Adriannas Blog

Bad credit is no more taken as a sin when such a borrower goes shopping for a loan though terms and condition are a little tough. Especially if the borrower happens to be a tenant, not owning any property worth taking loan against, meeting expenses becomes all the more difficult. If labeled bad credit, tenants can take refuge in bad credit tenant loan UK. Tenants can make use of bad credit tenant loan UK for different purposes like buying vehicle, paying for medical bills, going to a holiday tour etc. The loan can be availed by homeowners also if they do not want to risk property for fear of its repossession. Students and people living with parents are equally eligible for the loan.

Tenant is tagged bad credit because of payment defaults from his or her end and faced County Court Judgments and bankruptcy. On FICO credit score scale ranging from 300 to 850, credit score of bad credit tenant is either 580 or below which is considered as risky for offering loan.

However, despite bad credit, tenants get bad credit tenant loan UK in easy manner. Tenant should convince the lender that the loan will be paid back in time. To do so, tenant should produce proof of employment or source of regular income. This to some extent assures about safe return of the loan. No collateral is required to be offered to lender for securing the loan.

Tenant can borrow bad credit tenant loan UK anywhere in the range of £1000 to £25000 which is generally sufficient for meeting different expenses. The loan is usually given for smaller duration ranging from 6 months to 2 years. Interest rate is kept higher but it should not discourage tenant as the loan is paid off within months and the interest rate burden is not felt much. The loan is approved quickly as time wasted in collateral evaluating is saved.

It is beneficial to apply for the loan online. Number of lenders offers bad credit tenant loan UK packages in response to the loan application. Do not forget to compare them for lower interest rate and better terms-conditions. Online lenders charge no fee for processing application and give related details free.

Bad credit tenant loan UK thus is perfect option for tenant suffering from bad credit. The loan goes long way in improving credit score of tenant besides meeting necessary expenses. Pay off monthly installments in time to avoid incurring debt again.

Peter Taylor is a senior financial analyst at BestTenantLoansUK with an acumen for finance and insurance.To find Personal loan for tenant UK ,unsecured personal loan, adverse credit personal loan, new car loan, home improvement loan that best suits your need visit www.besttenantloansuk.co.uk http://www.besttenantloansuk.co.uk

Reuters - A magazine cover photo of Angelina Jolie breast-feeding one of her newborn twins may have turned the superstar actress into a role model for new mothers.

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“Thank you so much for making Toyota number one,” the chairman of Toyota, Fujio Cho, said to Richard Wagoner, the CEO of General Motors, and leaned across the conference table to shake his hand.

“Think nothing of it,” Mr. Wagoner replied, obliging the Japanese exec. “The credit belongs entirely to you and your quality-obsessed company.”

“No, no,” the Japanese CEO insisted. “We could never have done it without your reliable incompetence.”

“On the contrary, sir,” the GM CEO replied, eyeing the other American and Japanese executives arrayed around the conference table, “the credit is entirely due to your astonishing competence. After all, you and your company have figured out how to make cars people actually want to buy - form and function, attractively combined.”

“Yes, I think that’s true,” the CEO of Toyota conceded.

“And you’ve figured out how to make cars that are legendarily reliable,” Wagoner went on.

“Yes, I must also agree with that.”

“Then how is it possible that you are thanking me for helping to make you number one?” Mr. Wagoner wanted to know. “I do not deserve any of the credit whatsoever!”

“But, don’t you see, Mr. Wagoner? We owe our success to the fact that you have not quite figured out how to make cars that people actually want to buy!”

“We’re working on it,” the CEO of GM replied.

“And have you figured out how to make legendarily reliable cars?”

“We’re also working on that.”

“May I ask if you have been successful at either endeavor?”

“I said we’re working on getting there.”

“But, Mr. Wagoner, how is it possible that after all these years of making cars you are still working on two such important objectives? Of course, I am not referring to you and your highly competent current executives, but only to your predecessors, and I am sure you will do much better.”

“Thank you. I’ll tell you why we’re having a difficulty or two. Your company came along, Mr. Cho, and set the bar higher than it was.”

“We did?

“I insist. Much higher.”

“And how were we able to set it higher?”

“You tell me.”

“Because you set it so wonderfully low.”

“We did?”

“What other explanation can there be, Mr. Wagoner? And now you are struggling to catch up, which, if I may be frank, is another way of saying you have failed to do so.

