Beating The Rica

Archive for November, 2010

There’s a wide range of landscaping materials available to the regular consumer these days. Where once only contractors and suppliers could find materials that were beyond basic cement block and lumber, do-it-yourselfers have exploded into the marketplace and industries have responded. Eliminating the middleman has led to just about anyone being able to find exotic landscaping materials with far more cachet than the supplies of a decade ago. Anyone handy with a shovel and who can lift or dig can certainly create a small backyard area that is attractively designed and decorated with garden furniture or perennials.

Pathways and small walls are very pleasing to the eye. The types and ranges of stone landscaping materials available to the average person today for paving, dry setting and retaining walls have come a long way since the modest brick. One supplier offers artic granite, textured patio paving and design stones that can be combined to form patterns. Information on planning and stone laying is readily available on the internet, which makes pathway projects incredibly easy to carry out.

Landscaping materials that enhance the appearance of your outdoor area only encourage you to spend more time in the open air. Even decks are being ripped up and replaced with stones, for areas far more appealing than the plain 2” x 6” decking floors of ten years ago.

What about Materials for Patio Decks?

Lumber and boards are another landscaping material that has come a long way since green-colored treated wood. Those who do opt to use lumber to build a new deck or replace an old one have attractive options available to them. Recycled material is now extruded into boards that look better than natural lumber and last far, far longer.

The range of colors in plastic boarding is pleasing to the eye and fits in nicely with plants and greenery you might have outdoors. Should you decide to go with natural wood as a landscaping material, there are plenty of stains that highlight the beautiful grain of your decking, but remember to add long-term protection of waterproof coating.

Stone isn’t limited to use in walls or pathways and is often used as a landscaping material for other ideas such as seating, or even featured as a stand-alone attraction – large rocks embedded in between plants or shrubs have become very popular as a landscaping material choice that adds character to an otherwise-drab yard area. Plants, shrubs, flowers and trees also play a large part in making outdoor areas attractive and they’re considered landscaping materials in themselves.

Whatever you choose for landscaping materials, do make sure to blend your design into the natural surroundings. You want to enhance the appearance of your yard area, and add a relaxing look to your home. Play up interesting features of your yard or use the shade of existing, mature trees. Keep things simple and appealing, using lots of lush greenery and potted plants for that lush look.

A $135 million home tops the list of the most expensive homes for sale in America. Forbes.com compiled a list of the world’s most valuable homes on the market for the year 2007. The following are the top ten of America’s priciest mansions pulled out from the Forbes list. Interestingly six of the top ten of the world’s most expensive homes in 2007 are American.

The top 10 most expensive homes for sale in the United States in 2007 are:

1. Hala Ranch – Aspen, Colorado, $135 million: This 95-acre ranch estate consists of an expansive 56,000-square-foot mansion, with 15 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms. America’s priciest mansion, owned by Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, former Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, also boasts several smaller buildings, stables, a tennis court, an indoor pool, a steam room, an exercise room, cross-country ski trails and a fishing pond.

2. Fleur de Lys – Beverly Hills, California, $125 million: Modeled after the palace of Louis XIV at Versailles, this 45,000-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion is priced at $125 million making it the second most expensive home in the U.S. It had taken five years to complete this palatial home.

3. Maison de L’Amitie – Palm Beach, Florida, $125 million: Previously owned by former health care magnet Abe Gosman, the home was purchased by New York billionaire Donald Trump in 2004 at a bankruptcy auction for $41.25 million. Now refurbished, the mansion, featuring a ballroom, conservatory, a 100-foot swimming pool and 475 feet of ocean-front, is on the market for sale for $125 million.

4. Tranquility – Lake Tahoe, Nevada, $100 million: This expensive mansion sitting on a sprawling 210 acres is located on the tax-free Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. The property is owned by Joel Horowitz, the co-founder of Tommy Hilfiger. The 20,000-square-foot main house is modeled after a northern European mountain home. The Lake Tahoe house boasts of several luxuries such as a 3,500-bottle wine cellar, a giant indoor swimming pool and atrium, and a 19-seat movie theater.

5. Three Ponds – Bridgehampton, New York, $75 million: This home, designed by architect Allan Greenberg, is located amidst three lakes on 60 acres of Hamptons farmland. It features its own USGA-rated Rees Jones golf course, 14 gardens, a 75-foot-long swimming pool, golf pro shop, grass tennis court, and a guest house. The main house has a great room with a domed ceiling, 28 foot high.

