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Office workers’ attention is being diverted every three minutes by answering the phone, being alerted to an incoming email, responding to an alert on their BlackBerry, reacting to an instant message or a Tweet, or clicking on internet-based distractions such as YouTube or Facebook. These distractions consume much as 28% of an average knowledge workers’ day (Basex research).

As we receive more and more e-mail messages and other technology-based interruptions, it can feel like being hit by a digital deluge. Without the skills to manage e-mail and other devices effectively, many people are wasting time just trying to keep up instead of gaining productivity through technology.

These tactics for distraction management can significantly increase your productivity:

1. Turn off the alarm or visual alerts: You wouldn’t let the postman empty a mailbag on your desk 50 times a day and you certainly wouldn’t let them ring a bell with each delivery. That’s exactly what you are doing if you check each e-mail when it arrives. Turn off the alarm or visual alert and take control of your e-mail and your time.

2. Learn how to turn off or manage alerts on mobile devices: As more and more people synchronize their phones and mobile devices they are being distracted by email alerts, meeting reminders at all sorts of inconvenient times. These alerts can ensure you are being distracted at home as well as work!

3. Treat e-mail like regular mail: Try to check your e-mail at regular times in the day, i.e. early morning, mid-day and late afternoon. Even if you receive a high volume of e-mails, you shouldn’t check more than four times a day. Checking email regularly can give you a very busy feeling but it is deceptive as it is unlikely you are focusing on your key priorities.

4. Take control of your in-box: Subscribe to e-mail services selectively. Ask friends or colleagues who frequently send jokes or huge files to stop. Get a separate e-mail address for personal communication or one that you give just to key contacts, similar to an unlisted phone number. Set up rules to automatically delete or file low priority emails.

5. Focus on your priorities: Commit 10 -15 minutes each day to plan for the next day. Ensure as part of this process you make “appointments with yourself” to focus on key priorities and projects.

E-mail, mobile devices, instant messaging and the like can save businesses considerable time and money, but managing these tools is a skill that’s just as important to acquire as other essential management skills such as communication, planning and prioritizing.

Priority Management is a training company specialises in time management training. Our “Working Smart” series integrates the underlying principles of Best Practice time, productivity, information and workload management into applications such as Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, GroupWise, the BlackBerry and paper.

HelpMeSis.com.au is a brand new website that acts as a portal featuring the very best Australian online shopping sites and information websites. The comprehensive and well-researched website has been two years in the making and saves women valuable time and frustration by only showing the best and most relevant websites in each of the many categories.

After 2 years of meticulous research and web development, HelpMeSis.com.au was officially launched in Sydney on 1 January 2010. This comprehensive website acts as a useful portal for busy Australian women, showing them the very best Australian online shopping sites and information websites.

The extensive and informative guide to Australia’s best and most relevant websites was created to help time-poor women find quality products, information and services quickly and easily. Its launch was the culmination of two years of labour by former high school teacher Veronica Ryan.

“Over the past few years, I have visited and revisited many thousands of Australian websites and have hand picked hundreds of the very best to be included in the HelpMeSis website,” said Ms Ryan. “I have chosen these websites for their overall quality, integrity and security and their usefulness and relevance to Australian women,” she said.

The website listings and reviews have been organised into logical categories. Along with a logo, name, link to the site and description of products and services, Ms Ryan has also included practical details such as each company’s ABN and shipping information for shopping websites.
“To have all this information available on one website means women no longer need to visit dozens of individual websites first to find out exactly what they offer and whether they provide online shopping and Australia-wide shipping. They can compare all of this on the HelpMeSis website and only visit the most relevant website, saving them a great deal of time,” said Ms Ryan.

The manual selection process for included websites, together with the navigational simplicity of the portal, its sheer comprehensiveness, detailed information and overall relevance to Australian women, sets HelpMeSis apart from other online directories.

In addition to Australian shopping websites, the HelpMeSis portal also includes a number of themed information sections. A ‘Green Guide’ offers a great deal of information about green products and services and links to quality businesses that sell natural Australian organic products. The ‘Useful Information’ section provides answers to many common queries Australian women have. A complete ‘Parenting’ and baby shopping section gives links to Australian stores specialising in quality parenting & baby products and to sites offering expert information and advice for parents.

