Sydney Survival Guide

Top 10 city - global liveability survey

2011-08-30T20:21:00.000+10:00

Melbourne world's best city, says Economist Intelligence Unit survey Robb M. Stewart.
AUSTRALIA'S second-largest city Melbourne has been rated the best city in the world to live in, edging ahead of Vancouver, according to the latest global liveability survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Melbourne topped the biannual ranking of 140 cities with a score of 97.5 per cent, ahead of Vienna at 97.4 per cent, the survey showed.

Vancouver slipped from the top spot to third with a score of 97.3 per cent.

The top 10 included three other Australian and two further Canadian cities -- Sydney, Perth and Adelaide and Toronto and Calgary.

Cities are scored on political and social stability, crime rates and access to quality health care.

The survey also measures the diversity and standard of cultural events and the natural environment; education; and the standard of infrastructure, including public transport.

"For the first time in almost a decade of reporting liveability, Vancouver is not at the top of our ranking of 140 cities," the Economist Intelligence Unit.

"Vancouver was in joint first position with Melbourne in the 2002 survey.

"Melbourne now replaces Vancouver as the most liveable city in the survey.

"The general conditions required for a location to be awarded a high liveability ranking continue to be well reflected in Australian and Canadian cities."

THE TOP 10

1 Melbourne, Australia

2 Vienna, Austria

3 Vancouver, Canada

4 Toronto, Canada

5 Calgary, Canada

6 Sydney, Australia

7 Helsinki, Finland

8 Perth, Australia

8 Adelaide, Australia.

10 Auckland, New Zealand

Source: The Australian

Reports - The most dependable car brands

2011-03-24T23:18:00.001+11:00

Reliability survey ranks Mini last, with Porsche pipped from the top spot.

Mini is the least reliable brand of car you can buy, according to a new US long-term dependability report.

The 2011 JD Power survey reveals the BMW-owned British brand experienced more problems with its vehicles than any other manufacturer in the US during the past 12 months.

The US-based report measures the number of problems per 100 cars that owners experience during the first three years of ownership – meaning the lower the number, the better the reliability.

Advertisement: Story continues below Mini ranked last with 221 issues per 100 cars despite an overall increase in dependability rankings - more than double the issues of the Ford-owned Lincoln (101 per 100 cars) that became the first American luxury brand to top the list in more than a decade.

Mini’s parent company improved marginally from 165 to 164 issues, but BMW’s result was inferior to those of its closest rivals and below the industry average of 155 problems per 100 cars.

Mercedes-Benz scored 128 (down from 142) and was the best of the big three premium German brands, with Audi reducing its issues from 182 to 161 compared with 2010.

Luxury brands otherwise dominated the top four positions. Lexus placed second with 109 issues, while Jaguar leapt into third place after cutting its number of issues by nearly a third – up from 175 to 112.

Porsche, last year’s leader, slipped to fourth place in 2011 after its problems rose from 110 to 114.

Mainstream manufacturers also increased their reported reliability in the survey in which 25 of the 36 brands monitored offered improved reliability compared with last year's rankings .

With pre-accelerator-fiasco models from Toyota ranking fifth (122, down from 128); while Hyundai grabbed 10th spot with 132 (down from 148) and sister company Kia jumped up one spot to 20th with 160 reported problems (down from 167).

Volkswagen continued to disappoint despite improving from 225 to 191 issues, while Japanese maker Honda slipped from 7th to 11th, with issues increasing from 132 to 139.

Despite an American brand topping the list, other US makers did not fare so well. Chrysler (202) and Dodge (206) both fell further down the rankings (where they scored 166 and 190 respectively), while Jeep still ranked second last, despite improving with a score of 214 (down from 222).

Land Rover again fared poorly, ranking third last with a score of 212, although that score was a marked improvement on 2010's result of 255.

There were 202 "problem sypmtoms" addressed in the survey, which relied on information from 43,700 owners of 2008 model cars.

As Drive has previously reported, JD Power has been working unsuccessfully towards publishing an Australian vehicle quality study for more than a decade.

The research company says local manufacturers are not willing to allow the information to be made public despite their American parent companies allowing US findings to be published.

(Source: drive.com.au)

United Nations names Australia as the second best place in the world to live

2010-11-08T20:36:00.000+11:00

The United Nations has named oil-rich Norway as the country with the best quality of life, followed by Australia and New Zealand, while Asia has made the biggest strides in recent decades.

However, the UN's annual A-to-Z of global wealth, poverty, health and education highlighted that it is becoming ever more difficult to break into the rich club of nations.

Norway - with its 81 years of life expectancy and average annual income of $US59,000 ($59,000) - has topped the Human Development Index (HDI) for all but two years since 2001.

It doesn't come in first place in any individual category - average income in Liechtenstein, for example, is a wallet-busting $US81,011 and Japan's life expectancy is 83.6 years - but Norway's all-round performance gives it superiority in the 20th annual rankings on the UN Development Program (UNDP).

Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Ireland, in order, also made the top five.

Zimbabwe came in last among the 169 nations ranked, behind Mozambique, Burundi, Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In stark contrast to the leaders, in Zimbabwe life expectancy is just 47 and per capita income $US176.

DR Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe are the only countries in which the HDI value fell below 1970 levels.

"These countries offer lessons on the devastating impact of conflict, the AIDS epidemic and economic and political mismanagement," UNDP chief and former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clarke said yesterday.

The study aims to give a broader assessment of quality of life than just income - by including, health, education, gender equality and political freedom - and its lead writer, Jeni Klugman, said most of the world had seen "dramatic progress" since 1970.

Average life expectancy rose from 59 to 70 years, primary school enrollment grew from 55 to 70 per cent, and per capita incomes doubled to more than $US10,000. Many of the poorest countries achieved some of the greatest gains, she said.

"Overall they are healthier, more educated and wealthier and [have] more power to appoint and hold their leaders accountable than ever before," Klugman said.

"But some countries have suffered serious setbacks, particularly in health - sometimes erasing the gains of several decades."

The nations that have risen most in the rankings in recent decades include "growth miracles" such as China, which has risen eight places in the past five years to 89th, Indonesia and South Korea.

East Asia and the Pacific had by far the strongest overall performance of any region over the past 40 years - twice the average worldwide progress.

China, the second highest index achiever since 1970, has been successful mainly because of income rather than health or education, the report said.

China's per capita income increased 21-fold over four decades, lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty. Yet China was not among Asia's top performers in school enrollment and life expectancy.

Klugman highlighted that "economic growth alone does not automatically bring improvements in health and education".

Nepal surprisingly emerged as one of the most improved nations since 1970, despite its longstanding civil war.

A child born today in Nepal can expect to live 25 years longer than a child born in 1970.

In six sub-Saharan African countries and three in the former Soviet Union, life expectancy is now below 1970 levels - mainly because of the HIV epidemic and tougher conditions in former communist nations.

And even though incomes have grown dramatically, poor nations are not making the same economic strides as they are in health and education.

"On average, rich countries have grown faster than poor ones over the past 40 years.

"The divide between developed and developing countries persists: a small subset of countries has remained at the top of the world income distribution and only a handful of countries that started out poor have joined that high income group," the report concluded.

(Source: smh)

The list of Sydney schools that top the popularity contest

2010-08-17T22:39:00.000+10:00

JAMES RUSE may have a stranglehold on topping the list of Higher School Certificate performances, but in the popularity contest with parents and students, it comes off a distant fourth.
Baulkham Hills High is the most popular first choice for those seeking entry into the state's highly competitive selective schools.
Data obtained under freedom of information laws reveals that of the state's 21 fully selective high schools, Baulkham Hills has been the first choice of most applicants for the past four years. Sydney Boys was the second choice both last year and the previous one.
Sydney Girls was third most popular over the past two years. James Ruse was the fourth most popular choice last year and sixth the year before.
The principal of James Ruse, Larissa Treskin, said her school was usually the first choice of the state's brightest students. James Ruse has topped the Herald's list of top HSC performers for 14 years. A Department of Education bureaucrat said feedback from parents suggested some might be intimidated by the school's reputation.
The principal of Baulkham Hills High, Jeanne Bathgate, attributed the popularity of her school to its location in a growth area. The school is one of the largest selectives, with 1166 students. It takes 180 new children into year 7 each year. ''We concentrate very much on being a local school. Our kids are largely local, coming in from a 10-kilometre range,'' Dr Bathgate said.
Opportunity classes for gifted and talented primary students are popular among parents hoping to send their children to selective high schools.
Last year, 610 students named Hurstville Public School as their first choice when applying for one of 60 places in an opportunity class. Summer Hill Public was the second most popular, with 580 applicants naming it as their first choice. Third was Woollahra Public with 442 parents naming it their first choice.
Most schools offer one opportunity class of 30 places, but larger schools including Hurstville, Summer Hill and Woollahra offer two classes in each year.
A NSW Department of Education and Training spokesman said those three schools had a ''long and well-established history of successfully providing opportunity classes for gifted and talented students''. They also had good public transport connections. ''Because of this long history, these schools have developed strong relationships with selective high schools in their area,'' the spokesman said.
Many students who attended these schools went on to Sydney Boys, Sydney Girls, Fort Street, St George Girls and Sydney Technology selective high schools, he said.

(Source: smh.com.au)

iPad for small biz: hot or not?

2010-07-08T19:59:00.000+10:00

by ALEXANDRA CAIN
July 5, 2010

The new Apple iPad is a curious device. While many small business owners are sceptical about its use in a business context and are still trying to understand why they need yet another piece of technology, others are evangelical about its benefits.

Alex Lee, director of web design and technology business Bean IT, is in the former category. He says he won't be getting an iPad any time soon.
“In my opinion, the iPad is more suited for entertainment purposes rather than business use. iPads have identical functionality to the iPhone, but they are bulkier, and also an extra device to carry around. The iPad also can't make phone calls like the iPhone.”

According to Lee “the only advantage the iPad has over the iPhone for business use is that it has a larger screen and larger keyboard, which makes emailing easier. Other than that, the iPad is more suitable to be used as an eBook reader, for internet browsing and for photo and video viewing.”

“The iPhone dominates over iPad in terms of business use. Business people need to make phone calls, check emails and use the calendar. The more portable iPhone better fulfils their needs. Personally, I think the iPad is a fad.”

Tommy McCubbin, interactive director at Melbourne ad agency Clemenger BBDO, is one businessperson who uses the iPad for work – although he agrees it could be a fad. “It's another screen I can use; I use it mostly for TweetDeck,” he says. This is the Twitter application for iPad, iPhone and desktop.

“It's good for aggregating all the different Twitter feeds, I monitor tweets on our brands, as well as industry leaders, and friends. I also use it to look at Google Analytics for the campaigns I'm running, and also for answering emails. But it's really just another screen to dip into.”

McCubbin says the iPad is not without its frustrations. He says with the iPad “I can't do things at the same speed as I can with my laptop. The Keynote presentations app is also a bit fiddly – it takes half the amount of time to prepare a presentation with a mouse and keypad. Really, where I use it best is at home on the couch; my iTunes bill has tripled because I've been buying so much music and so many shows."

Despite its novelty, McCubbin doesn't use the iPad when making presentations to clients.

“It can take away from the presentation; we can't help but feel we're showing off a bit. I'm not really comfortable flashing it around to clients for now – it can steal the limelight from the content of the presentation we're actually selling.”

But Daniel Bradby, director of jTribe, which creates applications for iPads and iPhones, relies on it as an essential business tool. “We make presentations to clients on an iPad; it's great for showing our multimedia capabilities and screen shots of applications we've developed. It's a relaxed and informal way of presenting. It's a really collaborative device and clients can also use the screen.”

Bradby says the collaborative nature of the iPad also means it's useful when his team develops presentations. “It's great because two people can touch the screen at the same time. It really is a shared control device, and it doesn't have the formality of the mouse and keyboard.”

Bradby and his team use the iPad to undertake research when developing client presentations and also during client meetings. “You can Google something then and there and move on, rather than having to wait until after the meeting to find out a piece of information.”

The key application Bradby uses is Apple's iWorks suite, which includes the Pages word processing program, the Numbers spreadsheet tool and Keynote presentation software. He also consumes content such as newspapers on the iPad.
Although he's an advocate for the iPad Bradby recognises it has potential for improvement. “You can view your calendar but you can't create a meeting invitation from the iPad,” he says.

But unlike Alex Lee and Tommy McCubbin, Bradby doesn't agree it's a fad. “Now I have my iPad I don't take my laptop home as much. I only see myself using it more in the future.”

Source: theage.com.au

My Fuji HS10 arrived!

2010-07-01T22:01:00.003+10:00

See how quick this online order is:
Sunday, June 27, 2010 10:39 PM - purchase order confirmed
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 7:53 PM - Tracking no. with DHL shipping received
Thursday, July 1, 2010 10:06 AM - Received delivery at home

Very happy online shopping experience!

The online shop is called Citiwide Online, based in Hong Kong.

Hoping their door-to-door warranty is as good as the delivery!

Free online / satellite TV

2010-06-30T21:53:00.005+10:00

After my home satellite TV was halfly broken, I started to use Chinese PPS and PPlive to watch free online TV programmes. Both softwares have their own advantages but generally are pretty similar.
One of PPS's greates advantage is that I can set a sleeping timer, i.e. use PPS to set a time to close the computer! It's such a great thing that I don't have to get up to turn off the PC during freezing Sydney nights!
These few days I go back to use TVUplayer - an English version free online TV programme. It seems that TVUplayer has better reception and image quality for a finacial review show I'm watching everyday.
Thanks to the internet technologies. We now can save heaps by using those internet based software instead of pay TV!

One Piece & Death Note

2010-06-29T20:55:00.003+10:00

I have been watching both Japanese Cartoons recently.
Very interesting. I even feel those cartoons are better than the movies or any TV shows.
The stories are beyond normal imagination.

One Piece started a few years ago. Now is still continuing, already more than 450 episodes. I watched through PPS - a Chinese media player. I'm only up to episode 192, so can take quite a while to get to the current ones. In the episodes I'm currently watching, I noticed that they are talking about 'a missing Golden Island - Shandola' which was flushed to the high sky by wide ocean waves. The island in the air and the people living on the island are so alike the planet Pandora in Avatar! Is the idea of Avatar origined from One Piece?

The Death Note only can be found on Youtube. The image is not as clear as PPS but sound is quite good and it's English dubbed version. Also beyond imagination - Shinigami (Death God), using death notebook to kill someone by just writing the name on it....

No wonder Japan becomes a country of manga. The manga is not only for kids but also for adults, for sure.

Fuji Finepix HS10

2010-06-28T20:04:00.003+10:00

Ordered the Fujifilm Finepix HS10 last night. Over internet!

Have never thought to buy a camera online and from overseas - a Hongkong based website.
But after doing all the researches, found this web offers a price about $50-100 cheaper than any local stores. (I bought the camera with a 16GB SD card plus a mini-tripod, a screen protector and a card reader at A$541 including DHL shipping. It costs $671 to buy from Harvey Norman with nothing else.) The web also provides a 18-month door-to-door warrant - though I'm not counting much on that if something goes wrong......