6. The Portabello Estate – Corona del Mar, California, $75 million: This modern estate home built in 2002 is located on a triple oceanfront lot along the Pacific Ocean. The 30,000-square-foot home features eight bedrooms and 10 full baths.

7. Malibu, California, $75 million: This is a beach home with a difference. Located on a flat seven-acre lot the beach house is surrounded by picturesque ocean views. It features seven bedrooms, two riding stables, a riding ring, swimming pool, tennis court, and private access to the beach.

8. The Pierre Penthouse – New York City, $70 million: The eight most expensive home in the U.S. is a penthouse with balconies and windows that offer 360-degree views of Manhattan, Central Park, the East River, and the Hudson River. Consisting of the top three floors of one of the grandest hotels in New York, the Pierre is located overlooking Central Park. The penthouse features a grand salon that has a 23-foot high ceiling.

9. Belvedere, California, $65 million: This 10,000-square-foot home California home features six-bedrooms, herringbone floors, marble baths and front gates designed by Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan. The home offers the combined beauty of the scenic San Francisco Bay, Angel Island and the Golden Gate Bridge.

10. San Francisco, $65 million: This limestone palace is on the market for $65 million. It was sold for $32 million two years ago. It is significant that the limestone that the Gold Coast palace is clad in comes from a single quarry in France. Among the elite billionaires’ row neighbors are the Getty family. The mansion features European windows and the guest house has a 19th-century Italian tile roof.

Reality TV is booming.  What began as a concept that most people believed would be a passing fad has grown into a national viewing pastime.   From singing and dancing to finding love and racing across the world to relationships among strangers thrust together in one house, reality TV has hit the big time.  Why?  Because reality TV feeds our hunger for a reflection of ourselves; its core purpose is to show real people in real situations. Watching and building relationships with real people like themselves. By the millions, Americans have replaced actors with real people.

Enter YouTube: new technology that gives the general public the ability to not only watch, but to participate. This became the fastest growing online community in history. 20 Million users in 16 months! In 2007 it was estimated that on any given day, 13 hours of videos are uploaded onto YouTube every minute.  There is clearly an intense and global interest in regular people and their unique personalities. People are interested in other real people like themselves.

So what do reality TV and YouTube have to do with successful sales? Perhaps the most significant factor influencing sales is the human factor.  Bob Burg said it best, “All things being equal, people will do business with — and refer business to— those people they know, like and trust.”  Reality TV and YouTube’s success is based on people being able to relate. Relating is the first step in getting to know, like and trust.  See where this is going?

Enter BlendTec. Can you believe a small blender company is a video marketing pioneer?

You can go to YouTube and check out their amazing “Will It Blend” series. And so it begins: YouTube becomes the center of the Video Marketing universe (and it still is).

From loan officers and REALTORS to blender companies and hair salons, every small business you can think of has jumped on the video marketing opportunity.

Not only did YouTube provide a free video hosting platform that was also easy to use, it opened up local small businesses to 100 million potential customers! Ok, so what is the bad news? Well, there is some, as it turns out.  While you are out there being introduced to new potential customers, so is your competition.  When a salesperson uploads a video to YouTube and then sends the link to their database they have also introduced their database to their potential competitors. How?  YouTube includes a valuable, albeit problematic, feature for salespeople called “Related Videos” under which videos with similar content are displayed for people to peruse. Try it yourself. Type in your title like “California Loan Officer” and see how many loan officers are using Video Marketing.

Enter Think Big Work Small (http://www.ThinkBigWorkSmall.com). The light bulb was burning brightly when co-founders Tim Kearns and Frank Garay of Think Big Work Small figured out how to maximize the power of Video Marketing while eliminating all of the problems of working with free public systems like YouTube.

Both Tim and Frank were seasoned mortgage loan professionals and decided to create the first version of their Video Marketing Engine (VME) for the mortgage industry professional. Now released as VME 2.0 Mortgage Edition, the platform is a complete sales system including a database driven sales CRM (customer relationship manager) integrated with a loan officer specific dashboard. Tim Kearns wanted to create a system where “loan officers can live their sales life” by having all the tools they need to generate consistent new referral partners, prospects and clients at their fingertips.

