Sunday, March 25, 2012

Top Reasons Why You Should Buy a Pet Water Fountain for Your Pet

2 comments

One of the main benefits that a pet water fountain provides is ensuring that your pet drinks the healthiest drinking water they can get. Every pet owner wants the best for their beloved pets so they give them the best by buying them branded dog or cat foods, accessories and even bringing them to groomers. But what most of them don't realize is that their pet also needs a lot of clean water for them to stay hydrated. And this is exactly what pet water fountains are for.
A cat's body is made up of around 70% of water and they are very susceptible to kidney and urinary tract diseases. Domestic cats in particular need to consume extra water if they are fed a dry cat food diet. Most pet owners are more conscious of the pet's food rather than the water they drink. So keep your pet healthy by ensuring that they stay hydrated all day. Pet water fountains take the worry out of this for you.
Do you ever wonder why you sometimes catch your pet drinking from a dripping tap? It is because studies show that animals prefer to drink from running sources than stagnant drinking water. We all know how dogs love to drink and play with running water. And so do cats, which are very playful by nature, noticing and chasing every small object that moves. The pet water fountain's running water will surely grab their attention, thus enticing them to use it.
Busy pet owners will find the water fountain advantageous. No need to replace the water every day because of its filter. There are several models which you can choose from, and some models have a big water reservoir that you can fill up with enough water to last throughout the day. So you don't have to worry if you have to leave your pet for a short vacation because the pet water fountain will ensure that your pets will have clean water while you're away.
Your pets will have only the healthiest water that is the closest resemblance to what they can get from nature. Using a small submersible pump, the water circulates from the water tank. Then it passes through a charcoal filter to get rid of any impurities and dirt. The result is clean and fresh water for your dogs and cats. Your veterinary bills can surely be reduced by increasing their water intake.
Maintaining this device is also simple and hassle-free.
Usually, when you buy a brand new unit, it comes with a set of filters and sometimes you even get a spare one. You just have to change the filters regularly to make sure it gives you optimal performance. Some models even have a pre-filter system that can catch hair and other debris, thus extending the life of the machine. Compare this to everyday cleaning of your usual water bowls and you'll see the big difference.
Another benefit that you can get from it is that it keeps the air in your house cleaner. It adds humidity to a room, thus enhancing the quality of air. Imagine how this simple device can be so valuable to you and your pet.
Just like people, our pet also needs clean and safe drinking water. But unlike us, they don't have the ability to get that on their own. So they heavily depend on their pet owners to give them what they need. And sometimes, because we are too busy grooming them and making them look good on the outside, we sometimes overlook the things that are most important to their health. A responsible pet owner knows how to deal with that by ensuring that their health will be the top priority.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Does God Speak Through Horoscope?

0 comments

We read our world through the eyes of the filters of our personality, experiences, and values - in sum, our perceptions. We make attributions with what we see quicker than we can even understand. Add to this the fact we're all spiritual beings, searching for meaning in life; we more easily find the wrong answers, thinking they're right for us.
Think about horoscope. There are 12 varieties - one of twelve boxes we fit into. The theory of horoscope is we're similar, if not the same, as others born in the same period of the year as we were. Think about that for a moment.
Christians hold that God speaks through his Spirit in ways to communicate the will of God - what we're to do, that's right, just and fair. Christians, by character and not merely name, don't enter into Crystal-ball gazing or ruminating over what the day holds for them, though they may pray - again, seeking God's will.
THE LOGIC OF BELIEF
By trying horoscope, and actively seeking it out in newspapers or via Internet apps etc, we've decided to align with a belief system that sorts us into personality types by birthdate. Think about the logic in that.
Add to this the fact that horoscope finds that 12 personality types will share similar fortunes on any particular day. Think about the logic in that. It's true that any horoscope analysis can be read many different ways, just as people self-select a particular item of clairvoyant interest. 'Your day will be busier than normal', is not actually that groundbreaking. Horoscope is generic enough in its form that it satisfies the reader who believes in it. The believer seeks to be affirmed in the reading.
Contrast this with the logic of belief in the Christian God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To outsiders the theology of God may be confusing. But this bit is simple: we are to worship in Spirit and in truth, according to John 4:24. God is Spirit; we worship in Spirit - and not via any talisman or idol. That leaves truth. Anything that consists of truth is of God. And though we believe by faith, God has reckoned all things valid that subsist in the truth. Does horoscope, in any way, subsist in truth? Does it, for instance, instruct or challenge or affirm us regarding moral or ethical truth?
I, and many others, would argue that horoscope does not, in any form, belong to the truth. Belief in horoscope satisfies a spiritual urge, but in a lie. We give ourselves what we want, leaving God far from view. The reality is the Evil One (Christians call him 'Satan') has accomplished his goal in diverting and diluting our worship when we choose horoscope or any other idol of aberrant focus. An otherwise life-transforming worship is missed out on.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

