Arts And Entertaitment

Friday 22 February 2013

Life Cover And Savings: My Financial Advice For School Leavers

Life cover and savings: my financial advice for school leavers Life cover and savings: my financial advice for school leavers by Life Insurance For You

As a young adult making your way in this world one of the first lessons you need to learn is the art and science of sound financial planning. As a personal financial planner, I often feel that generation after generation seem to make the same financial mistakes and find themselves drowning in debt, living beyond their means and without the financial protection of life cover. How do we help future generations avoid the mistakes that their parents made? I believe the answer lies in education and to this end I have written down all the financial advice I wish somebody had given me when I was fresh out of high school. Your education starts here!

Whether you left school and walked straight into your first job or you went on to university or technikon you need to:

• Live within your means: draw up a budget that lists you income and your expenses. Allocate a monthly amount for food, entertainment, transport costs etc. and do not spend more than you have allocated. It might take a few months to fine tune your budget as your work out what you expenses are, for example how much you will spend on food in a month. The golden rules is to live within your means, do not spend more than your are earning

• Start saving: save some money every month and include this amount in your budget. You should be saving for emergencies as well as putting money away towards your savings goals, for example your next vacation or a new car

• Build a good credit record: pay all your bills on time to build a good credit record for the day you want to invest in property or buy a car

• Manage your debt: the golden rule is to avoid debt at all costs but at the same time you need to make use of credit facilities, be it on your credit card or a store card, to build a good credit record. If you do buy anything on credit make sure that you pay it off in full at the end of the month

• Learn to cook: take-away food and meals at restaurants are a sure-fire way to burn money. Learn to cook nutritious meals for yourself and always pack a lunch for your day at university or at work

• Invest in life cover: too many people make the mistake of thinking that life insurance is only for breadwinners. The reality is that students and young, unmarried adults need life insurance as well. In the event of your death your life insurance pay-out will take care of the cost of your funeral, any costs associated with settling your estate and settle any unpaid debt you might have.

Lastly, if you have started your first job you need to get serious about retirement savings. You are never too young to start building the nest egg that will support you in your old age. Spend some time looking for a reputable financial advisor that you feel you can trust. It is a good idea to speak to friends and family about who they use. Once you have settled on an advisor speak to him or her about how you can start saving towards your retirement.

Learning the rules of good financial planning at a young age will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life. Now get out there and start saving!

Follow the link if you are interested in finding out the cost of life cover.

Article Source: Life cover and savings: my financial advice for school leavers

Thursday 21 February 2013

Canvas Prints From Photos

Canvas Prints From Photos Canvas Prints From Photos by Laurel Abell

If you have ever wanted to showcase your best artwork or photographs, one of the most beautiful and effective ways to do this, is through canvas prints. Canvas art printing allows you to take your ultimate family photographs, or stunning scenery shots in your favorite location and enlarge them to create brilliant wall hanging that you can display in your home. Another great opportunity for canvas printing is to utilize some of your favorite works of art by other artists. Nowadays, original artwork and prints are expensive and by opting for a canvas print, you can still enjoy the images that you love, but at a fraction of the cost.

Limitless Possibilities

The options you have for prints are endless, and you can create any combination of photos or images to use. You can take 4 photos and design them on one large canvas, or you can take 3 of your best artwork pieces and have them displayed across one canvas. You can even use various shapes and sizes of canvas to create one single photo. By using the latest digital printing techniques a lovely portrait of your family can be split over 3 or 4 or even more prints.

Aside from the size and shape and how the images are displayed, you can also benefit from the options you have for black and white or sepia canvas prints. This can add an entirely new dimension to your home and will fit in perfectly with any type of design or style you have gone for in your home. Often, it is interesting to use predominantly black and white prints and then infuse a certain aspect of it with color. For instance, you can have a very retro Marilyn Monroe print in black and white, but just her lips can be red, or you can choose from a lovely black and white family photo and then just add a tiny bit of purple into each person's clothing or shoes.

Make your Own Canvas Prints

If you want to create your own home décor, it is easy to make your own cheap canvas printing. All you need to do is purchase blank canvas, get your image ready, and find a printer who is willing to do the printing for you, as the size will not work too well with a home computer. You can also go a completely different route and use a photograph to help you sketch a stunning piece of art. Once you have your sketch, this can be digitally printed onto the canvas to ensure that it is durable and lasts a long time.

Whatever kind of home décor you have or theme you are going for, there will always be a great quality, beautiful canvas art print that is perfect for your space, whether you use it in the living room, dining room, main bedroom, kids bedrooms, or home office. Even the kitchen can benefit from a quirky, fun, or modern print, that might use simple words create in a fun way so that they become art.

