Weight loss and appetite suppressants - hoodia

For decades, the Holy Grail of the diet industry has been an all natural appetite suppressant with no side effects other than the intended weight loss. Like the Holy Grail, it has been elusive. The diet pharmaceutical companies thought they found it in starch-blockers, in ephedra, in fat binders. the list goes on. While many of these worked, they often came with a heavy list of side effects, many of them dangerous. After an initial flurry of excitement and sales, most were knocked off track by reports of dangers associated with their use, and some were even banned from U. S. sale.

The latest arrival on the Holy Weight Loss Grail circuit is an unprepossessing African succulent known as hoodia gordoni. Cleared for sale in the U. S. in early 2004, it has been steadily making a name for itself as a powerful appetite suppressant that can help you lose weight. Its popularity was significantly boosted by reports on 60 Minutes, ABC News and BBC News.

As part of the BBC report, BBC Two's correspondent Tom Mangold, actually traveled to Africa to sample the hoodia in situ. He and his cameraman, who also tested the plant, both reported feeling pleasantly full for nearly 48 hours after eating a piece of hoodia gordoni.

The hoodia plant has been used by the San tribesmen of the Kalahari desert for centuries to suppress the pangs of hunger on long hunts and trips. Modern research has isolated an 'active ingredient' known as P57. Though the research is still scanty, it appears to work by fooling the hypothalamus into thinking that there is more sugar in the blood than there actually is.

Does it actually work? It's really still too early to tell, but in one clinical trial conducted by Phytopharm, the company that holds the patent on the process to extract P57 from hoodia, human subjects taking hoodia reduced their caloric intake by as much as 1000 calories a day. The figures are impressive.

But is it safe? There again, the research is far to scant to make a reasonable decision on it. There are no known side effects - but it also hasn't been used outside one small tribe in Africa until the past two years. It's possible that there are side effects to long-term use that aren't yet evident.

Until then, use caution in purchasing products made with hoodia. Many of the commercially available products contain virtually no hoodia gordoni at all. Consult your doctor before undertaking any weight loss program that involves appetite suppressants. This is particularly important for those who've been diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes, as the action of the hoodia plant can trick the body into thinking that the blood sugar is fine even as they approach hypoglycemic shock.

Online survey review

One of the easiest ways to make some extra cash for people like, stay at home moms, and students like myself is to get started taking online surveys. There’s nothing like getting paid to give your opinion; I love it! There are also a few related home business opportunities such as Mystery Shopping, and Online Data Entry jobs.

In my own research I have found that there are literally thousands of websites promoting what they claim to be the best online survey sites. Many of the sites will claim that you should never pay to gain access to the survey companies but should instead always go to the free databases which they will gladly give you access to as long as you give them your name and web address so they can sell you something else late.

What is the average person looking to make some extra cash with the least amount of complications to do? Well I’m glad you asked!

Let’s start by laying some groundwork. Don’t let anyone tell you how to make money online. It is OK to get opinions and ideas from other people but always do your own due diligence. It is imperative that you check out the opportunity, no matter what it is, before you jump in with both feet and end up drowning in a flood of complicated nonsense that will waste both your time and money and won’t make you a dime. If you haven’t guessed by now, I am speaking from personal experience.

Now lets talk basics; online surveys are a great opportunity to make extra money but not something that will make you an instant millionaire! Need to cover this month’s car payment? No problem. How about the mortgage payment? We can swing it! Of course it will depend on how much time and effort you put into filling out and submitting the surveys as you must build a track record in order to be offered some of the higher paying surveys.

The next thing we want to consider is which online survey company should we sign up with. You have two choices, a free site or a paid site. I think you should check both of them out before you make your decision but my own personal preference is to go with a reputable paid survey site where you pay a small one time fee of usually $30.00 to $40.00 to gain access to a prescreened database of solid survey companies that will pay you to give your opinion on online surveys and opinion polls.

If you choose a good site it will also have related opportunities as listed above for Mystery Shopping and Data Entry jobs. The great thing about the paid sites is they offer customer support; tips to help you get started with your online survey business, and free bonuses that are worth several times the price of admission. The site that I will be reviewing in the next paragraph also has a way for you to make most of your membership fee back in about 15 minutes!

Review of Paid Surveys Online

Paid Surveys Online is one of the original paid survey sites and still ranks as one of the top sites in sales. This is an indication that a lot of people find their service useful.

They tend to focus on listing the better quality research companies in their databases and recently have increased the volume of companies to over 70.

Paid Surveys Online generally select research companies that are proven to be reliable with payments; very important to anyone who does not want to waste their valuable time to get paid out with only gift certificates.

