While most of us clearly understand the importance of saving money, there are those who choose otherwise simply because they would rather go broke than deprive themselves of life’s simple luxuries. And there are those who will do anything to keep up with the Joneses even at the expense of depleting their bank accounts and maxing out their credit cards.

What those people don’t understand is the fact that living frugally does not necessarily translate to living like a beggar. It only means that you learn to prioritize your expenses. As such, you still get to eat out, wear your designer jeans, go on a vacation, and enjoy life’s pleasures; you just do it all without emptying out your savings account.

Living the best of both worlds is possible if you take time to keep track of your finances and know when to splurge and when to save.

1. Know when to give yourself a treat – rewarding yourself with fancy dinners is a great way to lift your spirits and re-energize yourself for the next busy week ahead. As fine dining meals with your family can cost a small fortune, it is best to prepare for it in advance by scouting for restaurant deals online or searching for available coupons such as free Logan’s Roadhouse coupons to further stretch your budget.

2. Know where to splurge when grocery shopping – walking through aisles and aisles of different products can tempt even the most frugal of shoppers which is why you need to plan your trip to the grocery store and make a list of what you need. It is better to stock up on goods that have a long shelf life such as pasta, chocolates, flavored drinks, bath soaps, linen towels and the like, when you have a great coupon for a discount. If you like your sodas, then stock up on printable Coke coupons and save a few extra cents on each can. This way, you still get to keep your pantry and fridge full without needing to overspend.

3. Know when to indulge in your favorite brands – everyone, regardless of gender, has a craving for designer brands such as Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Balenciaga, and Calvin Klein. As they are quite pricey, those who are cutting down on their expenses tend to forgo these luxuries, but they don’t need to go without. On the contrary, frugal living still allows you to keep a few of these designer bags in your closet. The key is to know where to buy. Several online shops such as e-bay and craigslist have a wide array of used branded bags. Just make sure to weed out the fake ones from the originals.

Lastly, always take pride in your decision to change your lifestyle and focus on saving money to prepare for your future. It’s not easy to turn down nights on the town and all of your favorite brands, but the smart choices that you make now will mean that you are able to splurge on yourself for many years to come.

For many people reading a travel guide can be boring. They are often packed with generalities and seem to be more concerned with promoting airlines and hotels than telling the reader anything interesting about a tourist destination. With this in mind I’ve written a short alternative guide to Koh Samui to tell you a few things you might not know about the tropical Thai island of Koh Samui.

History of Koh Samui

Koh Samui appears on Chinese maps dating back to 1687. Archaeologists have found a stone drum dating back to the Stone Age on the island. It might be a bit of surprise therefore that modern day tourists didn’t start visiting Koh Samui until the early 1970s. At that time there were no proper roads on the island. Now Koh Samui is one of Thailand’s most developed and most visited tourist destinations that boasts a comprehensive road infrastructure and an airport.

Koh Samui – Coconut Island

Until tourism changed everything Koh Samui was famous in Thailand for its coconuts. Koh Samui is still one of the biggest producers of coconuts in Thailand. As a consequence of the coconut trade the best land was thought to be interior land. The second sons and daughters were often given the inferior land next to white sand beaches. How those second sons and daughters must be laughing today.

Koh Samui – Chinese Influence

The Chinese have regularly been trading in the Gulf of Thailand. The Chinese influence is very apparent throughout the Thai Kingdom – shop signs are written in Chinese characters and many people have Chinese surnames and ancestry. In Bophut it is still possible to see many of the original Chinese fisherman’s houses that have been converted to shops, bars and guest houses. There is also a fascinating Chinese temple in Nathon.

The Mummy of Koh Samui

Buddhism does not normally condone the practice of mummification. Near Baan Bang Kao beach in Wat Khunaram you can find a notable exception to this rule. A former monk died during meditation. They didn’t discover that he was dead for quite a while and when they did they were impressed that he hadn’t decomposed. It was declared a minor miracle and he was mummified. The mummy is wearing saffron robes and what look like ray band sunglasses.

