Placement, What is it and Why is it Important? Part 1

In Feng Shui, your relationship to your home and the objects in your home is vital to creating a nurturing and supportive environment. And your relationship with your environment is determined, in a large part, by how and where you place the items you have.

Positioning relates to how much time you spend in a given space, and how you feel about the space you are in.

The three most important areas in your home with relation to positioning are:

position of the front door placement of your bed, placement of your desk

Today let's talk about bed placement.

You may have heard or read that the bed should not be in alignment with the bedroom door. This is true. Alignment in this instance, means that the bed would be positioned so that it is in the path of the door whether positioned on the opposite wall or with the bed overlapping the doorway.

Placing your bed on the wall opposite the door, but not in the path of the door, is the most optimal placement. This is called the Command Position - which simply means that when positioned this way you have command, full view, of the room around you.

Placement of the bed holds the key to successful rest, rejuvenation, and restoration as well as symbolic representation of a solid foundation in life. The optimal placement for the master bedroom is in either the Abundance or Relationship areas of the home as these corners are the 'power' corners of the home.

Arrange your bed so that the headboard is positioned against a wall. Your position should provide a full view of the room and the door into the room.When placing your bed, try to try not to align your bed so you're directly in front of the door, or even overlapping the door. The energy coming through the door can be disruptive to your sleep and creates a sense of discomfort, even if only subconsciously.

If the configuration of your room is such that your bed can only be placed in the path of the door, create a sense of interest and distraction by the addition of a beautiful rug, side table or plant between the door and the bed. Anything that catches your eye will also shift and redirect the energy flowing into the room through the door.

The best positioning follows these guidelines:

Have a solid wall behind you for support. Position yourself so you are able to see the entrance to the room you are in. Ideally your bed should be positioned so that you are not in direct line with the door into your room or a bathroom door. If your bed must be positioned with the head against a window, it is important that you use a solid headboard to strengthen your position and provide support. Also, close the curtains or blinds at night to create the impression of a solid wall behind you.

Following these simple steps will help you turn your house into a home, and your bedroom into a sanctuary filled with comfort and warmth!

Scrapbooking Supplies - Beyond the Basics

Once you've got a few scrapbook layouts under your belt, you may be ready to move on and explore some of the other fabulous scrapbooking goodies that have been catching your eye at the scrapbook store. Congratulations! There's a world of colorful, creative fun waiting for you. If you've got the basics covered - cardstock, adhesive, paper trimmer, journaling pen - then it's time to take the next step.

Here are some great additions to your scrapbook tool chest that will provide lots of versatility without breaking the bank:

Patterned paper. Patterned paper can be used in tons of ways - as backing for photos, cut into strips to create contrast on your page, trimmed into shapes to create a theme, and more! Choose a few sheets of patterned paper that work with the cardstock you already have, and you'll have a huge assortment of looks you can create. Cost: about $.75 - $1 per sheet. Buttons. Buttons add texture, color, and a hint of homemade fun to your scrapbook layouts. And the best part - you probably have a big assortment of loose buttons already on hand! If you want to purchase some in specific colors, check the fabric store before heading to a scrapbook specialty store. The cost can range from $1 - $5 for a pack of buttons. Letter stickers. When I first started scrapbooking, I often hand-drew my page titles. But now, I almost always use letter stickers. Available in every color, font, and size under the sun, letter stickers cost about $3 a sheet, plus or minus, depending on how many letters in a pack, and how large the letters are. Rub-ons. Rub-ons are transfers that you "rub on" to the page. They come in letters, flourishes, images, and more, from skulls and crossbones to lacy hearts. Their cost ranges from $2 to $7, depending on how many you receive and how large they are. Ribbon. Ribbon is a terrific way to add texture, dimension, and pizzaz to your page. You can purchase ribbon in spools or by the yard; many big-box craft stores carry tons of ribbon for $1 a yard. You can also purchase ribbon from fabric stores.

Taking Medicine While Bodybuilding - Info You Need to Know

Many people who enter the world of bodybuilding choose this field because it is practically designed for introverts. You come to the gym alone. You put in your time alone. You cook your meals alone. Much of what you do in bodybuilding is an individual effort. In other sports, you have the camaraderie that comes with practicing together every day. In bodybuilding, aside from a training partner or the people you see every day, you're on your own. For this reason, many people with social anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsion disorder, or just plain shyness, are drawn to the field of bodybuilding.

