Recently, I got so angry about my dog continuously needing vet care and medications to take care of various skin irritations and bowel problems that I decided to do some research of my own to see what the deal was.

I had been told by my local vet that the reason my dog had “hot spots” that caused him to scratch at himself until he had no fur in several places, was that he was allergic to the protein in the food I was feeding him. And indeed it seemed like that was the problem… I had been feeding my dog, Max, the normal dry kibble all his life, and a popular brand of canned food, interspersed with some raw food like raw bones and chicken, turkey, beef etc.

I took Max off all but the expensive dry dog food kibble mix that the vet sold which was supposed to stop the protein problems but Max really hated the food and it was so hard to try to get him to eat it – really saying something seeing Max would normally eat just about anything! There was no real noticible improvement in his skin problem and I had to continually give him cortisone tablets to stop him from scratching himself raw.

Finally I decided to do some research into natural dog food because I thought there surely has to be a better answer to this problem, and I wondered what dogs are supposed to eat in the real world. I knew dry kibble and canned food is not what Max would be eating out in the wild. As I read more, I found out that these food allergies are really caused by the cereal that is the foundational ingredient in all the dry food and a lot of the canned food. I also learned what kind of food is actually best for dogs – and it is definitely NOT the stuff the vet sold me!!

Some good information about natural dog food is available on the web – do your research folks, and you will find out the truth, as I did. The best nutrition of course is exactly what dogs would eat if they lived out in the wild – but seeing our animals are relying on us to provide their food, you need to know exactly what they need – you can’t just throw them a dead chicken or a bone here and there and expect to have a healthy dog. You need to find the right mix of natural dog food ingredients for good health.

I found a lot of great information about natural dog nutrition and Max has never been happier or healthier! It didn’t take very long for me to see wonderful changes in his skin condition, coat and bowel movements when I changed his diet from all that commercial dog food to what he should have been eating all along. I only wish I’d know about this a lot sooner.

You can find out more information here:

Click here for more information about natural dog food.

Apart from bowls or some of the other usual activities that seniors are involved in, one of the most popular sporting activities that seniors really can sink their teeth into is Senior Golf.

There are a lot of  Senior Golf guides on the net, but we have our own right here and it is full of golfing information for seniors as well as golf tips and hints that will help anyone interested in seniors golf to improve their game and to really enjoy this wonderful game.

I‘ll bet you’ve heard that the Hoodia diet will make you lose weight fast and safely. There are a lot of weight loss products that offer fast weight loss results, but are they any good and are they as safe as Hoodia?

In US, there is an estimated 50 million people who try to lose weight, unfortunately, only 5 per cent are successful. One thing is sure – most of them are doing something wrong. Most likely they are investing themselves and their money in a product that isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Some examples of bad weight loss products are:

• Diet Patch – these were already removed in the 1990’s by the FDA since they were proven ineffective.
• Magnetic Diet Pills – allegedly flushes out fat, but not.
• Guar Gum – causes internal obstruction.
• Electrical Muscle Stimulators – no proven effect.
• Eyeglasses that Suppress Appetite – These claims that the projected image on the retina decreases appetite. No proven effect.
• Weight loss earrings – through acupuncture, suppresses appetite – supposedly.

There are also products sold to us every day that are supposed to assist with weight loss such as diet sodas and meal replacement shakes, sugar free candy etc. 

These products just don’t work – how many times have you seen big people at the grocery checkout with bottles and bottles of diet sodas. The major problem with those and other similar diet products is that they can contain chemicals such as phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride for example which can raise blood pressure and cause heart palpitations. And although they are not full of sugar, your body still reacts to them as though they are sugar filled. Not to mention you can get addicted if they are caffeinated.

This is where the Hoodia diet is different. It is a natural extract from a natural plant source and there are no harmful chemicals or toxins to cause your body additional problems while also working to cause fast and effective weight loss.

My advice is don’t waste your time and money and risk your health with all kinds of mumbo jumbo, chemical ridden junk, go find out about the Hoodia diet and its weight loss benefits and try it for yourself.

For the beginner archery student, here’s a couple of quick tips (pardon the pun) ;)

To be sure of hitting the target every time, the begining archer should try to:

1 – Keep the bow (the draw) pulled fully back until it is time to release the arrow and

2 – Be consistent with the way you release the arrow.

The Draw.

“Creeping,” is the word commonly used to describe even the slightest of movement of the arrow prior to releasing it. You always have to be watchful about allowing this movement to occur.

This is often caused by an Archer trying to use a more powerful bow than they can easily use. The drawing arm is unable to hold the draw back steady enough and long enough to aim well. Creeping will let you down every time.

You can only consistently allow for arrow fall over different distances with consistency in drawing the bow to full stretch each and every time you aim.

If you don’t, your arrows will fall low of your intended target.

Lets now look at the release.

The Release.

Most beginners find this quite difficult to master. If the arrow is released incorrectly, it is almost impossible to hit the target. However, by learning the correct procedure at the start, no bad habits will creep into your Archery.

The arrow is loosed by relaxing the tension in the first joints of the drawing fingers.
This allows the bow string to slip smoothly from the fingers.

What happens to the beginner, usually,  is that they hurt their fingers, often burning them, as they let go. To stop this happening again they pull their fingers out of the way sideways, thereby sending the arrow off in the wrong direction.

How to avoid this problem:

When the tension is released the drawing hand should move directly to the rear, along the projected line of flight of the arrow. Due to physical limitations, this movement cannot amount to more than a couple of inches.

