One Great Looking Car from Volvo

One of the characteristics car buyer tends to look for in a car is its aesthetic value - the car has to look good both inside and out. A convertible has such characteristics and it commands attention wherever it goes. That is why the convertible is one of the most beautiful car designs ever.

But owning a convertible poses trouble to the owner for the security of the car is in jeopardy if the car employs a non-metal roof. Aside from that danger, the car is also susceptible to the elements - water can enter the vehicle if the top is not in its proper place due to faulty or not strong enough engineering of the mechanism and the roof itself.

But car companies are making advances in the design off their convertible and one of these car manufacturers is Volvo. The Sweden-based Ford Motor Company owned outfit has designed their Volvo C70 with a metal roof that solves both problems posed on convertible owners of the past. While they may be using metal for their roof they have come up with a way to keep the production cost at a minimum so that the car will not be out of reach of the majority of consumers. Volvo has produced a car that looks like a coupe from the outside and feels like one on the inside with the top down.

The design of the car enables the driver to tuck the top safely in the car's trunk in less than 30 seconds. Lowering of the top is a sight to see thanks to the perfectly engineered mechanism that allows the top to be tucked in to the trunk smoothly. Not only is the mechanism for lowering the top the clever thing that the design offers. Since the top takes up almost half of the space in the trunk of the car, putting something on the trunk may pose a problem or a bit of difficulty for some convertible with metal roof. But the Volvo C70 has solved that with a mechanism that allows the user to slightly raise the top to permit loading of luggage under it before the top is lowered again.

The exterior design is not the only good thing about this convertible for the Volvo C70 boasts of adequate legroom on its front seats. But the backseats are just like what you would expect from any four-upward-seater vehicle, they are best left to children or extra space for that extra luggage that would not fit in the trunk. The aesthetic value of the convertible is high and so is its performance level, it is equipped with an able engine and a wide array of parts that helps the engine perform at its peak. And it is just like the Volvo water pump that keeps water flowing through the cooling system to maintain the engine's normal operating temperature.

Since this four-seater convertible is a Volvo, you can expect the latest and the best safety systems to be integrated into the car. All in all, the Volvo C70 combines in great quantity high engine performance level, luxurious and comfortable interior, stunning looks and a host of safety features.

About the Author

Glady Reign is a 32 year old is a consultant for an automotive firm based in Detroit, Mi. She is a native of the motor city and grew up around cars hence her expertise in the automotive field.

Outsourcing And Domestic Demand: The Case For Real Estate Capital Growth

It is an undisputed fact that market economies, in Capitalism, are moved by the supply and demand for goods and services. Specifically as it relates to the Real Estate sector, the basis for the real estate market is the demand by households, businesses, governments and institutions for space and shelter to conduct activities. And moreover, since according to the National Association of Realtors the aggregate size of residential real estate markets in the United States measured by sales volume accounted for almost USD 57 billions in 2005 alone, the impact of households' demand for residential real estate products is huge.

When people acquire income they tend to invest it, and the more people that acquire income the more people that tend to invest it. Therefore, there is a correlation between capital and employment in real estate or, if you will, between income and labour. An increase in levels of consumption sets forth an increase in prices caused by a corresponding increase in demand, in itself generated by a commensurate increase in the income-employment factor.

It follows, therefore, that growth is derived by the equilibrium of capital and investment with labour and employment. And since, furthermore, production is in direct function of consumers spending which increases as unemployment falls, it follows that capital accumulation increases as employment rises and capital accumulation decreases as employment falls. Which fact, therefore, brings up to light the importance of the conditions of domestic job markets for real estate. All the more so at a time when - due to an ever more efficient process of economic globalization - we are witnessing a constant migration of jobs from North America to emerging economies abroad.

Globalization and outsourcing were, in fact, the focus of the annual symposium held by the Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City. The topic being floored and examined by the top minds of the economic world was how the rise of China, India and other countries is reshaping employment and wages within the North American economy.

