Archive for February, 2008
February 28th, 2008 -- Posted in Uncategorized |
The recent natural disasters that have hit Myanmar (Burma) and China have been unbelievably tragic. The casualties from these events have been staggering; the outpouring of support from other nations has been encouraging. Our world is no longer one in which we are isolated from other nations. Technology has made such events seem as though they are within our reach.
No longer can events happen overseas that we can plead ignorance to or argue that information is lacking. Further, the events of 9/11/2001 and Hurricane Katrina are still very present in American minds and consciences. Remembering the support we received from other nations during that time, it is not our desire to turn our backs to others in crisis.
Further complicating the events in these Asian countries, is the frustration that supplies are not getting through quickly enough. From a region that has, to Americans, struggled to uphold tradition, honor spirituality, and find balance, the cyclone and earthquake are harsh reminders to us all that Mother Nature bends to no one. She can bestow beauty and means for a society to thrive on, or She can twist, bend, and break Her creations. Mother Nature’s wrath can leave a country starving and thirsty-literally and figuratively.
The original emphasis during these trying times has been on mere survival. There have been intensive searches to find those still alive, as well as survivors finding new ways of providing for their families. Now that some time has passed, a more thorough focus on the overall toll will become more evident. Both Myanmar and China will face significant, if not devastating, financial struggles in the years ahead. The disasters will impact quality of life, the economy (tourism, exports, produce), and the overall spirit of the nations’ citizens.
With the current crunch in our own economy, as well as concerns about foreign aid reaching those it’s intended to reach, Americans are struggling with what they can do to help out. Helping out may be easier than you think. Whereas a few months ago there was a lot of negative media attention given to products being marketed in China , now may be the occasion to demonstrate renewed interest in Chinese products. Certainly, do not put your family at risk by willfully buying questionable products such as those made with lead paint. Instead, research safe buying options that can help stimulate the Myanmar and Chinese economies (sound familiar, Americans?). Some ideas follow in the paragraphs below.
One popular export of both of these Asian countries is tea. The types of tea currently favored in the U.S. are black and green teas. However, there is also a rising interest in the two other main types of tea: white and oolong. Oolong tea is the latest tea gaining popularity in Western culture, known for its smooth and slightly fruit-infused taste . Oolong, translated, means “black dragon”; it is also sometimes referred to as Wulang tea because its originator was Wu Liang. Myanmar, Laos, and the Yunnan Province of China are all areas credited with the origins of the tea plant.
Another tasty tea treat, popular in Myanmar and Burmese restaurants in the U.S. is laphet . With laphet, you can eat your tea! Laphet is made with fermented (pickled) tea leaves, mixed with a variety of spices. The other spices can be salt, chili, sesame, fried garlic, peas, fried garlic, etc. The variations are tasty and allow you to get creative if you want to attempt to make laphet at home.
Rubies are another export of Myanmar-approximately 90% of the world’s rubies originate in this region. The brilliant, deep red of the gems is popular for Valentine and Christmas jewelry, as well as complementary stones for traditional diamond engagement rings. In addition, Myanmar mines sapphires and jade. A lesser known fact about sapphires is that they come in a wide spectrum of colors. Blue sapphires are the most popular of the gem’s colors, but other sapphires are completely clear or other shades referred to as “fancy colors.” Jade is the green stone that can be found in both China and Myanmar. While beautiful to look at, Jade is also exceptionally hard and was once made into tools.
Chinese art also goes through periods of trendiness with Western society. Chinese paper cutting is an intricate creative expression with a long tradition. In Chinese culture, paper cutting was once considered to be almost a requirement for females-they were expected to master the skill to the point that brides were judged on their expertise. The paper cuts can be framed and displayed alone, used to adorn lamps, and sometimes function as paper lanterns, depending on if the designs are stacked or two dimensional. Red paper cuttings are especially popular, with doorways adorned with paper cuttings said to bring luck.
While financial donations are still the number one requested type of donation for most natural disasters, including for the victims of Cyclone Nargis and the Sichuan earthquake, support can come from other means, as well. The benefits of buying exported goods from these countries are the same as for American economic stimulus. Putting money back into the hands of these countries will help them in the short-term and the long-term. Bringing attention to lesser-known ways to help victims of natural disaster is an option that can and should be explored, especially if there are concerns about donation scams. The best advice is to buy products from established retailers with a long-standing relationship with these countries, if not from the countries directly.