I have compared the features of this HS10 with a few other brands such as Cannon Powershot G11 and SX1.
At this price range, the HS10 should be the most powerful DC which has a 30x zoom lens! If it can have higher resolution (currently only 10.3MP), it will be perfect!
Can't wait to get it!

Christmas gifts

2008-12-24T12:18:00.000+11:00

The Xmas gifts I've bought：
Blender $49.95
Soft toy $14.95
Harry Potter complete set $88
Clarins gift set $49
Lego blocks $6.95
Wood Worx Monster Car $19.95
Gift bags $4
Sydney Directory $9.99
Other Books $35.90
Shisedo gift set $76.50
Singlet $8
Avon Gift Set 29.99
Avon lotion/perfume $20
Xmas Card/wrapping $8
Chocolate $28
Backyard Tennis $19.85

Xmas gifts I've received:
Chocolate X 6 (Everyone knows that I'm a chocolate worm now!)
Candle
Honey Bath Gel
......
To be continued ...

Our Office's donation to Salvation Army

2008-12-17T15:42:00.001+11:00

Fwd; True Friendship "Aussie Style--" None of that Sissy Crap

2008-12-16T08:55:00.000+11:00

Are you tired of those piss weak 'friendship' poems that always sound good, but never actually come close to reality?

Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship.

You will see no cute little smiley faces on this card -- Just the stone cold truth of a great friendship.

1. When you are sad -- I will help you get pickled and plot revenge against the bastard who made you sad.

2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile -- I will know you are thinking of something that I would probably want to be involved in.

4. When you are scared -- I will rag you about it every chance I get until you're NOT.

5.... When you are worried -- I will tell you stories about how much worse it could be until t you stop whining.

6... When you are confused -- I will try to use only little words.

7... When you are sick -- Stay the hell away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall -- I will laugh at your clumsy backside, but I'll help you up.

9. This is my oath.... I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask;
because you are my friend.

Friendship is like pissing your pants, everyone can see it, but only you can feel the true warmth.

What Religion is Your Bra?

2008-12-02T16:38:00.001+11:00

A man walked into the ladies department of a Macy's and shyly walked up to the woman behind the counter and said,
"I'd like to buy a bra for my wife. "

" What type of bra?" asked the clerk.

" Type?" inquires the man, "There's more than one type?"

"Look around," said the saleslady, as she showed a sea of bras in every shape, size, colour
and material imaginable.

"Actually, even with all of this variety, there are really only four types of bras to choose from ."

Relieved, the man asked about the types.

The saleslady replied: "There are the Catholic, the Salvation Army, the Presbyterian, and the Baptist types. Which one would you prefer?"

Now totally befuddled, the man asked about the differences between them.

The Saleslady responded, "It is all really quite simple. ...
The Catholic type supports the masses;
The Salvation Army type lifts the fallen;
The Presbyterian type keeps them staunch and upright; and,
The Baptist type makes mountains out of mole hills."

Have you ever wondered why A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, G, and H are the letters used to define bra sizes?
If you have wondered why, but couldn't figure out what the letters stood for, it is about time you became informed!

(A} Almost Boobs...
{B} Barely there...
{C} Can't Complain!...
{D} Dang!...
{DD} Double dang!...
{E} Enormous!...
{F} Fake...
{G} Get a Reduction...

Fwd: Irish Vasectomy

2008-11-17T12:31:00.002+11:00

(Just a joke, no prejudice)

After having their 11th child, an Irish couple decided that was enough, as they could not afford a larger bed. So the husband went to his doctor and told him that he and his wife didn't want to have anymore children.

The doctor told him there was a procedure called a vasectomy that would fix the problem but it was expensive. A less costly alternative was to go home, get a large firecracker, light it, put it in a beer can, then hold the can up to his ear and count to 10.

The husband said to the doctor, "B'Jayzus, I may not be the smartest guy in the world, but I don't see how putting a firework in a beer can next to my ear is going to help me with my problem."

"Trust me, it will do the job", said the doctor.

So the man went home, lit a cracker and put it in a beer can. He held the can up to his ear and began to count: "1, 2, 3, 4, 5," at which point he paused, placed the beer can between his legs so he could continue counting on his other hand.

This procedure also works in New Zealand and Tasmania.

To all intelligent readers

2008-11-14T18:05:00.006+11:00

I could not figure it out and had to look at the answer. See if you can figure out what these words have in common.

1 Banana
2 Dresser
3 Grammar
4 Potato
5 Revive
6 Uneven
7 Assess

Are you peeking or have you already given up?
Give it another try. Look at each word carefully.
(You'll kick yourself when you discover the answer.)
This Is Cool.

Answer: In all of the words listed, if you take the first letter, place it at the end of the word, and then spell the word backwards, it will be the same word.Did you figure it out? No? Then send it to more people and stump them as well. Then, you'll feel better too.

With age comes wisdom

2008-11-14T11:08:00.003+11:00

A guy is 80 years old and loves to fish and play golf.

He was sitting in his boat the other day when he heard a voice say, "Pick me up."

He looked around and couldn't see any one. He thought he was dreaming when he heard the voice say again,

"Pick me up." He looked in the water and there, floating on the top, was a frog.

The man said, "Are you talking to me?"

The frog said, "Yes, I'm talking to you. Pick me up. Then, kiss me and I'll turn into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. I'll make sure that all your friends are envious and jealous becauseI will be your bride!"

The man looked at the frog for a short time, reached over, picked it up carefully, and placed it in his front breast pocket.

Then the frog said, "What, are you nuts? Didn't you hear what I said? I said kiss me and I will be your beautiful bride."

He opened his pocket, looked at the frog and said,

"Nah, at my age I'd rather have a talking frog."

Some Excellent Thoughts

2008-11-14T09:54:00.004+11:00

If you born poor it's not your mistake, buy if you die poor it's your mistake.
- Bill Gates

In a day when you don't come across any problems, you can be sure that you're travelling in a wrong path.
- Swami Vivekananda

Three sentences for getting success:
a) Know more than other
b) Work more than other
c) Expect less than other
- William Shakesphere

If you win you need not explain... But if you lose you should not be there to explain.
- Adolph Hitler

Don't compare yourself with anyone in this world. If you do so, you are insulting yourself.
- Alen Strike

Winning doesn't always mean being first, winning means you're doing better than you've done before.
- Bonnie Blair

I will not say I failed 1000 times, I will say that I discovered there are 1000 ways that can cause failure.
- Thomas Edison

Believing everybody is dangerous;
Believing nobody is very dangerous...
- Abraham Lincoln

If someone feels that they had never made a mistake in their life, then it means they had never tried a new thing in their life...
- Einstein

Never break four things in your life: Trust, Promise, Relation and Heart because when they break they don't make noise but pains a lot.
- Charles

The Day the Penis asked for a Raise (a little naughty but funny!)

2008-11-13T16:48:00.003+11:00

I, the Penis, hereby request a raise in salary for the following reasons:

I do physical labor.

I work at great depths.

I plunge headfirst into everything I do.

I do not get weekends or public holidays off.

I work in a damp environment.

I work in a dark workplace that has poor ventilation.

I work in high temperatures.

My work exposes me to contagious diseases.

Sincerely,

P. Niss

The Response

Dear Penis:

After assessing your request, and considering the arguments you have raised, the administration rejects your request for the following reasons:

You do not work 8 hours straight.

You fall asleep after brief work periods.

You do not always follow the orders of the management team.

You do not stay in your designated area and are often seen visiting other locations.

You do not take initiative - you need to be pressured and stimulated in order to start working.

You leave the workplace rather messy at the end of your shift.

You don't always observe necessary safety regulations, such as wearing the Correct protective clothing.

You will retire well before you are 65.

You are unable to work double shifts.

You sometimes leave your designated work area before you have completed the assigned task.

And if that were not all, you have been seen constantly entering and exiting the workplace carrying two suspicious-looking bags.

Sincerely,

V. Gina

Have you done this on the plane?

2008-11-13T11:26:00.002+11:00

Football is for girl?

2008-11-12T17:24:00.001+11:00

Carpool to work

2008-11-12T15:12:00.002+11:00

Best Positions in Bed

2008-11-12T14:43:00.024+11:00

AMAZINGLY SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES

2008-11-11T20:54:00.000+11:00

1. IF YOU'RE CHOKING ON AN ICE CUBE, SIMPLY POUR A CUP OF BOILING WATER DOWN YOUR THROAT. PRESTO! THE BLOCKAGE WILL INSTANTLY REMOVE ITSELF.

2. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.

3. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT - USE THE SINK.

4. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.

5. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.

6. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU'LL BE TOO AFRAID TO COUGH.

7. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.

8. REMEMBER - EVERYONE SEEMS NORMAL UNTIL YOU GET TO KNOW THEM.

9. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.

DAILY THOUGHT: SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING, BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS

Best breast cancer promotion I have ever seen

2008-11-11T14:45:00.001+11:00

Fwd: THE BOTTLE OF WINE

2008-11-11T11:04:00.000+11:00

For all of us who are married, were married, wish you were married, or wish you weren't married, this is something to smile about the next time you see a bottle of wine:
Mary was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.

With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.
Resuming the journey, Mary tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Mary.
'What in bag?' asked the old woman.
Mary looked down at the brown bag and said, 'It's a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband.'
The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two.
Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said: 'Good trade.....'

Fwd: The Wedding Ring

2008-11-04T13:34:00.000+11:00

A man went to the hospital in Gympie, Queensland to have his wedding ring cut off from his penis.

According to the nurse attending the operation, the patient's girlfriend found the ring in his pants pocket.
She didn't know he was married and she was so mad she used petroleum jelly to slip the ring on his penis while he was asleep.

I don't know what's worse:

1) Having your girl friend find out you're married.

2) Explaining to your wife how your wedding ring got on your penis. OR....

3) Finding out your penis fits through your wedding ring.

Tough call. You decide.

My kind of Guru

2008-09-04T13:51:00.001+10:00

Fwd: Interesting facts about environment

2008-09-02T20:23:00.003+10:00

Australian s use approximately four times more energy per person than the world average.
Every seat on a flight from Australia to Europe produces about the same amount of greenhouse gas pollution as a small car generates in two years.
Livestock alone now emit more harmful gases into the Earth's atmosphere than transport.
A computer and monitor left on for a year will generate the same amount of carbon dioxide (300kg) as a car travelling from Sydney to Perth.
Some large cars today have enough power in their engines to launch an aircraft.
Plastic bags can last for thousands of years in the environment. A cigarette butt takes 18 months to break down, while a disposable nappy can take up to 300 million years. A plastic bottle can last indefinitely.

Fwd: Marriage Humor

2008-07-31T15:15:00.001+10:00

Wife: 'What are you doing?'
Husband : Nothing.
Wife : 'Nothing...? You've been reading our marriage certificate for an hour.'

Husband : 'I was looking for the expiry date.'
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----
Wife : 'Do you want dinner?'
Husband : 'Sure! What are my choices?'
Wife : 'Yes or no.'
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----
Wife: 'You always carry my photo in your wallet. Why?'

Hubby: 'When there is a problem, no matter how impossible, I look at your picture and the problem disappears.'

Wife: 'You see how miraculous and powerful I am for you!'

Hubby: 'Yes! I see your picture and ask myself what other problem can there be greater than this one?'
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----
Stress Reliever Girl: 'When we get married, I want to share all your worries, troubles and lighten your burden.'

Boy: 'It's very kind of you, darling, but I don't have any worries or troubles.'
Girl: 'Well that's because we aren't married yet.'
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----
Son: ' Mom, when I was on the bus with Dad this morning, he told me to give up my seat to a lady.'
Mom: 'Well, you have done the right thing.'
Son: 'But mom, I was sitting on daddy's lap.'
____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ____
A newly married man asked his wife, 'Would you have married me if my father hadn't left me a fortune?'

'Honey,' the woman replied sweetly, 'I'd have married you, N O MATTER WHO LEFT YOU A FORTUNE!'

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----
Girl to her boyfriend: One kiss and I'll be yours forever .

The guy replies: 'Thanks for the early warning.'

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----
A wife asked her husband: 'What do you like most in me, my pretty face or my sexy body?'
He looked at her from head to toe and replied: 'I like your sense of humor.'

Nintendo plans 60-instrument 'Wii Music'

2008-07-16T16:34:00.001+10:00

Nintendo has announced plans to launch a music game for its hit Wii game console this year, taking it into the fast-growing software segment pioneered by Guitar Hero.

Wii sales have topped those of more technically souped up and expensive rival consoles from Microsoft and Sony with its motion controller that can be swung like a bat or a sword, broadening its audience well beyond hardcore video gamers.

Wii Music will let players simulate more than 60 different instruments. Activision's Guitar Hero turned the music-playing genre into arguably the hottest category for video games.
Guitar Hero already plays on all three game consoles, including the Wii, helping to build the industry's appeal among players beyond core fighting and race-style titles.

"A true paradigm shift has taken place in the global games market," Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told the E3 video game conference, the most important industry event.
A more sensitive Wii MotionPlus controller add-on also will debut next spring with a new suite of Wii sports games from the company.

Nintendo widened the uses for the console with its Wii Fit balance board and on Tuesday said it plans to begin selling this year Wii Speak, a group microphone that works with its Wii game console and can be used for online games.

The company also said it also plans to release a much-hyped game called Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii this year before the start of the holiday shopping season. The game lets players serve as caretakers of a virtual world that continues to function even when the game isn't being played.
This is the first time that the Animal Crossing franchise will be available for the Wii. It was already a hit on Nintendo's past game platform, the GameCube, and the hand-held Nintendo DS.
Nintendo said the DS will also get a version of Take Two's Grand Theft Auto this winter - Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. The company expects to have sold about 100 million DS units by the end of its fiscal year next march. It had sold about 70 million in the fiscal year through March 2008.

(Source: Reuters)

Fwd: An incredible love story

2008-07-13T20:58:00.004+10:00

An incredible love story has come out of China recently and managed to touch the world. It is a story of a man and an older woman who ran off to live and love each other in peace for over half a century. The 70-year-old Chinese man who hand-carved over 6,000 stairs up a mountain for his 80-year-old wife has passed away in the cave which has been the couple's home for the last 50 years.

Over 50 years ago, Liu Guojiang a 19 year-old boy, fell in love with a 29 year-old widowed mother named Xu Chaoqin.
In a twist worthy of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, friends and relatives criticized the relationship because of the age difference and the fact that Xu already had children.
At that time, it was unacceptable and immoral for a young man to love an older woman.. To avoid the market gossip and the scorn of their communities, the couple decided to elope and lived in a cave in Jiangjin County in Southern ChongQing Municipality.
In the beginning, life was harsh as hey had nothing, no electricity or even food. They had to eat grass and roots they found in the mountain, and Liu made a kerosene lamp that they used to light up their lives. Xu felt that she had tied Liu down and repeatedly asked him, 'Are you regretful? Liu always replied, 'As long as we are industrious, life will improve.'In the second year of living in the mountain, Liu began and continued for over 50 years, to hand-carve the steps so that his wife could get down the mountain easily.

