This in an area of much history…

I love Sussex County Delaware. I am native born, multigenerational and proud to be one of those who, as they say; “are from here”.

The earliest records of our family show we were here well before the Mayflower arrived in 1620; some our ancestors were here in the early 1500’s or before; when the only records here were all the family Bibles that each family kept.

In this area, we were populated by those escaping religious persecution in Europe. This heritage has much to do with the names and character of our area. Many local ancestors fled Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man, when Henry IV dethroned Richard II and the subsequent political and religious purge sent religious zealots to places out of the reach and care of England. I’ve learned that many were foragers only and did not farm or hunt, only fished, from directions they read in the Bible.

Some of these folks evolved into local farmers, plain woodsmen, wild plant pickers and eaters, herbalists, tanners, soap makers, hunters, and under all they were missionaries in the areas of what are now Lewes, Milton, Angola, Long Neck, Broadkill, Nassau, Cool Spring, Whitesville, Quakertown and Red Mill Pond.

These folks worshipped only God, the Christ, and read only the most original scriptures or were as they say just PLAIN… This was all deadly illegal under the British rule, except as licensed by the King. Others were burned, hung, drawn, quartered, drowned slowly and otherwise tortured to death publicly and imprisoned in terrible conditions meanwhile.

I was raised at what is now Eagle Crest Aerodrome, on what was early known as the White Farms, near Milton. I started school at Milton school then went to Lewes School and graduated 1967 from Lewes School. Since then I’ve lived in several areas of what we locals sometimes call “Saltwater Sussex” and what I used to call The Henlopen Quadrant; that is the locations within 25 miles of Cape Henlopen.

The Whites, Taylors, McIntires, Potters, Fishers, Maulls, Brittinghams, etc. were of my mother’s family and were or descended from the earliest teachers and missionaries here that I know of. Many of these early settlers established mills and mill ponds where (perhaps) America’s first manufacturing industry, that of grinding oak bark and developing it into tannin was done. This damming of the creeks to make mill power, caused our first swellings of little creeks and springs into what became larger mill ponds. Red Mill Pond was such an early example, as was Milton Pond, Millsboro Pond, and several smaller ones such as Beaver Dam Pond, and Saw Mill Pond, etc. As the mills were abandoned and dams burst, many of these ponds receded and disappeared.

These “plain people” as they were often known, to themselves, were just plain and not bound to any king, or religion, except God and the Bible in it’s original languages and in early German. I recall some hand written Bibles, in ink and pen, Bibles in our family home at what is now Eagle Crest Road and Route One.

Route 1 by the way was the first road in what is now America and connected all the original settlements, although it was first useful only on foot, later by mule and horse. Much later by wagon. There were many fords and later bridges as road one, traversing this land from south to north, crossed the many creeks, streams and rivers that fed from the land to the Delaware Bay.

Cape Henlopen is the anchor point of Salt Water Sussex County, where the Delaware Bay meets and flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Lewes. When you stand at Cape Henlopen Point, you can see the razor line of color change where the dark waters of the Bay meet the blue waters of the ocean in a diagonal line extending from the beach out into the sea. This darkness of the waters is caused by the nutrient rich, therefore muddy, waters that seep out of the great marsh which borders almost all of Delaware.

This Great Marsh is, even today, one of the most ecologically rich and diverse lands in the world; were thousands of native plants and numerous animals live. Here they have no native predators to speak of. A most wonderful book about this Marsh is Progger: A Life on the Marsh, by Tony Florio. Only in the last few years have predators plied these lands, feral dogs and cats loosed from the tourists, visitors and new townspeople into our great marsh, no longer household pets, these thousands of wild cats and dogs, bring a deadly new addition to the lands.

We have, here in Saltwater Sussex, a conspicuous absence of poisonous snakes. The early Plain People were unique in that they learned to live here year ’round, (although the American Indians did not) especially in and along this fertile great marsh. These Plain People gave this land and any others who came here their full admiration, acceptance and friendliness. They loved and were loved by the natives who browsed, hunted and fished here. This character caused them to be known as kind, strong, courageous and resourceful — and thus they gained the trust and admiration of these natives.

Because of the relatively large number of missionary settlers here, and the prosperity they created by ingeniously trading goods they made and services to the native peoples – along with the good will that was enjoyed among all… there was much peace between the native hunters and fishers with these Plain folks.

This region was found to be of great importance to the Dutch and English. The plain folks tended to stay well away from each other as a show of privacy and independence. They did not ordinarily join the dangerous, politically combative and disease ridden towns for generations after these towns were established here – as the area colonized. In fact there were many of the Colonial towns that died out or were burned out by the natives – because of the unhealthy conditions and attitudes that prevailed. The Plain Folk recorded the facts. Thus we have numerous histories of places where everyone was killed or died and these histories were written by the local Plain Folk.

Lewes: This region was hotly contested by the Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and English. The first officially recorded settlement here at the beach, was established by Dutch patroons, or proprietors, in partnership with the Dutch navigator David Pietersen de Vries; it was called Swanendael and was established (1631) on the site of the town of Lewes. However, within a year it was destroyed by a Native American attack. This attack notwithstanding, the Native Americans were generally friendly and willing to trade with the newcomers. And, notably the native people, who seldom lived here but hunted and fished here during the non mosquito seasons, got along well with the Plain People and not the settlers.

The Dutch West India Company, organized in 1623, was more interested in trade on the South River, as the Delaware was called at that time, than in settlement (the North River was the Hudson, in the Dutch colony of New Netherland). Several Dutchmen, interested in settling the area, put their services at the disposal of Sweden and colonized the area for that country. The best known of these was Peter Minuit, who had been governor of New Amsterdam (later New York). In 1637-38 Minuit directed the colonizing expedition for the Swedes that organized New Sweden . Fort Christina was founded in 1638 on the site of Wilmington and was named in honor of the queen of Sweden. The colony grew with the arrival of Swedish, Finnish, and Dutch settlers.