4 Ways to Make Your Long Distance Relationship Work for Both of You

0 comments

Who says long distance relationships end in misery? It can actually work when both couples decide to make it work! Here are a few tips on how to making your long distance relationship work. First, both partners should agree that they believe that the long distance relationship can thrive. Decisions like this should be taken seriously by both partners. If one partner is hesitant about the idea of a long distance relationship, it is better not to pursue it, than ending breaking up with each other down the line. Together the partners should discuss topics like commitment, security and contentment with regards to their relationship. These aspects are the strong foundation that couples should assess in order to have some perspective on whether or not their long distance relationship will work. The personalities of the couples need to be assessed also. There are some people who are comfortable seeing their partners for only a few times a month and are satisfied with talking on the phone often. These types of personalities are usually common to workaholic people. On the other hand, there are people who are very affectionate, that they can't stand being away from their partners for too long. These types of personalities have a difficult time handling a long distance relationship.
Second, keep the communication open. Set a time of the day to call each other by phone or talk online. It's important to share things that are happening in your lives. It doesn't have to be a major life event; even the most minute experiences like going to the mall, spending time with friends and buying groceries can be a point of communication that holds you together. The more you talk often with your partner, the more you feel each other's company and not realizing that you are far away. Also, set a time to discuss matters about your relationship as a whole. You can include things like how you are able to cope up with the long distance relationship and how you feel for each other with the new situation that you are in. Communication is a very important key to a successful relationship, all the more in a long distance setting.
Third, try to deal with issues and resolve them as they come up; don't let them fester. Remember, it is difficult to settle a fight especially in a long distance relationship because you cannot just go to your partner and ask for apology whenever you want to. Most of the time, pride comes in during a fight. One partner may decide not to call or communicate to the other. In this case, it becomes very difficult to resolve the problem because one partner chooses to draw back and to keep quiet to a point and act as if "nothing has happened." To avoid this, pick your battles and try to settle petty issues immediately when they arise. Don't wait for it to become a major fight before you act on it.
Lastly, stay committed and trust your partner. If you are sure that your partner is the right one for you, then don't make the long distance relationship complicated for both of you. Be committed and don't stray when your partner is away. Whether or not you get caught, these behaviors dry up the relationship and in the end will destroy it. An equally important tip to commitment is trusting your partner. Issues may arise and negative thoughts may come out. Discuss your concerns with your partner. If he/she says that things are not as they appear, then you basically you have to trust him/her. If he/she is telling the truth, then you saved the relationship an unnecessary fight and misunderstandings. On the other hand, if he is lying, don't worry about it because it will come out into the open soon. In the end, it will be a win-win situation for you.

