Thursday, July 31, 2008

To Have a Father

So Lucky to Have a Father

Sometimes when I was a kid, I was glad that my dad was at work and perhaps not at home to catch me doing something I shouldn't have been doing in the first place. There were always greater consequences when you got in trouble by your dad. It was far more of an ego crush than when your mom had a few cross words for you.

My dad, like so many fathers out there… set the stage for what kind of a man I should one day marry. Most little girls look at their father as the king of all men… and they want to marry someone "just like him."During our teen years, we often decide that we want to marry someone exactly the opposite of our fathers. This is the time in our lives when we start to see their faults and realize we want nothing to do with them, most of the time [Read more]

The Cat's Mastery of the Present Moment

I have been the caregiver of six cats in my adult life, and I have learned about living through them. They taught me one important, life-altering lesson. All the cats focused on the present and enjoyed life immensely when doing so.

Cats are not enamored with the past — "Wasn't that a tasty mouse I had last week?" They certainly are not focused on the future — "When are they going to board me again?" They do not know they are not going to live forever. Cats do not worry about when the next medical breakthrough will help them or save them. They do not know the warning signs of their deteriorating health like you do and do not flop restlessly about during the night agonizing about what will happen next [Read more]

The Importance of Side Projects

It's important to distinguish "productively busy" from just "busy." Many people are busy, but how much are they actually getting done? For programmers, the single most important contributor to productive busy-ness is having lots of side projects going on, aside from your main "day job."

Kohsuke Kawaguchi just loves to program, and he loves making users happy. Looking at his homepage kohsuke dot org you see an enormous list of side projects that have various levels of relevance to his day job at Sun. Some of his projects, the Hudson continuous integration engine, for example, are enormously successful and popular. It is this productivity and breadth of side projects that make me consider Kohsuke the most productive programmer I know [Read more]

Treat Sunburn With Home Remedies

The home remedies for sunburn are not only helpful in treating the sunburn, but also in avoiding it to quite an extent. The best way to protect oneself from sunburn is intake of lot of fluids in order to prevent dehydration, and also replace the loss of water due to sunburn. In order to avoid the brunt of sunburn, one should eat high-content protein foods and raw fruits to fulfill the appropriate need of body for vitamins and minerals. Coconut oil and sandalwood oil are very effective in healing the burnt skin due to their cooling properties. Application of coconut or neem oil on the body, before and after taking bath is considered as a useful remedy for sunburn.

An effective home remedy for sunburn is to apply the paste of four tablespoon of buttermilk and two tablespoon of tomato juice for half an hour, and then wash it off. Similarly, paste of turmeric, barley and yoghurt in equal proportions also gives immense relief when applied on the sunburn area. Intake of juice of raw mango along with salt and sugar is very effective in combating sunburn, and is highly recommended at least thrice a day [Read more]

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Famous Most Experimental Songs

The Beatles Seven Most Experimental Songs

"What's The New Mary Jane". This song which features only John Lennon, George Harrison and Lennon's soon to be wife Yoko Ono. It was not actually released until The Beatles Anthology 3. It was intended for The Beatles incredible 1968 double album known as The White Album (it was actually self titled.) It was not included due to time constraints. The song features a simple piano part, bizarre lyrics, and insane sound effects. The last 4 minutes of the song is basically just spacey sound effects. It's definitely one of those songs that's quite hard to describe with words. It's definitely a real trip.

"Revolution #9". This 8 minute track was included on The White Album and has probably become The Beatles most infamous track. Many hate it. Some love it. Count me among those that loves it. Don't get me wrong, I don't listen to it every time I put the album on, it's not that kind of track. But when I do listen to it, I still find it fascinating [Read more]

The 10 Warning Signs That You Have Too Much Debt

Credit cards can be too easy to obtain yet too difficult to maintain, especially when people find themselves borrowing from one card to pay off another. Credit may even be advertised as free - but we still have to pay in the end.

What you buy on credit may raise your standard of living today, but the repayments will lower your standard of living tomorrow, and possibly for years afterwards. Families often live from payday to payday with little or no savings for emergencies.

