- Posted by Fingers Wolfenstein on May 14, 2008
Bingo calls have added an extra layer of entertainment to the game for decades, though the growth of Internet Bingo means their importance is slowly declining. Many people play the game, be it online or in the flesh, but have little or no idea what they many of these mean, apart from those that simply rhyme with the number. Here is a selection of bingo calls along with explanations of what they mean.
2. One Little Duck: So called because, if you look closely, it is possible to see the shape of a swan within the number two.
3. One Little Flea: In a similar vein, this is supposed to be a description of the shape of the number three, which by all accounts resembles a flea.
10. Gordon’s Den: Refers to 10 Downing Street and so this bingo call changes every time the Prime Minister changes.
17. Dancing Queen: Refers to the Abba song where the lyrics refer to somebody by that age.
26. Bed and Breakfast: To stay a night at a B&B used to cost “two and six”.
37. A Flea In Heaven: The flea refers to the number three, while the heaven denotes number seven, as in “seventh heaven”.
56. Was She Worth It?: It is unclear, but there is a possibility that this call refers to a man of fifty six years old who has been married to somebody for many years.
72. Par For The Course: The par for the average golf course is 72.
The growth of the
UK Online Bingo, with examples including sites such as Mecca Bingo, means bingo is now easier to play and more popular than ever before. Bingo calls may have passed their heyday, but the game of bingo has been rejuvenated by the internet and seems more popular than ever.
- Posted by Sylvia Platypus on May 10, 2008
Here’s one scenario: You buy new bedroom furniture for a discount from an online store like ASDA Furniture and decide to sell your old set in the local classifieds. A scammer selects your ad and contacts you, agreeing to buy your furniture. The “buyer” sends a cashier’s cheque or a money order that is counterfeit in an amount that is more than the furniture actually costs. They include a note, stating a reason for the overpayment of money. Sometimes they will cite the reasoning as compensation for your trouble, as a mistake, or request you send the difference in price be sent to a third party via a wire transfer service. They may claim the third party has been hired to pick up the furniture.
The Domino Effect
So now you are happy you have sold your old furniture plus maybe scored a little extra cash in the process. You don’t question the third party fee, which you happily wire right away so the furniture can be moved. The fees you incur you consider to be minor, since you just made some extra money. You deposit the check or money order into you bank and forget about it for a few days. The furniture movers pick up the furniture and life goes back to normal.
The next thing you know, your bank is contacting you to say the cheque was a fraud and you are now responsible for paying any fees associated with the bounced cheque. You are also no longer have the furniture. You only realize now that you have been the victim of a scam. This scam can cost an average between £1,500 and £2,000 depending on the amount of the counterfeit check. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. Banks could potentially close your accounts for mismanagement, which can lead to a financial disaster. Additionally, you could face problems for years to come, trying to establish a new bank account elsewhere. The ChexSystem, which is a database that lists the names of people who have had issues managing their bank accounts. Much like a credit report, a negative mark on your ChexSystem report will remain with you for many years – 5 to be exact.
Worse Case Scenario
There is also the possibility of facing criminal charges or arrested if there is any reason to believe you had prior knowledge of the check authenticity and still made the deposit. This can sometimes be hard to prove otherwise because schemes as such are becoming more common. It is so important to guard our identity and stay on top of the list of scams. If you have been scammed or even suspect something is amiss and potentially fraudulent, contact your local authorities and get advice on what to do. Do not leave yourself open to any kind of scam by thinking it cannot happen to you. Take a look at the Home Office website for more on how to avoid fraud.
- Posted by Jonny Sclerosis on May 9, 2008
Marginal until now in the world of sports betting, women are becoming key players in the gambling community – on the Internet. Online betting is becoming more and more popular with the fairer sex, providing an arena of anonymity where no one needs feel intimidated because of their age, sex or background. Indeed, all kinds of people from all walks of life have recently been getting in on the game. After all, it is arguable that there is no need to be an expert in the sports field to make some money if you can manage to get a good grasp on estimates, statistics, and tracking down quality information. Women, however, are statistically taking the lead. According to British government research, as many as thirty per cent of visitors to UK based betting websites during the last World cup were women. With over 2,300 of similar sites worldwide, the trend doesn’t seem likely to die down.
