Archive for March, 2009
03.30.09
Posted in Fun + Enjoyment, Gambling Capers, Online Games at 10:08 am by admin
Being aware of calling patterns whie playing online poker is essential to knowing who to bluff and when to bluff him. Take a look around you and see where players’ folding thresholds are.
The easiest pattern to identify when playing casino games like poker is the player who calls to see the flop, and then folds immediately if it’s not what they were looking for. He will pay to see the flop, but it’s not worth it to him to continue if he doesn’t pair up with anything. This is great for you, because you can feel him out with a raise after the flop. If he’s got a hand, he’ll call you or raise, but if he’s not, you’ve got the pot.
Another calling style when playing poker online is the player who will call on the before and on the flop, usually because the bets are small, and it’s worth it to them to chase draws. His threshold is the turn. If he doesn’t like the turn when it comes out, he’s gone. If you recognize this player, place a bet after the turn and see if he still wants to lay. If he’s got a hand, he’ll call and you know to fold, but if it doesn’t help him, you’ve got it.
Of course, there’s also the player who will chase the hand all the way to the river. If the river doesn’t make him happy, though, he’s bound to fold to a good raise.
Pay attention to the players that surround you and try to find one of these tendencies. Once you notice a player sticking to one of these patterns, you’ll be able to beat them with any hand.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 5:44 am by admin
Fresh Fare From The Food Isle - Ireland Cuisine
Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com
Read this entire feature FREE with photos at
http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/food/ireland/salmon/salmon.html
It has been said that in the early 1980s Irish cuisine started to change for the better. Always blessed with naturally wonderful ingredients, chefs started a revolution incorporating nouvelle cuisine, flavors and techniques of the world, and then all roads leading to a new level of ever evolving spectacular Irish fare.
As this was my first trip to Ireland, a primary gauge was the five pounds this extremely picky eater gained in less than two weeks without ever drinking a Guinness! Outstanding game, grass fed beef, fresh vegetables and fruits, outstanding cheese and dairy (hmmm double cream, Irish butter), and as one is always close to the sea, rivers, and lakes providing pristine fish and seafood.
Féile Bia is an Irish food organization with a commitment to quality. Their program emphasizes the importance of where food comes from before it reaches the hotels, restaurants, pubs and workplaces throughout Ireland.
Féile Bia organized with the Restaurants Association of Ireland, the Irish Hotels Federation and the support of the farming community in response to growing consumer concerns about the quality and origin of food offered when dining out. An issue we should all be concerned about wherever we live.
Members provide details confirming the quality and origin of the food used in their kitchens. Féile Bia participants are committed to sourcing meat, chicken and eggs from recognized Quality Assurance Schemes and gladly supply any customer requests for country of origin information.
Chefs and consumers throughout Ireland take care and pride in using products grown, raised and produced locally. One of those we visited was the Burren Smokehouse.
Burren Smokehouse
The Burren Smokehouse is located in the legendary County Clare town of Lisdoonvarna, on Ireland’s west coast, a family run organization started in 1989 by Peter Curtin, a local man and his Swedish wife, Birgitta. Lisdoonvarna is also home to the world’s best-known matchmaking festival that you can check out at www.matchmakerireland.com/festival. It is a picturesque and historic stop popular with tourists any time of year. The town and Burren are totally free of industrial pollution so prevalent and makes this the cleanest environment in all of Western Europe.
After researching the smoking traditions of Ireland they patented their own process. Nearby the Curtin family has owned the Roadside Tavern for about the last 100 years also the first place to serve their smoked salmon. Their belief in the finest quality food products, customer care and a great group workers ensures a continuous high standard.
We made our stop first at their Visitor Centre to watch the video showing how salmon is smoked, starting from filleting to finished product. The program is available in English, German, French, and Italian; the centre has space for about 50 people. We were able to test a little wine and several varieties of smoked products with additional explanations by Birgitta. Actually we loved it all except for those of us too “chicken” to try the eel. The smoked cheese was also wonderful.
