Ten Tips for a Top Safari

For many people, an African Safari is an experience they want to cherish forever, and for good reason. A Safari experience is a special, soul-awakening adventure. It will excite. It will inspire. It is the experience of a lifetime.

To help ensure that your African Safari is all these things, we've put together:

Ten Tips for a fantastic Safari experience

Plan

Vital to any successful travel experience is proper planning. This is as important for an African Safari as it is for an intercontinental overland adventure trip. I will of course concede that the latter may take a fair bit more work...

Clothing

This is Africa and casual clothes are the order of the day. Neutral-colours are recommended such as beiges, browns and khakis to avoid alarming the game. Comfort is key to a pleasurable experience, so take along lightweight comfortable clothing.

Footwear Comfortable enclosed walking shoes are advisable. This especially important if you intend to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of a bush walk.

Sun Protection

Take along a hat, sunglasses and sun protection cream.

Photography

Whether you're planning on getting that once-in-a-lifetime Safari snap or merely looking to have some kind of photographic record to share your safari experience with friends back home, remember to pack plenty of extra film or digital storage media and batteries.

Passports, Visas and customs concessions

Ensure that you have your valid passport. In some instances a Visa may be required as well. Confirm the specifics with your travel agent to ensure a trouble-free experience.

You will also need to acquaint yourself with the customs restrictions of the country you are visiting as well as your own country so that you don't experience any problems when entering either country.

It's also usually a good idea to make copies of all your important documentation and note down your traveler's cheque numbers. Store this information separately from the originals as a backup.

Time differences

Southern Africa is seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. If you are traveling across time zones, your body will need to adjust during the first few days of your trip. Bear this in mind when planning your trip.

Malaria precautions

Umlani is situated in a medium-risk malaria area. Proper precautions are therefore recommended.

Most brands of malaria medication need to be taken at least a few days before you are to be exposed to a malaria risk. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for detailed advice about the type of protection best suited for your situation.

Visitors are also advised to use insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants to limit the risk of mosquito bites. This is especially true during the dusk to dawn period, when mosquitoes are most active.

Game Viewing

Wild animals are by their very nature potentially dangerous. The animals you are likely to see while out on safari are not pets. Of course, your guide will know all about this and will advise accordingly to ensure maximum safety and maximum enjoyment for all concerned. Listen to your guide at all times.

When is the best time for game viewing?

At Umlani game reserve, wildlife viewing is highly enjoyable throughout the year.

In the main wildlife areas, most rain falls during the South African summer encouraging lush vegetation but making game harder to spot.

From May to Nov, the grass is short and game is easily spotted. From August through to mid October, the last months of the dry season, game tends to concentrate near waterholes, making these ideal game viewing areas.

About the Author
The Umlani Bushcamp was founded in 1989 in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, now part of the Kruger National Park. This luxury game lodge represents the ultimate in combining five-star comfort with the adventure of an African safari.

Newborn Baby's Head Seems To Be Lopsided What Can I Do?

Is your newborn baby?s head lopsided? If so, do not be overly concerned. Many newborn babies are born with slightly lopsided heads. There could be two possible causes for this:

1.Their heads are molded unevenly in the birth canal.
2.The head shape is affected by spending too much time in one position.

The two soft areas at the top of your baby?s head are called ?fontanels.? The fontanels are designed to allow a baby?s relatively large head to move down the narrow birth canal and to accommodate your baby?s rapidly growing brain during the first 12 to 18 months of life.

Too much time in one position can result in an uneven head shape past the time when birth-related lopsidedness evens out. When this occurs it is known as ?positional molding.?

Positional molding is most common in babies who spend most of their time on their backs in cribs, car seats or infant seats. These sleeping positions are the safest for baby; however, there are some things you can do to keep your baby?s head from becoming flat or lopsided while sleeping or resting in a safe position.

When positional molding occurs you will notice it more when you are looking at your baby?s head from the top down. The back of the head may look flatter on one side than on the other. The cheekbone on the flat side may protrude, and the ear on the flat side may look pushed forward.

What you can do about positional molding:

?Change direction: First place your baby on its back for sleeping. Then alternate the direction your baby?s head faces, or place your baby?s head near the foot of the crib one day, the head of the crib the next day. Use these same varying positions in the car seat and other infant seats.

