What Can You Buy at the Supermarket?

If you really think about it, the evolution of the modern grocery store is a strange one indeed. When the idea of the general store first came about, it was a pretty simple concept; a roof to keep the weather from the heads of the shoppers, a centralized location that was convenient for everyone, and inside the store all the basic necessities of life for the average family. There were staples like flour and sugar, fruits and vegetables in season, fabric, glassware, and for guys there were plenty of nuts and bolts barrels to go sifting through. All of this in one convenient spot.

But then, the tastes of North Americans began to change. Suddenly, exotic fruits and vegetables were appearing and were being purchased in large quantities. Kiwi fruit, pineapple, and grapes were suddenly in demand in places where they never would have appeared before. Combined with the development of reliable refrigeration and freezing techniques, as well as a sharp increase in the number of pre-made goods (such as breakfast cereals and candy bars), this meant that there was more food available for purchase by the modern consumer than ever before. The all purpose store was no longer big enough for the needs of the average family.

And so a separation took place, with the food products going their way, the construction product going another, and the finer products like jewelry and watches going yet another. The number of stores ballooned almost overnight, and each had its own appearance. The food stores were clearly geared towards family shopping, with wide aisles to accommodate shopping carts and brightly lit displays.

As the times changed yet again, however, families began spending more time together and this included even their shopping times. With men once again involved in the shopping process, it was soon realized that they would need all of their goods in one place, or families might starve. In came the idea of the big box store to save the day. Now, the convenience of the grocery store, with carrying carts for children and food, was once again combined with the goods normally found in sporting, tool, electronics, and even automotive stores. Everything one family could possibly ever need was now available in the big box store.

So, the development of the North American supermarket has come full circle. Families can once again shop together for all of their goods under one roof, being informed of recent sales via an intercom system that pays appropriate homage to the information age. Of course, it is going to take some time for the shopping cart to catch up, but we can all look forward to the days of drive-in shopping areas in the future.

About the Author

For more information on this article or The Gripper, visit ClaspAndGrasp.com

Adding Cheap Home Security Cameras to Your Security System

Home security systems have come a long way from where they where 20 years ago. It used to be that the security alarm system could only protect windows and doors. Now you can add motion detectors, proximity loops in the driveway, glass breakage detectors, security cameras and more.

Cheap home security cameras are readily available from dozens of vendors from local security stores to online retailers. Ever since the introduction of security cameras, many businesses have had them installed for many different reasons.

For years businesses have used video cameras to secure their property and deter theft. Can you think of a major retailer who today does not have dozens of 'eyes in the sky' inside of their store?

They have worked great for over two decades and they have been at the knife's edge for finding criminals. Everyone has seen on the news where a convenience store has been robbed and the police play the security tape hoping that someone will recognize the people responsible. Most of the time, someone does recognize the person and the police are able to apprehend them.

The cheap home security cameras can be bought in larger general stores as well as from small stores that handle electronics. The important thing is that they do work and they may deter some of the criminal element. It gives a thief one more reason to back away from your home and target a more accessible less protected home.

The cost of the cameras is not what keeps people safe. They will act as a deterrent no matter what they cost. Even if the camera is broken, the burglar does not know that.

One can protect the home with several inexpensive home security cameras that are well placed and that are connected on a closed circuit. Some security cameras have a motion detection feature and only take a picture when the camera senses movement.

There are several things that you need to consider when planning on adding security cameras to your home security system.

* Color security camera * Black and white security camera * Motion activated camera * Continuous streaming camera * Infrared or night vision enabled camera

Security cameras like any other consumer electronics are constantly being upgraded and newer models released with more features. New cameras can be in color with excellent definition and picture quality. Also, with all of the new cameras, the older cheap home security cameras cost even less. When the new models come out the existing security camera models are discounted and become more affordable.

If the homeowner has had cheap home security cameras for a while, it might be worth trying to upgrade to newer equipment that is still below what's hot at the moment. The entire decision making is, of course, up to the homeowner.

Adding low cost security cameras to you home security system will help you protect your family and home. There are many different video surveillance cameras at a wide range in price. The latest and greatest surveillance camera may not be worth it, whereas a mid tier priced security camera will provide the protection you need.

About the Author

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Silver Prices Surfing Skywards In 2007

Silver is the poor relation of of the precious metal family. So why should silver investment be a great investment in 2007?

First, in times of uncertainty people pull out of paper currency and invest in commodities. 2007 looks like a bad year for economic stability and certain supply. Therefore, silver prices look set to rise because of:

Demand Silver is used primarily as an industrial metal, not just for silver jewellery and ornaments-a lesser consumption in ornamentation and photography has been more than offset by upward demand in electronics, and for coins and medals. Unlike gold, a lot of silver is lost in use and cannot be effectively recycled or recovered.

Also remember in industry, silver is generally used in relatively small quantities - as in reliable non corroding contacts, motor controls and circuit breakers - so a price rise wouldn't flatten industrial demand.

Furthermore, there is no sign of industrial need for silver tailing off. Silver usages as varied as water purification, superconductivity, solar cells, and batteries continues to show upward trends.

Usage Because nearly all the worlds silver is being gobbled up or stashed away by governments, there less and less left for private investment. This will drive prices sky high.

Competition The two main industrial giants, China and the US need more and more silver and cannot get enough. They cant reclaim enough silver from scrap or photographic waste, so they will be competing with each other - and the rest of the world - for new silver. Not just for immediate use but to stockpile.

Dwindling Supplies. There are few pure silver mines. In fact, 70% to 80% of all silver mined is a by product of copper, lead and zinc mining. This means that a sudden increase in silver price will not lead to extra output from these mines, and a price hike may make companies carrying out new exploration extraction and recovery techniques for silver some of the best new investments for 2007 and beyond

Also look out for companies re opening silver ore mines, not forgetting news of serious delays at silver refining sites,or mining disasters that again would tend to shoot silver prices upwards.

