Best Australian Online Shopping Sites Featured On New Portal

January 23rd, 2010

HelpMeSis.com.au is a brand new website that acts as a portal featuring the very best Australian online shopping sites and information websites. The comprehensive and well-researched website has been two years in the making and saves women valuable time and frustration by only showing the best and most relevant websites in each of the many categories.

After 2 years of meticulous research and web development, HelpMeSis.com.au was officially launched in Sydney on 1 January 2010. This comprehensive website acts as a useful portal for busy Australian women, showing them the very best Australian online shopping sites and information websites.

The extensive and informative guide to Australia’s best and most relevant websites was created to help time-poor women find quality products, information and services quickly and easily. Its launch was the culmination of two years of labour by former high school teacher Veronica Ryan.

“Over the past few years, I have visited and revisited many thousands of Australian websites and have hand picked hundreds of the very best to be included in the HelpMeSis website,” said Ms Ryan. “I have chosen these websites for their overall quality, integrity and security and their usefulness and relevance to Australian women,” she said.

The website listings and reviews have been organised into logical categories. Along with a logo, name, link to the site and description of products and services, Ms Ryan has also included practical details such as each company’s ABN and shipping information for shopping websites.

“To have all this information available on one website means women no longer need to visit dozens of individual websites first to find out exactly what they offer and whether they provide online shopping and Australia-wide shipping. They can compare all of this on the HelpMeSis website and only visit the most relevant website, saving them a great deal of time,” said Ms Ryan.

The manual selection process for included websites, together with the navigational simplicity of the portal, its sheer comprehensiveness, detailed information and overall relevance to Australian women, sets HelpMeSis apart from other online directories.

In addition to Australian shopping websites, the HelpMeSis portal also includes a number of themed information sections. A ‘Green Guide’ offers a great deal of information about green products and services and links to quality businesses that sell natural Australian organic products. The ‘Useful Information’ section provides answers to many common queries Australian women have. A complete ‘Parenting’ and baby shopping section gives links to Australian stores specialising in quality parenting & baby products and to sites offering expert information and advice for parents.

Other noteworthy sections on the HelpMeSis website include a ‘Health and Fitness’ section and a ‘Leisure’ section, which offers links to websites providing What’s On information for all Australian capital cities and the Gold Coast. The site further features a blog spot and people can sign up to receive an informative monthly HelpMeSis newsletter.

Men needn’t feel left out either, as Ms Ryan has also launched a ‘brother’ site, aptly named HelpMeBro.com.au where men can shop online at the best Australian online shopping sites. This guys-only site has many of the features of the women’s site but has been styled for men and doesn’t include any of the ‘girly’ content.

To find out more, please visit the HelpMeSis and HelpMeBro websites.

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Don’t Write Off Shares Just Yet

April 10th, 2009

Some people have a different view on sharemarket falls. They see the low stock prices as a chance to get a cheap shares.

During times of economic turbulence, it is our natural instinct to guard our investments and distance ourselves from risk. While this reaction is not surprising, it can also mean missing out on profitable opportunities created during volatile periods.

Warren Buffet, one of the world’s best known professional investors, sees market downturns from another perspective, saying “Look at market swings as your friend rather than your enemy; profit from folly rather than participate in it.”

Generally when we see a lower price for something we want we rush in for a good deal, however it can be quite the opposite with shares. Why is it that we treat shares that have dropped in price with dread? Stock prices of a company can drop for a number of factors.

Lately we have seen the share prices of a number of blue chip companies with sound balance sheets be negatively affected due to a rush to sell as a result of the economic crisis.

Despite the uncertain share trading environment, fund managers are constantly reviewing the market for buying opportunities. Many superannuation managers are searching to find stocks in healthy companies with strong balance sheets and returns. For example Australian companies such as household names like David Jones have delivered strong profits after tax and dividends in 2008. However during 2008, David Jones’ share price fell by more than 30%.

Identifying opportunities
Not all companies will be affected by the world economic crisis similarly. Some industries are more susceptible to the business cycle than others.

Companies who deal in of basic goods and services continue on almost unabated, for example we all need to eat – so supermarkets aren’t as affected as much as tourism, motor vehicle sales or luxury goods.

Australia’s population growth is at a 20 year high and growing at 1.7% per annum. Australia’s growing population provides increasing demand for goods and services as people need food, housing, cars, and other staples. Unlike many overseas countries, Australia benefits from two key factors: a high population growth rate and a high demand for housing.

Population growth is nearly twice that of the US while Germany has negative population growth. In America there is an over-supply of housing while Australia suffers from a lack of supply. The combination of limited accommodation and a rising population will create growing demand for housing which will support further construction and provide opportunities for the construction industry.

