Archive for November, 2007

Determining Coin Values

Monday, November 26th, 2007

By Charles Roman Factors that Influence the Value of Collectible Coins If you are interested in collecting coins, its important to be able to have a rough idea of how much coins are worth. Knowing how coin values are determined will enable you to find good deals, and ensure that you dont get cheated into paying too much money for a coin with a low worth. Supply Influences Coin ValuesOne major factor in determining coin values is the law of supply and demand. If there are many coins of a particular type available, that coin will not be worth much. On the other hand, if only a very few coins of that type are produced, the coin values will rise. This is why a completely normal-looking copper penny minted in 1943 is worth about $200,000, whereas a 2,000 year old Roman coin may be worth less than $100 because thousands upon thousands of Roman coins were minted, but only 40 pennies produced during war-time 1943 were made out of copper. Demands Effect on Coin ValuesEven among coins with a similar number of copies in existence, some have a higher worth than others. This is because some coins are in higher demand, driving up the coin values. Coins may become popular because they are particularly lovely to look at, because they are part of a topical set that is often chosen by collectors, or because they have a certain historical significance. Precious Metals and Coin ValuesSome coins are made out of precious materials like gold bullion or platinum. These coin values are less volatile because the worth is guaranteed in part by the material. A gold bullion coin, for example, is usually worth more than its melted weight, but it is never going to be worth less. Coin Values are Tempered by Grade or ClassificationThe final major factor in determining coin values is the grade or classification of the coin. The more wear and tear that a coin has undergone, the less value it is going to have. This is why uncirculated coins are usually more valuable than coins that have been passed from hand to hand. Uncirculated coins have always been kept in the very best of conditions, making their value much higher. A coin in flawless condition may be worth hundreds of times more than a low-grade version of the exact same coin. Now that you understand the basic factors that influence coin values, you have a better grasp of which coins may have real value and which will be worthless. In order to get a ballpark estimate of the value of any coins you might have, you will first need to determine its grade or classification. You can do this by comparing your coins condition to a published list of guidelines. Then look up the value of a coin in that condition in a book such as The Standard Catalog of World Coins, which should be available in most public libraries. If you need to know the exact amount that your coin is worth, you should take it to a coin dealer and let him or her evaluate it for you. Coins and Coin Collecting, http://www.coinsandcoincollecting.com Your guide to getting the very best from your coin collection. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Charles_Roman http://EzineArticles.com/?Determining-Coin-Values&id=90293 crossing the border to buy xanax buy xanax ativan buy ativan valium buy valium lora buy cheap xanax xanax prescription look like

Anniversary Gifts - Twenty-Fifth Anniversary

Monday, November 26th, 2007

By Michael Russell Well, you’ve finally made it. This is probably the biggest anniversary you’re going to have in your life unless you’re really lucky enough to make it to number 50. You’re about to celebrate your twenty-fifth or silver anniversary, so it should come as no surprise to you that the anniversary gift ideas, both traditional and modern, are silver. This is one of the few anniversaries where the traditional and modern gifts are the same. So if you’re wondering just what you should get for this very special occasion, don’t worry. We’ll give you more than enough ideas. Understanding that not everybody is rolling in the bucks, you can still get a very special anniversary gift for this special day without spending a lot of money. Of course, if you do have the money, spend it. There are so few days in your life that are this special and you don’t want to just get something that could be given on any other anniversary of day of the year. Put a little thought into it. After all, this day only comes around once in your life. Guys, this is your chance to show your wife how much you really love her. To do this, you probably want to get a number of gifts, each one special in its own right. For starters, get your wife a silver framed poem. If you can’t write the poem yourself, get a professional to write it. Don’t skimp. Have it printed on some very fancy parchment. You want this to be something that your wife will be proud to hang up. In addition to this, get her a vase of sterling silver roses. A dozen to be exact. These are actually real roses that are preserved in sterling silver. Also, make sure you get a nice vase to put these in. The roses alone are going to set you back about $600. Hey, when you see the tears roll down her cheeks it will be more than worth it. Okay, let’s add to that a sterling silver anniversary clock. You can get one made by Bulova that plays the Westminster chimes every hour. Make sure you have it engraved with something special. This will cost you about $65, but we’re not done yet. You’ve got to get your wife a 25th anniversary sterling silver plate. You can have this engraved as well if you like on the back and in case you’re wondering, no, this plate is not for eating off. It comes with a stand so you can display it wherever you like. Finally, get her a 25th anniversary keepsake book. This is where you gather up all the old photos that you can find over the past 25 years and paste them inside. By the time she finishes reading this there won’t be a dry eye in the house. Ladies, since you already know what makes a great gift, the above suggestions should give you plenty of ideas fn your own or you can just use one of ours. Either way, this will be an anniversary that you’ll both remember for a long time. Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Anniversary Gifts Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell http://EzineArticles.com/?Anniversary-Gifts—Twenty-Fifth-Anniversary&id=299026 buy online pain ultram ultram pharmacy on line pharmacy online tramadol tramadol no prescription required 200 tablets

