Blue Wrench

Vegetables are necessary to the human diet. The latest recommendation from dieticians is a minimum of five serves of vegetables per day. The truth is we can get the majority of our daily vitamin and mineral content from vegetables.

We need to ensure that how we prepare them does not wash away vitamin contents and benefits of consumption.

Cooking vegetables can be complicated. Over cooking can make vegetables tasteless and mushy. My belief is that vegetables should not be boiled. Boiling not only robs us of vitamin content, it is the main culprit in turning vegetables to a lifeless, tasteless form.

If we cannot boil, what are the options?

Steaming vegetables is always a good choice. This will leave vegetables full of life and colour. They will be crisp and colorful. It will also not deplete the vegetables of their vitamin content.

It is a speedy way of cooking too. By rule of thumb, vegetables will only need a few minutes in the steam. In some cases you may be able to steam your vegetables on the table and immediately serve them up.

For those who do not have official vegetable steamers, an easy steamer can be fashioned out a of pot, a metal colander, and a pot lid.

Place a small amount of water in the bottom of a given pot. Fit the metal colander into the pot. Start to boil the water. You will begin the see the steam rise. Place your vegetables into the metal colander and place the pot lid over the metal colander and pot. This collection of kitchen items will allow you to steam vegetables as good as any fancy store bought steamer.

Another good option is to cook your vegetables in a wok. The secret to the wok is that it cooks quickly at a very high temperature. Vegetables retain their flavors, textures, and colors with very small amount of vitamin loss.

My favorite wok recipe for vegetables is to cook broccoli, carrots, bok choy, and snow peas in a very light garlic sauce. The vegetables remain crisp and the garlic adds just the right amount of flavoring. This combination can be served with any cut of meat including chicken, beef, pork, lamb or fish.

I hope you will see that secret to cooking vegetables is not to over cook. Vegetables need to remain crisp and retain their texture. As you learn different tricks to bringing your vegetables to life, these will become the most requested dishes on your dinner table.

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A direct mail campaign is often the most cost effective way to reach many donors. Sending letters also is a simple way to raise money. There is no need to recruit, train, manage and motivate a large group of volunteers. A few talented individuals can run the entire operation. And you will find you will get a lot more volunteers to fold and stuff envelopes than to cold-call potential contributors. That’s not to say all one must do is write a letter, post or e-mail it, and wait for the returns.

What makes mail solicitations difficult is that they are one-sided. No allowance exists for a campaign worker to personally motivate prospects. The most enthusiastic letter simply cannot match the conversation between a skilled fundraiser and an open-minded potential donor. Lacking aggressive salesmanship, only minimum gifts can be expected, no matter how well written the solicitation letter and enclosures may be.

Here’s another angle to think about. Assume that I’m a small-donation prospect with some interest in your charity. There’s a good chance that I’ll donate generously to your appeal if you knock on my door or phone because your enthusiasm and presentation will be hard to resist. And how many other organisations will solicit me in these ways? Very few. But send me a solicitation letter and you place your request in the midst of enormous competition for my same gift dollar. And because it’s a letter, I have little problem withstanding its impersonal nature. If your organisation is not among my very favorites, you won’t receive a contribution of any consequence.

You see, although I think highly of your cause, I have a table covered with fundraising letters, from the best known national charities to all sorts of noteworthy regional and local groups. I am saturated with mail appeals. After sorting through them and making my top-ranked selections, I find my charitable budget is about depleted. But I still care about your cause, so here’s two dollars to show you my heart’s in the right place.

With these factors as a downside, letter solicitations produce highly profitable income derived from small-gifts for organizations that plan and carry out meticulous programs. However, first-class mailing programs get extremely involved, both creatively and from a marketing standpoint. There are six elements to understand before considering a direct mail campaign:

1. Mail solicitation is an ongoing component of annual fundraising programs. In capital campaigning, letter writing is a tool for wrapping up an appeal and giving thanks.

2. Ongoing mail appeals focus equally on retaining and upgrading present contributors while discovering and cultivating new prospects to make up for donors lost to attrition and to enlarge the donor pool. Present givers won’t always be an available source of funding.

3. Donors via mail don’t come free. Depending on the package, to obtain a new contributor, you can spend from $1.30 to $1.60 (or more) for each initial dollar raised from that person.

4. Mail programs are long-term propositions and instant financial rewards are very rare.

5. Be clear who you designate as a donor and who you label a prospect. Donors are people currently contributing to your charity. Someone who gave you a gift two years ago or a person who once contributed a painting to your auction are prospects, not donors. Get used to thinking of three distinct groups: current donors, past donor prospects, and new prospects.

