Smarter Market Info

With so many loans available it is quite difficult to find the best secured loan deals. Finding the right loan for you and your financial needs is important, after all, you don’t want to pay any more for your loan than you absolutely have to.

Secured loans are so called because they use collateral as security to guarantee the repayment of the loan. As a result of the collateral that is used to secure the loan, banks and other lenders are usually more willing to grant lower interest rates for secured loans.

By applying for a secured loan and offering property as collateral to guarantee the loan you can substantially speed up the lending process. Since secured loans have something to guarantee the repayment of the loan, they are generally much easier to come by than an unsecured loan.

Secured loans are suitable for when you are trying to raise a large amount; are having difficulty getting an unsecured loan; or, have a poor credit history. . This doesn’t mean that secured loans are used exclusively by individuals with bad credit; many people with good credit still choose to use secured loans for their needs because they can get a lower interest rate that way.

Secured loans are also worth considering if you need a new car, or need to make home improvements, or take that luxury holiday of a lifetime.

When looking for a secured loan, consider getting a loan quote from online lenders. It can easily be done from the comfort of your home. Just a few clicks of the “mouse” and you are there. They can often offer good loan rates even to individuals who have poor credit so long as they have the proper collateral.

The interest rate offered depends upon the credit rating of the person applying for the loan as well as the value and ease of finding a market for the item used as collateral.

In order to find the best secured loans, you will need to shop around as the interest rates and terms will vary from each company. Compare interest rates and the terms that each one offers before deciding which company to use.

You may freely reprint this article provided the following author’s biography (including the live URL link) remains intact:

About The Author

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

Comments Off

A sex dildo is a traditional martial toy put to good use by both blokes and ladies. Dildos have extremely made it big since adult films became beloved in the eighties. While dildos come in many sizes, most often the sensual aids are phallus shaped. Some sexy toys are specially produced for slipping in the bum. Blokes who like bum sex with a marital aid often choose dongs that massage the prostate because of the brilliant orgasms prostate prode gives them. There are legions of sex aids out there for lads, and dongs are likewise the best.

The most common sex dildo uses are vaginal or bottom penetration. Depending on the brand of sex dong, some dongs can be used for oral penetration or as mouth gags. Regardless of your sex orientation, whether you yourself are straight, gay or bi, female or male, there is a dildo out there to fulfil your sexual needs. Double sided dongs might well be played with between 2 sexual partners at the very same time. The sexual toys might be used for simultaneous anal and anal penetration, and when used in this fashion sex play can often be quite exciting. Dildos also slip into harness mounts for S&M play. Dildos are wonderful fun and a sex toy each woman should have in their home. Add a spice of luxury into your sex life and Buy Vibrators from Sex Bomb.

Comments Off

I am so grateful that you’re taking steps to take control of your life. You will be amazed when we work together how much you’ll uncover about yourself. You’ll understand how your thoughts have contributed to your being overweight and you will take daily steps to put together a new plan of action for yourself. I imagine that you are tired of living like this and want some new, something better for yourself. I am here to help you and I know you can do it!

As an integrative body therapist, I work with energy and thought processes. With this in mind, we’re going to begin this lesson with a discussion on energy and how you attract excess weight.

Everything is made up of energy. The couch you’re sitting on, the table, even money is made up of energy. Our bodies are nothing but pure energy. Since everything is made up of energy, these things are affected by the Natural Laws of the Universe. These Laws are designed to manifest whatever we put our thoughts on. In simple terms, whatever you put your mind on, is what you’re going to get.

We’re going to look at one of the Natural Lawsthe Law of Attraction. How does this apply to being overweight? When you hold negative thoughts in your body, symptoms appear based on those thoughts. In your case, you hold excess weight. You may be experiencing other symptoms as well, but your main focus right now is your weight. You hold negative thoughts in your body and this attracts excess weight. According to Louise Hay, author of You Can Heal Your Life, outlines weight issues in her book and anger is the driving force underneath the weight. It can be anything from anger at being denied love, anger at the parents or anger at one specific parentoften the father. In my case, I was angry at both parents, but more so my father.