The value of companies
Many people view companies with falling share prices with fear, but we need to take a look under the hood of these companies to determine why. Have they borrowed heavily?

What industry are they in? Are they competitive against their peers? Only by answering these questions, can we know if their stock value has fallen for valid reasons or if the company is indeed on sale.

When investing, many professional investors look for companies with high and maintainable returns, strong balance sheets and ongoing cash flow. These companies are more likely to outlast the volatility storm and may give you a greater return when the market moves into the next phase of recovery and
beyond.

Before you consider changing your investment, you should see a professional. Having a financial planner and a long-term financial plan can give you confidence to manage the effects of market cycles. With the right advice you can ensure your investments are tailored to your risk profile and time horizon, giving you the certainty of knowing you’re doing what’s right for you. This article brought to you by a Brisbane business consultant who offers sales training and a web site design brisbane. Distribution by seo packages. BS1004

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Modest Melbourne: Arts Heart of Australia

December 31st, 2008

As so often in Australia’s history, Melbourne was founded through deception when explorer John Batman, an Australian who spoke in several aboriginal languages, made a “deal” with aborigines to lease land on behalf of speculators.

While offering the Aborigines any compensation at all was progressive in a colonial culture that preferred to simply run them off the land, the fact that the native people had little understanding of rents, leases or indeed, the concept that land was something to be bought, sold and leased at all, made his arrangements no less exploitive. In return for a long term lease of 240,000 hectares of the finest grazing land in Australia, Batman gave the aborigines axes, salt, flour, blankets and jewelry. The total value of the goods is estimated to be around £200.

Colonial administrators later declared his leases unlawful, claiming that the government, not the Aborigines, were the true owners of the land. After paying Batman compensation, they took over the lands and founded a settlement as the seat of regional government. The settlement became the city of Melbourne in 1837, named after Viscount Melbourne, the British prime minister at the time.

A sensible town plan
Melbourne’s location was its strongest suit. While the “acquired” farmland was of excellent quality, the city’s location on the banks of the Yarra River and well protected Port Phillip Bay contributed to its rapid commercial development. The influx of energetic immigrants and eager investors from England were determinants in the economic growth of the young city.

Once the city had 5,000 residents, city planners intervened and imposed a strict grid plan to check chaotic growth in every direction. Melbourne’s planners decreed that every main street would be exactly 30 metres wide, with perpendicular side streets one third that width. The strict grid plan has been in place ever since.

Melbourne became the capital of the new Victoria Colony in 1851. As luck would have it, miners in the outback came upon a rich seam of gold just four days later. Melbourne prospered like no other city on the continent, even after the gold rush waned.

A second boom was sparked by industrial development and immigration after World War II. Melbourne’s population more than tripled, and the plains around the Yarra River gradually grew crowded as 3 million people from 140 nations arrived to claim their piece of the Australian dream.

City planners again stepped in, authorising the construction and development of suburbs and satellite towns. In the downtown commercial districts, Melbourne began building upward and skyscrapers shot up on the horizon.

A rather unassuming city, Melbourne’s grand sights are few in comparison to stylish Sydney. Of course, there is still a great deal to see, including the Melbourne Museum, the State Parliament, the royal exhibition buildings, the Stock Market, majestic St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Flinders Street Station. Freshwater Place is a luxury residential complex, with a striking, elegant design that makes it Australia’s thinnest building as well as one of its tallest.

Melbourne is well known for book shops, live shows and the arts. Many northerners desperate for culture travel south to Melbourne for their arts fix. Melbourne hosts a world class writers festival and comedy festival.

Melbourne is also renowned for sports. The annual Melbourne Formula 1 Grand Prix held at the Albert Park Circuit is famous around the world, but there are many more sporting highlights to experience.

The professional tennis season starts here with the Australian Open, drawing the best players in the world to compete in the first of four major tournaments. Local sports attract an even greater following.

When the Magpies, Bombers and Kangaroos take the field, life is put on hold. Melbourne’s football players have always been their sports heroes, but cricket and rugby are also popular. The Grand Final of the Australian Football League (AFL) takes place each year at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. One of the eight Melbourne teams usually participates.
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The Wonderful Lithuanian City of Vilnius

December 30th, 2008

The Lithuanian city of Vilnius exudes southern charm under the northern sun. Positioned in the natural amphitheatre of the surrounding Lithuanian hills, Vilnilus has much to offer visitors besotted with classical buildings.

Vilnius, which can look back on a thousand years of Lithuanian history, can boast one of the largest historical town centres in Eastern Europe. Among its almost 1,500 buildings are representatives of nearly every European architectural style and historical period. Vilnius has wonderful examples of architecture from the Gothic, Renaissance, baroque, neoclassical and Jugendstil periods, all of which are located within easy sauntering distance of the town centre. The uniqueness of the Old City of Vilnius led to its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.