But -

- I beg your forgiveness, my distinguished friend, but if that isn’t incompetence, I don’t know what is. Of course, as I said, not your incompetence, only that of your predecessors. Yet, if I may be so bold, please, accept my gratitude.”

Tom Attea, humorist and creator of NewsLaugh.com http://NewsLaugh.com , has had six shows produced Off-Broadway. Critics have called his writing delightfully funny, witty, with good, genuine laughs and great humor and ebullience.

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More and more concerns have been raised about the impact of the supermarket giants both on food production as well as on workers rights.

A recent report by War on Want and the British GMB, investigating the case of Wal-Mart (ASDA), shows how the relentless pursuit of supermarkets of the lowest possible prices has a negative impact on the supermarkets local communities as well as their suppliers, often based in the poorest countries of the world.

A few years ago, the supermarket retailer Safeway (now owned by Asda AKA Wal-mart) sent letters to their farmer suppliers asking for a contribution of £20,000 per product line, in order to improve marketing of the products. They went on to invoice their suppliers for these sums. Supermarkets have tended to only do business with the largest scale suppliers at the lowest cost wherever they may be located. Next time you go to the supermarket take a closer look at the food labels, you will see New Zealand lamb and vegetables from Israel. But this is not what most shoppers would choose - when asked, they say they prefer British farm food. Supermarkets are moving towards this as many are now offering vegetable and meat box schemes stocked only with local and often organic food. Many small firms have spent years building organic box schemes and organic delivery into a viable business only for supermarkets to jump in on the act as it becomes more mainstream.

Britains supermarkets are damaging British business, are bad for consumers and bad for the environment. Farmers and consumers are paying the price of its uncontrolled expansion here and overseas. MPs must act now to curb the growing market power of supermarkets and ensure that Britains booming supermarket industry does not kill off farmers, consumer choice and the traditional British high street.

The UK Competition Commission has been called upon to look at the actions of supermarkets which many say are damaging almost everything that they touch.

Tesco controls nearly one third of the UK grocery market, setting the standard across the retail sector. But while the company boasts about its commitment to fair trade and corporate responsibility, a new report from Friends of the Earth shows that Tescos practices are putting many UK farmers out of business; while on the high street, some 2,000 independent stores went out of businesses in the last year alone, unable to compete with promotions and planning and taxation policies which favour the multiples over smaller shops.

One in five people think that supermarkets are most influential when planning decisions get made, over the council or local people. Often people cannot get obtain planning permission to build an extension yet the supermarkets are often granted permission to build huge stores the size of football stadiums

But, things are changing for the better-

Supermarkets are trialing having tractors deliver goods straight to the supermarket door to save on food miles.

Tesco are installing solar panels and using renewable energy in certain stores to show how green they are becoming.

Waitrose has started its own fair-trade scheme. The cash has been raised as part of the food retailers initiative to return a sizeable proportion of profits it earns on sales of citrus fruits to the farmers who grow them.

Ikea is to become the UKs first major retailer to regularly charge customers for plastic bags, to try and tackle waste and environmental damage.

The success of Marks & Spencers ethical marketing drive that urged shoppers to look behind the label has dwarfed all its previous advertising campaigns, according to research from a leading City brokerage.

Supermarket Sainsburys is to sell more than 500 of its own-brand products in compostable packs instead of plastic as it seeks to cut packaging waste. It says the scheme, already trialled on some of its organic range, will save 3,550 tonnes of plastic a year.

Is this a genuine change in attitudes by the supermarkets or merely a change in public relations direction to ensure they get all the green pounds that tend to be spent in local markets and shops? Ill let you decide.

Davinos Greeno works with the Organic directory www.guidemegreen.com http://www.guidemegreen.com This growing green products directory lists 100s of Organic and Fairtrade food and drinks companies plus Green Jobs at www.jobs.guidemegreen.com http://www.jobs.guidemegreen.com and Campaigning Videos at www.videos.guidemegreen.com http://www.videos.guidemegreen.com .

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When my wife and I got into the WWW. E-commerce world, we had visions of easy money and an auto pilot type of business. You know the kind that runs itself and the money just rolls in. Oh yeah, low start-up cost, little time, and low commitment. Just read the commercials and Internet ads.