It is commonly believed that wages of workers in rich countries are being depressed by the shift of jobs to low-wage countries, but the debate undertaken at the symposium has offered a much rosier view, with economists arguing that off-shoring can actually increase the wages of domestic workers. The general feeling was that outsourcing boosts firms' productivity and profits, thereby enabling them to expand and, consequently, to take on more workers at home to perform jobs that cannot be easily moved abroad. In essence a line is being drawn between low-paying, unskilled jobs that can be transferred to emerging economies like those of China, India and, to a lesser extent, Russia vis-?-vis higher-paying, skilled jobs that remain in North America.

Clearly, whereas low-paying, unskilled jobs have a minimal to zero effect on the consumption of domestic real estate products, the scenario changes drastically with higher-paying jobs.

Outsourcing and jobs migration is a topic that has just as many political connotations as it has economic reverberations, particularly in an election year such as this. Critics of outsourcing are quick to point out that between 1997 through 2004 the streamlining of companies through off-shoring was not enough to create sufficient higher-paying jobs at home to offset the outflow of low-paying jobs abroad. And that evidence does exist, furthermore, to the extent that in America, the Euro Zone and Japan total wages have actually fallen, in real terms, to their lowest shares of national income whereas the share of corporate profits has surged. An obvious indication that many ?leaner' firms have opted for retaining their earnings as opposed to re-investing them in the domestic work pool.

Specifically because of this, Prof. Ben Bernanke, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve System, has argued at the symposium that the scale and pace of globalization is unprecedented and that the overall gains will be huge. But he has also warned that there is a risk of social and political opposition as some workers lose their jobs. The Chairman has urged policymakers, therefore, to ensure that the benefits of global integration are sufficiently widely shared through the echelons of the economy, so as to maintain support for free trade and enhance the democratization of wealth.

Real Estate stands to gain the most by a more evenly shared distribution of wealth in North America, both from the standpoint of increased demand and of increased inventory production and supply, for when people feel rich they spend - a psychological effect known in Economics as The Wealth Effect. Despite the near-term moderation in the number of existing home sales, the housing market can all but continue to benefit from expected positive long-term economic fundamentals including expansion of gross domestic product generated by job creation and investments, coupled by a monetary policy of continued moderate interest rates.

Luigi Frascati

Luigi Frascati is a Real Estate Agent based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics and maintains a weblog entitled the Real Estate Chronicle at www.realestatechronicle.blogspot.com where you can find the full collection of his articles on Real Estate Economics and Finance. Luigi is associated with the Sutton Group, the largest real estate organization in Canada, and is based with Sutton-Centre Realty in Burnaby, BC.

Luigi is very proud to be an EzineArticles Platinum Expert Author. Your rating at the footer of this Article is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Death Becomes Her

I had the funniest moment today. I called up a client only to hear the words, Abby is no longer with us. Pause. He then proceeded to say, She hasnt passed away, shes just not with our company anymore. I didnt want you to think she was dead. I was in a work mode, so I was a little slow on the uptake. However, he made me think how often we dont clarify ourselves so that what we say can be taken in the right or wrong way. Misunderstandings were best played out in the immortal, Threes Company. That crazy Jack Tripper. But, I digress.

Take an email for example. It has no tone, or personality. In our quest for quick, responsive communication, email has become almost rude. We ignore em, dont address people properly, open them and promptly forget them, place high importance priorities (!) on emails that arent urgent, misspell, lack the proper grammar or punctuation (spell check isnt foolproof) and capitalize letters which are equivalent to SHOUTING! We know of Road Rage, but theres also the wrath of the email thats slowly terrorizing the countryside. No one has been killed so far on account of an email, but remember this caution and advice if you email colleagues and clients. Dont take for granted picking up the phone or speaking face to face to clarify issues and make deals. Cause maybe youll hear the same thing being said about you, So-and-so is no longer with us. Maybe we wont think its terribly funny when our ex-company is saying the same thing about us.

