The Info Barrack Resources Site

The real estate industry is made up of mostly agents with less than 2 years of experience in real estate. Sure they may have 5-10 years of marketing and sales experience listed on their website along with the grey hair that age brings, but have they really been selling and buying real estate for that long? Let’s take a look at a few tools that you as a consumer can use to do your homework on your agent.

Call the Austin Board of Realtors and ask if there are any complaints against the Realtor. Most boards will not divulge all information about complaints against their members, but if the agent is held in high esteem you may get some information about that aspect of their business.

Check with the Texas Real Estate Commission about any violations that they may have on the agent AND the agent’s broker. These range from administrative violations to ethics and misconduct. You can check the website records at http://www.trec.state.tx.us/complaints/DiscipActions.asp

Check out their education records at the Texas Real Estate Commission as well. If you want a professional, you want to make sure they stay abreast of legal issues, breaking real estate issues, and are the type of agent who seeks to be informed and educated when it comes to dealing with your home sale or purchase. You can check an agent’s education records here: http://www.trec.state.tx.us/licenseeLookup/search.aspx

Ask for three references and call them! Good agents will be able to give you at least three good references. If they can’t or the references are not elated with the agent’s performance, you can do better.

Call the agent’s broker and talk to them about the agent’s experience and education. Brokers like to hear from their clients and also will be happy to tell you honestly about the agent and his/her experience.

Ask the agent about thier sales performance in the last 5 years. Some agents get their license and do nothing with it for many years, then enter the business and can advertise that they have been an agent for 15 years, when in actuality they have never sold a home or are very inexperienced. A good agent will be a full time realtor with no other job and should close at least 2 transactions a month.

Go with your gut it’s usually right! Happy house hunting!

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Joe Cline is a professional real estate broker, investor, and REALTOR with Coldwell Banker in Austin, Texas. Joe believes in providing world-class service to his clients through educating and coaching them through their real estate transactions.

Joe’s committment to education and service is reinforced by his achievement and participation in the Austin Board of Realtors, Council of Residential Specialists, Accredited Buyer’s Representative’s Council, Texas Association of Realtors, and National Association of Realtors.

Joe holds his Broker’s license, the Accredited Buyer’s Representative designation, the Certified Residential Specialist designation, the Certified Home Marketing Specialist designation, Cendant Mobility Marketing Specialist designation and the Cendant Mobility Referral Specialist desgination.

You can find out more about Joe and Austin real estate at Joe Cline’s personal website http://www.joecline.com

One time I remember going to a market in Shanghai and bartering for an item of clothing and I felt so good for what I had purchased. I thought what I had was a bargain. I was a good investment. I told my friend how much I paid for the jacket, and immediately he replied by saying, “Are you happy with that?” I answered “Of course I am, I only paid $40″ Little did I know that he had also bought the same jacket for only half the price. Now the mind games start happening… “You got ripped off, why you paid that money…etc”. I am sure we have all these dialogues in our heads when we find out we could have purchased something cheaper than what we paid. But the reality is, I was happy with my purchase. Had I never found out what my friend paid, I would have been delighted.

The same is with buying property. If we buy something and we are happy with the purchase that is all that matters. The price we often pay for a property is a good investment. How do we know if it is a good investment, simple, were you happy when you signed the contract? Now let me clarify, there needs to be wisdom and knowledge when buying property, don’t misunderstand me. Of course the figures need to be sound and the appropriate calculations need to be done, PRIOR to signing the contract. But if it all is sound and you are happy, then you have a good investment.

Another good phrase is, don’t let emotions get in the way of a good investment. Think about that comment for a minute. Something that is good (or bad) is effecting our emotions, we feel good through our emotions, so if we are buying a property that is a good investment, of course our emotions will get involved.

Often we compare our purchases to our friends and when we find out they bought the identical item cheaper than us, we can get envious etc. But the reality is, do we really know what the circumstances were when they bought the item. Maybe the seller was desperate; perhaps there was a sale, or just a case of being in the right place at the right time.

So the next time you go to buy something, ask yourself, is this a good investment, is this something I will be happy with, and will it give me enjoyment and satisfaction?

Originally from Australia, Murray Boyton consults for Premier Capital Limited (http://www.premier-capital.com) in Shanghai China. Murray’s expertise in Real Estate Management and consulting spans more 10 years to the industry. And has helped many people become more educated in smart investing and purchasing property in Australia.