The Internet can be your friend or it can bite you like a scared dog. Try researching, starting an Internet business. You will find every easy money method in the world. Here is a list of things to consider and these things are just the surface. This is not meant to scare you but to inform you of the reality, before you fall into the money pit. Just remember you have to give before you receive and sometimes we learn from the pain.

Websites necessities or basics:

Host/Server - to store all your files and images. E-mail and other perks. $8 to $12 month

Purchase your domain - www.mysite.com $8 to $???

Merchant/Credit Card service -Credit Card processing. This is a low price. $25Month, $15 service charge, and 30 cents per transaction and 2.5% of sales. (OUCH!)

Paypal - You can use Paypal for your payment option. It’s free. I don’t use it. Nothing is free.

Rent a ready-made store - Now you can go with a company who will host your site and provide a storefront for you. They will even give you products to sell. These are usually database type and provide no SEO. In other words, the only people who purchase from your site are your friends and family. No one can find your site in the Internet desert. You’re on page 200 (if lucky). They run from $40 to $200 month.

Find a wholesaler? No problem, everyone is a wholesaler. What do you want to sell? Leather, Home Décor, Knives and Swords, Collectibles or maybe Kitchen cookware?

Where are the real wholesalers? The ones they buy from. There are many scams and scam tools for sale out there. Now try ordering from them. Late? Back Ordered? Packing? Drop ship costs? Shipping & Handling Costs? Drop ship or Inventory? Taxes???

Build your site - There are many templates out there that look good but if you don’t know how to program HTML forget it. You will probably buy a book or software that shows us dummies that we can create HTML websites without having to know HTML. On the outside it looks good, but on the inside they stink. How are you going to find the time and keep up with the latest in this part time business ? Search Engine robots don’t like bad programming among other things.

Gather Information - Now that you have a wholesaler, download all the prices and images. Create your spreadsheets to upload all the product information (change them to CSV or some delimited format. Or you may have to do this one at a time… Ahhh!

Fix the images - Adjust the resolution, size, etc. to fit your WebPages. Get the right software to do this…It will save you days of work and cost. I hope you get this done before the prices change or the item is discontinued. Remember that if you have more than one wholesaler, you have more than one tax and drop ship charge. You also have different information and images. They could be in other formats.

My wife and I thought an Internet Shopping Mall would be so cool. We could have different stores, oh boy…That’s where the name MallAboutTown.com came from. Oh yeah. Now you have to have a logo and a theme and all the right colors and, and, and.

It’s kinda like building a house.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - You should have been thinking about this from the start. Buy links, buy PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising, buy search engine submissions, buy content, submit articles and link to directories and other Websites, read, read, read and determine who is telling the truth.

After all the smoke clears, you will be in the hole a few bucks. When that first sale comes in you will feel like that golfer getting a hole in one. Then you’re back at it, harder than ever. It’s an addiction. I guess it could be described as the spouse that won’t leave an abused relationship. Like any business, Internet business is not for the short-term commitment. There is so much I had to leave out because many things depend on what direction you take on this journey. Good Luck, remember if it’s too good to be true…..

Our advice is to personally talk to someone that is successfully operating E-commerce site, (not on E-bay) and get the facts. This is what made E-bay so popular. But even E-bay can be tough.

Good Luck,

Marc and Kemella Allyn

Marc and Kem own www.mallabouttown.com http://www.mallabouttown.com and bring their personal experience for your use. Thank You for supporting our ministry www.allaboutthecross.com http://www.allaboutthecross.com

AFP - Emile Heskey is back in demand for England after a long spell in the shadows but the Wigan forward insists he never felt like he had gone out of fashion.

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If you can stay away from these first date mistakes by men you should make it to date number two. You’re going to have to show your date that you’re confident, and give a good impression with looking arrogant. The way you dress, what you talk about and your table manners are going to be under close scrutiny.

First off you need to decide where to eat. This is going to be up to you, so you have to get it right. Get this wrong and it will spoil everything right from the start of your date. Places to avoid are definitely fast food outlets. This will not go down well at all, and you’ll be lucky if you’re still on the date before you finish your food. At the other end of the scale you don’t want to take a lady on a first date to a fancy restaurant that is way out of your price range. For one she’ll think you’ve gone over the top, and two, you will be choosing all the cheapest items on the menu. You want a nice restaurant that is comfortable, serves good food and one where you can relax, and not worry about the cost of the meal. It will be even more beneficial for you if you know the restaurant you’re going to. You can order your meal straight away, and make your own recommendations. Not knowing what you’re going to eat when you sit and study the menu for ten minutes will not be attractive.