In America personal bankruptcies have more than doubled in the last 10 years. Most of these people had jobs yet unexpected bills or reductions in pay caused their bankruptcy.

British people have over Ј130 billion of personal debt. It is estimated that, on average, there is nearly Ј10,000 of debt from credit cards, loans and overdrafts for every adult in the country - and that's excluding mortgages.

The amount borrowed from credit cards has risen more than 100% in the past 4 years [Read more]

Utilizing the Tools of Feng Shui - The Bagua

Shape has an effect on the flow of energy and balance. Hence the Bagua, used like a map can be applied to your plot of land, your house, your rooms, your furniture and even your business and prosperity in life. The Bagua is a most fair and practical way of applying the philosophical principles of the I Ching or what is also referred to as “The Book of Changes” to Feng Shui.

From time immortal, the Chinese have taken to consult and ponder the I Ching for its measures and insights into the very nature of people, places things and interpersonal relationships. Other cultures may have used wizards and astrology. The Chinese used the “Book of Changes “, which we know its Chinese language term “The I Ching”.

It can be said that the very basis of I Ching directs one towards an understanding of what are called and technically described as simply “ trigrams “. Trigrams can be said to indicate the degree of yin and yang. Trigrams in their simplicity explain and demonstrate the ideas of constant change. Not only that but the change illustrated by these trigrams is constant and cyclical- that is not only can you count on it to change but also to change in a similar predictable manner – that is if you live, or persevere long enough.

The statement ‘what goes around comes around” is a testament and example of this philosophy and way of life. In its simplest explanation the octagonal shape of the eight trigrams with unbroken lines represent yang, and broken lines represent yin and is called a or the “Bagua” [Read more]

How to Get Rich: Illusions and Facts

Every one would start worshipping money in an unnatural way then. For functioning in the society, one needs to have some money, so that he can conduct himself comfortably. That would certainly mean around $250/week or even $1000/week, depending on the circumstances of yours, along with location. Anything additional to this survival amount would definitely be less essential as compared to the health, family, friends, happiness, and spiritual life of yours. Anything less than this amount would become a struggle in terms of survival, and hence, must be avoided at any cost.

You, however, need to understand that it’s not money, but the people causing problems. Money is, in actual sense, a tool which can be used for the betterment of society. A person having good virtues would use the money for constructive purposes; whereas the bad person would go on to do something destructive with the same money. It’s the attitude that matters. It should be noted that a thing mustn’t be labeled evil just because certain bad people tend to use them in an incorrect manner [Read more]

Friday, July 18, 2008

Fine Tuning The Criminal Mind

Crime Shows: Fine Tuning The Criminal Mind?

The writers are increasingly creative and have a tireless supply of inspiration from real life events that they can put various spins on. The actors are dedicated and the directors are creating stories that are engaging and elicit emotional responses.

I know that personally they are my favorite thing to tune in to when I watch television. I watch a complicated crime unfold and the story develop around it until the criminals minimal error is exposed and the perp is collared! Usually this error is exposed by using a combination of a mastermind underpaid detective and the limitless resources of forensic science. I have often feared that this information may be misinterpreted by some as instruction. The program lays out how to commit the crime, what errors to avoid and if arrested how to see your trial through to acquittal.

The truth of the matter is that the numerous crime shows and frequency with which they air are in fact having an effect on real-world expectations [Read more]

5 Steps to Starting Your Day Right

1.Always think of something to look forward to when you wake up. As soon as you hear the sound of your alarm clock, think of something or someone that will inspire you to get out of bed. You can either think of the new suit you are going to wear at the office. You can also think of someone you want to see during the morning.

2.Do some stretching and/or meditation. Stretching in the morning will also make you feel better. And if you have the luxury of time, try to meditate. You will have a more peaceful mind set if you include this in your morning routine.

