I recently watched a documentary regarding fair trade coffee and I'll tell you. I had to take a good hard look at those expensive lattes I've been knocking back. Here is an article about it. Sorry for the bleeps and vacancies in the article. Fair Trade Coffee One of the biggest developments in recent years in the coffee industry is the rise of fair trade coffee.  You may have noticed going to coffee stores or to the supermarket coffee products labeled as free trade coffee.  These coffee products refer to a rising political and economic movement that is designed to create an equitable and fair partnership between coffee buying consumers and coffee producers in major coffee growing regions.  Fair trade coffee is designed to assist poor coffee farmers that often produce high quality gourme... 07/07/2009

CAN'T SLEEP? Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to sleep. Tossing and turning. Your mind is racing, going over everything that happened today. Night noises keep you awake. What can you do? There ARE things you can do! Read on and learn some new tricks to sleep well. These tips are also known as "Sleep Hygiene."   Sleep only when sleepy This reduces the time you are awake in bed.   If you can't fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do something boring until you feel sleepy Sit quietly in the dark or read the warranty on your refrigerator. Don't expose yourself to bright light while you are up. The light gives cues to your brain that it is time to wake up.   Don't take naps This will ensure you are tired at bedtime. If you just can't make it through the day without a nap,... 07/06/2009

If you had to choose one area of your body that held the most tension, what would it be? For most of us, it would be the shoulders. So many movements we do each day, like driving or working at a computer, force the shoulders into hunched and crunched positions, leaving us with painful knots, headaches and a general feeling of crankiness. While it helps to have good posture (did you just sit up straight when you read that? I did!), you can also do simple exercises throughout the day to stretch and relax your shoulders. I've chosen three of my favorites - try doing them several times today to see if they make a difference. Shoulder Rolls: Roll the shoulders in small circles forward and then backward, doing 10 circles in each direction. Dynamic Neck Stretch: Reach the left arm down and awa... 07/06/2009

  As a Realtor, it's hard enough to get proper nutrition nevertheless, adequate excercise to maintain our stress levels. I have personally found Yoga to be of great benefit because there are some stretches like neck and arm that you can do in the Bullpen at work. The following is only a partial list of yoga's benefits: reduced stress sound sleep reduced cortisol levels improvement of many medical conditions allergy and asthma symptom relief lower blood pressure smoking cessation help lower heart rate spiritual growth sense of well-being reduced anxiety and muscle tension increased strength and flexibility slowed aging process Yoga's benefits are so numerous, it gives a high payoff for the amount of effort involved. What's Involved With Yoga?: The practice of yoga involves stretching the... 07/06/2009

Taking frequent effective exercise is one of the best physical stress-reduction techniques available. Exercise not only improves your health and reduces stress caused by unfitness, it also relaxes tense muscles and helps you to sleep. Exercise has a number of other positive benefits you may not be aware of: It improves blood flow to your brain, bringing additional sugars and oxygen that may be needed when you are thinking intensely. When you think hard, the neurons of your brain function more intensely. As they do this, they can build up toxic waste products that can cause foggy thinking (you may have experienced the feeling that your brain has "turned to cotton wool"). By exercising, you speed the flow of blood through your brain, moving these waste products faster. Exercise can cause ... 07/06/2009

A "nine-to-fiver" slams her keyboard and shouts profanity when her computer freezes up. A construction worker notices the oil is low in the forklift but continues to drive it until it overheats and can't be used. A manager chews out an employee, then has to duck to avoid the guy's left hook. A regular day in working America? For many workers, in a range of jobs, income and education levels, the workplace is a hotbed of stress and hostility. According to a recent phone survey of 1,305 American employees performed by Integra Realty Resources, stress leads to physical violence in one in 10 work environments. And almost half of those surveyed said yelling and verbal abuse is common in their workplaces. Dubbed "desk rage" by the popular media--and known to psychologists as counterproductive ... 07/06/2009

Recently scientists studied and reported the difference in the effects on the driver of a car between talking on a cell or having a conversation with a passenger. This finding addresses the common question about whether driver distraction comes from cell phone use specifically or conversation generally. Even when drivers use a hands free cell phone, driving performance was significantly compromised. "Cell phone and passenger converation differ in their impact on a driver's performance; these differences are apparent at the operational, tactical and strategic levels of performance the researchers wrote. The study, led by Fran Drews PhD, of the University of Utah, analyed the driving performance of 41 mostly adult drivers paried with 41 friends who served as coversation partners. Both sex... 07/06/2009

