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6 Easy Ways to Lower Your Stress.

If youre like most people, stress is a daily part of your life. It starts in the morning as you rush the kids off to school and continues throughout the day at work on the way home. For this reason, you need simple, effective ways to reduce its power.

Being lonely is a normal part of our everyday lives. We get sad when we fail in our exams, when we’re rejected by the person we love, or when someone very close to us passes away. Depression, however, could be more fatal than just plain loneliness. It could render life-long consequences that could ruin your self-esteem, health, and well-being.

Here are some superb tips to conquer the melancholy mood and get the most bliss out of your daily activities.

Below are seven easy ways to lower your stress now. They cost you nothing and are easy to do. You can even do one as you read this article.

1. Get Enough Light and Sunshine.
   
   Lack of exposure to sunlight is responsible for the secretion of the hormone melatonin, which could trigger a dispirited mood and a lethargic condition.
   
   Melatonin is only produced in the dark. It lowers the body temperature and makes you feel sluggish. If you are always cooped up in your room (with the curtains closed), it would be difficult to restrain yourself from staying in bed.
   
   This is the reason why many people are suffering from depression much more often in winter than in the other seasons. It’s because the nights are longer.
   
   If you can’t afford to get some sunshine, you can always lighten up your room with brighter lights. Have lunch outside the office. Take frequent walks instead of driving your car over short distances.
2. Get Busy. Get Inspired.
   
   You’ll be more likely to overcome any feeling of depression if you are too busy to notice it. Live a life full of inspired activities.
   
   Do the things you love. If you’re a little short on cash, you could engage in simple stuffs like taking a leisurely stroll in the park, playing sports, reading books, or engaging in any activity that you have passion for and would love to pursue.
   
   Set a goal - a meaningful purpose in life. No matter how difficult or discouraging life can be, remain firm and have an unshakable belief that you are capable of doing anything you desire. With this kind of positive attitude, you will attain a cheerful disposition to beat the blues.

• Turn off your phone. Turn off your phone! Yes, this statement has an exclamation point behind it. With the invention of cell phones and black berry’s, no one is ever alone. This non-stop connection also equates to less down time for people (you) to unwind. As a result, people are more uptight than ever. So make a decision now to turn of the phone for 5 minutes. Take this time to pray, meditate or even nap. You’ll be surprised how much more relaxed you are afterwards.

• Watch a funny show. Laughter is the best medicine. It slows down the heart beat and releases important endorphines that lift our moods into the blood stream. So spend time each day laughing. Watch your favorite sitcome. Listen to a funny comedianne. Some larger cities even have classes in which you practice this activity alone as therapy. Commit to making laughter a regular part of your life.

• Clean up a 12 x 12 space. Coming home or even going to work only to see a pile of junk will add to the tension in your life. So reduce this down by cleaning up your space…

3. Take a Break.
   
   I mean it.
   
   Listen to soothing music. Soak in a nice warm bath. Ask one of your close friends to massage you. Take a break from your stressful workload and spend the day just goofing around. In other words, have fun.
4. Eat Right and Stay Fit.
   
   Avoid foods with lots of sugar, caffeine, or alcohol. Sugar and caffeine may give you a brief moment of energy; but they would later bring about anxiety , tension, and internal problems. Alcohol is a depressant. Many people would drink alcohol to “forget their problems.” They’re just aggravating their conditions in the process.
   
   Exercising regularly is a vital depression buster because it allows your body to produce more endorphins than usual. Endorphins are sometimes called “the happy chemicals” because of their stress-reducing and happiness-inducing properties.

• Make peace with a loved one. You may feel that the strife between you and your sister, brother or parent isn’t making a difference in your life, but it is. Studies show that unresolved anger will increase the stress in your body which leads to unwanted ailments. So, make a decision to be the bigger person and make peace with your loved one. You’ll feel an instant boost of relief once it’s done.

• Go for a walk. Exercise is also another way to reduce endorphins into your body. Besides lifting your mood, it helps work off tension in the body. For this reason, you need to make it a daily part of your life at least 20 minutes.

• Buy a bouquet of flowers. Adding a plant to your decorum or putting pretty flowers on your table, will not only beautifying your space, but it will also lift your mood. This will descrease the amount of stress in your life… [read more]

5. Get a Social Life.
   
   No man is an island. Your circle of friends are there to give you moral support. Spending time and engaging in worthwhile activities with them could give you a very satisfying feeling. Nothing feels better than having group support.
   
   Never underestimate the power of touch. Doesn’t it feel so good when someone pats you on the back and gives you words of encouragement during your most challenging times? Hug or embrace someone today. You’ll never know when you have saved another life.
   Get intimate. Establish close ties with your family and friends. The love and care expressed by others could tremendously boost your immune system and fend off illnesses. Best of all, you’ll live a more secured and happy life.

A lot of people are poor because of myths or wrong assumptions about money. For you to become rich, you have to know the realities and the myths of money making.

14 Money myths and 14 Ways To Become Super Rich:

1. If I had chosen a lucrative career, I would have been rich. Reality: There are millionaires in all profession. Anything can make money. You don’t look for a lucrative career; you make your career lucrative.
2. If my parents were rich, I would have made it. Reality: Most super rich are from poor families and some from average families. Even those from rich families had to create there own personal wealth.
3. If I were better educated, I’d make more money. Reality: You need education outside the lecture halls. After all well-educated people are not rich. You have to go into private study and exercise your mind for financial excellence.
4. If I had better breaks, you know, at the right place at the right time, I would have become successful. Reality: The super rich weren’t lucky, they only prepared for luck. Opportunities and luck are created not waited for.

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8 ways to spend your first Billion.

You’re all respectable businesspeople and I’m sure, like us, you have one ambition just lingering in the back of your mind; to eventually make your first £ billion. Now this is quite a bit of money, so when you finally get hold of your cheque, what could you possibly spend it on?