6. Some prospects have more interest in and knowledge about your organisation than others. Cultivated potential donors are first approached because they represent the highest rate of return. For instance, a past donor prospect is a better bet to send you a new donation than someone who once came to a special event that you held. The person who came to the special event is more likely to fund you than someone who never heard of your group.

In planning a full scale mail campaign, don’t lose sight of the fundamental fundraising requirements. Make sure your project has compelling goals, high visibility, specific, attractive, and timely needs.

Additionally, make sure your group has start-up funds on hand for what can become a relatively large investment to get the program rolling. For example, depending on the scale of your operation, you might want to engage a letter shop or mail house to provide the many functions necessary to get your direct mail package to recipients. This is an expensive proposition.

Or you might opt to subscribe to an online software provider to help drive your mail program. Since the highest percentage of return comes from current contributors, they are the first group to target. If a goal is reachable by only contacting these people, expenses will be minimal and your problems will be solved. If that’s not realistic, additional prospects who might fund your project would need to be reached. That’s fine so long as you realize that their percentage of return will be far less than supporters.

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Manila is the political and economic centre of the Philippines, and it serves as a honey-pot for people from all over the Philippines. For most visitors from North America or Europe, this metropolis does not seem to merit more than a few days visit, after which the tranquility of the provinces may seem all that much more attractive. Although a trip to Manila is taxing, it nevertheless gives the visitor important insights into the culture, history and politics of this island republic, insights that stem from its very wealth of contradictions.

In the sights of foreign conquerors
Natives who settled at the mouth of the Pasig River in Manila have seen a great many rulers come and go. The first to come were the Malaysians, who arrived in the Philippines during the pre-Christian era. Hindu and Buddhist rulers from Indonesia followed. Islam got to Manila at the end of the 15th century. The Muslim reign established in the mid-sixteenth century had been in existence for barely a decade when Spanish Catholic seafarers appeared on the horizon.

Colonial Manila
Miguel de Legaspi conquered Manila in 1571, declaring it to be the capital of the Spanish colony of the Philippines. Despite the ravages of World War II, when Manila was heavily bombed, traces of the citys colonial past are still in evidence, particularly in the Intramuros district. Intramuros, literally within the walls, meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress. The city centre, with its partially restored wall , is the site of a number of sixteenth-century buildings including Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral and the church of San Augustin, the oldest in the city.

At the centre of power
The heart of Manila is now elsewhere, in Makati, the modern commercial and banking quarter. Elegant high rises, gorgeous residential estates, super-modern shopping centres and numerous international hotels can be found there. The modern development of this quarter began in the mid-twentieth century. Like much of the development in Manila, Makati is closely connected to the politically powerful Zobel de Ayala family. The family name is found throughout the city, on streets, buildings and public monuments.

They come here not only to pray
Pasay City is located in the south-west of Manila across the superhighway from high-class Makati. On Wednesdays, Pasay is overrun with people. In Baclaran, the faithful crowd into Redemption Church, where weekly services are held in honour of the Virgin Mary. But one suspects that even more Manilans make their way to Pasay in order to patronize the neighbourhoods famous lech6n stands, known to be the best source of that quintessential Philippine specialty, roast suckling pig.

A bit of folk culture
Throughout Manila, a light rail station is never far away. If your stomach is complaining after a feast of suckling pig, a gentle ride on this elevated railway is highly recommended. The trip back to town can also be made by Jeepney, of course, though it will be slower and more crowded.

Jeepneys were originally former US Army surplus jeeps that had been converted into passenger vehicles with as many as fourteen covered seats. These days, however, most Jeepneys come new from the production line. Skillful painting and ornamentation are a prerequisite for genuine Jeepney status. Most have Catholic religious figures as their central theme, but they may include lighthearted comic strip images.

Many Jeepneys are so thoroughly covered in advertising that they resemble moving billboards, while others looks like temples on wheels. Whats important for visitors to remember, however, is that Jeepneys follow specific routes, just like buses. It is always best to inquire about the route before getting on board.

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Working from home is becoming more and more fashionable. I work from home and I love it. I don’t think I could ever toil at a factory again, but I must face the possibility that I may have to transfer my enterprise into commercial premises if it keeps growing like it has in the last few years. Even if parts of my business move out of home, I’ll try to stay there myself as much as I can.

Times are changing and working from home, particularly for the self-employed or contract employees is becoming more common. It is pointless paying rent for commercial premises if they are not necessary. Working from home has many advantages.

