The google adwords keyword tool

If you want to run an effective Google Adwords campaign, you'll find it necessary to learn to use the Google Adwords keyword tool. This handy little tool allows you to select keywords and establish how much you are willing to pay per click for ads that appear on web pages and search engine results pages that contain the identified keywords. Choosing the right keywords is very important to your success in operating an Adwords campaign. You want to reach an audience that is likely to want and need your product or service so that, once they arrive at your website, they will convert to a sale or lead. Having people click on your ad does nothing but cost you money unless you maintain a high conversion rate. When choosing the keyword or keywords that you want to target, keep in mind the keywords that your website is based upon. Those are, at least in part, the keywords you will want to select for advertising. However, you may have keywords on your website that are much broader than those that you want to use for your Adwords campaign. Whereas a person selling classic car parts online might use "auto parts" as a keyword on their website, it would certainly be a very bad choice for an Adword keyword. Driving traffic that are seeking auto parts for late model cars will simply leave the website as soon as they see what is offered and, since you choose the keyword, the click would still cost you money. Instead, focus on keywords that are very directly related to what you offer such as, in the case here, "classic car parts", for example. That way, only those people searching for and visiting websites related to classic cars and parts for those cars will see your Adwords campaign. The Google Adwords keyword tool allows you to add and remove keywords at any time you choose. You aren't tied to using keywords that aren't working for you for any specific length of time. If you find a keyword you have selected is working very poorly, go to the keyword tool and remove that keyword from your campaign. You might replace it with a better keyword, or simply drop the keyword and not replace it at all. The greatest thing about Google Adwords is the flexibility. You can change anything about your campaign at any time you want. Keywords that prove effective can be changed to a higher price per click while those that offer little traffic can be changed or removed. Find keywords that drive traffic that converts and stick with those keywords. A great alternative , even better than the google adwords tool is the new keyword elite which has more options and will give you the exact adwords pricing for each keyword and per search engine as well as competition, adsense high paying keywords and so on.

