Look, I know it seems like it is a little bit too early (or too late, depending on how you think about it) to be thinking about swimming pools since it is December. Also, I know that times are hard for a lot of people economically, but nonetheless, I will be discussing pools in this post. Why? Because perhaps you are a homeowner who is interested in getting a pool. Or maybe you are a person who is interested in getting a pool someday but can't afford it. If so, then perhaps you should try Shasta Pools. You may wonder what is so great about Shasta Pools? Shasta Pools is an Arizona-based company that specializes in pools and spas. If you check out their website, you will see a vast array of beautiful pools, and by pools, I don't mean the kind of pools that are inflatable. I'm talking about ornately decorated pools and spas that one would think would be found only in dreams, or at least on television shows like MTV's Cribs or something.
Anyway, if you're interested in getting a pool, particularly if you live in a warmer climate and if you have the money, then give Shasta Pools a shot.
Monday, December 22, 2008
To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate: That is the Question
There has been a long-standing debate that has been going on among people. Some people, or should I say many people, believe in the vaccination of children, while other people are against it. They believe that vaccinations cause autism. I am not sure if vaccines are a cause of autism, I do know that vaccines are vital in the prevention of diseases such as polio and tuberculosis. Someone else who may know this is Dr. Paul Offit. Offit has written over one hundred papers that have been published in numerous medical and scientific journals that discuss vaccine safety. Dr. Paul Offit has also co-created the roto-virus vaccine.
Long story short, if medical science can prove that vaccines do cause autism, it would be a shame, but one cannot deny the good that vaccinations have brought to mankind.
Long story short, if medical science can prove that vaccines do cause autism, it would be a shame, but one cannot deny the good that vaccinations have brought to mankind.
African Notables
I am really on an Africa kick lately. I have been raving on and on about African food and African music, but now I want to talk about Africans in popular culture. An interesting figure in Africa is Mohammed Babangida. He is a businessman from Nigeria who is also an avid polo player. It really makes me think about how people are able to balance work and play. Mohammed Babangida, for example, works with a variety of businesses, yet he still has the time to play polo. Maybe he needs to play polo to relax from the stresses of work.
Reading about African figures like Mohammed Babangida has opened my mind to other notable people from other countries, and not only American or European figures.
Reading about African figures like Mohammed Babangida has opened my mind to other notable people from other countries, and not only American or European figures.
Being Driven
America is a country that lives and breathes on having an entrepreneurial spirit and having the drive to succeed despite one's circumstances. It seems though, that a lot of that spirit has become lost because of the economic recession. Perhaps more people should become like Jared Metz. Metz specializes in helping businesses to get money to perform projects. Perhaps if one is interested in business or economics, he or she can go into the funding business.
Of course, as it often is in life, Jared Metz didn't start his career helping businesses to fund events. It was his entrepreneurial drive that enabled him to have the confidence to do the work that he is doing. No one told him to do it. Jared Metz simply wanted to do what he was passionate about. If only more people could have the courage to do what they really wanted to do rather than just do a profession for money or accolades, people wouldn't be so unhappy. Just a thought.
Of course, as it often is in life, Jared Metz didn't start his career helping businesses to fund events. It was his entrepreneurial drive that enabled him to have the confidence to do the work that he is doing. No one told him to do it. Jared Metz simply wanted to do what he was passionate about. If only more people could have the courage to do what they really wanted to do rather than just do a profession for money or accolades, people wouldn't be so unhappy. Just a thought.
My Travel Destination Search
A couple of days ago, I had written a blog post on how i am looking to get away for a couple of days during the Christmas break. So I have decided on Hawaii as the best travel destination. I was thinking of going to Maui in particular. I am really going to thank Consolidated Resorts for helping me to make the right choice.
As I have mentioned before in the last post, Consolidated Resorts has an easy way to match you with the right vacation package. All you have to do is go to their website, fill out the info, and someone from the company will contact you right away. All I did was put in that I wanted to go to Hawaii, and the Consolidated resorts agent set me up with a hotel to stay at, a rental car, and of course, peace of mind!
