Three Simple Reasons Why I Am Not Buying An Apple iPad Now

Should You Buy Apple iPad Tablet Right Now?

First Published: January 27, 2010 ADawnJournal.com

Apple released its much-hyped, highly anticipated, tablet computer iPad today. Reactions have been mixed. There are six models available in the U.S. starting at US$499. iPad is not available in Canada yet. Expect to see them in Canada in 60 days (Wi-Fi models) to 90 days (3G models).

Now that the wait is over, you may be contemplating the question: “should I buy an iPad?”

My perspective is as follows:

Priced at $499, I don’t think the iPad is that expensive. However, I have decided not to buy one, and here are three simple reasons  why:

·   First generation tech-gadgets are always over-priced and will always have flaws. Manufacturers improve these flaws based on consumers’ feedback on the second generation model. Prices always become more affordable.  This is what happened with the iPhone.

·   Apple is not the only player in the market.  In a few months you will see other competitors release similar prototype products. You will have better options then at much lesser prices. Waiting pays.

·   It makes me feel good to kill my instant-gratification urge. The decision of not buying an iPad leaves $499 in my pocket. What’s else can be better than this?

Before you jump into buying an iPad, I suggest you wait a few days and think your decision over. Bookmark this article and read it again after a day or two. Who knows, it may well save you $500 instantly.

The Tallest Building In The World – Burj Khalifa

The Ninth Wonder of the World: World’s Tallest Skyscraper – The Dubai Tower

First Published: ADawnJournal.com February 7, 2010

For those who are scared of heights, the Dubai Tower, also known as Burj Khalifa, is something they do not want to be anywhere near. Built in Dubai, UAE, the tower is the tallest structure ever built by humans, coming in at 2,717 feet, or 1,000 feet above the previous record holder in Taipei. Construction began in 2004, with it officially opening to the public and businesses in 2010 .  Through those six years of work, it took $1.5 billion to build the structure, which has now taken over several records. One interesting piece of information relating to the Dubai Tower is that it has returned the title of the world’s tallest structure to the Middle East after 700 years. Previously, the world’s tallest structure was the Great Pyramid at Giza, which stood as the tallest for 4,000 years until 1311 when it was pushed down the ranking by the Lincoln Cathedral in England.

Some other records this amazing building now holds include:

– Tallest extant structure.

– Tallest freestanding structure.

– Building with the most floors.

– World’s highest elevator installation.

– World’s fastest elevators (40 miles per hour).

– Highest vertical concrete pumping.

– First world’s tallest structure to include residential space.

– Highest outdoor observation deck.

– World’s highest mosque.

– World’s highest installation of an aluminum and glass façade.

– World’s highest swimming pool.

The design of the Dubai Tower was centered on Islamic architecture, with the design of the building incorporating the historical and cultural elements of the region. As well, the Y-shape of the building allows for the building to have a hotel and residential space in it. This is because the shape allows for both outward views that are unobstructed, as well as the maximum available inward natural light. The Y-shape of the building is actually inspired by the Hymenocallis flower. The tower features 27 terraces, with a spire at the top of the building pushing far into the air. The tower was built in order to provide excellent views of the Persian Gulf, and onion domes that are very popular in architecture of the Middle East have also been incorporated.

In order to provide maximum stability for the building, something that many who hate heights will worry about, the building actually twists 120 degrees from its base, giving it almost a cork-screw type of design to maximize strength. Of course, that does not stop swaying. At the top of the tower, there is a sway of about five feet.

In total, the Dubai Tower will hold 35,000 people at any time. There are a total of 57 elevators in the building, as well as eight escalators. Each elevator can carry as many as 14 people, and there were plans to install the first triple-deck elevators on Earth. Instead, double-deck elevators were chosen. If you were to walk from the bottom of the building to the top on the stairs, you would have to walk up 2,909 stairs from the ground floor to the top floor, 160 stories above.

Things are just beginning for the tower and area around it though. There are plans for a large-scale development that will include nine hotels, 30,000 homes, over seven acres of park, 19 residential towers, a mall and a man-made lake that stretches for 30-acres. Dubai is trying to push away from an oil economy and more into a tourist economy, hence the incredible focus on providing luxury to those who visit this wealthy nation.

How To Manage A Mortgage

Managing A Mortgage To Your Advantage

If you are looking for a worthwhile mortgage in today’s market, it is advisable to be ready for some difficult years ahead, as the real estate market searches for stability in the wake of two years of severe turmoil. Mortgage management is more important now than it has ever been before, as there is a tendency among banks to become very nervous and panicky when customers exhibit any sign of the feckless borrowing habits that played such a large part in triggering the current global financial crisis. It is not necessarily more likely that you will be the victim of a repossession – banks are still reluctant to do this where there is any other option – but it will affect what kind of deal you can get, if you happen to be caught up in a situation where you are unable to pay.

Mortgage management begins right at the start of the mortgage period, when you first apply for the loan. The first part of a good process of mortgage management is to tell the truth on your application. There are some situations where it is possible to successfully apply for a mortgage by lying on your application and qualifying for preferential rates. Depending on the level of due diligence carried out by the lending bank, you may get away with it. If you do, however, it is important to remember that mortgage loans are frequently renegotiated, and that any information you give on your application can be checked at the source. If you lied on your initial application it is an option for the bank to sue you.