  Dear Clients Past and Present:   My company and I strive to provide the best service possible but, as former Mother of the Year, Louise Heath Leber, once said, "There's always room for improvement, you know, it's the biggest room in the house!" If you see any specific areas in which you think we could improve our service, I'd really appreciate hearing from you. Feel free to call anytime, or just jot a comment or two right on the bottom of this letter. Your opinion matters to me and your input will make a difference. I guarantee it! Thanks for taking the time to help me improve.   All my best,   Dan and Rachael Polakovic 07/06/2009

Ok, this one is kind of funny. I was doing an open house at a newly built vacant  home.I was doing it for a co-worker who was out of town for the weekend. There was lots of activity and I was in the basement "furniture placing" with the parents of three children who were on the upper level. There was no furniture up there and they were running around. One of them came downstairs and asked if he could use the bathroom. Of course, I say yes because I don't want the parents to have to leave. Well what I didn't know is that the water was turned off a the house and when we were finished and I was closing the house up, I noticed that yes, the boy had gone No. 2 in the bathroom and I couldn't flush the toilet. Do you think I could find the turn on valve for the water. No way and I followed pip... 07/06/2009

You need to get into good working habits if you want to be able to make money while staying at home. Here are seven work habits of the self-employed that you should make note of as you start your self-employed odyssey to financial freedom.1. Stick to a Corporate Mentality. The problem with many people who work at home or are self-employed is that they are hung up on the idea of being their own bosses and therefore forget that they need to work. They often fall out of the rigid, but still productive corporate structure by not keeping to a schedule, or by spending too much free time. If you are working at home, think as though you were still at the office. Success begins with the right mindset, so don't scrimp on being a corporate person even if you are working in a home office. 2. Don't ... 07/04/2009

Eating Right When Eating on the Run Are you always on the run? Do you never seem to have quite enough time in the day? Sound familiar? Lack of time is a major reason why many people give up eating right, but you don't have to. In fact, healthy eating is more important than ever when you're trying to keep up with a hectic schedule. A good diet helps your body withstand stress better. But as you're hustling through your day, you're probably not thinking about making your next meal a healthy one. The following tips can help you eat well when you're dinning in or out. In Restaurants Tempting menus, large portions, and festive atmospheres make it easy to skip healthy eating. Splurging once in awhile is okay, but you'll begin to pack on pounds if you make it a habit. Be smart when you eat out... 07/04/2009

I just heard about a deal where an agent was asked to step into the following circumstances: Seller list house and sells it to Buyer without inspection condition or insurance. Insurance company inspects house prior to letting the policy and upon inspection discovers that the header over the stairs going into the basement is way below what the fire code allows. The house is very old and has had one owner. In order to rectify the situation, Seller hires a contractor to dig down to lower the stairs as raising the header is impossible. Contractor finds out that there are water mains running under the house and city has easement. Insurance company denies policy. Buyer is in the cold. Deal is firm. Lesson: Don't try and jockey your own horse in the race. The stakes are way too high!   07/03/2009

A staycation, a vacation you do at home, can be a wonderful alternative to a long, expensive, painstakingly-planned trip -- the time and money you can save are significant. However, if you don't take certain precautions, your staycation can be little more than a stressful extension of everything you need a break from. The following staycation strategies can assure that your staycation is truly a relaxing romp rather than a wasted week. Difficulty: Easy Time Required: However Long You Have Here's How: Turn Off The Phone.This sounds obvious, but the point of a staycation is to have a vacation, and the point of a vacation is to get away from the demands of your regular life. To truly do so, you need to stop being ‘on call,' and set your phone to go straight to voicemail. You can check your... 07/03/2009

