R O A M
your monthly eKit newsletter
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Edition 22

Welcome to the July edition of ROAM.

July marks the end of the World Cup, and life can now return to some
sort of normality for the next four years, until the soccer gods
return once more to play the beautiful game.

July will be a perfect month to relax in the sun or hit the snow
depending on where in the world you are. This month's ROAM is bursting
with info about how to get the most out of your eKit service, and the
most out of July.

Spotlight on reveals how to listen (yes listen!) to your email over
the phone. Find out how you can get free talk time by telling a friend
how excellent eKit is, or just by giving us the lowdown on the best
Cyber cafe you've ever logged in to.

Best of the fests unveils the exhilaration of the Tour de France, the
raw human power of the Lumberjack Bowl, and the weirdness of the Bog
Bike Championship. One from left field provides some useful tips with
a bit of a twist. The Missing Link has some excellent sites for
getting the inside info of traveling around Oz, or keeping in touch
when you are homesick.

All this and oh, so much more, in this month ROAM.

Happy trails!

Ben

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THIS MONTH IN ROAM
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1. What's new? -  10% Bonus & Tell a Friend Special.
2. Win $50 each month - Best cyber café around.
3. Travel whispers - Your favorite travel photo.
4. Best of the fests - Lumberjack, bog biking & the tour.
5. Spotlight on...  - Email to voicemail.
6. One from left field - Wacky tips.
7. The Missing Link - Great travel sites.
8. The Vent  - Your place to exhale.

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1. WHAT'S NEW?
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~~ 10% MORE talk time! ~~
Recharge your account with US$50 or more for the month of July and
receive a 10% BONUS!

~~ Tell a Friend Special Offer  ~~
Got a friend who's traveling? Don't keep eKit all to yourself.
Tell them about eKit and when they join and charge their account
for $US20 or more in July, you'll each receive $US10 FREE.

Just make sure your friends give us your eKit account number when
they join. Log in and click tell a friend to send a Tell a Friend
email.

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2. WIN $50 - THE BEST CYBER CAFE AROUND
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Enter our competition this month to win one of two $50 account top
ups, by simply telling us about the best cyber cafe around. Was it
the free hot beverages, or the view over the long, mist filled
valley? We want to know where it is and what makes it so special.
Don't forget to tell us what country you are from.

A $50 account top up will go to the two best!
Give us a shout at roam@ekit.com.

Congratulations to Brendan and Benjamin who are this months winners
for sending in their favorite travel photo. For Brendan's photo, go
to http://www.ekit.com/roam/edition22/win1.jpg .  For
Benjamin's great
snap, go to http://www.ekit.com/roam/edition22/win2.jpg .
Each will receive a $50 top-up!

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3. TRAVEL WHISPERS
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 ~~ Your favorite travel photo ~~

It was my last night in New Orleans after a tremendously taxing week.
I had attended a weeklong conference involving many social nights out.
I decided to walk down Bourbon Street for one last hurrah. My flight
was mid morning and I decided to be responsible and not drink before
my flight to New York so that I would be on time.

After talking to Lou (the guy in the picture who doesn't look like a
tourist) he couldn't persuade me to try his beer, however, just as I
was about to say goodbye these three sensational looking girls from
the state of Mississippi walked past, I acknowledged them with a smile
and a "G'day girls how ya going". Well that's something I shouldn't
have done because after three beers and twelve shots it didn't matter
where I was, I wasn't going to bed for the night! So if your
Australian and planning to stay sober in New Orleans don't go to
Bourbon Street as anything can and will happen!

- Brendan, Australia

I have just spent six months studying in Hong Kong, and took over 800
photos with my digital camera!  But this photo comes from one of my
day trips to the Macau peninsula, just after Chinese New Year.  Macau
is an amazing mix of Chinese and Portuguese culture - a strange thing
for an English speaker, as the signs are in Chinese and Portuguese only.
You can see the mix here - the paper dragon and Chinese pedestrians
amidst the grandiose Mediterranean structures of the "Largo de Sen
ado"
- Macau's main street.  It really is mind blowing to see old Chinese
ladies conversing in Portuguese!  This photo is illustrative of the
cultural conglomeration that captured my heart.