When you look at canvas prints and how to go about using your own images for canvas printing, you will see that this is an affordable, yet highly effective wall art option.

http://www.photographyadvisors.com

Article Source: Canvas Prints From Photos

Life Cover And Savings: My Financial Advice For School Leavers

Canvas Prints From Photos

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Hawaii Joins 1 Billion Rising On V-day

Hawaii joins 1 Billion Rising on V-Day Hawaii joins 1 Billion Rising on V-Day by Heather Salmon

By Heather Salmon

This Valentines Day there is a global initiative calling for 1 billion people to take a stand to end violence against women and children. Approximately 1 of 3 women will or has been raped, or beaten during her lifetime. Violence is a global issue and can strike women from any background anywhere and includes date rape, emotional abuse, female genital mutilation, stalking, human trafficking, domestic abuse, and same sex relationship violence.

Women most often experience violence at the hands of someone they know and can be left with deep emotional, mental and physical scars. Violence against women not only affects the victim but the whole community. With a population of 7 billion people 1 in 3 means that staggering 1 billion women are violated!

One Billion Rising is the inspiration of Eve Ensler playwright/founder of the award winning Vagina Monologues, and is a global activist movement that has been growing over the past 15 years. In 2012, over 5,800 V-Day benefit events took place in the U.S. and around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls.. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $90 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it. International educational, media and PSA campaigns have been created, shelters opened, and over 14,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses funded in Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq.

This V-Day women and those who love them are joining forces world wide and creating events, dances, strikes and rising up to demand an end to this violence. Join or create V-Day ONE BILLION RISING today and SAY NO to violence against women and girls.

Febraury 14th Hawaii Events:

POwer of Love (Maui)
7:30 PM HST
Maui Yoga Path @ Mana Kai Resort (Kihei, HI)
Journey with us into the heart of love for healing and expansion with sacred sound healing, cacao, essential oil anointings, music and dance with the Black Swan Temple, Mystical Alchemy and Friends!

Rise up in Unity - Dance-Music-Community
6:00 PM HST
Makawao Union Church (Makawao, HI)
Come to an inspiring evening of music and dance. Join us for the worldwide celebration of Womens empowerment, along with V-Day, the global organization dedicated to ending violence against women. Afro-Brazilian Dance and Drumming with Rada 6-7 P.M. Sufi Dancing with Leilah and Bodhi 7-8 P.M. more ...

One Billion Rising
7:00 PM HST
Mile Marker 12, Hwy 130 (Pahoa, HI)
We will have empowerment playshops showing self defense and healthy boundary setting, a group dance/performance to Break The Chain - One Billion Rising song, healthy food , tables set up with info on local organizations that support an end to violence

One Billion Rising Honolulu
6:00 PM HST
The ARTS at Marks Garage (Honolulu, HI)
Pre-February 14 Events (2): 2:00 PM on February 3 Marks Garage will be hosting us for a dance rehearsal to learn one coordinated dance for the event. All are invited to join us in this celebration! FEBRUARY 14 EVENTS: 6:00 PM: The ARTS at Marks Garage

Dancing in the Streets
5:00 PM HST
Molokai Community Service Counsel Front Street Kam Hwy. (Kaunakakai, HI)
Molokai is rising up and "Dancing in the Streets" of our little town. We invite all agencies, businesses, schools, as well as all women, men, & children to join us as we dance to the cause. On Feb 14th 2013 we will dance on the street and court yard of the Library building

One Billion Rising Wai'anae hosted by CHSS
4:00 PM HST
Hui Hana Pono (Waianae, HI)
This is a family-friendly event to promote a violence free Waianae We will have great music and performances by local dance groups, flash-mob dance, and free dance.

V-Day Dance
12:30 PM HST
Kaua'i Community College (Lihue, HI)
The students and staff of the University of HI Kaua'i CC will be dancing to show their support of this movement to end violence against women.

UH Maui College Rising
12:00 PM HST
UH Maui College (Kahului, HI)
On V-Days 15th Anniversary, 14 February 2013, we are inviting ONE BILLION women and those who love them to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to this violence.

One Billion Rising HNL
12:00 PM HST
The Loading Zone (Honolulu, HI)
Noontime: One Billion Rising HNL @ Campus Center, University of Hawai'i @ Manoa - PAU Violence, the Women's Center, and the Ethnic Studies Student Association are hosting the event alongside KTUH dj and emcee Seph1 to promote this event to the students, faculty, and staff on campus.

One Billion Rising at UH Manoa
12:00 PM HST
UH Manoa Campus Center (Honolulu, HI)
The University of Hawaii at Manoa joins the world to RISE against violence toward women. We rise in solidarity to END gender based violence.

Rising on Maui
12:00 PM HST
UH Maui College: Great Lawn (Kahului, HI)
Join the Rising on Maui as we RISE to end violence against women and girls on Maui and around the world.