You will need to dress to impress. You don’t want to turn up at a nice restaurant and look like you should be eating in a burger bar. Most women will go out and buy something new just to look good for you so you need to make an effort. A shirt, nice pants and polished shoes will be just right for the occasion. Back this up with immaculate personal hygiene like washed hair, no stubble and clean hands and nails. All this things will be looked at in the first 2 minutes of you meeting. Get this part right and your still heading for a good first date.

Showing that you’re not listening can be very aggravating. She will notice if your eyes are wondering around while she is talking to you. You need to show you are listening all the time. Throw in the odd question so she knows you’re paying attention. Never look at another women while you’re on your date especially the waitress. This will not look good for you. You need to put the blinkers on for the night, and ignore what’s going on around you.

Some things are best kept to yourself on your first date. In fact some of them can wait a few months before you start being too honest. Conversations to avoid are ex girlfriends, any criminal offenses no matter how minor, medications you might be taking and generally anything that isn’t going to sound good on a first date. She will have things that will be kept a secret as well in the early days, and that’s the way they should stay.

There are many more mistakes you could make on a first date but if you avoid these ones you should have some idea of what’s not acceptable behaviour.

For more dating advice, and online dating reviews visit - www.the-online-dating-reviews.com http://www.the-online-dating-reviews.com

Jason King is the webmaster for The online dating reviews. www.the-online-dating-reviews.com http://www.the-online-dating-reviews.com

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Do you know that many of the scripts that help us to run our business or websites use MYSQL databases to store their information.

For instance many people use Auto responders to help with collecting and delivering information.

Scripts that produce one time offers, promotion offers, coupons etc all use mysql to store their information.

Mail merge programs often use mysql database to store information.

Wordpress the blog building software that lots of people use to write their blogs uses mysql to store this information.

What a lot of these users don’t know is that if they have not backed up their mysql database, then they could lose all their data, this would mean that if they had not backed up their database, they could lose all their customers information, all the email addresses that their auto responder stores in the mysql database.

Any and all information that is collated by the many scripts that run on websites could be lost and the scripts could stop working, all because they did not back up their database. now how you might ask do I know so much about this?

Well I can tell you from first hand experience that losing your database because your server has crashed and lost or scrambled your database can be very expensive, time consuming and frustrating.

Yes It happened to me, I did not back up my database,

My server crashed and like you I assumed that my provider would have backed everything up.

But NO they don’t, some do, but lots simply leave it to their customers.

So what can be done, well you could go into all your databases, everyday or maybe weekly and back up your database, If of course you know how to access your database with phpadmin and you know how to back up your database, and you all so know how to restore it should you need to……

Or you could use a simple easy to use software that will back up each and every database you have daily, and at the press of a button restore your database for you.

Sounds good, where do you find an expensive bit of software to do that for you?

Well I was so shocked at losing my data, I took the time and trouble to find a software that will do just that, but at a very low cost, yes that’s right low cost, my database backup generator software will do all that for you and at low cost, check out it out today at www.databasebackup.co.uk http://www.databasebackup.co.uk read my own sorry story, check out my video that shows just how easy it is to use and you will be pleasantly surprised at how affordable my database backup generator really is.

Ian Levings
www.databasebackup.co.uk http://www.databasebackup.co.uk

Ian Levings is the webmaster for several succesfull websites,

SPACE.com - A NASA spacecraft is set to make the closest flyby yet ofan icy moon of Saturn on Thursday.

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If you’ve been using credit cards for a while now and have a good reputation for paying your bills on time, it’s time to consider applying for a high-tier credit card with rewards and incentives, like frequent flyer miles! And luckily you have dozens of options for custom cards designed primarily for travelers.

A variety of airline credit cards are available. Depending on the frequency that you travel and your uses for credit, you’re sure to find a plan that’s just right for you. Simply investigate your options and explore the details of the various offers out there!

Here’s an overview of the offers you might find appealing. After you’ve chosen one that you like and reviewed the terms and conditions, you can even apply online for credit card deals and sometimes receive instant online approval to boot.