According to Irish mythology (of which there is no end) only one creature was wiser than man. This was the fabled “Salmon of Knowledge” which had fed upon the acorns of the Tree of Knowledge. It was said that whoever tasted of the salmon would inherit its wisdom and foresight.
Salmon Sensations!
An old man had devoted his life to capturing the prized fish. Having finally achieved his goal, he entrusted the preparation and cooking to his young apprentice, with a warning that he must not taste its flesh. But, while cooking the salmon it got very hot and blistery. The boy touched those blisters and burnt his finger. To relieve the pain, he placed his finger in his mouth thus becoming the first to taste the fish and to benefit from its magical powers.
The boy was Fionn MacCool, who later became the great warrior prince of ancient Ireland. Fionn devoted his life to the spreading of wisdom.
The Curtin’s carefully source local raw materials for the Burren smoked salmon, trout, mackerel, eel, and cheese with control quality standards and regular testing from independent laboratories and inspections by certification organizations.
In the store and online, they sell high quality locally produced crafts including leatherwork, knitwear, pottery, woodwork, jewelry, CDs, and books of local interest. There is also a full gourmet selection of locally produced fine foods, including Burren’s own specialties. Select from cheeses, jams, chocolates, and a fine selection of wines to remind you of your visit to Clare. I carried home a huge slab of the smoked salmon and shared it with my neighbors and friends much to everyone’s delight.
After checking out the samples we walked perhaps 200 feet to the Curtin’s Roadside Tavern for a little “shake off the chill” libation and to mix with the locals.
Burren Smokehouse ships within Ireland and to countries all over the world with Japan as one of their biggest markets.
The Burren Smokehouse
Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, Ireland
Tel: +353 (0) 65 7074432
www.burrensmokehouse.ie
When you’re home try this simple but tasty recipe for using your Burren’s Smoked salmon:
Drimcong House Restaurant
Moycullen, Co. Galway
Warm Smoked Salmon Salad:
8 slices smoked salmon
Mixed lettuce leaves, shredded
For the dressing:
50g (2 oz) fresh spinach leaves
100ml (4 oz) sunflower oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
tsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt and black pepper
Warm Smoked Salmon Salad.
Directions -
Read this entire feature FREE with photos at
http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/food/ireland/salmon/salmon.html
By Mary Gallagpher - Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com
About the Author
Mary Gallagher - Join the Travel Wrtiers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com
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03.28.09
Posted in Assistance, Shopping Hall at 3:29 pm by admin
You’re bed is the most crucial feature in your bedroom, because with no bed in your bedroom, what do you call it?. Choosing the correct bed will aid you get a better nights rest. The look of your bed is also important as this will help you relax and hopefully send you into a deeper sleep. There is many styles of beds, and these can be made from all kinds of material but mainly it is wood, leather and metal.
If you are looking for a new bed frame that is both inexpensive and hard wearing then you really should take a look at a pine bed. not only are they inexpensive but there are many different types of pine beds and each is useful in it’s very own way. Whether it’s a cabin bed frame for the youngsters or a guest bed frame if you have guest over, hell even if it’s just a normal double bed a pine bed is a great solution.
A bed made from pine is the perfect kind of bed for youngsters, this is because youngsters can tend to break things and with that in mind it in all likelihood doesnt seem wise to spend a ton of cash on a kids bed frame. So if you want a bed for our youngsters then go get a sturdy pine bed (I like the pine bunk beds, or even a cabin bed frame would be great for youngsters).
So what are you waiting for? If you want a inexpensive reliable bed frame then there reall is no other option than a pine bed frame
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Posted in Blogger News at 11:10 am by admin
There seems to be a huge craze lately with everyone trying to blog and ping to get their websites indexed into the search engines. Although this can be a great tool, all marketers should first understand exactly what they’re getting themselves into before starting.
