Honing your parenting skills and teaching manners

Parenting skills go beyond teaching your child to say, “Please” and “Thank you”. Teaching a child what behavior is expected is a daily process, and you will have many opportunities each day to steer your child in the right direction.

One key point to remember is to teach, not reprimand. It is easy to assume that your child is just being bad when, in fact, he just needs a lesson or two from you on the correct behavior. Be specific when you teach your child and remember that follow-up lessons are necessary.

Instead of saying, "Don't be so discourteous!" you can say, "It's impolite to belch at the table, but if you do, you should say 'excuse me'.

Rephrase. When your child states her feelings in a less-than-polite way, you can rephrase what she already said in the way you find acceptable. So if she says, “I hate this green stuff!" You can politely correct her by saying, "What you should say is, 'I don't like spinach'."

Accept mistakes. When kids are young they will spill, drop and break things. It takes time to acquire the motor skills necessary to be neat and tidy. Children will make social blunders. It takes maturity to learn how to act in social situations. Accept age-appropriate mistakes for being simple childishness.

Correct privately. As annoying as your child's lack of manners may be, resist the urge to reprimand him in front of other people. Making a scene as you attempt to teach your child proper manners can just be bad manners on your part.

Expect good manners. When you know your child has learned the proper way to behave it is important to expect those good manners. Be consistent. Require good manners every day. Remind gently. And over time you will find your children turning into proper ladies and gentlemen.

Take charge. Simply give yourself permission to be in charge and begin expecting your children to obey you. With this solid foundation you will build a loving, trusting relationship with your children. More importantly, you will be able to lead your children into adulthood with values, wisdom, and life skills that only a strong, supportive parent can impart.

Use rules and routines. If you have very specific rules and routines you will find that things flow more peacefully. If you don’t, then expect chaos. It is well worth the time and effort to establish family priorities, rules and schedules for the usual daily routines.

None of us are born knowing how to be parents. We can love our kids with our whole heart and soul, but we are not born with a gene that gives us an instinctual knowledge of all the right answers, nor do we automatically know how to solve daily child rearing problems. But you can confident that your parenting skills with grow with time.

Some words about anti-aging and disease prevention

The aging process is for the greater part no mystery anymore. It consists for a great part of daily damages done on the macroscopic, tissue, cellular and genetic levels. These add up as the years are passing. These damages have specific causes like oxidating agents, sun beams, mechanical wear and tear, psychological stress, lack of some nutritional components and too much of others, like fat.

Another component of aging is the reduction of the telomere chains at the chromosome ends, as each cell division occurs. When these are shortended enough, cells stop dividing. However, the body has means to repair these ends again, with an enzyme called telomerase. The rapidity of the aging process depends on lack of efficiency in this repair process. The above mention aging causes also slow down this repair process.

The factors causing aging, also causes other diseases like cancer and coronary heart disease. Both aging and these diseases can in great extend be prevented with the knowledge possessed today, and the damages can in great extend be reversed. The components to achieve this are:

-Adequate dayly food containing whole cereals, peas, beans, vegetables, fruit, fish, mushroms, fouls and seafood, and with just a moderate amount of red meat.

-Just a moderate amount of fat.

-Ideally most fat one eats, should be of the type mono-unsaturated. One also needs some poly-usaturated fat of the types omega-3, and omega 6, but not too much of omega-6. The consumption of saturated fat should be very little.

- In order to achieve right fat balance, most of the fat supply should come from sources like olive, peanuts, canola, fish, nuts, sun-flower, etc. Then you will get a good balance between mono-unsaturated fat (olive, canola, peanuts), poly-unsaturated fat of the omaga-3-type (fish) and poly-unsaturated fat of the omega-6-type (sunflower).

-Just a very moderate amount of butter, soya oil, margarine, corn oil and palm oil. A high consumption of these fat sources gives you too much saturated fat and poly-unsaturated omega-6-fat.

-Just a very moderate amount of sugar, refined flour or refined cereals.

-Do not add more salt to the food than you need. Most people consume too much salt. However, some salt is needed. If the weather is warm and you are in high activity, you need more salt than by cold weather and low activity. Prefere sea-salt, beacuse of its content of valuable minerals.

-Just a moderate consumption of tranquilizers/stimulants as alchohol and coffeine, but in moderate amounts these contribute to slow down the aging process.

-No smoking or tobacco usage.

-Supplements of specific nutritional components like vitamins, minerals, lecitin and some essential fatty acids.

-Adequate training, that both gives a muscular load, work up your condition and stretches out your body. To stretch out, yoga-exercizes are ideal.

-Adequate rest and stress-reduction. Daily meditation is a method of achieving this. Natural relaxing agents or spesific tools for meditation or relaxation may also be useful.

-Supplements of specific anti-aging agents like anti-oxidants or human growth hormone.

-Use of spesific anti-aging agents to apply upon the skin surface.

-To protect the skin against excessive sun exposure.

The amount one needs of nutritional supplements, like vitamins and minerals, differs very much according to a person`s health condition, work load and exposure to environmental stress. A person having a poor digestion, doing high performance sport or being exposed to a high amount of environmental stressors, may need more than a person in an average situation

Hello from chicago - part 4 - a personal tour of the chicago cultural center

Chicago, Arlington House, Sunday, October 23, 2005, 6:15 am

Yesterday, after our lovely Austrian breakfast we went downtown to the Chicago Cultural Center, the main downtown information hub for tourists, to ask some questions about the Pullman Historic District, a planned industrial community, built in the 1880s by industrial magnate George Pullman, creator of the famous Pullman sleeper cars. We figured this would be an interesting place to visit since it brings together architecture, social and industrial history, and it would really give us insight into one of the most interesting personalities of Chicago's history.

To get more information about this neighbourhood we talked to one of the volunteer greeters who staff the Chicago Cultural Center and offer their local expertise to visitors free of charge. The Chicago Greeter program today offers 150 greeters speaking 20 languages and the Greeter program is one of the best ways of getting to know the city through the eyes of a local resident.

As a matter of fact, I had registered electronically for a Chicago Greeter Tour prior to my departure, but something had gone wrong with my registration and as a result I was not assigned a greeter. The good thing is that the City of Chicago also offers "InstaGreeters" - local volunteers / experts who take people on downtown walking tours without the necessity of a prior registration.

This is how we happened upon our very own personal InstaGreeter tour: Chicago Greeter and local expert Don talked to us a bit about the Pullman Historic District, but the more we talked, and the more he saw that we were really interested, he asked us whether we wanted a 20 minute tour of the Chicago Cultural Center. Considering that this is a Chicago landmark we readily agreed.

The Chicago Cultural Center was originally dedicated in 1897 as the city's original Public Library. It is an impressive limestone-faced building with intricate details, marble staircases, patterned ceilings, beautiful floor mosaics and two impressive stained glass domes. The cupola on the south side of the building is the world's largest Tiffany stained-glass dome.

Today the Cultural Center houses one of the city's Visitor Information Centers , various galleries, exhibition and meeting spaces, the Landmark Chicago Gallery which displays photographs from the permanent collection of Chicago landmarks, the 294-seat Claudia Cassidy Theater as well as the Studio Theater and various other facilities. You can even get married inside the Chicago Cultural Center.

Designed in the beaux-arts style by the Boston firm Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, the Chicago Cultural Center was completed in 1897 and dedicated as the city's original Chicago Public Library. Completed at a cost of nearly $2 million, this remarkable monument was inspired by the neo-classical style of the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893.

To start off, Don told us that the name of the city of Chicago is an Indian word for "stinky onion swamp". He also explained that Chicago is a city of superlatives: 3 of the world's 10 highest buildings are located here. Chicago is also widely considered to be the birthplace of modern architecture and a living museum of architecture, showcasing some of the world's most famous architects including Frank Lloyd Wright, Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan, Mies van der Rohe and Frank Gehry.

Chicago likes to do everything big. The world’s largest public library is located here: the Harold Washington Library Center houses 2 million books. Chicago is also home to the largest building in the United States (excluding the Pentagon): the Merchandise Mart has 90 acres of floor space, housed in an Art Deco landmark. Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park is one of the world's largest fountains. Chicago also has the only river in the world that flows backwards. Engineers reversed the Chicago River in 1900 for sanitary purposes. Here's another interesting fact: Chicago also has the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw.

Our local expert Don took us through the building and showed us the two stained glass domes, the exhibit halls, the photo collection of Chicago landmarks, and to keep going along the line of superlatives, Don gave us a brief synopsis of Millennium Park, located right across Michigan Avenue from the Chicago Cultural Center. The idea for Millennium Park was conceived by famous mayor Richard M. Daley, and with the help of private sector donations Millennium Park has become one of the most impressive outdoor venues anywhere. The project cost $495 million, of which $220 million were financed privately.

Our Chicago Greeter Don, a former vice-president at Motorola, is very knowledgeable about the history of Chicago and very passionate about his city. His pride in his city is obvious, and there is a lot to be proud of. For me, Chicago's waterfront including Grant Park, the lakefront trail and its beaches are some of the most awesome features of this city. In total Chicago has more than 7300 acres of parkland, 552 parks, 33 beaches, nine museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, 10 bird and wildlife gardens, and it's not surprising that Chicago has won numerous awards including "Best City in the World" and other accolades.

