Archive for July, 2009

Park Homes: Why Warren Buffett invests in them

Friday, July 31st, 2009

ou still wondering if a Park Home investment is a good idea?

Perhaps this might change your mind.

In 2003, Warren Buffett’s company Berkshire Hathaway invested $1.7 Billion to purchase Clayton Homes – one of the largest manufactured housing companies in the world.

Who is Warren Buffett?

Warren Buffett (78) is a US investor, businessman and philanthropist. He is one of the most successful investors in history, and ranked by Forbes as the second richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of around $40 Billion! Typically when Buffett invests, millions of others follow.

Buffett is often referred to as the “Oracle of Omaha” and is well-known for his value investing philosophy and personal frugality, despite his immense wealth. In 2007 he was listed among Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the world.

His road to riches though has been a lifetime journey that started at a young age. In 1943, Buffett filed his first income tax return claiming his bicycle and watch as a work expense as newspaper delivery boy. During high school in 1945, Buffett and a friend spent $25 to purchase a used pinball machine which they placed in a barber shop. Within months, they owned three machines in three different locations. Buffett invested $1,200 of his profit from the business to buy 40 acres of farmland and rented it out to tenant farmers.

In 1958, Warren Buffett bought a $31,500 house in Omaha, Nebraska. He still lives in the same house, which is estimated to be valued at around $700,000.

According to Warren Buffett, “Home ownership is a wonderful thing. My family and I have enjoyed my present home for 50 years, with more to come. But enjoyment and utility should be the primary motives for purchase, not profit or refinance possibilities. And the home purchased ought to fit the the income of the purchaser”.

So its no wonder that Warren Buffett has invested in a Park Home company like Clayton Homes that makes the most affordable for housing for people!

“Putting people into homes, though a desirable goal, shouldn’t be our primary objective. Keeping them in their homes should be the ambition” Buffett wrote.

So if you want affordable housing, there’s billions of reasons why you should consider a Park Home. Just ask Warren Buffett!

Welcome New Baby With Baby Gifts

Friday, July 31st, 2009

Your best friend just gave birth to a baby girl, and you want to congratulate her with a new baby gift. Your co-worker is expecting a baby, and you are shopping for baby shower gifts for her.  A new baby sure melts our heart.  Welcoming a new baby to this world is one of the joy of life.  This article provides an overview of adorable new baby gifts that help you greet the precious little one with your best wishes.

Popular new baby gifts include the following:

a.  Baby Time Capsule:

This unique gift preserves memories of the arrival of baby and will be treasured for years to come. It consists of a plush bear, and a baby memories set which includes a profile of baby\’s new world: the parents\’ daily lives, the family car and home, stationery with matching envelopes for friends and family to write to baby, color stickers to make a photo album or scrapebook or label videos and audio tapes.  Also included is a \”How-To\” guide filled with great ideas for what to put inside and storage suggestions.  This keepsake will be filled with memorabilia from baby\’s birthday and first year. This magical Time Capsule is then sealed until a special day in the future-when the baby has grown. This gift is perfect for either baby boy or girl, and a great baby shower gift.

b.  Baby First Bank Keepsake Gift:

This is an adorable ceramic keepsake gift set for mom and dad to keep and remember all the important milestones as baby grows.  Includes a first tooth keepsake box, first haircut keepsake and an authenic piggy bank.  This gift can be sent with baby time capsule to keep all the precious memories of baby\’s magical early years.

c.  Baby Gift Basket:

Baby gift baskets are practical gifts to welcome the new baby.  One such basket is an adorable wicker baby bassinet filled with all the baby essentials such as baby rattle, soft fleece blanket, pacifier, comb and brush set and microwave chocolate fudge mix for the new parent. Baby gift baskets are usually available in blue for boys, pink for girls, and neutral color for baby shower gift when the gender of the baby is not yet known.  You can also send a deluxe baby gift basket to greet baby and the proud parents in grand style.  The gift includes layette essentials, a first teddy bear, a lullaby CD, and treats for parents, including: long stem rose chocolate candies, premium coffee, and cigar rolled chocolate filled cookie. To make the blessed event truly unforgettable, this white basket includes a baby photo album, a baby time capsule and a first footprint kit.

d.  Baby Gift Box:

Alternatively, you can send a baby gift box.  There are many designs to choose from.  A popular gift box is filled with tiny, cozy clothing for the little prince or princess, plus a kit for saving baby\’s tiny footprint forever. The re-usable box can be used later around the nusery as storage container. Another adorable gift box is filled with all the good things that take loving good care of baby.  This baby gift box delivers your good wishes in style, and contains baby booties, Shortbread Cookies with baby feet imprints, baby picture frame, terry cloth wash cloth set, cotton baby tee shirts, baby shampoo, powder, lotion, rash cream, baby teether, bottle, and an 8\” teddy bear. Send this lovely gift to the special new little someone in your life.

e.  Gift For Mom and Baby or Dad and Baby:

Surprise Mom or Dad and their precious baby with this baby gift. Perfect for small hands is the adorable plush puppy or monkey and \”I Love Mommy/Daddy\” bib that will be put to good use. For Mom or Dad there is a baby candle, individual wrapped toffee candies and gourmet snack mixture. Mom and Dad will cherish the keepsake plaster kit of My First Footprint for lasting memories of their new bundle of joy.

