Yippee! It’s almost time for that once-in-a-lifetime 10th birthday. And that means gifts. So it’s off to the mall where a world of dazzling gifts stretches out before you. You barely know where to start.

There is help, though. And it comes from a group of 10 and 11-year-olds, themselves.

I asked this group to list their favorite recent birthday gift. They were thrilled to give me hundreds of choices. We worked hard to narrow the list down to the top ten.

Here goes:

* Electric Train -

An electric train with winding tracks and blinking switch-lights is an exciting gift. You can add new cars, railroad worker figures, and extra track throughout the year.

* Tattoos -

A complete set of stick-on tattoos can delight a 10-year-old’s heart. A set may contain animals, flowers, names, and names they make up on their own. Glitter tattoos and body paint is especially appreciated.

* Skateboard -

A colorful skateboard with solar-powered lights will add smiles to any birthday celebration.

* Wood-burning Set -

This set normally contains the hand-held electric burner-pen, wood blocks, stencils, paint and varnish. It provides hours of fun for any artist.

* Name Scroll -

A scroll comes with the person’s first name and meaning on a background of a painted tiger, lion or some other animal in nature. Included is a crest, painted borders and seals. It is ready to be framed and hung on the wall. It is beautiful enough to make any heart sing.

* Anti-gravity Boots -

Sure-fire anti-gravity boots can be the hit of the party. Guests of all ages will want to try them out. You may even get to walk on the moon with them.

* Gemstone Polishing Kit -

A gemstone polishing kit is a most unusual gift and people, young and old, want to try their hand at using it. Nothing beats seeing those gemstones emerge. The kit comes with a tumbler and powder to remove hardened clay that covers the gemstones beneath.

* Juggler’s Kit -

Jugglers’ kits are a dandy gift. They come with colorful balls that light up when in motion. The lights are battery operated.

* Kites -

Kites in fantastic shapes of dragons, giants and tiger sharks are winning gifts. Some kites are even self-propelled for those days when the wind is low. Many have lights that blink on and off.

* Heelys -

Heelys are sports shoes with an added bonus - they roll. A wheel is released in the back sole of the shoe. You merely have to lift the front of your foot and off you go. You can zip around crowds and get anywhere fast.

I hope this list provides you with a starting point. With a little imagination and help from a young assistant, you can find a dazzling gift for a 10-year-old’s birthday.

Benedict Manovill creates gift scrolls for you. A leading name historian and
calligrapher, his works are in collections around the world. Order your
personalized gift scroll and receive a free gift. For more information,
visit http://www.giftscrolls4u.com

One of the biggest problems when first considering moving abroad -and it is quite a pleasant one- is that there are so many possibilities. Currently, there are over 50 countries in which Britons are buying property - quite simply we are spoilt for choice. Some are ideal for retirement, but others less so. The key to making a successful move to another country and buying a new home is research. Property magazines, specialist exhibitions and legal and financial experts can help. The Internet is also an excellent window on the world.

A number of factors should be considered before choosing a destination. Narrowing it down to a country, let alone a region takes plenty of thought. The place you choose to retire needs to match with your lifestyle and character. Are you a culture-vulture who loves galleries and the theatre? Are you a mountain person who longs for the first snowflake of winter? Or do you dread the cold and long to stretch out on a terrace with a glass of wine in one hand and a bottle of sun tan lotion in the other? Choose the wrong spot and you will be miserable; choose the right one and every morning will be welcomed with a smile. Remember, there are some places where you can have the best of both worlds. Cyprus is one of them, with the Troodos Mountains providing hiking and skiing within an hour or so of the coastal beaches. It is also important to consider the practicality of living in a location. A Spanish hill village may be a romantic place to retire, but the steep cobbled streets may be totally impractical in later years. Likewise, will you be able to tolerate the heat in summer?

In the UK tailor-made retirement developments are widespread and tend to be very well organised, but this isn’t always the case overseas. Similar developments exist in Spain, but they aren’t widely available in Italy, France or in some of the newer members of the EU. However, things are changing and although age-exclusive accommodation may still be thin on the ground in some countries, a wide variety of bungalow-style properties designed with low maintenance in mind are being built to meet demand from expatriate retirees.