Bird flu personal preparedness must include these 4 critical areas

The recent hurricanes Katrina and Rita have been powerful reminders of how destructive the forces of nature can be, and how preparation for them can mitigate their effects. Avian influenza, commonly referred to as “bird flu,” is a powerful force of nature that we must prepare for—or suffer the potentially devastating health and financial consequences. Bird flu is a viral contagious disease, just like the regular seasonal flu, but it might turn out to be 70 times more deadly. And, because of the nature of the virus, it might be most deadly for healthy children and adults, and pregnant women—just like the so-called Spanish flu of 1918-19 was. The report of the U. S. National Intelligence Council’s 2020 Project, Mapping the Global Future, identified a global pandemic (an epidemic that is worldwide) as the single most important threat to the global economy. According to Shigeru Omi, regional director of the World Health Organization, “The world is now in the gravest possible danger of a pandemic.” And according to Dr. Robert Webster, a world-renowned influenza researcher at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, “We could be heading for a global catastrophe.” Infectious-disease experts have repeatedly warned that it’s not a question of whether a bird-flu pandemic is coming; it’s only a question of when. Judging from the federal government’s incredibly inadequate response at all levels to hurricane Katrina—which is emblematic of its ineptness in dealing with large national emergencies, its slow and superficial response to bird flu to date, and its lack of leadership on this issue—it is clear that you cannot count on the government to protect you. You must take the initiative to prepare yourself and your family for the coming bird-flu pandemic. There are four essential areas that you must address to prepare for the bird-flu pandemic: 1) “social distancing”; 2) commodities—including food, 3) personal protective equipment (PPE), and 4) financial preparation. Social distancing refers to your living and work situations when the pandemic strikes. Without going to extremes, you want you and your family to be as far away from other people as possible. Bird flu is just like the regular seasonal flu in that you become infected from other people, not birds. (Although it might be possible to acquire the viral infection from birds, it is much more likely that, if you do become infected, you will have acquired the virus from another person, not a bird.) The bird-flu virus is extremely contagious; it is transmitted though casual contact with a contagious person (who might not have any symptoms during the first 24 hours of infection), through touching contaminated objects, and through the air. Because of this, you want to stay away from people as much as possible, and that means spending more time at home. Your children will not be at school, they will be home. If your home is on the 73rd floor in an apartment building in New York City, how are you going to avoid other people? You might want to think of an alternative living situation for a few months. The same principle applies to your work setting. If you can telecommute, that is the best scenario. If you don’t telecommute now, but because of the type of work you do it might be a possibility, discuss it with your employer. If you will have to continue to work closely with others at your job site, what can be done there to help protect you and others from infection? How can policies and procedures be amended to minimize contact with coworkers or customers? Are there hand-washing stations available? What are your employer’s plans for dealing with the coming pandemic? Discuss these and related issues with your employer and coworkers. The second area that must be addressed is “commodities—including food.” There will be sporadic difficulties manufacturing or producing goods—because workers around the globe will be sick or otherwise absent from work. There also will be supply chain disruptions—both because workers will be sick or otherwise absent from work, and because of regional, national and/or international restrictions on travel. These problems will cause a decrease or the unavailability of most or all of the products we easily have access to now. Commodities such as soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, and virtually everything you can buy at stores such as Wal-Mart will be difficult or impossible to obtain—for periods of weeks or months at a time. This includes the most important commodity—food. The federal government is always telling us to stock up on emergency supplies for three days. This will not be sufficient preparation for the coming deadly bird-flu pandemic. There will likely be limited food available in stores. In addition, stores are places you want to avoid anyway, because potentially contagious people might be there. Stock up now so that you have sufficient commodities, including food, for a period of months. The third area to address is so-called personal protective equipment (PPE), which you will have to use, depending upon circumstances. PPE includes special face masks, called N95 respirators, which help prevent infection through inhalation of the virus. Remember that avian influenza (“bird flu”) is a very contagious disease that can be transmitted through the air. The only way to counter this source of infection is through the use of special N95 respirators. These are disposable face masks that can be worn for up to eight hours. N95 masks were the type of masks worn by hospital workers during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic that struck a number of cities around the world, including Toronto, Canada. Surgical masks or other common face masks, sometimes used when sanding or painting and so forth, are not effective. Other elements of PPE include disposable latex or vinyl gloves, eye goggles or face shields, gowns impervious to liquids, and sometimes disposable booties or disposable head caps. Keep in mind that during the pandemic, most people who become infected will have to be cared for at home, not in crowded and overwhelmed hospitals. This means that caregivers taking care of loved ones at home need to be protected from the virus, just like hospital workers working in hospitals. The only way to be protected is to wear PPE. (Just washing your hands—the federal government’s primary recommendation for caregivers at home—will not be enough.) Once the pandemic starts, demand for PPE will be huge and supplies will be in very short supply—or nonexistent. Buy now or suffer the consequences later. The last area that must be addressed before the bird-flu pandemic strikes is personal finances. This is an area that governments at all levels have been mute on. However, preparing your finances to sustain yourself and your family during (and after) the pandemic could prove to be the most important area of preparation. Although the bird-flu virus is deadly and many of us will fall ill, most of us will not die from it—only one to two percent of the population will likely die. The vast majority will live—but under what circumstances? Think of hurricane Katrina—where most people survived—but where hundreds of thousands are now homeless and underemployed or unemployed. Because of the potentially severe local, national, and international economic consequences of the bird-flu pandemic, many of us will suffer financially. Businesses around the world will not be able to make or distribute products or provide services. There will be layoffs and some companies will go out of business altogether. At a minimum, people will be out of work for periods of weeks or months. Your child or children, if you have any, will be at home—not in school or day care. Will that force one parent to stay home from work to care for them? How will you pay your rent or mortgage and your bills under these circumstances? At Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” When it comes to bird-flu preparation could make the difference between life and death, how much you and your family eat, and whether or not you can pay your bills, including your rent or mortgage. The government will not resolve these issues for you. Just like Smoky the Bear’s admonition, “Only you can prevent forest fires.” Only you can take stock of this situation and do something about it. Think about it—and then do something about it. Bradford Frank, M. D., M. P.H., M. B.A. The Frank Group P. O. Box 138 Lakewood, NY 14750 AvoidBirdFlu

