith can also help protect your business. Commercial security extends far beyond simple locks on the front door. Protecting your data is integral. With current privacy laws you now need to protect your client's information as well as your own. A good locksmith can set you up with systems that will protect both you and your client.

There are probably two or three locksmiths in your local area. This is a good place to start. Have a look on their websites, if they have them. The internet is becoming a great way of researching a company's professionalism before you even walk in the front door. The way a locksmith keeps a shop is also a good indication of their business practise. Is the shop neat and orderly? Are the staff prompt and polite? A Locksmith is a service business like any other, a good company will treat you courtesy no matter what your inquiry.

There are four things to look for when you are finding a good locksmith;

- a professional website that is easy to navigate
- friendly customer service
- prompt reply to any inquiries you make
- a tidy shop that is easy to navigate

By now, you probably have a pretty good indication of the service level of at least two locksmiths. There is plenty you can tell about a business in just a brief, casual interaction with them.

If you want to deepen you research a little further, see if you can find out any information from friends in the area. Talk with family and see if they have any recommendations.

A locksmith may be able to provide you with previous client testimonials. They may already have some you can peruse in their shop. If you are looking to have a larger job carried out, you may consider asking for a few references you can call yourself.

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=Aima Aey=

declog and be relieve

You should rely on some easy plumbing tutorials and guides in times of minor plumbing failures. Normally, whenever you are visited by a plumbing issue, it leads to a halt in smooth running of your house as also send you in a tizzy as regards its correction. Sure enough this will happen, as we arent masters at plumbing.

We totally identify with your plumbing issues. So without your saying it to us, we commit ourselves to your plumbing needs. We shall always do our best to extend the services of our plumbing guys to you at all times- Irrespective of your location, thanks to the meticulous geographical distribution of our experts.

In case you believe that it wont be easy for you to trust us without ample proof, then you should go through our screening videos wherein we show extensive training programs that are given to our certified plumbers with the sole objective of serving you. These workshops focus on only one thing-the customer.

We go a step ahead and will even offer you subsidized plumbing tips and advice on email and phone. Our teams are easily accessible.

Now be it an Unclogging of blocked drains work, or putting up and cleaning toilets or replacing defective basins in the washroom and kitchen, each and every plumbing repair can be made possible by us, irrespective of your location.

In fact, going through our uploaded easy guides will enable you to choose a plumber for your works from our daily available plumbing cart. These guides will give you the requisite knowledge as regards which degree plumber you should have and what grade plumbing equipment you should use.

The central idea of this is to make you adept with simple plumbing basics and works. The idea is to make it seem less technical because plumbing seems like Greek to many. Once youll be totally comfortable with the rudiments of plumbing, itll be much easier for you to get them carried out at reasonable costs.

recycle,reuse,refurbish

Waste disposal in NJ can be used as an example of waste management across the nation. In NJ, just as elsewhere, waste is generated in all sorts of ways. Its composition and volume largely depend on consumption patterns and the industrial and economic structures in place throughout the state.

Waste disposal is best when it does not have to be done at all. The people of New Jersey are on the whole good recyclers but could give more thought to considering quantity, packaging, and how you take food home. Reduce and minimize the waste you produce is the best waste management.

Continue reading and think deeply about your wasteful habits, because we've put together suggestions to help unleash your waste disposal creativity and keep our communities great places to live.

First of all when you consider the energy market, it is preferable to incinerate waste from fossil resources, like oil for instance, to recover the energy produced, as we do in many of our state plants. Then there is a the second life of waste, which becomes a substitution fuel.

Electronic waste, colloquially known as e-waste, includes obsolete computers, monitors, cell phones, televisions, microwaves, digital cameras, portable electronic games, calculators, etc. E-waste is the fastest growing garbage stream in the world, and according to an Environmental Protection Agency estimate only 10 percent of the e-waste in the United States is recycled. This is a shame as electronics can be processed for reuse, repair, and under certain conditions recycling. Instead of which millions of tons of obsolete electronics lying where they have fallen after waste disposal in our NJ landfills.

E-waste is the fastest growing component of the municipal solid waste stream, and currently makes up five percent of all municipal solid waste. E-waste has become a really very a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their "useful life". Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common electronic products which very soon become e-waste. Many of these products could really be reused, refurbished, or recycled.

