Suggesting for choosing kids birthday party food

Kids birthday party food is one of the highlights of having a birthday party for your child. One of the great things about entertaining for kids is that you dont have to prepare anything fancy or expensive. Their tastes tend towards the simple and the unrefined, so if you keep your food easy and fun, theyll love it. If youre stuck for food ideas for a kids birthday party, never fear. There are plenty of easy options for the most time starved parent.

Popular foods for kids birthday parties include the old staples like party pies and sausage rolls. While you can make your own, these are readily available from your supermarket, and can be baked quickly in the oven. You might want to also buy or bake some pasties for children who may be vegetarian or who have special dietary needs. These pastry dense foods tend to be very popular with kids, and only need to be accompanied by a bowl of ketchup or barbecue sauce to be a great hit. They can be a bit flaky and messy, though, so make sure you keep napkins and plates on hand.

Another fun option for kids birthday party food is hot dogs. Big hotdogs are fun, but the small, cocktail style hotdogs are great, too. Place them on a place with a wooden toothpick already stuck in them, and theyll be easy for kids to pick up and carry around. You might want to consider threading some cheese or perhaps some sort of vegetable on to the toothpick, too. Bear in mind that these are pork based, and some children may not be able to eat them.

Another hugely popular kids birthday party food is fairy bread. Fairy bread is simply white bread that has been buttered and then covered with colored or chocolate sprinkles. Its very easy to make, but looks great stacked up on a colorful plate.

Spiders are a great, fun drink that you can serve at a kids birthday party. Spiders are simply a glass of soda with a scoop of ice-cream in it. You can mix and match different flavors, and even add some extra treats to them. These are a great hit with kids, but beware that they can foam and make a mess if youre not careful.

Frog in the pond is another party favorite. A frog in the pond is simply a cup of jelly that has had a chocolate frog or other chocolate or candy added to it. The jelly sets around the chocolate, holding it in place. These make a great dessert, and theyre simple and easy to make.

Another fun dessert is candy skewers. Simply thread marshmallows, jelly snakes, and any other type of fairly soft candy on to a skewer. You can really add anything you like to these, as long as its soft enough to be threaded on to a skewer. You can them arrange them like flowers in a vase. These look great as an option for kids birthday party food, and theyre tasty, too!

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The Unnecessarily Complicated War on Junk Food

The government is up in arms against junk food. The Food and Drugs Administration is trying everything it can think of, redoing serving sizes, relocating nutrition labels to the front of every package and putting warning signs on them, you name it. But is this really the way to go about alerting people about their choice of food? Who really, is going to be buying a bag of chips, and squinting at the list of ingredients, nutrients and calories? And that is if the FDA actually manages to push its agenda through. Those new rules would have to make it past all the high-priced lobbyists who work for the food corporations. When a child enters the supermarket with her mother, and finds herself in a wonderland of glinting plastic bottles and shiny cardboard boxes full of temptingly done-up junk, how would it be possible for her to be influenced by the little small print that's been moved to the front of the box? As long as the food makers get to advertise their wares with cartoon characters and bop-along music, what on earth could a nutrition label ever do?

Perhaps, we need to take a look at the labeling standards that England uses, that even India plans to use. In England, for example, there is a traffic light warning system; if it is red, it contains unhealthy ingredients, and if it is green, it is mostly okay. Junk food makers over there are banned from making confusing claims like "extra fiber" or "contains antioxidants". And one of the worst offenders in confusing nutritional labeling in this country is the serving size fiasco. Every kind of food comes with its own arbitrary serving size definition, and no one really knows what that is. In England for example, all nutritional labeling, is done per hundred grams of product. It becomes very easy to compare one product against another.

Meanwhile in America, some of the serving sizes on junk food can make it very difficult to believe that someone isn't trying to take advantage of people's credulity. You buy a can of Coke, and the serving size printed on it, seems to believe that it contains two servings. This is unrealistic of course; no one shares a can of Coke. The same goes for the way little treats like muffins and cupcakes are measured - little muffins are supposed to be half a serving too. And with a bag of chips, the serving size is usually 10 chips. You have to wonder, if the FDA really wants to help. McDonald's still gets away with not displaying its nutritional information anywhere near the ordering area. There is that famous scene in the award-winning documentary Supersize Me where they go to a McDonald's outlet to find its nutritional information banner, and find it hidden behind some advertising board.