How to Stay Connected in a Long Distance Relationship

0 comments

Many couples find that they are apart for many different reasons. Whether it be career changes, military leave or even meeting online and living in different time zones, being away from the one you love can be tough. Let's face it, relationships are hard enough when you are in the same town as your significant other let alone in the same house. But having to cope with not being able to see the person who you want to spend your time with presents its own challenges.
Spending quality time is just not the same over skype or speaking on the phone as seeing your love face to face and being able to touch them. How can you keep the passion going, make sure the intimacy is still there and make sure they stay interested in you from afar? There are three cool ways you can make sure you stay on someones mind even though there are many miles between the two of you.
1) Send hand written letters - Ah, do you remember those? Good old fashion pen and paper. This is a great way to stay on someones mind and in their heart when you are not physically together. There's something about getting actual mail that is personalized for you and from your favorite person. The emotional connection you can achieve from sending each other handwritten notes or letters can be intoxicating. In this day and age of Facebook, email and twitter accounts, it's nice to take a step back every now and then to do something not so customary in these days.
2) A surprise flirty text message - This is a great way to break the monotony of someone's day. A lot of text messages are sent with general information that really are quick and easy ways to keep them up to date about your day. You know... "so and so came to work late again today" or "such and such cut me off in the parking lot' or "I'm going grocery shopping after work". Those are boring and really disconnect. Instead try a flirty text message like "if I were with you right now I would..." or "I can't stop thinking about how beautiful/handsome you were the last time we saw each other and I can't wait to see you soon". This is the best way to put a smile on someones face when you can't talk to them because of time differences or work hours, etc. Also they are bound e it because everyone reads their text messages.
3) A surprise visit - Now this one can be tricky. Surprise can always cause an issue if one, the person getting surprised doesn't like them or two you actually get surprised by something when you make the trip. But with all things being considered if you choose to surprise your significant other they will cherish that memory forever. I had a girlfriend surprise me when we were dating and she flew in town and I was so excited to see her I was speechless. It was completely unexpected. She's now my wife by the way.
These tips should be used to make sure you stay connected with your favorite person while they are away from you and help keep some of the passion and spark alive until the relationship takes another venture and the two of you can spend physical quality time together and are no longer in a long distance relationship but just a relationship.
Being in love is easy. Staying in love takes work and long distance relationship advice is always helpful. Even the strongest couples need help and creative ways to keep the spark going.

Importance of Listed Price in Real Estate

0 comments

There are a lot of things that you need to understand when it comes to the realty market, but a lot of people are not aware of these things, and this is the reason why they are having problems when investing. If you really want to be successful when investing in real estate, you need to be sure that you are familiar with the terms that are commonly used in it. In this article, we will not only be discussing the things that you need to know about the listed price, but also the importance of this term when buying your own property.
If you are already familiar with the realty market, you know that the listed price means nothing. It is simply placed there as an invitation for people to place their offers. For example, I have a property and would like to get offers from a lot of people; I can simply place $1 as its listed price, but of course, I would never sell a property for $1. It is only there to attract buyers and to be able to start a transaction. As a buyer, you are not required to place an offer close to the listed price. It is not even the price where you will be starting your offer.
The reason why a listed price is important is because this will give your buyers the idea of what they can expect from the property. If you are planning to sell your real estate property, you can place it listed for sale by estimating the total value of your property. You can seek for the help of a real estate agent or a realtor to have a rough estimate of its value. From here, you will be receiving offers, which could either be higher or lower than your listed price. Everything is fine from here, because you can reject all offers, even if it is higher than your listed price, for as long as the terms do not meet your requirements.
A listed price is very important in every transaction, but you can never use it to determine the amount that you will be receiving from your property. There are a lot of people who think that having their property listed for sale would mean that they are going to accept an offer that is better than what they have listed, but you still have the final call.
As I have mentioned in my example above, I can place a real estate property listed for sale for only $1, but I can close a deal worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. It all depends on how you are going to present your property, and whether or not the property will be tempting for buyers. Always remember that the real estate market is very open, and you don't have to accept a deal if you think that it won't be advantageous for you. Asking your real estate agent will also be beneficial, especially when trying to determine the value of your property.

Android Users: Necessary steps to be taken for your phone

0 comments

Android smartphone users can take some common sense precautions to protect their personal data from being stolen -- important advice considering an app developer purports to know how to take the information in under 60 seconds.
Loredana Botezatu of BitDefender, a cybersecurity software maker, recommends:
  • Never lose sight of your smartphone in public.
  • Keep a close eye on what a person is doing with your phone if you lend it to someone.
  • Install mobile anti-malware software on your phone.
  • Don't store job-related information on your phone unless it's encrypted.
The advice comes as a gray hat app developer has released into the wild five tools purportedly for "study purposes" that can clean out all the data on an Android smartphone in less than a minute.
Based on information from virus researchers at BitDefender, here's how the tools work.
When any of the apps is loaded on a victim's phone, they can be activated remotely by a cyber thief. Once activated, it sends a five digit pass code to the phone's intruder and secretly uploads the device's contacts, messages, recent calls, and browser history into the developer's space in the Android Cloud. After copying the data from the phone, the apps uninstall themselves so a target won't know they were even on their mobile.
To obtain data sucked from a phone, a Net crook need only travel to the developer's cloud location, enter the five-digit code generated by their copy of the app and for $5 they can download all the data nicked by the sinister software.
In an ironic twist, the developer has posted a notice at their site informing users of the apps that if they don't pay for the data they've stolen within 24 hours of the theft, all the information will be erased from the site "out of respect and for security reasons." "[N]eedless to say...this statement is by no means to be trusted," Botezatu cautions.
This latest attack on Android phones is just one of many this year. In fact, the phones are seen as a ripe target for mobile miscreants. According to a report released by a cybersecurity software maker in August, attacks on Android by malware writers jumped 76 percent over the previous three months, making it the most assaulted mobile operating system on the planet.
Some of that malware has been devilishly clever. For example, a bad app called Soundminer listens to conversations on an Android phone and is able to recognize when a credit card is spoken. After identifying such a number, it snips it from the conversation it has been recording and sends it to a Web baddie.
While cyber sorties like these may give some smartphone buyers pause before picking up an Android mobile, some commentators believe the benefits of an open system like Android outweigh those of systems with less openness and less vulnerability to attack. "Threats are everywhere," JR Raphael wrote in PC World. "The answer isn't locking down the world; it's taking basic precautions."
"With freedom of choice comes a small level of responsibility -- and whether we're talking about the Web or talking about our smartphones, the tradeoff is almost always worth it in the end," he added.

