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Real estate is a popular investment choice, for those with stored capital or disposable income. Investment properties offer many advantages, including tax breaks / benefits and high returns. However, before investing your money in property, it is important to have researched your location, purchasing options and economic situation.

The city of Cairns, located in beautiful Tropical North Queensland, Australia, is a popular place to invest in real estate. Bordered by two World Heritage sites, the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics Rainforests, Cairns is visually attractive, has a relaxed tropical ambience for residents and attracts domestic and international tourists in their hundreds of thousands. It is the ideal place to invest in a holiday home or unit, which can be leased out at premium rates.

However, before you leap into the Cairns property market, let’s review the current state of play. Like anywhere else, property price fluctuations in Cairns are driven by supply and demand. High demand and low supply equals high prices and vice versa.

Geographically, Cairns is a coastal city bordered by rugged mountain ranges, which are protected against hillside development. Therefore, Cairns development opportunities are limited to a thin band of land that sits between the beach and the mountains. Couple this with the fact that Cairns and Tropical North Queensland is predicted to experience exponential population growth over the next two decades, increasing from its current level of around 158,000 to 210,000 by 2036 and you have a critical land supply issue. Hence, property demand will be high, leading to high returns for long term property investors.

In other ‘good news’ for Cairns property investors, the Tropical North Queensland region was hard hit by the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Tourism, the region’s main money spinner, was down 15% in 2009. Indeed, the median house price for the Cairns region, as at the end of September 2009 was $355,000, down 5.3% from $375,000.

What does this mean for investors? It means the market is currently flat, but expected to rebound strongly in 2010 and future years, making this the perfect time to snap up a well priced Cairns investment property.

Another positive for Cairns property investors is the rental market, but you need to take a longer term view on this before seeing a return. The rental market in Cairns has suffered of late, with prices for houses and units in late 2009, down on results from the same time frame in 2008. This was due to a large amount of property coming into the market during that time.

However, the GFC also hit Cairns’ major property developers hard, with many of the city’s big players, like Hedley Constructions, CEC Group and CMC Cairns, suffering major financial losses, with two of those three going into liquidation or voluntary administration in 2009. As a result, construction on new properties has slowed substantially across Cairns and the region. This means that in the coming months and years, as the population grows, vacancy rates will shrink and rental prices will increase again.

In summation, Cairns and Tropical North Queensland has weathered the worst of its economic storm and is beginning the rebound process in 2010. At the moment, it is the buyers market and property prices are low. For investors willing to make a long term commitment to one of Australia’s top three tourist destinations and Queensland’s fastest growing population centers, high returns are sure to follow.

If you are considering investing in Cairns Real Estate, Cairns Investment Properties is a local Cairns Real Estate Agent offering excellent advice with a wide range of investment properties on its books.

Laser hair removal is one of the most common cosmetic treatments practiced today, with many people wanting to eliminate excess hair in this manner rather than the more time consuming traditional methods. Waxing, shaving and plucking only produce short term results and can be fraught with unwanted side effects.

Laser hair removal has been shown to be fast, gentle and effective and is becoming more popular as people recognise the benefits it can offer. This procedure can be a solution for sufferers of ingrown hairs and shaving rash as the hair is removed and the associated maintenance with having to wax or shave is no longer needed to keep the area free from hair. Laser can be utilised safely on many areas of the face and body, and after several treatments a significant reduction in the number of hairs will be evident.

Laser is a single wavelength of light which is pulsed onto the skin in the treatment area to in order to reduce the number of actively growing hairs. The light energy converts to heat once absorbed into the hair shaft thus damaging the follicle and preventing it from growing another hair. The process is called selective photothermolysis in which the laser targets the melanin rich hair follicle whilst bypassing the lighter colour of the skin.