Why Our Healthcare System Isn’t Healthy

Sunday, November 25th, 2007

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Deb_Bromley] Deb Bromley Most people are well aware that an estimated 45 million Americans currently do not have healthcare, but is the crisis simply the lack of health insurance or even the cost of health insurance? Is there a bigger underlying problem at the root of our healthcare system? Although the U.S. claims to have the most advanced medicine in the world, government health statistics and peer-reviewed journals demonstrate that allopathic medicine often causes more harm than good. People in general have always felt they could trust doctors and the medical profession, but according to the Journal of the American Medical Association in July 2000, iatrogenic death, also known as death from physician error or death from medical treatment, was the third leading cause of death in America and rising, responsible for at least 250,000 deaths per year. Those statistics are considered conservative by many, as the reported numbers only include in-hospital deaths, not injury or disability, and do not include external iatrogenic deaths such as those resulting from nursing home and other private facility treatments, and adverse effects of prescriptions. One recent study estimated the total unnecessary deaths from iatrogenic causes at approximately 800,000 per year at a cost of $282 billion per year, which would make death from American medicine the leading cause of death in our country. Currently, at least 2 out of 3 Americans use medications, 32 million Americans are taking three or more medications daily, and commercials and advertisements for pharmaceutical drugs have saturated the marketplace. Although our population is aging, exorbitantly expensive drugs are being marketed and dispensed to younger and younger patients, including many children who years ago would never have been given or needed medication, for everything from ADHD to asthma to bipolar disease and diabetes. Clearly, the state of health in this country is not improving even though there are an increasing number of medications and treatments. Between 2003 and 2010, the number of prescriptions are expected to increase substantially by 47%. In recent years, numerous drugs previously deemed safe by the FDA have been recalled because of their toxicity, after the original drug approvals were actually funded by the invested pharmaceutical companies themselves. According to the media, thanks to advances in U.S. drugs and medical procedures, Americans are living longer statistically, but they are living longer sicker, with a lower quality of life, and often dependent on multiple expensive synthetic medications that do not cure or address the underlying causes, but only suppress symptoms, often with a plethora of dangerous side effects to the tune of billions of dollars for the drug industry. Considering that the U.S. is supposed to have the most advanced technology in the world and the best health care system, it is at odds that we spend the most on healthcare, yet are the most obese and most afflicted with illness outside of the AIDS epidemic in some third world countries. Unless you have an acute emergency that requires emergency room care, being admitted to a hospital environment may be more dangerous to your health than staying out. In 2003, epidemiologists reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that hospital-acquired infections have risen steadily in recent decades, with blood and tissue infections known as sepsis almost tripling from 1979 to 2000. Nearly two million patients in the U.S. get an infection while in the hospital each year, and of those patients over 90,000 die per year, up dramatically from just 13,300 in 1992. Statistics show that approximately 56% of the population has been unnecessarily treated, or mistreated, by the medical industry. Additionally, as a result of the overuse of pharmaceutical drugs and antibiotics in our bodies and environment, our immune systems have become significantly weakened, allowing antibiotic-resistant strains of disease-causing bacteria to proliferate, leaving us more susceptible to further disease. Not surprisingly, incidences of diseases have been growing at epidemic levels according to the CDC. Now diseases once thought conquered, such as tuberculosis, gonorrhea, malaria, and childhood ear infections are much harder to successfully treat than they were decades ago. Drugs do not cure. They only suppress the symptoms that your body needs to express, while they ignore the underlying root cause. Side effects of synthetic and chemical drugs, which even if they are partly derived from nature have been perverted to make them patentable and profitable, are not healthy or natural, and usually cause more harm than any perceived benefit of the medication. Where “physician errors” are concerned, these may not be entirely the fault of the doctors, as they are forced to operate within the constraints of their profession or risk losing their license, but doctors have become pawns and spokesmen for the drug companies, and the best interest of the patient has become secondary. In the name of profit, physicians are also under great pressure from hospitals to service patients as quickly as possible, like an assembly line, increasing the likelihood of error. In conclusion, increases in healthcare costs are not just the result of frivolous law suits, but are primarily the result of a profit-oriented industry that encourages practices that lead to unnecessary and harmful procedures being performed, lethal adverse drug reactions, infections, expensive legitimate lawsuits, in-hospital and physician errors, antibiotic resistance due to overprescribing of antibiotics and drugs, and the hundreds of thousands of subsequent unnecessary deaths and injuries. Many people do not realize that there are healthier natural options, and anything unnatural or invasive we are exposed to is likely to cause either immediate or cumulative damage over time. For more information on how to help your body heal itself naturally without chemicals, information on drug side effects, and harmful disease-causing chemicals in the foods you eat and your environment and how to avoid them, please visit the NatureGem web site at http://www.naturegem.com. Deb Bromley is a science and technology researcher and the President of NatureGem Nontoxic Living, an organization devoted to promoting awareness of toxins in our food and environment that can cause disease, and providing access to nutrition information, natural remedies, and alternative health resources. Please visit [http://www.naturegem.com] http://www.naturegem.com for more information. 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Including Comfort in Your Mortgage Broker Marketing