Whether you use aromatherapy as a stand alone or as a complementary first aid treatment there are several aromatic oils I’d like to recommend you have in your aromatic first aid kit.

My recommendations include important details for you to consider when purchasing an oil, such as its Latin Name, Country of Origin, Method of Extraction and Part of the Plant Used. I also list the best oils to consider when creating a synergistic blend.

GERANIUM ( Pelargonium roseum ) Certified Organic, Steam Distilled Leaf, Madagascar.

A fresh, slightly rosy scent with a fluid consistency Geranium mixes well with many oils and is known for being useful in regulating physical, mental, and emotional imbalances and extremes.

Keywords: HORMONAL BALANCE Geranium’s strength lies in its ability to regenerate tissue and nerves, and assist in balancing hormonal problems for both men and women.

Definitely a first-aid oil every woman should have on hand. Women have used Geranium successfully for years to relieve premenstrual conditions and to smoothly navigate the menopausal period.

Its tonifying action helps relieve nervous emotional conditions like anxiety, confusion, depression, lethargy, energy swings and tearfulness.

Geranium has been effectively used to treat an assortment of symptoms, including overcoming addiction, labor and childbirth, enhancing circulation, relieving congestion, detoxification, constipation, fluid retention, indigestion, hormonal imbalances and menopausal difficulties.

Geranium is excellent for skin care and will balance too oily, dry or combination skin types.

Try a synergistic blend of Geranium with any of the following aromatic oils: German Chamomile, Clary Sage, Frankincense, Lavender, Rose and Sandalwood.

CAUTION: Due to its hormonal action Geranium should be avoided by the lay person during pregnancy. Geranium can lower blood sugar and should be avoided in cases of hypoglycemia.

Please join me for Part V in this series of articles to learn about the next essential oil I recommend you have in your aromatic first aid kit, HELICHRYSUM ( Helichrysum italicum ) Italian Everlasting, Immortelle.

Properly administered essential oils are a natural, safe and effective way to enhance your health and well-being and can produce satisfying results where other methods have failed.

Aromatherapy is a gentle and noninvasive complementary and alternative health care system used for balancing and synchronizing your body, mind, spirit and emotions to enhance your health. Please consult with your physician regarding your health concerns.

KG has utilized essential oils in her energy medicine practice for more than 30 years. During that time she has facilitated healing for thousands of people suffering from personal trauma, illness and injury. Through her unique AromaTest system KG formulates essential oil blends that heal.

Please note: There are many cheap, synthetic copies of aromatic oils, but these are not recommended for therapeutic use. For best results purchase the highest quality oils you can possibly find. Use organic, or ethically wild crafted oils whenever possible.

KG Stiles is a certified aromatherapist practicing in Ashland, OR USA PurePlant Essentials is her line of pure organic and ethically wild crafted essential oils. KG formulates aromatic oils for: colds and flu, insomnia, stress, anxiety, depression, menopause, anti-aging, skin care and more. KG’s DVD & book about her AromaTest system, “Your Aromatic Signature ~ How to Formulate Blends that Heal,” are scheduled for release in 2006. Click to see PurePlant Essentials Menu & Essential Oils Kits: Order Pure Organic & Wild Crafted Essential Oils Kit Click to order Deluxe Essential Oils Kit. KG invites you to Subscribe to Health Mastery Ezine to WIN FREE Aromatherapy Products. To learn more visit: Subscribe To Win Contact: KG Stiles at Springhill Wellness Center, 2520 Springhill Drive Ashland, OR USA (541) 941-7315

As weight loss surgery becomes an increasingly popular treatment for morbid obesity misconceptions abound. Patients who undergo gastric bypass or gastric banding surgeries are often depressed and disappointed after surgery because they believed the popular misconceptions.

Some common misconceptions about WLS:

• Surgery brings joy and boundless energy instantaneously
• Laparoscopic surgery is painless
• WLS is an easy fix and permanent fix to obesity
• WLS guarantees happiness
• Others will support the WLS decision
• After reaching goal weight patients can go back to normal

Because patients read about the joy and boundless energy enjoyed by others after surgery they assume these feelings occur immediately. Joy is felt after massive weight loss, not after surgery. In fact, for many patients the first six weeks out of surgery are emotionally draining as they grieve for food and feel fatigued and disoriented.