As I have mentioned before in the last post, Consolidated Resorts has an easy way to match you with the right vacation package. All you have to do is go to their website, fill out the info, and someone from the company will contact you right away. All I did was put in that I wanted to go to Hawaii, and the Consolidated resorts agent set me up with a hotel to stay at, a rental car, and of course, peace of mind!
An Ode to African Music
Since in my last blog post I had discussed African food, now I will discuss another hobby that I love: listening to music, and I have found another website which combines the interests in Africa and in music. This site had been started by another Kenyan journalist, Joseph Odindo. He is a journalist, like Mwangi, who has launched a blog expressing his love on something that has nothing to do with journalism, but Joseph Odindo is willing to take the time to write on the blog anyway, and I thank him for it because otherwise, I wouldn’t know as much as I know now about African music.
An example of an interesting blog post Joseph Odindo has mentions Paul Simon, whose 1986 release “Graceland” helped to make African music more prominent in the world music scene. Odindo also discusses in another post about the importance of the marimba, an instrument that plays a vital role in African music.
Odindo has helped to me to not only take an interest in African music, but to also think of ways the music has contributed to other cultures.
An example of an interesting blog post Joseph Odindo has mentions Paul Simon, whose 1986 release “Graceland” helped to make African music more prominent in the world music scene. Odindo also discusses in another post about the importance of the marimba, an instrument that plays a vital role in African music.
Odindo has helped to me to not only take an interest in African music, but to also think of ways the music has contributed to other cultures.
An Ode to Kenyan Cuisine
One continent I would love to visit is Africa, and even though I would like to visit many of Africa’s countries such as South Africa and Ghana, one African country which interests me in particular is Kenya. Why Kenya, do you ask? Well I have been checking out these awesome sounding Kenyan recipes on this website started by Wangethi Mwangi . The website is pretty cool because it combines two interests of mine-African culture and cooking, lol!
The irony of Wangethi Mwangi is that he isn’t even a chef. He is a journalist who likes to blog about his interest in cooking. It goes to show you that just because you have a profession, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make time for an interest/hobby that is completely different. An example of an interesting recipe is Chapati, which from the description of how to make it sounds like dumplings, and Kenyan Fish Stew, another delicious sounding recipe.
I really thank Wangethi Mwangi for using food to broaden my interest in African culture and Kenyan culture. If I can’t get to Africa, then at least I can make some African food to pretend that I am already there, lol!
The irony of Wangethi Mwangi is that he isn’t even a chef. He is a journalist who likes to blog about his interest in cooking. It goes to show you that just because you have a profession, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make time for an interest/hobby that is completely different. An example of an interesting recipe is Chapati, which from the description of how to make it sounds like dumplings, and Kenyan Fish Stew, another delicious sounding recipe.
I really thank Wangethi Mwangi for using food to broaden my interest in African culture and Kenyan culture. If I can’t get to Africa, then at least I can make some African food to pretend that I am already there, lol!
If You Are Looking For a New Career...
In these trying economic times, people are looking for alternative career options. This is especially true of people who have been laid off or people who just straight up haven’t been able to find a job opportunity. If one is looking for an alternative career option, then perhaps he or she should be looking at property management as a possible career path. A good example of someone who is involved in the field of property management is Tim Arel . He is a specialist or expert of sorts in everything property management.
The field of property management would especially be good for someone who may be interested in real estate. I know, I know, it may seem crazy to want to get into real estate considering how bad the housing crisis in this country is, but if you don’t have much else to lose, then why not try contacting Tim Arel for some help and advice. He could train you as to what you need to do to work in property management. The career change may be a good option for those people who are interested in fields such as marketing, law, and business development.
So if you are open to trying something new, look to Tim Arel for the ins and outs of property management. What do you have to lose?
