Daily Digest

Video about what we are responsible for...

2013-01-13T22:52:00.001-08:00

This video is about an island in the ocean at 2000 miles away from any other coast line.

This film should be seen by the entire world, please don't throw

anything into the sea. Unbelievable, just look at the

consequences!!!!!

http://vimeo.com/midway/midwayfilm

A Story of a Father and Son - It will Make You Cry

2012-12-02T01:37:00.001-08:00

A STORY OF A FATHER AND SON - IT WILL MAKE YOU CRY

This is a true story about a man named Rashed. He tells his story as follows…I was not more than 30 years old when my wife gave birth to our first child. I still remember that night, I stayed out all night long with my friends, as was my habit. It ...

A Story of a Father and Son - It will Make You Cry

Protecting Children over the Internet

2012-11-20T05:01:00.001-08:00

The Internet is like a vast city-full of virtual shops, museums, theaters and recreational activities. But like real cities, there are certain places online that children shouldn't visit alone.

A recent study by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children revealed several startling facts about Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17:

• One in five children is inappropriately or sexually solicited on the Internet;

• One in 33 children receives an aggressive sexual solicitation-someone who asks to meet them in real life, calls them on the telephone or sends them mail, money or gifts;

• One in four children has unwanted exposure to pictures of naked people or people having sex;

• One in 17 children is threatened or harassed online; and

• Less than 10 percent of sexual solicitations and only 3 percent of unwanted exposure episodes are reported to authorities.

A similar study done by the Crimes Against Children Research Center indicates that young girls are more likely than boys to have close online relationships with cyber pals, which puts them at an increased risk of being contacted and romanced by sexual predators in Internet chat rooms and similar Web communities.

Modern parents often feel overwhelmed by these complicated high-tech issues and need someone to help make sense of it all and show them how to keep up with their cyber-savvy children. Pooling the knowledge of its national network of certified technicians, Geeks On Call has developed a special program known as "Kids Club" that offers educational materials to parents and schools to help promote Internet safety for children.

At the core of the Kids Club program is a free publication titled A "Parents' Guide to Internet Safety," which is designed to provide parents with simple, practical advice about ways to protect their children and how to be actively involved in their kids' digital lives. The guide divides the subject of Internet safety into two categories: personal safety for children and technological safety for computers.

Other aspects of the Kids Club program include interactive workshops for students and Internet-safety seminars for parents and teachers.

Below are few tips to protect your kids from

Protecting children on the Internet isn’t just about installing a content filter and calling it a day. It takes a proactive plan that encompasses all devices that can access the Internet. Take an inventory of all such devices in your home. That includes computers, PDAs, cell phones and game units. You can’t develop an effective plan to mitigate risks if you don’t know all the access paths.

Search all the internet capable devices for traces of inappropriate content. Simple text phrase searches across all drives are easy to do. Consult your operating system for help. As well, search for photo files (*.jpg, *.jpeg, etc.) and review these files by thumbnail. Questionable content may indicate an Internet safety issue and risk.
Take control of all computer administrative passwords. Without them, you’ll never keep ahead of the approaches kids use today to deceive their parents and cover their online tracks.

Lock down kids’ PCs by revoking administrative privileges for their accounts as stated above, and limit or remove their ability to install new software. Young people are notorious for downloading software containing spyware and malware.

Use filtering software to block inappropriate content (such as hate speech, racism, adult content and inappropriate games) by age category. Keep in mind, content-filtering software alone won’t protect your children online, but it does reduce the risk. If your operating system is Windows Vista, parental control is built in as a function of the system. If you are using Windows XP or earlier, a review of a free, highly recommended filtering product can be found elsewhere on this Blog. If you find this free application satisfactory for your purposes, you can download it from the review page.
Don’t allow children in elementary school to have e-mail accounts. These are best left for middle-school children and older.
Use safe e-mail programs for children in middle school. These programs have functions that allow parents to restrict whom their children can contact. Effective e-mail programs for children also reduce spam, or unwanted e-mail, some of which can be harmful to children. Zoobuh is one such recommended product. Visit their site at Zoobuh

Block social networking sites from children in elementary and middle school via a content-filtering program. Online predators love this access route, and much of the content on these sites is too mature for young children.
Block popular search engines from children in elementary and middle school with a content-filtering program.

If your older teenagers use social networking sites, review what they’ve posted (both personal and public pages), and monitor all usage via stealth software. If necessary, trap their online passwords and log in as them to see their personal profiles, which are usually exposed to a subset of online friends. A free stealth application is reviewed elsewhere on this Blog; you may download the program from that page. Click Here:
Block all IM tools that allow children to make phone calls over the Internet. These tools are preferred by today’s predators since parents often don’t see any of the call logs and may not know that their children are even using the Internet to talk to strangers. Consult “How to Protect Children on the Internet” for a list of the products to block.

Avoid video cameras on PCs and disable built-in devices on laptops (consult your computer’s manual). Predators can use them to cultivate people as online sex slaves once they’ve been blackmailed, or have exposed a weakness. There really isn’t a good reason to let children use these devices.
Don’t underestimate the creativity of today’s sexual predators. They’re not all men looking for girls. For a shocking look at female predators, view “When Girls Do It: The Story of Female Sexual Predators."

Be proactive and report any online crimes you become aware of to the appropriate authorities.
Use stealth monitoring software, as noted above, on the computers of children in middle school and high school. It will expose everything they do.
If possible, avoid laptops with wireless cards. Mobile devices such as laptops are more costly than desktop PCs and introduce more risks. If you purchase one for your teenager, equip it with stealth software and review the logs weekly.

Test the effectiveness of the Internet filters used in your children’s schools. Report any issues to the principal, and demand action where appropriate.
It is critical that you talk to your children about the risks inherent in Internet usage. Use real-world examples of tragedies—there are several listed in my book. Today’s teens feel like they’re invincible. Tell your children never to post personal information online and never to meet anyone in person that they’ve met online.
Trust no one online. You never know who is on the other end.

Read my book. “How to Protect Your Children on the Internet” contains a complete road map designed to give parents and educators back the control they need to keep kids safe in today’s technologically sophisticated world. All recommendations are outlined by technology topic and by age category for ease of reference and use.

Dakuwaqa's Garden - Underwater footage from Fiji & Tonga

2012-10-22T03:32:00.001-07:00

The Secret - Planet Earth HD

2012-10-22T03:29:00.001-07:00

Eid Mubarak

2012-08-14T02:03:00.001-07:00

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims observe a strict fast and participate in pious activities such as charitable giving and peace-making. It is a time of intense spiritual renewal for those who observe it. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world observe a joyous three-day celebration called Eid al-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking). It is a time to give in charity to those in need, and celebrate with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy.

Typically, Muslims wake up early in the morning—always before sunrise— offer Salatul Fajr (the pre-sunrise prayer). Muslims recite the following incantation in a low voice while going to the Eid prayer: Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar. Lā ilāha illà l-Lāh wal-Lāhu akbar, Allahu akbar walil-Lāhi l-ḥamd. Recitation ceases once the Imam commences activities.

On the day of Eid, Muslims gather early in the morning in outdoor locations or mosques to perform the Eid prayer. This consists of a sermon followed by a short congregational prayer. Eid al-Fitr has a particular salat (Islamic prayer) consisting of two raka'ah (units) and generally offered in an open field or large hall.It may only be performed in congregation. Muslims are recommended to use separate routes to and from the prayer grounds.

After the Eid prayer, Muslims usually scatter to visit various family and friends, give gifts (especially to children). These activities traditionally continue for three days. In most Muslim countries, the entire 3-day period is an official government/school holiday.

It is forbidden to fast on the Day of Eid^. It is customary to acknowledge this with a small sweet breakfast, preferably of the date fruit, before attending a special Eid prayer.

Although the date of Eid ul-Fitr is always the same in the Islamic calendar, the date in the Gregorian calendar falls approximately 11 days earlier each successive year, since the Islamic calendar is lunar and the Gregorian calendar is solar.

Special arrangements are done on this occasion, particularly girls get very excited for their Eid arrangements, especially for henna.They are fond of henna even their Eid is considered incomplete without henna. Henna has existed from centuries and was usually drawn on the palms and feet.Before the modern era henna was prepared at home by grinding henna leaves in a paste with water and oil. There was no consideration of design like today; they just used to apple henna paste on their hand. Another popular design was, a circular pattern is drawn and filled in the center of the palm. Finger tips are also covered with henna. This design is still very popular today. Toothpick was also used to make designs in the early days before henna cones were made available.

Recipes of The Famous Eid Deserts:

Recipe for some of the famous Eid Deserts is given below:

Seviyan
Ingredients

2 Cups of milk
2 tbsp. Of Rice
3 tbsp. Of Sugar
1/4th Cup of blanched almonds (sliced) <
1 tsp. Of Green cardamom (crushed)
1/2 tsp of Kewra essence
Silver or gold foil paper (varak)

How To Cook:
Soak rice in water for few hours, after removing water, grind rice into a smooth paste. In a non-stick saucepan bring milk. Over a moderate low heat add rice, sugar and cardamom and stir constantly till milk turns thick. Now add almonds and put in serving bowl and chill. Garnish with silver or gold foil paper (varak) and serve.

Sheer Korma:

Ingredients:

1 pack ate Vermicelli
1-gallon fresh whole milk
1-cup sugar
20 cloves whole cardamom pods
1/2-teaspoon cardamom powder
1 cup slivered almond, cashews and pistachios
1/2-cup fresh cream
1/2 teaspoon saffron strands
3 tablespoons charoli nuts
1/2-cup light brown raisins
1/2-teaspoon rose water
1-tablespoon butter

How To Cook: Fry the vermicelli in the butter until well browned but not burnt.
Fry on low heat until all the butter is dried.
Add in 1/4-cup sugar and fry again.
Add in the whole milk cup by cup, stirring constantly, and bring to boil.
Add in the raisins, whole cardamom, and 1/2 cup slivered almonds, cashews and pistachios, and the remaining sugar.
Reduce the heat and thicken the sheer korma to three-strand consistency, letting the milk boil until it is halved.
The vermicelli must be very soft by now.
Quickly add in the rose water, charoli and fresh cream and let simmer covered for 10 minutes.
Garnish with the saffron strands and powdered cardamom, and serve immediately.

Badam Kheer - Almond Kheer

Ingredients :

Almonds – 1 cup

Milk – 6 cups

Sugar – 1 cu

Saffron Powder – a pinch

Saffron – ½ tsp

Soak almonds in a cup of hot water for about an hour.

Method :

Soak the saffron in cold milk and keep aside.

Peel off the skin of almonds and make fine paste. Use milk for making pasting instead of using water.

Measure the quantity of almond paste. Take same amount of sugar.

Cook the almond paste for about 5 to 10 minutes stirring it continuously.

Add the remaining sugar and keep stirring the mixture.

Pour the remaining milk and boil it for about 15 minutes.

Add the soaked saffron.

Badam Kheer is ready to serve.

Wish you all a very very HAPPY EID - UL - FITR.

START SAVING NOW: HERE’S HOW!

