How the Pet Shipping Scams Work

A pet lover sees an ad somewhere offering a pet for an unusually low price because the pet owner can no longer keep the pet due to the owner having moved to an African country where the climate is not suitable to the pet’s health. Other variations on this involve financial hardship, an unexpected move for employment, or that the pets’ lives are in peril from being abandoned. When these ads appear online, they look like legitimate websites and feature pictures of the pet mentioned in the ad, increasing the likeliness of a successful scam.

The pet lover responds to the ad and receives an email from a seemingly legitimate email address requesting a low sum of money, usually just over $100. Upon receipt of the money wire, the scammers generally request additional money for pet shipping insurance and customs processing costs. Because they have already wired money, victims are inclined to send additional funds to hedge their initial investment and help the animal. But once the funds are sent, no pets are shipped and the seller does not respond to any additional correspondence.

How to Avoid Pet Shipping Fraud

There are a number of red flags which should alert pet lovers to the nature of these scams, but their judgment is often clouded by their fondness for animals. To avoid becoming a victim, look for these warning signs:

- Wiring Money to an Overseas Address–Usually the scams involve sending money to Nigeria, Cameroon, or another African country.

- Unusually Low Prices–Purebred breeds and hard-to-find animals are usually offered at prices well below the market value.

- Follow-Up Requests for More Money–Once a modest sum has been sent, victims usually receive a reply shortly thereafter requesting a larger amount of money.

- Refundable Pet Insurance–Short-term pet insurance for over $1000 that will supposedly be refunded when the pet arrives is requested.

If you have fallen victim to these scams, you’re not alone. Hundreds of pet lovers have unwittingly become victims to pet shipping Internet fraud and the Council of Better Business Bureaus and American Kennel Club have issued warnings about it. Other than reporting the fraud to the authorities, there’s little that can be done about recouping the money, but legitimate pet shipping companies are doing their best to alert pet lovers from becoming new victims.

Rick Powell is with the pet shipping company Animals Away. Animals Away is a pet and anmial shipping and pet transportation company. Please visit our website at http://www.animalsaway.com for more information.

Car travel contributes a large chuck of Europe’s C02 limits, with individual car journeys being one of the most straight forward areas that people can address if they wish to reduce their carbon footprint. Carbon emissions, despite increased public awareness on the issue of climate change, have continued to rise across the EU. Britain looks likely to meet its Kyoto targets, however emissions from aviation and shipping, as well as other forms of transport, are not including in this carbon balance sheet, a fact which leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of many environmental campaigners.

In fact, transport in the EU was responsible for just under 30% of all emissions in 2006, an increase of 35% on 1990’s level. The assumption that car manufacturers, consumers and politicians, in being well informed about climate change, will naturally act to reduce emissions is clearly wayward. Transport and the Environment highlight the fact that the 14 biggest car manufacturers in the EU still have to reduce engine emissions by 17% to reach the EU’s 2012 targets.

Transport and Environment’s report does not place responsibility solely at the door of the giant motor industry. It also found that car buyers were unwilling, as yet, to take the effort into leaving behind their penchant for gas guzzling past models in favour of low-emission, more environmentally friendly vehicles. A change in consumer culture would surely drive a response from the manufactures, who are, after all, as eager to meet the most up-to-date aspirations of their target demographic.

With motor magazines and television programmes still dominated by an outmoded, puerile appetence for speedy and sex y cars, it seems unlikely that this change in culture is anywhere close to arriving.

The fact that many car adverts now tout their emissions levels gives some cause for hope, as it suggests that, at the very least, people are aware of the environmental issues that are so inherent with driving.

Whilst consumers are currently left to their own free will when considering their next car purchase, the manufactures are, in theory, being forced to alter the carbon emissions of their current models thanks to EU legislation, legislation that is expected to become more stringent in the immediate future.

The German manufacturer BMW was identified by the report as having made an effective step toward the goal of reducing the negative impacts that their cars have. In 2007 the manufacturer managed to cut the emissions of its entire fleet by just over 7%, through an engineering process designed to reduce carbon emissions.

Overall though the German car industry has been one of the most vocally opposed groups to influence its domestic politicians. Thanks to intensive lobbying Agela Merkel, their chancellor, has made a compromise with Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, to reduce the penalties that car manufacturers will incur if they break the legislation. They also discredited the need for immediate efforts to be made to halt climate change by phasing in, rather than just introducing, target emissions, proof, if proof were needed, that politicians and businesspeople should be kept as far apart as gunpowder and naked flames.

