The Anarcho Geek Info Center

When I was hiking in the Andes Mountains many years ago, I found a cave buried deep inside the great rock. The cave was dark and musty and I found myself going deeper and deeper into it. I had a flashlight, of course, but just in case, I hooked a line at the base of the cave, and then tied it to myself so that I couldn’t get lost. My mind was racing. What on earth could be down here? Why even do this? Is my natural curiosity that determined to see myself confronting a potential dangerous situation? I’m alone and if something were to happen, I would be in a rather large amount of trouble. Water was dripping from down the side of the rocks, coming from somewhere. There is a gust of wind coming through that nearly knocks me off my feet. Still determined, I continue forward.

Up ahead there is a light and its not coming from my flashlight. Although the light from my light is reflecting off whatever is it that I’m walking towards. It’s a shiny rock, and a fairly large one at that. And since my family has been in the jewelry business for many years, I could almost immediately recognize that it was a large diamond. Fortunes have found their way to me this day. With my rock climbing tools I was able to chip away and large portions of the diamond, taking them back with me and forging them into beautiful custom designed jewelry in Riverside. My family is so proud of me.

If you are aimlessly buying Christmas presents for people with hopes that just one of those things will please them, then you need to read this article. It would be a great idea to get them a gift card and let them choose what they really want and then you can spend the rest of the day enjoying each others company.

year after year, Christmas continues to get more extravagant Christmas is time for picking up piles and piles of wrapping paper and trying to figure out how to fit gifts in cars, even though every year we swear that the next year we will be better prepared. Everyone loves gifts (especially kids), but is that a reason to lose our minds every year at the mall?

Unfortunately, the majority of the population are unaware of what most people would like. The theory is that if you buy the person a lot of gifts, chances are they will like at least one of them. It it best to do research before you put the time and effort into going all out for someone. Ask people who would know what they want. In the course of the year, make a few subtle inquiries so when the gift occasion arises you won’t be stumped. Hopefully this will deter you from spending your money on worthless trinkets and gadgets. Gift cards are always an option, when every other idea seems likely to fail. You can personalize these with a few home-baked cookies or ornaments, or with a personalized card that lets them know that you wanted them to have the last say about their gift. Spending time with friends and family is more rewarding than any presents could ever be.

Though many people agree that gift cards are impersonal, isn’t it more impersonal to buy someone a gift they don’t need or want? Gift ideas are hard to come up with but gift cards are a great back up when questioning and snooping about fail. Most of the time people don’t know what they want, or won’t answer if they do. Don’t worry, you’ll find plenty of ways to keep this group happy. Here is a great site for some unique gift ideas for everyone.

Those fortunate individuals who have had the luxury to travel to China can say how rewarding of an experience it must have been to taste Chinese tea. The Chinese people are known for their investment in making tea that has long been present for thousands of years. This heritage has been carried for many centuries and it is still possible to taste Chinese tea nowadays and feeling as you are back thousands of years.

The flavor that emanates from Chinese tea speaks for itself. Some of their tea may have been brewed for over one day in order to call it a tea. To the surprise of many Westerners, who travel as tourists to China, soon it is discovered that their tea back home is merely a mildly flavored drink. Chinese tea is much more concentrated and richer in taste and thickness. Tea tasting in Peking can cost you over thousands of dollars, for one of the finest Chinese tea. Aside from their flavor, they almost always carry medicinal properties for various medical conditions. At the same time, statistics have shown that there is a higher incidence of esophageal and stomach cancer in countries that consume tea in high quantities.

Many parents find the risk of baby food allergies one of the
most worrying aspects of introducing new foods to their baby.
But there are simple steps you can take to minimise potential
problems and make your child’s introduction to solid food a safe
and happy one.

Allergic reactions take place when your baby’s immune system
mistakenly treats a harmless substance as a harmful one. Baby
food allergy symptoms include diarrhea, eczema, nausea,
constipation and watery or red eyes. Very rarely, a serious
reaction known as allergic shock can occur. This can cause the
throat and tongue to swell dangerously, which could lead to
choking. In this situation, professional medical help must be
sought immediately.

Baby food allergies should not be confused with food
intolerance. A baby with food intolerance would have difficulty
in digesting a particular type of food, which can be caused by
many other things besides an allergen. In either case, diagnosis
should be made by a medical professional.

In order to prevent baby food allergies such as these, or to
identify foods to which your baby reacts, it is important to
follow these simple guidelines –

1. Try to delay feeding your baby solid food until he is at
least 6 months of age. His immune system will be better
developed by this stage.

