My gone thoughts

The head-turning Samsung Behold is a responsive touch-screen cell phone with a few advanced features and a great camera.

Ginny Mies, PC World

PC World

Saturday, December 13, 2008; 12:19 AM

The 3G Samsung Behold ($150 from T-Mobile), the younger sibling of the Samsung Omnia on the Verizon network, is a slick cell phone with a bevy of advanced multimedia features and a responsive touch screen. However, the Behold lacks Wi-Fi and a standard headphone jack, and its Web browser is a bit counterintuitive.

Slightly smaller than the Omnia, the Behold measures 2.1 by 4.1 by 0.5 inches. Weighing 3.9 ounces, it’s light but feels solid in the hand.

The Behold’s 3-inch touch screen takes up the majority of the phone, and three physical keys–end, send, and back–reside underneath. The landscape touch-screen QWERTY keyboard, with generously spaced keys and vibrating feedback, is comfortable to use. I didn’t notice any lag between when I typed and when the results appeared on the screen, a problem I’ve experienced with some other touch-screen keyboards. The Behold’s predictive text feature gives two word choices, but you can also turn predictive text off with a dedicated key on the keyboard. The arrangement includes a few dedicated punctuation keys, as well.

The Behold uses Samsung’s TouchWiz interface, also seen on the Omnia. But unlike the Omnia, which seemed sluggish running Windows Mobile, the Behold is very responsive. The accelerometer, which reacted slowly on the Omnia, flipped from portrait to landscape quickly and smoothly on this handset. I encountered some lag only when I scrolled through lists of contacts or my media library. And otherwise, I found TouchWiz very user-friendly.

The lens for the Behold’s 5-megapixel camera, along with a flash, is located on the phone’s metallic back (which is available in a brushed espresso or light-rose finish). A volume rocker and a headphone/USB jack lie on the left spine of the device, while a dedicated camera key and a phone-lock key sit on the right.

Call quality was very good overall. My contacts sounded loud and clear, and I heard no static or interference. Parties on the other end heard some background noise, but otherwise the sound quality was clean. I experienced no dropped calls.

The Today screen–the Behold’s home screen–has a widget bar running along its left side. You can arrange the widgets in any order, as well as drag one into the main part of the screen to launch its respective app. To end the application, you slide the widget back onto the bar. Available widgets include a calendar, a phone book, a music player, and a clock. But other than rearranging widgets and removing them, you don’t have a lot of room for customization; you can’t add new widgets to the bar or buy new programs (there is no app store), which was disappointing.

The Behold offers a full HTML browser, which is a nice addition for a non-smart-phone handset. The browser is difficult to use on occasion: Scrolling through pages wasn’t as smooth a process as on other touch-screen browsers, and getting the hang of navigating took time. For example, to zoom in on a page, you must touch the magnifying-glass icon at the top of the browser and then select the page size to view. The phone doesn’t do Wi-Fi, either, but that didn’t seem like too big of a loss; Web pages loaded very quickly over T-Mobile’s 3G network.

The Behold’s standout feature is its 5-megapixel camera, with 4X digital zoom and a power LED flash. The camera has four resolution settings, light metering, adjustable ISO, a self-timer, a self-portrait mirror on the back cover, an antishake feature, and a setting for shooting backlit subjects. It also has three fun shooting modes (continuous, panorama, and mosaic), as well as a smile-shot mode that will take another shot if the subject is frowning.

Image quality was very good–definitely better than most camera-phone images I’ve seen. Colors were sharp and clear in photos taken both indoors and outdoors. The camera’s touch menu is intuitive, and I enjoyed trying out all of the different settings. Luckily, the Behold has 180MB of internal memory and a microSD slot for expanding the storage up to 16GB, so you have plenty of space for pictures. You can also shoot video in two resolutions (320 by 240 and 176 by 144).

The Behold isn’t a full-on multimedia powerhouse, though. I was disappointed that the Behold didn’t come loaded with the Samsung TouchPlayer, an impressive media player we tested on the Omnia. Instead, the Behold has a bare-bones music player that supports album art and playlists, and has shuffle and repeat modes plus six equalizer settings. But like the Omnia, the Behold is missing a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can’t charge the phone and listen to music at the same time. On the upside, transferring music from your PC to the Behold via the USB cable is a simple drag and drop.

