Ciri's Life Coach

Clothing Fabric; How To Choose It For Your Custom Wear

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:13:00 +0000

Did You know? Clothes with smooth finishes stay clean longest. If there is one thing that can be a tricky buy, although addictive, is selecting a cloth fabric. To avoid scenarios of wrinkled and baggy everyday wear, you need to understand their properties. You need practical information about different fabrics so that you can shop wisely and dress well. Fabrics vary in strength, warmth, wash-ability and so on. There are main things that give them these characteristics.

The most important factor is the fiber(s) from which the fabric is made. Some fibers are strong and make a strong yarn and fabric while others are weak and give a weak fabric. Next in importance is the type of yarn made from the fiber. Is it thin or thick, tightly or loosely twisted? A tightly twisted yarn, for example, maybe stronger than a loosely twisted one. Lastly, the way the fabric is made must be examined. Which type of weaving or knitting has been used? A thick fluffy cloth will be warmer than a thin smooth fabric made of the same fiber.

One function of clothes is to help to keep the temperature of the body at about 37°C (98.4°F). Therefore in cold weather the heat produced by the body must not be allowed to escape, but in warmth weather and during exercise the body needs to lose heat to prevent the body temperature rising. For cold weather it is sensible to choose a fabric which retains heat which does not 'conduct' heat away from the body. It's an insulator, and any fabric which traps a lot of air between the threads and against your skin will be warm, as well as being light. The amount of air in a fabric is the most important factor in determining its warmth. In addition some fibers themselves are good conductors of heat. A good example of these is linen. Others fibers like wool and silk are poor conductors of heat. Wool is also a crimped or wavy fiber, so that air is always trapped in woolen yarns and fabrics and makes them warm. This is particularly important, when you are buying a coat, taking into consideration the unexpected change in weather.

For clothes to stay smart they must not crease easily and become baggy and shapeless. This is particularly important for clothes which are worn everyday. However it matters less for clothes which are only worn for a few hours. Fabrics which do not crease easily also called resilient - one of the best examples is silk, which if crumpled into a tight ball in the palm of your hand will spring out uncreased when released.

It is common knowledge that some fabrics get dirty faster than others. Clothes with smooth finishes stay clean longest. Hairy, rough or fluffy surfaces pick up the dirt which is caught on the minute hairs of the fibers. Linen fibres are long and smooth, making smooth threads and smooth fabrics which remain clean longer. Wool fibres have rough scales on them, so that the fabrics always get dirty faster than linen ones under similar conditions.

Another factor that should be considered in choosing clothing is safety. Many children and adults are injured and some killed each year from burning clothing. Children's clothes, particularly nightwear and party clothes, should be made from material which does not catch fire or which will only do so with difficulty and will not flare up. In this category of materials are wool, silk thin nylon fabrics with 'safe from fire' labels and flame-proofed cotton.

Thirsty? Beware of Fruit Drinks, They are No Better Than Drinking Soda!

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:24:00 +0000

Once in the supermarket, you are drawn to the pictures of juicy and healthy-looking label of a drink. The assumption, for many of us, is that what is inside the carton contains significant amounts of juice from the tasty-looking fruit on the outside. This is not always the case.

Whereas the label 'fruit juice' is generally reserved for beverages that are 100% fruit juice; similar to making your own homemade juice, 'fruit drinks' or 'juice drinks' are often no more than flavoured water that has been artificially colored and packed with added sugars. In many cases, these supposedly healthy alternatives to fizzy drinks (sodas) consist of no more than 5% juice.

While the term juice drink is perfectly legal, for parents, this description is completely misleading. Implying that these drinks are actually a healthy choice for children. In fact the words flavour and flavoured make things even more confusing. The word 'flavour'as in 'orange flavour' means that there is no orange in the product whatsoever. Flavoured as in 'strawberry flavoured orange juice' means that some of the named fruit is in the product, but not much (as little as 0.5 per cent strawberry powder).

What must be the worst ingredient in many juice drinks is high-fructose corn syrup. This is a substance that is made by changing the sugar (glucose) in cornflour to fructose (another form of sugar), and because it extends the shelf life of processed foods and is cheaper than sugar, it's commonly used as a sweetener.

The problem with this kind of sugar is that it's addictive ( It's the reason why children crave certain sweetened foods and drinks) and your body converts high fructose corn syrup into fat more rapidly than any other sugar. In the case of juice drinks, since the fructose consumed is in liquid form, the negative effects are significantly increased. Consequences are elevated bad cholesterol, diabetes and weight gain.

Many parents then turn to pure fruit juice, which is without question, better than the juice drinks. But that does not mean children should be drinking lots of it either.

Fruit juice actually resembles a passing relationship to fruit. A lot of the fruit's nutritious good stuff is left behind during the juicing process. Juicing also makes the sugar in the fruit more accessible to the body. The sugar concentration of fruit juice is similar to sodas (even though many juices commonly have 'no added sugar' printed on their labels, these beverages still contain large amounts of naturally occurring sugars).

Of course, fruit juices and fruit drinks are not in the same nutritional league as fizzy drinks, but the fact that they are so sugary means they can cause problems. For example, sugary acidic nature of juice makes, too much of it, is dangerous to our teeth.

Children therefore should consume just one glass a day to minimize the risk to teeth. If I may recommend, the best drink for children should be water. It may not make you popular, and it's not cool but it's the best drink for you and your family. Do also check which food additives to beware of!

15 Ideas Of What To Wear For Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:45:00 +0000

Valentine is here once again. The day of Love! The fact is there's no getting away from red on this occasion. Whatever your status, come February 14, some people will enjoy being noticed and what you wear will influence how other people see you.

Whether an affordable or expensive Valentine's day, here are ideas to a red hot Valentine's style and wear:

What To Wear?

Choosing the right outfit on Valentine's day is essential and it must have a bit of red in it.
Browse through your closet and see if there is anything red.
Think about the shade of red that looks best on you. There is scarlet, maroon, burgundy and many other hues of red.
Try on the piece of red garment that looks most romantic. If the red garment is not appealing to the eye, it's time to go shopping.
When you are shopping, choose at least three pieces of red clothing you think your spouse or date would like on you.
Buy the piece of red clothing that is most romantic to wear on Valentine's day.
If you want to stick with the Valentine's theme, find an outfit in red, pink or white. Don't be afraid to mix colours. Choose a colour that compliments red. For example, yellow and red would not be appropriate.
Accessorise your red attire with a piece of clothing or jewellery that is significant to you or your date.
Remember, white is technically a forbidden colour on Valentine's day, so wear it in small amounts.

What Dress Style?

Trumpet style dresses never fail to give a fantastic hourglass figure especially when paired with a cap or accentuated sleeve or shoulder. Pencil style is always very sexy and can make any lady look sleek and trim. However, if you are not comfortable with its tight fit, go for the less restricted A-line
If you want heads to turn as soon as you walk into a restaurant, go for decollete necklines or sexy sleek pencils but not both. You can reveal one area of your body without looking trashy by concealing other parts. Mermaid and maxi dresses in violet, plum or aqua are incredibly elegant and trendy.
Colour and fabric can give you a different look and feeling of excitement so go for dresses, tops and skirts in luxurious silks in different romantic colours such as chocolate, wine, blush, and everyone;s favourite, black.
For men, everything is simple, or so you think. Dressing up for Valentine's day does not necessitate that you wear your red suit with your pink undershirt. While casual attire is accepted, that does not mean you can get away with your usual blue jeans and T-shirts. Valentine's day calls for a bit of romance through formality. If she's dressing up, why should you look like you are going to a barber shop!
If you are going out on a special date with your loved one in an expensive restaurant, prepare your best suit. Wear a tie that will give out an image that you want to project. Silk ties always hint sophistication especially if paired with a handsome pair of cuff links. Striped ties make you look bold yet fun, while neckties in solid geometric patterns simply shows your subdued but otherwise boisterous personality.

Herbal Treatment For Common and Problematic Diseases

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:19:00 +0000

For obvious reasons such as inadequate health facilities as well as shortage of relevant staff; folks who fall sick in remote areas are unlikely to be taken to a health clinic for treatment. Rather, these fellows are rushed to a traditional healer.

Thanks to their deep knowledge of traditional herbal therapies, most common and problematic diseases have herbal cures, whether complicated or minor.

Asthma: It involves difficulty in breathing. If a person cannot get enough air, nails and lips may turn blue and neck veins swell. It's generally worse during certain months of the year or at night.

Preparation: Extracted latex from a tree known as Euphorbia kibweziensis, is poured on boiled water. The decoction is filtered and taken for the treatment of asthma. Take 1/4 to 1/2 spoonful of decoction, do not eat meat when taking this concoction. Remember, the decoction is poisonous if taken a lot.

Hypertension: It's symptoms are accompanied by frequent head-aches, pounding of the heart and shortness of the breath with mild exercise, weakness and dizziness and occasional pain in the left shoulder and chest.

Preparation: The roots of Euclea divinorum, a shrub are boiled. The decoction helps in slowing down high blood pressure (hypertension) and also for better blood circulation. Take a glass of the decoction on the 1st day and the next time should be the 3rd day.

Alternatively, the bark of Balanites aegyptiaca tree is pound, boiled and then the decoction taken orally for the treatment of high blood pressure.