2. Only introduce one new food at a time and wait for a few days
to see if a reaction occurs. It will then be easy to spot the
“problem” food and eliminate it from your baby’s diet.

3. Avoid foods that are known to be more likely to cause
allergic reactions. Examples of such foods include eggs
(particularly the whites), shellfish, gluten and citrus fruits.

4. Decide whether or not your baby is at a particularly high
risk of developing allergies — for example, do you suffer from
an allergy yourself? This can often lead to an increased risk of
allergies for your baby, although not necessarily to the same
allergen (i.e. the substance responsible for the reaction).

5. Discuss any concerns with a medical professional.

Whilst it is sensible to be cautious, it is still important to
remember that baby food allergies only affect around 8% of
children. So try to keep things in perspective, introduce new
foods individually and stay alert for possible reactions –
these measures will give you the confidence to safely introduce
the delights of solid food to your little one.

Have you ever started a conversation with a comment about the
weather?

Has an unexpected weather change created havoc in your garden,
pond or aviary, or even damaged your home?

Have you ever noticed that the weather you experienced during
your day was different to that reported by your nearest official
weather station?

Have you ever left home wearing clothing that was too warm or
cool for the day’s weather?

Or would you just like to know a little more about your local
weather than you can find out from TV or the internet?

A “yes” answer to any of those questions suggests that you
could benefit from owning your own home weather station.

Now is a great time to get a weather station of your own.
Recent improvements mean they have never before been so
powerful, so easy to use and install, or so well priced.

I’m sure you’d like to know more, so here are some answers to
the seven most commonly asked questions about home weather
stations:

1. What is a Home Weather Station?

A modern home weather station consists of one or more sensors
which collect data on temperature, humidity, air pressure,
rainfall, and wind direction and speed from around your home.
This information is transferred to a receiver/display console
located in the comfort of your home, and updated frequently. The
cost and usefulness rises with the number of sensors used.

2. A friend had a weather station and there were cables
everywhere. Why would I want that?

No problems there. Older home weather stations sent data along
thin cables, but you will have no difficulty in finding suitable
units which use radio to transmit the weather information, over
effective ranges of 330 feet or more. No wires, no holes in the
roof or wall.

3. How difficult are they to set up?

With a little preplanning, it takes little time or effort to
get a home weather station up and running. Once you have chosen
the positions for the sensors and receiver, and checked that
they are in contact with each other, all you need is some very
basic ability with a drill and screwdriver.

4. How reliable are home weather stations, and what do they
cost?

Home weather stations vary from a simple temperature recorder
to multi sensor arrays. Costs start from less than US$30 for the
simplest models with a single sensor, up to around $5-600 for a
quality home weather center. More specialized units, designed
more for commercial and agricultural uses, run up to $3,000. As
in most things, you get what you pay for, and you can expect a
$500 model to be stronger and more reliable than something from
the lower end of the price range.

Nevertheless, with a little bit of preparation and maintenance,
you can expect the cheaper models to give good consistent
service.

Much more information can be found at www.home-weathe
r-stations-guide.com

5. Will I just see raw weather data, or can I expect
more?

You can expect a lot more. Most weather stations offer a range
of calculated functions such as relative humidity, dewpoint,
heat index and wind chill factor, depending on which sensors are
used. Many have a basic forecasting ability, correct about three
times out of four. Many include alarm functions which can be
preset at critical high or low temperatures, high wind speeds
etc. Almost all show the time, and many of the simpler ones can
double as an alarm clock - imagine being woken in the morning
with the console showing both the time and the outside
temperature.

6. Can I connect my weather station to my computer?

In most cases, yes. In fact many of the better weather stations
include software allowing easy connection. A wide range of
commercial weather software is compatible with most weather
station models.

Take it a step further and you can even link your weather
station with automatic heating and watering systems (and much
more). Imagine the savings in water use if your irrigation
system was controlled by something a little smarter than a timer.

7. What other uses could a home weather station have?

I’ve mentioned a number of uses in the answers above, but a
home weather station can help out anywhere that wind, rainfall
or temperature data is useful. Most stations will handle several
temperature sensors - you could check soil temperature to help
guide you with spring or fall plantings, pool temperatures, or
even temperatures in a baby’s nursery inside your home.

Or you could run a very simple system monitoring temperatures
in an outdoor aviary or greenhouse.

On a different track, you can upload your data to a web page -
many people do - or contribute to the overall USA weather
picture by sending your information to CWOP (Citizen Weather
Observer Program)

There are so many ways to benefit from a home weather station.
But to my mind, I’ve left the best to last.

By observing the weather around your home, you are opening up a
much wider field - the enjoyment of the natural world.

