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About Weblogs: A Blogging Network on Personal Growth, Passions and Lifestyles. We are now a part of b5media.com . Watch out for updates and news on the merger . MAIN | Archives | Admin | Network Stats | Be a Blogger | Jump to navigation Web Media Category: Network Blogs Blog #28 on the network is Online Journalism by Connie Vivero Luayon. Connie is a long-time freelance writer both for the print and online media. Here's a brief description of the blog from Connie: Online Journalism is basically researching and writing for the online media. But there is more to just gathering information from web sites, writing an article based on information scraped from anywhere, and publishing them for everyone to read. Online Journalism requires skills in researching, editing, reporting and interviewing suited to the online media. Do say hello to Connie and enjoy her brand new blog! tags: online journalism , connie luayon 12/05/05 - 02:40:18 - Shai - 1 comment |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 7444 times. Changing Needles Category: News and Announcements Our former Crochet blog has just undergone two major changes: 1) Gwynne Lacey, the former blogger of The Crochet Blog , has now been replaced by the vivacious Adelle Tilton . Adelle is a long-time enthusiast in crocheting and knitting, on top of her other interests and expertise . 2) It has now expanded its coverage from simply crochet to knitting as well. So now, it is known as The Knitting and Crochet Blog. . Well, until it moves to its new home at b5media anyway. Read Adelle's intro regarding her latest AW/b5 blog. tags: crochet , knitting , aboutweblogs.com , b5media , adelle tilton 11/27/05 - 16:24:27 - Shai - No comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 9886 times. On Autism Category: Network Blogs Our latest blog to launch on the network is the Teenage and Adult Autism Blog . And, our blogger is the energetic Adelle Tilton. Adelle is also our blogger for Daily Quotations . She's currently About.com's Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders . And, she is also the author of Adams Media's The Everything Parents Guide to Children with Autism . And, if you're counting, this is blog #27. Join Adelle and spread the word! tags: adelle tilton , autism , teenage adult autism 11/20/05 - 00:09:46 - Shai - 2 comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 13595 times. Merger Stories: Behind The Scenes and More Category: General The past 48 hours here at About Weblogs has certainly been interesting, what with the announcement of the merger with b5media and all. I'm trying not to keep going on about this, but I've been receiving some questions from different people. And, as an avid blogger, I often prefer to go to my own blog when answering "official" questions - using my own words. At least, in this case, I think it's the way to go anyway. :-) In any case, one of the more "controversial" things that came out of the announcement is Scrivs's admission that his network is the one that first approached me and About Weblogs. So, what's the story behind that? [Read More!] 11/09/05 - 06:57:36 - Shai - 5 comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 20382 times. About Weblogs Merges with b5media Category: News and Announcements Yes, it's true. Our network is merging with b5media . The official announcement is also posted at The Blog Herald . Some people might think that I hinted about this merger last month. Truth is, I was talking about a different merger that time. I wasn't even in contact with the b5 guys back then about the possibility of merging. Another network owner has approached me a couple of months ago about merging About Weblogs with their network. But, as I said in my post, things didn't quite work out. A week or so after I posted the entry on mergers, Jeremy contacted me for a Skype chat. What they had to offer sounded good, so I said I'd think about it and talk to my bloggers about the possibility of a deal. As soon as we entered in to negotiations, I received another possible offer for a merger. I couldn't respond to that, as I was already talking to the b5 guys and it didn't seem fair. After a couple of weeks of negotiations, we came to the final conclusion that About Weblogs and b5media are a good fit. So, we sealed the deal. And now, we're here. Excited about the possibilities of this new partnership. In Darren's post , he mentioned the following reasons as b5's reasons for choosing About Weblogs: International Flavour, Size and Diversity of Blogs , Gender (er, you have to read his post to understand this ), and Shais (yep, that's me ;-)) Experience and Expertise. But, of course, apart from us bringing something to