I love the world of tea. Not only is tea a refreshing wholesome beverage but it is good for your health and spirit. I am also interested in the marketing of tea particularly specialty tea which is the fastest growing part of the tea market. Please visit my site at The Wizard of Tea
February 24th, 2008 -- Posted in Uncategorized |
In the first half of the 20th Century there were 3 “Major” sports: baseball, horse racing, and boxing. Horse racing and boxing are slowing dying, and boxing, more than horse racing, has done it to itself. Last century, the most prestigious individual sports title — as well as the most famous athlete — was usually the heavyweight boxing champion. Quick — name the current heavyweight champion. OK, as most of you know, there has not been only one heavyweight champion on a consistent basis for 30 years, but that is the point. Do the names Ruslan Chagaev (from Uzbekistan, WBA), Samuel Peter (Nigerian, WBC), and Wladimir Klitschko (Ukrainian, IBF & WBO) ring a bell (no pun intended)?
There used to be 8 World Champions — ya know, 8 weight classes — 8 World Champions. Makes sense. Everyone knew the heavyweight champion, sports fans could also name the middleweight champion, and serious boxing fans could name all 8 World Champions. Now there are 17 weight classes and 4 organizations for a possible 68 World Champions. There is close to that number of World Champions at any given time and most of the “Champions” in the same weight class have never fought each other. Sounds like a brilliant way to run a sport. Now, admittedly, you do not have to be smart to be a boxer, but do the people running the sport have to be that dumb?
There are numerous stars in each of the other sports who are well known, especially in American Football, MLB, basketball, and soccer/football (either worldwide or in the country where that athlete plays). The difference is that these athletes compete on a regular basis AND do it in front of large crowds AND huge non-paying television audiences. The fans have lots of opportunities to become familiar with them — through the sporting events and the constant media coverage of these events. Boxers do not compete often enough to develop 68 stars. There are a lot of reasons that boxing is dying, however, having numerous “fake champions” that no one ever has heard of — is the number one reason. It is clear as day (even Mike Tyson — perhaps with Leon Spinks’s help — could figure it out) and for the last 30 years no one has done anything about it.
For sake of completeness, here are some other theories (not all mine) as to why boxing it dying:
1. Gambling and corruption (admittedly, this always existed, of course; however, Don King made it more prevalent, gave it more publicity, and made it even more annoying).
2. Too much time between fights.
3. The fights that the public really want to see either never happen or we get them several years too late.
4. All the big fights have to be paid for on pay per view (did you pay $60 to watch the Super Bowl?).
5. Current boxing champions lack charismatic personalities.
6. The promoter rips off the boxer after the boxer has done most of the hard work and received the life- threatening physical punishment (”pimp-ho relationship”).
7. The best athletes no longer go into boxing because of the physical toll it takes on them (with Ali’s physical condition a constant sad reminder). As a result, today’s boxers are not as exciting to watch.
8. Today’s society’s objection to boxing’s violence and occasional deaths (although given the popularity of MMA/UFC this is probably not a very good argument).
That gives us 10 reasons (too many weight classes and sanctioning bodies being the other 2) — that is a lot of reasons — with several of them being significant problems. So, how can boxing clean up this mess and save itself from its slow death? Well, it will not be easy and it might never happen. However, not surprisingly, I have a few suggestions.
First, get one worldwide sanctioning body to run the sport. I do not have a solution on how to force this to happen, however, I do know that boxing will never be popular again until this is done. Second, whittle the number of weight classes down to 10 (12 at the most). The new champion is forced to fight the number 1 ranked contender FIRST and within 6 months of winning the title. If he wins, then he has to fight the fight the number 2 contender next and within 6 months of the last fight. Meanwhile the disposed-of World Champion has to fight the number 3 contender (if he does not retire) within 6 months, with the winner becoming the new number 2 contender (since there will be a loser from the first fight I mentioned). (OK, so this is not perfect, but something has to be done so that the best fighters quit ducking each other and boxing fans get to see the best fighters fight each other.) In addition, the champion will never be allowed to fight someone NOT ranked in the top 5 unless he has beaten all the top 5 contenders, then that fighter has to ranked in top 10. You get the idea.