Matt Gammie is a writer for Ecoswitch

But talk before and during the games signaled Beijing as a particularly special Olympics because of the political resonance of the event; the various political divisions that many see as characterising China as a nation state, including their human rights record, their dominance in trade, and their continuing commitment to the ‘One Party State’. Indeed it has been difficult over the last year to avoid discussion of the integrity of Beijing and the Chinese government, and whether their domestic and international policies represent a nation that was worthy of holding an international event with the stature of the Olympics.

That argument manifested itself quite cogently in the months before the event, in the coverage of the nation’s environmental efforts, mostly because journalists could make an obvious connection between Chinese national policy and the health of the Olympic athletes, rendering the broader political interest in the games as directly relative to the sport itself.

Armed with the humanist metaphor of the Olympic games and its association with fairness, equality of opportunity and the quest for human excellence, the world’s media set about a deconstruction of China’s ideologies and intentions, using the environment as its motif; the most fashionable topics on the planet, CO2 emissions, global warming, and climate change, were a fitting combination of concepts that could be used to attack a nation that many believe to be unethical on a number of fronts.

That began in earnest with discussions on the measures that Beijing had put in place since its Olympic bid in 2001, of which a majority of Western journalists deemed there were little; indeed many claim that it was only in the short term that China has made any difference to its environmental performance, when it closed hundreds of harmful factories and removed an estimated 1.5m cars from its roads.

Critics simply claimed that it was ‘too little, too late’, and used environmental policy as a case in point for what they believe to be China’s disregard for individual and national welfare, and the international community at large. For skeptics, it was a key battle that China had lost; they had not used the Olympics as a way to develop sustainable infrastructures for the improvement of the nation’s environment and ecosystems, just as it had not matched its successful Olympic bid with a more co-operative foreign or human rights policy, as critics argued they had shown over Tibet, of which there was much media coverage in the countdown to the games.

What Beijing 2008 has shown us, then, is that the environment is just as important as a concept as it is in reality; the importance of climate change, global warming and CO2 emissions to the media and the general public at large has grown so considerably that it is the chief political tool in the discussion, promotion and criticism of countries, companies and politicians.

That combination of the metaphorical and the actual is a powerful combination indeed.

Chris Woolfrey is an expert on Chinese domestic and foreign policy, and specializes in environmental issues. He writes for http://www.ecoswitch.com

Indeed Beijing alone was registered with an estimated population of 12.8m in 2007, and some of the world’s other mega cities register more highly still; Tokyo, with its agglomerations Yokohama, Kawasaki and Saitama included, marked a total population of 33.6m, and Seoul, Mexico City and New York all have respective agglomerate populations of 23.4m, 22.4m and 21.9m respectively.

Beijing, then, has more than half the population as a city in its own right as New York has with its agglomerations Newark and Paterson, which is why its environmental and CO2 emissions policy was so heavily reported during the Olympics as a perfect case in point for the effect of mega cities on climate change, CO2 emissions and global warming.

Why, though, are mega cities so important to the problem of climate change? First, they are useful and practical when we are analysing the debate; with large populations, the more extreme results that they produce can be seen as a microcosm of effects in the world at large, making investigation of them fruitful and pertinent. Second, their investigation is warranted based on the fact that - as mega cities with large populations - they are some of the highest contributors to world CO2 emission levels, meaning that climate change and CO2 emissions cannot be separated from the growth of mega cities; the two concepts are interdependent.

A third, perhaps less pivotal but still important factor, is the prevalence of mega cities as cultural leaders. Cities like New York, Tokyo or Beijing are in many ways the ‘crowning glory’ of human society; population in such cities grow because they have the benefit of government spending and private investment, so that they are often the cities with the most impressive technological or social advances, and are often indeed the places where new concepts and initiatives are piloted. That status makes them some of the places on which new environmental policy might wish to be tested. As they contribute to CO2 emissions, it seems, they are looking to limit them.

Mega cities, then, have a paradoxical relationship with the environment;as centres of excellence, populations have flocked to them, and as cities they have flourished. But as culture and economy has grown, and as populations have grown with them, mega cities have naturally become some of the world’s biggest polluters; with CO2 emissions being performed almost solely by humans, and populations in mega cities growing as these mega cities improve, they cannot fail to contribute to growing concerns of over climate change.

So the mega city is very much the keeper of a double edged sword. They at once represent the brilliance of human endeavour, in architecture, arts and technology - including, for example, the most recent Olympic games - but they also show how destructive the genius of the collective human mind can be; as mega cities grow, for that relationship to be overturned, we will perhaps have to think of a new set of terms for the achievement of brilliance.

Chris Woolfrey is the expert on the environment and city growth at http://www.ecoswitch.com, the social networking site.