Meanwhile, junk food is trying to look healthy now, to make things a bit more murky. They sell candy that's embellished with nuts and "real fruit"; soda pop has the vitamins and minerals; fried chips come with Omega 3. Actually, these tricks will work only with people who've forgotten long since what food really looks or tastes like. That's the mantra these days goes, if what you're eating wouldn't have been called food by your grandfather, then it is junk food and probably shouldn't be on the food aisle at the supermarket.

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Jogging accessories that will make your exercise routine more enjoyable

Jogging accessories that will make your exercise routine more enjoyable

Jogging is an increasingly popular sport as people around the country are trying to get in shape. Jogging is something that you can do almost anywhere, and any time. In addition, you don't need any expensive equipment to get started. All you need is yourself, some determination, and a decent pair of jogging shoes. However, if you have been running seriously, or you just like to invest in the newest gadgets, there are a number of jogging accessories you can try out. Jogging accessories fall all across the spectrum of jogging gear. They might include different types of clothing, or electronic gadgets.

One of the more useful jogging accessories is a stopwatch. You can purchase a specialized stopwatch, or see if you can find a regular watch, or even a phone that has this feature. A stopwatch can be used to time your over all running time to see whether you are increasing your running speeds. It can also be used for interval training. For example, you can set your stopwatch to beep at twenty second intervals. Sprint for twenty seconds, then walk for twenty seconds, then jog for twenty seconds, and then start all over again.

Another of the more popular jogging accessories is a pedometer. A pedometer is a device that can tell you how many steps you've taken. This can be useful in ensuring that you've done the required amount of steps in a day. For example, you might have a target of 10,000 steps per day in order to promote weight loss or general toning. Using a pedometer, you can see whether you're on track to meet this target. If not, you'll know how much more work needs to be done so that you can catch up!

Sports towels are one of those jogging accessories that no one should be without. This is definitely the case if you're prone to sweating. Sports towels are specially designed towels that are both small and ultra absorbent. They're easy to carry around in your workout bag, or even on your person or in your pocket. You can use them to wipe yourself down after a run or a workout, or to wipe your face if you find that you're working up a sweat while you run.

Other useful jogging accessories are mobile phone and iPod arm bands. These arm bands strap around your arm. They have a pocket to keep your mobile phone and your iPod secure while you run. This means that you won't have to hold these items in your hands. You'll find that your jog is more comfortable as a result, and you won't have to worry about dropping these expensive items when running.

One final type of jogging accessory you might want to try is the humble sweatband. Sure, they look silly, but they're very effective. You can put sweatbands on your hands or around your forehead. The idea is that they soak up any sweat that you generate in these areas, making your run more enjoyable.

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Types of jobs for teens: an overview

Many teens look for part time jobs for financial and personal development reasons. Having a job during your teenage years can improve your chances of later employment. It can also help you develop valuable life skills and competences that will be useful in a variety of different situations. Many teens often dont know where to start when looking for jobs for teens. However, there are many jobs available in different areas that teens can apply for.

One obvious area of employment is working in hospitality. Many teens will end up taking on a role working in a fast food service store, or in a similar franchise. These roles are usually staffed by teens, and these organizations are often very friendly to young workers. They usually dont require much experience, and will train staff on the job. Hours are often flexible, so teens can organize their part time work around school and other commitments.

Retail is another option for teens. Many jobs for teens are available working in supermarkets, grocery stores, and often other types of retail shops. These roles are great for introducing teens to handling money and dealing with customers. There are often a variety of roles involved. These may include stacking shelves, doing stock take, or managing a service desk or counter. Teens will usually have the option of working weekends or weeknight shifts, and may have some flexibility in their hours.

Other common jobs for teens include babysitting and newspaper delivery. These jobs often arent formally advertised. Teens can apply by going to their local newsagent store to see whether there is need for a delivery person. They can also offer their services as a babysitter for families in the neighborhood. This is a common type of employment for teens, and one that often gives them opportunities for completing their homework while theyre working. They can also develop a greater sense of responsibility, as well as time-management skills.