This article is to serve as a beginners guide to getting started with blogging and pinging.
1. What is a blog?
A “blog” is short for “web log.” A web log is an online diary or journal. The main aspect blog is that it is frequently updated - at least once a week, sometimes every day or even more.
Since blogs are regularly updated, they tend to carry more value than regular static HTML pages (in some cases).
2. What is a ping?
A ping is a program that sends out a brief request for a response from another computer or server. When you ping on the Internet, you send out a program to see if a remote server is responding.
3. How do bloggers use pings?
Two main reasons to use pings with blogs: First and foremost is to let the search engines know that you have updated your website so they can send their spiders.
Secondly, pings also update the websites on the internet who are using your blog on their site (through a feature called RSS feeds, they are displaying your messages on their site).
4. So what is the big deal about blogging and pinging?
Smart affiliate marketers use blogging and pinging to help get their sites crawled and indexed by the search engine spiders a lot quicker than they normally would.
They set up a blog either on their main site or on a sub-domain of their site. They then post links to their product pages on their blog and send out a ping to all the major servers on the Internet.
That ping says “This site has fresh content, time to go add it to your database!” It’s a trigger that sends the search spiders looking for updated pages on your site. When they find the new pages, search engines tend to index them much faster.
Blogging and pinging will not get you into EVERY search engine overnight. As of this writing, it is most effective with getting into Yahoo. But often MSN, and even Google, will follow in short order.
Combine blogging and pinging with good link recruiting for the best indexing.
Also, blog and ping on a regular basis if you want to “stay” indexed in the search engines.
6. Is blogging and pinging a requirement to get indexed?
No. You can get indexed quickly by getting plenty of natural backlinks. But for backlinks to be most effective, they have to appear as if they were natural and this can take weeks if not months. Blogging and pinging does seem to drastically shorten the process.
7. Is there a downside to blogging and pinging?
Yes, some marketers are starting to abuse this strategy and the engines are getting wise to it! If you go over-board you risk getting your website completely banned and removed.
Also, many marketers are blogging and pinging for a few days and then forgetting about the website - your website will likely be de-indexed if you do not continue to naturally blog and ping.
The bottom line is that blogging and pinging is a great strategy right now to help you get your website indexed faster. However, the old natural way of getting incoming links is still the best and most assured way - not to mention the long-term benefits of having incoming links.
If you have not yet started blogging and pinging, I suggest you start with a practice website first, not your main website.
Copyright 2005 Kurma Group
This article has been authored by Anik Singal, an extremely successful and young internet entrepreneur and affiliate marketing consultant. Anik has developed his own affiliate marketing system that helped him earn over $10,466 in 60 days - he is now training select students on his system.
http://www.AffiliateClassroom.com/free-course.html
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Posted in Automobiles, Finance, Insurance + More at 10:06 am by admin
TX Insurance Policy Requirements
- Bodily Injury Liability (one person): $25,000 Limit
- Bodily Injury Liability (all persons involved):$50,000 Limit
- Property Damage Liability: $25,000 Limit
*As of 04-01-2008,these higher requirements went into effect
When you’re involved in an accident in Texas, their insurance laws state that one person must always be found to be at fault. The insurance company and the person blameful are then held accountable to compensate for damages. This observes the principles of the tort system - a system that has varying rules depending on the state.
To have better insurance protection, you can opt for uninsured/underinsured auto insurance coverage. This auto insurance coverage option compensates for the financial expenses involved with bodily injury caused in an accident with an uninsured and/or underinsured driver. The state does not call for citizens to purchase this type of auto insurance coverage, but Texas motorists should look at utlizing this precious policy option.
With the average insurance rate in Texas at nearly $932, and the nationwide average at around a little above $900, a high number of motorists incorrectly assume that they have no choice but to accept that these Texas auto insurance prices defined by auto insurance firms and the government. Cyberspace is the best place to start looking for cheaper auto insurance rate quotes. There are many companies that permit you immediately look over quotes.