2012-07-29T03:23:00.000-07:00

You might wonder how to begin saving if your income is already over-committed. Efficiency and discipline are the answers.

You need to first find out where your income is going. Maintain a diary for the month, noting down everything you spend on, to the last paisa. You will be surprised at the amount of random purchases you make – from coffee breaks to grocery bills. These are the best places to start trimming.

Then, make a budget. This isn’t as difficult as you think. All a budget does is create a plan for spending, by stating expenses and goals. Make sure to cover fixed and regular expenses such as mortgage or rent, utility payments, and car or loan/credit card payments. Then set limits on necessities like groceries and clothing, as well as nice-to-haves like entertainment and travel. It’s also important at this stage to factor in a savings amount.

Now, your first priority is an emergency fund, if you don’t already have one in place. And the easiest way to do this is to have the amount deducted from your salary every month and put into a Fixed or Recurring Deposit. Give yourself a pat on the back if you find yourself adding that little extra to your fund because you managed to save a little more this month. You might find it easier to stay within budget if you use cash or debit cards for the necessities and frills.

As your emergency fund accumulates, your next task is to find more money for savings and even investment. Begin by paying off your credit cards. If you spend a little time examining your monthly statements, you will be amazed to see how much money you’re losing just by way of interest!

SAVING Vs. INVESTING

At this point, we need to address the differences between saving and investing.

Savings provide for emergencies and fund specific purchases in the near future (within two years). The primary goal is to store funds and keep them safe. However, you invest to increase net worth and work toward long-term goals. Also realise that investing involves risk, where you could lose some of your original investment. Only consider an investment plan when you have in place an emergency fund, insurance, control over credit use, and a retirement plan.

IN THE LONG RUN

Now, consider making a long-range savings and investment plan. When beginning to plan for investments, consider your goals, the amount of time you will be able to spend on nurturing these investments, how much you know about the funds, how much money you have to invest, whether you can tolerate risk, and handle loss. Remember that your ultimate goal is a financially secure future for you and your family.

If you look back over all that we’ve discussed so far, you will realize that we’ve told you how to begin saving money, in small, manageable chunks. The final objective might be to set aside enough for you to retire so that you don’t have to work another day, but your immediate goal is to start the process and become habituated, so that saving becomes a way of life, and a chance to improve how you live.

By reading this on paper it seems easy to start it but the fact is it's not easy. But friends its not impossible....also it is necessary in this world of today where difficulties (specially financial) are on the every next step.So start saving for your great future.....

Happy Savings!!!!

Secret - Important to discuss with kids...

2012-07-04T22:47:00.001-07:00

As parents we have so much to worry about in regards to our children. We want to protect them from all of lifes dangers, yet we want to accomplish this without putting unnecessary fear into their lives.

When my children were small, we began talking about secrets. What is a good secret and what is a bad secret? This seemed to be a concept my children could understand, while accomplishing my goal of not scaring them.

Good secrets are things that you get to tell mommy or daddy. Such as we bought daddy a birthday gift. Today it's a secret but tomorrow we get to tell daddy. Another good secret is when the principal at school tells you there will be a party for your teacher but today it's a secret. Tomorrow however we get to tell the teacher.

As your children get a bit older, a good secret might even be your friend telling you she likes a boy. While your child may be asked not to tell the boy, your child could certainly tell you this secret.

So what is a bad secret? A bad secret is a secret that your child is asked to NEVER tell. A bad secret might be another child admitting they did something wrong and asking your child not to tell. It might also be an adult acting inappropriately with your child and telling the child to keep this a secret and not tell mommy.

My kids asked of course, "who will tell us bad secrets?". I began to tell them that bad people tell bad secrets, and quickly realized this is not true at all. Instead I chose to tell them that a bad secret can come from both a child and an adult who is doing something wrong. To this day I still believe that only someone doing something wrong will ask a child to keep a secret from mommy or daddy.

My kids and I spent many hours talking about secrets and that mommy and/or daddy must always be told secrets. I also assured them that they would NEVER get in trouble for telling mommy or daddy a secret. I can remember a few times, my kids slipping and telling a good secret when they weren't supposed to, but I kept my word and they never got in trouble. You see, I have often heard that someone acting inappropriately will say "if you tell your mommy, you will get in trouble". I never wanted my child to have a visual image of getting in trouble for telling mommy a secret.

Level of Protein needed.

2012-06-13T23:33:00.000-07:00

Don't sacrifice your carbohydrates for a high protein diet, and think twice before "bulking up" those biceps with protein to look better at the gym. Your daily diet shouldn't contain more than 30% protein ideally, because an excess of it will do you more harm than good. So says Gail Butterfield, Ph.D., director of Nutrition Studies at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Medical Center.

Protein riched food....

What is protein?

We know that we need protein but what is it? What are the best sources and how much do you need? Our bodies are made up of 75% protein so it is necessary to eat adequate amounts and especially important if you are building muscle.
Protein is made up of amino acids which are known as the building blocks of protein. There are about 20 different amino acids but there are 8 essential amino acids.

What is protein for and what does it do?

Simply put, protein aids the recovery and growth of the muscles after a workout at the gym.
Protein helps repair the "ripped" or "damaged" muscles allowing them to grow bigger and stronger in an attempt to cope with the next gym work out - once you increase the intensity or weight used in your workout you will be able to "rip" or "damage" your muscles again so the cycle restarts..but that's a whole new article!

Why does our body need protein?

Apart from athletes and body builders who need more protein for performance, we all need protein as it is in every part of our bodies, organs, cells, eyes, muscle hair, skin, nails, blood and tissue, and we need to replace it on a regular basis.

Dr. Butterfield says that excess protein in your diet may have harmful effects. If you increase protein without adding more calories and exercise to your daily life, instead of building muscle mass you will put your other body systems under undue stress. And eating more protein while increasing calorie intake -- but keeping at the same exercise levels -- builds an equal amount of additional fat and muscle. Meanwhile, a diet where protein is more than 30% of your calorie intake causes a buildup of toxic ketones. A "ketogenic" diet, or one high in ketones, pushes your kidneys to excessively flush themselves free of toxins. This can cause you to lose a significant amount of water, which puts you at serious risk of dehydration, especially if you exercise heavily during your workouts.

Highest Protein foods...

Such water loss will make it appear you're losing weight, when in actuality you're not. Plus you will be losing, not gaining, muscle mass and bone calcium from this ketogenic diet, while the stress of dehydration can also badly affect your heart. Dehydration from a ketogenic diet can make you dizzy and weak, give you bad breath, and lead to other health-related problems. This can be the result of a high-protein, low-carb "fad" diet – one that emphasizes proteins excessively.

Actual protein deficiency is a very rare condition and is confined usually to elderly women or persons with eating disorders. Protein deficiency is defined as eating 50-75% of the recommended daily amount of protein. You should consume 0.36 grams of protein for every pound of your normal body weight, according to the US recommended daily allowance -- or RDA -- guides. And protein should make up about 15% of your daily caloric intake, not go well over 30% of it.

Protein is absolutely required for your body's normal functioning, as it helps synthesize your enzymes and hormones. It maintains your fluid balance and the building of antibodies against infections. It also is the basic building block for your muscles, bones, cartilage, skin, hair and blood, and is essential for the formation of all of the cells in your body You should eat protein-rich foods such as meat, cheese, milk, fish and eggs to get enough protein in your daily diet. You can also find protein in soy products, as well as in combinations of food such as rice or corn with beans, when it comes to vegetable proteins that you may consume.

You should eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish and complex carbohydrates, not one heavy in protein alone. But protein is optimal for immune functioning, and you may need heavier amounts of it when injured or otherwise undergoing any serious healing processes

Proteins are made up of several different amino acids, some of which your body can make on its own. But some of them have to be ingested. These are called the "essential" amino acids. You must eat a variety of foods to make sure you're getting all of your essential amino acids. Lack of these can cause growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immune system functioning, weakening of the circulatory and respiratory systems – and even death.

The most common source of protein in the American diet is meat, but milk and other dairy products are rich in it. To avoid too much fat with your protein, eat leaner cuts of meat, and cook without adding fat by baking, broiling, barbecuing or boiling your meat. By eating beans and lentils as well as a variety of vegetables and grains, you can add terrific sources of vegetable protein to your diet. Nuts and seeds are also great sources of non-animal protein.

The average adult American needs eight grams of protein each day per twenty pounds of normal body weight. Yet we generally eat twice that much protein daily. If you balance your carbohydrates with your proteins, and eat a variety of foods to make sure you get all of the amino acids you need, you will be eating a healthy diet. You should also make sure you keep your diet low in fats, oils and refined sugars. Those substances have no proteins, and hardly any other nutrients, with one gram containing nine calories of energy. You do need some saturated and unsaturated fats in your food, every day. Unfortunately, "junk food" laden American eating habits tend to provide far too much of these fats.

Your daily diet should contain no more than 30% total calories from fats, hopefully far less than that. The upper limit on the amount of fat in your diet will depend on how many calories you need to maintain your weight, and cutting back on fat can help you consume fewer calories. But some dietary fat is needed for good health. It supplies energy and the essential fatty acids, which like the essential amino acids can only be gleaned from your consumption of certain foods. Fats also promote absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

High levels of saturated fat and cholesterol are linked to increased blood cholesterol and put you at risk for heart disease. Fat is also associated with protein-rich food such as meat and dairy products. So you should lower the daily amount of protein and fat that you consume to an acceptable level, while raising the amount of complex carbohydrates you consume to at least 50% of your daily calorie intake. This will ensure that you are eating a proper and not a "fad" -- or risky to your health – diet every day. Eating meals and snacks rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, as well as some high protein and certain "fatty" foods, will help you to obtain your desired weight and to keep fit -- not fat.

A list of high protein rich foods and their nutritional content.