The Value Miles Platinum Visa Credit Card earns you one Value Mile for each dollar you charge on the card. Once you’ve accumulated 24,000 value miles, you’ve earned an airline ticket to any location in the continental United States. You may also receive other benefits, like travel insurance and emergency cash. The Citi Bank PremierPass Card boasts 0% APR for 12 whole months, and you can earn points for purchases and flying. You will also receive free online services.

The Miles Card from Discover doesn’t have an annual fee, guarantees you 5,000 bonus miles after you make your first purchase, and then gives you one mile for every dollar you spend from thereon. There are also more plans under this card that offer different rewards and features! The Continental Airlines World Mastercard awards 15,000 bonus miles after your first purchase and like with the other cards, it gives you a mile for every dollar purchase.

Blue Sky from American Express allows you to redeem points for airline, hotel, rental car, and cruise purchases. Every dollar you spend earns you a point. There is no annual fee and you will even benefit from introductory 0% APR. Other benefits of Blue Sky are travel accident insurance and return protection.

These cards are just some of the more moderate plans you can apply for. United Mileage Plus Platinum Visa Card offers as much as 17,500 bonus miles, two miles for every dollar spent, free travel certificates and all the benefits of a Platinum Business Card.

If you’re looking for a way to save money on airline travel, then look no further than these credit cards! Why not apply? Credit card offers like this are enormously beneficial.

Certainly each card will get you different mileage, so you’ll simply have to consider how high an interest rate you are willing to pay and how much traveling you plan to do.

Chris McCullough is the founder of CreditcardSuperstar.com, a credit card shopping service which allows consumers to shop, compare and apply for low interest rate credit cards online. The leading site offers over 75 different credit cards from Discover, Chase, American Express and other top banks and financial institutions. A free report on how to get the best credit card and avoid common mistakes is available at www.creditcardsuperstar.com http://www.creditcardsuperstar.com .

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If we’re lucky our parents will live well into their 80s or 90s. Right and if they get sick we’ll look after them day and night, wrong.

We’ll get help and hope that they like millions of other aging folks won’t fall prey to that horrible monster of today and yesterday, that predator who moves into their life and takes it over, undue influence. We all call it, a housekeeper, a butler, a friend or a lover. They all have the same pattern and if we don’t pay careful attention to the everyday life of our loved one, they could soon become victims.

The pattern, yes, movie in, move it out, the will gets changed, the bank gets changed, no more Dr. Smith, Dr. Feel Good in his place. Bank accounts get new signature cards and the family lawyer is replaced by Mr. MyPenny, ESQ. who just happenst o be the attorney of our predator. They come in all shapes and sizes, Mr., Miss, or Mrs. All with one thing in common and one thing in mind, to get what is righfully yours, legally and fastidiously put into their name.

What can you do? Pay attention. Visit Aunt Tessie. Call your mom or dad and insist on speaking to them. Never mind they don’t feel well enough to talk forget that trick. Use tricks of your own, Put her/him on the phone or I’ll be there in an hour. Check with the bank if there have been recent changes on the account. And by all means any suspicious behavior and you must call an accredited private investigator. The savings of life and assets will be well worth it.

LAURA LANFIELD is the author of the new book, BAIL BONDS BABYlON ( www.LauraLanfield.com http://www.LauraLanfield.com ) and has been one of the most sought-after and successful female private investigators in the country for over 25 years.

AP - Greg Oden announced his delayed arrival to the NBA with a dunk two minutes into the preseason.

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Adware can be basically defined as software that tracks your activities on the Internet so that it can trigger off pop-up ads and other marketing-related actions. The Internet has many free adware removal tools, which can help you run a scan to remove adware.

When your computer slows down and behaves strangely, chances are you have adware installed. You didn’t ask for it, but neither did you ask for new toolbars, websites you don’t recognize, continuous popups! Read on to know just how annoying and dangerous adware can be.

Adware doesn’t let your computer respond quickly to your commands. When you click to go to a website, it takes you elsewhere and you wonder why. Adware presents you with toolbars you never asked for and keeps adding strange new websites to your favorite folder so that it looks like you gave it permission to be there. Here’s the worst part - it steals your personal information, spies on you and sells this information to advertisers who can then irritate you with a flood of advertisements that they think you are interested in.

