Removal of Visual Ads.

I've been thinking long and hard about my blogs lately and came to a decision. I have been steadily removing ALL visual advertising from all my sites because I think it makes the site look like shit. That's right - ka-ka, crap, dung, etc! The funniest thing about all this is that I've already removed the ads from my other 3 sites and this is the last one getting cleaned up. Now, the surprising part is that my other sites all now have page rank and this one doesn't anymore, it used to before the ads went on. I do need to clarify one important point however. You will still see some 125x125 ad boxes after the others are gone and this IS NOT because I'm getting monetary support for them, in fact I get absolutely nothing for them, I just believe in the subject of the ads such as Vonage (no, this is not an ad for Vonage) because I've used them since their beginning and have never been let down and they have always been there when I had a question. My bill is apprx. $31 per month(taxes included) and yes, I do get 911 service with it. I have family in England that used to cost me big bucks to call with AT&T but is now FREE for as long as I want to talk. The service is Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and other company's offer what they offer I just think these guys are better. The Brighter Planet is a Green organization and hurts no one. It costs me nothing and gives me nothing, just a Public Service spot. PCPitstop is a free(so long as you don't order products) system scan site I've also used for many years and it's helped me identify weak areas in my PC and has cost me $0 to use, I pass this useful tool to my readers as well.

I could go on but I won't because my wife has just called me for lunch and I'm a bit hungry. Till next time.
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Just Bought a New Chair.

For the past 2-3 years my wife has been using a metal folding chair at her laptop. I thought nothing of it and she never said anything. She had a system problem and I needed to sit down and correct it before it got worse. It was a chunk of malware that loaded while she was surfing in the disguise of a harmless banner ad. I'm getting away from the subject but you probably know how long this could take to correct when you can't get into your spyware utilities because the screen is constantly refreshing before you can make a selection. I'm doing it again, sorry. The point is that I had to sit down and think it out to fix it. Try sitting down on an uncomfortable piece of formed steel for more than a few minutes without shifting and you are superman(woman) in disguise! That hunk of metal hurt. The part that confounded me was that she never complained except for a couple of mentions about maybe looking into getting a chair someday. I went onto a few of the mainstream retailers and a few on-line shops that sold office furniture and other goodies I might like. We got a few ideas and some comparative pricing and went to get a chair that was on sale at a major office supply retailer and it looked like a great deal. Brrraaaappp! What a piece of junk! I finally convinced her to get a higher end chair because it was supportive AND comfortable and it was only $30 more than the one on sale. There was only one glitch. The chair has a microfiber seat and headrest with mesh everywhere else, which is great. The problem was I no sooner assembled it and she said we needed to return it. She said every time she touched the chair she got a shock. I thought she was losing it so I used the chair and sure enough I was getting zapped as well. I placed a piece of wire on the metal frame to the floor and that did nothing. I sprayed one of those static sprays and got more of the same. I finally put a bath towel on top of the microfiber seat cushion and Voila! No more shocks. I probably should have returned the chair but it is so comfortable that I'd like to replace my chair with the same one she has.

Maybe someday I might look into it!
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Now is the Time for Investment.

If your one of the many Americans that have steady employment and a few dollars in the back this is your time to blossom. The majority of people in this country are employed, and will remain employed, well into the great financial turn-around. The news services foretell collapse but what is being reported effects a small minority of the workforce. I'm not saying 'so what' to them, it is a bad situation for these people and hopefully they will start to see daylight very soon and obtain new employment. We don't want to see our neighbors struggle just like you wouldn't want them to see you struggle. This post I'm writing will address those of you who can make investments into things you've wanted but thought you couldn't, or shouldn't, spend the money on. Right now is the time to spend a little to get a lot. All the financial indicators are with you right now but probably will disappear in the near future as companies retool themselves and develop new business models for creating profitable businesses again.

Big and not so big ticket items are where it's at for shoppers today. Maybe your looking for a new car (Domestic deals are fabulous right now but won't be forever), car companies are over-stocked with inventory they need to move NOW. Electronics are up there on peoples' wish lists and the time is also right for them as well. So many people have held off on getting a big screen or a plasma set that they are also getting dusty and must be moved out to make room for the new sets on their way in. The last category caught me by surprise, but it shouldn't have, and that's jewelry. I know jewelers are always on television and I never give them a second glance but the Internet has been buzzing too! That, I thought, was very unusual and I've always been a bit suspicious about buying jewelry unseen but there is a motive driving these sales - cost! The cost of diamonds, for one, has never been this low that I can remember. MSN.com just wrote some articles recently on the greater buying power consumers have with items like cars, electronics, and yes, jewelry!