Respectfully In Memoriam of John Ritter-1948-2003

Tamara Jong is the Marketing Coordinator for Venturelabour.com and handles the career column, and online content management for www.canjobs.com-Your source for jobs in Canada

O. S. ARI - Some Anecdodes of Him -he was famous also for his wit and wisdomeoa uk

ANECDOTES OF THE LATE O. S. ARI

...Aris voice, full of wit, filled the room...
(Mustafa Dogrusoz in Kibris -5 February 1999)

...He always wore a smile...
(Harid Fedai in 'Halkin Sesi' -27 December 1992)

(In his newspaper columns [mostly between 1968-1992 in Cypriot Halkin Sesi -also Birlik etc. often by a little story or joke did the hailed teacher-thinker-poet the late Orhan Seyfi Ari [1918- 1992 made or highlighted his points ~so also in his lectures, debates, discussions, teaching his school pupils. These simply put anecdotes are hoped briefly and miscellaneously to familiarise with his wit and a few of the less involved of the very many views he was also popular for)

DIPLOMATIC COMMUNIQES, he thought, were rather like broadcasting live on the radio a match between two boxers called Abdi and Bandinelli, and announcing the winner as Abdinelli

NEVER TOO LATE to change ones mind or to make a start was not of more use to one, sometimes, or to a nation, than it would be to the driver of a car rolling down a cliff to then decide to drive carefully

IRRELEVANCY was a natural and common refuge of man ~You have gone bald! he joked with a friend who he had not seen for a long time his friend looked at him, then responded, Ha..! As if your sons got more hair than I..!

THE TROUBLES OF THE WORLD had much to do with this, that some with breathing difficulties had become deep sea divers

IGNORANT WE ALL ARE of many things, he thought some of us, even of our ignorance

PERSEVERANCE it was an example of, the little delicate plant that shots and grows through the concrete of the pavement

WHINING O-oh!.. his friend explained, I missed my train.. oh, I was twenty minutes late.. I am so sorry He replied: Dont be you would have missed it also if you were only twenty seconds late..!

EVOLUTION.. we were apes Now..?! Were we not, now, man!?..

JUSTIFICATIONS of some reminded him of someone in his early teens to whom he had given leaflets, booklets, on how harmful smoking was some months later the teenager came to him waving a newspaper which mentioned that an elderly person was a smoker

RELATIONSHIPS had much to do with knowing that one could not stand before a mirror and make faces and expect to see a smiling image...

STRENGTH did not necessarily suffice ~I am a wrestler! threatened one the other laughed: But.. I am a runner...

GOD Perhaps does not exist; he said but, Sir, what if He does..!?

POPULARITY it helped to wear a smile the vinegar merchant who smiled had more customers than the honey merchant who did not

Author's research unfortunately could not include all of the articles of the late thinker -his anecdotes above are not from those articles themselves

Consultant 2004Bernard Romanycia

Santana rocks.

Independant.

The Prodigal Prince Fred, (Tasmanian Fred, Royal Spoiled Brat)Troy Nilsson

The Prodigal Prince Fred,
(Tasmanian Fred, Royal Spoiled Brat)

THE SETTING Luke 15:11 There was a man who had two sons.

Far away, long before children had beds, There lived a Tasmanian 'Devil' named Fred Prince Frederick the Fifth, Son of Frederick the Fourth Who ruled the Tasmanian Kingdom, of course.

King Frederick was noble and goodly and nice The Tasmanians loved him- from mooses to mice They also loved King Freddy's nicely son Ned But oh how they hated that nasty Prince Fred.

Prince Freddy was snooty and cocky and smuggly He hung with his gang, The Tasmanian Thugglies They loved to break furniture, quarrel, and fight And steal kiddies' candies on Halloween night.

They'd cruise through the countryside hooting and howling Kicking the kangaroos, shooting and scowling Scaring the children asleep in their beds And thumping the night owls on top of their heads; they'd

throw rocks through windows and break into stores They'd put piles of doo-doo by people's front doors And laugh at the look in the nice people's eyes When they stepped out and stepped in Fred's poo-poo surprise.

And the townspeople said, For these prattles and pranks We'll break out our paddles- PRINCE FRED NEEDS A SPANK!

And oh how they spanked him- they swatted and popped him But Prince Freddy liked the attention it got him - His horrible habits would not go away So he pranked every night and got spanked every day.