Now, I’ll be giving you homework assignments because I like this to be interactive and have you contribute as well. So here’s your first homework assignment. It’s very simple. Identify who you’re angry with? You can include yourself. Once you’ve done this then describe why you’re angry with the person(s) you’ve identified and be specific.

We’ll be peeling back layers and these are simple steps to uncovering some layers. I will then address how you can release this anger so you can experience pure joy and love. In your case, especially of your body.

You are great just the way God intended you to be! You just need to peel back a few layers to reveal the wholeness that is already there. Thank you for letting me be part of your journey.

Tami Close
Weight Loss Expert
http://www.tamiclose.com

Tami Close is an Integrative Body Therapist. She is certified in Rapid Eye Technology and has a basic and advanced certificate in Emotional Freedom Techniques. She is also a Reiki Master. Tami is a recipient of a grant from the Sumasil Grant Foundation in her work with RET and EFT. She is a master trainer and has a B.S. in Training and Development. She is a #1 best selling co-author, Wake Up…Live the Life You Love Finding Personal Freedom. The other authors include Mark Victor Hansen, Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra and others.

Comments Off

Have you been thinking about leaving your job and starting a work at home enterprise? If you have mentioned your desire to anyone other than another entrepreneur you may have been discouraged. For many people it is hard to understand why anyone would want to leave “the safety and security” of a job and “risk their lively hood.” But if you have ever been hit by an entrepreneurial seizure there is something that happens which is unexplainable.

If you are willing to respond to this deep emotion you will never be happy living your life by a job description. You want more. A cubicle will feel like a prison and until you create something you can call your own you will feel like each day a part of you is making a deal with the devil.

For most people starting a business is a scary proposition. So how do you create an environment that pulls you towards success? What can you do to inspire yourself to take your life back and build wealth from home? Creating a purpose driven home based business is the winning combination that blends living your passion and profiting from it.

Here are 7 seven steps you can take towards a purpose driven work at home career:

1. You can create a vision and mission for your home based enterprise that inspires you. Life is too short. When you make the decision to leave the rat race you don’t want to create a business that’s simply another job. So why are you taking this journey? What do you want your business to look like?

For example, I am clear that my home based venture is as much about lifestyle as it is profit. When ever I work on my business I look at my mission that includes income developed through passive income and working no more than 25 hours a week.

Why? Because after 15+ years in Corporate America I learned that what are important to me are my personal relationships. I no longer wanted to trade my time for money. At the end of my life I don’t want to remember how many hours I worked for someone else or the sacrifices I made for a company. As a result, my vision is to create a lifestyle that allows me to enjoy life with the people I care about.

What is your vision for your business? Try to include all of your senses. What will it look like when you get there? How will you feel? Who will be there to celebrate with you? With you smell the breeze of the ocean water or the pungent fragrance of swaying honeysuckle? The more you connect with your vision the more you will be inspired.

2. Create your business based around something you are passionate about. There is something magical that happens when you are operating in something you love to do and are uniquely good at. Have you ever had a job you hated? How did you feel? You will never live a life of purpose doing something you don’t like. Discover your passion and give it all you’ve got.

For years I worked in jobs that I was good at but hated. However, when I struck out on my own I wanted to have a life I loved. I uncovered my unique talents and went to work. And what happened for me can happen for you.

When you start to live the life you were born to do the universe makes all of the resources available to you that you need to be successful. So what are you passionate about? What skills and talents do you have you can create a life and business around? Write down two or three skills have that would be utilized in your purpose driven business.

3. Make your business a business that is bigger than you. What would it feel like to know that your business was directly responsible for impacting the world in some way? How would you feel to know that when you passed on people from around the world would thank you for the part you played in creating something of value that was important to them?

At first, this line of thinking can be overwhelming. However, not when you start to think of what is at the core of any business. Your goal is to find a solution to your customers’ problems. And in exchange they are willing to pay you for it. To the extent that you get to know their hopes, desires, dreams and pains and you help to successfully maneuver the maze of life they will be forever grateful.