f.  Baby Necessity Gift Bag:

The baby necessity gift basket is filled with everything necessary and cute for the new baby, including a 12\” furry tan bear, baby picture frame, washcloth set, flannel baby blanket, baby teether, rubber duck, baby wash, and baby comb and brush set. It comes in pink for girls, blue for boys, or teal and yellow. Give the gift of total care for the newborn.

g.  Baby Blanket with plush toy animal:

This baby blanket with plush giraffe, elephant, or puppy is sure to keep baby company and warm as he/she grows. The 14\” ultra plush and soft toy animal with detachable full size blanket will soon become baby\’s favorite.

h.  Bath Time Baby:

In the Bath Time Baby gift basket, the musical duckling plays \”Old McDonald Had a Farm\” while baby splashes in the wash tub. Inside the wash tub are cozy bath accessories, including a hooded bath towel, a baby picture frame, an ultra soft blanket, baby shampoo, terry wash cloth, baby picture frame, baby caps, rubber ducks, baby booties, baby brush and comb set, as well as baby lotion and wash.

i.  Baby Toy Cart:

This solid wood toy cart is loaded with unique baby toys and necessities. The matching plush baby lion, bib, baby receiving blanket, and baby rattle are sure to be baby\’s favorites for years to come. Mom will love the ceramic picture frame, tearless shampoo, baby wash and lotion.

j. Baby Candy Bouquet:

This delightful baby-themed candy bouquet is perfect for a shower, expecting parents or a congratulations gift.  It is filled with individually wrapped lemon and orange filled hard gourmet candies, assorted chewy toffees and mint hard candies. Also included are congratulations pick along with two adorable baby rubber ducks that complete this Baby Bouquet.

In summary, there are many adorable yet practical gifts to welcome the new baby, and gifts that help to preserve all the precious memories as baby grows. Sending congratulations or baby shower gifts to express your well wishes, and baby\’s parents will appreciate your thoughtfulness. 

Kate S. is the CEO of Gift Basket for All, LLC. You can visit her site by clicking on the link below:

Gift Baskets

Gift Basket for All.com offers gourmet gift basket, holiday gift basket, and gifts for anniversary, new baby, birthday, get well, thank you.

For information on products reviewed in this article, please click on Baby Gift

 

 

Importance of Home Page

Friday, July 31st, 2009

The homepage of a website is the logical point of entry into the web pages in a site. It connects as well as interconnects all other pages in the website. Basically users can enter your site from any of your web pages as they are indexed in search engines. Therefore it is important that on all your web pages there must be a link back to your home page so that users can go back to the beginning or homepage of your site in case they got lost or stuck somewhere.

Home pages being the prime location of any website is used for lot many different functions depending on the purpose of the site. Because of the high visibility of the home page it is perfect place for posting news and information. It is the ideal place for the table of contents and menu of links in the site. In the sites using home page for news and menu listings, the navigation schemes are often centered on the home page; which acts as a base for most of the navigation throughout the site. Some of the designs use the home page to steer audiences into subtopics or highlight areas of the site. There are many kinds of home pages with varying goals and target visitors. Some of them are meant for selling products and services, couple to sway public opinion and others to educate or discussion on various topics.

Primarily, there are the few common web pages design strategies:-

Menu home pages: In the early years of web; menu-like lists of links is the most common design on most home pages and is still the popular home page design format. Such pages are mostly dominated by graphic imagemaps as they are more space efficient, as it packs maximum number of links into every square inch of the page.

Splash home pages: Generally, splash pages are considered controversial presentation, reason is; to numerous visitors as they focus on particular contents, splash gives an annoying experience. If it is that necessary, then there should be a site index at the start along with the pretty graphics and animated stuff. The rule of the thumb-design according to target audience expectations as splashing on the sports site is different from that of a Casino’s site.

Path-based home pages: In large websites there is massive information for the visitors, that information is be impossible to present in a single home page. As visitors too have their specific interests and goals, this translates to general rule, “it’s always good to use home page to split the links to content” in accordance with the users interests so that they get more relevant information in the menu pages.

News-oriented home pages: Home pages of the news oriented organizations are the obvious examples of such format. Many organizations utilize the high visibility of their home pages to make to announce the latest on the happenings to the larger web audience. Such live format makes a home page more attractive and more likely to keep attracting visitors.

Complex amalgam of all the above said pages: Increasingly home pages are becoming a complex amalgam of all the above said strategies. As the goals for most web sites are to transmit information and also to communicate effectively with potential clients and general visitors. Home pages now mix images, menu lists, and special interest sections according to the flavour of the site. As most of the corporate and institutional home pages always display a graphic banner across the top of the home page, and the commercial sites are rapidly becoming mixtures of links embedded in graphic imagemaps and links in textual content But using large graphic menus takes longer time for loading pages, especially for users linking to the Internet via modems, Ethernet or slow network connections.

Alex Roderick

The Author is the owner of a web site design Company, and providing Web Design and Development Solutions to clients across USA and UK for affordable and sensible prices.