Like the LG Lotus for Sprint, the Samsung Behold has some of the advanced features of a smart phone but isn’t actually a smart phone. And while smart phones aren’t necessarily for everybody, shelling out an extra $30 to 50 more for a phone with stronger multimedia features such as T-Mobile’s Android-based G1 or Apple’s iPhone is worth considering. Overall, however, the Behold is a well-designed touch-screen phone with an impressive feature set.

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Home remedies, more or less deliver results for so many diseases, from sore throat, flu, to common cold. Often these remedies will make your condition bearable rather than cure it. Actually that is what home herbal remedies are supposed to do - make you feel more comfortable giving your body system enough time to heal. So many people, therefore, rely on home remedies for a large number of common diseases.

Stomach flu is one health problem which is hard to contain with the help of home remedies. It does not mean that there is no remedy for the disease. The real problem is pf containment. Remedies essentially involve swallowing something, and it is almost impossible to swallow when you have a bad stomach flu, simply because anything that goes down is up in seconds.

Even then, there are quite a remedies worth trying when you have it. Among them, herbal tea stands out. There are several kinds of stomach teas that are very good for you. Peppermint is very soothing on the stomach, as is ginger. If you’re using a ginger tea, however, you should only use a little bit. Once you have a stomach flu, almost anything can irritate your tummy. Remedies that irritate the stomach lining will be no good. They will be out before you can even finish them!

Ironically there is one important upside to stomach flu - it does not last for very long. It will generally start to subside after 12 hours at the most, at which point you can try using some remedies to make you more comfortable. Up to that point, however, there is very little that you can do. There are remedies out there that claim to cure it, but by the time you can take them, the flu will already be mostly gone.

When you have a stomach flu, there is little you can do about it. It all boils down to surviving. Your first task should be to try and keep yourself hydrated, whatever the hardship. You must take in lot of water, sip clear broth if you can, and have some tea from time to time. Anything to keep liquid inside of your body will help.

Learn more here - stomach flu herbal remedies and home remedies for stomach flu.

This article is free for republishing

Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_728158_17.html

BERLIN (Dow Jones)–German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday efforts to rescue the banking sector, hit hard by the financial crisis, have worked out.

“We fundamentally succeeded in rescuing banks,” Merkel said at a conference organized by the Initiative New Social Market Economy, or INSM.

However, she added that there still needs to be a “timely sensible” restructuring of the country’s state-owned Landesbanken.

“We are still working on this problem,” Merkel said. “The Landesbanken must restructure.”

The chancellor also said the Basel II rules, which govern the amount of capital banks need to hold against potential market losses, must be changed to avoid any negative impact on economic growth.

Merkel said she doesn’t expect domestic demand to replace exports as the main driver of Germany’s economy.

The chancellor also sharply criticized the recent liquidity policy of the U.S. Federal Reserve, calling for a return to what she called “sensibility.”

She said the independence of the European Central Bank “must be retained and things which other central banks are doing, must be reduced.”

“I regard with great skepticism whatever powers for example the Fed has and also the Bank of England,” Merkel said. “We must together return to an independent central bank policy and to a policy of reason, otherwise we will be in exactly the same situation in 10 years time.”

She added that an international financial market regulatory framework is needed.

-By Andrea Thomas, Dow Jones Newswires; +49-(0)30-2888-4126; andrea.thomas@dowjones.com

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By Jeff Lakie

Everyone seems to have their own secret or strategy or trick to making money in the stock market. Here are two strategies that have helped many people.

1. It’s your time, how do you want to spend it?

Some people suggest high risk investments and watch them all day. Others say that simply buying good quality mutual funds and hanging onto them for a long time is the best option.

One of the deciding factors for you in developing your investment strategy should be the amount of time that you are willing to spend on monitoring your investments. There is nothing wrong with investing in high-risk investments if you have the time to spend researching, analyzing, and monitoring the price movement. There’s also nothing wrong with the “buy and hold” method, if you do not have the time to spend on watching your investments.