All boxer-manager contracts have to be approved by the sanctioning body, and the contract must adhere to the guidelines and rules (with limits on the percentage of money a manager can receive) which were previously set by the sanctioning body.
All Championship Bouts will have a 10 round maximum — this will increase the amount of action per round. All bouts will have at least 5 judges and the Championship Bouts will have 9 judges. Replace the ten point must system with a 3 (or 5) point must system and encourage the referees to give more 2 point differentials when they score the bout (some 3-1 scores as opposed to all 3-2 scores). Appeals of decisions of bouts will be allowed within reason and 9 new judges will re-score the fight. (OK, so this is not perfect either, but something has to be done to get rid of, or at least limit, all the corruption in boxing.)
Only Championships Bouts will be on pay-per-view, all other bouts will be on cable and network television (with the exception of the opening acts on the pay-per-view events, all of which must be bouts that determine who will next fight for the Championship in a particular weight class). This might not be ideal either, but at least boxing fans will get their money’s worth (especially since there will be only 10 World Champions instead of 60).
I am sure there are more reasons as to why boxing is dying and more possible solutions to boxing’s problems. And these suggestions might not solve all of boxing’s problems and prevent it from dying a slow death, but at least they will take boxing off life support that it is currently on.
Mark D. Hauser
Owner: http://UltimateSportsRankings.com
February 20th, 2008 -- Posted in Uncategorized |
They could be different reasons for eyebrow hair loss. Over-plucking and rough or harsh plucking of eyebrows could lead to eyebrow hair loss. Over dose of vitamins, low thyroid hormone level, hormonal imbalance during menopause, nutritional imbalance, chemotherapy and certain skin disorders are the most common causes.
The treatment depends on the cause and once diagnosed can be treated well. Hair transplants can be done on women in selected cases. Before going in for surgery, you should meet a dermatologist and find the cause for the hair loss and treat it. Surgery may be unnecessary. In the meantime a balanced diet and restful sleep will help to solve the problem to some extent.
Iodine is an important element for hair growth. Lack of iodine is your diet leads to hair fall and excess of it could have an adverse effect.
Home remedies for eyebrow hair loss like applying castor oil on the eyebrow and leaving it overnight encourages thick growth. Warm coconut oil and olive oil are also supposed to aid growth. All these remedies take time to show best results, however they seem to be effective.
Oil being rich in vitamins and proteins has exceptional penetration efficiency. Hence it stops protein loss in hair. Regular use of oil helps stop hair loss.
The temporary way of resolving this problem, would be make-up, stencil to give the eyebrow a well-defined shape. These options depend on how comfortable the person is with it.
Eyebrows are well-defined features of our face. It would be embarrassing for a person to attend social gatherings and events with eyebrows. Loss of eyebrow hair could destroy a person’s self-esteem and level of confidence. Well crafted eyebrows add charm to one’s face. Losing eyebrows could be depressing and petrifying as well. It could make a person feel self-conscious.
If surgery, oiling and a balanced diet do not help in restoring the growth of eyebrows tattooing could be tired. The permanent crafted eyebrow look natural and does not cause embarrassment as in the case of wigs. However nothing can replace the hairy eyebrows.
Eyebrows enhance and illustrate the eye. So never neglect your eyebrows, for a person who has always taken care of their appearance, sudden lose of hair could be traumatic. So the earlier you attend to the problem the better you can overcome.
Watch out, there are many money making therapies which do not yield results but only make tall promises. Deal with reputed cosmetologist and surgical clinics.
Robert Grazian is an accomplished niche website developer and author.
To learn more about eyebrow hair loss visit Curbing Hair Loss for current articles and discussions.
February 16th, 2008 -- Posted in Uncategorized |
Banjo hitters are always on the look out for hot bats to get them out of the cellar. What they do not realize is that getting on base at a higher frequency outweighs the over the wall thrill of crushing the baseball.
At the amateur level the playing field was leveled by having bats certified. The figures and ratios for these different levels of certification were designed to protect defensive players. Once the batter puts the ball into play, the defender only has their glove, skill and ability to keep them out of harms way.
