Book ‘recycling’

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When I check out my three bookshelves (one in my study, one in the garage and one in the living room), I see some books that are priceless commercially, some of sentimental value… and some pure, unadulterated junk.

Well, as any book lover will tell you, buying books is more like an addiction to them. But unfortunately, the addiction doesn’t stop at buying and reading. It only becomes a nuisance when you start hoarding them to the point when they start gathering dust and consuming space. To top it, any self-respecting book lover will not throw them away. So what’s the solution?

‘Recycling’ is a concept that’s gathering momentum every day, so why not apply the same to books? To elaborate, you could sell the books piled up in your house, and buy new ones with the money you make in the process. With the backing of the Internet tools, you don’t have to be a little Amazon to sell your books. There are many established portals where you can sell books with the minimum of effort.

Social Security Disability and You

Just read a couple of days ago in the Kansas City Star that in Kansas City, an applicants social security disability income (SSDI) were waiting for an average of 604 days for a decision from an admin law panel at the end of 2009. Shocking?

Sadly, that appears to the scenario mainly because of the difficulties involved in interpreting the guidelines, according to a source. The delay becomes a routine matter, folks start taking it for granted. Unless you have a services provider who will fight your case and get you the SSDI and medical benefits get you your legal dues in the shortest time possible.

Fortunately, there are some agencies like Allsup who have helped more than 130,000 people get their dues — with a success rate of 98 per cent. What’s convincing about Allsup is there’s no fee if you don’t receive your benefits, and when you do it, it’s a small fee. It’s good to have an expert on your side when you combating some long-drawn process like claiming your social security disability income.

Money for college

I was talking about national growth with my professor, and the one thing he pointed out, was that which was totally essential to any kind of growth in any direction, was freedom. And then came education.

How, for instance, could you expect a country to achieve new levels of success if the basic cement of education was lacking? US universities do get grants from private companies for research, but what about those ‘third-world’ nations, who barely surive on learning the fundamentals from scratch?

We’re a progressive nation, and it’s important to stay that way with roots coming from education. Going to college is part of the American Dream, and for many Americans, paying for college is a major step. And with the knowing that education translates into money, there are a number of college student loans that are available to those that wish to pursue the faith in growth.

Why background check?

Are you an employer? An employee? Someone making friends on a date forum? Or just a neighbor in a new location? Either way, the odds are high that you could be dealing with someone you know very little about. And the situation magnifies in intensity when you’re associating with someone from another country.

Oh no, I’m not even suggesting even remotely that your contact could be of a dubious nature. What I’m trying to say is that you don’t know. Knowledge is power, and can help you make decisions which will prove beneficial, short- or long-term. You’d perhaps like to know everything possible about a new person you’re planning to enter into some kind of a serious relationship. Having said that, wouldn’t you like to know every minute detail about them before you actually get on to trustworthy grounds?

True, you could hire a private detective agency. But that could come close to breaking your bank. And more importantly, you might not want to have to wait or results, especially if it’s an international background check. Fortunately, there are a number of established, resourceful organizations online who can do that background check for you, almost instantly, and at a fraction of the cost slammed by a private detective.

The amount and nature of nature of information you could discover online may range from fraud charges and bankruptcy to criminal offenses and DUI’s. On the flip side, you could get even get a clean chit about your little known contact, and that should let you take your next move in confidence.

Online degrees making their mark

Let’s face it: we live in an Internet-based world. Where nearly everything from cash to communication is sourcing the Internet, why not education? This argument must have reached employers as well, since the latest shift in the human resources sector is the employer perspective of online education. It’s being viewed more favorably than ever before, says a new report from Industry Market Trends.

Reuters has reported that online education saw a growth of 13 per cent in 2008. While the favorable inclination for online programs in various disciplines among job-seekers as well as employers is fast increasing, some still nurture a mindset that online education is ’shallow’.

Now, I’m not saying every website that offers an online course is commendable, but if you do some research on what makes a university remarkable based on accreditation, the range of degree courses, founders, tuition fees and affordability, you’ll arrive at some top-notch online universities such as the Western Governors University (WGU).

For one thing, WGU started about the same time as when Internet really took off — way back in 1997, as a non-profit online university founded and supported by 19 US governors. It offers convenient and flexible online degree programs (designed for “busy adults”) in disciplines ranging from teacher licensure in a number of areas and business management to IT and health care.

Students complete as much as they can during their allotted six-month term, without paying extra and thus have an opportunity to complete a degree quicker.

WGU online programs are nationally and regionally accredited, which means you’re assured of a basic level of quality in education as well as transfer of credits to other accredited institutions.

Whether you enroll for a masters degree online or a baccalaureate program with WGU, you can rest assured that the tuition fee is totally affordable. This low cost is party attributable to the fact that you don’t have to pay for an expensive campus and associated amenities that are the norm with regular universities.

Increasing your home value

Selling house? Or just plain keen about remodeling? Either way, what gets the best return on investment (or what really adds some value in terms of beautification) is the kitchen, because that’s what most folks associate homes with.

They say kitchen remodeling can account for up to 80 per cent on investment. Besides, assuming most kitchens are not large places, they need very little investment to make your entire house look better.