3.Fresh up. You will feel fully awake after freshening up. Feel good about yourself after taking a shower. Dry your hair and look glamorous after using the professional hair straighteners. Wear your dress and finish your make up. You will feel much better once you like what you see in front of the mirror [Read more]

Fashion - Catalyst For Social Change

One of the first points of contact between fashion and social issues was the Vietnam War and the developing opposition to that conflict. Invariably, those strongly opposed to the war wore their hair long and favored tie-dyed "hippie" clothes while those who supported the conflict wore their hair short and chose clothes that were much more conservative in nature.

When the United States began to lose its' once predominant position in the textile industry, most of the industry shifted to lesser developed parts of the world where working conditions often approached "sweatshop" status. With Hollywood taking the lead, consumers boycotted many of the companies that used these ill-treated workers to make the garments and, in many cases, succeeded in changing company policy. This type of boycott was especially successful in getting companies to stop doing business with areas of the world that employed child labor under unusually harsh conditions [Read more]

Busting Relationship Myths

Dating provokes a wide spectrum of emotions, ranging from excitement and giddiness to disappointment and frustration, which means starting a new relationship, requires that we take a leap of faith. We have to trust that our instincts will attract the right person, who offers qualities that will create lasting happiness in our lives. To create a new relationship model for yourself, it’s important to debunk a few distracting societal myths so you can begin with a clean slate.

Romantic Myth Buster #1: You control who you date.I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but as I mentioned earlier, unless you do a little self-discovery you’ll typically attract someone that fits a pattern you observed in your parents. It’s true. Before man could write, humans survived for thousands of years mimicking roles and behaviors, which became heavily ingrained in our species. It’s why young adults find themselves in carbon copy relationships that their parents warned them to avoid [Read more]

Monday, July 14, 2008

Wise Housewife Tips

Some Unusual Uses For Motion Detectors

Everyone thinks that motion detectors are just used to keep people out of their home. Well, here are a few uses for motion detectors that you might not have thought about:

- Place a Door Alarm on your elderly parent's or young child's door to alert you that they are out of the room at night

- How about teenagers -- what time do they really come in at night? You will absolutely know the time with a properly placed Motion Detector. Just don't tell the teenager that you set one up or it will spoil the surprise...

- Pantries -- place a Motion Detector near your food supply (pantry, refrigerator, even the cookie jar) to let you know when someone is trying to break their diet or eat when they aren't supposed to [Read more]

Are You a Stress Addict?

Even while complaining about stress, stress addicts believe that if you aren’t stressed, you:

- are too dumb to notice what a terrible state everything is in

- just took a tranquilizer or

- need to be educated by someone who “gets it” before you experience the dire consequences of your lack of awareness.

So wherever you are on the stress-addiction scale, it’s absolutely okay.

Extreme stress addicts have already abandoned this article because it reminded them of the fifty things they need to get done immediately. Or they ran off to take a Paxil or a Xanax, or maybe a Celexa, all the time wondering if they should have stuck with Prosac.

Yes, I’m being facetious, but one sign of stress addiction is worrying that any choice you make is the wrong choice [Read more]

Ways to Increase Metabolism - Metabolism and Exercise

Researchers have studied the acute effect of undertaking the exercise on the energy that is being exhausted. In most of these studies, there is a faster metabolic rate in a period of a day following the exercise. For example, aerobics shoot up the rate of metabolism just after the session is over.

There is also a probability that men and women have different effects of exercise on the metabolism. Most of the researches that were conducted have used men for the study. But, women have shown not much change in RMR when comparisons were made between women who were in the habit of exercising and those who were not. This goes to conclude that women appear to use up lesser amount of calories both at rest and while exercising.

Although a lot of data has been assimilated through several researches that have been conducted in this regard, it is still very difficult to come to a conclusion mainly owing to the various methodologies that have been followed. However, there is growing evidence seen that there is a definite correlation between exercise and the metabolic rate. A few of these observations are listed below: [Read more]

How Freelancing Changed My Family

I already knew I wanted to work for myself since graduating high school, but it was many years before I would eventually do just that. As the start of kindergarten approached, my husband transferred positions within his company and landed a Monday-Friday schedule. It was time to do something. I finally made the leap the February before the start of a new school year.