Another reason why it is simply common sense to tell the truth on your application is that although the lie may give you a preferential rate, you may still find it difficult to make the monthly payments on a big loan. If you struggle with these payments, you may be asked to provide evidence for why this has happened, and if you expose the lie at that point you are again liable to be sued.

By far and away the main aspects of sound mortgage management come, though, when you have been awarded the mortgage and are paying monthly to the account. Budgeting plays a huge part in mortgage management, and making sure that the first deduction you make from any month’s pay check is your mortgage payment should mean that you can prioritize your financial commitments – of which keeping a roof over your head must be considered the most important.

If you ever fall into financial difficulties that make the monthly payments to your mortgage difficult to maintain, it is essential that you discuss the matter with your mortgage lender. Early reporting of any problems makes for a much better chance of solving them than late reporting.

Finally, and quite literally so, if you find yourself in with a chance of paying off your mortgage in full you should take into account what the most economic way of doing this will be. Some lenders charge a surcharge for early payment, although this can be on a sliding scale and may also be negotiable. Check your terms and conditions, and discuss matters with your lender.

Canada Exceeds Economic Expectations

Canada Sees Improved Economic Forecast

First Published: ADawnJournal.com February 15, 2010

While places like the United States are struggling to cope with the impact of the recession, the Canadian economy seems to be rising above the recession and moving back into the black. This is in no small part to the housing market in places like Vancouver and Toronto, which have seen record rebounds after hitting all-time lows in early-2009. As a result, Jim Flaherty, the Finance Minister of Canada, has revised the economic forecast of the country upward.

Ottawa revised its growth estimate from 2.3 percent for 2010 to 2.6 percent. That .3 percent may not seem like much, but it accounts for millions upon millions of dollars in the Canadian economy and any growth is good growth in these tough economic times. The government has also forecasted that the growth will reach 3.2 percent in 2011, before falling over the next three years to 2.6 percent by 2014.

Of course, this is all just speculation and there is no way to completely know how the economy is going to do. During the 2008 Federal Election, Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated there would be no deficit for the government if they were elected, but come March the country was running in a deficit. It is impossible to predict how the economy will do; all that can be done is to speculate.

Currently, the Canadian debt-to-GDP ratio is about 30 percent, which is the lowest in the G-7 countries, and about half of the level in the U.S. and U.K. Unemployment rate of the country is a full 1.5 percent lower than what is seen in the United States right now.

All things considered given the potential growth, the government is not stating when Canada will have a balanced budget as there are still sectors in the country struggling and the largest trading partner of the country is still running in a recession. For the next two to three years, there is really no way to know when there will be a balanced budget, even if the economy continues to grow at over two percent per year.

It is estimated that by 2015, the government’s budget should be balanced, but again there really is no way to know for certain.

* * *

Speaking of the housing market, across the country there were major gains in January, including in Toronto where the highest-ever gains for the month of January were seen. Toronto and Vancouver, along with other places like Calgary, are bringing the housing market out of its pit falls and the surging market sales are expected to continue until June of this year. It is at this point that the Bank of Canada will increase the record low interest rate, which currently sits at .25 percent. Once this happens, the housing market will slow and many are worried that the country will go through another housing bubble as those who got mortgages when they were cheap can no longer afford them. This is just another reason why it is so hard to predict how the economy will do. Enough people not being able to pay their mortgages – thanks(!) to a higher interest rate could send everything back into a tail spin.

Australia Travel Blog: Sydney City Tour | Bondi Beach

Sydney Travel Blog: Part 6 – Bondi Beach

2-Day Combo: Sydney City Tour + Sydney Harbour Lunch Cruise and Blue Mountains Day Trip

Sydney Travel Blog: Part 5 | Mrs Macquarie’s Chair

Only 8 km from the city centre, Bondi Beach is the most iconic beach in Australia and famous across the globe. Most likely, you have seen Bondi Beach somewhere in movies or pictures. Bondi is an aboriginal word that means “surf” in English.

Bondi Beach is famous for its pristine golden sands, glistering ocean, and its surf & seaside community that offers a laid back coastal lifestyle within a short distance from a big city’s hustle and bustle.

Bondi’s beautiful picturesque coastline offers easy-walk clifftops with tons of cafes and restaurants. Bondi Beach water looks very clean and the scenic stretch of ocean views are immaculate.

I was given 30 minutes to stroll the beach. This was a very short time to enjoy a beach, so I spent every second of it wisely.

The first thing I did was grab a coffee and a cake from a coffee shop in Bondi Pavilion, because I didn’t have any chance to eat anything till now. I finished the cake and 1/3 of the coffee sitting at the cafe and I took the rest to finish on my stroll along the beach and the waterfront establishment.

The weather was very nice in December. Hot, but not too hot. I was wearing only a t-shirt. I was laughing, thinking in Canada I would be wearing layers of clothes and jacket for below -20 degree Celsius cold.

I noticed open-air restaurants in the area facing the ocean that were almost full that early. People were enjoying the beach and the weather. Some restaurants had very loud music.

I noticed lots of condos and homes along the coastline with unobtrusive views of the beach and the ocean. Those who are living there simply have to cross the street to come to the beach.

I was running out of time, so I rushed back to the tour bus. The next stop was to return to Sydney for the lunch cruise.