Finding a property that suits your needs requires a good local estate agent or a UK specialist and plenty of research. The overseas property magazines, the property supplements in the weekend newspapers and the internet are all good places to start. Costs vary significantly from country to country, and from region to region, so it is important to conduct careful comparisons. Also, look at every additional extra, such as management fees in a development.

It is important to consider the cost of living in your chosen destination. The cost of living throughout the EU has levelled out somewhat since the introduction of the euro, although prices have generally increased Europe-wide as a result. Local products, such as fruit, vegetables and wine, still cost considerably less in France, Spain and Portugal than in the UK. Developing countries such as Turkey are even cheaper. By contrast, your grocery bill on many of the Caribbean islands will be high, as everything is imported. At the time of writing, the dollar/pound exchange rate is extremely favourable for UK citizens travelling to the US, a key incentive to invest there.

Be sure to consider the importance of friends and family visiting on a regular basis. This is likely to happen more frequently if there is good access from the UK. Move to one of the traditional favourites such as Spain, France or Portugal and you will spend your time shooing visitors away. Choose a remote area that requires long-haul flights and then a train or bus journey and you may see them for an annual holiday, but probably not much more.

Unfortunately, the other side of the coin is that property in accessible areas is often more expensive. Carcassonne in France is a prime example of how inexpensive flights have opened up new destinations to the British property buyer. Ryan Air is the sole user of what was previously a military airfield and they now offer flights from the UK from £20. The impact of this frequent 2-hour flight has been enormous on the local area, with some properties in Carcassonne doubling in price in just 3 years.

When choosing a place to retire you need to consider whether you want a social network of British people to socialise with- or perhaps you are looking forward to immersing yourself in the local culture. Plenty of ex-pat groups can be found on-line, especially in Spain, Portugal, Florida and the Caribbean islands. It is wise to take several holidays in your proposed retirement destination, preferably at different times of year. Renting a property before buying is also an excellent way of getting to know an area and making friends in advance of making a final decision. It will also allow you to speak to other British people locally, to find out first-hand what their experiences have been.

Learning the language will help you integrate and make friends, so it is worth getting to grips with the basics before you move. Specialist UK language schools, evening classes, distance learning courses and on-line language tutorials are just some of the various options available.

Access to health services is an increasingly important consideration as we get older so it is vital to choose a country that can offer you the medical facilities you require. Many countries have improved the quality of health care services in recent years - but it pays to look before you leap. Also, ask about private health insurance and whether you can join the national health system. Those looking to move within the EU should apply for the new European Health Insurance Card, which has replaced the E111 form.

Find out more about retirement property. Dominic Whiting is a journalist and publisher of the Buying in Property Guides, http://www.buyinginguides.info

Men all over the world are trying to figure out how to get rid of man boobs. Contrary to what most people might think, suffering from man boobs does not have to be a lifelong condition. In fact, you can actually get rid of man boobs without the need for expensive surgery, and without the hassles that you might expect.

When learning about how to get rid of man boobs, you will discover that there are two main methods. The first method is to undergo often expensive and painful surgery to reduce your man boobs. The second method is to undergo a new lifestyle plan that involves making innovative changes to your diet and exercise plan, and which will substantially reduce man boobs in the majority of cases.

Losing man boobs by making changes to your diet and lifestyle should always be attempted before undergoing surgery. So what changes should you make when trying to lose man boobs fast? Well, the first change I would recommend is to simply burn more
calories than you consume for a period of time. Doing so will help burn any excess fat on your body and so help reduce your man boobs.

Many men however, reduce their excess fat but then find that they still have man boobs. This is exactly what happened to me as I found that I had burned all of the weight around my stomach yet still had fat on my chest causing man boobs. In these circumstances the best solution is to perform exercises which specifically target the chest area. I did this and I was amazed by how quickly I was able to lose man boobs simply by following a few simple exercises.

If you want to know how to get rid of man boobs then the best solution is to simply burn more calories than you consume, and then perform exercises targeted at your chest area. If you are fed up of suffering from this emotional problem, and want to learn how to get rid of your man boobs fast, the most effective method is to simply start a targeted exercise and weight loss plan.

Suffering from man boobs can be an emotional problem. If you want to learn how to get rid of man boobs now the visit http://www.How-To-Get-Rid-Of-Man-Boobs.org right this second.

