So This Is Christmas

Merry Christmas is such an infectious feeling I like to feel that way all year around.

So if you are visiting just before Christmas, just after Christmas or even here on Christmas day I am sure you will find something of interest for you and in the spirit of Christmas.

It may be said that Christmas is no longer a celebration but this must be spoken by people that have never had trouble closing their eyes on Christmas Eve in an expectation of what maybe left for them on the carpet under the tree.

I continue to look forward to the surprise on my Grandchild's faces to this day at Christmas events.

Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Try This If You Want The Best Price

By Chimezirim Odimba

I'll reveal more tips anyone can use to get big discounts without putting themselves at risk. Also take note of the precaution you are advised to take as you make use of these tips...

You'll pay a lot more if you live in New York City than you would if you lived in some sparsely populated town. It makes sense to live in a less congested area if it fits your circumstance because the risk of vandalism, theft or collision is far less.

Add-ons like towing raise your premium without giving you as much value as using a towing service. By the way, your credit card might already offer this as a benefit so check.

Even if this is not the case with your credit card company, you'll still get better service and save more if you exclude towing from your policy and you a dedicated towing company instead.

Take advantage of every opportunity to NOT drive your car as this will reduce your mileage and, by extension, your rate. This applies more to those whose work and location make it easy for them to use the public transit system.

Another great option for those who want to reduce their mileage is carpooling.

Young drivers are statistically very bad risks. More so, the younger an under-25 driver, the more they'd have to pay. That is why teenagers pay a lot more than 22-year olds.

Therefore, as much as possible, do not place such a driver on your own policy. It will have an adverse effect on your rate. Sign an exclusion form that will allow your teen driver have his or her own policy.

It's a fair price for them to pay to enjoy the adult privilege of driving. Teens who pay for their own auto insurance are more willing to take steps to bring it down. This by extension means that such a teen driver will be more responsible behind wheels since they bear the full cost of their actions.

Some professions get more affordable rates. An attorney attracts more expensive rates than an engineer. Members of ertain professions make use of their vehicles a lot more and, as a group, have patterns that make them worse risks.

Ask your agent if your vocation qualifies you for certain discounts. Just bear in mind that each insurer might have a slightly different position.

We all are aware of the fact that no age group pays as much for auto insurance as the under-25 age group. However, one step you can take to enjoy cheaper rates if you fall into this age range is get good grades. It's known as the good student discount.

You have to have a grade point not lower than B to enjoy this good student discount. This will shave off as much as 5 percent from your rate if you make yourself eligible. This discount is given because insurance providers think there is a correlation between good grades and a young driver's composure while driving. Young drivers with excellent grades are usually considered more responsible and less prone to reckless driving.

You can save more by visiting a minimum of 5 quotes sites. That way, you'll make it most likely that you'll get all the lowest quotes possible as five sites will present not less than 25 quotes altogether.

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Red Hot Chili Event in Arizona!

By Mercie Hallow

Chili pepper is a common household spice that had been in existence for a hundreds of years. It is a vegetable but is commonly referred to as a spice variety. Chili pepper contributes to the hotness and spicy taste in a meal. Some countries and regions all over the world uses chili peppers as a table sauce that are eaten directly with the meal. Sounds hot, isnt it? Chili pepper is an ordinary kitchen staple ingredient. Some households incorporate chili peppers in their meals everyday. A meal is never a meal without chili pepper.

Chili peppers have a chemical component known as Capsaicin which can be effectively washed down by drinking a glass of milk. Milk is found to have components that can block capsaicin receptors. Milk is the perfect neutralizer for capsaicin, not water. Chili peppers have several varieties and these are: habanero, tabasco, cayenne, jalapeno, etc. Chili peppers are further subdivided into three categories namely: sweet peppers, bell peppers and hot peppers.

Chili cook offs in Arizona are mostly done in a judging contest as to who has the best chili recipe. Some organizations are taking this opportunity to promote chili awareness to the public. These organizations founded programs in educating the public about the historical and cultural significance of chili. They are vying to have the Chili as the National Food of the United States of America. They are also giving back to the charities as part of their funds.

Chili cook offs are often contests. The usual criteria in winning the best chili recipe are: aroma, the red color, consistency, taste and aftertaste. The winning chili recipe usually receives a cash award and a feature in the organizing partys website that shows the recipe formulations.

A lot of recipes can be made using chili as the main ingredient. One classic chili recipe is the famous Chili con Carne which is actually translated in English as Chili and Meat. Chili con carne is widely believed to have originated from Mexico but tracing down its roots point to the American State, Texas.

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How To Use A Coffee Percolator

By Janice Chee

Coffee percolator is a coffee brewing device that looks like an urn. Coffee percolator, or caffettiera in Italian, may have gotten its name from the word percolate. The percolator was really the first device invented for brewing coffee. Percolators are now obsolete and have been primarily replaced with the drip brew system.

