Smile: [smahyl]  verb – to express amusement, pleasure, moderate joy or love and kindness, by the features of the face; to laugh silently.

Why is it so hard for people to smile? Even if it’s a fake smile, researchers have proven that a smile, fake or not, will automatically boost your mood. Why? Humans associate emotions with phyiscal activity or contact. If you are walking around sluggish and angry, you emit a negative energy around you. So what do you think would happen if, let’s just say, you smile? Duh! Positive energy all around.

So, I have  a social experiment for everyone this month: smile at a stranger. Scenario: you’re taking your dog for his morning walk. You are about to cross paths with a someone you don’t know who is also walking their dog. For some people this is awkward so they look away, or may even whip out their cell phone to pretend to look busy (I may be guilty of this one). Try and fight these urges and just offer a quick and harmless smile. Chances are you will receive a smile back. Now was that so hard? Smiling is contagious, it takes little effort and it’s free! What’s better than a free gesture? A smile can turn someone’s bad day into a slightly happier one.

Don’t just think of this as helping others. Think of this as helping yourself. By smiling you are sending yourself the message that you are a positive individual. And remember, “smile and the whole world smiles with you.” You can thank me later.

“New research that uses an innovative approach to study, for the first time, the relative contributions of food and exercise habits to the development of the obesity epidemic has concluded that the rise in obesity in the United States since the 1970s was virtually all due to increased energy intake.

“There have been a lot of assumptions that both reduced physical activity and increased energy intake have been major drivers of the obesity epidemic. Until now, nobody has proposed how to quantify their relative contributions to the rise in obesity since the 1970s. This study demonstrates that the weight gain in the American population seems to be virtually all explained by eating more calories. It appears that changes in physical activity played a minimal role,” said the study’s leader, Professor Boyd Swinburn, chair of population health and director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University in Australia….”

Read the full article

“So you lost your job. Now what? As an employee, you had a daily routine, health insurance coverage, and a regular paycheck. You liked the security—while it lasted. And if you sometimes daydreamed about the freedom of working for yourself, leaving a full-time job never seemed worth the risk.

But now, laid off into a recession and the worst job market in decades—2.6 million Americans lost jobs in 2008, with 524,000 eliminated in December alone—you may be thinking self-employment sounds like the best path out of unemployment. Rather than try to land one of the few open jobs out there, maybe you could work as a freelancer or consultant, at least until the job market recovers. You’re in good company: There were nearly 9 million self-employed workers in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But if you’re among the thousands of unemployed now trying to go it alone, where do you start?

First, step back. Decide what your goals are and how freelancing will help you achieve them, says Pamela Slim, author of the Escape From Cubicle Nation blog and a forthcoming book of the same name. “It’s obviously very easy at the point of being laid off to really come from a position of fear and desperation,” she says. Thinking about long-term goals from the start will keep you grounded and help you determine how to proceed. Once you’re clear on your goals, Slim says, you should ask: “What are the specific skills, knowledge, money, resources, information, and contacts [you] need to bring that picture to life?”

Health Care

There are plenty of nuts-and-bolts concerns that can overwhelm first-time freelancers, especially those who suddenly lost steady jobs. Chief among them is health care. The health insurance system does not accommodate… “ continue reading

Don’t be a lazy bastard.
Gah, you might be thinking, you don’t have to be such a biatch. Sorry. I can’t help it when it comes to important things. So many people I know ALWAYS use the excuse, “I don’t have enough time in the morning to prepare anything, so we (or my kids) eat cereals or protein bars. It’s easy, fast and…” – let me finish that line for you, “CRAPPY FOR THEM.” You can’t argue with me; it’s true. Now, get a conscience and get caring about you and your kids’ health! I just can’t believe I have to tell you this.

Make a yummy nutritious meal for breakfast.
Ok if you HAVE to use that stupid, lame excuse of not having enough time in the morning, then prepare some things the night before so you have little to prepare the next day. Here’s one example (but DO search online for a variety of ideas) Make some whole wheat or multi-grain scones the night before, then in the morning eat them with organic almond butter and some organic jam. Or simply with fruit. Make a quick side of scrambled eggs and voila. Yummy and healthy meal.

Be more organized – Plan for the whole week and vary meals.
This also relates to the previous idea, “don’t be a lazy bastard.” If you plan for the week, your breakfast life will be smooth as peanut butter. During the weekends, plan your meals for every week day. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something different every single day, depending on the tastes of you and your family members, but it should vary to an extent. This is important so your bodies receive a variety of nutrients instead of the very same ones day after day. For example, if you have kids love their home-made organic muesli, allow it Tuesday and Thursday one week, then for the next week allow it Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Vary the kinds of fruit and nuts you add to the muesli. Maybe once in a while add yogurt instead of whole, raw organic milk.

Make Pancakes better.
If you and your family likes pancakes once in a while, instead of using just white flour, add more hearty and healthy flours into the mix like whole wheat flour and buckwheat flour. Also, make sure if you do use white flour, that it is non-bleached and organic. Use organic ingredients as much as possible including eggs, sugar and milk.

Offer all kinds of different spreads for toast.If there’s a die-hard, “gotta have” toast in the a.m., offer different things to spread on it: Peanut butter, coconut butter, almond butter or other kinds of nut butters, tahini, organic butters and cream cheese, organic fruit and jams. Or something completely different: pickled herring, organic cheeses, a poached egg, veggies. How ’bout some organic maple syrup?

The organic tortilla is your friend for breakfast.
I’ve been recently been liking brown rice tortillas but there are many kinds that are good for your health. Tortillas are champions in convenience and you can put all kinds of things into them. Breakfast burritos, veggies and scrambled eggs, bean and cheese, fruity wraps…you will only be limited by your imagination. And if you run out of ideas, look online for more ideas! You don’t have to be alone in this breakfast dilemma.

Let smoothies rule.
There’s nothing more healthy than throwing some fruit, plain yogurt or juice into a blender and make a refreshing, scrumptious and satisfying smoothie. Add some flax seed meal into it and you may become addicted to this excellent meal in a glass. Make sure to vary fruit and ingredients for your smoothies!

Related: Why you shouldn’t eat popular breakfast cereals, More reasons to give up Cereal, especially Corn Flakes! Healthy Organic Breakfasts

We’re just barely finishing the second week of the new year, and you’ve already gone off your workout. Have you given up completely? Will this be another new year’s resolution categorized as fail? Are you simply pushing forward the same ole resolution year after year because you can’t stick to the workout? Have I made you feel even worse than you already feel? Sorry ’bout that. I really don’t mean to do that because, in fact, I’m here to tell you that you probably gave up on your workout because it’s not the right workout. Really! It isn’t you; it’s the workout. Now, it’s time to figure out what will work for you.

Here’s an example: When I first started taking Tai Chi, I absolutely loved it (and still do) and knew I could stick to that for a long while. It is something that transcends me to another place, a place where I want to be day after day. It made sense in the deepest perspective and it was right for me. I took the class with my friend, Penny, who had the exact opposite reaction to it. She hated it so much, it was nearly torture. Actually, she’d remarked that she’d prefer torture to doing Tai Chi. She would rather have someone cut off her arm or stab her a million times or set her hair on fire than do Tai Chi. I was baffled. How could someone deeply hate something I deeply love so much?

But hey, I’m not one to dwell. I let it go. Tai Chi and Penny were not meant to be partners. End of discussion. And you should do the same if this happens to you. So, if you started your pilates or jazz dance or yoga or whatever you thought would help you keep a regular exercise regime and keep you fit and keep your weight at a manageable level – but gave up, don’t worry. You now need to find what’s best for you.

I don’t know what is best for you; only you and you alone know what is best for you. That said, if you try something and you cannot make a commitment to it, drop it! If you don’t find your “groove” or “flow” or “bliss,” forget about it. It’s as simple as that, BUT! don’t give up. Try other things until you find the right thing. Consider the following. If you can’t get into yoga or tai chi because you find it a little on the boring side or not active enough, try something like dance or aerobics or rock climbing or spinning or biking or hiking or skiing or surfing or soccer or swimming or basketball… Are you more of a mellow, steady and ready for mind and body challenges – kind of person? Maybe you will like martial arts, fencing, dancing the tango or ballroom dancing. Are you more of a social person? Try team sports, tennis, dance classes… You see where I’m going with this right?

There are LOTS of things to try, but it first helps to figure yourself out then go from there. If you get too bored running, obviously, don’t do that activity. If you love nature and being outdoors because it makes you feel more connected to the universe, by all means, partake in activities that involve nature. If you need to be alone have an intense workout incorporating mind, body and spirit, you will most likely be well matched with yoga, tai chi; maybe the Wii Fit is a good fit for you? The most important thing is to NOT give up.

Without a doubt, I am rejuvenile, not to mention too, that I have some weird connection with Weeds. There are just so many references that I can relate to, or that I already know about like the game “Carcassone,” which was incorporated into an episode. How many people even know or CARE about that? I know about it! And Dinah? They have free internet so I go there when I’m in town. Not too crazy about the food, however. Anyway, maybe it’s because I’m originally from L.A. that I simply see all of the stuff I grew up around. I haven’t lived in L.A. for a long time but it’s always fun to see my home town, a crazy wacko kooky village as it may be.

Back to Rejuvenile. Here’s an excerpt from Publishers Weekly: According to journalist Noxon, rejuveniles-adults who use childhood past-times as “a way of maintaining wonder, trust, and silliness in a world where these qualities are often in short supply”-are proliferating, and unlike other books on the topic of “kidults” (aka “twixters,” “boomerangers,” and “generation debt”), his book says this is largely good. Viewing the bright side of oft-bemoaned evidence showing increasing numbers of young adults living with parents and postponing marriage, Noxon has made an entertaining but incomplete read. In appropriately playful prose, he considers successful adults who play in rock n’ roll nursery rhyme cover bands, attend Disney World without kids, and happily plunk down 10 bucks to see Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie. Avoiding “The Downside of Now” until the end, Noxon almost admits that he isn’t telling the whole story of the rejuveniles: although it’s “nice to think of rejuveniles as freethinking romantics,” which he theretofore does, “it’s clear that outside forces also have a hand in shaping who rejuveniles are.” Those outside forces? Not crushing student loans, a stagnant job market or political age-bias, but “the media.” Of course, Noxon would probably just as soon leave worrying to grown-ups of the old school-he’ll be on the kickball field instead.

Want to get the book? Click the link below.

Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes, and the Reinvention of the American Grown-up

Walnut tree bark – rub walnut tree bark on your teeth. This helps remove stains from your teeth. This is one of the best teeth whitening cures.

Bicarbonate of soda – Brush your teeth with bicarbonate of soda just 5 minutes before brushing your teeth with normal toothpaste in the morning. You should see an improvement after several weeks.

Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide – Mix these together to form a toothpaste and efficiently brush your teeth regularly with this paste. It should remove all stains in a month.

Orange Peel Rub the inside of an orange peel (the white part) against your teeth and this should help in you teeth whitening treatment.

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) – Brush your teeth every night with apple cider vinegar. This is known to be an effective home remedy for teeth whitening.

Strawberries – are considered natural remedy for teeth whitening. Rubbing the teeth with strawberries daily will remove all the stains. Remember to eat them because strawberries are also good for you.

Ash – Brushing your teeth with hard wood ash is also beneficial as it contains a teeth whitener – potassium hydroxide. It may not be the most tasty but it’s effective.

Your diet matters – Certain foods you eat help your teeth stay nice and white: celery, apples and carrots clean your teeth naturally by way of chewing vigorously, and other foods like lettuce, strawberries, lemons, broccoli and spinach prevent staining by either creating a sort of film that protects your teeth from stains or cleans them well.

Brush! – To prevent discoloration and permanent staining of your teeth brush after every meal.

Lemon juice and salt – Mix the two to create a paste and apply to yellowing spots on teeth. It’s been reported that this is one of themost effective home remedies for teeth whitening.

Avoid excessive consumption of coffee, tea, red wine, carbonated drinks and smoking to ensure your teeth will keep their shiny white glow.

Lemon – Dip your toothbrush in lemon juice and brush your teeth well. This is also effective home remedy for teeth whitening. And refreshing, too!

Nail Biting – Don’t do this. This damages your teeth, and it’s just a horrible habit overall.

While some unfortunately uninformed people do not relate health to what they eat, the more informed and educated people know better. By eating the 14 super foods highlighted in Dr. Steven Pratt’s instant bestseller, you can actually stop the incremental deteriorations that lead to common ailments and diseases. Really. Don’t believe me? Try it and find out. What harm could it possibly do to give it a try? Here are the super foods to focus on and why:

* Beans — reduce obesity
* Blueberries — lower risk for cardiovascular disease
* Broccoli — lowers the incidence of cataracts and fights birth defects
* Oats — reduce the risk of type II diabetes
* Oranges — prevent strokes
* Pumpkin — lowers the risk of various cancers
* Wild salmon — lowers the risk of heart disease
* Soy — lowers cholesterol
* Spinach — decreases the chance of cardiovascular disease and age-related macular degeneration
* Tea — helps prevent osteoporosis
* Tomatoes — raise the skin’s sun protection factor
* Turkey — helps build a strong immune system
* Walnuts — reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer

* Yogurt-promotes strong bones and a healthy heart

SuperFoods includes recipes created by Chef Michel Stroot of the Golden Door Spa and teaches you how to incorporate SuperFoods and their sidekicks into your diet. SuperFoods Rx is an indispensable guide to a healthy, long, and energetic life.

Read SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life

“Fruits, vegetables and animals can be 100 percent organic. What about people?

In a fascinating experiment — on himself — Dr. Alan Greene, a pediatrician and author in Danville, Calif., decided to find out. For the last three years, Dr. Greene has eaten nothing but organic foods, whether he’s cooking at home, dining out or snacking on the road.

He chose three years as a goal because that was the amount of time it took to have a breeding animal certified organic by the Department of Agriculture. While food growers comply with organic regulations every day, Dr. Greene wondered whether a person could meet the same standards.

It hasn’t been easy.

“This isn’t a way of eating I could recommend to anybody else because it’s so far off the beaten food grid,” said Dr. Greene, 49, the founder of a popular Web site about children’s health, drgreene.com. “It was much more challenging than I thought it would be, and I thought it would be tough. There were definitely days where there was nothing I could find that was organic.”

Other writers have ventured off the traditional food grid, notably Barbara Kingsolver in “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” and Michael Pollan in “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” But what makes Dr. Greene’s experiment remarkable is the length of time he devoted to it, and his effort to incorporate organic eating into the routines of everyday living. His findings offer new insight into the challenges facing the organic food industry and those of us who want to patronize it.

Organic farmers don’t use conventional methods to fertilize the soil, control weeds and pests, or prevent disease in livestock.

Organic methods often lead to higher costs, and consumers can pay twice as much for organic foods as for conventional products. Last week, the financial advice Web site SmartMoney.com reported that to feed eight people an organic meal of traditional Thanksgiving foods, a shopper would pay $295.36 — a premium of $126.35, or 75 percent, over a nonorganic holiday spread.