The waters of the Delaware Bay are tributary and watershed runoff from the Great Marsh and all the little streams, creeks, rivers and wetlands of eastern Delaware and New Jersey as well as the effluent of the Delaware River flowing down from Pennsylvania and New York. Thus the darker waters of the Delaware Bay are that way as a result the particles and filtered organic matter from the Great Marsh and wetland areas. These darker waters then flow generally south along the Rehoboth, Dewey, area beaches until the clear waters of the Indian River and Bay pushing out the Indian River Inlet force the darker waters away from the coast and out to sea. Thus the ocean water on the beaches south of Indian River Inlet tends to be far clearer than that north of the inlet.

Lewes is known as the First Town in the First State, because of this Dutch settlement, even though it didn’t survive. Lewes was the first town settled in Delaware and Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution of The United States – hence the title we proudly proclaim for Lewes — First Town in the First State. Lewes was first settled by the Dutch and Swedes. There are numerous books on the history of Lewes in the local book stores, perhaps as many as two dozen different historical and entertaining books on this fair town. Each has a different version of history to some extent. Amazon.com shows over a hundred.

Lewes has become one of the most historically sensitive and aware towns in the area. Some people still call Lewes by another older name Lewes Towne. Some of our visitors have nicknamed it Williamsburg North with a bit of a wink and a smile to go with their love. We have a wonderful little downtown along Second Street, Pilottown road, Market Street, Savannah Road and King’s Highway. There are numerous specialty shops, restaurants and even the famous King’s Ice Cream shop on 2nd St. to entice our numerous walkers. Lewes is, more than any other town in our region, a great place to walk all over town as you discover the little nooks, shops, businesses and trades that are usually in historically attractive buildings. In is not unusual to see hundreds of people walking the streets in Lewes, even in the off season. In the summer season, spring and fall, it is customary to see thousands of people and families slowly walking and looking at our old homes, businesses, museums and scenic views.

The Lewes Harbor is a wonderfully scenic deep water port, the only one in eastern Sussex County. There are sailboats and larger boats moored along the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal from the Roosevelt Inlet at the north end of Lewes down to the Canal Bridge where Kings Highway and Savannah Road combine to cross the drawbridge and connect historic Lewes to Lewes Beach.

Lewes Harbor as taken from The Lighthouse Restaurant.

Lewes Beach is more recently developed than the town of Lewes. The homes of Lewes Beach have seldom been there longer than 50 years and many of the older, smaller fixer-upper homes are being removed and larger modern homes built on the lots there. The lands of Lewes Beach, all of the lots, are owned by the town of Lewes. Residents, property owners and businesses get a 99 year lease which is renewable. This lease was originally supposed to be only for the growing of rabbits but, without changing the terms or law, is now used to support many lovely beach homes. The modest lease fee is paid to the town of Lewes annually. The lots in Lewes do “sell”, actually the leases are transferred to the new land tenants at the same price as land would be deeded.

Cape Henlopen State Park includes most of the bay front and ocean front land and beaches around Lewes. There are some communities; Pilot Point, Cape Shores, Port Lewes, and the Delaware River and Bay Pilots Association along the Bay. The Cape Henlopen State Park was once Fort Miles the Army base. Fort Miles was set up between World War I and World War II to protect the Delaware Bay shipping traffic from the German submarines. Now the thousands of acres of beach, dunes, wetlands and woods that stretch between Lewes and Rehoboth are all part of the park and the military buildings have other beachy uses.

William Penn was a much loved European and politically active adherant of plain folks that remained under the yoke of England, while hiding their distaste for the religions of the Kings and meeting secretly. Penn was convicted of various political crimes and exiled over here were it was supposed other like minded plain folks already resided in horrid and deadly and uncivilized residency with the Indians. This land of Penn’s exile, named Penn’s woods or Pennsylvania was in deference to his social and political popularity. In 1682 a duke transferred the Lewes claim to Penn, who wanted to secure a navigable water route from his new colony of Pennsylvania to the ocean. The three counties of Delaware thus became the Three Lower Counties (or Territories, as Penn called them) of Pennsylvania. The individual counties were called New Castle, Kent (formerly St. Jones), and Sussex (formerly Hoornkill, also known as Whorekill, and Deale). The English proprietors of Maryland contested Penn’s claim to Delaware, and the boundary dispute was not fully settled until 1750.

The inhabitants of the Delaware counties were at first unwilling to be joined to the “radical” and very political Quaker colony of Pennsylvania or to have their affairs settled in Philadelphia. They finally accepted the Penn charter of 1701 after provisions were added giving the Three Lower Counties the right to a separate assembly, which first met in 1704. Delaware maintained quasi-autonomy until the American Revolution. The two colonies maintained strong ties, however, and two of Delaware’s leading statesmen during the RevolutionThomas McKean and John Dickinsonwere also prominent in Pennsylvania affairs.

Rehoboth is the next historic town south of Lewes. Rehoboth Beach is known as the Nation’s Summer Capital; because so many of the power elite of Washington D.C. vacation and visit here. Rehoboth Beach; The Nation’s Summer Capital has another name as well – Weekend Washington, a name popular in particular with the college crowd from George Washington University in downtown D.C. The traffic flow from Washington D.C. is so heavy that it is not unusual for people to spend 4 to 8 hours each Friday or Saturday driving the 100 miles from the city to our beach. Rehoboth was originally settled as a result of it being a place for Christian Camp Revivals where preachers and parishioners would come to renew vows to God and to bath in the waters of the sea for baptisms and spiritual and physical health renewal. They did not come during the mosquito seasons for many years and when they did start coming more in the summer would wear head to toe coverings for reasons of modesty and protection from the flies, gnats, and fog like swarms of mosquitoes.