As we age, we often find the world or medicine is able to help our bodies adjust to the stressors of age and society. One commonly prescribed medication to deal with the maladies mentioned above is Prozac, or fluoxetine. Prozac is a serotonin uptake regulator, which controls the body's level of serotonin. Many bodybuilders are prescribed this medication when their OCD, depression, or anxiety becomes too great. But how does it affect bodybuilders?

Physically

Bodybuilders who take Prozac may notice an immediate weight gain which continues for the first 2-3 months of use. They can gain up to 25 pounds. This is a result of their liver cycles being tied up with the Prozac and the body being unable to process fat as efficiently as before.

Mentally

You will certainly feel happier and more relaxed. If anxiety was keeping you from growing, that will end. However, if it was the nervous energy that motivated you to train, be prepared to suffer a lack of motivation. You'll have to work harder to get off the couch and go to the gym, but it will be worth it. The serotonin release that your brain normally delivers when lifting will be multiplied, since the Prozac delivers serotonin as well. You will feel great when you train!

Warnings

When taking Prozac, the body is not able to process compounds as efficiently as before. You will find that 1-2 drinks makes you feel quite intoxicated, even though you can normally handle much more with no problem. You will also respond quicker to medicine and yes, even anabolic steroids. Desired, as well as undesired side effects will be more intense when taking Prozac.

Prozac should only be taken under the direction of a doctor. Check out its side effects and see how they apply to your bodybuilding routine. It will improve many parts of your life, and shouldn't affect bodybuilding progress too much, as long as you are prepared for it.

Senior Apartment Sharing and VA Benefits

Seniors today have more to look forward to if they are willing to take advantage of options they have available to them. If you are willing to share an apartment with another friendly senior you could possibly save and live very comfortable with unbelievable services provided to you.

Veteran Assistant is another program that can be available to certain individuals that have been in the military or have had a spouse in the military. You can take advantage of these benefits and if you live share an apartment with another person your rent could possible be around $700.00 a month with wonderful services included.

I know it sounds very good but few people take advantage of this option. It is something a person has to apply for and few people do. As we get older we start to think of how we are going to spend out later years.

If you are like a number of people that will start drawing Social Security in the next few years it might not be enough to support a way of life you have become accustom to while working. Your SS may only be $900.00 dollars and this might be an option to live in the finest up to date retirement possible.

Keep in mind everything in included in your rent. When I say everything I am speaking of rent, dining, entertainment, socializing, fitness and other things, but your phones are your expense.

All this included gives you some money to get other things taken care of that might be extras you desire or you might still have some credit cards to pay off.

If you are interested in making your life easier as you age, then you owe it to yourself to look into senior apartment sharing and VA benefits. You, your parents, relatives or friends may be looking to conserve their savings. They might be trying to figure a way to make ends meet when they retire. Don't rule out options that can help you get more out of life.

It's Simple, Kinda

Have you ever had one of those days when you knew that getting out of bed was the biggest mistake you have ever made? Yesterday was one of those days for me.

My son is studying government in school, which in itself is not distressing. What is distressing is the fact that he arrived home from school yesterday and asked me to explain the Electoral College system to him.

I fear that the four hours it took to explain the basics has shortened my already depleted life span. Besides the fact that I was a heavy drinker, I smoke and consider salad to be an appetizer. I also think exercise is for people with no sense of humor. As you can see, I am not a candidate to live to be 200 years old.

Still, I needed to do my job as a father and try and make my son, who has trouble with "turn the light off when you leave the room" understand the system we use to elect our president.

The main problem people have with attempting to understand the Electoral College system is the fact that it was not meant to be understood. The men who conceived the system didn't even have a clue as to what they were doing, but it sounded good on paper, so they went with it. To prepare myself for the discussion, I went online and looked for the history of Electoral College. I found a twenty-page history of the election system which I was only able to access if I signed a waiver that held the author blameless if I were to experience spontaneous cranial explosion, the need to stick a fork in my brain, or the desire to run for political office. I decided to take my chances, but I hid all the forks.

It is possible, however unlikely, that you could read a history of the Electoral College system such as the one I found and come away with some sort of understanding. This was not the case with this report.