Other noteworthy sections on the HelpMeSis website include a ‘Health and Fitness’ section and a ‘Leisure’ section, which offers links to websites providing What’s On information for all Australian capital cities and the Gold Coast. The site further features a blog spot and people can sign up to receive an informative monthly HelpMeSis newsletter.

Men needn’t feel left out either, as Ms Ryan has also launched a ‘brother’ site, aptly named HelpMeBro.com.au where men can shop online at the best Australian online shopping sites. This guys-only site has many of the features of the women’s site but has been styled for men and doesn’t include any of the ‘girly’ content.

To find out more, please visit the HelpMeSis and the HelpMeBro websites.

The invention of jet propulsion was ideal for fighter aircraft. Although at first it reduced range and endurance and often increased the take-off run. The German Messerschmitt Me 262 and the British Gloster Meteor twin jets saw action in 1944, together with the tailless Me 163 rocket interceptor which sacrificed range and endurance for astounding climb and speed in defending local areas against heavy bombers.

Germany was far in front of other countries in another factor too: armament. A range of 30 mm (1 inch) cannon, radically new high-speed cannon with multiple-revolver chambers, very large recoilless guns, spin-stabilised air-to-air rockets fired in salvoes, and wire-guided air-to-air missiles were all under test before the Luftwaffe s defeat. They gradually inspired similar developments in other countries: one German gun, the Mauser MG 213, led to the American Pontiac M-39, the French DEFA, the Russian NR-30, the Swiss Oerlikon KCA, and the British Aden, all of which are still in use.

Many early jet fighters were fitted into more or less conventional airframes. The fighter often considered the ultimate achievement of the piston era, the long-range North American P-51 Mustang appeared both in a twinned double-fuselage form and, with few changes, as a US Navy jet.

But the US Air Force decided to wait a year until its makers could sweep back the wings and tail at 35 degrees, which German research had shown could lead to higher speed. The result was the F-86 Sabre, which in 1948 set a speed record at 1,080 km/h (671 mph) and outflew all other fighters. Later versions carried radar and rockets and reached 1,150 km/h (715 mph).

During the Korean War (1950-3) the F-86 met a previously unknown machine built in the Soviet Union, the somewhat lighter and simpler MiG-15, and although the MiG could climb higher and had heavy cannon, the Sabre’s skilled pilots and better equipment gave it the edge in combat.

North American’s next fighter was the F-100 Super Sabre, which exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. The MiG bureau built the twin jet MiG-19, which was even faster, and is still in wide use. The US Air Force ordered various all-weather interceptors with largely automatic radar and flight control systems so that, with guided missiles, they could intercept and destroy enemy aircraft without the pilot ever seeing them.

The British ordered a jet-fighter flying-boat, but discovered that this way of doing business without airfields resulted in~yielded~produced an inferior fighter. The Americans suffered similar problems with a ‘hydroski’ fighter, which could dive faster than sound, but took off and landed on retractable water skis.

Two even stranger fighters were designed around powerful turboprop engines and, standing on their tails, screwed themselves vertically into the air (they were intended to operate from the confined decks of warships or merchant vessels). Britain built high-altitude supersonic fighters with ‘mixed power’ from a turbojet and a rocket. In 1957 the British Minister of Defence suggested there would soon be no more manned fighters at all, only missiles. The Americans stuck to fighters, but made them very large and armed them with missiles, but no gun.

Today the wheel has turned full circle. In the past 10 to 20 years there has been a powerful trend~wish to get back to the ‘eyeball-to-eyeball’ type of confrontation of the man in the Sopwith Camel. The pre-eminent Western fighter, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, was rebuilt with an internal gun, a rapid-fire 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon with six barrels firing up to 6,000 rds/ min, and a slatted wing to pull tighter turns in combat.

New small fighters appeared, such as the General Dynamics F-16, which, although bigger and heavier than any single-engined fighters of World War II, are nevertheless small and light by comparison with such impressive machines as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, and MiG-25 Foxbat, The RAF’s next interceptor, the ADV (Air-Defence Version) of the Panavia Tornado, is a careful midway compromise, smaller than the three monsters just listed, but with two engines, long range, powerful radar, and extremely effective Skyflash missiles.

Modern interceptors defend vast blocks of airspace up to 160 km (100 miles) in radius, with powerful radar able to look down at the surrounding land and water and spot low-flying intruders trying to slip through the defences unnoticed. Their task is eased by the presence of special surveillance, early-warning, and AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft, with enormous radars and sophisticated command and control systems to manage all a nation’s defences in the most efficient way.