We are a focal point for D.C. area college students to come for beach and fun. As these students age many join the highest ranks of government and it’s myriad consultants; and they still come to the beach here in Rehoboth, Dewey and Bethany. The universities of Washington D.C. are noted for being the power training bases for this nation’s and the world’s social and ruling elite. The Georgetown University Department of Government, in cooperation with the School for Summer and Continuing Education, offers undergraduate students a unique opportunity to spend an exciting semester as an intern in the nation’s capital, while living and studying on the campus of one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the United States. Students gain valuable practical work experience necessary to be competitive in today’s job market, while enriching their academic resume with undergraduate credits from Georgetown University. G.U. is known for its tough standards, especially at the Law school and the Medical school. This pressure is continued for the summer sessions as well. These students will become some of the finest and most famous Doctors and Lawyers in America. Almost 100% of these G.U. students exit the downtown campus on Friday after lunch and drive straight to Rehoboth and Dewey Beach. The party starts when they start the car, or in most cases the Jeep or SUV.

George Washington University sprawls throughout downtown D.C. along Pennsylvania Avenue and over toward the Watergate. G.W. or G.W.U. either one is correct, is noted as the place where the future leaders of our country are educated and interned. The school is running over with students whose parents rule and work on “The Hill”, Capital Hill in D.C. G.W. students are often some of the first to escape the city and speed toward the Beach, especially Dewey Beach.

As the student guide for prestigious American University in DC says: there are many resort areas along the coast, such as Bethany Beach, Fenwick Island, Rehoboth Beach, known locally as the “nation’s summer capital” because of its popularity among Washington, D.C. residents. The summers are hot and humid in Delaware and the beach is the major recreation area. American University is famed for educating the future leaders of the world. Many of the students are expected to help rule their particular countries after graduation. For this reason among others, the sitting President of The United States gives the Commencement address at A.U. each June – no other school in the world can make that claim.

A.U. is a huge sprawling campus that meanders all over the D.C. area. These thousands of well connected students From G.W.U., G.U., A.U., and other DC area schools, are particularly expected to lead their individual countries, including ours, or if they are not quite that well connected they are expected to intern and then work as executives in one of the Embassies, the European Union, the International Chamber of Commerce, World Court, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States, Peace Corps, World Bank, World Health Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization, World Trade Organization, or the United Nations. So when you see some “kid” at the beach in Rehoboth or Dewey – pay attention, it is just possible that these “kids” may be ruling and running countries and making international headlines in a few years.

Dewey Beach is noted for it’s motto’s “It’s A Dewey Thing”, “Just Dewey It”, “Live IS a Beach”, “Dewey – A Way of Life” and more. Dewey Beach is the primary party spot for well financed singles with fit bodies. Dewey is the Happy Hunting Ground for the high pressured professionals of the DC area. Many have pseudonyms that are used in Dewey to protect their other place identities. Some of these Dewey People start living the summers in a Dewey House in college and never stop. There are Group Houses now where most of the participants, the partiers are in their 40s and 50s and act like they are still in their 20s – and always will. There are over two dozen party houses in Dewey on the Web alone. This represents several hundred singles that spend most of their disposable income in Dewey – and that can be substantial.

Dewey Beach is known around the world for the famous Rusty Rudder Restaurant and Ruddertowne. There is also the famous or more properly infamous Starboard, the rowdy Bottle and Cork, The Waterfront, and The Lighthouse. The customary Dewey lifestyle is to party all night, get up and run early then go to the beach and sleep off the night before while tanning. Then perhaps a little volley ball, some more running and then checking out the other “hard bodies” for someone to hook-up with for the nights partying and on it goes. The “Professionals” are able to keep this up for the Hundred Days during college and then after employment, usually in DC, they try to keep up the same average action on just the weekends and recuperate during the week. There is a famous quote, no longer legal to put in rental ads for beach houses, “4 bedrooms – sleeps 50″ and the tenants try to stretch even that occupancy. Beds are often used for sleeping anyway, except by accident. Do you have an idea of what “A Dewey Way of Life” might be?

Bethany Beach is just a few miles down The Ocean Highway or The Coastal Highway or Route One or Delaware Sea Shore Highway or whatever name they change it to next week. The ride from Dewey Beach is a pleasant and beautiful one of only a few miles but the two towns are universes apart in difference. Bethany Beach is “The Quiet Place”, “The Family Resort”, and “The Quiet Resort” and is a town with little going on, outside of the homes. There is very little commercialism and lots of just staying at home or in some cases going to the beach or the boardwalk. Bethany Beach and South Bethany, Delaware are nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the inland bays. Bethany Beach and South Bethany Beach are situated on the Atlantic Ocean just south of Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach, Delaware, and north of Fenwick Island, Delaware and Ocean City, Maryland. Each of these little beach towns is a world different from each other one.

Fenwick Island is the southern-most town in the state of Delaware and is nestled between the ocean and the bay. Fenwick Island was incorporated in 1953 and is also locally referred to as “The Quiet Resort.” This little town has maintained its own unique quality, charm and small-town atmosphere. The pristine beaches and bays offer a myriad of recreational opportunities to please even the most discerning vacationer. Activities can range from boating, sailing, water skiing, fishing to biking. The ocean water is the clearest and cleanest in the state. The Fenwick beaches are the most spacious and least used and the primary activity outside of staying home is just lying on the beach for that perfect tan. Come see how relaxing Fenwick Island can be for you and your family. Outdoor activities are backed up with friendly home-town services. Family operated motels and restaurants provide the ultimate in comfort.