Yet even with these protections there are fatal results. Most notably was a promising college pitcher that for what ever the reason was not able to protect himself from the ball being struck. Sadly, a line drive to the forehead resulted in a fatal injury.
Ball Exit Speed Ratio (BESR) is required to be listed with all non-wood bats used in the NCAA which is the limit of the liveliness. Certification process is performed by the University of Massachusetts at Lowell Baseball Research Center. UMLBRC is the official certification center for non wood baseball bats used in NCAA and NHFS leagues. Manufacturers previously were allowed to certify their own bats but his was eliminated in 2006. BESR is a mathematical prediction based the physics by applying the law of conversion of angular momentum to the ball-bat interaction.
Which is completely a mouthful but if you want all the nitty gritty equations, you can find them at the Baseball Research Center web site which is hosted by the University of Massachusetts - Lowell. All the technical information about how the BESR gets its name and what procedures are taken to certify bats are in the White Paper there.
Every year the marketing experts will tell you that theirs is the best bat for the buck. It is their job to convey to the public why theirs is the best and why you should have no issues with spending upwards of $400 to improve your game.
Marketing folks tend to pass over the fact that all non-wood bats require proper break in and temperatures to perform to the levels established in the lab. Add to this that batting cages are great for swing development they do little if noting to facilitate bat break in. Batters must simply hit real leather covered baseballs to break in new baseball bats.
Most baseball bat owners do not need to worry about varying weather as it is the select few that travel outside their dominate weather region. The accepted rule of thumb is never use composites under 65 degrees. So, for those in the northern states, wood and metal a better as they can handle the temperature ranges. Also, what may be a killer bat for a player that uses it in Arizona can be a complete dud should they travel to western Washington as the coastal air is heavy and generally cooler. This combination reduces ball flight via friction and weight in the ball while in tandem reducing the sweet spot on the composite and metal bats.
Manufactures look for ways to improve performance while attaining the BESR ratings. Backroom machinist have developed ways to “juice” or “roll” metal and composite bats to gain several feet of ball travel. All in the name of gaining a mechanical advantage over the opposition.
The scary part of shade tree bat modifiers is they may be creating something that is so un-safe it verges on dangerous. Not being a metallurgists and changing the way a baseball bat is shaped or designed to respond to high velocity impacts can lead to serious injury. Everyone in the vicinity of the impact is now at risk. Batter, Catcher and Umpire are all relatively close to where a 9 ounce ball traveling upwards of 75 miles per hour collides with a 28 ounce bat rotating at 70 miles per hour That is a whole lot of energy being redirected in an instant.
Worse yet would be the change in ownership of the bat. If an individual wants to modify their bat and place themselves at risk is one thing, but to sell it off at a garage sale to an unsuspecting baseball player is ludicrous. No conscientious person would hand someone a live grenade minus the pin. Not knowing when, how or to what extent a bat will fail is not different.
Player bat selection needs to be made on the basis of feel, comfort and confidence. These three things must be present at the approach to the plate, waiting at the plate, through the entire swing until the bat is released from the hands as the player make progress to fist base.
Lighter is generally better and the player can develop greater rotational velocity. Changes in mass do affect the response of the ball. Do not sacrifice sure footedness and balance for weight. Players may have short term or inconsistent gains with heavier bats. Trading for higher batting averages will always outweigh the occasional home run.
So, what makes for a hot bat? Hot bats are those that each player individually selects which provides for the best possible batting average at their skill level. Be it wood, metal or composite, if the player can consistently make contact with the ball from various pitchers, you indeed have a hot bat.
Mr. Dowdy is the father of 3 and after re-entering competitive baseball with his oldest frustration of finding suitable glove is what lead him to become an Official Distributor for NW Kelley USA Click now for a free catalog or sign up your e-mail for special offers.
You can also visit the Hirsch Group site more news/tips/articles on the subjects of baseball, construction, building codes and more that most will find a quick way to fall asleep. You can even stop by the Hirsch Group Blog for current events
Thanks for reading my article!
February 13th, 2008 -- Posted in Uncategorized |
The estate agent community has expressed extensive concern over the NCA. Is the picture really that of gloom and doom? Just as with other articles this month, the answer is yes or no, depending on your perspective. To help you decide which, this article takes a broader view of the picture so that we all can hopefully make more sense of the situation.