Luke 15:12
The younger one said to his father, `Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

But what Fred only knew was that he had grown weary Tasmanian teasing was boring and dreary He'd broken or messed up most everything there And he ached for a change- a breath of fresh air.

So he said hey King Daddy-O, gimme my Money I 'm sick and I'm tired of you, Neddy and Mummy I'm gonna go where the grasses are greener The girls are much cuter, the cows are much leaner We'll conquer the world, my Thugglies and me THEY'RE my real family- They love me, you'll see.

King Frederick wiped a big tear from his eye, said, Dear Son Freddy, please don't say goodbye The world is a jungle, cruel and abusing You'll get bamboosled, you'll get a bad bruising.

But Freddy shouted, Quiet, you looney old man Just gimme my money, as fast as you can!

King Frederick thought I don't owe him a thing But I'll follow the counsel of Cousin King Sting Who said Sometimes love is to let people be for If you love someone you must set them free.

King stood up and said, I'll give half of my kingdom Then Fred will see just how much I love him (But Freddy just stood looking bored and half-sick And said good enough, Daddy, -let's make it quite quick!).

Out came the servants with barrels and trunkets Silver by truckloads, Doubloons by the buckets Deeds for the land, for the houses and castles Clothes with gold hats zippers and diamonds on tassles.

And when finally they'd loaded the loot and the booty Prince Fred turned around with a shout super-snooty Good riddance, Good King, and Tasmania too I'll conquer the world, just like I conquered YOU!

THE SQUANDERING
Luke 15:13 Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.

So Fred bought a ship and a giant Jalope The Thugglies and some of the girlies came hopping They sailed off to Greece, to Italia and Thebes Germania, San Pedro, the Isle of Saint Dweebes Morocco, Swahili, Israeli, Bombay Calcutta, Cape Cod, Albakerkie and Spain The Thugglies all cheered 2,4,6, and 8 Freddie's the Thugguly we 'preciate We really love you, not just for your money- You're every boy's buddy, and every girl's honey.

They sailed to Cape horn where the Africans dance Got drunk on bamboo juice and wet in their pants (They drove the Jalope all through the Sahara 'til it broke down in the hot desert weatha') They Flew on a flybird to HulaHuLoo And swiggled and swayed like the hulahoo's doo They took a fast train to Bermuda for fishing And snork'ling and swimming and winnihee wishing Then off to Arabia seeking the carpet- The magic one- and when the found it Fred bought it They rode like the wind on a magical flight So close to the stars they could kiss them goodnight And they laughed and they sang and they never once worried ... Til they ran out of gas in Pougkipsee, Missouri Starving and thirsting from singing and lauging They searched out a truck stop for eating and gassing They ordered hamburglers and ice cream and coke- That's when Fred said with a gasp- Friends, I'm broke!

His 'friends' said, Hey, Freddy-O, you must be jokin' Fred said I'm not... and they started to choke him Why have you brought us out here to Missouri?!- they cried and they cried 'til their vision was blurry.

They beat Fred that night 'bout the head and the shoulders Kicked him and pelted him hard with small boulders, Then pooled every cent they'd embezzled from Fred Hopped a bird home and left Fred for dead.

PIGS
Luke 15:14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.

When Fred awoke in the ditch the next tuesday, Angry and dizzy and battered and bruisedy Seeing he needed some doct'ring and nursing He wobbled and bobbled back into Poughkipsee.

'These people will serve me as soon as they see My royal credentials, my choice pedigree I'm Frederick the Fifth, Son of Frederick The Fourth Heir to the crown of Tasmania, of course!'

Tasmania!, they laughed, why it sounds to me Like this boy's been eating the wackety weed! He thinks he's a Prince, but it's clear, he's a fake (disgrace) From the thuggardly look on his uggardly face He's nothing but trouble, repair bills, and grief Poughkipsee has no need for this little thief!

Luke 15:15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.
Luke 15:16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

So Fred limped down the road, saw a farmer named Rooflus (fat, bald, and sweaty and dirty and toothless) Who said, You can feed all my pigglies, you dooflus!