The proof is in the pudding. Just out of BETA, the company is already boasting testimonials from users experiencing immediate success using video marketing, including one loan officer who explains he generated almost $40,000 in commissions in one month thanks to Think Big Work Small’s video marketing system.

You can do more than learn about video marketing, you can get involved! Check out how to try it for yourself at www.ThinkBigWorkSmall.com

Chemists in the 1700′s began using fire extinguishers using a basic form of chemistry.  They understood the need for safety and the probability of accidents.  That’s why these revolutionary devices were slowly improved upon, developing into a diverse collection of fire extinguishers divided by fire extinguisher class.  These different classes are devised to ensure that no matter what type of fire you may experience, you have an extinguisher that can safely and properly put a fire out.  Why are different classes so important?  Because they tell you the types of fires your extinguisher can be used on, and they tell you how effective it will be on those particular fires.

 

There are some basic fire extinguishers that are great for every day usage.  The Class A or Class B extinguishers are meant to put out some dangerous, but general fires.  Class A is all about extinguishing organic materials.  This includes organic matter such as paper, wood, or even to put out a flaming garbage can or campfire.  Class B, on the other hand, is formulated to help put out fires caused by or including gasoline, oil, kerosene, lighter fluid, or other flammable liquids.  If you own a workshop or are trying to get extinguishers for your garage, these may both be a great choice.

 

Some fire extinguishers are not to be used in everyday fires that are caused by paper, wood, or gas.  For example, the Class D fire extinguisher is used to combat flammable chemicals like magnesium or zinc.  In laboratories, this can be of particular use, as accidents can sometimes be frequent if the workers are not careful.  There are also extinguishers designed to put out fires next to electrical sources.  They are known as Class C extinguishers in the US (there is no separate class for these in the UK). These extinguishers are extremely important in high risk jobs, where electrical exposure may be common.

 

A regular extinguisher would only agitate the situation more, as the Class C extinguisher is the only one that does not conduct electricity at all.  Using another extinguisher would do way more harm than good, and the same is true for the Class D extinguisher.  These are meant to be used in specific and dangerous circumstances.

 

If you are dealing with flammable gases you will want to acquire an Extinguisher in class C (in the UK) or class B in the US.  These are a smart decision for those who intend to work in a lab as well.  There are many different chemical reactions in a lab that must be dealt with in entirely different ways.  On a completely different level, there are some establishments that may need a Class F extinguisher to deal with fires that are a result of cooking oils or fats.  This gets dangerous in restaurants that fry foods or have large barbecue pits. These are known as class K in the US.

 

Finding the right extinguisher in the UK can be easy if you know which class will best suit your needs. Fire extinguisher class is very important to pay attention to.  In addition to providing you with different classes to choose from, the fire extinguishers provide you with different numeric values that indicate the size of fire the appliance can deal with (the larger the number the larger the fire).  If in doubt make sure you check with your local fire authority or an experienced consultant.

 

Bahrain in Persian Gulf is a small island country in the Persian Gulf bordered by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Ranked as the fastest growing economy in the Arab world by UN-ESCWA (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia), it is emerging as a career destination. The growing numbers of jobs in Bahrain across various industries are attracting professional expats from world over.

 

Bahrain was named the fastest growing financial center of the world by the City of London’s Global Financial Centers Index. Apparently, the city is witnessing a boom period with its economic conditions strengthening year by year. Jobs in Bahrain are a favorite among expatriates as it offers one of the most luxurious lifestyles in the Middle East. The hefty salaries along with incentives are anyways a common phenomenon in Gulf jobs and so, same goes for Bahrain too. The employers are ready to pay higher compensation for the efficient candidates who possess the right set of skills, qualification, experience and training. So, if you have got what they are looking for, you can apply for jobs in Bahrain either through newspapers or on company websites or even via gulf job portals.

 

The freest economy in the Middle East and 25th freest in the world, Bahrain is the business hub. It is definitely not from those cities in Middle East that need to be explored from a scratch and have never looked beyond oil and gas reserves. Apart from being a financial center, it is also popular for oil and pearls as well as for its construction marvels. It has various popular structures and skyscrapers that clearly display its structural expertise and finesse. Also, the city offers highly developed infrastructural facilities like communication, transportation, etc.; good education and healthcare facilities; wonderful climate and friendly welcome. A home to numerous multinationals, it extends innumerable career opportunities to both expats and locals. Jobs in Bahrain, thus, promise a city lifestyle with a completely rewarding experience of living with people from different nationalities and ideologies.