Environmental issues are much more than recycling "stuff", they're about doing without stuff, unless you're prepared to pay to keep it for many years. The people of NJ simply don't have to buy it all. If you really care about global warming, then you really do have to replace oil and coal burning power plants, with renewable fuel driven alternatives.

Using recycled materials is still not very popular in our society. The main reasons lie in the perception the average consumer has of recycled products as well as the price of recycled materials which is still too often higher than the price of raw materials. Recycling is your opportunity to keep NJ a clean and healthy place to live. It's easy, saves on waste disposal costs in your rates, saves energy and is good for the environment.

There are also many different types of recycling. Plastic and paper aren't recycled as much as "downcycled," meaning every time they are recycled they become a lower-quality product. After two or three cycles the fibre size reduces and they become unusable. Plastics are everywhere, but did you realize that they constitute as much as 13.8 pounds in an average computer.

Solid and fluid, hazardous and non-toxic wastes are generated in our households, offices, schools, hospitals, and industries. No society is immune from day-to-day issues associated with waste disposal. Solid waste is composed of such a broad array of materials discarded by households, businesses, industries, and agriculture, and the scale is massive. The United States generates more than 11 billion tons (10 billion metric tons) of solid waste each year.

Recycled products are often close to or equal in price to products made from virgin materials. Manufacturing new products from recovered materials saves resources, energy and water, while reducing air pollution and disposal costs. Recycle as much as you can, please citizens of NJ, donate computers and mobiles that work, to organizations that can use them, rather then trash them.

Buying refurbished products would also be easy on your pocket and environment. Recycling points are now found in all NJ towns and cities, as well as at public bureaus and offices. TV and print ads and campaigns have also had a positive effect, making it easier to meet our target requirements.

Finally, primary disposal of commercial waste in NJ is the responsibility of the business owner. The local authority may provide sites which business may use (for a fee) to dispose of their waste. Disposal fees vary with each facility and some facilities may pick up loads and supply drop-off boxes.

friends vs. love

It is very hard to determine when two teenage lovebirds are having a relationship that might not be puffed away by the wind of life or not. This is because these individuals are so green in the line of dating; their emotions affect their everyday reaction in the relationship. Their immaturity is one of the values that make people realize how inappropriate it is for them to start dating relationships.

They might be infatuated with each other and after the false passion has passed they are left in a quagmire because they might have thought it was true love only to be proved otherwise. The most affected people are the teenage girls because they are the one left with wounds to nurse. Wounds that might include pregnancy to think about, and if they don't abort, they could find themselves with a new status, that of a single mother. This is the greatest fear that such a group has where for instance, if they had started working, the resources might be scanty to sustain themselves, and the father might be unemployed formally and could be facing very difficult times.

The dating experiences teenagers have, can be compared to children who like others only for sometime, and then declare that they have ended the friendship after a short period of time. They would not be blamed, to them, the dating relationship is just a way of having fun, where they engage in sexual intercourse and living the way they want, or the way the expectations of the society have pegged themselves on their shoulders. Finding friendship is very easy, but finding true friendship occasioned by dating instances is the hardest thing.

It has been determined that those people who have a genuine friendship have chances of finally breaking into the world of dating with such successful vigor. If one starts on a relationship with a friendship viewpoint, and it continues to develop into something better, then you must realize how important the value of true friendship is. In fact, being friends initially means that you had some chemistry running through you that made the friendship a reality.

From that path of friendship to dating relationships, you can have a serious but fulfilling business of building up a long lasting kind of love. The relationship would then be strengthened by friendship ties that make the prevailing respect and trust run through their veins of life to make the friendship something to savor as they continue working towards, making their dating a reality.

There is nothing like true friendship, it makes life sail through with a finesse that makes many wonder what happened along the way before you became friends. What was that thing that hits you with its components which make you like each other like that? There might be nothing, might be a feeling of trust and closeness, but evidently, a dating relationship that lacks true friendship might not make it over time.

--Francis K.Githinji

net-shop-a-holic

Online shopping is a multi billion industry and is continuously growing. Many people favour this type of shopping because of convenience. For shoppers who work for long hours, it would be difficult to visit a store during normal business hours. On line retailers accept orders twenty four hours a day and shoppers can simply shop from their place of convenience and whenever they have free time available. In addition, on line shopping gives the consumer the ability to compare items with an ease. This prevents the hassle of visiting different traditional stores and trying to remember details like prices and features. On line shopping is particularly useful for those with restricted mobility as they can shop with ease.