Android's Permission Problems

0 comments

Mobile apps are a privacy nightmare. Some apps are constantly connected to the Internet, and can upload your personal data--such as your private photos or documents--to a remote server without your knowledge or consent. While iOS users can generally depend on Apple's app-curating process to keep their data safe, Android users pretty much have to fend for themselves, left to rely on a cryptic system that doesn't seem to be working.

How Google's Permission System Works

Whenever you download an app from Google Play (the store formerly known as the Android Market), you see an alert that explains what information that app will be able to access once you install it on your phone; for instance, the alert will indicate whether the app needs to access your contacts list, or connect to the Internet. An app cannot use any part of the phone that it does not have permission to access, and the developer sets these permissions when it first submits the app to the Play store.

The Problem With Permissions

While the providing of this information is a good idea in theory, it doesn't work so well in reality. According to Joe Keehnast, a product manager for Norton, very few people actually look through an app's permissions before installing it.
Even if you were to read through the alert, you may not come away with much information: The permissions list can be extremely unclear and unhelpful. An app can request permission to use my network connection, for example, but I'm never sure what it's actually using that connection for. Some security apps, such as Lookout Mobile Security, feature "privacy advisors" that can give you a little more detail as to why an app would request certain permissions. At best, however, that is a workaround for a larger problem. Even with the extra information from security apps, you never see explicit details as to why, say, a browser app wants access to your phone's SMS function.
Confusion aside, the permission system as it is currently designed just does not work. In late February, the New York Times demonstrated an inherent flaw with the Android permission system by building an app that was able to access photos stored on an Android phone and copy them to a remote server. To accomplish that, the app needed only permission to access the Internet.
According to Google, the problem stems from the fact that it originally developed the permission system to work with devices that stored photos on the removable memory card. Now that phones store photos on the built-in storage, Google's permission system no longer works as the company originally intended.

What to Look For

Though app permissions are by no means clear, you can look for a couple of red flags. Almost every app asks for access to the Internet (usually for ads), but very few should request permission to access your phone calls or your messages. A malicious app with permission to make calls or send messages can cost you big by dialing certain phone numbers or by sending out premium text messages without your knowledge. The only apps that should have access to your phone calls or text messages are security apps and communication apps such as Google Voice. If a game asks for permission to access your text messages, do not download it.
Android's Permission ProblemsKeep an eye out for any app that asks for texting or phone permissions.Some app developers will list what their programs use each permission for. The developer of the Any.Do task-managing app, for instance, has a FAQ page that explains each of its requested permissions. It's really helpful to be able to see why an app needs access to your contacts or hardware controls. If an app developer doesn't explain why it is requesting certain permissions, send the developer an email; the Google Play app gives you each developer's basic contact information, and you can drop the app creators a line in case you have any questions. If a developer doesn't respond, and you can't find anything more about the developer or the app online, avoid them. It's better to forgo an app than to install it only to find out that it has taken over your phone.
It should go without saying, but the situation needs to change. Google must revamp the permission system so that it is easier to understand, and app developers have to clearly explain what their apps can access--and why. But until that day comes, it's important for you to keep questioning whether each app really needs access to all parts of your phone.
older post