Cardiovascular effort for excellent health

No matter who you are in the world, your body needs aerobic exercise. A healthy body and high quality way of life needs it. It has a number of pros and will help you feel greater in all areas of your life. So how can you benefit from aerobic exercise? Anaerobic exercise is not like aerobic in that it is often shorter in length and greater in intensity. With anaerobics the body gets tired faster and muscles are created more actively. A variety of sports are categorized as anaerobic activities: soccer, downhill skiing, weight lifting, basketball, and football. Running or sprinting is another one. Anaerobic exercise will boost the possibility of the body being sore. To imagine that often we don't do aerobic exercise is crazy because of it's number of perks. It helps control and reduces body fat, increases our total endurance, gives us more energy, assists in our resilience to exhaustion, increases our muscles, and raises our lean body mass. It also helps us mentally by improving mood, lowering anxiety, reducing depression, reducing tension, and having us sleep good at night. Who can't benefit a little from all that? These are pros that people would all use. An aerobics class could be a good beginning for people who want to reap the rewards of aerobic exercise and aren't positive how to start. Both high and low intensity work outs are available in an aerobics class. The teacher should show class members how to perform these moves either way. The amount of intensity is how high you bring your limbs up during the work out routine. Athletes must perform at the level of intensity pertaining to their level of fitness and the regularity of their work outs sessions. The goal while working out aerobically is to reach your target heart rate and remain at that for the whole period you are exercising that group of muscles. This exercises the heart more effectively and makes the body expend a greater amount of calories. The aerobic curve is something some people will often reach. This is when you start exercising and elevate your intensity level to the peak then decrease gradually. It is better to maintain that continuous level as your heart rate rises. The lungs and heart endure longer and work more effectively when they are conditioned. People who do aerobic exercise on a steady basis will have to exercise harder to achieve their target heart rate as their stamina increases. People who are only beginning will get to their target heart rate quickly until their body gets used to the exercise. More effective implementation of the lungs by escalating the oxygen carried to them as well as the heart using that oxygen more effectively are a few of the pros of aerobic exercise. The definition of aerobic means with oxygen, or with air. Exercise that is lower in intensity and longer in time is aerobic. With aerobic sessions, an athlete implements the same big muscle group in a continuous motion from between fifteen and thirty. The goal of the aerobic exerciser is to maintain a maximum heart rate of approximately sixty to eighty %. A few aerobic sessions are: light running, cycling, walking, or treading water. These activities should be able to be done without a person breathing hard. You are possibly anaerobically working out if you are not able to carry on a brief conversation. While in an aerobic exercise session, the body transports more blood and oxygen to the muscle groups. It is not smart to stop suddenly from an aerobic session. This leads to dizziness and muscle spasms. It is usually a great idea to have a cooling off session after a relatively intense aerobic work out. Running in place for a moment or two is a good idea if anybody gets too exhausted during a work out session. This type exercise is absolutely obligatory for cardiovascular fitness even though it may be a bit difficult at first. A healthy body takes regular aerobic sessions and is an ongoing process. Three times a week is generally how frequently a person should exercise if they are already in fairly good cardiovascular shape. Those who are trying to lose weight and raise their level of fitness should work out four to five times a week.

