We sell wind chimes on our site, but wind chimes as a topic for a twice-a-week blogging seems like overkill, even to us. I am an enthusiast, but how much is there to say about wind chimes? Or who wants to read it?

Every once in a while we post an article on wind chimes, our last one was about indoor wind chimes and collectibility. (You can use the search bar to see if we've posted on something you'd like to read about.) We plan to have wind chime articles every 1-2 months. The rest of the time, it's free software.

Enter Free Software...

Free software is usually Open Source Software, Donationware or Freeware that you either download from the internet or use on the web.

I try to recommend programs that are good and bug-free, that fill a need, are recently released (though we can't forget the free software classics) and give you links to reputable sites to download from. I have a lot of free software on my system, and a lot of programs that are in beta versions (meaning they're almost ready to be released but not yet). It's gratifying to report a bug and help out the developers.

...and the Internet

Becoming very popular are applications on the web. I watch for these and like to report on them because Windows, Mac OS X and Linux users can all benefit from these programs. Many of these applications have monthly fees, but most offer a small free account or a 30-day "try before you buy" plan that lets you get familiar with the app and see if it's for you.

What is Talked About

Usually the program is discussed in terms of what it accomplishes and special features it encompasses. Certain features are most desirable, such as a download of your bank statement into an accounting program, and I make sure tools like that are included. I comment on the installation, the interface and include screen shots when appropriate. I discuss if any problems occurred in the setup or testing, and present the programs in an upbeat, positive manner.

I want you to try it because it might make your life easier or save you some money. For example, Microsoft Office vs. Open O - you save well over $100 right there! Most often discussed are utilities, productivity, and fun small programs. But make no mistake, we're open to all kinds of software here!

The "Bad Rap" Free Software Gets

Supposedly adware and spyware are distributed with free software programs. It is theorized that the makers of the free software include it to offset the cost of distributing it for free.

Chances are you have software to combat adware and spyware and won't be affected if this is true. I go by the look of a site, if they've been around a long time and if they advertise "no adware! no spyware!". There are many responsible, honorable businesses circulating free software and they know passing along problems is no way to get a visitor back.

creme de blog

windchimes for sound! windchimes for quality!

free software for all!

In a bid to do this, Impact Nations sets off on a mission to reach out to the poor, widow, orphan and the destitute with humane virtues like love, compassion and a message of hope. The noble hearts associated with the mission in the Impact Nations team takes a journey to help the desperate people in developing countries like Philippines, Zambia and India for varied problems like unclean drinking water, unavailability of proper medical facility, social dejection for widows, etc.

While the short-term trips conducted by Impact Nations are called "Journeys of Compassion", long-term mission is called "Projects". The year 2007 ended on a successful note with the 'Journeys of Compassion' conducting medical aid camps in India, Mexico and the Philippines. Thrilled with the response, the Impact Nations team has scheduled many such short-term trips to India, Philippines, Guatemala, Zambia and Peru in the year 2008.

The 'Projects' undertaken by Impact Nations include providing clean water to villages through household water filters in Philippines and India, empowering widows in India through sewing micro-enterprise, and availing medical care to the underprivileged in Zambia. Besides successfully steering the project for 'Clean Drinking Water' in aid of the people of the Typhoon Fengshen hit, Mindanao Island in the Philippines, Impact Nations has made plans to establish schools and ongoing medical aid facilities in a number of communities in India.

Impact Nations however, emphasizes on the need to make people aware of the conditions of fellow humans in distress and join the movement in saving them from pain, agony and death. More than a movement, it is a mission of Hope, compassion and power to 'unite' - to work together for lasting change. One such venture with the aid of several generous hearts has opened up doors of opportunity and given social empowerment to 80 widows in a small village in Andhra Pradesh, India who successfully completed training in sewing and were offered a sewing machine each.

Impact Nations makes a dedicated endeavor to address newer tribulations in third world nations. Just as it was providing medical aid in Zambia, Impact Nations felt there is ardent need to address the water issues through filters and hand-drilled wells. Moreover, it has also chalked out plans to carry out elaborate measures to address Zambia's medical issues (especially malaria and AIDS treatment, to prevent the transfer of the HIV virus to infants at childbirth), and agricultural issues as well.

Impact Nations is touched with the positive response people all over the globe have offered for their 'less' fortunate keens in 'that part of the world' and hope to accomplish many more mission of '

Hope, Compassion and Dignity'.

What does a child need-----a good home, proper food, good education and other facilities which will lead to all round development? But how many children, especially in a developing country get such facilities. The percentages of such fortunate ones are very less especially in a developing country like India.

Children are the future of any nation. And every state administration must try to develop certain programs for child support system. The children coming from not so sound economic background needs to be supported. They are the ones who are in need of child support mechanism that every civilized society needs to develop so that all round welfare of the society keeps on happening.

