For An Alternative Rush

The holidays are just around the corner and you have to come up with some gifts for dad. Here a list of gifts for dads of all types and character.

Gifts for Dads

1. Daddy O’s Shirts - Retro is in and retro bowling shirts are hot, hot, hot. If you want to buy him a cool gift, get him one of these great shirts from Daddy O’s by just searching for them online. You can expect to pay between $35 and $80 per shirt.

2. Chef’s Fork - Now family comes complete with out a grill guru. If you’re looking for unique gifts online for the grill guru in yours, the Chef’s Fork may be the answer. These forks are made especially for grilling and contain sensors in them to tell the grilling guru the temperature and “doneness” of the food being cooked. Works for practically every food item, even baked potatoes. The Chef’s Fork will run you between $30 and $50 depending on the feature you want.

3. Shun Ken Onion Chef’s Knife. If he likes to cook, this knife made by the famous Ken Onion is sure to please. This is the ultimate knife is forged with VG-10 stainless steel, ergonomically designed and of the absolute highest quality. The ultimate Chef’s knife will set you back just under $200.

4. Digital Photo Keychain - Everyone has a keychain and everyone has photographs they carry around with them. The digital photo keychain lets you combine the two. The keychain has a 1 inch by 1 inch display that easily fits in the palm of your hand. Load photos onto from your PC and off you go. Expect to pay $40 to $50 for this very cool gift for dads, moms or anyone.

5. Nomad Writing Journals - If you’re buying for a person that loves the outdoors or to travel, Nomad Writing Journals make great gifts. These journals are tailored to activities such as travel, fly fishing, bird watching, backpacking, camping, rock climbing and so on. They come with or without a case and provide writing space as well as cues for writing down important information. A great keepsake to preserve their travel and outdoor experiences. The journals cost as low as $9 without waterproof case and $25 with case.

With these gifts for dads, you can come up with that particular thing that will make them smile. Trust me, they’ll be happy not to get another sweater!

Rick Chapo is with www.nomadjournals.com - makers of writing journals for travel and outdoor activities. Writing journals make great Christmas gifts for him or her.

Before you fit the bath into your desired position, it is best to fit the overflow, taps and trap. The reason being is that once a bath is fitted against a wall, it is difficult to make the connections of the fittings in such a tight space. Put some adjustable feet on the bottom on the bath so you can raise the rim of the bath to your required height. Also, be sure to check it’s level along the length and width of the bath tub.

Fitting the Taps

If you have separate taps for hot and cold, then you would just fit these as you would for a washbasin. If you have a mixer tap you may well have been supplied with a long sealing gasket. This long sealing gasket slips over both tails by lowering the tails through the holes in the rim. Place top-hat washwers onto them and tighten both of the back-nuts to secure the mixer securely to the bath tub. Get approximately a 22mm flexible copper pipe and fit onto each of the tails.

These flexible pipes allow for the easy adjustment that will be necessary if the joints are slightly misaligned. Alternatively, attach short lengths of standard 22mm (3/4in) copper or plastic pipe with tap connectors, in preparation for jointing to the pipe run.

Fitting Waste and Overflow

It is best to use a combined waste and overflow unit to your bath tub. If you use a flexible plastic hose, this takes water from the overflow outlet to the waste outlet. A flexible pipe of a compression-fitting unit connects to the trap itself, but if you use a banjo unit, you should fit the overflow before the trap.

Now spread a layer of silicone sealant under the rim of the waste outlet, or fit a circular rubber seal. Before inserting its tail into the hole in the bottom o the bath, seal the thread with PTFE tape. On the underside, add a plastic washer; then tighten the large back-nut, bedding the outlet down onto the sealant or the rubber seal. Wipe off excess sealant.

Connect the bath trap to the tail of the waste outlet with its own compression nut.

Pass the threaded boss over the over-flow hose through the hole at the foot of the bath. SLip a washer seal over the boss, then use a pair of pliers to screw the overflow outlet grille on.

If you’re using a compression-fitting overflow, connect the nut located on the other end of the hose to the cleaning eye of the trap.

Claire Bowes runs a successful website on bath tubs and bathing. For further articles and information, visit http://bath-tubs-n-bathing.com

How would you like to have one of the best home based businesses? This article is number three in a four-part series that is designed to assist you in creating your ideal internet home based business. To view Parts 1, 2, and 4 please do an Author search on Ezine Articles for Chrystal Chantel. In the previous articles I asked to you to discover what you love to do, then discover the problems that people in those fields face, and the potential solutions you could develop to help them.

Now comes the time to start assessing each of your solutions. You will want to weigh the pros and cons, and the strengths and weaknesses of each idea. Ask yourself these questions for each problem you have listed:

• What goals do the people concerned about this topic have? How could I help them meet their goals?

• The solutions I have created to solve my own problems, do I need to adapt them for my potential customers, or to reach a broader market?