Out of all the many ways to make money online, taking paid online surveys are probably the easiest. There are literally hundreds of companies out there willing to pay you good amounts of money to hear what you think. Not all paid survey sites are genuine opportunities like they appear, there are as many scams as legitimate sites.

If you are in the process of looking for some legitimate ways of making money online, then taking surveys might be the answer for you. Are paid online surveys a scam? The answer is both yes and no. Some definitely are, while others are genuine and a lot of people are making a decent amount of extra income every month by merely sharing their opinion with companies who can use that information to sell the their product.

The easiest way for companies to check if their is an interest in their product is to through a survey campaign. This allows them to find out what their potential consumers will make of their products even before they make the huge investment of developing or marketing the product. Some companies are merely trying to improve the bottom line of an existing product and to do this they need to hear from the people using it - or not using it. The importance of these surveys are on the increase as consumers are becoming more wary of which products they choose and the cost of marketing is increasing. The days of total product domination are over and companies are feeling the pressure.

The big companies will rarely run surveys themselves. They usually pay a third party to compile the survey on their behalf and this is where YOU come in. Most companies focus their efforts online as it’s the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to reach a large amount of people. Regardless of your age, sex or background, there are thousands of surveys available for you to take - and best of all these companies are willing to pay you for your time and opinion.

As strange as it may sound the scams tend to be from the ‘free’ survey sites out there, they are nothing but companies that trade with your personal information and they will simply collect your profile to sell on to other companies. Personal data has become big business - especially online. Conversely the ‘free’ sites that do offer you legitimate surveys take their cut at some point anyway and you end up losing out on far more money than if you just paid a join up fee for a working paid survey site.

Make sure that you don’t just join any paid surveys site. Make sure they have contact details and and some kind of support. Don’t be mislead by promises of making $7000/month as this probably won’t happen - to be fair a method every business is guilty of using. Paid-for sites can be a great investment, providing you can find the sites that work.
If you decide to give paid surveys a try then the very best of luck to you

A. Bradley has spent several years trying his hand at various money making systems and is now starting to share the information he has gathered
http://work-at-home-options.blogspot.com
http://futureaffiliates.blogspot.com
http://paid-surveys-scam.blogspot.com

Article marketing is an excellent way to drive traffic to your site without spending your hard earned cash on ad services like Google adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing or MicroSoft adCenter. Depending on your niche, this can be very costly. Often times your ROI is in the negative numbers. Not so with article marketing. Article marketing is also a good way to become a known expert in your niche. Article marketing builds incoming links to your website from all over the web.

This is Basically How Article Marketing Works

The Internet is made up of websites. The web sites contain content. Folks search the internet for information on a specific subject. The searchers find their information from a search engine. Search engines spider the internet’s web pages using keywords and descriptions on the web pages of sites. Using the information that the search engines posses, they give the best return possible on the topic that was searched for. This content must be fresh, pertinent, and come from a valuable source. Articles are pertinent, fresh, and search engines consider article directories a valuable source (Goarticles was a Page Rank 6 at the time of this writing). There you have it in a nutshell.

The internet is full of content rich websites. Webmasters, must provide their visitors, and more importantly their return visitors, with good and interesting content. This is especially true for the blogger. You see, in order for the blogger to get to and remain high on the search results, he/she must post every day. Now you can plainly see that posting every day can take up a lot of time. So they supplement their content with other people’s articles. They get these articles from article directories. An article directory is a website full of articles on a huge number of topics in almost every niche ever thought of. There are article directories that only accept articles on a certain niche, such as Internet marketing, health, women’s issues etc… All you have to do is read their rules for submitting an article.
It’s been my experience that article directory owners read, either personally or subcontract someone to read every article submitted. A daunting task to say the least. That’s the main reason some article directories may suspend acceptance of new articles for a time.

Research is First and Foremost

Like all aspects of marketing. Article marketing is no different. You must have a plan of attack. Research your topics. You can do this by looking in blogs and forums to find out what folks are “talking” about. You now have a topic, or more likely several topics, to write about. The articles you produce should be between 700 - 1000 words.

My article’s written, now what do I do?