After reading all twenty pages, including the footnotes, I was more confused about our system of government than I was before having read it. The basic idea I ascertained, only after using a stapler on my tongue to restart my brain, was that the original framers of the Constitution not only thought that voters were cement heads, but also considered politicians to be crooks, much like themselves.

They feared that people would not vote for a candidate based on his specific platform, but instead vote for whoever held their short attention spans with promises of chickens in pots and so on. To quash all of their fears, they elected a committee whose job was to form a committee that would oversee a committee then report back to the committee about who should be on the committee. Once this was finished, half of them were dead (cranial explosion) and the other half came up with Electoral College.

The end result was each state was issued a certain number of Electoral votes. Today, states have between 3 and 55 electoral votes depending on population, average net worth of residents, and how many hotels offer discounts for extra-marital affairs with interns.

The electors vote the state's given amount of electoral votes depending on how the people of the state vote. The candidate who receives the most electoral votes wins the election and proceeds to the White House to accept blame for everything that is wrong with the world.

After I regaled my son with all of the inner workings of our government and election system, he stood up, went and got his mother, and informed her that either I had had a stroke or I was hitting the bottle again.

Credit Scores Are Not Universal

In other words, you could pull your credit score from all three credit bureaus and find that they not only don't match each other, they won't match the FICO score that your lender accesses. "This is becoming a real problem -- a lot of people simply don't know the difference between FICO scores and other scores," said Ginny Ferguson, co-owner of Heritage Valley Mortgage of California. "They think it's all the same."

Many borrowers meet the lender, only to find that their FICO scores are 50 to 100 points lower than the generic score found online. Credit scores are often referred to as FICO scores. This is actually a company, Fair Isaac Corp., which developed the scoring system used by the mortgage industry. FICO scores range from 300 to 850. The higher a borrower's score, the less of a risk they pose to the lender.

There are several different types of commercial scoring models available through the internet. However, most lenders will use only FICO scores to price their mortgages and loans. Many borrowers are surprised when they go to the lender with a generic score, to find the lender says their FICO is much lower. "The consumer assumes the broker did something to make their scores worse," said Ferguson. "And, of course, that is not the case."

Ferguson says that the typical FICO score is below that of the generic internet score. She says that despite what is found on the internet, the lender will go with the FICO reported by their source. Fair Isaac has started taking notice of the disparities. In it's own research, it found that FICO scores can be as much as 200 points lower than other scoring models.

Many credit scoring sites contain fine print that points out that the score is not "a FICO score." Others say that they are an example of how you could be viewed by a lender. Advisors say that keeping track of your credit score is an important aspect of financial management. Consumers should understand that most scores are just an estimate of where they are credit-wise.

Your New Baby - Take Time To Burp Baby Well

A new mother has a lot of emotions and one of them is worry. You will worry about your baby eating, crying, sleeping and everything else. You will be excited but you may not feel confident about being a new parent and you will have many other emotions that are common to childbirth and the hormonal changes that you will be experiencing.

Some things you will know because of your motherly instincts. You will be getting plenty of advice from well meaning friends and family, but keep in mind that each child and family is different. What works for one mother may not work for another. What you will need to do is take the advice and use it to make your own decisions that will work for your family.

If this is your first baby you may not trust yourself to make the right decision all the time. Besides family and friends there are hundreds of baby books that supply all kinds of information about child development. You should absolutely ask your pediatrician about any health concerns you have, but when it comes to general topics there are lots of places to get information.

The most basic concerns that mothers should be focusing on especially on their baby's first couple of weeks are feeding and sleeping. Your new baby will sleep a lot of the time and wake for feedings at first. Formula or breast milk will supply your infant with all the nutrients he/she needs. You will however need to measure and properly prepare the formula.

For your baby's comfort you need to be sure that you take time and properly burp your baby. This one oversight alone can cause your baby to cry and lose a lot of sleep. Often times a baby may not burp right away, but it is essential that you keep trying. When it is feeding time for infants, give the baby an ounce or two then burp. If your baby is not crying for more right away, take a break for a diaper change and talk to and play with baby. This time will usually last no longer than about 20 minutes then it will be time to finish the feeding. If you are breastfeeding your baby do this when you have finished feeding from one side.