The field of property management would especially be good for someone who may be interested in real estate. I know, I know, it may seem crazy to want to get into real estate considering how bad the housing crisis in this country is, but if you don’t have much else to lose, then why not try contacting Tim Arel for some help and advice. He could train you as to what you need to do to work in property management. The career change may be a good option for those people who are interested in fields such as marketing, law, and business development.
So if you are open to trying something new, look to Tim Arel for the ins and outs of property management. What do you have to lose?
Taking an NYC Cab
Have you ever taken a cab in New York City and felt a sense of nervousness when it was time to pay your fare? Did you ever pray to god that you had enough cash to pay the fare? Or better yet, what if you knew for sure that you didn’t have enough cash to pay a cab? Did you not take the cab and instead opt for cheaper means of transportation like the subway, or the bus, or [gasp] walking?! Or maybe you took the cab knowing full well that you didn’t have enough money to pay cash, but you decided to take the cab anyway and planned on running out of the cab as the car speeded to a stop and running away before the cabbie called the cops (laughs)? If you have, then maybe you should keep in mind a business started by a man named Amos Tamam, , to make a long story short, Amos Tamam has spearheaded technology that enables taxi cabs to accept fares via credit card payments. This may seem like not a big deal to some people, but when you think about all of the robberies and attempted robberies cabbies have to deal with, the credit card idea is a major solution to the problem.
Thanks to the innovation Amos Tamam has helped to provide, taxi cab drivers in NYC and in Philly can feel safer because they are not holding as much money, but the problem is that the service isn’t in all cabs in all U.S. cities. Perhaps more needs to be done, such as letters or e-mails to government officials, to provide credit card technology within cabs as a means of not only modernizing taxi cabs, but to also keep cab drivers safe.
Perhaps this is something to think about the next time you enter an NYC cab, huh?
Thanks to the innovation Amos Tamam has helped to provide, taxi cab drivers in NYC and in Philly can feel safer because they are not holding as much money, but the problem is that the service isn’t in all cabs in all U.S. cities. Perhaps more needs to be done, such as letters or e-mails to government officials, to provide credit card technology within cabs as a means of not only modernizing taxi cabs, but to also keep cab drivers safe.
Perhaps this is something to think about the next time you enter an NYC cab, huh?
Sunday, December 14, 2008
My Travel Plans
I had been thinking of going away for Christmas this year, but I hadn't how exactly to go about planning my trip. I’m still not quite sure yet if I want to do a weekend thing or go on a vacation for a few days. A friend of mine had a useful suggestion, Consolidated Resorts, a website that helps vacation planners like me to find a decent, though inexpensive, accommodations. If you are interested, then all you have to do to contact Consolidated Resorts is to fill out a brief form, and a customer service representative will contact you answer any questions or concerns that you may have.
What I like about the site is that the travel packages are reasonably priced. For example, the company is offering vacation packages under $599, which is a pretty good deal considering that I have to balance my budget for Christmas presents, food, utilities, and the like. At first, I had felt kind of guilty about planning a vacation considering how tough the economy has been for me so far this year, but I had figured that I had a little bit of money left over, so I am going to take the opportunity and go away for a bit. Not only are the Consolidated Resorts travel packages relatively cheaper than from other places, the packages also include a rental car, which is great because it lessens the headaches of finding lodging and a means of transportation.
Anyway, I wish that everyone has a happy and healthy holiday season. I also hope that everyone who plans on travelling does it safely. Seasons Greetings!
What I like about the site is that the travel packages are reasonably priced. For example, the company is offering vacation packages under $599, which is a pretty good deal considering that I have to balance my budget for Christmas presents, food, utilities, and the like. At first, I had felt kind of guilty about planning a vacation considering how tough the economy has been for me so far this year, but I had figured that I had a little bit of money left over, so I am going to take the opportunity and go away for a bit. Not only are the Consolidated Resorts travel packages relatively cheaper than from other places, the packages also include a rental car, which is great because it lessens the headaches of finding lodging and a means of transportation.
Anyway, I wish that everyone has a happy and healthy holiday season. I also hope that everyone who plans on travelling does it safely. Seasons Greetings!
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