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Trying to find that perfect gift for Grandpa can certainly be a difficult task. Your Gramps has seen it all, tried everything, and is long past the age of following his youthful pursuits. Still, the old man has a life and one that can certainly be enriched by one of the following gift ideas I have listed for you. Go ahead and make an old man happy. Goodness knows he has been grumpy for way too long!

1. Hearing Aid — That’s right, Gramps hasn’t been able to hear much lately and what he does hear he changes around. Give the gift that keeps on hearing and he’ll be very grateful. Opt for the fashionable model that sticks outside of his ear canal and comes in your choice of invigorating colors: rad red, bionic blue, glittery green, or psychedelic orange.

2. Viagra — Gramma has been looking pretty sad these past few years. Get Gramps the Viagra and let them have their time alone. Plenty of Viagra, if you can afford it!

3. Football Tickets — Who doesn’t like football? Okay, Gramma doesn’t. So, why not get Gramps a pair of tickets and you take him to the big game? After going through all that Viagra, Gramma will be glad that you took the frisky fella away from her for awhile. She needs the rest and now looks like she was run over by a reindeer. Just don’t sit too close to the cheerleaders…

4. The Three Stooges — Precious little seems to amuse Gramps lately except for slapstick comedy, particularly The Three Stooges. Spring for the entire 26 volume DVD set of the Best of The Three Stooges to keep him entertained all through the winter. Shop eBay for the best prices too!

5. Headers — Say, what?! Yes, purchase his favorite car parts like a DC Sports header, a K&N cold air intake, a JetChips performance chip, floor mats and cargo liners, etc., for his 1999 Ford F-250. You know that he is planning to give you the truck next year anyway, so why not outfit it the way you want it to look now instead of waiting until later? Your gift to him will soon become your gift to yourself. It underscores what Christmas has become to so many; so, get in that spirit today!

Just remember that it is the thought that counts. The more thoughtless you are, the more transparent you will be perceived. At least you will live up to nobody’s expectations of you and, therefore, be unable to disappoint anyone.

Somehow I don’t think that this is what Christmas is really all about… Merry Christmas, Gramps!

Matt Keegan is a contributing writer for the Race Pages as well as an automotive fan. For the best
Husky floor mats,

Weathertech cargo liners, or

Highland cargo liners, shop our store today!

Many borrowers think they have found the perfect loan — the 125. But you should be cautious when considering this product.

A 125 loan is named for the amount of equity you can pull out of your home, which is usually 125%. Some of the loan is secured by your home and some of it isn’t, making it a mixed loan type. The portion that is unsecured causes your interest rate to be higher than with a fully secured home equity loan.

Many borrowers turn to 125 loans because they can simply make one payment to their lender instead of several payments to many lenders. The single payment is often lower than the total of all the payments it replace, due to differences in interest rates. The rates are often much better than credit card rates, but if you roll other loans in, such as student loans, you may actually be raising some rates on your debt.

For example, you may have a car loan with a balance of $11,000. You have an interest rate of 8.5% and 4 years left of payments. You roll the note into your 125 loan, which has a rate of 11.5%. You’ve actually raised your interest rate.

If you roll in a credit card with a $12,000 balance and an interest rate of 19%, you are lowering your rate. But you will be looking at upwards of ten years of payments.

The real danger comes in when borrowers take out a 125, roll over their credit card debt and then go out and max out those cards again. This is called reloading. You now have double the debt to repay. You are in a worse situation now and are risking losing your home.

When you take out a 125, you have to be dedicated enough to cut up each credit card right then and there. This will help you avoid temptation.

You may be saying, but wait — I get to deduct the interest on a 125 on my income taxes. Yes, you are saving 28 cents for every dollar you spend. Doesn’t make a lot of sense. Plus, the amount of interest on the loan above the value of your home is not tax deductible. If you deduct it, it will bite you in the taxes.

You are also now upside down in your home equity. You owe more than your home is worth. You can’t sell it until the value of the house increases or you pay off the loan enough to reduce the balance below the value of the house. That takes around five to 10 years in most cases.

If you are forced to sell your home, you will probably have to pay money at closing just to get it off your hands. You are paying to sell your home. If you plan to stay in your home for a long time, you may not need to worry about this as much.

But keep in mind that the unexpected happens. When you open yourself up to a lot of debt, you are putting your future at risk. Taking out a 125 loan to get rid of the debt isn’t necessarily your best option. It certainly isn’t the easy way out, as you may have been told. It is the same debt, just new place. Be very careful, it’s your house on the line this time.