Other job opportunities for teens include performing tasks around the home, such as mowing a neighbors lawn, or doing some gardening work in the neighborhood. It is quite common for teens to take on this type of employment, and in doing so they will learn valuable practical skills that they will find beneficial in the future.

Another avenue of employment for teens is volunteer work. There are many areas where teens can volunteer. These may include volunteering at church or at their school or another school or institution in the area. They may also consider working with the homeless or the elderly, or working with community programs. There may be opportunities to work as a volunteer sports coach, tutor, or as a mentor for other children. Volunteer jobs for teens can be very rewarding, and can be an excellent thing to have on their resume when they apply for future work or apply for college.

There are many employment opportunities for teens in a variety of different areas. Often all it takes is a quick look around the neighborhood to identify opportunities for paid employment or volunteer work.

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Hot-Ticket Job Ideas - Jobs for Teachers as Adjuncts

At a time in our lives like this, when there is little you can count on, least of all job security at the workplace, you could be forgiven for wondering about changing careers and looking into the possibility of being accepted as a part-time teacher. Of course, shaping up to be a teacher isn't something you just jump into on a whim. The training requirements can take time, and can be demanding. But if you really have something to offer, the time you put in working a position that gave you valuable experience of the world, can count. Postsecondary schools can be very understanding, and include that as academic qualification. Colleges need adjuncts all the time these days; there are great avenues for jobs for teachers in these part-time professorial positions. There are just so many unemployed people now trying to return to school to learn new skills, that the demand for adjuncts, otherwise known as part-time teachers, has soared.

Not that jobs for teachers working without tenure pays particularly well; the work is demanding, and the pay is always low. If you were in charge of a three-credit class that last 15 weeks, and if you took a class once a week, did all the course material preparation, corrected quizzes, and did clerical and official work too, you would be paid, perhaps $2500. But if you have a good bit of teaching talent and valuable first-hand workplace experience in a previous career, you'd be hired in a professorial capacity even if he only had a bachelor's degree. And that would be impressive on your resume. You would usually end up teaching computer science, English, architecture, math or nursing.

The website dedicated to jobs for teachers who wish to be taken on as adjuncts, adjunctnation.com, publishes plenty of openings all over the country; alternatively, you could check with a specific school you have designs on. Applying for a part-time teacher's job is no different from applying to any other position; you just need to emphasize all the relevant qualifications you have, and make sure you speak about how your work experience qualifies you. If for example, you were given the responsibility one time to train new employees at the firm you worked for, that would be counted. Of course, you couldn't have all the experience you need to teach regular classes; and schools will offer you limited training on how to plan a course, put together quizzes, and all that sort of thing.

Often, your motivation levels may seem to outstrip what the students have; it is common to hear adjuncts worry about how for the reward in teaching satisfaction and pay, they seem to put in far more effort that is appreciated. But in the end, jobs for teachers are not for people who come looking for any conventional reward. They are for people who just love to teach.

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A rundown of jobs for stay at home moms

In light of the recent financial crisis, many families are finding it more difficult to find ends meet. Single income families are some of the most affected, and stay at home moms may be looking for part-time work to supplement the family income. They may also be simply looking for a role that can offer them additional extra stimulation without the time constraints of regular full-time work. Fortunately, there are a number of different available jobs for stay at home moms who are interested in taking on some casual or part time work.

The internet is a great source for jobs for stay at home parents. It offers a wide range of opportunities for employment. Some of these are very casual and low key, while others are a bit more formal and closer to the office environment.

One of the most popular jobs for stay at home moms is data entry. If you have a computer and an internet connection, youll be able to take on this role with ease. Data entry involves inputting information into a companys computer system. This may be financial information, or information about clients purchasing or personal details. You may be asked to update databases, or amend email addresses as details change. A quick search online should bring up a number of data entry roles that you can apply for.

Other jobs for stay at home moms looking for work include writing and editing jobs. If you have well developed English skills, you may be able to take up this line of work. There are many companies who are looking for people to assist them with correspondence and other day to day writing activities. Many of them do not require large amounts of experience, and the workload is often quite flexible. This can be a good choice for moms who are looking to stretch themselves a little bit.