You should post your article to your blog or put it on your website. Wait until your article is spidered by the search engines. You can find out if your article has been spidered by searching for the title in the search engines. Once you find it, then you may submit it to the article directories. The reason for this is that you want to avoid duplicate content if at all possible.

Submitting to the Article Directories

There are hundreds of article directories on the internet. Find the correct directories for your niche or use the big three: goarticles, ezinearticles and articlecity. The vast majority of article directories require you to register in order to submit your article. You have to login in every time you wish to submit an article. This helps the directory owners keep track of the authors and their articles.

What’s the point?

Article Directories will give your site incoming links. These are extremely valuable in positioning in the search engines. According to Google, the more incoming links, the higher your page rank. This affects the price you can charge for advertising on your site. The more place your articles are posted, the more places folks can have the opportunity to visit your site from. The more directories the better. So get writing!

Discover the latest trends and tips to grow your online business. Find out what’s new at Average Folks Marketing

p>In my estimation, many anglers overlook some very simple things that effect their fish catching ability. Like many things in life, it’s often the most obvious things that get overlooked, and in most cases these obvious things have a very big impact on our lives, and for the purposes of this article, our fishing. These 5 techniques are going to be focused on the river or stream angler who spends much oh their time wading in the water, trying to catch fish. So if you’re a Largemouth Bass angler who fishes from a $20,000 bass boat, these tips probably won’t mean much to you. In any case, here are the tips and you can do with them what you will:

1) Size Matters - The size of your line matters. In river and stream situations fish are usually much more wary than in a muddy lake with a lot of boat traffic. In most cases the water is very clear as well. This means that the fish are much more likely to see your line. I personally use four pound test, which is all but invisible to the fish. I’ve had the direct experience of using six pound test and getting no bites. Then switching to four pound test and catching fish one after another.

2) Your Clothes Matter - The color of your clothing matters. You wan t to avoid wearing loud colors that will make it easier for the fish to see you. Remember, if the fish can see you, they normally won’t bite (especially in clear water mountain rivers). Wear darker more drab colors if at all possible.

3) Avoid Loud Noises - I know, as anglers we are all aware of the “be quiet” rule while fishing, but it’s even more pronounced on river and stream situations. Especially on rivers and streams that don’t receive much fishing pressure. The biggest thing to avoid as far as noise goes on rivers and streams are rocks banging together underwater. Remember this while wading from here to there.

4) Present Bait Naturally - You want to present your bait as naturally as possible. You want your bait to look like it would without hooks in it. The best way I know to accomplish this is by using gang hooks. The bottom line is for your bait to look as natural as possible.

5) Clean Your Hands - Fish have a very sensitive sense of smell and can smell your scent on your bait. This is a big reason people use “attractors” on their baits. I don’t think these things attract fish as much as they cover the scent of humans! Using a hand sanitizer is a good idea or just grabbing a handful of grass and rubbing it in your hands has always worked well for me.

Start employing any or all of these five techniques and you will start catching more fish; it’s as simple as that. Catching fish doesn’t have to be difficult, especially if we’re reminded of the basics from time to time. Remember what Steven Wright said, “There’s a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.”

Trevor Kugler - Co-founder of JRWfishing.com

Trevor has more than 15 years of business experience and 25 years of fishing experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country - Montana.

Sign up for our FREE JRWFishing Ezine

http://www.lulu.com/tkugler - Fishing Tips & Techniques For Pennies!

Start Catching more fish Today! - http://www.jrwfishing.com/gang_hooks.asp

The canister vacuum is a popular choice for many people. Many find it easier to use and more comfortable than an upright vacuum. The reason isn’t difficult too understand. With an upright vacuum cleaner you have to carry around the motor. Each time you sweep the vacuum head, you’re also sweeping the motor. A canister vacuum cleaner is far less tiring because you only carry the weight of the hose and tube - dragging the motor behind you.

Canister vacuum cleaners remain a firm favorite because with a canister vacuum cleaner it is much easier to get into every nook and cranny. Vacuuming stairs also tends to be much easier. A good quality canister vacuum should be light weight and come with handles that make picking up and carrying the canister easy. Also, a good canister vacuum should with a whole array of attachments and they should also be carried on the canister itself.