- Benjamin, Australia

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4. BEST OF THE FESTS
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~~ A what's on guide to the world ~~

Start of the Tour de France
6 July 2002
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

Luxembourg has the honor of hosting the opening stage of the 2002
Tour de France, the worlds most famous cycling race.

The punishing tour begins with the 6.5km race through the Grand
Duchy's Capital. The Luxembourg Tourist Office will be staging events
through the city to keep the thousand of cycling and sports fans
entertained.

Once the riders leave Luxembourg City they encounter the 195km first
lap along he Ardennes uplands and through the scenic wine region. The
Land of Red Earth hosts the 54km second lap, the cyclists testing
mettle on their way towards the Saar-Lor-Lux region (three country
corner: Luxembourg - France - Germany).

The Tour de France is one of the biggest sporting events in the world,
and is the crown jewel of road cycling. The riders face an extreme
test of the physical and mental endurance during the 4000-kilometer
ride. Their adoring fans line the entire route, providing some of the
color and flair that is the Tour de France

For more information visit: http://www.letour.fr/indexus.html


World Mountain Bike Bog Snorkeling Championships
13-14 July 2002
Waen Rhydd Bog
Situated on the A483 between Builth Wells and Llandovery.
On the railway line between Swansea and Shrewsbury.
Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales

What do folk from the smallest town in Britain do in the spare time?
Ride mountain bikes through bogs of course!

A custom made 6 ft trench is sliced into the thickest bog, and the
riders (or swimmers some might say) must complete two lengths of the
trench in the quickest time to compete for the title. The bikes are
normally fitted with lead in the tubes but water in the tyres so the
riders stay on the bottom and maintain traction. To ensure rancid goo
is not inhaled, and to prevent drowning, all riders use snorkels.
Wetsuits are also highly recommended.

There is virtually no visibility as riders plough toward a pole at
the far end of the trench, maneuver round it and steam back to the
start as rapidly as the bog allows. Veterans of the race advise a
steady speed, not frantic peddling, and using a low gear and
carrying extra weight also helps.

If you wish to compete for the coveted title of Mountain Bike Bog
Snorkeling Champion you must pass an application process. The
Champion is virtually guaranteed to become a local legend and be
talked about for generations to come.

For more information, visit:
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/events/event.asp?/events/~71059.jml


Lumberjack World Championships
26-28 July, 2002
Lumberjack Bowl, Hayward
Wisconsin, USA

The Lumberjack Bowl will have the timbers shivering as competitors
descend on Hayward, Wisconsin to chop, saw, climb and log roll in
the finest way possible.
During the three-day competition 2000 lumberjacks and lumberjills
will compete for a piece of the US$50,000 prize money. Some 12,000
spectators watch the men (lumberjacks) and women (lumberjills) of
the forest chopping, sawing, rolling, climbing and felling as only
they can.

Get along to see, the springboard chop, power sawing, Jack and Jill
sawing, logrolling, speed climbing, boom running and river pigging.
If that's not enough there'll be clowns on 50-foot poles,
demonstrations, displays and exhibits.

For more information go to:
http://www.lumberjackworldchampionships.com/

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5. SPOTLIGHT ON...
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Each month we'll highlight a useful part of the eKit service. This
month it's:

~~ Listening to emails over the phone~~

How cool would it be if you could listen to your emails over the
phone? Have you ever wanted to check your email but couldn't find
or couldn't be bothered to find a Cyber cafe? If so, then Listen
to Email could be for you! Listen to Email lets you conveniently
listen to your filtered emails using the phone service.

How do I listen to my emails using the phone service?
You need to:
1.	Dial the access number for the country you are in.
2.	Log in.
3.	At the Main menu, press 1 to listen to messages.
4.	Press 3 to listen to voicemails/emails.
5.	Press 1 to listen to the first message, 2 to listen to
	the previous message and 3 to listen to the next message.

Before you can listen to your emails, you need to set up filters.
Filters tell eKit which of your future emails you would like to be
able to listen to. There are a number of filters that you can set
up, including - From, To, Cc, Subject and Body.

For example, if you want to listen to all emails from
myfriend@home.com, just type myfriend@home.com into the From filter.
You will now be able to listen to any new emails you receive from
your friend. You will also receive a normal text version of each
email so if you decide you don't want to listen to the email this
time, you can simply read it on the website.