So how can your venture make its mark in the world? My goal is to help people discover their passion, monetize it and live a life they love. I personally want to help 1000 people in the next 3 years take their life back and build wealth from home. The very thought that I could play a small part in helping someone else do this gives my business a purpose much bigger than me.

Write down one goal that you have for your business that is bigger than you. Make sure you keep the goal in front of you where you can see it everyday.

4. Develop a business plan that supports your values and beliefs. Whenever you are working to accomplish something great you must have a plan. The creation of your business plan is the map that you will use to guide you through your journey. One of the keys to a successful plan is to make sure everything you do is consistent with your values and beliefs.

For example, if you have a family and want to spend more time with them you don’t want to build a business that requires you to spend long amounts of time away from them to build.

Don’t get me wrong. You will make choices and sacrifices. However, those should be things that are short term and spelled out. You want to be clear what you are giving up or making adjustments and what you will get in return.

“Strive for integrity–that means knowing your values in life and behaving in a way that is consistent with these values.” —author unknown. When you are building something that is consistent with who you are as a person your daily actions will feed your soul.

5. Consider giving a percentage of the profits to an organization you love. I love the quote, “No one has ever become poor by giving.” –Anne Frank. Actually our lives are enriched when we give.

For example, maybe you have a religious organization you would like to tithe to. Or you might like to help a cause that is close to your heart. One of my favorite charitable organizations is the Junior Achievement.

Junior Achievement uses hands-on experiences to help young people understand the economics of life. This organization partners with business leaders and educators. The mission of Junior Achievement is to bring the real world to students and open their mind to their potential.

I chose to contribute to this organization because I love to see young people find their passion and follow it early in life. I feel like my life is enriched when I can help a young person discover their passion and avoid the rat race.

Do you have an organization you would like to contribute to? Think about how you would feel if your company was contributing to an organization that was helping to make a difference in the world.

6. Extend your hand to help someone who wants to do what you do. One of the ways to give purpose to your business is to teach, coach or mentor a person. There are people who would love to benefit from the knowledge and expertise you have acquired.

You might want to teach a class or create a coaching club. You can impact several people at once and leverage your time.

Who can you reach out to and help? What vehicle will you use to make a difference for someone else? Write down 3 ideas and implement one immediately.

7. Create a community by enrolling others to make it happen. Have you ever experienced the power of what happens when several people are committed to one goal? There is a powerful force that happens when you speak your purpose out loud and invite others to become a part of it.

Look for opportunities to have customers, friends, family and colleagues to become a part of the mission of your business. Your company could become a cause for change in the world.

For example, who would ever imagine that the purpose of a greeting card company was to change peoples lives one card at a time? Well it’s true. I had the privileged of hearing the CEO of this greeting card speak.

He told the story of how he had a prompting to say goodbye one more time to his brother when he was moving and failed to do so. Shortly after the move he got a phone call that his brother had died tragically. He was haunted by the fact he had failed to say good bye.

Later he was inspired to create a greeting card company that allows people to act on their promptings. Never again, would anyone miss any opportunity to send someone they care about a card. His passion and commitment about his business is contagious. He truly embodies the characteristics of a purposed driven home based business.

So the choice is yours. You can create a business that focuses solely on making a buck and during the difficult times it might not be enough to get you through. Or you can create something with purpose. These 7 traits are a winning combination. Life is truly a joy when you can have a home based business with purpose and profit from it.

Comments Off

Penis rings are sexy toys and played with to make the penis look firmer and bigger. If men use a penis ring lads will stay firmer for a longer period and help delay the climax and orgasm. Sex rings, like most sensual aids, are outstanding for the bedroom. Sexy toys like penis rings work by restricting the blood flow in the willy till the male actually finishes the sexual session.

Countless ladies appreciate the look of a penis ring on their boy and boys appreciate the marital aid because it makes them look bigger. As a sensual aid for boys it is one of the best. This sex toy comes in different materials such as pvc. You can always save money and get a bargain with Cheap Dildos.

you yourself can use a sex ring by making sure you are soft and then sliding the willy through as well as the balls. Then the lads are ready. The marital aid will make the chaps seem mega hard and give your yummy lad an awesome orgasm. The stunning thing about martial toys is willy rings are here to give your sexual life a generous lift. The beautiful love life you yourself experience may really spice up your love life with your partner. Gentlemen can find penis rings in each and every one of the major marital aid retailers. If chaps want to read more about sex aids you yourself will probably look on the net.