As you see patterns develop in the information you have
collected, you’ll start to appreciate the weather maps, weather
warnings, satellite images, radar and forecasts more. You’ll
find yourself watching the clouds, and how they change with
variations in air pressure or wind direction, and you may even
improve on the official forecasts.

And overall you’ll find yourself paying more attention to the
world outside - not just the sky, wind and clouds but all other
aspects of the natural world.

So if you can see a need for a home weather station, go ahead
and get one that suits you - you’ll find a link to a helpful
website just below the end of this article. But don’t be
surprised if your horizons expand well beyond your own backyard.

Copyright ©2005, Graham McClung.

Looking for a Valentines Day gift for the amazing woman, for the
love of your life? For your amazing wife, or girlfriend, or
fiancee? And nothing good and interesting comes to mind?

Don’t despair - we are here to help. We have put together great
Valentine’s Day gift suggestions for you. And, we will not ask
for any credit - feel free to take all the credit for picking
the gift, and enjoy a fabulous Valentines with your sweetie. We
won’t tell Here are our recommendations for fabulous
Valentines Day gifts for your sweetie:

- Roses. Flowers in general are a great gift for Valentines Day,
but roses are best. Red roses symbolize love, and if your
sweetie likes a different color of roses - buy her her favorite
color, and get bonus points for knowing the color.

You don’t have to buy roses - if your sweetheart likes some
other flowers, but those. Or, buy her chocolate roses or roses
made of glass - the best thing is to find her what she likes.

- Chocolate. Chocolate is one of the most popular gifts on
Valentines Day. Women love chocolate, and chocolate candies,
chocolate hearts and chocolate covered strawberries make
fabulous gifts for Valentines Day. A box of truffles with
different types of truffles will work great. Or, if you know
which chocolates she loves, get her those.

- Jewelry with Hearts on It. There is so much jewelry with
hearts out there, that we don’t know where to start. Any place
you look, any jewelry store you go to before Valentine’s Day has
a huge selection of rings, pendants and bracelets with hearts on
them.

Why do we like heart jewelry? When you give her a heart ring, or
a necklace, you tell her that your heart belongs to her. A very
romantic gesture. We like many jewelry designs with hearts in
them. Pick something that is tastefully done; sometimes heart
jewelry is made specifically for Valentines Day, and might look
cheesy. Pick something that is not just for Valentine’s Day,
something she could wear after Valentine’s Day as well.

- Personalized Gifts are also very popular Valentines Day gifts.
A personalized gift has the name of your sweetie, or even both
of your names on it. How much more personal and special can a
gift be?

- Luxurious Gifts. How about something luxurious, something she
has been wanting for some time, but doesn’t want to spend money
on? A gift certificate for a day at the spa, a dinner at a
pricey restaurant that both of you can enjoy, or an expensive
piece of jewelry are all great gifts in this category.

Congratulations on spending the Valentine’s Day with the one you
love. Make sure you use our recommendations, and get her the
gift she will really enjoy!

An article of 919 words describing what types of Mutual Funds are available and how to best use the funds to maximize your return with lowest risk considering your investing time horizon.
Wondering what to do and what time frame to do your investing in? Here are some ideas to assist you in your investments.

Stick with stock funds. As long as you have five or more years until you need the money, stock funds will likely provide you with superior returns over any other investment. But you have to be patient. In the short term, the market is very volatile, so don’t fret when the market drops 10 percent in a week, or your account seems to be worth a lot less than it was last month. Over five, ten, or 20 years, you’ll come out much further ahead by sticking with stock funds.

Get friendly with the 800lb Gorilla’s. When you invest in the big American companies, companies like Microsoft, Intel, Citigroup, Merck, Proctor & Gamble, and General Electric, you don’t have to worry much about whether they will be going out of business any time soon. What’s more, these industry leaders have generated outsized returns for their shareholders over the past decades. Bigger isn’t always better, of course, but “large-cap” stocks like these provide plenty of solid returns (over the long-term, of course). Invest in these stocks by buying large cap stock funds.

Think international. The world is a big place and getting smaller as we build telephone lines and Internet connections and satellites that send signals all around the world. Still, somehow, the stock markets in other countries always tend to go down when the U.S. market is up, and vice versa. You can take advantage of this trend by including some global stocks in your portfolio along with big American stocks. You can do this by buying a fund specializing in large international stocks. Think small, too. Every 800lb-gorilla big company once started out as a small company. If you can buy good companies when they’re small, you’ll benefit as they get to be big and successful companies. The trouble is, lots of small companies just get smaller and eventually go out of business. So small company stocks tend to be a little riskier than big stocks. But here’s the good part - another funny thing about small stocks, particularly small cap value - is that they tend to do well when big stocks are doing lousy, and vice versa. So if you own big and little companies in your portfolio, over the long-term, things will more than balance out in your favor. Do this by buying small cap stock funds, both growth and value.