Let’s NOT forget some of the lesser known beaches of Southern Delaware – those hidden little places that not even the locals know much about. These are all along the Delaware Bay, north of Lewes. They are in order: Broadkill Beach and some call it the old name Broadkiln Beach; next to the north are Prime Hook Beach, Slaughter Beach and then Bowers Beach. These little beaches, each one with a unique personality of its own have no commercial establishments to amount to anything, no boardwalks and very little rental property market. The homes are mostly very modest older homes but that is changing fast.

Broadkill Beach, where I had an office for several years, was originally just squatters who did not own the land but had little “cottages” there, usually made of spare pieces of lumber and stuff picked up in the personal junk piles of the farmers who spent time there. Broadkill Beach still has some incredibly unique and sometimes ugly homes scattered among the beautiful modern showcases. Gradually the older homes are being removed by the new owners and larger and usually spectacular homes put in their place. Prices in Broadkill are less than half of those in Lewes, sometimes far less than half! There are no lifeguards, no beach cleaning, no town hall, no police, no mayor or government of any kind and few restrictions. This is a great fishing community. There are thousands of prehistoric Horse Shoe Crabs that mate and die on the beaches each summer but the locals consider that keeps the citified
people away and they like that.

Prime Hook Beach or Primehook beach depending on which map you use is far less expensive than Broadkill. There are far fewer modern homes there but the trend has started. Little by little the older, sometimes rough homes at Primehook are being refurbished. The waterfront homes at Primehook were always far larger and nicer than those at Broadkill. Many of them are not being removed, but are one by one, being restored.

Broadkill and Primehook as well as Slaughter Beach are all surrounded by huge barriers of wetlands behind them and between them. Fishermen can surf fish in the bay but mostly it is just the view from these beaches that the residents enjoy and the lost in time lack of modern restrictions and commercialism. Slaughter Beach does have its own volunteer fire department which serves as the social focus of the town. But mostly there are just good neighbors and a laid back life available at these old beaches. If you want something else, you’ll have to drive a half hour or so to one of the small towns inland to find it.

Bowers Beach is a strange and wonderful world out of place. For one thing you can’t get from south Bowers to north Bowers by car or foot – only by boat, unless you go many miles inland and back. The channel is only a hundred feet wide that divides the town but the two sides of town are remote from each other – except for the residents who just hop on a dingy and slip across. Bowers, on a busy day, in the height of the summer season
might see six or seven tourists in a day – but not usually that many.

Each beach as you travel north up the bay has lower prices, less swimming enjoyment, less fishing as a rule and less government and restrictions. Each has its lovers and most people will have a love or hate response to any given one of the beaches. I love them all, each in a different way and will gladly help you find your utopian dream location. Just let us know when you are ready to choose!

Copyright 2002-2005 by www.JodyHudson.com

Article is found at http://www.kate-jody.com/essays/beachareatowns.html

Jody Hudson is a realtor in southern Delaware with several web sites and numerous contributions on the Web. Googgle him!

This article will provide you a brief introduction about what actually video conferencing is. By video conferecing we can connect with some other identity and also can see the video online in real time. It is now useful and very interesting technology and widly used worldwide.

What is Video Conferencing: Video conferencing is the integration of video, audio and peripherals to enable two or more people to communicate simultaneously over some type of telecommunications lines. By video conferencing you are transmitting synchronized images and verbal communications between two or more locations in lieu of them being in the same room.

Video conferencing ingredients: The main ingredients of successful video conferencing are video cameras, microphones, appropriate computer software and computer equipment and peripherals that will integrate with the transmission lines to relay the information.

How video conferencing works: The analog information recorded by the microphones and cameras is broken down into discreet units, translating it to ones and zeros. A Codec encodes the information to a digital signal that can then be transmitted to a codec at the other end, which will retranslate these digital signals back into analog video images and audio sounds.

In the earlier days, video conferencing was very much expensive than today. Some time back video conferencing was used by T1, ATM and ISDN lines. These all process were very costly for video conferencing. Since internet is very cheap and it is a very good medium for video conferencing. The TCP/IP connections of the Internet are much less expensive and can carry large quantities of information for video conferencing, including video packets for conferencing, relatively easily. Because of this, video conferencing has become much more prevalent in small businesses and in desktop packages that can be set up with software for computer-to-computer networking.

The problem faced was in video conferencing was that when we convert analog to digital for transmission then it is the loss in clarity of image. The most important factor in video conferencing is the compression ratio. The higher the compression ratio, the more quickly the information is capable of being transmitted. In many cases, however, this also means some loss in clarity or audio/video quality.

Advantages of video conferencing: Using video conferencing you can communicate with whole groups of people at once either through networking a group of computers or by form of broadcast. This is a huge step forward for both companies and for schools. video conferencing is very useful for students in their studies. Students can enjoy learning this way much more than from a textbook. Informed people can talk to classes and help them learn, where otherwise they wouldn’t be able to because of time and distance restrictions. This is also a bonus for children who have different learning styles. The more visual types who understand better when they can see what they’re working with.

Author is an engineer and is running a website http://engineering-updates.com, you can reproduce this article if all the link are alive.

First, you should determine if you are qualified to contribute to either. You may contribute to either traditional or Roth IRAs only to the extent you have earned income includible in gross income. The maximum contribution for a taxpayer and the taxpayer’s spouse is $4,000 each. Individuals who are at least age 50 will be able to make an additional contribution of $500 ($1,000 for 2006). You have until April 17th, 2006 to make an IRA contribution for the 2005 tax year. You must be less than age 70 to purchase a traditional IRA.