This heating of the hair follicle is what is felt during treatment resulting in a slight pinching sensation. It is important that laser hair removal treatments are accompanied by a cooling mechanism to reduce discomfort from the treatment and protect the skin whilst ensuring the treatment is delivered effectively. The length must be removed off the hair prior to treatment (usually by shaving) to ensure the energy is transferred to the base of the follicle where the cells responsible for hair growth lie. This process damages the cells responsible for growing a hair if it is in the active or anagen stage of growth.

Several treatments are required as not all hairs are in the active stage of growth at one time, though a reduction in the number of hairs should be noticed after each treatment. Subsequent treatments are usually performed when the next phase of hairs appear in around 4 - 5 weeks time. Hair that regrows will be fine and sparse and these are the hairs that will be targeted in the next treatment. During a course of laser hair removal treatments it is important that the skin remain as pale as possible as this results in a more effective treatment as well as minimising unwanted side effects. Tanning and solariums should be avoided and fake or chemical tans should not be used at least 1 week prior to treatment.

Post treatment it is advisable to keep the area cool for the next several hours, so avoid sun exposure as well as hot baths/sauna/spa’s. The hair remains in the follicle post treatment and gradually moves up and sheds within approx 2 weeks.

No waxing or plucking should be done in between treatments; however the area can be shaved if needed. Removing the hair with waxing or plucking during the course of laser hair removal treatments will render the treatments less effective as there will be less hair present to treat. Costs vary depending on the area and the amount of hair growth of the individual, as will the number of treatments required.

For more information about laser hair removal Brisbane and laser hair removal Sunshine Coast, please contact Image by Laser today.

Local marketing is a powerful tool that can help any business generate leads and close new business at a local level. It is an unreasonable expectation to think that most business people will be highly skilled in the fine art of local marketing so here’s a quick snapshot of some pointers that may indicate that your local marketing could do with a tune up.

1.Your business is mono-tactical in its approach to generating leads and winning new business. This is quite common – especially amongst small businesses. For example a local plumber may advertise in the local classifieds to generate 100% of his leads and sales. Some companies may use a handful of local marketing tactics. The point here is that your business will go from strength to strength if it increases the actual number of local marketing tactics used.

2.Your company doesn’t have a local marketing budget allocated, but instead will look at opportunities as they arise. This is another popular approach amongst franchisees and small businesses. The key here is that there is no pro-activeness in funding and executing local marketing strategies on a regular basis. Imagine the possibilities that arise when you regularly allocate funds to local marketing programs.

3. Your firm is oblivious to peaks and troughs in your revenue cycle and schedules local marketing activities without thinking about the impact they may have at various times of the year. Just as you wouldn’t dare plant carrots in June because they won’t grow, there my be times during the year when local marketing will have a minimal impact on your target market whilst at other times clients will be falling all over themselves to do business with you. Identifying these cycles and making the most out of them is the key to being successful.

4.Your company doesn’t track the return on investment it gets from any local marketing activity that it implements. This is possibly the biggest local marketing sin a business can commit. Without a formal review of the success of local marketing activities undertaken a company can’t realistically make a well considered decision to replicate or reject a tactic that it has used.

5.Your business doesn’t have a formal, conscious plan that incorporates the use of other people’s people and other people’s money. Your suppliers, local business associations, sponsorship properties and even charitable organisations have much power in being able to assist you in successfully marketing your business throughout your local territory. By identifying ways to use other people’s people, money, resources, advertising, business relationships, time and capital a company can expand its local marketing capability and reach.

So there you have it – some common local marketing mistakes that franchisees and small businesses tend to make and some of the ways to overcome them. By addressing one or more of these five areas a company can positively impact the number of leads and new sales it can attract through local marketing activities.

For more information about local marketing and local area marketing planning, contact Greg Mullane, Marketing Manager, LAM Plan

The Pacific had been crossed many times and most of the lands around it had been explored before the world knew there was an inhabited archipelago in its very center.

The first white man to discover the islands was Captain James Cook in 1778. He called them the Sandwich Islands, after the Earl of Sandwich. Captain Cook, making his first landing on the verdant island of Kauai, found the islands populated by about 300,000 natives. They were Polynesian in origin, and among the most advanced of all the Polynesians. The islands were ruled by four warring native kings.