Half a century later in 2001, a group of adventurers were exploring the forest and were surprised to find the elderly couple and the over 6,000 hand-carved steps. Liu MingSheng, one of their seven children said, 'My parents loved each other so much, they have lived in seclusion for over 50 years and never been apart a single day. He hand carved more than 6,000 steps over the years for my mother's convenience, although she doesn't go down the mountain that much.' The couple had lived in peace for over 50 years until last week. Liu, now 72 years, returned from his daily farm work and collapsed. Xu sat and prayed with her husband as he passed away in her arms. So in love with Xu, was Liu, that no one was able to release the grip he had on his wife's hand even after he had passed away. 'You promised me you'll take care of me, you'll always be with me until the day I died, now you left before me, how am I going to live without you?' Xu spent days softly repeating this sentence and touching her husband's black coffin with tears rolling down her cheeks.

In 2006, their story became one of the top 10 love stories from China , collected by the Chinese Women Weekly. The local government has decided to preserve the love ladder and the place they lived as a museum, so this love story can live forever.

FW: The Value of a Drink

2008-07-06T17:40:00.001+10:00

"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink
I feel shame . Then I look into the glass and think
About the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes
and dreams . If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out
of work and their dreams would be shattered.
Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this wine and let their
dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."

~ Jack Handy

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may leave you wondering what the hell
happened to your bra and panties.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they
wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're
going to feel all day. "

~Frank Sinatra

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher,

smarter, faster and better looking than most people.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."
~ Henny Youngman

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not."

~ Stephen Wright

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk,
we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.
When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all
get drunk and go to heaven!"

~ Brian O'Rourke

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause pregnancy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

~ Benjamin Franklin

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like a retard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Without question, the greatest invention in the
history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the
wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does
not go nearly as well with pizza."

~ Dave Barry

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To some it's a six-pack, to me it's a Support Group. Salvation in a can!
~ Dave Howell

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And saving the best for last, as explained by Cliff Clavin, of Cheers.

One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the " Buffalo Theory" to his buddy Norm.
Here's how it went:

"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not

Fwd: Old Age

2008-07-02T15:23:00.002+10:00

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN GUILTY OF LOOKING AT OTHERS YOUR OWN AGE AND THINKING, SURELY I CAN'T LOOK THAT OLD. WELL, YOU'LL LOVE THIS ONE.

MY NAME IS ALICE SMITH AND I WAS SITTING IN THE WAITING ROOM FOR MY FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH A NEW DENTIST. I NOTICED HIS DDS DIPLOMA, WHICH BORE HIS FULL NAME.

SUDDENLY, I REMEMBERED A TALL, HANDSOME, DARK-HAIRED BOY WITH THE SAME NAME HAD BEEN IN MY HIGH SCHOOL CLASS SOME 30-ODD YEARS AGO. COULD HE BE THE SAME GUY THAT I HAD A SECRET CRUSH ON, WAY BACK THEN?

UPON SEEING HIM, HOWEVER, I QUICKLY DISCARDED ANY SUCH THOUGHT.

THIS BALDING, GRAY-HAIRED MAN WITH THE DEEPLY LINED FACE WAS WAY TOO OLD TO HAVE BEEN MY CLASSMATE.

AFTER HE EXAMINED MY TEETH, I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD ATTENDED MORGAN PARK HIGH SCHOOL .

'YES. YES, I DID. I'M A MUSTANG,' HE GLEAMED WITH PRIDE.

'WHEN DID YOU GRADUATE?' I ASKED.

HE ANSWERED , 'IN 1967. WHY DO YOU ASK?'

'YOU WERE IN MY CLASS!', I EXCLAIMED.

HE LOOKED AT ME CLOSELY. THEN, THAT UGLY, OLD, BALD, WRINKLED, FAT ASS, GRAY-HAIRED, DECREPIT SON-OF-A-BITCH ASKED.

'WHAT DID YOU TEACH?'

Fwd: Sick Leave

2008-07-01T15:22:00.002+10:00

I urgently needed a few days off work, But I knew the Boss would not allow me to take leave.
I thought that maybe if I acted crazy, then he would tell me to take a few days off.

So I hung upside-down on the ceiling and made funny noises, My co-worker ( who's blonde ) asked me what I was doing, I told her that I was pretending to be a light bulb so, that the Boss might think I was crazy, and give me time off.

A few minutes later, the Boss came into the office and asked; What in the name of God are you doing?'
I told him that I was a light bulb.
He said: 'You are clearly stressed out - go home and rest for a couple of days,'
I jumped down and walked out of the office.....

When my co-worker ( the blonde ) followed me the Boss asked her;

And where do you think you're going?!'

( You're gonna love this.....)

scroll down

She said 'I'm going home too, I can't work in the dark !'

FW: Court Ruling for a 7yr old boy

2008-06-23T12:17:00.001+10:00

Federal Court Ruling from the Sydney Morning Herald, Australia A seven year old boy was at the centre of a courtroom drama yesterday when hech allenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boyhas a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with the child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the degree possible. The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge suggested that he live with his grand parents, the boy cried out that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him. After two recesses to check legal references and confer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the South Sydney Rugby League team, whom the boy firmly believes are not capableof beating anyone.

Divorce cakes

2008-06-17T14:34:00.007+10:00

Fwd: Diamond Covered Mercedes

2008-05-30T09:51:00.008+10:00

THE CAR COSTS $4.8 MILLION AND IF YOU WANT TO TOUCH IT, YOU HAVE TO PAY $1000.
IT BELONGS TO PRINCE ALWALEED FROM SAUDI ARABIA. It is his 38th car!

Diamond Covered Mercedes of Prince Waleed:

Remember this when gasoline hits $5.00 a gallon.

You paid for this one.

Average pay climbs to $58,448 a year

2008-05-15T22:30:00.002+10:00

(By Nicki Bourlioufas and wires)

THE average weekly wage in Australia is now $1124, after growing by a solid 4.8 per cent over the year to February, taking the average annual wage to $58,448.

But men still earn a lot more than women. The average annual male wage, excluding overtime, is now $61,958 compared to $52,166 for women. Both of those pay packets were up 4.8 per cent from a year ago.

The quarterly seasonally-adjusted pace of average weekly ordinary time earnings (AWOTE) rose 1.1 per cent in the three months to February, Australian Bureau of Statistics data released today shows.

The annual rate of wages growth remains above the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) perceived "line in the sand" at 4.5 per cent.

In the twelve months to February 2008, full-time adult total earnings rose by 4.4 per cent for males and 5.2 per cent for females in trend terms.

The strong growth in private-sector wages reflects a booming economy. Employers are having to pay employees more and more as a national skills shortage raises the price of labour keep unemployemnt low. The jobless rate stands at just 4.2 per cent.

The composition of the AWOTE series tends to make it volatile and why the RBA prefers to use the wage price index - released yesterday - as one of its main guides to wages growth.

That index proved surprisingly benign, given a tight labour market, increasing at its slowest pace since September 2006 for an annual rate of 4.1 per cent in the year to March.

This was down a notch from the 4.2 per cent growth seen during 2007.

Last week the Reserve Bank said that while the current level of interest rates was appropriate, it indicated that it would have little tolerance to second-round effects from high inflation, such as rising wages.

(Source: news.com.au)

HOW SMART IS YOUR RIGHT FOOT?

2008-04-24T15:51:00.000+10:00

You have to try this please, it takes 2 seconds.

I could not believe this!!! It is from an orthopaedic surgeon...........

This will boggle your mind and you will keep you trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but, you can't. It's pre-programmed in your brain!

1. Without anyone watching you (they will think you are GOOFY......) and while sitting at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction.

I told you so!!! And there's nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you've not already done so.

Before and After Marriage

2008-04-21T12:03:00.002+10:00

Fwd: WHY MEN ARE NEVER DEPRESSED

2008-04-12T21:05:00.001+10:00

Men Are Just Happier People--
Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack.
You can never be pregnant.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another petrol station restroom because this one is just too icky..
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks and engines. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
Your underwear is £4.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original colour.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck. You can play with toys all your life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one colour for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache. You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes. No wonder men are happier.

Fwd: Meaty bites dog food - naughty but funny

2008-04-11T15:04:00.001+10:00

I've got 2 dogs. I bought a large bag of Meaty Bites at Big W and was standing in line at the check-out.

A woman behind me asked if I had a dog.

On impulse, I told her that no, I was starting The Meaty Bites Diet again, although I probably shouldn't because I'd ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 25 kgs before I woke in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IV's in both arms.

I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pants pockets with Meaty Bites and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry & that the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.

I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story, particularly a guy who was behind her.

Horrified, she asked if I'd ended up in the hospital in that condition because I had been poisoned by the food. I told her no, it was because I'd been sitting in the middle of the road licking my dick and a car hit me.

I thought one guy was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard as he staggered out the door.

Stupid bitch...why else would I buy dog food??

Some interesting information for Easter

2008-04-06T12:41:00.002+10:00

Easter this year is: Sunday March 23, 2008

As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20).
This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.
Found out a couple of things you might be interested in.
Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.
This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see for the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!

Here are the facts:

The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).
The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Fwd: Cute Old Lady

2008-04-06T12:37:00.001+10:00

All women should live so long as to be this kind of old lady!

Toward the end of Sunday service, the Minister asked,
'How many of you have forgiven your enemies?'

80% held up their hands. The Minister then repeated his question.

All responded this time, except one small elderly lady.

'Mrs. Neely?'; 'Are you not willing to forgive your enemies?'

I don't have any.' She replied, smiling sweetly.

'Mrs. Neely, that is very unusual. How old are you?'

'Ninety-eight.' she replied.

'Oh, Mrs. Neely, would you please come down in front & tell us all how a person can live ninety-eight years & not have an enemy in the world?'

The little sweetheart of a lady tottered down the aisle, faced the congregation, and said:

'I outlived the bitches.'

Fish with pistachio herb crust

2008-03-24T14:03:00.002+11:00

Lactose-free, egg-free

Serve 6

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (3-4 slices bread)
30g flat-leaf parsley leaves (2 small handfuls)
20g basil leaves (1 small handful)
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup unsalted pistachios
1 teaspoon sea salt
?cup olive oil
6 x 150g firm white fish fillets (I used Rock Ling)

Use a food processor to crumb the bread. Add the parsley, basil, garlic and pistachios and pulse until combined but the texture is still rough. Pour in the oil and pulse again to moisten crumbs. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the fish fillets on the paper. Divide the pistachio mixture between the fillets and press down well to make a firm crust. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill to medium and the oven to 180 degree. Place the tray under the grill and cook the fish until the crust is starting to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer tray to oven and bake for 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through.

Serve with lemon wedges, diced roasted potatoes and a green salad.

Notes:Other types of firm white fish include Blue-eye, Flake or Mirror Dory.
My fishmonger recommends buying Gummy Flake as it is a smallish shark; concerns re mercury levels significantly reduced.
Make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free bread for the breadcrumbs.The Rock Ling I used was quite thick and took ages to cook, so I sacrificed one piece of beautifully crusted fish (no prize for guessing whose piece) to keep checking for doneness.

(Source: kidspot.com.au)

The truest truth. - Why it's better to be the boss?

2008-03-21T16:35:00.001+11:00

Super fast tuna fried rice

2008-02-23T18:48:00.002+11:00

Gluten-free, lactose-free, nut-free

Serves 4

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 eggs
4 rashers bacon, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup frozen peas
425g tin tuna
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups cooked rice
Coriander or chives to garnish

Heat oil in a wok or large frypan, break eggs into wok and stir with a spoon to break up the yolks. Cook for a minute, flip the omelette over and cook the other side for a minute. Transfer omelette to a plate and slice into bite size strips. Return wok to heat and stir fry bacon and onion until onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Add peas, cook for two minutes. Add tuna and soy sauce, combine with other ingredients, then add rice and egg strips. Stir well to combine and heat through. Serve immediately garnished with herbs.

(Source: kidspot.com.au)

How to build a better butt

2008-02-21T16:03:00.001+11:00

(by Paula Goodyer)

If anyone deserves a medal for services to healthy curves it's Jennifer Lopez, whose rear end reminds us that women are meant to carry extra weight around their lower body. It's nature's hedge against famine and, compared to weight that hangs around the waist, a much healthier kind of fat.

But what if nature has been too generous with the famine protection? Can you trim the surplus fat? The first thing to know is that you can't spot reduce, says Sydney personal trainer Heidi Dening. The only way to shift extra weight from anywhere is to eat better and do regular exercise such as running, walking, cycling or strength training.

"The weight won't immediately fall off your butt - usually your face loses it first, followed by your boobs and then your bum - so while you'll be trimmer all round you could still be shaped like a pear," Dening says.

Walking or running help peel weight off but the trick to creating a shapelier rear end is strength training to exercise the butt muscle, the gluteus maximus or "glutes". This means using the weight of your body, a dumbbell or a barbell to work the muscle harder - no bad thing, given that getting on and off a chair is often the only workout glutes ever get.

If you don't have knee problems, the best exercise is a squat, Dening says. You stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent and toes facing forward - make sure you can still see your toes over your knees as you bend. Lower your butt as if you were sitting on a chair but don't let your knees don't go over your toes. Squeeze your glutes, using them to push yourself back into an upright position - driving your heels into the ground as you come up makes the glutes work harder.

Dening suggests aiming for three sets of 20 squats with a little break in between. "It's good to keep going to the point where you can't do another squat," she says, adding that once squats get easier you graduate to doing squats with dumbbells. "You'll get the best results if you learn to do the moves correctly, either with a personal trainer or at a gym class first." Other good moves for glutes? Cycling and climbing stairs. "But as you put your foot on the step be conscious of squeezing the glutes, otherwise the leg does all the work."

If you're heading into your late 40s and think your only worry will be middle-aged spread, that's because no one has warned you about vanishing butt syndrome. As estrogen levels shrink around menopause so does some of the padding around your bum, leaving you with a space in your jeans where the curve used to be. "If you've lost shape there at middle age, strength training can help you regain it, though it might take time," Dening says. "And if you haven't reached middle age yet, strength training can help maintain the shape of your butt."

(Source: smh)

Bored husband

2008-02-10T12:07:00.000+11:00

Never take a man shopping!!!!

Dear Mrs. Murry,Our store is considering banning your family from ever shoppingwith us, unless your husband stops his antics.
Below is a list of offences over the past few months all verified by our surveillance cameras.

MEMORe:

Complaints

15 Things Mr. Wayne Murry has done while his spouse is shopping:

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minuteintervals.