I had one client I worked with doing marketing work. The money was better than the job I had just quit so it seemed like things were worth the risk... until the rug was pulled out from under me and I lost the client due to his lack of money six months later. I freaked out and scoured the internet for a new client with no success. That is, until I answered a craigslist ad for an administrative assistant and my life and the life of my family changed for the good in a way I didn’t think was possible.

My family’s life has changed immensely for the positive. My daughter went off to kindergarten as excited as could be and was even happier to find me waiting for her bus when she returned home, as I was able to do everyday for the entire school year. Even though I was really business in just a few short months and making sufficient money, I still had complete control over my life and my schedule [Read more]

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Dating Lies

Five Big Fat Dating Lies

There are a lot of lies circulating around the world, especially when it comes to dating! Some of the lies are told to us by other people and some of them, we actually tell ourselves.

I don't think you find love when you least expect it. That's as stupid as saying, "You'll get a job when you least expect it." Do you think anyone would ever recommend that a person interested in a new career should not look? Don't send out a resume either, I suppose. Don't search in the classifieds for a new job. In fact, just give up the job search all together and suddenly, miraculously your dream job will show up, unannounced… when you least expect it! Right? Wrong! That entire thought process is insane!

Every romantic on earth wants to meet, "The One." "The One" is our soulmate, right? He/She is just perfect for us. They can practically finish our sentences, they laugh at our jokes when everyone else thinks the jokes are stupid, we are wildly attracted to "The One" and there is an immediate chemistry that we just can't deny [Read more]

Working With a Difficult Boss

The first thing you have to realize is that the only person whose actions you can control and direct is your own. Don’t even bother trying to change other people – they will probably only end up disliking you for it. You can, however, direct some of the more potentially heated confrontations by adapting a non-confrontational attitude. Be clear, firm and assertive without resorting to loud or aggressive acts yourself. In most instances, this can already work to cool the heads of people involved.

It cannot be emphasized enough the importance of clear communication. This means the ability to speak clearly without being ambiguous or leaving the potential of being misunderstood. Learning how to communicate effectively is a skill like any other. Thus, it can be learned and developed. Over time, it can help to define a better working relationship with other people [Read more]

How to Ask for a Raise

Access How Much Others Working in Your Field are Earning: The first thing you should do before you ask for a raise is learn about typical salaries in your field. You can get this information by using salary calculator tools like Salary.com and even looking at salary surveys. If you belong to a professional association, check with it to see if it has salary information available.

Prepare Your Argument: You really shouldn’t approach asking your boss for a raise as an argument, but you may have to make your case. Arm yourself with information. Know what a normal raise is for someone with your experience and occupation. Think of it as selling yourself just as you would do if you were trying to get a prospective employer to hire you. That’s why it is imperative to make a list of all the things you’ve accomplished for your employer [Read more]

10 Facts You Have To Know About Alcohol

One glass of beer can lead to a lifetime of alcohol bond. When drinking, always be in control and always drink in moderation.

The safe level of drinking is at least 2 drinks per day for men. Well, this is dependent on the age of the drinker. But in most cases, 2 drinks a day is moderate.

Don’t be too overwhelmed with the studies that show how alcohol can be good for your heart. This is only true to moderate drinkers. Studies show that moderate drinkers are less likely to develop heart disease compared to non-drinkers and heavy-drinkers [Read more]

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Exercise Can Lead To Overeating

Your Exercise May Be Causing You to Overeat!

Most people exercise early in the morning on an empty stomach. Maybe this is because they have read somewhere that the morning is the tight time to exercise or that the only free time in the day is during the morning. Whatever the reason, exercising on an empty stomach, fresh and early can wreak havoc on your stomach. Exercise burns calories and will make you more hungry after the workout.

Paired with the euphoric state the body enters into after prolonged exercise (often as little as 30 to 45 minutes) can lead to overeating. This is not to say that people who exercise in the morning are going to eat five eggs, three pieces of toast and two large glasses of orange juice after a workout, but the calculation of calories burned is often far higher than the actual calories burned during exercise.