Coffee percolators made less refined coffee. Most of the time it exposes the coffee grounds to higher temperatures causing a burning of the coffee. This may cause the already brewed coffee to circulate again through the beans. Over extraction caused coffee to be bitter and burnt. Coffee percolator ruined the essential oils in the coffee. This may result to a release of pleasant aroma during the brewing process but resulted in a much less pleasant flavor.

Coffee brewed using percolator has a quite distinctive flavor that some people consider as an acquired taste. Typically older groups of people still use the percolator. This stems from the fact that they were raised on this method, and it has stuck.

Starting from the top, it has an opening or spout where it lets someone to pour coffee to a cup or any other container. The lid along the spout is usually made of clear material so you can check on the coffee while it brews. The percolator also has a perforated chamber designed for holding coarsely ground coffee.

There are two basic types of percolators. The first one pushes pressurized boiling water through the coffee grounds into the chamber, while the second one uses gravity in continuously moving the brew. The water level must be lower than the bottom of the chamber for ground coffee.

Place the percolator closest to a heat source such as stove or campfire. The temperature rises and the hot water goes to the top through the perforated lid of the chamber. It then seeps through the grounds and leaves the chamber through the bottom, going back into the lower part of the percolator.

The overall temperature reaches boiling point while the brew continuously seeps through the grounds until you hear the perking stop. Some percolators have a built-in electric heating element that automatically reduces the heat, keeping the coffee warm but not boiling.

It may take some practice to learn how to use one. Experiment before you serve to guests.

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Advanced Wellness Research Product Reviews Info

By Linda Kemp

Sometimes the little things are what make the most difference. That's certainly been true in my life when I think about the impact that adding the acai berry to my diet has had! Basically, I've always been interested in being an endurance athlete, but I could just never make everything click to make it happen. When I was younger I thought that I didn't have the physiology to be a long distance runner, but since then I've discovered ways to get around those limitations. Unfortunately though, by the time that I had what it took to be a contender I was too distracted by the obligations of family and work. Add the effects of aging to those things, and it seemed like becoming the athlete that I wanted to be just wasn't in the cards. But then I discovered the acai berry and learned that I could easily add it to my diet just by taking Pure Acai Berry! This one discovery has made all of the difference.

Before I started taking the acai berry, I was just run down all of the time and didn't have the combination of time and energy that I needed in order to put in the training that I wanted to. I would get up in the morning after a night of restless sleep, get the kids ready for school while I got ready for work, go to work and spend the whole day stressed out, and come home without the energy that I needed in order to workout! If I was lucky, I could force myself to put in a couple of mile runs two or three times a week.

Since I've been using Pure Acai Berry though, things have fallen into place. Now I sleep more soundly so it's easier to get going in the mornings. I'm more energetic and mentally sharper at work and that makes work a lot less stressful. The fact that I still have energy when I get home from work now allows me to get exercise every day! Now it isn't unusual for me to combine exercise with quality time with my kids, which makes me a better role model for them. In addition I'm able to get in a longer workout on the weekends when I would ordinarily have spent my time wrestling with work around the house and actually getting some rest!

One thing that has made a big difference- and something that the acai berry is responsible for- is a better diet. This is true for both myself and my family. The fact that the acai berry has given me more energy means that I'm a lot more likely to eat foods that are higher in quality rather than more convenient. In turn, that higher quality food gives me more energy and it's another good way to set a positive example for my kids!

The way I see it, I was in a downward spiral of poor health before I started taking Pure Acai Berry. Stress and low energy and poor diet were all reinforcing each other. Now that I've incorporated Pure Acai Berry into my diet I've gone into an upward spiral where being healthier and more energetic leads to better health and more energy! Its definitely proof that something as small as an acai berry can make a huge difference!

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Are Todays Movies Getting Better Than Older Movies?

By Jeremy Newton

Many people were disappointed that The Dark Knight had not received a nomination for Best Picture for the 81st Annual Academy Awards. When the full nominations were announced on Thursday, it only took a small amount of time before the fans began their backlash. It would seem that since last summer, The Dark Knight is still demanding enormous attention.

The Dark Knight failed to gain one of the five coveted spots for a Best Picture nomination. What were the Academy thinking about when the skipped the Batman? The Dark Knight has already received nominations from the Producers, Writers, and Cinematographers guilds earlier this month and picked up nominations and awards from the Screen Actors Guild, the Golden Globes, and the Grammys.

The late Heath Ledger has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but the movie has not been nominated for Best Picture, nor has Chris Nolan been nominated for a Best Director Oscar. Has the Dark Knight bubble finally burst?