Upward Trend Silver prices follow gold, rising and falling over 22 year peaks, and the latest peak has not been hit yet. The average annual increase for gold has been 26% over the last five years, but silver prices over the last five years have achieved better annual gains, averaging 36%. In 1984, silver peaked at over $48/oz, so it is still far below its previous peak!

In fact, silver is at present chronically undervalued and the combination of uncertainty/increasing demand, competition and shrinking silver supply could push silver prices up to $17.38/oz.

Most experienced silver traders like Jason Hummel and Israel Friedmann seem to think silver has the potential to go much higher.

Billionaires like Bill Gates and George Soros have huge positions in silver. As gold rockets, silver prices look relatively more attractive, and again up go silver prices as investors buy in.

So how do you trade in silver? The safest -and most physically awkward method-of holding sterling silver, is as silver bullion (bars and coins of certified purity like the Silver Eagle), followed by easier but potentially more volatile silver 'paper trading' - silver certificates, exchange traded funds (ETFs), shares in silver mining companies, or derivatives like futures contracts and spread betting on the future price of silver.

While there are no absolute guarantees in the market anytime, it does look as if some spare investment cash could make you a successful silver price surfer. The sky's the limit!

About the Author

Discover more of the best and latest red hot investment secrets. Visit and bookmark: http://www.red-hot-investment.com

Choosing an MP3 Player: The Easy Way

The market for MP3 Players can be a confusing one, just as it is for many home and portable electronics. Some of the most important things to consider when shopping for an MP3 player are how you personally wish to use the player, its weight/size, and storage capacity. In addition, you will need to become somewhat knowledgeable about file formats and compatibility with your PC.

First, think about the type of device you really want.

* Hard drive-based MP3 player:

These offer the most storage; from 10 GB and higher (up to 80GB) allowing you to put huge amounts of music on one device. They also have larger display screens and are easy to use. For these reasons, they are an excellent choice for use when commuting in your car. A hard drive-based MP3 player is larger and heavier however. They have movable parts which can be jarred during motion which makes them a poor choice for use during fitness activities. A hard drive-based MP3 player usually has rechargeable batteries which can be a cost saver but many are not removable and must be replaced after 4 or 5 years. There are also some "micro" hard drive-based players with a capacity that tops out around 12GB. Although smaller/lighter than a regular hard drive-based player their moving parts still make them a poor choice for activity.

* Flash-based MP3 players:

A flash-based MP3 player is an excellent choice for use during exercise/activity. They have no moving parts, are extremely compact, and have a 32 MB-8GB capacity. Due to the lack of moving parts their batteries tend to last longer. With all of this convenience however they actually have a much higher per megabyte cost than the hard drive devices.

* MP3 CD Players:

These devices can play standard CDs and can store up to 650 MB. They are the least expensive MP3 Player but they are large and can skip when moved thus are not a good choice for use during activity.

Once you have determined which type of MP3 player is best suited to you based on how you wish to use it and how much storage is desire, you will want to consider issues related to downloading music.

* What format is used?

MP3 is the most common but some of the others include .aac, .wma, .wav, and atrac. These are all formats used to compress music files so that they can be downloaded quickly and take up less memory. WMA formats for instance, allow the user to store nearly twice as much per megabyte but are a less common file type that MP3. This is important to consider since any particular file type can not be used if your MP3 player does not support it. * Connecting to your computer and downloading:

If you want to download music from your PC a USB 2.0 standard interface is much faster than USB 1.0. A FireWire Port or FireWire PCI card is also fast but only supported on some computers.

Finally, be sure to check for other features such as the following:

* The display:

Can you read it? This is important as it allows you to use the functions on the device and provides information you want such as the title, artist and other playlist information.

* Other functions and features:

FM radio reception, a remote, a clip to attach to your bag or possibly an armband if you're active, the ability to record music live or from stereo components, voice recording, or advanced playback features. Some flash MP3 players offer a stopwatch function or other fitness related features. Newer MP3 players now offer color screens, photo viewing, and video playback for those who want all the bells and whistles.

There are a large number of MP3 player products on the market, finding the right one requires buyers to carefully consider which functions and features are most desirable for them. Using a simple buying guide can get a shopper thinking in the right direction and simplify the selection process.

About the Author

The author, Christine Peppler is the webmaster of http://www.homemedias.info. She invites readers to visit her website for more information about purchasing an MP3 player.

China Manufacturer Data base

When you do business directly with China, these low costs China Manufacturer Directory will put you in contact with the manufacturers you need to expand your product line. You'll be able to use our directory to cut-out middlemen and wholesalers who charge high wholesale prices on products you spend the time to sell.

The China Manufacturer Trade directory will give you all the pertient details you need to make direct contact any of the manufacturers on our list. Just a couple of the industry our extensive database covers: Consumer electronics (cellphones, PDAs, computers..), Handbags and Fashion Accessories, Automotive Parts, Home Decor, Sports goods, and more. There's no limit to the products that China manufactures, you can really find anything you're looking for in China.

For example, in the electronics and computers category, we supply you with the details of more than 55,000 companies that will be able to meet your needs. All companies in China are more than willing to start profitable business relationships with anyone who's willing to buy their products. When it comes to shipping, most companies will be more than happy to help you out with that as well. You don't need any special certification or credentials, either. As long as you can pay for it, the products are all yours!

So what are you waiting for? Doing business with China is a smart and profitable opportunity, don't let it pass you by!

About the Author

Joe Karakas have over 7 years of experince in international business. He's the owner of China Manufacturer.info website dedicated to give you informations on trading with China.