5. If the economy was better, I’d be wealthy. Reality: In any community, State, or country, there are millionaires. There is money everywhere.
6. If I didn’t have family or social responsibilities, I would have made millions. Reality: It is not all about your responsibilities, but how you frugally manage them. You have to be frugal with your money and spend on the most important stuffs.

We at SCD Marketing have compiled 8 of many possible ways to spend your hard-earned cash.

7. If all the big money making opportunities were still available, I’d be super rich. Reality: Moneymaking opportunities worldwide are more available today than ever before.

• Remember the old penny-chew sweets? If you were an addict then feel free to spend your Cash on 100,000,000,000 (one hundred billion) of them. That’s about 200,000,000,000 grams, or 50,000,000 of those little white paper bags you used to get as a child. For anyone who’s slightly out of touch on that, it’s about 50,000 one-ton cars.

• Like watching the Superbowl? Why don’t you get in on the action and spend your billion on just over 6 hours 50 minutes worth of advertising time during the live broadcast. At $ 83,000 per second, you best make the most of it.

8. If only government, my employers, family, or spouse helped me, I would have made loads of money. Reality: Anybody can run out of your life. You could be fired, government can dump you, your spouse might divorce you, and your family and friends could desert you. You alone is responsible for your success.
9. If I had large sum of money, I would have started saving and investing early. Reality: Little drop of water makes a mighty ocean. Start with the little you have. If you are waiting for a large amount, you will never make it. And the best time to start saving and investing is today.

• Diamonds are a girls best friend so I suppose that would make Gold a girls most favourable acquaintance? With the price of Gold at the time this was written, you could slide over a £ 1,000,000,000 cheque and receive about 83,640 kilograms worth of pure Gold, or 83.64 tons. That’s about 1.83% of all the Gold held in Fort Knox.

• Cars! Where would any self-respecting Billionaire gentleman be without an array of sports-cars? Slap a billion pounds on the counter and you could walk out with 3298 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren cars at 435,000 Euros a piece. If you’re more of a down to earth Billionaire you could look into buying some good old Ford Fiesta’s, at £ 250 for a 1994 model you could be wheeling out over 4,000,000 of them. Best have a large Garage though; this number of cars would take up just over 9 square miles of space, 9 times the area of the City of London.

• Being a Billionaire requires a lot of hard work and late nights, in these situations Caffeine is an Entrepreneurs best friend. With the average price of Red Bull being ВЈ 1, that’s around one billion cans of the stuff. At 250ml per can that’s around 54,992,308 Gallons, containing 80 million grams (80,000kg) of Caffeine, enough to cause a fatal caffeine overdose in 16,000,000 average size adults… [read more]

10. Does fraud or corruption make one rich? Reality: Yes but be wise so that you don’t end up in jail. Download “Evil ways of making money–what the rich won’t tell you” free at oxcheck.com and learn how to introduce immoral and unethical survival tactics into your work or business.
11. I have to work very hard to become rich. Reality: So many hard working people are poor. The rich don’t work hard; they work very smart.
12. It takes money to make money. Reality: It takes money, no matter how small, to seize opportunities.
13. Having a good job leads to wealth. Reality: A job is a temporary source of income. A permanent one requires that you make your money work for you. So whatever you do, be in business for yourself and apply your money industriously. You are always the CEO of your endeavors.
14. I will start my retirement plan when am a few years from retiring. Reality: Your retirement plan should start today, no matter your age.

1. Ask him why he �doesn’t have such a cool scar?’
2. Laugh at him.
3. Wake him up by singing Beach Boys songs in his ear. �Round, round, get around, I get around…’
4. Knit him things. Really hideous things.
5. Give him kangaroo-ears for a month.
6. Smile during Death-Eater meetings and say you taught him everything he knows.
7. Chew bubblegum all the time. Should he address you, your only response will be a series of huge bubbles in quick succession, the last of which will burst everywhere and make a mess.
8. Dance the Funky Chicken.
9. Ask him when was the last time he took a bath.
10. Pat him on the head and give him flowers when his plans are foiled yet again.
11. If you ever need to say �Like taking candy from a baby’, be sure to add �Of course, SOME of us might find that harder than others.’ Stare pointedly at him.
12. Play �knock-&-run’ at his bedchamber door late at night.
13. Call him �The-man-who-let-the-boy-live’
14. Ask why the Dark Mark couldn’t look like something �more socially acceptable?’
15. Insist that you have met chunks of cheese with more cunning plans than his.
16. Pinch him. Make sure he squeals.

Related posts:

12 Harry Potter Geek Test.

• You think the Olympics should be replaced by a rousing game of Quidditch.

• Instead of getting off the couch to get the remote control for the TV, you find yourself saying either “Accio Remote Control” or “Wingardium Leviosa.”

• Whenever you eat a jellybean you don’t like, you say it tastes like earwax or troll boggies.

17. Be cheerful.
18. When he tries to impress you with his powers say �Awwwww, lookit. Voldie’s got a twiggle!’
19. Try to teach him to play a mouth organ.
20. Roll your eyes during plotting sessions and say things under your breath like �You’re the boss, boss’ or �It’s your funeral.’
21. Greet him in the mornings with a sarcastic �My sir, you look particularly menacing today.’

• When you play chess and take your opponents pieces, you don’t simply remove it from the board. Instead you strike the piece violently and yell, “That’s Wizard’s Chess!!”

• For Halloween you think it’s a great idea to wear no costume at all. Instead you dress in completely ordinary clothing and wear a sign that says “Muggle Born.”

• You’ve transcribed every spell in the Harry Potter series into your own personal spell book.

22. Taunt him about his middle name. �Marvolo? Whats that, a washing detergent?’
23. Keep a �good-behaviour chart’. Award points and give out gold stars.
24. Magic-marker Potter-style glasses on him while he sleeps.
25. Apparate into and out of his room rapidly. Do this non-stop for an hour. *poof* there *poof* gone *poof* there….
26. Play cards with him. Tell him he has no poker-face and how does he expect to rule supreme without one?