Sites like this can help you find the best rates, but there’s no guarantee that they can help. Insurance Expenses generally grow over the years. From 1999 - 2006, insurance insurance premiums did not lessening. Finally, in 2007, average insurance rates did go down, but by only about 1 prcent. 2008 also was able to show some decreases in expenses, however, they are expected to go up again in 2009 as the economy gets worse.
Texas insurance expenses get more expensive over the years. If you’re not keeping current on your own personal situation, you might not be getting the best insurance premiums available. In 2003, average expenses were $932. Just one year earlier, the average costs in 2002 was about $882, that’s an get more expensive of about 5.67% in just one year! Don’t waste your money paying high insurance costs, start saving now by requesting an online quote from multiple auto insurance rate comparison sites now.
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03.27.09
Posted in Life Of Media at 1:22 am by admin
In the time that has followed since the tragic events of September 11, we have seen numerous changes happening to us all.
These changes began with shock, disbelief and anguish and so overwhelmed us, that they made all work related issues seem trivial and personal relationship seem especially dear. And believe me, this hits very close to home with a wife who works in the cruise industry in the United States.
Those of us in the travel business began to see numerous cancellations of long planned holidays and vacations, mostly from fear and misunderstanding of security, schedule changes even with the combined will and effort of the cruise industry attempting to keep passengers traveling and enjoying the process.
Should you take a vacation? Should you travel? I think we North Americans pride ourselves on our freedom to travel and enrich our lives by interacting with cultures from all over. To cocoon and avoid travel allows those who seek to destroy our freedoms the power to bring us to our knees.
I believe that America will not stop travelling, it is in our blood. The key is to increase your knowledge of travel related issues and to understand how the process has changed. What follows is a synopsis of the changes you can expect to see for the near and distant future.
What can I expect at the airport? There are stricter security measures on airport employees, merchants, airline employees, and vendors that service the airports…and also on travelers. Expect the line that you are standing in to take longer than before. Plan for longer time at the airport to park, check-in, and get to departing gate. You may also experience some inconveniences and delays - please be patient.
There will be thorough searches of all airports and airplanes before passengers are allowed to enter the aircraft. You will be required to limit carry on baggage and to possess government issued photo identification, and as always, I strongly urge you to obtain a passport as the most important piece of identification. You may also notice additional uniformed law enforcement officers and canine teams patrolling airports - all to guarantee your safety.
What changes will you see regarding your cruise experience? Embark and Disembark may take longer due to additional security measures. Strict enforcement of required identification and nationality/travel papers. Boarding will be denied without presenting proper documents. Your documents must be original - no copies will be allowed.
Here are the Top Ten Cruise Traveler Tips
1. Purchase trip/vacation interruption insurance. Check with your travel agent as to the coverage benefits and limitations.
2. Review your cruise documents in advance for important guidelines and travel tips. Again check with knowledgeable cruise agents to ensure you are well prepared.
3. Prior to leaving home, call the airline - or check their website for flight arrival and departure information
4. Be at the airport early - 2 hours or more unless local circumstances dictate allowing a longer time. Security screenings will take additional time.
5. Minimize carry-on luggage OR be prepared to have them searched and suspicious items confiscated (nail files, scissors/clippers etc.) Please make sure luggage is clearly tagged with the complete color bag-tags provided with your documents.
6. Make sure necessary medical items are with you rather than in checked luggage.
7. Make sure you have your passport and other identification on your person - not in checked baggage.
8. Lower the stress level of “getting to the ship on-time” by arranging a pre-cruise land package. Consider coming in a day early - especially when flying a long distance to the cruise.
9. Expect delays and longer lines than usual - and be pleasantly surprised if they are not that bad.
10. Be patient - once on board your cruise, you will have the fantastic time cruising is noted for.
To be very practical consider that if you look at the damage on September 11, the total number of deaths on the airlines is 288 including crew and militants. I will guarantee you that since September 11 more than 288 people have lost their lives on America’s highways. It is estimated that greater than 34,000 will lose their lives traveling on the road and if you average that per day, 93 people daily will not make it to their destination via car. Flying is still the safest form of traveling.