Stomach-ache
Preparation: Roots of Phytolacca dodecandra shrub are pounded, mixed with water and Magadi salt (sodium bicarbonate). Let it stay overnight and then take the next morning, together with bone soup. The concoction induce vomiting and diarrhea. To stop diarrhea, fried red meats' juice is sucked but the meat is not eaten.

Alternatively, Leaves of Aloe sp. (liliaceae), whose availability is endangered due to over-harvesting, is poured, mixed with water, boiled and taken. The concoction induces vomiting and diarrhea. Do not eat meat when using this decoction especially on the eve of day of use. Roots are also pound and taken with milk for swollen stomach, roots are sweet.

Or Else, for pinching stomach-ache, pound the bark of Warburgia ugandensis tree, mix with water and take the infusion. 1 spoonful for adults, 1/2 spoonful for children.

Another option is to pound the bark and leaves of Cordia sinensis and the decoction taken for the treatment of severe stomach-ache such as stomach-ache involving belching.

General Body Pains
Preparation: The bark of Pappea Capensis shrub is boiled and a glass full of the decoction is taken. It indices slight diarrhea. The person complaining of general painful body gets relief after taking the concoction.

Alternatively, take the leaves of Mimosa pudica shrub, Grewia dicolar tree and Biophytum abyssinicum herb pound and then soak in cold water. The person experiencing body pains should drink for 3 days.

Another option is to boil the whole plant of Fuerstia africana and take the decoction. 1 glassful twice daily for one week. For bone nourishment, the roots of Pterolobium stellatum, a climbing shrub is boiled and the concoction taken.

Anaemia
Preparation: Leaves of Hibiscus panduriformis are boiled and the resulting decoction given to the patient. 1 glassful three times a day for 3 days.

Another option is to boil the bark of Acacia tree and take 1/2 glass daily for one week.

Boils and Swellings
Preparation: The roots of Asparagus racemosus (liliaceae) are pound and put directly on the boils. It makes pus ooze out of boils and heal first.

Alternatively, the roots of Grewia trichocarpa shrub are peeled, pound and boiled. A glass or two of the decoction is taken.

Another option is to extract the milky (latex) substance of Sondus sp. The whole plant is pound, boiled and then used for bath to treat boils and rashes on the body. The decoction should not be taken orally as it's poisonous.

Or Else, the roots of Maerau subcordata are pound, mixed with jelly (oil) and applied on the swollen feet. The roots can also be burnt into ash and applied on the swollen feet. Otherwise, the roots are pound and used for bath.

Backache
Preparation: Roots of Solanum incanum, are chewed together with salt and the resultant fluid swallowed for the treatment of back-ache.

Alternatively, the roots of Cadaba farinosa are pound, boiled and a glass of the decoction taken for the treatment of back-ache.

How Hand-Held Laser Pointers Can Cause Blindness

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:11:00 +0000

Laser pointers are growing in popularity as a device for both business and home use. For example, they are used in lecture halls and demonstrations, business presentations to highlight crucial points and also to entertain cats who enjoy pouncing on the light as it bounces across the wall.

These devices look deceptively safe in the hands of the speaker pointing at the screen but it can cause serious eye damage if used inappropriately.

The same way manufacturers argue that cell phone radiation posses no risk, it's no wonder that the makers of laser pointers insists that they pose minimal dangers to your eye-sight. They claim that these devices lack the power to cause blindness. The reality is the light from some laser pointers can damage the eye if stared at directly for more than 10-15 seconds.

Eye-sight Damage

The biggest concern with laser pointers and the eyes is temporary optical problems. The light energy that these tools can aim into the eye can be more damaging than staring directly at the sun. This light may result in flash blindness, glare, and after-images.

Flash blindness: It occurs whenever someone is exposed to a bright light source. Fortunately, eye injury is usually prevented by the natural blinking reaction of the eye.

Laser pointers should never be used as toys or pointed directly at someone else. Some speakers, oblivious of the dangers they expose their audience to, point at and shine the laser on them, especially when they want to pick on an individual to contribute to their discussion. While it only lasts for a few seconds it can be extremely dangerous when someone is involved in a task which requires vision, such as driving or operating machinery. Temporary flash blindness symptoms may last from several seconds to several minutes.

Afterimages: There have been cases where people have shone laser pointers at aircraft causing the pilot to experience afterimages that interfere with their ability to safely operate the plane. Afterimages can last for several days, and take the form of small spots in the vision.

Glare: it's a reduction of visibility caused by bright light, occurs when the laser pointer is directed at the eyes. more profound optical damage can also result, if the exposure is prolonged.

Powerful Laser Pointers To Avoid

Most Laser pointers have a very low power output, but when it is focused on the retina through the lens of the eye, it can cause damage. Continuously staring into a laser pointer through a fully dilated eye for over one minute may cause a retinal burn.

How do you tell the power of your laser printer? The laser pointer should have a 'caution' label which also indicates which class the laser is in, and the power output.

Most laser pointers are IIIA devices, meaning that there is a potential for damage with direct exposure to the laser. Class two laser are less powerful and are better choice for laser pointers if you are concerned about safety. However, the lower light output may not be effective in a lecture hall.

You should be wary of laser pointers without the 'caution' label. they are more likely to be untested, low quality and probably exposing users to more dangers than others.

However, if used responsibly, a laser pointer should not present a damage. Remember. one should never point the laser towards surfaces such as windows, which can reflect infrared light back to the user. This is especially slightly dangerous because many modern energy-saving windows have coating designed specifically to reflect infra-red.

Flu vs Common Cold Symptoms; What Is The Difference

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:27:00 +0000

When I was younger, I could not understand why some people would get really sick with flu or cold to a point of missing school or work. I thought, like most people, that flu or common cold symptoms are the same. Now, however, I know better, especially after having a really bad case of the flu early last year.

What's The Difference?
The common cold and the flu are both viral infections of the airways. However, they are caused by different viruses. Although sometimes one can be confused for the other, the flu tends to be more severe and is usually associated with headache, cough, fever, joint and muscle aches, and tiredness.These symptoms can be quite severe.

The common cold, on the other hand, is more likely to be associated with a runny nose, a sore throat, and a nasal stuffiness. Headache, fever, joint and muscle aches are rare with common cold, although one can experience a dry cough.

Both viruses are spread by inhalation, where you breathe in infectious droplets in the air after someone with the flu breathes out or coughs. This means that if you are in close contact with a person with the infection, you could develop flu. You could also get the flu or cold if you touch surfaces touched by an infected person, such as door knobs, and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.

Treatment
In most cases the flu or common cold will clear with no complications. In a few cases, the common cold can result in the inflammation or soreness of the spaces surrounding the nose, often causing severe headache. The flu can result in pneumonia (infection in the lungs) and in a few cases, death, especially in people with low immunity such as diabetics, people with HIV, or those on cancer treatment. Death due to the flu is rare, though.

Most cases of the flu or cold do not need a visit to the doctor. In fact, there is no cure for the common cold; it tends to clear on its own.

An antiviral can be used to treat the flu if given within two days of getting the infection. The main method of treatment though, is home-based. You could do the following at home:

Take pain medicine for headache and muscle pain.
Adequate sleep or rest.
Take adequate amounts of fluids such as some vitamin C either as supplement or foods rich in vitamin C.
Take anti-histamine medicines ans decongestants.

If, however, you or your child experience the following, you need to seek medical advise:

The symptoms are severe.
You notice yellowish nasal discharge or sputum. This could indicate a bacterial infection and will need medical attention.
If you develop severe headache or pain in the face.
If you have a sore throat that is very red or covered in pus.
If you develop difficulty in breathing.
If you are on cancer treatment.

Prevention
As in all cases, prevention is better than cure. since the cold and the flu are mostly spread by inhaling air from the infected person, it is difficult to escape them. However, you can reduce your chances of infection by avoiding crowded places, where possible.

In addition, if one has the flu or cold, they should avoid places where that can easily affect others. If possible, skip a day or two of work or let your child skip a few days of school to avoid spreading the infection.

There's a vaccine available for the flu and this can be given to prevent many cases of the flu. If one is at high risk of getting the flu or developing complications, for example, the very old, and cancer victims, it is advisable to receive the flu vaccine.

How To Get Rid Of Bad Breath

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:45:00 +0000

Did You Know? In most cases 90% of bad breath originates in the mouth. Let's get personal. Bad breath may be common in dogs but for humans, it affects how you feel about yourself, not to mention how others perceive you. Actually, you may not know you have halitosis until your brave friend tells you.

Halitosis (unpleasant odours exhaled in breathing), is estimated to be the third most frequent reason for seeking dental aid, following tooth decay and periodontal diseases.

Causes of Bad Breath

The intensity of bad breath differes during the day, due to eating certain foods such as garlic, onions, meat, fish and cheese. Also smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity are some of the sources of halitosis. Since the mouth is exposed to less oxygen and is inactive during the night, the odour is usually worse upon waking up (morning breath).

Bad breath may be temporary, often disappearing following eating, brushing one's teeth, flossing or rinsing with specialised mouthwash. It may also be persistent, which is a more serious condition, affecting 25 % of the population in varying degree.

The second major source of bad breath is the nose. In this occurrence, the air exiting the nostrils has a pungent odour that differs from the oral odour. Nosal odour may be due to sinus infections. Other sources of halitosis include the tonsils, stomach and food pipe (esophagus)

Bad Breath Remedies

So, how can you tell if you have bad breath? Many have long thought that smelling one's own breath odour is often difficult due to acclimatization, although many people with halitosis are able to detect it in others. The simplest and most effective way to know whether one has bad breath is to ask a trusted family member or close friend. After confirmation of bad breath, the confidant can help determine if it's coming from the mouth or the nose.