• Every time you step on a train platform you subconsciously divide it into 10 equidistant sections and stand precisely at platform 9 and 3/4.

• When your boss or teacher yells at you, you try to conjur a Patronus.

• You think the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is the best thing to happen to children’s literature since “The Little Engine that Could.”

27. Let off party-poppers in his face whenever the urge strikes you.
28. �Did you even HAVE a girlfriend? Like, ever?’
29. Get a pair of finger puppets closely resembling himself and Harry Potter. Re-enact all of Harry’s victories over him in a spectacularly childish way. Be sure to give them both squeaky voices.
30. Anytime he enters any room, insist on entering first and announcing him grandly.

• You have heated discussions with friends and family members on which house everyone belongs in. One person gets upset when everyone singles them out and says they belong in Slytherin House.

• During the 2004 U.S. Election, if you were against George W. Bush you called him “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” … if you were in favor of George W. Bush, you simply called him Lord Voldomort.

31. In these announcements, fake a trumpet noise and give him an equally fake drumroll.
32. Exclaim sarcastically �You’re breakin’ my little heart here, o dark one’ whenever he starts to talk of what has caused to become who he is.
33. Encourage him to �think happy thoughts!’
34. Ask him to give you written summaries of his sinister plots for revenge and war. Correct his spelling.

And… the Number 1 Fan:

• When you found out Dumbledore was gay, you were shocked… not because Dumbledore was gay, but because you did not pick up all the tell tale signs and clues left by JK Rowling… [read more]

35. Mock his choice of Quirrel as a �host’.
36. Tell you think a yoga class could �cure him of his wicked ways’
37. Get the song �Mr. Tambourine Man’ stuck in his head.
38. If he’s having evil-plotter’s-block in one of his scheming sessions �Wingardium Leviosa’ a light bulb to float above his head. Turn it on. Look offended when he gets angry and say you �thought you were helping!’
39. Tell him constantly to stop repressing his anger.
40. Buy him a stress ball.
41. Hint that he is only a character in a book and will never triumph.
42. Call him Tommy-boy.
43. If you’re feeling gutsy, call him Voldie-poo.
44. Whack him in the arm and say �mosquito’ - every few minutes.
45. Say he �looked better under the turban’
46. Eat his pet snake. Offer him some.
47. Endeavour to teach him to steeple his fingers, lean back and say �Eeeexcellent’.
48. Start drawing outlandish parallels between his life story and �Star Wars’. Talk at great length.
49. Be generally in awe of him and never look away.
50. �Imperius’ his Death Eaters into a rousing chorus of �All Things Bright And Beautiful’
51. Shower him with confetti and rice, anytime you think he needs to make a �grand entry’.
52. Paint all the Death-Eater masks with bright colours and glitter.
53. Throw him a �care-bears’ themed birthday party.
54. Tell him what Snape’s really up to.
55. Politely exclaim now and again that you �don’t know how he can be so afraid of dear old Dumbles’
56. Sing �California Dreamin’ at the top of your lungs when he’s trying to have an �evil moment’
57. Should you ever be eating with him - drum tunes with your cutlery, play with your food and blow bubbles in your chocolate milk.
58. Ask him to dance a polka with you.
59. Work cutesy phrases like �pushing-up-daisies’ and ’smooth-as-a-baby’s-bottom’ into conversation as much as possible.
60. Ask him if he’s sure �the whole evil-maniac-out-for-power-and-revenge thing isn’t getting a bit old?’
61. Get him to play �Twister’ with you.
62. Tell him you know this great therapist in London….
63. Throw tupperware parties. Insist he sit through them.
64. Tell him you’ve met plently of people more evil than he.
65. Hide his teddy bear. That ALWAYS makes him cry.
66. Get him a plant. Act mortally offended when he doesn’t water it and it dies.
67. Steal, snap and bury his wand.
68. Tell him Lucius did it.
69. Give Rita Skeeter full knowledge of his whereabouts and contact details.
70. Remind him that he isn’t even really alive.
71. Write him a theme song. Start singing it whenever he is about to do or say something particularly clever and nasty.
72. Offer to sacrifice Draco Malfoy �to the cause’
73. Insist on reading him bedtime stories. Include �The Ugly Duckling’
74. Make vague allusions to Harry Potter being his son.
75. When he’s done something particularly nasty - cross your arms, waggle a finger and say �Now now, do you really think Salazar would have approved of that?’
76. Ask him how he can possibly wish to harm a single hair on the head of �that sweet, innocent, cute little boy.’
77. Tell him Wormtail has a crush on him.
78. Finish all your sentences with the words “in accordance with prophecy.”
79. Leave disgusting and rotting dead things near him. Insist that it is �Aromatherapy’
80. Begin any question you ask him with �Riddle me this!’ Emphasis on Riddle.
81. Do not EVER act in the slightest way intimidated by him. Treat him as you would an eccentric aquaintance.
82. Cuddle him at random moments.
83. Sign him up for Little-League.
84. Ask him why he’s afraid of a frail old man with a beard the size of a beehive and can’t fight babies.
85. Throw biscuits at him. Constantly.
86. Tell him you think evil master plans of world domination are �kind of girlie’
87. Quote Argus Filch. Insist HE will one day rule the wizarding world.
88. Wonder aloud whether the name Voldemort commands as much respect as, say, Potter or Dumbledore.
89. Mimic everything he says in a sing-song voice.
90. Mimic everything he does with exaggerated limb-movements.
91. Write sonnets for him.
92. Insist he help you with the newspaper crossword every morning.
93. Follow a few paces behind him, spraying everything he touches with a can of disinfectant.
94. Tell people he’s �really just a big softie’
95. Psychoanalyze him. Conclude that he is �mildy depressed’ and �a bit of a control-freak’.
96. Mock his baldness.
97. Smile and say loudly �Who loves you, Volders?’ at inopportune moments. (Ie: another of his attempted �evil moments’)
98. Get him drunk.
99. Drag out a banjo at Death Eater revels and start playing �Kumbayah’
100. Let him catch you trying on Death-Eater robes.
101. Be Harry Potter. Be alive.