?Hold your baby: To relieve pressure on the head from swings, carriers and infant seats, routinely hold your baby when he or she is awake to help relieve this pressure.

?While you are there to totally supervise place your baby on his or her tummy to play. Be sure the surface is firm. If you leave the room, take your baby with you. Never your baby lying unsupervised to play on its tummy.

?Move the crib occasionally to give your baby the opportunity to turn away from the flattened side of the head to look at you or follow the sounds of movement in the room.

Typically, changing the baby?s head position will prevent or treat flat spots. If the lopsidedness does not improve the doctor may prescribe a special headband or molded helmet.

Helmets and headbands are worn continuously during the treatment period except during times of cleaning the helmet and bathing; the devices are most affective from ages 4 months to 12 months.

It is rare that anything more serious is wrong. However, at times two or more of the bony plates in a baby?s head fuse prematurely. This is known as craniosynostosis and is usually treated with surgery during infancy.

A similar condition called metopic synostosis causes a pointed forehead. It is also treated with surgery during infancy. Most of all do not spend a lot of time worrying about your baby?s head shape. Most babies do not have a long term problem with improper head shape. Be sure to practice the varying head positions and your baby should develop normally and right on time.

Source: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Disclaimer: *This article is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Always consult with your health care provider about any kind of a health problem and especially before beginning any kind of an exercise routine.

Author: Connie Limon, Trilogy Field Representative. Visit http://nutritionandhealthhub.com and sign up for a weekly nutrition and health tip. The article collection is available as FREE reprints for your newsletters, websites or blog. Visit http://www.healthylife27.com to purchase an array of superior quality, safe and effective products inspired by nature, informed by science and created to improve the health of people, pets and the planet.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. Article written 3-2007.

Consumer Reports Car Seats

A child car seat should be high on your to-buy list. You'll need one to bring your baby home from the hospital and for every car trip thereafter. In fact, hospitals and birthing centers generally won't let you leave by car with your newborn if you don't have one. Every state requires that kids up to 4 years of age ride in a car seat; many require booster seats for older children.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE

The major brands of car seats you're likely to encounter are, in alphabetical order: Baby Trend, Britax, Chicco, Combi, Cosco, Eddie Bauer, Evenflo, Graco, Peg Perego, and Safety 1st.

There are also car beds for preemies and other very small newborns if there's a concern that a car seat may not provide a secure fit or that it may exacerbate breathing problems. In addition, there are specially designed car seats for children with physical disabilities. Every model of car seat sold in the U.S. must meet federal safety standards. These are your basic choices:

Infant seats. These rear-facing seats are for babies up to 22 pounds. They allow infants to recline at an angle that doesn't interfere with breathing and protects them best in a crash. Many strollers are now designed to accommodate infant car seats. All infant car-seat models come with a handle, and nearly all have a base that secures to your vehicle with LATCH connections or a vehicle safety belt, a convenience that lets you remove the seat and use it as a carrier. You can strap most infant seats into a car without a base, using the vehicle safety belts, but most people don't use them that way.

Infant seats have either a three-point harness--two adjustable shoulder straps and a lock between the child's legs or--even better--an adjustable five-point system--two straps over the shoulders, two for the thighs, and a crotch strap. The handle usually swings from a position behind the seat's shell when in the car to an upright position for carrying. Remember to swing the handle to the vehicle position before each trip. Slots underneath most seats help them attach to the frame of a shopping cart.

With an infant car seat, you also can move your baby from car to house or vice versa without waking him or her up--a plus for both of you. Note also that extra bases are available so you can keep a secured base in each of your vehicles. Your baby may outgrow an infant car seat quickly and become too heavy for you to use it as a carrier. As a result, you may find yourself having to buy a convertible car seat after your baby is 6 to 9 months old. However, our advice is still to start with an infant seat before moving up to a convertible seat.

Price range: $30 to $180.

Travel systems. Travel systems offer one-stop shopping: You get an infant car seat and a stroller all in one. Most car-seat manufacturers offer these combination strollers/infant car seats. And many stand-alone strollers are now designed to accommodate infant car seats. With these strollers, you create a carriage by snapping an infant car seat into a stroller. The car seats of travel systems also come with a base, which stays in the car. The snap-on car seat is generally positioned atop the strollers so the infant rides facing the person pushing. Your baby can also ride in the stroller seat alone when he or she is big enough.