About 30 years later, the local wars ended with all the islands united under King Kamehameha I, the wisest and most enlightened of the native rulers of Hawaii. He welcomed other lands, promoted trade and commerce. Traders from abroad brought goods for the from far lands and bought the exotic products of Hawaii in return. Unfortunately they also brought diseases for which the isolated Polynesian People had no natural immunity.

Within 100 years the native population had dropped to 50,000. In the meantime the trends which were to most the Hawaiian Islands one of the Polyglot regions in the world in ethnic origin, had started. First came the missionaries, from New England. They found native people ready to embrace a new religion, and set about converting Hawaii to Christianity.

They also saw in Hawaii opportunities for business. They established small firms to trade with the rest of the world. They succeeded so well that the children of the missionaries are now the chief directors and owners of Hawaii’s great companies, operating huge plantations and far-flung trading companies.

With the dwindling of the native population through the ravages of disease and the development of Hawaii’s plantation fields, field labor was recruited from other lands. The first groups were Chinese. Japanese, Koreans, Filipinos followed. Puerto Ricans, Germans, and Portuguese came later.

During this period Hawaii was a monarchy. Toward the end of the nineteenth century agitation for annexation to the United States began. For a brief period the islands were a republic. Annexation was accomplished in 1898, and in 1900 Hawaii became a Territory of the United States, under a governor named Sanford P. Dole. At that time two-thirds of the population were foreign-born aliens, most of them uneducated Orientals.

Impetus to the transition between an Oriental crossroads community and an integrated American society was given by the sudden impact of World War II, the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, the establishment of the islands as one of the great military bases for the war and a staging ground for the whole Pacific Campaign.

It brought to the islands many thousands of fighting men to man the installations, and hundreds of thousands more who stopped briefly in the islands in transit between the distant fighting fronts and home areas. With the war’s end many stationed in the islands stayed to work and live; others who had sampled the benign climate and glimpsed the exotic charm of the islands, returned. With the war’s end the fighting bases became great permanent military installations with a military personnel of about 50,000.

Hawaii has a very heterogeneous population with Americans of Polynesian, Asian, European, and African extraction, immigration to Hawaii still continues. Most of the newcomers are young people. Hawaii’s varied population is reflected in the food specialties which are served. These include poi, a paste made from taro root; roast pig and coconut. The islands have superb fruits; some of them, like the passion fruit, are quite rare. Others are guava, papaya, pineapple. There are also native nuts that are unusual. All are served at the popular luau feast.

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The skin all over your face and body needs some tender loving care to survive Winter. Sensitivities, eczema, psoriasis and itchy skin are often made worse in the cold, dry weather. A holistic approach works best—that means thinking about what you put on your skin, what you put inside your body and factors in your environment.

Natural skin and mineral makeup excel because they don’t contain detergents or synthetic substances that dry and irritate skin. Plant oils closely resemble the oils in your skin and work to nourish the deep layers. Swapping from a chemical or petroleum-based skin or makeup product will make a difference and keep your natural beauty glowing.

1. Drink plenty of water: Hydrate your skin from the inside out and help carry nutrients to your skin cells. Eating lots of juicy fruit and vegetables helps too.

2. Pull on an extra jumper and turn down the heaters: A cooler environment helps reduce moisture loss from your skin. If you do put on the heater, place bowls of water around the room.

3. Keep showers short and warm: As glorious as a long hot shower can be in Winter, hot water will strip moisture from your skin. And, we all know that shorter showers save precious water.

4. Luscious lips: No-one’s lips are safe in Winter. When dry lips crack or become stressed, you increase the chance of a coldsore. Keep lips protected with a plant-oil lip balm. Petrochemical lip balms sit on the skin rather than soaking in and working to heal the skin as well.