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How to Get Rid of Mice - The Easy Ways.

Mice are mostly nocturnal and they not wild animals. Their natural habitat are buildings. They have evolved alongside us, like cockroaches and other vermin. They are no better adapted to living outside in the park or wherever than we are, and their natural reaction to being released is to just run back in to any dark warm place with food.

If the infestation is severe, it is most likely mice will be seen. Mice often leave behind droppings in pantries, drawers, kitchen cabinets and any other place where they can smell food. Its imperative to close off the source of entry. Eliminate any food source and check under the sink and other areas for any holes. Where there is one mouse there is likely to be more.

Trapping mice is sometimes the only way you can eliminate them from your home. Mice usually live in small holes and corners in your house, so if you are not using traps, you won’t be able to capture and eliminate all the mice. But the fact remains that not all homeowners are adept at setting a trap. In this article I will tell you about four types of traps that you can setup to catch, kill or eliminate mice.

Generally, mice eat almost everything, like seeds, grains and any sweet food stuff especially peanut butter. Mice have quite large habitat that consumes around 17% of their total body weight in a single day. They make their nests at crawl spaces, in ceilings, in basements, under upholstery, under the major appliances, weeds and their complete life cycle is generally spent in the same house they born.

1. Ordinary snap traps:
   
   These ordinary traps are the ones that are most commonly used by homeowners. They are very easy to procure and easy to set up. You just need to set the trap in a location that you suspect to be a mouse shelter. Then you place the bait in it. Once the mouse gets attracted by the bait, it will rush in to eat it and that is when the traps captures and kills the mouse.

A fully matured mice can reproduce 50 to 60 pups in a single year and because of such quite high reproduction rate they easily out number other species on this earth. According to an article Controlling House Mice, published by the University of Missouri, a female mouse has between five and ten litters per year with about five or six babies in each litter. The young are capable of reproducing at the age of six weeks. A mouse infestation can easily get out of control if not dealt with as soon as it is recognized.

One of the cheapest and most effective ways is by using a snap trap. There are different models available but it can also be dangerous to children. Snap traps work best when baited. The bait should be sticky to ensure the mouse will disturb the trigger mechanism even if the mouse or rat touches the bait only lightly. An effective bait you can use is peanut butter because mice loves it so much.

2. Glue boards:
   
   You can also use glue boards if you feel that traps are not effective in eliminating mice. Some mice are very cunning and know how to bypass traps. However, they will seldom be able to bypass glue boards.
3. Electronic traps:
   
   Electronic traps are an advanced way of catching and eliminating the mice fast. These traps make use of battery power to kill mice by electrocuting them. These traps take the form of a big box. You can place the bait in the rear end of the trap. As soon as mouse gets near the trap, it senses its approach and quickly releases a dose of lethal electric shock to kill it. The best part is that a typical electronic trap can capture and hold many mice before they are required to be emptied. They can also be used repeatedly.

Another affordable trap is mouse glue traps. But very inhumane way to get rid of mice and the effects could be dangerous to your own health. It comes with lock-tab tents to hide mice. A pest-attractant scent is dispersed throughout the glue, therefore, no baiting is required just place and catch. With glue traps its really horrible picking up the squeaking, terrified, wriggling mouse. Plus it might bite you and it probably has fleas that could transfer over to you. You can also use mouse poison is also kind of inhumane because it isnt instant and can be painful. The reason rats and mice respond to poison is because they are unable to vomit, so it is a slow, painful death… [read more]

4. Live traps:
   
   If you don’t like to kill the mouse and instead want to use a more humane way of catching them, then this is it! Live traps are very easy to set up, and like snap traps, they work best with the use of baits. Most live traps take the form of a box that allows entry to the mouse but refuses to let it escape. You can then release the mouse at a place which is far from your home. There are different types of live traps available. While some can hold only one mouse at a time, others can hold up to 30 or more mice before they are required to be emptied.

The Democratic Republic of the United States is one of the best governments in the world. That does not mean it is without problems, as the great framework set by the Founding Fathers needs some adjustments to better fit with today’s country. This is not about helping or hurting one party or the other, it is about working out the kinks in government so that it better serves the people. This was written an independent moderate that doesn’t like either party and just sees them as a necessary evil.