We recently published an article focused on the negative effects the NCA is having on the economy as a whole. However, when we look at the estate agency industry we must realize that it has many sub-sectors. For the purpose of this article, we will only discuss residential, as we believe that this sector is currently the greatest pressure.
So, is the doom and gloom projection and speculation for estate agents in the residential market due to the NCA and how much does the NCA impact on such a possible outcome?
The current truth expresses by many estate agents is a resounding - yes. But we think that there is more to the story than meets the eye.
By now all property investors should be aware that fewer bonds are being granted, more people rejected for financing of all types and the Bond approval period has been greatly extended. Estate agents started with a small change of 20 days to bond grant, extended new offers to purchase to 45 days and in the last report heard the recommendation is to write 60 days for bond approval. Wow!!! This can’t possibly be good for an estate agency that now has to wait for Commission income in 6 months. This situation could possible devastate small agencies that need the income to carry on business. One can easily understand the reason for excessive concern.
The point is that the NCA most certainly has the very real potential to cut an estate agents earning in half. However, the NCA alone cannot be blamed for all the problems. Instead there is a culmination of events and practices that have lead to the current situation.
Agents are being too hasty when they blame everything on the NCA. They are partly responsible for the current compounded situation because for too long they simply shirked the factor of buying power from their businesses. Sell, sell, sell and at the highest price was the motto.
If we look at the immense growth in property prices in the last few years and take into consideration that average house price is around 900,000 we see other factors come into play. This fact alone without the NCA, puts a lot of people out of the market to buy using the old 30% income ratio used to gauge bonds. If property prices continue to escalate, we can safely assume that, with NCA or without, the affordability would have naturally excluded many buyers out of the market. The NCA just added some very big logs to an already raging fire. The problem just got bigger.
To keep with perspective we have to add the large buy-to-let investor market. In the last years agents have eagerly been selling properties for investment with large shortfalls on the monthly cash flow. The hype was huge and demand just didn’t stop. Investors with such high gearing, 100% and more bonds, have become over exposed in their financial affordability. However, keep in mind that they are not over exposed merely due to the NCA. To keep things in perspective they would have, sooner or later, with or without the NCA, been deemed as over exposed by the banks which would then have stopped lending to them, so the problem again was imminent if analyzed closely. The NCA just helped make it happen sooner rather than later.
So, where does it leave estate agents in the residential market? It leaves them with a big problem. However, all problems do have solutions, though not all solutions are easily accepted, nevertheless there are solutions.
Lets look at some solutions that estate agents may want to explore and even act upon.
- Estate agents have been famous for over valuing homes in the last couple of years. With buyers lined up, at that time this was OK. Maybe now with lower affordability they will sell homes at a more fair value. This will give more affordability for buyers too and maybe more bonds will be approved.
- Agents may start to consider working with a type of investor. Investors that are looking for income producing properties. However, to work with such investors after being accustomed to selling “Equity growth” with negative cash flow, will require significant change in mind set. Change in mind set must also go with some understanding and education about the systems that such investors use. This could prove extremely profitable for agents, in the short to medium term, especially if things turn real nasty in the residential property market. This is simply because such investors only start to invest when things go bad, they don’t buy in up market periods. When talking to agents, one notices that most don’t tap into this market at all. There is no real reason for agents to starve in down times, all they need to do is change their strategy and find a new type of buyer.
- Another consideration that most agents do not want to hear or consider is to drop commission significantly. When one looks at the figures, this just makes sense in a down market. Let’s say an agent sells 10 properties at 10,000 commission, while another sells one property for 50,000 commission. In this case you can clearly see that 10 properties will bring 100,000 commission, while the other only half. This is simple maths and doesn’t take into consideration that the agent with less commission will also get easier mandates, make the property more affordable for the buyer and maybe even get more bonds approved. It may not be a lot more, but in a tight market a little more can make a whole lot more difference to paying the bills.
- Agents can cross over to other sub-sectors in the property brokerage industry. They can retrain themselves to move into commercial, land and industrial. These sectors have different periods of ups and downs and they can move from one sector to another to compliment income when residential sales are slowing down. For the long term this could prove to be a valuable strategic diversification technique that can provide more income sustainability.