While you are playing with and before you start feeding again, try to burp the baby. You should always use a burp cloth or something else because babies will most likely spit up a little when they burp. This is perfectly normal and breastfed babies may be more difficult to burp. If your baby is spitting up more than about a tablespoon of formula with each burp, or is projectile vomiting a simple change of formula could be all that is needed. However, this is something you want to call the doctor about right away. Do not change formulas without talking to your pediatrician.

At first your new baby will need to be fed every two to four hours. It is important that you realize if the baby cries in between feedings there could be problems. It could be that the baby needs to be burped or just needs to shift positions. You will be able to tell the difference in your baby's cries and will know when they are in pain from a gas bubble. Remember that a baby's stomach is about the size of their fist, so do not over feed them; this will cause discomfort and could cause them to spit up a lot. Taking time to properly burp your baby will help them sleep better also.

Thyroid Natural Cure - Different Options to Consider

The most effective remedy for thyroid is body cleansing. Thyroid diseases are often caused by overlooked health needs because of hectic lifestyles. In order to cure thyroid ailments, the patient should dedicate his or herself to live healthy.

Since thyroid disorders mainly slow down metabolism, an excellent low calorie diet and exercise are the must-dos. It takes a lot of discipline to strictly follow a low calorie diet. But as a patient who suffers from thyroid disorders, he or she has to do it so that effects such as constipation, headache, dry skin and abnormal anger outbursts can be avoided. It is a relative fact that the tastiest foods on the planet are high in calories.

Sweets, rice, fried food, salami, cookies and potato chips among others, are examples of high calorie foods that people love to eat. However, there are ways to maintain a low calorie diet without having to fully miss out on tasty foods. Pasta or brown rice for example, can be substitutes for the regular white rice while lean ham and Canadian bacon can be alternatives for salamis. If a patient has an enormous sweet tooth, he or she can cheat it by having frozen yogurts instead.

Following a low calorie diet is important because it avoids more exertion for the body to metabolize and thus lessens the strain for the thyroid gland. In other words, minimal work means minimal effort. There are certain foods that specifically help cure thyroid disorders and these are, milk, cheese, soya beans, black walnut, coconut oil, among others. It is advised to eat these foods as much as a patient could in order to recover faster. Vices such as alcohol drinking and smoking are advised to be stopped because the main idea is healthy living. Alcoholic drinks are high in calories to begin with and smoking, aside from being harmful, will just weaken a patient's cardio, which he or she needs for working out.

Sports activities are deeply encouraged for thyroid disorder patients. Being active will help them burn more calories and boost digestion. An active lifestyle is healthy in general. It does not only serve as a remedy for thyroid, but it also helps the patient get distracted from dwelling on the disease and its effects. It will also be fantastic if the patient, after getting cured of thyroid will be able to maintain the healthy lifestyle, not only will it stop diseases from coming, but it will also make his or her life generally better.

Colorado Skiing Vacation Deals

When your deciding on where you would like to go for your skiing vacation this season one word stands out above all the rest, Colorado. Colorado is pretty much synonymous with snow, and lots of it.

The Rocky Mountain State is famous for having 54 mountain peaks that reach over the 14,000 foot mark. When your flying in Denver International Airport it you at a look at the airport design it has a white canvas like covering with peaks and troughs representing the 54 peaks of Colorado. This is really the ultimate ski destination with no fewer than 18 world class ski resorts: Arapahoe Basin, Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Buttermilk, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Durango, Eldora Mountain, Keystone, Loveland, Monarch, Silverton Mountain, Snowmass, Steamboat, Sunlight Mountain, Telluride, Vail, Winter Park, Wolf Creek.

Probably my favorite part is the fact that Colorado gets over 300 days of sunshine a year. So more than likely you'll be skiing the finest champagne powder in the world in beautiful sunshine. Don't forget all the resorts get at least 300 inches of fresh snowfall a year. So no matter what your looking for: Alpine downhill ski racing, snowboarding terrain parks, crazy jumps and cliffs, gentle bump runs or big open bowls Colorado has what you need. Now getting good deals here is all a matter of prework.

The way to really save money is to arrange your trip as a whole package including airfare, lodging, equipment rentals, and perhaps a vehicle. This way you save money for the larger purchase and you only have one entity to deal with if something goes amiss. The worst thing you can do is wait till you arrive to try and find deals on lodging, and ski rentals. On a final note remember to have fun and relax, skiing is one of the best ways to spend your hard earned vacation time.