What are the major driving forces behind many, many jewelry purchases? Engagements and weddings. I surfed on several, more than several, websites just on the pretense of shopping for a ladies diamond engagement ring to see what kind of deal I could get. No, I'm already married, that's why it was a pretense! I was surprised to see some outstanding deals that were available. Let me say one other thing about online shopping versus store shopping. The online store has much lower operating costs so they are in a better position to offer better margins on their merchandise. You know, no rent, salaries, insurance, property taxes, sick days, etc. I'd like to give you a random sampling of some of my finds and you can judge for yourself. When it came to rings I had the greatest success. A womans gold band with 3 diamonds was less than half the retail price and a 5 diamond gold anniversary ring was even less.

The link I placed above is to one of the several sites I checked out but has something more for guys, sorry ladies. When in doubt as to what would be appropriate for your woman they have a Tips for Guys section that can ease your anxiety of what to get with very helpful information.

My next post will hopefully provide some electronics purchasing advice. The cars? I don't know, I wasn't a big fan of most domestic automobiles because the foreign cars offered so much more, but I'll always love my former Olds 442 and Delta 88 (those were cars that ran) with their iron engines and road grabbing speed. Enough of that or I won't have anything else to write about. The electronics post I'll be doing will hopefully offer some specifics about Toshiba's laser TV sets (I want one bad), light weight fiber optic display and thin!

If You Can't Work It Off, Burn It Off!

Fat loss products and techniques sounds like a method of weight loss but it really isn't. Fat loss products are a group of products that are often labeled as Fat Burners, Fat Absorbers, Cortisol therapy, Diet Pills, Water pills, Fat Non-Digestion Pills (true enough) as well as many generic herbal blends. Fat elimination techniques are methods of behavioral modification such as Atkins, South Beach, Grapefruit Only right up to and including procedures such as Lap Band surgery. Lap Band surgery is the most radical of all of these as it requires surgery to install and adjust and if you happen to eat too large a piece of food it will come right back up, regardless of where you happen to be. Overall, you will see advertisements that say Go to this web-site for information, click here for fat burners, and call now for special 2 for 1 pricing or free shipping.

My advice to those of you who may be contemplating these very decisions? Click through to them all! That's right, click on all of them and do your homework, ask questions, talk to friends or even someone else in a store aisle that's looking at the products too. Read up on Cortisol therapy articles and phosphacore reviews, not to mention the other Cortisol treatments and supplements. They may know something that you don't, yet. I chose my way to lose the weight I want to lose and you must choose the way that's right for you. The way I'm doing it has a lot of cheats and I had to add them to the diet to slow it down. You need to allow your body to adjust to a NEW weight and REMEMBER it so if you happen to 'fall off' you can get back on with less struggle. The best of luck to you in weight loss!

What to Get a Health Nut!

I have a friend, a really good friend, who is a running nut. His wife used to be a couch potato but you know how that goes, either he becomes a 'spud' or she gets up off her duff and 'aerobicizes'. Don't go looking for that one in Webster's! I have a feeling she'll be trading in her Sketcher's for Nike's real soon. The point I'm getting to is that they (she) just had a bouncy baby and she wants to get her 'girl' curves back and lose her mommy curves. Here comes the Nike's! lol I'm going to take the high road and get them a gift that they can share as well as use together as one big happy family. I'm going to get them a stroller, but not just any stroller. I'm getting them one made for running, or fast walking, that won't succumb to the effects of hard use. I looked them up generally and then I smartened up and got specific to weed out the gimmick junk and I got a few real results. The best of the strollers I found was something called a Bob stroller. I've seen these on the streets of Boston and more often in Newton, Mass (yuppy, preppy area). I figure if these people will buy an affordable stroller instead of a Primo Ikea Run-isimo Stroller-O for $1000, there has to be something to it. I hate to say it but they were right and I know my friends are going to appreciate this, not to mention the fact they can use it with an infant adapter. This thing even has brakes, air filled tires and a 5 year warranty.

First of the Month!

White Rabbit! The Brits will know what I mean. :)