There is no better feeling than being in the cockpit during your jet fighter flight. Jet fighter flights and jet fighter joy flights are the ultimate gift giving and receiving experience that will be remembered forever. Your jet fighter pilot experience is available in Melbourne, Cairns and Townsville. Visit flyingwarbirds.com.au for more details.

Some people have a different perspective on sharemarket slumps. They see the low stock prices as a chance to invest in a bargain.

During times of economic fluctuations, it is our natural instinct to protect our assets and distance ourselves from risk. While this reaction is unsurprising, it can also mean missing out on profit opportunities created during volatile times.

Warren Buffet, one of the world’s wealthiest professional investors, sees market slumps from another perspective, saying “Look at market swings as your friend rather than your foe; profit from folly rather than participate in it.”

Generally when we see a cheaper price for something we want we rush in for a bargain, however it can be quite the opposite with stocks. Why is it that we treat shares that have dropped in price with dread? Share prices of a listed company can drop for a number of reasons. Lately we have seen the share values of a number of blue chip companies with sound balance sheets be negatively affected due to a rush to sell as a result of the economic crisis.

Despite the uncertain trading environment, fund managers are always checking the market for buying opportunities. Many fund managers are searching to find shares in sound companies with strong balance sheets and dividends. For example Australian companies such as household names like David Jones have delivered strong profits after tax and dividends in 2008. However during 2008, David Jones’ share price fell by more than 30%.

Identifying opportunities

Not all businesses will be affected by the world economic crisis similarly. Some industries are more susceptible to the economic cycle than others. Companies who deal in of basic goods and services continue on almost unabated, for example we all need to eat – so food producers aren’t as affected as much as tourism, motor vehicle sales or luxury goods.

Australia’s population growth is at a 19 year high and growing at 1.7% per annum. Australia’s growing population provides increasing demand for goods and services as people need food, housing, cars, and other staples. Unlike many overseas countries, Australia benefits from two key factors: a high population growth rate and a high demand for housing.

Population growth is nearly twice that of the US while Germany has negative population growth. In the US there is an over-supply of housing while Australia suffers from a lack of supply. The combination of limited housing and a rising population will create growing demand for housing which will support further building and provide opportunities for the construction industry.

The value of companies

Many people view businesses with falling share prices with fear, but we need to take a look under the bonnet of these firms to find out why. Have they borrowed heavily?

What industry are they in? Are they competitive against their peers? Only by answering these questions, can we know if their stock value has fallen for valid reasons or if the company is indeed on sale.

When investing, many fund managers seek companies with high and maintainable returns, strong balance sheets and ongoing cash flow. These companies are more likely to outlive the volatility storm and may give you a greater return when the market moves into the next phase of recovery and beyond.

Before you consider changing your investment, you should seek financial advice. Having a financial planner and a long-term financial plan can give you confidence to manage the effects of market cycles. With the right advice you can ensure your investments are tailored to your risk profile and time horizon, giving you the certainty of knowing you’re doing what’s right for you.

The article brought to you by a Brisbane business coach who offers sales training and a web designer brisbane.

If you are thinking about moving into a retirement village, below are 10 top tips to consider:

• Timing is the key. You need to decide when a move is right for you. If you are not ready, you won’t feel settled, but if you leave it too long you will wish you had moved earlier.
• Age is not the best indicator. Age is simply a number. There is no set age when you should move to a retirement village.
• Share your thinking with family and/or friends. Those who know you will help you to make the decision that is right for you.
• Make the decision to move before selling your home. Once you have made a decision you can then deal with the issues concerning the physical move. By having a clear decision in your mind, the details of selling your home will not be as overwhelming.
  Make a list of questions before visiting facilities. This will ensure that you receive the information that is most important to you. It is also a good idea to visit a number of different villages.
• Take a friend or family member with you on village visits. This will give you another perspective from someone who is close to you.
  Spend time in and around the village of your choice to get a feel for how it would be to live there. Visit the village more than once and at different times of the day.
• Check the reputation of the village operator. Aged Care Queensland can provide you with information such as does the village operator have a good demonstrated history within the industry? What other villages do they operate? You can also check the operator’s certificate of registration.
• Does the village provide for your future security needs? Does the village have on-site ongoing care or a transfer arrangement with another of their sites? Are Care Packages available within the village units? Is there an emergency call service available to provide 24-hour coverage?
• Does the village offer community features? This could be physical assets such as a swimming pool or community hall or it could be opportunities and places for discussion and meeting with other residents or it could be a regular church service.