Every other day some or other Indian news channel exposes and sometimes the foreign media also highlights the truth about the real condition of the poor children who have to start working for living. If you just pay careful attention at some traffic light stops in Delhi you can see small kids trying to sell flowers, pens, magazines, books, handkerchiefs and other small things. Sometimes we think that lets help them and buy something from them and as the things would come cheap so we will also be striking a good deal. But one needs to really ask, are we really helping them in some substantial way? If one wants to help such poor children then one needs to join in the charitable institutions that are to develop child support systems which aim to give free education to these deprived kids laboring for sustenance.

Education is the key that will unlock many prospective doors for the future. Every child should have access to education whether he or she has the ability to give the fees for the school. Such systems and child development programs need to be developed which will enable even the children of the poor to decide a future for them selves instead of just being driven by the circumstances.

Guru Nanak Garib Niwaj Education Society is a charitable institution set up by the Baba Amar Singhji to work towards providing free education to the children of the poor. He has set up a school in Delhi where the street children who otherwise would have been working or begging for sustenance are provided free education, books, clothes, transportation facility and vocational training, so that they too can lead a dignified life.

If you too want bring in happiness in the life of some unfortunate kids, then instead of buying things from the kids peddling stuffs make some donation to organizations like Guru Nanak Garib Niwaj Education Society, which are working for developing child support programs.

Sanjeev Jha is a researcher and writer for Child development. He also provides valuable information about Charity, Education Society, Social Service for Child Support and many more topics.

When you are an organization or individual in need of a charitable donation, how do you go about finding what you need? After all, there are so many different companies and foundations out there that issue grants to people, depending upon their goals, that is can tough to know where to submit a proposal. Here are some tips to make the process of searching easier:

1. Go online: Hitting up the Internet for information is a great way to find out just about anything these days, and getting a grant is no exception. Web sites like nozasearch list more than a million different charitable foundations that provide money to grant-seekers. Searching the nozasearch database can not only give you insight into who is giving money and what their process it, but you can also get valuable tax information as well. The site features the public tax records of a number of great foundations that issue grants because these records are a matter of public record. These numbers can also assist you in formulating your approach, as it is a bit easier to do when you do know what a charitable foundation has done in the past. Looking at the history of giving can give you insight into how often and how much the foundation contributes to organizations or individuals in your particular field.

2. Ask around: If you know of anyone who has received a grant in the past, ask him or her where they received their funding and what the process entailed. In some cases, they may be able to give you the contact name or number they used to help you get your foot in the door. Ask them for advice in your approach and find out how stringent the acceptance process was. For example, if they were turned down multiple times or required to go through a difficult acceptable process, you can either prepare yourself to endure the effort or decide that ultimately, you may want to seek out a foundation that specializes in working with people who have little to no experience in seeking out grants.

3. Purchase a resource book: Visit your local book retailer and search for a resource book on charitable foundations. Some books will provide you with information on submitting a proposal as well as contact names, numbers, Web sites, address and more. You can then find charitable donations that fall in your category and approach them first. Moreover, you will have a list at your fingertips that you can refer back to at any time.

All of these are great ways to find a foundation that issue charitable donation, however, going online to sites like Noza Search is preferable as they are able to update information as it changes. This way, you know when a foundation has changed its method of donation or is no longer issuing grants. For additional information on Charitable Donations currently issuing grant money and the information you need to approach them, visit

A few days back British clothing company Primark has dropped three Indian suppliers after a BBC investigation revealed that the manufacturing units were using child labor. A year before Gap also found child labor being used by one of its suppliers in India. Such reports and revelation shock the entire human community and the general reaction is: let's not buy their products which will teach them a lesson. But one also needs to think about the fact that why and how these children got into this work.

Poverty is the main reason which pushes these children to start working at such an early age. By working they will earn some thing which can be used to increase the earnings of the family. The statements that these suppliers make in defense that the parents bring their kids to work, and sometimes out of curiosity the kids take up the work, though they sound ridiculous, such statements are not total falsehoods. No, this writer is not defending the culprits. Sometimes the parents do try and get there kids job at these factories if the chance is offered, because the first thing that is in their mind is to run their family, get the money for buying the essential commodities. More members of the family working more the better. Hence starts the vicious cycle of child labor with poverty.

It's been discussed for a long time that India is making economic progress but is the market development is creating an all round effect. The government of this country needs to ensure that the market prosperity must be percolating down the social order. And evils like child labor should be eradicated as soon as possible.

The process of making poverty history will begin with investing the future of the country in the children including the poor children who start working at early age. Giving proper education to the children of the country should be the top priority. Education is the key that will empower them to not only decide the future for themselves but their decisions will also bear positive effect on the fortunes of the country. Their work capacity and quality will improve with proper education and they too will lead a dignified life.