Martin Lukac (http://www.MartinLukac.com), represents http://www.RateEmpire.com and http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate/mortgage market. We specialize in daily updates, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies!

Weight loss is an issue that affects men and women alike. Children, particularly young girls, are also starting to think about weight loss at younger and younger ages. This isn’t really that surprising if you take a look at all of the pressure that is put on Americans to be thin and beautiful. Ironically, for many people, it’s that pressure to measure up to what they see on television and in magazines that drives them to overeat in the first place.

Weight loss is really quite simple. Our bodies require a certain amount of calories to maintain our weight. If we eat less than that amount, or burn more than that amount, we lose weight. It’s that easy. But with the weight loss industry as it is, with so many confusing and controversial diet options, we often give up before we even start.

The hardest thing about losing weight, of course, is having the willpower to change your habits. Overeating is a way of life for so many people that trying to stop can result in culture shock. It’s certainly not easy to swallow your turkey wrap and raw veggies while the guy next to you in the cafeteria munches on a slice of pepperoni pizza. Taking a moment to think clearly should lead you out of temptation if you are feeling those familiar cravings. Get past that need for instant gratification and think clearly about the consequences, both physical and emotional, of breaking your diet. You will surely take your gaze from the greasy grub of your co-worker and appreciate, even enjoy, the cool crunch of your celery.

James is a published author at Fitness Freaks, a site dedicted to bringing you up to date information on Health and Fitness related topics. For more great articles, visit our Fitness Articles page.

“I’m sorry. It’s malignant.” Hundreds of people hear that
phrase every day. Those four words can leave your imagination
running at 110 miles an hour. Once the initial stunned numbness
has worn off, then the riot of emotions sets in; fear, anxiety,
grief and, for some, resignation. All of these reactions are
perfectly normal and natural. The human psyche has that built-in
survival mechanism to help us recognize a potentially
life-threatening situation. Those reactions are part of that
mechanism. Please take a moment and make note of the words I
have been using. For instance, a ‘reaction’ is an ‘action’ that
is played out over an over again, thus re-action. A mechanism is
a mechanical action that takes place automatically. In this
state it is no wonder patients feel they have no control. It is
time to recognize that, first of all, YOU are the most important
member of your healthcare team. The more active and curious you
are about your treatment, the better your outlook will be. Don’t
be afraid to ask questions. The more informed you are, the more
calm and confident you will feel. Treatments have far more
affect when you recognize the benefits and accept them as such.
It is time to recognize that the diagnosis of cancer or some
other chronic illness may have changed your life, but that does
not mean your life has been changed for the worse. In times like
these it is up to YOU to decide how your life has been changed.
Once you begin to take control of your treatment, you will begin
to realize that YOU have the power to make a difference in your
medical treatment and care. The power of the mind, as we are all
learning, is an incredible tool that we have at our disposal. We
are literally of two minds; the conscious mind and the
subconscious. In the November 2002 issue of Natural Awakenings,
I wrote an article pertaining to just that subject. The article
talked about how we can change our lives by changing our thought
patterns, which reside in our subconscious minds. This is, in
actuality, the first step towards healing. A large portion of
our subconscious mind is used simply for the purposes of keeping
us alive, generating new, healthy cells, creating more
antibodies via our immune systems. Imagine how much more
powerful those systems could be with guidance. Studies have
shown that, by using powerful visualization techniques while in
the theta brain wave state, the survival rate for diseases
nearly doubles. Physical healing is not the only goal of my
treatment. You can also use this time to heal your spirit,
relationships and heart. Times such as these can serve as a
wake-up call. All those things that have been left unsaid can be
spoken now. All the times you thought “I should have…”; “I would
have…”; “I could have…” can be resolved now. Perhaps you might
come to look at this time of life as a gift. This is a gift that
allows you the freedom to finally be yourself in the truest
sense, freeing yourself from non-productive emotions such as
guilt, self-doubt and fear. This is your time now. While there
may be moments of uncertainty, there will always be reasons for
hope. Now you have gotten a glimpse of what an effective member
of your healthcare team you can be. Now you begin to understand
that being pro-active instead of re-active is the solution. NOW
is your time. Take charge of your treatment. Ask questions. If
you don’t understand the answer, ask the doctor to explain it to
you in a way that is comfortable for you. Remember, you are in
charge of your healthcare.

Maria K. Myrback is a Certified Hypnotherapist specializing in
Complimentary Medical Hypnotism if you have any questions or
would like to make an appointment please call 321-693-7728 or
visit our website www.holisticsouth.com