This writer believes we have an obligation to continue the business of life, to live freely and to travel when and where we want within the constraints of common sense. To do other would suggest the terrorists have won.
Rest assured the cruise lines have made major changes in itineraries to place their ships in the safest and most enjoyable voyages possible. The Middle East itineraries may be eliminated for the duration but there are fantastic values on hundreds of other itineraries.
If you are concerned, sit down with a cruise expert and discuss your situation face to face to learn why cruising remains a safe, and enjoyable vacation and why now is the time to make your plans.
The good news today is that more people than are enjoying the hassle free way of cruising than ever before - securely!
Talk to your agent about price protection, deposits, penalties or lack of for cancellation and all the little details that will help assure a vacation like none other on earth. See you on board!
Sid Kaplan
Cruise Vacations Guide
Sid Kaplan has extensive experience in the travel business. He owned and operated a large retail cruise only agency in Canada and his wife has 25 years experience working for major cruise lines. Their website is Cruise Vacations Guide which offers advice and tips to those looking to create memorable cruise vacations. Shore excursion and land tour information is also provided. Cruise, hotel, car rental and vacation adventure booking online.
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03.26.09
Posted in Best Recreation Resources, Shopping Hall, Sports Center at 12:48 am by admin
Acquiring the correct fishing tools is an extremely important thing to consider when your are chewing over your next fishing outing. You need to let yourself the best items to fall into the “atmosphere” and receive the best benefits of fishing. Purchasing the correct tools will assist you in various ways. As you may know, the more gear you obtain the more exciting the fishing will be. One of the important questions you must ask yourself is, do you own all that you require prior to you heading out on your fishing expedition? To be victorious you would be prudent to make sure that your fishing excursion begins with loading up the right fishing gear. There are several different style of supplies and it predominantly depends on kind of location you will be fishing at, what kind of fish you are looking for & the style of fishing that you desire. Find great offers on ice hockey gear online today.
There are numerous sorts & styles of fishing reels that have a range of fees. If you are wanting to take part in professional fishing you will need to guarantee that your fishing items is intended for that type of use. Professional fishing calls for lots more hard-wearing fishing tools. Because professional fishing equipment demands 2 to 3 times the use they wear down much sooner. This certainly makes it much more sensible to pay put the extra cash straight up. There are an assortment of manufactured goods so that you can make a choice based on wants as well as what you can actually realistically afford.
The kind of fishing rod is also another significant part of the tackle that you will require. You may well need to think what make of rod that you will need for your fishing trip. Just as there are many different reels there is a variety of fishing rods also. Base your conclusion on the kind of fish that you are preparing to get.
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03.20.09
Posted in Better Psychology at 1:46 pm by admin
A personality quiz is a common test that we all go though from time to time. Not all of us understand that it’s not just a questionnaire. The difference between a personality quiz and an application form is essential. For example, if you are applying for a job and fill in both of them during the interview, the latter can tell your employer more about your education, job experience, and family status. While the first one can show what kind of person you are, how you are likely to act in any given situation, and whether your employer can trust you.
No matter how sure psychologists are about a personality quizzes they make it is not possible to totally predict anyone’s behavior no matter how sophisticated a test is or how educated the person who designed it was.
Let’s think of the factors that may influence your behavior in a certain situation:
- your surrounding
- your mood
- time of the day
- fear (or its absence)
- how much you have drunk yesterday (just as an example), etc.
Going back to the topic it is absolutely possible to succeed in your personality quiz. It is as clear as day - be your self!