Paid Surveys Online is good about providing companies that offer survey respondents a fair amount of compensation for the amount of time and effort required for each paid survey.

Paid Surveys Online offers many free bonuses not provided by the others such as an instant $25.00 survey. Customer support is excellent and there is also a lot of useful information and help to be found on the Paid Surveys Online site. This is without a doubt one of the top paid survey sites.

In conclusion the important thing here is to make sure you do your homework and check out as many online survey sites as you possibly can before making your decision. Take your time in choosing but please don’t get paralysis of analysis :>) there are some legitimate survey companies out there and it will be one of the easiest ways you can imagine to make some extra spending cash.

Renew domain names the best way

When we say “renew domain names”, the first thing that comes to our mind is to make some extensions on our domain names. Well, this is somewhat near to the truth for the term “renew domain names” involves a process of buying additional time to an accessible domain name registration. In most simple terms, when you what to renew domain names, it is understandable that you want to extend the term of time for a registered domain name.

For those who want to renew domain names, it is very important for you to know that the process of renewing a domain name can be done any time, however, it is always made within a few months of when a term of time for a certain domain name is about to reach its due date. And when you renew domain names, you should be aware that domain names can have a maximum of ten years of registration term that is attached to them at any given period of time. So with your desire to renew domain names, you can definitely keep the domain name before the due date and time again.

It is often considered that to renew domain names, you should then undergo for some processes, such is to process your renewal request. Since the basic principle when you renew domain names is to keep the domain name for another term, it is then explanatory that really into some stages nearest to the domain name expiration date. As such, when you renew domain names and since the domain name will be renewed in real time, you will ultimately be given a confirmation of your new expiration date.

And so for you to know the expiration period of your domain name before you renew domain names, you must then go for WHOIS domain name search which will display the expiration date of your domain name. Speaking of the expiration date of the domain name, it is common consideration that no matter when you renew domain names, the additional renewal time period is then added to the new expiration date of your domain name. Thus, if your domain name expires, let’s say on October 10, 2004 and then you renew domain names for two years at any time before that date, your new expiration date will be on October 10, 2006. Of course, you don’t need to worry when you renew domain names prior to the expiration date for the fact that you are not be penalized for such act and for being conscientious. So when you ask about the new expiration date of your domain, just remember such idea for domain name renewal.

Today, there are so many companies that are concerned about domain name renewal that send reminders via email and postal mail box for you to know the domain name expiration date. So it is then necessary that you keep your domain name updated with your recent contact information. And with the services offered today which will help you to renew domain names, you can check and update domain names at any time.

Wanted 20 000 workers recruitment crisis on boomer exodus

The estimated shortage of 10,000 workers across the ACT could double over the next three years when large numbers of baby boomers retire.

Public service job cutbacks in Tuesday week's Federal budget, tipped to cost Canberra up to 3000 positions, is likely to have little impact on the capital's worsening skills drought.

Today, The Canberra Times begins a three-part series on the extent of the ACT skills drought, which is worse here than anywhere else in Australia, and what could be done to fix it.

ACT Chamber of Commerce chief executive Chris Peters said business growth in the territory had been stalled for 18 months due to insufficient workers.

"About two years ago staff shortages were No13 on businesses lists of concerns. It's been No1 for about 18 months, so it is the major impediment to business growth."

The ACT Skills Commission and the chamber's research shows the ACT will continue to be hardest hit of all Australian states and territories from a shortage of skilled and unskilled workers.

Access Economics research shows the ACT's population is biased towards the 45 to 59 age group.

The demographics report compiled for the Skills Commission says the retirement timing of this age group and especially those aged 50 to 54 will have an even greater impact on the ACT workforce than it will nationally.

Access Economics expects increasing labour force participation rates up to 2010, with a reversal of that trend from 2010 to 2015 and a sharp reduction in participation after then because the main part of the baby boom generation will have reached the age of 65.

ACT Skills Commission chairman Derek Volker warns that today's delays will become tomorrow's disaster when too few people are available to look after elderly folk.

"It is not a skills problem, it's more a people problem and if we don't do something about it, it could turn into a crisis not too far down the track."

Home Help Service ACT, a not-for-profit organisation that provides in-home support to the elderly and frail aged, could place 20 people immediately in its stretched ranks of carers.

Canberra employers scouring the country and overseas for employees are competing with the remainder of the western world which is suffering a skills drought.

Mr Peters said three factors contributed to the territory's exceptional worker shortage:

Having both the lowest unemployment (2.4 per cent) and highest participation rates in Australia, which meant there weren't too many stay-at-home mothers, or unemployed, to fill job vacancies;

The ACT and Adelaide had Australia's two fastest aging populations; and

Older public servants in a former superannuation scheme had to retire before 55 to maximise their superannuation benefits.