b5's table, I believe that they're bringing something to us too. Darren, Duncan and Jeremy's experience and expertise combined is a lot more than my own as an individual. Running a network by myself has plenty of challenges and limitations. Now, I have three wonderful guys to work with - and that's fantastic. In terms of traffic, exposure, and resources - b5media considerably has more than what About Weblogs has got at this time. So, those are welcome additions too. I can probably go on, but I think I'll stop now, as I'm sure that there will be more about this merger in the next couple of weeks or so. What does this mean to About Weblogs and where do we go from here? 1) About Weblogs will cease as a blog network brand, as soon as the merger is complete. We will then be known as b5media. 2) Each About Weblogs blog will now have new designs and domains of their own. We will be announcing each one as they find and establish their new "homes". 3) Apart from the pre-approved blogs that we have prior to the merger, we won't be adding any more blogs to the About Weblogs brand from hereon. So, blogger applications will now be put on hold and re-directed to b5media. 4) I will become the fourth partner in the b5media core/admin group, together with Jeremy Wright ( ensight.org ), Darren Rowse ( problogger.net ), and Duncan Riley ( blogherald.com ). We're looking forward to all the changes that will be happening here. I hope you will be thrilled for us too. In any case, we'll be updating you with any other news and developments. So, stay tuned! tags: aboutweblogs.com , b5media , blog networks 11/07/05 - 02:43:34 - Shai - 4 comments |4 Trackbacks This post was displayed 21590 times. Blogs In The Oven Category: General I'm not usually one to announce pre-launch blogs. In fact, I normally wait until a blog has a few blog entries and it has been generally "ironed out" a bit, before I add them to our 'live' environment here at About Weblogs. But, I'm pre-empting some questions that might come my way. So, I can answer the possible queries in one blog entry, here's a list of soon-to-come blogs on the network. Blogs Awaiting Promotion to Live Environment: - Online Journalism Blogs Approved But Still Awaiting To Be Set-Up: (Bloggers are already available, but waiting) - Stitching - Cardiovascular Disease - Widow's Walk - Teenage/Adult Autism - now live There are also a couple of other blogs that are still under negotiations with respective bloggers. At the end of it, if all goes well, we'd have about 31 to 35 blogs in the network. tags: aboutweblogs.com , blogs 11/07/05 - 02:00:56 - Shai - 1 comment |1 Trackback This post was displayed 21209 times. Getting Quoted! Category: Network Blogs We're excited to present to you blog #26 on the network - the Daily Quotations blog by Adelle Tilton. But, mind you, it's not just about sharing the best quotations that you can find about various topics. There's a whole lot of other things to discover with the help of these quotes. Adelle is a professional writer who's currently the About.com Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders . She is also a published author with Adams Media. So, head on over to say hello and get your daily dose of inspiration! tags: aboutweblogs.com , network blogs , adelle tilton , quotations 11/06/05 - 01:59:38 - Shai - No comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 21322 times. Leadership Blog on Washington Post Category: General Uhhh... not quite! Jone Lewis of the Leadership Blog sent me the link to this Washington Post article . Nothing to shout about, as it's only a Technorati-based linkback. But, it's fun to see and to share this anyway! :-) tags: leadership blog , washington post 11/05/05 - 20:48:00 - Shai - No comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 21257 times. AboutWeblogs Down Time Category: News and Announcements First of all, our big apologies to everyone who's been trying to access our network in the last few hours. During the last couple of weeks, the About Weblogs Network has been receiving more visitors than ever. In fact, our traffic has increased more than 50% lately. And, it looks like we're not slowing down yet either. We're especially excited with all the Google-loving that we've been receiving. SEO work does pay off. :-) Unfortunately, we're not ready for our increased popularity. So, we exceeded our bandwidth allotment and our host had to take our weblogs down. A "happy problem" - but a problem nevertheless. So, after a little bit of hair-pulling for a few hours, we've sorted it out. And, thanks to some good folks who helped us out, we've now increased our bandwidth - and disk space. Thanks for all your patience and support! Here's to hoping for more happy problems ahead... Or, just plain happy times. ;-) tags: aboutweblogs.com , blog networks , blogging news 10/31/05 - 16:13:45 - Shai - No comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 22402 times. Accessorise It with Fashion Frills! Category: Network Blogs Writing of changes on the network , one of the latest things that we've got going on AboutWeblogs.com is The Fashion Accessories Blog . It is maintained by our former Stamping blogger, Nikki Katz. That's right. Nikki's bowing out of The Stamping Blog in order to focus on Blog #25 on our network instead. The Fashion Accessories Blog (aka "Fashion Frills") will be all about fun and funky fashion accessories - from bags to shoes to jewelry to hats. 