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Warning To Parents: Is Your Child's Summer Camp Safe?

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:42:57 -0600

Who doesn't remember summer camp? I know I do. I got to go to summer camp several times when I was a child, and I enjoyed it very much.

The truth is I'll bet that most of us have fond memories of going away to camp, and as children we never wondered how safe we were. We always just assumed that the adults who were there to keep us safe would do so.

However, sadly that is not the case today.

Did you know that not all states require kids' summer camps to have a license?

How about this?... Did you know that there are 28 states that don't require a criminal background check for camp workers?

Essentially, what this means is that your children may not be as safe as you thought they would be when you sent them to summer camp.

Here's what parents need to know about the safety of summer camps...

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Tips For Booking Passage On A Freighter Ship - It's A Different Way To Cruise!

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:11:16 -0600

If deck games, endless buffets, and large crowds are things you try to avoid, then the standard 7-day cruise to the Bahamas may be a painful test of your ability to endure rather then an opportunity to relax and leave your day-to-day worries behind.

Your opportunity to be alone with your thoughts will quickly vanish into the endless crowds of people aboard an ocean cruise ship.

Cargo freighters, on the other hand, are all business. Delivering manufactured goods around the world, they slip into port for only the time required to exchange one load for another, and then it's back to sea heading to their next (sometimes exotic) destination.

Here are some tips for booking your first trip on a freighter ship...

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Great Lakes Cruises - A Fun Way To Travel The Fresh Water Seas

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:53:29 -0600

Nowhere else in the world can you travel through 5 great fresh expanses of water so large you lose sight of land for days at a time.

A Great Lakes cruise will take you along the aquatic superhighway upon which much of the country's natural resources and farm products travel to market.

You can even follow the path of early fur trappers and settlers as they headed west from the east coast into the Heartland of America.

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Yahoo Email: The Pros & Cons Compared To Other Email Programs

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:13:28 -0600

I've had a Yahoo email account since 1997, and for the most part I've been very happy with it.

There are some features on the new version that I'm not as happy with, however. For example, whenever you login to your email account now, it automatically opens up a chat room tab for everyone in your Contact List who happens to be online at the moment. I have a lot of people in my contact list, and this can be really annoying, and even slow down the program.

Fortunately, Yahoo allows you keep the Yahoo Classic version if you want to. In the past you just had to accept whatever changes they had made to their newest version. But apparently, with this newer version, I wasn't the only one that wasn't as enamoured with it.

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of using Yahoo email, as I see it...

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Top 2 Twitter iPhone Apps: Twitterific Premium vs Twittelator Pro

Tue, 26 May 2009 11:18:12 -0600

I have a couple of different Twitter accounts, each with an entirely different audience based on very unique interests:

@FunDogs - fun dog tips for people with dogs

@FunHouseHome - helpful information for homeowners - fun home & garden tips

@FunTimesGuide - where the geek in me hangs out and I interact with people on a wide variety of topics

People who are interested in my dog-related tweets aren't necessarily interested in my geeky updates or my house & home tweets, so I needed a way to interact with each group separately.

When I'm at my computer, I use HootSuite to do that. When I'm on the go, I need an iPhone app that goes with me.

I had heard great things about both Twitterific Premium (also known as Twitterific 2.0) and Twittelator Pro (the version I downloaded was 2.2). So I purchased them both through the Apple Store and started comparing the apps for myself, side-by-side.

See which one is my favorite...

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River Cruise Vacations: Reasons To Choose River Cruising Over Ocean Crusing

Sun, 24 May 2009 14:56:41 -0600

If you've ever taken a cruise to the Bahamas, or any other ocean cruise, you know that once you leave port most ocean cruises head out to sea. For a spectator activity, you can stand along the guardrail and stare out over the ocean -- looking at miles and miles of wide open ocean.

Aside from eating and gambling aboard the ship, you'll probably spend a good deal of time looking at that empty ocean -- which can get boring fairly quick.

Fortunately, river cruises operate on most of the major rivers throughout the United States, providing a whole different perspective on cruising.

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Planning A Cruise? Alternative Cruise Destinations Worth Considering

Thu, 21 May 2009 13:47:43 -0600

For most of us, when we think of cruises a cheap Caribbean cruise probably comes to mind first.

Then you might imagine yourself on a fabulous Hawaiian cruise vacation.