Also some of the items may only available in certain parts of country and this can make comparing items difficult for traditional shoppers. But with on line shopping it is possible not only to compare the products, but also they are able to order products from around the world. This is particularly useful to acquire hard to find items which are a regional specialty of a particular area. In most of the time the prices are cheaper if you buy on line rather than in traditional stores. Also on line shopping offers great help to those who are interested in sending gifts to friends and family members. This can save a great deal of time because they can have the gift shipped directly to your friend or family member as opposed to buying the gift and then have to wrap them and shipping it.

A problem of on line shopping is encountering misleading product information or shopper buying a wrong item. The simplest solution is to contact the customer service to verify whether or not the product for sale will suit your needs. Carefully read the fine print before you make a purchase. These include information such as product description, payment options, cost of the product, taxes and shipping and return policy. Another problem with on line shopping is slow internet connection or a web site loading very slowly. Most of the reputable on line retailers have dedicated servers with less than ten second loading time.--Raje Jawa

Shopping on the Internet can be economical, convenient, and no less safe than shopping in a store or by mail.

8 Tips for Shopping Online Safely

1. Don't leave the computer unsupervised while shopping online. Pay the safest way. It's best to use a credit card, especially when your purchasing something that will be delivered later, because under federal law you can dispute the charges if you don't get what you were promised.

2. Print and save records of your online transactions.

3 Log out properly at the end of a transaction. Make sure you can contact them if the order goes wrong,
and that they have an after sales policy.

4. Check out unfamiliar sellers with the Better Business Bureau and your state or local consumer protection agency. You also have dispute rights if there are unauthorized charges on your credit card, and many card issues have zero liability policies under which you pay nothing if someone steals your credit card number and uses it.

5. Never enter your personal information in a pop-up screen. Legitimate companies don't ask for personal information via pop-up screens. Install pop-up blocking software to avoid this type of scam. There is no general three-day cancellation right, but you do have the right to reject merchandise if it's defective or was misrepresented.

6. Install spyware and antivirus software to help ensure that your computer is protected from hackers and advertisers, who want to collect your private information. I recommend using Spyware Doctor, which is highly rated for finding spyware, viruses and roolkits.

7. Do not download files from unsolicited emails. If you receive an email, with an attachment, from somebody familiar, contact them, and ask if the file was sent by them before downloading.

8. Never provide your social security number to an online retailer. Your social security number is never required to purchase an item.--Steven Dohrm

guide and be guided

There is a natural progression that takes place within the context of the helping relationship. This process enables you and the person you are working with to build a relationship, assess the situation, set goals and come up with a plan to bring about your desired results. This progression is known as the counseling process. There are four stages of the counseling process. They are: developing a relationship, making an informed assessment, establishing mutually agreed upon goals and objectives and developing an implementation plan.

Phase 1. Developing A Relationship

In order to develop positive helping relationships with youth, you’ve got to be able to connect with them. This can only happen when youth are made to feel like you genuinely care about their well-being and that you understand where they are coming from. It’s about behaving in a way that demonstrates the core conditions of genuineness, respect and empathy.
To develop solid relationships with youth, you need to create a safe environment where young people will feel comfortable enough to open up to you and talk to you about anything that is on their minds. You also need to help youth see that despite their circumstances they have strengths. In short, you should start things off from a strengths-based perspective.

Questions to Consider When Trying to
Develop A Relationship

· In what ways can you build better relationships with the youth in your program?

· If there are youth who are not actively engaged, what can you do differently to engage them?

· If a youth is resistant, what steps can you take to reduce resistance?

· What worked in the past with resistant youth?

· How do you know when you’ve built a solid relationship with a youth? Could you use these indicators to strengthen your relationships with other youth?

Phase 2. Making An Informed Assessment

An informed assessment happens when both you and the youth gather information in order to figure out what’s “really” going on so that you can assess what needs to happen next in order to change the situation for the better or build up the youth’s coping skills to better deal with a problematic situation. The first step in making an assessment is to find out if change is necessary, and if it is what needs to happen for change to take place. If you have determined that change is necessary, then the next step is to figure out what needs to change. Is it a behavior? An attitude? A situation?