'hope you enjoy it! To find out more about Nikki, visit her Blogger Profile . tags: fashion accessories , nikki katz , aboutweblogs.com , new blogs 10/25/05 - 07:50:46 - Shai - 2 comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 24071 times. Winds of Change Category: News and Announcements So much is happening here at AboutWeblogs.com . Things are shifting, moving and changing. Scary stuff. Exciting stuff. Sad stuff. Great stuff. But, before I go on and on about our stuff... allow me to just share these things: Tammy has handed over The Birthday Blog to our beauty blogger, Christina . We've shared in the grief of our Philippine Culture blogger, Gloria when she lost her father recently. And, we wish her family well. If you've sent in an application to be an AboutWeblogs.com blogger and you still haven't heard back from anyone, please accept my apologies. Life's been really hectic and my email inbox has been really naughty. If you're still interested in pitching your ideas, please feel free to re-send your message. And, let me say thanks for your interest and support. Stay tuned for more news... and, er... stuff. tags: blog , networks , news , blog , news , bloggers 10/21/05 - 06:35:52 - Shai - No comments |1 Trackback This post was displayed 24720 times. Christina Jones: Network Blogger Profile Category: Blogger Profiles Christina Jones is our wild and wonderful blogger for The Beauty Blog . She studied Business Administration at Tusculum College. She's the author of the ebook, Nail Tech Secrets: A Step by Step Guide to Spa Manicures and Pedicures . And, she's been blogging with AboutWeblogs.com since July 2005. So, what kind of beauty expert have we got in Christina? I have been a nail tech for the last 18 years, during the first half of that time, I also worked as an aesthetician and makeup artist. I have been interested in beauty and fashion nearly all of my life. I can remember starting to work on the hair and makeup of friends and myself from about age 12. At age 18, I made it official, and began a career that I enjoyed so much. I love the people, I love the subject matter, I just love the beauty biz and all it entails! So, if she has 3 important tips to give regarding her topic, what would they be? 1. Moisturize everything that can be moisturized, you will not regret it! 2. Blend, blend, blend! 3. Do not think that you have to be Angelina Jolie or Pamela Anderson to be beautiful. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and it has a whole lot more to do with who you are inside than what you look like outside! [Read More!] 10/10/05 - 03:39:10 - Shai - No comments |1 Trackback This post was displayed 27967 times. On Blogging Network Mergers Category: Network Check-ups and Stories Okay, I'm breaking some of my rules today: 1) I'm writing a cryptic title and blog entry. (A general no-no.) 2) I'm engaging in a bit of blogosphere gossip. (I'm not a big fan of 'em. But then, this isn't comletely gossip, as it really happened.) 3) I'm posting something not too serious in this network blog for once. (A good thing, once in a while, methinks. ;-)) So, what am I talking about anyway? Well... Since I haven't posted any network news for a while now, I thought I'd share a "news that could've been" here at AboutWeblogs.com. You see, a few months back, a blogging network owner approached me with an idea: To merge AboutWeblogs.com with their then-growing (now, quite popular) weblog network. We were still to run as separate blog networks, but we would combine our strengths as two "fledgling" networks to create a bigger, more competitive blogging network. After all, what are the chances of little blog networks against the "big boys and girls of the blogosphere"? So yes, a merger sounded good. However, there were a couple of issues that needed to be addressed. I ran it past my wonderful network bloggers and most of them said that they'd support whatever my decision would be. It was a tough call because it definitely sounded like a great deal. I respected the network and the network owner. But, the