Paired with the fact that many people underestimate the amount of calories they are consuming in a day, combines to make for a slower weight loss plan [Read more]

Fat Burning Myths

Myth 1: Low - Intensity Exercise Burns the Most Body Fat

This fable was spun from a poor interpretation of scientific research. Studies on exercise metabolism showed that the body burns a higher percentage of fat calories during slower, easier exercise sessions. Yes, the primary fuel used at rest is fat, but that doesn’t mean due to a couch potato or doing low - intensity aerobic exercise will make you lean.

Myth 2: Lift Weights Only After You Lose Unwanted Body Fat

I hear both sex and women say that they’ll pump some iron abutting they bob the weight first. This is just plain dumb. Resistance enterprise encourages the fat - burning evolution by main taming skeletal muscle and thus preserving the body’s most important metabolic regulator muscle. Skeletal muscle is the single largest minutes system in humans, accounting for midpoint 40 % of our bodyweight. Most people fail to get it that muscle is much more than something pretty to look at it’s the key to the fat - burning process [Read more]

Researchers Find Amazing Effects of Meditation on Human Brain

The research suggests that meditation can indeed lead to larger brain sizes. That would mean, that people who meditate grow bigger brains than those who don't. When it comes to gray matter, the thickening turns out to be more pronounced in older than in younger people. That's very interesting as the thickening or as regards the sections of the human cortex get thinner as we age.

Those who meditated practiced Buddhist "insight meditation," which focuses on whatever is there, like noise or body sensations. No chants or mantras were used during the meditation process There were an average of about 40 minutes meditation sessions per day. As reported, there were mediators of varying experience, some had been doing it for only a year, others for decades. Very profoundly, it was noticed that those most deeply involved in the meditation showed the greatest changes in brain structure [Read more]

Dealing With Stress

If you feel that you are stressed out and this stress is interfering with your normal activities then you must seek professional guidance. Sometimes, dealing with stress can be easy and you can do it on your own. Look around and see whether you can change, the situation that you are in. Set realistic goals for yourself so that you reduce the number of events that are going on in your life. It stops the circuit overload that you experience. This can sometimes become very serious and can cause a nervous breakdown.

More tips include:

1) Prioritize the series of events that go on in your life.

2) Do not fret over the entire workload. Instead, dissect it in small bit and pieces and perform them one by one.

3) Meditation and breathing exercises help a lot in controlling stress and cleansing your mind of all the disturbing thoughts [Read more]

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Memory Strengthening Exercises

Simple Techniques For Improving Memory


Keeping your brain active at all times will help to ensure that brain is able to practice good memory skills. This would refer to you training your brain to remember facts, descriptions, figures, addresses and such. As time goes by, your brain will continue to grow and develop and hence you will need to feed it. Alternatively, you can keep your brain active by working on mind-boggling puzzles, mind games and crosswords. At the same time, introduce yourself to newer things like learn a new language or new sport to help to keep your brain thinking and working at all times.

When the going gets tough, some people will just explode and let their rage out. Some prefer to stay quiet, but deep down; they compress all stress and anger inside. This calls for some stress relief awareness. It is definitely not good to burst through the doors when you are angry, and at the same time, it is definitely not good to suppress anger either. Suppressing anger and stress will clog your mind and hence preventing you from performing at peak pace. A troubled heart leads to a troubled mind, so, prevent yourself from a clogged mind and learn some of the ways you can handle or avoid this unnecessary stress. [Read more]

Diet Tips to Prevent Heartburn

Because heartburn is only a symptom of a more complicated medical condition known as GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) or acid reflux, we need to know if new diet plans will act on the true, underlying causes. It is important to know that recurring heartburn cannot be dispatched in a permanent way without a full holistic treatment that clearly identifies the root causes.

New diet habits must bring down this excess of stomach acidity, but must also take account of a malfunctioning sphincter. Therefore new diet habits must simultaneously work with both aspects of acid reflux. We describe seven simple axes for diets below as initial actions to get to a holistic, all-natural treatment for GERD: Reduce the quantity of each meal. The bigger the meal, the more the stress on the digestive system, the more the level of stomach acidity and the greater the risk of compounding an existing acid reflux condition. 5-6 smaller meals per day is better than 2-3 big meals [Read more]

Gourmet Chocolate – Luxurious and Decadent or Wholesome and Healthy?