With Don's help we got a great overview of the Cultural Center and a bit of insight into Chicago's interesting history. It was the perfect preparation for our tour of the Pullman Historic District, an industrial community created by George Pullman, an industrial despot, yet a foresightful social entrepreneur who, according to Don, was universally despised.

Armed with a bit of background knowledge we were looking forward to our exploration of Pullman's social experiment.

Search engines web directories

The so called search box should be given a correct name “search engine” which can be further divided into keyword search engines and web directories. Web surfers can make use these two types of searching methods alternatively for better search results.

Search engines accumulated their data volume through spiders or robots that work among billions of websites and collect them back to the databases and index them into good order for future query by web surfers. Complicated algorithm will perform calculations and pick up right results according to keywords provided by web surfers.

There are virtually countless websites for spiders to crawl. How spiders crawl these sites? They start crawling those sites that attract bigger volume, coming to the end through sophisticated internal links. And that is the reason why website should always be linked to high traffic site for optimum market exposure.

Search engine crawlers will crawl web pages periodically for updated contents. The newly added contents should be available to web surfers at the next database updates which normally take few days up to few months.

At the moment, there are two types of submissions are available: paid inclusion and pay for placement. Through paid inclusions, websites can be indexed into database efficiently including your newly added contents. However, your paid inclusion does not guarantee your rankings in search engines. The best advice would be having a perfectly optimized web page ready before any paid procedures.

Pay for placement will give you immediate ranking for any targeted keywords. The higher you bid the better your ranking will be. And pay per click system will let advertisers have more say as to how their advertising budget will be corrected allocated. Normally, these search engines have many affiliates to cover more advertising areas.

Unlike Search Engines send out spiders to crawl websites automatically, the web directories accumulate their database manually by human editors. The most important web directory is the Open Directory Project ( dmoz. org) that compiles databases manually and indexed websites of extreme high quality and unique contents.

To submit urls to web directories, you must first make sure if the site you are going to submit has been indexed already. You can check up this by entering your website url in the search box. Then choose the category that best correspond to your products and services.

After you get the proper category, submit your site by clicking the button of suggest a site or suggest url and follow the instructions. In the mean time, correct titles, descriptions, keyword meta etc should be well written. Promotional adjectives such the best and the most should be avoided.

Following strictly the rules listed would be our heart and soul suggestion to get your site listed successfully.

Avoid a trap when you start a business from home

So; you are thinking you want to start a business from home? There are many things you will need to consider as you explore your endeavor. Although I cannot begin to cover every aspect of starting a business from home in this article, I wish to warn you of a trap that is easy to fall into, difficult to avoid and can be devastating to your wallet.

The internet is crammed full of opportunities to "Make Thousands of Dollars!" simply by following "just do what I do" programs. Unfortunately, many of these so called systems prey on your desire to make money, but they can and will leave you broke and discouraged if you don't know what you are doing. Caveat Emptor, Buyer Beware must be your mantra when considering one of these online opportunities.

Most folks begin looking for a work from home business by doing research on the internet. The simplest research begins at the search engines by typing in "Work from Home" or a similar phrase. In the results you see hundreds, thousands, even millions, of opportunities that await your click. Many times you will be asked to "opt-in" to receive the valuable information that is offered for free. Not a bad thing you say to yourself as you fill in your email address and your name in the harmless form, after all, it's free and I'm not buying anything. To comply with Anti-Spam Laws you will receive an email that asks you to confirm your request for additional information. You are now a "Double Opt-In Subscriber" and by clicking on the link to confirm your desire, you are whisked away to the promise land of thousands of dollars filling your bank accounts. You have just fallen prey to one of the biggest traps on the internet!

Now, I am not suggesting that every program on the internet is a scam, by any means. There a literally thousands of people legitimately making very large amounts of money on the internet every day and there are truly some valuable and legitimate ways to make money from home on the internet. What I am suggesting is that by "opting in" to a list, you have agreed to receive a sales pitch for the product de' jour the marketer is selling. The products you will be selling are the same thing you just signed up for, only this time you will get a commission for a sale. It sounds good on the surface, but...

Many online offerings are very compelling and they prey upon your desire to make money. The lure of easy money is the downfall of most people who want to start a business from home. It's not easy and it's not quick and the programs that convince you otherwise have been carefully designed to pique your interest and to separate you from your cash. To make money on the internet, you need traffic; visitors or quite simply, people to buy your offering, simple as it sounds this little detail is often overlooked when considering an opportunity.

Here's a sample of how this little scheme goes: You sign up and part with your cash. The seller of this fine program tells you to get traffic and expect a conversion rate of X; but how do I get traffic if I don't have a website? Simple, send emails to everyone on your list; surely they will buy this marvelous idea! What list are you talking about? Well, your opt-in list of course. How do I build an opt-in list if I don't have a website? Simple, place Pay-Per-Click ads and the traffic will come in droves and buy your offering. We'll even show you how to get Pay-Per-Click ads for little or no cost and beat your competition. But wait, if I don't have a website how will I capture the email addresses of those who opt-in? The truth is you can't, but the marketer can; and does! Your work resulted in a free email address on the list of the marketer, whether or not the sale was made doesn't matter to him, he got the address. You on the other hand paid to add that address to someone else's list.

To be successful on the internet, you must, repeat, YOU MUST, have a website, a website where you send the traffic you generate for yourself. Without a website you will go broke buying Pay-Per-Click ads and all you have done is perpetuate a program for someone else that you can no longer afford to sell. When you are broke and you will be, someone else will be ready to take your place in line. All you have done is advertised a product for someone else and they reap the benefits without the cost or the risk.

Work from home opportunities can be awesome ways to generate extra income for you and your family, but they can also be vicious traps that will consume you if you are not careful. Before you get your credit card out, find out what other people are saying about a product or opportunity. Do a search for the name of the author or the program and you will quickly see what others saying about what seems like a "sure thing." And last but not least, remember when you sign up for free information, it is usually not free, but rather you are selling your email address so you can receive more offers from the person you signed up with. Free information is not necessarily bad, but it is designed to get you to buy something later. Caveat Emptor!

Jesus king of kings

With Christmas just around the corner our thoughts turn naturally to the birth of Jesus. Most people think of Jesus as a teacher and a healer, and of course they would be right. The Bible also tells us that God promised King David a son who would reign over Israel for ever. That son was Jesus Christ.

We often forget that Jesus can claim the title "King of the Jews". When Jesus was born, the wise men asked Herod "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" Nobody laughed, for the Jewish priests knew from scriptures that one day a special king would be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2,4)

We know in hindsight that the last time Jesus was on earth it was not God's will for Jesus to become King of Israel at that time. The gospel had to be preached to the whole earth first, as it now has been. That does not mean Jesus will not be king over Israel though.

The Bible tells us that when Jesus returns, his claim to the throne of David will not be like the kings we see in our world today - Jesus will have the authority and power to lay claim to the throne.

The Bible gives us a wonderful hope for our world. It will not always be in the sad state - the violence, the corruption and the evil ways of men - that we see today.

The Bible teaches us that we can have that wonderful hope ourselves and that we will have the opportunity to help Christ when he returns, but we need to do something about it now. We need to understand, to believe and be baptised into the saving name of Christ, if we are to live forever with Jesus in the world to come.

This is what the apostle Paul said when he explained what he was looking forward to:

"Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:8)

So, think about the birth of Jesus this Christmas, but also consider the reasons why he was born and the joy that the coming King will bring!

Ocd over compulsive disorder - till death do us part

To lose a loved one is heartbreaking, to see some one you love in pain is heartbreaking, to leave your child on their first day of school is heartbreaking. All these sad events can be removed from our thoughts if nurtured tenderly and tactfully. But what of over compulsive disorder a disease you can not negotiate with thus causing the patient to suffer from heartbreaking symptoms till death do us part. In some unfortunate cases parting of the ways was by death. (Suicide)

Over compulsive disorder can change a person and their way of thinking therefore causing havoc in their lives, in other words turning their whole world upside down. Do not despair or give up on yourself as we live in the 21st century where OCD is taken very seriously by 21st century doctors. Living in the modern world has now given many victims of this illness the will to fight the disease. Remember you need not fight this battle alone. There is a lot of understanding people in the medical profession who on a daily basis are helping sufferers alike to recognise that the symptoms of OCD can be eased, put on hold or disappear.

Till death do we part still stands if you permit your OCD to take control, divorce your self from your own thoughts?

OCD has caused so much heartache in the lives of approx 3.3 million American adults. This disorder is suffered by both genders and can effect all ages. Symptoms present in a patient are obsessions and compulsions where the person will enact rituals repetitively. These actions differ greatly among sufferers of OCD. Depending on the severity of the condition people have been hospitalised due to anxiety attacks and the stress which aggressively forces the patient to lose control.

Obsessions are usually of intrusive thoughts and disturbing images. Compulsions are rituals which are performed over and over again in a bid to rid their obsessions developed or brought on by the devil as some would see it.