issues were not addressed at the time, so I politely declined. I didn't hear back since. Not even a "That's okay. Maybe we can look at this again another time," kinda' email. So, I'm not sure how my decision affected that particular blogging relationship. Strangely enough, after I made that decision, that network made a policy change, which would've addressed one of the biggest issues that we were facing if we were to merge as a network. And, when that change took place, I asked myself: If that new policy was in place during our negotiations, would we have continued with merging our networks? And, with new blogging networks popping up like mushrooms everywhere, would blogging network mergers become a reality? And if so, how would blog network owners handle such mergers? Hmmm... Any guesses about which blog network AboutWeblogs.com would've merged with? ;-) tags: blog networks , blogging network , blogosphere , weblogs , bloggers 10/05/05 - 11:04:30 - Shai - 4 comments |2 Trackbacks This post was displayed 28898 times. Blogger Wanted: Skiing and Snowboarding Category: News and Announcements Due to personal circumstances, Melissa, our current blogger for Skiing and Snowboarding Mom decided to end her term. So, if you or someone you know would like to take over, please let me know. We can even change the blog title in to simply Skiing and Snowboarding , if you wish. Anyway, Melissa's still blogging over at Discount Travel Europe . So, make sure to say hello. tags: bloggers , skiing , snowboarding , network blogs 09/30/05 - 02:30:18 - Shai - 3 comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 30223 times. Writing From The Heart , The Mind and The Soul Category: Network Blogs We have a treat for people who are in to journals and diaries. You see, the newest blog on our network (#24!) is the Journal Writing Blog by Heather Goldsmith. Heather is a prolific writer based in Perth, Western Australia. And, she has been journalling for over a decade. She writes this about journal writing: The daily habit of journal writing has taken my writing to surprising places over the last thirteen years. While I originally picked up a pen and notebook to improve my writing skills, I did not expect to learn so much about myself, or find a place to rest my soul, or a place to work out the difficulties of life. The journal habit also led me to uncover ideas to use in short stories, articles, poetry and for several novels. So, go ahead and check out the Journal Writing Blog for ideas, prompts, tips, inspiration and more. 09/17/05 - 06:29:15 - Shai - 1 comment |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 32428 times. About This Blog Need a Blogging Consultant? Your Ad Here Member, AboutWeblogs.com About Weblogs is part of a network that offers personal views, tips, news, reviews and other resources about different niche topics. Our focus is on passions, personal growth and lifestyles. If you have any ideas, suggestions or questions, please feel free to contact us . Navigation Navigation MAIN Archives Network Stats Admin About Weblogs Categories Around The Network Blogger Profiles Credits and Thanks General Media Mentions / Press Coverage Network Blogs Network Check-ups and Stories News and Announcements Total Entries in This Blog: 69 Subscribe / Feed What's This? Receive Updates! Enter your email address below to subscribe to AboutWeblogs.com ! powered by Bloglet Search Login Username : Password : Shared Computer Latest Comments George says Best of luck Shai.But could... Mary Emma says Hi Connie,Welcome to the group. ... Drogba says That's why your network suceeds in... Mary Emma says Congratulations, Adelle, on the... Ron Iverson says Many skiers would be interested to... Chasity Moody says I am also interested in this... Ruth says this post makes me all the more... ABOUT WEBLOGS NETWORK AboutWeblogs.com Passions Jewelry & Beading Knitting & Crochet Performing Arts Quilting & Patchwork Scrapbooking Stamping Personal Growth Beauty Children's Books, Toys and Things Counselling/Self-Help Freelance Writing Journal Writing Leadership Make Money Online Parenting Teens Quotations Teenage and Adult Autism Lifestyles Asian Cuisine Asia Travel Birthday Discount Travel Europe Fashion Accessories Genetics & Public Health Housekeeping & Homemaking Online Journalism Philippine Culture Skiing & Snowboarding Weddings & Honeymoons AboutWeblogs.com Honour Roll Weblogs@About.com ChrysalisCreativity.com FreshWave.TV ShaiCoggins.com eWriteLife.com Technorati Profile About Weblogs (c)2005 AboutWeblogs.com & Respective Authors. All rights reserved worldwide. Do not copy, distribute, or print the contents of this site without permission. Graphics/Photographs: Photo Credits | Privacy Policy | Powered by Nucleus .