1. Popular vote decides the President - The electoral vote rarely has a different outcome than the popular vote, but it does happen, like in 2000. It was set up to keep large population states from having their issues dominate. States today do not have as differing issues so the need it not as great. The problem with the electoral vote is that it causes some people’s votes to be useless. Those voting Democrat in red states or Republican in blue states do not count because only the votes of the majority in such states decide the electoral votes. When a person’s vote does not count in the most important election of the country it is no wonder we have low turnout. The electoral vote just makes candidates focus on swing states because those are the only places where even one person’s vote could theoretically change the outcome of who gets the states electoral votes and that is the difference between winning the office and being the runner up.
2. Lower the voting age to 16 – When a lot of people are 18 they are living outside their residential district in a college dorm. To vote in the first election they are eligible for they have to make the extra effort cast an absentee ballot or go home in the middle of a class week. Neither is ideal, but if they were able to vote in high school they be home. Also they would have their social studies class as a great source to inform them on the issues and encourage them to participate in government. If they are mature enough to drive a car, which can be very dangerous if not used right, then why not mature enough to have direct influence on government. This could have the problem of teachers trying to influence students’ votes but most students should be able to see through such efforts.
3. Election Day should be a national holiday – Voting is the heart of a democracy yet we can’t get the day off to do it. This discourages people from taking time to go to the polls, especially in places that have long lines to get to the booth. This also hurts poor people, as they might not have the money or time to take off from work to vote. Credit for this idea belongs to former President Bill Clinton.
4. D.C. should elect the senate president – In case you don’t already know, the Vice President currently holds this job. He casts the deciding vote in the event of a tie. The executive branch holds enough power as is, being able to veto bills that both houses pass. The VP being able cast a vote just gives the branch two chances to stop a bill. This job was given to him because originally he did not have many responsibilities, but today VPs have shone the ability to have influence on a lot of other aspects of the government. D.C. should not be able to have regular representatives in congress, as this is the privilege of a state. However if the elected representatives of the 50 states reach a deadlock in the senate, why not a representative from the remaining part of the population of the country decide.
5. Limit Congressional terms – Congress is full of people that have held their seats for decades. Newcomers have to wait until someone has decided to leave or they have to take them on as a nobody versus someone that is well established in the state. Long time holders of an office tend to loose touch with the people. Senators should have a limit of two terms (a total of 12 years) and Congressmen in the House five terms (a total of 10 years). A decade should be plenty of time for the congressmen and women to achieve the majority of their goals.
6. A person must live in a state for five years to be its congressman or governor – How can a person know what is important to a state and what in government should be done for it if they have not lived in it for a while. An outsider holding a state’s office is rare but it happens and that is too often.
7. Supreme Court Justices are chosen in a different way – Currently the President picks a nominee and Senate has final say whether that person should be a justice of the court. If a party controls both the White House and the Senate they can choose whomever they want. This leads to justices who are chosen based on how they will rule on issues important to the party rather than what they should be chosen on, upholding the constitution. The court should be about justice under America’s most sacred legal document not winning ideological battles. I can’t think of a better way to choose them as of now but involving both houses of congress would be a start. Direct election by the public seems ideal but it could also make the court more political rather than less.
8. Congressmen need to regularly report all earmarks they sponsor – Earmarks are small additions to proposed legislation that are about a something different then the bill itself. Often they are for pet projects in the state the sponsoring congressmen are from. The problem with this is it usually leads to federal money being spent on things without any debate because most of the time it is the merits of bill itself and not what’s attached that decides whether it will be approved by congress and the president. This in effect lets small pieces of legislation to sneaked by wasting money on things most people don’t want. While the ultimate goal should be to eliminate earmarks all together, a start would be forcing members of congress to report all earmarks they are responsible for, by law. Some did such a thing voluntarily at the request of CNN, but many had to have pressure put on them before complying. An article on it can be found here. Another way to curb earmarks it to give the president the ability to veto earmark without vetoing the bill it is attached to.
9. Conversations between elected officials and lobbyists should be recorded – The technology to do this sort of thing is certainly cheap enough. The office holders may not like the idea of this but if nothing wrong is happening in the meetings with special interest groups then why can’t the people, the governments boss not hear them. They are not like security briefings where peoples lives will be in danger if the public knows. With such a measure corruption should be cut down and you just might hear those in government act more like an advocate for the voters.

Are you getting for head spinning around to buy tattoo designs? Since i gotta inked on your skin forever, unless you willing to pay for a innocent money to get it removed. It’s like decide on choosing the “Mr. or Mrs. right” for you to stay together with them.

Research showed that 75% of people boring or hate their new inked tattoo just after 3 week after get inked with it. Are you falling in this group of people? And the result show that most of them regret of buying a tattoo design that they don’t even like it, but have get inked with it think of it very Clear.

So here’s the 4 Ways to Avoid Doing the Stupid Mistakes on buying tattoo designs I want to share with you.

1. Know What the Tattoo Categories You Loved The Most. There are variety categories of tattoo designs available when you are thinking of buy tattoo designs tattoo designs. It ranged from animal, tribal, dragon, cross, phoenix birds, tiger, flower, lower back and etc.
   
   Just think of it, if you don’t even know what is the tattoo design categories you love the most, what are you going to do? Just buy all of the tattoo designs around different categories? Sure you will burn your pocket even get tattooed.
   
   So, you got to think clear what tattoo category you really want before buying any expensive tattoo design samples. By evaluating the meanings, types of designs, color and size of the tattoo you like the most, sure you will find the tattoo designs categories you really want.

Art of the Yakuza: Japan’s Tattooed Men & Women.

Centuries ago in the days of the Shogun, Japan’s authorities would mark criminals with tattoos to distinguish them from the rest of the population.

2. Avoid the so called “FREE Tattoos”. Absolutely you don’t need to pay for the so called free tattoo. But if you really want to get inked with the free tattoo, please forget about it! Sure you will find that there are a lot people inked with the same tattoo like you. How’s that feeling… Shame… So don’t try it. It’s ok if you just want to take a look on it but remember don’t even think of get inked with this kind of free tattoo.

These highly visible tattoos usually took the form of a black ring around the arm; with rings added as convictions increased. These marked men were usually discriminated against so they tended to stick together, eventually forming the organized, mafia-style gangs now known as “Yakuza”. Worn proudly as symbols of status and dedication, Yakuza tattoos have evolved into magnificent, multicolored full-body masterpieces. Today’s many Yakuza factions are patriarchal in nature but women are integral parts of gangland society. Wives, mistresses and girlfriends of Yakuza figures often undergo extensive tattooing.

3. Avoid Buying Individual Expensive Tattoo Design. There are a lot of tattoo websites try to sell you the expensive individual tattoo design. Normally they charge you $2 - $5 for a piece of tattoo design if you want to buy tattoo design from them.
   
   In fact, you have to research on the variety of the tattoo designs before thinking of buy a tattoo design from this kind of tattoo website. You will save a lot of money if you buy this kind of expensive individual tattoo design in the stage of you actually know what you want already or it’s is the tattoo you have been looking for so long.