In addition to the $4,000 limit mentioned above, contributions to traditional IRAs can be further limited when the individual (or spouse) is an active participant in a retirement plan maintained by an employer. The maximum deductible IRA contribution for an individual who is not an active participant, but whose spouse is an active participant, is phased out when modified adjusted gross income is between $150,000 and $160,000.

The maximum deduction for an individual who is an active participant in a retirement plan is phased out when modified adjusted gross income is between ($50,000 to $60,000 for single and head of household; $0 to $10,000 for married filing separate).

When both spouses are active participants in an employer sponsored retirement plan, tax deductible contributions are phased out when modified adjusted gross income is between $70,000 and $80,000. If your tax deduction is limited by the active participation rules, look to the Roth rules.

Roth IRAs are not subject to the active participation rules. However, contributions to Roth IRAs are phased out when income exceeds the thresholds. Contributions made by single filers are phased out when modified adjusted gross income is between $95,000 and $110,000, and for joint filers with modified adjusted gross income between $150,000 and $160,000, and for married filing separately with modified adjusted gross income between 0 and $10,000.

Roth and traditional IRAs also have different distribution rules, which goes beyond the scope of this article.

So if you qualify for both traditional and Roth, and you are not concerned with the different distribution rules, what is best?

With traditional IRAs, you get an immediate tax deduction. Tax on your contribution is deferred until final distribution. Also, all earnings inside your traditional IRA grow tax deferred. Roth IRAs offer no immediate deduction. However, all earnings inside your Roth IRA grow tax free, not tax deferred.

Therefore, you must consider what tax bracket you are in now and what tax bracket you will be in when you receive the distributions. If you are in the 10 or 15 percent tax brackets, Roth may be a good choice. Based on a $4,000 contribution, you are bypassing immediate tax reduction of $400 to $600 in exchange for a lifetime of tax free accumulation on your $4,000 investment. This option looks even stronger if you expect to be in a higher tax bracket when you finally distribute your accumulation.

On the other hand, if you are in the 35 percent tax bracket, a Roth election means bypassing $1,400 immediate tax reduction (on a $4,000 contribution). If you expect to be in a lower tax bracket when you finally distribute your investment, as many retirees are, it makes sense to contribute to a traditional IRA and get an immediate tax break.

Tax accountant John Huddleston has a law degree and masters in tax law from the University of Washington School of Law. He has been a guest tax expert on the radio. He advises small businesses in the Seattle Bellevue Kent Everett area on various tax issues and provides tax preparation. Seattle Bellevue tax accountant John Huddleston is a frequent publisher of tax saving ideas.

Whether you are an adventurous traveler who scales mountains and hikes
through jungles or you are a lover of creature comforts who lives for five star
hotels, travel will teach you some of life’s great lessons. It does not matter
if you were born a beach bum or are an art enthusiast travel will enrich your
life.

Whether you prefer traveling in groups or going it alone, if you are a
planner or spontaneous your life will benefit by traveling away from what you
know. You don’t have to go far, you may or may not cross oceans, take a plane,
train or car the important thing is that you explore the world outside of your
community.

What will you discover?

Look at the familiar through new eyes: Travel to a place you know well
with someone who has never been there before. On a trip to Pittsburgh, where I
grew up, my niece and her boyfriend showed me a city full of unique and charming
old neighborhoods, museums dedicated to things such as ketchup, Andy Warhol and
the birth of the labor movement. I also saw that the view of the three rivers
from Mount Washington is as beautiful as any large city vista.

We are small: Walk through the redwood forests in California or hike
through Rocky Mountain National Park and you will discover just how small we
are.

There are more similarities than differences: Stand on the shore
in Nova Scotia, Canada and then the coast of Brittany in France you will notice
the similarities in the landscape and the people even though these two places
are separated by an ocean.

You can be someone else: I have had people think I was Dutch in Lucca,
Italy and Quito Ecuador, French in Venice and German in Rome. In fact the only
place people absolutely know that I am American is in Canada. It is fun to play
along and see where it takes you.

Food can be part of your adventure: You will find that pretty food is
not always good and ugly food is not always bad. It is not the wine that is
important it is the new and old friends that you share it with that is
important.

You can be happier if you strike out on your own: If you are traveling
with a group you do not need to do everything your companions do. Some people
have an amazing capacity for art museums, others prefer churches and still
others can walk for miles without a break. After spending a week in France
looking at buildings designed by the architect Corbusier, I finally rented a car
and went to San Tropez. Everyone was happier after that.

Rain is beautiful too: The sun does not have to shine to make a place
beautiful; standing in the rain in a rain forest is as beautiful as sitting in
the sun in Portofino.

Beauty is all around you, just look and see: Treat yourself to the
colors in the landscape in New Mexico and the lack of contrast between the
water, ice and landscape on a cloudy day in Newfoundland.

New York City is not the US, Paris is not France: You learn not to
judge a country by one city – New York City is not representative of the United
States and Paris is not representative of France.

Old is a state of mind: In some countries old is measured in thousands
of years in other countries it is measured in hundreds of years. In people, old
is a state of mind, if you are young look around you at older travelers who are
walking the same paths as you only with canes and walking sticks often with a
smile on their face.

When disaster strikes: Traveling makes you feel empathy when disaster
strikes. How many people cried after Hurricane Katrina remembering the people
they had met in New Orleans or Biloxi? The tourist trade helped revive the
economy of Southeast Asia after the tsunami hit in 2004.

Imagine: Take a break and imagine what daily life is like in the place
you are visiting, and then think of what it was like a hundred years ago or a
thousand years ago.