One main way you can avoid this problem if you cannot overcome this urge to pull sideways, is that you can purchase a release device, that takes away any chance of hurting your fingers and ensures a clean release every time.

Archery takes much concentration and practice to master, however it is well worth the effort.

When you think of Indian travel you think of turbans and cobras in baskets, hindu temples and curry. I’ll bet that you, like myself, have not really given much thought to what the roads are like in India.

You may have heard stories of cows wandering around on the streets, or how the indian people set up their shrines along the roadside, but take a look at this video and it will give you a new perspective on getting around in India.

I laughed my head off at this video, but this is really what it is like to cross the road in some places in India, so perhaps if you are considering Indian travel yourself, you’ll now at least be prepared for one of the most unusual places on the planet.

Continuing our top ten tips for using dating services…

6. Always meet up with any prospective dates in a public place in daylight or at least where there are a large number of people about. A popular restaurant in the heart of the city would be an appropriate choice. You don’t need to have a chaperon, however you should take some care with your safety.

7. Make sure before you give any dating services your credit card information that you understand what you are getting for your money. If they are offering a free trial, check with the fine print on their site or contact their support personnel to confirm that you will not be getting sucked into some type of subscription you had not bargained for.

8. Be cautious and conduct appropriate research before you dive in and sign up with any dating services. You need to carry out some online research to see if there have been any complaints filed and check if they have real customer testimonials. Your local Better Business Bureau can advise if they have received any complaints.

9. Do not give any personal information or photographs to the dating service until you are sure their service is legitimate. If you are required to enter in your email address to access the service or to find out additional information from them, make sure you open up a Hotmail account and give them that email address. This is a good standard practice for anything you do online anyway, but here it would be a definite “must have”.

10. Make sure your personal information is kept secure by any dating services you use and that your information is deleted totally from their database and website should you wish to discontinue using their services at any time in the future.

Dating services have fast become the fastest and easiest way to meet people, but always do your homework to ensure you have the best possible experience and increase your chance of successfully meeting your soul mate.

Whether you are young or old, male or female, if you are single and looking for the right partner, using dating services can save all the stress and hassle of finding them. But at what cost?

Here’s our top 10 tips on how to make the right connection with the man or woman of your dreams through dating services – without losing all your money in the process:

1. Dating services can typically cost up to $50 or $60 each month and you would normally sign up for a certain contract length, however you need to be careful that your contract is not renewed automatically. Make sure with the dating service that they do not automatically renew.

2. Understand that sometimes you are just not going to meet the right person for you through some dating services. You should set yourself a reasonable limit of what you are willing to spend before you decide to leave their dating services and try elsewhere. Once you reach your financial limit you’ve set, pull out and move along.

3. Don’t allow yourself to be pressured into anything. Always use your better judgment about what the best action for you to follow is, and if in doubt – don’t. Never jump into any contracts without carefully considering the terms and conditions first.

4. Read through the company documentation on the dating services websites and check what they offer and what you can expect from them. Always look for a support number in case any issues arise.

5. Good dating services should allow you to check their site out and view some profiles before you sign up. Look for a site that looks well establish and longevity is a plus. If they have been operating for a decent length of time you can be reasonably sure they are looking after their clientelle.

More tips in the next post…

The latest trend in bridal accessories and wedding planning is to plan your entire wedding day without even leaving your house. Online auction sites and retailers make it easy to have all your wedding needs delivered right to your door.

You can get everything for your wedding day online including your bridal gown, tiara, jewelery, shoes, veil, ring pillow, pew, table and car accessories. The best part of all is that you can often pick up some amazing bridal accessories very much cheaper than paying full retail price as well as finding some items you wouldn’t find locally.

Not only is this trend good for brides to be, but for those who have already wed and who want to recoup some of the cost of their own big day, they can put their own bridal accessories and clothing up for sale on these same sites.

So for busy brides to be, you can use the internet to organize your wedding without compromising on style or tradition and don’t forget that it is also a fantastic way to make the honeymoon arrangements as well.

A recent wedding industry survey showed that 77% of couples use the Internet to help plan their wedding – will you be one of them?

I don’t know about you, but to me, the term “Parachuting” usually infers that the person doing the parachuting, is actually wearing a “parachute”. Am I right? Well, needless to say, I was pretty amazed when I saw this video of a guy jumping out of an aeroplane WITHOUT a parachute. I mean, what craziness is that? See for yourself…

I’m sure you are as stunned as I am :o
Makes me very glad to be a nerd! ;)

After writing in my last post about Computer Programming, I started to think that maybe this is something I would like to learn rather than to shy away from it.

After all, I think I have a good enough brain – at least I think it might be up to the challenge of learning programming. After dabbling with web design for a while now, I have had to learn my share of html, php, css and scripting to get things done, and I find I really enjoy it, even though it can sometimes be a pain in the rear end.

It can be so frustrating sitting in front of my computer for hours on end trying to get something to work just the way I want it to on my websites, especially when I just can’t get it happening as fast as I want it to.

But man, when I get that thing to work, it is just the best feeling in the world. I suddenly find myself uncontrollably pumping my fist in the air and shouting “yeah!” and “woohoo!”. I can’t imagine that Base-jumping would be much better than that. Ok, well maybe that’s just me.

So yeah, call me weird, but this stuff is fun!.

Just off to check when the next Computer Programming course is on at my local college.