Nobody Is Spared From Adware

Practically every computer that connects to the Internet has loads of spyware and adware getting into it, collecting confidential information from the user. This can be in the form of information about browsing habits, or more serious threats like spying on your credit card number, and other personally identifiable information so that it can misuse it and put you in danger.

Adware can be basically defined as software that tracks your activities on the Internet so that it can trigger off pop-up ads and other marketing-related actions. It installs components in your system without your being aware of it so that it can collect personal data like surfing habits and other demographics. Saying no when adware asks you has nothing to do with what it does. It just goes right ahead and installs itself in your system.

In recent times, adware and spyware have been evolving so fast that it is more than adware removal tool manufacturers can do to keep up with them. Adware poses a major security risk to any computer and every user must make it a point to ensure that he or she runs a scan to clear their systems from adware and spyware. The Internet has many free adware removal tools, which can help you do this. But you’ve got to be cautious in selecting a reliable vendor. There’s every chance that a vendor who promises to remove all the adware from your computer will do just the opposite - that is, install more spyware and adware. Reliable adware removal tools can protect you against unwanted intruders like adware in your system.

Look around and compare the features of various paid adware removal tools available. While some free adware removal software will only scan your computer and present you with the results, they won’t actually clean it from your computer until you buy it. Beware of this ruse.

Arvind Singh is admin and technical expert associated with development of computer security and performance enhancing software like Registry Cleaner, Window Cleaner, Anti Spam Filter etc. More information can be found at www.pcmantra.com http://www.pcmantra.com

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My husband loves playing golf and I am myself am pretty decent at the sport. So it was a given that we would be playing a few rounds in Orlando. We had a chance to sample a number of golf courses first-hand and got a personal appreciation of the great number and variety of golf courses in the Orlando area.

I had a chance to talk with Mike Jamison from Golf Orlando to get a better overview of the extensive golf facilities that the Orlando area has to offer.

1. Orlando is not only the world’s No. 1 vacation destination, but it is also called Golf’s Ultimate Theme Park . Please tell us more about that.

Isn’t it interesting how sometimes the most obvious answer to a tough question is sitting right before your eyes, yet it takes you days, months, even years to see it?

Officials of the marketing co-op GolfOrlando realized that recently when they finally nailed the perfect marketing tag line for their 25-course organization.

For years the group had wrestled with various themes that might set Orlando apart from its competition in the golf destination wars. Then one day a member asked a question - “What is Orlando known for?”

The obvious answer? Theme parks. Orlando is the world’s No. 1 vacation destination, and the incredible collection of theme parks plays the leading role.

It was at that moment that the perfect theme line crystallized - “GolfOrlando - Golf’s Ultimate Theme Park.”

It is a nice fit not only because of the foundation of Orlando’s vacation pitch - theme parks - but also because it reflects the incredible diversity of the Central Florida golf landscape. Golf in Orlando provides its own type of outdoor adventure.

2. Please tell us about the types of golf courses that are available in the Orlando area.

Looking for a taste of the U.K.? How about Royal St. Cloud, where every hole transfers you to the fabled courses of the British Isles, and where the 2004 and 2005 British Junior Amateur was conducted? Try a couple of very popular Ron Garl designs for a Scottish touch. Eagle Creek, located near the Orlando International Airport, offers open, rolling fairways, large, undulating greens and those dangerous revetted bunkers that dot the landscape in Scotland. Eagle Creek was recently ranked among the top 10 new courses of the decade in Florida by Golf Travel & Leisure, and is the first par 73 course in Orlando and the first to use Mini Verde greens.

On the north side of Orlando is Timacuan Golf & Country Club, ranked as high as No. 14 in Florida by one statewide publication. Its front side offers up a true taste of Scotland, while the back 9 takes on a more Carolinas low Country feel. Hole 2, a long water-dominated par 4, was recently named the 2nd most difficult hole in Central Florida by an area publication. Timacuan is a locals’ favorite.

A very similar routing by Arnold Palmer awaits you on the south side of town. The Legends at Orange Lake opened in 1998 and features a Scottish style front nine (The Links) and a tree-lined back nine (The Pines). The feature holes are the 610-yard 4th on the Links nine and the 432-yard 13th, called the Island Oak.