To summarize, at the moment the residential market is going through a slow down period. People will always buy houses, but not always at the same rate. The NCA has put FAR more pressure on the residential market than there was before and the full impact can only be seen down the line. That may be too late for some estate agents, as they also need to feed families and pay bills at the end of every month.
That said, flexible and agile agents, willing to learn and change their strategies, put effort into their business and wear down the situation. Many may even thrive and make more income than before, if they can only accept that the “cheese has moved” and move with it.
Therefore after all is said and done, the doom or boom projections of current circumstances will depend on the specific circumstances of the agent and their maneuvers in the market place.
February 10th, 2008 -- Posted in Uncategorized |
A real estate bird dog is a person who finds property investment deals for investors without having to buy it. It is considered a risk free method of investing and a great method of learning real estate investments while making money. But the question is, can virtual bird dogs make money in the real estate industry? And if so, how?
So how do they make money?
Successful real estate bird dogs are making good amount of money by locating deals for their investors whether in good or bad times. That is bird dogs get a referral fee for finding good deals for other investors. This is often where people begin their investing career as there is only time at stake. They are typically paid when the deal closes. Typical fees for virtual bird dogs range between $500 and $3000.00 dollars. On the other hand, some bird dogs will structure companies and partnership arrangements as they’re frequently not real estate agents and may not be able to collect a “referral fee” for their services.
An investor may pay $500-$1000.00 for a bird dog fee, which is good enough just by doing a couple of hours of work during your spare time. But the good thing doesn’t end there. The best part is that you can observe and learn the strategies on making a deal, how that investor rehabs and sells the property, etc. Once you have seen your investors make $20,000-$30,000 profit, it won’t take long for you to develop the motivation that you need to start investing on your own.
Becoming a virtual real estate bird dog provides a number of benefits as it allows you to earn while learning the ways and means of real estate investing. And the old adage which says “practice makes you perfect” works perfectly well when it comes to real estate bird dogging. Being a virtual bird dog allows you to practice real estate investing, because you can follow the progress of each of the homes that you were paid to locate, and eventually learn many things from the experts in investing while doing the business.
Terry Wygal is a real estate investing expert on Real Estate Bird Dogs Check his site to learn how to be a real estate bird dog and get the latest tips and strategies on real estate investing at http://www.terrywygal.com
February 7th, 2008 -- Posted in Uncategorized |
Your late for an appointment, running vigorously, and just
realized you are hungry and haven’t eaten lunch. You look
around and the only place you can find quickly is
McDonalds. What do you do?
Your mind says no, it’s not healthy food. Your stomach says yes,
it’s time to eat. It is either going without food, or grabbing something quickly at McDonalds. What about all the negative exposure regarding McDonalds nutrition information?
You make the decision to grab something so your mind is clear
for your big appointment. Now what? Burgers, McNuggets, fries, shakes, salads all confuse you as the best nutritional choice.
After reviewing the current McDonalds nutrition facts, I have
decided to make it easier for consumer to make intelligent
choices by listing my McDonalds “Best Choice Awards.” Please remember, you do have a choice. Mickey D’s has made an attempt to offer some healthier alternatives to choose from. It is your responsibility to make that intelligent choice.
My biggest concern when analyzing the McDonalds nutrition facts was the amount of artery clogging saturated fat found in each item. I also paid close attention to the amount of calories found in each item.
Please note, there are healthier items found on their
menu than in the past, but overall, it is not like eating brown rice and steamed vegetables. I am listing all the foods below in the “not too bad” category.
Here is my list of the McDonalds “best choice awards.”
The choice is yours!
1. Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich 2g saturated fat / 420 calories
2. Chicken McNugget (4 piece) 2 g saturated fat / 170 calories
3. Fruit and Walnut Salad 2 g saturated fat / 310 calories
4. Caesar Salad (without chicken) 2.5 g saturated fat / 90 calories** Beware of the saturated fat in the dressing. The best dressing offered is the Newman’s Own Cobb Dressing.
5. Caesar with grilled chicken 3 g saturated fat / 220 calories
6. Chicken McNuggets (6 piece) 3 g saturated fat / 250 calories
7. Premium Spicy Chicken Sandwich 3 g saturated fat / 510 calories
8. Premium Crispy Chicken Classic Sandwich 3 g saturated fat / 500 cal.
9. McChicken 3.5 g saturated fat / 370 calories
10. Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips (3 pc) 3.5 sat. / 140 cal.