Chicago Vacation Rentals section

Chicago - Vacation Rentals .com #1 Vacation Rentals Directory Beach Houses & Vacation Homes Contact Owners Direct... Home List Your Rental Help Home Owner Login About Us Disclaimer More Vacation Rentals World : United States : illinois : Chicago Our Chicago Vacation Rentals section features the following homes, villas, cabins, cottages or condos listed below. Please click on the description to view any of the Chicago Rentals you see listed for more information. Chicago illinois Rentals are added and updated every week, so please bookmark us and visit again. Be sure to check out Gary, Indiana (23 miles), Beverly Shores, Indiana (36 miles), and Gurnee (38 miles) for additional vacation rental choices. Notice a problem with our distances? Report it here. Photo's available Pets? please inquire Swimming pool Jacuzzi Availability Calendar Type Bed Bath Sleeps Rates or Community Condo 2 2 6-7 $1400-$2000 USD/wk Unmatched Luxury & Convenience to Chicago's Culture & Beauty House 3 2 2-10 $1450-$1750 USD/wk Lake Michigan Beachfront Cottage Duplex 3 2 6 $1950-$2800 USD/wk Chicago Guest House VacationRentals.com is quickly becoming one of the largest and most useful specialized travel site on the internet for finding vacation rental homes. With its intelligent search engine, VacationRentals.com is the easiest place for travelers to find and rent unique vacation rentals including cabins, beach house, villas, bed and breakfasts and other vacation lodging. VacationRentals.com is the most efficient means for owners to promote their rental properties. ©1997-2005 VacationRentals.com LLC All Rights Reserved.

Travel Insurance Home page

Travel Insurance Australia - NRMA Insurance Help with insurance for cars, motorcycles, boats and caravans Help with insurance for your home and contents Help with hospital and extras covers Help with insurance for your business or farm Help with insurance for your boat, caravan, when you travel and more How we help our community Thursday, 29 December 2005 About NRMA Insurance Careers Contact Us Travel Insurance Home page > Other Insurance > Travel Insurance Travel Boat Caravan & Trailer Transport Accident Life Insurance Public Liability Product Disclosure Statement and Policy booklet On this page Help, wherever you're travelling. 24 Hour Worldwide Emergency Hotline Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording - Travel Insurance Contact us Help, wherever you're travelling. The great thing about travelling is not knowing what you're going to experience when you're away. But occasionally, things go wrong. NRMA Travel Insurance can protect you from life's mishaps. NRMA Travel Insurance offers a choice of cover options, from local holidays to international trips, for both single travellers and families. And with a 24-hour Worldwide Emergency Hotline service, help is just a phone call away. Your cover includes: Overseas medical, dental and associated accommodation/ travelling expenses Resumption of overseas journey if you have to return to Australia Payment of hire car excess waiver Trip cancellation expenses if you are unable to travel Lost or stolen luggage and travel documents Accidental death or disability and loss of income Legal liability for injuries to a third person or property For a quick quote, travel here . 24 Hour Worldwide Emergency Hotline If you find yourself in difficulty during your trip you can be rest assured that urgent assistance from a 24-hour Worldwide Emergency Hotline service is only a phone call away. One reverse charge phone call from anywhere in the world on +61 2 9025 2836 will put you in touch with multilingual staff, all expertly trained at dealing with travel problems and emergencies. Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording - Travel Insurance The Product Disclosure Statement helps you understand what you need to know about NRMA Travel Insurance. Download for: NSW/ACT/QLD (PDF 274KB)* To view the Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader . * In deciding whether to buy or hold NRMA Travel Insurance issued by CGU Insurance Limited ABN 27 004 478 371, an IAG Company, consider the Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Wording for it. NRMA Travel Insurance is issued by CGU Insurance Limited ABN 27 004 478 371. An IAG Company Contact us For further enquiries about NRMA Travel Insurance, please call 1300 305 790 . How to make a claim Privacy & Security | Terms of Use | About this Site | Site Map © 2005 Insurance Australia Limited ABN 11 000 016 722 AFS Licence No. 227681 trading as NRMA Insurance An IAG Company 

Austria Travel Guide Resources,