Over compulsive disorder is not a solo act it allows other dedicated followers to tag along like depression and anxiety. The effect that these partners in crime have on a patient can be devastating causing so much pain to the victim and their loved ones.

When this disease gets to grip where it is causing concern for your health then please do not hesitate to talk to someone. Medication and advice is readily available for those seeking help.

This may sound a little selfish but choosing to ignore medical help will only add further pain to you and your loved ones - family and friends. Good for you if you have sought help then it is only a matter of time. The process of healing does not happen over night. But for those who choose to ignore the help then you instigate the pain behind what your nearest and dearest feel.

Put the shoe on the other foot where you become the victim of a victim of OCD.

Getting ready for a budget vacation

Most of us work very hard all year just to be able to afford those one or two weeks away. Therefore, it just makes sense to get the very best deal you can on that one or two week getaway. There are a number of ways to make your vacation as pleasant as it can be, yet still affordable enough for you to do it all over again without waiting another entire year.

There are a number of important expenses to going on vacation, and it is important to minimize each one in order to squeeze the largest possible value out of those limited vacation dollars. It is also important to determine where your priorities lie, and to plan your vacation appropriately. For instance, if you absolutely must have a hotel with an indoor pool, you might want to skimp a bit on meals by eating at budget eateries or even cooking in your room, in order to allow yourself the freedom to spend more on a hotel where you can lounge by the pool to your heart’s delight.

On the other hand, if fancy meals out are a big part of your vacation dream, why not try saving a few bucks by seeking out a budget hotel? This will provide you with a clean, safe place to stay, while giving you some extra dollars to splurge on great appetizers or a scrumptious dessert.

Just like many other aspects of life, planning a great vacation on a limited budget is a matter of tradeoffs. It is important to determine your own vacation priorities and to plan accordingly. Of course, if the family is traveling together, it is important to take everyone’s own priorities and wishes into account. Failing to do so can mean you will end up with a car full of surly children or an irritated spouse.

It is important to plan everything as far ahead as possible, as the best airfare deals, car rental rates and hotel prices are likely to be snapped up pretty quickly. It is a good idea to start shopping for airfares and hotels in your chosen destination at least a couple of months prior to your desired date of departure. If the prices on airfare or hotel seem high, be sure to shop around to see if you can find lower prices on the internet or at your local travel agent. Also be sure to sign up for special low fare alerts or newsletters which detail hot travel deals. Being the first to know about great deals is a great way to get the best deal on your long awaited vacation.

Understand diabetes and its effective natural treatment

Diabetes occurs when the body does not produce insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy for daily life requirements. It is still a mystery the cause of diabetes although genetically and environmentally influence such as not enough exercise and obesity play a role.

To understand diabetes, it is good to learn something about pancreas, the long and thin situated behind our stomach. Pancreas is responsible for regulating the body’s use of glucose. It has two main functions: firstly to produce pancreatic endocrine hormones which assist in regulating our metabolism and secondly to produce pancreatic digestive enzymes. When the blood glucose levels begin to rise, it is insulin’s job to push muscle and fat cells to absorb whatever glucose they need for future activities whereas any surplus will store by the liver. There are some individuals either do not produce enough insulin (Type 1 diabetes) or their body resists whatever insulin is produced (Type 2 diabetes), thus an outside source production is necessary. Either way, the result is the same. Type 1 or also know as juvenile-onset diabetes, typically affects children and young adults and is genetically-linked. Type 2 which also known as adult-onset diabetes occurs in adults and is linked to obesity. Symptoms of both types include blurred vision, fatigue, frequent, bladder infections, increased appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, nausea, skin infections, vaginitis and vomiting. If not treated, diabetes type 1 and 2, can cause blood vessel damage, gangrene, heart attack, kidney damage, nerve damage, stork and vision problems.

How Glucosium Can Help: Glucosium is a popular diabetes treatment of natural ingredients which can help control blood sugar, stimulate your body’s insulin production, limit nerve damage and much more. This revolutionary supplement has shown amazing benefits for people with diabetes, as well as preventative properties for those who are exposed to a higher risk for diabetes. Last advice: do exercise, eat right and supplement your body with the proper nutrients that help your body to produce the insulin it was supposed to have.

Getting organized will help your success

If you are attempting to build your business, especially in the MLM world you may be suffering from information overload. You find yourself overwhelmed with the steps to learn the business, advertise the business, attract leads and turn them into affiliates in your downline. Don't sweat it though there are tools that will help you.

The tools available generally come in two forms offline and online, my personal belief is the best tool is the one you will use, so it doesn't really matter which one you prefer.

First and foremost you need lists, not the mailing list all the Internet Marketers talk about, just a plain old pad of paper and writing implement. A list is a powerful tool you can use it to organize anything, thoughts, needs, actions to be accomplished.

Once you have your list, you should schedule time to do the things on it. Put these items on a calendar or in a "day planner". You should organize your schedule in accordance with your goals. Just like you have short term, mid term and long term goals you should have daily, weekly or monthly and quarterly or semi-annual items on your calendar. This will make it much easier to track what you should be doing to reach your goals.

You absolutely must have an address book. If your in network marketing or MLM world, you should organize your contacts into leads, prospects, down line, clients and warm market. If you do this you'll know who you should spend most of your time concentrating on for any given purpose.

Just a quick note on how to do these tasks like I said above the best tool is the one you use. You can do these tasks on pen and paper, you can do these tasks on a PDA or you can even do these tasks online in a web mail account or a specific package just to manage your network marketing.

Discover the ease of online learning

Many people in today's world are wanting to go back to college to gain a degree or to increase their knowledge in a certain area. Unfortunately, the busyness of life doesn't always provide the time (or the money) for desiring people to stop what they are doing and head back to school. It is not always realistic to lay aside a career for a few years simply to devote yourself to study. The good news for anyone desiring to learn more while keeping up with life can turn to online learning as a great alternative.

Online learning is one of the best things that the internet has brought us. I am amazed that all people need to do is log on to the internet and they can sign up for a nearly endless amount of amazing classes. Whether people are hoping to finish their GED or to graduate with a Bachelor's degree or even a Master's degree, online learning can be a great way to go.

Obviously, one of the biggest benefits of online learning is the convenience factor. You do not have to stop your career or move to another city that offers the program you desire. Instead, you simply need only to have internet access. Having internet access opens the door to endless possibilities that can be fulfilled within your home or at a local library if you do not own your own computer. There is perhaps no more convenient way to get an education than through online learning.

Online learning is also great because it is so flexible. It can work around your schedule rather than you having to submit yourself to the learning schedule. This is great for professinoal adults or for parents everywhere. Furthering your education does not become burdensome or impossible, but rather it becomes a pleasure. We could all use a few things that are flexible in our lives, and online learning is just that. You decide on the program you want to study, the classes you want to take at any certain time, and then you just sign up and begin.

Online learning is a great way to slowly work on a degree while keeping your current job and responsibilities. I am so thankful for online learning because it has allowed me to earn my Master's degree while maintaining a full-time writing career. No other method of education worked for my time and my needs.

I'd encourage anyone serious about pursuing more education to look no further than online learning. It's simply amazing.

Easy tips for house breaking your puppy

If you are lucky enough to get a 7-week-old puppy, there is no excuse for any bad habits to develop over his lifetime. Puppies learn INSTANTLY when they are that young, and if you use the proper training methods, gentle but consistent, he will behave like an angel his whole life through.

The most important training, of course, is housebreaking. Boys are easier than girls because exploring outside is their favorite thing. They just cannot get enough of all the new smells out there!

The main key to housebreaking is watching. Watch your puppy AND the clock. Once every hour is not too often on a day he is active and the weather is good. The younger the pup, the more often he needs to go out, mostly because he is growing so fast. He must drink more water to fuel his metabolism than he does as an adult. Also, since he eats three or four times a day, you know what that means.

Watch him for subtle changes. If he is happily chewing his toy, and gets up suddenly with his nose to the floor, move quickly! He is ready to squat! If he has had a nice nap, get him out of his crate and outside right away. If he has just had a good grooming, it stimulates his circulation and guess what? Time to go out again. And of course after a meal, watch him extra close.

Things to remember:

---Do not punish him for mistakes. They are YOUR fault. Every time you take him out he will go, and praise praise and praise! Happy face, laughter, happy noises! He loves your happy face. When he makes a mistake, your frown and your face turned away from him is all the punishment he needs. He will get the point.

---He is learning English, you must use the same phrases over and over. "Good go potty!" "Hafta go potty?" "Wanna go potty?" He can learn in one afternoon that "go potty" means a jaunt outside and your happy face. Whatever phrase you choose, stick with it.

---I cannot recommend strongly enough getting a crate. They truly help with all phases of his training. They make him more secure, provide him with his very own private space and a place for him to hide his favorite toys and chewies. This is even more important if you have other adult dogs in the house.

Be consistent, always be kind and gentle, and be patient as he learns your language, and your puppy will always look forward to his training sessions. Dogs love to work!