As a stay at home mom considering work, you could also undertake some more casual jobs at home or in the neighborhood. One of these is tutoring or coaching. If you have a particular area of expertise, such as the ability to play an instrument, or an interest in math, this might be for you. Students may be willing to come to your home, or you can meet at a nearby location such as your local library. Tutoring and teaching can pay quite well, and you will usually be able to set your own preferred hours.

Other neighborhood type jobs for stay at home moms include babysitting, dog sitting, and cat sitting, where you will be paid for the time you spend looking after someones child or pets. You can also consider dog walking or letterboxing jobs, as these are very flexible in terms of the time they require. You should be able to fit them around your parenting schedule with relative ease. For example, you may be able to walk a dog while taking your baby for a stroll. Or perhaps you can deliver advertising material at night when your partner is at home to look after your children.

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Irish Immigration an Ongoing Phenomenon

For most people who know anything about the history of immigration to the United States, Irish immigration is almost always associated with the great Potato Famine of the 1840s.

That was when Ireland's major cash crop, the potato, failed, which spurred mass emmigration on the part of the Irish that would leave the current population of Ireland less than half of what it was nearly 170 years ago.

The interesting thing about Irish immigration, however, is that it never actually stopped. Such communities as Woodlawn in the The Bronx, New York, have a sizable Irish immigrant population to this very day.

I am an American of Irish lineage, and my family arrived in the United States in 1904 as a result of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. A friend of my family, who was a very little girl when she emigrated here not too long after my family did, told me horror stories about clashes between the Irish Republican Army and the British police atrocities that, three generations removed, I could not even begin to fathom.

It is always interesting to me to read about the various waves of immigration to the United States in history texts and the time periods with which they are associated, because our family was one of thousands that made the move from Ireland at that time.

On the other end of the time spectrum, there is my friend, Matt, who emigrated from Ireland to the U.S. in 1991. He is hardly indicative of Irish immigration to America in general, because he came to Texas instead of the Northeast, which is where most Irish immigrants go, and he actually moved to the United States because he met and fell in love with his American wife while she was on vacation in Dublin.

He is, however, another exception to the widely-held belief that Irish immigration was chiefly a 19th century phenomenon.

Another misconception that many people hold about Irish immigration is that they think most Irish moved to the United States. The reality is that the Irish have emmigrated to countries throughout the world to Canada, to Australia, and to the U.K., and to Mexico and Central America and South America.

While there are less than seven million people living in Ireland, there are more than 70 million people of Irish ancestry in the world.

I think this just goes to show what a huge impact that Irish immigration has made on so many nations throughout the world, including the United States. John Hancock, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was of Irish heritage.

With such a large number of descendants throughout the world compared to such a small native population, one has to wonder if Irish immigration has been more prolific than immigration from any other country.

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Irish Food Recipes are Hit on St. Paddy's Day

Every St. Patrick's Day, my family and friends get together for a huge party with music, drinking and food. Living in a country that has such a wide variety of cuisines, I am always a little reluctant about sharing my family's Irish food recipes, because to me, Mexican, Italian and Chinese food are all much, much tastier.

I am always amazed, however, at how much everyone loves the food each year. Irish stew is the main staple, and it's ever-present at the party. I will also cart out our family's various other Irish food recipes every year to introduce my friends to new dishes, and it's always met with great enthusiasm.

Four years ago, I decided to try Dublin Coddle. To be fair, I had never eaten coddle personally, but I had read about it in a James Joyce novel and had to give it a try. I did not have a recipe for it, but fortunately my grandmother did, and it turned out great.

Everyone raved about it so much, and so many friends kept asking me for my Irish food recipes, that I decided to try colcannon next. Colcannon is a dish that consists of potatoes, cabbage and sour cream, and I was not really sure what type of reaction such a simple dish would receive, but once again, everyone loved it and ate every last bite.

The next year, I asked my grandmother to make her famous Shepherd's pie, which is actually more representative of the British Isles as a whole as opposed to just Ireland. In my grandmother's version, there is beef, onions, cheese and, you guessed it, potatoes.

