A Curly Cock

There's something different with this cock. He has curly feather. I saw him between several other chickens on a parking area of a factory outlet in my city. Perhaps they belong to the park guard :)

Read more...

6 Easy Ways to Find Cheaper College Textbooks

Read on for the best sources of cheap—and even free—required reading

A college student’s first vital lesson at college might come to light in the campus bookstore where, on average, textbooks cost a whopping $100 each! It just doesn’t seem fair to struggling college kids. However, the great thing about being a college student who thinks outside the box that is campus, is that you’ll naturally look for cheaper ways to attain your college textbooks for the years’ studies. However, if you’re not quite sure how to find them, keep in mind that professors are required to provide students assigned textbook list during course registration. This should allow you to get a good head start on hunting the required reading down before classes start next semester.

Look to the increasing number of ways to save on college textbooks by looking to textbook rental, free online versions that you can download for free, and save some money and paper by purchasing an e-reader and using electronic textbooks. Your first priority should be not to get ripped off by the college bookstore. Take for instance, a New York Times article from August 2011 stated that each year textbook costs grow an average of 6 percent that’s double the rate of inflation if you’re a brainy math student—which makes the cost of buying textbooks in 2011 around $1,000 for the year!</>

The best sources for cheaper college textbooks are:

1. Free downloadable versions

The great thing about the internet is that you can find almost everything you need for free. Look to sites like Google Books, where the creators have scanned thousands of textbooks into the database here. You might not find niche books for your classes, but if you’re an English or Philosophy major you might be in luck with more popular titles and classics.

2. Get an e-reader

If you’re eyes don’t bug out reading on an electronic screen, invest in an e-reader. It may cost you around $100 to $300 upfront, but it will pay off over the long run. Not only do digital textbooks cost about half the full retail price of printed ones—you’ll be doing your share to save the environment as well.

3. Rent your textbooks online

You can rent print versions of your required textbooks and have them conveniently shipped right to your door. Choose from new and used books for much less than buying them outright. Save the box and ship them back after you’re done with them. Online textbook rental companies like Rentscouter.com, Chegg.com and CampusBookRentals.com offer either free shipping or shipping for less than $4.00 both ways.

4. Hoof it to the library

You know that the campus library probably has a copy of the required texts for all classes, however, they probably don’t have multiple copies to meet the demand for free textbooks. If you get there early and are able to check out your textbook, photocopy it.

5. Buy your books used

You know that the sucker who paid in full for his brand new art history textbooks last year will be looking to make some money back on his investment this year. Buying and selling back used textbooks is a college traditional, and you can find a ton of reduced offers on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and probably on bulletin boards around campus.

6. Check out the Web-swap

Just like a traditional swap met, web swaps are popular among students because they connect you with other students offering to swap textbooks free. Look to web swaps like:

-Bookins.com

-Bookswap.com

-Collegeswapshop.com

-Swaptree.com

-Studentpirgs.org

Read more...

Why Contents Insurance is so Important

Everybody should take out contents insurance, even those who don't own their own home. If you were to lose all your furniture and belongings due to a fire, flood or storm damage it would be extremely costly to replace everything. Contents insurance also covers you from theft and will even protect you when your furniture and personal items are in transit if you move home. Your insurance will cover the removalists if there is any accidental damage.

Fire
Fires can start and spread quickly throughout a house. They can also start very easily. A lot of house fires start in the kitchen on the stove top because food that is cooking has been left unattended. House fires can also start because of faulty wiring. Other reasons fires start are because of candles left burning and even because of cigarettes that have not been put out properly. A fire will take hold of a room in seconds as there are many flammable things inside a normal home. The other reason you could lose your home due to fire is because of bush fires. With the fire season fast approaching you will need to consider contents insurance to protect yourself against fire if you live in a rural or area with bush land.

Flood
Recent floods in Queensland and rural Victoria have shown us the danger of flash flooding and how high water can rise. Once quiet creeks and rivers quickly turn into raging torrents and water levels can reach unbelievable levels very quickly. You need to have contents insurance to protect you against floods, especially if you live near a creek, river or lake or in a low lying area. You don't need to be near flowing water like a creek to end up being flooded out. Just getting an abnormal amount of rain can cause flooding. You need contents insurance to cover you against water damage that you might get from things happening like your washing machine overflowing and the water ruining your carpet.