The areas that draw immediate attention in a kitchen are the cabinets, counter tops and sinks and of course the flooring. And you have the peripherals as well, such as kitchen window curtains, ventilators, etc. While definitely you don’t need to replace most of them, as in most cases, you could try a couple of ways of give your kitchen a face lift.

For instance, a brand new shiny appliance — or even a contemporary bar faucet could capture immediate attention. Consider if adding a little piece of furniture such as a bar stool will improve the overall outlook. These are some of the small things that add value to the kitchen and bring back quicker and better results.

‘Mule’ 20 Pence Coin Sends Britons Scrambling

A specialist British firm has offered to buy faulty 20 pence pieces for 50 pounds, sending Britons scrambling in search of one of the approximately 50,000 undated coins.

So what’s faulty? These coins have no date on them.

The Royal Mint has admitted it made a rare error, producing coins without a date on them for the first time in centuries.

The latest error happened when the Royal Mint issued a new design of the coin that moved the year from the back side to the one that bears the head of Queen Elizabeth II. But mint spokesman Jadon Raj said one batch that didn’t add “2008″ to the head’s side got through quality control.

The letters “F.D.” have been printed where the date “2008″ should have been. A coin with mismatched sides is known as a “mule” and they are extremely rare. The last time one appeared in circulation was during the reign of Charles II more than 300 years ago.

Raj said the mint couldn’t issue a recall because the coins are legal to use.

“As far as were concerned their face value is 20 pence, so there isn’t an issue for us,” he said.

The mint said Monday that at least 100,000 of the year-less 20-pence coins, normally worth 33 US cents at face value, slipped into circulation at the end of last year.

The coins first appeared at the end of 2008, after a batch which included between 50,000 and 200,000 of the faulty 20-pence entered circulation. The last time a mistake was made on the casting of a coin was in 1983, when a batch of 2-pence coins went into circulation with the words “New Pence” rather than “Two Pence” on the reverse side. These coins fetched up to 650 pounds in top condition.

Some numismatists say the last time the Royal Mint accidentally left out the year on a coin was in 1672.

The mint admitted the mistake after a private British company called the London Mint Office launched a promotion Monday offering to pay 50 pounds ($83) per coin. Market experts noted that the coins already have been quietly selling to online collectors for up to six times higher.

Minimizing the Loss in Moving

If nothing else, science has taught me one thing — when any action takes place, there’s always some loss. I mean, it’s a law of Nature. There’s energy loss in electrical transmission. You pump water with a certain force at one of the pipe, and the force you get at the other end will always be less.

It’s the same when you have to relocate. Some families I know do it every other year. And when you’re moving a household, you always lose some — it could either be a damaged sofa or a broken shelf or even missing cuff links. While some loss is inevitable, the problem everyone is trying to tackle is how to minimize that loss. So when it comes to relocating, your best bet to keep the losses to a minimum would be to let the professionals handle it.

A very many of these long distance moving companies are full-service companies, in the sense they pack, move and unpack, and some will arrange the goods in your new location for you. They may even have counselors meeting you to discuss your moving plans, and then prepare an estimate of the costs for you. At this stage, you might want to get references and estimates from more than of moving companies.

What can also help cushion any loss would, of course, take some insurance against your most expensive items. However, the thing to remember here is that while insurance may help cover the monetary loss, it can never replace the emotional value of some of your priceless stuff… such as the first gift you received from a loved one. Be sure to take triple extra care of such things when you start packing!

How the new NY Yankees stadium could have been better

The new New york Yankees stadium is meant to be very similar in design to the original Yankee Stadium of 1923, and I’m hearing while the exterior bears the original look of the original stadium, the interior has more space and enhanced amenities.

Whatever the looks and amenities — even after costing $1.5 billion to build — the question that’s being asked is why doesn’t it have a retractable roof? Come to think of it, the Mets’ new stadium ($800 million) doesn’t have it too.

The absence of a roof was painfully obvious as it delayed the start of the game against Boston red Sox on Monday, as well as the one before that, against LA Angels. Anyone would imagine that with the extremely high demand for New York Yankees tickets, the authorities would consider building a retractable roof.

An Innovative Way to Lose Weight?

A Sussex, UK news website has just reported that Pete Cohen, life coach to the stars, is offering Haywards Heath residents the chance to ‘Sort Your Life Out’.

It’s a part of the government’s Change 4 Life plan, which encourages people to eat well and move more. The day-long event is asking people to find practical solutions to ‘everyday problems’ — meaning anything from breaking habits, conquering fears, boosting health and… you guessed it, controlling weight — or losing it.

I’m sure Change 4 Life a great concept, with plenty of benefits, but while I don’t wish to sound pessimistic, I keep my reservations about the weight loss thingie. I mean, aren’t we all living in some kind of ‘instant’ world? From instant coffee to instant cash to instant music. And about the wieght loss, aren’t a lot opting the ‘almost instant’ weight loss supplements?

After all, there are many weight-loss supplements available for those who are contemplating a healthier lifestyle and want to have some extra nutrition or want a little help along the way. Mineral supplements gained popularity over the years and are reasonably good practices and will help to give you energy and assist in the weight loss process as well.