More recently these historical women’s organizations have turned a blind eye to the plight of women in the non-Western world. The basic human rights and freedoms that are taken for granted in our country are being systematically denied to women in vast areas of the developing and third world. Some of the worst abuses occur under Islamic Shari’a law. Instead of marches and rallies to demand the rights of their sisters abroad, the modern women’s movement seems to be taking an “I’ve got mine” attitude and have shown little interest in less fortunate women.

This may all be changing.

There is a new breed of feminist that has not lost its way and is demanding action. Lead by the intellectual author and teacher Camille Paglia and outspoken radio personality and author Tammy Bruce, the tide may be turning. These bright and articulate women are using their megaphones to call on all true feminists to return to their traditional role of promoting and protecting the rights of women everywhere.

Recently, Tammy Bruce joined us at a conference addressing the rise of Islamic states and spread of Shari’a law; and she spoke passionately on the plight of woman in the Muslim world. We were fortunate enough to get Tammy to share her views in a short but extremely powerful video. I would recommend you take two minutes and watch this important video by one of America’s new breed of women’s activists.

Some comments from Tammy Bruce:

I’ve found that the obviously right thing (such as assisting in the liberation of people) usually comes with the concomitant benefits—in this instance, remembering our own responsibilities and reawakening the voices and power of American women. The major difference with this 21st century effort, of course, is the authentically universal nature of the call for freedom and liberation. The so-called feminist movement rooted in the 60s was simply a co-option of that sentiment by leftists, which simply rode the back of the oppressed in its search for power, guaranteeing its ultimate abandonment of women and failure in general. Today’s silence of what is left of the American feminist establishment in the face of our extraordinary misogynistic Islamist enemy has been unforgivable.

Here we have a remarkable opportunity to, indeed, reawaken the power of American women, individually acting together as a voice of support and advocacy for women here and internationally. The mission is not complicated—remind the civilized world that the abuse, debasement, and murder of women is unacceptable, whether it be touted as ‘religious,’ a ‘private family matter’ or ‘cultural.’ The templates of understanding exist–oppression of people of color, as an example, is scorned worldwide as barbaric and tyrannical. South Africa reaped outrage from the world after what it had sown with the scourge of Apartheid.

We now face Apartheid of women, all in the name of religion. Just as South Africa’s racist oppression was couched as ‘cultural,’ the Islamist scourge of misogyny is touted as religious in significance. Perhaps in the uncivilized ancient world it was, but as slavery of Africans made way for the decency of the civilized world, so should oppression of women in the name of ‘religion.’

Our challenge is to not take for granted the gifts we have as Americans. American women have a special responsibility, indeed a duty, to use the power of our voices and influence to improve the quality of women’s lives, everywhere.

Foster Friess is a well-known businessman and philanthropist. To read his complete blog visit http://fosterfriess.blogspot.com/ or his webpage at http://www.fosterfriess.com/

No matter how spectacular the house appears after it is renovated and remodeled, if your home is not in a good location then it will always sell for much below what it should because few people will want to live in that particular location.

Focus Your Options

When choosing a home, especially a fixer upper, narrow your choice down to a location in which the home can easily be resold, even if it is years later. You want something convenient for people to drive to, is safe to live, and near conveniences that might interest typical potential buyers.

These types of homes are easier to resell, and will do so at a much higher price if they are located in what people perceive to be a great neighborhood.

Consider Your Individual Tastes

Depending whether you are fixing up the home strictly as an investment or you are planning to live there long term, take into account your own personal preferences when selecting a location. If in fact you want to live outside a major city, you still will need to live close enough to go back and forth quickly without undo strain on your time and vehicle.

Look for Conveniences Close By

If you are strictly buying as an investment, as stated above it is important to have some amenities, businesses, and schools nearby for people who are looking for those types of conveniences. People generally prefer more developed cities, so this ought to be a factor if you are looking at your home for possible resale value. Although you may not personally want to live downtown, you still need proximity to most preferences that are normally important to people.

These include proximity to major highways. If you are so far off the beaten path that people don’t even want to venture out to see the house at all, then you are too far away for the home to have a realistic high resale value.

That being said, don’t go to the other extreme and purchase in a location that is far too crowded. Privacy from neighbors and quiet streets are great selling points as well. People enjoy their privacy, even if they want it nearby to malls, schools, and hospitals.

Health Considerations

Lastly, look at the health concerns existing in certain neighborhoods. By no means should you buy a home that is close to health hazards such as chemical plants, power plants, or polluted areas. People more often than not will not buy near these types of risks regardless of how much you convince them they are safe.