You can work back late without getting into strife with your family. You can “drop into the office” anytime you like. You can get up really early if the mood takes you and put in a few hours work then go back to bed. But as a massage therapist, there is one feature I really like, all the tax deductions!

You can claim some of your home-running expenses on your tax return. Based on the floor area used for business purposes, you can claim a portion of your mortgage interest, insurance, rates, water, electricity, maintenance and the bulk of your telephone bill as well as depreciation on the carpets, curtains, computer equipment and so on. At the end of the financial year you will be surprised by the list of deductions.

You will also save on travel costs, wear and tear on your car and more importantly wear and tear on you, having not to deal with peak hour or public transport. Not to mention picking up approximately an extra one to two hours per day of work when you don’t have to travel.

There is a downside to working from home. The first problem is family distractions. Kids home from school at three o’clock, a friend at the front door, phone calls for other members of the family.

You also may not have the perfect workspace, or space may be limited. Work space is vitally important, you must have an area set aside purely for business, nothing else, just business. I have found that it’s best also if you can close the door on the weekends and at the end of the day so you can “leave work”.

I think many of the perceptions of people that working from home is “unprofessional” have lapsed into history. The number of major companies that allow their workers to work from home via the internet has increased dramatically in recent times. “Outsourcing” has become a commonly used term and this has brought about a spate of self-employed former employees, most of them working from home.

The other problem that many people working from home suffer is motivation and discipline. You must start work everyday just as you would if you were working for someone else.

Want to work from home in your own home based business for women? You can learn more about starting your own profitable and flexible home business.

Unless you are considering keeping your old car and giving it to someone else, you will eventually need to sell it. There’s many ways to sell it, but first let’s consider the preparation of your vehicle prior to advertising or trading.

Presentation is the key factor

The first thing one should consider when selling an old vehicle is how you can sell it for more money. The technique, which most people seem to overlook, is to simply make it look absolutely beautiful!

This does not mean just washing and vacuuming it, although that’s a very good start. It is the overall preparation and detailing that gets a good price. This is a well-known secret of most used car dealers.

You would be surprised to see the condition of some of the vehicles they purchase, but after a few hours in the detailing shop you wouldn’t think it was the same car! The best advice to anyone selling his or her car, is to have a professional car detail carried out. This will cost you around the $200 mark and it will be money well spent.

It will, in effect, save you hours of hard work trying to do it yourself with nowhere near the same result. This alone will add hundreds of dollars to your vehicle, particularly when selling via the newspaper.

I know of people who have had their vehicle detailed and fallen back in love with their car deciding not to go ahead with the sale.

Once the detailing has been completed you should make sure any minor defects are repaired. It is also important that you have the service books and any relative mechanical history at the ready, as this is now becoming a major factor when buying or selling a used vehicle. If a service is due or near due, make sure you have it done prior to selling. This will give a prospective buyer a good idea of how well you have kept your vehicle.

What is your car worth?

Before you start selling your vehicle, either privately or to a dealer, you must know its market value. There is nothing worse than advertising your vehicle with a highly inflated price tag.

One way to find out the approximate price of your vehicle is by studying the used car section of your local newspapers, which will give you a reasonable guide. Another way is to look in dealership yards to see what price similar vehicles are being sold for, but you must remember these vehicles have margins built into them to cover the dealer’s operating costs and over-stock.

Alternatively, the web can provide a wealth of information on vehicle valuations. This is only web-based information and is generalised, so it does not give you accurate pricing on your own vehicle because of the specific condition and accessories fitted.

Sites where you can gather this type of information are the individual dealership web sites and vehicle pricing-guide sites such as www.redbook.com.au and www.glassguide.com.au

This data is only to assist you in making a qualified and rational decision when buying or selling your vehicle. Remember, these sites are to be used only as a guideline, they are not entirely accurate as they do not take into consideration the individual buying or selling parameters within the different states.

There are always variations to the rules about pricing, so you should follow your intuition when setting a price and be sure to leave room for negotiating in your asking price. Your starting price should be higher than the price for which you really want to sell your vehicle.

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The answer to this question is a definite YES! I have lots of business associates in the USA, Europe, Australia and New Zealand who are working in a home based business and making good money each week. In fact the lady who introduced me to my new business is only 25 years of age and she made over $500,000 in her first 12 months of home business.

I am now duplicating her results, but please read on and you will learn about what I have actually done and experienced in three very different situations and how in the end I succeeded in taking control of my future.

My Traditional Business Experience

I used to own and manage a very profitable and high profile restaurant and bar in Brisbane, Australia for a period of over 12 years. I started it from scratch and like most traditional businesses it was really expensive to set up and the running costs were horrendus.