Women s sexual health age doesn t matter

Most women fear that as they age and the hormone levels drop, so too will their enjoyment of, and oftentimes desire for sex.

Fortunately, while diminishing hormones and sex may happen in the same breath, the latest research indicates that sexual desire has less to do with these changes than it does with lifestyle and other women's sexual health factors, at least some of which are under a woman's direct control.

According to reports from a group of distinguished European sex experts in the first ever supplement to The Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society, the findings have helped healthcare professionals discard the notion that sexual difficulties occurring close to menopause are either biologic or physiologic.

The new research was part of a series of studies conducted on female sexual dysfunction by the department of clinical psychiatry and psychotherapy at Hanover Medical School in Hanover, Germany. As part of the overall project, 102 women aged 20 to “45 plus” answered 165 questions designed to flush out determinants of female sexual satisfaction.

Specifically, researchers hoped to determine satisfaction with sex life in general, sexual satisfaction and orgasm during intercourse, petting, masturbation, attitudes towards sexuality, quality of partnership, and women's sexual health myths.

Based on the study, there appeared to be no differences with respect to frequency of sexual intercourse or the desire for sexual activity not involving intercourse among the differing age groups. Age did not make a difference in regard to frequency of orgasm or in sexual satisfaction ratings with their partners. For example, 29% of women up to age 45 reported having orgasms “very often,” compared with 26% of women over age 45.

Even more dramatic was that while 41% of women over age 45 reported having orgasms "often," only 29% of younger women reported having orgasm "often."

Among the few differences in the groups: Women over 45 reported having fewer orgasms during non-intercourse sexual activity or during masturbation. Both groups of women reported a dual dimension necessary for successful lovemaking that included having both feelings of emotional closeness to their partner and satisfactory physical experiences.

After comparing all the answers from both older and younger women, as well as from women who reported sexual problems and those who did not, researchers concluded that the single most influential factor with regard to women's sexual health satisfaction via intercourse was the quality of the partnership, in particular the quality of mutual respect, which then becomes of greater importance as a woman ages.

After comparing these study results to earlier and ongoing findings, the researchers concluded that the basis of any sexual problems that did occur at midlife could not be drawn from menopause status or age alone. Instead, life stressors, contextual factors, past sexuality, and mental health problems are more significant predictors of midlife on women's sexual health interest than menopause status itself.

This study was just one of several research papers presented in the journal on the subject of women's sexual health dysfunction. Each one striving to shed much needed light on a subject that some believe has been hidden in the shadows too long.

Ayurvedic medicine system

Ayurveda medicine is a very comprehensive medicine system that is more that 5,000 years old, that is based on a holistic medicine approach that has its roots in Vedic Culture. Inside the word Ayurveda you will see the word "veda", which means knowledge, tells us it's important role in ancient hinduism. Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita are two early texts of Ayurveda. There use to be a tradition of surgery associated with ayurveda.

For the most part Ayurvedic therapies are herbal compounds. This is largerly due to it's ancient roots. In later times alchemical preparations start to enter the ayurvedic pharmacopieia. Ayurveda also provides therapies to treat different vegetable and animal toxins. Examples of this are things like snake, spider and scorpion venom. In fact there is an entire branch of Ayurvedic medicine that deals with the science of toxicology.

The main idea behind Ayurveda is that an organsism adapts to the food and its environment. By then introducing small quantaties of food and or medicine, the organism can adapt to it and learn to resist it. This is quite a basic principle and illustrates the complexity of the immune system and of the body as a whole.

The information provided above is only a breif look at the medicine, and some of it's qualities and idea's. Ayurveda is an extremely interesting form of medicine; it is easy to see why it has stayed with us over the past 5000 years!

How i spent my vacation in amsterdam

During the vacation I got to see many of the wonders that Amsterdam has to offer. One of the first things I went to see was the Van Gogh Museum. Having just gotten off the plane I was tired, but some of his art is just amazing to see, and I did not want to wait to see them.

After going to the museum I headed into the city center to look around, maybe do some shopping and get some food.

I had herd many things about Amsterdam and just thought that many of them were blow out of proportion, well I am here to tell you that they are all true. The first thing that hits you is the strong smell of Marijuana, and then you start to see the almost completely naked girls in the windows.

As if the prostitutes in the windows were not enough there are live sex shows and sex shops selling every imaginable sex toy known to man on every street, but this was not what interested me.

Then as I continued walking around I started to notice something besides pot, and naked females, I saw casinos.

I grew up in New Jersey, just about 2 hours from Atlantic City, and after my 18th birthday I spend a good amount of time in the casinos. So I decided to go in and check some of them out.

Well I wound up spending most of the rest of my time in those casinos. The first one I went to was Video Gaming machines only, but they had video poker, video blackjack and Video Slot machines as well, I did not really do well her in this place so I only spent about an hour, and about 100 Euro, then left.

The next place I found was a nicer place. Unlike in New Jersey, in these casinos people are dressed up in their nice clothes instead of jeans, sneakers and T-Shirts. This casino had actual table games so I tried to play some Blackjack, but there was a player at the table that either had no idea on how to play or he was somehow involved in cheating with another player, but I am inclined to think he just did not know how to play blackjack.

So I started playing at the Roulette table, and I was doing really well, at one point I was up about 400 Euro before I started losing. So I decided to leave this casino and go walking around for a while.

The next day I found myself in another casino, and I decided to see if my luck was back, I went to a slot machine and put in some money and on the third spin I won another 200 Euro, so feeling lucky I decided to enter the poker room, and that is when things got really interesting. I got into a game and boy were these guys good, but I was winning just as much as I was losing, and in the end I may have even walked away with a few Euros more then when I walked in.

After playing for about 5 hours I decided to go outside and walk around a bit to stretch my legs. I would up deciding to sit down and have a cup of coffee, but I did not know the difference between a coffee shop and a caf?.

In Amsterdam a caf? is a place to sit and have a coffee, but a coffee shop is a place to purchase and smoke Marijuana. So as I was sitting there drinking my coffee I noticed several people rolling joints. Now I have herd about this and I hade smelled plenty of pot while I was there, but I did not realize it was sold out in the open like this. So I decided to buy some pot and try it.

I went to the counter where I saw others buying their weed and the guy behind the counter was very nice and showed me a menu of what they had for sale. I wound up buying a joint of white widow. The man behind the counter told me his was very strong stuff, but I was not prepared for this.

I managed to smoke about half of the joint, before I was hit with this feeling. I have been a drinker for many years, but even in my college days I was never out of my head like this.

Eventually I managed to get out of there and get some fresh air, and some waffles. I decided, this was the time to back into the casino and win my money back, and in the end I lost another 600 Euro, and wound up falling off my chair in the casino and needed to be helped out.

So if you are going to be going to Amsterdam, be careful the grass is really strong.

Instant approval credit cards no need to wait

The Internet has sped up the process of almost everything, including credit cards. Now you can apply online for an instant approval credit card. After filling out an application, you will find out in less than a minute if you have been approved. It’s just that easy and fast! Here’s what you need to know about instant approval credit cards and if they’re right for you.

How Instant Approval Credit Cards Work

If you’re considering applying for an instant approval credit card, the process is simple. The

first step is to fill out an online application. After submitting the application, plan to wait a few seconds or minutes while the information is processed. You will then be notified about your approval status.

Once you have been approved, the credit card company sends you a card. While the approval time is short, you will not receive the plastic card immediately (they can’t send it through cyberspace yet). You can expect to wait a week or two while the company sends the card in the mail. Once you receive and activate the card, it is yours to use. The entire process for an instant approval credit card is much speedier than applying through the postal mail or over the phone.

One note: instant approval credit card applicants that have good to excellent credit history are the most likely to be approved. If you have filed for bankruptcy or have a history of bad credit, your chances of approval are greatly reduced. Also, if you have recently been denied a credit card through a particular company, you are less likely to be instantly approved by that company. While you still may have other credit card options (such as bad credit credit cards), an instant approval credit card may not be the best choice for your situation.

What Information You’ll Need

Once you’ve decided to apply for an instant approval credit card, you may wonder what information you will be asked for. Applications vary depending on the company; however, most of them require the same basic information from you. Plan to include your personal information, such as name, e-mail address, date of birth, home address and employment information. Some credit card companies will ask about your annual income, income source, and checking and savings accounts. You may also be asked about housing status, monthly housing payments, and the length of time at your current residence.

Check the Benefits

When considering which instant approval credit card to apply for, make sure to look at the various benefits offered. You may be interested in getting cash back, receiving travel miles for dollars spent, or getting gas benefits. Choose benefits that you can use and enjoy. By doing so, you will get the most out of your credit card.

Determine if Instant Approval Credit Cards are Right for You

If you want to save time when applying for a credit card, an instant approval credit card is a great choice. If your credit history is good or better, this card is a safe and speedy option. By choosing a card with benefits that suit you, you will make the most of your credit card use.

Looking for an instant approval credit card today? Gather your information, choose the card with the best benefits for your lifestyle, and then apply online. It’s just that simple.