The people who have been very successful in investing are able to match their investment style with the amount of time they can spend on investing.

2. It’s your money, how much can you risk?

The people who have lost everything on the stock market were not careful at managing their money. The stock market is not a gamble, if you’re careful. But you need to be careful in what you buy and how much you buy.

You can decide what is right to buy based on the amount of time you want to spend in the market. Knowing how much to buy is another issue. Don’t put more into your higher risk stocks than you’re willing to lose!

You may find greater safety in buying mutual funds or bonds and if you have money you don’t want to see disappear, those are probably good options for you. If you are sitting on your children’s education fund, you probably do not want to be sinking that in stocks that could potentially gain or lose as much as 50% in a day!

Knowing how much time you have to spend on your portfolio and how much you are willing to risk are two strategies that can help you make wise financial decisions when it comes to investing.

Originally published article: A guide to investing

While Fenugreek seeds are reach-me-down extensively in the recipes of countries in the Middle and Far East it is not as well known as many other spices in the US. In the US you can typically find Fenugreek as a flavoring in unnatural maple syrups. Not only does Fenugreek give a remarkable flavor to food but it also has several very important disease preventing characteristics.

Historically the former Assyrians cultivated fenugreek centuries before the time of Christ, and dried fenugreek seeds were used medicinally in time-honoured Indian, Greek, and Arabian medicine. Ancient Egyptians used fenugreek to induce childbirth. The seeds are commonly old in Indian curries, Egyptian bread, and to prepare a coffee substitute in northern Africa.

Fenugreek, which has anti-diabetic potency be like to cinnamon, is one of the most valuable spices for the control of glucose metabolism and thus the prevention and treatment of Type II diabetes. Remarkably, it has been shown to tone down blood glucose levels of Type II diabetics by as much as 46 percent.

Recent studies have investigated the blood cholesterol-lowering and blood glucose-lowering properties of fenugreek seeds, both in run-of-the-mill subjects and in those with diabetes. Significant reductions in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but not HDL cholesterol levels, have been observed in non-insulin-dependent diabetics consuming 25 grams of fenugreek per day. The effective effects were sustained over five to six months. With only five grams of fenugreek a day, fasting and post-meal blood glucose levels were significantly reduced in those persons with diabetes. Today fenugreek is recognized as a of use botanical aid in the treatment of persons with diabetes.

Fenugreek seeds are rich in a type of dietary fiber that alters blood glucose levels by delaying the absorption of sugar in the intestines. It has also been shown to cut down on the absorption of fat and cholesterol from the intestines thereby providing added protection against heart disease and obesity.

Fenugreek has also been proven to be supportive when dealing with diabetes-related cataracts. In diabetics the enzymes that control glucose uptake into the lens of the eye do not use normally. Fenugreek has been shown to partially reverse both the metabolic changes in the lens and to reduce the density of the cataract.
While other spices like chilies and cinnamon agree to the culinary and medicinal headlines, the research into fenugreek is showing us that this spice has health benefits on a par with, or even superior to, those of the punter known spices.

http://www.melabic.com/Fenugreek/Fenugreek.html

Valentines Day flowers are not just for lovers - they are for friends as well. What better way to show your friend that you care about them than by sending them a Valentine’s Day flower delivery?



When you are choosing Valentine’s Day flowers for your friend, keep in mind that yellow is the color that signifies friendship in the flower world. Of course, if you are like most people, you love your best friend as well as like them. You can also toss in a few red flowers into the mix.

The best types of flowers to send to your best friend on Valentine’s Day are bouquets of different blooms. If you are in the habit of only sending roses and do not know much about other types of flowers, you can see what they look like when you shop for flowers online. By going online for a flower delivery, you can pick the perfect flower arrangement or bouquet for your best friend and actually see the selection. This far outweighs any other way of buying flowers.

Some of the nicest flowers that are perfect for your best friend include daffodils and lilies. Both of these are an opening flower bloom and can make for a very full bouquet. Lilies come in several different shades, including white and daffodils are yellow.