5. Use gentle, creamy, plant cleansers: Ingredients such as sulphates, propylene glycol and alcohol can irritate and dry skin. Choose soaps hand made from 100 per cent olive oil. Shampoos that contain sulphates and chemicals can also cause itchy scalp and dry skin problems.

6. Use a natural moisturiser that nourishes your skin.
Petrochemical or mineral oil moisturisers form a layer on top of your skin rather than being absorbed in to lubricate and support the skin. Apply the moisturiser while your skin is damp to lock in extra moisture. Intensive skin boosters like rose hip, sweet almond and jojoba oils do wonders for your natural beauty.

7. Exfoliate and hydrate. Gentle exfoliation removes the dead cell layer making it easier for your skin to absorb moisturisers. Hydrating flower mists or masks help refresh dry skin.

8. Use plant oil-based makeup or mineral makeup. Synthetic-free makeup and makeup without petrochemicals is gentler and less drying for your skin. However, not all mineral makeup is pure. Some mineral makeup contains irritating and drying ingredients, so avoid those that list Bismuth Oxychloride and Talc.

Another benefit is that mineral makeup containing the minerals Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide are non-chemical sun blocks that also help to protect skin from damage in Winter.

Holistic skin tips provided by Biome Eco Stores.

Sun-drenched beaches, warm air, and swaying palm trees typify the West Indian islands of the Caribbean. On these islands, as varied as the countries—Spain, France, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Portugal—responsible for their early development, relaxation is the byword. Industrialization and urbanization have taken place on many of them, but with little sacrifice to the leisurely atmosphere and carefree life for which the West Indies are famous.

The West Indies are peaks of a partially submerged mountain chain—the Caribbean Andes—that once connected North and South America. They now form a 2,500-mile arc from Cuba, 50 miles off the tip of Florida, to Trinidad within sight of Venezuela. This arc forms a dividing line between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Prior to the arrival in the New World of Christopher Columbus, the unexplored land between the Canary Islands and India was called Antilia. Columbus found not one mainland, but a series of islands, so Antilia was changed to the plural Antilles. The term “West Indies,” which is synonymous with Antilles, resulted from Columbus’ belief that he had reached India; he called the people he found on the island “Indians” for the same reason.

Two major island groupings—the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles—are found in the Caribbean below the Bahamas. Within these two groupings are the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, the British West Indies, the Netherlands Antilles, the French West Indies, Trinidad, and Tobago.

There is much contrast in climate between the islands, often on the same island. Caribbean climates are always comfortable—warm but not oppressive. A few days or weeks in late summer or early autumn can be hot and humid, but the heat is tempered by northeast trade winds. The nights are always cool.

Rains are usually heavy, but brief, and vary from an average of around 50 inches in the low islands, such as Antigua, eastern Guadeloupe, Barbados, and Marie-Galante, to 100 inches and more, annually, on the mountainous islands such as Dominica. There is, in some areas, a brief wet season around April, but as a general rule the heavier rains fall between July and October.

Hurricanes, named for the Indian god, Huracan, meaning the “Despoiler, Lord of the Circular Tempest,” threaten the middle or northern Antilles from August to October, but less often now than in past years. They can be spotted days in advance and preparations made against them, with time to spare.

If you are looking for great value holiday packages and cheap international flights, contact Escape Travel today. Escape Travel has a range of holiday deals and Gold Coast holidays for all tastes and budgets.

You are doing the right thing for the planet by filling up at home and carrying a reusable water bottle and you’ve chosen a safe, non-toxic bottle-but if it’s not kept clean then it may not be healthy.

Whether your drink bottle is a stainless steel bottle, SIGG bottle or a BPA free plastic water bottle, it is important to stop mould and other deposits forming in the bottle.

Wash your drink bottles with warm, soapy water at the end of every day and let the bottle air dry upside down with the top off every day where possible.

Should any mineral deposits or lime scale form inside, fill your clean water bottle with Distilled White Vinegar and let it soak for 24 hours. Then rinse with warm water mixed with one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), rinse out and let dry. Spots inside the bottle that look like “corrosion” are most likely a mineral deposit.