Consider index funds. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is one of the best known stock market indexes, made up of 500 large American companies from all industries. An S&P 500 Index fund simply invests in those 500 stocks; the fund’s advisors don’t try to pick stocks that will beat the market. Index funds always match the performance of the market (or of the sector that the index tracks), so you never have to worry about your index fund dogging the market. As a bonus, these funds have low expenses (the fees that the fund’s managers take off the top) and that increases your returns. Consider Large Growth Index and Large Value Index, too.

Avoid overlap. Sometimes people think that if one large cap fund is good, two or three are better. When you buy several funds of one type, more likely than not you’ll just end up owning roughly the same set of stocks. Not only will you probably not increase your overall returns, you’ll create more work for yourself by having to track additional funds. Choose one good fund of each type in your portfolio and, as long as they continue to perform well, stick with them.

Avoid long-term bond funds. Use short and intermediate term bond funds. If you have five years until you will withdraw your investment (like for retirement), then bonds might be appropriate for perhaps 10 to 20 percent of your portfolio, and increasing to perhaps 40 percent (at most) when you are at retirement age. The problem that most people have is that they think bonds are “safe” but long-term bond returns are still volatile, and will give you a lower rate of return than stocks over time. Stick with short-term bond funds for stable interest and low volatility.

Put it all together. * Large cap stock funds, both large cap value and large cap growth. * Small cap growth and small cap value stock funds. * Large cap international growth and value fund.

Divide your portfolio in half. Put half in bond funds; equally short and intermediate term. Be sure to get both corporate and government bond funds. Take the remaining half of your portfolio and spread heaviest the U.S. large cap growth and value. Sprinkle the remainder in small cap and international. Now you’ve got a diversified portfolio in which at least one sector will be doing okay (or better than okay) nearly all of the time.

Murphy’s Law. Never, I mean never, put money into stocks that you may need in the next five years. The stock market rarely disappoints over five year periods. But, when the stock market goes down, it goes down in a hurry! Cash is king when the market is suffering; it is your aspirin for your headache. Always have aspirin on hand. How do you know how much cash to have on hand? Complete a personal x-ray of your entire financial situation and consult a professional financial advisor to keep your goals and investments on track.

About the Author

Cindy Diccianni is a Registered Nurse, a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), a Registered Investment Advisor and a Registered Representative with Leigh Baldwin & Company member NASD and SIPC. She is affiliated with Ortner, O’Brien & Ortner Advisory Group, Inc. and co-founder of Nurturing Your Success, Inc. Her passion is assisting clients in creating the financial freedom they dream of. Visit Cindy at www.nurturingyoursuccess.com, write to her at Cindy@nurturingyoursuccess.com or call her directly at (610) 251-9393 x206.

Ideally, we raise our children from the cradle to have a
positive sense of self-esteem. A child that has always had a
strong sense of who they are and were they want to go with their
life isn’t as likely to dabble in drugs, alcohol, and premarital
sex. A child who has a safe open dialog with at least one of
their parents isn’t as likely to keep secrets and start sneaking
around during the teenage years. A child who has been raised to
set personal boundaries isn’t as likely to let peer pressure
dictate their standards of conduct. Children who have been
raised to recognize their own gifts and limitations are able to
make their own choices about what is in their long-term best
interest. But most teens weren’t raised perfectly and they know
it, so along with the lack of self-confidence they are often
carrying at least a little bit of animosity towards the
authority figures that have failed them.

Teens have a double-edged sword in their hands. On the one
side, they have none of the adult wisdom that comes from making
their own choices and seeing for themselves what does and does
not work for them. On the other side, they have serious hormone
levels which by design gives them the feeling of strength and
immortality. You see it in boys especially. There’s nothing
quite like a heavy dose of testosterone to give a previously
insecure boy the belief that he can tackle the opposing football
team or even ask the most popular girl out on a date. Hormones
foster a temporary manic form of self-esteem in teens that often
gets them into more trouble then good.

They think their new can-do attitude is enough to get them
through life, but the truth is, those hormone levels eventually
mellow out and their original lack of self-esteem will come
back. Often you’ll see young adults in their early to
mid-twenties undergoing a depression as the reality of their
limited belief systems drift back into their awareness. It’s
like the tide just came back in. From this place, a lot of folks
decide that nothing they do ever really matters and they resign
themselves to a dull uneventful life. They put their dreams up
on a shelf and most never bother to try again. Remember back in
your own life, when did you give up on your dreams?