Austria Travel Guide: Resources, Articles & Tips Language Schools Volunteer & Intern Abroad Academic Study Programs Teenager Summer Abroad Medical Spanish & More Business Programs Programs for Educators Specialized Courses Programs for Groups Study Abroad Blog Cultural Immersion & Sports Christmas Around the World Chanukah Traditions About Us Downloads Specials Newsletter Contact Us What's New - Jump To Country - Argentina Argentina & Chile Austria Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile China Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt France Germany Greece Guatemala Honduras Israel Italy Japan Mexico Morocco Panama Peru Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Russia Spain Switzerland Taiwan Thailand United Arab Emirates United States Uruguay Venezuela Faculty Participants Parents Resources Search Site: AmeriSpan Study Abroad » Study & Travel Resources » Travel Guide Austria Travel Guide Resources, Articles & Tips General Information Vienna International Airport - A multilingual website of Vienna's airport with online flight reservation. CIA World Fact book: Austria - The U.S. Central Intelligence Agencys Fact Book on Austria. Maps of Austria - Includes city maps as well as country maps. Getting There Austria's Rail Provider - This site includes timetables and e-tickets. Eurail - For non-European residents, buy eurail passes or eurailtickets for train travel within Europe. Ryan Air - Europe's low fares airline. Hotels & Restaurants Austrian Food and Wine - An interesting website with guides on local coffee, cuisine and wine terms, recipes on traditional fare, and more. Austria Hotels - Search for hotels and other accommodations in Austria with an online booking center. News & Culture Walking Tours of Vienna - Get a better feel for this beautiful city with one or more of their guided walking tours. Austria Today Online - Austrias English language newspaper. Travel & Tourism Lonely Planet- Destination Austria - A fun site that includes basic travel information, history, culture, attractions, and more for the independent traveler. Austria Tourism - The Austrian National Tourist Office in Vienna. Great photos! Austria Travel Articles Das Experiment (The Experiment) ( Movie Reviews ) - AmeriSpan's Anne-Marie Dingemans reviews Das Experiment. Are Language Skills Enough? ( Learning A language ) - Article on the importance of cross-cultural communication AmeriSpan Study Abroad 117 South 17th Street, STE 1401 Philadelphia, PA 19103 Worldwide: (215) 751-1100 Fax: (215) 751-1986 USA: (800) 879-6640 WWW: http://www.amerispan.com E-mail: info@amerispan.com Business Hours: Mon-Fri:9am-7pm AmeriSpan Thanks You for Making Our Site Award Winning Quick Navigational Links Japanese | Korean | Chinese | Talenreizen | Sprachreisen | French | Sprkresor | Norwegian | Danish Study Abroad Reviews | Philly Sports Talk | Music Lyrics | Learn Spanish | Study Abroad Resources Spanish Abroad | Arabic Abroad | Italian Abroad | German Abroad | French Abroad | Portuguese Abroad Intern Abroad | Study Abroad Programs | Guatemala School | Languages Abroad | Teenagers Abroad Site Map | Charity | Privacy Policy | Link To Us | Articles 1 2 3 | Partners | Advertise | Affiliate

air travel for pets.

Air Travel Guide to Shipping Birds Visitors Online Now: | BIRD PREP | CONTAINERS | CONTAINER PREP | GUIDELINES | TIPS | WEATHER | COSTS | LINKS | Shipping birds can be made to be less stressful by following some sensible advice from experienced shippers and adhering to the rules and regulations of the shippers. What follows is an outline of how to avoid undue stress, accidents, loss, and/or injury to the birds that you want to ship. This is also a useful guide when buying a bird that needs to be shipped. BIRD PREP - It's important that you condition your birds for at least a week before shipping. Babies on formula don't need any extra vitamin supplements, but an older bird may. Fortify them all with a stress reduction preparation such as Ornabac™. This is a granular powder to be administered to their soft foods for at least a week before shipping and a week afterward shipping. The lactobacillus and low ph level will help avert bacterial infections resulting from stress. The B-Complex vitamins will help with the stresslevel itself. You can administer this freely to babies as well as adults. CONTAINERS - Commercial hard plastic kennel cabs are the standard container for shipping. Some breeders construct heavy-duty wooden crates with a slanted top onone side for better air circulation since all containers may have other cargo stacked around and on top of it. If you are travelling with your bird and taking the bird on board with you, you will need to have an underseat carrier. Large birds cannot travel this way. Costs for containers vary and are usually paid for by the recipient or asked for a deposit untilthe recipient can return the carrier. CONTAINER PREP - Remove the water receptacles included with the kennel cab. It is not recommended placing or installing a perch inside the container since rough handling or air turbulence could cause the bird(s) to injure themselves on it. Line the bottom of the carrier with newspaper or crumpled then tamped