Saturday, November 24th, 2007

By Jeffrey Nelson As a loan officer, an essential component of your success is loyalty from Realtors. When you begin mortgage broker marketing, your focus should not be on your rates, service or loan programs. None of these things inspire loyalty the way comfort does. How so? Ask Realtors why they stay with a particular loan officer. The answer is not a result of a specific mortgage broker marketing; almost always the answer is that they are comfortable with the loan officer. Remember, Realtors are being constantly bombarded by requests from loan officers to work with them. These loan officers make all kinds of promises, great communication, friendly service, low rates, etc. All too often these promises are broken. Each time promises are broken, the Realtors defenses go up. Their income is dependent on the performance of loan officers; it makes sense that they would view the loan officer with trepidation. That is why it is so important to establish a bond of trust with Realtors, or a sense of comfort. So, how do you build comfort? There is actually 6 ways to establish a comfort level with Realtors. Become the Familiar Face Realtors look for names and brands that are recognizable. They look for a reputation that they can count on. When it comes to choosing a loan officer, they will look for one they are familiar with. Keeping your name visible creates that familiarity. Whether it is making appearances at real estate offices or at networking events, getting quoted in local papers or business journals, or sponsoring fund raising events, all make it possible for your name to become a familiar entity. Make Yourself Clear Look closely at your marketing materials. Are they as clear as they could be? Do you use jargon, is your message vague or ambiguous. When you strive for clarity, you build confidence with the Realtors in your abilities. Keep your message simple. If you cannot say what makes you unique in thirty worlds or less, you need to reevaluate your service until you can make the message clear and refined. Become the Expert Without a doubt, relying on another person for your income is a scary proposition. But that is exactly the position Realtors find themselves in on a daily basis. They have to rely on loan officers to do exactly what they say they will. When they know they are dealing with an expert, they can relax. Do you give the impression of being an expert? Whether it is the way you dress, your website or your materials, all Realtors will develop and impression based on the visual clues you offer. Work with Integrity When you deliver upon your promises, you operate with integrity. In a rapidly changing environment of the loan industry Realtors respect, and are willing to work with loan officers that operate with integrity. Genuineness Inspires Comfort Realtors are looking for someone who holds their interests as part of the process, the want someone they can genuinely trust with their income. They look for you to express an interest in building a relationship and protecting them. Be Passionate Do you love what you do? When you love what you do, it is important to you to do that job well. Passion is a powerful emotion that comes through in your message. When you are passionate, you are invested in doing your job well. Realtors know they can trust you to do everything you can to make the process work for them and their clients. Passion is a love for the job. It is communicated through your attitude. Are you positive? Is it fun to be around you? When you work to combine all these components in your mortgage broker marketing, you establish a level of trust and comfort with Realtors. And that trust builds into a great relationship that brings them back to work with you. Jeff Nelson helps loan officers increase loan originations by attracting quality relationships with real estate agents from the development of customized relationship-building strategies. Click here to get a free copy of the Marketing Planning Guide, a 20-page workbook designed to help you outline a strategy to become an Agent Magnet. Visit us at www.loan-officer-marketing.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Nelson http://EzineArticles.com/?Including-Comfort-in-Your-Mortgage-Broker-Marketing&id=320315 prescription phentermine 37.5 phentermine on line without a prescription yellow phentermine diet pills buy phentermine on line