In need of drama? How about Diamond Players Club in Clermont, where the elevation changes are so spectacular that the track is often referred to as “Florida’s mountain course.” You’ll need to buckle up when tackling Mystic Dunes’ green complexes. They offer up slopes that drop as much as 10 feet, and you might find an elephant’s trunk poking out of a few serious mounds. Also, several of the fairways feature whiskey barrel bunkers as guideposts. This Gary Koch-designed course personifies the word “adventure,” as does Highlands Reserve, a roller coaster-like golf experience with elevation changes of 120 feet and dramatic scenery. Further south on Highway 27 is Steve Smyers’ Southern Dunes, another course that features elevation change uncommon in Central Florida. Combined with the abundance and creativity of the bunkering, it is easy to understand while Southern Dunes is ranked among the To 100 Modern Day Courses” by Golfweek.

Excitement? Falcon’s Fire by Rees Jones has a couple of thrillers, especially its cape hole, the par 4 13th. This one dares you to bite off more than you can chew, and while it is tempting to rip a big tee shot toward the green, the money play is to safely land your ball into the slender fairway utilizing a more forgiving angle and a fairway wood.

If you are a traditionalist, the options are boundless. Shingle Creek is the newest of the traditional Florida layouts, bordered by dense oaks and pines in a backdrop along historic Shingle Creek. Location is another benefit as it rests near the major tourist areas. Harmony is a Johnny Miller design that falls into this category. Its’ strength lies in the greens complexes that feature angular bunkering creating a variety of challenging pin placements. Ridgewood Lakes provides a beautiful cruise through the hardwoods off Highway 27, and tops off the journey with an awesome finishing hole.

How about a stroll though nature? Stonegate Golf Club, designed by Ron Garl, rests upon 3,300 acres of pristine wetlands, woodlands and 100-year-old oak hammocks, and places the emphasis on the short game. Mike Dasher’s North Shore looks as if it should be located deep in the country as it sits comfortably amidst lush surroundings, yet it is conveniently located seven miles from Orlando International Airport. Diamondback, a Joe Lee design located in Haines City, was carved from 240 acres of virgin forest and offers dramatically rolling fairways bordered by dense trees, pristine natural wetlands, and well-positioned water hazards.

If convenience is important, MetroWest could be the perfect choice, as it is located near Universal Studios and the International Drive tourist section. It is a Robert Trent Jones Jr. masterpiece that features wide fairways and challenging approach shots. Nearby just off International Drive next to Sea World is Grande Pines, a recently renovated Smyers design that features a number of outstanding risk/reward holes. Celebration Golf Club, located near Walt Disney World, was designed by father Robert Trent Jones Sr. and son Robert Trent Jones Jr. and places emphasis on approach shots.

Is notoriety important to you? ChampionGate’s two courses play host annually to the Office Depot Father/Son Classic, a favorite among dozens of PGA and Senior PGA Tour players. Orange County National has twice hosted the PGA Tour Qualifying School Finals on its two tracks, Panther Lake and Crooked Cat, They offer diverse tests that are good enough to challenge and determine tomorrow’s professional stars.

Some folks enjoy walking out their hotel door straight to the first tee. Orlando offers several choices for stay-and-play buffs, including Hawk’s Landing. Attached to the spectacular Marriott World Center, Hawk’s Landing recently underwent a complete renovation by Robert Cupp. It has water on 15 of the 18 holes and it features its own version of “Amen Corner” - holes 12, 13 and 14.

That small taste gives you an idea of the diversity available through GolfOrlando, truly “Golf’s Ultimate Theme Park.”

3. Please inform us about the golf practice facilities and the teaching professionals that are available in the Orlando area.

Some of the game’s most respected teachers - David Leadbetter, Mike Bender, Rina Ritson, Bill Madonna, Brad Brewer and Fred Griffin to name a few - do their magic in Central Florida.

Orlando is home to some of the nation’s finest practice facilities. The Faldo Institute and Orange County National offer more than just practice tees and greens. The landing areas on their driving ranges resemble true targets and hazards that are found on courses. Tremendous short-game practice areas help better players fine-tune that key part of their games. But the crowning jewel in Orlando are the courses. From top to bottom, Orlando offers the best quality golf of any destination in the world. Nearly every exit off I-4 leads directly to a memorable golf experience, regardless of which side of Orlando you are on.

4. Some of the Orlando area golf courses have achieved top ratings from various golf publications. Please tell us more about that.