Storm damage

Contents insurance will also cover you against storm damage. Storms can do a lot damage. Strong winds can cause tree branches to come down and even whole trees. If you have eucalyptus trees near your house you might want to think about either removing them or cutting back the branches that hang over your house as they are known for unexpectedly dropping branches. If you live in a northern state of Australia you are also at risk of property damage due to cyclones.

Theft
Your contents insurance will also cover you against theft. If anything is stolen then your insurance company will replace the item. As thieves go for luxury items, like jewellery and technical equipment, if you didn't have insurance these items might be something you just can't afford to replace. With insurance you can rest assured that if the worst happens you can easily replace things. Contents insurance also makes life that more convenient.

Moving house

If you happen to move house your contents insurance will cover your furniture and belongings from any damage done by the removalists. Usually the only time furniture gets damage is when it is handled, and that is when it is moved. Professional removalists generally don't have any problems but the unexpected can happen.
/image:clker.com/

Read more...

Creative Baby Gifts

There’s something about babies that just makes you want to hold them, and to give them a gift, though you don’t want to spoil them or they’ll go from being cute little angels to your worst nightmare. If you are in the market for a baby gift, be creative and give something that they are unlikely to already have, or at least something to encourage their positive development. The following baby gifts are fun and the baby will love them.

A Tent

A great gift for the family that enjoys going camping is to buy a mini tent for their baby. Just having the baby tent set up as a play area at home will be a great way to introduce the little one to tenting and will make it easier once they get old enough to go camping for real. Even if baby’s family aren’t camping types, having a mini tent to play in will be a great treat for the baby.

Personalised Baby Clothes

Make the baby feel extra special by buying some high quality baby clothes and then stitching their name on them somewhere. Whether you go for the big letters across the back or just a small name across the chest, it will be a very cute and original gift. This will also make it easy for the parent to find their baby’s clothes if they are hanging out with other little ones.

Music

Everyone loves music, especially kids, so having a wide variety of musical stimulus will be doing wonders for their little brain. Introducing babies to music early on in their lives has been show to be great for their overall development. Even just as a way to encourage a child to dance, it’s always a great idea to give the gift of music.

Paint

Offer to do it yourself or to pay for it to get done, either way getting the baby’s room painted is a great gift. It’s fun to get creative with the colour scheme in baby’s room and they will love having something interesting to look at as they lay there and take it all in. Some painting companies specialise in more creative paint jobs so have a look online and get inspired; you may just want to get some friends and family together and have a go yourself.

A Chariot

If the baby’s parents already have a good stroller, get them a chariot to attach to the back of their bike so baby can come out of rides too. It can be really hard for active parents to continue to find time to exercise when they have a baby, so finding a way to bring the little one along will be a godsend. Your chariot will be most appreciated.

Books

It will be a few years yet before the little one is reading on their own, though getting them books is still a great idea as it is important to be reading to the baby from day one. Try and find books with positive messages, as you obviously don’t want to be scaring the little darling.

Read more...

How to Care for Satin Sheets

Satin sheets: the epitome of bedding luxury and romanticism. The shiny, soft satin material invites sleepers to sweet dreams and romantic pillow talk.

But satin, just like any other type of bed linen, doesn’t stay clean forever. In fact, it actually requires more care than regular woven cotton or polyester sheets. Because of the weaving of satin and the different materials it comes in (acetate, polyester, nylon or silk), satin sheets demand more specialized care.

Everyday care

Avoid direct sunlight. Satin fades quickly in direct sunlight, especially if it’s made of silk or acetate. To avoid fading, put a comforter or blanket over the sheets close the blinds during the day or opt for polyester sheets, which have more stable colors.

Store properly. Storing satin sheets is different from regular sheets. You need to put your sheets in an airtight container and store it in a cool and dark place—usually with the rest of your bed linen. When you’re ready to use the sheets again, air them out for a few hours to retrieve their freshness.

Avoid heat. If your bed is right next to a wall with a heater, either move your bed or give up on the idea of satin sheets. Because the weaving is more fragile, the heat can break the fibers down and reduce the look and durability of your sheets. Acetate fabric is especially fragile to heat.

Don’t wear metal. Metal buttons or zippers can get caught up in the threads and make unsightly snags in the fabric. Wear cotton or satin pajamas that tie with cords or plastic buttons.