So Fred slept in the barn with the hogs in Missouri Where roachies and rats and reegreechies would scurry So dark and so cold in the yuck and the storm He'd hug to the hogs in the mud to keep warm.

And up with the sunrise Ol' Rooflus came screaming TIME TO SLOP HOGS- STOP YOUR SNORING AND DREAMING And oh- how Fred hated to wake up each day For he dreamed of his soft bed, back home, far away.

Then Rooflus would swat with his sluggardly-stick Fred'd jump for the bucket of schloppettyschlick, full of sloopage and scumdredge and leftover lardy, rotten vomatoes and chunkies of barfy.

Fred got so hungry his tummy would gurgle When he'd spy a bitey of uneaten burgle Floating about in the schloppetyschlick But Rooflus said NO SIR, NOT ONE LITTLE BIT For hogs need to eat, they are useful and tasty But you're good for nothing; you're stoopid and lazy .

And the only thing Fred was the Prince of was pigs (But the pigs ate much better than Fred ever did!)

REPENTANCE
Luke 15:17 When he came to his senses, he said, `How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!
Luke 15:18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
Luke 15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'

And slowly, sneaking as if by surprise an idea began growing behind Freddy's eyes 'til one day he came to his senses and said, If I stay with these hogs pretty soon I'll be DEAD! The servants that work for my Dad eat like Kings And all I can eat is regreechichies and squings And moldy old swatches of schlochettyschlick Left where the piggelet's tongues couldn't lick.

So I'll hike back to Father and beg for a job 'cause I've got experience slopping these hogs! Of course he won't let me back into the house Since I spent all his money out being a louse I'm no longer worthy of being his son But I'm great with the hogs- I can get the job done.

EATING HUMBLE PIE
Luke 15:20 So he got up and went to his father.

So Fred ran away from Pougkipsee and Rooflus Hitchedhiked a wildebeest down to San Lucas Stowed away in the gut of a whale named Jonah Til the whale barfed him out on the beach of Pomplona! He ran in a rickshaw to Katmandudu Nambibia, Naples and Kalamazoo.

After 7 long years of swimming and running (It takes a long time without daddy-o's funding) Fred saw the land he'd remembered in dreams- The shores of Tasmania- sparkling and clean.

FATHER WELCOMES HIM:
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

Now King Frederick feared that young Fred had died But day after day, the King strained his old eyes Peering through periscopes over the hills Praying that Fred would come home to him still.

And that day, the greatest day, what did he see? Floundering Freddy afloat on the sea The King ran like an antelope, threw out a raft Pulled Freddy onto the beach with a laugh.

Luke 15:21 The son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

Freddy coughed up all the seaweed and water said, please don't kill me, but hear me out, Father I've sinned, I'm a joke, I'm a heel of a schmuck I'm mother's worst nightmare- bait for bad luck, so Just let me live in the shack with the peasants Slopping the hogs, or dressing the pheasants I'm no longer worthy to be called your son But I've learned to slop hogs- I can get the job done!

Luke 15:22 But the father said to his servants, `Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Luke 15:23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate.
Luke 15:24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

King said,
Son, we've no hogs, we're Tasmanian Jews But you're home alive- That's the greatest of news! So bring him my robe, put my ring on his hand Let's throw a party all over the land Strike up the band let the hoopla abound For Prince Fred was lost; HOORAY, he's been found!

OLDER SON GETS MAD:
Luke 15:25 Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.
Luke 15:26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. Luke 15:27 `Your brother has come,' he replied, `and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
Luke 15:28 The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.
Luke 15:29 But he answered his father, `Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.
Luke 15:30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

But Fred's brother Ned wasn't dancing with glee Ned sat there, lips pouting all pitifully Saying, Hey daddy-o - I'm as nice as can be- But when did you throw a big party for ME? I worked and I slaved and busted my buttocks While that little twirp spent your loot like a dumb-ox.