3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to tamponssection.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone,"Code 3" in housewares..... and watched what happened.

5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of M&M's on lay-by.

6. September 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

7. September 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told theshoppers he'd invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the bedding department.

8. September 23: When a clerk asks if they can help him, he begins to cryand asks, "Why can't you people just leave me alone?"

9. October 4: Looked right into the security camera; used it as a mirror, picked his nose, and ate it.10. November

10: While handling guns in the hunting department asked theclerk if he knows where the antidepressants are.

11. December 3: Darted around the store suspiciously, loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.

12. December 6: In the auto department, practised his "Madonna look" usingdifferent size funnels.

13. December 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browse through, yelled "PICK ME!" "PICK ME!"

14. December 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker he assumesthe foetal position and screams "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!And; last, but not least!

15. December 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited a while;then yelled, very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!"

10 ways to live to be 100

2008-01-22T17:27:00.000+11:00

What are the secrets to longevity? Dr Maoshing Ni has an answer, or ten, in his new book

1. Take long walks for a longer life
Most centenarians walk for at least thirty minutes a day. Walking can considerably reduce risks of stroke and heart disease, according to research. It can also boost levels of good cholesterol.

2. Slim down with soup
Eat nutritious soup at least once a day. Low salt soup re-hydrates as it nourishes and flushes waste from your system. Lose more weight than those who eat the same number of calories but don't eat soup. Avoid canned soups which are loaded with salt and chemicals.

3. Drink pure filtered water
Hundreds of pollutants are regularly found in drinking water from various sources. Your safest bet is to use a wide-spectrum water filtration system.

4. Clean your fruit and vegies thoroughly
Scrub your produce in a mixture of salt and hot water to remove external layers of pesticides, fungicides and wax. Go for organic-grown produce whenever possible.

5. Speed up your metabolism
An amino acid ‘L-carnitine’ manufactured in your liver can promote fat loss, increase circulation to the brain and boost energy production in muscle cells. The following foods are rich in L-carnitine: meats, fish, poultry, wheat, avocado, milk and fermented soybeans.

6. Protect your eye-sight with spinach
Studies show that spinach really does help you see better. It contains special antioxidants that protect the eye from age-related macular degeneration.

7. Look and feel younger with nuts and seeds
A handful of nuts and seeds everyday is fantastic for improving circulation and muscle tone. They contain the amino acid ‘arginine’ which is useful in fighting heart disease, impotence, infertility and high blood pressure.

8. Eat more during the day and less at night
Research suggests that if you eat your daily protein and fat at breakfast you will have more energy and tend to lose weight. If however, you eat those same things at dinner time you might tend to gain weight, increase blood pressure and risk of heart disease.

9. Be a vegetarian on weekdays, a carnivore on weekends
Generally, vegetarians suffer fewer degenerative diseases than carnivores. For a perfectly healthy and balanced approach, limit your intake of red meat to only weekends.

10. Stimulate the brain with mental fitness
Fickle memory, diminishing concentration and slowed response time are caused by decreased blood flow to the brain and the loss of brain cells. To stimulate brain cell activity you could find new hobbies, learn new things and attempt cross-word puzzles.

(Source: Blackmores)

What a million dollars used to buy you ...

2008-01-17T23:00:00.000+11:00

Author: Kate Nancarrow
Date: January 16, 2008
Publication: The Age

We take a look at the Melbourne market over the past 30 years to see how far a million dollars used to stretch. You may be surprised.
5
Five years ago, $1 million bought a 50-square Templestowe home with six bedrooms, balcony, double garage, tennis court, pool and home office. Today, a similar home would sell for $1.5 million, estimates Peter Fort of Fletchers in Doncaster East.
10
Ten years ago, $1 million bought a 41 square home on Beaconsfield Parade with beachfront views, five bedrooms, double garage, pool house, heated jet pool and spa. Today, a similar home would sell for $5-$6 million, estimates Michael Coen, of Hocking Stuart in Albert Park.
20
Twenty years ago, $1 million bought a 45 square Hawthorn home with five bedrooms, tennis court and swimming pool. Today, a similar home would sell for between $2.5 million and $5 million, says Julian Tonkin of Collins Simms in Hawthorn.
30
Thirty years ago, in 1977, there were no sales figures of $1 million. A 91-square Toorak house with six bedrooms, pool house, basement double garage and pool; and a 94-square Toorak house with five bedrooms, tennis court and separate servants quarters each sold for between $500,000 and $600,000. Sales in Toorak for six-bedroom homes have been from about $5.5 million to $11 million this year. Exceptional sales in Toorak included a home for $18 million, says Fiona Evans of Biggin & Scott, Prahran.

(Source: Land Victoria, a division of the Department of Sustainability and Environment)

Ever feel like this?

2007-12-27T23:43:00.001+11:00

Click it...

Before and after 6 beers

2007-12-27T23:35:00.001+11:00

Click the above image...

Polish Divorce

2007-12-27T23:09:00.000+11:00

A Polish man moved to the USA and married an American girl.
Although his English was far from perfect, they got along very well until one day he rushed into a lawyer's office and asked him if he could arrangea divorce for him - "very quick."

The lawyer said that the speed for getting a divorce would depend on the circumstances, and asked him the following questions:

LAWYER: "Have you any grounds?"

POLISH: "JA, JA, acre and half and nice little home."

LAWYER: "No," I mean what is the foundation of this case?"

POLISH: "It made of concrete."

LAWYER: "Does either of you have a real grudge?"

POLISH: "No, we have carport, and not need one."

LAWYER: "I mean, What are your relations like?"

POLISH: "All my relations still in Poland."

LAWYER: "Is there any infidelity in your marriage?"

POLISH: "Ja, we have hi- fidelity stereo set and good DVD player."

LAWYER: Does your wife beat you up?"

POLISH: "No, I always up before her."

LAWYER: "Is your wife a nagger?"

POLISH: "No, she white."

LAWYER: "WHY do you want this divorce?"

POLISH: "She going to kill me."

LAWYER: "What makes you think that?"

POLISH: "I got proof.LAWYER: "What kind of proof?"

POLISH: "She going to poison me. She buy a bottle at drugstore and put onshelf in bathroom. I can read, and it say,

'Polish Remover'."

Climate Change - Year 1911 When Niagara Falls Froze

2007-12-24T15:17:00.000+11:00

Joke for the day - Fishing Shop

2007-12-24T14:45:00.000+11:00

A woman goes into a store to buy a fishing rod and reel for her grandson's birthday. She doesn't
know which one to get, so she just grabs one and goes over to the counter.

The salesman is standing there, wearing dark glasses.

She says "Excuse me - can you tell me anything about this rod and reel?"

He says, "Madam, I'm completely blind but if you'll drop it on the counter I can tell you everything
you need to know about it from the sound it makes."

She doesn't believe him but drops it on the counter anyway.

He says "That's a two meter Shakespeare graphite rod with a Zebco 404 reel and 5-kg. Test line.
It's a good all around combination and it's on sale this week for $44."

She says, "It's amazing that you can tell all that just by the sound of it dropping on the counter,
I'll take it!"

As she opens her purse, her credit card drops on the floor.

"Oh, That sounds like a Visa Card" says the salesman.

As the lady bends down to pick up the card, she accidentally farts. At first she is really
embarrassed but then realizes there is no way the blind salesman could tell it was she who had farted.

The salesman rings up the sale and says, "That'll be $58.50 please."

The woman is totally confused by this and asks, "Didn't you tell me it was on sale for $44?
How did you get to $58.50?"

"The Duck Caller is $11 and the Fish Bait is $3.50."

Fw: When it's okay to say S%#T!

2007-12-24T14:08:00.000+11:00

UAE, Hong Kong and Russia best for tax

2007-11-19T18:06:00.000+11:00

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hong Kong and Russia have the most attractive personal tax regimes, according to a survey by investment services firm Mercer.

Mercer's Worldwide Individual Tax Comparator Report found Australia ranked in the middle of the pack.
Belgium, Denmark and Hungary had the least attractive personal tax regimes.

The survey of tax and benefits systems across 32 markets quoted tax rates based on the average for a middle manager earning $91,000 per annum.

The survey also found married employees with two children were better off than single employees.
The Mercer report said single managers could do best in terms of net income in the UAE, which did not assess any income tax and only required that employees make a contribution of five per cent of gross salary in social security contributions.

The next best tax regime was Russia, which applied a flat tax of 13 per cent.

Hong Kong was third, requiring 14.2 per cent of gross base salary to be paid in tax and social security contributions.

Australia and India were tied in 14th place, with a tax rate of 29.1 per cent.

Mexico (8th), Brazil (9th) and Argentina (10th) led the American counties.

European countries - other than Russia - dominated the ranks of countries with the least attractive tax regimes.

Ireland was 18th, Spain 19th, Switzerland 21st, France 22nd and Germany 29th.

At the bottom were Hungary (30th), Denmark (31st) and Belgium (32nd), where single managers would have to pay tax and social security contributions of 48.5 per cent, 48.6 per cent and 50.5 per cent respectively.

Senior consultant Brian Waite said going to countries with low or zero tax rates was an important incentive for employees to work abroad.
In high-tax destinations, expatriate employees had to get compensation packages that would at least match their purchasing power at home.

Mercer researcher Niklaus Kobel said marital status was often a major factor in determining local tax rates.
In Hong Kong, a married manager with no children would pay 11.5 per cent in tax - lower than the rate for a single person - and a married person with two children would be taxed at only 8.9 per cent.

(Source: smh)

Don't be trapped into flood damaged cars

2007-11-11T19:10:00.000+11:00

NRMA says the following may help to identify any water damage:

Water or condensation in exterior lights
'Tide marks' at the carpet and door trims
Dampness or musty smells
Shrunken carpet
Missing or ill-fitting drain plugs
Surface rust at brackets under dash and under seats, although some light rust here is considered normal for older cars
Difficult-to-operate door locks, ventilation controls and switches

An owner who wants to keep a flood-damaged vehicle should:

Free drain holes from obstructions
Check for dampness or mould and replace carpets if affected
Listen for noises that get louder with speed and time, which could indicate imminent bearing or driveling failure

(Source: "Open Road")

More Aussies are millionaires

2007-10-21T19:26:00.000+10:00

By Teresa Ooi
October 19, 2007 07:20am

THE ranks of Australia's millionaires swelled by 10.3 per cent to 161,000 last year, with them amassing a fortune of $US510 billion ($570.1 billion).

Their fortune was the third highest in the Asia-Pacific region after Japan at $US3.7 trillion and China at $US1.7 trillion.

Almost half of Australia's millionaires made their money by owning businesses or selling them. About 16 per cent racked up their dollars on the buoyant stock market. Only 13 per cent inherited their wealth.

More than 75 per cent of the country's millionaires are men, with an average age of 50. Only 15 per cent are women, compared with Taiwan's 43 per cent and China's 38 per cent.

"This implies that there is still a glass ceiling in Australia, as we do not have as many women executives earning the big incomes in the top echelon," Capgemini financial services group wealth management head Gregory Smith said.

About 46 per cent of Australia's wealthy are aged between 41 and 55. Only 6 per cent are younger than 40.

China has the largest proportion of young millionaires, with 28 per cent of its 345,000 wealthy people younger than 40, according to the Asia-Pacific Wealth Report produced by investment bank Merrill Lynch and Capgemini.

Australia's new millionaires are worth at least $US3.2 million each - well below Hong Kong's new rich, who have average wealth of $US5.4 million, China's $US5 million and Singapore's $US4.9 million.

Australia has 1120 super-rich - those with more than $US30 million in financial assets.
"While the number of ultra-rich in Australia grew by only 0.7 per cent - slightly lower than the global average of 1 per cent - we still had our fair share of super-rich," Smith said.

"Like most super-rich around the world, they have a complicated lifestyle, with yachts, butlers and several homes across the globe.

"While they enjoy and celebrate their wealth by buying jewellery, baubles, art and vacations, there is a growing concern for the next generation and a growing tendency to give back to society - very much like what Bill Gates has done for charity.

"After acquiring their big yachts and private jets, they plan to give their wealth to the next generation and grandchildren. They are also becoming more altruistic."

This inter-generational transfer of wealth has spurred many wealth financial advisers to have a mature manager team up with a younger colleague to educate and advise the children of the super-rich who will inherit the wealth.

Many are starting to conduct wealth seminars aimed at the younger generation so they don't blow away their family inheritance.

Merrill Lynch global wealth management first vice-president Peter Opie said that with the super-rich becoming more interested in philanthropy, many wealth advisers were thinking of expanding their services to include investment advice in philanthropic enterprises.

(Souce: News.com.au)

What is man's ultimate embarrassment? :)

2007-10-11T17:31:00.000+10:00

Answer:

Running into a wall with an erection and breaking his nose.