One Billion Rising KCC
12:00 PM HST
Kapiolani Community College (Honolulu, HI)
Kapiolani Community College (KCC) is participating by hosting a lunch time event on 2/14/13. We will ask the campus community share why they are rising, and also encourage participation in a short dance which will be led by faculty and students.

Celebrate life as a women
12:00 PM HST
Outrigger Aina Nalu Resort (Lahaina, HI)

1 Billion Rising WCC
11:00 AM HST
Windward Community College (Kaneohe, HI)
Join with 1 BILLION RISING WCC in a statement of celebration and dance to end ALL violence. Join DJ Gusty Gus, the ASUH-WCC Student Senate, Intramurals - Sexual Violence Prevention Program, WCC Career & Transfer Center, WCC Service Learning, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, TRiO Stude

Wahine Ala (women rising)
10:00 AM HST
The Peer in Hanalei Bay (Hanalei, HI)
A day, a dance, a declaration. To rise above violence, above hate, and above cruelty against females worldwide. Men and women alike are invited to move together in an effort to stop this pandemic.

For a complete listing visit http://www.onebillionrising.org/page/event/search_results?orderby=day&state=HI&country=US&limit=200&radius_unit=mi

To sign up and learn more, visit www.onebillionrising.org

Here are some things that you can do to help end the violence!

- Call the police if you see or hear evidence of domestic violence.
- Support a friend or family member who may be in an abusive relationship.
- Volunteer at a local domestic violence shelter or other organization that helps survivors or works to prevent violence.
- Raise children to respect others and deal with anger in non violent ways. T
- Learn Compassionate Communication Skills. Work to create a culture that rejects violence as a way to deal with problems.
- Become an activist. Participate in an anti-violence events! Tell your congressional representatives that you want them to support domestic violence services and violence prevention programs.
- Volunteer in youth programs. Get involved in programs that teach young people to solve problems without violence.
- Ask about anti-violence policies and programs at work and school. At work, ask about policies that deal with sexual harassment.

Heather Salmon, author of the forthcoming book the Black Swan Initiation is a priestess, innovative spiritual guide, hypnosound healer and prayerformance artist. Join for the Power of Love Rising Event in Kihei, February 14th, 2013. For more information and free Mystical Alchemy HypnoSound Healing MP3 visit www.MysticalAlchemy.net

Article Source: Hawaii joins 1 Billion Rising on V-Day

Monday 18 February 2013

Creating An Office That Meets Your Needs

Creating An Office That Meets Your Needs Creating An Office That Meets Your Needs by Simon Barnett

What is an office really all about? You may look at this in a fairly simple manner and determine that an office provides a basic space in which to work. It ensures that a team of people can work successfully from a single location.

But is this all that it needs to do? Is the sole function of an office to bring people together in a single location? I think it's fair to say that a great office environment should certainly seek to provide considerably more. Indeed, there's a clear difference here between a brilliant office and one that really struggles to get the job done.

In order to investigate whether you are getting the most from your workplace, it's worth spending some time thinking about the aims and objectives of your own business. How does your existing office assist you in meeting those aims? Does it, in fact, play a positive role in this regard?

You may also wish to consider whether you are able to answer this question on your own. If you are operating the business, then it's likely that you are focused on aspects associated with finances and delivery. This needn't be a problem, but the reality is that it means that others may have a different perspective.

You may believe, for instance, that the workplace is fit for purpose. To a certain extent, this is likely to be a reflection of your own role and approach. There may be a feeling that you're able to carry out your job successfully, so that this should mean that there are no problems.

It can be difficult, in such a situation, to take the step back that's necessary in order to get a more objective view of the situation. There may be an awareness, on your own part, of the fact that some aspects of the working environment aren't quite right. These may be deemed to be minor annoyances. But how do other employees feel about them?

Indeed, this assumes that they are concerned by the same elements as you. It may actually be the case that they have other, additional worries. You simply won't be able to learn more about these unless you take the time to ask the right questions. Encourage others to answer honestly and make it clear that you are looking to make improvements.

When it comes to making specific changes, you may not know where to begin. The good news here is that there are plenty of office design specialists who are able to help. You can soon create an office environment that really is right for your own needs.

There are many commercial fit out options available to you, as discussed by Simon Barnett. This article may be used by any website publisher, though this resource box must always be included in full.

Article Source: Creating An Office That Meets Your Needs

Faith Is Not Confirmation

Faith Is Not Confirmation Faith Is Not Confirmation by Padre

OK, there I was, standing in the living room...with no conceivable idea as to why I was there. I remember walking up the steps like a man on a mission…. But there I was – upstairs -- all dressed up and nowhere to go. Why, exactly, had I come up here? I know it must have been important.