Comments Off

Yes, you can sell your business yourself, but you have to do it the right way! As a professional business intermediary, I have many clients with quality businesses who come to me after failing to sell their businesses on their own. The flaw in their effort to sell always comes down to the same four basic things: no professional presentation of the business; poorly presented financial information; pricing the business wrong; and not understanding how to find buyers, work with those buyers and get a deal to closing. If you want to sell a business yourself, you can, but you have to put the right pieces in place, including:

-An effective presentation for selling a business

-A business valuation to help you understand your company’s value

-Customized strategies and resources for finding the best buyers

-Resources to help you work with those buyers and get a deal to closing

A Professional Business Sales Presentation

This is the centerpiece of your marketing effort. When a potential buyer contacts you, you don’t want to simply fax over some scattered scraps of paper. First impressions count. You need a genuine, professional marketing presentation of your business. At the very least, it should include an Executive Summary, a Business Overview, a Facilities Profile and a Financial Summary. The financial information must be in an intelligent format that emphasizes the cash flow value to a new owner.

What’s Your Business Worth?

This is the most important question you will ask yourself in the selling processand you will probably have the wrong answer. Many of us have an idea of what we think our companies are worth but, unfortunately, we are usually wrong. Pricing your business is one of the most important steps in the process. Price it too low, and you’re stealing from yourself. Price it to high and you’re kidding yourselfbut no one elseand you won’t achieve the goal of selling your business. Any business valuation, regardless of the method used or who completes it, will have an element of subjectivity to it, but it can give you some reasonable guidelines and expectations for value and suggest a proper pricing strategy.

Finding the Best Business Buyers

This is where the rubber meets the road. It doesn’t matter if you have a great presentation and the right price on your business if you don’t know how to find qualified buyers. It takes more than a couple of classified ads in the local paper or online if you want to get the best price from the best buyer. Multiple strategies including online ads, newspapers, direct marketing and industry publications must be employed. And you must write your ads the right way with the right information.

Closing the Deal

This is where a good business intermediary earns his keepkeeping the deal together until you get to the closing table. But business owners are smart, hardworking people. If you know and pay attention to the details along the way, you can make it happen, effectively paying yourself for the work by keeping the commissionoften tens of thousands of dollars. You need a good outline of the selling process, access to critical documents like letters of intent and asset purchase agreements and, before committing yourself to a binding contract, the advice of an attorney and a CPA with experience in business sale transactions.

If you put the right elements in place, you can sell your business yourself. Be sure you price it right, package it professionally, and make your buyer search a thoughtful, systematic process.

http://www.bizbyowner.com

Donald L. Beezley is a professional business intermediary and COO of BizByOwner, LLC. BizByOwner offers The Complete Solution for Selling A Business including a dynamic suite of online tools for packaging your business for sale and performing an online valuation. BizByOwner Resource Centers give you the buyer search and transaction management resources you need including selling process checklists and business sale contracts.
http://www.bizbyowner.com

Comments Off

I have previously written:

I absolutely g-u-a-r-a-n-t-e-e that if you focus on your dream – THAT YOU REALLY FOCUS ON YOUR DREAM, that you believe in your dream – THAT YOU REALLY BELIEVE IN YOUR DREAM with total confidence – that you be committed to your dream – THAT YOU REALLY BE COMMITTED TO YOUR DREAM – that if you do all this, YOU WILL EMPOWER YOUR DREAM.

What exactly did I mean by “focus”? What is focusing all about? Why is being focused so powerful? Baseball gives us many examples of the importance of being focused. One of those many examples is Hall of Famer Steve Carlton.