Food (Per 100g)	Protein	Carbs	Fat	Calories
Almond Nuts	21.1g	6.9g	55.8g	2541kJ (614kcal)
Anchovies	14.5g	0.1g	2.8g	355kJ (85kcal)
Asparagus	2.9g	2.0g	0.6g	106kJ (25kcal)
Avocado	1.9g	1.9g	19.5g	790kJ (195kcal)
Bacon	15.9g		19.8g	1005kJ (245kcal)
Baked Beans	9.5g	22.1g	0.4g	130kcal
Bananas	1.2g	23.2g	0.3g	426kJ (100kcal)
Beef Fillet Steak	20.9g	0g	7.9g	648kJ (155kcal)
Bread (wholemeal)	11.0g	39.1g	2.2g	935kJ (220kcal)
Broccoli	4.2g	3.2g	0.2g	133kJ (31kcal)
Carrots	0.6g	7.9g	0.3g	156kJ (37kcal)
Cheese	30.9g	0.1g	15.0g	1085kJ (260kcal)
Chicken Breast (Skinless)	23.5g	0g	1.7g	462kJ (109kcal)
Coconut	3.33g	15.23g	33.49g	354
Cod fish	17.9g	0g	0.9g	340kJ (80kcal)
Cottage Cheese	12.2g	4.5g	1.5g	340kJ (80kcal)
Couscous	15.1g	73.1g	1.1g	1545kJ (365kcal)
Crab meat	18.1g	trace	0.5g	330kJ (80kcal)
eggs	12.5g	Trace	3.2g	627kJ (151kcal)
Goji Berries	12.3g	57.7g	0.3g	1205kJ (285kcal)
Haddock Fish	16.4g	0g	1.2g	325kJ (80kcal)
Hummus	7.4g	9.8g	26.8g	1285kJ (310kcal)
Lamb (Steak)	19.9g	0.8g	3.2g	475kJ (115kcal)
Lobster	26.41	3.12	1.94	143
Milk (Semi Skimmed)	3.6g	4.8g	1.8g	209kJ (50kcal)
Milk (Whole)	3.3g	4.7g	3.6g	268kJ (64kcal)
Monkfish	24g		1.7g
Orange	1.1g	8.5g	0.1g	167kJ (39kcal)
Orange Roughy Fish	22.64g	0g	0.034g	105
Pasta	12.5g	73.0g	1.4g	1505kJ (355kcal)
Peanut Butter (Crunchy)	24.9g	10.1g	50.2g	2452kJ
Peas	5.9g	9.0g	0.9g	290kJ (70kcal)
Pizza (Pepperoni)	11.4g	28.0g	11.1g	1085kJ (260kcal)
Pork Chops	19.3g		20.3g	1080kJ (260kcal)
Porridge oats	11.0g	60g	8.0g	1500 kJ/ (356 kcal)
Potatoes	2.1g	17.2g	0.2g	335kJ (80kcal)
Prawns	17.0g	0.3g	0.9g	330kJ (80kcal)
Pumpkin Seeds	28.8g	15.2g	45.6g	2435kJ/586kcal
Rice (brown)	6.9g	74.0g	2.8g	1480kJ (350kcal)
Salmon Fish Fillets (Boneless)	21.6g	0g	14.0g	885kJ (215kcal)
Sardines (Fish)	21.5g	trace	9.6g	721kJ (172kcal)
Sausages (pork)	13.9g	11.9g	17.0g	1069kJ
soya beans	35.9g	14.8g	18.6g	1555kJ (375kcal)
Spaghetti	5.1g	33.0g	1.3g	700kJ (165kcal)
Spinach	2.8g	1.5g	0.8g	103kJ (24kcal)
Sunflower Seeds	23.4g	18.6g	47.5g	2475kJ (600kcal)
Sushi
Tilapia Fish	24g	0	4g	105
Tofu	12.1g	0.6g	6.0g	438/105
Tuna Fish (Steak)	25.6g	0g	0.5g	455kJ (110kcal)
Tuna Fish (Tinned)	26.3g	0.0g	10.7g	843kJ / 202kcal
Turkey Breast (Skinless)	22.3g	0g	1.2g	425kJ (100kcal)
Venison (Deer meat)	30.21		3.19	158
Yogurt	4.5g	6.6g	11.0g	600kJ (145kcal)

Have a Healthy Life!!!

Praise -The Development Ingredient

2012-06-13T23:21:00.001-07:00

In working with businesses and organizations of all kinds, I hear the same concerns everyday:

How do we increase productivity?

How do we improve Customer service?

How do we keep people actively engaged in their work and with others on their team?

How do we reduce turnover?

How do we improve safety?

Even if you aren't thinking about or concerned about every one of those questions, I'm sure at least one of them has kept you up at night in the past.

As leaders we think about these things because they impact the success of the organization. As coaches we think about how to impact these things day-to-day, person-by-person.

As a coach, someone helping people improve their performance for the benefit of both the individual and the organization, there are typically two types of feedback that you could provide on their performance at anytime. Constructive feedback (sometimes called criticism) and positive feedback (which I will call praise).

Forgetting the words for a minute, these two types of information are important to anyone trying to do anything better. We need to know what we aren't doing quite right, so we can adjust, and we need to know what we are doing well, so we can replicate that. Makes sense doesn't it?

Now, let's look at the words. I looked up criticism in my thesaurus and here is what I found:

1. censure, faultfinding, disapproval, condemnation, disparagement 2. a judgment, evaluation, appraisal, analysis, assessment, estimation, valuation, 2 b critique, review, commentary.

I also looked up the word praise, and found:

1 acclaim, laud, applaud, pay tribute to, compliment, commend, eulogize, extol, honor, sing the praises of, pay homage to, endorse…"

Now, think about these two lists of synonyms. Granted, not all of them make sense in a business context, but ask yourself these questions:

· Which of these things have I received more of in my professional life?

· Which of them motivates and inspires me to strive for greater achievement and higher performance?

And now with your coach's hat on, think about these questions:

· Which of these things do I share more often?

· Which will help me most inspire and motivate others to reach their potential?

If you are like me and most everyone I've ever discussed this with, you have received more negative, "constructive" feedback than positive, encouraging feedback at work. And you believe that with more encouragement or praise you might have been more successful quicker.

The point in two words?

Praise matters.

Want some more proof?

According to a Gallup survey outlined in the book, How Full is Your Bucket? 61% of American workers received no praise at work last year. 61%! And the #1 reason people leave their jobs is because they feel unappreciated.

It is undeniably true. You can prove it from your personal experiences and from the hard data. Praise matters. And it is vastly underused as a coaching tool by most people most of the time.

As you finish reading this and walk away from your desk and begin interacting with people (whether you coach them or not), keep these things in mind:

· Everyone needs recognition and reassurance. Hopefully the exercise and the data above confirm this fact for you.

· Praise gives us pride in our jobs. Given a choice, would you rather have people who take pride in their work, or not?

· Praise generates enthusiasm and commitment. Committed people can work miracles, so it pays to build commitment.

· Praise builds loyalty. What are the real and hidden costs of employee turnover?

· Praise prevents people from feeling taken for granted. When people feel taken for granted they are less committed and loyal, aren't they?

· Praise motivates us to "go the extra mile." The extra mile is often where we find satisfied customers, higher returns and more.

· Praise improves our relationships. Would you like to have better relationships with those you lead, coach and work with?

· Praise takes hardly any time and costs nothing. There are few things in life that can produce such great returns for such a small investment.

Get that praise tool out of your toolbox. Dust it off and allow it to become shiny with use. It is an easy tool to use. It is a fun tool to use. You might even want to take it out of your mental toolbox and lay it on top of your desk so you remember to use it more often.

If you want answers to the questions at the beginning of this article, start with praise, because praise matters.

Debt - Blessing or Curse???

2012-06-13T00:06:00.000-07:00

If you want to enjoy your life out of spending, enjoy if you have you have your own resources and money.

But don't enjoy your life by becoming a debtor to somebody.

Of course in the modern world, there are many ways and means, which force you to become a debtor.

Attractive advertisements in the satellite TV force you to become a debtor. It tempts you to buy the modern amenities at any cost.

Even though if you don't have any money or resources it show you many resources for obtaining credit to buy that product. But you must think thousand times before becoming a debtor.

In today's world credit is the easily available commodity. Numerous companies are waiting to pull you in their trap. They are competing severely to pull you in their trap.

But you must be careful to entangle in that trap.

In spite of this caution if you are prepared to enjoy, then you won't get any pleasure, but you will lose your peace of mind.

Let us discuss about the common desire of everybody. It is natural that everybody wants to have their own house. It is a reasonable desire.

But the desire can be attained if you have enough money on your own to buy the house.

If you are an executive working in a company what will be your thinking?

You will ready to apply for some loan and buy that house. You have decided and applied for a loan also and the loan has also been sanctioned.

You will ask the engineer to construct the house with in the sanction of loan.

The Engineer on seeing the plan will say "Sir, you are constructing house once in your lifetime, why such a low budget house, we can increase slightly your plan sir, it won't cost much only a 10% increase in your normal budget" he will tempt you.

By that time you will also have some Himalayan courage, and think why we can't adjust that 10% increase, ok we can adjust that 10% increase by obtaining loan from our relatives, and you give consent to the engineer's suggestion.

The Engineer will begin to build your house. The house is also going to be completed soon and only some finishing work is there.

You ask your engineer 'when can I take possession of the house', sir?

The engineer will politely tell you, Sir, there is a small problem, the problem is there is a sudden increase in the cost of materials, so I fear whether it is possible to complete the building what we have already planned.

But you are in the dream that the house should be constructed at any cost. So you don't bother about the resource to complete the house and prepared to arrange for the money required for completing the house.

What you will do. The next thing before you will be some bank balances available out of your savings and the jewels of your wife or your children.

So your savings, jewels will all go from you and fill the cashbox of another businessmen.

Your house will become ready finally. On seeing the house raised beautifully you forgot all the sources where the money came from to complete the house.

You will forget about the loan you obtained from your company.

You will forget about the loan you obtained from your relatives.

You will forget about the erosion of your savings and jewels.

All these will come to your remembrance only when the company commences their recovery for the loan you obtained.

All these will come to your remembrance only when your relatives need the money they paid.

All these will come to your remembrance when you don't have enough money in your savings account for your urgent requirement.

Then your mind will think about the resource to fill up the deficit in the family budget, the loan to repay to your relatives and for your urgent requirement.

You will get easy resource to fill up this deficit, because you are working in a company, getting regular salary, higher salary. Companies are ready to give credit.

You are also ready to get credit from another company to fill up the deficit.

So you are ready to close the small debt pit, and begin to dig another debt pit, which is little more in size than the first pit.

The same deficit pressure mounts after some time. Again you are prepared to obtain loan from another company.

Now you dig another debt pit, which is more than the size of first and second debt pit.

Like this you will go on digging pit after closing the earlier pit to overcome your deficit.

Finally at one stage when you see the remaining pit, it will look like a deep pit, which you cannot fill it up from any source.

So the ultimate choice before you will be to dispose off the house and fill up the huge pit finally stands before you.

You have also made arrangements to dispose off the house.

One person came forward to buy the house. Even though the rate offered by him is not as expected by you, you have no other option except to get the money and fill it up the debt pit.

The house was finally sold off and you got the money. But while working out the amount you have to settle to your debtors, you need some more money.

However with the proceeds realized out of selling the house, you have settled most of the debt and still keep some portion of the debt.

You have lost all your savings, jewels, and other resources and still you have to settle more debts?

Where all of your money has gone?

It is no secret, most part of your debt were for the interest.

The interest made you to close one pit and dig another pit and finally you was let with a big pit with most part of the pit were for interest.

This is a common plight of most of the families especially in the middle class peoples.

The reason is due to their mental capability to enjoy all modern amenities without knowing their economic capability.

Enjoying the life is absolutely necessary but it should be from our own resources. We can enjoy the life but not on obtaining debt.

We have to increase our resources to enjoy the life. We should find out the opportunities to increase our resources and then think about enjoying the amenities.
SAY NO TO UNNECESSARY DEBT'S

Choosing Career

2012-06-05T12:21:00.001-07:00

One way to understand the teens is their choice of career. In pursuing the right career, the teens want the right information, advice and guidance. This is very important because choosing a wrong career would result to a waste of so much time, effort, money and would surely frustrate the teenagers. Discouraged teenagers will lose the desire for a profitable endeavor and this will definitely affect their attitude towards work.