 

It is always helpful to set some facts right before moving to Gulf after accepting a job there. So, when planning to apply for jobs in Bahrain, get to know the city; its composition both demographically and geographically; climate details; culture and lifestyle; economical factors and other similar components. Let us take a quick look through some of these elements:

 

-The population of Bahrain is above a million according the statistics with considerable number of people from South Asian countries. More than half the population is of expatriates from non-Muslim countries like India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, etc. out of which Indians make for the largest expat community in the city.

 

-Even though the official religion of Bahrain is Islam, the huge influx of migrants has made it a culturally flexible city. Also, it is noteworthy that the percentage of Muslim population in the city has been declining from last few years.

 

-It is an archipelago of 33 islands with Bahrain Island being the largest (55 km long and 18 km wide). It has a constitutional monarchy headed by the King and the head of government is the Prime Minister.

 

Unlike other regions of the Middle East, Bahrain has plenty of sources for recreation being one of the major attractions for expatriates. Also, it has one of the most liberal business environments coupled with no personal taxation resulting in a higher net income. Moreover, it is one of the best places to shop in the Gulf region and the hospitality offered here is incomparable.  What more can foreign professionals ask for before taking up jobs in Bahrain!

It’s no secret anymore that coupons are the best way to save money on groceries. Yet, of the over $70 billion of coupon saving offered by manufacturers each year, only $4.5 billion are redeemed by consumers. That’s barely 6%. So how come millions of Americans are not jumping on the bandwagon?

According to Susan Samtur, The Coupon Queen and founder of www.selectcouponprogram.com, the answer lies largely in the fact that most people simply do not think couponing to be time-efficient. They believe that it takes hours every day to clip coupons and figure out how to get the best deals. In today’s busy world, most people just don’t have that kind of time, so they avoid the process for fear of being sucked in and losing out on time that could be spent elsewhere.

But is the myth true? Do you really need to spend half of your waking hours clipping, sorting, and alphabetizing coupons? Of course not! The key to all of this is proper organization – with the right system in place, shopping with coupons becomes a walk in the park (or in the aisle)! There are a few simple steps anyone can follow to keep their coupons from becoming an overwhelming, terrifying mess of papers.

First and foremost, you need a large folder to keep everything in. Folders with built-in or add-on separators are great, but as long as your coupon-holder is easy for you to manage, that is all that matters.

Next, write a list of categories into which all of your daily necessities are represented, and keep it alphabetical. Don’t go crazy in trying to have a category for everything. If you don’t have children, you don’t need a diaper section! It all depends on what products you normally buy. For example, you might have these twelve categories:

Canned Goods Dairy Drinks

Medicine Cereals Frozen Foods

Fruits/Veggies Household Items Meats

Paper Goods Pet Food Snacks

You could always subdivide within categories as well (eg, having smaller sections within Household Items for things like lighting, cleaning, dishes). Once you’ve got your categories, you’re home free! The trick is to keep at your system; don’t get lazy! When you clip your coupons, file them away immediately unless you plan to use them right away, or else you’ll end up with a pile of cluttered, disorganized coupons on your kitchen counter!

If you have special offers like free samples or rain checks, keep these in the back of your file and check them periodically.

It also helps if you put the shortest expiration dates in the front so you’ll see those coupons first, but make sure to go through your file every month to throw out expired coupons, especially at the end of the calendar year when many coupons expire. Otherwise, your drawer/folder will fill up faster than you can use the coupons!

When you are ready for your weekly shopping trip (or biweekly) make your list of items then go to your coupon file. Pull out the coupons you’ll need and put them into a small envelope so that you can match them to the correct product when you get to the store. Check the expiration dates one more time before you go to make sure you won’t end up with an expired deal.

Don’t get discouraged if you still have trouble acquainting yourself to a system at first. Like all systems, the coupon-organizer takes time to adjust to, but as long as you remain consistent with your filing procedure, you’ll save tons of time and tons of money! Once you get organized with a system you know and feel comfortable with, you will be able to cut your sorting time into a fraction of what it once was. It’s as simple as that!

For more resources about Supermarket Coupons or even about Grocery Coupons please review this page http://www.selectcouponprogram.com