Steve Carlton, for those of you who are unaware of his identity, was a pitcher who spent most of his 24-year career with the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1972, Steve was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Phillies and proceeded to win 27 games for the hapless last place Phillies, which total by Carlton accounted for almost half of the hapless Phillies grand total 59 victories. That year, he won the National League’s Cy Young Award, which is baseball’s award for the league’s best pitcher. Steve Carlton proceeded to spend the off-season that year on the banquet tour and making endorsements and granting interviews, etc., etc. The 1973 season saw a reversal for the lefty pitcher. He went from 27 wins to 20 losses! His ERA shot up! What happened? Steve Carlton, in his own words, “lost” his “focus”. He failed to concentrate on his job, which was pitching baseballs and winning games.

In retrospect, though, 1973 turned out to be a blessing for Steve. He went to work on his attitude. He decided that worrying about the reporters and the endorsements were a distraction to his job. They were a distraction to his career and if he permitted them to continue, these distractions would divert him from the task at hand and ultimately reduce him to mediocrity. So, instead, he focused only on his physical conditioning and baseball. He shunned the distracting reporters and the meaningless banquets. The reporters tended to brand him as aloof, as a selfish player who refused to talk with them. Fans cheered his pitching but they didn’t take to him personally, as he stayed away from most autograph opportunities and speaking engagements. Steve Carlton, however, knew the secret. He knew that his mind needed to be focused on pitching if he was to achieve the pitching success he wanted, if he was going to be able to Empower His Dream.

Did Steve Carlton EMPOWER HIS DREAM? Judge for yourself. After that disastrous ‘73 season, Steve Carlton proceeded over the next 14 seasons to amass a total lifetime victory count of 329, a total of 4,136 career strikeouts (most ever by a left handed pitcher), 2nd lifetime only to the legendary Nolan Ryan. He became the 1st pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball to win 4 CY Young Awards. In his first year of eligibility, Steve Carlton was voted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Steve Carlton EMPOWERED HIS DREAM by concentrating his focus on his dream.

That is what focus is about. It is a mind set on your dream. According to the well known motivational speaker and late night TV infomercial star, Anthony Robbins, 80% of success is figuring out why to succeed, of directing your focus. Robbins asserts that the “how” to succeed, the actual tasks, are only 20% of the equation. That’s what Steve Carlton learned and that’s what each one of us needs to understand and employ. Discard the distractions. Put them aside. Decide ahead of time what your desired result is and keep THAT as the only element in your mind. The “how” will come. Don’t worry about the “how”. The “how” is unimportant. The actual steps to the realization of your dream will emerge on their own if your focus is on your dream and nowhere else. Missouri is known as the “Show Me State”. Talk to a Missourian and they will tell you to show them first, and then they will believe. I dare to say that show me first is a formula for defeat. Show me first is a formula for losing.

Believe and then it WILL happen. BELIEF comes first. And, belief is developed through focus. Steve Carlton’s team mate on the World Champion 1980 Phillies, Tug McGraw, coined a phrase for the 1973 National League Pennant Winning New York Mets, “Ya gotta believe!” Tug McGraw didn’t say, “Let’s win and then we’ll believe.” Tug said, “Ya Gotta Believe!” In other words, he instructed the Mets fans, and later the Phillies fans, focus on the winning and we will win! Ya Gotta Believe was and is more than a slogan. Ya Gotta Believe is a way of life. And the belief I am talking about is not a hope. It is not a “I wanna.” The belief I am talking about is a true and committed belief that there is absolutely no way that your dream will not be realized. The belief I am talking about is a true and committed belief that your dream IS reality!

Do you want to empower your dream? If you answered yes, then you must focus on that dream and understand that no other reality exists. You set your eyes and mind on that dream and the reality of that dream and allow absolutely nothing to distract you from the physical realization of your reality. That is focus. And “focus” will EMPOWER YOUR DREAM!

© Copyright 2003. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: J. Kevin King, J.D. is a Personal Life and Business Coach, and the Founder and CEO of The Empowerment System Network, which publishes the very unique weekly Success & Motivational ezine Empower Your Dream. Kevin has over 30 years experience in business and personal coaching.
http://empower-your-dream.com

http://iattracteverythingiwant.com/

http://www.empower-your-dream.com/esn/mall.html

E-Mail – JKKingJD@empower-your-dream.com

You may reprint this article in its entirety with the above ABOUT THE AUTHOR included.