They're all pretty standard fare as, far as cruises go. You've got your endless buffets, dinner & dance with the ship's captain, and port calls so you enjoy some time off the ship and buy trinkets to remember your trip.

Here's an idea...

Why not try something different? There are definitely some alternative cruising destinations worth considering. Some might even classify them as adventure cruises.

For some reason, these types of cruises just don't seem to get the same amount of advertising that the regional cruises do. I mean, when was the last time you saw an advertisement for an Antarctic cruise or an Arctic cruise? What about an exotic Amazon cruise or Nile River cruises?

Yes, Caribbean cruise vacations are fine, but there are plenty of other destinations to explore and enjoy. With that in mind, you may want to consider these alternative cruise destinations...

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Why I Prefer Google's Gmail Account To Other Email Accounts Like Yahoo & Hotmail

Mon, 04 May 2009 16:42:09 -0600

If you're like me, your life revolves around the receiving and sending of information through the Internet.

Having a straightforward mail handling system that's simple to navigate -- yet is flexible enough to cover you when things go wrong -- is paramount to any business that relies on the Internet for worldwide communications. (It's important when keeping in touch with friends and family, too.)

Gmail has been the mainstay of my Internet correspondence for years. Here's why...

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Pros & Cons Of Motorized Scooters - Before You Buy A Scooter

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:15:27 -0600

With the high gas prices these days, you might be considering purchasing a scooter to get to and from work, go to the grocery store, or just run errands close to your home.

Many people are. And why not?... You can get over 100 miles per gallon on a scooter!

While the idea of buying a scooter is a sound one, there are few things you should know before running out and purchasing your first scooter.

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7 Good Ebook Readers - Alternatives To The Amazon Kindle

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:00:47 -0600

Choosing the right e-book reader can be tricky, especially since there are so many options these days.

With the popularity of e-books, the need for ebook readers for people on the go has dramatically increased in the last 5 years or so.

As somebody who both writes and reads e-books on a regular basis, I can say that I personally went head-to-head with this very issue. I'll tell you what my solution was, and also what your other options are when it comes to finding an ebook reader that meets your needs.

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Photos Of Chuck Cannon, Lari White And Tom Bukovac At 3rd & Lindsley

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:44:09 -0600

Jim and I go to 3rd & Lindsley whenever we can to see our favorite songwriters when they're performing in Nashville.

Who we've seen the most there: Shawn Mullins.

Who we saw most recently there: Chuck Cannon & Lari White, with extra special guest Tom Bukovac.

Here are some photos from last night's show...

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Outdoor Easter Games For Kids

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:32:19 -0600

There are a lot of fun outdoor activities you can do with kids on Easter day.

The ones you ultimately decide on will be determined by the age of the children and the props or supplies that you are willing to make (or buy).

That, and the number of children involved and the prizes you obtain for all the winners.

Here are some of the best outdoor Easter games for kids -- whether you're having an Easter party or just enjoying some time at home with the family.

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Spring Wedding Ideas: Wedding Favors, Flowers, Cakes & Invitations

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:29:24 -0600

I was married in the spring.

Spring weddings are those planned between March 20th (the Vernal Equinox) and June 21st (the Summer Solstice).

Following are lots of fun ideas for your spring wedding, including:

Spring wedding colors
Spring wedding theme ideas
Spring wedding invitations
Spring wedding favors
Spring wedding flowers
Spring wedding cakes

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Amazon Kindle 2 Ebook Reader: The Pros & Cons

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:03:52 -0600

Ebook readers are becoming more and more popular as e-books in general become more popular, and Amazon's Kindle reader is no exception to this rule.

Amazon just recently introduced the new Kindle 2 wireless reader.

It has some nice features, but it is debatable as to whether or not it is better than the Kindle 1 (or any other ebook reader for that matter), as you'll see.

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Blockbusters Video Rentals: Online Rentals vs Blockbuster Stores

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:56:05 -0600

You're probably already familiar with Blockbuster's cement block buildings with the bright blue canopies. They started popping up all over the country starting in 1985 when the first Blockbuster store opened in Dallas, Texas.

Since that first store opened, the name Blockbuster can now be found on approximately 5,000 storefronts in over 30 countries -- supplying home entertainment products in a variety of formats.

Over the years, Blockbuster has expanded and grown to include much more than the old familiar VCR tapes that where the mainstay of home movie rentals of the past.

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