Washing and drying

Follow the care tag. Because satin bedding is so demanding, companies often add a care tag. Following these instructions is your best bet for the best care.

In the absence of a tag, follow these instructions:
· Wash in cold water by hand or in the delicate cycle
· Use a specialized detergent like Woolite or Forever New
· Shake to remove excess water (do not wring) and hang to dry
· Do NOT put in dryer, especially if the material is acetate. Heat is the worst enemy of acetate and even the gentle cycle will damage it.

Polyester and nylon are less fragile. To care for polyester or nylon satin sheets, use warm or cool water and don’t use too much detergent (go one line under what you would usually use for a load of the same size). Avoid bleach. You can even use the dryer at the lowest heat setting. You CAN hang polyester, but you CAN’T hang nylon, as the sun will damage any nylon fabric.

If you have silk… Silk is better off in the dry cleaning or hand washed, if you can’t afford a professional cleaner. Don’t wring silk and don’t line-dry it outside either.

To help keep your satin sheets fresh during storage, you can always add a sachet of mixed scented flowers in the container. It will help give your sheets a nice, fresh smell when you take them out again.

How do you care for your satin sheets? Any tips we haven’t mentioned?

Read more...

Reservoir nearby a Mud Volcano

To see the eruption better, click to enlarge

Today is my seventh day in Surabaya (East Java, Indonesia). Last Sunday morning, my husband and I fetched up my second brother and his wife at the airport. After chatted for a while, we decided not to go home straightly, but continued the journey to the location of mud volcano eruption at Porong, Sidoarjo (East Java, Indonesia).

We reached the place in one hour. Since the first eruption at May, 2006, it’s my first time to see it with my own eyes. This under ground mud volcano is commonly called as the Sidoarjo mud flow or Lapindo mud. It’s one of the biggest mud volcanoes in the world that created by the blowout of a natural gas well drilled by PT. Lapindo Brantas, although the company officials argued that it’s caused by a distant earthquake.

Though the recent spewing up mud volume has already decreased to the half of the amount at its peak (180.000 m3 of mud per day), I still can see it as the big disaster that has affected many people’s life around the area of 1.500 ha. This mud volcano located near the city that full of people, villages, houses, and factories; you can imagine how huge the effect is!

It’s expected that the flow will maintain for the next 25 to 30 years. Since November 2008, the Sidoarjo mud flow has been contained by levees. The visitors aren’t allowed nearing the gush point. We only saw it from a far distance.

Two reservoirs are made to receive the water from the mud lake. Last Sunday, I saw that only one lake that full of water. Seeing the flooded ruins really made me sad. Until now, there’s still a controversy about the real cause; the people around who suffered the most are still screaming for justice.Watery Wednesday
source:wikipedia

Read more...

Build a Safe and Fun Playground for Your Child

There’s no doubt that the technology has given advantages and privileges to many people in common; but it also affects the way children play nowadays. Have you ever noticed that there are many children who more prefer spending hours every day in the front of television, computers and video games to playing on climbing frames outside? Of course it’s really not healthy beneficial activities; since only their fingers that move!

Based on study result, it has been proved that children who have access to different opportunities of outdoor play tend to be smarter, more supportive, happier and healthier. Considering many mentally and physically benefits that can be achieved by doing out door activities regularly, you should take your child to play outside more often.

Unfortunately, being outdoor also increases dangerous possibilities that can harm your child. To ease the dangerous risks, why don’t you build a safe playground in your own backyard? First, create a soft and non toxic ground for your play area with a thick grass, four inches of sand, shredded rubber tires or other safe matters. Don’t forget to build fences surround the area to keep your child from wandering away.

Next step, you can select fun outdoor play equipments such as Garden Trampolines and climbing frames that are harmless for your child to climb, jump, and to do other physical activities that he or she likes. Make sure that there’s enough space between large toys equipments inside the playground. If your child plays together with several friends, the sufficient space allows them to move freely and safely.

Since playing Swings are always fun and a favorite one; you can install a swing set in the playground that suits your child’s age. Nowadays, there are already various ready-to-wear play houses that construct best places for your child to have fun. You can choose one type that you can afford. Your child will love it!

For hot weather during summer months, it would be better if you also provide a shady area. The shady trees or a shade structure will protect your kid from the sun heat.

Read more...