A good assessment can provide an opportunity for a young person to see how his/her behavior or attitude might be contributing to an undesirable or unhealthy situation. Assessment is an ongoing process. You need to regularly check in with your youth to see how things are going. Reassessments enable you to ensure that you and the youth are on the right track.

How do you gather information in order to make an informed assessment? You can gather information in a number of ways: talking with youth, observing the youth’s behavior and interactions, discussions with other people who are involved in the young person’s life, and reading any documented information on the young person. Keep in mind that when utilizing someone else’s verbal or written report as a source of background information, you run the risk of subjecting yourself to their biases and assumptions.

Points to Keep In Mind When Making An Assessment

· Be aware of your biases and how they impact on the assessments you make.

· Involve youth in the assessment process.

· Don’t rely on one single source to make an assessment, gather as much information as you can from a variety of sources.

· Don’t automatically label a behavior as dysfunctional because you don’t understand it, or it is not germane to your culture.

· Make sure to point out a young person’s strengths even when addressing problematic behavior.

Phase 3. Establishing Mutually Agreed Upon Goals and Objectives

Why is it important to establish “mutually agreed” upon goals and objectives? Because if a young person is in agreement with the goals then he/she is more likely to follow through on them. When a youth is actively involved in the goal setting process and is in agreement with the goals, then he/she is more inclined to take ownership of the goals. What are goals? Goals are broad statements that identify what you want to accomplish. Think of goals as the end result that you are trying to achieve. While goals are broad statements that identify what you want to accomplish overall, objectives are the measurable steps that you take to achieve your goals. For example if you have a goal that states, “youth will be better able to manage her anger.” One of your objectives might be, “youth will recognize emotional triggers that lead to angry outbursts and use positive, self-talk to calm herself down.” Your objectives should always be concrete and measurable. They should also be derived from the overall goal.

Questions to Consider When Developing

Goals and Objectives

· What do you and the young person want to achieve?

· How are you going to achieve it?

· When do you want to achieve your stated goal?

· What obstacles do you anticipate?

· How will you address these obstacles?

· How will you use to measure and monitor progress?

· Are your goals realistic?

Phase 4. Implementation Plan

The implementation plan is a plan that you and the youth work on together. It is designed to prevent, intervene, or address unhealthy behaviors and practices. The implementation plan identifies who will perform the activities, where the activities will occur, how frequently they will occur, how they will be carried out and when they will be carried out. Implementation activities are designed to help individuals re-think risky behavior, work through problematic issues, address unhealthy lifestyles practices, learn new skills and build strengths. Implementation activities can include: counseling, crisis intervention, training and education, supportive services, concrete services and constructive use of free time.

As you can see, each stage of the counseling process builds upon the former. As you move through each stage, you will come to realize that it takes patience and practice to counsel youth effectively, but if you are committed to the goal you’ll do just fine. You may not feel completely confident in your ability as a counselor, but as you expand your knowledge base, gain more experience and strengthen your helping skills, you will become a more effective counselor.

Written by: Cassadra Mack

zap!

Making your own repairs to your home saves you time, worry and money, but you must not overlook some safety concerns when performing these repairs. Below, we list some simple safety tips for homeowners that will be making their own diy home repairs.

Heating and Cooling Repairs:

Always make sure that capacitors are discharged thoroughly when working on the electrical service box of an air conditioning or heating unit. Capacitors may still hold an electrical charge with enough electricity to kill a person even with the power turned off.

If you're working around gas lines, make sure not to damage them, as a gas leak make allow gas to build up and cause an explosion in your home. If you do damage a gas line, remove your family and yourself from the home immediately and call 911 to report the gas leak. A gas leak is definitely an emergency and requires quick action.

Electrical Repairs:

Always turn off electricity to the circuit you're working on. Never attempt for a moment to make a repair with electricity running through the circuit or it may be the last repair you'll ever make.

Remove jewelry, such as watches and necklaces when working around electricity. Try to always keep the odds in your favor. A dangling piece of metal touching a live circuit has the potential to draw electrical current right through your body.

Unless you really know what you're doing, do not work on any part of the circuit box in your home. Unless electricity has been turned off to the circuit box from outside the home, there is still electrical current running to the main circuit breaker. Even with the main turned off, there is still current running to the main switch.

Never work with electrical cords that are standing in water. The cord may have a break in the insulation surrounding the wire and cause serious electrical shock.