One of my friends astutely pointed out that all of my Irish food recipes included potatoes in some form or fashion. She asked me why I had never included corned beef and cabbage on the St. Paddy's Day menu, as it is the meal that most Americans seem to associate with the holiday.

I explained that corned beef and cabbage was actually an Irish-American dish. It originated in the United States, not in Ireland.

I told her that, as an Irish-American, I had no problem including corned beef and cabbage on the menu if it was something people really wanted, but that it was not included in my Irish food recipes because it is not something that is authentically Irish.

In the coming years, I plan to introduce boxty, which is sort of a potato pancake with a few other ingredients, and I am sure it will be a success as well. I'm still not sure if it is the Irish food recipes that everyone loves so much or the free pints of stout, but one thing is for certain it is probably the one and only time of year that my friends get to experience what it is like to truly eat like the Irish.

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Thinking of a Roth IRA Retirement Plan?

This is to be exciting news for everyone with a retirement plan - starting the first month of this year, you have the option to convert your individual retirement account, or your IRA, to a Roth IRA (by the way, if that to you is exciting news, perhaps you need to loosen up). Well, those are the new rules - it used to be that you only had the option to convert if you made less than $100,000 a year, gross. Now, you have the option to convert, no matter what your income is. So does it make a lot of sense? You had better make up your mind now, because you are going to be getting those calls from financial planners asking if you've thought about it.

It would make a lot of sense for people who expect that when they retire, they'll be upgraded to higher tax bracket. What you get when you choose a Roth IRA retirement plan is, each time you make a contribution, you pay all your taxes upfront right now, and enjoy the rest of your retirement, tax-free. You get it out of the way right now. A regular IRA lets you take a tax deduction on contributions, and you also subject yourself to taxes each time you withdraw the money. But if you have been told that the benefits of a Roth IRA are limited to just the tax benefits you get, that would be an unnecessarily restricted view of it. With a regular IRA retirement, it often becomes difficult to leave your money to your children, or put money aside for emergencies. With a Roth IRA, you have to take minimum distributions as soon as you hit six months past 70. And it won't have an effect on whether they tax your Social Security benefits either, as your withdrawals are not counted as income. But there are a few exceptions; for some people, there are taxes on their benefits, or at least a certain portion of them.

In fact, doctors and high-salary individuals would do well to convert a portion of their regular IRA retirement funds, to the Roth plan. The basic decision to make in planning to convert or not, falls on making an educated guess whether or not you will find yourself placed in a higher tax bracket. The money seems to be on guessing that you will indeed find yourself placed higher, because the government is so desperate for extra funds, to support extensive Social Security and Medicare programs. It would be a good idea, financial planners say, to hedge your bets, and divide your retirement funds in different kinds of retirement investments. If you happen to make a wrong choice putting it all in one place, like a Roth IRA retirement plan, it could hit you really hard.

Converting your IRA retirement plan will only work if you have enough money to pay the taxes on conversion. And of course, if you live in Wisconsin, converting is probably not a good idea - there is a penalty. But it might be on its way out. Actually, deciding whether or not you want to convert your IRA retirement plan, is such a complicated decision, as all things involving taxes are, that getting a tax advisor would be a great idea.

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An All-New Insulin Administration Method for Type I Diabetes that

An All-New Insulin Administration Method for Type I Diabetes that could be here before Long

To hundreds of thousands of parents around the world in charge of a child with diabetes, a sound night's sleep is something that they have long forgotten to even imagine possible. Children with diabetes can through the night, have their blood sugar levels fall so low as to place their lives in danger, all while their parents catch up on little sleep. Dutiful parents have no choice but to keep constant vigil turn by turn through the night, to make sure that the child wakes up alright in the morning. But there is new hope. There is a new device now made possible by the invention of a new computer programming algorithm. A device programmed with the algorithm is able to measure a child's blood glucose levels through the night, and exercise control over an attached insulin administration pump to rectify any imbalances. The Lancet, the British medical research magazine, has just reported on this advance, and predicts that medical device manufacturers will quickly take this up on its promise.