If you want to stick with roses for your best friend, why not send a cheery bouquet that is made up of red, orange and yellow roses? This not only tells your best friend that you care about them very much, but it can also be a real pick me up for them when they receive this sunny type of floral arrangement. Red orange and yellow are very bright and are the perfect way to show your best friend that you are thinking about them this Valentine’s Day.

You will have many choices when it comes to a Valentine’s Day flower delivery when you go online, especially if you order your flowers in plenty of time for the big day. You can peruse the website and shop by flower color, flower type, arrangement type and even occasion flowers.

If you are fortunate enough to have a best friend, you will want to show them that you care about them and there is no better day to do so than on Valentine’s Day. This year, make sure that you include your best friend when you arrange for your Valentine’s Day flower delivery plans.

Buying flowers online has never been this easy! Get more free information by going to this website Discount Flower Delivery Seattle.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Brennan

The newspaper industry is reeling and trying to adapt to an online future.

But The Daily Racing Form, the horse-racing tabloid with the familiar red, white and black logo, appears to have found a survival strategy: it feeds its readers a product with news, analysis and data, and sells them more and deeper analytic information from its Web site, drf.com.

“Initially, the Internet was a small part of the company, but now I’d say that it’s 10 to 20 percent,” said Steven Crist, The Form’s chairman and publisher. “We’re not going to be selling more hard-copy newspapers in five years. I think we’ll still be selling them, because there are still thousands of people who are tactile and sensual about their newsprint and Flair pens and marking up their Form. I don’t think we’re going digital any time soon.”

In a few years, he expects the digital side to account for at least one-third of revenue.

The Form’s business model is bucking two economic trends: it is a daily in the midst of a recession that has decimated advertising and some general-interest papers. And it is a niche paper that serves a sport with considerable problems, but one that comes alive to a general audience for Triple Crown events like Saturday’s Belmont Stakes.

Still, it is the industry’s only daily, with its competition largely from The BloodHorse and The Thoroughbred Times’s Web sites, and the industry’s central data source, Equibase. A formidable challenge seemed to come in 1991, when Robert Maxwell started The Racing Times, which Crist edited. But it lasted less than a year, and The Form acquired some of its assets to kill it.

“Oh, The Racing Form is the bible,” said William Nack, the former Sports Illustrated horse-racing writer and a biographer of Ruffian and Secretariat who grew up admiring The Form’s top columnist, Charlie Hatton. “You can’t be without it at the track.”

Crist said that The Form’s unusual economics helped it endure the recession. He said that fewer than 10 people had been laid off this year, on a staff of about 200.

“Newspapers for the most part get 95 percent of our revenue from advertising, and circulation is break even, at best,” Crist said Friday at Belmont Park. “We’re 90-percent-plus from circulation. So the advertising fall hasn’t hurt much. I’m not saying we don’t like or need advertising, but we’re the most expensive newspaper in the world, at $5 or $6, and that’s where our money comes from.”

Circulation averages nearly 33,000 daily, said Jim Kostas, The Form’s president and general manager. Less than 20 years ago, it was closer to 100,000.

“Although it suffers from some of the same issues newspapers do, the combination of its editorial content and data puts it on firmer ground,” said Charles Hayward, the president of the New York Racing Association and a former president of The Form. “It’s like combining The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.”

Although its circulation is modest, the $5 to $6 price tag, depending on the market, means revenue of at least $60 million from selling 39 regional editions of the paper at tracks (where The Form also publishes programs) and newsstands. Some days, just a few thousand copies are sold; on Triple Crown days, 350,000.

“Absolutely, we’re profitable,” Crist said. “It’s not even close. We turn over a lot of cash.” The Form is privately owned by a venture-capital firm, Arlington Capital Partners of Chevy Chase, Md., so there is no independent verification of Crist’s profitability claims.

But at least through its most recent sales, it has proved to be an increasingly valuable news-media property: in 1998, a group that included Crist acquired it for $44 million; six years later, the Wicks Group bought it for about $75 million. In 2007, before the recession struck, Arlington paid nearly $200 million as part of a strategy to sell premium sports data online.