The Koh Samui Divide

You can draw a diagonal line through Koh Samui from the northwest to the southeast. The beaches below the line are the peaceful and less visited spots on the island. The beaches above the line are the most popular and most developed. Those who want nightlife (clean and otherwise) will enjoy Chaweng, Lamai and Bophut. Those who want a deserted beach far from the madding crowds will like Lipa Noi, Laem Set, Bang Kao and Taling Ngam.

Events on Koh Samui

Tourism has reached such a stage of importance in Koh Samui that the major players – namely Bangkok Air and the big hotels now deem it worth their while to sponsor events on the island. Two recent examples of this are the Princess’ Cup Samui Marathon and the Samui International Jazz Festival. Both are annual events held in September.

There you have it. In just over 500 words I have said more about Koh Samui than most travel guides manage in 1,000 words.

Cat owners understand that having domesticated cats in the house is like having another family member living with them. If your cats have been with you for quite a while, then you understand that these ‘family members’ also need things for keeping themselves clean, eating, sleeping or resting, as well as playing and entertainment purposes. Domesticated cats love to do things on their own, and yet they are also very dependent on their owners. If you love your cat and want your cat to enjoy the best years of his life with you, consider getting your cat some cat furniture.

Cat furniture is available in different types: there is cat litter box furniture, furniture for climbing, scratching, and even sleeping. Cats are just like us and like us, and they come in different sizes and colors. They also have different personalities, and this is why it makes sense to get cat furniture that is perfect for your cat’s personality. Below are some cat furniture types:

Cat Litter Box Furniture

The purpose of litter box furniture for cats is to hide the cat’s litter box and control the smell coming from your cat’s ‘bathroom’. Cat litter box furniture is available in a variety of forms, and they often double as other things. There are pieces of litter box furniture that double as cabinets, while others are end tables or night tables; indoor planters, and others. These are also specifically designed to allow cat owners to maximize the use of space in their home, apartment or condo. Some of these are electric and self-cleaning, saving cat owners time and effort in cleaning their cat’s litter box furniture.

Cat Climbing Furniture

As the name implies, this type of furniture for cats is for allowing cats to climb and stretch out their muscles. Some forms of this type of cat furniture are cat condos, cat trees and cat mansions, which have flights of stairs that are just the right size for cats, with levels and flat surfaces where cats can lay down and rest. Some of these have cubes or “rooms” cats can crawl into and enjoy some privacy. Most of these are covered with carpeting, allowing cats to effortlessly climb the structure. These are either freestanding or fixed in place and have a heavy base, so they do not wobble or tip over when cats climb the structure.

Cat Scratching Post

This type of furniture for cats allows cats to mark their territory, get some activity, as well as get rid of their claws’ dead layers. Most of these are also covered with carpet, as most cats like to scratch carpeted cat furniture. You could train your cat to use the scratching post by using a catnip spray.

One of the things I miss most when I sally forth on one of my regular visits to Dubrovnik is my pet dog, Dylan. It wouldn’t be fair to make him come along with me on the trip because he’s not a great traveller. In fact any kind of motorised transport makes the poor little fellow feel very travel sick, which results in a lot of unpleasantness for both him and me, not to mention the upholstery in my VW Campervan.

Just about the only thing that Dylan hates more than a long car journey is being given a bath. He would rather pay a visit to the vet, which anyone who has a dog will know doesn’t come anywhere near the top of a dog’s to do list.

Bathtime is a very stressful time for both dog and owner alike. Whenever Dylan hears the bath being run he always hides under my bed. Usually I have to bribe him in order to get him to come out again.

This has become a habit and part of our bathtime routine but if I had learned how to handle this situation when he was a puppy, I could easily have avoided the problem altogether.

In an article about caring for dogs,The Kennel Club advises:

“Dogs only need to be bathed every few months unless they have been swimming or have rolled in something smelly.”