Fill your bottle with filtered water wherever possible. It tastes so much better, but also because water contains different minerals in every area this may affect what happens inside your bottle.

Do not allow liquids such as fruit juice to ferment inside the bottle.

With all reusable water bottles you can also try SIGG cleaning tablets and a specially-designed SIGG bottle cleaning brush, or simply a baby bottle brush. Only ever use a soft brush on aluminium bottles with lining like SIGG so as not to damage the lining. Stainless steel water bottles like Klean Kanteen and Nathan can handle a hard brush.

While all bottles are technically dishwasher-safe, it is recommended to not put them in a dishwasher. Most dishwasher powders are caustic, so they will eat into the metal of your bottle and damage the exterior pattern. Bottle tops should also not be put in the dishwasher because extreme heat expands and deteriorates the plastic.

Never freeze metal bottles as metal can split even with only a little water inside. Water does not always expand in a predictable direction! Freezing plastic water bottles is also not advisable because it may cause the plastic to breakdown and toxins to leach. It is fine to place your bottle in the refrigerator.

Tips on cleaning your water bottle brought to you by Biome Eco Stores Australia.

Driving in Sydney can be an expensive exercise as the various toll roads are the quickest and easiest way to get from one side of the city to another by car. Some toll roads allow you to pay the toll by cash but others only accept E-Tags.

If you are visiting Sydney you may not have an E-Tag and will need to ring the toll road operator in order to pay the toll using your credit card. All E-Tags from Victoria and Queensland work on Sydney toll roads.

If you do not have an E-Tag you must pay by cash (where available) or pay by credit card by ringing the appropriate number displayed on the tollway within 48 hours of passing through the toll collection point. The toll road operator will charge a fee to accept your payment by credit card.

Note that cash booths are usually un-manned so it helps if you have some small change to pay the toll using the automatic collection booths.

Failure to pay tolls within 48 hours will result in an infringement notice being issued. This will be sent to the hire car company who will pass it on to you. Note that the car rental company will charge an Administration Fee for processing an infringement notice. For example, Thrifty car rental have a $35.00 fee for processing any infringement notices.

So, when driving a Sydney rental car be sure to take note of the many toll road signs and be prepared to pay to drive. To find more information about driving in Sydney visit car hire Sydney.

There are two stainless steel mixing bowls in my kitchen cupboard. One feels more solid and has aged gracefully with use, the scratches are almost absorbed into the worn smooth metal surface, and it remains a grayish stainless steel colour. The second, bought at a discount store, has taken a distinct yellow tinge and is displaying tarnish, its surface seeming artificially glossy.

I understand now that there are different grades of stainless steel and the quality will affect how it wears and what toxins it may pass on to to food or liquids stored in it. How will this quality affect my choice of a stainless steel drink bottle? There are important features to consider when choosing a reusable stainless steel bottle

Stainless steel is always manufactured using chromium, because it is what makes steel “stainless”. Other elements are also added including nickel, nitrogen and molybdenum. These elements can leech into liquids, so it is very important that the bottle is manufactured from high quality, 18/8 food-grade stainless steel - but also that you trust the manufacturer is telling the truth when they say what the bottle is made from. Some will claim to make the bottle from the thinnest and cheapest stainless steel they can in order to cut manufacturing costs and hence pump up profits.

Other features are also important:

• Are the lids made from a BPA free plastic?
• Can you see sharp corners or joins inside where dirt and bacteria can build up?
• Is the thread around the screw top easily cleaned?
• Will the lid leak and can you buy a replacement lid without buying a whole new bottle?
• Does the manufacturer provide a guarantee?