Let me just point something out here, just because something is overrated does not mean it?s not a good or even great movie. It simply means that it gets more praise than it deserves, regardless of how good it is. It just happens that The Dark Knight is a fantastic movie.

Has The Dark Knight done too well at the box office? Has it destroyed or paved the pay for other super hero movies to follow? Will all future movies that fall into this genre be measured against this movie, both in style and content? It?s box office taking will take a lot to beat.

The movie comments on today?s society and particularly how we deal with the criminal elements of society. It also makes reference to the use of violence in controlling the lower classes and keeping them quiet. The movie?s high production values mirror the capitalistic overtones of The Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight cashes in on the notion of capitalist dominance and the legitimate militarization of our society against these so-called insane terrorists. It comments on the society that we live in today and the problem with terrorism. It is any wonder that this movie has been such the box office draw that it has been?

Talk has now turned to the next Batman movie, and it?s expectations after the phenomena of The Dark Knight. This movie has taken $997.7 in the Worldwide box office so far, and this is not taking into consideration merchandise and DVD sales. The next in the franchise has a lot to live up to.

The Dark Knight sequel could be gearing up for 2011 release, with an estimation of the next Batman movie's release allegedly been offered by Michael Uslan, the executive producer of The Dark Knight.

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With some innovative shopping, Wine becomes an enjoyable accessory versus a luxury!

By R. St. James

There was once a time that one had to have red wine with red meat, and white wine with light colored meats. But today that has changed, no longer are we held to this myth. Today we are free to enjoy the colourful interactions of the undertones of one wine with another food. Avoid falling into the old ways and try one of these many types of wine today. Remember, this is just a partial list, and that today many new blends are also coming of age!

Red Wines: Aglianico - is a jam-packed red wine. This wine can sit on your wine rack for quite sometime and is excellent with Greek foods, such as lamb. You will often find Aglianico grapes blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot.

Red Wines: Barbera- another wonderful Italian grape. But fear not, after the scandal in the mid 1980s this grape has recently become the second most planted grape in Italy. Now also being used in California, Washington, South America and the Paarl region it is fast gaining worldwide acceptance. When young, the wines offer a very intense aroma of fresh red and blackberries. In the lightest versions notes of cherries, raspberries and blueberries and with notes of blackberry and black cherries in wines made of more ripe grapes.

Red Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon - is debatably one of the most recognized red wines worldwide. Grown in all of the major wine growing regions it has one of the most unique characteristics-depending on the region, it will alter the flavour and body drastically. Those grapes grown in a cool climate will have a vegetal or bell pepper characteristic, while those grown in hot climates will have more of a jam type flavour. Regardless, Cabernet Sauvignon is high in tannins, and will guarantee you a deep rich flavour.

Red Wines: Grenache - is possibly the most planted wine grape on the planet. This Spanish grape now is grown in all parts of the world- Spain, Australia, France, and the U.S.A. all have adopted this grape to their soils. It is generally spicy, berry-flavoured and soft on the palate with a fairly high alcohol content and lower tannin. More and more today, Grenache is a common compliment to blended wines as well as the key to Rose wines and fortified wines.

Red Wines: Malbec - is a medium to full-bodied red wine with the intense black-fruit flavours of plums, blackberry and just a hint of blueberry and spice. It has a very earthy flavour giving it a rustic edge. Any tomato based meal with go with this wine, think Mexican, Cajun, Indian or Italian.

Red Wines: Merlot - is by and large a dazzling purple full bodied wine with a blackberry flavour. It is a silky dry red with subtle flavours of plum, spice and smoke with a teasing dash of chocolate. Often Merlot is usually blended with a Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot is fantastic with any type of poultry. Serve it with grilled meats as well. I have to say this is one versatile wine that goes with most food.

Red Wines: Pinot Noir - "sex in a glass", "God made Cabernet Sauvignon whereas the devil made Pinot noir", "a seductive yet fickle mistress!". These are all wonderful descriptions of of one of the most popular strains of wine in the world. Pinot Noir has an earthy base, and depending on the climate it is grown it, its undertones can range from vegetal to currant, from smoky to a hint of vanilla. A very down to earth wine, it will become a wine rack favourite.

Red Wines: Zinfandel can be a red or a white wine. Red Zinfandel gets its red from being fermented with the grape skins. It is a peppery wine, with a hint of fruity flavour - berries or dark cherries are hinted at. This is a robust wine that suits barbecue and strong flavoured dishes.

White Wines: Albarino/Alvarinho - is a very aromatic light wine that has clean rich flavors of peach or apricot. It is very nice with salad, clams and white fish.

White Wines: Chardonnay - is a medium-to-full-bodied dry white wine with a rich apple, lemon or citrus, fruity flavour. Wines made from extremely ripe grapes take the flavours of figs, ripe apples and honey. This wine is awesome with seafood, poultry dishes and light mild cheeses.