Special Education society needs to be set up which will provide free education to those children coming from economically backward families. Not just free education these societies must also provide all other facilities and fulfill the requirements for free like books clothes, stationary, convenience etc to send a child to school, so that their poor parents should have no worries about spending any thing on their schooling. Such child development programs are run by the government but those seeking these services outnumber the service providing agency's capacity. Charitable organizations and trusts need to come forward to provide such services along with the governmental agencies working towards eradicating child labor and working on various child development programs.

Charitable trusts like Guru Nanak Garib Niwaj Education Society are set up by individual person like Baba Amar Singhji, work to help the poor children attain a dignified life. If you are vowing to not to buy from brands whose manufacturers use child labor? Then you can donate that amount for such child development programs run by charitable institutions.

Sanjeev Jha is a researcher and writer for Child development. He also provides valuable information about Charity, Education Society, Social Service for poor children and many more topics.

Shona Rattley - Emergency services team leader

"part of my life from an early age…"

Shona is 38 and married with a 15 year old daughter. She works full time with the education authority in Wiltshire. She has been a volunteer since 2001 and still manages to find time to help WRVS emergency services.

"WRVS has been part of my life from an early age - my mother received her 30-year service award recently, having joined as a young wife.

"In those years she was at one time or the other involved in almost all the WRVS projects which were running in the area, including organising Meals on Wheels deliveries and starting up the Books on Wheels service. Organising the local emergency services team was also part of her life until very recently."

In her time with WRVS she has been involved in many different Emergency services call-outs including;

• helping at the Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire handing out food and drinks to the large contingent of police officers monitoring an anti-war demonstration

• feeding the night shift police monitoring people leaving the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

• on stand-by to set up and run an information centre in the event of a major disaster at the Royal International Air tattoo, again at the Fairford base. WRVS also looked after a special enclosure for disabled people watching the air display

Michael Ryan - Emergency services volunteer

"I want to inspire young people to volunteer…"

Michael is 21 years old and has been involved with WRVS since the age of 15.

Michael is a people person and he hopes to start a career in the police service.

"I used to be a carer for my Gran when she was ill with cancer. It was my Gran who inspired me to stay active with WRVS as I realised that there must be many more people like her in similar circumstances. It's so difficult in this day and age to 'be there' for your Mum, Dad, Gran or Grandad. Everyone's got to go where their work takes them and that does of course mean limited contact with older relatives and friends.

"It's important for people to acknowledge that they can't always be there, so wouldn't it be nice if they had the peace of mind to know that someone else was there, looking after them and checking on their health and welfare. It's an option we all have, we only have to look into our local community, wherever we live, and see if we can give a bit of our time to someone older.

WRVS (http://www.wrvs.org.uk) is one of the UK's largest charities and voluntary organisations. WRVS aims to give older people the opportunity and choice to get more out of life. If you are interested in voluntary work or would like to make a charity donation, please contact WRVS.

If youre thinking about a charity car donation Im going to outline some of the facts you should know. You can receive a nice IRS tax deduction for your old car or used car and help someone in need in the process. Its called car donation or charity car donation when you give a charity organization your vehicle - automobile, car, truck, ATV, RV, airplane or any other vehicle which might or might not be in useable condition. In the U.S. charitable vehicle donations provide a great tax benefit for the donor and its rapidly gaining in popularity. First you want to learn the mission of any charity youre considering. If you have a specific charity in mind for the car donation do some research on it, especially if youre not sure how reputable the charity is. There are many national and local charitable organizations that advertise in newspapers or on television and openly announce they are looking for car donations. You have probably seen some of these, but are they your best choice?Sometimes charities will use the car donations themselves in their daily charitable activities - sometimes to transport people. Perhaps they may use it to transport people in need to doctors appointments, social worker appointments, hospital tests, etc. More often though the vehicles will be sold at auction or off their car lots to raise money for the charitys programs or their general fund. Yes it is not common knowledge that many charities have their own car lots. Many Goodwill Industry stores have their own.Many people do choose to donate their used and unwanted cars in order to help others. If you buy a new car or own a car that isnt running, you can consider donating the car, truck, or other vehicle. You can also donate boats, RVs, ATVs, airplanes and other vehicles or even real estate depending on what your charity accepts. Your donation is tax deductible which helps you and the organization that you donated the vehicle to.Day in and out, charities provide services and needed support to people in communities all over the nation. While some may receive government grants or private donations, this is never enough to take care of the many causes they pursue. Charity car donations are a planned part of the non-profit organizations budget. These vehicle donations can make the difference in the kind of services they can offer. So if you donate vehicles you will help these organizations continue to function In a nutshell, car donation means acquiring old cars from donors and donating them to charity organizations. There are car donation companies that are intermediaries or links between the donors and the people who benefited from these donations. They are a big help in funding for charities. Some companies even help organizations that do not have their own charity programs. The car donation companies can auction the donated car or other vehicle in the marketplace and the money is given to the charities or the car can be used by the charity organization or be sold on their used car lot. When you give your car to charity you are given a charitable gift IRS Tax Receipt. The vehicle donations when made to a reputable and bona fide charitable organization are tax-deductible. The IRS allows the donor-taxpayer to claim a tax deduction on the estimated value of the vehicle up to $500. The donor of the car or vehicle must have title, so make sure you have it handy when you start the process.Make sure to ask if the charity handles the car donations - have their own charity car donation program or pays an outside company to do it. If the for-profit company handles the car or vehicle donations, find out just how much money the charity receives from the sale and how much will go to the for-profit company. You will see car donation program in just about every major city in every state in the U.S., including California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Michigan. There are no laws preventing charities from accepting these types of donations.Some of the car donation charities you might see are: Target, Purple Heart, Kidney Foundation, Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries and various cancer organizations.In any case you will greatly benefit for your charity car donation both in claiming a nice car donation tax deduction or benefit and in helping charities continue to operate so they can help people in need.