Whether for resale or for your own purposes, the value of a fixer upper will only be as profitable as the neighborhood allows it to be. So be wise and buy in a great, already-established, and prominent neighborhood.

For practical home selling and buying information, please visit www.homes-sell-buy.com, a popular site providing valuable insights about great home locations, home loan rates, and more that will be of value in your search for the perfect home community.

What Can I Find In Addition To The Lab Mix Information On Professor House’s Page?

There is an extensive section on dog health and care. The website highlights several of the more common diseases so you can know what to look for to keep your dog healthy. The website Parvo, a potentially deadly and easily spread virus that can effect all ages of dogs. This disease will primarily affect puppies, so be sure to get your dog vaccinated and watch for early warning signs.

The website also details information on the prevention of all of the different diseases. One of the most overlooked areas of dog care is their dental care. By taking care of their mouths and making sure that they have a healthy mouth you can circumvent and prevent many of the more common diseases. This area is the first area that disease can get in, and if properly maintained your dog should live a long and healthy life.

The web page also gets into information on puppy socialization and how to make you dog happy. The page suggests beginning small and working your way into full socialization. A major factor in how your puppy will respond is your attitude. Maintain a positive attitude and your dog will pick up and see the activities as a positive activity. It is important that you take these steps carefully as doing something wrong here can lead to a major setback that can take a while to overcome. Be sure that you take each new situation carefully and that the environment is controlled. Doing this will ensure that your dog will stay focused on the activity at hand. Also try to ignore any negative actions that your dog does and do not coddle them. Be firm and strong in your approach and you will have positive results.

These are only a couple of the benefits of Professor House’s website. You can search through to find information on a host of different topics. Take a look and see what it can do for you.

Unique Gray Labradors

There are also a few rare gray and silver colored Labradors that actually get their unique coloring as a result of having been cross bred, though this fact is hotly disputed by those who know dog breeds very well. One thing that sets the Labrador dog apart from other breeds is the fact that he makes an ideal companion and this breed is also well known for its lovable nature and the Labrador is also very affectionate towards children and towards adults. He is also a very intelligent breed as well.

The Labrador dog is also sometimes also called the St. John’s Dog and he has, in bygone eras, helped fishermen out at sea. He could jump overboard and help the fishermen as they laid their nets and this trait makes the Labrador dog easy to train otherwise as well. In fact, he is also used in detecting drugs and is used to help blind people as well as the disabled.

Webmaster Ola Norrman of lab-mix gives the viewer detailed information about different diseases common for dogs. One of the most overlooked areas of dog care is their dental care read more as you are ready to purchase a labrador.

Background

The geographical location of Cyprus has made a it favourable location for life and business. The country enjoys 300 days of sunshine throughout the year. Many parts of nature are untouched and preserved, especially in the North. Cyprus has two official languages, Greek and Turkish. English is widely spoken in both sides of the island. The island has expat friendly culture due to many years of tourism, trading and being a bridge between West and East. The culture accepts both Eastern and Western views.

Because of internal conflicts between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots the island was divided into two parts in 1974 with majority of Greek Cypriots moving to south and majority of Turkish Cypriots moving to North. Both sides of the island established their own government however only Greek Cypriot side managed to get internationally recognized.

There have been island re-unification efforts throughout the years, the most important one took place in year 2004 and reached a final solution for the Cyprus problem called “the Annan Plan”. The Anna Plan was put in referendum. Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of the plan and Greek Cypriots didn’t; therefore the plan was not put into action.

The whole island joined the EU in 2004, however due to problem between South and North; EU rules are not completely enforced in the North until a solution is reached. The North Cyprus government is voluntarily modifying the rules and regulations to the EU format.

Since 2004 North Cypriots when voted in favour of Anan plan for Cyprus solution international embargoes on North Cyprus are being eased. Borders restrictions have been lifted for all EU citizens and many other countries’ citizens. Tourists and locals are free to travel to whichever side of the island they wish through gates. Large international companies such as HSBC Bank, Mercure hotels, Nike … have already started their presence in North Cyprus.

Property market in recent years

Property market has gone through enormous growth since 2004. In the period between 2004 and 2006 price of properties doubled, and had has steady growth till today. Currently the average price of property in North Cyprus is about 1/3 of properties in southern Spain and half in South Cyprus.

Many expect that a final solution to the Cyprus problem to be reached as soon as 2008-2009, as leaders of the both sides have already agreed to engage in fully integrated peace talks starting on 3rd of September 2008. It is worth noticing that Nicosia is the EU’s only divided capital and EU has special focus on Cyprus issue in order to accelerate the process.