White Wines: Pinot Blanc is medium-dry wine that is also fairly light and easy on the pallet. Flavours of melon, grapefruit and pears will tantalize your taste buds. This wine is very nice as a sipping wine or can be served with finger foods, chicken, salads, fish and strong cheeses.

White Wines: Riesling wines are often fruity and perfumed with hints of apples and citrus. It is a very crisp wine, also served quite chilled. It is a very adaptable wine that can be served with zesty flavoured Asian foods or simply appetizers and desert.

White Wines: Zinfandel can be both white and a red wine. A white zinfandel gets its light rose hue from a little contact with the grape skin. This wine is very light and sweet which makes it a favourite with new wine drinkers. Serve a Zinfandel on a hot summer day with cream sauced pasta, fruit salad or any other light summertime meal.

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Advanced Wellness Research Deal

By Linda Kemp

Are acai berries really as good at helping people lose weight as they are made out to be? Considering the number of people testifying how great these supplements are, the answer seems to be yes. There are so many people who are claiming that they were finally able to lose weight just by adding Pure Acai Berry to their diet that it definitely seemed like a worthwhile quest in order to try this idea out.

To determine for myself whether acai berry is worth taking as a weight loss supplement, I decided to add Pure Acai Berry to my diet for a month. I choose this particular supplement because it seemed to be the most pure and the most concentrated. Having a free trial offer of it also helped because I knew that I would not be wasting money if I didn't like the results! Not knowing what I would experience, I was definitely not very certain at first if this would be worthwhile. However, I was exceptionally pleased with the results of supplementing my diet with this berry.

Before starting my acai berry supplement routine, I was carrying a modest amount of extra weight- just like most people in this country. I knew that summer was coming up and I was really hoping to find a way to get rid of the extra weight so that I would look good in the summer clothing that I wanted to wear. However, all of the diets I had tried left me hungry and cranky and never helped me lose weight because I would go off of them too quickly once I got tired of them. And other diet supplements I tried were horrible too, because they left me jittery and feeling strange. But this berry was not at all like any of those other weight loss experiences. I felt no ill effects while taking it and I started noticing results right away.

Basically, after a month of taking Pure Acai Berry, I was feeling and looking noticeably slimmer and I also felt very energetic. This was sure a different feeling than I've had on other diets! I am actually looking forward to summer this year and to trying on bathing suits, especially after continuing the supplement routine for another couple of months! Plus, because I've had more energy ever since taking this supplement, I've also found the energy to exercise. This has really made a difference since I look more toned and fit and the weight is coming off even easier than ever before.

What has really surprised me about acai berry is that weight loss is not the only benefit I've felt. I've just felt overall healthier since starting to take it and my improved body image is really starting to show in my confidence in myself. I am also very impressed with the amount of nutrients that this berry contains and know that getting plenty of antioxidants, fiber, omega fatty acids, and other nutrients will really help me stay healthy over my lifetime.

After my trial period of taking Pure Acai Berry, I am definitely sold on the effects of this superfood. I will continue to take it in order to keep my weight under control and for all of the other great health effects and I sincerely urge everyone else to do the same. Do your own trial of this supplement and you are sure to find out, like I did, that it really is a miracle food.

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Completing Your Pre-Moving In Walkthrough

By Affordable Storage Guy

Whether you're renting or buying, it's important to make sure that everything is as it should be before you move in. You may have had a list of repairs you expected, or this may be the first time you've seen the house empty. Take some time to go around with a notepad and camera and check for any damage that you might otherwise be liable for.

Inspect the walls and floors for holes, chipped paint, torn wallpaper, and stained carpeting, noting the locations of electrical outlets as you do. Examine all the cupboards and closets, making sure they're empty and free of odors or mildew.

Walk around the outside of the dwelling as well, making note of where the fuse box and water shutoff valve are. If you find anything out of the ordinary, write it down to discuss with your landlord or real estate agent. It's important that you have this discussion before you move in, so there will be no question of when any damage may have occurred.

If your new home is a rental, you should have been told what appliances and furniture would be included. If anything is missing or doesn't fit the description you were given, be sure to notify your landlord immediately.

Often, rented properties and homes purchased in communities that have neighborhood associations come with certain services provided, or have rules about which companies should be used for repairs and upkeep. Be sure to get a list of these, if necessary.

As the last step in your home inspection, alternately turn on the heating and cooling systems and go from room to room, ensuring that all vents are free from debris, and that the air is circulating properly. Assuming you've encountered no major problems, you can also start deciding where to place your furniture at this point.

Making sure that everyone is on the same page about the condition of the residence before you take occupancy is the smart way to go. Protect yourself and your family by giving your full attention to this important step.

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If You Are Unable To Be There But Want To Show You Love Them Then Send -