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HelpMeSis.com.au is a brand new website that acts as a portal featuring the very best Australian online shopping sites and information websites. The comprehensive and well-researched website has been two years in the making and saves women valuable time and frustration by only showing the best and most relevant websites in each of the many categories.

After 2 years of meticulous research and web development, HelpMeSis.com.au was officially launched in Sydney on 1 January 2010. This comprehensive website acts as a useful portal for busy Australian women, showing them the very best Australian online shopping sites and information websites.

The extensive and informative guide to Australia’s best and most relevant websites was created to help time-poor women find quality products, information and services quickly and easily. Its launch was the culmination of two years of labour by former high school teacher Veronica Ryan.

“Over the past few years, I have visited and revisited many thousands of Australian websites and have hand picked hundreds of the very best to be included in the HelpMeSis website,” said Ms Ryan. “I have chosen these websites for their overall quality, integrity and security and their usefulness and relevance to Australian women,” she said.

The website listings and reviews have been organised into logical categories. Along with a logo, name, link to the site and description of products and services, Ms Ryan has also included practical details such as each company’s ABN and shipping information for shopping websites.

“To have all this information available on one website means women no longer need to visit dozens of individual websites first to find out exactly what they offer and whether they provide online shopping and Australia-wide shipping. They can compare all of this on the HelpMeSis website and only visit the most relevant website, saving them a great deal of time,” said Ms Ryan.

The manual selection process for included websites, together with the navigational simplicity of the portal, its sheer comprehensiveness, detailed information and overall relevance to Australian women, sets HelpMeSis apart from other online directories.

In addition to Australian shopping websites, the HelpMeSis portal also includes a number of themed information sections. A ‘Green Guide’ offers a great deal of information about green products and services and links to quality businesses that sell natural Australian organic products. The ‘Useful Information’ section provides answers to many common queries Australian women have. A complete ‘Parenting’ and baby shopping section gives links to Australian stores specialising in quality parenting & baby products and to sites offering expert information and advice for parents.

Other noteworthy sections on the HelpMeSis website include a ‘Health and Fitness’ section and a ‘Leisure’ section, which offers links to websites providing What’s On information for all Australian capital cities and the Gold Coast. The site further features a blog spot and people can sign up to receive an informative monthly HelpMeSis newsletter.

Men needn’t feel left out either, as Ms Ryan has also launched a ‘brother’ site, aptly named HelpMeBro.com.au where men can shop online at the best Australian online shopping sites. This guys-only site has many of the features of the women’s site but has been styled for men and doesn’t include any of the ‘girly’ content.

To find out more, please visit the HelpMeSis and HelpMeBro websites.

Some people have a different view on stockmarket slumps. They see the low stock prices as a chance to grab a cheap shares.

During times of market volatility, it is our natural instinct to guard our investments and distance ourselves from risk. While this reaction is unsurprising, it can also mean missing out on growth opportunities created during volatile periods.

Warren Buffet, one of the world’s most successful professional investors, believes market downturns from another viewpoint, saying “Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your foe; profit from folly rather than participate in it.”

Generally when we see a lower price for something we want we rush in for a good deal, however it can be quite the opposite with stocks. Why is it that we treat stocks that have dropped in price with fear? Share prices of a listed company can fall for a number of reasons.

Lately we have seen the stock values of a number of strong companies with sound balance sheets be negatively affected due to a rush to sell as a result of the economic crisis.

Despite the difficult trading environment, professional investors are always reviewing the market for buying opportunities. Many superannuation managers are searching to find shares in profitable companies with strong balance sheets and returns. For example Australian companies such as household names like David Jones have delivered strong profits after tax and dividends in 2008. However during 2008, David Jones’ share price fell by more than 30%.

Identifying opportunities
Not all companies will be affected by the world economic crisis similarly. Some industries are more susceptible to the economic cycle than others.

Companies who deal in of basic goods and services continue on almost unchanged, for example we all need to eat - so supermarkets aren’t as affected as much as tourism, motor vehicle sales or luxury goods.

Australia’s population growth is at a 19 year high and growing at 1.7% per year. Australia’s growing population provides increasing demand for goods and services as people need food, housing, cars, and other staples. Unlike many overseas countries, Australia benefits from two key factors: a high population growth rate and a high demand for housing.