Then comes The Decision: do I go back downstairs until that same idea inspires me? Or do I tough it out up here until I remember? Everybody, apparently, has had this happen to them. My dad explains it by saying that he has 16 gigabytes of memory and 4K of RAM. I suppose it could be worse: data indicates that 6 per cent of all skydiver deaths are a result of forgetting to pull the ripcord….

But, when not in the throes of short-term memory loss, I can be a world champion at selective memory. And, apparently, I am not alone. Gary Marcus, a cognitive scientist, says that, although we’re quite good at storing information, we are incredibly bad at retrieving it.

We’re not like computers, which assign every 1 and 0 according to a master map in which each byte is assigned a specific, uniquely identifiable location. In contrast, Marcus maintains, human beings lack any such master map and, instead, retrieve information in a far more haphazard fashion by using context as to what it’s looking for rather than knowing in advance where in the brain a given memory lies.

But there are other, more dire, consequences, according to Marcus. We are better, for example, at remembering things that are consistent with our existing beliefs than evidence that might refute them. We might disagree about something by focusing on different pieces of the puzzle. We do not, in other words, give ourselves a balanced perspective. This phenomenon is known in cognitive circles as “confirmation bias.”

My favorite story about this comes from David Halberstam, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. The context was the Vietnam War, in which General Westmoreland had demanded a briefing about a battle just completed. The young American officer had been uneasy about giving the General the briefing, apologizing for being so frank with reporters present, but finally it all came pouring out. The South Vietnamese Army soldiers, it turned out, had been cowards and had refused to fight. They had abused the local population and in this most recent battle they had all fled. All but one man.

That one man had stood and fought and almost single-handedly staved off a Viet Cong attack. When the young officer had finished his briefing – still apologizing for being so candid – General Westmoreland turned to a reporter and said, “Now you see how distorted the press image of this war is. This is a perfect example – a great act of bravery and not a single mention of it in the New York Times.

An Ohio State study in 2009 showed people spend 36% more time reading an essay if that essay aligns with their opinions. Another study at Ohio State in 2009 showed subjects clips of the parody show “The Colbert Report,” and people who considered themselves politically conservative consistently reported “Colbert only pretends to be joking and genuinely meant what he said.”

A wee bit closer to home is the art of the pundit. Punditry, it turns out, is a whole industry built on confirmation bias. Rush Limbaugh and Keith Olbermann, Glenn Beck and Arianna Huffington, Rachel Maddow and Ann Coulter – these people provide fuel for beliefs, they pre-filter the world to match existing world-views.

If their filter is like your filter, you love them. If it isn’t, you hate them. Whether or not pundits are telling the truth, or vetting their opinions, or thoroughly researching their topics is all beside the point. You watch them not for information, but for confirmation.

When asked, “From whom do you receive your religious identity?” Christians will invariably say, “Why, from Jesus, of course.” But that’s selective memory. That’s confirmation bias. The truth is, we receive our religious identity from Abraham. This was what Paul was getting at when he spent so many chapters on Abraham in his letter to the church in Rome. But that inconvenient piece of information has been selectively forgotten because, after all, that would put us on the same footing as the Jews and Muslims.

Let’s take it from the top. Abraham was a polytheist. (Well, initially, at least.) He was not a Jew. There was no Law. There was no Jewish way of life. Abraham’s calling by God meant that he was to turn from his way of life. As one writer concludes, “The idea is that the Gentiles are blessed not simply like Abraham but because of Abraham. Abraham becomes the reason why Gentiles experience salvation, not the example of how an individual becomes saved.”

So Abraham is not just the father of the Jews, but of Gentiles also. And not just in some spiritualized sense. Many people who read Romans, for example, interpret what Paul says about Abraham as exemplary – that Abraham is an example for us on what it means to have faith.
But Pamela Eisenbaum, a Jewish professor at a Christian school of theology, begs leave to differ. She maintains that the emphasis for Paul, both in Galatians and Romans, is not on the way Gentiles can be like Abraham if they emulate his faith; the emphasis is on their existing relatedness to him which they can now claim.

Abraham’s faith is not just some ethereal quality of general trust; no, Abraham’s act of faith is to start a family on behalf of God; he produces offspring that bear God’s blessing. [Eisenbaum] What’s more, the heirs include “the nations.” What is unusual, however, is that Paul explicitly connects the promise that Abraham will be the father of many nations to the conception of Isaac.

Then, once Paul’s Gentiles become part of the lineage of Abraham, they not only receive God’s promises, they help God enact God’s promise to the great patriarch that he would become the “father of many nations.” And helping God to realize God’s promises is apparently what Paul really means by “faith.”

Now, “helping God realize God’s promises” is not the first thing we think of when we think of “faith.” Instead, we think of “faith” as trusting someone else to do all the heavy lifting.

It confirms something we fervently wish were true.

Article Source: Faith Is Not Confirmation