Reducing Your Flood Insurance Premium

How much of your property is covered by your insurance policy? Have you limited the cover of some contents of your house to cut the cost of your insurance premium? Only when emergencies arise like flooding and you find all your precious possessions float away or get damaged right before your eyes, and you get an amount that is not enough to cover all your losses or have your house rebuilt , you will realize that cutting costs is not a good idea after all.

However, there are hundreds of ways to reduce your insurance premium. The rule is not to tie yourself to the very first insurance provider that comes your way. There are so many insurance companies in the United Kingdom that you can choose from. Take the time out to get as many quotes as possible so you can compare their features and get a cheaper premium.

The next thing you can do is to come up with necessary measures to secure your home. Floods can not be prevented but you can do something to reduce the risk of damage to your home and the contents. You can not relax and leave everything to your flood insurance provider, most especially if your house is located in a flood zone area.

When you have made measures to secure your home and property, your insurance company will see that you have made preventive measures and see you as a better risk. Then they may lower the premium quotes. Look out for special offers and bonuses some insurance providers will be offering to their clients from time to time. Some insurance providers may even offer discounts on certain policies and this is something you also have to keep an eye on.

If the house and the contents you acquired are under mortgage, chances are your mortgage lender may provide the flood insurance for your property for them to feel safe that their investment is protected but you still have a choice to shop around for an insurance company which can give you the best deal.

If you make your own choice, the mortgage lender may also have to check and approve the flood insurance policy you chose. They may check the policy details to see that your property is in good cover when emergencies arise.

Again, take time to browse and shop around for several quotations before you make your decision. You can navigate through the web for all the insurance providers in your area. If you have sifted through your search, make a call and get additional information.

If you have several quotations already and you still have not decided on one who offers the most reasonable flood insurance premium and can satisfy your needs, you may also consider paying a higher excess. This can be a cheap way to get an excellent policy, but at a reduced price. Paying a larger excess, in the event of an emergency is a small price to pay when you consider the sums involved in recovering the total value of your property and possessions.

Questions When Considering Business Loans

If you are looking to get loans for your business you will want to understand some of the basic steps to get started. Before you even start to look at how to get a loan you should ask yourself two questions. One, do you really need one? Are there other better options, such as venture capital or borrowing from family or friends that you should consider first? Two, are you being realistic about how much you need to borrow. There is a tendency to concentrate on how much you are able to borrow, and not how much you should. Just because you get approved for $100,000 doesn't mean you should. What will you spend the money on, how will you repay the money, and how much value will this add to your company? These are the questions you should ask yourself.

If you decide that pursuing loans is a good idea for your company, you need to see if your company has the capacity to borrow, or if it does not have enough of a credit score and you will have to guarantee the money borrowed yourself. If you do have to personally guarantee the loan, is this activity worth the personal risk? How much confidence do you have in the success of your plans and your ability to repay what is owed. If you aren't willing to take this risk, you shouldn't borrow any money.

How does the amount borrowed affect the interest rates you can get for loans? Sometimes quite a bit, it may seem counter intuitive but if you want to borrow more money often you must pay a slightly higher interest to offset the risk. This isn't because they expect any one company to fail at repayment, but because they consider you a small piece of a pool of borrowers, some of which will default, and some will repay in full.

How to Paint Your Garage Door

You may not remember just how good your garage door looked the day it was first installed. This is because over the years it has inevitably been worn down by time and the elements. Sun and wind, rain and snow can all take their toll. Your door may be rusty from the wet, faded from the sun, and has probably been repeatedly frozen and thawed during the winter. All of this has its effect over the exterior appearance of the door.

To realize how worn out your door is all you need to do is look at a picture of it when it was new. The contrast would be obvious. What once was bright and clean is now weathered and old. Furthermore, if you have peeling and chipping paint then a metal door may be beginning rust. The paint acts as a sealant, and with water getting in you will soon have a problem on your hands. But do not despair because you have a solution at hand.

To get your garage door ready to paint, first wash it with water and detergent. Scrub it if you have to. Once you've got it clean let it dry for several hours. Then you need to check for rust, peeling paint or anything else that would prevent you having a smooth surface to paint over. Use a steel brush to remove anything that shouldn't be there. After that you will unfortunately have to wash it again to get rid of any debris remaining, and again let it dry until it is completely dry.