Roppongi hills

Minoru Mori had a vision of building a city within the city of Tokyo, and after seventeen years with the help of some four hundred of Tokyo’s individual landowners, his vision was realized in 2003. Roppongi Hills is an eleven-hectare vertical city, and its centerpiece, the fifty-four story Mori Tower, can be seen from all over Tokyo. Divided into eight distinctly themed areas, Roppongi Hills has something for everyone from everywhere. Yet all of the areas seamlessly meld together, providing a wide variety of experiences in a somewhat restricted space. The Mori Tower houses the Tokyo offices of many international conglomerates, and the ultra-exclusive Roppongi Hills Club. Its 52nd floor observation area has seating areas, and its Mori Art Museum has nine galleries spreading over two floors. The Roppongi Hills Mori Garden, with its seventeenth-century design, including a path circling a river-fed pond, is the perfect escape for those seeking quiet space in the heart of the Tokyo megalopolis. The atrium of the TV Asahi Studio is open to the public, and has a small cafй looking out onto the Mori Garden. Roppongi Hills’ West Walk, Hill Side, and MetroHat/Hollwood Plaza are what draw shoppers from around the globe. The West Walk, in the four-story Mori Tower Galleria, is the location of such upscale establishments as Anne Fontaine, Byblos, and Mandarina Duck. The West Walk features Japanese restaurants, and Hill Side, international ones. The boutique-lined Hill Side faces the Mori Garden and is where shops like Michael Negrin and Anna Sui will be found. And the MetroHat/Hollywood Plaza, as its name suggests, has stores to appeal to the younger trendier shopper. Finally, with its Keyakizaka Doori, Roppongi Hills has an answer to Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive, and its Virgin Cinema complex boasts the largest screen in Japan. For an extra charge, Premiere Screen reclining seats with tables on which to place popcorn, candy, and soda are available. Just a three minute walk from Rappongi Hills, the reasonably-priced, clean and friendly B Rappongi Hotel is very popular among both business travelers and tourists.

Dating communication is the key

: Sometimes when I read some questions posted by people on dating on forums, I find curious phenomena. They all discuss their problems, their questions and everything about dating from others, but they don't ask their dating partner about what should be done. I wonder that it is like this - a child is crying and the mother posts on the net that my child is crying, what should I do? Why not ask the child? Similarly most of the issues of dating can be easily sorted out if we ask our partner. Let us find out more. Are you confident about your dating partner? Are you confident about your relationship and your partner? If you are sure about your choice of dating partner than most of the problems can be solved. Whatever may be the issue, ask him/her. Sometimes people get baffled with straight queries, but once they realize that you are very honest and open about your dating relationship, they will love it. Why fear in dating? People fear that a small wrong step can spoil the dating and they will have to begin searching again. This is not true. Fear kills your natural behavior. Fear will make you very guarded in your dating. Please stop fearing. Sky will not fall. Be natural and worry not. If you are good and your dating partner likes you, everything will end Ok. Dating and communication - Good communication is the key to success. Talk and listen as much as possible. Don’t hide feelings. Express them. Don’t hide fears, talk about them.

Don’t hide desires; express them and you will get real satisfaction.

Better reading fluency results in better reading comprehension

Reading fluency is the ability to read quickly and accurately. A person with good reading fluency is able to comprehend more because they instantly group and recognize words. Doing this instantly frees up the brain for comprehending what is actually being read. Good reading fluency will help people learn more and excel at school or on the job. It is common for people to struggle with reading fluency. There are, however, specific training programs that allow an individual to strengthen their reading fluency. An individual struggling with reading fluency can be extremely frustrated with learning because they have to spend extra time trying to understand what they are reading. This can negatively impact people in a school or professional work setting. When a person struggling with reading fluency reads out loud their reading will typically be slow, choppy, and without natural expression. Besides having difficulty reading aloud an individual who struggles with reading fluency may also notice that they identify words in a list well, but they can't read the same words fluently in a phrase. It is vital that you help students move from word recognition in isolation to reading fluency in context. This can be accomplished with the proper testing, training, and practice. The National Institute for Literacy said on their website that, "Repeated and monitored oral reading improves reading fluency and overall reading achievement." This is one of the two steps researched by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The second step they found for improved reading fluency is silent reading done independently by the students. Practice is one of the key factors to an improvement in reading fluency. The NAEP has also laid out their definition of reading fluency. They define it as: "the ease or 'naturalness' of reading." In 1995 the NAEP found that 44% of United States fourth graders were on the lower end of the fluency scale. The study also confirmed that reading fluency and reading comprehension are directly related to each other. It has been proven that many American classrooms neglect to teach or train students to become more fluent readers. This in turn affects student's reading comprehension in the present and carries over later in life. To help your child or a loved one become a more fluent reader it is important to have them take a simple reading fluency test at a quality learning training center. This test will help you understand their strengths and weaknesses on the reading fluency scale. After the test the learning training center can put together a plan of action for helping to improve the reading fluency. This includes having your child receive professional feedback on their reading. This training process has proven to help improve reading fluency for a lifetime.