Plumbing Repairs:

When working on plumbing lines or plumbing fixtures in your home, make sure that the valve is closed to the line or fixture you'll be repairing. Some fixtures such as the bathroom toilet have their own cut-off valves, but even these are sometimes prone to failure.

Water traps in plumbing waste lines are designed to hold water that prevents sewer gases from entering the home. Sewer gases can build up quickly in a home when repairing waste lines where the trap has been removed. Always cover any waste lines completely where a trap has been removed temporarily.

When using caustic drain cleaners, be very careful if they do not unclog the drain. The drain cleaners will still be in the water and use of a plunger or other tool may splash the drain cleaner into your eyes or on your skin causing serious harm.

wash it with glam

You can learn all about the dry cleaning franchise online.

This website, neighborhood-cleaners.com, has everything you would ever like to know. You can learn how to open your own stores, how to purchase dry cleaning equipment and what the sales expectancy is like. There is so much information that new and current owners of dry cleaners will find something useful here. Consider it a network of information that is strictly for the dry cleaning business.

If you ever wondered if you could make a profit from a dry cleaning business, this is your opportunity to learn about it. If you want to own a dry cleaning franchise, you need to learn about the dry cleaning equipment, how to open stores and what would be involved in the sales process, and a number of other things. This website has brought together the best information and is offering you a chance to own your own dry cleaning business in your area, or any area you choose.

The information includes demos on dry cleaning equipment. The demo videos are great, because you can learn first hand how to do it. This is helpful to teach your future employees as well. You will want to check out the business opportunities section as well, that will help you determine if this is the right business for you. The dry cleaning franchise is booming, and continues to grow every day. Your sales are sure to skyrocket. Once you open stores up in your area, you will see how great business will be. They dry cleaning equipment can be bought from the website as well, so you can expand to fit the market in your area. You can then move on to open up more dry cleaning stores.

Check out the opportunities available at the website and get more information on how to make more money with this great business.

A janitorial cleaning service is one of the best businesses for a hardworking, blue collar person to start from scratch. Every business and every building needs to be cleaned once in a while - in some cases, many times each day. With the overhead involved with hiring employees to provide janitorial services, it is convenient for a company to outsource to a commercial janitorial service provider.

This is where you step in!

If you are reading this article, you are probably looking for advice on how to start a janitorial service. Hopefully the following information and advice will get you moving in the right direction.

get loaned!

When you take out any kind of loan or credit agreement, you are almost certain to be offered loan payment insurance. This is a policy that is supposed to protect you in case anything happens to prevent you making repayments on your loan. You can have one whether it's a mortgage, a bank loan, a credit arrangement for buying a car, a store card, or any other kind of credit.

Loan payment insurance is very popular and thousands of policies are sold every year. So why do so many people buy them?

The person selling you one of these policies will almost certainly mention "peace of mind", and this is certainly an important reason for buying a policy. Obviously if you're taking on a major financial commitment, the thought of being unable to meet the payments would be a nightmare. It could mean the bailiffs seizing your belongings, a seriously impaired credit rating, or at the very worst losing your home. So the idea is that, with loan insurance, this is no longer something you have to worry about.

In addition, of course, most of us like to feel we are being prudent and thorough. We all like to think we have taken every possible precaution against things going wrong. If you refused to take out loan payment insurance, you might well feel guilty about failing to protect yourself and your family.

So taking out loan payment insurance can be a good idea. If you did find yourself made redundant, or unable to work because of an accident, this would be a highly stressful situation. Knowing that your loan payments could continue would greatly reduce the stress.

However, there are also some downsides to loan payment insurance, so you need to consider these before you decide.

• A loan payment insurance policy that is linked to the loan itself will be "one size fits all". It wouldn't be tailored to your actual situation so it might not be suitable for you.

• A loan payment insurance policy only protects against very specific circumstances. If you buy a policy thinking it will cover you whatever happens, you could be in for a nasty shock. For instance, it could claim to cover you against "illness", but in the small print there could be a list of conditions that are not covered, including some quite common ones. The small print also usually contains a list of exclusions, some of which might apply to you - for instance, those in casual or seasonal employment. Sadly, the people selling the policies don't often encourage you to read the small print before buying.

• A policy added to the loan can add significantly to the cost of the loan. You could potentially find yourself paying out considerably more each month, without receiving any real benefit.