Tips On Fast Weight Loss For Special Occasions

Friday, November 23rd, 2007

By Gary Matthews If you are like me, you have probably been through all this before, the family wedding is coming up next month and you can’t seem to fit into that suit or dress because you have put on too much weight. So you must lose at least ten or more pounds quickly. Losing weight quickly is not advisable as most of the loss will be muscle tissue and water; you put on the weight slowly (usually over years) so normally you should take it off slowly and then you will know that the majority of the loss will be body fat. But you have a problem here and the clock is ticking so you will have to diet pretty hard to meet your target weight loss. Let’s look at that first, you all know that diets don’t work; they send the body into starvation mode, a survival mechanism from long age when humans faced periods of famine. Going too low in calories causes the body to lower its metabolic rate, which reduces its ability to burn fat. At the same time, hunger signals increase and you quickly start to crave high-energy foods loaded with fats and sugar, the same foods you are trying to do without. Research shows repeated dieting actually makes it harder to lose weight and easier to put it on because when you dump the diet and return to normal eating habits the drop in metabolic rate caused by the diet means that your old habits actually represent an excess in calories. Not only do you regain the fat stores just lost, but also you may even gain an extra bit. Knowing this, you really don’t want to put yourselves through this rigorous process, but for this special occasion you will. First though, you will have to boost the metabolism that has been lowered by the dieting. To do this you will have to perform a “Strength Training” workout to generate that initial spike in your metabolism. By increasing the lean muscle on your body by using Strength Training, your metabolism will increase, burning fat along the way. The strength training technique I use requires just twenty to thirty mins per week. Gone are the days of the five-day a week program with 6 to 12 sets per body part that, method has never worked. One short intense strength-training workout a week will elevate your metabolism more than you ever thought possible. While the calories expended doing exercise are important, the increase in metabolism especially after strength training continues long after the exercise is finished, burning calories at the same time. The two main components of this technique are the intensity of the exercise and the recovery after the exercise. Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is what is needed to increase functional lean muscle and lose body fat. Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle mass and energy levels. A high quality broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement should also be taken on a daily basis. As before get the calories from high quality food but if you can’t, utilize a blender to make concoctions from skim milk with whatever additives you want to use, just as long as you keep count of the calories for your daily total. Now use these blender mixtures and solid food for your daily feedings. Spread it out over many small meals a day instead of the traditional three meals a day. The way to keep track of weight loss is to buy a calorie counter and record your daily calorie intake for a week. Now average out how many calories you consume a day with the use of a seven-day eating plan and calorie counter, once you have this figure subtract 1000 calories and this will be the target number of calories you will be aiming for. Remembering that one-pound of fat contains 3500cals, losing 1000 calories a day will total 7000 for the week, which equals two pounds lost by dietary means alone. Another technique for low calorie eating is to watch your fat intake as this has the most calories. Incidental activity is also very important if you want to lose this amount of weight in this short period of time, by increasing incidental activity you can burn at least another pound a week The best exercise for the purpose of fat-loss is fast walking either indoors on the treadmill or outdoors. Walk until you are mildly puffing and hold that rate until the allotted time. If your aerobic activities leave you panting or breathless, your going too hard, your energy is coming from your carbohydrate reserves and not from your fat stores. Try fast walking for one hour a day every day of the week. Well there you have it, as an experienced trainer I wouldn’t recommend this type of program to my clients. The weight loss is just too quick and the program would be very hard to maintain owing to the very low caloric intake. I advise my clients to decrease their calories by just 500 per day (and no more) below their maintenance levels and they will be losing 1 - 2 pounds of body fat every week, safely, without craving and without too much disruption to their lifestyle. In conclusion remember, think long term here and that’s between 30 and 50 pounds of fat lost in six months. Any faster and all you will be losing is water and precious muscle tissue. Gary Matthews is the author of the popular fitness eBooks Maximum Weight Loss and Maximum Weight Gain. Please visit http://www.maximumfitness.com right now for your ‘free’ weight loss e-course. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Matthews http://EzineArticles.com/?Tips-On-Fast-Weight-Loss-For-Special-Occasions&id=101954 tramadol 50mg free prescription usa buy ultram online fast discount pharmacy purchase ultram buy cheap prescription ultram