The abilities of the teenagers must be considered first in choosing the right career. This includes their intellectual levels, educational qualifications and skills. Knowing the abilities of teens is very important especially in entry level positions where there are so many jobs seekers vying for the same position.

Teens want advises to equip them with the right training. Parents must understand their teens in this aspect by identifying their capabilities, strengths and weaknesses. This is an added factor in determining the capability of the teenagers to do multi-tasking. Various agencies are conducting trainings, seminars and workshops in different categories. These trainings are either short or long periods. What the teens shall do is search their local newspapers for announcements or contact concerned private or government agencies.

The teenagers must also decide on the kind of job they want and the company they will be applying. They must have thorough information on the kinds of benefits that the company offers; whether the job will be a long or short term opportunity and the career advancements they have for their workers. Both lifetime and short stints are exhausting, so why contend on careers, which have little benefits if teenagers can grab a better job?

The teenagers, if ever they will be hired, will experience difficulty in adjusting to their jobs. Pressures in meeting deadlines and in accomplishing tasks will cause so much stress and if not properly answered, may cause nervousness and fears to meet the daily challenges in the actual work environment.

Several counseling centers are available to assist the teens. These centers are manned by experts in their respective fields, such as psychologists and health experts to management personnel like human resource managers who cause much fear among job applicants. But seeking the help of counselors in choosing the right career has little benefits only. They are just designed to help the teenagers assess themselves, understand their needs and implement the right action. Choosing the right career is one, the full utilization of the career is another. Here, the teens' right attitudes, outlook in life, their dreams and aspirations could not be all learned from career counseling. The best counseling that the teens could get are acquired from their own families.

The family is the most influential factor to the teens' choice of careers. The parents must broaden their understanding on what the teens want so that the right support could be given. The attitude of the teens towards their career is affected by what they hear from their parents. If a parent always complains about his job, most likely, the teens would reject the same career. If their parents have enjoyed their jobs, contented and happy, then there is a great possibility that their teens will follow the same career path.

Guilt - Our Struggle

2012-06-05T12:12:00.002-07:00

Why Do I Feel Guilty?

Before we can start to understand the why behind the guilt, let's first define it. Guilt means that we believe that something we are doing is causing pain to someone else. It's activated by our behavior, thoughts, or feelings that we judge to be wrong or bad.

Normal parents are protective of their children. But what if your parents were overprotective? What if every time you played sports, rode your bike, or roughhoused with friends, your parent-at best-became disturbed and-at worst-frantic? "Watch out, you'll get hurt!" "You'll break a leg!" and so on. Would you have interpreted that as interest in your well being, or rather, believed that you were hurting your parents by your sense of adventure and fun? Children who think that their actions are causing pain for their parents will feel guilt.

Let me be clear. I'm not talking about a parent's normal range of caution and concern. I am talking about extreme caution and worry over small risks. But if you grew up always experiencing irrational guilt about worrying an overprotective parent, you'll also experience guilt in response to risks as an adult. You'll feel frustrated by your excessive sense of caution, but most likely you won't be aware of its cause, and so you'll be unable to change.

Does Any of This Sound Familiar?

1. You feel responsible for your parents' or siblings' misery, and guilty about pursuing your own goals. How you tried placating them, or atoning, in order to relieve your sense of guilt will explain some of your self-defeating life patterns.

2. You quietly developed self-hatred and resentment about having to inhibit a normal behavior or goal when your parent continuously behaved badly toward you. How did you respond to the resentment you felt?

3. You rebelled as a way of protesting. You hoped that they'd get the message you were sending by your behavior and change for the better (that is, you became stubborn to protest against a parent who was too controlling in the hopes that he or she would get the message and be less controlling). Or, you rebelled to prove to yourself that you're your own person and you can't be manipulated. This type of defiant rebelliousness is responsible for many painful self-defeating behaviors.
4. Even though you promised yourself that when you grew up you'd never behave the way your parents did with you, you notice that you're mimicking their worst qualities.

I want you to know why it's so hard to free ourselves of the behaviors we hate no matter how hard we try, no matter how much willpower we exert, no matter how much advice we receive from others. To understand why it is so hard, we'll delve into why our childhood patterns continue on into our adult lives even though they are clearly negative patterns and we no longer are living with our parents. The negative effects of our family experiences remain hidden from our conscious mind, even though this information is critical to changing what we most dislike about ourselves. We'll pin down this elusive awareness in this book and you'll begin to make positive changes in your negative behaviors. Finally and amazingly, many people you'll meet will tell you that they didn't experience major problems in their families and they aren't aware of any guilt feelings. And they'll tell you this despite obvious, and serious, personal problems. Why? Let's see.

Exercise: Now Look at Yourself

Imagine that you could be reborn into your family today. Now imagine that you were born into your family with all the knowledge that you possess right now. Consider writing about the following:

• What would be different for you in your relationship with your mother?

• What would be different for you in your relationship with your father?

• What would be different for you in your relationship with your siblings?

Moving Ahead

Beginning the process of change means beginning a hunt for the causes of your problems that are lurking below the surface of any problem. In the next article, "Do You Think You're in Control of Your Life?" we'll start the hunt for your underlying causes.

Underwater Camera

2012-05-31T01:21:00.000-07:00

Underwater Cameras are cameras that are specially designed for underwater use or in circumstances that requires protection to prevent any water and pressure damage. There are many types of underwater cameras, depending on your budget and uses.

There are underwater cameras that are simply disposed of after use. These are the cheapest type of underwater camera available in the market. They have the capacity to take between 20 to 30 pictures, and photos can easily be developed. They are waterproof enough to be used in harsh rain and snow storms, and are usually tolerant of being fully submerged up to twenty or thirty feet.

There are also underwater cameras that are cheap reloadables. These cameras are designed with economy of price in mind. These are very similar to disposable underwater cameras, expect that the user can replace the film and use the camera multiple times. They are usually capable of greater water depths than their disposable counterparts.

New generation cameras have resolutions in the 3-4 megapixel range and can take excellent quality pictures underwater.

These cameras offer options for every level of diver and snorkeler. For the experienced diver/photographer who wants more control over the camera functions. The Advanced-Dive control system allows users to manipulate resolution, light sensitivity (EV), exposure modes and much more while underwater while the Easy-Dive control system is the perfect choice for divers seeking a simple underwater photo system that produces breathtaking results.

Underwater cameras are designed for one-Button-Operation and can be set to Land or Sea modes plus modes that take into account the unique aspects of underwater photography. Cameras also feature three dedicated underwater external flash modes, allowing for more exposure control when using an external flash. For perfectly lit photos in any situation, users can toggle among Macro Flash, Portrait Flash and Far Flash modes, which adjust exposure based on camera-to-subject distance.

While an on-camera flash helps illuminate objects below the surface, cameras are also compatible with external flash units, which ignite the vivid colors of the underwater environment and allows users to illuminate objects from different angles. Because the external flash is a unit activated via the on-camera flash, no sync cord is necessary. Set the camera to "External Flash," and it automatically de-activates the digital pre-flash.

To compensate for low-light conditions that naturally occur as divers travel below the water's surface, cameras can adjust the shutter speed and aperture automatically to compensate for difficult light conditions, ensuring vivid images without worry of underexposure.

Photos can be composed via a large color LCD monitor on the back of the camera; or users can frame subjects through a top-mounted SportsFinder. Either way, composition is simple, even when viewing subjects through a dive mask. To help conserve power during underwater adventures, users often shut off LCD monitors while the camera is on and compose photos using large top-mounted viewfinders.

With the many technological advances of recent years, underwater photographers now no longer have to compromise on quality. Users are almost guaranteed to return to land with a stunning set of images.

10 Rules for Chairing a Meeting

2012-05-28T01:04:00.000-07:00

It is a commonly held assumption that chairing a meeting is simply a matter of reading out the agenda – that is assuming there is an agenda and that the addenda actually covers the topics which are most pertinent to the matter in hand.

Chairing an effective meeting is a skill. One that is learnable. Outlined below are some simple principles; which if followed can result in focussed efficient meetings where everyone feels their opinion is valued and the job gets done.

Rule number 1 – there is no place for ego. As the Chair Person you are the facilitator, the most effective are those who listen, who use open ended questions to tease out reasoning and to involve others.

Rule 2 –. Be very clear about what is the purpose of the meeting? Do you want lots of ideas – to brainstorm possibilities, identify the implications of things already identified, broad-brush strokes or determining detail.

Rule 3 – Be prepared, create the agenda, have any supporting papers prepared and circulated in plenty of time so that others have time to read in advance

Rule 4 – – At the beginning of the meeting ensure that all parties are introduced, keep it snappy. Set out clearly what sort of introduction is required: name and role, or background information. Give the time scale e.g. "Please introduce yourself give a brief outline of your experience, no more than a minute."

Rule 5 – Set explicit parameters for the meeting from the outset: "By the end of the meeting we need to have achieved ……. We are going to concentrate on principles today so save the specific detail for the moment"

Rule 6 – Have high expectations. If the meeting is due to start at 10.00am start on the dot who ever is there, they will get the message. Start late to accommodate late- comers and they will assume it is ok to come late. Be clear about end times too. If you have asked colleagues to read materials before the meeting don't read them out. The next time you ask them to read beforehand they will assume it is not worth the effort. Have high expectations and stick to them.

Rule 7 -What ever decisions are agreed at the meeting MUST STAND. If you are unsure about their validity set up as a pilot with an end time agreed. Don't put the decision up for grabs if you are not happy to run with the outcome. You can give a structure for decisions which make it absolutely clear what is open to negotiation and what is up not.

Rule 8 – Involve all parties. Ask questions to specific people if they are not taking an active part in the proceedings, "What do you think about…… Fred" If others are dominating value their contribution but involve others " Thank you Bertha that's very helpful, what do the rest of you think about what Bertha has offered?"

Rule 9 – Keep the meeting on track, identify how things will be recorded, summarise the discussion, identify points for action, who will do what, the time scale for action, how things will be monitored and by whom and when

Rule 10 – model good meeting behaviour and accept nothing less from colleagues. Taking a positive part in the activity, being generous with ideas, listening to others, no aggression, bullying. A healthy professional discussion where diversity of ideas and approaches are constructively used to create the best solution and not as personal attacks is the ideal.

If colleagues are going to give of their best they need to know that all contributions are valued, that they will get credit for their ideas and that the whole organisations is strengthened by the collective success rather than scoring points off one another. As Chair Person it is you who will set the tone and manage the process.

Eiffel Tower

2012-05-28T00:33:00.001-07:00

The Eiffel Tower - an enormous structure of exposed latticework supports made of iron, was constructed for the Paris Exposition of 1889. The Prince of Wales officiated at the ceremonial opening. Of the 700 proposals submitted in a design competition, one was collectively chosen, a radical conception from the French structural engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, who was assisted in the design by engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, and architect Stephen Sauvestre.