For self-diagnosis, stick a clean finger or a plastic disposable spoon in your mouth and scrape saliva from the back of your tongue. Put it on the back of your hand, wait a minute, then smell your hand. Is it something you'll want to kiss?

Several home tests such as the use of chemical reaction to test the presence of sulfur and polyamine compounds on tongue swaps are available. Others include laboratory methods such as halimeter, BANA test and Gas chromatography.

After diagnosis of halitosis, an effective bad breath treatment is not always easy to find. But you can never go wrong with the below strategies:

Gently clean the tongue surface twice daily to keep bad breath in control; use a tooth brush, tongue cleaner or tongue brush or scrapper to wipe off the bacterial biofilm and debris.
Floss at least once a day
Brush your teeth after you eat. Keep a toothbrush at work to brush after eating. Brush at least twice a day, especially after meals. Toothpaste with anti-bacterial properties has been shown to reduce bad breath odours for up to twelve hours.
Drink plenty of water. to keep your mouth moist, be sure to drink plenty of water not coffee, soft drinks or alcohol, which can lead to a drier mouth.
Chewing gum preferably sugarless or sucking on candy also stimulates saliva, washing away food particles and bacteria.
Gargling right before bedtime with an effective mouthwash. Others include probiotic treatments such as Streptococcus salivarius K12 has been shown to suppress bacteria which produce malodorous compounds and fatty acids, which account for 80 per cent of all cases of mouth-related bad breath.
Cleaning your dental plates well. If you wear a bridge or complete or partial denture, clean it thoroughly at least once a day.
For alternative remedies, use Ayurvedic medicine, chewing areca nut and betel leaf. They are excellent traditional remedies against bad breath.

How To Use Your iPhone 4s For Better Macro Shots

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 07:09:00 +0000

Before you embark on your photography using your iPhone 4s, you should definitely check out this cool little gadget, the olloclip camera lens.

Since iPhone 4s' recent release, we have reviewed some of its extra-ordinary features such as Unlock iPhone 4s with jailbreak

To take close-up images also known as macro photography, is quite difficult when compared to other types of photography. This is because it requires very good lighting, expensive equipments and other techniques. Now, using your iPhone 4 in-built camera, you can create amazing close-up images, like the ones shown below:

To maximize the potential of your iPhone's camera to make close-up shots and take wider angles, you'll need 3-lense iphone add-on (olloclip). Olloclip is a quick-connect lens system that will comprise of other lenses such as fisheye (the largest lens), wide-angle (general purpose lens) and macro lens which are all crammed in a small and convenient package.

The little accessory is a snappy to use, all you need is to slide it over your iPhone's rear camera lens, and you're good to go. The fisheye lens is good enough in capturing a nearly 180 degrees field of view, while the wide angle lens is said to double the field of view there and then.

Do you want to get up-close pictures that you can share using instagram? Not a problem, as the macro lens lets you focus the iPhone within 12mm - 15mm of your object. This makes your iPhone much more fun and convenient.

Note: Instagram is a free photo sharing app that allows you to take photos, apply filter and share on twitter, facebook and flickr.

If you’re looking for a gift idea for your photography-buff loved one, pal or even colleague, the Olloclip or its alternative the 0.67x macro magnet could be a good choice. According to actual consumers at Amazon, I noticed 0.67X Macro Magnet, was the best alternative to Olloclip for iPhone and Android, since it's affordable -- a 2 in 1 combo lens ($20 compared to Olloclip which is $70), small and attaches magnetically. If your phone doesn't have a metal surface, it comes with a glued metal ring that you stick on your smartphone and attach the lens.

How Not To Spend During This Festive Season

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:26:00 +0000

If ever is a time when the wallet strings are loosened, it is during the festive season. While there is unavoidable more spending because of activities such as travel, get-together and parties, and gift-giving, it should not be a license to over-spending.

Spend in haste and repay at leisure, as the old adage goes, really applies during the festive season. Many financial disasters begin with overspending in the last month of the year, carry over into the heavy obligations of the first month and culminate in debt, either in the form of credit card debt or loans with interest.

Below are tips that have the potential to put one in the red and to avoid or overcome them:

Making no Allowance for Annual Contracts and Major Expenses: Ideally, yearly payments such as those for insurance and investment plans should be factored in, if not possible at once at the beginning of the year, then into smaller payments every month so that they are not overwhelming to pay to pay all at once.

Not Having a Written Plan: Writing our resolutions in the light of the dawn of a new year is one thing but a concrete plan and sticking to it is another thing.

Write down specific financial goals and break them down into monthly and daily activities. If it's spending less, specify on which items and how you'll spend less, such as shopping for household items for less by changing to cheaper brands and less on transport by leaving the car home sometimes, are specific goals and action plans.

Credit Card Debt: This is the first debt one should try to avoid or clear up because it compounds to a lot in a short time.It's essentially tricky to incur and fail to make payments on credit card debt because the following month of January is one with heavy obligations like school requirements for those with families and renewing annual contracts like insurance.

Avoiding situations that would make incurring debt such as shopping without a budget and not factoring in all that is needed if taking a vacation away from home can force one to use their credit card to pay.

Low or Depleted Savings: Overspending will definitely make a dent in one's savings account, which may mean incurring debt later on in the year, especially if there is no emergency fund. Putting away the regular amount into the savings before going out shopping is advisable.

Out of Budget Festive Shopping: Take advantage of offers and bargains to shop in bulk. Apart from the main day. Shop for New Year festivities and January which is a burden month for many and for school boarders. Make a savings on purchases by redeeming supermarket loyalty points. Look for offers and discounts on items like clothes and shoes too.

With all the festivities going on all around, it is not difficult to get swept into it. Celebrating with friends and family is great, but it shouldn't be something that leaves you struggling to regain stability in the coming months.

Ensure when the Christmas lights are turned off and the carol singing is over, you are not nursing financial hangovers but steadily moving forward, still on track and in tune with your goals.

Investment 101 Tips: How To minimize Investment Risk As You Maximize Returns

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:06:00 +0000

There is no such thing as arisk-free investment. Many investors come to learn the hard way and also that, where there is no risk, there is no possibility of returns.

When considering investment options, the primary focus for most investors is return or how much they will make from their investment. Too often, risk is ignored or if acknowledged, with little more than an attitude of 'hoping for the best.' Yet, without risk, there is no return even with stock of high performing 'blue chip' companies. Below are frequently asked investment risk questions and answers as well as how to determine your personal risk tolerance:

Q. What is investment risk?
A. It's simply, the possibility of loss and in terms of investments, that loss may be incurred either as lower than expected returns on an investment or total loss of what was invested.

Q. Is there a way to completely avoid risk?
A. If there is no risk, there is no return. However, you can minimize risk. The biggest risk is not to risk at all. That guarantees no returns, which means no finacial development that would lead to financial security or freedom.

Q. What is a high risk investment and what is a low risk one?
A. Generally speaking, high risk ventures give high yields and within a shorter amount of time, whilw low risk investments have less returns over a longer period of time. This is refered to as risk-return trade off.

A simple illustration would be speeding to get somewhere. Speeding presents a higher risk of getting an accident but if that doesn't happen, the speeding driver gets there faster. The driver who takes his time will spend more time getting there but the risk of getting into an accident is lower.

Q. How can one in terms of investments arrive at a higher yield while minimizing their risk or chance of 'accidents' in form of losses.
A. Still with the speeding driver, he may decide to speed because he has taken precautions like driving on routes whose curves and bends he is familiar with and slow down on rough or risky spots.

So it should be with investments; you should choose areas where you can 'drive fast' or trake more risk and where you should 'go slow' or take less chances. an investor who does that has a balanced portfolio.

Q. Precisely how does one determine which investment routes are the best for them to successfully arrive at the high yields terminal?
A. Every person's ability to take a hit or risk tolerance is different. Your age, which would imply that one has been investing over time and has done enough to acquire basic assets like a home and a car is a factor.

If you have been a prudent investor over time, you can afford to take more risks that aperson who has just joined the workforce and is laying their finacial foundation. They should therefore, not go for high-risk investment options, as a big loss as this would push him significantly in the early stages of their financial life when thay are supposed to accumulating wealth. You should monitor the stages and signs of your finacial planning to know how big to risk in your investments.

Q. Are there specific types of investment risk?
A. There are various types of them but the three main ones that most directly affect yields or returns are inflation risk, market riak and management risk.

Q. How do they affect returns and how can they be minimized?
A. Market risks are dependent on the particular market one invests in, be it stocks, bonds, the money market and other options. Market risk rises and falls in response to the overall economic climate of an area at a particular time. It affects factors that determine the performance of a company, so that it can or cannot offer good returns like high dividends or high share prices.

Q.Minimizing market risk
A. Spreading the risk between various types of investments such as sctocks and the money market is one way of minimizing market risk. You may also choose to invest in foreign markets like offshore investments and take advantage of exchange rates that work in their favor.

When one area fails to yield good or expected returns, the other investment would yield at least well enough so that one does not suffer.

Q. Inflation risk
A. This is the risk encountered by not making any investment at all. Inflation which is loss of the purchasing power of a currency, is guaranteed even in the best performing economies globally. Simply put, what $ 100 could buy one year ago, is less than what it can buy at present.