Aromatherapy: Pure Essential Oils and Healing Stress

Thursday, November 22nd, 2007

By KG Stiles AROMATHERAPY RESEARCH - HOW AROMATHERAPY WORKS! It is through your nervous system, the body’s electrical pathways for sending and receiving signals or currents of energy, that consciousness of all your body parts, systems, functions, and patterns of movement is coordinated. Communication within the body is conducted through your nervous system. When wires are jammed or blocked transmission of signals is impaired. Essential oils are natural chemical messengers your body readily responds to for bringing it into harmony and balance. Essential oils travel through the nervous system to the brain to nourish and balance both the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system, enhancing brain chemistry. I. The Neuro-chemical delivery pathways for your Nervous and Hormonal systems- the Vapors from the essential oils enter through your nose and immediately stimulate your Olfactory nerves which then signal your Limbic system (the control mechanism in your brain for emotions and memory). Through your Limbic system (emotional brain), the Amygdala (your emotional control center) and Hippocampus (center for Memory recall, Learning and Emotional control) are stimulated. Your Limbic System also sends a neuro-chemical signal to your Cortex (center for contol of Intellectual processes) and your Hypothalamus gland, located at the base of your brain, the Reptilian or Old Brain (regulates many body functions, including appetite, thirst, temperature, sleep and mood). The Hypothalamus is a KEY PLAYER as it orchestrates the interplay between your nervous and endocrine systems. It is thus at the juncture of your Hypothalmus that a signal is sent to your Pituitary gland (Master controller of your entire Endocrine system). This neuro-chemical signal and response mechanism culminates at your Adrenal glands (your fight or flight, response to stress mechanism which controls aggression and sexual response). II. The Neuro-chemical Delivery pathways for your Organs and other systems - the Vapors entering through your nose go immediately into your Lungs where they enter your Bloodstream. Through your Bloodstream the oils are delivered to your Heart, as well as all your Body tissues and Organs, the Liver and Pancreas, your Reproductive organs, Skin, Kidney and Bladder. The oils then circulate back to your Lungs where they are excreted. Research shows that through inhalation essential oils will remain for a longer period in your cell tissues ( 4-6 hours) than through any other means of application. More and more case studies are being recorded, proving the effectiveness of aromatherapy for therapeutic use. Virtually everything used today in modern drugs can be traced back to a botanical extract. Hippocrates said that there is a remedy for everything to be found in Nature. To administer essential oils for inhalation simply dispense 1-3 drops of oil into the palm of your hand, rub your hands together vigorously, and then breathe in their aroma for 30-60 seconds. Therapeutic-Grade Essential Oils are highly concentrated, a drop or two can produce significant results. There are many cheap chemical copies of essential oils available, but these are not recommended for therapeutic use. You may also make an aromatic mist using essential oils, or an aroma diffuser to dispense the lighter more fluid essential oils scent into a room. Essential oils, when diffused, provide a high quality air filtration system. Surely we all prefer a natural, effective treatment that causes no added stress to our systems. For those who wish to be directly involved with their own self help, who prefer a remedy that treats the whole system rather than just the symptoms, aromatherapy provides a safe, natural treatment, one that can produce surprising results where other methods of treatment have failed. Aromatherapy is a natural and holistic healing therapy proven effective and safe for improving your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. KG Stiles is a certified aromatherapist practicing in Ashland, OR USA PurePlant Essentials is her line of pure organic essential oils. KG formulates aromatic remedies for: colds and flu, insomnia, stress, anxiety, depression, menopause, anti-aging, skin care and more. Click to learn about & order AROMATHERAPY PURE ESSENTIAL OIL BASIC KIT Click to learn about & order AROMATHERAPY PURE ESSENTIAL OIL BASIC GIFT SET. Click to learn about & order AROMATHERAPY PURE ESSENTIAL OIL DELUXE GIFT SET Questions? Contact: KG Stiles Springhill Wellness Center, 2520 Springhill Drive Ashland, OR USA (541) 941-7315 Mahalo! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=KG_Stiles http://EzineArticles.com/?Aromatherapy:-Pure-Essential-Oils-and-Healing-Stress&id=184761 directoryzz decuma com line link order propecia zvb buy online prescription propecia without buy propecia cheap order finasteride online