To cut back on the cost of an organic diet, Dr. Greene said he had to cut back on meat. “Whenever you go up the food chain, the costs pile up,” he said. “If you don’t eat meat at every meal, if meat becomes more of a side dish than a centerpiece, you can fill the plate with healthy organic food for about the same price.”

Questions remain about whether organic foods are really better for you. The data are mixed. This fall, researchers from the University of Copenhagen reported on a two-year experiment in which they grew carrots, kale, peas, potatoes and apples using both organic and conventional growing methods. The researchers found that the growing methods made no difference in the nutrients in the crops or the levels of nutrients retained by rats that ate them, according to the study, published in The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

But other research suggests that organic foods do contain more of certain nutrients — almost twice as many, in the case of organic tomatoes studied for a 2007 report in The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Dr. Greene said he was inspired to go all-organic after talking to a dairy farmer who noted that livestock got sick less after a switch to organic practices. He wondered if becoming 100 percent organic might improve his own health.

Three years later, he says he has more energy and wakes up earlier. As a pediatrician regularly exposed to sick children, he was accustomed to several illnesses a year. Now, he says, he is rarely ill. His urine is a brighter yellow, a sign that he is ingesting more vitamins and nutrients.

At home, he said, the organic routine was relatively easy. Organic food is widely available, not just at stores like Whole Foods but at traditional supermarkets. He also shopped at farmer’s markets and joined a local community-supported agriculture group, or C.S.A. Because he bought less meat, the costs tended to balance out. And his family (two of his four children still live at home) largely went along with the experiment.

On the road, though, life was more challenging. In corporate cafeterias and convenience stores, he looked for stickers that began with the number 9 to signify organic; stickers on conventionally grown produce begin with 4.

When dining out, he called ahead; high-end restaurants were willing to accommodate his all-organic request. He also found a few lines of organic backpacking food that he could carry with him.

Dr. Greene reached the three-year milestone in October, but his diet is still organic. He hasn’t decided whether to keep going full tilt or to ease up in the interest of cost and convenience. In his latest book, “Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Baby Care” (Jossey-Bass), he advocates a “strategic” approach, urging parents to insist on organic versions of a few main foods, like milk, potatoes, apples and baby food.

The biggest surprise of the whole experience, he says, was that many people still don’t know what “organic” means.

“It’s surprising to me how few people know that organic means without pesticides, antibiotics or hormones,” he said. “In stores or restaurants around the country, I would ask, ‘Do you have anything organic?’ Half the time they would say, ‘Do you mean vegetarian?’ ”” [source]

Though she freely admits she’s neither a nutritionist nor a doctor, more than 400,000 subscribers rely on author Lillien’s “Hungry Girl” e-newsletter for healthy eating tips. In this congenial compilation, most of which is new to the book, she gives dieters a breakfast-to-dinner approach to eating lighter with scores of easy to prepare dishes. Lillien’s recipes enlist low-cal substitutes for traditional ingredients; diet lemon-lime soda and sugar-free powdered lemonade drink mix, for example, go into her Magical Low Calorie Margarita. In some cases, such as her Rockin’ Restaurant Spinach Dip, Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla and Dan Good Chili, she approximates high-calorie dishes without sacrificing too much in terms of flavor or texture. Unfortunately, those are the exceptions-the Ice Creamless Banana Split and Cheery Chocolate Cheesecake Nuggets (which calls for diet hot cocoa mix, Splenda, fat free cream cheese and sugar free chocolate syrup) taste more like punishment than dessert. Salads are well represented, though few are served with any kind of dressing, and meat dishes can run sky high in sodium. Tips for smart eating at the office, holiday parties, trips and the movies are appreciated, but the book would have benefited from the input of a licensed nutritionist or dietician.

Get it now by clicking on the link below.

Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World

Don’t forget your self-help books, garden supplies and books, meditation/yoga DVDs, music and books, exercise equipment and kitchen appliances such as juicers, food processors and more. I’m sure you’ll find SOMETHING you need at a great price.

During this Cyber Monday, most online merchants offer free shipping too! Yay. Check out the deals by clicking below:

Organic and Health Related Products on Sale

Much more than recipes, The Self-Healing Cookbook gives fresh, heartwarming support to anyone aiming to prevent or recover from diet-related moods and health symptoms. A starter shopping list, food-mood charts, self-healer’s workbook, and healing foods glossary are included. Along with a wealth of wisdom on how to eat locally, think globally, cook with the seasons, lose weight naturally and nourish growing kids.

Word-of-mouth has carried this book to Great Britain, Canada, Singapore, Israel, and Australia. Over 21,000 copies have sold in the Japanese edition. In April, 2002, it will be published in Brazil, in a Portuguese edition. We’d love to hear from international readers where else it has found a home in your kitchens.

Get it now: The Self-Healing Cookbook: Whole Foods To Balance Body, Mind and Moods

In this lively collection from an array of accomplished writers, readers meet an old woman who imparts an invaluable midnight message on a Greek island; brothers who heal old family wounds in Ireland; and travelers who awaken to the mystery of their souls in such disparate places as St. Peter’s in Rome and a dusty road in India. Contributors include Phil Cousineau, Kim Chernin, David Yeadon, Don George, and Jan Morris. The Spiritual Gifts of Travel reveals the myriad ways that travel renews the spirit. “The tales ring clear and loud with the universal need to travel the road toward self.”

Read more about: The Spiritual Gifts of Travel: The Best of Travelers’ Tales

“Do you have trouble getting things done? Have you ever decided to do something that was important to you, but later found you just weren’t making any headway at all? If you’re having trouble completing tasks that you want to do, and which you know you’re capable of doing, you might considering using a technique called benchmarking.

A benchmark is nothing more than a certain level of output that you’re establishing as your bare minimum. When using benchmarking, what you want to do is decide what your daily benchmark will be for a particular task, and accept nothing less than hitting that benchmark consistently.

For a benchmark to be realistic, it should be well below the maximum that you’re capable of, and substantially less than what you really want to do. You want to have an idea of what you’d ideally like to accomplish each day, but if you fail to hit your targets, you want to be sure that you at least achieve a certain minimum standard. Shoot for your goal, but accept no less than your benchmark.

An Example of Using Benchmarks
Let’s say you have a book that you’ve been meaning to read. You know it’s a book that will be very helpful, so you really want to read it in a reasonable period of time. But it’s a really big book and it requires a lot of concentration to fully understand it, so you’ve been procrastinating, hoping that you’ll find the time to read it someday. Of course, that day never comes, and the book continues to collect dust every day. How can you use benchmarking to ensure that you stop making excuses and actually read the book?

First, decide what your goal will be, how many pages you would like to read each day. How about 100 pages? No, that’s too much because it’s a fantasy. You might read that much on the first sitting, but you know the book’s material is too complex and you won’t make the time to read that much consistently. How about 20 pages? OK, you decide that you can shoot for 20 pages a day. That’s your goal.

But it’s OK if you don’t always reach your goal. Sometimes, life gets in the way. Even though you’ll try to read 20 pages a day, some days you might not have the time or the energy to hit your goal. And that’s fine; you’re allowed to sometimes fall short of what you’d like to get done. But you decide to set a benchmark of reading 5 pages a day. No matter what, you’re going to read a minimum of 5 pages a day, every day, without fail.

That means that even if the kids have soccer practice, or you get a flat tire, or you get sick, or you have a huge argument with your boss, or whatever, you still have to read those 5 pages. Your benchmark of 5 pages is considerably less than your goal of 20 pages, but that’s because things are bound to come up once in a while, and you’ll need to have some flexibility to slow down. You’re still shooting for your goal each day, but you’ll accept no less than your benchmark, no matter what.

Read the rest

“Whether you’re nodding off during the afternoon slump at the office, working a double or a night shift, or fighting drowsiness while driving, a power nap can make you more alert and productive[1] but only if you do it correctly. Scientists have been studying the power nap–when to take it, how to take it, what to take before you take it, and so on; their findings suggest that the following steps will help you get the most power out of a power nap.

Find a good place to nap.

Napping at work – A survey by the National Sleep Foundation found that about 30% of people are allowed to sleep at work, and some employers even provide a place for employees to nap.[2] If your place of employment isn’t nap-friendly, you can take a power nap in your car.

Napping on the road – If you’re driving, find a rest area to park in. Don’t park on the shoulder. Always turn off the car and put on the emergency brake. If it’s nighttime, park in a well-lit area with plenty of people around and lock all of your doors.

Turn off your mobile phone and any other potential distractions. If background noise is unavoidable and distracting, or if you suffer from tinnitus, putting on headphones with relaxing music may help.

If you’re sleeping during the day and find that bright light inhibits your ability to sleep, wear sunglasses or use an eye mask to simulate darkness.

Have caffeine right before you nap. This may sound counterintuitive since caffeine is a stimulant, but it won’t kick in immediately. The caffeine has to travel through your gastro-intestinal tract, giving you time to nap before it kicks in. Taking a “caffeine nap” in which 200mg of caffeine are consumed right before a 20-minute nap will not only improve your performance, but it’ll also lessen how sleepy you feel once you wake up.[3] Skip the caffeine, however, if it’s late in the afternoon–you’ll have a hard time falling asleep later–or if you’re trying to quit caffeine.

When you’re close to finishing your coffee (or your green tea, or your caffeine jello shot, etc.), set an alarm to go off in 15 minutes. If you’re one of those people who has a habit of pressing the “snooze” button and going right back to sleep, put your alarm across the room so that you have to get up to turn it off. Immediately after consuming the caffeine, close your eyes and relax.

Even if you can’t sleep, close your eyes and meditate. You might not be used to napping, but if you incorporate short bouts of sleep into a daily routine (taking a nap every day after lunch, for example) you can “train” your body to expect a nap during that time and you’ll have an easier time falling asleep.[4]

What you’re doing during a power nap is capturing the benefits of the first two of the five stages in the sleep cycle. These first two stages take place in the first twenty minutes. In addition to making you feel more rested and alert, the electrical signals in your nervous system strengthen the connection between neurons involved in muscle memory, making your brain work faster and more accurately.[5]

After 15 minutes, not only will your alarm go off, but caffeine will also kick in and help since it blocks adenosine, the neurotransmitter that promotes fatigue.

Get up as soon as the alarm goes off. Sleeping for any longer than 20 minutes will be counterproductive. A half hour can lead to sleep inertia, making you feel sluggish and more tired than ever.[6]

Follow up with physical activity. Get your blood flowing with a few jumping jacks or push-ups, or a little bit of jogging in place.
Washing your face and exposing yourself to bright light (e.g. sunlight) can help you feel more awake as well.[3]

Remember that a power nap makes you more productive. Some people are reluctant to nap because it seems “lazy” but if that was the case, why would successful executives and athletes be power napping? Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were power nappers, as well.

Warnings
A power nap can only help so much. If you’re sleep-deprived, you need to make up for your sleep deficit before you can realize the full benefits of power napping.”

^{Sources and Citations
Wired Magazine – Original source of this article. Shared with permission.
http://www.sleepdex.org/caffeine-nap.htm – Research source for “caffeine nap”
↑ The effects of a 20 min nap in the mid-afternoon on mood, performance and EEG activity. Clin Neurophysiol. 2003 Dec;114(12):2268-78.
↑ http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/red-072208-nap-main,0,2745098.story
↑ 3.0 3.1 The alerting effects of caffeine, bright light and face washing after a short daytime nap. Clin Neurophysiol. 2003 Dec;114(12):2268-78.
↑ http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/power-of-napping-feature?page=3
↑ http://www.mensjournal.com/healthFitness/0601/napping_power.html
↑ http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/red-072208-nap-main,0,2745098.story}

“We’ve all found ourselves chatting with someone whose breath could easily wilt a flower. With more than 90 million people suffering from chronic bad breath (also called halitosis), that’s a lot of wilted flowers. If you (or someone you regularly smooch) has an attack of bad breath that even Altoids won’t fix, try these eight simple tips to fix the problem.

Don’t let your tongue become a dirty carpet.
Bad breath often strikes when people aren’t properly taking care of their oral health. The odor is usually caused by decaying food particles and bacteria in your mouth. That’s why brushing and flossing your teeth is so important, but don’t forget to gently brush your tongue to get rid of even more bacteria.

A clean tongue goes a long way to warding off bad breath, says Stephen Z. Wolner, a dentist in private practice in New York City. “Your tongue microscopically is like a shaggy carpet. There are millions of filaments on your tongue that trap tiny food particles and bacteria,” he says. Get in the habit of regularly cleaning your tongue using a toothbrush, the edge of a spoon, or a tongue cleaner. If you have any mouth guards or oral devices, make sure to clean them thoroughly before putting them back in your mouth.

Mouthwash isn’t a bad idea, but it’s only a temporary fix. Granted, a little mouthwash comes in handy before a romantic dinner for two, but it masks the odor instead of tackling the source of your problem.

Chew gum like it’s going out of style.
Believe it or not, saliva is your best weapon against bad breath. That’s why dry mouth, often caused by certain medications or medical conditions, leads to odor problems. By washing away food particles and bacteria, saliva helps to eliminate odor, too.

If you’re wondering why your breath stinks in the morning, it’s largely because saliva production slows while you sleep, allowing particles and odor to linger longer. That’s where sugarless gum comes in handy, as chewing it will stimulate saliva production. Mints, on the other hand, don’t usually stimulate saliva production and only temporarily mask bad odor.

“When you chew gum it makes you salivate, and the more saliva you have in your mouth the fewer bacteria you have. It not only mechanically washes bacteria out, but we have antiseptic and enzymes in our saliva that kill bacteria,” says Wolner.

While anything that makes you salivate will improve your breath, a gum that is sweetened with xylitol is your best option. Xylitol is a sugar substitute that not only increases salvation but also works to prevent bacteria from replicating in the mouth.

Choose cinnamon — it’s sweeter.
A recent study of the cinnamon-flavored gum Big Red found that cinnamon might have breath-odor fighting abilities. Unlike other flavors, cinnamon is not just a cover-up, Wolner tells WebMD. In fact, he says, an ingredient in the flavoring appears to actually decrease the bacteria in your mouth. The only problem is that sugar gums are bad for your teeth, so stick to sugarless cinnamon-flavored gum instead….” Continued

Related: How to Tell Someone Their Breath Stinks!

The book has quite a bit going for it:

1. Beautifully made, illustrated and laid-out, this book is meant to last and be used readily and often. Typical Dorling Kindersley quality.

2. An eye-friendly typeface and bright, semi-gloss pages make this easy reading.

3. The shear breadth of the information here is outstanding. Packed into 306 letter-sized pages are the following chapters:
*The Meaning of Self-Sufficiency
*Food from the Garden
*Food from Animals
*Food from the Fields
*Food from the Wild
*In the Dairy
*In the Kitchen
*Brewing & Wine-making
*Energy & Waste
*Crafts & Skills
*Things You Need to Know

4. Good specifics on all the categories of info listed above. You should be able to get started on your way to being people of the soil. Need to know how to kill, gut, and prepare your cattle? It’s in here. Got a hankering to get off the electrical grid altogether? Helpful windmill buying advice is here. Can’t tell rye from barley? You will after reading this book.