A lot of upright vacuum cleaners don’t have attachments that are stored on or around the motor, probably because this would make the upright vacuum cleaner even heavy and more awkward to use. But a word of caution: don’t always assume that because it’s a canister vacuum, the attachments will be housed on the canister; they aren’t always, so be careful!

There are many good brands of canister vacuum cleaners on the market today. Choice comes down to personal preference. You’ll consider things such as: price, accessories and even how it looks. You might also consider the technology that is used to suck up dirt. Each manufacturer claims to have a unique and, of course, best way of doing this.

If you’re concerned about allergens in your home you might want to consider purchasing a canister vacuum model that comes with a HEPA filter. This type of filter removes 99.9% of dust that is normally expelled back into the room by other conventional filter systems. Also, some models came with washable HEPA filters, which can say on expenditure over time.

Also, they are now some bagless canister vacuums on the market. Bagless vacuums aren’t to everyone’s liking, so find out whether or not the canister you’re thinking of buying is bagless or not.

How long is the hose? This is definitely something you should ask. The longer the hose, the less you have to drag the canister behind you. It really makes a difference if the hose is amply long, so don’t forget to check it out.

This may sound trivial, but does the canister vacuum cleaner have an on/off button that is easy to operate? One advantage of upright vacuums is that the controls are higher up, so you don’t have to stoop to turn the appliance on and off. Make sure you the canister vacuum cleaner you buy has a foot switch that is easy to operate. The same goes for the cord flex.

One last thing to check before you buy, is the customer service that each manufacturer of canister vacuums offers. Choose one that you feel most comfortable with. The biggest gripe consumers have, isn’t the lack of suction power or features a vacuum has, but the lack of response from the manufacturer or distributor when things go wrong.

Follow the links for a lot more information about the top rated canister vacuum cleaners available on the market today; including Electrolux vacuum cleaners and Eureka vacuum cleaners amongst others.

The word Swatch actually comes from Slim Watch. Since its launch the Swatch watch has gone on to become the most successful wristwatch of all time, and The Swatch Group, the parent company, is the largest and most dynamic watch company in the world.
But why has a cheap, plastic watch become so beloved by millions the world over?

The Swatch Watch was first introduced in 1983 and single-handedly saved the Swiss watch industry. Swatch watches were loved by all. They appeal to people of all ages, and backgrounds. Whatever type of watch you’re looking for, there’s a Swatch watch for you. The collection of Swatch watches is vast but the following is a little of what is on offer.

Children love Swatch watches and for many, it’s the first watch they ever own. The perfect introduction for children is the Flik Flak Swatch watch. The cute but funky designs of the Flik Flak really appeal to the young. The Flik Flak collection comes in various themes like Paddington Bear, Ballerina’s, Scaring monsters, Manga Mania, and much more! They’re Swiss made with a shock-resistant aluminum case, scratchproof mineral glass and a hard-wearing textile strap. You can even machine wash the Swatch Flik Flak on a 40C cycle - preferably wrapped in a sock. Each watch is also water-resistance to 30 meters.

For those who want something a little more mature there’s the Swatch Irony collection. Swatch watches are renowned for being made from plastic but the Irony collection all have a stainless steel case. The Irony collection is more classic in design when compared to the more funky plastic collections. The Big Irony Swatch watch is a very nice man’s watch whereas the Swatch Irony Lady Lady is for ladies who want feminine style. But choosing a Swatch doesn’t mean sacrificing Swiss workmanship. The Swatch Irony Chrono is for those who want a watch with chronograph. The Irony Automatic by Swatch is a beautiful watch with a superb Swiss movement - you don’t need batteries as it winds itself as you wear it.

The Swatch Skin watch was a success from the moment of its launch. It’s an incredibly thin watch at just 0.39mm! The Skin watch appeals to both men and women and its simplicity of design complements its thin case. My favourite is the Swatch Skin with white face and white strap.

The Swatch Beat has a very retro-look to it. It was the first Swatch watch to have a digital display. It gets its name because it divides the day into 1000 beats. The Beat watch by Swatch also comes with a lot of extra features: two different time zones (or Internet time), a timer, a stop function, an alarm function, a small animation (just for fun), and a countdown function. This is a great watch for boys - even those who are fully grown.