Q. Management risk
A. This risk refers to the possibility that stocks, mutual bonds or other forms of investment you have bought into or the broker buying on your behalf may not yield good returns as a result of poor management that may cause the value of the investment to fall.

The natural reaction people have to a company they learn is not doing well is to get rid of the stocks at the current price, which is ideally higher than the price they bought it at before everyone else rushes to get rid of it at a lower price as demand for it falls.

Q. Minimizing management risk
A. This is a difficult risk to minimize because you may only learn of the bad performance of a company when it has already gone down or it is about to.

One way to do so is to rely on a credible financial advisor or stock broker frim that is likely to have inside information on the performance of a company and to stay informed, being keen on reading and listening to business news through the various media.

Q. Are there other risks, hidden sort of?
A. There are others, like political risks which comes about when plitical instability affects the performance of companies negatively, heightening the risk of low returns. There is also liquidity risk, which occurs when there is lack of demand for investments you may want to sell such as stocks, whose share prices could be falling and everyone trying to sell off to minimize on losses.

The first three, however, are the most likely to be a factor all the time compared to pilitical risk; they are the ones you have control or choices over.

Q. What are the most common investing mistakes people make?
A. Investing for quick or short-term returns such as pyramid schemes , or buying stocka with the aim of selling them soon after at a profit. Those are very short-sighted and high-risk options, such as the pyramid scheme saga where people collectively lost billions. People only saw very quick, high returns and didn't bother to investigate the legitimacy or sustainability of these schemes.

Following the crowd and buying stocks of a certain company because everyone else is doing so is also ill-advised. those who bought shares, even of the best performing companies, sure that the share price would rise and they would make a tidy profit learnt the hard way, that there is no such thing as a risk-free investment. Those who bought with the long-term return outlook are not as rattled by falling share prices and that is the right approach.

Panic buying and selling of stoxks at the slightest drop in stock prices is another common mistake and this is mostly done by those who buy with the hope of very short-term gains.

These are the people who are also likely to be investing monay they don't have, such as borrowed money, which they need to refund, perhaps at an interest or money meant for other uses in the future that they are confident they will have made. The golden rule is to invest only what you can afford to lose.

Q. How does one determine personal risk tolerance?
A. Investments that don't give you sleepless nights or anxiety as you wait the outcome of a good or bad return is the risk you can tolerate. The way to go is to balance your option, which spreads the risk rather than stick with one option, say of stocks, which is what most people do.

Q. Balancing your portfolio
A. The ideal mix of invesment options is that which reduces risk in high-yield options while maintaining a base of low-risk options.

Low risk: Treasury bonds, long-term bonds and the money market are some low risk investment options that should form the bulk of your investment portfolio.

Mid level: In the middle are options like real estate options, mutual funds and high income bonds which are quite stable and offer good yield probability. These should be worth less than the low risk options.

High risk: These include stocks of companies that are doing well and you may be willing to buy and take a long-term approach on. These should form the smallest percentage of your portfolio and should only be worth as much money as you can lose without causing a serious dent on your overall finacial standing.

Remember, the biggest risk, is not to risk at all and the best risk is a calculated one. With understanding it is possible to stay in step, keep the balance and arrive at the terminal of high returns.

Professional Indemnity Cover: Who's at Risk and How It Works

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:55:00 +0000

Professional indemnity insurance is designed to protect a professional person (or firm) such as doctor, lawyer, architect, accountant or insurance broker against legal liability to pay damages and costs to persons sustaining loss through a breach of professional duty i.e. breach of contract or liability in tort.

Liability in tort arises from professional negligence, which is the neglect of a professional duty of care that renders the professional person committing the act, error or omission of neglect liable in law to a client or some other third party who suffers loss as a result of the neglect.
Claims for financial loss may be against a professional person or firm by reason of their failure to exercise that degree of care and skill that is expected of them in the conduct of their profession or business.

The indemnity, therefore, usually applies to liability arising out of any negligent act, error, or omission on the part of the insured or his or her employees. A professional person can do or say things that cause others to suffer in some sense. For example, a lawyer may give advice carelessly with the result that the person who was relying on the advice loses money.

That person would be able to sue the lawyer for an amount equal to what he had lost. The lawyer can arrange professional indemnity insurance that is in effect professional liability cover to meet the cost of any award against him or her.

Who's At Risk

Take another example of a surgeon whose theatre nurse is poor in arithmetic, and the surgeon sews up a patient leaving a scalpel inside. Sooner or later, the patient will discover this error, and the surgeon may be called into court.

Professional indemnity insurance relieves the surgeon of both the cost of defence of his or her case and the burden of damages (to the limits of the policy), should any be awarded against him/her. Please don't think this example of a surgeon negligence is far-fetched: there are, indeed many cases arising from such carelessness.

The insured own costs incurred with the insurer's consent are also covered and are in addition to the limit of indemnity, which is the aggregate limit for any one period of insurance.

Also note that the insurer will pay for the defence of the professional person against all suits for the damages, even if the suit does not rest on a firm foundation.

By buying professional indemnity insurance, professionals could be defended by the most competent legal staff available, even against charges of undue familiarity.

The insurance is 'claim-made' and cover is given in respect of the fault of the predecessors in title because when a practice is taken over, the incoming owner assumes responsibility for the fault of the predecessors if the claim is made against the firm or practice.

How It Works

A 'discovery period' of three or six months brings within the policy claims made after the policy has lapsed provided the negligence occurred during the period of insurance.

There are variations in the policy wordings, as well as exclusions and extensions according to the special features of each profession and market experience. the principal exclusions refer to the dishonesty by the insured and libel and slander.

However, extensions are available in connection with dishonesty of employees, libel and slander, loss or damage or documents, and breach of warranty of authority. Let it be noted that the outcome in professional indemnity cases is often pure financial loss but i some professions (for example, medical profession), can cause injury or damage.

In all cases, professional indemnity is not dependent on the happening of bodily injury or damage to property as under an ordinary public liability policy.

Premium are primarily dependent on the profession, limit of indemnity and the extensions taken. An excess will often apply, either voluntarily to reduce the premiums, or imposed as part of the terms of cover

How New Homeowners Can Cut on Construction Costs

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 06:40:00 +0000

Considering how fragile the economy is right now and how some banks are timid to lend money for home construction, it's no surprise that one of the most frequently asked questions is how best one can save money when building a home.

Not long ago, banks were giving out loans and the trend was to build large, extravagant home. Today, some are less likely to fund new construction projects because of the high costs associated with them.

The good news for the new homeowners is that it is now more apt to build smaller greener and more affordable homes. There are ways you can minimize on your costs, that will make the banks more likely to fund your project. The prices of home building products are also reducing as manufacturers compete during a down market. Here are some of the ways you can cut on home building costs:

Buying Land: Buying the right piece of land could save you a lot of money. Before you buy your land, make sure it can be built on without excessive expenses like blasting ricks, moving of soil to or off the land, creating access roads and compacting soil if the land is in a swamp or building of retaining walls and drainage.

Also, access to national water and electricity mains as well as proper sewage treatment should be considered. Finding a suitable lot is becoming more difficult as areas continue to get more developed, which is why you should work closely with a trusted real estate agent to get the right piece of land.

Prior Planning: Take time to make sure that all the planning has been done by getting all the working architectural bits and detailed engineering drawings complete with specifications from your architectural firm.

By making all drawings uniform and detailed, you avoid missing details and create consistency that ensures no change orders or lost productivity by the contractor. This makes the contractors estimate accurately as they know what the construction requirements are.

It's all about area per square meter, because no matter how you slice it, every square area you add to the footprint of your new home is going to cost you money, from the foundation to the final coat of paint. Have a floor that has the space you need and amenities you want. Most small modifications can be done for nominal cost. Being your own general contractor can save you as much as 30 per cent.

However, this needs a great deal of work, time and skills. You must plan daily task, schedule sub-contractors, make daily on-site inspections, research and order materials.

Smart Negotiations: Negotiate the materials you intend to buy, including payment discounts, volume discounts and upgrade specifications.

Some general contractors may not work under this agreement. If you can find a willing one, you can save 10 % or more. You won't know unless you ask. Most, if not all general contractors but their materials at a discount and mark the price up to you for a profit. By eliminating the mark-up, you can cut down on this unnecessary spending.

Finally, make sure you have a clear understanding with your general contractor and his job schedule with the sub-contractors. Your project will be on a strict timetable and you want to do everything in your power to make sure it stays that way.

Omega-3 Supplement - A New Approach in Osteoarthritis Treatment

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:01:00 +0000

Did You Know? Taking a glucose based supplement in combination with oil from fish commonly known as Omega-3 supplement, can tremendously reduce pains in people suffering from a joint-pain ailment known as osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a type of inflammation in bone joints caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of cartilages (firm, rubbery tissue that cushions bones at joints) of one or more joints.

Joint Pain Treatment

To relief joint pains a natural supplement with a combination of glucosamine sulphate and omega-3, found in fish: commonly known as GlucOmega is more effective than supplementing with only glucosamine sulphate alone.

Glucosamine occurs naturally in human bodies but as people age; it becomes harder for them to produce more reserves. Glucosamine has been shown to play an important role in joint health, as it is an integral constituent in the structure of cartilage and ligaments and is essential for the smooth working and re-building of connective tissues.