Most travel-system strollers can be used only with a car seat from the same company. They can also be bulky, so if you're a city dweller who negotiates more subway stairs than highways or if the trunk of your car isn't too roomy, you may be better off with a separate car seat and a compact stroller that is appropriate for a newborn.

Price range: $40 (stroller frame only) to $400.

Convertible seats. With a convertible seat, the child faces rearward as an infant, then toward the front of the vehicle as a toddler. The seat can function as a rear-facing seat for infants up to 30 or 35 pounds, depending on the model, and as a front-facing seat for toddlers generally up to 40 pounds (a few have a 65-pound limit). Models typically have an adjustable five-point harness system--two straps over the shoulders, two for the thighs, and a crotch strap between the legs. Some models have a tray shield that lowers over the baby's head and fastens with a buckle between the legs. However, our tests show that children, especially small ones, are better restrained with a five-point harness.

A convertible car seat can be a money saver, taking your child from infancy to kindergarten and beyond. We advise starting with an infant seat first, though, as mentioned earlier. Keep in mind that convertible seats are not compatible with strollers, so you will have to transfer your baby from the convertible car seat to a carriage or stroller when you're ready to set out on foot. Such jostling can wake a sleeping baby, a problem if you need to take your child on frequent shopping expeditions or other errands.

Price range: $50 to $290.

Toddler/booster seats. Looking like large versions of convertible seats, these front-facing seats are used with an internal harness for toddlers 20 to 40 pounds. They're either LATCH-attached or can be secured using the vehicle belts and tethers. When kids reach 40 pounds, the seat becomes a belt-positioned booster seat, which children can use until they're 80 or 100 pounds. With a belt-positioned booster seat, the child is restrained using the vehicle's lap and shoulder belt system.

Booster seats. These are generally for children weighing 40 to 80 pounds. (A very tall child may begin using a booster seat at 30 pounds.) Booster seats use the vehicle's own safety belts to restrain the child.

Built-in seats. Some U.S. and foreign automakers offer on select cars and minivans an integrated, forward-facing child seat that has a harness and accommodates toddlers weighing more than 20 pounds. There are also some booster-seat versions. Built-in seats must meet the same performance standards as add-on child seats. However, they offer little or no side protection and they're usually located next to a door, instead of in the center--the safer position. You may also need a regular car seat for when your child travels in other vehicles.

IMPORTANT FEATURES

Since Sept.1, 2002, all child car seats with an internal harness and nearly all passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. have been required to include equipment designed for simpler buckling. This system, called LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children), consists of child car-seat connections that attach to anchor points in the vehicle, eliminating the need to use a vehicle's safety belts to install the seat. You can still use safety belts to install a LATCH-equipped child car seat--for example, in an older car that lacks LATCH anchors. You can also retrofit some non-LATCH car seats with LATCH features.

Today's car seats cater to every possible taste--plain colors, plaids, animal and paw-print motifs, and patriotic red, white, and blue. Remember that, style aside, babies tend to be messy, so washable fabric is a plus, especially if your car seat will be with you beyond the first year, when training cups and eating on the go can kick into high gear. Car seats from some leading brands, however, require hand washing and line drying. Make sure you're up for that; most coverings are rigged through the harness-strap system and are held in place with elastic so they can be removed for laundering. But in some cases extracting the fabric from the seat can require extensive dismantling. Check the seat's manual for how-to's.

Extras such as add-on seat covers (oots), thicker padding, additional reclining options, or adjustable head-support cushions may offer greater comfort. But buy them only if they are sold by the same maker as the seat and for that specific seat, since they were tested that way; mixing brands is very risky. Some models have elastic side pockets for toys, bottles, or snacks. As your baby grows, they can come in handy, but they're not absolutely necessary.