Comments Off

The American Flag is a testament of hard work, perseverance and determination. It represents a country that prides itself on helping those who need help and by providing for those who are less fortunate. It is a symbol of unity to millions and a sign of peace, a sign of friendship and a sign of honor. Those who see it know they can be safe under it.

For many, the flag is something that needs to be in their presence. Most businesses within the United States will show their support by having a flag out in front of their building or by displaying the flag someplace within it. This is a sign that they are American or American supportive. And, while any other flag can fly with it, allegiance should hold that the American Flag be at the very top and at the highest of honor.

Perhaps you have seen the times when the flag is lowered. In these times, the flag represents something very much moving and sensitive. It allows for individuals to grieve and respect those who have died or have been hurt in the name of the United States. In periods of grief, the flag will stay at half staff. This can happen for any number of reasons but usually it is a sign that someone that believes in and has earned the respect of the United States has fallen.

There is always going to be division within the United States. That is due many times to the simple fact that the democracy that the country holds true is designed to allow everyone to have an opinion and to have rights. And, although not everyone will agree with every move that is made, all will stand up and defend their beliefs in a country fights for them to have the ability to disagree. The American Flag, with its stripes and stars is a symbol of freedom.

for more information please see http://www.american-flag-deals.co.uk

Comments Off

It is safe to pronounce that the time of the video recorder is little by little on its approach out and drawing to a close, video recorder can still be all over the place for an extended time & it is sensational to find how many folk actually still have them & watch their detective programmes on them. The piece of small electronics that is key for everybody to have is the fantastic DVD player, which is steadily now branching out to the Digital Versatile Disc Recorder. When Digital Versatile Disc recorders were 1st brought out they were extraordinarily expensive. Prices reduced on Panasonic DVD Recorder at Sound and Vision!

It is currently possible to pick up a really cut price Digital Versatile Disc Recorder if you look hard enough and do a little research. Consumers get puzzled with the differentiation between a DVD recorders & Digital Versatile Disc burners; they are two completely different pieces of technology, although both do create DVD’s through burning via a laser to a blank DVD disk. Each and every one of the Digital Versatile Disc recorders can record from any analogue video source, most can record video from digital camcorders via firewire.

The good thing now is that Digital Versatile Disc recorders have under no circumstances been so low-cost consequently it is feasible for you to buy a top of the range system for a really cheap price. The electronics market is motivated by the newest equipment, new improvements & product quality, of which these are varying virtually every fortnight.

Some of the top brands for Digital Versatile Disc recorders at the moment are Sennheiser, Toshiba & Panasonic, but nevertheless, if you’re watching for the very best of the best and you do not mind spending a tiny bit more to get something very special then you will go for the Mission Digital Versatile Disc recorder, this really is best of the line & there can be found lots of different ones to choose from. Your next main decision after deciding what brand is whether you want one that has a fabulous hard drive installed in it like the Pioneer one.

Comments Off

The world is no longer right when the two words, Engineer and Insurance are used together, side by side in a conversation. Individually they are words that justify their use, with their own explanations and own meanings as those that compile dictionaries see fit! They each serve their own purpose until such a time as when they are used in the same sentence or even on the same page. Engineer and Insurance cannot be used together anymore, yes there was a time when this topic had no base but here and today it can be seen that the words are not in any sense synonymous with each other.

The dictionary tells us that, insurance is “a thing providing protection against a possible event” or “money paid to insure against something or by an insurance company in the event of damage, injury, etc”. Well, that tells us something although it is a bit confusing.

The dictionary tells us that an Engineer is “a person qualified in Engineering” and also it says that an Engineer is “a person who controls an Engine or a Machine”. And there we have it. It is sad that one cannot now look up “Insurance Engineer” or Engineering Insurance” to gain some valuable insight into what is involved and to shed some light on this matter.