That’s all very well, however, in my experience it can be better to bathe more frequently than that so your dog gets used to the bathtime routine.

It is very common for dogs not to enjoy bathtime and this is almost always the fault of the dog owner, myself included. The fact that it is a common problem faced by many dog owners doesn’t make us feel any better about it, but it does point to a need for some education on the matter. In writing this article, I hope that some of those reading it might benefit from the few tips I can share. Tips that I wish I’d learned a long time ago.

If any illustration were needed, the video below would sum the problem up pretty well. The pooch in the yellow bath tub is willing to go through some fairly serious gymnastics to avoid getting into the bath. He shows even more commitment to soap dodging than my own dog, something which I had previously not thought possible. At least his owners find this behaviour amusing; with a larger animal it can be a real pain.

So what can be done to avoid these kinds of shenanigans at doggy bathtime?

Well, pay attention to the following Dog Grooming Tips and you might get get a few ideas about how to improve your dog’s bathtime behaviour.

First of all make sure that the dog is out of earshot when you run the bath because running the bath is like an alarm going off. Upon hearing this alarm call your dog is likely to go into a state of panic or at the very least disappear to his favourite hiding place – just like mine does.

If you ensure that the bathroom door is shut tight before running the bath and your dog is well out of earshot this problem disappears.

The next thing you can do to make bathtime more enjoyable and much less stressful for your dog is to place a bath mat in the bottom of the bath to avoid slipping. The slippery surface of your bath is not a natural surface for your dog to stand on and dogs, like humans, don’t enjoy falling over. Apart from making them feel embarrassed (I’m convinced they are capable of this emotion), it can cause injury so this is a very important consideration when bathing your dog.

Praise your dog if he is well behaved. This will reinforce good behaviour and ensure that your dog finds bathtime enjoyable and not something to be feared.

Rinse your dog thoroughly after you have shampooed him. This is very important because it removes any residues of shampoo and prevents itchiness or flakiness occurring after bathtime. If your dog associates bathtime with itching and scratching he will not look forward to it.

Finally, lift your dog out of the bath carefully using a towel to improve your grip; or you could even buy a bath that has a ramp which will allow for easy access to and from the tub. And let him shake himself dry because this is a far more efficient method than towel drying. To avoid spray you can loosely place a towel over his back.

Keep your dog warm while he dries. If you keep him inside until he’s dry, he’ll remain cleaner for longer, which can only be a good thing.

So there you have my top tips for dealing with canine hygiene histrionics. If you own a dog, I hope you find them useful. I think that if you’ll follow these simple steps, you’ll have a happy dog, which will make you a happy dog owner.

Now, where’s that smelly dog of mine…?

I still recall the day I took delivery of my first guitar. It was a beautiful Antoria electric with humbucking pickups, a warm sunburst paint job and a rosewood fretboard. I had made friends with a busker on the beachfront at Dubrovnik the summer before and he had inspired me to take up the guitar. My busker friend played a battered old steel-strung acoustic, but I’ve always had a love of the blues, as played by BB King on his electric guitar. So I decided I’d get an electric so I could get a sound somewhat similar to the one BB gets from his “Lucielle”.

I was very excited to take delivery of my new guitar and couldn’t wait to get it out of its packaging. I eagerly unwrapped it, plugged it into my practice amp and gave it a strum. To my consternation, it sounded terrible.

This was the moment I realised that I had no idea how to tune a guitar and I had to do some learning, fast.

You see, up until that point I had just borrowed guitars from friends for a few minutes here and there while they coached me on how to play the chords required for whatever song I was attempting to strum along to. I realise now just how much I was leaning on those friends when stumbling through my first few songs.

I was very lucky to have several expert guitar players in my circle of close friends who were willing to teach me anything I wanted to know about playing the guitar. But as I sat there with the dischordant wail of my new Antoria ringing in my ears, I realised I hadn’t asked any of them to explain the most fundamental of musical techniques, that of guitar tuning.