Some infant and convertible seats have a level indicator on the side to help you install them facing the rear at a safe angle. A top tether is a webbed strap that can be used with all front-facing seats for children up to 40 pounds and with some up to 65 pounds. It's located on the back of a convertible or toddler seat and hooks into an eye bolt in a vehicle's rear deck, floor, roof, or seatback. Passenger vehicles manufactured on or after Sept.1,1999 have the anchors in place in their rear seats, but older models may need to have the hardware added. Obviously, you can't use a tether with cars that lack a top-tether anchor or that have no provision for a retrofit.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Start with an infant seat for a newborn and pay close attention to the height and weight limits as your child grows. When your baby reaches the infant seat's limits for height and weight, or becomes too heavy for you to tote, use a convertible seat in the rear-facing orientation up to the seat's limits in that mode. Then use the convertible seat front-facing until your toddler reaches the next height and weight limits. After that, use a booster seat until your child is tall enough to use the car's safety belts, typically at least 57 inches. Buying three seats instead of two may cost more, but it can pay off in protection and peace of mind

Make sure the seat is compatible with your car. One of the first things you should do in choosing a seat for your child is to check the fit of any models you're considering in your own car. Even before that, though, we suggest placing similar-looking models side by side in the store to compare features. (If you've already had your baby, place your child in the seat, to get a sense of the ease of buckling and unbuckling.) Then, if possible, bring the floor model to your car for a mock installation. Be aware that some vehicle seats are too short, indented, or excessively sloped to allow a good fit of a child car seats.

If you're considering a convertible car seat, try the floor model in both the rear- and front-facing positions. Check out the harness release button in the rear-facing position; in some models it may be too low to reach comfortably. If you're thinking about an infant car-seat/stroller combination, also known as a travel system, check to be sure that it fits in your trunk or vehicle cargo area. If the store won't let you take the seat out to your car to try it, make sure you can return any car seat you buy--or go to another store.

Insist on new. Although there are many baby items you can borrow or buy secondhand, don't make a car seat one of them if you can avoid it. A used seat may have been in a crash or recalled. The manufacturer's instructions may be missing. If, for some reason, you must use a secondhand seat, avoid those with an unknown history or that are older than six years. In the world of car seats, a six-year-old model is a relic--and risky. You'll also want to avoid recalled models.

Send in the registration card. You should be notified by the manufacturer if the car seat is recalled. To play it extra safe, you can also sign up for the Consumer Product Safety Commission's e-mail subscription list at www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp. Updated recall information will be sent directly to your e-mail in-box. Or check monthly issues of Consumer Reports or visit www.ConsumerReports.org. Other sources of information on car-seat recalls include NHTSA's Web site (www.nhtsa.gov) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission site, www.recalls.gov.

Check the store's return policy. If you're not happy with a particular car seat for whatever reason, it's important to know that you can return it and try again with another model. Be aware that a badly soiled or damaged seat may not be exchanged.

Copyright ? 2002-2006 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.

For the latest information on this and many other products and services, visit www.ConsumerReports.org.

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How To Control Your Financial Future?It Can Happen!

Has an amazing business deal fallen through the cracks because a primary funding source refused to lend you the money needed to get the deal done? Have you been rejected by the bank when trying to obtain a loan?

Beyond the primary lending market, there is an alternative funding source known as the sub-prime or secondary market. The National Real Estate Investor published its Borrower Trends Survey in February 2006, which indicates after approaching banks, 32% of respondents cite private investors as debt sources. Another world of financing opportunities quick and easy to deal with and that want to lend to you!

According to the 2002 U.S. Census Bureau there are 271 secondary market financing establishments, a 22.5 percent increase in comparison to the 1997 survey results. The trend of increase is still developing as the secondary market gains wide visibility. Private lending, an alternative you should take into consideration, is a fast and flexible way to receive funding. An essential difference between the primary and secondary markets is secondary markets will accept higher risk and less than perfect credit.

Banks often will decline funds not only to imperfect credit sources, but also for not owning enough assets. Banks may also decline your request for a loan if the amount is not large enough! If you are trying to invest in a new office building and need the capital to get off to the right start, don?t give up! Research the secondary market and get the cash to purchase the building you need. If you need cash flow the secondary market is where you go!

The building blocks to your wealth start with stepping off the beaten path that traditionally led to banks, credit unions, and mortgage companies. The secondary lending market has expanded significantly over the years and accounts for a great deal of home and business purchases today. A multitude of business professionals and investors are seeking opportunities but don?t know where to turn.

Let?s get back to focusing on our goals and dreams and turn our backs on glass ceilings and closed doors. It?s the entrepreneurs that make our economy churn. What are you waiting for? Now is your chance to build businesses and wealth. I will see you on the early beaches of retirement!