Good quality chocolate is not only a pleasure to eat but also has considerable health benefits over the rather more unpleasant ‘candy’ style products which are laden with sugars and additives. The high quality of the ingredients ensures that the vitamins and minerals which are essential to good health are present in a form which is easily accessible to the body providing nutrition and allowing the release of endorphins within the brain that raise your mood and make you feel better.

The cocoa beans used in quality chocolate are finely ground before being mixed with the other ingredients and the length of the cooking time is critical to the development of the flavors as well as the consistency of the finished product – and most important, how smoothly it melts. Chocolate should never be chewed, but rather allowed to gently wrap itself around your tongue before melting away leaving the memory of its flavor lingering in the mouth and the mind [Read more]

The Bottled Water Myth

Bottled water is much less regulated than tapped water. In fact, bottled water companies, because they are not under the same accountability standards as municipal water systems, may provide a significantly lower quality of water than the water from a tap. Bottled water is one of the least regulated industries and is usually held to less-stringent standards than ordinary tap water.

Since tap water is a public resource the quality and content must be made public to the consumer. Bottled water has no such regulations and is regulated more like a soft drink than a public resource. The truth is that often bottled water is little more than tap water in a bottle. The Federal regulations that govern the quality of bottled water only apply if it is transported across state lines, and then they only require it to be as good as tap water. Most bottled water is bottled and sold within the same state to avoid Federal purity standards therefore there are no assurances or requirements that bottled water is any safer or better than tap water [Read more]

Friday, July 4, 2008

Safety of Herbal Medicine

Safety When Using Herbal Medicine

Firstly - remember that herbal medicines are still medicines at the end of the day. Many of our most powerful modern drugs are derived from plants originally so it's no great surprise that extracts of those plants also have the active chemicals in them. You need to think about how the herbs might react in your system and also about how they might work with or against any other drugs you are taking.

Recent press reports have given significant cause for concern although - to be fair - the vast majority of those who take this kind of complementary herbal treatment do so with no adverse effects of any kind. If you are thinking about using herbs to improve your health then follow these simple guidelines to make sure that you and your family remain safe [Read more]

Master Class: Top 5 Ways To Help Control Your Anger

If you've got a close friend – maybe a person who has known you for years - or even someone in your family, talk things out with them. How you play this depends on you but often the simple act of talking about your feelings helps diffuse them. Oftentimes it doesn't matter if the person you're talking to says little if anything.

If talking to someone is too much for you or if your anger fits have got so bad that no-one will talk to you any more, then write it down. Write or type away without editing what you write. Just write constantly for between 5 and 15 minutes. This kind of "brain dump" lets your subconscious out into the open and you may be surprised at some of the things you write. There's no need to show anyone else what you've written so feel free to vent your anger on the paper or keyboard [Read more]

Safety Tips: If Your Daughter's Leaving For College

Today, unlike years ago, there are many kinds of personal safety and self protection devices available. Personal alarms are small and fit in any purse or pocket -- they even clip to your belt. These alarms give off a very loud sound that will get anyone's attention. Also, pepper spray comes in different camouflaged containers -- pagers, pens, key chains and even lipstick!

Think of how it was when you went to college or high school. If you were lucky, your classes were close to each other. If you were like me, each class was in a different building, scattered all over the campus, usually on the top floor. The library was never next to the dorm ...

When I went to college, it wasn't like it is today. Coeds could walk alone at night on campus and feel fairly secure. But today, with colleges becoming so large, the parking lots, labs, study halls and the library seem to be in darker and more distant locations.