"Canberra has the highest percentage of public servants than anywhere in Australia and they retire a decade earlier than the rest of Australia." Mr Peters said Federal budget cuts in two weeks were expected to cause a net loss of 1000 people from the Commonwealth Public Service.

At best those leaving would have wide-ranging expertise.

"It depends on what the mix is I expect the mix will be fairly broad, which would be widely welcomed by the business community, but all of those won't solve our problem."

Shortages are in all sectors, from engineering, health, trades, services and construction. Multinational construction company Bovis Lend Lease said employers were competing with unprecedented building in the booming Middle East countries, and project directors could command salaries of up to $300,000.

Hays senior regional director for Canberra Jane Donnelly said financial controllers and managers on salaries of up to $100,000 and $130,000 were in demand following the meltdown of global financial markets last year.

"Within the banking sector they are far more aware of the risk associated with certain products, they are seeking people with extensive risk analyst-type skills."

Mr Peters said the shortage meant people were finding the service in places like restaurants, hairdressing salons and workshops slower. "If you have an accident driving home tonight in your car, typically your car will sit on the panel beaters shop floor for two weeks until they can get to it. That's now. In three years time that [timeframe] will double."

Travel clocks can make traveling much more homelike

Today’s traveller has many needs. Among the many needs are travel clocks. These clocks are necessary for obvious reasons even in the day and age of hotel wake up calls, a travel alarm clock is a kinder gentler way to be awakened than the excessively loud hotel room telephones.

Travel clocks now come in all kinds of shapes and sizes so that you can bring them with you and have a little display of personality or a small taste of home. Travel clocks can also offer a method of you keeping your time when traveling rather than relying on the hotel services which are on local time for the area in which you are traveling.

You can also involve your children in your travel by allowing them to choose a travel clock for you that will remind you of them every morning, not that you won’t be thinking of them anyway, it’s just a good way to make them feel that they are important to you even when you are away.

We often forget the importance of feeling at home when we are traveling. Little things such as travel clocks, candles, photographs of friends and family can go a long way toward making you feel at home no matter how far away you are. Traveling, especially when traveling on business, can be quite a lonely endeavor. Anything that makes you feel less alone and isolated is a good thing to bring with you when you travel.

Whether you travel often during the course of your business or you only travel for family vacations, good travel clocks will have a huge impact on the way you wake in the mornings and your overall enjoyment of your trip. Make a point of choosing a clock that has an alarm that will wake you in the morning without being overpowering and obnoxious and if you can, choose one that will help you feel much less homesick.

Installing an amplifier into your car

With many car audio systems out there falling well short of tolerable a ideal solution is the addition of an amplifier. An amplifier can be used for one of two things. It can be used to power speakers the speakers that are in the cabin of the car or they can be used to power a sub-woofer in the boot of the car. Both uses provide a greater listening experience.

Installing an amplifier is not as difficult as many think. It is a simple 2 hour task that can be performed by anyone with a little knowledge of the electrics of a car. The first thing to do would be to connect the wires to the back of the stereo. This involves taking the stereo out of the dash so you can access the RCA plugs at the back of the stereo. Depending on the amount of channels the amplifier has, usually 4 or 2, there will be 2 RCA plugs. You need to plug these RCA cables into the back of the stereo. The second wire to plug into the back of the stereo is the remote wire. This wire tells the amplifier to turn on and off with the stereo.

Once the plugs are in the back of the stereo you need to run the wires to the boot of the car. This is done through the cabin and can be concealed under plastic panels on the door trims on the floor of the car. Once the wire’s have been run you need to connect the other ends to the amplifier. This is a simple task as all sockets on the amplifier are labeled. Once the wires are in you simply need to wire up the speaker wires to your sub-woofer or your speakers and test the sound. If there is no sound you need to back track and see where you went wrong. If the sound is working you need to go ahead and secure the amplifier somewhere in the boot so it doesn’t move around while you’re driving.

Most car audio installers will charge you an arm and a leg to install an amplifier when it is quite simple and can be done by most people.

China company start-up checklist part 2

This Article is a continuation of "China Company Start-up Checklist, Part I".

The following activities must be taken within 30 days of the issuance of the Business License:

(1) Engrave the Enterprise’s Official Seal

This requires advance approval from the municipal Public Security Bureau (the police). Documents include: the original business license and a copy, letter of introduction signed by the Chinese partner, and Power of Attorney in favor of the person submitting the application along with his/her ID card (passport for foreigners).