It is not just on the bettor’s side that women are becoming more prominent. Women’s sports are playing an increasingly important role in the global sporting community, not least as a focus in the online betting scene. In tennis, for instance, veritable superstars such as Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have been stealing the attention from their male counterparts for years. Having faced an age of under-representation in the media, (the Women’s Sport Foundation of the United Kingdom reported that in 2006 only 4.6 per cent of seven prominent UK newspaper articles were devoted to women’s sport), the internet offers a new lease of life for a legion of uncelebrated female athletes. With more women competing and more women betting, the male monopoly on the sports industry may well loosen its grip. After all, as they said in the seventies – one in every two men is a woman.
- Posted by Sylvia Platypus on April 30, 2008
Flowers are a symbolic and culturally important way to express your thoughts or feelings on any occasion. For centuries the tradition of giving flowers and herbs as a gift has formed part of the tapestry of our daily lives. Important enough to have been given its own name, the language of flowers is an unspoken one, where scent, bloom and colour can represent lots of wonderful sentiments to the recipient.
Roses, lilies, orchids, tulips, freesias and gerberas all have meanings that have endured from ancient times:
Roses
With the strongest of all symbolic traditions we all know that the red rose means love and romance, but did you know that a yellow rose is representative of friendship. The pink rose symbolises beauty in the language of flowers and the cream rose seduction. The cabbage rose blooms only once a year and is said to be the “ambassador of love” as a result of its relative rarity.
Lilies
Lilies are another of the flowers that are still popular as bouquets. White lilies are said to denote purity,
and the yellow lily suggests the rather Romantic idea, 'I'm walking on air'. Tiger lilies represent pride and wealth whereas the calla lily simply expresses beauty.
Orchids
Orchids are the Chinese symbol for fertility and as a result are often found in new baby bouquets. Orchids are also said to be representative of a beautiful lady; another reason why you will find orchids in bouquets celebrating a new birth for a little girl.
Tulips
Tulips are linked with many facets of love. The tulip itself is said to represent the perfect lover and different colours give subtle new meanings. Red tulips are a declaration of love and yellow tulips state that the giver is hopelessly in love.
Freesias
An interesting gamut of expressions the freesia represents - it is said to express everything from innocence to calm, to passion and love itself. The meaning of the bloom is heightened and embellished by the other blossoms around it.
Gerberas
The gerbera is an unusually communicative flower in that the colour changes the meaning completely. A red bloom tells of being in love, a white of innocence a yellow states 'I'll try harder to win you' while an orange gerbera speaks of sunshine and of lighting up the giver's life.
If you’re unsure about exactly what flower means, then check out Interflora’s website – they have a very useful online service for buying flowers. Failing that, there is, of course, your local florist to put you in the right direction...
- Posted by Jonny Sclerosis on April 25, 2008
The age old adage states that in order to look your best, you should choose an outfit to match your eyes. This used to be considered by women the world over the best way to figure out which dress to wear on that all important date. In the realms of the modern age however, it has become quite possible to reverse this idea and for it to still work!
No one would have believed 30 years ago that contact lenses would have become such a major part of the film and fashion industries - these days it seems that most sci-fi or horror films would not be complete without a pair of coloured lenses appearing at some point. Ever since the soft lens became the king of the contacts as a result of popularity and comfort, technology has evolved so far as to give us the choice to have patterns and even pictures - or both - on our eyes.
Most online stockists of contact lenses like Vision Direct offer a range of colours that will do everything from enhance a person’s natural colour, to changing its hue ever so slightly upon wearing. These kinds of lenses are a good way of creating an illusion of intensely blue eyes for the purposes of a one off photo shoot for example.