Heathens and Christians
After most of Europe had adopted Christianity and prayed to a single Christian God, the population of Vilnius continued to pray to their pantheon of heathen deities. For centuries, it mattered little. Founded in the eleventh century as a walled fortress at the convergence of the Vilnia and Neris Rivers, the city has always been well protected from invaders.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t until Vilnius became the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania under Prince Gediminas in 1323 that other nations took an interest in its economic potential. The German confederation, Poland and the Russian czar all cast their envious eyes on Vilnius, each wanting a piece of its wealth and prosperity. Merchants, businessmen and priests arrived in droves, and with them came Christian missionaries. Soon afterward, most Lithuanians finally became Christian.

The Jesuits in Vilnius
As a result, unlike many of the other cities in the Baltic region, Vilnius became an eastern outpost of the Roman Catholic Church, and a multitude of glorious baroque churches and buildings greets visitors today. In the wake of the Reformation, a period of industrious building activity was begun under the support of the Jesuit order.

Jesuit activities were also at the heart of Vilnius’ intellectual revival, as the first Jesuit University was founded in 1579. Today, the University Quarter is recognized as a one of a kind architectural ensemble. Its buildings were inspired primarily by the styles of the early Italian baroque. Its courtyards, the church of St. John the Baptist, the clock tower, the observatory and the library are unparalleled anti City of churches. Vilnius lost its political significance following the union of Lithuania with Poland in 1569.

From this point onwards, rulers and occupying forces came and went. The city suffered greatly, again and again bowing to the will of more powerful nations. The construction of churches, however, continued unabated and Vilnius became known as “the Rome of the East”, a city noted for its abundance of churches and cloisters. Rapid growth continued to attract craftsmen, artists and labourers to the city, and by the beginning of the nineteenth century, Vilnius was the third most populous city in eastern Europe: only Moscow and St. Petersburg were larger.

Vilnius today
After fifty years of occupation by the USSR, Lithuania gained its independence in 1990, and Vilnius was announced the capital of the modern, democratic state. Lithuanians are busy restoring their city today, in full recognition of the weight of history.

More than buildings need to be restored; the very identity of Vilnius needs to be remade as well. As the Lithuanian government proudly proclaims, “here we are not only repairing the facades, but also the foundations”. The president of Lithuania resides in a residence near the towers of the university, in the midst of the lively Old City. An office and business quarter has recently been established nearby, on the opposite bank of the Neris River. Vilnius, already a growing tourist destination, has set its sight on once again becoming the economic centre of the Baltic.
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Dear Senator Stephen Conroy – Open Letter about Australian Internet Censorship

December 22nd, 2008

nocensorship[1]Senator Stephen Conroy
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
Level 4, 4 Treasury Place
Melbourne Vic 3002

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Dear Minister Conroy,

I have never written to a government minister before, but I have serious concerns about the Rudd Government’s mandatory Internet filtering plan. Given the importance your Government has attached to modernising Australia’s broadband network, pursuing a policy that can only slow down and increase the costs of home and business internet access seems misguided at best, and pandering to right-wing Christian minorities at worst.

Australian governments have never been very good at communications policy. Examples include: pay TV infrastructure, the privitisation of Telecom, digital television implementation, and the development of a national broadband network that doesn’t include the nation’s biggest carrier.

Now we have another ill-conceived and expensive communications policy debacle with the clean-feed mandate.

Australian households are diverse, and most do not have young children, so mandating a one-size-fits-all clean feed approach will not serve the public or business well. I don’t think it is the Government’s role to decide what’s appropriate for me or my children, and neither do most Australians.

Like China, Australia, will become a laughing stock and seen as a technically clumsy and naive cyber-nanny-state. Don’t be naïve Minister, seek counsel from people outside of Canberra who know what they are talking about. Ask yourself why no other western democratic country has a similar scheme.

Given the amount of Internet content available, the Government will never be able to classify it all and filters will always result in an unacceptable level of over-blocking. Did you know that for $3 per month it’s possible to use an overseas proxy server that completely bypasses all local ISP filtering? The introduction of a clean-fee will just educate people as to what’s available and encourage the use of such technology by many people, including terrorists and pedophiles. Ask the national security agencies what they think of such technology.

I feel that the time and money could be spent in better ways both to protect children and improve Australia’s digital infrastructure. Australian parents need better education about the risks their children face online. Trying to rid the Internet of adult content is futile, and can only distract from that mission. Stupid promises can be broken … break this one.

I can’t wait until the next election,

Name and address supplied

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