A loan payment insurance policy may well be very worthwhile for you. But if you are thinking of taking one out, don't take anything for granted. Read the small print carefully and find out if the policy is suitable for you. You will find that a loan insurance policy that is independent of the loan itself is much more flexible. If not, talk to a broker and find one that is.

patch a dress

Magic tricks with tailoring tips. Its all about the right cut and fit. Borrowings from western fashion trends and blending them in saree blouses, kurtas or salwar kameez is an art. The darzi of yesteryears is now a style guru. Learn simple mantras for complete style.

A 32 kali kurta on a oversized figure is a complete faux pas. Gentle gather will give the same effect and a confident you. Play around with lines i.e. necklines and hem lines. A sweetheart or sabrina neckline will do well on a long neck. Alternate into a Chinese collar and close fit to stay slim and grace at your neck.

Styles are many and choose the right one. Whenever you buy a material, sit around with the fabric, understand the fall of the garment. A chiffon or georgette is all about feminity. Satin and silks take shape of your body. Another art is in cutting the garment. Make time with your designer. An empire line for a heavy figure seems like a perfect fashion blooper. An ace tailor masters the trends and applies it to Indian fashion. Indianizing western wear is necessary to an extent. Fits needs to be trendy yet classy.

Whether a tuxedo- 3 piece suit or a button down shirt the cut does the trick is styling. A normal tweed plaid jacket will look bland without right detailing of collars and pockets. Buttons and inner fasteners are essentials. Men's pants come in a range of fabric and a proper grip at the waist will grace the apparel.

Once the garment is cut, keep enough room for extensions. This is a master's job or a misfit can be a traumatic experience. It's a privilege to have a good tailor who understands your fitting style and moreover you. Assist him with ideas but go with his knowledge. Certain clothes require lining and retaining the lining to withstand wash and colour is the tailors duty. Pre-wash is necessary with linings and also some fabrics which are sensitive to shrinking.

Alteration is a major branch of Tailoring. All tailors cannot master this art. An old skirt lying in your cupboard corner, need not be thrown away. Alter the seams, steam press it, cover over with some georgette layers in handkerchief style and a new casual evening wear is ready. The same goes for your trousseau wear, which you long to wear but won't fit as now you are pleasantly healthier. Bring out the blouses, use the zari work, re-do the buttoning and add in a few strings to tie up. Cut a boat neck on the old Chinese collar of a former satin Punjabi suit. Taper the cowls of the dhoti salwar and a new dress is ready. Denims are friends forever and just alter the length. Cut-offs are good for monsoon, shorts for home wear and embellish if you want. Fashion tricks lie with the scissor hands - your Tailor.

= Jenny Gandhi=

move along

I know how stressful and chaotic moving and relocating can be. We moved from one part of Tucson to another in March of this year, and then in June we bought a home and relocated to Colorado. Here are some of the lessons we and others have learned.

1. Make and use lists. We all forget things, even after remembering them several times. Put them on that list during one of these times. Make a list of things to do before the move, including getting school documents transferred, filling out change of address forms, returning borrowed books and movies, transferring prescriptions, getting maps, and arranging utility shut offs and start ups.

2. Call the moving company and make the reservation a month ahead. You don't want to discover that they are booked up on the date you need them. We found out that the type of van we wanted wasn't available, but this was easily resolved because we started the process early.

3. Sell and throw away things. Carefully consider what you need to keep. Many people spend hundreds of dollars to move things that will probably be thrown away some day. It isn't just about the expense either, but also about the hassle. When you are moving and especially when you are relocating to another city - this is the best time to get rid of the things you really don't need.

4. Have a rummage sale. This is a good way to get rid of those things, and you might even raise enough money to pay for the move. Again, it is best to be rid of your things before the move. We went to a after-the-move rummage sale the other day. What a shame to pack and pay to move all those things just to have to work to sell them for pennies later.

5. Start packing early. not only is it difficult to predict how long it will take until you are doing it, but you never know how much time you'll have later. Starting early means avoiding running around looking for boxes and packing materials at the last moment.

6. Pack an "essentials" box for when you arrive at your new home. This should have the things you need to make your arrival easier, like toilet paper, paper plates, soap and such. Carry the box where it is easily accessible.

7. Let everyone know where you are relocating to. Give family and friends of your new address and phone number(s), and do this before you have the current phone shut off. Call all your credit card companies with your new address. Change the address on any subscriptions too.