Tuning is something that most beginner guitarists would prefer not to have to bother with. I certainly fell into this particular camp because it was something I struggled with at first. But I persevered and I’m glad that I got the hang of it because otherwise I’d be missing out on the benefits that tuning a guitar by ear brings. More on that later.

If you’re struggling to get the hang of tuning your guitar, the good news is it really isn’t that difficult once you know how. If you follow the simple approach outlined in this article you will be able to do it very quickly and easily even if you have never tried it before.

So…

How do you tune a guitar?

Well first of all you need a suitable reference note in order to adjust the sixth string to the appropriate pitch. The sixth string is the thickest string on the guitar and generates the lowest note. This is the note of E and is the note that you will be tuning the rest of your guitar relative to.

Where can you find a reference note? There are several options. Which option you choose is down to your personal preference. However, you can choose from an electronic tuner, an online tuner, a pitch fork or a pitch pipe to name a few. Try the different options available and find the one that suits you best. Factors to consider include how portable you need your solution to be and whether or not you are comfortable discerning the pitch of a particular note by ear.

So once you have your reference note and have tuned the sixth string (also known as the E string) you are ready to tune the other strings on your guitar relative to it. You do this by holding down the sixth string at the fifth fret and playing the fifth string open. They should both give the same note, in this case the note of A.

Now you repeat this process across the neck of the guitar, always playing the fifth fret of the thicker string and playing the adjacent thinner string open (without holding it down against any of the frets). The exception to this rule is when you tune the second string, which is the second thinnest string on the guitar. In this case you play the fourth fret of the third string and play the second string open.

That wasn’t so difficult was it? Well, it took me a while to get the hang of it I can tell you! If you want to get all fancy, you can check out some alternative guitar tunings on Wikipedia. But I’d suggest you get the basics of the standard tuning nailed first.

Now, you can use an electronic tuner to get the precise pitch of the strings and this can be particularly useful in noisy environments because it gives a visual cue to let you know when you’ve got the pitch right. However, I do believe it is well worth mastering the skill of how to tune a guitar by ear. That’s because of the benefits this brings, as I mentioned earlier. Not only does tuning by ear improve your musical “ear”, and therefore your musical expertise, but it also means that, should you find yourself without your electronic tuner for any reason, you always have the knowledge and ability to tune your guitar using the relative tuning technique.

Of course, I still have an electronic tuner. And what’s more, I use it all the time because it’s so quick, easy and always accurate. This is a clear case of do as I say, not as I do I’m afraid. Despite all the good reasons I’ve given in this article for tuning by ear, I just love the convenience, speed and accuracy of my electronic gizmo.

I hope you’ll be stronger than me and tune by ear most of the time. But if not, it’s not the end of the world. After all, the important thing is that your guitar is in tune when you play it. Nobody will care (or know) if you’ve used an electronic tuner or not.

Taking photos is definitely among my favorite hobbies. It’s important get all the settings correct – the aperture, the exposure, the lighting. Whenever I head out somewhere, I definitely try to bring my nice digital camera with me in case anything interesting happens.

Do you remember this?

I used to have a film camera, but honestly the technology of digital cameras has advanced so much that I only use digital now. I remember back in the day when you had to wait three days to get your photos back from CVS or whatever. That was frustrating! Nowadays we have instant feedback on our photos.

It’s interesting to see what’s going with Polaroid these days. They’re now a private company – they used to be public, but were bought out by a private equity firm in 2009. The company was acquired for just $90 million, a considerably lower valuation than during its heyday. Poalroid still makes instant cameras and some people buy them. However, they also make consumer electronics. This includes plasma TVs and DVD players.

The other day, I was reading with interest about a consumer products company that actually still manufactures in the United States – Weber. The Weber-Stephens company has been making portable propane grills for over fifty years, and they are known for their high quality. They’ve continued to update their grilling technology over the years. It seems that, unlike Polaroid, their product will not become obsolete. People still like to grill and it’s hard to imagine anything replacing that.