(2) Obtain the Enterprise Legal Person Code

This code is supplied by the tax authorities at the level of government that supervises your project (national, provincial, or local, according to the identity of your project’s examination and approval authority). Required documents include (i) company seal, (ii) duplicate of Business License along with a photocopy, (iii) original Project Approval Certificate and photocopy, (iv) pre-reserved Enterprise Legal Person Code, (v) photocopy of ID (passport for foreigners) of the enterprise’s legal representative (company seal must be attached to the photocopy if the original ID is not submitted), and (vi) application form.

(3) Register with the Bureau of Foreign Exchange

This is handled by the municipal Bureau of Foreign Exchange. Required documents include copies of (i) Business License, (ii) Feasibility Study Report, (iii) Joint Venture Contract, (iv) Articles of Association, and (v) Project Approval Certificate. Foreign exchange registration is required to open a foreign exchange bank account.

(4) Open Bank Accounts in Foreign Exchange and Local Currency

The enterprise is free to choose which bank in which to open its account (caveat: some localities require that a local branch must be chosen, and some banks are not authorized to conduct foreign exchange). Historically, the Bank of China has been the most popular. Keep in mind that China is in the process of opening up its banking sector to foreign competition in line with its WTO commitments.

RMB (Chinese currency) Bank Account – Required documents include (i) copy of the Business License, (ii) copy of the Project Approval Certificate, (iii) Power of Attorney signed by the Chairman of the enterprise’s Board of Directors authorizing the opening of the account, (iv) completed account application form, and (v) completed seal specimen card.

Foreign Exchange Bank Account - Required documents include (i) copy of the Business License, (ii) Foreign Exchange Business Certificate, (iii) Power of Attorney signed by the Chairman of the enterprise’s Board of Directors authorizing the opening of the account, (iv) completed account application form, and (v) completed seal specimen card.

Requirements may vary from bank to bank.

(5) Register with the Tax Authorities

There are two forms of tax registration – national and local. Local tax registration for a Joint Venture whose Chinese partner is directly under municipal jurisdiction (or a Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise whose Total Investment is over US$5 million) is handled by the Foreign Taxation Sub-bureau of the municipal Tax Bureau, while local tax registration for a Joint Venture whose Chinese partner is under the jurisdiction of a district or a county (or a Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise whose total investment is under US$5 million) is handled by the local district or county taxation bureau; national tax registration should be undertaken at a local branch of the State Tax Bureau (China’s version of the IRS). When in doubt as to what level of bureaucracy you should attempt to navigate, please refer to your examination and approval authority.

Required documents include (i) copy of Business License, (ii) copy of Project Approval Certificate, (iii) copy of the ID of the enterprise’s legal representative (passport for foreigners), (iv) copy of the Project Proposal, (v) copy of the Tax Registration Card of the Chinese partner, (vi) copy of the Joint Venture Contract, (vii) copy of the Articles of Association, (viii) copy of the enterprise’s bank account certificate, (ix) the names of the enterprise’s directors, and (x) a completed tax registration form.

A Tax Registration Certificate will be issued.

(6) Register with Customs

This is normally handled by the Inspections Department of the local Bureau of Import and Export Commodities; however, some of the special economic zones have their own customs houses located on-site. Required documents include (i) completed application form, (ii) copy of the Business License, (iii) copy of the Project Approval Certificate, (iv) copy of the Joint Venture Contract, (v) copy of the Articles of Association, and (vi) copy of the Tax Registration Certificate. A copy of the Feasibility Study Report may be required. Export enterprises should register for preferential treatment registration for exported products (see the section on Taxes (National) for further details.

(7) Issue and Turn in the Capital Verification Report

Chinese foreign investment law requires the issuance of a Capital Verification Report, which is a document confirming the injection of Registered Capital into the enterprise by the investors. It is issued by an accountant licensed and registered in China. It should be submitted both to the examination and approval authority and to the local, provincial or national Administration of Industry & Commerce at the level of government (local, provincial or national) at which your project is being supervised. A Capital Verification Fee will be assessed.

(8) Register with the Statistics Bureau

This is handled by the local Statistics Bureau. Required documents include (i) completed Registration Form with enterprise seal (in duplicate), (ii) copy of Business License, (iii) copy of Enterprise Legal Person Code Certificate; (iv) Qualification Certiificates (for real estate development and construction projects; may include an Environmental Impact Assessment), (vi) Original and copy of the Project Approval Certificate, and (vii) Capital Verification Report.

(9) Register with the Finance Department

This is handled by the local Finance Department.

(10) Register with the Labor Bureau

Register with the local Labor Bureau in connection with social security payments for employees.

Still not done - please check Chjina Company Start-up Checklist Part III...