Sometimes these women use tattoos to demonstrate their affiliation with the gang lifestyle; in other cases it’s done to show loyalty and obedience to the Yakuza member they are involved with. One prominent - and prominently tattooed - woman with Yakuza ties is Shoko Tendo. Author of the best-selling book “Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster’s Daughter” , Tendo had herself tattooed in traditional Yakuza style using traditional Japanese motifs and brilliant colors. Japanese society is slowly losing its prejudice against tattoos, tattooing and those who are tattooed. Young people are embracing tattoos as a form of pure body art with no Yakuza connotations and the influence of Western celebrities, who have no historical bias against tattooing, tends to make tattoos more acceptable. Still, public baths and hot spring resorts post signs banning bathers with tattoos - though who’s going to raise the issue when the Yakuza comes a-knocking?.. [read more]

4. Choose From the Large Tattoo Gallery. However the best and faster way to select the tattoo you really love the most is through the highly developed quality tattoo galleries. The reason is that you will save a lot of time and your hard earn money since you will go through thousands of quality tattoo designs at single time. You don’t even need to take the hassle to visit around the tattoo shop to buy the tattoo designs.
   
   But here is my sincere advice for you that only buy tattoo designs from the popular tattoo galleries to avoid spend innocent money for the thousands of low quality tattoo designs.
   
   For the most popular tattoo galleries online, through my experience on searching and buying tattoo designs online, there are 2 online tattoo galleries that I highly recommend to you if you really want to save your time and money to get the highest quality tattoo designs available online.
   1. Chopper-Tattoo Gallery with 3 thousand of awards winning tattoo designs.
   2. Tattoo Me Now Tattoo Gallery which just been upgraded to 3257 gorgeous tattoo designs. At the same time you will get the full contacts of the popular tattoo artists in USA, CANADA and etc.

• You think the Olympics should be replaced by a rousing game of Quidditch.
• Instead of getting off the couch to get the remote control for the TV, you find yourself saying either “Accio Remote Control” or “Wingardium Leviosa.”
• Whenever you eat a jellybean you don’t like, you say it tastes like earwax or troll boggies.
• When you play chess and take your opponents pieces, you don’t simply remove it from the board. Instead you strike the piece violently and yell, “That’s Wizard’s Chess!!”
• For Halloween you think it’s a great idea to wear no costume at all. Instead you dress in completely ordinary clothing and wear a sign that says “Muggle Born.”
• You’ve transcribed every spell in the Harry Potter series into your own personal spell book.
• Every time you step on a train platform you subconsciously divide it into 10 equidistant sections and stand precisely at platform 9 and 3/4.
• When your boss or teacher yells at you, you try to conjur a Patronus.
• You think the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is the best thing to happen to children’s literature since “The Little Engine that Could.”
• You have heated discussions with friends and family members on which house everyone belongs in. One person gets upset when everyone singles them out and says they belong in Slytherin House.
• During the 2004 U.S. Election, if you were against George W. Bush you called him “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” … if you were in favor of George W. Bush, you simply called him Lord Voldomort.
  
  And… the Number 1 Fan:
• When you found out Dumbledore was gay, you were shocked… not because Dumbledore was gay, but because you did not pick up all the tell tale signs and clues left by JK Rowling.

Enjoy!

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11 Ways To Get A Good Night Sleep.

• Having difficulty to get a good night sleep?
• Spending several hours without sleep?
• Improve sleep with good sleep habits.
• Lack of sleep can result in stress, lack of concentration, moodiness, memory loss, lower motivation and fatigue.
• It is important to get a good night sleep otherwise it may lead to different sleep disorders.

Did you sleep well? For many people, the answer is no—even for those of us who think our slumber is good. Says Dr. Neil Kavey, director of the Sleep Disorder Centre at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Centre in New York, “it’s very common for people to be completely unaware that something is wrong at night. They don’t feel refreshed during the day and they wonder why.”

Normal sleep consists of five stages. The first four get progressively deeper. Then the body eases out of the deepest sleep and into a fifth stage known as REM (rapid eye movement). These different stages come and go in cycles throughout the night, but the deepest stages—when the brain is most out of touch with conscious reality—appear to be the most crucial for people to feel rested and refreshed.

If you suffer frequent brief awakenings that don’t register consciously, you might never reach the deepest stage, or you may stay there only briefly, unable to reap its full benefits. While an occasional night of tossing and turning is nothing to be alarmed about, chronic poor sleep can have serious consequences, including lack of energy, difficulty in concentrating and irritability.

Here are some factors that can ruin your rest—and seven ways to sleep better tonight:

Here are 11 ways to get good night’s sleep for those who experience difficulty in getting sleep…
[read more]

1. Establish a sleep schedule: Your body’s internal timekeepers want predictability. “Getting up at the same time every day, including at weekends, is probably the most important step you can take towards establishing good sleep patterns, because regular exposure to light in the morning is what sets the brain’s alarm clock,” says James Walsh, executive director of the Sleep Medicine and Research Centre in Pennsylvania. This exposure, Walsh explains, will establish time to wake up and, at night, the time to get drowsy again.
   
   It’s important not to stay in bed in the morning or take naps during the day as this just delays experiencing the tiredness that will stand you in good stead at the end of the day when you really want to get to sleep.
2. Limited bedroom activities: Watching television, planning the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting, problem-solving with your partner and even reading are activities associated with wakefulness, says Charles Morin, a psychologist and author of Relief from Insomnia. These activities can help some people wind down but if your rest is poor, says Morin, “use the bedroom strictly for sleep”.

7 Top Ways For a Good Nights Sleep.

Insomnia is frequently a symptom of stress. Although we may feel constantly tired, we often find it impossible to switch off and sleep. Having the right amount of sleep is as important as eating when we are hungry and drinking when we are thirsty. During sleep your unconscious mind is busy processing all that has happened during the day to support your emotional well being. Likewise, your immune system is doing repair work keeping the physical body in good order.