Although I made a lot of money with this venture, I finally decided to sell it when I came to realise that the long hours and constant stress of managing over 30 staff, dealing with various government officials, endless paper work and hundreds of customers per week was ruining destroying my life.

You can become very wealthy with a traditional business but you will need to be extremely committed as you won’t be able to walk out and close the door anytime you want. There will be lots of work to do and deadlines to meet, customers to service and more than likely, staff to hire and manage unless you want to do all the work yourself. The hours are generally very long and in most cases the business can end up being your life. Another point to consider is that you’ll be on your own to work things out and solve any problems as they arise.

My Job Experience
After selling the business, I decided that a job would be a better alternative to being in business so I set about finding one and little did I know what I was in for! I spent 8 hours a day scouring the employment classifieds, networking, perfecting my resume and attending interviews for jobs I didn’t even want. I felt undervalued and demoralised and almost gave up hope before I finally landed a job with a company as an Events Manager.

All good you might well think, but unfortunately this was not the case as now I was into something that would cost me 12 hours of my time, 5 days a week as I got dressed up for work, traveled to and from work and actually did the work. I was working under considerable stress and was totally stressed out by having to answer to a boss and co-ordinate every single element of each event from travel and accommodation arrangements, key note speakers, entertainment and right down to sorting out what type of lettuce should go on the dinner plates of the attendees. What a nightmare! But the thing that irked me the most was that I was doing all of this to make my boss richer while I had to settle for a small pay packet at the end of each week. JOB = Just over broke.

My Home Business Experience

As you might have guessed, I didn’t stay in my job as an Event Manager for long. I had spent seven months of my life trying to find the right career and after only 1 month I resigned.

I had no idea what to try next but I was determined to find something that would tick ALL the boxes for me and knew that I first needed to get very clear about what I really wanted.

I did not want to:

Own and manage a stressful, traditional type of business

Answer to a boss and have to beg for time off work

I did want to

Earn a lot of money

Take control of my future

With the above in mind, I spent the next couple of months researching my options until I was eventually attracted to an advertisement (placed by a 25 year old lady) about a home based business opportunity. I must admit that I was pretty hesitant to begin with but I decided I had nothing to lose by finding out more so I answered the ad and within 1 week I was up and running with my very own home based business.

On my best day so far, I earned five thousand dollars but what I really love about my home business most is that I actually took back control of my own life. I now work the hours I choose, from the comfort of home or anywhere I like really with my laptop and phone. I don’t have to juggle and manage staff anymore and gone is all the stress. I fit my work around my life, generally about 25 hours per week and I absolutely love what I do.

It’s not for everyone however and if you are considering getting started in a home business you should ask yourself the following important questions:

1. Is the business aligned with your income and lifestyle goals?

2. Do you have some money and time to invest into the business?

3. Can you work diligently as your own boss and without supervision?

4. Will there be anyone to help or guide you if you get stuck along the way?

Yes! You can make money with home based businesses. Lots of money!

Christine Hamilton is currently making money in with home based businesses. For more information about what she is actually doing, click work at home BSCH110509

Often featured in the media as the seat of government of the European Union (EU), Brussels is much more than a city of bureaucrats. It is a meeting point all the diverse cultures in Europe, and exudes a unique multicultural energy.

Brussels is not only the heart of the European Union. The Belgian capital is a lively and beautiful city in its own right, a town rich in history and full of places to see. Designated the cultural capital of Europe in 2000, Brussels is no mere town of boring bureaucrats. It has its own story to tell.

A fortress in the middle of a river.

The name Brussels (Bruocsella) is first documented in the year 966. It means “chapel in a swamp”, and likely refers to its position on the banks of the Senne River. The settlement itself had probably been founded between three and four hundred years earlier. The earliest stronghold on Brussels Island dates back to around the end of the 10th century.

Central Brussels.

The story of Grand Place (in French, or Grote Markt in Dutch), the town square located at the middle of Brussels, leads us on a journey through the city’s history. Grand Place was created as a market and business square, but soon attracted the trade guilds and city officials.

They designed lavish guildhalls and government buildings as evidence of their power and affluence, Brussels became one of Europe’s most important trading and financial centres during the High Middle Ages and would remain so until 1695, when French cannons bombed the city for three days, levelling Grand Place and reducing much of the city to rocks and ashes. It was rebuilt fairly quickly, and the guildhalls that currently stand on Grand Place bear witness to the city’s revival.