5. A helpful list of contacts and companies that can get you started on your dream are included.

This is a fine primer on self-sufficiency. Anyone looking to escape the rat race could hardly do better than to pick up a copy of “The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It.”

[source: amazon]

Get it now

My best solution for this situation so far is this Elliptical Trainer, which I absolute adore and if I didn’t have it, I’d gain approximately 30 pounds during those harsh, cold winter months where all you want to do is eat comfort food. This way, you can eat your comfort food but work it off. And remember, exercise is a great way to fight depression, that can sometimes creep in your life during these months. Just eliminate that whole SADD process. How awesome is that?

More about Elliptical Trainers
Elliptical trainers represent the next wave of advancement in low-impact cardiovascular exercise machines and continue to grow in popularity. By simulating motions experienced through walking, stepping, cycling, and skiing, elliptical machines allow for a smooth and fluid motion while building strength in the arms and legs. Similar to the exercise position for treadmills, elliptical trainers are used by standing in an upright position while holding the handrails of the machine. With elliptical trainers, however, your feet remain in the foot pedals throughout the exercise regimen and circulate in a smooth and seamless motion, resulting in little to no impact on the knees, back, and hips.

Elliptical trainers are compatible for all ages and fitness levels and allow you to select the difficulty level through the incline and intensity settings. Additionally, elliptical trainers allow you to determine the complexity of your workout based on your needs, all while listening to music, watching television, or reading a magazine while exercising in the comfort and safety of your own home.

Although different types of elliptical trainers offer an assortment of features, many of them include an array of challenging programs, forward and reverse directional movement, EKG grip pulse handles, a lightweight portable design with easy fold-up capability, and a monitor displaying calories burned, distance, speed, time, and heart rate. Other types of exercise machines, namely treadmills and bikes, offer excellent cardiovascular exercise and muscular training for the legs in a forward-motion exercise. Elliptical trainers take this to the next level by offering an upper and lower body workout with dual motion, challenging and diverse programs, and a low-impact exercise machine that won’t strain sensitive joints.

See photos and find out more about getting in shape

Why take part in a Drumming Circle?
Drumming is a vehicle to express as well as to feel. It is exercise, nurturing, social support, bonding and spirituality, to intellectual stimulation, heightened understanding and enhanced capacity to cope with life’s challenges, the benefits of recreational music-making extend far beyond music. This type of music making ultimately affords unparalleled creative expression that unites and heals our bodies, minds and spirits.

Start Your Own Drumming Circle
World-renowned author offers tips to run a successful drum circle. As the popularity for drum circles continues to grow, the need for facilitators increases as well. Written by the foremost authority in this field, Arthur Hull offers his insights, plans and practical strategies to become a facilitator – regardless of your musical background or expertise. This can be used by social workers, store owners, human resource managers, church leaders, camp leaders, nursing home activity coordinators – for anyone who wants to unify a group that will enjoy the benefits of participating in this simple activity. It’s about leadership and communication. The book covers dozens of exercises, instrument suggestions, facilitator’s shorthand, interviews with successful facilitators, and even marketing tips on how to promote and expand your events. This is the complete rhythm event facilitation handbook from the expert.

Start a Drumming Circle Now

Planet Earth

The premiere episode, “From Pole to Pole,” serves as a primer for things to come, placing the entire series in proper context and giving a general overview of what to expect from each individual episode. Without being overtly political, the series maintains a consistent and subtle emphasis on the urgent need for ongoing conservation, best illustrated by the plight of polar bears whose very behavior is changing (to accommodate life-threatening changes in their fast-melting habitat) in the wake of global warming–a phenomenon that this series appropriately presents as scientific fact.

With this harsh reality as subtext, the series proceeds to accentuate the positive, delivering a seemingly endless variety of natural wonders, from the spectacular mating displays of New Guinea’s various birds of paradise to a rare encounter with Siberia’s nearly-extinct Amur Leopards, of which only 30 remain in the wild.

With so many of Earth’s natural wonders on display, it’s only fitting that the final DVD in this 5-disc set is devoted to Planet Earth: The Future, a separate 3-part series in which a global array of experts is assembled to discuss issues of conservation, protection of delicate ecosystems, and the socio-economic benefits of understanding nature as a commodity that returns trillions of dollars in value at no cost to Earth’s human population.

At a time when the multiple threats of global warming should be obvious to all, let’s give Sir David the last word, from the closing of Planet Earth’s final episode: “We can now destroy or we can cherish–the choice is ours.”

Get Planet Earth now

From rd:

“When you think “millionaire,” what image comes to mind? For many of us, it’s a flashy Wall Street banker type who flies a private jet, collects cars and lives the kind of decadent lifestyle that would make Donald Trump proud.

But many modern millionaires live in middle-class neighborhoods, work full-time and shop in discount stores like the rest of us. What motivates them isn’t material possessions but the choices that money can bring: “For the rich, it’s not about getting more stuff. It’s about having the freedom to make almost any decision you want,” says T. Harv Eker, author of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. Wealth means you can send your child to any school or quit a job you don’t like.
According to the Spectrem Wealth Study, an annual survey of America’s wealthy, there are more people living the good life than ever before—the number of millionaires nearly doubled in the last decade. And the rich are getting richer. To make it onto the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans, a mere billionaire no longer makes the cut. This year you needed a net worth of at least $1.3 billion.

If more people are getting richer than ever, why shouldn’t you be one of them? Here, five people who have at least a million dollars in liquid assets share the secrets that helped them get there.

Set your sights on where you’re going
Twenty years ago, Jeff Harris hardly seemed on the road to wealth. He was a college dropout who struggled to support his wife, DeAnn, and three kids, working as a grocery store clerk and at a junkyard where he melted scrap metal alongside convicts. “At times we were so broke that we washed our clothes in the bathtub because we couldn’t afford the Laundromat.” Now he’s a 49-year-old investment advisor and multimillionaire in York, South Carolina.

There was one big reason Jeff pulled ahead of the pack: He always knew he’d be rich. The reality is that 80 percent of Americans worth at least $5 million grew up in middle-class or lesser households, just like Jeff.

Wanting to be wealthy is a crucial first step. Says Eker, “The biggest obstacle to wealth is fear. People are afraid to think big, but if you think small, you’ll only achieve small things.”

It all started for Jeff when he met a stockbroker at a Christmas party. “Talking to him, it felt like discovering fire,” he says. “I started reading books about investing during my breaks at the grocery store, and I began putting $25 a month in a mutual fund.” Next he taught a class at a local community college on investing. His students became his first clients, which led to his investment practice. “There were lots of struggles,” says Jeff, “but what got me through it was believing with all my heart that I would succeed.”

Educate yourself
When Steve Maxwell graduated from college, he had an engineering degree and a high-tech job—but he couldn’t balance his checkbook. “I took one finance class in college but dropped it to go on a ski trip,” says the 45-year-old father of three, who lives in Windsor, Colorado. “I actually had to go to my bank and ask them to teach me how to read my statement.”

One of the biggest obstacles to making money is not understanding it: Thousands of us avoid investing because we just don’t get it. But to make money, you must be financially literate. “It bothered me that I didn’t understand this stuff,” says Steve, “so I read books and magazines about money management and investing, and I asked every financial whiz I knew to explain things to me.”

He and his wife started applying the lessons: They made a point to live below their means. They never bought on impulse, always negotiated better deals (on their cars, cable bills, furniture) and stayed in their home long after they could afford a more expensive one. They also put 20 percent of their annual salary into investments.

Within ten years, they were millionaires, and people were coming to Steve for advice. “Someone would say, ‘I need to refinance my house—what should I do?’ A lot of times, I wouldn’t know the answer, but I’d go find it and learn something in the process,” he says.

In 2003, Steve quit his job to become part owner of a company that holds personal finance seminars for employees of corporations like Wal-Mart. He also started going to real estate investment seminars, and it’s paid off: He now owns $30 million worth of investment properties, including apartment complexes, a shopping mall and a quarry.

“I was an engineer who never thought this life was possible, but all it truly takes is a little self-education,” says Steve. “You can do anything once you understand the basics.”

Passion pays off
In 1995, Jill Blashack Strahan and her husband were barely making ends meet. Like so many of us, Jill was eager to discover her purpose, so she splurged on a session with a life coach. “When I told her my goal was to make $30,000 a year, she said I was setting the bar too low. I needed to focus on my passion, not on the paycheck.”

Jill, who lives with her son in Alexandria, Minnesota, owned a gift basket company and earned just $15,000 a year. She noticed when she let potential buyers taste the food items, the baskets sold like crazy. Jill thought, Why not sell the food directly to customers in a fun setting?
With $6,000 in savings, a bank loan and a friend’s investment, Jill started packaging gourmet foods in a backyard shed and selling them at taste-testing parties. It wasn’t easy. “I remember sitting outside one day, thinking we were three months behind on our house payment, I had two employees I couldn’t pay, and I ought to get a real job. But then I thought, No, this is your dream. Recommit and get to work.”

She stuck with it, even after her husband died three years later. “I live by the law of abundance, meaning that even when there are challenges in life, I look for the win-win,” she says.

The positive attitude worked: Jill’s backyard company, Tastefully Simple, is now a direct-sales business, with $120 million in sales last year. And Jill was named one of the top 25 female business owners in North America by Fast Company magazine.

According to research by Thomas J. Stanley, author of The Millionaire Mind, over 80 percent of millionaires say they never would have been successful if their vocation wasn’t something they cared about.

Grow your money
Most of us know the never-ending cycle of living paycheck to paycheck. “The fastest way to get out of that pattern is to make extra money for the specific purpose of reinvesting in yourself,” says Loral Langemeier, author of The Millionaire Maker. In other words, earmark some money for the sole purpose of investing it in a place where it will grow dramatically—like a business or real estate.

There are endless ways to make extra money for investing—you just have to be willing to do the work. “Everyone has a marketable skill,” says Langemeier. “When I started out, I had a tutoring business, seeing clients in the morning before work and on my lunch break.”

A little moonlighting cash really can grow into a million. Twenty-five years ago, Rick Sikorski dreamed of owning a personal training business. “I rented a tiny studio where I charged $15 an hour,” he says. When money started trickling in, he squirreled it away instead of spending it, putting it all back into the business. Rick’s 400-square-foot studio is now Fitness Together, a franchise based in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, with more than 360 locations worldwide. And he’s worth over $40 million.

When extra money rolls in, it’s easy to think, Now I can buy that new TV. But if you want to get rich, you need to pay yourself first, by putting money where it will work hard for you—whether that’s in your retirement fund, a side business or investments like real estate.

No guts, no glory
Last summer, Dave Lindahl footed the bill for 18 relatives at a fancy mansion in the Adirondacks. One night, his dad looked out at the scenery and joked, “I can’t believe we used to call you the black sheep!”

At 29, Dave was broke, living in a small apartment near Boston and wondering what to do after ten years in a local rock band. “I looked around and thought, If I don’t do something, I’ll be stuck here forever.”

He started a landscape company, buying his equipment on credit. When business literally froze over that winter, a banker friend asked if he’d like to renovate a foreclosed home. “I’m a terrible carpenter, but I needed the money, so I went to some free seminars at Home Depot and figured it out as I went,” he says.

After a few more renovations, it occurred to him: Why not buy the homes and sell them for profit? He took a risk and bought his first property. Using the proceeds, he bought another, and another. Twelve years later, he owns apartment buildings, worth $143 million, in eight states.

The Biggest Secret? Stop spending.
Every millionaire we spoke to has one thing in common: Not a single one spends needlessly. Real estate investor Dave Lindahl drives a Ford Explorer and says his middle-class neighbors would be shocked to learn how much he’s worth. Fitness mogul Rick Sikorski can’t fathom why anyone would buy bottled water. Steve Maxwell, the finance teacher, looked at a $1.5 million home but decided to buy one for half the price because “a house with double the cost wouldn’t give me double the enjoyment.”

It’s not a fluke: According to the 2007 Annual Survey of Affluence & Wealth in America, some of the richest people “spend their money with a middle-class mind-set.” They clip coupons, wait for sales and buy luxury items at a discount.

No kidding! Talk show host Tyra Banks calls herself the Queen of Cheap and keeps perfume samples from magazine ads in her purse for quick touch-ups.

Sara Blakely, founder of the $100 million shapewear company Spanx, gets her hair trimmed at Supercuts.

And Warren Buffett, the third richest person in the world, according to Forbes, lives in the same Omaha, Nebraska, home he bought four decades ago for $31,500.”

^[source]

For example, you hang out with, lets call this friend Patrisha, and while she is smart and fun and everything, there have been just too many instances where she just pisses you off. This happens over and over during the course of your friendship. She upsets you because she does selfish things that just caters to her own needs. Say, you’re out at a park with her and you both meet some very sweet, cute guys. For some bizarre reason, she dominates the conversation always and she makes sure you don’t get to spend more time with the guy you’re interested in, and who’s trying to get to know you better. She basically sabotages your opportunity to explore this new friendship with him because…who knows why.

She is, in fact, not interested in him; she simply doesn’t want you to see him.

Say also, for instance, that she meets some people who have the same interests as you do. She talks incessantly about them and when you ask if you can contact them because they seem to be in “your world,” she ignores you and avoids subjects where you will get to have contact with them.

Each time she does something that upsets you, you fluff it off and try to forget about it, but without a doubt, it happens again and again. You want to like her but she makes it so difficult to feel positive about her.

Yes. We’ve all met people like this. They are simply SELFISH opportunists. I’m not going to get into why that type of person is the way they are; that is futile.

The question is: why do you want to hang out with this kind of person?

The ole cliche goes, “Life’s too short….” right? I agree. It is. While some people will find forgiveness in their hearts over and over again, I tend to prefer to walk away from that situation. That is perfectly OK to do. Really. Otherwise, it causes unnecessary hurt and stress. Why would you continually subject yourself to this destructive element in your life. It’s not worth it. It will only manifest in illness. Just walk away and learn from the situation.

You should surround yourself with loving, TRUE friends. You deserve to be around good people so don’t feel badly if you must say goodbye to this “friend.” Life IS too short to waste on serial selfish people.

From concierge:

1. WILDFLOWER HALL
Where: Shimla, India

Guru says: Yoga was invented in the Himalayas, in caves where acolytes of Tantric bliss experimented with astrology, nutrition, sex, medicine, and asanas (postures). But cave dwelling is so 5,000 years ago: Stay instead at this cliff-side manor, once home to British commander-in-chief Lord Kitchener and now a luxury Oberoi property. Instruction with local masters who grew up practicing yoga can be arranged in private sessions or with a group. Most programs last one week and include spa and Ayurvedic treatments.

Classmates: Wealthy Indian families looking to escape the heat of New Delhi and Mumbai, as well as many European couples. The Himalayan environment attracts a steady stream of fit, young professionals into adventure travel.

Om factor: Didn’t we mention yoga was invented here? Teachers are often part of a guru-disciple lineage dating back centuries.

Prerequisites: A simple mountain pose. Better: the sweat-inducing headstand.

Extracurricular: Day-trips on the white water of the Sutlej River, hikes and single-track mountain biking trips leading to king-of-the-world views, tennis in the summer and ice skating in the winter.