It is of course harder to disguise brown eyes for lighter coloured eyes. For this kind of transformation try frequency coloured lenses. These are stronger in colour than other kinds but won’t look as obvious when placed over a brown iris. The only downside with radical changes in colour like this is that sometimes slippage can occur, revealing your true colour. This will be all the more apparent as the colours are so different.
There are however other stockists such as Eyesbright.com who offer contacts that come in any style (such as the cat range) to any colour, from white out to mirrored effect! Choose to heighten your Halloween costume to the maximum fear factor or simply for a fancy dress party, contacts like these are of the soft type and need not even have a prescription attached to them. It is even possible to get specialised lenses that cover the whole eye, called scleral lenses fitted. These are more often than not found in the film industry and require a professional fitting as well as creation by specialised Optometrists. The cost also tends to run into £100s of pounds for these lenses as they are so specialised.
Most types of contact lenses types offer colour ranges so that everyone has the choice of changing or enhancing their natural eye colour and buying online is often considerably cheaper than buying through your Optician. Look out for brand name sites such as ASDA Contact Lenses, who offer the choice of the basic colour range and who often have offers on types of contact lenses further reducing the overall price.
- Posted by Sylvia Platypus on April 24, 2008
With so many gift recommendation articles written with one gender or age group in mind, I have decided to break with tradition and offer an overview of some of the best and most popular gifts of 2008 that can be enjoyed by any one in your family. There’s something for everyone here, and hopefully some things you can enjoy together too!
1. For the modern dad who needs to keep up to date with all the latest sounds (so as to avoid dancing badly in 20 years time!) try the I-Pod touch from Apple. This has been a seriously underrated bit of kit since the launch of the I-Phone, but now with up to 36GB of memory, this latest version of the original and most revolutionary audio device of recent times rocks even more than before.
2. For all the family we suggest a Wii. Yes, yes we do know that these are like gold dust to find, but once you’ve tried one you’ll know why. Massively addictive and inclusive of all ages, just watching your family playing and wiggling around the room is enough to keep anyone amused!
3. For cheeky kids who dont care for bath time, we suggest Gelli Baff. This amusing novelty gift is fab for kids that are reluctant to get in the bath- turning the water to goo which is both safe and fun, little ones will find its sickly appeal to much to resist.
4. For your Little Miss Has It All, Sony have introduced a limited editon Walkman which is available in a range of colours including a very Barbie shade of pink. Perfect for your little Miss, this great gadget also boasts a removable cap that sports real Swarovski crystals.
5. Gadget hungry teen age boys will love the latest in eco-friendly technology; this multi function digital clock is one of the great birthday gifts from Notonthehighstreet and runs on a water-powered replacable battery. It’s a fantastic new way to save on energy and features include a countdown timer, temperature gauge, and multiple alarm settings.
6. Lastly on our list of fun things to invest in, how about a digital photo frame? Our favorite is the 15” Living Images Memory View Black Digital Photo Frame with 512MB of internal memory. This particlualr model plays videos and music in addition to showing off your most precious moments and has full connectablilty to PC and Macs. You could also go for the more traditional family photo books option – take a look at ASDA Photos for this.
- Posted by Fingers Wolfenstein on April 24, 2008
How to find a gift that's different from all the others… In these days where life has to be fitted around long hours at work as well as family commitments, there's often precious little time for breathing space. With little time for yourself and less time for daily chores, how do you find time to seek out the perfect gift? Your intentions may be good but with so much choice and so little time where do you start?
Choosing and buying a gift over the Internet can save hours of traipsing round busy high streets in vain losing more of your little 'me time' and can find you the ideal gift no matter what the occasion is in a matter of minutes. There are plenty of gift selection sites that can help, with the option to choose according to who your gift is for and what the occasion is no matter how specific your brief is. Whether you're looking for a corporate gift to show your appreciation of a valued customer or client, finding something a little bit unusual for mum's birthday or looking to celebrate the birth of a new relation with something out of the ordinary, you're bound to find the right present if you plan ahead.