The power of a fat busting food diary

Do you know that many people who successfully lose large amounts of weight and are also successful at keeping it off use a diary? This is no ordinary diary though. It is a food loss diary and using it can ensure total success no matter what your weight loss goal may be.

Never underestimated the power of a food diary. Using it daily will ensure you become much more conscious of your current bad eating habits. Through its use you can identify the cause of your weight problems.

So what is a food diary?

Well it is simply a small book you carry with you everywhere you go for at least two weeks. After this you can store it some place safe and refer to it three times a day.

So here is a quick explanation of a food diary:

Week 1.

In your diary on the first page note your current weight. Now for the rest of the week you must make a note of everything you eat during the day. This is why it is so important to carry the small book with you at all times. You must be disciplined in this. Every time you eat anything, even a small piece of meat or a nibble you must enter exactly what you ate and the time at which it was eaten. Then describe your motivations for eating it. Where you really hungry? Was the temptation of it being there too much? Where you feeling lonely or stressed? Take a note of all the feelings that lead you to eat the food.

At breakfast, lunch and dinner list all the foods you ate, why you ate them and how you felt before, during and after you ate them. Also note every bit of exercise to take during the day. It doesn’t matter how small it is just jot it down anyway. Also note when you went to the shops or to pick up the kids or just to get a message. Did you take the car or bus? Describe how you were feeling prior to taking the car or bus. Why didn’t you walk? Was it too far? Did you not have enough time?

Week 2.

Write down your current weight and follow the plan outlined for week 1. In addition, you can now start to analyse your diary.

Look over your entries for the previous week and the amount of food you ate. What type of food where you eating. Why were you eating it? For example you may have noted that you ate a chocolate bar at 1pm because you were feeling bored. You notice that this is a recurring theme almost everyday. So, go to your empty diary entries for week three and pencil in at the same time of day an activity that will relieve your boredom. If you can’t think of one then pencil in that you will go for a walk or start to do that odd job you have been putting off for months!

Perhaps you ate the chocolate because it gave you a certain feeling you enjoyed. Look at the feeling. Is there anything else you could do that would make you feel the same or a similar way? There are always alternatives. Jot one down in your diary!

Maybe you notice that the temptation to eat the chocolate was too strong to resist because it was just there. Pencil into your diary, on your shopping day, that you are to buy no chocolate!

Now look at your exercise activities for the previous week. When did you take the car when you could have walked? Could you pencil in an extra 15 minutes walking a day. Divide the 15 minutes into three 5 minute exercises, this way it will not seem like that much of a change. Park the car 5 minutes away from the shop. Walk to a bus stop that is 5 minutes further away. Did you not have enough time? Structure your diary to compensate, even if it means getting up 15 minutes earlier.

In this way you can use your diary to set out a plan for the coming week. Be strict with yourself and follow your plan. Tick off the things on your diary one by one as you complete them. Pencil in activities that you have always wanted to do. You will find that organising your food intake and exercise routine in this way will have a major knock-on effect on the rest of your life. You are getting organised!

Your food diary is a also great way of tracking your progress. Make sure you note in it all your accomplishments and list all your weight loss achievements. When you reach week 3 you can begin using your diary only 3 times a day - once in the morning to check your schedule for the day. Once after dinner to note your activities during the day and once at night to review your progress that day and structure the same day for the following week.

It is important to reward yourself every time you succeed at a task that you have put in your diary. Pencil in that at the end of a certain week you will buy yourself new clothes. Constantly review your achievements and give yourself credit for having done so well. This will keep you motivated and ensure you keep to your plan, continue using your diary and of course keep your weight healthy.

London builders bathroom in wood. part one

For many years there occurs in a modern bathroom a silent battle between necessary practicalities and designers' ideas. Now and again people place there something out of the common. One of the demonstrative examples of this kind might be a bathtub, made of a natural wood. By some reason, we believe that water and wood are incompatible. But let's remember ancient small tubs, casks and troughs. Well, we might consider a wooden bathtub a distant descendant of its archaic ancestors, and it looks into the future with quite confidence.

Surely, wood is not too fit for making bathroom fixtures, but a general trend to sacrifice more functionality for glamorous exterior brought blocks of rich woods back to circulation. Moreover, a certain role was played by a change in the social outlook, and by the aspiration to bring to one's life more of naturalness and, of course, a fashion for all real. As a result, wood has become a terrific lure for effeminate consumer. A possibility to have in one's bathroom a rare, stylish and actually symbolic object has totally compensated for some non-practicality and complicity of care.

Not only wooden bathtub, but stylish bathtub.

During several last centuries practically all the vessels, which crossed the expanses of the seas and oceans of the Earth, were being built only from wood. This centuries old experience was picked up by the modern producers of wooden bathtubs. They use for their production only those species of woods, which naturally possess a high stability towards moister attack, like teak wood blocks, mahogany, wenge wood, larch, i. e. those, which historically were most valued by shipbuilders. A costly and sophisticated modern bathroom technology, with the help of which the bathtubs are protected from ruinous impact of moisture, is a fruit of handling development for ships and yachts hulls. A special chic is in trying to preserve wood in its primeval beauty, to minimize all perceptible coatings. Smooth and streamlined, these bathtubs are made from excellently fitting fragments, they are polished and in some cases covered with additional varnish, and as a result, they form an absolutely whole structure. A beautiful texture of the block becomes a further decorative factor. Naturally, every producer keeps the details in secret.

But some secrets leak out.

Bathtubs by their exterior often remind graceful barks and yachts. An interesting fact: one of Italian factories, which in its time built yachts, was now retrofitted to produce bathtubs!

Very logical that this very outline has become one of the most popular among designers. These bath tubs are especially good for new bathroom designs, styled in such popular now trends as Zen, ambient and minimalism. They not only daintily accomplish the interior, but called in the first place to attract major attention namely to themselves, and they are the main style-forming factor in the bathroom all in all. Usually, such a bathtub is placed in the middle of a bathroom, often on a podium, so as to arrest the attention of all who enter.

The other rather widespread types are massive rectangular bathtubs, performed from a block of natural wood, or specially treated plywood. It might seem at the first glance that they must be not that comfortable, but it's not true. In order that a person felt comfy inside such a fairly hard and deep rectangular structure, a smoothly bent bed with a headrest is placed there.

How to fight jet jag

One of the worst parts of air travel is dealing with jet lag. Most people attempt to avoid it like the plague, with little success. Hopefully, though, reading this article will help you stop jet lag before it starts.

Jet lag, simply defined, is fatigue and disorientation caused by extensive air travel that crosses a number of time zones. In addition to fatigue and disorientation, you can experience other symptoms with jet lag. One symptom you can experience is broken sleep once you reach your destination. Like a newborn baby, your body may confuse your days and nights. It could take days to readjust your body to the new time zone. If you're on a vacation, this could completely change your plans. If you're traveling for business, this could make business impossible. Another symptom you could experience is confusion and fuzziness. This could make you less aware of your surroundings, which could cause safety issues in an unfamiliar location. You might also experience dehydration with jet lag. This can make you more susceptible to illness, which can ruin any vacation or business trip.

There are a number of tactics for dealing with jet lag. First, before you ever leave the airport is one of the most important times to deal with jet lag. Make sure everything you need to take care of is dealt with in the manner it should be. This can help improve your mood and emotions. Stress can only contribute to jet lag, as can exhaustion. Being tired or having a hangover can make this worse. Be sure to get lots of exercise, too. This can help you to avoid sickness, and it can help your body adjust to the time changes you will be facing. If you do get ill, like with the flu or a cold, it might be a good idea to postpone the trip as long as possible. If you must, though, be sure to bring medications along to treat your illness, as it can be difficult to find those medications once you have reached your destination.

You may want to consider both which way you are flying and what time of day you are flying. There are a number of old tales that say it is better to fly east or west or that it is better to fly during the day or during the night. It is only a matter of personal preference as to which works best for you.

Drinking plenty of fluids is a good way to avoid dehydration. As dehydration sets in, the blood capacity is lessened, and the ability of your blood to carry oxygen is depressed. If dehydration continues long enough, it can cause a dip in blood pressure, along with dizziness, nausea, or fainting. Essentially these are the same symptoms as heat exhaustion. Continuing past this point may cause heat stroke. If heat stroke occurs during dehydration, the body temperature rises. During heat stroke, the body no longer sweats. Serious consequences like seizure, coma, and death can be the result of untreated heat stroke because not only does the blood carry oxygen to muscles, it also carries it to the brain and other vital organs. Symptoms of dehydration include thirst, infrequent urination, fatigue, and dry skin. It is best to drink as many fluids as possible.

You might also consider some sleeping aids while you are traveling to prevent jet lag. If you must rely on medication, do so only under the advice of a doctor. Otherwise, try things like blindfolds, soothing music, ear plugs, or blow up pillows that airlines offer. You might even consider taking your shoes off on the plane for maximum comfort.