Swatch has been making all these watches for years, but it doesn’t just rely on the watches it has made in the past. Today’s collections are just as exciting as the ones of yester-year. The new collection of Artful Innocence by Swatch is one of the best children’s watches to have ever been made by any watch maker. I can’t think of a better watch to give a child. There are many other watches in the new collection; however, my favourite has to be the Bird Twister from Swatch. I really love the bright, bold coloured circle and parrots! It sounds awful but it really comes together to give a beautiful whacky and cute watch.

Swatch watches are for those who are still young at heart. They’ve been with us for over 20 years. For many - including myself - a Swatch was the first watch we ever owned. I still own a Swatch watch - the Bird Twister - and probably will always buy a new Swatch every once in a while.

Robin O’Brien is founder of a website dedicated to beautiful watches that he and his wife own. You can get wristwatch reviews on such leading classics as Swatch watches, Panerai Luminor watches, Longines and Tissot among others.

Today, there are many different types of innerspring mattresses on the market, so choosing a good quality mattress isn’t straightforward. For starters, there are five different types of innerspring designs. Knowing what these are and what materials go into making an innerspring mattress, will help you find the right innerspring mattress for you.

Over 90% of mattresses sold are innerspring mattresses. Manufacturers of top rated mattresses like Serta, Jamison and Kingsdown Mattresses all make innerspring mattresses. So, there’s a range of good quality innerspring mattresses to choose from.

Two good methods to determining quality is to ask the sales assistant and by looking at the mattress cutaway sample of the mattress - each mattress manufacturer provides its retailers with a cross-section sample as a guide for potential customers.

Okay, so you’re looking at the cutaway, but what exactly are you looking at?

Quality innerspring (called coils) are usually tempered with heat or electricity. Doing this makes the coils more likely to return to their original shape. Most quality coils are coated with plastic to resist corrosion and wear. Generally, the thicker the metal, the firmer the support and the longer the coils will last. The higher the gauge number, the thinner the wire. Most quality mattress manufacturers like Kingsdown use a 13 gauge wire.

There are five different types of coil systems used in mattresses: Continuous, Karr, Marshall, Knotted Bonnell and Knotted Offset. A continuous coil system is fashioned from a single strand of steel wire strung throughout the system. This system gives a mattress a lot of strength. The Karr systems consists hour-glass shaped coils with the end left unknotted. The main advantage of Karr coils is that each coil moves independently. The Marshall system uses very light wire. This is because this system uses a lot of coils. This system is prohibitively expensive and is rarely used in mattresses made today. The knotted Bonnel system, like the Karr, consists of hour-glass shaped coils, but each coil has five turns. The Knotted offset is similar to the Bonnell but the difference comes in that part of the top and bottom wire sections are squared off to fit together in a parallel fashion on the top surface. This helps prevents the mattress from sagging.

Coil count is not necessarily a good indication that one mattress is better than another. Stearns and Foster make some of the finest mattresses on the market today but typically use less coils than other leading mattress manufacturers. However, most quality mattresses use somewhere between 700 and 1000 coils.

Just about all the major mattress manufacturers now apply a soft top to their innerspring mattresses. This top layer can consist of upholstery, latex or memory foam. This layer can be 1 to 3 inches thick. It is this top layer that gives an innerspring mattress its soft feel, while the coils below give the support.

One final point: when you lie down or sit on a mattress you shouldn’t feel any coils. A quality mattress from a leading mattress manufacturer like Kingsdown should feel firm but giving and should give your spine, pelvis and shoulders the support they need in order for you to get a good night’s sleep.

Visit bestchoicemattress.com for mattress reviews on the Jamison mattress or the Kingsdown mattress and other quality mattresses.

For the second time in my life, I was able to see Air Supply in a large, non-casino-related venue. The first time was outdoors in Arizona in 1981 when I was a young teenager and the second time was this past Saturday night at the CSCC Performing Arts Center in Springfield, Ohio.

An hour’s drive from Columbus, Springfield, at first glance, seems a quiet, sleepy town out in the middle of nowhere. But as I drove downtown to my hotel, I was pleasantly surprised to see a city center filled with buildings dedicated to the Arts and historic preservation. I couldn’t help but feel that this town was in touch with its love for community and continuing education. It should come as no surprise then that patrons of the Performing Arts Center welcomed Air Supply with open arms.