Apart from that, it has been a pretty good summer. I got some great photos of  the Adriatic that you can see on the home page of this site. In the future, I am hoping to travel to some other beautiful locales and bring back some high-quality pics. I just need to find the time off from work and plan the trip effectively.

There are many conflicting views as to whether eating a healthy diet is actually good for us or not. Depending upon your own point of view, you can find scientific studies to back up your argument. In many ways, the topic of diet is very similar to politics – we believe what we believe regardless. So rather than try to convince you that eating a healthy diet is going to lead to a long and successful life, just look at the evidence for yourself and make up your own mind.

For the longest time, I thought that certain diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other Western diseases were inevitable – just part of life. But through my own reading I have now discovered (and believe) that diet is one of the key factors that determines both our short and long term health.

One of the books that I first read is called The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell, PhD. This book led me to discover the work of Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr, M.D. who has had remarkable results treating heart disease patient with diet alone. On his website, Heart Attack Proof it states:

The proof is in the results. The patients in Dr. Esselstyn’s initial study came to him with advanced coronary artery disease. Despite the aggressive treatment they received, among them bypasses and angioplasties, 5 of the original group were told by their cardiologists they had less than a year to live. Within months on Dr. Esselstyn’s program, their cholesterol levels, angina symptoms, and blood flow improved dramatically. Twelve years later 17 compliant patients had no further cardiac events. Adherent patients survived beyond twenty years free of symptoms.

So rather than worrying about reading through scientific papers, you can check out some of the documentary movies that Dr. Esselstyn appears in. The stories are amazing. If you get a sudden urge to improve your diet, look at the best juicer reviews and increase the fruits and vegetables you consume each day. The best thing about eating a healthy diet is that you feel good in the short term and it should lead to a long and happy life in the long term.

Watch Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr, M.D. on Youtube (born in 1933)

Ever since the electronic cigarette was introduced onto the market just a few short years ago there has been much debate about whether these devices should be regulated in the same way as tobacco, or even banned from sale altogether. Indeed some countries, such as Canada and Australia, have already taken the drastic step of making the e cigarette illegal. In the US smokers can count themselves lucky that they are still able to purchase them if they so desire, but it’s not for lack of the FDA trying to take them off the market.

Why has a device that seems to offer a safer way to get nicotine for millions of smokers all over the world created such controversy? There are many theories touted by people on both sides of the argument, but the most likely reasons seem to be:

1. E cigarette manufacturers have the potential to take sales away from pre-existing industries such as big tobacco and the makers of nicotine replacement therapy.

2. The e cigarette hasn’t been adequately tested for safety to ensure it won’t cause health problems in the user.

3. This device could be a gateway to nicotine addition for minors.

Let’s look at these points in order:

1. Obviously the fact that big tobacco or the pharmaceutical industry might lose sales is no reason for governments to ban the sale of this nicotine delivery device. These companies have knowingly sold us products which can cause harm for decades, and should have no say in the matter. Unfortunately they also have a huge amount cash and lobbyists behind them which might help them influence the laws passed through Congress.

2. The fact the very little testing has been carried out to determine the safety of electronic cigarettes is certainly a problem, but one which is easily remedied if companies are willing to spend the cash required. If this industry is going to move forward towards acceptance then this is a step which must be taken as soon as possible.

3. The fact that e cigarettes are more expensive than the tobacco equivalent makes it unlikely, in my opinion, that we are going to have a problem with people under legal smoking age getting their hands on them. Add the fact that you generally have to buy them over the Internet with a credit card and it seems unlikely that this should be a serious concern.