Population growth is nearly twice that of the US while Germany has negative population growth. In the US there is an over-supply of housing while Australia suffers from a lack of supply. The combination of limited housing and a rising population will create growing demand for housing which will support further building and provide opportunities for the building industry.

The value of companies
Many people view companies with falling share prices with fear, but we need to take a look under the hood of these firms to determine why. Have they borrowed heavily?

What industry are they in? Are they competitive against their peers? Only by answering these questions, can we know if their stock value has fallen for valid reasons or if the company is indeed on sale.

When investing, many fund managers look for companies with high and maintainable dividends, strong balance sheets and ongoing cash flow. These companies are more likely to outlive the volatility storm and may give you a greater return when the market moves into the next phase of recovery and
beyond.

Before you consider changing your strategy, you should see a professional. Having a financial adviser and a long-term financial plan can give you confidence to manage the effects of market cycles. With the right advice you can ensure your investments are structured to your risk profile and time horizon, giving you the certainty of knowing you’re doing what’s right for you. This article brought to you by a Brisbane business coach who offers sales training courses and a web design brisbane. Distribution by seo packages. BS1004

The Lithuanian city of Vilnius exudes southern charm under the northern sun. Positioned in the natural amphitheatre of the surrounding Lithuanian hills, Vilnilus has much to offer visitors besotted with classical buildings.

Vilnius, which can look back on a thousand years of Lithuanian history, can boast one of the largest historical town centres in Eastern Europe. Among its almost 1,500 buildings are representatives of nearly every European architectural style and historical period. Vilnius has wonderful examples of architecture from the Gothic, Renaissance, baroque, neoclassical and Jugendstil periods, all of which are located within easy sauntering distance of the town centre. The uniqueness of the Old City of Vilnius led to its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.

Heathens and Christians
After most of Europe had adopted Christianity and prayed to a single Christian God, the population of Vilnius continued to pray to their pantheon of heathen deities. For centuries, it mattered little. Founded in the eleventh century as a walled fortress at the convergence of the Vilnia and Neris Rivers, the city has always been well protected from invaders.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t until Vilnius became the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania under Prince Gediminas in 1323 that other nations took an interest in its economic potential. The German confederation, Poland and the Russian czar all cast their envious eyes on Vilnius, each wanting a piece of its wealth and prosperity. Merchants, businessmen and priests arrived in droves, and with them came Christian missionaries. Soon afterward, most Lithuanians finally became Christian.

The Jesuits in Vilnius
As a result, unlike many of the other cities in the Baltic region, Vilnius became an eastern outpost of the Roman Catholic Church, and a multitude of glorious baroque churches and buildings greets visitors today. In the wake of the Reformation, a period of industrious building activity was begun under the support of the Jesuit order.

Jesuit activities were also at the heart of Vilnius’ intellectual revival, as the first Jesuit University was founded in 1579. Today, the University Quarter is recognized as a one of a kind architectural ensemble. Its buildings were inspired primarily by the styles of the early Italian baroque. Its courtyards, the church of St. John the Baptist, the clock tower, the observatory and the library are unparalleled anti City of churches. Vilnius lost its political significance following the union of Lithuania with Poland in 1569.

From this point onwards, rulers and occupying forces came and went. The city suffered greatly, again and again bowing to the will of more powerful nations. The construction of churches, however, continued unabated and Vilnius became known as “the Rome of the East”, a city noted for its abundance of churches and cloisters. Rapid growth continued to attract craftsmen, artists and labourers to the city, and by the beginning of the nineteenth century, Vilnius was the third most populous city in eastern Europe: only Moscow and St. Petersburg were larger.

Vilnius today
After fifty years of occupation by the USSR, Lithuania gained its independence in 1990, and Vilnius was announced the capital of the modern, democratic state. Lithuanians are busy restoring their city today, in full recognition of the weight of history.

More than buildings need to be restored; the very identity of Vilnius needs to be remade as well. As the Lithuanian government proudly proclaims, “here we are not only repairing the facades, but also the foundations”. The president of Lithuania resides in a residence near the towers of the university, in the midst of the lively Old City. An office and business quarter has recently been established nearby, on the opposite bank of the Neris River. Vilnius, already a growing tourist destination, has set its sight on once again becoming the economic centre of the Baltic.
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