11. Bacon Ranch Salad without chicken 3.5 sat. / 180 cal.
12. Hamburger 3.5 g sat. / 260 cal.
13. Premium Grilled Chicken Ranch Sandwich 4 g sat. / 490 cal.
14. Filet of Fish 4 g sat. / 400 cal.
15. Best dessert is Fruit and Yogurt
For a complete list of all McDonalds nutrition information for
its whole menu visit http://www.WellnessWord.com/blog
Choose foods that have the lowest calories with the lowest
saturated fat. Watch out of extras such as high calorie, sugar
loaded soft drinks, and large amounts of salad dressing.
Now you can make good healthy choices and not feel guilty if you
decide to grab something quickly at McDonalds. McDonalds
nutrition is not all bad. The choice is yours!
*** Attention: Ezine Editors / Website Owners ***
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine, Blog, Autoresponder, or on your website as long as the links, and resource box are not altered in any way.
Jim O’Connor - Exercise Physiologist / The Fitness Promoter
Copyright (c) - Wellness Word, LLC
9461 Charleville Blvd. #312
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
1-866-935-5967
Jim O’Connor is a Beverly Hills health and fitness expert who is the author and publisher of Wellness Word Multimedia Newsletter. To receive more health and fitness consumer protection information subscribe free to Wellness Word Newsletter.
February 4th, 2008 -- Posted in Uncategorized |
We have all seen the photographs of public figures such as Jocelyn Wildenstein and Michael Jackson in regards to plastic surgery overkill. These are the people used as examples of why we supposedly need limits in the area of cosmetic surgery.
Their disfigured faces, destroyed through vanity and a compulsion to look a certain way, are there to remind us all of the dangers of excessive alterations.
But should a few individuals lack of judgment when it comes to their bodies reflect on society as a whole? Should their decisions be held accountable by the rest of the population?
Where does personal responsibility fit in?
There are many doctors and members of the public who believe legal limits should be imposed in the field of plastic surgery. That an arbitrary number needs to be written in the medical books so people don’t have the opportunity to go overboard in nipping and tucking.
But what number will they choose? How do they know where that magical line is that will cause someone’s health and appearance to decline due to cosmetic procedures? And should we allow these people to dictate to us what we can and can’t do with our bodies?
Body Issues
Our bodies are unique in design and respond to external factors in different ways. For example:
Some people struggle with weight and have to watch everything they eat while others can overindulge on a regular basis and never show any negative side effects from this kind of consumption.
Of course there are also people who choose to overindulge even though the effects of eating poorly are clearly detrimental to their health.
Does that mean we should impose limits on food because there are people who choose to disregard their own safety?
The reality is that our bodies have to be treated as the individual entities that they are. Decisions regarding what our figures can and can’t withstand have to come from a discussion between the person involved and their personal care physician.
Just as with many other things in life there is no hard and fast rule to determine how much cosmetic surgery someone can cope with. Some people can have ten procedures and never show any negatives signs that they had work done. Should that person be limited in their choice because someone else’s body can’t withstand the same?
Personal Freedom
One of the greatest things about living in a democratic nation is the personal freedom to make choices based on our personal belief systems. Does that mean everyone makes responsible choices all of the time? Of course not. But the freedom to choose is an important thing. Do you really want governments dictating what they consider to be acceptable for your body?
If someone like Jocelyn Wildenstein wants to spend 4 million dollars on plastic surgery to resemble a cat then why shouldn’t she? It is her body and her money. No one else has to look in the mirror and see her face so why do we pass judgment?
There are lots of statistics in this world that people can throw around to justify limitations on anything we choose to do. There are certain people who always want to impose restrictions based on personal bias or moral judgments.
The fact is when it comes to cosmetic surgery we are talking about our bodies. Many people experience profound positive results and a radical change in self-esteem after undergoing cosmetic surgery It is a deeply personal choice and one that should remain personal.
Discussions regarding cosmetic procedures should clearly stay in the doctor’s office.