Reiki Certification

Wednesday, November 21st, 2007

By Eric Hartwell Reiki certification is not merely a certificate but is a treasure that is a measure of hard work, perseverance and personal growth and transformation. One of the things that are a necessity for Reiki practitioner is a certification wherein their school, their Master or Masters as may be the case and their level is declared, this is a way to sift the genuine from the fake, always receive Reiki from a certified practitioner only. Every different school or tradition follows a different line of belief and thus while some schools may offer 3 levels, there are others who offer four and some even go up to a higher number of seven and above. This is basically a gradation of the levels of proficiency in channeling Reiki energy and the different techniques that bring more adeptness. Primarily there are the three levels or degrees. Heres a basic overview of what the levels entail, note that is for a basic course containing 4 levels and it may vary from school to school and from Master to Master. First Degree (Level 1) Reiki: In the beginning level you an expect information like a brief history of Reiki, its lore and mythos, importance and about the various different traditions and branches and worldwide Reiki associations. Self-healing methods are also taught along with the various hand positions and practical applications of Reiki in daily life. Second Degree (Level 2) Reiki: Only after the initiate has successfully completed Level 1 and have been successfully practicing Reiki can enroll for Level 2 which is more advanced and requires greater channeling proficiency. In this level the first three sacred Reiki symbols are taught with their origins, meanings and the techniques to utilize them to their fullest. Also techniques for absentee or distance healing and healing mental disorders are also imparted at the Second Degree Level. Third Degree (Level 3) Reiki: Far more advanced this level covers Personal Mastery and intuitive methods and people who have been continuously working with Reiki energy and feel ready to make a transition. Students at this level are taught to build energy grids and work with crystals for continuously sending out positive Reiki energy into the world to promote world peace and bring about harmony and balance. Working with psychic energy blocks and removing chakra blocks and healing the aura are also part of this level. Master or Teacher Level Reiki:This is for students who wish to teach Reiki to others. This is a very high level and is available to only a privileged few. Attunement techniques and gaining more energy are included in the lessons along with integrating Reiki as a way of life. It needs a lifelong pledge to the system of Reiki. Some schools may like to break this level into smaller chunks to facilitate the learning process and dedicate more time and energy to singular tasks. Furthermore in Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai’s system of Reiho the proficiency levels are also divided accordingly where there are six levels of proficiency and there is a ranking scheme where six is the beginners level and it continues where the student gets acquainted with different Shoden techniques and at third rank Okuden or Second Degree techniques are taught which are broken down further into Okuden Zenki, Okuden Koeki and Shinpiden Levels, Dr.Usui placed himself at Rank 2. Till date no human has reached Rank 1 because that is reserved for the Divine. It is possible also to have more ranks and levels. After the student has completed a level they are issued with a certification for that level. However Reiki does not merely depend on a certification, it is important to keep studying and practicing it on a regular basis to achieve a higher level. Read opinions and promote your views at The World’s Best Homepage and read and submit reviews and opinions at Free Opinions and Content - improve yourself with Reiki Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Hartwell http://EzineArticles.com/?Reiki-Certification&id=475437 buy generic carisoprodol buy soma online usa soma with codeine in usa no prescription buy carisoprodol online