We read the laparoscopic technique used for 85 percent of all WLS is minimally invasive requiring little recovery time. In truth this technique bruises the intestines, liver and ribs. The surgery is painful and recovery is not as rapid as most patients expect. Patients express feelings of failure when they are sore and exhausted from surgery.

For most patients weight loss happens quickly and easily. True to dieting tradition when patients reach goal weight they tend to go back to “normal” disregarding the high-protein low-volume diet. Weight gain results. Unless patients follow the strict WLS rules daily they regain weight.

WLS does not guarantee happiness. In fact, patients commonly describe feelings of anger, bitterness, resentment, panic and self-loathing as they lose weight. They also express happiness, satisfaction, pleasure, delight and self-love. The pendulum of emotions swings wide.

Having WLS exposes one to attacks from others who feel entitled to criticize the gluttonous sloth that could not lose weight by eating less and exercising more. Not all people, including spouses, siblings, parents and friends will support the decision for WLS.

WLS is a lifetime commitment to an extremely restrictive lifestyle that if used successfully will enable a former morbidly obese person to maintain a healthy weight and diminish the co-morbidities of obesity. It should never be considered the “easy way out” or a “quick fix.” It is a lifetime commitment with no returning to normal.

Kaye Bailey © 2005 – All Rights Reserved

http://www.livingafterwls.com
http://www.livingafterwls.blogspot.com

We all know that prostate cancer can happen to any male and it is a very common type of cancer. There are ways you can incorporate certain foods into your diet to greatly reduce the chance of getting prostate cancer and it is good to add these types of foods in your regiment anyway. One of the easiest foods to add is fish, this is because fish oils have been found to drastically reduce your risks of getting prostate cancer by as much as eleven percent. Most cultures, which have lots of fish in their diets have extremely low rates of the overall population of prostate cancer.

Selenium appears to also be an easy answer to reducing prostate cancer, you could add a daily supplement vitamin with 200 micrograms to assist you. Vitamin E is also a good idea. Soybean products, soy milk and tofu (yuk) are also good things to add into your diet if and when possible. Tomato sauce is something you should add to your diet and you should be able to do this without too much problem.

Unfortunately we have been seeing an increase in the number of prostate cancer by about 3 % per year in white men; 2.3 per year by black men. The good news is the most men do not die of prostate cancer these days due to good screening, better treatments and early detection.

Some things you should not eat? Well high intakes of fat, meat and dairy products. If you love to cook red meat on the BBQ, you might wish to do that in moderation. Smoking and alcohol did not appear to be bad for prostate cancer, but are risks of other cancers as we all know. There are many other things you can add to your diet that you should be thinking about. Perhaps you should study this subject and think on it now and continue to get yearly checkups because if you do get prostate cancer and it is treated early, you stand a very good chance of coming out in flying colors.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

According to the American Sleep Association 70% of all babies and infants at one time or another suffer from sleeping difficulties. So if bed time is a difficult time for you and your baby you are in good company. Rest assured that there is probably nothing wrong but of course when you are in doubt seek professional care. Jodi Mindell, a researcher and sleep expert at the Institute, has 3 tips for worried parents.

1. Put your baby to bed when he/she is sleepy but not yet asleep.
   That way you teach your infant to fall a sleep by himself. When baby is able to do that around bedtime chances are he or she will wake up once or twice per night. But because the baby is trained or used to falling asleep in his own bed you don’t have to “rock or swing” him to sleep. Going back to sleep comes naturally. And you will be much fitter the next day.
2. Define a strict bedtime regimen.
   That way your child learns to get “tired” every afternoon and evening at about the same time. Also it’s a good idea to extend this predictability to other areas of the baby’s life. Certainty and safety will make the baby more relaxed and will help him to grow to be a healthy adult. Make sure your baby does go to bed early enough. Exhausted babies have trouble falling asleep.
3. Make strict use sleep rituals
   Start at a young age with a bed time routine. Use a specific system in which three or four activities are always done in the same order. For example, wash first, then put on pajamas, and last but not least a bedtime story or song. That way you create a predictable order of activities that make the change from daytime activity to the slower pace of going to bed more gradual.

If you want to know more about this interesting topic read Jodi Mindell’s book “Sleeping through the Night”. In my opinion this book is a must-read for parents who worry about the sleeping habits of their little one. The book is very readable and is packed with tips, tricks and explanations.