down paper toweling so that the bird has a better foothold. You might want to tape a thick piece of cardboard halfway up the front door if the weather is inclement or if you are shipping babies. Fill the bottom of the carrier with seed (and/or pellets if that is their diet). It works as a good bedding liner and gives them nourishment if they want to eat during the flight. Place cubes of juicy fruit in the container on the floor - grapes, apples, oranges, etc. This will provide the bird(s) with liquids during the flightand any layovers. Just be sure that there is enough food for the bird(s) in case of a 1 or 2 day delay! Finally, it would be wise to secure an extra piece of hardware cloth over the entire door of the container so that no one is tempted to open the door to take a closer look or to take the bird. Be sure to advise the recipient to have wire cutters handy to remove the wire quickly after getting the birds home or to be able to examine the bird(s) at the airport. Some carriers now have specific requirements for covering sides and front of the container. Larger parrots with more destructive beaks should be shipped in Vari-Kennels rather than the plastic sided carriers that they can chew out of. Containers must have the " LIVE ANIMAL " label on it. GUIDELINES - Each carrier has special requirements for accepting shipments of birds. They do change from time to time, so you should be sure that you are aware of them before making the trip to the airport. Some states require that the airlines obtain a veterinary health certificate (usually paid for by the recipient with costs ranging from $20 and up) and that the bird(s) be banded. Hawaii has special regulations regarding air travel for pets. Health certificates dated no more than ten days prior to origin of travel are required for all live animal shipments into Hawaii. Some airlines require proof of your business and breeder status. Please note that it is ILLEGAL to ship parrots through the USPS. There are fines and confiscation of birds for doing so. If you are unable to prove that the birds are domestic, you may not be able to retrieve them at all. TIPS - Try to avoid shipping birds around major holidays and on Fridays and weekends. It's best to ship in the morning and arrange for arrival times before the regular Air Cargo staff goes home. If there is a flight delay, you may have the bird(s) sitting at an airport for days. Avoid shipping during any national security crisis too. A direct flight is the safest if you have access to a major airport and the recipient does too. There are stopover locations that should be avoided if possible. I believe that one of them is Atlanta GA. Check with your carrier to see how much insurance they will cover your shipment for. They may give you the option of purchasing extra insurance to fully cover the bird(s). Birds are only covered for disappearance, injury or loss resulting from the carrier's negligence. You will not be able to collect anything if itis discovered that the bird(s) health was compromised before shipment. Air Cargo vs. Counter-to-Counter: All birds are shipped air cargo. The counter-to-counter feature pays off when there are layover stops. Rather than sitting on a hot or cold tarmac, the birds are taken inside. On final arrival, the birds are immediately taken to the counter rather than the air cargo office. In most cases, air cargo is sufficient. Sometimes in some locations, it's better because the birds are handled by experienced animal cargo staffers. Counter-to-counter may also not be as secure as air cargo in some larger airports since the carriers are more accessible to the general public. WEATHER - It's wise to check with your airline before shipping to be sure that there will be no weather restrictions. This includes the weather at departure point and the weather at arrival point. The USDA has clear guidelines on temperature limits (45° to 85° limits). SAMPLE COSTS - as of 5/23/00 AIRLINE Delta US Air AIR CARGO $95.63 $93.50 COUNTER-TO-COUNTER $162.50 $170.00 LINKS Delta Airlines - (1-888-736-3738) http://www.delta-air.com Delta Hot Weather FAQs - http://www.delta-air.com/travel/trav_serv/pet_travel/pet_embargo/index.jsp Delta Pet Travel FAQs - http://www.delta-air.com/care/faq/travel_faq/pets/index.jsp Delta Booking Info - www.delta-air.com/prog_serv/cargo/cargo_rates/live_animal/animal_form/index.jsp US Air - (1-800-582-2746) http://www.usairways.com American - http://www.americanairlines.com Continental - http://www.continental.com Continental - 24-hour Live Animal Help Desk (1-800-575-3335) Pet Air Travel - (1-877-FLY-PETS) grandpets@juno.com U.S.D.A. - (1-800-545-8732) Horizon Micro Container (viral shield containers) - (1-800-443-2498) http://www.negia.net/~horizon Shipping birds to the UK - http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/int-trde/animl-im/Captive%20Birds%201.pdf CITES - http://www.ukcites.gov.uk/default.asp