Maria Fee is a mortgage professional, real estate investor, teacher, and master marketer with more than 20 years of business experience. Maria is the President of REMI KNOX, LLC, a group of investors who purchase real estate notes nationwide. Quoted by the media as an expert, she is continuously recognized for her extraordinary knowledge and real estate investing experience.

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Dealing With the Insanity January 2007 Newsletter

The world has not gotten any saner in the last year. If anything, it has gotten more insane. That makes what you do here even more important, from many different perspectives.

Obviously, self defense can be a very useful aspect of what we do. No matter how good you get at self defense there are times when nothing can save you. That is part of our training too. Losing. Losing is not a bad thing, it just is. More important than losing is how you do it. What do you learn from it. All of us make mistakes. The whole point of losing is to learn to do things differently. Doing things the same way leads to the same results. If a way of doing things leads to a result you don't like, don't repeat that way of doing things. But even doing things perfectly can get you killed.

Which leads to my second point. In the end all of us will die. Death is not an issue. When and how is an issue. Most of us want to prolong it as long as possible and make it as pain free as possible. Preferably a death we don't see coming and one that we don't notice till we are through it. It doesn't always work out that way. As a matter of fact, it very seldom works out that way. Most of us will die with a great deal of pain and the knowledge that death is near. Historically, most of us have died with fear too. Fear of that impending death.

Dying is very important, but not something we can avoid. Sometimes perfect action still leads to death. Under those conditions it seems to me the important thing is the manner of our death. Did we die with fear? If we did die with fear, did we do the ight thing in spite of our fear? Did we face our fear and go through it? Did we die doing our absolute best to be and do whatever it was that we found necessary at that time? Did we die with honesty to ourselves?

Then again, when people die from violence they very seldom accept that they are dying. It just happens. They spend the last moments of their lives in great fear trying to avoid the dying. Trying to avoid pain. Most of them would do anything to avoid what is happening, including selling their conscience and morals. Try not to judge those folks as failures, it's our nature to try to stay alive. They are living and dying from their own particular space and perspective and it is not our place to judge them as failures. Only they and the creator know for sure.
Other than training in the physical means of self defense what are we doing here that would serve you well in those conditions? That is my third point.

We are trying to train ourselves to respond in an appropriate fashion to attacks. We use physical attacks by other persons for our training. In the Aikido classes, we try to respond to attacks without injuring the attacker. In the aikijutsu, injury is not avoided. In the weapons classes, injury is a given were the conditions real. All of them are dealing with attacks. And all of them are only dealing with you and your perceptions.

Sounds strange I know, but there ya go. All we are really doing is training to deal with situations that cause you stress and/or fear. We are using attacks and simulated violence to accomplish that goal. To deal with multiple roundhouse punches coming fast and hard induces stress and fear in most of us. And the same thing with a knife attack. And with jiyu waza, where we have no idea what will be coming.

None of what we do is attacking other people or imposing our beliefs on them. That is the way to the insanity that the world seems to be indulging in. None of that is conducive to having a world without that insanity. One of the phrases we use in the Aikido classes is that we are trying to deal with violence without adding to the violence. In our training here we don't want to add to the insanity.

So what are we doing that carries over into the world at large? Am I saying our training is to change the world? No, I have no messiah complex. What we are doing is trying to send each of the people who train here out into the world at large with tools to deal with the insanity. Both the insanity in the world around them and the insanity within them. Because we all have some in us you know. And the world that is so insane has sanity in it too.

Should you find yourself in a position during the coming year to be faced with that insanity on a personal level it is my hope that you have trained enough to be able to deal with it without becoming insane yourself. And if you face that insanity and it leads to your death or the death of your loved ones it is my deepest hope that you deal with it calmly and with adherence to your internal convictions. It is my hope that all of us have the courage to face our own fears and live free of them.

We can only be free of the insanity if we follow our moral convictions no matter what happens and allow others to do the same. And remember: life is not a dress rehearsal.

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Lots of real estate note brokers are out there. They can advise you on where to find real estate notes and how to purchase them profitably. Real estate note brokers are able to tell you about the odds of purchasing. If you hunt for real estate notes on your own, you will have to handle the paperwork associated with the deal. Real estate note brokers can do the paperwork for you and help you observe all legal formalities. As all real estate dealings can invite legal complications, it is highly advisable to seek the help of an agent or broker. You will have to pay a small fee for the services of real estate note brokers.

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