About the Author (text)For more information on choosing the best charity car donation, car donation program, used car donation or charitable car donation online and offline go to for charity and tax deduction tips, help, facts, reviews, including information on all types of car donation car donation

Children coming from economically backward families are encouraged by their parents to drop out from schools which they cannot afford and start working at an early age. Numerous times we have thought of helping the children begging or peddling at the traffic signals, working at construction sites or the roadside stalls. Guru Nanak Garib Niwaj Education Society is working towards putting such children back to the right place which is- the school.

Guru Nanak Garib Niwaj Education Society was started by Baba Amar Singh Ji to work towards the welfare children coming from below-the-poverty line families ,who generally don't get the chance to go to school or complete their schooling. Baba Amar Singh Ji started the school in October 2006 with 12 kids of laborers who were not only provided with free education but food clothes books healthcare and other basic facilities. The success of the school and the society is proved by the increase in the number of students enrolled in the school and the increase in the number of admission seekers every year.Baba Amar Singh Ji , the founder (of Guru Nanak Garib Niwaj Education Society) has also funded a Muslim school for girls. To help this Society, to continue its endeavor to work for the child development, do make contributions to the organization.

Guru Nanak Garib Niwaj Education Society is founded by Baba Amar Singh Ji who is also the founder and chairman of Nanaksar Thath Isher Darbar which has also done religious, educational cultural and community development works in India and across the globe.

Sanjeev Jha is a researcher and writer for Child Development. He also provides valuable information about Charity, Education Society, Social Service and many more.

Almost since time began, all over the world, there has been a need to help children. In past times, the only way to give charity to children was through medians such as checks or cash donations. However, with the invention of the Internet, there are now more ways to help and protect children. The Internet can be a powerful tool in the aide of children's welfare.

Children are generally overlooked for the most part. There really are very few people to speak up for them and their rights. In actuality, children have very little rights. For many years, children's advocacy centers and child protective services were some of the only organizations that even tried to help children get any kind of rights or fair treatment. Of course, there are also charity programs that exist to help and support children. But sometimes those organizations are hard to find. Also, there have been organizations in the past that said they were going to use donation money for needy children, but instead, they used the money for wealthy gain. Shady organizations, like these, make people wary of donating money. Even if it is to a genuine organization that really is trying to make better lives for underprivileged children. This is a sad state of things because many children need all the help they can get.

With the invention of the Internet, charity is easier than ever to provide. Many organizations that were obscured before can now be easily found on the Internet. This makes it even easier to help children. Additionally, there are many sites on the Internet that can uncover any scam charities that may be out there, and point a donator to an organization that really will helping children. There are many other services on the Internet that are also good sites to help children other than charity sites. These sites do things such as: try and eliminate child pornography, keep child abuse at bay, and keep children that are using the Internet away from child predators. These sites help make the world a better place for children to live in. For many of these children's charities and welfare sites, donations can be made through the Internet with either a credit card or PayPal account. These options make it even easier to donate to aide needy children around the world. It is nice to know that if someone wishes to help a child, all they have to do is look on the Internet for an appropriate median to use for their donation. This makes it much easier for children to get the help and funding that they need to survive.

The invention of the Internet brought many new ways of doing things. Charity is one of those things, as the Internet makes it easier than ever to give to a good cause. It is always good to help children whenever it is possible, and the Internet makes it a breeze. Helping children through the Internet is a great way to make the world a little better.

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