How do I set up filters?
To set up filters, you need to:
1.	Go to the website.
2.	Log in.
3.	Click "Message settings" in the side bar.
4.	Click "Listen to email": in the top bar.

Then, enter your keywords in the From, To, Cc, Subject and/or
Body filters.

Can I listen to non-English emails?
You can listen to emails in English only. The phone service will
still attempt to read out non-English emails but they will not be
grammatically correct.

How much does it cost?
You are charged a per-minute rate to listen to your emails using
the phone service. You can listen to them for free on the computer.
Use the online cost calculator to work out the cost. In the
"Calling from" column, select the country you are calling from. In
the "Calling to" column, select voicemail. Then click Calculate.
The resulting rate is the per-minute rate you are charged to listen
to your emails.

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6. ONE FROM LEFT FIELD
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~~ Some wacky uses for some everyday products ~~

Trap mice or rats.
Bait a mousetrap with peanut butter. Mice actually prefer peanut
butter to cheese.

Store valuables.
Make a two-inch slit along one seam of a tennis ball, then place
valuables inside. If you hide the doctored tennis ball among your
other sports equipment, remember not to use it.

Remove a ring stuck on a finger.
Rub on a little hair conditioner, then hold your hand up toward
the ceiling to drain the blood from the area, and slide off the
ring.

Remove a splinter.
Soak the wounded area in corn oil for a few minutes to soften
the skin before trying to remove the splinter.

Dry up acne pimples.
Dab toothpaste on pimples as you would use Clearasil.

Prevent an ant invasion.
Draw a line of chalk around windows and doors outside your home,
and around water pipes inside your home. Ants will not cross a
chalk line.

Tint flowers.
Mix food coloring in warm water and place the flower stems in the
solution overnight. The stems will absorb the colors by morning,
revealing intriguing designs in different colors.

Source: http://www.wackyuses.com/uses.html

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7. THE MISSING LINK
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~~ Great travel sites ~~

http://www.travelmate.com.au
Travelmate provides information and tools for those discovering
Australia by road. Highlights on this site includes:

Smart trip - Provides a map and detailed instructions on how to
get from your starting location to your desired destination. It
also lists interesting accommodation and attractions (galleries,
golf courses, restaurants, clubs, gardens, historical sites,
museums, markets, festivals etc) on the way.
Fun trip - Provides travel games for different ages plus tips for
traveling with children.
Travel Store - Online store offering everything from luggage to
camping equipment, bags, clocks, games, torches, sleeping gear,
waterproof clothing.
Petrol Price - Search for the price of petrol in any town across
Australia.

You can also book a tour, search weekend getaways, make an online
accommodation booking and swap info, ask questions and give advice
at the Bulletin board.

http://www.homesick.com.au
Homesick is designed for homesick Aussies traveling abroad. Catch
up on Aussie news and more importantly, look up all the latest NRL
and AFL results. Search for Australian clubs and associations that
are overseas, find a pub/bar that sells Aussie beer, find sporting
clubs with a large Australian membership base, search for touring
Australian bands and singers, search for jobs for Australian
expatriates, share your stories in the online forums and much more.
There's even a link to Triple J!

http://www.worldtimeserver.com
World Time Server provides accurate current local times of any world
clock on the Internet. It makes real time adjustments for Daylight
Saving Time. No matter what time zone a country or city is located
in. Visit this website for one of the best resource for determining
any time, anywhere.

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8. THE VENT
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~~ Everybody's got an opinion. What's yours? ~~

Hi eKit,

Hey you guys...just thought I'd tell you you're doing a great job.
I REALLY like that you let us Auto-forward from your site and that
we can get the email addresses that we want AND that you don't kill
off our accounts if we are a little slow in getting started...GREAT.

- Andy, Middle East

Thanks Andy for your contributions to ROAM - a $20 top-up is on its
way!


This is your newsletter and we want your thoughts. Did ROAM
rock your world, or induce a spontaneous siesta? Were you
enlightened, or did you switch off? Tell us how we went
with ROAM, and what you want to see in the next edition.

What's your opinion? Was this edition too long?

Send your thoughts to roam@ekit.com

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