The Eiffel Tower was admired by Rousseau, Utrillo, Chagall, and Delaunay. It was almost dismantled in 1909 at the termination of its 20-year lease, but was saved because of its antenna - used for telegraphy at that time. Beginning in 1910 it became part of the International Time Service. French radio and French television have also made use of its stature. In the 1960s, it was the subject of a wonderful study by semiologist Roland Barthes.

Built to commemorate the science and engineering achievements of its age, soaring 300m / 984 ft. and weighing 7000 tons, the structure is made up of two visibly distinct parts - a base composed of a platform resting on four separate supports and, above this, a slender tower created as the bents taper upward, rising above a second platform to come together in a unified column.

This unparalleled work, the tallest structure in the world until the Empire State Building was built about 40 years later, had several previous circumstances. Among them were the iron-supported railway viaducts designed by Eiffel, an arch bridge over the Douro River in Portugal with a span of 160 m, and a design for a circular, iron-frame tower proposed by the American engineers Clarke and Reeves for the Centennial Exposition of 1876. Eiffel acknowledged this influence publicly; as he was no stranger to the United States, having designed the wrought-iron pylon inside Frederic Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty in 1885. Later in the same year, he had also begun work on the cupola of the Nice observatory.

In the basements of the eastern and western pillars, one can visit the gigantic 1899 machinery which powers the elevators. From the Tower's three platforms -especially the topmost - the view of Paris is superb. It is generally agreed that one hour before sunset, the panorama is at its best. The camera should not be forgotten to capture a dazzling sunset on the Seine.

There are other magnificent views, especially when the Trocadéro fountains are in full force; one gets free show from the dancers and acrobats who perform around the Palais de Chaillot. The vast green boulevard beneath the tower is the Parc du Champs-de-Mars, which extends all the way to the 18th-century Ecole Militaire, at its southeast end. This formal lawn was once a parade ground for French troops.

The Eiffel Tower at night is one of the grand sights of Paris and shouldn't be missed. The gold lighting highlights the delicacy of the steelwork in a way that is missed in daylight.

The Eiffel Tower is a real crowd pleaser. At the crossroads of the entire world, 180 million visitors have come since its construction. It's not surprising when one considers that the Eiffel Tower is the monument that best symbolizes Europe. It's also the one tourists prefer.

Parenting

2012-05-27T00:26:00.001-07:00

The advent of cloning, surrogate motherhood, and the donation of gametes and sperm have shaken the traditional biological definition of parenthood to its foundations. The social roles of parents have similarly been recast by the decline of the nuclear family and the surge of alternative household formats.

Why do people become parents in the first place?

Raising children comprises equal measures of satisfaction and frustration. Parents often employ a psychological defense mechanism - known as "cognitive dissonance" - to suppress the negative aspects of parenting and to deny the unpalatable fact that raising children is time consuming, exhausting, and strains otherwise pleasurable and tranquil relationships to their limits.

Not to mention the fact that the gestational mother experiences "considerable discomfort, effort, and risk in the course of pregnancy and childbirth" (Narayan, U., and J.J. Bartkowiak (1999) Having and Raising Children: Unconventional Families, Hard Choices, and the Social Good University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, Quoted in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

Parenting is possibly an irrational vocation, but humanity keeps breeding and procreating. It may well be the call of nature. All living species reproduce and most of them parent. Is maternity (and paternity) proof that, beneath the ephemeral veneer of civilization, we are still merely a kind of beast, subject to the impulses and hard-wired behavior that permeate the rest of the animal kingdom?

In his seminal tome, "The Selfish Gene", Richard Dawkins suggested that we copulate in order to preserve our genetic material by embedding it in the future gene pool. Survival itself - whether in the form of DNA, or, on a higher-level, as a species - determines our parenting instinct. Breeding and nurturing the young are mere safe conduct mechanisms, handing the precious cargo of genetics down generations of "organic containers".

Yet, surely, to ignore the epistemological and emotional realities of parenthood is misleadingly reductionistic. Moreover, Dawkins commits the scientific faux-pas of teleology. Nature has no purpose "in mind", mainly because it has no mind. Things simply are, period. That genes end up being forwarded in time does not entail that Nature (or, for that matter, "God") planned it this way. Arguments from design have long - and convincingly - been refuted by countless philosophers.

Still, human beings do act intentionally. Back to square one: why bring children to the world and burden ourselves with decades of commitment to perfect strangers?

First hypothesis: offspring allow us to "delay" death. Our progeny are the medium through which our genetic material is propagated and immortalized. Additionally, by remembering us, our children "keep us alive" after physical death.

These, of course, are self-delusional, self-serving, illusions.

Our genetic material gets diluted with time. While it constitutes 50% of the first generation - it amounts to a measly 6% three generations later. If the everlastingness of one's unadulterated DNA was the paramount concern – incest would have been the norm.

As for one's enduring memory - well, do you recall or can you name your maternal or paternal great great grandfather? Of course you can't. So much for that. Intellectual feats or architectural monuments are far more potent mementos.

Still, we have been so well-indoctrinated that this misconception - that children equal immortality - yields a baby boom in each post war period. Having been existentially threatened, people multiply in the vain belief that they thus best protect their genetic heritage and their memory.

Let's study another explanation.

The utilitarian view is that one's offspring are an asset - kind of pension plan and insurance policy rolled into one. Children are still treated as a yielding property in many parts of the world. They plough fields and do menial jobs very effectively. People "hedge their bets" by bringing multiple copies of themselves to the world. Indeed, as infant mortality plunges - in the better-educated, higher income parts of the world - so does fecundity.

In the Western world, though, children have long ceased to be a profitable proposition. At present, they are more of an economic drag and a liability. Many continue to live with their parents into their thirties and consume the family's savings in college tuition, sumptuous weddings, expensive divorces, and parasitic habits. Alternatively, increasing mobility breaks families apart at an early stage. Either way, children are not longer the founts of emotional sustenance and monetary support they allegedly used to be.

How about this one then:

Procreation serves to preserve the cohesiveness of the family nucleus. It further bonds father to mother and strengthens the ties between siblings. Or is it the other way around and a cohesive and warm family is conductive to reproduction?

Both statements, alas, are false.

Stable and functional families sport far fewer children than abnormal or dysfunctional ones. Between one third and one half of all children are born in single parent or in other non-traditional, non-nuclear - typically poor and under-educated - households. In such families children are mostly born unwanted and unwelcome - the sad outcomes of accidents and mishaps, wrong fertility planning, lust gone awry and misguided turns of events.

The more sexually active people are and the less safe their desirous exploits – the more they are likely to end up with a bundle of joy (the American saccharine expression for a newborn). Many children are the results of sexual ignorance, bad timing, and a vigorous and undisciplined sexual drive among teenagers, the poor, and the less educated.

Still, there is no denying that most people want their kids and love them. They are attached to them and experience grief and bereavement when they die, depart, or are sick. Most parents find parenthood emotionally fulfilling, happiness-inducing, and highly satisfying. This pertains even to unplanned and initially unwanted new arrivals.

Could this be the missing link? Do fatherhood and motherhood revolve around self-gratification? Does it all boil down to the pleasure principle?

Childrearing may, indeed, be habit forming. Nine months of pregnancy and a host of social positive reinforcements and expectations condition the parents to do the job. Still, a living tot is nothing like the abstract concept. Babies cry, soil themselves and their environment, stink, and severely disrupt the lives of their parents. Nothing too enticing here.

One's spawns are a risky venture. So many things can and do go wrong. So few expectations, wishes, and dreams are realized. So much pain is inflicted on the parents. And then the child runs off and his procreators are left to face the "empty nest". The emotional "returns" on a child are rarely commensurate with the magnitude of the investment.

If you eliminate the impossible, what is left - however improbable - must be the truth. People multiply because it provides them with narcissistic supply.

A Narcissist is a person who projects a (false) image unto others and uses the interest this generates to regulate a labile and grandiose sense of self-worth. The reactions garnered by the narcissist - attention, unconditional acceptance, adulation, admiration, affirmation - are collectively known as "narcissistic supply". The narcissist objectifies people and treats them as mere instruments of gratification.

Infants go through a phase of unbridled fantasy, tyrannical behavior, and perceived omnipotence. An adult narcissist, in other words, is still stuck in his "terrible twos" and is possessed with the emotional maturity of a toddler. To some degree, we are all narcissists. Yet, as we grow, we learn to empathize and to love ourselves and others.

This edifice of maturity is severely tested by newfound parenthood.

Babies evokes in the parent the most primordial drives, protective, animalistic instincts, the desire to merge with the newborn and a sense of terror generated by such a desire (a fear of vanishing and of being assimilated). Neonates engender in their parents an emotional regression.

The parents find themselves revisiting their own childhood even as they are caring for the newborn. The crumbling of decades and layers of personal growth is accompanied by a resurgence of the aforementioned early infancy narcissistic defenses. Parents - especially new ones - are gradually transformed into narcissists by this encounter and find in their children the perfect sources of narcissistic supply, euphemistically known as love. Really it is a form of symbiotic codependence of both parties.

Even the most balanced, most mature, most psychodynamically stable of parents finds such a flood of narcissistic supply irresistible and addictive. It enhances his or her self-confidence, buttresses self esteem, regulates the sense of self-worth, and projects a complimentary image of the parent to himself or herself.

It fast becomes indispensable, especially in the emotionally vulnerable position in which the parent finds herself, with the reawakening and repetition of all the unresolved conflicts that she had with her own parents.

If this theory is true, if breeding is merely about securing prime quality narcissistic supply, then the higher the self confidence, the self esteem, the self worth of the parent, the clearer and more realistic his self image, and the more abundant his other sources of narcissistic supply - the fewer children he will have. These predictions are borne out by reality.

The higher the education and the income of adults – and, consequently, the firmer their sense of self worth - the fewer children they have. Children are perceived as counter-productive: not only is their output (narcissistic supply) redundant, they hinder the parent's professional and pecuniary progress.

The more children people can economically afford – the fewer they have. This gives the lie to the Selfish Gene hypothesis. The more educated they are, the more they know about the world and about themselves, the less they seek to procreate. The more advanced the civilization, the more efforts it invests in preventing the birth of children. Contraceptives, family planning, and abortions are typical of affluent, well informed societies.

The more plentiful the narcissistic supply afforded by other sources – the lesser the emphasis on breeding. Freud described the mechanism of sublimation: the sex drive, the Eros (libido), can be "converted", "sublimated" into other activities. All the sublimatory channels - politics and art, for instance - are narcissistic and yield narcissistic supply. They render children superfluous. Creative people have fewer children than the average or none at all. This is because they are narcissistically self sufficient.

The key to our determination to have children is our wish to experience the same unconditional love that we received from our mothers, this intoxicating feeling of being adored without caveats, for what we are, with no limits, reservations, or calculations. This is the most powerful, crystallized form of narcissistic supply. It nourishes our self-love, self worth and self-confidence. It infuses us with feelings of omnipotence and omniscience. In these, and other respects, parenthood is a return to infancy.

Appendix

Question:

Is there a "typical" relationship between the narcissist and his family?