8. Check weather reports for moving day. You don't want to arrive in a snowstorm with your coat packed away somewhere. You will also need to allow for extra moving time if the weather is going to slow down traffic.

9. Save all your receipts. Keep receipts for moving expenses, like gas, hotel rooms, and anything else related to moving and relocating. Ask your accountant or tax preparer if you are eligible for a tax deduction for moving expenses. Usually you are, if the move is for employment purposes.

10. When you move into your new home, try to reestablish your routines quickly. If Friday night is normally movie night, don't break with the tradition. Moving and relocating are less traumatic if you have some consistency in daily life. If you're moving with children, this could be one of the more important moving tips.

By:StevenGillman

kill pest

Termites can cause serious damage both in and around your home. In a recent survey conducted by National Pest Management Association (NPMA) reveals that termites damage property worth $5 billion every year in US alone.

Most of the people believe that termites are active only during spring season but in reality they are active all round the year. Once termites have successfully infested your home they will swiftly chew through the floors, walls, carpeting and even wallpaper. They can even pose a threat to the structural safety of your home. Just imagine you woke one fine day to find that all your important documents including, deeds, Certificate of Title, and car registration are infested by termites. Screaming and clinching your fist with rage will be of no help.

Nearly every home is vulnerable to termite infestation. Therefore you should be vigilant and inspect your properties on a regular basis as termite possess the ability to remain undiscovered until damage becomes visible. An effective pest control treatment - is key to protect your homes from termites.

Now, you can save lot of money by preventing the infestation of termites with the timely help of professional pest control services. They not only detect hidden colonies of termites and eliminate them but also restrict their growth in future.

You can initially take some steps to prevent termite infestation in your household. These are as follows:

*Inspect your home regularly and do ensure that there is no rotting wood, mud tubes and visible termite presence around your home

*Stagnant water and moisture is a major source of termites, make sure to dry moisture and divert water away from your house through gutters to prevent the further growth of termites

*Ensure that there is no firewood or lumber stacked near home

*Remove all the old form boards and grade stakes from your house

After taking the initial precautions if you still experience the problem of termites then it is the right time to call in the professionals.

get those hammers on the go!

Once considered a "fad" or "passing fancy", especially during the 1890s, the hobby of carpentry or woodworking has actually remained a constant throughout the years. Many people have found it to not only be an interesting and fun hobby, but also a useful and money-saving skill to have.

When one decides to begin carpentry or woodworking, one may be surprised to discover how easy it actually is to learn the basics. Once the budding carpenter/woodworker has mastered these skills, it is only a matter of time before he or she attempts more challenging jobs.

The satisfaction of admiring one's finished work will be more than ample reward for one's efforts.

Not everyone, however, feels that carpentry/woodworking is for them. They may be fully aware of their limitations, or may actually realize that while they are skilled in one area, this is not it. Therefore, these people will gladly engage the services of a contractor someone who is considered an expert or professional.

Those who do find out, however, that they do they do have the capability of performing carpentry/woodworking projects and chores themselves will soon become aware of how much money can be saved by doing the work themselves.

If one thinks that he or she may have this "hidden talent", one way that this can be discovered is by the purchase of a "prefab" kit. If, however, one does so and then finds out that he or she is NOT "cut out" (no pun intended) for this type work, then he or she will not have expended a great deal of effort or expense before coming to this realization.

The person who does realize that he or she has a "knack" for it will more than likely want to continue in this fun and satisfying hobby.

autoCAD and its designers

When you see the interiors of any home, you formulate an opinion about taste and preferences of people living in their. Often people say, "Oh man! The lady has brilliant taste of colors and style." If you want to hear same complement for yourself, then hire an interior designer.

Interior designing is a creative field. An interior designer is a person who is well versed with the different types of architectural structure and has eye for choosing the right color. They creatively blend the modernity with vintage culture. Very effectively every corner of the house is used by them to give a wonderful feeling. Whether it's an office or sweet home, anywhere they can spell their imagination. And you won't believe that they charge economically for their interior designing / decoration services. If you have a home and looking to change the interiors, hire an interior designer. A good interior designer will understand your needs and budget. If you have specific color on your mind or an art piece to be displayed with elegance, then let them know in advance. They will create space and see to it that it is not only appealing but also functional.