We rarely let our sleeping cycle take its natural course. We work long hours and fill our leisure time with more activity, stimulating TV etc. We dont take time to unwind before we hit the pillow.

7 top tips for a better nights sleep. You can try all or some of the following…

[read more]



3. Separate sleep from wakefulness: When you persistently find yourself lying awake for a long time, you soon begin expecting to have trouble falling asleep you may even start worrying that you have to get up early, and the pressure to get good rest will mount.
   
   If you are a worrier and bed time is when your mind wanders, take out 30 minutes of “worry time” out of your day. Write down all your concerns and a plan of action. If your troubles return as you try to doze off, tell yourself, “I have already worked that out”.
   
   When you are going to bed, avoid any stimulating activities, such as watching the news or reading an interesting book. Instead watch a quite nature program or read something dull. Go back to bed only when you begin to feel drowsy.
   
   Similarly if you are short on shut-eye because of insomnia, decrease your slumber time by retiring later—when you are genuinely sleepy—and rising earlier. You may end up getting less rest but you know that you will sleep soundly, so you will lose your apprehension about it.
4. Regulate your body heat: Even small ups and downs in body temperature play a large role in your biological rhythms. Sleep generally follows the cooling phase of your body’s temperature cycle. If your inner thermostat is following its own independent schedule, your sleep may be disrupted.
   
   One way to control body temperature is with exercise. An aerobic workout lasting 20 minutes or more about five hours before bedtime may help encourage sleep. Vigorous exercise two to three hours before bedtime, however, can keep you awake.

22 Ways To A Good Nights Sleep.

How many of you consider the importance of sleep in relation to fat-loss, injury prevention and recovery, lack of focus, and overall health and vitality? According to a study published in the Lancet Medical Journal chronic sleep deprivation may speed the onset or increase the severity of age-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and memory loss. Just one week of sleep deprivation altered subjects hormone levels and their capacity to metabolize carbohydrates. During sleep deprivation the researchers found that the men’s blood sugar levels took 40% longer to drop following a high-carbohydrate meal, compared with the control group (well rested group).

5. Skip caffeine, even mid-afternoon: Walsh’s researches suggest that the caffeine consumed from three cups of coffee still has stimulating effects up to eight hours later. “Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others,” says James Walsh.
   
   Others are also more affected than they realize. Remember that other caffeinated substances—chocolates, cola and tea—can also cause poor quality rest.
6. Avoid alcoholic nightcaps: It’s becoming a trend these days to take alcohol to help catch slumber. Yes, it does help you to fall asleep. But as it’s metabolized by the body, it releases a natural stimulant that disrupts sleep during the second half of the night. And the greater the quantity of alcohol consumed, the worse the disruption.

Their ability to secrete and respond to the hormone insulin (which helps regulate blood sugar) dropped by 30%. Additionally, the sleep-deprived men had higher night-time concentrations of the hormone cortisol, (hormone released in response to stress), and lower levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone. These raised cortisol levels mimic levels that are often seen in older people, and may be involved in age-related insulin resistance and memory loss. So with that in mind here are some helpful tips to getting a good nights sleep…
[read more]

7. Screen out night-time noises: You may get used to soft rhythmic sounds but the louder and irregular noises from traffic or aircraft can disturb sleep more than you expect.
   
   Studies have found, for example, that people who say they’ve adjusted to living near airports actually wake up more frequently during the night and spend less time in deep sleep than people who live in quieter areas. If you can’t eliminate the noises, try muffling its sound. Carpets and heavy curtains help.

Sleep problems are not insurmountable. Take a look at your habits, do some fine-tuning, stick with these changes—and sleep tight tonight.

Related posts:

6 ways to make a good e-mail signature.

The e-mail signature is something that can be helpful or royally annoying. You see while you can help people by including your phone number, e-mail, and website… adding a graphic or quote can just drive you batty. No matter how your e-mail program does it, here are my tips:

• Keep it short. Seven lines is good. Mine happens to be 8, because I also include a row of “=” to separate it from my text.

• Keep it simple. Leave the images for your website. I’ve also found that images and other “nifty” things make your e-mail more likely to get tagged as spam and lost… [read more]

Proper email etiquette is something everyone should know if they want to be perceived as professionals. However, not everyone wants to be a professional. You can be the office goofball, butt of jokes, or simply that creep that everyone’s trying to avoid. If you don’t care what other people think or if you want to look like a fool online, here are some things you should do:

1. Write like a 13-year old clown. This includes using slang, sarcastic remarks, shorthand, etc. Begin all your emails with “Zup dudes!” and spl ol d wrds lyk dis (for the uninitiated: “spell all the words like this”). Or YoU cAn EvEn AlTeRnAtE CaPiTaLiZaTiOn - make the reader like she inadvertently got herself into a pre-teen chatroom. Don’t forget to end your email with “Bye losers!”. Your boss will love that one so much that you’ll receive a permanent vacation.

No junk-mail please…






2. Attach heavy, high-resolution pictures of your family or office parties. Think high-res is just for graphic artists? Think again! You too can clog the inbox of some unsuspecting coworker. Why shouldn’t you? Of course they want to see 50 jpegs of your new baby! Also, the boss will truly appreciate that you spread around that candid shot you took of him while he was singing “Everybody Wang Chung Tonight” during the last office party. Why place these images onto Flickr or some photosharing website? You don’t want to make viewing these pics optional, do you?
3. Ignore the fact that your office emails may be intercepted. That kind of thing is pure paranoia. Companies don’t keep all incoming and outgoing email on some kind of server, so go ahead and use your company email to register on a BDSM dating website. Why keep your personal life personal? Take it a step further and email your nude pictures to your online Turkish lover. Don’t forget to list down all the office supplies you “borrowed” and email the list to a friend while you’re at it.
4. Don’t use the subject line. After all, it ruins the suspense of your email. The subject field of your email doesn’t even really do anything cool besides notify the recipient what the email is about so that they can see if it’s urgent or if they should file it away for later.
5. Forward away! If you don’t forward that chain letter, your wish won’t come true, you’ll be single for the rest of your life, and you’ll get a bad case of chlamydia. Also, if you think it’s a funny email, everyone else will think so too! So forward that lengthy joke email. Why deprive your coworkers of some great laughs? Especially if they have to go through a long list of “Sent to:” addresses and endless lines of “>>>>>>>>>>>>>>” to get to the punchline.