PST Registry Transfer New Home Warranty Other Provincial Charges Total Provincial Charges GST Total GICs Percent of Price 14,000 800 330 0 15,130 6,720 23,711 13.5% 6,186 1,675 330 210 8,401 6,144 16,006 10.0% 19,200 3,675 330 0 23,205 9,216 39,173 16.3% 12,800 465 330 0 13,595 6,144 21,901 13.7% 5,423 1,584 925 124 8,056 6,528 17,509 10.3% 19,470 2,384 975 124 22,953 9,600 37,178 14.9% 21,028 2,684 975 124 24,811 10,368 41,547 15.4% 27,647 3,959 975 124 32,706 13,632 55,388 15.6% 9,221 1,734 925 124 12,004 7,104 23,391 12.6% 9,848 3,800 550 185 14,383 13,440 54,334 15.5% 8,906 5,850 700 185 15,641 27,900 83,362 17.9% 12,145 11,650 750 185 24,730 45,300 101,526 13.4% 7,908 7,100 650 185 15,843 22,440 72,794 17.1% 7,722 3,200 550 185 11,657 11,904 52,854 17.0% 7,404 2,900 500 185 10,989... 07/03/2009

Water-Saving Tips for Your Lawn and Garden In the summer months, municipal water use doubles. This is the season when Canadians are outdoors watering lawns and gardens, filling swimming pools and washing cars. Summer peak demand places stress on municipal water systems and increases costs for tax payers and water users. As water supplies diminish during periods of low rainfall, some municipalities must declare restrictions on lawn and garden watering. By applying some handy tips, your lawn and garden can cope with drought conditions and you can minimize water wastage. General Tips Much of the summer peak demand is attributed to lawn and garden watering. Often water is applied inefficiently, resulting in significant wastage due to over watering, evaporation or run-off. Here are some gene... 07/03/2009

Canadians Manage Their Mortgages Prudently Several survey findings point to Canadians being careful in how they manage mortgage debt including: 73% of first-time buyers used their own resources for a down payment 75% of purchasers have a goal to be mortgage free sooner than their current amortization 20% of recent purchasers have already made a lump-sum payment to their mortgage 40% of all recent mortgage consumers intend to reduce their amortization at their next renewal Interestingly, as a means of reducing their amortization, 30% of mortgage consumers intend to use a combination of the mortgage features available to reduce their amortization. 07/03/2009

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation H o u s i n g M a r k e t I n f o r m a t i o n   Ontario residential construction activity slowed for a fourth consecutive quarter. Ontario all area home starts declined to 55,670 units in the first quarter of 2009, down nearly 18 per cent from just over 67,730 unit starts in the previous quarter. Similarly, home starts were off over 32 per cent from the same period one year ago. With the exception of semi detached homes, all home types posted declines from this time last year. The sharpest declines were registered in the single detached home segment. Multi-family home construction, which includes semis, townhome and apartment units, faired slightly better. Some communities faired better than others. Date Released: Second Quarter 2009 Housing NOW... 07/02/2009

I have been in the business only a short time.. and in this short time.. this is my most favorite success story. It happened just recently and the turn of events makes me quite proud. So much so, I thought I'd share. First of all I will tell you that I picked this particular client up from a sign call. Which for those of you who don't know, I had a property for sale and she called my number inquiring about the property I had listed. Consequently, the property I had listed was of no use to her. But I engaged her and was able to connect with her and "pick her up" as a client. Apparently she had been sign calling for MONTHS. Calling various signs and going to open houses. Speaking to other REALTORS on quite a regular basis but none had scooped her up. So I did.. and for this I am proud. :)... 06/30/2009

  Dear Friends: Whether you buy warranties on your electronic appliances or not, it makes sense to keep the paperwork.  We've started keeping a service history on our stereo, DVD player, CD player and other equipment. By reviewing the files we find answers to nagging questions, like how to elminate the flashing 12:00 on our clocks. Though your appliances and small electronics may break down from time to time, We will continue to work hard to give unbeatable service to you and all of our clients. Call us if there's a question you need answered!   Sincerely,   Dan and Rachael Polakovic 06/30/2009

Dear Future Home Owner:                                                       A customer called me the other day and asked if I could show a relative the difference between buying and renting. The fact is, under today's computerized and cooperative real estate system, I can calculate the benefits of ownership and locate just the right home for almost any budget. Or I can refer a rental "expert" if that's the best route. So if you or a friend are curious about a home, or see an ad on a property and want more information, call me and let me do all the checking for you!   Sincerely,   Dan and Rachael Polakovic www.two-realtors.com     06/25/2009