Legal update owners corporation act 2006

The Owners Corporation Act (the 'Act') was passed on 14 September 2006 and received assent on 19 September 2006. The Act, in effect, replaces and enlarges upon the regulations under the Subdivision Act 1988 with regard to bodies corporate (now called 'owners corporations'). The Act changes the structure, function, rights and obligations of bodies corporate and will affect property owners, managers, and property developers of residential properties, commercial properties, retirement villages, shopping complexes, office space, industrial complexes and mixed-use developments. The Act comes into operation on 31 December 2007. The Act will directly affect the one in five Victorians who own, live in, manage or develop bodies corporate. Here we examine the Act and highlight the Act's key provisions. Why the act has been passed. The Act is intended to address the inadequacies in the Subdivision Act 1988 in an environment of increasing numbers of bodies corporate and increasing complexity in the way they are structured and managed. The Act : * addresses both the obligations and rights which are common to all OCs, and recognises the different requirements of two-lot, general and large OCs; and * outlines the structure, function, rights and obligations of lot owners, OCs, managers and committees. Existing Legislation: Subdivision Act 1988 At present, bodies corporate are created and managed largely under a regime established by the Subdivision Act 1988. However since that legislation was enacted the number and complexity of bodies corporate has increased dramatically. It is estimated that in 1988 there were 35,000 bodies corporate covering 200,000 people, and that now there are 480,000 lots, 65,000 bodies corporate and that 1 million people live or work in a building that is covered by a body corporate. The estimated capital improved value of lots affected by bodies corporate is $40 billion. The law relating to bodies corporate has been under review since 2003. The Act is intended to address inadequacies in the Subdivision Act 1988 regime. In the second reading speech for the Act, Attorney-General Mr Hulls stated that: 'The current regulatory scheme for bodies corporate is not serving Victorians well. The regulatory scheme is sparse and limited in the guidance it provides to bodies corporate and lot owners. Parts of it are not clear or appear contradictory, and in many areas little guidance is provided to individuals trying to run these community organisations we call bodies corporate. At a minimum this Act will fix this situation.' r Hulls outlined the main themes emerging from the review process as: * the need for better access to dispute resolution; * clearer rights, duties and responsibilities of members and the body corporate; * giving sufficient powers and flexibility to bodies corporate and body corporate committees to allow them to operate effectively; * improved financial management and protection of body corporate funds; * long-term maintenance planning; and * the promotion of more professional standards in the body corporate management industry. Creation of Owners Corporations An Owner's Corporation ('OC') is created under the Subdivision Act 1988 (which the Act amends) in the same way that a body corporate was created i. e. a plan of subdivision may provide for the creation of one or more OCs, and a plan of subdivision which contains common property must provide for the creation of one or more OCs. An OC will automatically come into existence upon the registration of a plan of subdivision. The Act outlines the functions of the OC, which include an obligation to repair and maintain the common property and equipment and services, take our insurance as required by any Act, keep an OC register and provide an OC certificate, and any other function conferred by any law. These functions are substantially similar to the functions of a body corporation under the Subdivision Act 1988. However the Act substantially expands and regulates the conduct of these functions. In carrying out its functions and powers, an OC must act honestly and in good faith and exercise due care and diligence. An OC may delegate by instrument any power or function of the OC to the Committee, Chairman, Secretary, member, manager or employee of the OC. An instrument of delegation must be issued at the AGM. Existing Bodies Corporate Under the Act: * existing bodies corporate will become OCs and will be subject to the new legislation; * existing body corporate rules will continue to the extent that they are not inconsistent with the new legislation; and * any body corporate certificate issued immediately before the commencement day of the new legislation will be deemed to be an owners corporation certificate. Tiers of Owners Corporations Under the Act there are three tiers of OCs: * OCs over two-lot subdivisions: these OCs are exempted from compliance with a number of requirements under the new legislation; * OCs generally; * Prescribed OCs: certain OCs (as prescribed in regulations which are not yet available) will have additional obligations. Prescribed OCs are expected to be the larger OCs. Financial management An OC (other than a two-lot OC) must keep proper accounts