When to go: The summer is warm, but not hot; wildflowers bloom in late spring; and snow falls regularly in January and February. Take your pick.

Doubles from $390; morning yoga classes included, individual yoga programs extra

Wildflower Hall
Tel: 800 562 3764

2. COMO SHAMBHALA AT PARROT CAY
Where: Turks & Caicos

Guru says: This is the spot for well-heeled yogis whose idea of Zen minimalism doesn’t extend to thread counts and evening meals. The private 1,000-acre island in the Turks + Caicos has snow-white sand and turquoise coves, and the rooms are unfussy but gorgeous, all teak and white cotton. Instructors give daily yoga classes, but the resort also attracts some of the biggest names in American yoga for retreat weeks.

Classmates: A yoga rule of thumb: When the price goes up, so does the average age of the clientele. Don’t expect the barefoot, stringy-haired hard-bodies you share floor space with at home. Instead, you’ll get moneyed couples and a smattering of New Age yuppies.

Om factor: With American yoga luminaries such as Rodney Yee and Erich Schiffmann as retreat week regulars, the level of instruction is excellent, with an average of five hours per day during retreat weeks.

Prerequisites: Downward-facing dog. If you don’t already know this pose, just watch your dog stretch when he gets up from a nap.

Extracurricular: Dive or snorkel in the most pristine waters and healthiest reefs of the Caribbean region. Or just collapse on the beach for an extended savasana.

Doubles from $680 including group yoga classes; $120 an hour for private instruction; retreat weeks $6,240 all-inclusive

Como Shambhala at Parrot Cay
Tel: 877 754 0726

3. CHIVA-SOM
Where: Hua Hin, Thailand

Guru says: This retreat, my budding spiritual narcissist, is all about you. Thailand’s top destination spa ensures no annoying classmates and no early mornings unless you want them. Upon arrival at the luxurious, secluded seven-acre property located 135 miles south of Bangkok, you’ll be assigned a Health and Wellness advisor who’ll design a personal yoga program, ranging from 3 to 21 days (or longer), and augment it with spa treatments and a nutritional program.

Classmates: There may be no one on the mat next to you (all instruction is private), but other guests do exist. Between yoga and spa sessions you’ll hobnob with British, Swedish, and Australian thirty- and fortysomethings. Most guests are women traveling with their girlfriends or mums to detox or lose weight, but there are plenty of soloists, so you won’t have to dine alone.

Om factor: High. Every morning Buddhist monks wander along Hua Hin beach draped in faded red robes.

Prerequisites: Half lotus with breath of fire (kalabati breathing). You aren’t going to be able to fake this one.

Extracurricular: While most guests don’t leave the property, we suggest shuttling into town to explore the market and local Buddhist shrines.

When to go: The most comfortable time is the dry season, October through April. But prices drop during the summer rains, May to September.

Three- to 21-day retreats from $1,530 to $10,710, including meals and yoga instruction

Chiva-Som
Tel: 949 487 0522

4. BEGAWAN GIRI
Where: Bali, Indonesia

Guru says: Bali seems tailor-made for serenity: The Balinese culture is based on harmony, and locals couldn’t be more hospitable. If you don’t come away from here feeling balanced and fulfilled, you need a personality replacement. The only decision is how upscale to go. The tippy-top is Como Shambhala Estate at Begawan Giri, where the guest villas are architectural masterpieces and the sumptuous spa overlooks the Ayung River. Yoga instructors are on staff, and the hotel hosts retreat weeks throughout the year. But Balinese tranquility isn’t limited to the elite. Australia-based yoga studio Inspya Yoga offers a handful of affordable Bali retreats each year, most of them hosted by renowned teacher Lance Schuler in the town of Ubud (just a stone’s throw from Begawan Giri). Retreat guests are lodged in a simple but comfortable compound with two-story bungalows, an open-air restaurant, and a spring-water swimming pool.

Classmates: Donna Karan at the Begawan Giri; attractive, down-to-earth Aussies with Inspya Yoga.

Om factor: Spirit saturates Bali. There are thousands of temples on the island, and even if you don’t know anything about Hinduism, it’s hard not to be intrigued.

Prerequisites: Wheel pose. Bali attracts types that do full back-bends in their sleep.

Extracurricular: Visit the mother temple complex, Pura Besakih; scale the sacred Mt. Agung volcano; dive in the pristine waters of North Bali; or learn to surf on the south coast.

When to go: Lance Schuler’s next Bali retreat is in July 2007. Begawan Giri announces its retreat week calendar in November 2006; check the website for details.

Begawan Giri: Doubles from $495, including daily yoga; retreat weeks from $3,882. Inspya Yoga: 10-day retreats from $1,009, including accommodations

Begawan Giri
Tel: 62 361 978 888

Inspya Yoga Retreats
Tel: 61 2 6687 2717

5. ADVENTURE YOGA RETREATS
Where: All over the Americas

Guru says: Perfect for those as likely to find enlightenment charging down a mountain or carving a wave as during yoga and meditation. Founder and yoga instructor Ted McDonald teams with well-known New York- and L.A.-based yogis to lead students on adrenaline-addled eco-adventures in some of the world’s wildest places. His students run rivers in Patagonia, hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (pictured), snowboard in the Sierra Nevadas, surf Costa Rica, or scale Mt. Whitney—all between morning and evening yoga sessions.

Classmates: Young, mostly single, fun-loving sensualists who can enjoy an ayahuasca ceremony with a Peruvian shaman as much as a midnight skinny-dip.

Om factor: Low on spiritual pretense, high on thrill-seeking.

Prerequisites: Warrior III. Expect an athletic intermediate practice with lots of standing and one-legged balancing postures.

Extracurricular: Drinking fine Chilean wine, soaking in snow-banked hot tubs, and exploring altered states with Peruvian medicine men.

When to go: Scale Mount Whitney, October 5–7 ($300); snowboard Mammoth Mountain, January 12–15 and March 15–18 ($595); raft Chile’s Fútaleufu River, February 1–10 ($3,800).

Adventure Yoga Retreats
Tel: 310 455 6681

6. ESALEN INSTITUTE
Where: Big Sur, California

Guru says: A New Age hot spot since the ’60s, the institute grows its own vegetarian food, has basic rooms with a view, and hosts workshops in everything from African dance to Tantric sex. The time freeze means you kinda expect John Lennon to drop in at any moment. The yoga classes are led by internationally renowned figures such as Mark Whitwell and Shiva Rea. Too granola for you? Well, the property is outrageously beautiful, as it’s balanced on the edge of the Pacific cliffs. And the coed naked hot-spring tubs—50 feet above the swirling, crashing Pacific—are pretty nifty. Some are exposed to the elements, others are sheltered beneath dynamic cantilevered ceilings; each sucks the stress from bones and souls.

Classmates: Flower children and their ilk. Whoever they are, you’ll be seeing a lot of them. Public displays of self-assured nudity are rampant—height, weight, and body fat be damned.

Om factor: Esalen is fervently committed to a set of spiritual and ecological ideals, and attracts visitors of like minds. So it’s high on pious sanctimony and low on collective sense of humor. Which, in a way, is sort of funny.

Prerequisites: Sun salutations, the central series in vinyasa or flow yoga practice.

Extracurricular: Workshop schedules are pretty packed, but you’ll find time to comb the beach, enjoy a massage, and dip in the hot springs—if you know what’s good for you.

When to go: Hit Shiva Rea’s high-energy Thanksgiving weekend retreat, November 24–26 ($655), or learn how to develop a daily practice in Mark Whitwell’s more introspective and gentler Flow Workshop, December 10–15 ($1,120).

Weekend retreats, $655 per person, including yoga workshop, accommodations, meals, and access to hot springs; weeklong retreats $1,120

Esalen Institute
Tel: 831 667 3005

7. LIFETIME RETREATS
Where: Kangaroo Island, Australia

Guru says: This family-owned property on secluded Kangaroo Island, off the coast of Adelaide, oozes character, with three distinct villas that include the Cliff House, reminiscent of a ’70s rock’n'roll crash pad, and the earthen Sky House. A pre-arrival questionnaire not only includes queries guests about yoga habits but also favorite tunes, dining preferences, and even comforting smells from childhood (it isn’t unusual to arrive to find an apple pie in the oven). Rachel Hannaford, a former personal chef who’s fed the Dalai Lama and is now LifeTime’s general manager/yogi/head chef, teaches yoga every morning at eight, and an Introduction to Tibetan Meditation class in the evenings.

Classmates: American couples here to view the island’s diverse wildlife; group retreats full of fit Aussies.

Om factor: Up to you. Hannaford can discuss Buddhist philosophy if you like, but she’s more than happy to keep it light.

Prerequisites: Chair pose or child’s pose. A disciple of Baron Baptiste’s athletic brand of hatha yoga, Hannaford uses techniques that’ll make quads rattle and brows drip.

Extracurricular: Humans are outnumbered ten to one by mobs of wallabies, kangaroos, seals, and koalas. Romp with them (or close enough) around the stunning, unspoiled coastline.

When to go: Australia’s spring and summer, October through March.

Retreats from $493 per person per night, all-inclusive

LifeTime Retreats
Tel: 61 8 8354 2368

8. MAYA TULUM
Where: Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

Guru says: Set on an absurdly gorgeous stretch of Yucatán shore 90 minutes from Cancún, this is the best-regarded retreat destination within the yoga community, hosting more than 50 events a year. Join a group trip sponsored by one of several international yoga stars, such as Baron Baptiste, or simply sign on for Maya Tulum’s five-night or seven-night MBS (as in mind, body, spirit) program. The price includes yoga sessions, meditation classes, three vegetarian meals per day (fish is optional), massages, and day-trips. The spa serves up specialties such as Mayan clay massage and Sobata Maya—a concentric navel massage. Oh, and there’s a sweat lodge run by a third-generation shaman named Fabian.

Classmates: Among the hippie-chic 20-to-45 set, this place is more popular than soy chai lattes. You’re liable to share hardwood with film and rock stars, politicians, and Manhattanites looking for time off from the social circuit.

Om factor: Given the Mayan context and enthusiastic clientele, expect bizarre conversations about Krishna, string theory, indigo children, 2012, Tantra, the evils of Fox News, and the holographic nature of reality. Quick: Say, “Mayan navel massage” 50 times fast.

Prerequisites: Crow pose. You don’t have to know how to balance on your hands with legs curled up like a perching crow’s wings, but if you don’t, you may have asana envy.

Extracurricular: Aside from getting sweaty with Fabian, explore the nearby Mayan ruins in Tulum and some of the largest pyramids in Mexico at Coba. Snorkeling is also first-rate.

When to go: Winter and spring are the most popular, but good deals can be had in summer and fall. Baptiste leads weeklong “boot camp” retreats October 21–28 and May 19–26. (For more information, visit Baptiste’s site.)

All-inclusive MBS retreats from $1,020 per person; Baptiste’s boot camps from $2,595

Maya Tulum
Tel: 888 515 4580

9. THE STANDARD MIAMI
Where: Miami Beach, Florida

Guru says: A state of egolessness in South Beach? Sounds suspect, huh? Well, while retaining all the retro-cool design motifs of Andre Balazs’s hip hotel brand, this property on a small bay island off the Venetian Causeway is geared around wellness. Its daily group yoga classes are open to hotel guests and the paying public, as are its pranayama and Tibetan meditation classes. The spa is off-the-charts slick, with an emphasis on water therapy—a Turkish hammam, a waterfall hot tub, a spa menu full of double entendres like “Tag Team” (four-hands massage) and “The Standard Spanking” (yes, it involves your buttocks). But it isn’t style over substance here; this place does deliver the goods. There’s a staff acupuncturist and naturopath, a diverse stable of instructors, and terrific yoga facilities. It’s generating great buzz in the yoga world.

Classmates: Two parts international travelers, one part models (and wannabes), and a garnish of Miami locals.

Om factor: Undetermined. The Standard is working to deliver age-old techniques in cool packaging. Does that make it less authentic? You be the judge.

Prerequisites: There’s a touch of Kundalini yoga here, which means holding poses longer and with a variety of breathing techniques. Endure some pain, and you’ll leave feeling high.

Extracurricular: South Beach, and all its toned and tanned glories.

When to go: This one’s wide open.

Doubles from $125; yoga and meditation classes $17

The Standard Miami
Tel: 305 673 1717

[source]

From alfalfa to ginseng to yellow dock, more than 100 entries are included, featuring historical backgrounds, popular and practical uses, folklore, and bibliographies. Herbal Medicine and Botanical Medical Fads also contains related listings and essays that range from alternative medicine to food preparation and nutrition to herbs in wedding celebrations. Detailed enough for reference use by academics, the book has a natural tone that appeals to garden club members, herb and spice experts, hobbyists, and others.

Herbal Medicine and Botanical Medical Fads also includes information on:
-herb growing and marketing
-herbs and spices in literature
-medicinal herbs and spices
-federal regulations on herbs and spices
-horticulture therapy

An everyday guide for enthusiasts and a perfect place to start for newcomers, Herbal Medicine and Botanical Medical Fads is an easy-to-use handbook with wide-ranging appeal.

For more information and to sample some pages click below:

Herbal Medicine and Botanical Medical Fads

It can prevent and treat a wide range of health problems, it cleans and purifies the home, and adds zest and nutritional value to food. Find out everything you wanted and needed to know about The Healing Powers of Vinegar. This fascinating book traces the origins of vinegar to ancient Greece and Egypt and follows its history to the present day. You’ll read advnice from leading alternative health practitioners as well as medical researchers. There’s great detail about the healthful ingredients found in two of the most important vinegars: apple cider vinegar and red wine vinegar, explaining the benefits of their vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids. Here, you’ll find the latest research about cutting-edge nutrients found in these two vinegars, including a new class of antioxidants that reduce the risk of cancer and protect against heart disease.

You will also see beauty tips and household hints as well as over 100 recipes that team-up vinegar with other nutritious foods for a healthier and longer life.

Read other people’s review of this book and find out more about the power of vinegar.

Eat This:
1 Cup of Low-Fat Yogurt or 2 Tbsp of Mixed Nuts

Scientists in Slovakia gave people 3 grams each of two amino acids — lysine and arginine — or a placebo and asked them to deliver a speech. Blood measurements of stress hormones revealed that the amino acid–fortified public speakers were half as anxious during and after the speech as those who took the placebo. Yogurt is one of the best food sources of lysine; nuts pack tons of arginine.

Don’t have…
A Can of Soda

A study from the American Journal of Public Health found that people who drink 20 ounces of soda daily are three times more likely to be depressed and anxious, compared with those who drink less.

2. When You Want to Increase Your Metabolism

Drink This:
Green Tea

Catechins, the powerful antioxidants found in green tea, are known to stoke your metabolism, making it burn hotter and torch more calories. A study by Japanese researchers found that participants who consumed 690 milligrams of catechins from green tea daily had significantly lower body-mass indexes and smaller waist measurements than tea-totalers (i.e., they avoid the stuff).

Don’t have…
Nothing

Skipping meals lets your body’s calorie-burning furnace go cold. Spread out snacks throughout the day. Try a cup of yogurt with fresh fruit or almonds between breakfast and lunch, and a hard-boiled egg or hummus with vegetables in the afternoon.