“We know that that can’t go on forever,” Crist said of the rise in acquisition prices.

The Internet strategy has been building for a decade and focuses on selling charts, past-performance data, handicapping reports and products like Andrew Beyer’s speed figures for a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. “We’re constantly playing with pricing plans,” Crist said.

Marc Attenberg, The Form’s vice president for Internet, said, “We benefit because people are willing to pay for our information.” Perhaps The Form’s model is one that newspapers should have heeded instead of offering free content. But The Form may be different because what it offers is highly specialized and geared to gamblers, not general-interest readers.

Attenberg hopes that the next evolution in The Form’s digital growth is the creation of mobile devices that can accommodate the intricacy and depth of performance charts.

“Eighty-five percent of people come to our site, print out what they want and take it to the track or to their living room,” he said. “Right now, our stuff just doesn’t work on a BlackBerry.”
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A Gap Year is a reverie for many. That precious year off between school and university, or increasingly these days the adult gap year - between one job and the next. Planning a gap year is provocative and thrilling - and little bit scary, all at the same time. The costs can add up, especially when you are looking at round the world airfares out of Australia, and European Contiki tours paid for by the Australian dollar.

One expense anyone planning a gap year should NOT scrimp on is tourism insurance.

Fortunately, there are specific long term travel insurance cover policies on tap. Here are some of the key features you should look for in insurance for your dream gap year:

* online policy - dealing with real dossier is so last year! Easy to read documents anytime, day or night and an email contact can be so much easier!

* greatest extent of policy – a travel policy should cover you for up to 12 months, and ideally you should be able to extend it while you are abroad

* define “dangerous sport”. Travel insurance often doesn’t cover you for “unsafe” stuff like bungee jumping, white-water rafting, diving, horse riding – yes, justified about anything which is any fun at all! Make sure your travel insurance does!

* high medical and hospital expense shelter - sure you’re not going to get sick - no one under 30 ever does right? Well actually no, wrong, but more to the point what happens if you get run over when you look the dishonor way before you cross the road? That could cost a second mortgage on your parents’ house just to get you home!

* negative cash flow death of luggage - you aren’t going to be staying in the flashiest hotels, or even private rooms at times. Have you checked the bring in of all those electronic (and oh, so easily stolen) gadgets you plan to take: digital camera, laptop etc?

* online minimize - you may be happy to say goodbye to study for a year - but make sure you shop around, especially online - there are some fantastic shabby student travel insurance deals out there! Just like the banks, the travel insurance industry wants YOU - or at least your expressly!

Although many young travelers plan to head off for their gap year without a care in the world, in fact, many more will need to line along the way. Working holiday schemes, SWAP programs and grandparents born in the UK are the gap year traveler’s best escort. A standard travel insurance policy may not cover you when you are waiting tables in a Greek taverna or pulling pints at a British pub. A solid gap year travel policy should cover you - so long as you are working legally.

Remember that all those carefully arranged plans you started with at domicile have a small chance of actually happening - gap year travel is all about spontaneity - planning to travel through China and ending up on a run aground in Goa, is just the sort of thing that happens! Your travel insurance needs to be just as flexible and cover you worldwide.

Oh and the one most grave reason you should get travel insurance for your gap year - your mother will be able to sleep at night!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Susan Glaser

Plain Dealer Reporter

Is the nightmarish possibility of being laid off keeping you from taking the vacation of your dreams?

Several travel companies are hoping to allay your fears — and then wish you bon voyage.

Cruise retailer Cruise One, with several locations in Northeast Ohio, recently added job-loss coverage to its basic travel insurance policy. If you get laid off, you can cancel the cruise with no penalty — provided you’ve purchased the insurance, the price of which varies by the cost of the cruise but starts at $35.

“You wouldn’t think something so simple could make such a difference,” said Becky Piper, who runs a CruiseOne franchise out of her Strongsville home. “My sales have skyrocketed.”