Although there has been a lot of negativity directed at e cigarettes up until now it does seem inevitable that eventually this product is going to be accepted as a safer way for smokers to get that nicotine fix they need. Positive signs are already appearing such as a recent article in the Guardian newspaper which reports that the UK government is actually considering pushing this device on smokers as a way to cut death rates from diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

Whatever happens with this debate over the next couple of years, it will be interesting to watch how it develops.

Technology has transformed our lives today from the times of our grandparents. Just imagine what sort of things our grandchildren will be able to enjoy when they reach adulthood. Technology is truly marvelous. One of the most popular items available today are handheld readers and tablets. We’ve all heard of the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad. These portable electronic devices are transforming the way we enjoy our leisure time. I don’t have an iPad myself – although two other family members do! But I do have an Amazon Kindle reader so I want to look at some of the reasons why my may or may not want to get your hands on one of these devices. The new Kindle 4 will be released in 2011 so it is surely an exciting time to be considering one of these portable hand held readers.

My 3 Reasons to Buy a Kindle

1. Free Books!
2. Portability & Use
3. Cheaper books

These are just three of the reasons that I love reading this way. I’m not even going to talk about the technology today. You can find lots of information about the product specification all over then internet so I just want to mention three of the benefits that I have noticed personally.

1. Free Books: Perhaps you don’t believe me when I say this – but I’ve read so many books over the last year and hardly paid for any of them. This is because Amazon have what they call their Out of Copyright Collection. These books can be downloaded to your Kindle for free = $0!

Now, it’s not like we can get current best sellers for free. Although there are hundreds of thousands of olden classics on the list that we can get. This feature alone makes the Kindle reader amazing value!

2. Portability & Use: I could have split this into two sections but shall deal with them together. What I really love is that I can go for nearly a month between charging my Kindle. It starts to give you a warning that the battery is running down at least an hour before it dies. So I hardly ever actually run out of charge so that I can’t read.

It’s so lightweight that travelling (or just carrying it around is easy). It weighs about the same as a small paperback – but inside I can have 100s of books! The Kindle dictionary is so easy to use – it makes looking up words on the fly a joy.

3. Cheaper books: This is not the case all the time – in fact sometimes it is actually more expensive to buy a Kindle book than the regular one. Particularly for books that are only available as hardback or Kindle version – I have found that the Kindle version is ususally the cheaper of the two. For me, I am saving lots of money simply through investing in the handset.

Further reading: Is Kindle 3 a game-ender for e-reader wars?

I love the tropics. The weather is nearly always perfect. The sea is always warm. Away from the tourist traps the prices for things are cheap and the people are friendly. This holds true for Indonesia, Thailand, Southern India, tropical Africa, the Caribbean and the north coast of Colombia. There is something perfect about a tropical beach – white sand, massive coconut trees, never-ending beaches and warm nights.

The nights in the tropics are made for lovers. The stars come out in legion away from the glare of city lighting. They seem brighter and fill me with hope. Because of the shape of the earth the moon is closer at the tropics and so seems bigger. It is no doubt partly for this reason that moon madness has gripped the small tropical Thai island of Koh Phangan. Since the first Full Moon Party in Haad Rin in 1987 the numbers of people going to celebrate the completion of the moon has soared. Now up to 20,000 people attend the party. It’s a crazy event complete with lots of fire rope jumping, people drinking way too much and lots of loud music. It’s a celebration on a pagan scale that lets people let loose in a way the over-regulated societies of the West generally frown upon. I’ve been a couple of times. It was hard to get full moon party accommodation. It wasn’t hard to get some amazing photos of not only the moon but also the hedonistic antics of the revelers.

The music at the Full Moon Party in Koh Phangan is not always great. They don’t seem to bother with famous DJs, and they seem behind the times in their insistence on the primacy of trance music; but, nevertheless, what an event. I have never experienced anything like it. And just when you think the party is winding down people find new reserves of energy and head off to the Backyard Pub for another 12 hours of dancing and drinking.