Orange County National, host of the 2003 & 2005 PGA TOUR Q-School Finals, was the recipient of Golf Digest’s 4 1/2 Stars for 2000 to 2005. Southern Dunes is rated among the top 100 contemporary courses in America by Golfweek. Orange County National’s Panther Lake is rated 4 1/2 stars by Golf Digest. Award-winning Southern Dunes was voted Top 100 courses in America by Golfweek 1997 - 2001. Celebration Golf Club was rated 4 1/2 stars and in the top three in Central Florida for service and in the top two for course conditioning by Golf Digest’s Best Places to Play 2004 - 2005.

Diamondback Golf Club was recently awarded four stars by Golf Digest’s Places To Play . Victoria Hills Golf Cub open end in 2002, and was recently named by Golf Magazine as a Top 10 You Can Play. Royal St. Cloud Golf Links was rated in the Top 5 Most Underrated Golf Courses in the Orlando area and hosted the 2004 and 2005 British Junior Amateur. Eagle Creek Golf Club was recently named among the Top 10 New Courses since 2000 by Travel & Leisure Magazine.

5. What major golfing events are held in the Orlando area?

The region hosts its share of major competitions - two PGA Tour stops annually (the Bay Hill Invitational in March, hosted by Arnold Palmer; and the Disney Classic at Walt Disney World in October), one LPGA Tour tournament, the PGA Tour Qualifying School Finals, the Buick Scramble National Finals, The Office Depot Father/Son, and a variety of mini tours. A

6. Please tell us about some of the famous golf architects that have put their mark on Orlando golf courses.

The group’s 25 layouts boast the names of a majority of the world’s leading architects - Tom Fazio, Rees and Robert Trent Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Ron Garl, Steve Smyers.

7. What about affordable golf in Orlando?

8. Who are some of the famous golf professionals who have made the Orlando area their home?

Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Annika Sorenstam, Sergio Garcia, Se Ri Pak, Arnold Palmer, Jim Thorpe, Chris Di Marco, Mark O’Meara, Scott Hoch, Nick Faldo, John Cook, Stuart Appleby, Charles Howell III and dozens of others have planted their roots in Central Florida. There is a reason for that, beyond tax implications.

9. In addition to golf, what else does the Orlando area have to offer?

Let’s face it - no region in the country does adventure as well and with as much diversity as Orlando, the world’s No. 1 vacation destination. Theme parks, theme parks and more theme parks. Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, Kennedy Space Center and others have created the face that smiles upon the vacationing world from Central Florida.

The nightlife and restaurants rival those of any other region in the country. Tourists gather at various pockets around Orlando - Universal City Walk, Pleasure Island and International Drive among them. But if you want a feel for how the locals entertain themselves, take a trip to Winter Park Village on the north side of town, where terrific restaurants and clubs will fill your tummy and your night.

10. What about the weather year-round? What about getting to Orlando?

The weather is conducive to golf year-round. Average high daytime temperatures range from 72 in January to 89 in July. Golf can be played and practiced 365 days a year, many of those days featuring clear blue skies, lazy breezes and cool, comfortable nights.

Another significant reason is the ease of travel. Orlando International Airport welcomes direct flights from most major airports around this country and the world. And it is quite simple to drive to Orlando from in or out of state, thanks to a well-planned series of major highways.

11. What accommodation options do golfers have in Orlando?

12. Please tell us a bit more about the golf vacation packages that are offered in Orlando.

13. Some key golf organizations make Orlando their home, please tell us more about that.

The one and only television network devoted 100% to the sport - The Golf Channel - is based in Orlando. Golfweek, a leading trade publication, moved to Orlando about 11 years ago. Meadowbrook Golf, one of the largest golf course management companies, is located here, as is the industry’s leading golf travel company, Golfpac. The industry’s only media/ business networking organization, the International Network of Golf, is also based in Orlando.

Thank you, Mike, for providing a great practical overview of Orlando as a first-rate golf destination.

This entire article including photos is located at www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/orlando_golf.htm http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/orlando_golf.htm

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of www.travelandtransitions.com http://www.travelandtransitions.com , a web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand new www.travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html http://www.travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html FREE ebooks about travel.

Born without legs, Kevin Connolly snaps photos of people staring at him — turning the watchers into the watched.

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