Begin with painting on a coat of primer. This will help the paint spread and cover better. You can use a special acrylic paint that is especially made for garage doors. You can paint it by hand, but a spray gun will give you the best consistency and coverage. Use long, even strokes and let each layer of pain dry for at least day before putting on another one. The final touch to your door is panting on the top coat in the color of your choice.

With a couple of cans of paint and a few hours of work you can save yourself the expense of a new door. Your entire house will look fresher and newer and you will have protected your garage door against the elements for years to come. If only all problems were so easy to solve!

What Does It Take to Make Money Online?

What a loaded question! Let's narrow that down a bit and take it from the perspective of someone who wants to work from home and make money online in a home business. That will make it an easier question to answer. Let's assume you've never had a website, don't know how to get a merchant account, don't know html, and are pretty much stuck with being an expert on sending and receiving email.

What's there for you to do online to make money? Lots, in fact! These days are not at all like a couple of years ago or even six months ago. If I only had all the opportunities to make money online when I started marketing!

Here is a list of things you can do with just a website and a hosting account today:

Sell affiliate products (products like reports, ebooks, hard goods of every conceivable make, model, size, shape and function, and much, much more). Sell services (do you know how big a business being a Virtual Assistant is these days? It's quite amazing what you can do for people without ever meeting them face-to-face, anywhere in the world!) Online auctions (Ebay has made thousands and thousands of people full-time incomes from auctioning collectibles, antiques, and even brand new equipment and gadgets of all imaginable types. You name it, it has been sold on Ebay!) Membership sites: Know of any groups of people that would love to get insider information on virtually any topic? You could make money online with a membership site!

The list is a long one and one I am not prepared to detail here. You have found your way onto the net and if you have been surfing for very long at all you know it is a gigantic super shopping mall. Who to you think is making the most money online? Aside from big corporations, most of the web is made up of sites put up by little businesses people work from home.

I sell information and I love it. Most of the products I sell are other merchants' products. I just drive traffic to my site, provide information, and point to relevant products related to the information I provide people looking for a way to make money online. I love helping people make their first few sales.

After that, they are always hooked and cannot do enough to learn everything there is to know about how to make money online. Many people I have worked with now have a couple to several websites selling everything from reports to hard goods that can be shipped direct to their customers. Most people start out to make money online as affiliates of certain products or authors. This is a great way to get your feet wet and learn what making money online is all about. People then either work to create their own products (which they get 100% of the profits from) or expand their website into other related niches.

Ouija Board History and Origins

What is a Ouija Board?

A Ouija board consists of a flat surface printed with letters, numbers, and other symbols, to which a planchette or movable indicator points.

The Ouija board has two arced rows of letters, one above the other. The upper row goes from A to M, and the lower row runs from N to Z. Under these is a row with numbers One through Zero. On the upper left of the board is the word Yes, and at the upper right, the word No. Close to the bottom of the board is Goodbye.

A tiny three legged heart-shaped device rests on the board, which moves smoothly over the board's surface. The fingers of 2 participants are placed on the planchette that then moves about the board, purportedly on its own power, to spell out messages.

The Ouija board does not have a straightforward history, there are several varied hypotheses.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century the first genuine ouija board was invented. There is significant disagreement as to who actually invented it - names brought up include Elijah Bond, E.C. Reiche and Charles Kennard.

The first patent for the Modern class of talking boards was registered in 1890 and listed Elijah Bond as the inventor with Charles W. Kennard and William H. A. Maupin as assignees.

Charles Kennard and associates set up the Kennard Novelty Company and began to produce and sell Ouija Boards commercially.

The rights to ouija board production were sold to Parker Brothers who own them to date. It is interesting - if not slightly dismaying - to think that what began as an instrument for spiritualists, psychics and mediums can be bought today as a children's toy.

History and Origins of the Ouija Board

You slowly walk up and sit down to the dimly-lit dusty table with a mysterious board with letters of the alphabet, numbers zero through nine and the words yes and no on opposite ends. Sitting on top is a triangular wooden planchette. You place your hands on the indicator, close your eyes, take a breath, and ask the question. Suddenly your hands start moving without personal provocation, spelling out the answer to your question. The hair on the back of your neck sits up on end and you shudder to the event as a lone tear drops from your left eye... how could it know?