Go Slow in Tuscany

Tuesday, November 20th, 2007

By Shilpa Baliga I was interested (and I must admit, a little surprised) to read recently that Italy is the European leader in organic farming. Living here in Tuscany, its clear that there is definitely a growing culture of farming and eating more organic food, but I somehow expected wealthier, seemingly more progressive countries (such as Germany) to rank more highly. Well, with more than one million hectares of land under organic management, and just under 45,000 organic farms in operation, Italy comes top of the list, followed by Germany and Spain (www.organic-europe.net). Tuscany alone has over 2,300 organic farms which produce mainly olive oil, but also top-notch wines, cheeses, cereals, pulses and meat. Some of these farms, known as agriturismi, rent out rooms , so you can enjoy a quiet stay and see how things are grown. Many let their guests pick fruit from their orchards, so you may be able to taste varieties of pear and apple that youd never find in local Italian supermarkets, let alone in the UK. For the more adventurous, WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) offers people the chance to stay and work on organic and biodynamic farms. In general, for half a days work per day, you get bed and board and you can imagine how delicious the food is! Thick cannellini bean soups with parmesan shavings, schiacciata: a flat-bread pizza baked without toppings other than salt, rosemary and green olive oil, castagnaccio: a smoky chestnut flour cake, best enjoyed with fresh sheeps milk ricotta and honey. Yum. Many Italian Mammas still go to the market daily and cook fresh healthy tasty meals from scratch for their families. But in the last few decades, families where both members of a couple work outside the home have become the norm, so ready-to-use bottled pasta sauces, pre-cooked rice and frozen pizzas have become readily available in supermarkets. The Slow Food movement was founded in Italy in 1986, as a response to this rapidly expanding fast food (and fast life) culture. It is now an international movement involving 80,000 people all over the world. It promotes the right to pleasure, especially but not only, the pleasures of the table. With its events, publications, special projects and fairs, it defends local traditions of food and drink and makes them more widely known, celebrating local specialities, promoting artisans who produce tasty, real foods and fighting against mass-produced blandness of all kinds. The Slow Food movement defends biodiversity, and it is in this spirit that farmers, particularly organic farmers, have begun to breed the Cinta Senese pig once more. This is a local Tuscan breed which was shunned a few decades ago in favour of the pink pig (which is easier and quicker to fatten up). There are now incredible Cinta Senese hams and salamis being produced on organic farms around Tuscany. The ubiquitous but charming Jamie Oliver is a great champion for both organic food and for Italy. I should have been Italian, he says in his sixth book Jamies Italy, in which he explores regional Italian cooking, often adding his own twists, while frequently using and promoting organic ingredients. He is right that Italians treat all aspects of food with the love and attention it deserves. Italy boasts a wealth of distinctive regional cuisines, all with their traditional recipes and local ingredients, such as cavolo nero (black cabbage, much nicer than it sounds!) and the tasty, nutty farro (spelt) both from Tuscany. Some ingredients are so local that they only have names in dialect and are not even known in the neighbouring regions, such as stridoli (a delicious spinach/rocket -like vegetable) used in Romagna, north of Tuscany. And thanks in part to Slow Food movement campaigns, local varieties such as the Rocchetta pumpkin from Liguria are brought back into smallholdings and into the marketplace and will not be lost forever. Friends (in both the UK and here in Italy) have said to me that they would definitely buy more organic food if it were cheaper. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that here in Tuscany, buying local organic produce in farm shops is in many cases works out cheaper than buying the equivalent conventionally grown food from the supermarket. Everyone who lives in the less affluent countries of the Euro zone will tell you that the cost of living has gone up considerably since the Euro was introduced. Many formerly inexpensive items have doubled in price. Rising prices have been aggravated by a domino effect of everyone in the production chain adding a little bit extra on to compensate for the extra they have had to pay for raw materials etc. Talking to organic and biodynamic growers, whose prices seem to have remained relatively stable, I concluded that since many of these farms are pretty much self-sufficient, they have not seen their costs go up greatly, and as a consequence, have not had to put up their prices so much. This is of course only true if you buy produce directly from the producer - as soon as it is transported, packaged and distributed by someone else, the cost inevitably goes up. So, once again, the moral is - whether you are in Tuscany or in Tyne and Wear, take time to go slow, buy locally-grown food and savour what you cook and eat. Shilpa Baliga runs Organic Tuscany, which organises week-long farm to table organic cooking courses in Tuscany, visiting organic farms and using their fresh seasonal produce to make traditional Tuscan dishes. Shilpa’s first experience of Italian cuisine was that of working and learning to cook at Casa Nostra, a family-run gourmet Italian restaurant in Henley-on-Thames, England. After obtaining a degree in French and Italian language, literature and culture at the University of Cambridge, and living in both Florence and Rome, she moved to Barcelona, Spain, where she worked as a chef at Sesamo, an Italian-owned vegetarian organic restaurant, and then set up her own successful restaurant, Mosquito. After the birth of their daughter Luisa, she and her husband moved back to Italy to start Organic Tuscany a cooking school offering week-long “farm to table” organic food vacations in the Tuscan hills. 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Moving From Online Dating To The Real World: Strategies To Keep You Safe