Grand Place remains a favourite gathering point for residents and tourists alike. Many of its countless restaurants, cafes and taverns are open around the clock.

Brussels city hall.
The Hotel de Ville (Brussels city hall), completed in 1450, is an architectural crown even among the grandiose guildhalls and buildings around it. Its facade was one of the few structures to survive the French bombardment of 1695. With its 96-metre-tall tower topped by a gilded statue of St. Michael and the dragon, the Hotel de Ville is Brussels’ most recognisable landmark, visible from every part of the historic old town.

A different kind of city emblem.

Most visitors consider the statue called Manneken Pis (literally, “the boy peeing”) at the corner of the Rue de l’Etuve and Rue des Grands Charmes to be the symbol of Brussels. Just who the little boy in this work by sculptor Heironimus Dusquesnoy is supposed to represent remains an unsolved mystery. In any case, the cheeky lad is certainly one of the city’s main tourist attractions. Meanwhile, his female counterpart, the Jeanneken Pis, can be viewed at the end of a cul-de-sac called Impasse de la Fidelite just off La Grand Place. The citizens of [the city~Brussels} have always been in favour of equal rights, and if that meant commissioning a statue of a similarly cheeky little girl, so be it. The statue was dedicated in 1987.

The giant molecule.

The 102-metre-high Atomium is another symbol of Brussels. It began its existence as an exhibition hall built for the 1958 World Fair. It represents an iron molecule, magnified 165 thousand million times. The tubes connecting the nine atomic particles are actually conduits containing escalators and walkways.

Due to its use of futuristic materials and non-traditional design, it has long been considered both an architectural wonder and an impressive piece of civic monumental sculpture.

Within, the Atomium still houses the occasional exhibition on topics related to nuclear technology, aeronautics, astronomy and meteorology. Inside the uppermost sphere is a restaurant that affords a beautiful view of the entire city.

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The capital of the Czech Republic is one of the most important historical preservation sites in central Europe. Prague’s unique urban heart has been a UN world cultural and natural heritage site since 1992.

Prague is a great city for romantics. Remnants of the city’s history are found on nearly every corner.

A saunter through the Old City past Powder Tower (1475), the old town hall and other equally beautiful baroque architectural masterpieces leads to the Charles Bridge, one of the most photographed bridges in the world.

Prague Castle was built on the Hradshin River by a landowner named Premysl sometime around 870, and Prague soon became the epicentre of the House of Premysl.

Vratislav I, the first Bohemian king, transfered the royal household to Vysehrad Castle in 1085, probably due to a power struggle with his sibling, Bishop Jaromir.

Prague Castle remained the seat of the bishops of Prague for many years. The Cathedral of St. Vitus, another early building, is also located on the castle grounds.

Prague grows.
Protected by the two castles, a sea of German and Jewish merchants and local craftsmen led to fast growth on both sides of the Muldau River. The largest fortified zone was near the already ancient Prague Castle. Prague received its city charter in 1234 from King Wenceslas I, who made it his primary residence.

Shortly thereafter, the “New Town” districts of Mala Strana and Hradshin were ffounded. The fourteenth century brought yet more prosperity to Prague. In 1348 the first university in central Europe was founded here, Charles University, named after Emperor Charles IV.

In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Prague was ravaged by two religious wars. The Hussite Wars (1419-1437) and the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) left bad memories.

The events that set off both of these conflicts took place in Prague. These include the famous “defenestrations”, in which Catholic clerics and dignitaries were thrown out of windows by dissenters, the first time by Hussites, followers of rebel reformer Jan Hus, and later by Protestants, setting off the Thirty Years War.

The victims of the first defenestration did not fall far, but luckily landed in the arms of a mob waiting outside to lynch them. The second time was from an upper story, but the Catholics were saved because they fell into a heap of garbage. From the Catholic viewpoint, divine intervention had intervened. The two long, debilitating conflicts slaughtered hundreds of thousands, setting back growth for many years. Like other afflicted cities, Prague lost most of its international prominence during this time.

Prague in Spring-Time.
In 1945, Prague became the capital of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Czechoslovakia. Communist leadership precipitated a deep-seated financial crisis: the Soviet central planning bureau contributed to nearly complete economic disaster.

In the spring of 1968, public criticism grew and much of the population became increasingly rebelious. Street demonstrations of the “Prague Spring” were news all over the world.

Ultimately, power struggles within the ruling party led to the invasion of Prague by Warsaw Pact troops on 21 August 1968, and the brief period of expression was ruthlessly terminated.

It would be 1989 before Prague broke away from Russian control, and in 1993 was named capital of an independent Czech Republic.

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