The above is by no means a comprehensive list. However, it does provide you with some food for thought when considering a move to a retirement village. Churches of Christ Care operates 13 retirement villages. For more information about retirement villages in Queensland, please visit their website.

Saving when shopping on line is a piece of cake if you use discount codes. You can save money on just about any purchase online. All you need to do is use the right code.

Coupon Codes are secret codes that merchants use to get shoppers to purchase from their website. Most every online retailer offers some kind of coupon code whether it is for 15% off, $10 off, Free Ground Shipping or a Free Gift. Coupon codes have been around since people started selling stuff online. Merchants have offered coupons to get consumers into their store and shopping, so it was just part of the process for them to use them on their site as well. There is no way to submit a physical coupon when you make a purchase online, so they implemented their online coupons as secret codes that you enter when you complete the transaction. Ever notice that field for promotion code on the checkout screen? Enter the right code and you can save quite a bit of money!

There are a lot of places to find these super little money savings codes. There are a bunch sites dedicated to bringing to you these codes, the best coupon site is www.findsavings.com. You can also keep informed if you sign up from merchant’s newsetters or allow them to send you promotional codes when they become available. Some of the top coupons are only available to past customers.

You can find coupons from top electronics retailers like Circuit City and Radio Shack and big-name computer manufacturers like Dell, HP, and Apple. Need to update your style? Save with Metro Style coupons and deals from Blair or Fashion Bug. Pick up some new shoes with coupons from Steve Madden.

You can even find coupons for traveling. Planning a trip, look for Expedia deals and you can save money on all aspects of your trip from discounts on airfare, your hotel stay, rental-car and even all of the events that you plan on enjoying. Or find coupons from individual rental car vendors like Dollar, Avis, or Enterprise or from your favorite airline. Or find a great deal on your Carribean vacation with Sandals Resort coupons.

It doesn’t matter what you are shopping for, you should always save quite a bit money. Don’t leave that discount code field blank.

How can you be sure you’re getting the lowest cost video games? It used to be that renting video games was a great solution and as inexpensive and easy as visiting your corner movie rental store. But passionate gamers who rent a lot of video games at once discovered how quickly those rental fees can add up. Add to that the injury of failing to return a bundle of games by the due date and you’ll find that those late fees can really hurt.

Here are some helpful hints for getting the best deal on games or video game rentals.

First, check out your local library. Many offer free game rentals to members of their community. You already paid for their selections with your taxes so you may as well get your money’s worth.

Video Game Review Sites – Most sites offering video game reviews include game details, ESRB ratings, available systems, even actual game footage. Check out the video graphics online first. You may find that the game is too violent for your tastes or unacceptable for your own children, even if the ratings indicate it should be appropriate.

Never Pay Full Price – With online discount websites like eBay and Amazon, there is simply no reason to pay full price ever again. Many times you’ll find games for PSP on sale by checking these sites first.

Rent Video Games Online – Many companies offer online video game rentals for a low monthly price. Members choose from over 6000 of the most popular games, delivered right to their home, can hold them as long as they like, never pay late fees for keeping them too long, and return them to the company with pre-paid envelopes. If you find a game you love, simply tell the company and you can keep it for a small fee. Some vendors include a free trial period. Check them out to see how the program works before you commit.

Game enthusiasts who are serious about their passion can save a ton of cash when they know where to look.

Most of the history of dyslexia has occurred during the last 25 years or so. Before that the condition was almost completely a mystery.

Dyslexics see things differently. Their eyes are the same as those of non-dyslexics, but their brains interpret the signals differently. For this reason they learn differently. They have to be taught in the way they learn, not in the common mold.

The whole point of a dyslexia test is to identify dyslexics so they can be helped. Dyslexia cannot be “cured”. Dyslexia treatment consists of teaching dyslexics how to learn in the ways that work for them. When they are taught how to do this they can overcome dyslexia and move on to enjoy its benefits.

Those who went through grade school more than 15 years ago almost all bear the scars of being hammered into molds that did not fit. They were ridiculed for their differences, looked at as retarded (which most are definitely not!), slow learners, etc. They were embarrassed and learn to hide their differences.