The importance is supported further by a number of studies which show that the supplement can slow down or even prevent the need for total joint replacement.

According to medics, osteoarthritis is primarily related to aging. As one ages, the water content of the cartilage increases, and the protein make-up of cartilage degenerates. Eventually, cartilage begins to degenerate by flaking or forming tiny cracks. In advance cases, there's a total loss of cartilage cushion between the bones of the joints. Repetitive use of worn-out joints over the years can irritate and inflame the cartilage, causing joint pain and swelling.

Joint Pain Causes

Loss of the cartilage cushion causes friction between the bones, leading to pain and limitation of the joint mobility. Inflammation of the cartilage can also stimulate new bone outgrowth to form around the joints. Osteoarthritis occasionally can develop in multiple members of the same family, implying a hereditary basis for this condition.

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

This condition is often thought to be critical and disabling. However, experts dispute this. they say that symptoms vary greatly from person to person, and between different affected joints. Signs vary between the amount of damage to the joints and the severity of the symptoms. For example, a joint may be severely damaged without causing symptoms, or symptoms may be severe without affecting the movement of a joint.

There is no cure for osteoarthritis, but symptoms can be eased by using a number of different treatments. Mild symptoms can often be managed through exercise or by wearing suitable footwear.

Read how I overcame avoided rheumatoid arthritis through sore throat treatment.

5 Ways To Avoid Facebook Identity Theft Scams

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 09:30:00 +0000

Some days back I shared a post in identity theft scams where you learned how to avoid online and credit card identity theft scams. With social media being part of our daily lives, we are bound to fall victims to various facebook scams such as “Free Facebook t-shirts on 7th anniversary” which is a phishing link.

Once clicked, it'll ask for further details about yourself in order for you to claim a free t-shirt. Once, you become a prey, a spam message is posted on your wall spreading in a similar manner to your friends' walls.

Facebook and other social networking sites have a tempting social appeal. You can create a profile of yourself that highlights your talents. However, all this personal information posted on your profile such as names, birth dates, kids' names, photographs, password reminders, your friends and your enemies can serve as a one-stop shop for identity thieves. All a scammer has to do to access it is become your FRIEND!

Whether you are new to Facebook or a long time user, you should be diligent in protecting yourself, your family, and your friends by maintaining a reasonable level of safety. A few ways to reduce your risks to being a victim to facebook scams are as follows:

Choose Your Friends Wisely: The purpose of Facebook is to socially connect with people you know. However, not every friend request is legitimate. Don't accept friend requests unless you absolutely know who they are and how you associate .

If you do accept a friend, then click on the limit my profile check-box to close your network into a tightly knit group.

Set Your Profile To Private: Change your privacy settings so that only friends can see your profile, photo albums and wall posts. Adjust your privacy settings by selecting privacy settings from settings drop-down menu in the upper right corner of the screen.

You can adjust every detail of your privacy settings, including who can see your pictures, postings and personal information. You can also adjust what individual members see, by setting all your privacy settings to maximum so that only information you want shared is shared. This simple step will reduce your risk of identity theft dramatically.

Protect Your Identity: Be careful what personal information you post as it can become public information instantly. Post only what you want made public. You can still use the site to network, but don't post anything that someone can use against you.

Keep in mind, that what you put on the internet stays on the internet, forever!

Be Selective With Your Photos: Be careful when placing photographs of yourself, children or family. Manage your friend's photos in which you are tagged by clicking the REMOVE TAG on any questionable photos, so that they are not linked to your profile.

Don't post seductive photos you don't want everyone to see.

Say No To Trackers: Some tracking tools can be installed in your computer to see who's been looking at your profile. Wall spamming applications such as profile seekesr are usually linked to surveys and harvest you and your friends personal information. If you're already a victim of these tracker tools. Remove messages derived as a results of these tools on your wall and unistall the app from your facebook profile.

Although these tools may sound unique, just remember, that any programme that lets you spy on your friends, can also spy on you!

How To Get A Good Credit Score To Avoid High Interest Loans

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 07:29:00 +0000

If you are fond of playing tricks with your electricity or water bills, think again. A bad utility payment record might just deny you that coveted car or housing loan. Credit scoring is set to play a big role in how banks and other financial institution determine who give credit and how much and what rate of interest to charge depending on your financial history.

Simply, a credit score is a number representing the credit-worthiness of a person or the likelihood that person will pay his or her debts. It has shown to be very predictive of risk, made credit more widely available consumers and lowered the cost of providing credit.
Credit rating agencies such as Credit Reference Bureau (Africa) use such things as utility bills and financial expenditure to map your financial strength. They collect individual credit transactions from banks, finance companies, merchants, credit card companies, and other credit suppliers such as water companies, electricity suppliers, hire purchase companies and Sacco among others.

Credit histories present all activities concerning products or services one consumes on credit. It shows the amount of credit you owe, type of credit, repayment period and how one pays it. whether steadily, late or default.

Some people believe the use of their credit history will put them on a blacklist, denying them credit should they try to access any from banks and other institution. This may not be the case, a good credit score is a tool you can use to negotiate a lower interest rate on loans, among other advantages. Here are ways to ensure a good credit score:

Building a Credit Profile

The first step in getting a credit score is to get a credit profile, which includes personal details like names, location, contacts and others.

Then, get a credit history by authorising all your lenders to forward details of their transactions to credit reference bureau. They could include utility providers such as water service providers, electricity companies and other lenders like banks, Sacco's and others.

Credit Mix

It's the type of loans one has at the same time. A common mistake many people make that results in low credit score is over-relying on one type of credit out of, say, four types.

The first type is instalment credit where one repays a loan regularly in parts. This is the type of credit offered by banks, Sacco's, micro-finance institutions and others. It's this type of credit that people tend to rely most on, having instalment credit to repay at the same time.

Having more than one loan of this type to repay increases chances of default, which negatively affects your credit score.

Another form is revolving credit, where one is allocated credit to a certain limit after which the amount lent is required to be paid back before another loan can be taken. This is the structure that credit cards and overdrafts have.

The other type is open account credit, like that offered by utility companies like water and electricity, where customers consume services without limit and then pay after a prescribed period, such as monthly.

The last is type is consignment credit where one acts as a guarantor on behalf on another so they can access credit. You don't take the loan directly but acting as a guarantor is taken into account should one apply for a loan.

Good Mix, Good Credit Health

A good mix is the key to a good credit score and overall good credit health. Apart from easier access to credit, better interest rate, a substitute for a physical collateral, the availability of credit history takes care of two kinds of people who disrupt a positive cash flow not only for those who transact with them but also for themselves.

One such a person is a serial defaulter. This person will borrow from several sources st the same time, paying back none and moving on to other lenders who do not have a credible source of credit history.

Had there been a source of credible information on how this person repays loans, or doesn't, lenders would have been spared the losses they incur in lending to serial defaulters.

The other is the borrower who will pay, but never on time i.e. a delayed payer. If one is relying on such a person to pay back so that they can carry out some transactions or pay back money, they will lose out.

Good and Bad Score

The worst or lowest and the best or highest scores range between 200 and 900 with 400 being the cut-off mark. A score below 400 indicates one who has defaulted on payments or about whom there's no information available. From 400 upwards up to 750 indicates one who pays on time with scores above that being exceptionally good.

For those with bad credit history, the good news is that it can be repaired so they can enjoy the benefits of a good credit rating. The simple way of doing this is by getting on track with any defaulted payments, which are picked by the bureau as they are made.

Remember, items that you have defaulted on appears on your credit profile for seven years as a legal requirement.

Spending Tips For Your Holiday Shopping Season

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 10:42:00 +0000

It is the season to be jolly and supermarkets, shops and other outlets are posting reminders of this glittering by way of Christmas tress, twinkling, singing Christmas lights and loads of special offers, bargains and prizes with purchases. It is hard not to get swept up in the holiday season fever and spend , spend and spend some more.

While the festive season does by necessity come with extra expenses, and it is all good to have fun and take a break with friends and family, do so with a plan. Otherwise, it could mean starting the year with financial hangovers rather than solid ground that will enable you move forward towards financial stability. Staying stuck on the same spot and trying to recover from the last year's mistakes should be avoided at all cost.
This holiday season, make use of the following spending plan rather than going on a single spree on which you are more likely to overspend:

Week One, ending December 5-Finalise Your Travel Arrangements
Wind up travel arrangements early in the month before fares and hotel rates are revised upwards for the busiest part of the year. If you are taking a road trip to see the folks back at home or elsewhere, buy fuel cards for the trip, to and from.

Also, take care of or buy anything else you might need for the trip and avoid looking for at then in crowded stores at the last minute. This could be vaccines for the trip outside the county, renewing visas and passports and other preparations.

Week Two, ending December 12-Cards and Gifts
Finalise the list of those you are planning to get something this Christmas. Get the cards and the gifts when you have the time to shop around for the items you want to give. Send off those that are going far and keep the others wrapped and ready. Shop Amazon's Gift Cards - Perfect Anytime allows you to find the right gift for your loved ones. I prefer using these gift cards because:

They never expire rather, are redeemable towards millions of items at the store.
They can be purchased in almost any amount ($0.15- $2,000).
Your loved ones can spend the gift right away or deposit it into their account awaiting a sale of a lifetime.
Physical gift cards are delivered for free (one-day-shipping).