Cool Packaging - photos

2007-10-08T19:15:00.000+10:00

Living Green: Ranking the best (and worst) countries (3)

2007-10-07T17:54:00.000+10:00

Cities Overall

1. Stockholm, Sweden

2. Oslo, Norway

3. Munich, Germany

4. Paris, France

5. Frankfurt, Germany

6. Stuttgart, Germany

7. Lyon, France

8. Dusseldorf, Germany

9. Nantes, France

10. Copenhagen, Denmark

11. Geneva, Switzerland

12. Zurich, Switzerland

13. Glasgow, United Kingdom

14. Barcelona, Spain

15. New York, United States

16. Brussels, Belgium

17. Hamburg, Germany

18. Hong Kong, PR China

19. Newcastle, United Kingdom

20. Tokyo, Japan

21. Helsinki, Finland

22. Washington, D.C., United States

23. Chicago, United States

24. Vancouver, Canada

25. Dortmund, Germany

26. San Francisco, United States

27. London, United Kingdom

28. Perth, Australia

29. Melbourne, Australia

30. Manchester, United Kingdom

31. Graz, Austria

32. Berlin, Germany

33. Ottawa, Canada

34. Wellington, New Zealand

35. Amsterdam, Netherlands

36. Atlanta, United States

37. Marseille, France

38. Vienna, Austria

39. Rome, Italy

40. Sydney, Australia

41. Prague, Czech Republic

42. Brisbane, Australia

43. Denver, United States

44. Berne, Switzerland

45. Singapore, Singapore

46. Houston, United States

47. Bologna, Italy

48. Montreal, Canada

49. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

50. Toronto, Canada

51. Cape Town, South Africa

52. Seoul, South Korea

53. Milan, Italy

54. Curitiba, Brazil

55. San Diego, United States

56. Madrid, Spain

57. Los Angeles, United States

58. Budapest, Hungary

59. Calgary, Canada

60. Phoenix, United States

61. Johannesburg, South Africa

62. Sao Paulo, Brazil

63. Athens, Greece

64. Tel Aviv, Israel

65. Chennai, India

66. Cracow, Poland

67. Taipei, Taiwan

68. Bangkok, Thailand

69. Guangzhou, PR China

70. Mumbai, India

71. Shanghai, PR China

72. Beijing, PR China

Living Green: Ranking the best (and worst) countries (2)

2007-10-07T17:51:00.000+10:00

Countries Overall

1. Finland

2. Iceland

3. Norway

4. Sweden

5. Austria

6. Switzerland

7. Ireland

8. Australia

9. Uruguay

10. Denmark

11. Canada

12. Japan

13. Israel

14. Italy

15. Slovenia

16. France

17. Netherlands

18. Portugal

19. New Zealand

20. Greece

21. Germany

22. Latvia

23. United States

24. Lithuania

25. United Kingdom

26. Belgium

27. Argentina

28. Croatia

29. Spain

30. Hungary

31. Albania

32. Estonia

33. Slovakia

34. Costa Rica

35. South Korea

36. Cuba

37. Belarus

38. Czech Republic

39. Bosnia and Herzegovina

40. Brazil

41. Panama

42. Armenia

43. Chile

44. Paraguay

45. United Arab Emirates

46. Macedonia

47. Bulgaria

48. Poland

49. Kuwait

50. Oman

51. Russia

52. Peru

53. Colombia

54. Malaysia

55. Guyana

56. Romania

57. Trinidad & Tobago

58. Georgia

59. Kazakhstan

60. Moldova

61. Thailand

62. Tunisia

63. Mexico

64. Libya

65. Ukraine

66. Sri Lanka

67. Lebanon

68. Venezuela

69. Ecuador

70. Turkey

71. Jordan

72. Algeria

73. Kyrgyzstan

74. Azerbaijan

75. Bolivia

76. Gabon

77. Dominican Republic

78. Syria

79. El Salvador

80. Saudi Arabia

81. Jamaica

82. Indonesia

83. Iran

84. China

85. Nicaragua

86. Namibia

87. Philippines

88. Egypt

89. Mongolia

90. Viet Nam

91. Myanmar

92. Honduras

93. Botswana

94. Turkmenistan

95. Tajikistan

96. South Africa

97. Guatemala

98. Cambodia

99. Uzbekistan

100. Bhutan

101. Laos

102. Morocco

103. Ghana

104. India

105. Congo

106. Cameroon

107. Uganda

108. Nepal

109. Papua New Guinea

110. Gambia

111. Bangladesh

112. Madagascar

113. Senegal

114. Togo

115. Pakistan

116. Kenya

117. Rwanda

118. Guinea

119. Zimbabwe

120. Zambia

121. Nigeria

122. Sudan

123. Tanzania

124. Benin

125. Central Africa Republic

126. Malawi

127. Mauritania

128. Yemen

129. Angola

130. Côte d'Ivoire

131. Democratic Republic of the Congo

132. Haiti

133. Mali

134. Guinea-Bissau

135. Mozambique

136. Burundi

137. Chad

138. Burkina Faso

139. Sierra Leone

140. Niger

141. Ethiopia

Living Green: Ranking the best (and worst) countries (1)

2007-10-07T17:49:00.000+10:00

Just because a country or place is environmentally “fit” doesn’t mean you’d want to spend your life there – think jungles or the Antarctic. But finding the perfect balance between what’s green and what’s livable could lead you to paradise. Aiming for that ideal, we researched the world’s greenest countries while also ensuring they were ones where people could thrive. Along the way, we also unearthed the worst places in the world to live.

We analysed data from top sources covering 141 nations to rank the planet’s greenest, most livable places.

How Countries Rate

1 Finland
2 Iceland
3 Norway
4 Sweden
5 Austria
8 Australia
19 New Zealand
23 USA

Bottom 5

137 Chad
138 Burkina Faso
139 Sierra Leone
140 Niger
141 Ethiopia

The world’s greenest, most livable cities

Using different data, we analysed 72 major international cities, ranking them in terms of being green and livable.

5 Best

1 Stockholm
2 Oslo
3 Munich
4 Paris
5 Frankfurt

5 Worst

68 Bangkok
69 Guangzhou
70 Mumbai
71 Shanghai
72 Beijing

How Australasia ranked

28 Perth
29 Melbourne
34 Wellington
40 Sydney
42 Brisbane

(Source: Readersdigest.com.au)

Reader's Digest study says Finland best for living

2007-10-07T17:44:00.000+10:00

Reuters
Thursday, October 4, 2007; 7:06 PM

HELSINKI (Reuters) - The Nordic countries are the world's greenest and, despite the cold winters, Finland is the best country to live in, according to a Reader's Digest study released on Friday.

Finland was followed by Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Austria.

"Finland wins high marks for air and water quality, a low incidence of infant disease and how well it protects citizens from water pollution and natural disasters," the study said.

The United States was 23rd on the list of 141 countries, Britain was 25th and China 84th. Nations at the bottom of the table were all African.

Stockholm scored as the best city to live in out of 72 major metropolitan hubs, followed by Oslo, Munich and Paris. Four German cities won a spot in the top 10 list. New York was 15th and London 27th.

The dirtiest cities were in Asia, with Beijing, host of next summer's Olympic, at the bottom because of its air pollution.

The study was conducted by U.S. environmental economist Matthew Kahn, who looked at issues such as quality of drinking water and greenhouse gas emissions as well as factors such as education and income.

Give up sugar to live longer

2007-10-06T18:34:00.000+10:00

Passing on sweets and avoiding vitamins could help you live longer, German researchers have discovered.

They found that restricting glucose - a simple sugar found in foods such as sweets that is a primary source of energy for the body - set off a process that extended the life span of some worms by up to 25 per cent.

The key was boosting the level of ``free radicals'' - unstable molecules that can damage the body and which people often try to get rid of by consuming food or drinks rich in anti-oxidants such as vitamin E, they said in a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Restricting glucose first spurred the worms to generate more free radicals, but then they quickly built up long-lasting defences against them, said Michael Ristow, an endocrinologist at the University of Jena and the German Institute of Human Nutrition, who led the study.

``During the process, the worm generates more free radicals, which activates defences against free radicals within the worm,'' he said in a telephone interview. ``The bad thing in the end promotes something good.''
The body needs glucose, but taking in too much was unhealthy, Ristow said.

Scientists have long known that restricting calorie intake in worms and monkeys increases longevity, and the study narrowed that idea further, to glucose.

The study also for the first time points to a possible reason why antioxidants - long thought to promote health - might do more harm than good, Ristow said.

The German team used a chemical that blocked the worms' ability to process glucose in a treatment that extended their life span by up to 25 per cent, the equivalent of 15 years in humans.

The worms unable to depend on glucose increased energy power sources in certain cells for fuel. That activity produced more free radicals, which in turn generated enzymes that strengthened long-time protection against the harmful molecules, Ristow said.

However, antioxidants and vitamins given to some worms erased these benefits by neutralising free radicals and preventing the body from generating the defences, Ristow said.

``These latter findings tentatively suggest that the widespread use of antioxidants as human food supplements may exert undesirable effects,'' the researchers wrote.

(Source: smh.com.au)

Flourless Chocolate Cake

2007-10-06T18:11:00.000+10:00

Ingredients
250g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
150g unsalted butter, chopped
2/3 cup caster sugar
125g almond meal
5 eggs, separated
Icing sugar to dust
Ice cream to serve

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a 23cm springform tin with butter and line base with non-stick baking paper.

Combine the chocolate, butter and sugar in a medium heatproof bowl. Place over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water) and stir frequently until melted and smooth. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the almond meal. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and beat well with a wooden spoon after each addition.

Place the eggwhites in a separate clean bowl. Use an electric beater to beat until firm peaks form. Add a third of the eggwhite to the chocolate mixture and use a large metal spoon to fold in until combined. Fold through the remaining eggwhite.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until crumbs cling to a skewer inserted into the centre. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin.

Dust the cake with icing sugar and serve with ice cream.

(Source:Kidspot Daily)

Apple juice may protect against asthma in kids

2007-08-13T19:47:00.000+10:00

A daily dose of apple juice could keep the wheeze away in children, according to a report from the UK

A large-scale study in the UK suggests that kids drinking a daily a serve of apple juice might be at lower risk of asthma.

Involving 2,640 children aged five to ten years, the study, by researchers including Dr Seif O Shaheen, from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, analysed fruit intake and asthma symptoms.

While apples alone were not associated with lower asthma symptom incidence, apple juice – specifically made from concentrate – was a different matter. Those drinking apple juice daily were shown to have a 47 per cent lower risk of wheezing than those who only drank a serve less than once a month.

The researchers surmised that the antioxidants contained in fruit may ease inflammation, the trigger to asthma, and also counteract oxidative damage caused by toxins such as pollution.

As Shaheen stressed, though the results do not show a definite link between apple juice and lowered risk, the findings do reveal an association, which her team intend to further investigate through clinical trials.

(Source: Blackmore website)

Fw: Sex frog

2007-08-12T19:55:00.000+10:00

A blonde goes to her local pet store in search of an 'exotic' pet. As she looks about the store, she notices a box FULL of live frogs.

The sign says:

"SEX FROGS"

Only $20 each!
Comes with 'complete' instructions.

The girl excitedly looks around to see if anybody's watching her. She whispers softly to the man behind the counter, "I'll TAKE one!"
As the man packages the frog, he quietly says to her, "Just follow the instructions!
The blonde nods, grabs the box, and is quickly on her way home.

As soon as she closes the door to her apartment, she opens the instructions and reads them very carefully.
She does EXACTLY what is specified:
1. Take a shower.
2. Splash on some nice perfume.
3. Slip into a very sexy nightie.
4. Crawl into bed and place the frog down beside you, and allow the frog to do what he has been trained to do.

She then quickly gets into bed with the frog and to her surprise . . . NOTHING happens!
The blonde is very disappointed and quite upset at this point. She re-reads the instructions and notices at the bottom of the paper it says, "If you have any problems or questions . please call the pet store."

So, she calls the pet store. The man says, "I'll be right over."
Within minutes, the man is ringing her doorbell.
The blonde welcomes him in and says, "See, I've done everything according to the instructions. The damn frog just SITS there!"

The man . . . looking very concerned, picks up the frog, stares 'directly into its eyes' and STERNLY says:

"LISTEN TO ME!!
I'm only going to show you how to do this
ONE ... MORE ... TIME!!!"

Party Perfect - Pavlova

2007-08-12T19:32:00.000+10:00

Ingredients
6 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
300g caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornflour
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
300ml pouring cream

Method
Preheat oven to 120C.
Trace around a 24cm dinner plate or cake tin onto baking paper and place the baking paper onto a baking tray.
Combine eggwhites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until stiff peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating constantly, but gently, until the mixture is glossy and can be held upside down without the mixture falling out. If you overbeat the foam will dry out.
Whisk in cornflour and vinegar.
Shape mixture on baking tray, keeping within the circle.
Smooth the mixture into a cake shape and remember to flatten the top.
Place in oven on the bottom shelf and immediately turn the heat down to 110 C and bake for 1 hour.
Turn off the oven and allow the pavlova to cool inside the oven until the oven is cold. This can take a few hours.
Remove the pavlova and carefully remove the baking paper from its base.
Whip the cream, cover the pavlova with cream and add seasonal fruit such as strawberries, kiwi fruit, berries and drizzle with passionfruit.

Green Chicken Curry

2007-07-15T13:25:00.000+10:00

Ingredients
1 breast and 3 thigh fillets of chicken
300ml tin coconut milk
2 tbsp peanut oil
1/2 onion, very finely chopped
6 green shallots, chopped
1 stalk lemon grass
1 clove garlic
2 tspn green curry paste
2cm piece fresh ginger
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 can straw mushrooms, with half the juice from the tin
3 small branches fresh green peppercorns
50ml Thai fish sauce
2 red chillies

Garnish
1 cup fresh coriander
5 tbsp peanuts1/2 small cucumber, diced

Method
Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces
Do not shake the coconut milk, instead carefully spoon 2 tbsp of the the thicker part into the bottom of a saucepan and heat along with 2 tbsp peanut oil.
Saute the onion, lemon grass and garlic for a minute, then stir in curry paste.
Add the ginger, lime leaves and then the straw mushrooms, cover with remaining coconut milk and half can of mushroom brine.
Simmer 3-4 minutes, then season to taste with the fish sauce.
Stir in the peppercorns and shredded chillies and simmer just below boiling point until chicken is cooked (about 8 mins).
Spoon over cooked rice in wide soup bowls and top with garnish.

Sydney grabs 'expensive' title

2007-06-18T21:44:00.000+10:00

(http://www.news.com.au/)
From correspondents in London
June 18, 2007 10:31am
Article from: Agence France-Presse

MOSCOW remains the most expensive city in the world for expatriate staff, while Sydney is only slightly less expensive than New York, according to a survey by British human resources firm Mercer HR.
But London leapt three places from fifth to second in the last 12 months, with Seoul in third, followed by Tokyo and Hong Kong.
The cheapest city was Paraguay's Asuncion for the fifth year running.
The findings use the United States' most expensive city, New York, as a benchmark and compare the cost in 143 cities of more than 200 items, like housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.
Expats face higher living costs in Australia than New Zealand. Sydney maintains high positionSydney is the most expensive city in the region (21st, 5.1 per cent less expensive than New York); Wellington is the cheapest in the region at minus-28.2 per cent (111th).
Moscow was 34.4 per cent more expensive, up just under 11 per cent on last year. Mercer said the rise was due to the appreciation of the rouble against the US dollar which with soaring rents had driven up the cost for expats.
London saw an even bigger leap - just under 16 per cent - making it now 26.3 per cent more expensive than the US city with which it is often compared because of rent hikes, a strong pound and weak US dollar.
Seoul was 22.4 per cent more expensive, Tokyo 22.1 per cent and Hong Kong 19.4 per cent.
European cities rank highEuropean cities featured prominently in the top 10: Copenhagen was the sixth most expensive at plus-10.2 per cent, Geneva seventh at plus-9.8 per cent, Zurich ninth at plus-7.6 per cent and Oslo 10th at plus-5.8 per cent.
The Japanese city of Osaka was eighth at plus-8.4 per cent.
Others more expensive than New York were Milan (11th at plus-4.4 per cent); Saint Petersburg (12th at plus-3 per cent); Paris (13th at plus 1.4 per cent); and Singapore (14th at plus-0.4 per cent).
This year's list showed significant changes in rankings, particularly in Europe due to a strengthened euro and weak US dollar, Mercer said.
In turn, US cities and those in countries whose currency is pegged to the dollar, fell down the list. The least expensive city in Europe for expats is Sofia in Bulgaria.
Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro are the most expensive cities in South America.
Chinese cities moved down the ranking. Beijing was 20th (4.1 per cent less expensive than New York), Shanghai 26th (minus-7.9 per cent)
Mercer attributed this to a decrease in the value of the Chinese yuan against the euro.
Rising property prices caused Indian cities like Mumbai - up to 52 from 68 last year - to move up the ranking, it said.