3. When You’re Low on Energy

Eat This:
A Handful of Trail Mix

Raisins provide potassium, which your body uses to convert sugar into energy. Nuts stock your body with magnesium, which boosts metabolism and improves nerve and muscle function. (When magnesium levels are low, your body produces more lactic acid — the same fatigue-byproduct that makes your muscles ache at the end of a workout.)

Don’t have…
Espresso-Based Drinks

Sure, the caffeine will perk you up, but the spike in blood sugar that follows — with anywhere from 16 grams (latte) to 59 grams (white chocolate mocha) of sugar coursing through your veins — will ultimately launch your own personal energy crisis. Stick to brewed coffee with one packet of sugar, max.

4. When You Need a Brain Boost

Eat This:
Blueberries

Antioxidants in blueberries help protect the brain from free-radical damage, which could decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and improve cognitive processing. Wild blueberries, if you can find them (or grow them!), have even more brain-boosting antioxidants than the cultivated variety.

Don’t have…
Ice Cream

Sugary foods incite sudden surges of blood glucose that, in the long term, cause sugar highs and lows, and make you as distractable as a toddler in the Disney store. And foods high in saturated fat can clog blood vessels and slow the flow of nutrients and blood to the brain.

5. When You’re Under the Weather

Drink This:
Ginseng Tea, Hot or Iced

In a Canadian study, people who took 400 milligrams of ginseng a day had 25 percent fewer colds than people who popped a placebo. Ginseng helps kill invading viruses by increasing the body’s production of key immune cells.

Don’t have…
Caffeinated Beverages and Energy Drinks

Excessive caffeine messes with your sleep schedule and sabotages key immune agents. And insufficient sleep opens the door to colds, upper respiratory infections, and other ills. What’s more, caffeine can dehydrate you, and hydration is vital during illness: Fluids not only transport nutrients to the problem zones, but also carry away toxins.

6. When You Need to Wake Up and Go

Eat This:
Eggs and Whole-Wheat Toast

Eggs are a great source of protein, and having them for breakfast sets you up for a perfect day of eating. Saint Louis University researchers found that people who eat eggs for breakfast consume 264 fewer calories the rest of the day than those who eat bagels and cream cheese.

Don’t have…
Bagel and Cream Cheese

At 500 calories and 20 grams of fat, this deli disaster is one of the worst ways to start your day. Sixty grams of fast-burning carbohydrates will cause a dip in energy and a spike in hunger, long before lunchtime. The same goes for croissants, danish, donuts, and pancakes.

7. When You Want to Get ”In the Mood”

Eat This:
Dark Chocolate

The cocoa in chocolate contains stimulants that increase your body’s sensitivity. Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine, a chemical that can give you a slight natural high. And Italian researchers found that women who often eat chocolate have a higher sex drive than those who don’t. Make sure your chocolate has at least 60 percent cacao.

Don’t have…
The Third Glass of Wine

The alcohol in wine affects your prefrontal cortex, which can decrease inhibition and up your sexual appetite. But only for the first glass or two. Beyond that, the toxic affects of alcohol in your system take over and are as likely to make you sleepy as they are to make you sexy. The more pouring, the more snoring.

[source]

A Totally Lawless Regime

Think about this question: In the 21st century what regime is more lawless than the Bush Regime?

Everyone is entitled to his own answer. The only answer I can come up with is the Zimbabwe regime of Robert Mugabe. Voted out of power in the last election, the great man hasn’t left. Zimbabweans are going to have to vote again, and the great man has said that any vote that is not for him will be cancelled by a bullet.

Does anyone remember how determined the British and the Americans and everyone else was to turn Rhodesia over to Mugabe in order to save Rhodesia from the evil Ian Smith? What a fool everyone was.

But before we laugh at those fools, we had best laugh at ourselves, or cry.

It is now an incontrovertible fact, known all over the world, that George W. Bush and his regime lied through their teeth in order to launch wars of aggression against Afghanistan and Iraq, and that the Bush regime is doing the same thing again in hopes of launching an attack on Iran.

There have been a number of memoirs from high ranking Bush appointees who cannot stand all the lies. Bush’s first Secretary of the Treasury, Paul O’Neill, told us that an invasion of Iraq was on the agenda prior to 9/11. There is the leaked Downing Street Memo in which the head of British Intelligence told the British Prime Minister and his cabinet that the Americans have decided to attack Iraq and are creating the “intelligence” to justify the attack.

And now we have the White House’s own spokesman from 2003-2006, Scot McClellen, ratifying what we all already knew, that President Bush deceived us and led us into war based entirely on lies and fabrications, and that he, Scott McClellen, was deceived into issuing a false public denial that top Cheney aide Scooter Libby and White House operative Karl Rove were involved in committing a felony under US law by revealing the identity of a covert CIA operative, Valerie Plame.

As a consequence of Bush’s lies, there are a million dead Iraqis, mostly women and children, and four million displaced Iraqis, 4,100 dead American soldiers and tens of thousands of seriously wounded. No one knows how many dead in Afghanistan. And there is the ongoing Israeli slaughter of Palestinians and Lebanese that has fallen under the rubric of the “war on terror.”

The only ones pleased with these wars are the American neoconservatives, the Israeli right-wing, the US corporate military-security complex, and Osama bin Laden.

The Bush regime has created enormous hatred and disrespect for the United States. A recent world wide poll found that George W. Bush ranks at the bottom of world leaders as one of the least trusted along with US Pakistani puppet Musharraf and the Iranian president, Ahmadinejad, who has the disadvantage of being the victim of demonization by the US and European corporate-controlled media, which serves as ministries of propaganda for the governments that control their broadcast licenses. The American and European media lie for their living.

The two leaders with the highest approval rating are UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

So, the old adversary, Russia, now has a more respected leader than the “leader” of the Great Free Nation, a Great Free Nation that has sat on its hands while its “leader” destroyed America’s civil liberties, America’s reputation, the jobs of Americans, and committed the US to a course of war crimes punishable by the International Criminal Court at the Hague.

A number of readers took issue with my recent column, “Elect Obama or Fall Into Tyranny.” Echoing former Alabama Governor George Wallace, readers said Obama would make no difference. But that is what I wrote.

My point was not that Obama would make any difference, as he has put himself and his administration into the hands of Wall Street and the Israel Lobby. I said that the American people could make a difference by rejecting the Republicans, as it was the only accountability that the Republicans were likely to suffer.

If Americans return a Republican regime, Americans will validate the right of the president to violate with impunity US and international law. Americans will validate the use by the president of the United States of deception and lies in order to initiate wars of aggression, aggression that is a war crime under the Nuremburg standard established by the US. Americans will validate the infringement of US civil liberties in the name of “safety” and “national security.” Americans will disembowel the US Constitution and leave themselves at the total mercy of the government.

Reelecting Republicans means the end of the United States as a land of liberty.

I am sympathetic to the argument that we, as a country of liberty, are near our end regardless. Look at the Democrats. Today, June 20, the House of Representatives, which the voters gave to the Democrats in the 2006 congressional elections in order to end the pointless barbarity that the US has brought to Iraq, voted the largest war-spending bill ever. The “antiwar” Democrats completely collapsed, giving the warmonger Brownshirt Republican regime everything it wanted.

The House Democrats, led by “impeachment-is-off-the-table” Nancy Pelosi, added to the Democratic Party’s shame by passing today, June 20, a bill that shields from punishment the criminal Bush regime and the telecommunications corporations that the Bush regime coerced into committing felonies under US law by cooperating in Bush’s illegal spying on American citizens.

The great hope of the Founding Fathers, the people’s house, the House of Representatives, has passed an illegal and unconstitutional retroactive law making acts legal which were illegal when they were committed.

If a Democratic House of Representatives will pass a retroactive law in order to legalize the criminal violations of a Republican regime, the same House will pass a retroactive law making illegal what you did legally yesterday. No one is any longer safe in America. By abandoning the US Constitution, Republicans and Democrats have made America as potentially unsafe as Zimbabwe for anyone who takes exception to the government.

The total collapse of the Democratic Party and the House of Representatives signals the end of liberty and democracy in America. Henceforth, led by the Republican Federalist Society, we will gravitate toward the beautiful regime of “energy in the executive” that has been achieved in Zimbabwe by Robert Mugabe.

Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He is coauthor of The Tyranny of Good Intentions.He can be reached at: paulcraigroberts@yahoo.com

“Angry people are different from other people. They are not just an inch or two along some curve. Instead, there’s a gap in the curve, a vertical chasm, separating the angry from everyone else.

You may encounter angry prospects (angry before you even got there) or angry customers or angry regulators or even angry employees. They’re similar to each other but different from the rest of us.

It’s tempting to treat an angry person just like a typical person, just… angrier. This is probably a mistake, because anger brings its own reality along with it. An angry customer isn’t just a little less valuable than a non-angry customer. In fact, she’s on a curve all her own.

I have two suggestions for dealing with angry folks:

Sometimes, you can just avoid them. You can choose not to work with angry people. Just move on. There are plenty of non-angry people out there.
You can acknowledge the anger and understand that until you make the anger go away, all responses are going to be off the charts and completely useless to you. The opportunity in working with an angry person is that you can somehow turn that angry person into a non-angry one… and from there, move them up the curve to a relationship you both value. The mistake marketers make all the time is that we believe that moving the person up the curve is the next step. It’s not. No one moves while they’re angry.
“I’m never coming back to this restaurant again!” is angry.
“Our special next week is lasagna…” isn’t going to do the trick as a response.

“I’m angry that my candidate didn’t win the primary,”
so, “Consider my health plan,” isn’t going to work.

“You cancelled my flight!” is angry, thus…
“That’s our policy sir, read the ticket,” is obviously a lousy marketing ploy.”

All I can say is: DON’T DO THAT!

Why? Because anything processed and canned is treated with chemicals such as sodium nitrites (to keep its color and to preserve it) and salt. That’s why it can live in your cupboard for…ever! (I’m not kidding, you can keep spam indefinitely. That’s gotta tell ya something.) Anyway, in spam, these dangerous ingredients are included in high doses. There’s also a lot of FAT in it.

Try to replace meat with more healthful options. Here are some suggestions:

1. Beans (legumes) / Lentils & Sprouts – kidney beans, black beans, soy beans, chickpeas, peas, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, lima beans, to name just a few.

2. Organic Eggs and Cheese and yogurt – eggs are fortified with omega 3 fatty acids and protein. Organic dairy products are rich in protein and calcium.

3. Tofu / Seitan / Tempeh – Seitan and Tempeh are extremely high in protein while tofu contains about 1/4 of the protein of seitan and tempeh, but still a good source.

4. Vegetables! – Eat a variety of veggies and you will get a variety of nutrition. For example, the leafy parts of some veggies are really great for you: beet leaves, carrot stems, pumpkin leaves, mustard green, etc. Some other vegetables to explore are: broccoli, spinach, carrots, beets, kale, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, bamboo shoots, bok choy, chard, etc.

5. Whole Organic Milk – great source of calcium, protein, vitamin a, d, b6, b12, potassium, thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid, magnesium, zinc. Make sure to get some natural sunlight for vitamin d, which helps your body to absorb the calcium.

6. Nuts & Seeds – Almonds, cashews, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc. and their “butter” form, i.e., peanut butter, almond butter, walnuts, hazelnuts etc. (*make sure you are not allergic to these nuts and seeds)

7. Protein rich grains – bulgar, quinoa, amaranth, oats, whole wheat, brown rice, millet, etc.

8. Supplements – B12 is an important vitamin in meat and can be found in vitamins and fortified foods. (Check with your health care provider.)

9. Real Grass Fed Meat once a week – If you do not want to be a vegetarian, limit your meat intake to once a week. You really do not need more than this. This is relatively easy on the wallet and better for you. Eat grass fed meats (chicken, beef) or organically raised pork.

10 – Seaweed – is high in protein and very nutritious – and is great with sushi maki.

The combination of grains and legumes give a complete amount of protein, i.e., brown rice and beans. Make certain you eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, and a variety of those. Never overeat and never eat excessive amounts of one thing.

Notes: Make sure you’re not allergic to anything of these things and be sure to consult a doctor before making changes to your diet, to verify you are getting the right amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, etc.

The 24-Hour Pharmacist- is the perfect pill for anyone seeking insight on overall health from a resource that is thorough and fun to read. With chapter titles such as “Frazzled, Frustrated and Freaked Out: Coping with Anxiety and Stress” to “More Jiggle, Less Joint Pain: What You Can Do About Arthritis” you get the sense that the author well knows what course to recommend but also truly enjoys educating others. One feature I found especially enlightening were the sections in each chapter entitled “Suzy’s Secrets From Behind The Counter”. Here is where she (Suzy) offers great little insights to live by with a perspective that only a pharmacist can give. One good example of this is in the chapter about weight loss where she explains that some drugs can make you hungry. Included in her list are sedatives and tranquilizers, antidepressants, allergy pills, female hormones and diuretics. Wow, who knew?

Read more about it here: The 24-Hour Pharmacist

1. Change yourself.

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.”

If you change yourself you will change your world. If you change how you think then you will change how you feel and what actions you take. And so the world around you will change. Not only because you are now viewing your environment through new lenses of thoughts and emotions but also because the change within can allow you to take action in ways you wouldn’t have – or maybe even have thought about – while stuck in your old thought patterns.

And the problem with changing your outer world without changing yourself is that you will still be you when you reach that change you have strived for. You will still have your flaws, anger, negativity, self-sabotaging tendencies etc. intact.

And so in this new situation you will still not find what you hoped for since your mind is still seeping with that negative stuff. And if you get more without having some insight into and distance from your ego it may grow more powerful. Since your ego loves to divide things, to find enemies and to create separation it may start to try to create even more problems and conflicts in your life and world.

2. You are in control.

“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

What you feel and how you react to something is always up to you. There may be a “normal” or a common way to react to different things. But that’s mostly just all it is.

You can choose your own thoughts, reactions and emotions to pretty much everything. You don’t have to freak out, overreact of even react in a negative way. Perhaps not every time or instantly. Sometimes a knee-jerk reaction just goes off. Or an old thought habit kicks in.

And as you realize that no-one outside of yourself can actually control how you feel you can start to incorporate this thinking into your daily life and develop it as a thought habit. A habit that you can grow stronger and stronger over time. Doing this makes life a whole lot easier and more pleasurable.

3. Forgive and let it go.

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

Fighting evil with evil won’t help anyone. And as said in the previous tip, you always choose how to react to something. When you can incorporate such a thought habit more and more into your life then you can react in a way that is more useful to you and others.

You realize that forgiving and letting go of the past will do you and the people in your world a great service. And spending your time in some negative memory won’t help you after you have learned the lessons you can learn from that experience. You’ll probably just cause yourself more suffering and paralyze yourself from taking action in this present moment.

If you don’t forgive then you let the past and another person to control how you feel. By forgiving you release yourself from those bonds. And then you can focus totally on, for instance, the next point.

4. Without action you aren’t going anywhere.

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”

Without taking action very little will be done. However, taking action can be hard and difficult. There can be much inner resistance.