You have just experienced your first Ouija board - a paranormal means of contacting the spirit world! Also known as a talking or spirit board, the Ouija board itself is not but one hundred and fifty years old, but the practice of using talking boards date back in China over three thousand years.

Throughout the years, the basic concept of the Ouija board has not changed - typically with a few images of night / day and good / evil with letters of the alphabet, the numbers zero through 9 and both yes and no. Either by yourself or with a group, you would place your hands on the planchette, and ask a question out loud or let the spirits guide you to an answer.

Separately, the planchette was sold by itself as novelty in the mid 1800s. It was a simple device with coaster feet and a pencil attached to allow the spirits that were guiding you to draw or write out messages. It was not until 1891 when two businessmen, Elijah Bond and Charles Kennard, got the idea to group the planchette and the board together to first patent the modern talking board as a novelty parlor game. Instead of using a pencil, they would attach a point indicator that would direct the users. William Fuld, for whom the rights to the game were given by the first two inventors, did not add the name Ouija until 1901. Long after Fuld's death, the rights to the Ouija board were sold to the Parker Brothers who, to this day, still hold the rights and patents.

The origin of the name is not entirely known, but most believe it is made of the French word "oui" which means 'yes' as well as the German word "ja" also meaning "yes".

Selecting a Cruise Line For the Family Vacation Trip

Cruise ships have been operating with great success for quite a lot of years. Countless families enjoy experiencing their summer vacations on a luxury cruise ship. Often times though, even more families don't look at it as being an option for themselves. For anybody who is hoping for a different and exciting way of spending the family vacation this year, you might want to look at going on a family cruise.

Unfortunately, there are lots of people who automatically assume that luxury cruise ships usually aren't family friendly. This is a long way from being true. You and your family might be passing up one of the finest opportunities you could ever experience. Considering there are many cruise lines to select from, with each one featuring various trips and ports of call, you are sure to find one that will offer the perfect voyage for your family vacation.

Only some of the different family pursuits to be enjoyed aboard a cruise liner consist of great meals, movies, and swimming. Many additional amusements should be offered. The family oriented activities offered on a luxury cruise vacation normally are dependent on the particular cruise line. Together with activities for your entire family, a lot of cruise lines provide entertainments which are developed mainly for youngsters. While your youngsters are engaging in these closely watched, entertaining pursuits, you may be savoring a little time to yourself.

Childcare is another of the numerous advantages of choosing a family cruise vacation. Practically all luxury cruise ships include daycare. Whenever you are journeying with young kids, these daycare centers will also let you have time to spend by yourself or with your spouse. Childcare facilities are frequently offered at no cost. It is possible to drop your kids off and be on your way to doing something relaxing in very little time at all.

You need to do some groundwork if you would like to learn more concerning the family entertainment and recreation provided aboard a luxury cruise ship. This investigation can easily be done on the internet by looking at a number of different cruise lines. More than likely you will notice that there are quite a few vacation cruise ships developed specifically for families with young children while researching. You undoubtedly do not have to restrict yourself just to family oriented cruises, but you may decide that they will be beneficial and meet your requirements.

You might decide to consult with a travel adviser to uncover a family cruise, instead of undertaking all of the work on your own. An experienced travel broker can do an evaluation, and schedule your next family cruise line getaway, for a small cost. In addition to compiling data on family cruise vacations, the travel agent is also likely to give you a satisfaction guaranteed policy. These types of policies are designed to assist you or provide you with a monetary return if your vacation is not what you were led to expect, or a total flop. The chances that this will occur is going to be quite low.

If you are unable to budget for the service of a travel adviser, you should manage to reserve your own cruise vacation on the internet. Numerous favorite cruise lines, which include Carnival, Celebrity, Disney and Royal Caribbean. feature online websites. These web pages can be used to check out the actual recreation aboard a specific ship, review the fees associated with making your reservation for a voyage, and to get online reservations. Making your own reservation for your family cruise vacation is a very good method to use to find the perfect cruise line for all your family members, plus spend less cash at the same time.

Even if you book your own family cruise holiday, or you go with the professional aid of a travel agent, you are likely to delight in your vacation cruise. Actually, a lot of families enjoy the family holiday they had aboard a cruise ship so much, many decide to go again for their next vacation.