Today there are millions of dyslexic adults still struggling to deal with the world through a dyslexic lens, not realizing that dyslexia is their problem and a simple dyslexia test could set them on the road to life-changing improvements.

There are a large number of different types of dyslexia to deal with. There is no standard definition, no real, workable way to sort them out into types and put them into nice, neat categories. Each one is different and needs to be evaluated and taught accordingly.

For as yet undiscovered adult dyslexics a test for dyslexia could be a life-changing experience! Once diagnosed the dyslexic person can be helped, taught how to overcome his or her dyslexic problems and reach their full personal potential.

For more info on dyslexia and how it can be overcome, click on any of the above links.

Disclaimer: Nothing in the above explanations is intended to be or represented to be or should be construed to be any form of medical advice. The information herein has been gleaned from medical journals, news articles in the popular press and other freely-available public sources. It is presented here for informational purposes only. For any medical advice the reader is urged to consult with his or her licensed physician or other medical specialist.

– Timothy Reeves

http://www.growgrapes.net

Total search engine marketing solutions, online shopping cart systems and web sites for small to medium sized businesses, helping business owners promote their businesses within the major search engines, web 2.0 sites and beyond seems to be the mainstay of many webdesign and seo agencies, including Web Design Javea

When people want to find a product or service on the Internet chances are they will use a search engine to produce a list of suitable web sites. Website Design Javea can help with your Search Engine Optimization

Because the Internet contains billions of web pages the list of suggested sites produced by each search engine can be huge. And, getting your site to the top of those lists is our priority, as this will dramatically increase the number of visitors to your site, and therefore increase the amount of business you do!

Getting a top listing for your site, product or service is usually a time consuming thing to achieve and also maintain, and involves optimising your site (SEO) and building relevant content pages and as many inbound links to your site as possible, on an ongoing basis.

Because each search engine is only as good as the results that it produces, Javea web design are very careful to ensure that they do not mislead the major Search Engines. Attempts to mislead a search engine (or mistakes that look like attempts to mislead a search engine) can lead to permanent blacklisting of a domain name.

When choosing an expert to manage your SEO, choose wisely and don’t just go for the cheapest deal you can get.. the consequences could be dire.

Internet News

A gazebo as part of your back garden is often a secure approach to commit the summer months afternoons together with your loved ones and close friends. You possibly can do outdoor eating, have barbecues, and do studying inside your outdoor back garden gazebo. Additionally they sometimes style the backdrop for wedding ceremonies. There are various variations to how a gazebo could be made. However usually, there’re domed and screened gazebo enclosed or maybe semi enclosed with a trellis. A trellis refers with a latticework of wood, plastic or metal on which vines may be grown and supplies comprehensive or partial shade. You can equip your gazebo with constructed in benches or other outdoor furniture. You’ll be able to pick the size of one’s gazebo relating to your requirements. Thus you may possibly go in for one which can accommodate two folks, or perhaps a huge one in which a entire loved ones can expend a hot summer night.

An arbor creates an access, or when set up inside a series, highlights a pathway into a back garden. These are also known as garden arches. Arbors may be either decorative or functional. An arbor could be designed in many sizes, shapes and makes use of. It can kind an entry on your back garden, or as being a location to relax or read a book. It is possible to also grow grapes, or other vine crops. It is possible to assemble an arbor gazebo plan yourself while using the aid of excellent plans. All that may be essential are a number of basic carpentry and gardening skills along with a few uncomplicated resources. It may be an gratifying weekend undertaking, and it is possible to invite your spouse and children or associates to join you inside the operate of making the arbor.

A pergola can be a shaded back yard and consists of a lobby of columns which support a roof. Climbing plants are from time to time trained to raise on this. It was initially made to present a shaded stroll way from one particular area to one more, or being a shade on the patio. A pergola is flat on the top, with trellis on the superior for vines to develop, and with or not having trellis on the sides. A pergola is generally of 3 kinds. They are attached, free of charge standing next to a structure, and free of charge standing. A pergola is incredibly close in design into a gazebo, but is much less costly, quicker and less difficult to build. An arbor can also be loosely described as a mini pergola. You can pick out to create one particular of these structures in your garden 10 x 10 gazebo relating to your needs and specifications, with all the support of plans. You may not merely have a location wherever you possibly can invest numerous nice hours, but in addition possess the fulfillment of acquiring made it oneself at significantly decreased expenses.