FATHER GIVES MORAL
Luke 15:31 `My son,' the father said, `you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.
Luke 15:32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'

But Ned, said the King, You're already with me What's mine is all yours, far as eagle eyes see So come on! Let's party, let's rock & get down 'cause Fred, left for dead, is alive and in town!

And this, goobs and gurls, is the way God loves you Whatever you say, sin, bamboozzle or do, When you come running home with your arms open wide God says, Come on in, love! There's a party inside!

Copyright 1989 Troy Nilsson You may reprint this story in whole or in part if you: 1) Notify Troy Nilsson of the use, 2) Prominently include credit Troy Nilsson of NilssonMedia.org with the used material.

See http://www.troynilsson.com

Modern Baby Essentials Finding the Perfect Gift For Stylish Parents

Find tips on buying those super stylish parents-to-be in your life, the perfect gift.? From fancy strollers to the latest in modern high chairs-you're sure to find an idea for a great gift that both parents and baby will adore.

Choosing just the right gift for new parents can be tricky. Do you get something practical or something fun? Well-why not get the stylish new parents on your list something that's both fun and practical?

• Baby Carriers: There are many options available in the way of stylish baby carriers. The EuroTote by Lillebaby, an off the shoulder-style baby carrier features a removable top and interchangeable covers, allowing for easy regulation of the child's temperature. The Active Baby Carrier from Baby Bjorn is worn across the chest and features plenty of head and neck support for baby, as well as lumbar support for Mom or Dad. Gender neutral colors as well as a sleek and sporty design are perfect for both parents.
  
• Strollers: Today's selection of modern strollers has a number of bells and whistles allowing for the ultimate in customized comfort for baby. Check out the award-winning Xplory Stroller from Stokke, the only stroller that elevates your child closer to you! If it's impressive list of safety features and available accessories aren't enough, celebrity Moms-Angelina Jolie & Courtney Cox-Arquette have been seen wheeling around their precious little ones in this stylish stroller. The Buzz Three Wheel Stroller from Quinny features a futuristic design which, combined with an impressive list of safety features make this all-terrain stroller a must have for actress Rachel Weisz.
  
• High Chairs: Modern high chairs are all the rage and the Svan High Chair is a perfect example. This modern high chair grows with the child, allowing you to remove pieces until it becomes a chair right at the table. It's sleek design fits into any home from contemporary to classical style and its compact size makes it also ideal for smaller eating spaces. For the ultimate in modern high chairs, check out the Fresco High Chair by Bloom. Featuring include multiple grow-with-child modes and two stylish upholstery options, this 3-in-1 (resting, feeding, and play) chair is perfect for any home.
  
• Modern Nursery Furniture: Why not help decorate the nursery with some modern nursery furniture? Modern cribs, modern changing tables, modern dressers-there are many options to choose from. Modern nursery furniture is sure to make a style statement in any home. With brands like Oeuf, Stokke, Bugaboo and more, you're sure to find the perfect gift. You can even find coordinating modern crib bedding, area rugs, wall decoration and more. Shopping for new parents has never been this much fun!
  
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Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Jamie Sward has a BA in Journalism from Indiana University. As an expert in Modern Decor and Nursery Furniture, he is dedicated to sharing his expertise with customers on All Modern Baby, a website dedicated to modern nursery furniture, decor and other top-of-the-line products designed to be both functional and stylish.

What Housing Bubble?

When I was in school at the University of Vermont, I was an economics major. I thought it would be a good idea to do some non required reading, and I came across the book Boomernomics: The Future of Your Money in the Upcomming Generational Warfare. This was right around '99 when Social Security was the hot topic. The book absolutely facinated me. Of course I knew who the Baby Boomers were, but I had never really paid the subject that much consideration.

The birthratechart ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Birthratechart.png ) really helps get some insight to what we're dealing with. You can clearly see the spike in births starting in 1945 and continuing through until the mid 60's that produced about 76 million Americans. The decline through the 70's, then the echo boom starting in the late 70's early 80's as the boomers started having children of their own.