One warning never give young children a sleeping pill unless you really have discussed this deeply with your general practioner.

Linda is an inspired author of the
http://www.baby-strollers-guide.com and the
http://www.baby-product-guides.com she is a
mother of two and spend a lot of time next to her child’s bed.

The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments and the online guitar community probably the most popular of its kind. There are thousands of guitarists connected via online communities sharing guitar tabs, tips and stories and there are many of websites dedicated to sharing guitar music, tablature and even guitar lessons. Some you have to pay for, but there’s a lot out there for free.

Beginning guitarists and professionals alike can take advantage of what is available for free on the Internet. It’s true, you can really download guitar tablature for free on the Internet. There are literally thousands of pieces available for download, everything from classical and jazz music to rock and pop. Try typing “guitar tablature”, “guitar tabs” or “guitar sheet music” into your favorite search engine. This will bring up a plethora of websites which offer music for download. Some sites will charge a membership fee, but offer samples for free so that you can try them out. At first it is difficult to sift through all the sites and find one that is suitable for your needs, but stick with it, and you’ll find exactly what you want.

Some sites specialize in specific music genres, such as classical or rock. Some sites have audio samples of the sheet music so that you can actually listen to unknown pieces before you download. In the end you may choose to pay a membership fee to take advantage of added services that these sites provide.

But before you do that take advantage of everything that’s free. The Internet is such a great place for picking up guitar tricks and tips or even learning the instrument on your own.

Start by doing a Google search for “Free guitar lessons” (use quotation marks) and the top five search results will yield websites with archives full of free guitar lessons. These lessons are designed with the absolute beginner in mind. The advantage of learning the guitar on the Internet is that you can take your lesson whenever you have time or are in the mood and you never have to leave the comfort of your own home. You’ll start off with all the basics: learn about the parts of the guitar, learn how it works, learn scales, strumming patterns, chromatic scales, as well as many songs to play. Despite the relative ease of the Internet, lessons should be taken in the order that they are written.

And remember, your Internet lessons may be free, but they aren’t miracle workers, you still have to commit to a regular program of study and practice.

Dean Erickson – Journalist, and web site builder Dean Erickson lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.guitar-tab-finder.com/ on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

What can I do to keep this world in its orbital spin?
I gave up trying to win the hearts of the many.
Throw the meat-balls against the wall, stop, stop!!
Trying to make them spin, like God did in the heavens!

Sexual longingsa pathway to anger and rage
Turn the page to the cheap hotels, turn the page
Give it a pathway to run, tell your friends, they’ve won.
And don’t answer to anyone; hang up the phone…!

Don’t go outside the house, become dulcimer
Hit the hammer, the hammer, the hammer, stop, stop!
The darkness of the night is coming, open the window
I’ll, I’ll disappear, no air, no air inside heranywhere!

Neck bones look weak, like honey over thawed meat:
Everyone’s neck bones, everyone I see, even me…
I’ll be a guest of hell soon, the land of no vegetables
Or balloons…just neck bones, everywhere: everywhere.

The place where no one cares, no one cares, no one:
Like unfed fish, fish, unfed fishnibbling at nothing;
In a four-sided aquarium, withwith piranhas…
Give me a lily pad to sail away, today, today, today!…

#819 8/29/05

The Continuum

I emerged from
My mother,
Now
Part of
History…
When we die
We become a part of
History
For history continues
To exist
History
The human continuity,
The continuum!…

#820 8/29/30

A Note by Rosa: two poems: not sure what I want to say on these two poems; interesting, they make me think of why the poet uses what he uses; I know my husband says, it is called “effect” and it makes me take a big deep breathe. Is that what he wants, if so he got it. Rosa

See Dennis’ books at http://www.bn.com or http://www.abe.com

I felt cold, my body was stiff and my back ached. I was trying to open my eyes but nothing was happening. As I tried forcing them to open a dense colour of red blurred all the images. My eyelids seemed to be pilling of but at that moment I didn’d care if they did.

I was struggling so hard but all my efforts were fruitless. I couldn’t give up but I knew I had been a cause of all this pain. With endless pressure from everyone and a broken heart. I had decided to come hear and settle things for good.