And so you may resort to preaching, as Gandhi says. Or reading and studying endlessly. And feeling like you are moving forward. But getting little or no practical results in real life.

So, to really get where you want to go and to really understand yourself and your world you need to practice. Books can mostly just bring you knowledge. You have to take action and translate that knowledge into results and understanding.

You can check out a few effective tips to overcome this problem in How to Take More Action: 9 Powerful Tips. Or you can move on to the next point for more on the best tip for taking more action that I have found so far.

5. Take care of this moment.

“I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.”

The best way that I have found to overcome the inner resistance that often stops us from taking action is to stay in the present as much as possible and to be accepting.

Why? Well, when you are in the present moment you don’t worry about the next moment that you can’t control anyway. And the resistance to action that comes from you imagining negative future consequences – or reflecting on past failures – of your actions loses its power. And so it becomes easier to both take action and to keep your focus on this moment and perform better.

Have a look at 8 Ways to Return to the Present Moment for tips on how quickly step into the now. And remember that reconnecting with and staying in the now is a mental habit – a sort of muscle – that you grow. Over time it becomes more powerful and makes it easier to slip into the present moment.

6. Everyone is…

Read the rest

Now’s your chance to inspire the world and make the planet a greener place.

Are you under 18 and thinking green? Show us what you’re doing to be a part of the Whole Earth Generation. Are you recycling at your school? Planting trees? Forcing your parents to go green? Get in front of the camera and tell us about it.

Sing a song, rap, shoot a documentary, whatever – just send us a short video response showing how you’re making a difference. If we pick yours it’ll be featured leading up to Earth Day. You might even get to co-host one of our Whole Earth Generation Podcasts sponsored by Whole Foods.

Whole Earth Generation Details:
* Keep your video under two minutes.
* Be original and express your green self – we just want to see you being you.
* Keep it clean. No violence, profanity or direct attacks on individuals.
* Your video must be original and cannot infringe on any third party rights.
* Your video cannot have been previously published, broadcast, or otherwise publicly distributed.
* Winners will become “Green Ambassadors” and be featured as hosts in upcoming Whole Earth Generation podcasts.
* Make sure you follow YouTube’s Terms Of Service: http://www.youtube.com/t/terms

How to submit your video:
* Log in to YouTube. If you don’t have an account already, it’s easy and only takes a minute or so.
* Go to the YouTube video where our host is introducing the contest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpGoOwRC1uU
* Under “Comments and Responses” click on “Post a video response”.
* If you haven’t uploaded the video you’d like to submit for the contest to YouTube yet, do so by going to “Upload a Video”.
* If you have uploaded the video already, select it by going to “Choose a Video”.

OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

ELIGIBILITY
Contestants must be between 8 years and 17 years of age and a legal resident of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia or Canada at the time of their audition to be eligible. All submissions become the property of the Sponsor and will not be returned. Officers and employees of Whole Foods Market, their respective affiliates, subsidiaries and agents, and the immediate family members of the foregoing, are not eligible to enter. Sponsor is not responsible for late, lost, destroyed or misdirected entries. Odds of winning will depend on the total number of eligible entries received. Each entry must be submitted with a Submission Agreement to be eligible.

Full rules and regulations:

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/weg_rules.html

To see a video about what you need to do to enter the contest, click here.

Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods – “When I worked at Monsanto, I warned both scientists and executives that our GM foods may cause disease, but no one was even willing to listen, let alone investigate the unpredicted side effects. For them, it was all about profit. Now our whole population is threatened by the serious dangers described in Genetic Roulette.” —Kirk J. Azevedo, DC

The Gmo Trilogy And Seeds of Deception Set – DVD 1: Unnatural Selection: This stunning, award-winning documentary by Bertram Verhaag and Gabriele Kröber reveals harsh consequences of genetic engineering on three continents. Vandana Shiva, Andrew Kimbrell, Percy Schmeiser and others, describe uncontrollable, self-replicating GM contamination, failed crops, farmer suicides, and new GM animals that threaten natural populations. DVD 2: Hidden Dangers in Kids’ Meals: Genetically Engineered Foods: Shocking research results, inadequate regulations and warnings from eminent scientists explain why GM foods are dangerous and should be removed from kids’ meals.

Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating – Recent news headlines have focused on the disagreement between the U.S. and Europe over genetically modified foods: the U.S. exports them, but the European Union doesn’t want to import them, believing their safety remains unproven. Are genetically modified foods safe? Longtime anti-GM foods campaigner Smith presents the “opposing” case. He offers cases where GM produced results that were at best unexpected (increased starch content in potatoes), at worst grotesque (pigs without genitals). He describes how one corporation reportedly tried to bribe Canadian government scientists into approving genetically engineered bovine growth hormones they deemed unsafe; how some scientists have reported their careers were threatened as a result of their refusal to approve certain GM products in the U.S.; and how “conflicts of interest, sloppy science, and industry influence” can distort the approval process. The cases Smith presents are scary and timely, but he explores only one side of the story. Readers looking for a balance consideration of genetically modified foods will want to look elsewhere.

Beware of the Coming Food Apocalypse! GMOs – GMOs – Beware Of The Coming Food Apocalypse! — is such a warning. Our food supply is being threatened by a new and highly controversial technology that is being unleashed upon us whether we like it or not. Unless a massive protest against this radical new science arises from the people, it may very well be too late for the human race. This book will make you angry; this book will get you mad, but it is a story that must be told. Please share it with everyone you love.

Your Right to Know: Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food – More than half of America’s processed grocery products — from corn flakes to granola bars to diet drinks — contain genetically altered ingredients. They are unlabeled and untested, and we are eating them. Your Right to Know is a complete, full-color reference guide outlining how unmarked genetically modified foods go from the factory to the family dining table, and what consumers can do about the health risks they present. This accessible guide is for concerned parents — as well as anyone concerned about genetically altered foods — who want to know more about the potential health risks, the organic alternatives, and the methods available to counter the corporate takeover of the food we eat

Genetically Engineered Food: A Self-Defense Guide for Consumers – The 1995 outbreak of “mad cow” disease in Europe provoked public attention to genetically engineered or modified food, a concern that has spread to the U.S. Cummins and Lilliston, food safety advocates, examine the scientific, political, economic, and health issues. With billions of dollars in profits at stake, the biotech food industry promises that new technology will end world hunger and improve public health and the environment. Cummins and Lilliston weigh those promises against the unpredictability of the new technology, and the fact that much of it hasn’t been adequately tested for safety and that its products are being distributed without labeling. Genetically modified organisms are so common that they are part of the average consumer’s daily intake in food from breakfast cereals to infant formula to margarine. The authors include information on what consumers can do, from smart shopping to grassroots lobbying, to reduce the threat of genetically engineered food. This is a thorough and well-researched look at an issue of growing public concern.

When Victoria Inness-Brown contacted me about “explosive information” concerning aspartame (Equal,NutraSweet) the controversial, artificial, chemical sweetener, I didn’t know what to expect. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence of aspartame’s danger to human health (tires have been recalled for less) it remains in 6,000 food, drink and medicinal products.

Who could imagine a private citizen would do an aspartame experiment with 108 rats for 2 years and 8 months?

The late Dr. Adrian Gross explained that rodent experiments are the means to find out what a particular substance will do to human beings.

Look at Victoria’s pictures of her animals that ingested the equivalent amount of aspartame (in human terms) of less than one diet coke a day, until their spontaneous death. Importantly…

Continue reading

First things first. What’s in soda?
High fructose corn syrup (which is soooooo sooo bad for your health), caffeine, carbonic or phosphoric acid and dyes. Nothing in soda is good for you. Even the water.

Why should you stop your beloved drink:

1. It destroys your bones – Soda pop leaches calcium from the bones. What does that mean? It means that you can develop a calcium deficiency and your bone density will be lower than normal, and that means you risk higher incidents of fractures. And we all know: Broken bones are no fun.

2. It’ll rot your teeth. Do you want rotten teeth? I didn’t think so. Imagine what your smile will look like. The sugar, and there’s lots of it in soda, contributes to a degradation on your tooth enamel, which leads to decay. The other substances in soda: carbonic or phosphoric acid will dissolve the calcium right out of the enamel, leaving a softened surface that lets bacteria enter the teeth and cause it to ROT. A NOTE: diet soda will rot your teeth too so don’t think you can play the “get out of jail” card with that one.

3. It will make you gain weight. Let’s call it the “soda diet” in which you participate to get FAT or OBESE! Consuming a lot of sugar and calories in soda causes weight gain. We’ve all seen that Americans are the fattest people on the planet. That’s nothing to be proud of. It’s really sad. But why are they? They eat too much. Duh!! but they also consume the most SODA than any other country. Do we see a correlation here? Answer: Yes. Guess what? A 20 ounce bottle of soda has 17 teaspoons of sugar! Haven’t you seen people coming from 711 and drinking a BUCKET size soda? Geez. That’s embarrassing.

4. Risk of Diabetes Increases – Weight gain will increase your risk for type 2 diabetes. What does it mean to have type 2 Diabetes? Your body does not make enough insulin to move the sugar into your cells and/or has trouble using insulin. If left untreated, over time serious health problems can develop. Diabetes is the leading cause of heart disease, kidney failure (read colas cause kidney problems), blindness, and amputation of feet or legs. Complications can be prevented or delayed by carefully monitoring and controlling blood glucose levels.

Since we’re all in agreement that a good night’s sleep is one of the best things you can do for your health and mood, pick three of these tips to follow each night until you get the night’s sleep you so desperately crave.

New Video on Factory Farming From The Humane Society – The Humane Society of the United States just released a new video documenting the horrible truths behind America’s factory farming industry and our incessant hunger for meat (I know, only some of us). The video, narrated by James Cromwell, is certainly an eye-opener.

Cash carrot for obese people to lose pounds – The government in England plans to pay obese people to lose weight!

The 247 lb. Vegan – NFL star Tony Gonzalez is out to answer a question: Can a football player live entirely on plants?

First off, let’s define hemorroids as best as we can. Basically, it’s a swollen anus due to inflamed veins in your anus and rectum. Sometimes, they can be very uncomfortable and itch or bleed.

Hemorrhoids can develop from any increase in pressure in the veins in the lower rectum. Common sources of pressure and hemorrhoid causes include:

• Constipation and the accompanying straining
• Diarrhea and the continuous expulsion of loose stools
• Sitting or standing for a long time, especially sitting on the toilet
• Obesity
• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Genetic tendency to develop hemorrhoids

You may be asking, “Why talk about this???!” Sorry if it’s a bit embarrassing, really. While this condition is known to affect older (50+) people, that sad news is that today, more and more younger people are afflicted with it because of obesity, which is increasing at an epidemic speed, and because of the all the tech people now, who spend hours upon hours sitting down in from of their computers. Face it, hemorroids are here, whether you like it or not.

When should you see your doctor about these pesky critters?
Generally speaking, go seek medical attention if your hemorrhoids do no improve with self-care, or if they cause pain, or bleed frequently or excessively.

If your poo is black, tarry or maroon in color, see your doctor immediately. These types of stools can indicate more extensive bleeding elsewhere in your digestive tract. Lastly, go to emergency care if you feel faint and lightheaded and notice large amounts of rectal bleeding.

How to treat the problem
If you have a mild case, your doctor might prescribe over-the-counter medications. Otherwise, more intense treatment might be called for: infrared treatment cuts off the circulation to small blood vessels, which will shrink the hemorroids. Surgery is the last resort treatment when all else has failed.

More natural treatments and prevention

Eat foods high in fiber – Eat meals loaded with vegetables, fruits, grains. Later, when you pass your stools, you will not need to strain.

Avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time – take frequent breaks and move around.

Exercise – Exercise is best whether you have hemorroids or not but if you do have hemorroids, exercise helps you to have regular stools and also helps you avoid sitting for too long.

Drink plenty of fluids – a sufficient amount of water and juices keep your body hydrated and healthy.

Don’t strain – When you “go” #2, try not to push too much because it puts excessive strain and pressure on your veins in your lower rectum.

Keep that area clean – wash well there and dry!

Now, that wasn’t too horrible for you, was it? Thank me for NOT including a photo on this post.

1. Indoor Rock Climbing – There’s nothing better than rock climbing to tone up your muscles while at the same time, giving you a pretty good workout. Go with some friends and make it a fun, group activity.

2. Bowling – This activity would be relatively low on the physical workout barometer but it will get you out of the house, get you moving, get your hand-eye coordination working (or not), and can be really fun with a group of friends.

3. Ice Skating – You can be the next Michelle Kwan or Todd Eldridge if you can handle the cold. Skate outdoors if any places are available near your home or go to an indoor place. Remember to wear appropriate clothing and earmuffs to keep warm. Not into Ice Skating, try in-line skating/rollerblading (or roller skating if you can find them), and you won’t have to deal with getting cold.

4. Dance Classes – You can spice up and heat up your life with salsa dance classes or any other kind of dance (jazz, hiphop, ballroom, line, etc) that grabs your interest. Work up a sweat, burn off those cookies AND ice cream you polished off the other day and look great all year long.

5. Yoga / Tai Chi / Pilates / Spin Classes or the Gym – These are more obvious activities I thought I’d list just in case they haven’t occurred to you. I particularly love Tai Chi but if it’s not for you, try Yoga or another kind of martial art. Maybe even give a go at the martial arts dance hybrid from Brazil, Capoeira.

6. Wii Night (or Day) – Yup! I’m gonna suggest video games to get into shape. Yay and vive les video games! Don’t argue with me; the Wii Sports games like the boxing game or tennis game – will get your heartrate up and even get you sweaty. It’s a mega fun thing to do especially with friends and family, and it’ll give you a pretty good workout, too.

7. Indoor Swimming – What?! You don’t have your own indoor swimming pool? Oh well – Sometimes the local public pools are open. If they are open during these winter months, forget about goosebumps and try to muster up all the strength you need to go for a swim. It’s one of the best ways to exercise because it’s easy on all the joints, but you’ll feel like a million bucks afterward.

8. Rajio Taiso – Wha??! No, I didn’t sneeze just now. Rajio Taiso (radio calisthenics) is a funny and relatively short calisthenics workout developed in Japan a long time ago to get students and workers moving before they started their day. It’s short (about 6 minutes) and effective, if not a bit dorky and quirky. Here’s a vid.

10. Have Sex – Duh. The obvious one right?? It’s so obvious that I almost forgot it.

UPDATE: I forgot #9! (Thanks, Ronald!)

9. Indoor Racquetball / Indoor Tennis – These activities will get your heart pumping in no time at all. They’re probably some of the best cardio-vascular workouts you can get, you’ll be happily sweating up a storm, burning off those mashed potatoes and will perk you up for the rest of the day.

All know the Way, but few actually walk it.

If you don’t find a teacher soon, you’ll live this life in vain. It’s true, you have the buddha-nature. But without the help of a teacher you’ll never know it. Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a teacher’s help.

If, though, by the conjunction of conditions, someone understands what the Buddha meant, that person doesn’t need a teacher. Such a person has a natural awareness superior to anything taught. But unless you’re so blessed, study hard, and by means of instruction you’ll understand.

About Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma was born in Kanchi in the Southern Indian kingdom of Pallava around year 440. At the instruction of Prajnatara he travelled to China by ship and arrived around 475. He is associated with the Shaolin temple, and is honored as the founder of kung fu. He is also credited with bringing tea to China. He is said to have cut off his eyelids to stay awake in meditiation, and so is usually depicted with bulging eyes. He is also credited with bringing Zen to China, even though he had few disciples in his lifetime.

Mind Training, The Great Collection (Library of Tibetan Classics) is an English adaptation of the first anthology of techniques for cultivating altruistic thoughts and coping with the inevitable challenges of everyday life. Presenting 44 of the original texts — including seminal works such as “Leveling out All Preconceptions” and “Eight Verses on Training the Mind” — Mind Training combines eloquent translations and historical commentaries to demonstrate how anyone can learn to exude love, compassion, and perseverance.

Click here for more information

Sorry bout the unrelated cannibalistic reference from Silence of the Lambs. I’m a brat!

From NewsTarget:

“Two years ago this month a good friend of ours joined us for a humble beginning of our natural nutrition and whole food preparation classes. She was one of those students who just took everything and ran with it. She lost about 15 pounds, her bowels started moving better and she looked ten years younger.

For all of this, she complained that she was being driven crazy with hot flashes and did not want to go on hormone therapy. She decided to come see me professionally.

I spoke with her and quizzed her about her diet. She had been following our health program exactly. I figured that she just needed an infusion of plant based hormones.

I explained to her that plant hormones are the best protection in the …”

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What you eat is so very important, which is why this blog starts with “Diet” – obviously, not having anything to do with “dieting” per se but focusing on eating right.

When you eat real organic fruit and vegetables, you body doesn’t take in any of the toxic pesticides that get sprayed on non-organic produce. (In most cases, the chemicals stay underneath the skin.) If you haven’t heard, pesticides were not meant to be consumed AND they are not good for your health.

Another effect you might notice when switching to organic food is that some of your illnesses might disappear. For example: psoriasis , depression, allergies, sinusitis, constipation, asthma, congestion, rashes – to name just a few, are some of the many, many maladies caused by unheathful foods, the worst culprits being processed foods, and factory farm meats.

All this isn’t to say you shouldn’t exercise and adopt healthy lifestyle options (like quitting smoking) it’s just a hypothetical, “If you had to choose one thing…”

This subject is just the tip of the iceberg, and you’ll find me blogging more specifically about the dangers of bad food, as well as the benefits of Real Food. Stay tuned, readers!

Related: Wired’s “Healthy Habits Can Mean 14 Extra Years“

If you simply take time to be aware of breathing in and breathing out, a wonderful thing happens: You stop thinking, particularly about all the chaos that is swimming around in your head. Whether you’re thinking about what you have to do or what you will do, or what someone said or did to you, etc. you have a tendency to lose yourself. You get a bit lost in the outside world. What that mean is if you are conscious of your breathing, you forget about the superficial, and then focus on the Now. You are living in the present moment and that is very important.

When you are not living in the present moment, you are either living in the future or the past and when you are in those places, you can not see clearly or deeply. You miss everything because you are not “here” in the Present. When you concentrate on breathing in and breathing out, you begin to be where your body is in the present moment. The body and mind are no longer separated from each other. When your mind and body are unified, you begin feel calm, relaxed, composed and aware; you’re on your way to becoming truly yourself.

1. When you find yourself having a terribly negative attitude leading to grumpville, slap yourself with a large trout. (figuratively speaking, of course) Just stop yourself. It’s you who has control over your emotions. If you cannot control your own emotions, seek professional help.

2. During these times of unpleasant thoughts, try to examine WHY you feel that way. What is the evidence and proof that you should be able to feel this way. If you can find vast reasons to substantiate your negative feelings and attitudes, try to beckon your compassion. Try to laugh. Try to smile and even force yourself to think the opposite. How? Just understanding you’ll feel better, should be a great incentive.

3. When jumping into negative attitudes, try to conjure up different scenarios for why something is happening. Try to envision that all is happening for a better future outcome. Imagine that things will get better. Example: You break your leg on the ski slope. No one is immediately around to help you so help is delayed. Don’t jump into the conclusion that you’ll die. Don’t jump to the conclusion that your leg won’t heal correctly. Look for reasons that will help you not to do that again! Maybe you need ski lessons. You know that won’t happen again. That’s positive, right?!

4. Think about a positive attitude as much as you can, if not all the time. Even say out loud, “I have a positive attitude!” Words are powerful and you’ll be amazed at how that can change your life.

5. Remember that a positive attitude makes you feel good. ‘Nuf said.

“People ask me how I afford all this camera stuff. Easy: I beg, borrow, and sometimes even buy it. I certainly don’t still own everything I’ve reviewed here since 1999. I’ve also had real jobs for many years which pays for what I do buy, and I live like a hermit otherwise.

That’s the easy answer, but then I realized that I’ve always had a knack for buying expensive toys long before I’d ever had a job. Hopefully my cheapskate tricks can help you, too, which is why I write this.

I bought my first expensive single-lens reflex camera when I was an 11 year old kid. I saved my allowance, and still couldn’t afford film. My dad was kind enough to buy me a roll every month or so if I was good.

When I was in college I bought one of the world’s first digital audio recorders to record my music gigs. I had never had a real job in my life. This was in 1981, two years before the CD came out and back when digital audio was beyond the means of most professional recording studios. Digital audio recorders cost the same as a house back then!

I was 19. I bought the then-revolutionary new Sony PCM-F1, which sold for the amazingly low sum of $1,900 in 1981 ($4,400 in today’s money). The next cheapest recorder had cost $50,000 the week before. I also had to buy a Betamax video recorder on which to save the data, an additional $1,100. Back in those days, VCRs were still as exotic as helicopters. This cost me a total of $3,000 in 1981 dollars, or $7,000 in today’s money.

How the heck could I do that? For comparison, my car had cost only $650!!!

If a kid can afford toys more expensive than Nikon D3s, using their own very limited funds, anyone can.

When we were little kids, my brother asked my dad “How come Kenny always can buy expensive things, but I can’t, and we get the same allowance?” My dad responded that it was because my brother insisted on going out and buying everything as soon as he wanted it, but that I waited, saved, and did my homework to find the same things for less.

Today that same brother, who has never had a real job as far as we know, has been traveling the world ever since he was in college. When asked how he does it with no particular source of income, he responds that “most people are too stupid to be poor.” By that he means that most people waste what money they do have on stupid things, like new cars and eating in restaurants, and don’t instead buy their food at the grocery store while traveling. He travels by carefully checking auctions for other peoples’ unused weeks of time shares, so he will travel when he can bag a week in Paris or Tobago for just a couple of hundred dollars. He has to be ready to travel on a moment’s notice when he wins these auctions, another advantage of having no real job.

Our ability to buy expensive toys has nothing to do with how much money we do or don’t earn. Like everything in life, it has everything to do with how well you use what you have.

Sorry if this article starts to read like a self-help video, but honestly, if you can’t afford these things today, you’re going to have to make some changes in your life if you want to. It doesn’t take money. It takes the guts to be a cheapskate.

What I’ll describe has always worked for me. I hope it helps you. Everyone’s situations are different, but hopefully my skinflint lifestyle will give you the idea. This is all about prioritization and not wasting what you do have, so if you prioritize differently or enjoy spending money on something I consider wasteful, go right ahead. I certainly don’t intend to offend anyone.

Prioritization

Half of being able to afford what you want is to spend your money on what you really want.

This should be obvious, but most people are suckered out of their biggest chunks of money by blowing most of their cash on the wrong things. People spend money on the wrong things because the people who take that money make it so comfortable and easy.

Never Buy a…“

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I have some advice. Choose no more than 3 goals. I think 3 goals is a good number but choosing one, ginormous goal would be great as well. For example, I have a ginormous goal that will, no doubt, take more than one year but it’s a goal that with little steps, will help me achieve the big goal. I’ll be able to look back at the end of the year and see what I’ve done to achieve my huge goal. What is it? Well. I want to be able to live a sustainable life; but more importantly: My larger-than-life goal is to be completely self-sufficient. Providing my own food, living off the land, so to speak, but also, live a “green” life. That is huge, right? I know!

However big my goal is, it doesn’t overwhelm me, thankfully, in fact I am very happy to work on it constantly. I’m sure it’ll be a while before I’m “off-grid,” meaning being completely independent of energy companies (electricity, natural gas heating, water) but it’s a goal I really want to achieve at some point soon.

The little goals are important too, so for some of you, you will want to stick to smaller ones like getting in better shape, losing some weight, working on your own personal development (staying calm instead of exploding, sharing more, being kind as much as possible (instead of never! ), helping your community, showing more compassion toward others, etc.) Those are excellent goals, so don’t forget those either, but when you have an enormous goal set for the year, you know that you will think of that daily, then work on it whenever possible. It can only happen when it’s on your mind, so a good way to remember is to have a message that you’ll always see every day. A chalkboard or post-it note on the frig works! Even if you don’t do a thing about it that day, that’s ok, at least you will be reminded of your goal.

If huge goals like that aren’t your style, that’s fine. For instance, if I break down my goal into little ones and make a priority list, then I can go from there and I’ll have actual specifics to work with. Mini-goals could be: harvest the rain water, then set up a water filtering system; or learn more about vegetable gardening, or get (or build) a greenhouse, start composting to be able to use that in the garden later. Stuff like that.

The most important thing is to make your goals clear, so there’s no room for murkiness. Saying, “I want to lose weight for the new year” is not that clear unless you want to be vague like that. If you lose one pound by the end of the year and are happy with that, you go. However, a better goal would be, “I want to lose 15 pounds by the end of the year.” That’s very precise and do-able, see?

Make clear goals for yourself and be excited about achieving them.

Kick off the new year by just remembering what Frankie Goes to Hollywood sang, and live by those words. (If you don’t know the song, “Relax” check out the lyrics here.)

Ok, do I have to spell it out for you? M-a-s-t-u-r-b-a-t-i-o-n. Most guys (if not all of them) will happily admit they do it, but for some stupid reason, women either don’t do it or won’t admit to doing it. Whatever. I suppose in the end it doesn’t matter if you admit to it or not, but the essential thing would be to…just do it. Why the hell not?

Sooooooo…. you really don’t need any reasons TO do it but if you were wondering, “Why do it?” Besides the obvious “because it feels good,” I offer you the following 20 benefits of masturbation:

1. For men, it’s a good way to keep their prostate healthy. (reduces chances of getting prostate cancer)
2. It gets the imagination working.
3. You get to explore and know your body better. (Especially great for women who haven’t experienced an orgasm. This helps them learn what they need to achieve one.)
4. Once you know your body better, you can tell your partner what you really like.
5. Relieves menstrual cramps! Yay!
6. For teens, it can reduce spontaneous (and oh-so embarrassing) erections.
7. Reduce unwanted wet dreams. A guy thing.
8. An orgasm releases mood lifting hormones (endorphins). Yes!
9. Having insomnia. Masturbating can help you sleep. Or at least keep you busy while you’re awake
10. Helps stimulate the immune system.
11. It gets your heart pumping; consider it a mini-workout.
12. It’s a natural stress and tension reliever. (Relaxes the muscles)
13. Men who suffer from premature ejaculation can use masturbation to practice control.
14. It’s known to relieve migraines.
15. Try mutual masturbation; it’s a turn on and a learning experience.
16. Gives you confidence and raises self-esteem.
17. Orgasm causes muscular contractions in the uterus that can tone muscles.
18. Having orgasms on a regular basis has been reported to give you a more youthful appearance.
19. Improves blood flow in the body.
20. Relieves depression.
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DIGG IT!

“Feeling stressed, anxious, overwhelmed or fatigued? Having trouble making decisions, falling and staying asleep and solving problems? A bit low on energy, just all-around baked? Life does that to us sometimes. The good news is…there’s a short list of simple practices that, done regularly, can pretty quickly un-bake your brain…and your body!

A NASA study revealed that…

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Escape from Diab was developed by Archimage in Texas, in collaboration with the Children’s Nutrition Research Center of Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine. The video game, due to be release next year, can be played on the web, PCs, handhelds and Nintendo’s Gamecube. Escape from Diab had been nominated for the INDEX: Award as well as the 2007 Webby Award. To get a feeling of the game and meet the characters, watch the trailer.

Escape from Diab

Yoga Today

From Life Clever:

“A messy desk is a sign of creativity and imagination. This is the excuse I gave myself for the mountain of papers, knickknacks, and San Pellegrino bottles normally piled on my desk at work. Truth is, I’m just lazy. When I started wasting more and more time looking for lost items instead of being a brilliant creative person, I knew I had to do something. I got my desk organized, and have been miraculously keeping it clean for the past three months.

4. Keep blank file folders…”

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Don’t mean to nag but I wanted to mention gentlly that Christmas is in 9 DAYS! Here are some gift ideas for people who care about and are interested in mind, body and spirit. This short list is hugely far from being complete and it’s always hard to make a selection. I know I should’ve listed more but I’ll try to come up with more suggestions as time goes on. This time around, I tried to include a variety of subjects. Hope this is helpful to you:

Food
Organic Nut Harvest Basket – 4 oz Organic Almonds, 4 oz Organic Trailmix, 4 oz Organic Butter Toffee Cashews & Peanuts, 4 oz Organic Pistachios in-the-shell, 4 oz Organic Cashews

Italian Cheese Sampler – our cheeses that are typical of four distinct regions of Italy: Toma Piedmontese – Made in the Piedmont region of course, this cheese is surface ripened, meaning it ripens from the rind inward. Toma is a delectable mountain cheese that has a thin rind, a custard-like texture, small pores and a sweet lactic flavor with a gentle bite. Piave Vecchio – Similar to Asiago, Piave Vecchio (aged) is a firm, dry, slightly nutty cheese from the valleys of Northeastern Italy. Mountain Gorgonzola – Italy’s famous blue cheese comes from Lombardy. Made from cow’s milk taken from local herds that graze on beautiful rolling pastures, no Italian Cheese Assortment would be complete without a cut of authentic Gorgonzola. Pecorino Toscano – This soft, sheep’s milk cheese is made in the hills of Tuscany. It is young, sweet and springy. We find that this combination well represents the wide variety of flavors and textures found in Italian cheeses.

Organic Crunch and Munch – Organic butter toffee cashews & peanuts, Sweet organic apples and pears, wholesome organic Pistachios and almonds.

French Cheese Assortment – captures a good bit of French cheese culture with the four cheeses listed below. One is of the “stinky” variety, one is a triple-crème, one is a chèvre, and one is a mountain cheese from the Alps. Buche Chevre: This classic French goat cheese is slightly aged, giving it a lot of character. Formed in the shape of a log (Buche is French for log), enjoy this cheese on salads, as a snack, or with fruit for dessert. Chaource: This decadent triple-creme is delicious at any stage of ripeness and has a slight mushroom scent with a rich, creamy flavor. Pont l’Eveque: This aromatic cheese from Normandy has a creamy, slightly spicy flavor. Pont l’Eveque has an edible reddish crust with a creamy, pale interior. It is an ancient cheese and truly one of the world’s great ones. Gruyère de Comté: Created by local villagers in alpine dairies called “Fruiteries”, its milk comes only from Montbeliarde and Tachete de L’est cows.