Public Holidays of Australian

2007-04-25T17:03:00.000+10:00

Today is Anzac holdiay, another day I can get up as late as I like.
April is a good month as there are altogether 3 public holdiays: Good Friday, Easter, and Anzac Day.

In Australia, public holidays are varied from state to state.

In NSW, we have the following public holidays:
January:
1st-New Year's Day
26th-Australia Day
April:
Good Friday (the Friday before Easter) (Sometimes in March)
Easter Monday (Sometimes in March)
25th-Anzac Day
June:
11st-Queen's Birthday
October:
First Monday-Labour Day
December:
25th-Christmas Day
26th-Boxing Day

I didn't include the Easter Saturday and Banking Holiday in above as Saturday itself is a holiday and my work place doesn't have the banking holiday :(

So you can see there are not so many public holidays (only 9) as you expect in Australia.

Public Holidays of other states in Australia can be found through:
http://www.australia.gov.au/302

Yamaha piano serial number

2007-04-08T13:41:00.000+10:00

I'm currently looking forward to buying a used piano.
It's said Yamaha is one of the best brands to buy.

By searching Google, I found the following link can tell when was the Yamaha made by checking the serial number of the piano:

http://www.yamaha.co.jp/english/product/piano/about/s_num/s_num.html

FW: Gender bender

2007-03-26T21:43:00.000+10:00

Male or Female?
You might not have known this, but a lot of non-living objects are actually either male or female. Here are some examples:

FREEZER BAGS: They are male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.

PHOTOCOPIERS: These are female, because once turned off; it takes a while to warm them up again. They are an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can also wreak havoc if you push the wrong Buttons.

TIRES: Tires are male, because they go bald easily and are often over inflated.

HOT AIR BALLOONS: Also a male object, because to get them to go any where, you have to light a fire under their butt.

SPONGES: These are female, because they are soft, squeezable and retain water.

WEB PAGES: Female, because they're constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.

TRAINS: Definitely male, because they always use the same old lines for picking up people.

EGG TIMERS: Egg timers are female because, over time, all the weight shifts to the bottom.

HAMMERS: Male, because in the last 5000 years, they've hardly changed at all, and are occasionally handy to have around.

THE REMOTE CONTROL: Female. Ha! You probably thought it would be male, but consider this: It easily gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it, and while he doesn't always know which buttons to push, he just keeps trying.

Vehicles excluded from second-hand warranty

2007-03-24T22:56:00.000+11:00

Commercial

Commercial vehicles are excluded from the statutory warranty. Basically, a commercial vehicle is a motor vehicle constructed or adapted principally:
to carry goods
to carry 10 or more adults
for industrial or agricultural use.
‘Dual-cab’ or ‘crew-cab’ vehicles are commercial vehicles.

Note: The following are not commercial vehicles, and (subject to age, distance and price) will be covered by warranty.
1.A utility, station wagon or panel van: that is the same make as the factory-produced motor car; in which the part of the body form, forward of the windscreen and the greater part of the mechanical equipment are the same, or substantially the same, as in the motor car.(Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon station wagon or utility).
2.A motor vehicle that is adapted for camping use (for example, a campervan).
3.A four-wheel drive with at least one forward-facing rear passenger seat ie. most of the normal long wheel base four-wheel drive passenger vehicles (apart from dual and crew cabs which have been excluded).

The definition of commercial vehicle does not apply to the Suzuki Hatch and Mighty Boy because their cargo space is not considered to be constructed or adapted principally to carry goods.
These and similar vehicles are considered to be covered by warranty if the criteria of distance travelled, age and price (luxury vehicle) applies. The fact that a vehicle may be used for 'commercial' purposes (courier, taxi, etc) after purchase does not void the statutory warranty.

Luxury vehicles

A luxury motor vehicle is a vehicle where the cash price exceeds a prescribed amount. The prescribed amount is the motor vehicle depreciation limit under the Income Tax Assessment Act and is set in the annual Federal Budget.
For the purpose of the Motor Dealers Act the figure effective as at 1st July 2002 was set at $57,009. Vehicles sold above this price are not covered by a Statutory Warranty or the Motor Dealers Compensation Fund.

Other vehicles not covered by statutory warranty

These are:
A trailer (which includes a caravan).
A motor vehicle or a second hand motor cycle that cannot be registered on New South Wales roads.
A substantially demolished or substantially dismantled motor vehicle.
A four wheel drive vehicle that has no forward facing rear passenger seat.

(Source: Office of Fair Trading NSW)

Fwd: Letter to my husband

2007-03-24T22:45:00.000+11:00

To my darling husband,

Before you return from your overseas trip I just want to let you knowabout the small accident I had with the pick up truck when I turned intothe driveway. Fortunately I really didn't get hurt, so please don't worry too much about me.

I was coming home from shopping, and when I turned into the driveway I accidentally pushed down on the accelerator instead of the brake. The garage door is slightly bent but the pickup fortunately came to a halt when it bumped into your car.

I am really sorry, but I know with your kind-hearted personality youwill forgive me. You know how much I love you and care for you mysweetheart. I am enclosing a picture for you. I cannot wait to hold youin my arms again.

Your loving wife.

P.S. Your girlfriend called.

CANCER UPDATE FROM JOHN HOPKINS HOSPITAL, US (1)——A Must Read One!!!

2007-03-23T22:38:00.000+11:00

Useful Information on one of the deadliest diseases of our time: CANCER

(PLEASE READ AND FORWARD IT TO PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT)

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do notshow up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a fewbillion.When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable todetectthe cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will bedestroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumours.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiplenutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental,food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet andincluding supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells andalso destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bonemarrow,gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, likeliver,kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damageshealthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reducetumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy andradiationthe immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the personcansuccumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate andbecomeresistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cellstospread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by notfeeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal,Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soya milk cancer cells are being starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains,seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine.Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestiveenzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrefiedandleads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining fromoreating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancercells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6,Flor-ssence,Essiac,anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin Eareknown to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normalmethod of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive andpositive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger,unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acid ic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn torelax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercisingdaily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancercells.

Rental Dispute

2007-03-22T21:38:00.000+11:00

A man met a beautiful girl and she agreed to spend the night with him for $500.00. So they spent the night together. In the morning, before he left, he told the girl that he did not have any cash with him, but that he would have his secretary write a cheque and mail it to her, calling the payment "Rent for Apartment."

On the way to the office, he regretted what he had done, realizing that the whole event was not worth the price. So, he sent a cheque for $250.00 and enclosed a note:

Dear Madam,

Enclosed find a cheque in the amount of $250.00 for rent of your apartment. I am not sending the amount agreed upon because when I rented the apartment I was under the impression that:

1. It had never been occupied.
2. There was plenty of heat.
3. It was small enough to make me cosy and at home.

Last night, however, I found out that it had been previously occupied,that there wasn't any heat, and that it was entirely too large.

Upon receipt of the note, the girl immediately sent back the Following reply...

Dear Sir,

First of all, I cannot understand how you expect such a beautiful apartment to remain unoccupied indefinitely. As for the heat, there is plenty of it, if you know how to turn it on. Regarding the space, the apartment is indeed of regular size, but if you don't have enough furniture to fill it, please don't blame the Landlord.

I will expect full payment due immediately or I will be forced to hire
someone to remove your furniture.

Chinese Call Centre - Good Wan

2007-03-03T13:45:00.000+11:00

Good Wan! (Good One!)

Caller: Hello, can I speak to Annie Wan ?
Operator: Yes, you can speak to me.

Caller : No, I want to speak to Annie Wan!
Operator: Yes I understand you want to speak to anyone. You can speak to me. Who is this?

Caller : I'm Sam Wan. And I need to talk to Annie Wan! It's urgent.
Operator: I know you are someone and you want to talk to anyone! But what's this urgent matter about?

Caller: Well... just tell my sister Annie Wan that our brother Noe Wan was involved in an accident. Noe Wan got injured and now Noe Wan is being sent to the hospital. Right now, Avery Wan is on his way to the hospital.
Operator : Look, if no one was injured and no one was sent to the hospital, then the accident isn't an urgent matter! You may find this hilarious but I don't have time for this!

Caller : You are so rude! Who are you?
Operator: I'm Saw Ree.

Caller: Yes! You should be sorry . Now give me your name!!
Operator: That's what I said. I'm Saw Ree .....

Caller: Oh .........God!!!!

World-wide quality of living survey

2007-02-20T22:15:00.000+11:00

(London, 10 April 2006)

> Zurich scores highest for quality of living, Baghdad ranks lowest

> Cities in Canada, Europe and Australia dominate the top of the rankings
> Honolulu is the highest ranking city in the US; Houston is the lowest

> London remains at position 39; Birmingham and Glasgow both climb one place to joint 55th position

Zurich ranks as the world's top city for quality of living, according to a survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. The city scores 108.2 and is only marginally ahead of Geneva, which scores 108.1, while Vancouver follows in third place with a score of 107.7. In contrast, Baghdad is the lowest ranking city in the survey, scoring just 14.5.

The analysis is part of an annual World-wide Quality of Living Survey, covering more than 350 cities, to help governments and multinational companies place employees on international assignments. Each city is based on an evaluation of 39 criteria, including political, social, economic and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transport, and other public services. Cities are ranked against New York as the base city, which has an index score of 100.

“When multinational companies set up expatriate assignments they have to provide attractive reward packages to compensate employees for any negative changes to their quality of living,” Yvonne Sonsino, Principal at Mercer, commented. “Moving abroad can be a big upheaval for expatriates and their families, so international assignments tend to carry large price tags, particularly if they are in cities with low living standards facing political unrest or terrorist threats.” She added: “Many companies use benchmark data to help them structure pay deals at the right level.”

Europe and the Middle East

Almost half the top 30 scoring cities are in Western Europe. In this region, Vienna follows Zurich and Geneva in 4th position with a score of 107.5. Other highly-rated cities include Düsseldorf (107.2), Frankfurt (107.0) and Munich (106.8) in positions 6, 7 and 8 respectively. Athens remains the lowest scoring city in Western Europe, scoring 86.8 at position 79.

London is the UK’s highest ranking city and is stable at position 39 (score 101.2). The two other UK cities covered in the survey are Birmingham and Glasgow, which both score 98.3 and climb one place to joint 55th position. Dublin has dropped two places to 24th position, scoring 103.8, mainly due to increased traffic congestion.

As predicted, cities in Eastern Europe such as Budapest, Ljubljana, Prague, Vilnius, Tallinn and Warsaw continue to benefit from incremental score increases and are gradually climbing the rankings.
“The standard of living in many Eastern European cities is gradually improving, as the countries that most recently joined the EU attract greater investment,” commented Slagin Parakatil, Senior Researcher at Mercer. “Yet cities such as Dubai may still offer a wider variety of facilities demanded by expatriates – for example, well-connected international airports and better opportunities for recreation and leisure activities – compared to many Eastern European cities.”

Positions for most cities in Europe and the Middle East are generally unchanged, with the exception of Cairo which has tumbled nine places to position 131 and scores 71.2 due to the political turmoil and terrorist attacks in the city and surrounding area.
Baghdad ranks as the least attractive city for expatriates for a third consecutive year, with a score of 14.5.

Americas
Honolulu, the highest ranking city in the U.S., drops two positions to 27th with a score of 103.3. San Francisco remains at 28th position and scores 103.2. Boston, Washington, Chicago and Portland follow in positions 36, 41, 41 and 43 respectively (scores 101.9, 100.4, 100.4 and 100.3) while Houston remains the lowest ranking city in the U.S. at position 68 (score 95.4).

Overall, U.S. cities continue to slip slightly or remain stable in the rankings, except Chicago which has moved up 11 places due to decreased crime rates.

“Economies in the developed world tend to be relatively stable overall. Fluctuations in the quality of living in these regions are usually driven by factors such as increased air pollution, crime rates and traffic congestion, or external events like terrorism, disease outbreaks or natural disasters,” said Mr. Parakatil.

In South America, scores vary considerably due to differences in economic and political stability. “Argentina’s steady economic recovery is likely to push its cities up in the rankings in the next few years,” commented Mr. Parakatil.

Asia-Pacific
Auckland and Wellington have both moved up the rankings from 8th to 5th and 14th to 12th places respectively, mainly due to strong internal stability relative to other cities, while Sydney remains at position 9 with a score of 106.5.

In Asia, Singapore ranks 34th (score 102.5) followed by Tokyo, Japan’s highest scoring city, at position 35 (score 102.3). Hong Kong’s modern and efficient infrastructure, including its airport (which is considered one of best in the world), has pushed it up from 70th to 68th position with a score of 95.4.

The top-ranking city in China is Shanghai in 103rd place (score 80.1). “Beijing and Shanghai are on the rise and should experience rapid improvements in quality of living in the coming years. This is mainly due to greater international investment driven by the availability and lower cost of labour and manufacturing expertise,” explained Mr. Parakatil.

Though cities in India generally rank lower than their Chinese counterparts, they are also showing signs of development in the region.
“The quality of living in Indian cites such as Mumbai and Bangalore is increasing slowly but steadily, primarily due to India’s improved political relationships with other countries,” said Mr. Parakatil. “Investment from multinationals setting up operations in India may prompt further improvements, boost economic growth and contribute to economic stability. In turn, this will encourage the local authorities to focus on improving quality of living standards.”

Other low-ranking cities for overall quality of living include Congo in Brazzaville (score 30.3) and Bangui in the Central African Republic and Khartoum in Sudan (30.6 and 31.7).

(Source: www.mercerhr.com)

Cooling off periods when buying cars

2007-02-15T22:20:00.000+11:00

From 28 January 2003 a one day, waivable cooling off period applies to purchases of new and used cars where the purchase is financed by a linked credit arrangement. Linked credit is where finance for the purchase is provided by or facilitated by the motor dealer selling the vehicle.

A purchaser may terminate the contract by giving written notice to the dealer during the cooling off period. The notice of termination must be signed, either by the purchaser or the purchaser’s solicitor or barrister. The right to terminate a contract may be exercised even though the purchaser has taken delivery of the motor vehicle concerned.

On termination of the contract the purchaser is liable to pay the dealer $250 or 2% of the purchase price, whichever is the lesser. (This means 2% of the purchase price for cars priced $12,500 or lower and $250 for all cars over $12,500).

There is NO cooling off period for sales:
1) of motor vehicles other than cars (eg motor bikes, farm equipment);
2) of commercial vehicles;
3) at an auction;
4) paid for by cash;
5) on credit other than linked credit. (The cooling off period does not apply where credit is provided by a finance institution contacted directly by the purchaser, that is, where the dealer does not provide, arrange or facilitate the credit);
6) where credit is provided by a linked credit provider of the dealer but the provision of credit is not arranged or facilitated by the dealer;
7) made by a motor dealer to a trade owner.