I was beginning to choke and I felt dizzy. I flung my fists vigourusly in all directions but I could feel nothing. I was bruising myself and fighting against nothing. The picture was becoming darker and the pain unbearable. I yelled out but that got more water down my throat. I felt relief and then I knew it was done. Someone was going to find my body floating underneath the thin ice.

I wouldn’t say I never lived my life to the fullest but I had no one and nothing to lean on. I had drowned myself in self pity for too long it was time I drowned myself in something different. No one to stop me and nothing to hold me back. I had everything before me I just never appriciated it and my selfishness had healed no wounds helped no one. I had thought of these thing even as I took my last breath I felt a feeling of guilt but dismissed it immediatly. Closing my ears from that small voice,, but there was no turning back and my motives shall always remain a mystery.

Becks

Have you ever wondered why religion developed in the Middle East? Did you ever even think why could it not have happened somewhere else? That’s because due to weather patterns of the earth, the weather decides the fate of ones country, land, and beliefs. This is the Inclination Point Theory. It is supposed that 1,500 years ago China had a great abundance of food due to the weather it was experiencing, it is the same weather the United States is experiencing today, we have phenomenal irrigation and so much food that we just give it away constantly. China built the Great Wall in order to block out the Mongolians and Huns in order to stop invading and searching for food in China. Why is it that in history classes today we discuss as China falling back in advancement when Europe and the Middle East caught up, while China was still in it’s isolated era?

China’s isolated area was not the direct cause of it’s slowed advancement. What difference does it make that it’s isolated or not, the main point is that China had food production and people were happy thus giving many things in society advancements, especially in agriculture. Also at this time, the first book ever was written, “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” this book was derived from that area of China’s location, and not in the middle east, nor Europe and not the America’s. As time went on the weather patterns began to shift to the Middle East, and so the Middle East supposedly continued the advancement that China had slowed. Religion was formed, the Bible was derived from parts of “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” and monotheism (belief in one God) was born. Then as we all know and can relate to, the Renaissance flourished the streets of Europe and most importantly Europe founded the Industrial Revolution which changed the world forever. Today in modern day the weather patterns favor the United States, we have advanced far more than any other nation in this time period, even during the Cold War, if now during any war, we need not to save food or be afraid the supply is going to run out, we have enough to probably feed almost the whole world, or at least Russia.

Also our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is higher than any other nation in the world all due to food production. In other simple and shorter words, a nations great wealth and advancement is based on it’s food production, and that’s based on the earth’s weather patterns therefore, the earth itself controls revolutions, crusades, and all together history. So where does the disapproval of God play a role in this explanation? If religion was derived in the Middle East and now is upon the whole world, what would the difference be if it was derived in the United Kingdom and today America wouldn’t be as powerful, because the weather patterns would be on either Hawaii or Japan. Now you have to rethink the whole history of the world, if it was Japan to be the most powerful, how much greater would they have attacked Pearl Harbor?

God upon all of this is just an advancement, another invention from people’s minds and cultures, you may say God is a part of people’s cultures. But if seen from a bigger perspective, God is part of the world no matter where derived from, but it is his development in the world which is the same as the development of any other invention a human has invented. In other simpler words, it was inevitable that God would be created upon any civilization and therefore a part of civilization just like any other invention, therefore he does not exist. He may not exist and may be erased from history just as the same as erasing the industrial revolution from happening or the Bible being written. And God and religion was derived before highly advanced inventions of society because religion was and is still the fundamental building block of cultures due to questions that the early man and woman could not have answered.

But since history is remembered whether through oral tradition or documented evidence, it cannot be erased just as today, God is unerasable. But most of the questions that “God” has answered in religious books have now been answered by science. So what’s to stop human kind from just one more weather current to change the world forever and possibly erase America’s power, wealth and dominance? What’s there to stop human kind from erasing God from their history due to even more advancements in the next thousands of years and finally being able to answer the greatest of all mans questions, “did God create man, or did man create God?” God was created by man, but it is hard for an individual to erase history of his or her God and accept the truth that is inevitable.

Born in Belarus, Minsk 1988, came to America with huge aspirations, and fullfilling them by participating in a Microsoft competition, and soon attending Polytechnic University for Business & Technology in New York City. I spend my time with my friends and research technology constantly. I always question things before i believe them blindly and make sure that in whatever it is i do, there is truth in it, or at least money!