Stick a pin in a globe through the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and it emerges almost exactly through the Cocos in Costa Rica.

Discovered in 1609, these islands were settled and owned by a single family from 1827 until the Australian Government forcibly acquired them in 1978 for a payment of over $6 million.

Lying 2,770 km (1,732 ml) northwest of Perth, the 27 coral islands are formed into two large, heavily vegetated atolls. Not only are they the only atolls that Darwin ever visited, but the coral ecosystem remains intact and you can still see in their pristine condition exactly why they played such an important part in his theory of evolution.

North Keeling, set apart from the other islands, isn't even inhabited; but you can see extreme rarities like the Cocos buff-banded rail, robber land crabs, and both green and hawksbill turtles among other wonders, under its protection as Pulu Keeling National Park, covering both North Keeling and its surrounding waters.

The 600 or so Cocos (Keeling) islanders live on Home and West Islands, both given over to copra and coconut plantations that only add to their tropical glamour. There is no tourist industry at all. Instead, there are facilities for visitors, sponsored by islanders who take an almost personal interest in everyone who comes.

If you happen to be there, you're genuinely welcome to participate in the school fete, sports day, or concert night; and you'd be unwise not to join in quiz night at the Cocos Club, or not to watch the annual Ardmona Cup Aussie Rules football match. The tradition of hospitality is both Australian and Malay, representing the origins of the tight-knit community.

The islanders, as much as the islands themselves, have retained a form of unpolluted innocence, and share a mutual respect that visitors immediately respond to. These islands are a dreamscape worthy of Gauguin.

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Everyone has a special skill or talent.  Mine just happens to be that I am a very organized person.  That’s just how I tick.  That’s just how I roll.  When I help my clients, I can see their problem areas through fresh eyes, it’s like putting a puzzle together.  Now a real puzzle, I have no patience for.  Put me in a craft store-not a clue what to do.  Put me under a car hood-ummm, ya-whatever!  Yes, I AM a professional organizer, that’s what I do best!

I think people are often embarrassed that they are disorganized.  They are busy, intelligent, educated people surrounded by clutter.  They feel bad that they can’t fix it themselves.  They feel ashamed that they don’t have the skills to get it under control and have to call in help.  Usually people are just overwhelmed and they don’t know where to begin to dig out, even if they do have an appreciation for home organization. We are all busy, and even if we know that we will be happier with an organized life and home, it doesn't always happen. That's when you may want to call in an expert to help.

Like I said, we all have our special talents.  If you needed a plumber to fix a leak, you wouldn’t be embarrassed to call.  If you needed a new transmission, you wouldn’t be embarrassed to take your car in for service.  If you sprain your ankle, you won’t hesitate to go see a doctor.
So just remember, it’s ok not to have all the answers yourself and to learn the skills you need directly from a professional organizer!

Are you considering a credit card consolidation loan? This used to be the standard debt relief method. It was used by many people, but is this what is going to work best for you? Or should you be looking for an alternative that does not require a loan. These are questions that go through your mind as look for a debt elimination alternative.

Credit card consolidation loans are not ideal for getting out of debt. Financing debt with debt is never a good idea. It is just moving your debt from one place to another and many times spreading it out over a longer repayment period. Even though your interest rates are reduced, you will not gain much.

One of the problems with these loans is the available credit that will now be present on your paid off credit cards. Statistics show that within a year many of these people will have credit card debt again. This will leave them with a credit card debt and a bill consolidation loan.

Problem number two is that bad credit debt consolidation loans are normally secured with your home and this means that you have to be credit worthy to qualify for this loan. But more importantly, if you default on the loan, you could find your home in foreclosure. You never want to use your home to finance credit card debt.

There is more than one way to get out of debt. A debt counseling company is a good place to begin. They can consolidate your unsecured debts without a loan and have you debt free in 3 to 5 years. You can get a quote today for debt freedom.