If someone asks you to sing then sing!: Step outside your comfort
zone, try to speak the language, if people are singing join in.

Smiles translate: If in doubt smile, they mean the same thing in every
language. Chances are you will be rewarded with a smile in return.

No amount of reading books, watching TV or listening to music can replace the
experience of getting up off your couch and going to see it all for yourself.
You will never look at the world in the same way again.

Travel author Jackie Willey enjoys discovering fun places to visit that many tourists miss. Subscribe to her blog mailing list at Amore
Travel Guides and Discover Walking
for more free information.

Beauty salon equipment is a broad term that applies to various pieces of equipment all having uniquely different functions within the beauty industry. The type of beauty salon equipment found within a salon’s doors is best determined by what services the salon offers its clients.

Most beauty salons offer basic hair cutting and hair styling services. The basic beauty salon equipment necessary to provide these services consists of hair styling chairs, wash basins, hair dryers and supply trolleys. Basic types of salon equipment are available through a large number of suppliers that offer it at a low cost. This “low end” type of beauty salon equipment is simplistic with no added features that can be costly.

Due to popular demand, many salons are expanding to offer day spa services to their clients. Day spa services aim to pamper the client and assist them in the pursuit of mental relaxation. Day spa services often include manicures, pedicures, tanning, skin care, waxing, and massage. These services all require the use of specific equipment. This beauty salon equipment is also readily available through a variety of suppliers, many of whom have elaborate e-commerce Web sites and online catalogs that allow a customer to make quick cost comparisons between suppliers.

Day spa equipment tends to include various features that enhance client comfort and provide relaxation. The cost of day spa equipment can be extremely varied. When purchased new, items such as tanning booths, tanning beds, and pedicure spas can cost thousands of dollars. To save money, a salon owner may choose to purchase used beauty salon equipment. There are many suppliers who specialize only in offering quality used beauty salon equipment. If a consumer conducts sufficient product research and ensures they are purchasing used beauty salon equipment from a reputable supplier, they can obtain equipment at tremendous cost savings. The money saved can then be invested in their business and used to attract new clients.

Salon Equipment Info provides detailed information about beauty, hair, nail, tanning salon equipment, as well as wholesale and discount salon equipment. Salon Equipment Info is the sister site of Hair Extensions Web.

His first found him within 156 metres of the peak when his team stopped to help a fellow mountaineer who was left for dead. One year later, Min Bahadur Sherchan, a University of Calgary alumni, returned to Mt Everest to finish what he had started.

Bahadur Sherchan last attempt resulted in the rescue of Lincoln Hall, an Australian climber who was left by his team in the “death zone.”

Sherchan just 12 days away from his 77th birthday beat the age record set last year by 71-year-old Japanese teacher Katsusuke Yanagisawa.

Hall was frostbitten and severely disoriented due to altitude sickness. Andrew Brash returned a hero to Calgarians. The 77-year-old man from Nepal is now the oldest person to have reached the top of Chomolungma or Mount Everest. They flexed their muscles this year all the in name of the Olympic spirit, but it was hardly spirited at all.”

Now that Bahadur Sherchan has successfully scaled the tallest mountain in the world, he is once again ready to focus on his family. Andrew Brash and four climbing guides reached the 29,035-foot (8,850-meters) summit of the world’s highest mountain early Sunday, said Ramesh Chretri, an official with Nepal’s ministry of tourism. With the Chinese preparing for the impending summer Olympic Games, Andrew Brash noted that the government’s actions hardly reflected the Olympic spirit. More than 3202 people have climbed to the summit since it was first conquered in 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary, who died in January, and Nepal’s Tenzing Norgay.

They basically coerced the Nepali government to not allow any climbers past camp two on the Nepali side. “the Mount Everest this year became a political pawn,” he said with some frustration.

“The Chinese weren’t allowing anybody on the mountain. They ended up commandeering it for themselves, even though the mountain is shared by two countries. Further, the decision to actualize a long-time personal goal left Min Bahadur Sherchan with some internal uncertainties, he cited the political actions of China and Nepal as providing the greatest adversity he faced on his journey. This season mountaineer Anthony Loeff is reporting the scales for Mount Everest after reaching the peak of Mont Blanc in France earlier this year.

The Chinese were flying their airplanes over the mountain and had Chinese officials in Kathmandu. He was reported in good health as he began making his descent. As he planned for the climb, Sherchan told reporters he wanted to inspire fellow senior citizens. He also said many Nepalese have established records on Everest, so it was only fitting that the record for the oldest climber to reach the summit should also belong to a Nepali. Andrew Brash returned this week from Nepal after successfully climbing to the summit of Chomolungma. Indeed, he was all too aware of the potential dangers the mountain could bring. Certain parts of the climb are more dangerous than others and it is important for climbers to remain focused

Inflatable trampolines can be very pleasurable in addition to being able to keep your toddler involved and amused for quite a few hours. Certain trampolines aren’t just good for toddlers, as many can be used by mature people as an aerobic training drill as well as a way for tightening and building arm muscles simultaneously Therefore, a trampoline has a great deal to provide throughout July for the complete family and it is of no astonishment that trampolines are such a successful product throughout the sunny weeks. Check out Toy-Shopper.co.uk today for all the latest deals on kids trampolines.

The chief thing to remember when buying a garden trampoline is to guarantee it is fitting for the age and ability of the people who will likely to be trying it, be it the youngsters’ or the older people.

An extra thing to remember is for sure going to be the location of the outdoor trampoline. A quantity of trampolines at the moment can consume up a great degree of floor space on the whole as you will require about 3ft of space around the outside of the trampoline in order for the toddlers to disembark in one piece if they unconsciously plunge off.