We need to educate our teens in advance that the superman
complex will wear off and that they will go back to being normal
people again. That doesn’t make them failures, it just makes
them human. It should be taught in the health curriculum along
with defining the upcoming body changes, that when all of that
stabilizes, they will no longer feel invincible. That would help
them to not go through a withdrawal type depression later in
life. “When I was young, I always dreamed of being a _____ when
I grew up. Now I’m just answering phones on this customer
service hotline being yelled at everyday by irate customers.
This is definitely not what I had in mind when I pictured
‘happily ever after’.”

Yes, we should teach them self-esteem from the time they are
born. Yes, we should teach them how to create a balance between
self-obsession and caring about others’ needs. And yes, we
should teach them that there is a time and a place for immediate
gratification and a time and a place for delayed gratification.
But what is often missed is the basic core belief that they are
capable of doing anything they set their minds to. Teens should
be taught that it takes hard work and determination to make the
big important dreams come true. It’s fun to dream of becoming an
overnight success as a rock star or as an athlete, but that
behind the scenes their heroes did work hard to master their
craft and to become noticed by people who had the ability to
promote them. Teach them that luck is something that rarely
finds you, you often have to go looking for it. We have to teach
our teens the nuts and bolts of how to make their dreams come
true.

We have to talk to them and find out what their goals are. Then
we have to help them plot a course that is exciting and
adventurous. Help them understand that they can accomplish a lot
towards fulfilling those goals now, but that there will come a
day when nature dictates they will slow down and the fire in
their belly will become a quiet ember. They need to be
forewarned so they will stay focused now and can get a lot of
the hard work done before hand. That’s why they need to go to
college as soon as possible, or train as apprentices now, or
practice their craft until they can perform inside out and
upside down in their sleep. They have to work hard while they
have the youthful drive to do so. Encourage them to run with
their dreams in a positive logical direction that will actually
get them where they want to go. Show them how to look backwards
over their shoulder once in a while to see just how far they
have come and that they may not be at their ultimate finishing
point, but they’ve made wonderful progress so far.

Don’t let them tell you that they don’t have any goals and that
there is nothing they are good at anyway. Somewhere in their
grumpy little hearts is a dream, make them find it. Self-esteem
doesn’t come from someone else telling us that we are capable.
Self-esteem comes from fighting, scratching and digging our way
towards something. It’s that little voice somewhere in the back
of our minds whispering, “I think I can, I think I can, I think
I can…” and that doesn’t come from Mommy and Daddy. That comes
from pushing ourselves beyond our easy comfort zones.

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow’s Edge

Around the New Year holiday some of the you will go on a trip
with the baby. Wen trip with the baby sometime will become
troublesome matter. You must maintain your condition fresh, now
when that same time your baby fussy in the vehicle. This is some
Tips to help your trip to stay safe and comfortable:

1.Consultation with the doctor, especially if going on a trip
far or went out the country. There were several countries that
had the certain illness that will spread to the babyl. Several
European countries for example, became the place of the soft
spreading for rubella (the German measles) that very dangerous
for the baby and the pregnant mother.

2. you must bring the bag of the baby contained clothes, the
nappy, cloth, the blanket and the medicine that may needed
including medicine put in the place that was easy to be covered.

3. more easy if you went on a trip with the husband or the
friend, because they could help you to carry the baby or to
bring his bag.

During the trip

began your trip with with the position sat that comfortable and
many rests. Bring always the big bottle drink drink use of the
suitcase that had the wheel brought the baby’s carriage so as
your hands could move freer while bringing other things using
shoes and comfortable clothes

trip with air plane

When you ordered the ticket, asked about facilities of the
additional seat to for you. Feed your baby when the air plane
take off and landed. This action avoided the baby from the
disturbance his ear resulting from the change air pressure
sometimes walking in the cabin

Trip with Car

When the car was going, don’t give the baby’s food, don’t put
him to bed in the lap. If must carry and lift him, stopped first
the car. The position of the stomach that not comfortable to the
baby will push him to vomit. Protect the baby from hot that
break through in the car. if can, you can use hat for your baby.

stop the car possibly that you could rest while going for a walk
by him. Better you shared responsibility with the friend a trip
to carry, replaced the nappy and slapped his back if belching.
brought the fruit and the nutritious snack so that you continue
to fresh in the trip Don’t forget to stay relaxed and cheerful
because the comfortable feeling will spread to the baby.