Music

Tibetan Meditation Music: For Quiet Mind and Peaceful Heart – Nawang Khechog’s gentleness comes through his music. Soft prayers, spoken and sung, in Tibetan filter up through lovely flute music along with tibetan gong, bells, and the occasional horn. I don’t know what it is exactly about Nawang’s music that relaxes me so completely, but it does and I am so greatful that all I have to do to take a “mini-vacation” is put on this music.

Quiet Mind: The Musical Journey of a Tibetan Nomad – Born of Tibetan nomads, Nawang Khechog discovered in childhood a deep affinity with the bamboo flute. In 1959, he fled to India and spent 11 years as a Buddhist monk before bringing his music to the West. Despite worldwide praise for his work, Nawang resolved in 1991 to return to mountain seclusion – until the Dalai Lama himself encouraged him to continue to share the power of his music with others. Quiet Mind reflects the far-reaching travels of this remarkable musician. It is his most personal transmission, a continuous prayer that imparts serenity to everyone it touches. With didgeridoo, Incan pan pipes, and ocarina.

In a Distant Place – Blend the Native American flute of Nakai with the Tibetan flutes of Khechog along with guitar and harp and you have a ‘best of both worlds’ effect which is original and haunting. The music comes alive and crosses cultures in a group which takes its ethnic roots a step further in a cross-cultural blend.

Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion – This CD leaves me feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, more spiritually atuned and softened, more peaceful. Yet these words inadequately describe the beautiful sensation that Nawang’s music produces. I believe this music is life changing.

For the longest time, I couldn’t listen to The Goldberg Variations without thinking about Hannibal (The Cannibal) Lechter from Silence of the Lambs – let alone eat fava beans.

It made me sad because I love this recording by Glenn Gould. Luckily, I did overcome it and disassociated the two. Finally. Yay.

My baggage aside, one of the best things you can do for your life, is to stop everything and JUST listen to beautiful music for a while. You don’t have to spend the entire day doing this; just spend some allotted time to step away from the chaos of life, and just…chill. And chilling with music rules. Some of you are so used to multi-tasking and always doing a million things at the same time. You know I’m talking about you. Your days are filled with a continuous string of tasks back to back to back sans cesse, if you know what I mean. Calm, serenity, quiet, peaceful – well, these words do not exist in your life’s vocabulary.

Cut it out!

Do yourself a favor and find great music, like Glenn Gould: The Complete Original Jacket Collection

About Glenn Gould: The Complete Original Jacket Collection
Each of the 60 single and 9 double CDs consists of the exact recordings as first issued on vinyl and looks like a miniaturised form of the original disc: the CDs are in cardboard slipcases in the original design, and the CD itself is designed to look like a LP.

The bonus CDs include the last great interview that Glenn Gould gave the American journalist Tim Page in 1981 and an essay on Johann Sebastian Bach and the fugue that Gould recorded in 1972 for a bonus LP. They also feature a number of late recordings that never appeared on vinyl: fragments of the “Italian Album” and Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll in its orchestral version — Gould’s recording debut as conductor and his last recording of all, made on 8 September 1982 with members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Another rarity is Gould’s own film music to George Roy Hill’s Slaughterhouse Five from 1972.

1. Read Everything – Not possible, I know. What I mean is grab current magazines (in a variety of subjects), books if you can spare the time, journals, etc. – there’s nothing better than stimulating the creative juices by getting a bunch of ideas in your head from skimming magazines, websites, leaflets, journals… Don’t copy. Just get inspired!

2. Listen to Music – This works for some people and not all but if you’ve never tried, go for it. Music can relax you (even if it’s very loud rock!) but if anything it’s inspiring. Try to avoid downer music and focus on relaxing and voiding your mind. Ideas is spew forth!

3. Moleskine Your Life

“Moleskine (pronounced MOLE-skeen) is not a verb, I realize but I’ve officially made it one today. Basically, it’s a notebook you should carry around with you everywhere. Ideas come and go and if you have a brilliant one but don’t have a notebook or anything to jot notes on, you’re up shite’s creek. I’m exaggerating. Just don’t be caught empty-handed when you need your cute Moleskine the most.

4. Get your heart pumping – Some people do that by jogging, going to the gym, doing some twirly jacks or whatever they’re called. You don’t have to limit yourself to that. Having sex also gets your heart pumping. When you “exercise” you oxygenate your blood and you get good circulation going. Your brain will be very happy for that and maybe, just maybe it will reward you with that idea of the century.

5. Keep a list – Maybe you can keep this list in your Moleskine , whatever you do. Keep a running list of ideas. You might not need them now, but they might come in handy later on when you need lots of ideas!

6. Socialize – Conversations always get your brain working and moving; Just ask Dr. Kawashima, the brain expert. Two-way conversations can be great idea machines, and you’ll be amazed at some of your friends ideas. Take advantage of meeting new people and socializing on a regular basis, and you will always have a stream of ideas.

7. Go to a cafe and eavesdrop – Use your discretion, please. Since you’re in a public place, most people won’t even notice that you’re listening to them, but really, you can hear some fun and wonderful things inside a cafe. It’s also a great way to relax, drink some non-caffeinated beverages and kick back so your brain can free associate. Remember to bring your Moleskine . I’m serious. These things are great.

Sure, watching the news can be extraordinarily upsetting and you might’ve been a million times better had you not seen it, in general, it’s a good thing to know what’s going on in the world, the environment and your health. More specifically, you have to know that it is, in fact, essential to know what you’re doing to your body: what are you eating? Is that low-fat product good for you? How is it good for you? They are saying that obesity is going to shorten the lifespan of the next generation and beyond. Is it really OBESITY or is the real reason in the actual food they are eating. Do you know what’s in mac n cheese (the box version)? A bunch of chemicals, that’s what. And what about all the junkfood? You know, as time goes on, there are more and more toxic, and detrimentally hazardous ingredients in food that is making everyone fat and prone to disease, including your kids (and if you don’t have kids, other people’s kids, you know, the future) The food industry is the real culprit in the obesity issue that is plaguing the U.S. To eat more healthfully consult other sources like books. Learn how to read between the lines on the ingredient lists. If you can’t monitor the dangerous elements your kids are eating, who is going to do that for them? No one. Teach them what is good and bad. Sometimes it’s hard to know, but you have to find out.

Keep yourself informed; learn which companies are unethical and downright evil in the name of money. You really must know what’s going on: it’s your life at stake and it’s the future at stake.

Check out these sources:
The Ominvore’s Dilemma
Food for Profit: How the food industry undermines our health
Real Food
What to Eat
Monsanto
The End of Food: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Food Supply
The Untold Story of Milk
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
The Story of Corn
In Defense of Food
The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children
An Unnatural Order: Roots of Our Destruction of Nature
Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won’t Eat Meat
Prisoned Chickens Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look at the Modern Poultry Industry

Eco Gift Expo

Eco Gift Expo
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St., Santa Monica
Sat., Dec. 15, 9 am – 8 pm and Sun., Dec. 16, 9 am – 5 pm
($10 online, $15 at the door; free for seniors and children under 12)

See also: How to be happy: Smile and How to be happy: Clean your house

About Eat, Pray, Love:

At the age of thirty-one, Gilbert moved with her husband to the suburbs of New York and began trying to get pregnant, only to realize that she wanted neither a child nor a husband. Three years later, after a protracted divorce, she embarked on a yearlong trip of recovery, with three main stops: Rome, for pleasure (mostly gustatory, with a special emphasis on gelato); an ashram outside of Mumbai, for spiritual searching; and Bali, for “balancing.” These destinations are all on the beaten track, but Gilbert’s exuberance and her self-deprecating humor enliven the proceedings: recalling the first time she attempted to speak directly to God, she says, “It was all I could do to stop myself from saying, ‘I’ve always been a big fan of your work.’”

Click here: Eat, Pray, Love

2. Watch a movie at home together – Rent a romantic comedy or romantic drama or even an erotic film (if you and your partner are up for that kind of thing).

3. Give each other a massage – grab some nice, natural massage oils and treat each other to a sensual massage. Now, where you massage is up to you, I’m just suggesting general ideas.

4. Take the day off work – If both of you can manage to take the same day off of work you can plan to spend a whole day and perhaps the night together (depending on your home life). This is especially great for parents to do while their kids are in school during the day. Plan a gourmet picnic and go to the beach or park or somewhere beautiful. If it’s too cold out, have the picnic in your living room or bedroom…

5. An Evening with Whipped Cream – Need I say more?

6. Feed each other blind-folded. Not blind folded at the same time! Take turns feeding strawberries dipped in quality chocolate and other smooth aphrodisiacs to your blind folded partner. Savor every moment…

7. Read an erotic story to each other – Ok, it doesn’t have to be erotic; it can be a romantic, light story or whatever you’re in the mood for. Your goal is to spend focused, quality time with your mate.

8. Paint each other – Find edible or at least non-toxic body paints, strip down and paint each other! Fun!

General Purchases

Tax Benefit of Ordering Online. If you’re gearing up for a substantial purchase, such as a new laptop, take a look at ordering the item online instead of walking into a local store. If you were to purchase the new Macbook Pro laptop from Apple (without an educational discount) you would spend $1,999 plus an additional $119 on sales tax at 6%. Ordering through Amazon would get you the same laptop $4 cheaper and you would save the $119 tax. Don’t worry about shipping either–Amazon picks up the tab.
Savings: Around $60 per $1,000 spent

Search For Promo Codes and Coupons. A quick Google Search for Promo Codes will give you a treasure chest of results! Make your search even more effective by putting the name of the website in as well.
Savings: Varies
Sign Up For Coupons Via Email. So many of the local stores you frequent will have a place on their website for you to sign up to receive coupons via email. Papa Johns and Borders are just two examples. Borders will send you a 20% off coupon quite often which is very useful this holiday season.
Savings: Varies
Buy In Bulk Where Possible. If you have children, this suggestion can be a huge saver. Items such as snacks, paper towels, sodas, trash bags and detergent can all be found in larger sizes at big box retailers. Consider joining Costco but take into account the cost of the membership. If the membership cost is prohibitive, look for bulk items in your grocery store or Wal Mart.
Savings: Varies
Consider Open Source Software. It is very easy to log on to your website of choice and order Microsoft Officeor Quicken but it is just as easy to download a free alternative. OpenOffice is a fantastic alternative to Microsoft Office and will save you hundreds of dollars in the long-term.
Savings: Varies
Buy Store Brands For Common Items. You’re throwing money away if you’re buying name-brand aluminum foil, Ibuprofen or paper towels! Switch to a store brand and save!
Savings: About $5.00 per grocery store visit or $20 a month

Entertainment

Cut Back On The Movie Theater Experience. Going to the movie theater to catch the latest releases just isn’t worth it. Consider renting a DVD instead. When considering concessions and ticket prices, renting a DVD from Blockbuster and making your own popcorn will save a couple around $20 for the evening.
Savings: $20 per movie
Rent DVD’s From Netflix. Take the above idea one step further and rent your DVD’s from Netflix instead ofvisiting your local movie shop. Netflix doesn’t have the high overhead that those retail stores carry and the savings is passed on to you.
Savings: Roughly $3 per movie
Invite Friends Over Instead of Going To The Bar. Going to the bar can be a very expensive evening! Oftentimes, the cost of a few mix drinks out on the town would buy you a bottle of liquor to have at home. Instead of venturing out, consider inviting friends over for a cheap poker night. The savings on your drinks will surely provide you with the $10 buy-in!
Savings: Varies on your lushness
Drink Some Beers Instead of Cocktails. I know James Bond wouldn’t be the same if he didn’t order that trademarkMartini but does it matter as much to you? Beer is usually had for $2 at a bar while a mix drink costs around $4. If you buy beer, you can drink double-fisted all night for the same cost!
Savings: $2 per drink
Visit Your Local Library. Reference books are great to own but how many novels do you read for a second time?Do you really need to own that book? Instead of buying your books, take a look at your local library. Most libraries get the new releases the same time as your local book store.
Savings: Varies

Home – Utilities and Other Bills
Cut The Home Phone Line. Old-fashioned land line telephones are being tossed aside by so many households these days for good reason. Avoid the taxes and fees by going through Vonage. You get the same quality service and also save on long distance!
Savings: Varies by location but around $15 per month
Are You Watching Your Premium Channels? I carried HBO at my home for the longest time because I wanted to watch The Sopranos. That $13 per month is now back in my pocket since the show is off the air. If you aren’t watching your premium channels, call the cable company and cancel. You can always add them again when the show you like comes back on the air.
Savings: Around ….

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When someone you care about hurts you, you can hold on to anger, resentment and thoughts of revenge or embrace forgiveness and move forward.

Why do we hold grudges and become resentful and unforgiving?
The people most likely to hurt us are those closest to us — our partners, friends, siblings and parents. When we’re hurt by someone we love and trust — whether it’s a lie, betrayal, rejection, abuse or insult — it can be extremely difficult to…”

Read the full article

From BBC:

“Modern life is too demanding to turn out the lights and we’re more sleep deprived than ever before. How can we get back in the habit of grabbing shut-eye?

“But we place no importance on it in our culture. When you are sleep deprived you are putting yourself in a…”"

Read the full article

Be You TV

Stress can oftentimes lead to serious health and emotional problems. Here are some suggestions as to how to avoid getting to the point where you are endangering your health because you can’t seem to calm down:

1. Stop drinking coffee – “What!?” you say? Ok, if you MUST have your caffeine fix, try to limit the amount you drink per day. And if possible, try to find an organic coffee that doesn’t have additives, preservatives and other chemicals in it that can make you feel jittery, stressed and oftentimes grumpy. Uh yeah, didn’t you ever wonder why you GET so grumpy? Just remember: nobody likes a grump.

2. Take up Yoga and/or Tai Chi. Or some other activity that enables you to focus on your body. Though these activities seem like they do nothing for your body, you’d be amazed at how fit you get, how clear your thinking becomes and how much better you sleep. You also feel more alert during the day when participating in tai chi and yoga.

3. Take a bath. I know, I know, you shower people don’t even know HOW to take a bath. Maybe THAT’S why you smell. (just kidding!) Well, you know why you can’t take a bath? Because you can’t relax! Geez. Get a clue. Take a bath and do nothing for 10 minutes or more. Feel the tension leave your shoulders and try to focus on relaxing all of your muscles. You will thank me for this.

4. Exercise. NO excuses! Exercise is so good for you, it’s not even funny.

5. Breathe. Don’t give me any attitude. I KNOW you breathe. I mean take deep breaths and be more mindful of your breathing. It does relax you and it’s good for your body to receive much needed oxygen and circulation.

6. Get a massage. You can’t get more relaxed than after a massage. If you aren’t relaxed after a massage, you need extra help! Call your doctor.

7. Go for a walk. Walking? WHAT is that? C’mon. Do it. It’s good for you. You don’t have to be premanently attached to your car.