Before you begin your search for the perfect gift online, think hard about the type of gift you want to give and decide which type of present the recipient would most like to be given. You may still be surprised at what you find, but it's worth having a vague idea behind your search to direct you to the right gift service. If for example you are looking for corporate gifting ideas, there are plenty of services around such as merchandisemania.co.uk that can turn your company’s brand into just about any product you can imagine. Useful as a subtle reminder or thank you to those you wish to retain and likewise there are also specific sites designed by sex, age and even those who have a broad spectrum so you don't even have to look around every time. No matter what you're looking for, there will be a site to help online.
There are so many different types of gift sites around each of which have a selection of gifts to suit just about every taste, for example Not On The High Street, which has gift ideas for every event and every type of person, you can send anything from a bouquet of flowers to a ceramic cabinet knob to make the finishing touches in your loved-one's new house. However, if you really want to go for flowers though, take a look at Interflora’s website. A new gift from Asda's website has emerged and is pretty innovative, and personal. Their photo books can hold up to 40 pages of pictures, that are printed so that the whole thing looks professional.
Each of these sites has a range of gifts that you will not find elsewhere so that whoever you give a gift to will never know where their wonderful present -which was also impeccably gift wrapped - was from. Bookmarking a site with a large choice of presents can save you hours of searching and keep everyone in your circle of loved ones happy too in one simple click. Happy shopping!
- Posted by Admin on April 11, 2008
You may or may not be aware, but when you pat a little of your favourite Hugo Boss fragrance in the morning before work, the scent will shift according to the air’s temperature and to the warmth of your skin and become more, or less intense.
The alcohol in perfume is what causes the fragrance and your skin to have a chemical reaction, so it can change personality depending on the temperature of your pulse-points.
This applies to buying in summer or in winter, as it isn’t just the ambience that changes; your body temperature does too.
It is for this reason that a range of perfumes promoted in the winter months will be darker and heavier, compensating for the cold weather. As summer kicks in, the less potent your perfume needs to be and you‘ll find your body’s natural warmth brings out the heart of the scent.
Throughout the summer days you’ll want to wear something light and flowery; a perfume that stays fresh and doesn’t overwhelm, which is why you may frequently find summer fragrances boasting of airy citrus and zesty layers. As winter nears, you’ll notice perfumes are composed of jasmine and amber notes to keep it musky and to stay strong on your skin as it cools down.
Finding the right perfume is a process that requires some trying and testing. Dab a little onto your pulse-points and let it absorb into the warmth of your skin to see how it works with your own odour. If you need some guidance look no further than the bottles. They usually promote themselves as a day or night fragrance and campaigns will target the months of summer or winter. Escada is a brand that has always dealt in luxury and their latest fragrance – Escada Moonsparkle – is perfect for summer nights. As the summer approaches it is worth investing in a scent that does allow for humidity, especially for those Mediterranean summer holidays when a little bit of Moonsparkle will go a long way.
Most of these perfumes buff -up their campaigns with free perfume samples, which you can take-away and see if you notice the difference between its day-time and night-time aromas.
- Posted by Admin on March 19, 2008
Barack Obama is evens favourite to be next US President
These days online betting has moved into the world of politics and avid punters can now apply their betting wisdom to political matters and predict the next London Mayor, President of the United States or British Government. Right now the focus is on the Democratic Nominee for US Presidential candidate and, with its ups and downs, this contest has provided no shortage of interest for the sports betting fan.
According to seasoned political commentators, a really interesting and hard to call election only comes around once every twenty years or so and the forthcoming American Presidential Election offers exactly that. The Republican era was thought to be coming to an close with the end of George Bush’s two terms but a late surge for the republican candidate, John McCain, has revealed him to be almost neck and neck with whichever Democratic candidate is put forward, be it Hilary Clinton or Barack Obama.