“Everyone is just so fearful,” she said. “They don’t want to make plans for six months from now if they think they might not have a job.”

To qualify for the policy, which is administered by Travel Guard, you must have been employed for a year. Information: cruiseone.com.

Ecruises.com, an online travel agency specializing in cruises, also offers job-loss protection through its basic travel insurance policy; and Ecruises is picking up the cost of the insurance.

Norwegian Cruise Line also recently added job-loss insurance to its travel insurance plan for sailings in May and beyond. Prices start at $29, depending on the fare. Information: ncl.com.

A bed-and-breakfast in Vermont is offering six free two-night getaways to people who have been unemployed for more than six months. Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford, on the New Hampshire border near St. Johnsbury, will offer a two-night freebie, dubbed the Pink Slip Getaway Giveaway, each month in April through July and again in November and December. Send a letter or e-mail by Monday, June 1, explaining your story in a page or less: Box 55, Lower Waterford Road, Lower Waterford, VT 05848 or info@rabbithillinn. com.

Ohio’s two CoCo Key water parks, in Newark and Cincinnati, are offering a price break to workers who have been forced to take unpaid time off. For $119, a family of four can spend a night at either resort, which includes two full days of water-park passes. Information: cherryvalleylodge.com or sheraton.com/cincinnatinorth.

Source

Both home and foreign investors are looking to buy land for sale in south east England to make above average first-class gains quickly.

Also you don’t need to be rich to take advantage of this opportunity!

Land for sale in south east England is being bought by more and more humiliated investors who are being advised by specialist land companies, to buy land that is likely to be grated planning permission.

A tremendous amount of farmland green belt and brown belt land needs to be developed over the coming years to support the acute housing shortage in the UK.

The demand for premium land means that speculators buy land before it is granted planning lenience and when permission is granted they can sell at a substantial profit.

Factors fuelling the UK land boom

1. The UK is already one of the most densely populated countries in the great and has a fast rising population fuelled by mass immigration.

2. 250,000 to 3,500,000 new homes are needed over the next 15 years rising to 4,400,000 homes needed over the next 20 years to assure the shortage.

3. 90% of towns are unaffordable for 1st time buyers.

4. The UK suffers from some of the oldest housing in Europe and there is a momentous shortfall in the supply of affordable and mid priced housing.

5. Over the last 30 years demand for new homes has increased by around 30% and in the same years house building has dropped by in excess 50%.

6. Since 1997, the UK Government has increased the average number of new homes built per hectare up from 25 to 40.

light in south east England offers the best potential

While land for sale in the UK offers a momentous investment opportunity, it is land for sale in the south east of England that offers the biggest potential returns for buyers.

It is here that the casing shortage is at its most acute.

Land for sale in the south east of England is being bought and sold for big great gains as London and the commuter towns to around the channel tunnel route see spreading urbanization

Years performance 920% AVERAGE growth in 20 years!

The average growth of UK Land values including farmland, greenbelt and brownbelt, has seen gains of 920% on Customary in the above period; however speculators who have bought land in the right location have seen even bigger gains.

If you are looking to create big gains in land, then land for sale in south east England, offers the best potential returns complete.

This trend looks set to be the case for many years to come.

Risk & reward

Settle on offers investors great risk to reward, not only can inveztors make great gains, but they can do so with low downside hazard!

The major risk in land investing is that the land is not grated planning permission quickly, however as come to rest tends to increase in value anyway, potential downside is relatively low.

How to get involved

For investors who long for to buy land for sale in south east England there are many specialist land companies who can help.

By dividing large-hearted plots of land into smaller plots investments can start with as little as $10,000.

Investors can get specialist suggestion on the best plots of land to buy and can also benefit from buy back options offered by developers.

This means that if a plot of land has to be sold quick, there is a guaranteed buyer.

Land the perfect diversification for investors

If you take all, the facts into account secure for sale in south east England offers an outstanding investment opportunity for investors seeking above norm growth with relatively low downside risk.

Permanent link to this article: http://uk-real-estate.adorafresh.com/2009/02/land-for-sale-south-east-england-400-potential-in-under-5-years/