Answer:

We are all members of a few families in our lifetime: the one that we are born to and the one(s) that we create. We all transfer hurts, attitudes, fears, hopes and desires – a whole emotional baggage – from the former to the latter. The narcissist is no exception.

The narcissist has a dichotomous view of humanity: humans are either Sources of Narcissistic Supply (and, then, idealised and over-valued) or do not fulfil this function (and, therefore, are valueless, devalued). The narcissist gets all the love that he needs from himself. From the outside he needs approval, affirmation, admiration, adoration, attention – in other words, externalised Ego boundary functions.

He does not require – nor does he seek – his parents' or his siblings' love, or to be loved by his children. He casts them as the audience in the theatre of his inflated grandiosity. He wishes to impress them, shock them, threaten them, infuse them with awe, inspire them, attract their attention, subjugate them, or manipulate them.

He emulates and simulates an entire range of emotions and employs every means to achieve these effects. He lies (narcissists are pathological liars – their very self is a false one). He acts the pitiful, or, its opposite, the resilient and reliable. He stuns and shines with outstanding intellectual, or physical capacities and achievements, or behaviour patterns appreciated by the members of the family. When confronted with (younger) siblings or with his own children, the narcissist is likely to go through three phases:

At first, he perceives his offspring or siblings as a threat to his Narcissistic Supply, such as the attention of his spouse, or mother, as the case may be. They intrude on his turf and invade the Pathological Narcissistic Space. The narcissist does his best to belittle them, hurt (even physically) and humiliate them and then, when these reactions prove ineffective or counter productive, he retreats into an imaginary world of omnipotence. A period of emotional absence and detachment ensues.

His aggression having failed to elicit Narcissistic Supply, the narcissist proceeds to indulge himself in daydreaming, delusions of grandeur, planning of future coups, nostalgia and hurt (the Lost Paradise Syndrome). The narcissist reacts this way to the birth of his children or to the introduction of new foci of attention to the family cell (even to a new pet!).

Whoever the narcissist perceives to be in competition for scarce Narcissistic Supply is relegated to the role of the enemy. Where the uninhibited expression of the aggression and hostility aroused by this predicament is illegitimate or impossible – the narcissist prefers to stay away. Rather than attack his offspring or siblings, he sometimes immediately disconnects, detaches himself emotionally, becomes cold and uninterested, or directs transformed anger at his mate or at his parents (the more "legitimate" targets).

Other narcissists see the opportunity in the "mishap". They seek to manipulate their parents (or their mate) by "taking over" the newcomer. Such narcissists monopolise their siblings or their newborn children. This way, indirectly, they benefit from the attention directed at the infants. The sibling or offspring become vicarious sources of Narcissistic Supply and proxies for the narcissist.

An example: by being closely identified with his offspring, a narcissistic father secures the grateful admiration of the mother ("What an outstanding father/brother he is"). He also assumes part of or all the credit for baby's/sibling's achievements. This is a process of annexation and assimilation of the other, a strategy that the narcissist makes use of in most of his relationships.

As siblings or progeny grow older, the narcissist begins to see their potential to be edifying, reliable and satisfactory Sources of Narcissistic Supply. His attitude, then, is completely transformed. The former threats have now become promising potentials. He cultivates those whom he trusts to be the most rewarding. He encourages them to idolise him, to adore him, to be awed by him, to admire his deeds and capabilities, to learn to blindly trust and obey him, in short to surrender to his charisma and to become submerged in his follies-de-grandeur.

It is at this stage that the risk of child abuse - up to and including outright incest - is heightened. The narcissist is auto-erotic. He is the preferred object of his own sexual attraction. His siblings and his children share his genetic material. Molesting or having intercourse with them is as close as the narcissist gets to having sex with himself.

Moreover, the narcissist perceives sex in terms of annexation. The partner is "assimilated" and becomes an extension of the narcissist, a fully controlled and manipulated object. Sex, to the narcissist, is the ultimate act of depersonalization and objectification of the other. He actually masturbates with other people's bodies.

Minors pose little danger of criticizing the narcissist or confronting him. They are perfect, malleable and abundant sources of Narcissistic Supply. The narcissist derives gratification from having coital relations with adulating, physically and mentally inferior, inexperienced and dependent "bodies".

These roles – allocated to them explicitly and demandingly or implicitly and perniciously by the narcissist – are best fulfilled by ones whose mind is not yet fully formed and independent. The older the siblings or offspring, the more they become critical, even judgemental, of the narcissist. They are better able to put into context and perspective his actions, to question his motives, to anticipate his moves.

As they mature, they often refuse to continue to play the mindless pawns in his chess game. They hold grudges against him for what he has done to them in the past, when they were less capable of resistance. They can gauge his true stature, talents and achievements – which, usually, lag far behind the claims that he makes.

This brings the narcissist a full cycle back to the first phase. Again, he perceives his siblings or sons/daughters as threats. He quickly becomes disillusioned and devaluing. He loses all interest, becomes emotionally remote, absent and cold, rejects any effort to communicate with him, citing life pressures and the preciousness and scarceness of his time.

He feels burdened, cornered, besieged, suffocated, and claustrophobic. He wants to get away, to abandon his commitments to people who have become totally useless (or even damaging) to him. He does not understand why he has to support them, or to suffer their company and he believes himself to have been deliberately and ruthlessly trapped.

He rebels either passively-aggressively (by refusing to act or by intentionally sabotaging the relationships) or actively (by being overly critical, aggressive, unpleasant, verbally and psychologically abusive and so on). Slowly – to justify his acts to himself – he gets immersed in conspiracy theories with clear paranoid hues.

To his mind, the members of the family conspire against him, seek to belittle or humiliate or subordinate him, do not understand him, or stymie his growth. The narcissist usually finally gets what he wants and the family that he has created disintegrates to his great sorrow (due to the loss of the Narcissistic Space) – but also to his great relief and surprise (how could they have let go someone as unique as he?).

This is the cycle: the narcissist feels threatened by arrival of new family members – he tries to assimilate or annex of siblings or offspring – he obtains Narcissistic Supply from them – he overvalues and idealizes these newfound sources – as sources grow older and independent, they adopt anti narcissistic behaviours – the narcissist devalues them – the narcissist feels stifled and trapped – the narcissist becomes paranoid – the narcissist rebels and the family disintegrates.

This cycle characterises not only the family life of the narcissist. It is to be found in other realms of his life (his career, for instance). At work, the narcissist, initially, feels threatened (no one knows him, he is a nobody). Then, he develops a circle of admirers, cronies and friends which he "nurtures and cultivates" in order to obtain Narcissistic Supply from them. He overvalues them (to him, they are the brightest, the most loyal, with the biggest chances to climb the corporate ladder and other superlatives).

But following some anti-narcissistic behaviours on their part (a critical remark, a disagreement, a refusal, however polite) – the narcissist devalues all these previously idealized individuals. Now that they have dared oppose him - they are judged by him to be stupid, cowardly, lacking in ambition, skills and talents, common (the worst expletive in the narcissist's vocabulary), with an unspectacular career ahead of them.

The narcissist feels that he is misallocating his scarce and invaluable resources (for instance, his time). He feels besieged and suffocated. He rebels and erupts in a serious of self-defeating and self-destructive behaviours, which lead to the disintegration of his life.

Doomed to build and ruin, attach and detach, appreciate and depreciate, the narcissist is predictable in his "death wish". What sets him apart from other suicidal types is that his wish is granted to him in small, tormenting doses throughout his anguished life.

Create Yourself

2012-05-27T00:16:00.003-07:00

We are constantly imitating others. When we copy other people, we can't reproduce their charisma, talent or success. Externally, we can imitate their life, their way of dressing and drive the same kind of car, but this does not bring us fulfilment.

We can take another's life as an example, but we must think hard before we follow them. Look at the virtues of others and ask yourself: "I have something valuable and worthwhile myself? How can I bring it out?" When you notice something bad in those around you, make a firm resolve: "Let me not nurture such vices".

There is much hidden potential in each one of us. What should we do to make this blossom? When you activate yourself, you bring out all the strengths and talents that God has given you, all that is inherent in you, that is natural in you, something genuine and original.

Create your own identity. When you do this other people gravitate towards you. Activation leads to gravitation. Then you don't imitate others. Instead others might want to be like you. We are used to paying more attention to the external world. We try to gain social approval by dressing ourselves in a certain manner.

We stand in front of the mirror and make sure that we are presentable before we leave the house. We trust the mirror implicitly. The mirror reflects our outward appearance, not our thoughts, feelings and relationships.

Does it reflect the love in your heart? You may go to your workplace dressed in your best clothes. When somebody provokes you there, you may retort in anger or sulk in silence. Either way your peace of mind is shattered. Now your beautiful dress does nothing to help you.

Only inner strength and equipoise can continue to keep you calm, cheerful and unruffled. For this you have to activate the divine core within, from which flows a perennial stream of peace and tranquillity.

Imitation cannot give you peace. So, watch your attitude, thoughts, words and desires. Be aware of the calmness in your inner core and try to retain it.

External beauty is temporary. Inner beauty is permanent and eternal. This is the beauty we need and this is what we gain when we activate ourselves. This is the beauty God recognises. So seek love, for you seek inner beauty. Direct your mind to a higher ideal.

When you see the divine beauty concealed in your own heart, you also see it in others. "Do not see, seek". Don't look merely at the external form, but also at the divinity within. Today when you see a beggar, you will give him alms.

You will not pat him on the back or shake his hand. If your child comes home, dirty from the playground and calls you "Mummy, Daddy ...", you hug him with love.

If a child in rags comes to you, you drive him away because you don't love him. For the realised soul a beggar and a king are equally divine and beautiful because he has activated his inner core.

When you imitate you only see. When you activate you seek. The difference between "see" and "seek" is the "k". That "k" is kindness or karuna.

When there is care, compassion and kindness, nothing else matters. So let us stop imitating. Let us evaluate ourselves and nurture the divine core within. Let us seek. Let us activate.

Customer Service

2012-05-26T23:10:00.001-07:00

If you work with customers in retail, take a look at the list and ask yourself how closely you follow the rules.

1. Smile when greeting a customer in person and on the phone (and yes, they can tell if you are smiling over the telephone!)

2. Use age-appropriate greetings, and avoid referring to older customers and women as "guys."

3. Be proactive and ask how you may be of service.

4. Stay visible and available, but don't hover.

5. Don't turn away, walk away, start to make a phone call, or duck beneath the counter as a customer approaches. (We've all had it happen to us.)

6. The live customer standing in front of you takes precedence over someone who calls on the phone.

7. Never judge a book by its cover--all customers deserve attention regardless of their age or appearance.

8. Leave food and beverages in the break room.

9. A customer doesn't want to hear about your upcoming break.

10. Makes any personal calls when you're on a break and out of earshot.

11. The correct answer is never "I don't know" unless you add to it, "but I can find out for you."

12. If a customer wants something that isn't on display, go to the stock room and try to find it.

13. If the item isn't in the stock room, offer to call another store or order it.

14. Learn to read body language to see if a customer could use some help.

15. Don't let chatty customers monopolize your time if others are waiting.

16. Call for backup support if lines are forming.

17. Be discrete if a customer's credit card is declined by asking if there is another method of payment he or she would like to use.