Week Three, ending December 19-Christmas Shopping
If you are spending Christmas at home to entertain guests, decide on the menu and make out a shopping list. If you are going to spend the season with the family back at home, do shopping for what you will be taking before the stores are crowded with last minute shoppers. You'll also save yourself the trouble of having to stop and shop en route and perhaps not get all you want.

Week Five, ending December 31-Back to School Shopping When it's Quiet
Don't wait for the stores to get crowded as parents do their back-to-school shopping also do yours. Get books, stationery, uniform, shoes and other school requirements sorted out during this time when the shops are quiet.

When there's a major celebration coming over the New Year, shop for that at this time as well. Meanwhile, here is a guide for a suitable holiday gift.

How Small-Scale Farmers Can Double Their Fish Production

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:49:00 +0000

Knowledge is power, and small-scale fish farming as an enterprise is no exception!

Did You Know? You can realize edible fish production of 4000 Kg/ha, from a stock of 50,000 Tilapia finger-lings using effluent from 60 pigs for one hectare of pond per year!

The use of pig manure to fertilise fish ponds is probably the most common way especially in areas such as Kenya and its neighbours, where temperature allows for a long growing season for the fish. The effluent is channeled from the pig pen into suitable ponds, or in some cases pig sties are constructed over ponds so that the waste (fecal matter and urine) drop straight through into the water.

The enriched water serves to generate algae, which can be converted by fish into edible protein. Fish production is doubled if the pond water is aerated. As they fill up the sediment, ponds can be dried -out in rotation and the sediment forms rich manure which can be established in the pond beds.
You may also opt for water hyacinth on the ponds to utilise the nutrients, and this can then be fed back to the pigs. Ducks can also be used instead of pigs to contribute to fertilizing the ponds and provide an alternative meat source.

The advantage of keeping pigs rather than ducks is that its manure can be fermented anaerobically to produce biogas, which can be used for domestic cooking and lighting. The set-up is simple and a do it yourself experience. All you need is a tank (concrete or steel) for digestion, a condensation/safety trap, a reservoir to provide a constant pressure and piping system to transport the gas to your home. From this alternative energy source: 12-15 growing pigs' daily effluent, each producing 1.5 Kg fresh weight can provide enough gas (about 1 cubic meter) for 4-5 hours of cooking per day.

Another smart way to create wealth using livestock is rabbit keeping. check this out! normally, the cost of rabbit meat is twice that of beef on a per Kg basis, with an adult male rabbit weighing up to 4 Kg and a small-scale rabbit farm holding is 15-100 rabbits, imagine the opportunity.!

2 Ways To Match Your Music To Your Cocktail Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:58:00 +0000

Do you remember, the classics of don't worry, be happy, the tutti frutti's and the hippy hippy shakes'? Well, those were all-important beats during cocktail hour.

With today's puffing, self-loving rhythmes it's difficult to create that essential sensual, when sipping your mixed cocktail. With Drinkify, a site that matches your cocktail recipes to the music you're currently listening to offers the best solutions to your predicament.

For example, if Rihana track is playing in the background, the site recommends 1 oz. (Red Bull, Tabasco sauce and lemon sour) served in highball glass and garnished with an olive. Those listening to Ladysmith Black Mambazo can go for 1 bottle of Ecstasy and a bottle of sprite mixed vigorously and served in highball glass.

You'll find practically any music with Drinkify, this is because they use Last.fm huge music database.

You may also opt for a mixed song CD. After browsing the Amazon, I noticed a Cocktail 80's which had well over 23 reviews from actual customers and had a star rating well into the fives, nearly as high as Amazon's star ratings can go. Slightly distrustful, I read product description and then skipping to the reviews. I found countless funs, saying that it's a great sound truck album! This is because it consists of mixed songs that could be used for any cocktail party. Addictive beats such as kokomo, simple pleasures and famous Top Gun, Cocktail soundtrucks. Enjoyable music to listen and despite the time, it conjures a sense of bar-tending.

So guys, whatever the occasion, whatever the mood, just remember to pop that cd into your player and see how long it takes the guests to catch on to the rhythm.

Google Search Update: Who's at Risk, How To Avoid Its Effect

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:52:00 +0000

Of late, have you noticed how varying your website content appears on Google search results? Lack of updating your site often, could spell doom to your online content more than ever before!

To ward-off unoriginal, poor-quality and stale content, Google recently updated its search engine using 'panda' technology. Basically, Panda (invented by Google) sorts-out documents on the web i.e. it can be compared to the way you 'tag' your friends on facebook. It scans your content for relevance and quality and classifies it as a high or low quality site.

A day, minute or even a second is how old the most recent information can be, taking into consideration how fast information moves nowadays. Depending on its algorithm and look-up terms, Google update is able to work out if an event is recent or if a breaking news results is a week old. This has also enabled Google to display real time results from facebook and twitter and other social networks. To avoid your business site being hit-hard by Google's update, use some of these strategies:

Inter-link Your Webpages: Make it a habit of writing inter-related posts, so that you can link to your older articles. By connecting to your older posts relevantly engages the readers and hence, the term inter-linking. In optimizing your pages flow, you make it easier for Google search engine to crawl your site and thus improving your page rank.

If inter-linking is too cumbersome and manual, you may try nRelate. It's a plugin that effectively links within your pages hence making your search engine optimization (SEO) better and navigation easier. Many bloggers opt for linkwithin widget, but here are the reasons why you should choose nRelate:

You can increase you AdSense revenue because nrelate allows you to choose how relevant (high, medium or low) the results should be. By selecting to which degree to link your related posts, it certainly improves your page views and reduces bounce rate
You have the option of choosing the thumbnail image display or text only to diplsy your related posts. This thumbnails are customizable unlike other related posts widget.

Below is How to Identify an original and Fake Mobile Phone screen shoot, showing the related results as displayed by nrelate (text only) and Outbrain (thumbnails). Clearly, this combination engages your visitors more by offering related results from within (nrelate) and without (Outbrain). Also, with nrelate you can join their ad program.

Backlink Tags: It's crucial to maintain a balance between your in and outgoing links. Incoming links are links originating from other websites to your blog. When your content is liked by others, they'll acknowledge it by linking you to their site. Such recommendations increases the reputation of your site thus, your content is promoted by Google S.E. The more you content is backlinked the higher your page rank, the more visible your content is on the Internet and the more traffic you get, leading to increased revenue.

Remember, when linking your older posts always tag them as 'dofollow'. This ensures you share your page rank juice within your site. External links are to be tagged 'nofollow', this ensures you don't share your page rank juice to other sites. Therefore, think twice when linking to major social sites such as Facebook with a view of establishing authority and trust of a specific subject matter.

Below is a detailed account by Matt of Google, as to why you should tag you links as (do) or nofollow:

Other Quick Tips:

It's advisable to 'nofollow' comments or social sharing to control spammy contributors.
Write high-quality original content. If this proves difficult you can always contact me for a freelance write-up.
Update your site regularly.
Avoid pages considered as link farms by Google. Link farms is a page with many external links (links from other sites) that adds no value to a subject matter.

Phone Battery Life-How To Extend It For Your SmartPhone

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:42:00 +0000

Smartphone's increased capabilities such as 3G, Wi-Fi and bluetooth enabled, full touch screen, expandable memory, loads of fun games and apps out-performs it's battery-life usage. No wonder, android and iPhone are always out of juice.

You get frustrated and cheated whenever your expectation of a long-lasting battery life as indicated in the phone manual is falsely over-emphasized. For example, a 3.7 volts battery stands no chance of lasting multiple days under a regular workload of browsing the web, searching through apps, sending e-mails and making calls.

Some phone manufacturer have tried to solve this problem by increasing the battery power. Unfortunately, this will lead to bigger phones that are unlikely to be embraced by users who have been used to smaller phones.

Nowadays, most smartphone are rated 5 W/hour. Which means, that they can deliver a stable charge of 1 watt over a period of 5 hours. So, if you fully charge your phone tonight (assuming it uses 1 Watt per hour), then you can expect it to be dead by noon the next day.

While no single solution can make our phones' battery last longer, the Key is to reduce the amount of power the handset uses per hour. Here are practical ways to increase the capacity and lifetime of your battery:

Keep Your Phone Cool: Avoid extreme temperatures. That is, don't leave your phone facing the direct sunlight when you're outside. Keep your phone out of your pocket away from your body heat (favorable battery temperature range is between 15C and 25C). Remember, the hotter the phone gets, the faster is the battery drain.

Turn On the Auto-Brightness Feature: Your smartphone's colorful display is one component that drains your battery at an alarming rate. Most phones include this feature that automatically sets the screen brightness to suit close lighting levels and systems activity. This mode uses less power rather than running your screen at full brightness.

Disable Bluetooth: No matter how hands-free compliant you are, disable bluetooth when not in use. The extra radio frequency is constantly listening for signals from the outside world, drastically reducing your phone's battery life.

Minimize Multitasking: What makes a smartphone smart, is its ability to run more than one app at a time. Although this is an effective feature, it causes a lot of heat. This is because every app you run uses a share of your phone's processor cycles. Which is the basic unit of application that the android or iOS deals with in scheduling the work done by the processor.

By turning off apps that aren't actually being used and are running in the background, you drastically reduce your phone's workload reducing its power consumption.