Consider who the manufacturer is. Do they have a long history of quality, who are the real people behind the company and what is their story? In 2004, Klean Kanteen was the first company to make a water bottle from stainless steel. They have continued to lead the way with innovative stainless steel products. Another leading sports hydration company making high quality stainless steel bottles is Nathan, using a clever straw drinking mechanism. Perhaps the grandparent of all stainless steel is Thermos, whose name has become synonymous with insulated bottles for hot water. Many of us grew up taking “the thermos” on a picnic.

From an environmental point of view, is a stainless steel bottle more eco friendly than a plastic bottle? A Life Cycle assessment study published in the New York Times in 2009, considered the environmental and health impact of stainless steel bottle from the extraction and processing of its ingredients, to its manufacture, distribution, use and final disposal. It found that if your stainless steel bottle takes the place of 50 plastic bottles, the climate is better off.

From a human point of view, who made the bottle and was that person treated fairly and compensated for their time. This is the hardest criteria to judge because few of us can actually visit the factories in China where most of the bottles are made. We can at least always go to the manufacturer’s website and ensure they have published a statement about their factory and worker conditions. Again, as with most things in life, we have to make a judgement call on whether we trust the company and what they are saying.

Written by Tracey Bailey, Founder of Biome eco friendly retail stores.

Concrete floor polishing was initially used for a matter of function in commercial buildings and warehouses as it increases lighting using the natural reflection off the floor, eliminates dusting and is extremely low maintenance saving time and money. Polished concrete techniques have progressed and technology now allows a qualified contractor to add colour and different finishes to the concrete rendering each floor unique which has made polished concrete floors the ideal after flooring solution for residential, retail and office buildings as it is functional and visually appealing.

Concrete is made from natural materials and can also be mixed with some recycled materials; the concrete itself can also be recycled. Concrete is so versatile as its durable, the materials are readily available and it can absorb then radiate heat better than other floor coverings as concrete polishing doesn’t change the thermal mass of the floor which is a property that enables materials to absorb, store than release heat.

The materials in concrete absorb the energy slowly and hold it for a long period of time which can help to reduce heating and cooling requirements. Concrete floor polishing eliminates any need for additional floor coverings, all of which would require manufacturing and transportation so polished concrete reduces the effects on the environment. Depending of the quality and condition of the concrete, polished concrete has a longer life cycle than traditional floor coverings and if correctly installed by a qualified specialist in concrete floor polishing it can last forever which reduces the environmental waste which would be caused by replacing carpet, vinyl and tiles.

A polished concrete floor will resemble a polished stone floor; with a high-gloss finish the floor will have a mirror like effect. Polished concrete floors also improve the air quality, unlike carpet it doesn’t trap pollutants or bacteria and the surface is reflective which will reduce the need for unnatural lighting. Polished concrete has many more benefits which cannot be achieved from any other traditional floor covering. The concrete floor polishing process uses non-toxic chemicals, and no sealers or solvents are required.

Concrete floor polishing is created by processing the concrete surface by means of a mechanical process which involves grinding and refining the surface using diamonds till a desired finish is achieved, this process takes some time and only a qualified specialist in concrete floor polishing should be appointed to install a polished concrete floor. Polished concrete enhances the new or existing concrete which reduces the use of energy draining manufacturing processes and fossil fuels used for traditional floor coverings.

There are many different results that come from polished concrete floors by using multiple abrasives which are measured in grits which are generally applied from roughest to finest and each density will refine the surface in preparation for the desired finish. A specialist in concrete floor polishing may use up to nine different grits to achieve the durability, reflection and clarity of polished concrete and will apply a densifier which has a chemical reaction in the concrete resulting in a hard crystalline structure making the concrete floor more durable and resistant to stains, offers extra protection to the floor and prevents water from penetrating the surface. These reasons and more are why polished concrete is the eco-friendly and sustainable flooring solution which cannot be compared to any other flooring option available.

Concrete flooring is a great option. If you are considering polished concrete in Brisbane or concrete polishing in Brisbane , and would like a free onsite evaluation call (07) 5549 3573 now. We have offer our unique high-gloss finished backed with a 10 year warranty in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.