and prepare a financial statement for the annual general meeting. An OC may, and a prescribed OC must, have the financial statement audited. An OC may, and a prescribed OC must, prepare a maintenance plan setting out certain information including anticipated major capital expenses within the next 10 years. A maintenance plan does not have effect unless it is approved by the OC. An OC with an approved maintenance plan must establish a maintenance fund into which certain funds must be paid. Asset management An OC must repair and maintain the common property and all related chattels, fixtures, fittings and services, and any service which is for the benefit of more than one lot and the common property. Lot owners are required to maintain any part of the lot that affects the outward appearance of the lot, and maintain any service that serves that lot exclusively. Lot owners must not permit the common property to be damaged or to deteriorate. In some circumstances, lot owners are responsible for cleaning and maintaining overhanging eaves and gutters that are common property. Lot owners can decorate and attach fixtures to their lots, but must give notice to the OC of any application by the lot owner for a building or planning permit. Insurance A lot owner can insure their lot and their interest in the common property. Section 11 of Sale of Land Act 1962 remains in effect: a lot owner cannot sell a lot if insurance required under the Act is not in place. If the insurance has not been taken out, the purchaser may avoid the sale at any time before the contract is completed. All OCs (except two-lot OCs) are required to obtain reinstatement and replacement insurance and public liability insurance for common property, and for any multilevel developments. Not less than every five years a prescribed OC must obtain a valuation of all buildings that it is liable to insure. The OC must present the valuer's report at the next general meeting. Developers The Act imposes a number of obligations on the applicant for registration of the plan of subdivision (other than a two-lot subdivision): * the applicant must provide (amongst other things) at the first meeting of the OC (which must occur within six months of the registration of the plan of subdivision) an OC register, any accounts or records made on behalf of the OC, the maintenance plan (if any), any contracts, leases and licences binding on or benefiting the OC, insurance policies, the names of the companies, tradespeople or suppliers who provided a warranty or other guarantee on any matter for which the OC is responsible, and copies of those warranties and guarantees; * within the first five years following registration of the plan of subdivision and while the applicant owns a majority of the lots affected by the OC, the applicant must: * act honestly and in good faith and with due care and diligence in the interests of the OC in exercising any rights under the new legislation; and * take all reasonable steps to enforce any domestic building contract entered into for any breach of contract which affects the common property and of which the applicant is aware or ought reasonably to be aware; and * the applicant must establish an OC register which includes information regarding lot liability, insurance policies, notices or orders served on the OC and details of contracts, leases and licenses entered into by the OC. Proxies and Powers of Attorney The Act makes it an offence for a person to require or demand that a lot owner of any subdivision provide a power of attorney or proxy for the purpose of voting at a meeting or in a ballot of an OC. A person is not entitled to exercise a power of attorney for more than one lot (unless the lot owners are members of the same family). A proxy holder must act honestly and in good faith and exercise due care and diligence. A person can hold any number of proxies, however any proxy is revocable, and lapses after twelve months of being given. A proxy holder who is not a lot owner may not vote on matters which affect that person relating to the delegation of functions and powers (e. g. to a manager or committee), or the appointment, payment or removal of a manager. Any contract appointing a manager in breach of the new legislation is voidable unless affirmed by the OC by special resolution. Committees Any OC with thirteen or more lots must elect a Committee. The Committee can do all things that an OC can do by ordinary resolution, unless the OC decides to limit the Committee's powers. The procedure by which Committees must operate is clarified. The Committee must also present a report of its activities to the annual general meeting. Each member of a Committee or sub-committee must act honestly and in good faith and exercise due care and diligence in the performance of his or her functions, and must not make improper use of his or her position as a member to gain, directly or indirectly, an advantage for himself or herself or for any other person. Each OC must have a Chairman, and may have a Secretary. The functions of Chairman and Secretary must now be undertaken by members, rather than a manager. A manager cannot be a Secretary unless there is no Committee and no Secretary. Sub-Committees can be set up