Right now, the oldest Baby Boomers are just barely in their 60's. Now lets really think about this one. This means that means that a huge chunk of the population is currently in their highest income producing ages as their mortgages are close to (if not already) paid off, their kids are no longer dependents, and most likely are also cashing in on their inheritances from their recently departed parents.

Now at the same time, we have the begining of the echo boom that is just entering into the housing market. Someone who was born in the beginning of the echo boom would just be entering their mid/late 20's. Assuming that everyone buys a home after they graduate college, right now we're roughly only halfway through the 72 million echo boomers purchasing of new homes. Now, since I believe average age of a first time home buyer to be a few years above 21, we still have a large portion of the population that has yet to buy their first home. Now on top of all that, don't forget that these birthrates do not include any immigrant population increases, which has also been greatly increasing in the last few decades.

So what can we expect based on this info?

Real Estate Agents - Good news! Once the boomers start to retire, odds are they are going to be moving somewhere else. Expect to see some more volume.

Suburbs - Not such great news. With the baby bust entering into family mode, there might not be enough sheer numbers taking over the vacancy of the departing boomers.

Cities - Goodish news. Look forward to the Echo Boomers continuing to move towards a more Urban environment as they begin their careers.

The year 2018 - Dear god this could be a bad one. It's either diaper time or the expiration date for boomers. As they begin to stop being able to care for themselves, or simply expire. Flat out, this will not be a good time for housing prices.

Jon Ernest is the Principle Broker of Spotlight Realty. A small, independently owned, full service residential real estate agency in Brookline, Massachusetts.

http://www.SpotlightRE.com
Condos for sale
Brookline Apartments

The Power Workout

Not enough hours in the day? Feeling the crunch when it comes to finding time for just your own needs? If exercise is important to you, you might do well to consider the following:



Scenario: I really want to get in shape, but I work all day and attend multimedia classes until 8:30. How do I find the time to exercise, and what are a few good exercises for beginners like me? Solution: Finding time to exercise is certainly a challenge. Even the most motivated among us suffer setbacks during our business' busy season or when a new project is on the horizon. The key to fitting fitness into your busy day is to recognize that finding time isn't the issue--it's making time.



You may be surprised to hear that you can enjoy the benefits of a regular exercise program in as little as three hours per week.



The following routine shows you how:



Monday: Half-hour of jogging, biking (on hills) or other intense aerobic exercise you enjoy

Tuesday: Half-hour of strength training (squats, sit-ups and push-ups for beginners; weight training with machines or dumbbells for the more experienced)

Wednesday: Rest day

Thursday: Repeat Monday

Friday: Repeat Tuesday

Saturday: One hour of exercise--any type of exercise. Go rollerblading with a friend, take the family to the hills for a hike or swim laps at the pool.

Sunday: Rest day



Make your workouts more time-efficient by exercising harder. For example, you can walk two miles in a half-hour, or you can run four miles in a half-hour. You can spend an hour in step aerobics class, or you can spend 20 minutes rowing at the highest resistance level on the rowing machine. When you perform strength-training exercises, use a challenging resistance and move quickly through your exercises to get an aerobic benefit.



If you want to commit to getting fit, exercise must become a part of your life--a habit as regular as brushing your teeth. Try these ideas to help you stay on track:



*Make a log of everything you do for a week, and identify the time slots where you can fit in exercise. Did you spend a Saturday afternoon watching the Back to the Future trilogy for the fifth time? Could you manage to get up a half-hour earlier on the weekdays? Just skip an hour of television time and go to bed earlier.



*Make exercise convenient. Find a place to work out that's close to your home or office. If you're disciplined and have the space, work out at home.



*Develop relationships with supportive people. Join an exercise class or go to the gym with friends. If you skip a class, your friends will hold you accountable.



*Exercise at the right time. The ight time is when you're most likely to do it. If you know your day often ends late or meetings come up suddenly, it's best to schedule your workout for first thing in the morning when nothing can interfere. If you're a night owl, fit your workout in before dinner. If you can only manage a 10-minute walk on your lunch hour--do it. Some exercise is better than none.



Benefits Of Exercise



Need more motivation to get fit? Consider the following benefits of exercise:

*Exercise increases your stamina and strength.