Monday, November 19th, 2007

By Lara Lopez Preparing an Exit Strategy Before you embark on a date, you should have an exit strategy in place: a plan for ending the date so you don’t have any awkward disagreements that can put a damper on an otherwise good interaction. Exit strategies make sense for women especially. Women have good reason to be wary of meeting someone in person for the first time. You probably are all too familiar with the worst that can happen because such incidents end up making the evening news. They involve kidnapping, sexual assault, and worse. But such disasters are rare, and they won’t happen if you take the obvious precautions of meeting during the day and in a public place. You are far more likely to run into awkward moments, which can be avoided by taking some simple precautions: Tell Someone Where You’re Going One of the things that makes meeting someone potentially scary even if you believe you know the person well from email and phone conversations is the feeling that you’re going out on your own. There’s no need to be isolated, however. Just let a family member or trusted friend know where you are going, and arrange to call them when the meeting is over. You’ll probably want to tell someone how things went, anyway, so this will give you a convenient chance to check in. Arrange an Escort It’s not at all uncommon to arrange to have friends go along with you on the date. This can happen either openly or surreptitiously. You can have your friends arrive at the restaurant or cafe before you do and sit in corner, watching for signs of trouble. If something goes wrong, you can call them over, or tell your companion you’re going to visit with them. Arrange a Way to Get Home You can also arrange to have a friend or relative meet you at the designated location at a specified time. This lets you tell the other person that you can meet with him or her for, say, half an hour, at which point you’re going to meet a friend to go shopping or pursue some other activity. This way, there’s no chance of an awkward end to the date unless, of course, neither one of you wants to leave. If that’s the case, you can arrange to meet the next day, or even later that evening. Follow Up with a Message Once your first date is over, it’s a good idea to follow up with an email message. Thank the other person for the date and tell them what you think: If you are sure the relationship has no chance of going any further, say so. It can be hard to do this, especially if you were perfectly friendly and happy and gave no indication that you were dissatisfied in some way. But it’s better to be honest about situation up front rather than leading on someone. On the other hand, if you aren’t sure what you think, don’t respond right away. Give yourself some time to make an assessment. Even if the date went really well, you’ll probably need time to settle down and gather your thoughts. Eventually, the two of you can agree to proceed in one of a number of ways: - You agree to go out again - You agree to call it quits - You not only want to go out again, but you decide to stop looking for other dates If you decide on the latter option, good for you; but don’t end your membership with the dating service immediately. Keep your membership open just in case things don’t work out and you need to get back on the dating horse once again. About: http://www.hispanicinternetdating.com is an online dating service especially for hispanic people. It is free to register on HispanicInternetDating with no credit card details. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lara_Lopez http://EzineArticles.com/?Moving-From-Online-Dating-To-The-Real-World:-Strategies-To-Keep-You-Safe&id=376272 cheap prescription tramadol online overseas pharmacy ultram buy tramadol hcl order tramadol cheap

Losing Weight Fast

Sunday, November 18th, 2007

By Abbie Frank If you’ve read anything about weight loss, you know that it’s a long term process that takes time. You’ve also heard that it’s taken you months and sometimes years to gain weight and expecting to lose it fast is not realistic. The problem however is that maybe you have a pair of pants or a nice formfitting dress that you’re so close to being able to wear comfortably that just a couple of pounds would make all the difference. Sometimes losing just a couple of pounds will make all the difference in the world… at least to you. You need to realize that weight is just a number. Being two, three or even five pounds lighter may make you feel better about yourself but the great majority of people simple won’t notice the difference. So unless you’re working in an industry where even the slightest weight fluctuation is important (like pro wrestling, modeling, horse jockey etc.) you would be better off changing your perspective than attempting quick weight loss. Anytime you try to lose more than a pound or two a week, you can potentially damage your health. These are rare but are very real and can damage your health for life. I encourage you to make an appointment and visit with your doctor to discuss your weight loss plans. For those who are interested in just feeling better, and that special set of clothes and need to lose some weight fast, the answer is to remove water from your body. Our bodies are mainly water and actually very heavy. A gallon of water weighs in at 7 1/2 pounds. Manage to remove a gallon of water from your body, and you lose 7 1/2 pounds. Not giving your body enough water, however, can lead to heart problems, but it can lower your weight quickly. You should know that there’s really no way to maintain water weight loss long term. While a short-term tactic, trying to manage water weight gain will only end up being a frustrating effort that ends in failure. Water weight is the reason why are weight fluctuates from day to day, and even from morning to night. Drink a lot of liquids in your weight will go up as many as five and sometimes even more pounds. In the next day or two though when your body processes and eliminates the water, your weight will return back to normal. See, you didn’t actually gained the weight, nor did you lose it because it’s simply water weight fluctuation. One way to lose water weight though is to eliminate salt. Without salt or sodium, your body will release excess water. You need to stay away from all sodium-based foods as well. If your goal is losing weight fast to fit into those jeans, you need to read every label on every food that you eat. When attempting to lose weight quickly you need to read every label to eliminate as much salt in sodium as possible. Your perspective on this matter makes a great deal of difference on whether you’re satisfied with your appearance. If you’re close to your ideal weight a couple of pounds of water weight are not going to make much of a difference in your appearance. If you’re definitely overweight you should know that it will take more than a couple of pounds of weight loss for others to notice. Your best bet for losing weight fast is as always a healthy diet and more active lifestyle. Abigail Franks has done extensive research into weight loss and what works. Find out valuable information about How to lose weight and successful weight loss methods Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Abbie_Frank http://EzineArticles.com/?Losing-Weight-Fast&id=507134 cheapest phentermine without a prescription phentermine diet pills com buy phentermine no prescription required buy phentermine with mastercard