The cooling off period begins when the contract is signed (entered into) and ends at 5pm on the next day on which the dealer carries on business with the public. However, if the dealer closes for business before 5pm on that day, the cooling off period ends at the close of business on the next day the dealer is open for business following that day.
Example A: a dealer is open for business 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 3pm on Sunday. If a contract to purchase was signed on Friday the cooling off period would end at 5pm on Saturday.
Example B: a dealer is open for business 10am to 7pm Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm on Saturday and closed Sunday. If a contract to purchase was signed on Friday the cooling off period would end at 7pm on Monday.
Example C: a dealer is open for business 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm on Saturday and closed Sunday. If a contract to purchase was signed on Saturday the cooling off period would end at 4pm on Tuesday.

The cooling off period may be extended by a provision in the contract of sale or by agreement with the dealer.
The cooling off period can only be waived by the purchaser signing the prescribed form. The prescribed form is Form 21 in the Motor Dealers Regulation 1999.

(Source: Office of Fair Trading NSW)

Suburb Report - Carlingford 2118

2007-02-14T21:18:00.000+11:00

Address Date Type Beds Showert Result Price
18 Barellan Av Jan-07 house 4 0 Private Treaty - Sold $800,000
2 Baker St Jan-07 house 3 1 Private Treaty - Sold $455,000
13 Metcalf Av Jan-07 house 3 2 Private Treaty - Sold $529,000

State Local government
New South Wales Parramatta

Public transport
Carlingford - train, RTA bus, private bus

Surrounding locations
Dundas Dundas Valley Oatlands Telopea Beecroft Epping West Pennant Hills Sydney Markets North Parramatta North Rocks

Property prices - 12 months to February 2007
HOUSES UNITS
Carlingford Region Carlingford Region
Median Prices $570,000 $642,000 $388,000 $390,000
Long Term Trend 9.4% 8.0% 7.5% 6.8%
Auction clearance rates 45% 49% SNR 44%
Days on Market 96 108 114 96
Discounting 8% 8% 8% 7%
(SNR = Statistically Not Reliable.*Based on sales reported to Australian Property Monitors)

Demographics
PopulationSize 2118 Sydney
All People 20384 3997337
Country of Origin 2118 Sydney
Australian Born 62% 61%
Born Overseas - Top 5 2118 Sydney
China 6% 2%
Hong Kong 6% 1%
United Kingdom 4% 5%
Korea 3% 1%
India 2% 1%
Age Statistics 2118 Sydney
40 to 59 29% 28%
20 to 39 25% 33%
5 to 19 23% 14%
60+ 18% 17%
0 to 4 6% 7%
Family Statistics - Top 5 2118 Sydney
Married 59% 51%
Never Married 29% 33%
Widowed 5% 6%
Divorced 4% 7%
Separated 2% 3%
Religion - Top 5 2118 Sydney
Catholic 28% 34%
Anglican 21% 23%
No Religion 17% 13%
Uniting Church 8% 4%
Presbyterian and Reformed 5% 3%
Occupation - Top 5 2118 Sydney
Professionals 13% 9%
Intermediate Clerical/Sales/Service 9% 8%
Associate Professional 6% 5%
Managers and Administrators 5% 4%
Tradespersons and Related Workers 5% 5%
Education - Top 5 2118 Sydney
Not Attending (Working) 69% 73%
Secondary Education 10% 7%
Infants/Primary 9% 9%
University or other Tertiary Institution 6% 5%
Technical or Further Education 3% 3%
Transport to Work - Top 5 2118 Sydney
Car (driver) 31% 24%
Train & Other 4% 2%
Car (passenger) 3% 3%
Train Only 2% 3%
Worked at home 2% 2%
Type of Dwelling - Top 3 2118 Sydney
Separate house 85% 64%
Semi/Terrace 7% 10%
Flat 6% 22%
Nature of Occupancy - Top 3 2118 Sydney
Fully Owned 58% 41%
Purchasing 21% 23%
Rented 15% 30%
Monthly Loan Repayment - Top 5 2118 Sydney
$1,500+ 30% 21%
$1,000-$1,199 12% 15%
$400-$599 11% 11%

Did you jump??? ---- Super Fun

2007-02-12T20:42:00.000+11:00

A young man joined the army and signed up with the paratroopers.He went through the standard training, completed the practice jumps from higher and higher structures, and finally went to take his first jump from an airplane.

The next day, he called home to tell his father the news.

"So, did you jump?" asked the father.

"Well, let me tell you what happened," the son said. "We got up in the plane, and the sergeant opened up the door and asked for volunteers. About a dozen men got up and just walked out of the plane.

"Is that when you jumped?" asked his father.

"Uh, no. The sergeant started to grab the other men one at a time and throw them out the door."

"Did you jump then?" asked his father.

"I'm getting to that. Everyone else had jumped, and I was the last man left on the plane. I told the sergeant that I was too scared to jump.He told me to get off the plane or he'd kick my butt.

"So, did you jump?"

"No. He tried to push me out of the plane, but I grabbed onto the doorand refused to go. Finally he called over the Jump Master. The Jump Master is this great big guy, about six-foot five, and 250 pounds. He said to me, 'Are you gonna jump or not?'""I said, 'No sir, I'm too scared." So the Jump Master pulled down his zipper and took out his you-know-what. I swear, dad, it was about ten inches long and big around as a baseball bat! He said, 'Either you jump out that door, or I'm sticking this little baby up your ass.'"

"So, did you jump?" asked his father.

"Well, a little, at first."

Two Glasses of Wine

2007-02-07T21:58:00.000+11:00

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glassesof wine...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items infront of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golfballs.
He then asked the students if the jar was full.They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jarwas full.
They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into thejar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else He asked once more if thejar was full.
The students responded with a unanimous "yes".

The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the tableand poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling theempty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you torecognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first, " he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical check ups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a friend."

Which baby are you?

2007-02-06T20:56:00.000+11:00

Jan
Pretty/handsome. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Sensitive. Down-to-Earth. Stubborn.

Feb
Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexiest out of everyone. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest And loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Horny. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizing dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

Mar
Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Great kisser. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Observant and assesses others.

Apr
Suave and compromising. Funny and humorous. Stubborn. Very talkative. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal. Does work well with others. Very confidant. Sensitive. Positive Attitude. Thinking generous. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Able to cheer everyone up and/or make them laugh. Able to motivate oneself and others. Understanding. Fun to be around. Outgoing. Hyper. Bubbly personality. Secretive. Boy/girl crazy. Loves sports, music, leisure and traveling. Systematic. Hot but has brains.

May
Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Shy towards opposite sex. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High-spirited.

Jun
You've got the best personality and are an absolute pleasure to be around. You love to make new friends and be outgoing. You are a great flirt and more than likely have an a very attractive partner. a wicked hottie. It is also more than likely that you have a massive record collection. You have a great choice in films, and may one day become a famous actor/actress yourself - heck, you've got the looks for it!!!

Jul
Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people's feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. spazzy at times. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

Aug
Outgoing personality. takes risks. feeds on attention. No self-control. Kind hearted. Self-confident. Loud and boisterous. VERY revengeful. Easy to get along with and talk to. Has an "every thing's peachy" attitude. Likes talking and singing. Loves music. Daydreamer. Easily distracted. Hates not being trusted. BIG imagination. Loves to be loved. Hates studying. in need of "that someone". Longs for freedom. Rebellious when withheld or restricted. Lives by "no pain no gain" caring. Always a suspect. Playful. Mysterious. "charming" or "beautiful" to everyone. stubborn. curious. Independent. Strong willed. A fighter.

Sept
Active and dynamic. Decisive and haste but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people's problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Usually you have many friends. Enjoys to make love. Emotional. Stubborn. Hasty. Good memory. Moving, motivates oneself and others. Loves to travel and explore. Sometimes sexy in a way that only their lover can understand.

Oct
Loves to chat. Loves those who love them. Loves to takes things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn't pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Brave and fearless. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care to control emotions. Unpredictable. Extremely smart, but definitely the hottest AND sexiest of them all.

Nov
Trustworthy and loyal. Very passionate and dangerous. Wild at times. Knows how to have fun. Sexy and mysterious. Everyone is drawn towards your inner and outer beauty and independent personality. Playful, but secretive. Very emotional and temperamental sometimes. Meets new people easily and very social in a group. Fearless and independent. Can hold their own. Stands out in a crowd. Essentially very smart. Usually, the greatest men are born in this month. If you ever begin a relationship with someone from this month, hold on to them because their one of a kind.

Dec This straight-up means you are the most good-looking person possible... Better than all of these other months! Loyal and generous. Patriotic. Competitive in everything. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Easy to talk to, though hard to understand. Thinks far with vision, yet complicated to know. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having lots of ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Has that someone always on his/her mind. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Abiding. Able to show character. One guy/girl kind of person. Loveable. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves music. Pretty/handsome. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Sensitive.

The Wife From Hell

2007-02-05T22:28:00.000+11:00

A police officer pulls over a speeding car. The officer says, "I clocked you at 80 miles per hour, sir."
The driver says, "Gee, officer I had it on cruise control at 60,perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating."
Not looking up from her knitting, the wife says: "Now don't be silly,Dear, you know that this car doesn't have cruise control."
As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls , "Can't you please keep you mouth shut for once?!"
The wife smiles demurely and says, "You should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did, Dear."
As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegal radar detector unit, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth, "Darn it, woman, can't-you-keep-your-mouth-shut?"
The officer frowns and says, "And I notice that you're not wearing your seat belt, sir. That's an automatic $75 fine."
The driver says, "Yeah, well, you see officer, I had it on; but took itoff when you pulled me over ~ so that I could get my license out of my back pocket."
The wife says, "Now, Dear, you know very well that you didn't have your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you're driving."
And as the police officer is writing out the third ticket the driverturns to his wife and barks, "WHY DON'T YOU PLEASE SHUT UP??!!!"
The officer looks over at the woman and asks, "Does you husband alwaystalk to you this way, Ma'am?"

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"Only when he's been drinking."

Brain Test - Where is the coffee-bean-man?

2007-02-02T19:29:00.000+11:00

This is bizarre - after you find the guy - it's so obvious. Once you find him - it's embarrassing, and you think, Why didn't I see him immediately?

Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, your right half of your brain is better developed than most people. If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, your right half of the brain is developed normally. If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger!!! And, yes, the man is really there!!!

Dr Phil's test

2007-01-30T20:44:00.000+11:00

Below is Dr. Phil's test. (Dr. Phil scored 55; he did this test onOprah - she got a 38.) Some folks pay a lot of money to find this stuffout!

Don't be overly sensitive! The following is pretty accurate and it only takes 2 minutes. Take this test for yourself and send it to yourfriends.
Don't peek, but begin the test as youscroll down and answer. Answers are for who you are now --- not who you were in the past. Have pen or pencil and paper ready. This is a real test given by the Human Relations Dept. at many of the major corporations today. It helps them get better insight concerning their employees and prospective employees.
It's only 10 Simple questions, so grab a pencil and paper, keeping track of your letter answers to each question. Ready??

Begin.

1. When do you feel your best?
a) in the morning
b) during the afternoon & and early evening
c) late at night

2. You usually walk...
a) fairly fast, with long steps
b) fairly fast, with little steps
c) less fast head up, looking the world in the face
d) less fast,head down
e) very slowly

3. When talking to people you...
a) stand with your arms folded
b) have your hands clasped
c) have one or both your hands on your hips
d) touch or push the person to whom you are talking
e) play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair

4. When relaxing, you sit with...
a) your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side
b) your legs crossed
c) your legs stretched out or straight
d) one leg curled under you

5. When something really amuses you, you react with...
a) big appreciated laugh
b) a laugh, but not a loud one
c) a quiet chuckle
d) a sheepish smile

6. When you go to a party or social gathering you...
a) make a loud entrance so everyone notices you
b) make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know
c) make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed

7. You're working very hard, concentrating hard, and you're
interrupted...
a) welcome the break
b) feel extremely irritated
c) vary between these two extremes

8. Which of the following colors do you like most?
a) Red or orange
b) black
c) yellow or light blue
d) green
e) dark blue or purple
f) white
g) brown or gray

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before goingto sleep you are...
a) stretched out on your back
b) stretched out face down on your stomach
c) on your side, slightly curled
d) with your head on one arm
e) with your head under the covers

10. You often dream that you are...
a) falling
b) fighting or struggling
c) searching for something or somebody
d) flying or floating
e) you usually have dreamless sleep
f) your dreams are always pleasant

POINTS:
1. (a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6
2. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 7 (d) 2 (e) 1
3. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 5 (d) 7 (e) 6
4. (a) 4 (b) 6 (c) 2 (d) 1
5. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 2
6. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 2
7. (a) 6 (b) 2 (c) 4
8. (a) 6 (b) 7 (c) 5 (d) 4 (e) 3 (f) 2 (g) 1
9. (a) 7 (b) 6 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e) 1
10. (a) 4 (b) 2 ( c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 6 (f) 1

Now add up the total number of points.

OVER 60 POINTS: Others see you as someone they should "handle with care." You're seen as vain, self-centered, and who is extremely dominant. Others may admire you, wishing they could be more like you,but don't always trust you, hesitating to become too deeply involvedwith you.

51 TO 60 POINTS: Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile,rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

41 TO 50 POINTS: Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing,practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

31 TO 40 POINTS: Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over if that trust is ever broken.

21 TO 30 POINTS: Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It would really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then, usually decide against it. They think this reaction is caused partly by your careful nature.

UNDER 21 POINTS: People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive,someone who needs looking after, who always wants someone else to make the decisions & who doesn't want to get involved with anyone or anything! They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don'texist. Some peopl e think you' re boring. Only those who know you wellknow that you aren't.

Suburb Report - Parramatta

2007-01-23T21:38:00.000+11:00

Wanna know more about the area you are living or your're going to live? The following report is interesting and useful.

Area Profile

The size of Parramatta is approximately 6 km². It has 18 parks covering nearly 23% of the total area. There are 8 schools and 5 childcare centres located in Parramatta. The population of Parramatta in 1996 was 16,841 people. By 2001 the population was 19,187 showing a population growth of 14% in the area during that time. The predominant age group in Parramatta is 20 - 29 years.

Households in Parramatta are primarily couples with children and are likely to be repaying between $800.00 - $1000.00 per month on mortgage repayments. In general, people in Parramatta work in a professional occupation. In 1996, 28% of the homes in Parramatta were owner-occupied compared with 30% in 2001.

Currently the median sale price of houses in the area is $437,500.

(Source: realestate.com.au)

PopulationSize 2150 Sydney
All People 22809 3997337

Country of Origin 2150 Sydney
Australian Born 41% 61%

Born Overseas-Top5 2150 Sydney
China 10% 2%
India 8% 1%
Lebanon 3% 1%
New Zealand 3% 2%
Philippines 3% 1%

(Source: domain.com.au)

Where to go on a day of 40°?

2007-01-22T21:03:00.000+11:00

It was such a hot day yesterday. You can feel the heat everywhere even inside the room. We decided to go to somewhere with big indoor pools. After searching on internet, we found our target --- Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. I printed out the driving directory from the web too.