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03.19.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:36 am by admin
Many a coffee aficionado would turn up their nose at the thought of adding flavorings to their beloved black beverage. But, if you’re not an aficionado, and you didn’t pay exorbitant amounts of money for single-estate specialty coffee beans, then why not indulge in trying some of the fine coffee flavoring syrups, or flavored coffee beans available today? To help you make the most of coffee flavorings, here is a summary of the things you should know before buying.
**Coffee Flavoring Syrups**
Generally sweet, and always indulgent, coffee flavorings such as vanilla, hazelnut or amoretto can be found bottled in the form of coffee syrups. Added after the coffee is brewed, the advantage of using these syrups over using pre-flavored coffee beans is that your grinding and brewing equipment does not become tainted by flavor extracts on the beans.
About the only rule when using syrups to make flavored coffee is “don’t overdo it”. Remember, the flavor should complement your favorite drink, rather than overwhelm it.
Here are some general guidelines to help you buy only the best coffee syrups:
- Brix - the word ‘brix’ is used to describe the solids content of a syrup. The higher the brix, the higher the concentration of sugar and flavoring in the liquid. Many high-quality coffee syrups have a brix between 60 and 70 - that is, 60-70% solids. Higher concentration syrups will cost more initially, but you use less so they will last longer.
- Flavor vs. Sugar - even though a brix of 62 indicates a high quality syrup, you can’t be sure of how much of the solids content is sugar and how much is flavor without checking the label and/or taste-testing the syrup. Some manufacturers promote their syrups as adding ‘flavor without sweetness’. Your personal preference will dictate whether you prefer the sweetness. If you normally take sugar, you might find you do not need to add sugar if the syrup is quite sweet. Be aware of very thick, sticky syrups - these may be disguising a poor flavor extract with an overdose of sugar.
- Sweetener - you will find most syrups are flavored with cane-sugar. Other popular sweeteners include fruit-juice and corn sugar. Syrups that use other than cane-sugar are generally not as sweet - something you may or may not prefer. In any case, look for the “all-natural” statement on the label if you want to avoid artificial sweeteners.
- Preservatives - some syrups are preservative-free. The flavor may benefit from this - just remember that the shelf-life of these syrups will be shorter than those with added preservatives.
Sugar Free or Low Carb - due to consumer demand, some companies are producing sugar-free coffee syrups. To be an informed consumer, you should check the label to determine whether these are unsweetened or artificially-sweetened and purchase according to your personal preference.
- Purpose - most syrups are general purpose, but some syrups will be labelled as baking, dessert or drink flavorings. They will vary in thickness, sweetness and flavoring depending on their purpose.
Once you get your syrup home, why not try:
- Combining syrups to create unique flavors
- Using syrups as dessert toppings
- Adding syrups to smoothies
- Adding syrups to soda water
- Using syrups as a glaze for meat or vegetables (fruit-flavored syrups are nice for this)
- Adding syrups to a salad dressing or vinaigrette
** Flavored Coffee Beans **
From caramel, to pumpkin pie, gingerbread, cinnamon or butterscotch, there are an abundance of pre-flavored coffee beans to sample and enjoy. Beans are generally flavored using essential oils, plant derivatives and other aromatic flavorings. The flavors are mixed with warm beans straight out of the roaster to ensure as much flavor as possible is absorbed by the bean. Most flavoring is 3% w/w (weight to weight) which is 1/2oz of flavoring to 1lb of coffee.
Here are some tips to help you buy only the best flavored coffee beans:
- You can tell the freshness of flavored beans by their appearance. Freshly flavored beans will appear glossy - very oily and wet.
- Be sure you are buying from a reputable coffee roaster to ensure your beans and flavorings are of a high quality. Some roasters may be adding flavor to low-quality beans thinking that their low-quality will be disguised by the flavoring. (This is usually not very successful - a bit like trying to cover up bad dessert with sugary syrup.)
Here are some reasons why you might prefer to try pre flavored coffee beans over coffee syrups:
- Aroma - the combination of the aromatic flavoring and the aroma of the bean itself can be quite exquisite. About 76 percent of taste is experienced through the nose, so the aroma makes for much of the flavored coffee experience. Consider it a kind of coffee aromatherapy.