• Could I create an information product such as an ebook that would provide solutions to this problem? Realize that you don’t have to be a famous write to write an ebook. You simply need to communicate from your own personal experience how you have solved a problem that others face. If you can write clearly, you can write an ebook.

Why would you want to create an ebook? Because ebooks are one of the easiest internet products to create and sell on the web. People will gladly pay you for providing them with solutions to problems that really concern them. An ebook provides one of the easiest formats for them to receive these solutions. Some of the best home based businesses make most of their money from ebooks.

• Could I put my solutions in a video, an audiotape, a cd, a piece of software, or some other product or service? For example, a passionate home gardener wrote an ebook on how to care for lilies, a plant that is notoriously hard to grow. She also created a video on how to make the huge, beautiful hanging baskets that her garden was famous for.

Perhaps your internet home based business could be designed around skills or solutions you are already providing. Let yourself be creative and brainstorm freely. Ask your friends and family what they think. Sometimes when you look at things from many different perspectives, an idea that you hadn’t thought of can easily emerge.

By going through this process you could come up with a product that no one else has thought of. You may come up with a unique approach that is all yours. You might identify a target market, a niche that has not yet been flooded with other products. You will likely come up with an idea that you are very interested in, that you have expertise with, that you can write about, that will carry the energy of your own experience, and that will bring you greater success than if you just copied someone else’s idea. These factors will help you to create one of the best home based businesses.

Don’t be concerned if your idea is not a huge one. Millions of companies have made enormous sums of money out of making our lives a little easier in small ways. By going through the process I’ve outlined, you may be able to identify problems that are of great irritation to people, and these people may be happy to pay you for the solutions you provide. If you can make someone’s life better, provide them with more comfort, ease, or convenience, you could have a great product idea on your hands. Imagine having an internet home based business where you make the world a better place for others.

“We must not….ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”
~Marian Write Edelman~

Take your time with this process, and then join me for the fourth and last step in creating one of the best home based businesses for you: Research Your Business Ideas.

© Copyright Chrystal Chantel, All Rights Reserved.
Build Your Dream Business

http://www.build-your-dream-business.net/

I grant permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as All the bylines are included, with Live Links, and the article is not changed in any way.

Discover more tips on developing the Best Home Based Businesses. Learn more about developing a Home Based Business Opportunity. Chrystal Chantel is the owner of Build Your Dream Business. Her focus is on helping people to turn their passions and hobbies into successful home based businesses.

Identity theft has quickly become a serious issue, not only in America, but around the world as well. Some of the recent cases of stolen personal data are overwhelming in size. LexisNexis, who specializes in the personal and financial data of individuals, had more than 300,000 clients personal data stolen.

In another case, MasterCard had over 400,000 credit card customers’ personal files stolen. The list just goes on and on.

With the explosive growth of the Internet over the last 10 years, many people believe that doing online transactions can put them in jeopardy of becoming a victim of identity theft. The truth is completely the opposite. Approximately 10% of all reported identity theft cases involved Internet fraud. The largest percentage of cases occurs from phone scams and documents left in trash cans.

The Internet can actually help protect you against identity theft in several different ways.

• Use online banking and credit card reports whenever possible. Nearly every bank and credit card company utilize secure Internet web sites that gives you access to your statements and accounts online. This allows you to have up to the minute access to your bank accounts and credit cards. If you see anything suspicious you can immediately take action and report it.

Be sure to only use secure sites that have the padlock icon on the screen. Another important point is to never click on a banking or credit card site from a link in any email message you get. Do not fall for the emails that ask you to “verify” your personal information. If you do you will have your identity stolen and your account cleaned out.

Always type in your credit card or bank website address in your browser. By doing this you will never have to worry about this problem happening

• Know what is on your credit report. By keeping a close eye on your credit report you will know if there is any fraudulent activity going on. If someone has stolen your identity you will see new accounts on your report that you didn’t know about. You can then take action and report the activity.

There are three main credit reporting companies; Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. You can use the Internet to check your credit history with all three of these agencies at no cost to you. The government has made it a law that everyone can have a free copy of his or her credit report on an annual basis.

• Consider signing up for a credit monitoring service. You can find a number of these services by doing a simple web search. These companies will monitor your credit activity on a regular basis and report any unusual activity to you immediately. Of course you will also have access to your credit report on a daily basis. Most of these companies will give you a free 30-day trial to try out their service before paying the regular monthly fee. The cost for this service should be under $10 per month. It is a very safe and convenient way to keep track of your credit.

Take your personal credit information seriously. Keep track of your credit report and protect yourself against identity thieves. It can help prevent you becoming the next victim.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Identity Theft

Stardust Race and Sports Director Bob Scucci has a future with
Boyd Gaming — no question about that — but neither he nor
anyone else knows exactly what it will be.

This week’s announcement that the legendary Strip casino will be
demolished and replaced by a $4 million megaresort called
Echelon Place caught many observers by surprise and clouded the
crystal ball as far as Scucci’s future is concerned.

“Bob is a longtime Boyd employee and he’ll be with us in some
way, shape or form, but we’re just starting our design and
planning, so it’s premature to say what that will be,” declared
Boyd Gaming spokesman Rob Stillwell.