I recently came back from a holiday on the Thai island of Koh Phangan. It’s often patronizingly dubbed ‘the little brother’ of Koh Samui because it is less developed and smaller in land mass. I had been there several years before, and had liked it precisely because it was nothing like Koh Samui – it was cheap with friendly people, great beaches and devoid of swimming pools on the beach. I went first to Thong Nai Pan. I was shocked to discover that the beaches of Thong Nai Pan had mostly been occupied by expensive resorts with swimming pools. I stayed one night and then left. I had a moment of inspiration and decided to take a longtail boat to Chaloklum.

I had only ever passed through Chaloklum before. This time I decided to stay. It is a relaxed fishing village with a long beach. I found a reasonably priced fan bungalow at Malibu Beach Resort. It was the best place to stay because the resort has its own beach which is a spectacular sand bank.

The great thing about Chaloklum, other than the beach and the warm sea, is the village. It is a great mix of the old and new Koh Phangan. There are local shops, fisherman’s houses. There are also backpacker restaurants and bars. And there are also a few more up-market or ‘boutique’ hotels and bars. Chaloklum is an interesting place without trying to appear trendy, unlike Bophut in Koh Samui.

For those on a tight budget there is a 7-11 in Chaloklum. This brand of convenience store is one of the cheapest in Thailand. Both Thais and foreigners use the place. Thai 7-11s sell snacks, drinks, tobacco and other sundries.

On Wednesday nights at Omega Bar (on the main drag) there is a lively jam session. It was very much like the Koh Phangan that I first encountered several years ago – strange, hirsute individuals having a good time. It was a far cry from the fluorescent daubed youngsters shouting at the Full Moon Party in Haad Rin.

Another thing I liked about Chaloklum was the kite surfing place on the beach. I love flying kites and had always wanted to give it a try. They were very patient with me and gave me a good deal on rental and instruction.

Between the kite boarding, lying on the beach and trying the Chaloklum night life my two weeks at Chaloklum flew by. I would love to return but I also fear that it might quickly be ruined by developers.

Cork is a common household material that is used for notice boards, flooring, place mats, underlay and wine bottle stoppers. Cork has been used for hundreds of years. The first recorded use in history of cork is by the Phoenicians who used cork as floats for fishing. Cork is an important resource in this day and age of climate change and deforestation that threatens to irreparably change our quality of life.

The use of renewable resources such as cork, coconut and bamboo to replace hardwoods in consumer products is one important strategy to carefully husband what resources we have and to prevent the loss of trees that are needed to absorb the dangerously high amounts of carbon in the atmosphere.

Cork is special in that unlike bamboo, coconut and other renewable resources the tree is not killed in order to harvest its resource. Cork comes from the bark of the cork oak tree. The tree takes 25 years to reach maturity after which time the cork cambium or cork bark can be peeled off the tree by hand. This does not damage the tree if done correctly; it also does not destroy natural habitat for animals. The cork oak grows another bark every 12 years.

There are about 25,000 hectares of cork oak forests in Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and France. These forests contain many important species of flora and fauna including the endangered Iberian lynx and the Barbary macaque. The cork industry is a great example of being able to conserve the natural environment and at the same time use it as a resource.

Although it is tempting to extol the merits of cork wine bottle stoppers, it is cork flooring and cork underlay that really show the important benefits of cork. It is a lightweight material that makes light but strong flooring tiles. Cork is composed of millions of air pockets that make cork flexible but strong. This structure also absorbs heat and so cork flooring helps to make a home more energy efficient.

Cork is not only a good thermal insulator; it also is an acoustic insulator. Cork flooring lessens the noise of people walking and so is great for an upstairs room, especially the children’s room.

Cork contains the natural antimicrobial agent called suberin. Cork flooring is thus a healthy type of flooring that protects a family from disease. The suberin in cork also makes the flooring fire retardant.

If you are looking for an environmentally friendly alternative to hardwood flooring or carpet then it is worth looking at the <a href=”http://www.buycorkflooring.info/benefits.html”>benefits of cork flooring</a>. It is made from a special material that helps nature and mankind.