Kids, being kids, will brave the dark and look for shortcuts. They don't realize what can happen to them. "It can't happen to me" seems to be the ongoing thought [Read more]

Late Bird Advice: 3 Food Categories That Help Burn Fat

Foods That Help Burn Fat #1: Citrus. These foods include limes, lemons, grapefruit, tangerines, and oranges. To get the most benefit from them you need to eat them in their freshest form, which means all by themselves. Don't attempt to cut them up and use them for a marinade because you will lose the calorie burning benefits. In addition, don't assume drinking them in juice form will work. Most juices bought at the store are filled with preservatives that negate the calorie burning benefits.

Foods That Help Burn Fat #2: Fruits and Vegetables. Not just any fruits and vegetables though, but fruits and vegetables that are rich in Cellulose. These include watermelon, cabbage, asparagus, carrots, broccoli, apples, and blueberries [Read more]

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Beauty: There Is A Price To Be Paid For It

Shoe Styles and Injuries

Spiked heels, in particular, have a tendency to lodge in cracks in sidewalks and severe ankle injuries are the result. Some shoe manufacturers have recalled shoes due to the number of injuries that clients experienced, and the company absorbed the cost of offering refunds to customers, but many tried to offer customers the option of trading the defective pairs for a shoe style that was stylish but safer.

Shoes that fit closely on the foot are likely to cause some injuries during the first month of wear. Many shoe customers know that some shoe materials will require a breaking in period before they are comfortable and safe to wear. During the first weeks of wear, many customers will love the shoe styles and injuries will occur when shoe material rub against the skin and cause it to blister from the friction caused by contact with materials such as leather.

Other shoe styles cause injuries due to the angle at which the bottom of the foot rests in the shoe. Some people are unaccustomed to wearing shoes made of cork or hard leathers and will recognize the unsuitability of long-term wear after only a few hours [Read more]

Addiction 2.0

Almost 2 million people this year will find themselves entering some kind of rehabilitation for abuse of various drugs or alcohol. In the past 70 years or so, these alcoholics and addicts would have left various rehabilitation institutions to then begin a lifetime of meetings in church basements with fellow addicts or alcoholics, there to find the support and encouragement to continue their life clean and sober.

Well, now, in spite of fears about Internet addiction, major recovery organizations have been using the Internet to help and support individuals recovering from their affliction. An increasing number of support groups are springing up all over web with one goal: to provide online, 24/7 support for people recovering from some form of substance abuse.

Of course, for every benefit of online meetings, there are also some risks. The use of chat protocols, for example, opens up a portal to the user’s PC that may expose them to risk of being “hacked.” Email-based list servers also pose the problem of how to remain “anonymous” when the entire virtual room can see your email address [Read more]

3 Weight Loss Diets Than Don't Work!

You can achieve your weight loss goals with free and/or inexpensive information and products. So, I want to go over three diets that are being marketed like they’re miracles, but in reality will not do the job. They may help some people lose weight temporarily; however, if you’re looking to lose weight and keep it off, I would avoid these three diets.

1.Low-fat diets. These diets make a lot of sense right? You don’t want to be fat, so you figure let’s just cut out all foods that have fat in them. Unfortunately, while this sounds great in theory, your body doesn’t like it. You see, our bodies actually need fat to perform certain vital functions properly, and without lipids (or fats) we could be putting our bodies in serious danger. Now, there is a big difference between good fats and bad fats. Without going into too much detail, I’ll tell you that the fat from a fast-food hamburger is not good fat, and the fat from eating natural peanut butter is good fat [Read more]

The Blessings in Challenges

If you learn to see challenges in a new light, they can easily become the best things that have ever happened to you. Below you’ll find 5 questions you should ask whenever you find yourself facing challenges:

What Can I Learn From This? Too often we view challenges as annoyances or personal vendettas, when in fact they may hold a great opportunity to learn and grow! If you start by asking what you can learn from each challenge, you’ll suddenly see them as possibilities that pave the way to greater wisdom and self-mastery.

How Can This Strengthen Me? One major reason why challenges intimidate us is because we don’t feel capable of handling them. We have a limited perception of our own abilities, so we automatically believe that the challenge is bigger than we are. However, if you learn to see challenges as an opportunity to become stronger and more empowered, there’s no way they can hold you back! [Read more]