One final thing that can help you with jet lag is to get plenty of exercise before, during, and after the flight. Running and other exercise are the ways of helping the body cope with the stresses it is facing. Even if you have to do some simple plane exercises, you too can combat the jet lag. Some plane exercises include holding your carry on bag as close to your body as possible at a ninety degree angle. Do a few bicep curls. That should give you a good workout. If you can, balance the bag on your ankles and do a few leg lifts. Try a simple walk around the cabin. It might be difficult, but if nothing else, it should help you to stretch your legs. You can also try placing the palms of your hands together. Push as hard as you can and hold the position as long as possible. Then try grabbing the nearest book. Hold your arms out flat with the book on top. Hold the position as long as you can. Rest for a few minutes and then repeat. Finally, stretch each muscle of your body any way you can. One important thing to note as you try your exercises is to be respectful of the passengers around you.

Ten ways to live with heart

To Live With Heart means living with feeling. Everyone has feelings. When we are aware of how we feel, we are in touch with a basic part of ourselves. Living with heart means we live with all our feelings, accepting all, even the painful ones. Many of us choose to accept the happy ones and deny those that don’t feel so good. Why do we do this? We would rather ignore them than face them. We don’t know how to handle them, how to express them or how to heal the pain. In reality feelings are a mysterious force in our lives when are not aware of them. I. M. Heart helps clear up the mystery so that feelings of pain can be healed and feelings of happiness and pleasure can flourish.

Notice:

Become aware of what you're feeling. Observe and listen, without judgment, to feelings that are an everyday part of your life. From first waking up to when you put your head on the pillow at night you experience a constant flow of feelings – changing from minute to minute. We move through our days not being fully aware of feelings moving through us. Let them float through your awareness – just listen as they pass by. For many of us, this is a new experience.

Noticing is the first step. If we don't notice what we're feeling – then the rest of these steps are meaningless. It's like we are sleep walking through life – going through the motions of living without really fully experiencing either the joy or the sorrow of it. Life contains both and that's what makes it so rich.

Noticing is about change. When we are flying through life on the busy track there is little time to stop and evaluate feelings. For many, taking time to notice is something we avoid because we might find a feeling that is so strong that we cannot ignore it. A change might be necessary - a change of relationship, occupation, location, life style - and we may be reluctant to face such a change.

If noticing is a new experience for you – start slow and easy, patient and kind – but begin to pay attention to what you're feeling in your everyday world.

Feel:

Allow yourself to feel. I repeat – allow yourself to feel. Be honest about any joy, boredom, doubt, hope or excitement you may feel. Simply ask yourself, "How do I feel about this?" This can be a quick five-second check or if we have time we can take a few minutes to evaluate. If more time is needed, find a quiet place and let the feelings bubble to the surface, just to feel them.

Once we decide to allow feelings to surface be aware that they can come bouncing out when we least expect. It's as if the gates have been opened, feelings have been pinned in the corral for a long time and they are finally free -- so out they come to play. Play with them, laugh with them, cry with them, be with them – they are part of you.

When we know what we feel, then we can choose how we want to handle those feelings. If we don't know, we are walking around in a blind spot to our future – just as there is a blind spot in the side mirror as we are driving down the highway.

Understand:

By honestly questioning of ourselves, we can come to understand the source or motivation behind our feelings. Compassionate understanding is a gigantic step to healing. Instead of beating up on yourself for being upset or sad, treat yourself like you would your best friend. Seek to question, listen and understand. Ask yourself about these feelings. "What am I feeling and why? Have I felt his way before? Does this pattern repeat itself? What am I afraid of? Why am I hiding from with these feelings? Why am I reluctant to be honest about how I feel?" In answering these questions, we begin to understand ourselves.

Love yourself as you would your dearest friend and give to yourself the same caring consideration. When we understand the source of feelings, then we have the information to begin healing and to solve the mystery of feelings.

Many of us are carrying around feelings that have been submerged for a very long time – from childhood, a lost friendship, or a perceived failure. We couldn't or didn't cope with those feelings at the time – and the fallout from those effects our view of the world today. Getting in touch with healing changes us, our view of the world, and how we interact with those around you. It's like a brick – or maybe two - has been removed from our back.

Accept:

These are my feelings. They are not good or bad, right or wrong – they are a part of me. Some of them can be intense, some thrilling, and some very tranquil. Don't judge them, but accept them as information about who I. M. By not judging them, we remove the stigma that it is not acceptable to have them and they become less of a huge, hairy monster to be feared.

As a complex person, we can expect feelings to change moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day. Accept, without judgment or criticism, this continuous flow of feeling. With this ebb and flow of feeling, we learn something new about ourselves and the world around us. Feelings give us valuable and important information.

Heal:

Feel it to heal it – so we can release it and let it go. There is no benefit for us to hang onto hurtful feelings from the past. These feelings are like dragging a bag of rocks, chunks of fear, from the past as we walk to the future. Rocks weigh us down and keep us from moving forward to take advantage of new opportunities and experiences.

It's ok to spend time feeling sad, frustrated or ashamed. Everyone feels these things. Sometimes we have hissed and spewed, kicked and bawled because these feelings were so intense. Sometimes we have stuffed them and decided we were even move unlovable. I. M. would advise you to spend time having a royal pity party - a timed pity party – and when the party is over - really let it go! Make a decision to heal it, instead of stuffing it!

Instead of finding a benefit in hanging onto the bruised feeling, find a benefit to let it go. The relief and freedom that comes from releasing old hurts is amazing – a new person emerges. That person can be you.

Love:

I. M. a human being – not perfect -- not supposed to be. I accept all my warts, freckles and blemishes as part of who I. M. Those are great, individual parts of the character that is me. I. M. the real deal and a very lovable, worthy person.

Many times we are the least loving to ourselves. We can give to others, be patient and kind with them – but are very unforgiving of ourselves. Our expectations are unrealistic and when we don't meet them, we beat ourselves up for failing.

Let's stop this, back off, and give ourselves credit for being who we are, at this time, in this place. Yes, we've made mistakes, and so has everyone else. So what? I. M. still a lovable, worthy individual with much love to give and much love to receive. I. M. healing the wounds of fear so that I can open to the healing grace of love. I. M. loving myself – just as I. M. right now!

Fear:

Feelings of fear can stop us. We are reluctant to start a new relationship, make a phone call, or enroll in a class. Something inside us tells us we cannot succeed, something bad will happen, or we will be embarrassed. The most personal fears are those related to how we feel about ourselves. We often think we are not a worthy, valuable, lovable human beings. These feelings, from the inside, influence our actions and choices on the outside.

Instead of letting fear stop us – use it – to heal, to be brave enough to try something new even if we are afraid. Many times we will discover that the fear is bigger in our imagination than it is in reality. Taking a step – some kind of action – dissolves the fear and then we are free to take the next step.

We are familiar with feelings of fear. We have all lived with those feelings. We are probably more familiar with feelings of fear than feelings of love. Fear can be a friend of foe. Make it your friend – use it to grow.

Choose to Change:

We can choose to change old patterns, by allowing ourselves to feel the full range of feelings, from joy to despair. This choice will change our actions and behaviors because we are learning about feelings, instead of avoiding them.

Our choice to change puts us in the process of learning more about ourselves. As we travel this path, let's look for how we can change old limiting patterns, be aware of new emerging behaviors, and listen to what our feelings tell you about the different choices we are making. How do these new choices feel? How will this affect my life? What have I discovered about myself? These choices will take us forward into the future,

Get Ready for the Ride:

When we go to the ocean we watch waves crash to the shore, washing over the sandy beach. The waves are continuous, never ending, sometimes fierce and sometimes very gentle. They travel the huge ocean carrying various life forms and debris onto the sand. As the waves roll in and hit the sandy beach the sand shifts and settles back again, waiting for the next wave.

It is very much this way with feelings. They may travel to our awareness from long ago and far away. When the wave of energy from this feeling hits our beach it shifts the sand of our life. Sometimes waves of feeling come fast and fierce, like in a hurricane. The torrents repeatedly batter us and we feel beat up and soaked. Once the storm passes and the sun comes out the waves are much gentler and calmer.

When we make a commitment to heal bruised feelings, get ready for the ride. Our commitment will bring opportunity for both gale force winds and balmy seas. It is necessary for it to be that way. However staying the course means we can look forward to fewer hurricanes and more beautiful, sunny days at the beach.

Enjoy the Rewards:

Most of us function very well in the world we live in. Yet if you really talk to people, everyone is walking around with knots of feeling about events that have happened in their life. Although we are happy and successful, one has to wonder what we could do if we healed those knots. How are they stopping us from having a life that could bring us even more pleasure and abundance?

Freedom comes from releasing fear-based feelings and finally accepting the many gifts coming from love. The goal is to love more and fear less. All feelings – hope, gratitude, compassion, enthusiasm, contentment, serenity -- and -- frustration, confusion, doubt, guilt, pessimism come from either love or fear. Truly releasing the fear based ones makes way to receive more of the blessings coming from love.

Will you take these steps with me to open your heart to feel? Think of it this way – experiment with feeling. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain. Open up to part of yourself that you have never explored. This process of personal honesty will make you a different person. On that journey you will find many gifts. These gifts will enrich your life. You deserve to give these gifts to yourself. Blessings!