You love your iPhone or android mainly because every day you find something new it can do. But all that function comes with a price; a lousy battery life! To maintain a constant use of your favorite smartphone, you can opt for external batteries. After browsing the Amazon, I noticed the New Trent Battery pack had well over 200 reviews from actual customers and had a star rating well into the fives, nearly as high as Amazon's star ratings can go. Distrustful, I read product description and then skipping to the reviews. I found countless people, saying it's a great buy! This is because it is pretty universal in what it can charge. It charges Apple iPhone 4s, 4 3Gs and 3G, iPod touch (1, 2,3,4 and 5G), Blackberry and Androids (Motorola, HTC and Samsung) and much more.

It (re)charges quickly, 3 to 5 time faster than other expensive travel adapters. It fits comfortably in your pocket while plugged into your smartphone to charge. Its battery life is great and the 11000 mAh capacity is simply enormous! It provides charge it and forget it for at least a week. It comes in handy especially to phone users who travel a lot.

Note: Phone batteries can be charged and discharged many times, but it's limited and eventually wears out. To reduce your battery replacement pace, ensure you charge them properly. When not in use make sure you unplug your phone and the charger from the electrical plug. Overcharging may shorten your battery's life span therefore, do not leave a fully charged battery connected to a charger. Remember, if you leave your phone unused, a fully charged battery will lose its charge over time.

Rheumatic Fever-How It can Be Avoided by Sore Throat Treatment

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 05:59:00 +0000

By re-examining the cause and treatment of sore throat throughout my childhood life, my folks avoided their son (me) from being a victim of acute rheumatic fever. As a survivor of this horrific disease, I pay it forward, especially to parents with children diagnosed as having this illness.

Rheumatic fever is the commonest cause of heart disease in the young population under age of 40. Both male and female are equally affected. When it affects the heart, it may damage , the valves leading to rheumatic heart diseases.

Causative agent
It's associated with streptococcus bacteria which produce toxins which lead to the damage of various organs of the body. This association is particularly important, because an attack of rheumatic fever is often followed by two weeks of sore throat or tonsillitis due to this bacteria.

Overcrowding encourages the spread of this bacteria, hence, it's found in densely populated areas with poor ventilated houses. Any depressing cause such as overwork or anxiety may precipitate an attack in persons prone to them. Attacks of rheumatic fever may fallow exposure to cold and damp and this is more common in the cold season.

Symptoms
Those who have suffered from this disease are likely to be attacked again. Each recurrence damages the heart valve even more.An attack of rheumatic fever begins with chilliness followed by fever. Your temperature is usually elevated to about 39.5o C.

The joints such as the knee, ankle, wrist or shoulder and the lower limbs are usually swollen, tender, warm to touch and painful. At first, the pain is confined to only one or two joints, but soon, others become affected.

Other symptoms of acute rheumatic fever include coated tongue, loss of appetite, abdominal pains and migratory rash (usually with red raised margin) that appears on the trunk or limbs.

Management
The management of acute rheumatic fever is based on 3 principles: Bed rest, Antibiotics and steroids or Aspirin.

Bed rest: The severely attacked persons should be hospitalized and given bed rest. The benefit of bed rest is to reduce the risk of severe heart diseases. Bed rest should be short (3-4 weeks) and the child can return to school but should be restricted from physical education and highly competitive sports for another 4 weeks.

Antibiotics: Penicillin is the drug of choice in suspected cases but erythromycin is an alternative drug in persons who are sensitive to penicillin.

Aspirin: are useful in treatment of inflammatory processes. They relieve pain and swelling of the joints and reduce fever. Aspirin dosage is given in the first week and half of this dose in subsequent weeks. Steroids medication is given to persons who do not respond to aspirin and those with acute congestive heart failure. As withdrawal of steroids is accompanied by recurrence of symptoms, it's advisable to combine steroids with aspirin. Pednisolone is the steroids commonly used and it is adjusted according to age of the affected persons for 10 days.

Prevention
Good education, reduced overcrowding, improved housing and nutrition are some of the general methods used to stop acute rheumatic fever. Another specific method comprise treatment of streptococcal sore throats against streptococcal infection. Streptococci sore throats should be treated using penicillin for 7-10 days.Tonsillitis should be kept in check, which if not addressed will act as the most important predisposing factor.

It's not always easy to ascertain streptococcal throat infection, but this can be done on a clinical basis where throat cultures are not available. Persons with previous attacks of acute rheumatic fever should receive antibiotic prophylaxis so as to prevent further damage to the heart valves. Long-acting benzathine penicillin should be given every month. Small children should be given half of this dosage i.e 0.6 mega units monthly. People who are allergic to penicillin should be given erythromycin 250 mg orally twice weekly as the alternative drug.

Ensure prophylaxis is continued all the way through childhood to early adulthood (18-24 years of age) when the risk of damage to heart valves becomes less. Continued intake should be encouraged as long as there are active features of the disease.

Note: Parents, make sure you administer the penicillin monthly and take your kid(s) for regular check-ups and administration of drugs.

Home Remedies For Stain Removal

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:47:00 +0000

Before taking drastic actions towards a stain, try simple remedies. You may try an enzyme detergent but always rub towards the center of the stain. Here are stain removal tips that can used at home:

Animal stain: To remove stains such as blood, perspiration, soak in cold water. Wash, put into lukewarm water and boil. Then, bleach in the sun.

Vegetable stains: To remove stains such as tea, coffee, fruit which is still wet, put the stained part of the article over a basin or soup plate and pour boiling water. Try rubbing borax on the stain if necessary. For a firmly fixed stain, use a little chloride of lime, being careful not to burn the material. Dissolve 30g chloride of lime in 300 ml. cold water.

Mineral stains: Stains such as ink, iron and rust can be removed by using sour milk, juice of a lemon, a green tomato or vinegar. If unsuccessful use salts of lemon, which needs care as it is poisonous. Dissolve 1 teaspoon if salts of lemon in 1/2 cup of boiling water and apply to stain with a small stick, dipped in the liquid. Ammonia may also be tried.

Other Stains:

Cocoa stains: Soak the article in a quart of hot water to which has been added a tablespoon of borax. Leave for 1 hour.

Coffee stains: Cover the article with glycerine and leave for 1 hour. Then rinse in warm water.

Grease: Use benzine, ammonia or petrol. eucalyptus oil is very good for removing stains from silk and delicate fabrics. Put a piece of old towel under the stain. Rub in the cleaning agent with another clean cloth till stained part is clean and dry. Always change to a clean place on both cloths as they become soiled.

Marking ink: While wet wash in cold water, but if the ink is dry soak in chloride of lime solution and then in ammonia. For ink, remove with methylated spirit or milk.

Wine stains: these can be removed from light silk by placing over the spots pads of cotton soaked in cold water. Do not rub the marks as this will spread it. If it is persistent, sprinkle on a little salt and continue with moistened cotton pads. dry with a warm iron.

Mildew: Rub over with soap and then cover with chalk. Put on soap and chalk from time to time. This stain is difficult to remove but with patience it will come out. Another method is to damp stain with lemon juice, sprinkle with salt and leave for some days.

If the mildew is on a large surface: Melt 2 teaspoons of salt of lemon in 600 ml of boiling water in a small basin. Dip the affected parts only in the water till stain disappears. As salts of lemon is a deadly poison you must use it carefully.

Paint: Use turpentine, rubbing with a circular movement towards the center of the stain.

Tea stain: Wet and cover thickly with yellow soap. Set aside for about 1/2 hour, then wash in the ordinary way. Another way is to damp and cover with carbonate of soda and place in the sun for a short while before rinsing it.

How To Choose The Best Meat Cuts For Your Cooking

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:09:00 +0000

Success in cooking meat, it is said, begins at the butcher's shop. The right meat cut must be chosen for its own particular method of preparation, be it roasting, grilling, stewing or any other of the numerous forms in which it may be served.

Quality in meat is determined by various important factors but for you, as a consumer, it may be measured in terms of tenderness and flavor (a matter of individual taste). Some prefer a full flavor , which is a feature of increasing age, others prefer a less marked relish, but practically all are agreed that the tenderness meat is the best.

Tenderness: It's largely influenced by age and depends upon the structure of an animal's muscle. These muscles are composed of bundles of cells held in position by connective tissues, the tough fibrous material from which the tendons and ligaments are formed. It's the amount and condition of the connective tissues, governed by the activities of the animal during its life, which account for the toughness or otherwise of meat. Of course, this underlines the importance of early maturity.

The tenderness of beef is improved by hanging for several days. At the time of buying, you should find out from the butcher whether or not he recommends additional hanging.

Different Meat Cuts: To judge the quality of meat in the carcass, therefore, is a matter of long experience which the meat retailer gains in the normal course of his business and stores for the future benefit of his customers. Nevertheless, there are some characteristics of which you can acquire and ensure that the meat you buy is the best cut of beef, pork mutton or lamb.

In selecting cuts you should make sure the meat has a reasonably even distribution of fat which, however, should not be excessive. You can learn to recognize the different types of meat cuts by their appearance as well as by name. This knowledge of the structure of meat is a great help to an understanding of how best to cook it. For example, in beef cuts:

The Topside: Pot roast, or braise or roast slowly. These parts which are obtained from the fore and hind legs of the carcass. This part is highly exercised, contains more connective tissue and hence are less tender.

Rump and wing rib: Roast, fry or grill. It's advisable to have a roast beef cut thicker than 2 inches, which is suitable for cooking by dry heat on a rack in a shallow open pan. or grilled using indirect heat. For a casual gathering and health conscious individuals, sirloin cuts are leaner and economical.