But before finalizing the plan, the designer will consult with you. Now days, the design plans are made using CAD facility. The designer using this software will showcase how the material he selects will be used to enhance the looks of the interior. Similarly, the colors fusion would also be displayed. If you think that things are not working, as you desired, ask the interior designer to give you a better idea. Only upon your approval the will start. Through out the process of designing and selecting different things, quality is one thing which is completely stressed upon. To get the desired results and effects the in the room, designer will closely work with painter, carpenter, and purchase the decoration material from a reliable shop.

So if you want to remodel your home or office, take an interior designer help. Their services will help you in winning apprehensions from your guest.

Tips for Hiring Domestic Maids

Having a live-in maid is a delicate arrangement. For the duration of her work contract, an adult woman is "adopted" into your household, sharing your private living space. Clearly, such constant and close-proximity contact affects the privacy of both the recruiting family and the foreign maid. It is therefore surprising that many employers fail to give sufficient thought and planning to this unique situation, to ensure the personal space and privacy of everyone involved.

For harmonious living with your domestic help, you need to anticipate the privacy concerns of your family and maid, and actively address these issues. This may be difficult task because most people don't feel comfortable talking about their privacy requirements. Ignoring this awkward topic would be a short-sighted tactic, and a sure-fire recipe for conflicts later on.

We include below a few pointers to help you tackle the subject of privacy with a live-in domestic maid. As employers, the husband and wife should discuss frankly and prepare themselves before the "stranger" steps foot into their family home. Plan and implement specific dos and don't s to minimize any intrusion into their personal, couple and family lives.

1. Adjust your displays of affection
   While hand-holding, quick pecks on the cheek, and cuddling in front of the TV are probably fine, you would be wise to keep the overtly romantic gestures out of the plain view of your maid. Of course, sensibility and decency are the obvious reasons to confine amorous exploits between spouses to the bedroom. A less obvious, but important, reason is to avert any feelings of loneliness and envy from your maid, who is far away from her own loved ones.
2. Dress suitably
   Some adult males go shirtless while lifting weights and exercising at home; some walk from the shower to the wardrobe with only a towel wrapped around their waists. Some folks unclothe and dump the laundry directly into the wash, wearing little or nothing beside the washing machine, in the privacy of their own homes. Breastfeeding mothers lose their inhibition when nursing their babies within the four walls of their residence. While natural, such behaviours need to be toned down with the presence of a stranger in the house. Different people have varying levels of comfort for such exhibitionist conduct, and your maid may have a markedly more conservative upbringing.
3. Avoid confidential discussions and heated quarrels in front of the maid
   Family members disagree sometimes, but always strive to resolve the disputes in private, without rallying the maid's support for either party. Learn to settle domestic quarrels quickly and amicably. Prolonged quarrels between the employers is embarrassing, for both for participants and witnesses!
4. Respect the personal space of every home occupant
   Everyone should have his own time and space to indulge in private thoughts and activities, such as personal grooming, leisure and rest. Promote a respect for privacy in your household, and seek your maid's cooperation and understanding, to engage in some activities without her involvement. For example, you may wish to plan a fortnightly movie date with your spouse, or an outing with the kids to their grandparents' house without the maid tagging along. At the same time, respect your maid's need for time off to meet her own friends, and support her needs to communicate periodically with her family back in her home country.
5. Maintain an open communication channel with your maid
   Our cultural and social conditioning influence our thoughts and behaviour. Despite your best intentions and efforts, your maid may feel uncomfortable with certain practices in your household. Instead of allowing the frustration to fester inside, you should solicit her feedback from time to time. Sometimes, it may be a small and simple matter that is easily resolved once it is made known. To quote an example, our maid felt awkward with a neighbour's harmless interaction with our year-old toddler. This elderly gentleman would bend forward to stroke our daughter's head and coo at her. I thought it is a friendly and heart-warming gesture, and would hold her in my arms while the neighbour talked and played with her. During a recent casual conversation, our maid finally revealed her fear and wariness about such close contact with a stranger. She fret over chance encounters with this neighbour. As my employee, she felt obliged to emulate my friendly disposition towards the man, which goes against her basic instincts. Made aware of her feeling of "privacy infringement", I had a polite word with the neighbour, and resolved this underlying problem quickly and successfully.

Sharing your house with a live-in maid usually implies some sacrifice in personal space and privacy. This is especially so in the small and tight living spaces of urban apartments for Asian middle-income families. With preparation and proper management, employers and maids can work and live harmoniously side-by-side.