Ppc advertising the maximum minimum

Pay Per Click (PC) advertising places you in the driver’s seat when it comes to advertising. It is truly one of the most cost effective means of advertising on the Internet. PPC also provides the opportunity to recast your advertising in a very short period of time.

Minimum Words = Maximum Impact

It is often much easier to write more words than it is to boil down your thoughts into one small phrase. With PPC advertising you need to learn the skill of condensing.

Some of the PPC companies have unique rules that may make it even harder to come up with a PPC slogan that is helpful to you in marketing your product or service.

Some businesses hire SEO firms to develop their PPC advertising and often find a solid answer to achieving their advertising strategy. There is a process of developing a title and then writing the ad itself. In all, you will find you have very few characters to deal with so it is important to refrain from being long-winded.

Learning the skills of writing clear and appropriate copy for PPC advertising is possible and finding the appropriate keywords will ultimately help in driving customers to your website. As with all marketing techniques you may choose to gain help from someone experienced in the field of SEO, but may ultimately bring the development and decisions back in house once you feel confident enough in developing the PPC advertising on your own.

Because the PPC process requires a bidding process you may also want to take some time to learn how much money is appropriate to pay for bringing clients to your website. You also need to come to terms with how much money you are willing to spend. You will need to learn the purchasing habits of your target consumer. All of these considerations go into making PPC advertising work for you and your marketing goals.

PPC advertising is generally unobtrusive and should always be linked to information that bears a resemblance to the product or service you are offering. That is the beauty of PPC advertising. It provides a very specific target so you have the greatest opportunity to tape into motivated prospects.

Be careful in the selection of keywords, though. Weak keywords or keywords that are too vague can result in click-throughs that may have thought your site was something different. In the end it wastes the time of the prospect and causes you to pay for an ad with no impact. As you continue to use PPC you will learn what keywords work and which ones don’t. Indeed all of life is a mixture of trial and error.

Engagement parties

Engagement parties are a great way to announce your engagement to the world. In addition, they're an excellent opportunity for your families and friends to get to know each other.

Engagement parties are usually scheduled within a couple of months of the engagement. There are no hard-set rules about when an engagement party must occur. There are a wide variety of gifts for an engagement party. The party should provide an opportunity for friends and family to celebrate the engagement together.

Even though, traditionally the parents of the bride host the engagement party, it can be hosted by anyone close to the bride and groom. The location of the party is insignificant. A friend's house the parents' home are both popular choices. It is quite common for the bride and groom to host. Both sets of parents could throw a party together for the bride and groom. You should invite anyone that's important to you, friends, family, coworkers, and school friends.

Engagement parties are informal events. The food is usually finger food, or something simple. It is not unusual to have engagement parties held at restaurants.

It is not advisable to introduce the parents for the first time to each other. It would be best to choose a more intimate occasion when only the parents and bride and groom are present. A pre-engagement dinner might the perfect solution to introduce your parents to each other.

While engagement parties are fun, they can be expensive. They are more advisable for couples with long engagement; it may be awkward to have an engagement party only a few months before the wedding.

You shouldn't expect gifts as etiquette does not dictate that guests should bring them. The engagement party provides a good opportunity to start thinking about gift registry. After the party, don't forget to send thank you notes!

Top 10 weekend getaways

There is nothing better than finishing work on a Friday and knowing that you have all weekend to relax. A full workweek can be gruelling and exhaust even the most enthusiastic and energetic of worker. Escaping from those stresses is harder now than it has ever been and a weekend break is absolutely necessary once in a while to fully recharge flat batteries.

Everybody has different wants and needs to fulfil in order for them to fully relax. Regardless of what your personal wants and needs are, there are a few cities that will fulfil a great weekend break. Here are the top ten weekend getaways:

1. Chicago – Chicago is perfect for every individual that wants to get away for the weekend. The city has the perfect ambience because of the variety of activities available. The beach can be a haven for relaxation and contemplation, but the city shops are also perfect for retail therapy. The variety of activities on offer is immense – from natural exploration of the Great Lakes to sightseeing around the architectural marvels of the city, there is something for everyone. Staying in a hotel like the Inter-Continental Hotel Chicago can also enhance your stay, with a luxurious setting in a prime location.

2. Dublin – Dublin is great for a weekend getaway because it is effectively the heart of Ireland. There is so much to do, whether your ideal break is strolling around Dublin Castle, visiting historical buildings like the St Patrick’s Cathedral, relaxing in cafes or visiting the Temple Bar where there are funky shops. The Russell Court Hotel is the perfect location to enjoy it from. It is the centre of the city and within walking distance of most of the main attractions.

3. Calgary – This is a must-visit Canadian city if you love to relax in beautiful natural surroundings but have the best of the busy urban environment to amuse yourself too. There is a whole host of shopping options as well as the beauty of Lake Louise, landmarks like the Calgary tower and fun family days at the Calgary Zoo. De-stressing yourself will come with no effort at all here. The Sandman Hotel Downtown is just one of the many places you can choose to stay to fully appreciate your visit.

4. Geneva – The natural beauty of Switzerland such as Lake Geneva will leave you breathless in awe. It is a truly old city with astounding beauty. The architecture is fascinating like the Cathedrale de St-Pierre, but the choice of cafes allows you to take in the ambience of the city too. There are hotels all over the city, but for the best weekend break, a centrally located one will give you access to all of the amazing activities the city has to offer. Try the Beau Rivage Hotel Geneva for the best blend of affordable luxury and prime location.

5. Wilmington, North Carolina – This is the ultimate beach weekend break. Wilmington offers the relaxation of a beach on the Atlantic Ocean with small sidewalk cafes and quaint little shops. The atmosphere is extremely relaxing and unhurried, making it a lovely place to relax in and escape from the hassle of every day life. Visit attractions like the Cape Fear Museum and Screen Gems Studio. It doesn’t matter where you stay because the city works its magic regardless, but the Holiday Inn there is particularly quaint and friendly, with excellent service and facilities.

6. Sequoia National Park – if you want to get back to nature then this is the weekend break for you. Sequoia National Park offers a range of outdoor activities and attractions like Crystal Cave, Hume Lake and Kings Canyon. Wuksachi Lodge is in the heart of the park and offers full access to all facilities, thus making it an excellent place to stay. The service you will receive there is second to none. Ultimately though, the scenery is awe-inspiring and will relieve any strenuous weeks endured at work.

7. Amsterdam – This busy city caters for every tourist passing through without making you feel like an outsider. Relax at cafes and bars such as the Bamboo Bar, Cafй Meander or at the beautiful jazz bar Casablanca. There are also great theatres including the De Balie and Bellevue Cinerama Calypso. The culture just has to be sampled to be appreciated. Hotels like the Victoria Hotel offer elegant accommodation just outside the city for a quiet haven to relax in to perfectly compliment the busy nature of the city.

8. Rome – Rome is the heart of Italy’s cultural past. There is so much to see and do here, from the ancient architecture like the Colosseum, to the cultural cafes that you cannot help but feel relaxed. The Victoria Hotel is one of the best hotels in Rome and offers unashamed luxury. If you are looking for a city with old values and customer service to match, then this is the place for you.

9. New York – There is the lure of Broadway, art museums to inspire you, the historical buildings and statues like the statue of Liberty as well as the world-renowned shopping experience near Time Square. The city is so addictive that you will want to go back for more. The Edison Hotel is in a perfect city location and provides a comfortable place to relax after the busy days you are likely to have in the city.

10. Bordeaux – A weekend break that involves drinking wine may be just what some individuals need to relax after a hard week at work, and that is exactly what you will get in Bordeaux. This French region is at the heart of the wine production France is famous for. Relaxing in vineyards and watching the world go by in cafes or relaxing at Les Sources de Caudalie Spa can make you appreciate life so much more. Appart Valley is a perfect hotel in terms of location and facilities and can make your stay that little bit more special.

Weekend getaways must be tailored to your specific needs in order to get the most out of them, but all of the destinations on the above list may entice you to try something out of the ordinary. Time is precious, so enjoy your weekend breaks as much as you possibly can.

Spend more earn more with chase business credit cards

We all want to get the most out of life. Your business should be no different. If you are looking to consolidate your business expenses and reap those well-deserved rewards, Chase business credit cards just might be the thing for you.

Regularly charging your business expenses to your personal credit card can limit your personal purchasing power. Chase business credit cards allows you to tap into a new source of spending power, dedicated solely to those essential business expenses. What’s more, only Chase business credit cards allow you to earn cash by frequently spending.

Chase Platinum Business Card

The most popular among the Chase business credit cards currently on offer is the Chase Platinum Business Card. This business card offers a 0% introductory rate for the first 12 months for both balance transfers and purchases. Additionally, like all Chase business credit cards, the Chase Platinum Business Card offers a reasonable rate of only 12.24% after the 12-month introductory period. And if this low rate is not inviting enough, the Chase Platinum Business Card also gives you the opportunity to earn a cash back reward of 3% on eligible purchases.

Among all Chase business credit cards, the Chase Platinum Business Card is very appealing to business owners and managers. Business owners and managers are given the opportunity to keep tabs on their company’s business expenses by having exclusive online access to tools for account management and reports. Extra cards for your employees and colleagues are also free.