Some concerns exist regarding the status of title deeds when the island unifies, however there are ways to make sure that your investment is safe. You need to know which title deed you are buying. There are basically four types which are explained on the author’s website.

If a solution is reached by the end of 2008, sharp increase of values on all properties is expected.

There are excellent Buy-to-rent opportunities in North Cyprus. You can buy your property; enjoy your summers in Cyprus and then rent it out rest of the year. There are number of good property management service providers that can help you make sure your home is safe and the rents are paid on time while you are away

Landmark Estates is a leading provider of North Cyprus real estate services. Get further information on North Cyprus at North Cyprus Guide.

Trains Well

Another endearing quality of the Labrador retriever dog is his ability to train well and he will also readily learn the basic rules of the house, and in addition, is also able to learn to do a few tricks as well. There no doubts that the Labrador retriever dog picks up things very fast, and he is also a very obedient animal that will always serve his master faithfully. With such outstanding qualities, the Labrador retriever dog is a great joy – both in the company of adults as well as with children.

As the owner of a Labrador retriever dog you will, of course, need to shoulder a fair amount of responsibility regarding the upkeep and welfare of your pet. In fact, keeping a Labrador retriever dog at home also gives you a great opportunity to inculcate a sense of responsibility in your children who must be taught how to properly own as well as care for their pet.

You must also ensure that your Labrador retriever dog is given plenty of exercise as he is very energetic and thus will need to burn his energy in a productive way. He must also be given a lot of space to run about as well as be taken for walks regularly. In addition, the Labrador retriever dog demands and should be give a great deal of attention and you must do your best, as his owner, to give him love and make him feel like he is your friend and not just an acquisition to the home.

For his part, the Labrador retriever dog will crave companionship from humans and so, it is never wise to leave him on his own. If you are going on vacation, makes sure to leave him with someone responsible who will provide him with attention and care for him properly. In the case of a Labrador rescue dog, you need to be even more careful about how you keep him and you must ensure that he is given a lot of love and care and he should be made to feel wanted at all times as well.

All in all, bringing home a Labrador retriever dog will prove to be a boon for you and your family who will soon fall in love with this lovable, intelligent and excellent pet dog.

Finding A Top Dog Labrador Breeder

After careful research and consideration, you have decided on the breed of dog you want. The next step in locating the newest addition to your family is to find a good yellow, black or chocolate Lab breeder. This is not always easy to do, as there are many bad apple Labrador breeders out there who care more about the green backs than the little yellow, chocolate, and black backs running around their feet.

A very good sign of a high quality Labrador breeder is how much time they take finding out about you. Any breeder that really cares about their pups is not going to sell one to just any person, regardless of how much money is involved. You may be asked to fill out an application, and meet with the Labrador breeders themselves one or twice before ever seeing the puppies. This is a good thing – you want someone who cares that much about their dogs. This can help assure you that you are not getting a poorly bred puppy.

From the website of the labrador dog Ola Norrman provides with his special skills concerning the breed Labrador. Learn all about the highly trainable Labrador and about why this dog is such a popular family dog.

Many countries that were, until now, avoided by oversea property investors seem to have sprung into prominence, which includes Greece. Greece now has a large number of foreign nationals who have already invested in property and this number seems to be growing by the day. The property market of Greece is one of the fastest moving in Europe because of so many overseas investors rushing to buy property in the country.

As most people know, Greece is a popular tourist destination, and it is no wonder, with its sunny climate, stunning views and laid back approach to life. The cuisine is known throughout the world, for example: moussaka, feta cheese, and dolmades. And many homes have a bottle of Greece’s famous Ouzo in their drinks cabinet. The cost of living is 40% lower than the UK, and in today’s economic climate that is welcome news.

Many people want to enjoy the delights of Greece on a regular basis and are purchasing a holiday home…or two…in the country. Some visionary people are taking the concept of purchasing holiday homes one-step further. They are buying property in Greece and then leasing them to enthusiastic travelers. A large number of people travel to Greece every year and renting a holiday home can often be cheaper that staying in a hotel over a period of time. Holiday homes also tend to be more personnel than a hotel room, which is another reason why they are popular with travelers.

Greece is also popular with sporting enthusiasts, after all Greece is associated with the first Olympic games and the country has won many sporting laurels. Greece hosted the summer 2004 Olympic games and one of the many benefits to hosting the Olympics is the value of property increasing. Holiday homes are now being regarded as a valuable investment that promises good returns in the long-term.

There are many types of properties available on the market and the average Greek property prices are: new 1 bedroom apartment from