Shoulder or Blade steaks: Stew, or braise or roast slowly. Most tender steak comes from the rib and loin section.

With the above knowledge of the basic principles of cooking, you will find that the less tender and therefore less expensive cuts can be made tender and palatable by proper cooking. In other words, you'll find that while being able to buy more economically, you can prepare and serve limitless variety of attractive and nutritious meat meals.

There is no known short cut to becoming a good cook, but with a knowledge of the basic principles of cooking, the proper selection both of meat and the method of its cooking, you should be able to master culinary art.

All cooking, the effect of which on meat is to coagulate the proteins, to increase the intensity of its flavor and to bring about the loss of weight, mainly in the water content, is based on two basic rationale:

Dry Heat: In cooking by dry heat i.e. roasting, grilling, the meat is surrounded by hot air in an oven or under a broiler ( a system used for cooing the more tender cuts).

Moist Heat: In cooking by moist heat, steaming, stewing or pressure cooking, the meat is in contact with or immersed in hot water, hot fat or steam, a method more suitable for the less tender cuts.

The loss of water has an importance bearing on the subsequent keeping qualities of the meat and it is, of course, well known that a cooked joint will keep longer than an uncooked one.

Skin Exam-How Checking Your Skin Could Save Your Life

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:12:00 +0000

Beauty is only skin deep. Or so we are constantly told. Yet the skin is incredibly revealing. From the flaky surface that releases skin when scratched to the shiny surface that leaks oil when squeezed, skin is usually one of the barometers of health.

When you get wrinkles, your skin is telling you that its supply of collagen is depleting, a natural occurrence that happens as a result of ageing.

There is a whole range of technology from facial micro-current, anti wrinkle creams to the more infamous Botox that can help "disappear" the lines. What your face can also show you, though not very broadly unless you get a penetrating skin analysis machine, is the extent of sun damage. It could show up in uneven skin tone and dark patches with rough, peeling skin. Sun damage is very difficult and costly to reverse, so the best strategy is prevention using sunscreen.

Acne, you'll know when you have it when you develop tender little spots on your face. Cystic acne leaves you with hard little painful cysts on the surface of your skin. These are rooted quite deep in your skin. You might also get weeping sores on your face with acne or a generally rough skin. Acne is categorised as mild, moderate or severe, all needing a different range of skin care. Acne treatmentt varies and everyone responds differently. It is best to seek professional help for this.

If your feet experiences itching, burning and scaling, and you notice that it affects the insides of your toes, you might have a fungal foot infection, athlete's foot. It's very common foot infection that can spread to groin and palms and is best prevented by not walking barefoot especially in public showers or any kind of damp surfaces. You could also get it from swimming pool or from contact. It needs to be treated immediately due to how quickly it spreads.

Are you developing a lump of thick, dry, scaly skin on your elbows or knees or any other part of your body? These raised keloid-like eruptions could mean you have psoriasis.

Unpredictable Spread: It looks like you have wrinkly skin but it only comes out in patches and it spreads erratically. Psoriasis breaks out when you are a young adult and is categorised as either mild or severe. There are different types that appear on different parts of your body.

When on your scalp, it could mask as dandruff which means home remedies will not help the condition and could in fact, irritate the skin further.

Even though it may look like it is, psoriasis is not contagious. But it is important to see a doctor. Psoriasis is managed through topical creams if it is mild, otherwise you will require ultra-violet light treatment, pills or injections to help manage it.

Have you heard a constant, burning pain on the surface of your skin but can't determine what the cause is? This could be the early stages of shingles, caused by the same virus that causes small pox. Shingles appear as an angry rash with series of blisters that ooze when the skin breaks, at which point it becomes contagious. However, it spreads to those who have never had chickenpox and sometimes manifests as chickenpox rather than shingles. See a dermatologist.

Have you noticed you have little bits of skin that look like warts except they are dark and hang off of your skin as wrinkly bits? You may have skin tags.

This occurs mainly in overweight people as they tend to appear in areas where there is a lot of friction. Also, women with large breasts may get them under their breasts. Skin tags can be uncomfortable because they get chaffed if you wear an under wire bra. They could also form on the eyelid, groin, armpit or neck.

Some skin tags can be as large as a grapefruit. Usually, it falls off on its own, twisting itself out of place, again owing to friction. You could have it removed by having it cut off or frozen with liquid nitrogen or various other ways. A skin doctor will be well placed to advise you.

Changing Color: Perhaps your skin is changing color in patches, and some parts are suddenly becoming lighter than others. It could be a pigmentation disorder like vitiligo, the kind that Micheal Jackson is said to have suffered from.

Regardless of your skin tone, it is very noticeable. The cause is unknown and there are no medical solutions yet, but wearing foundation can help cover it up.

When confronted with skin problems, many women seek to self-medicate and buy over the counter treatments deal with what they think is the problem. However, in many cases, whatever is ailing your skin can only be confirmed by a dermatologist.

Your skin could be reacting to anything from weather when you get a heat rash to that time of the month when you get the odd pimple to something as simple as poor hygiene. But it can also be a warning tell-tale sign that something more complex is up. Always seek medical attention opinion before self-medicating

Remember, beautiful skin is a concerned effort between you, your genes and a good, trusted dermatologist.

Buying a Coat - 2 Things To Look Out For

noreply@blogger.com (Felix Waweru) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 09:45:00 +0000

With the unexpected change in weather, sometimes hot then cold then chilly then rainy, it has made it necessary to buy rain coats, boots and gloves just to stay prepared. And, if there is one thing that can be a tricky buy, it would have to be a rain wear.

What to buy, where and when to wear it, what colors are in, what fabrics are out and how much should you spend, are just some of the questions that run through many minds. When it comes to buying a coat, there are two things to consider: What appeals to you, and what your gut says about that coat you are eyeing.

Feelings and Instinct: It may seem odd that emotion should govern your buying of a coat rather than your body shape, budget, coloring, the weather or what your friends will think when they see you wearing it. And the reason for this is pretty simple: that coat is likely to be the most costly thing in your closet. So it helps if it is varied, fits in with your day-to-day wear and acts as a cover up both day or night.

This is why a trench is considers a classic. It has the kind of form and shape that fits in seamlessly with almost everything that you own. In that regard, a coat is an investment. Also, when it comes to coats, the same rules apply to both men and women.

To start off, what to buy depends on what is on offer in the market or, if you don't like what you see, finding a fashion designer who can make you a customized trench, a statement that is worthy every coin when you finally do own it. There are several types of coats to pick from though, not just the trench. For instance, there are pea coats, which are short coats that skim the bottom. Lately, though, they have grown longer and you can find a thigh-skimming pea coat. Ideally though, their design does not allow them to be long otherwise they would appear frumpy

Pea coat was first designed for men and originally worn by sailors and the navy; today, it is unisex. The pea coat is structured, double-breasted jacket generally made from thick fabric and has huge, usually wooden buttons. Women's pea coats tend to be more form fitting and because some come with buckle belts, they can be confused for a short trench coat. Pen coats have larger lapels than average. They look great on both adults and the children regardless of the gender.

Men can wear muted colors like navy, black, grey and brown, while women have the option of colors that run from herringbone print, pastels, dark colors to bright, flashy shades. Children's coats are just as flexible in terms of color and it just requires you to identify the more flowery versions for girls.

Fake Fur is also quite trendy right now. It is worn by fancy, fashion-conscious men and women. When buying faux fur, pick something soft though it is likely to cost more. If you get fur for the sake of it, it looks tasteless, cheap and fashion-injustice.

You could also wear a gilet, which is in essence an open waist coat with a furry collar. It looks great when paired with skinny jeans that have been tucked into boots. It could be short and fluffy or fall just as far as you hip bone or slightly lower and you could belt it up. It could also be entirely furry or part fur combined with either leather, PVC, stuffed waterproof fabric or anything else that pulls your eye.

When wearing a gilet, keep the bottom half trim and fitted. Pencil skirts and fitted trousers are ideal complements. Wear heels to elongate the leg as a gilet is prone to shapelessness. Which can make your top half look thick and stocky. It is however an excellent way to layer your outfits and stay warm and glamorous. Like the pea and trench, it works as both a day (even though casual) and night look.

Another coat to consider is the ankle skimmer. This is heavy, very dressed up and if you get one, it must be superbly tailored otherwise you look like you are trying, and failing, to re-enact The Matrix. It is perfect for nightwear owing to its great surface coverage. Play around with its design and don't simply go for a buttoned-all-the-way down look.

When buying a coat, look at the buttons, fabric, lapels and shape. Rather than settling for the same old shapes, try out something visually stimulating. Go for interesting color palettes and designs. More importantly, consider your height.

Smart and Objective: A good tailor can make any style work on you but you still need to be smart and objective. Assess your body with critical eye so they you don;t get swamped by your coat or have to squeeze in to it, making it look like it shrunk in the wash.

Both men and women can try the hooded coat, women can consider a fur coat or go for a tailored coat that is structured, well cut, but not necessarily body skimming. Or opt for a wool mix. It is lighter and won't stifle you with heat.

Finally, get the right accessories to pair your coat with. Cloves, scarves, boots, bags and headgear should compliment your coat. Outwear is exceedingly important and it makes as much of statement as what you wear on the inside.