There can be little doubt that the world in its present state is headed for disaster. The Euro zone is collapsing; America is shackled with astronomical debt; one and a half acres of rain forest are lost every second; the human population is 7 billion and counting; the polar ice caps are melting; the extinction rate is speeding up; oil is running out; and the world and its leaders are certainly not coming together in any meaningful way to solve the problem.

The last attempt was at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in 2009. It was an event attended by politicians who took planes and national interests to the summit and agreed on nothing. What they should have agreed on was the importance of using renewable resources, especially bamboo.

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on the planet. It propagates by itself. It helps to hold together the top soil. It needs less water than trees and produces more oxygen than trees. Bamboo can grow as far north as Sakhalin in Russia and as far South as Chile.

Not only does bamboo grow quickly and nearly anywhere it can also be used in so many ways. Here are a few of those ways:

Bamboo

• Bamboo can be carved like wood. It can also be compressed into strand woven bamboo that is ideal for flooring and making furniture.

• Bamboo can be used to make blinds, mats, kitchen equipment and lots of home consumer products.

• Bamboo is a good source of nourishment. The young shoots of many types of bamboo are edible.

• Bamboo can be woven into baskets. It can also be used as thatching for roofs.

Bamboo charcoal

• Bamboo charcoal is a smokeless and odorless fuel.

• Bamboo charcoal can be used as an organic and safe fertilizer and pesticide.

• Bamboo charcoal is highly absorbent and is ideal for use in the home as an air-freshener and to reduce humidity.

• Far infrared rays are emitted by bamboo charcoal. These help to speed up the metabolism and promote damaged cell recovery.

• Negative ions are given off by bamboo charcoal. These have been shown to make people relaxed and happy.

• Bamboo charcoal soap washes the skin better than normal soap and is great for treating acne and eczema.

Bamboo vinegar

• Bamboo vinegar is both antimicrobial and acidic. It is a great green cleaning liquid that can be used all over the home. It can also be used to clean windows.

• Bamboo vinegar is a traditional medicine used for extracting poisons and toxins from the body.

• Bamboo vinegar can be used to kill mold spores and to spray at roaches and other bugs.

• Bamboo vinegar can be used to treat skin problems and condition hair.

These are just some of the many ways that humanity can use bamboo. It is a renewable resource that can be used to fulfill many consumer needs. It is practical suggestions like using bamboo more and hardwood and oil less that is going to make a difference to the environment and to the quality of life for future generations. The change will only come from a bottom up movement as our leaders have clearly shown again and again that they live in a rarefied world of politics and intrigue where they talk about democracy rather than listening to the people.

I was thin but during the last three years I got very fat……

I want to lose weight soon and I was given this vegetarian weight loss diet plan:

• I can eat as much as fruit and vegetables as I want and this is great as I don´t have to do calorie counting.
• I also need to eat protein, as I don’t like to eat animals, the nutritionist told me to replace them with beans, tofu, lentils and chick peas.

That’s it, it is very simple.

Breakfast:

- Coffee or Tea with fruit salad

Mid Morning:

- Any fruit or gelatin

Lunch:

- Vegetables with some proteins such as lentils or beans

Afternoon:

.Coffee ot tea with fruit salad

Dinner:

- Same as lunch, but with a fruit for dessert.

If you like eating animals, you can have chicken or fish instead of the beans and lentils.

The nutritionist told me that the first week is going to be very difficult because of the withdrawal symptoms from the sugar and flour…..

I think it is a great diet and I hope I can stick to it so I get fit and in shape too, so I can start surfing and kayaking again by next summer. I got very depressed during the last years and that is very bad for the mind and  the body as you end up gaining a lot of weight. Though some people loose too much.

Many friends and relatives had tried this diet with great success so I hope to get the same results as them!

And in case you want to learn more about diets, check Wikipedia as it has loads of great information!