What sadly and inadvertently sparked this subject was by what an Engineering Superintendent once said to a Ships Engineer whilst they supped beer in a bar one night. The Engineer was naturally complaining about the lack of spares that are made available to the ships he was on. NB: This is a frequent grumble of Engineers and probably does have value and meaning the world over, no company liking to part with expensive spares if they can help it. Anyway, the Superintendent, true to form agreed with the ships Engineer and blamed everything on the paper pushing bosses upstairs, current ships budgets and the economy, thus he followed all the usual avenues that Superintendents typically use in this regard. The superintendent unfortunately took one too many sips of his beer and forgetting that he had long since crossed the fence from Ships’ staff to Office staff, let slip a snippet of conversation that he had either been party to or that his big ears had accidentally sounded out.

The statement was relayed like this: “It is not our policy to purchase spares for our vessels, we would rather wait until the equipment fails and then claim it back on Insurance”.

Stunned is the word that comes to mind. Shock, disbelief and outrage could follow close second. The Engineer and the Superintendent naturally turned to other topics like discussing fellow Engineers and their faults before finally retiring to their respective beds and forgetting all about what had been discussed. Except for the Engineer who for some reason or other could never quite rid the Superintendents “slip” from his mind. And can anyone blame him?

Engineers struggle to perform their duties within parameters given and in often harsh and unforgiving environments but given the essential shore back up they invariably perform their duties well and to a high degree of end performance and safety standards. The dictionary states quite clearly that Engineers are qualified persons looking after machinery. Machinery needs both adequate spares and Engineers to provide a safe working environment and to keep the machinery and equipment in satisfactory working order. A machine that is awaiting a future Insurance Claim is not a safe working machine and the Engineer has failed in his duty to keep the Machine or Engine functioning. From an Insurance point of view an Engineer and required spares are the “things” that provide protection against a possible event.

Due to modern systems of communication and the fact that spares are readily available in most ports of the world it is not common practice to build up large stocks of spares on vessels. It is largely entrusted and accepted by Engineers and Office staff alike that when the Engineer orders spares he does so because he needs them. He orders spares through the company whilst retaining the knowledge that they should arrive at the next port of call or at the latest within one month or so. The Engineer furthermore orders them because he predicts a use for them. By placing such an order he is, without his being fully aware of doing so, enacting Insurance on the Machinery that he has ordered spares for. He is providing protection against a probable event, which in this case is his Insurance to keep the machine or engine in a functional and safe working condition – as prescribed by the duties of an Engineer.

To recap in simplified form: The Engineer insures his machinery by replacing worn or used parts as he sees necessary to maintain a certain piece of equipment in a satisfactory working and safe condition.

The Company in this regard have failed in their duty to the Engineer, by not supplying the necessary spares as the Engineer deems necessary to fulfill his duties.

Insurance contributions or money paid to an Insurer is a costly business when considering the size and scale of what is involved. To wait for failure and thus save money on spares and to have the cost attributed to failure, with the subsequent repair of the equipment paid for by the Insurance Company, must seem “great” to the Ship Owner/Manager. There he is having his money returned to him by those who take most out of his budget and into the bargain the Insurance Company pay for all damages invoked by the failure, stoppage times and subsequent replacement of the failed equipment.

An Engineer who is working on a vessel where spares will not be sent out upon request becomes a useless Engineer. Now preferably called a Caretaker with no skills or interest in insuring his property simply due to a lack of usable items to effect such. An Engineer is (was) Insurance against equipment failure as long as he has at his disposal the spares necessary – without these he negates any Insurance that goes with the title of Engineer. He is qualified to maintain and look after engines and equipment, but he only becomes Insured (the ‘thing’) if he has the necessary backup from ashore. Take that back-up away and we are left with a qualified yet uninsured Engineer. He cannot perform his duties satisfactorily, he cannot give insurance that his machines will perform well and safely under his care, he cannot fulfill his duties in any shape or form whatsoever and thus is a liability to all concerned.

An Engineer has thus become through no fault of his own an Insurance liability to all concerned and that is why we cannot use Engineer and Insurance in the same sentence – it hurts and badly.

Author and Webmaster of Seamania. As a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Navy he has sailed the world for fifteen years. Now living in Taiwan he writes about cultures across the globe and life as he sees it.

Comments Off