*Exercise improves your heart and lung efficiency.

*Exercise gives your body greater resistance to disease, stress, anxiety and fatigue.

*Exercise gives you more energy and enhances your capacity for work and leisure activities.

*Exercise releases hormones that stimulate the brain, helping to clear your mind, see things from a new perspective, and come up with fresh ideas.



So make an appointment with yourself to get some exercise. Your body--and your business--will thank you for it.

Car seat safety tips

Do you know that according to a report 80% of kids are not properly seated in the car seat and thus many children get unnecessarily injured in car accidents. Still many of us do not bother about using safe car seats for our children. So let us follow some basic tips so that we can avoid our babies from getting involved in an accident.

The biggest mistake that you parents often commit, is not to bother whether the seat is right for your child's age and whether he is facing the right direction.

a) Always remember infants should be in a rear facing infant only seat or convertible seat until they are 1 year old and weigh twenty pounds. Kids whose weight remains less than 20 pounds even after 1 year should also continue to face backwards.

b) When a child is above 1 year in age and weighs more than 20 pounds then he/she can be seated in a forward facing car seat, until they are 40 pounds of weight. Children over forty pounds should be placed into a belt positioning booster seat and they should usually stay in it until they are at least 8 years old.

c) Parents always remember not to use the car's regular seat belts for your child until they fit correctly when your child is about 80 pounds and is 4ft 9 inches tall. Your child should not use regular seat belts until the shoulder strap fits across his shoulder and not his neck, and the lap belt fits across his hips and not his stomach.

d) You should not allow your child to sit in the front seat until he/she is more than 12 years of age

e) Remember! Do not use seat, which has its harness straps too loose or in the wrong position, always lock the seat belt properly with a locking clip, secure the seat belt correctly and do not place an infant seat in the way of an air bag.

f) Always make sure that the harness chest clip of the infant seat is positioned at your child's armpit level, the harness straps are straight, the rear-facing straps are positioned at or a bit below your child's shoulders, the seat is reclined at about a 45 degree angle and never ever place an infant in a rear-facing child restraint in the front seat of a car.

g) When you are using a rear facing convertible seat, see carefully whether the harness straps are positioned at or a bit below your child's shoulders, the harness chest clip is at the armpit level, the harness straps are straight and the seat is reclined at a 45-degree angle

h) While using a forward facing convertible seat, watch out that the harness straps are positioned at or slightly above your child's shoulder, the straps are straight and the harness chest clip's position is around your child's mid-chest or armpit area.

i) You can only use a forward facing combination seat if the harness straps are positioned at, or slightly above, your child's shoulders and you must stop using a shield booster when your child is 40 pounds.

j) If you want to use a belt-positioning booster seat, first make sure that you are using the lap/shoulder belt combination with a belt-positioning booster. Never use just a lap belt. Secondly, the shoulder belt must rest across the chest and thirdly the lap-belt should remain across the lap or upper thigh area and not across the stomach

Finally, do not use a car seat that: a) was involved in a crash, b) more that 10 years old, c) does not have a label with its date of manufacturing, d) does not have instructions, e) has a crack in its frame or has some part missing.
Always follow these instructions to ensure your baby's safety in the car.

BABY FOOTPRINTS

Everyone loves sweet baby feet, and baby footprints are a classic symbol of a newborn. The first year of a child's life is a time of remarkable growth and development.

Now you can preserve a piece of your baby's first year forever with easy-to-use kit, which captures a perfect impression of your child's tiny foot.

Anyone can make cute cards with a cherished reminder of baby's adorable feet and hands.

Parents and grandparents will think this is the best baby shower gift.

For thank you notes or baby announcements after baby has arrived, use his/her real footprint or handprint.

Copyright ? 2006 Lena Hilltorp

Baby Footprint. Money-Saving Information About Baby Footprint. Look At Everything We Have To Offer
http://www.baby-footprint.net/

About the Author

Lena Hilltorp is a freelance publisher based in Sweden. She publishes articles and reports and provides Baby footprints resources on www.baby-footprint.net