Soon we arrived at the Centre. There were four hours free parking time if you get your parking ticket stamped at the entrance of the Centre.
It was 3 am at the time. To our surprise, there was a long queue outside the entrance. Apparently, lots of people had the same idea we've got and chose the pool as an quick escape from the heat.

After about 10 minutes' waiting, we finally entered the centre. The charge for one adult is $6.40, $5.10 for kids over 4 and free for kids under 4.
As soon as we went into the centre, we found it might be a wrong decision to go there as it was totally packed! There were people everywhere. Queues could be seen here and there, outside the change rooms and toilets, and of course, for the lockers as well. I couldn't help recalling the pools in Shanghai.
Luckily we hadn't waited for long to get a spare locker. It cost $2 each time to lock a locker. If we hadn't got a locker, one of us had to be the clothing keeper and had to hunter for a spare seat.

Despite of the surprising number of people there, we still had a good time. There are several different pools, eveyone can find a pool suitable for his/her needs. You can try swimming as a professional in the pool used to be used for formal competition during Olympic 2004. You can also be relaxed by lying into a spa - as long as you were patient enough to wainting in another queue. Of course, there are pools for kids to splash, kick and ride on the artificial waves.

If you felt tired, there was 2007 Australian Youth Olympic Festival held on spot. Everyone could just walk into the audience and watch.

Should there be less people, and should I know how to swim, I belive, I would have had a even better day in a day of 40°C.

Today's Shopping Receipt

2007-01-17T21:45:00.000+11:00

Would like to know more about the living cost in Sydney?

Here are the items on my today's shopping receipt:

Orange Juice 2-litre $2.19
Apple Juice 2-litre $1.99
Bread Wholemeal 650g $1.09
Milk 3-litre $3.06
Drumstick (ice-cream, 8pk Cone) $7.19
Custard 600g $1.69
Sunflower Oil 750ml $2.69
Ham Leg/Extra Lean (@$17.58/kg) $7.82
Cheese Slices 500g $2.99
Baby Potatoes 1.5kg $2.48
Kiwi Fruit x 2 $1.36
Sea Salt 500g $1.39
Banana x 6 (@$1.99/kg) $1.70
Cherry (@$12/kg) $2.80

Warranties for cars

2007-01-15T12:34:00.000+11:00

A statutory warranty under the Motor Dealers Act 1974requires a licensed dealer to fix certain defects that occur in vehicles they have sold. When buying a second-hand car you can only get a statutory warranty if you buy the car from a licensed motor dealer.

In NSW all passenger cars under 10 years/160,000km and under the luxury car tax limit, have a minimum warranty of 3 months or 5,000km - whichever comes first. This is called the standard warranty and applies to cars with no known defects.

The car and all accessories fitted at the time of sale
are covered by the warranty. Superficial damage (such as paint and upholstery) and normal wear and tear are not
covered by the warranty.

The warranty does not cover:

• routine services

• tune-ups

• batteries

• tyres (however, tyres must be roadworthy at the
time of sale)

• defects that arise from an accident or misuse
of the vehicle.

Every second-hand vehicle for sale within a
licensed dealership should have a form describing the vehicle displayed. The form includes the dealer's name, cash price, engine number, odometer reading and whether a
warranty applies. The form displayed will either be a Form 4, 6, or 8 and this will indicate the term of the warranty applying
to the vehicle.

Form 4 indicates the car has a standard statutory
warranty as described above.

Form 6 indicates that the standard warranty of 3months/5,000km applies, but only to defects relating to safety. The dealer should list on the form the items that will not be covered by the warranty as well as an estimate of the related repair costs. A car displaying a Form 6 must also be sold with a pink slip showing that the car is roadworthy.

Form 8 indicates that the car is not covered by a warranty. Generally the car is older than ten years or has travelled more than 160,000km. A car displaying a Form 8 must be sold with a pink slip showing that the car is roadworthy.

In addition, Form 14 indicates that the car is not covered by a warranty and is displayed on a vehicle priced above the luxury car limit. The car is to be sold in a roadworthy condition.

Extended warranties are available when you buy a car. Often they are provided by the manufacturer and are sold by the dealer when you purchase a car. Before deciding to buy an extended warranty you should make sure you understand fully what is being covered.

There are often a significant number of exclusions and conditions in extended warranties. For more
information contact the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) web site at http://www.asic.gov.au/ or call 1300 300 630.

(Source: Office of Fair Trading)

Where to buy a car

2007-01-14T16:58:00.000+11:00

There are a number of options available in terms of where you can buy a car. They each have their advantages and disadvantages.

Buying from a car dealership
Buying a car from a licensed motor vehicle dealership is the safest way to purchase a car and provides many advantages. Unlike buying privately, the dealer has an obligation to guarantee that there is no money owing on the car. In certain conditions the dealer is also obliged by law to provide a warranty, which gives you great peace of mind.
Also the dealer often provides the opportunity to trade in your old car. However, you may not get as much money trading-in your car as you would if selling it privately.
Unlike buying from an auction, you get to test drive the car and make sure it has the power and features you require. Finance can also be obtained through most licensed car dealers again saving time and headaches.

Buying a car from an auction
The benefit of buying a car at auction is that you could pick up a real bargain. The cars come from situations that include deceased estates and repossessed vehicles, and quite often are in satisfactory condition.
The risk with buying at auction is that the cars are not covered by a statutory warranty and generally the auction house will not allow a test drive. You can arrange an independent vehicle inspection at your own cost but not on the day of the auction.
Most auction houses will require a 10% deposit or $500 at the fall of the hammer.

Buying a car privately
Buying a car privately involves relying on your own judgement and knowledge. You can arrange for a vehicle inspection at your own cost but there are no statutory
warranties. Also, making sure that the vehicle is not encumbered, stolen or de-registered is the responsibility of the buyer.
Doing a REVS check will help you ascertain this. Always ask the seller for, and note down, the information listed below. Ensure the information shown in the paperwork matches what is on the actual car.
• The current certificate of registration.
• A pink slip which is no more than 42 days old (unless the car was registered in the last 42 days).
• Proof that the person selling the car is the owner eg. a sales receipt or driver’s licence to help identify the seller.
• The registration number.
• The engine number.
• The VIN (vehicle identification number) or chassis number.

Buying from a car market
Car markets bring buyers and sellers together in the one place without the need to drive all over town. However, you are still buying ‘privately’ and therefore need to rely on your own judgement and knowledge. There will be no guarantee of title or warranties supplied. They are often temporary situations and have become an outlet for backyard operators to dispose of substandard vehicles, or even possibly stolen
vehicles.

When do you need a pink slip?
If the vehicle has been registered in the last 42 days, you do not need a safety check report (ie. a pink slip). The pink slip shows if the car is fit for registration or not. A pink slip must not be more than 42 days old.
If the vehicle is not registered you need to take it to an Authorised Unregistered Vehicle Inspection Station (AUVIS). They will conduct a roadworthiness check and identify the vehicle for the purpose of registration for the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA). To find your nearest AUVIS, contact the RTA on 13 22 13.

Something to avoid – roadside selling
There are no safeguards with this type of car sale. There are no guarantees of title and no warranties supplied. You could be stuck with a vehicle that has been poorly repaired or even written-off. No matter how good the bargain looks, steer well clear of this method of purchasing a car.

(Source: Office of Fair Trading)

Income tax - what you pay in Australia

2007-01-13T11:19:00.000+11:00

Tax is a highly complex issue and needs to be worked out on an individual basis. Income tax can be structured in various ways for employees in Australia.

While it is possible to 'pay as you go' with tax, you still have to submit a tax return at the end of the financial year, which falls on 30 June. It is advisable to use the services of an accountant to do this.

If you start your employment as a salaried worker, visit an accountant to find the best tax set-up for you. There are two kinds of qualified accountant in Australia: the certified practising accountant or CPA, or chartered accountant. There is little difference between the two, but make sure your accountant has either qualification.

For basic information on tax rates, fringe benefits tax - which affects employment benefits like company cars and business expenses - superannuation and family tax benefits visit the Australian Tax Office website.

If you will be paid a salary you can work out your weekly, fortnightly or monthly tax deductions in the tax calculation section of the website.

The amount of tax you pay also depends on your visa status. If you are a foreign resident, use this table as a guide.

Foreign resident tax rates
A guide to the amount of tax you pay...
Weekly earnings Weekly rate
A$0 - $383 29 cents for $1 earnings
$383 - $960 $111 plus 30 cents for each $1 of earnings over $383
$961 - $1,152 $242 plus 42 cents for each $1 of earnings over $960
$1,153 and over $365 plus 47 cents for each $1 of earnings over $1,153

If you are an Australian resident, the individual income tax rates for 2006-07 are:

Taxable income Tax on this income
$0 – $6,000 Nil
$6,001 – $25,000 15c for each $1 over $6,000
$25,001 – $75,000 $2,850 plus 30c for each $1 over $25,000
$75,001 – $150,000 $17,850 plus 40c for each $1 over $75,000
Over $150,000 $47,850 plus 45c for each $1 over $150,000

Sydney rents to soar 20%

2007-01-10T23:31:00.000+11:00

RENTS in Sydney are set to rise by as much as 20 per cent this year as investors sell property and pour money into superannuation.
An economist at Macquarie Bank, Rory Robertson, says a significant switch from property to superannuation is under way following changes by the Federal Government to make super a more attractive investment.
"Presumably, the nearer investors are to age 60, the more likely they are to sell properties in order to buy assets that qualify as superannuation," he said.
Mr Robertson predicted a bulge in tax-based selling of rental properties before the end on June 30 of transitional arrangements that allow the well-off to shift an extra $1 million into superannuation.
Adding to the pressure on the rental market, the number of new homes approved in NSW fell 10.6 per cent to 2496 in November, the Bureau of Statistics reported yesterday. This compares with 6000 in late 2002, in the middle of the property boom.
On the demand side of the equation, the low affordability of homes for sale is putting pressure on rents by , Peter Cosforcing more young families to stay in rental accommodation longer.
The federal Treasurertello, has said he hopes the super changes will not only induce people to save more but turn them away from other types of investment such as property. "One of the areas I think [savings] could reallocate is out of the property market and into superannuation," he said last year.
The president of the Real Estate Institute of NSW, Cristine Castle, said the super changes were a big factor in Sydney's rental shortage. "The victims here are going to be the tenants," she said. With the shortage of rental properties already severe, renters should brace for rent rises of as much as 20 per cent this year, she said. "Rents were very low for five years, so I'm afraid it's catch-up time."
Rental supply increased from 2000 as a result of another Federal Government tax overhaul that halved the tax paid on capital gains, prompting investors to pour money into investment properties.
The Real Estate Institute is calling on the Government to temper the effects of its latest super tax changes by allowing the direct transfer of investment properties into super funds.
"With the current situation, it means that you have got to sell that investment property and then put the cash into superannuation," Ms Castle said. "We would like to see those rental properties remain available."
A third of Australian families live in rental accommodation.
Supply of new properties is expected to tighten further. A survey of investors by the Mortgage Industry Association of Australia found just one in 10 expects to buy an investment property in the next six months. Looking ahead two to five years, less than a quarter intend to buy property.

(Source: www.smh.com.au)

Australian Salary

2007-01-10T18:25:00.000+11:00

What's your worth?
Average Australian Salary: $63,675

Sector
Minimum
Maximum
Average

Accounting
$36,075
$139,500
$69,058
Administration / Office Support
$22,967
$77,400
$40,831
Automotive
$39,775
$92,213
$58,281
Banking and Financial Services
$31,661
$154,654
$60,393
Community, Sport and Leisure
$40,164
$82,725
$55,342
Construction, Building and Architecture
$35,599
$155,789
$78,635
Customer Service and Call Centre
$28,267
$89,583
$45,810
Education
$36,091
$70,077
$49,100
Engineering
$39,483
$145,824
$81,262
Executive
$50,638
$176,200
$100,739
Government and Defence
$48,758
$80,008
$64,597
Graduate
$35,963
$61,971
$46,257
Hospitality, Travel and Tourism
$30,521
$67,824
$42,320
Human Resources and Recruitment
$37,720
$136,000
$69,486
Insurance
$34,453
$114,596
$58,945
IT and Telecommunications
$38,987
$140,790
$76,601
Legal
$39,425
$123,871
$73,548
Logistics, Transport and Supply
$32,887
$115,281
$59,788
Manufacturing
$33,903
$89,995
$55,393
Marketing
$40,970
$131,400
$76,330
Media, Advertising, Arts and Entertainment
$38,942
$103,250
$64,210
Medical and Healthcare
$44,186
$121,639
$84,019
PR and Communications
$47,236
$103,000
$70,003
Property and Real Estate
$38,071
$111,575
$63,960
Retail
$31,878
$114,616
$52,235
Sales
$27,321
$216,125
$75,650
Scientific
$39,937
$89,149
$60,051
Trades and Services
$34,752
$84,451
$50,985

All figures may include benefits
Source: MyCareer.com.au

Cost of living in Sydney

2007-01-09T18:49:00.000+11:00

NSW - high quality, low-cost living

Australia's cost of living is lower than that of Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, the United States and the United Kingdom.

New South Wales (NSW) has a sophisticated, modern economy and the State has experienced an annual growth rate of 4.3 per cent over the last five years (to 1999-2000). In addition, the cost of living in the State is highly competitive when compared with other areas in the Asia Pacific.

A recent survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in 2001 found that Sydney sits in 72nd place on a list of 133 world cities for cost of living. The listing puts the most expensive city at number one. Sydney improved 18 places from the 54th most expensive city in 2000. Osaka and Tokyo were among the most expensive cities in the world, while Hong Kong, Oslo, London, New York, Zurich and Singapore were also more expensive than Sydney. According to the survey, a meal for four at a good restaurant would cost considerably less in Sydney than in other major cities.
Cost of dinner for four:
City / Cost
Hong Kong / $US609
London / $US478
New York / $US525
Sydney / $US294
The EIU survey also found that groceries cost around 54 per cent less in Sydney than in New York. Gas, electricity and water cost around half that of New York's utilities. Not only can you find world-class Australian wines in Sydney, the city is cheaper than any other surveyed city for table wine.
Cost for 750ml bottle of wine:
City / Cost
London / $US5.13
New York / $US7.99
Hong Kong / $US8.97
Johannesburg / $US5.15
Sydney / $US5.10

Our currency
Some European and US staff of overseas-based multinationals who are transferred on a short-term basis, negotiate to be paid in their home-based currencies (or the Australia dollar equivalent). This ensures that they will not be disadvantaged by the low value of the Australian dollar relative to their own currencies. The lower cost of living in Australia compensates for A$ wages. On a purchasing power parity basis (adjusting for differences in price levels), Australia's GDP per capita is level with Japan and higher than that of Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and Singapore.

Joke: Planning for a baby

2007-01-08T17:29:00.000+11:00