in accordance with the rules, which may provide for the role and functions of the sub-committee. Managers An OC may appoint a person to manage the OC. A manager must act to the same standard as is prescribed for Committee members. A manager must submit a report to each annual general meeting, which must include details of the manager's professional indemnity insurance. Every paid manager must carry professional indemnity insurance and be registered with the Business Licensing Authority. The Licensing Registrar will keep a register of managers which will contain certain information including contact details, insurance details, and orders of VCAT relating to the person as a manager. Any existing manager will have three months in which to register. Any person, in accordance with the regulations (not yet published), can inspect the register. Within 28 days of ceasing to be a manger, the manager must return all records relating to the OC to the OC. An OC can revoke the appointment of a manager. As an OC can delegate its power, a delegatee of the OC can revoke a manager. Records and Register An OC must keep: * a register (as established by the application for registration); and * (for 7 years) records regarding each OC, including copies of resolutions, financial statements and accounting records, contracts and agreements entered into by the OC and leases and licences to and from the OC. The OC must make the records and register available to a lot owner, mortgagee of a lot and purchaser of a lot (or any of their representatives), and those people can copy the documents for not more than the prescribed fee. A person can apply to VCAT to restrict access to personal information in exceptional circumstances. OC Certificate and Vendor's Statements The OC must provide within 10 days of a request, an OC certificate containing certain information including information relating to the manager, all contracts, leases, licences and agreements affecting the common property, legal proceedings and liabilities and contingent liabilities of the OC, and accompanied by certain documents. The OC Certificate (including all documentation) must be attached to a Vendor's Statement for the sale of any lot. Dispute Resolution The Act outlines a number of dispute resolution procedures. These include: * Complaint to the OC – A lot owner, occupier or manager may complaint to the OC about an alleged breach of an obligation by a lot owner, occupier or manager. The OC must have a dispute resolution process or the dispute resolution process of the model rules will apply. An OC must follow the dispute resolution process as set out in the rules before making an application to VCAT; * Application to the Director - On application to the Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) by any person, the Director may refer a matter to an employee of CAV for conciliation or mediation; and * VCAT - VCAT has powers to resolve a dispute arising under the Act or regulations or rules with regard to the operation of an OC, breach by a lot owner or occupier of the Act or regulations or rules, and exercise of a function by the manager. VCAT can dismiss an application by an OC if the dispute resolution process set out in the rules has not been followed. Adverse Possession The Act amends the Limitation of Actions Act 1958 so that the right, title and interest of an OC in common property is not affected by reason only of any adverse possession, irrespective of the period of that possession. Concerns which have been raised in regard to the Act Although there were a large number of submissions regarding amendment to the Act, and it was accepted that the Act was not without flaws, the Act passed through both houses of Parliament without amendment. Some of the concerns raised, which may be addressed in the regulations or in future amendments to the Act, include: * that the Chairman and Secretary must be members of the OC, rather than these roles being undertaken by a manager as occurs in most bodies corporate at present; * that in attempting to address the issues of larger OCs, the Act imposes a burden on the 30% of OCs which consist of 5 lots or less, and the 45% of OCs which consist of between 5 and 100 lots which may result in additional expense, such as the employment of a manager where one was not previously required; * that the Act does not address the problem of obtaining a quorum of lot owners, and particularly of obtaining a special resolution of the lot owners (75%). Further, the legislation does not provide that meetings can be conducted by ballots in addition to in person; * that a special resolution is required in order to commence legal proceedings, thereby reducing the availability of this dispute resolution mechanism; * that a unanimous decision is required to increase the lot entitlement and liability of a lot, and it is unlikely that a lot owner will vote to increase its lot liability; * that the status of contracts entered into prior to the Act becoming operational is uncertain; * that there is no minimum standard imposed on managers; * that the register of managers will reveal each managers' client base; and * that there is inadequate provision for the protection of OC funds (including the maintenance fund).