Chase Business Cash Rewards Card

If you are looking for a great rewards program for your business, then the Chase Business Cash Rewards Card is perfect for you among all the Chase business credit cards. The Chase Business Cash Rewards Card allows businesses to earn cash back, letting you stretch those business dollars.

The Chase Business Cash Rewards cash back program works as a rebate program. Qualifying purchases can earn up to 5%, and there is no limit on the cash rewards you earn, as long as you are a cardholder. A tiered system is used to determine the percentage of your earnings. Simply put, purchases ranging from $1-$2,500 will earn one point for every dollar. Purchases exceeding $2,500 will earn 1.25 points for every dollar. An accumulated 5,000 points earned entitles the Chase Business Cash Rewards cardholder to a $50 gift certificate.

Like other Chase business credit cards, car rental and travel insurance, and purchase protection plans are added benefits of being a Chase Business Cash Rewards cardholder. There is a 0% introductory offer for the first year, and upon expiration of the introductory period, a low interest rate of 14.24%. All you need to apply for a Chase Business Cash Rewards Card is excellent credit history.

Chase Business Card with Premiere Cash Rebate

If you are a business owner or manager looking to maximize a good rebate program for your business, then the Chase Business Card with Premiere Cash Rebate is for you. Aside from an excellent rebate program, the Chase Business Card with Premiere Cash Rebate also helps you keep tabs on your company’s finances by giving you exclusive access to online reports and account management tools.

Like other Chase business credit cards, the Chase Business Card with Premiere Cash Rebate has an introductory offer of 0% for the first year. There is also a very low annual fee after the first year. However, interest rate is slightly high at 14.24% after the introductory period, and it applies to both purchases and balance transfers. Also, like other Chase business credit cards, a good credit history is needed for a successful application.

Whichever you choose among the Chase business credit cards available, it is always good practice to pay off your full balance each and every month. Continually carrying a balance and compounded interest may only negate the benefits you have earned from the rewards program you chose.

World cup 2006 preview - spain

Outright Odds: 14/1

Group H Winners: 4/6

Spain, yet again, are tipped as dark horses for the World Cup and 2006 will finally end years of disappointment and this generation of players will fulfil their undoubted potential. But they won’t. For all their individual talent they can never motivate themselves to rise to the challenge.

They are, of course, mainstays of the World Cup and 2006 will be their eight tournament in a row they have qualified for dating back to 1978. The quarter finals is as far as they have gone since then so why the obsession that this will be “their year”?

Spain qualified via the play-offs after finishing runners-up to Serbia & Montenegro in their group. Luis Aragones’ side were unbeaten in 10 qualifiers but five draws and five wins meant they needed to square – off against Slovakia in order to secure their place in Germany. It was all over after the first leg as Spain ran out 5-1 winners before drawing 1-1 in the return leg to win 6-2 on aggregate.

Perhaps the cause for such optimism lies with the manager. Under Aragones, Spain are unbeaten in 18 games since he took over in July 2004, although the players must also take some credit.

Spain have unearthed a real attacking talent in Fernando Torres. The 21-year-old Atletico Madrid striker was the European qualifying zone’s joint fourth top goalscorer with seven goals and he is a target for both Arsenal and Chelsea. Torres is seen as the natural successor to Spain’s most-capped outfield player and all-time leading goalscorer Raul.

At 28, Raul should be at his peak for the finals but a cruciate knee ligament injury suffered in November raises questions over just how influential he will be. One more excuse for a potentially underachieving tournament?

September’s qualifier against Serbia & Montenegro set a new record as it was the first time a foreign club, Liverpool, had more representatives in the national squad than any Spanish club side. Will the likes of Jose Reina, Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia transfer their excellent club performances onto the grand stage? While Fernando Morientes, with five goals in seven World Cup appearances means he is a threat even though his domestic form has been somewhat indifferent.

Recommended Bet

The notorious underachievers face a tough opening match prospect in the Ukraine and will need to get up to speed for their remaining two matches which they will be fully expected to win. The opening match will also be Ukraine’s first ever World Cup appearance and with both sides keen to avoid defeat, a draw is the likely result.

Spain vs Ukraine draw @ 11/5

Customization of mobile phones and accessories

There are different types of cell phones available in the market today. Different models have different features in them. It is not right to imagine that a person who buys a cell phone will have use for all the features available in it. Similarly a person should not buy the phone’s accessories just because it looks good or because there is a craze for it. A person must buy the cell phone which fulfils his requirements and buy only those accessories which can help run the applications on his cell phone to fulfill these requirements.

This process of choosing which features you require on your cell phone and choosing the right type of accessories to run the application you need is called customization or personalization. There are a wide range of accessories available in the market today. In order to meet all his requirements, it is sufficient if the right accessories can be combined with the right type of cell phone.

Now we shall discuss some of the customizations that can be made in a cell phone. The person must being a cell phone on which the required customizations can be made to turn it into the cell phone he wishes for.

For instance, if the person wants to install his old ring tones, the cell phone should be capability of downloading new ring tones, adding and changing ring tones. A cell phone with video and download capabilities will enable the user to download and change themes, screensavers and logos. Here the main point is that a cell phone user must not start accessing internet on his cell phone just because it has that feature. On the contrary, he must buy that phone only if he wishes to access internet on it.

People today are making all sorts of changes to their cell phones in order to make it look distinct and give it a discrete look and feel. Other accessories that can be replaced to get a new feel of your cell phone are faceplates, covers, etc. Customizing their cell phones gives a feeling of satisfaction to the cell phone owners.

The various cell phone accessories manufacturing companies have become aware of this fact. There are offering a number of bargains and offers to tempt the people to buy additional accessories for their mobile phones from their company. These accessories also help the user to obtain full utilization of his cell phone.

Sponsoring - it s not that hard

MLM businesses are based on building a strong team of sales people. Therefore it is very important to have multiple ways of recruiting your team members. Not only must you be able to build a team but also know how to retain your members and prevent the large amount of dropouts that is common in MLM businesses. You must also be able to train your sales force to duplicate your success.

Many people have a misconception about MLM recruiting. They feel that the best and maybe only way to build your team is to buy leads and attempt to persuade them to join your opportunity. This method can become quite costly and is not really as effective as it needs to be to build a strong active team. There is usually a fairly high drop out with this method.

To be successful in recruiting you will need to develop multiple ways of building your sales team. You will also need to develop a successful system that you can train your team to use. MLM is all about people and you will need to have good social skills and like working with others.

Here are some ideas for recruiting team members:

E-book: Write, or have written an interesting and informative book that will focus on network marketing and your products. Include in it a pre sell for your opportunity. When prospects read your book they will perceive you as an expert and be curious about your opportunity. This in turn will build trust in your readers and encourage them to join your opportunity. You can sell it for a nominal price and offset advertising costs. Provide full resale rights so that your team can do the same.

You can also put your recruiting on autopilot with viral marketing. You can do this by using your e-book, or an e-report, as a free giveaway to recruit through a viral marketing campaign. As more books or reports are given away your recruiting campaign will snowball.

Opt-in newsletter: A free newsletter will capture visitors email addresses and names to help you build a list of prospects and customers. A quality publication that is targeted to your market will help you build good relationships with your subscribers and over time convert your leads to join your opportunity.

Google Adwords: this a fast and cost effective way to use Pay-Per-Click advertising, which will drive many targeted leads to your website. They will either become your subscribers, sign up for more information or directly join your opportunity. Always pay special attention to Google’s excellent tutorials and do not bid too high at first.

Offline: You can also branch out into advertising in Home business magazines offline, but you need to work up some money to do this as it can be quite costly.

These are just a few ways to recruit team members for your opportunity. As your business grows you will be able to develop more methods to build a strong active team.

Understand the different kinds of web hosting

Web hosting is a term that describes the kind of Internet service which permits individuals, families, or companies to build, maintain, and host their websites. If you have ever served the Internet you know that there are websites devoted to anything and everything on the ‘Net. Whether it is a personal site showing off pictures, a small business getting the word about a product out, or a global company that is making its presence known on the World Wide Web, web hosting is a service that each of them needs.

There are different kinds of web hosting available. Well known to hobbyists and very small business owners alike is the free web hosting service which permits the building of entire websites for free. Of course, most of these services are very limited with respect to design, and additionally will place advertisements onto the site. While this is a not a problem for an individual’s hobby site, it may come across as being a bit unprofessional for a business. Thus, most businesses – large or small – will choose to go with the paid web hosting option.

Yet even among web hosts there are different kinds. Shared web hosting is a common term to many hosts. It simply implies that a business or personal site does not have a dedicated server, but instead is placed with many other sites on the same server. This is perceived to be a disadvantage by the big business clients who pay extra for a dedicated hosting service. Some hosts have begun to market their service as a virtual dedicated server, which is little more than a dedicated server in name only. Whatever choice you may pick, having a website is a most rewarding endeavor, and while for businesses it should be considered a requirement in today’s global market, more and more individuals are entering the world of website development as well.