The Center was quite large, easily able to accommodate operas, plays and other musical performers. The stage was immense, and the curtains must have been at least 35 feet high. At first sight, I knew this would be an incredible venue for Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock to bring to this audience some of that 80s magic I experienced when I was 12.

Opening the show, Graham introduced himself as the “opening act” for Air Supply. He told the audience that he would be performing three songs from his upcoming CD, ‘The Future’, and hoped that we all liked the songs. Having recently had the privilege of hearing Graham perform these three songs in Las Vegas, I can tell you that he sounds better and better with each performance. Perhaps Graham is becoming more comfortable with the live performances. Who’s to know? What I can say is that each song is a testament to Graham’s genius as a songwriter and singer. The audience seemed to truly appreciate the artistry of “The Future”, “Make You Mine” and “Lace & Leather” and I cannot imagine a better venue at which to showcase Graham’s new works.

Finishing his three songs, Graham left and quickly returned to the stage; the curtains opened and Russell, Jed Moss, Jonni Lightfoot, and Mike Zerbe took their places for the new power opener, “Even The Nights Are Better”. Having spied the set list just prior to the show, I knew we were in for a full concert. It was refreshing to be at a venue where the band didn’t have to cut songs due to time constraints.

“Just As I Am”, “A Little Bit Of Everything”, and “Here I Am” were each sung beautifully, as usual. Added back into the schedule was “Chances”, and as Graham spoke to the audience just prior, he joked that they had the King and Queen of Springfield, along with the royal family, in the audience. I’ll admit that I was at first perplexed by this comment, but later realized he was speaking to the patrons in the balcony boxes watching the show below. Pretty funny!

After “Chances” came “Faith In Love”, and then “The River/Sweet Dreams”. Unfortunately, due to an audio issue, “The River/Sweet Dreams” was cut short and a 10-minute intermission was announced. The audience appreciated the break and as we milled about, I heard extremely positive reviews from the patrons with not one comment about the intermission or the song being cut short. I don’t think they even noticed.

The show resumed with the band solo. What a treat to hear Jed sing the first two verses of “Live and Let Die”. Jonni joined in for the third verse (that they sing). It’s nice to see them mix it up a little. I guess you never know what to expect at an Air Supply concert!

Graham and Russell returned and introduced “Two Less Lonely People In The World”. They spoke of how they used to perform in pizza parlors and never got paid. And one thing that came out of that experience is that they now hate pizza! But even better, now they get paid! Russell also interrupted Graham as he mentioned how they met on the first day of rehearsals for Jesus Christ Superstar back in 1975. Russell held up his hand and quietly sang, “Jesus Christ, Superstar…” I think he was hoping someone would join him in the next verse, but not a peep from the audience! Graham then said that Russell would tell us what they would be singing next, and Russell quickly blurted out, “Two Less Lonely People…In The World” as Graham had already started to play it.

“The One That You Love” came next and Russell and Graham ventured out into the large audience. Graham stayed mostly near the front, but Russell was all over the theater. And the fans were L-O-V-I-N-G it, and him! Usually, audience members are calm and respectful as Russell and Graham come out into the audience, but this night the audience was a little on the wild side. What can I say? They were loving their Air Supply!

“Lost In Love” was next, followed by “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All”. It was a fabulous show, and a fantastic theater to be in for this performance.

The Meet & Greet line was long and probably lasted a good 90 minutes. Everyone was tired but they did allow a few photos here and there. Again, my favorite part of the Meet & Greet is to see all of the fans get an opportunity to meet Graham, Russell, Jed, Jonni and Mike. To see the joy on their faces, and the sparkles and tears in their eyes as they are able to meet, hug, and talk to these truly amazingly talented and generous men, is simply priceless. I’d forgo every opportunity to stand in that line if it meant being able to witness the love that fills each person’s heart as they say thank you and good night.

Again, thanks go out to the hard-working and dedicated crew for all that they do to make the shows memorable and a feast for the eyes and ears. Thanks to Graham, Russell, Jed, Jonni and Mike for another fantastic show.

Betsy Hijazi attends Air Supply concerts whenever time and travel permits. She writes an Air Supply blog and posts her reviews, video clips and photos from the shows. Visit http://www.AirSupplyBlog.com for reviews, links, photos and video clips.