“Right now it’s business as usual, at least through the end of
the year.”

And the first order of business at the moment is the NFL
Playoffs and Super Bowl.

“We’re getting a lot of action and New England-Denver is getting
the most,” Scucci said.

“We have more on New England, but the wise guys like Denver.

“The Colts have been getting the money all year and now is no
exception. It’s a high number (Indianapolis minus 9 1/2), but
Pittsburgh has a following and we’re getting money on both
sides.”

NFC money at the Stardust is coming in on Seattle and Carolina.

“The Redskins weren’t that impressive in their win (over Tampa
Bay),” Scucci said.

“The ‘Skins aren’t getting much action and the parlays have
Seattle.

“Carolina’s getting action in the other game and the Bears are
minus 2 1/2, down from 3. There’s much more interest in the
total on this game, though.

“We opened the total at 31 1/2 and it’s now 30 1/2.” Scucci said
late Wednesday afternoon. “These are two defensive teams and
we’re getting much more on the over/under.”

The Bears, who will host Sunday’s game, beat Carolina 13-3 at
Soldier Field earlier in the year.

Scucci forecasts the Pats will return to the Super Bowl and face
Carolina in a surprise matchup.

Stillwell noted Stardust traditions, such as daily radio shows
and the popular Invitational football contest, will continue
through 2006.

There’s been widespread speculation about the new legislation being introduced under the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act), which will ensure that websites are accessible to blind and disabled users. Try to find specific information about it on the Internet and chances are you’ll come up empty handed.

The RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) and the DRC (Disability Rights Commission), two of the most renowned advocates for the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) and accessible websites, have no specific information about the laws and what websites specifically need to do in order to meet the legal requirements.

So, what does the law state?

Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act refers to the provision of goods, facilities and services. The Code of Practice, which specifically mentions websites, can be downloaded in its entirety from the DRC website (http://www.drc-gb.org/open4all/law/Code%20of%20Practice.pdf 676kb).

The relevant quotes from this 175-page document are:

• 2.2 (p7): “The Act makes it unlawful for a service provider to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service which it provides to members of the public.”

• 4.7 (p39): “From 1st October 1999 a service provider has to take reasonable steps to change a practice which makes it unreasonably difficult for disabled people to make use of its services.”

• 2.13 - 2.17 (p11-13): “What services are affected by the Act? An airline company provides a flight reservation and booking service to the public on its website. This is a provision of a service and is subject to the act.”

• 5.23 (p71): “For people with visual impairments, the range of auxiliary aids or services which it might be reasonable to provide to ensure that services are accessible might include … accessible websites.”

• 5.26 (p68): “For people with hearing disabilities, the range of auxiliary aids or services which it might be reasonable to provide to ensure that services are accessible might include … accessible websites. “

When does the law come into force?

It’s widely believed that the new laws will be implemented in October of this year, when the final part of the DDA comes into force. This final piece of legislation actually refers to service providers having to consider making permanent physical adjustments to their premises and is not related to the Internet in any way.

The law about accessible websites came into force on 1st October 1999 (http://www.drc-gb.org/open4all/law/code.asp) and the Code of Practice for this section of the Act was published on 27th May 2002 (http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2002/20020720.htm). This means that the majority of websites are already in breach of the law.

Can you be sued?

Well, probably. The RNIB claim that they’ve considered taking up a number of legal cases against organisations with regard to their websites. When they raised the accessibility issues of the website under the DDA, companies have typically made the necessary changes, rather than facing the prospect of legal action.

The DRC has now published their findings from their formal investigation into 1000 websites. (http://www.drc-gb.org/publicationsandreports/2.pdf). If your website was included then you will have to start thinking about making it accessible to all web users in the very near future.

What do you need to do to comply?

It’s widely believed that if, or perhaps more appropriately when, a case makes it to court that the W3C accessibility guidelines will be used to assess a website’s accessibility and ultimately decide the outcome of the case. The W3C is the Internet governing body and its web accessibility guidelines can be found at http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/full-checklist.html.

To further complicate matters, the W3C offers three different levels of compliance. Priority 1 guidelines, (which must be satisfied according to the W3C) will almost certainly have to be adhered to. Priority 2 guidelines (which should be satisfied and are the EU recommended level of compliance (http://www.disabilityworld.org/09-10_02/access/internetaccess.shtml), or some part of, will probably also need to be adhered to too.

The courts will also no doubt take guidance from the outcome of an Australian case in 2000, when a blind man successfully sued the Sydney Olympics organising committee over their inaccessible website (http://www.contenu.nu/socog.html).

Disability Discrimination Act in full: http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1995/Ukpga_19950050_en_1.htm

About The Author

This article was written by Trenton Moss. He’s crazy about web usability and accessibility - so crazy that he went and started his own web usability and accessibility consultancy (Webcredible - http://www.webcredible.co.uk) to help make the Internet a better place for everyone.