Until recently it was believed that Barack Obama would give McCain the best run for his money in the election, but this appears to have changed. Now Hilary would be only one point away from Obama if either were pitted against McCain. This means that the hard fought, and increasingly bitter, contest for the Democratic candidature may yet take another twist. Barack had been emerging as the front runner with the greater number of delegates, while Hilary was winning the more influential states. Only time will reveal the strength of prejudice America ultimately has towards the choice of a woman or a black man for president but this, and the perception of Hilary as being more of the same while Obama will bring change, makes the whole race a fascinating one.
Over here in London, a slightly more farcical but no less unpredictable race is occurring for the position of Mayor of London. The incumbent, Ken Livingstone, lover of newts, is seen by some as a left wing, slightly arrogant man who seems to have moved strangely to the right in recent times. He is sometimes regarded as too inclined towards increasing taxation and a free-spender of public money.
Boris Johnson, the flaxen-haired Conservative, on the other hand, presents himself as a bit of a buffoon who cannot be taken seriously. Despite this he has made something of a recovery just lately and has become the favourite of online betting fans. Perhaps he is perceived as a figure that will be an enormous source of amusement for us all during his term in office. Either way, testing your judgemental prowess on these matters makes a change from other, more conventional forms of betting and tests your perception of public opinion to the limit.
There are many sites on the Internet to help you make a decision, with inside stories, gossip and statistics galore. Many online betting sites, such as my own favourite, Blue Square offer odds on political questions and there are lots of free bets offers from various sites for newly registering customers. Sites such as Free Betting Online will guide you to the site most suited to your particular needs.
Current Odds from Blue Square Online Betting
Next President
Barack Obama evens
John McCain 13/8
Hilary Clinton 7/2
Democratic Nomination
Barack Obama 2/7
Hilary Clinton 5/2
- Posted by Admin on March 4, 2008
The advent of online betting has transformed the world of gambling in this country. No longer do you peer out of the window on a rainy day and wonder if it’s worth heading off down to the bookies for a flutter. Deciding it’s not worth the hassle you sink into the armchair to watch the race or match and comfort yourself with the thought that there’d be nowhere to park anyway and the boss might have seen you slinking through the plastic curtains, a dog-eared copy of Sporting Life tucked under your arm.
Not any more. Now it’s feet up, laptop poised and a vast array of online betting available at the touch of a button. If you suddenly fancy a horse in the next race you just break out the credit card, type in your favourite online betting site like Blue Square or William Hill, punch in a few details and you’re up and running, often with a free bet of £20 or more to start you off. And if you get stuck there’s a plethora of online betting portals that should help you to find the right site for your needs together with the best offers.
These days it’s not just about the horses and dogs either. As well as just about every sport played on the planet today, you can get to grips with who’s going to be the next President, the winner of X-Factor, whether it will snow on Christmas Day or if that really is Elvis working down the chip shop. Information to help you in your predictions is available in the form of stats, gossip, analysis and inside stories, often from impressively well-informed online sites.
New forms of betting have been devised allowing you to predict various aspects of a match or event such as when the first goal will be scored or how many runs will be made by a batsman or side in a cricket match. Perhaps the most imaginative, and the most hair-raising, is the introduction of spread betting. Here’s how it works. The bookie proposes that the first goal in a football match will occur after 41 minutes.
You think it will happen sooner but your mate recons it will be later in the game. You bet a pound low at, say, 32 minutes and he goes with a pound, high, at 65 minutes. The game starts and the first goal happens after 56 minutes. Your mate wins the difference between 41 minutes and 65 minutes and a pound for each minute so he takes £24 while you lose the difference between 32 and 41 which is £9. This form of betting is not for the faint-hearted and you should only risk what you can afford to lose. It’s exciting though!
The advent of live betting means that you can get stuck into an event at any point and get the latest odds as things progress. This means you can be involved right to the end as things heat up and excitement builds. And it’s even more fun when you grab a few cans, phone some friends and turn it into a party.