It is also handy to note down that certain bouncy trampolines will demand to be put on smooth land otherwise the durability and well-being of the garden trampoline can be seriously affected. Therefore, specific holes could need to be produced in order for the bouncy trampoline to stand correctly.

This is the recipe that my grandmother brought with her when she and her family left Russia in the early 1900’s. As a child around 1920’s or so, while living on a farm in Pennsylvania which at that time there were a great amount of of people comming from europe, you needed to be able
to do for yourself, she learned from her mother how to make a most delicious white fruit cake, a white fruitcake is a fruitcake that does not have any molasses, molasses which is very bitter, not having the molasses in the fruitacke gives it a lighter color, this gives it the name white fruitcake.

This fruitcake in the days in which my mother lived as a child with her parents this was only
made during Christmas because the only time you could get walnuts, cherries, and some other
ingrediance was in the fall of the the year, remember now they didn’t go to the store to
buy what they meeded, they had to grow them, raisins were dried by the people themselves,
they even had to shell their own walnuts, and candy their own cherries,and such the pineapple and
coconut I do believe they must have purchased.

To keep with tradition the only time of the year that I make or sell this fruitcake is during
th Christmas holidays, and In my mind you cannot get a better fruitcake.

Here we go now gather up your ingrediance and set them on your table, all ingrediance need to
be at room temperature.

1 pound butter

12 eggs

1 pound sugar

1 pound flour all purpose

1 pound white raisins

1 pound walnut meats

1 pound red and green candied cherries

1 pound bakers flaked coconut

1 pound candies pineapple

1 tablespoon of baking soda dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water

2 cups brandy–any brand

Soak the raisins, walnuts, cherries, coconut and pineapple with 2 cups brandy overnight in
a stainless steel bowl.

In a 5 quart mixing bowl cream butter and sugar, then add eggs slowly, then add your flour
and blend well, add the bakingsoda and water and mix a minute more, add all other ingrediance
and mix until well blended.

Mow you are going to bake it in 2 pound pan, or in the pan of your choice, foil or hard pan,
line the pan with wax paper or baking paper or better yet a pan liner the size of the pan.

For 2 pound pan:

Place 1 pound 12 ounces of the mixture in the pan and level it with a spoon, don’t bang it
on the table.

Bake it at 350 degreese for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes, depends on your oven and how brown
you want it. It’s done when a pick is placed in the center and it comes out clean.

Let it cool on a rack for a while and then sprinkle it with 1 ounce of brandy and then another
ounce when it is cool and then pack it away for about 3 days in your refrigerator and then enjoy.

Andrew Krause is a Chef and Pastry Chef for over 30 years, at persent I own a Gourmet Bakery called The Cheese Confectioner.You can visit my site at http://www.andies.cashhosters2.com

NOTE You are welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the about the author info at the end), Please send a copy of your reprint to pastrie@verizon.net

The number of office furniture manufacturing facilities is increasing in China to meet with the demand and need in the US. Offering an amazing price discount for basically the same products as their US competitors, they are gaining new business from office furniture dealers, both online and in retail establishments. When it comes to buying office chairs in bulk for an office environment, price can make all the difference in the decision making process.

The Chinese market for office manufacturing, as compared to other countries which also provide volume shipments, has a market which seems to be growing at a rapid rate. With many different choices listed on a site like Alibaba, a directory of international manufacturers and shipment companies, China comes up with the most listings.

New office spaces can require a large amount of working capital for buying furniture and buying in bulk can be necessary. It is also important to save time and make sure to get the right products necessary at the lowest cost. Imported chairs in bulk, such as task chairs for standard employee use and high-end executive models are all available from Chinese manufacturers at an amazing price point.

When ordering an entire room full of conference chairs or that very important wood conference table, imported models can offer a price that allows the executive to purchase the supplies and still stay on budget.

U.S. manufacturer’s are not out of the game yet. The US competitors still remain strong when it comes to producing a high-end ergonomic custom chair, with Humanscale and Herman Miller leading the pack. The United States has several different manufacturers of custom ordered furniture but China still holds strong for the standard office chair with mass production available to importers. For a standard office chair or furniture piece, Chinese imported models still provide the user with high quality and the lowest price.

Some large U.S. office furniture distributors such as Office Star, also obtain some of their inventory from overseas manufacturer’s in China and have been importing chairs and furniture for some time from overseas. With more large distributors tapping into the overseas market, the doors will open wider for the smaller businesses, leading to more overseas product available in the US. As more and more dealers are purchasing from China, it is hoped that the price will still stay as low as it can to both the customers and the importers.

Amy Lieberfarb has been in the office furniture and interior sales industry for 11 years and currently runs two online websites dedicated to Office Chairs and Furniture. Providing information on how to pick the right ergonomic chair and featuring hundreds of different chairs, the site is very informative.

http://stores.ebay.com/liebswholesale

Specializing in Office Furniture and Ergonomic Chairs.

http://www.liebswholesale.com

She is an expert in most things office chairs and is an eBay Powerseller with years of experience and great positive feedback from all of her loyal customer base.

So you want to lose some weight? Here are 5 tips that will help you melt some body fat and lose some unwanted weight.

1. Throw away your scale

First off throw away your scale (okay don’t literally do that). You naturally gain and lose weight throughout the day due to slight changes in your metabolism and how well hydrated you are. Body weight is not always an accurate measure of a healthy body composition. Instead you should focus on your body fat percentage.

There are many inexpensive tools available to measure your body fat. Many electronic scales now come with electronic body fat measurements. These can be fairly accurate although they can have up to have 25% margin of error depending on your hydration levels (and if your taking supplements). If possible visit your local gym to get a body fat test. The caliper test (pinch test) can be very accurate. Also ask about getting your basal metabolism measured. Your basal metabolism is how many calories your body burns a day at rest. There are now many devices such as bodygem that accurately measure this.