The Brampton Cosmetic Surgery and Laser Clinic Brampton Cosmetics, for plastic surgery, Toronto, Ontario, has been dedicated to cosmetic surgery and skin health for over ten years.
February 2nd, 2008 -- Posted in Uncategorized |
Besting: Better Nesting - an improvement in quality of housing with additional features and benefits. Amenity rich options that afford luxury and levels of comfort or pampering that reach beyond traditional housing.
Future Primary Residence: A second home today, that may or may not generate some rental income, but its primary purchase was for future personal use as a retirement residence. FPR is different from a traditional second home in that it is being interviewed and mentored for the day it becomes a full time home.
Cottage: The home you dream of being at while you are in the office. If home is where your heart is, your heart is up at the cottage, by the lake, overlooking the valley, next to the town, deep in the woods, perched on a bluff with the most incredible sunsets and sunrises from your hammock.
Pied a terre: If your dream home is in a vibrant city centre, with the vibe of culture at your doorsteps, then a pied a terre may be in your future. Typically a small, basic housing style - Besting suggests these properties are getting more luxurious in amenities and services.
Traditional Condominium: A cottage with less maintenance and a gardener who trims and weeds while you are back at the office. Legally a condominium is an ownership interest in a block of air, from painted wall to painted wall, and a right to use common areas owned by you and the other condo association owners. This is a form of ’shared ownership’.
Condo Resort Residence: A condo within a luxury resort, where you get a gardener plus pool boys, valet, and hotel amenities. Condo resort residences are typically not rented as part of the hotel rental program and are often in a separated area from traditional hotel or resort guests.
Condo Hotel: A condo resort residence within a hotel, rented nightly by the hotel management team while you are back at the office. Looks and feels like a condo, with multiple rooms, typically larger than 600 square feet, all amenities and services of the hotel.
Hotel Condo: Legally a condo within a commercial hotel, looks and feels like a hotel room or suite. Typically smaller than 600 square feet and does not have a kitchen. Often used as a pied Terre, a shorter stay vacation or second home, or a base camp for luxury living. Comes equipped with hotel rental program when you are back at the office or in your other hotel condo getaway locations.
Deeded Timeshare: Shared real or deeded real estate ownership and use rights of real property for a specific period of time. Often in vacation or resort markets. Most often refers to 1/52 share or 1 week of ownership rights. When sold as 1/52 share, the real estate value is often diluted by as much as 50% - i.e. a furnished $250,000 whole ownership condominium, which is converting and sold as timeshare will be sold at $9,600 per week ($9,600 x 52 = $500,000). As much as 50% of the retail cost of a timeshare covers sales, marketing and management expenses, because timeshare is more than real estate ownership it is a lifestyle product. $10 billion in timeshare was sold in 2006, up from $8.6 billion in 2005, this is a booming market.
Un-deeded “Points” Timeshare: Same as deeded timeshare, except the consumer receives a ‘right to use’ a property for a specific, typically long-term, period of time - i.e. 1 week of use for the next 10 years.
Vacation Clubs: Functions similar to a timeshare, club management buy timeshare interests from several resorts and then offers this time to club members. Club members do not get property deeds, but they do enjoy large discounts on vacation housing costs. Clubs are growing in popularity.
Fractional Ownership: Timeshare in bigger slices of ownership, and therefore more real estate at a value closer to whole ownership pricing. Fractional is typically ¼ to 1/13 share of deeded real property ownership. Fractional owners get a deeded ownership interest in a particular condo unit or property, when they come for their use time, this is solely the unit they use. ‘Why buy a whole pie if you only want a piece?’
40,000 households own fractional real estate, this is only 1% of the top earning households, fractional is poised for substantial growth.
Non-Traditional Fractional (NTF): Fractional shares smaller than 1/13 to 1/26 share. Bigger shares than timeshare, smaller than traditional fractional, 3.5 weeks or 2 weeks of use. NTF is often found in private residence club structures.
Private Residence Club: Fractional ownership in a resort project, with a deed to a particular condo, but with the right to use any available condo in the resort or a number of resorts within the club association.
Bob Waun is the author of a new book on this trend called: “Besting” http://www.betternesting.com . He is CEO of Vacation Finance, America’s First Second-Home Lender and a leader in the resort and second home industries.