18. Never discuss customers in front of other customers (they'll wonder what you're saying about them once they leave).

19. Inspect merchandise before bagging it to make sure it's not defective or the wrong size.

20. Make sure customers receive everything they've paid for before they leave your store.

21. Smile as you are saying goodbye and encourage the customer to come again.

Roses

2012-05-22T00:52:00.001-07:00

You have probably received or sent roses at least once in your life. Besides the obvious "Someone has thought of me", what do roses say? Roses and their colors have different meanings. So before you send your next bouquet or after you have received one, you need to read this. Is there a secret message behind that delivery?

As most people may know, the traditional bouquet of red roses signifies love. But nowadays, depending on who you ask, red roses can be described as anything from a classic bouquet of flowers to original and boring. One thing is certain however, red roses remain the most popular of them all.

Yellow roses used to represent jealousy, but somewhere along the lines its representation changes to mean joy and friendship. Yellow roses with red tips represent friendship blossoming into love.

White roses are often known as the bridal flower, but the real meaning of white roses is purity, loyalty and innocence.

Orange and Coral roses express desire and fascination. Be sure not to send the wrong message with this bold bouquet.

Pink roses have different meanings depending on the shade of pink. Light pink roses express fondness and sympathy, whereas dark pink roses are meant to express the feelings of gratitude and appreciation.

Purple Roses indicate enchantment and love at first site. On the hand, blue roses symbolize, fantasy and the unattainable.

The black rose is known to represent death. They are not natural but instead dyed. Hint: Its pretty safe to say that your sweetie wouldn't want to receive this bouquet (unless they have mentioned liking black flowers).

When different colored roses are mixed, some of their meanings change. A mix of white and red roses represent unity. Whereas a mix of yellow and red roses symbolize happiness. White and yellow roses represent harmony.

A mix of all colored roses says "You mean everything to me" due to broad mix of colors and their meanings.

A single stemmed rose says "I Love You" and two roses intertwined represent an engagement. Any other single rose means "Thank You".

Whichever bouquet you decide to send, when the appropriate bouquet is end, it makes it that much more special. You are probably thinking, "What are the chances that the person receiving the bouquet even knows what the colors mean?". Chances are they don't. That would be the perfect opportunity to tell them that you thought of them enough to send the "perfect" arrangement, by researching the colors first. Just think, a gift with thought behind it weighs more on the heart!

Even if you don't take any of the information into consideration, at least you have learned something new.

Poses of Yoga for daily use

2012-05-20T23:20:00.000-07:00

Tadasana (also called Samasthiti) or mountain pose:

This is the basic standing pose. It teaches you the art of standing correctly and increases your awareness of your body.

Stand with your feet together. Tighten the knees, keep the navel drawn into the spine with a neutral pelvis, and chest lifted but with shoulders relaxed and pressed down away from the ears.

Benefits: It corrects bad posture and improves the alignment of your body

Uttanasana or intense forward stretch
Start from Tadasana and inhale while stretching the hands up and exhale reaching down with your hands. Try to press down with your palms.

Benefits: Tones the liver, spleen, kidneys and the abdominal region. Stretches the hamstrings and the spine.

Adhomukha Svanasana or downward-facing dog stretch
Lie down on the floor on your stomach and face downward. Place the palms next to the chest. Exhaling, raise your trunk from the floor. Straighten the arms, move the head inward towards the feet and extend the back, trying to press the heels firmly into the ground keeping the knees straight making an inverted 'V' with the body.

Benefits: Calms the brain, reduces stiffness in the shoulder region and tones the legs.

Urdhvamukha svanasana or upward-facing dog stretch
Lie on the floor with face downward and toes pointed. Inhale raising the head and trunk and stretch the arms completely. Push the head and trunk as far back as possible, without resting the knees on the floor.

Benefits: Rejuvenates the spine, relieves stiffness of the back and significantly
increases your stamina.

Utthita Trikonasana or extended triangle pose
Stand in Tadasana pose. Keep your feet around three feet apart and turning the right foot to 90 degrees, turn the left foot slightly to the right, raising the arms sideways. Bend to your right, bringing the right palm towards the right ankle keeping both legs absolutely straight. Repeat on the other side.

Benefits: Improves flexibility of the spine and relieves backache. Massages and tones the pelvic region, relieves gastritis, indigestion and acidity.

Utthita parsvakonasana or extended side stretch
Stand in Tadasana pose. Keep your feet around four feet apart. Stretch the hands sideways, bend the right knee at a 90-degree angle, not pushing the knee beyond the ankle. And while exhaling, place the right palm on the ground outside the right foot and stretch the left arm in a diagonal line over the left ear. Repeat on the other side.

Benefits: Tones and strengthens the legs, improves lung capacity and relieves arthritic pain.

Virabhadrasana 1 or the first warrior pose
Stand in Tadasana pose. Keep your feet around four feet apart. Bend the right knee above the right ankle and not beyond it. Keep the left leg stretched. Extend your hands up in a namaskar, stretching the spine up. The face, chest and right knee should face the same way as the right foot. Repeat on the other side.

Benefits: Tones abdominal muscles, legs and hips, strengthens back muscles and relieves backache.

Virabhadrasana 2 or the second warrior pose
From Tadasana pose, keep the feet around 4 to 4 1/2 feet wide. Bend the right knee above the right ankle, keep the left leg straight. Stretch the hands straight in two opposite directions. Turn your face to the right and gaze at the right palm. Repeat on the other side.

Benefits: Tones the muscles of the legs. Stretches the shoulders and shoulder blades and significantly tones the abdominal organs.

Utkatasana or the fierce pose
Stand in Tadasana pose, stretch your palms straight over your head. Join the palms, exhaling bend your knees and lower your trunk till your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor.

Benefits: Tones the legs, abdominal organs as well as the back.

Dandasana or staff pose
Sit on the ground with your legs straight ahead of you. Keep them straight without hyper-extending the backs of your knees. Keep the chest lifted, shoulders relaxed. Place your palms next to your hips.

Benefits: Tones the abdominal organs, the spinal, leg and chest muscles. Good for those suffering from asthma.

Paschimattanasana or intense back stretch
From the Dandasana pose, stretch the hands forward and grab your toes, stretch the spine forward reaching towards the legs with your head. Try to stretch the spine from the buttocks.

Benefits: Soothes the adrenal glands, activates a sluggish liver, stimulates the ovaries and uterus. Tones the abdominal organs and helps detox the body.

Janu Sirsasana or head-on-knee pose
From Dandasana, bend the right knee, placing the right foot near the perineum. Stretch the hands up, reach forward and hold the toes of the left foot. Try extending the spine from the buttocks to the back of the neck - lengthening the spine.

Benefits: Stabilises blood pressure, helps correct curvature of spine. Tones abdominal organs, stretches the spine, hamstrings and hips.

Baddhakonasana or bound angle pose
From Dandasana, bend the knees and bring the feet together towards the pelvis. Use your hands to grab your feet and try pushing both your knees down by pressing your thighs firmly down on the floor.

Benefits: Relieves stiffness of the hips, prevents hernia, keeps the ovaries healthy, corrects irregular menstruation and helps to treat urinary tract disorders.

Marichyasana 3
From the Dandasana pose, bend the right knee and press the foot on the floor in line with the right hip. Extend the left arm and wrap it around the right knee, keeping the right hip pressed down, twist and try grabbing the right hand from behind.

Benefits: Tones and massages the abdominal organs, helps detox the body, increases energy levels, relieves backache, stimulates the functioning of the liver, kidneys and pancreas.

Sarvangasana or the shoulder stand
Lie down on the floor on your back. Lift the legs straight up and supporting the hips, keeping the elbows inward try to straighten the legs up towards the ceiling. Eventually the chest should be pressed into the chin. The body weight should be extending upwards not falling into the neck and shoulders, if it feels uncomfortable, do the pose while resting against the wall.

Benefits: This helps in the proper functioning of the thyroid and parathyroid glands. It helps to rejuvenate and detox the body. This is known as the 'Queen of Asanas'.

(Note: People suffering from high blood pressure, cervical ailments, cardiac condition should not practice this pose. Women should not practice during menstruation.)

Halasana or plough pose
From Sarvangasana pose, bring the legs down till the toes touch the ground behind you. Interlock the fingers, keep the hips lifted, stretch the arms away from the armpits and extend the legs from the buttocks to the heels.

Benefits: Relives fatigue and rejuvenates abdominal organs. Helps in the proper functioning of the thyroid and parathyroid glands.

(Note: People suffering from high blood pressure or cervical spondylosis should not practice this pose. If you are overweight practice with props. Women should not practice during menstruation.)

Savasana or corpse pose
Lie down on the floor like a corpse - completely relaxed and on your back. Keep your legs apart and hands away from your body with the palms facing upwards. Shut your eyes and concentrate on relaxing each and every muscle in your body.

Benefits: Helps reduce stress, insomnia. Soothes the nervous system, gives the entire body and mind rest. Makes one feel peaceful, calm and blissful.

(Note: All yogasanas must be done on an empty stomach and under the supervision of a qualified teacher from a reputed yoga institute/school. Also, in case of any medical issues please consult your doctor before attempting the above mentioned yoga poses.)

Easy steps to Make happen what you need.

2012-05-19T22:15:00.001-07:00

How is your life and/or your business doing? Is it stagnating, boring, going nowhere? Have you become obsessed with meeting those loan repayments or trying to just survive until the next fistful of money comes in? Are you having trouble maintaining your positive expectancy about life and/or business?

Too many of us are living this way and it has to change! The Government won't do it for us, nor will our family or friends. So what steps do we need to take to make life worth living and our businesses into exciting ventures?

The way to live satisfying lives is to simply dream up the things that we want to do and then make them happen. A simple statement but so few of us can put it into practice!

You can put it into practice if you take these steps NOW! First, find yourself a quiet, comfortable location where you will be free from disturbances. Ensure that you have paper and pen handy as you will need to write some things down.

Brainstorm Ideas

Now, let's do some brainstorming. For the next ten to fifteen minutes, write down all the things you'd like to do. A few rules for this exercise are in order. Don't evaluate as you write! For example, if you'd like to go overseas on holidays for twelve months - don't stop and think whether you can afford it. Just write it down. Evaluation can occur later. At this stage, write down all the things that you'd like to do assuming there was nothing that you couldn't do.

Prioritize Ideas

When you have finished brainstorming, you will have a list of the things you would like to do - and hopefully it will be a long list! Your next step is to review your list and sort it into priority order. Again, do not evaluate any of these items as to feasibility, etc. while you are ranking them. At the top of a fresh sheet of paper, write the thing you would like to do most. Underneath that, write what you'd next like to do most. Continue doing this until you have sorted your list into order of most wanted to least want to do. Also, put beside each one when you would like to do it by.

Take a short break before proceeding to the next step.

Evaluation

Now, look at the top three items on your list and ask yourself the question: "What is stopping me from doing these things? It will help to clarify things if you write down these reasons. For example, if your number one choice is to go overseas for twelve months, your reasons for not being able to do so could be:

+ can't afford it;
+ can't leave my business unattended; and
+ afraid I won't like it when I get there.