4 Ways To Eliminate Spam.

Right from Viagra to Software Download, from non-English character mails to Phishing emails, Spam is hot and vibrant, and of course, in plenty. Some of the studies say that an average mail box is getting 3600 spam mails per day. Last year it was around 2400. With this rate, soon 9 out of 10 mails may be spam… [read more]

6. Don’t proofread your email before you send it. It’s unnecessary and boring. After all, wouldn’t it be really funny if you send an email to the wrong person? It’s even funnier if you get to type “I’ll do my breast” when you really wanted to say “I’ll do my best”. Think of all the fun you’ll miss out on if you proofread.
7. If you have a business email address, don’t check it regularly. Trust me, you won’t receive any important emails. Plus, you can avoid reading that “You’re fired!” email from your boss.

Related posts:

Top 19 Ways To Recycle Plastic Grocery Bags.

Several communities have put restrictions on the use of plastic grocery bags. San Francisco was one of the first communities to do so. Reusing and recycling them around the house is a great way to reduce their impact on the environment. The first thing to do is organize them so you can easily reuse them. I do this using an old tissue boxes. Just stuff the bags inside the tissue box and they pop up whenever you need one.

One of the best resources you have for saving money and at the same time saving the environment is in your trash can. That’s right, a lot of the stuff we throw away can easily be reused for something worthwhile. Lately, I’ve been making a conscious effort to examine the things I throw away and see if any of them can be reused. Here are fifteen techniques I’ve found that minimize my waste and also save a bit of money.

1. I save covers from issues of The New Yorker (I get a gift subscription every year) to use as gift wrapping. They’re gorgeous and they’re free, so why not? Taping multiple covers together can make really beautiful and interesting gift wrapping, and a single cover can wrap small gifts. I also save newspaper pages for just this purpose. This saves big-time on wrapping paper.
2. I keep used dryer sheets and put them in with clothes in storage. This saves them from smelling musty when I pull them out later, which can save me another laundry load.
3. I take rubber bands from the Sunday paper and the mesh wrapping from fruit to make kitchen scrubbers. Seriously, I just ball up the mesh wrapping, tie some rubber bands around it, and start scrubbing with it. It works about as well as a Brillo pad or the green side of a sponge.

Here are some of they ways we reuse them:

• Plastic grocery bags are the perfect size for bathroom trash bags. Be sure to put about 5-10 in the bottom of the trash can so you always have a replacement when you take the trash out.
• Use them to store soiled diapers in your diaper bag until you get to a proper trash can.
• Use them to store sippy cups to catch any spills.

4. I take orange and lemon peels and use them for air fresheners. I leave them out on a saucer to make the house smell fresher. Why use Glade?
5. I take empty Kleenex boxes and use them for under-the-sink storage, especially plastic bags. You can jam a lot of empty plastic grocery bags into a single Kleenex box, plus the “pop up” nature of the box makes it easy to just pull out one bag at a time.

• Keep some in the car to collect any trash. This will keep the floor from collecting anything and cleanup is a breeze, just throw out the bag.
• Use the extra bags to protect the next package you have to send.
• When you go to the pool, use a plastic bag to store you wet suits in until you get home. Be sure to take the suits out to keep them from getting mildew.

6. I keep leftover chopped up vegetables in a bowl and mix them all up for ploughman’s stew in a night or two. If I cut up vegetables and find myself with some left over, I save the leftover chopped up veggies in a bowl, then in a night or two, I brown some ground beef (half a pound or a pound), add two cups of water and a can of tomato soup, and dump in the leftover vegetables. Almost all vegetables work in this and it makes a delicious stew.

• While you are out you can used them store soiled cloths.
• Store your muddy shoes after a hike in them.
• Use them as packaging material for seasonal decorations.
• When traveling, use plastic grocery bags to store your dirty cloths… [read more]

7. I save a smaller bottle of many common household things (laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent, shampoo), then buy the liquid inside in bulk and just fill up the small bottle from the big one. This way, I’m only tossing out the occasional large bottle instead of frequent small ones, putting less plastic in landfills and saving money by buying in bulk.





8. I keep everything wooden for kindling. We go camping regularly, so anything wooden (especially fruit crates and the like) is saved for fire kindling. I just put the wooden stuff near our camping supplies - and if I have a few moments, I go ahead and break it down into small pieces so it’s easier to use when we camp.
9. I use the water for boiling vegetables and use it to water house plants. This provides the majority of water for our house plants in one swoop.
10. I cut up old tee shirts and use them as kitchen rags. They do a great job for floor scrubbing, counter scrubbing, and other such simple uses.
11. I take egg shells, grind them up a bit, and dump them in the garden. Many flowers (especially roses) love the stuff, plus it keeps out a lot of pests. Even if you don’t have a garden of your own, putting egg shells in any area where plants are growing is better than just tossing them out with the garbage.
12. I use junk mail envelopes as grocery lists (and other quick list and note papers). I take an envelope and attach it to the refrigerator with a magnet. Throughout the week, I jot down what I need on the back, thus giving the envelope a second use. This is a great way to deal with junk mail envelopes and get more use out of them.
13. I use sturdy containers (like oatmeal cans) for storage. These hold pens, note cards, and lots of other stuff; just label �em with a big marker and put them on a shelf where you would keep them.
14. I use old socks for dusting and window cleaning. I just pull them over my hand and then just wipe down everything I need to; most of the time, I don’t even need to use Pledge or anything with this technique.