2. Get off the treadmill and hit the weights

Unless you train cardio like Lance Armstrong you must do weight resistance exercise if you want effectively lose weight (i.e. bodyfat). The obvious goal of resistance exercise is to gain more lean muscle mass. One pound of lean muscle burns up to 50 calories a day in comparison to one pound of fat which burns around 9 calories a day. If you are able to gain 10lbs of lean muscle mass you will be burning an additional 500 calories a day. At this rate you will lose 4 lbs of bodyfat a month.

Don’t get me wrong about cardio; I think it is also extremely important for your weight loss program. It also has a benefit list about a mile long from decreasing your chances of heart disease to lowering depression. However you must put your weight training program before cardio if you really want to lose body fat.

If you are unfamiliar with weight training exercises it may be a good idea to hire a personal trainer to get you acquainted with the gym. Also try subscribing to magazines such as Men’s Health and Shape which often write beginner programs for people looking to start weight training programs.

If you are woman and are afraid of “bulking up” please repeat after me, “I will not become bulky from weight training”. This is perhaps the single biggest misconception that women have about weight training. Too “bulk up” your body requires the presence of anabolic hormones which naturally exists in much higher levels in men. Unless you are a female body builder taking steroids your chances of bulking up are slim to none. Weight training will only leave you with a toner, slimmer much better figured physique. Interesting fact: Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe lifted weights.

3. Mix it up

Fitness professionals use the fancy term “periodization” for adding variety in workouts. Periodization is a strategy to keep your body from hitting plateaus in training. A suggested cycle would look like this.

-Phase 1: 4-6 weeks of heavy resistance exercise (6-12 reps per set). Please limit cardio to 1-2 days week. Yes I do mean only 1 to 2 days a week of light cardio. Intense cardio can inhibit your weight training efforts to put on more lean muscle mass for the end goal of a higher metabolism.

-Phase 2: 4-6 weeks of moderate weight training/cardio. This phase is when you already built up some muscle. Now is the time to add some cardio on top of your elevated metabolism to reduce fat stores. Your week should have 3 days of cardio workouts and 3 days of resistance exercise.

-Phase 3: 1-3 weeks of mostly cardio and some weight training. You should be doing 5 days of cardio and 2 days of full body weight training.

After this cycle is complete repeat back to Phase 1.

3. Your Diet

This is probably the most confusing and misrepresented component of healthy weight loss. I’ve decided to break it down to a few key points

-Eat 5-6 small meals a day. Eating the traditional diet of 3 meals a day will inhibit your weight loss goals for several reasons. When you go past 4 hours without a meal your blood sugar levels begin to drop. When you finally do eat your insulin levels spike which encourages your body to store more calories as fat. You are also much more likely to binge which pushes your stomach out further and leaves only more hungry for the next meal

-Eat whole grains, fiber and veggies. Okay I know you’ve probably heard that million times. But complex carbs (not sugars), fiber and good fats (peanut butter) are crucial for your weight loss regimen. If you really miss your tasty fatty foods allow yourself one day a week where you can eat whatever you want. If you break this rule you will end up just cheating yourself.

-Drink up! Not only does water help your body recover quicker and keeps your skin looking healthy but it can help you burn more calories too. How? Try drinking ice cold water. It requires more energy from your body to warm up and will help you burn some additional calories.

4. Get to bed!

I know sleep is becoming a more of a luxury in modern day America. But not getting a full night of sleep (6-8 hours for adults) can make you fat! Here are a few reasons why:

First is lack of sleep interferes with your body’s natural mechanisms from recovering from a workout. Remember that when you exercise you are only creating an opportunity to get in shape. The final hours of a good night’s sleep is when your body releases growth hormones to rebuild you’re broken down muscle tissue. If you cut out a couple hours of rest you are cheating yourself out of gains from the hard workout earlier.

Lack of sleep can also throw off other hormones that regulate your metabolism and fat storage. Studies have shown that sleeping less than 5 hours a night can reduce bloodstream leptin levels by 15% (slowing down metabolism) and increases ghrelin by 15% (increase appetite).

Lack of sleep will inevitably make you less motivated to hit the gym because you are already fatigued! You want to be as well rested as possible before any workout. Get some sleep!

5. Supplements can help

I’m not telling you to go out and down a bottle of ephedrine every day. Supplements are intended to exactly what their name entails…they supplement your weight loss program. If you are on a weight loss program you should be taking a multivitamin everyday. There are some excellent weight loss supplements that can aid your weight loss efforts. If you can use these supplements responsibly I would recommend the following:

V/M Multivitamin complete by ISS – This is complete multivitamin supplement that is fortified with antioxidants.

Hot-Rox by Biotest – This non-ephedrine weight loss supplement can help increase your basal metabolism rate.

Lipo 6 by Nutrex – This supplement works to reduce your appetite. It can be very effective.

Lean System 7 by iSatori – This is a very potent weight loss product.

Myoplex Whey Protein by EAS – It is crucial to up your protein intake to gain more lean during resistance training.

I have experimented (and been ripped off a few times) with several supplement stores. I found GNC was the most accessible but way too expensive. So far the company I have been most pleased with is Rocky Mountain Sports Nutrition. They offer the best selection of bodybuilding supplements and weight loss products. When it came to prices and customer service their business was second to nobody. Check them out at http://www.discountanabolics.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chad Klingensmith is an American Council on Exercise certified Personal Trainer. He has helped many clients, friends and family realize the benefits of exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Do you have any fitness questions for Chad? Email him at fitnesschad@gmail.com.