You've got to remember that you are looking at the three things you'd like to do most! So you're not going to let reasons like that stop you from doing them, are you? Now spend some time thinking about what you can do to overcome these reasons. Again, brainstorming without evaluation can help. Write down all the things that come to mind that could overcome these obstacles. You might write down things like:
+ sell the business;
+ cut back on personal expenditure to save the money so can afford it;
+ get more information about where I want to go;
+ hire a manager to run my business while I'm away;
+ sell the house and use proceeds to pay for the trip;
+ increase my business so that I make more money; etc., etc.

Once you have a list of solutions (no matter how silly some may be), you can then evaluate them. Remember, sometimes it is the modification or extension of a silly idea that holds the solution. From this evaluation process, form a plan of how you could do what you most want to do.

Do a Plan of Action

Your final step in this process is to put your plan into action - and do it now! Don't wait for a more opportune time - the best time is always NOW!

However, don't let your big plans stop you from doing some of your smaller plans now. Pick a couple of activities you can do within the next month that won't cost you money. DO THEM! You will feel like a different person for having done so.

Okay, but can you apply this process to your business? You surely can. Instead of asking yourself what you would like to do, instead ask what can you do that will make your business more attractive to your customers so they will do more business with you?

Again, use brainstorming to help you. Follow all the steps above and you will come up with some great ideas that will help you to revitalize your business. Also, don't forget that the best source of ideas is from your customers. Ask them what they want - then give it to them provided you can do so at a profit. If you can't do it at a profit, brainstorm ideas on how you can do it at a profit. Always aim for continuous and never-ending improvement in your service to your customers.

You will see the difference doing things can make to your life and business!

Stress Management

2012-05-18T13:25:00.001-07:00

Have you ever said the words, "This job/my life is so stressful!" Or something else along those lines?

Most people believe that stress is something that happens in their lives. They believe it is the result of outside circumstances beyond their control. We are stressed if our work is too difficult. We get stressed when people in our lives aren't doing what we want them to do. We are stressed when it's been too long since a vacation. We get stress over deaths, weddings, major purchases and a host of other things. We talk as if stress is something outside ourselves---a condition of things in our external environment. It's not.

Health professionals will tell us that stress is a contributing factor in many physical ailments---heart attacks, asthma, high blood pressure, stroke and many others. There are several diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV, the diagnostic tool of therapists and psychiatrists that describe many stress-related disorders. Stress is a killer. Have you ever wondered why some people seem to handle stress better than others do?

One individual may have all the life circumstances purported to cause stress in one's life but seem to be just breezing through his or her day, seemingly without a care, while another person gets a flat tire on the way to work and has a total melt down. How can this be explained?

I intend to look at stress from a different perspective---a choice theory perspective.

According to Choice Theory, all behavior is purposeful. This means that no matter what we do it is a purposeful attempt to get something we want. We are never simply responding to outside stimuli.

You may ask, "What about when I flinch when I hear a loud noise?" The flinching is not a response to the noise, but rather your proactive way of staying safe. This may seem like I'm splitting hairs, but it is an important distinction to understand in this discussion of stress.

Let me give you another example. You may think you get mad at your child for not cleaning his or her room after you asked several times. It sure feels as if the anger is in direct response to your child's behavior. However, your anger is actually your best attempt to get your child to do what you want. By displaying angry behavior, it is your belief that your child will go ahead and clean up his or her room. Any behavior or emotion we employ is a proactive, sometimes conscious sometimes not, attempt to get something we want, not a response to external stimuli.

The same is true for stress. We are choosing stress as a proactive attempt to get something we want. This choice is almost never conscious, but I want it to become conscious for you. Once it is conscious, then you have the power to choose to do it differently if you so desire

Since all behavior is purposeful, it helps to understand what possible benefits or purposes one could achieve by stressing. Who would ever choose that behavior for any benefit?

I say stressing can be motivating. Many of us perform at our peak level when we have that adrenalin rush moving through our veins. Anyone who has ever waited until the last minute to study for a test or complete a project knows what I'm talking about here.

Stressing can also be a way of telling others they better back off. I know when I felt stress, it was my unconscious goal to let my boss know she had better not ask me to do one more thing or I just might lose it! I would send out signals of overwhelm---lots of sighing, threatening looks, irritability, loss of humor. I have to admit that since I didn't do it very often, it was quite effective. Whenever I was stressed, my boss generally left me alone to do my work.

Stressing can also get us the help we need. When the message is out there, others may rally around us to support us. People may actually offer to do some things for us so we can reduce the overwhelm.

Another possible benefit is that stressing can provide us with recognition. People may say, "Wow, look at. I don't know how he/she gets all that done. It's amazing!" There are some who appreciate this positive recognition.

One final thought on stressing benefits. . . When we stress long enough, we may develop physical symptoms. In Choice Theory, Dr. Glasser tells us that are behavior is total, meaning it is comprised of four inseparable component---the action, our thoughts, our feelings and the physiology of our body or whatever our body is doing at that moment. When we don't take care of managing our stress levels, our physiology takes over and creates physical symptoms for us. Now remember, I said all behavior is purposeful and physiology is a part of the total behavior. Do you understand the purpose of the physical symptoms that accompany prolonged stress? Of course, it is our body's way of telling us we have to stop or slow down. It produces the physical symptoms that are hard to ignore. When we attend to them, we get the rest we need and therefore reduce the stress. Can you see how all behavior is purposeful?

If you are experiencing the effects of stress in your life, I am not suggesting that you are to blame. What I am saying is that up until this point, you have been doing absolutely the best you know how, consciously or unconsciously to get something you want by stressing. If you can pinpoint what the benefit(s) of stress is/are to you, then you can look at ways to get what you need without having to stress.

Onboard Cruise Ship Expenses

2012-05-15T22:55:00.001-07:00

On many cruise ships the key to your cabin doubles up as an on board charge card. Any additional expenses such as drinks or excursions can be added to your on board account.

And in the midst of all the holiday excitement it's extremely easy to run up a big additional bill in a short period of time. So here's how to keep down the cost of your on board account without ruining the excitement of your vacation.

Beauty

Most beauty treatments on cruise ships are expensive extras that have to be added to your onboard account. So before you leave on your vacation, make sure that you get your hair cut and have all the beauty tratements that you want. Land based salons are often much cheaper than their ocean going counterparts.

Casino

If you want to keep your costs down, one of the best ideas is to give the casino a wide berth. And that includes bingo and all other games of chance.

But if you feel the need to experience everthing that the ship offers, stick to the timeless advice - Only gamble what you can afford to lose. Give yourself a strict budget before you visit the casino, see how long you can make it last, and once it's gone, don't draw any more money. And whatever happens, don't go to the casino with the misguided impression that you can win your spending money for the rest of your vacation.

Drinks

Another hot topic at present is whether or not you should take your own drinks on board. In most cases cruise lines will turn a blind eye if you want to bring bottled water or soft drinks onboard. But alcohol is a different matter. Cruise companies make large amounts of money from the sale of alcohol, so if you try to bring anything more than a bottle of champagne of a special bottle of wine, it will probably be refused.

Another way to get your own alcohol onboard is to send yourself a gift of a bottle of your favorite drink to be delivered to your cabin, either through the cruise line or an independent service.

In the bar, the cost of drinks will be on a par with a similar land based bar. So here are a few tips to keep costs down.

Only order your drinks in a special keepsake glass if you really want one, as they cost much more than a drink in a conventional glass.

In the restaurant, wine is much cheaper by the bottle than by the glass. Unfinished wine can be kept till you want it by the restaurant.

Wine brought in to onboard restaurants will incur a corkage fee which can cost up to $10 per bottle.

On most ships, fruit juice and water are free.

And finally, never turn down the chance to go to a welcome party (the captain's welcome party, the first time cruise party, the repeat visitors welcome party etc). These normal include a complimentary drink for every person and will allow you to meet some of your fellow passengers.

Excursions

The cost of onshore excursions can quickly mount up, so if you want to save money, think carefully about the ones that you really want to experience.

As a rough example a simple half day coach trip can cost up to $50 per person, while a more elaborate adventure can easily cost upwards of $250 per person.

However, there are a couple of ways to cut the cost of these tourist trips. Consider organising these adventures yourself. Either contact your tour operator before you leave, or hire a guide when you arrive in port. Another option is to get together with a few of your fellow passengers and share the cost of hiring a local guide and appropriate transport.

Exercise

Most cruise ships offer a wide range of exercise equipment and basic exercise classes for free. However, you may have to pay for the more specialised classes such as yoga or pilates where specialized instruction is provided. If you want to save your money for other parts of your vacation, walking around the deck of the ship is a great way to get some exercise.

On some of the larger cruise ships one circuit of the main deck can be almost half a mile. So it's easy to save money and get the benefit of the sea air at the same time.

Photography as an art

2012-05-14T23:33:00.001-07:00

Photography is one of the beautiful definitions of an art that expresses the picture portrayed. The three components linked with Photography are artist, medium and the art work. The three components are inter-related to each other.

Many people found photography to be a mere reproductive medium and hence the reason photography really struggled for one and half centuries.

Photography is definitely art work, it needs a lot of talent and imagination to portray and expression through a simple portrait. It is an art of recognizing the minutest effects on reaching the heart of the picture. It is not only clicking the photographs, but it is about giving them a sequence a background a picture, liveliness and a medium. A Photograph artist brings the Pictures to live once they are clicked. It is a beautiful art of recognizing the most behavior of nature, person or a situation.

There have been many artistic photographic giants in the past like Henri Cartier Bresson, Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange who proved themselves in the field of photography. Today there are many photographic artists like those of by the expressionofwendy.com who make their work known to the world through their finest art of photography by portraying it on the website.

Photography as an art has taken its place and fame in the market today. There are many people around the world who are crazy about Photography. There are people who want to choose these professions because of their artistic interventions. Photography has not diminished rather it has found a way to win hearts of many people.

Photography being an art is also a challenge; it is depicting the true self out of a non-living thing. For example, it brings life the picture that can be so dead. When we think of the simple image of nature, photography can bring those simple image of nature alive by adding colors and definitions to it to make it alive in the eyes of the viewers.

Photography is the best thing, it is the imagination of head and it is the imagination of thoughts. One can get easily engrossed in the line of photography. There are many photographers who spend hours throughout the day, in defining the simple clicks and making them alive.

Adding colors, adding a sense, adding a life to something that is non-living is an art. Photographs of various natural instincts bring to our imagination of photography being a defined art. Many at times Photographs depict a lot about a person, that person themselves are not aware of.

Photography as an art has just been recognized in the recent years, over the year people have accepted the secrets of photography and what it can portray. Photography depicts the known from the unknown; it is an art of going to the depths of understanding the vitality and the nature of any picture.
Photography also is a beautiful art of imagination, it is an art of dream and it is an art of bringing the dream to reality. The major sequence of photography can be seen through various examples given by the photographers of the past.

Few Examples of the best Photographs found on Web.