- Sugar-Free / Low-Carb - most pre flavored coffee beans are flavored without using sugar. Even so, if sugar is contained in the flavoring, the amount of sugar in the final product is negligible. Being sugar-free also gives you the freedom to use sweetener of your choice.
** Making Your Own Flavored Coffee **
An inexpensive and more body-friendly (i.e. no sugar, no preservatives, no artificial anythings) way of adding natural flavor to your beans is to fill an airtight container with freshly roasted, whole beans. To the container, try adding any one or more of the following:
- Whole vanilla bean(s)
- Cinnamon Stick(s)
- Cloves and Nutmeg (use sparingly)
- Cardamom
- Citrus Peel (lemon or orange)
- Mint Leaves
- Alternatively, a simple sprinkle of cinnamon, or a dash of liqueur (Amaretto, Irish Creme) after your coffee is brewed can add the hint of flavor you’ve been craving.
About The Author
Shona Lynch
Here’s where you can get all the FREE information you need about coffee, coffee makers and machines and brewing: http://www.coffee-makers-cafe.com
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03.16.09
Posted in Life Of Media at 12:10 am by admin
Taking the advice of well-traveled cruisers is the best thing for first time cruise passengers to do. After all, why not learn from someone else’s mistakes or mishaps? Of course, you will still have a few of your own, but that is what makes your first cruising experience memorable.
You’ve got your cruise booked and are counting the days until you set sail. However, there are a few things for you to do before you even start to think about packing. Check with the cruise line to see what vaccinations, if any, are needed for your journey. You’ll have to make a trip to your doctor to get current on any shots.
While you are at the doctor, ask them about tips on staying healthy and avoiding the flu or colds before you depart for your cruise. It is no fun having to travel sick or canceling all together. Also ask about seasickness remedies. Some of these medications are prescription only.
Stock up on any other prescription medications just in case they are scheduled to run out during your trip. Often, insurance companies will make exceptions and allow a prescription to be refilled early if you are traveling with no access to a chain pharmacy. One last thing - get a letter from your doctor on official letterhead listing your prescriptions and stating that they were all legitimately prescribed for you. If you have to go through customs, a letter will sometimes keep you from being detained while your medication is inspected.
If you are on a special diet, let the cruise line be aware of this fact when you book your cruise. Most diets are easily accommodated, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. A few weeks before you depart, check in with the cruise line again to go over your reservations and special needs diet.
Pack a small first aid kit for those “just in case” emergencies. Include antacids and anti-diarrhea medications for those episodes of “Montezuma’s Revenge” that seem to strike no matter where you travel. Aspirin, antibiotic cream and aloe vera gel for sunburns also come in handy.
Stow away sunscreen, moisturizer and lip balm in your luggage too. When you are having too much fun outdoors, you tend to forget things like sunburn. Be sure to apply the sunscreen lotion before heading outdoors. Moisturizer and lip balm keep your skin soft. Sometimes the temperature changes from the cold air conditioner to the heat outside can wreak havoc on the skin and dry it out.
In addition to the sunscreen, protect your skin by wearing hats and sunglasses. When you are on the ship’s deck gazing at the waves, the sun’s reflection off the water can be pretty bright. The sunglasses will protect you from harmful UV rays from the sun. Of course, the hats will shield you from the sun’s rays and possible sunburn on your ears and face, two places that people sometimes forget to apply sunscreen lotion.
With the right preparation and precautions, you are well on your way to a healthy and happy first cruise. And when in doubt about something, ask your cruise line. They want to make sure your cruising experience is trouble-free. After all, they want you to sail with them again.
Kirsten Hawkins is a cruise and travel expert specializing in discount cruises and travel. Visit www.luxury-cruise-deals.com/ for more information on how to cruise the world for little or no money.
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