What people had before, for children with juvenile diabetes (or Type I diabetes), was a blood glucose level monitor that did a continuous monitoring job all night, and the second device, an automatic insulin administration pump that worked independently of the first. Juvenile diabetes is something children get shortly after being born. Children need such a complex arrangement, because low blood glucose levels, or hypoglycemia, can send a child into tremors, seizures, and potentially, even a coma, or death. And yet, children, by the way their very bodies work, have their blood glucose levels vary so widely, that a simple automated pump, can never do a reasonable job.

In an experiment, a group of children was placed on this device, and another, on the standard treatment. Several children on the standard treatment sounded the alarm for dangerously low blood glucose levels that the system was unable to catch in time. There are about half a million people in America with Type I diabetes, who use some variation of the standard insulin administration setup. One old method of blood glucose detection, involved using a device that actually sampled blood from a pin prick on the skin, several times a day. But new technologies measure blood glucose levels with sensors attached to the skin.

What happens when you use such a sensor along with an automatic insulin administration pump, is this: if the blood sugar levels fall, the device sounds the alarm. But if the child fails to wake up to such a warm, the pump will keep sending insulin into the blood to metabolize the non-existent sugar. This turns into a very dangerous condition. The new system places both devices in one package, working together, that are able to measure blood glucose levels properly, and then decide whether or not to continue with insulin administration. Johnson & Johnson, and the Artificial Pancreas Project, are working together to bring such a product to the market, in a cell-phone sized device.

It might seem somewhat mysterious why this hasnt been possible before; but monitoring blood glucose levels reliably, and preparing insulin administration in real time, is it no small matter. Chip technology and computer programming technology needed to advance sufficiently before this could happen.

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Index Funds - The Tortoise against the Hare

If you are used to managing a considerable amount of wealth, you have probably heard of an investment mantra that you have learned to accept without question: looking to index funds as a way to carry you forward financially, is about the same as getting somewhere depending on finding someone to hitch a ride with.You will probably make it where you're getting, but there is bound to be a certain amount of hassle, and sometimes you may get stranded. If you are able, you are much better off getting a personal jet, or its investment equivalent, great hedge funds, private equity, and property. Actually, this is one of those times that traditional wisdom steers us wrong.

The problem with the way we invest is, if we have access to limited means in life, we don't save enough, or in any regular way; and if we have access to considerable wealth, we are too caught up in chasing after the cleverest and most impressive investment possibilities out there, that we forget about investing in any regular way. Index funds may not really set in well with these flashy investment plans, but economists and experienced financial planners have always, quietly, advocated that people turn to slow, plodding, but completely reliable investment plans withavenues like index funds. The wealthy would never have to spend their years biting their nails, watching the stock report crawl never knowing if they are going to be coming out on top, or be scraping the barrel. There'll be no roller coaster ride that takes them to the heights of profit and the depths of loss three times a year; and certainly, there will be no high-priced investment advisor on their case. All they have to do is use index funds to spread their money evenly across different kinds of assets, and they should be fine. For most people, wealthy or modest, their returns from the roller coaster investment policy should actually average out the something quite close to what the plain lazy river would give them. At not a tenth the risk.

In fact, regular people without a $3 million stock portfolio would do well to go by this rule too. Even mutual funds if you would follow their performance over 10 or 20 years, rarely end up beating the stock market. But of course, the investment gurus who manage your money for a fee, have a different opinion. Their theory goes, that while finding a top performing stock isn't something that happens every day, when it does happen, it could take you farther in a month than index funds would, in years.

There are two basic problems with high-priced hedge funds and the like that the wealthy should be aware of. There are very rarely any that are profitable over the long run. Some might be good for a short time, not much longer. And also, the good hedge funds usually are full before you can opt in. But the big kicker here is the way hedge fund managers will charge you fees that are nothing short of staggering, that will eat into your wealth. And even hedge fund managers agree that their fees usually, take something away from how profitable things turn out to be for you. Much better would be, just indexing over a wide range of great investments, and giving alternative investments the pass. If you happen to be properly entrenched in the emerging markets, there is no reason you should need commodities funds either. It just so happens that all the best resources available, are already indexed. You might as well give up looking elsewhere.

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Hybrid Electric Cars like the Volt Still Need the Trusty

Hybrid Electric Cars like the Volt Still Need the Trusty Internal Combustion Engine

Of course, electric cars are the future; manufacturers left and right are jumping on the electric bandwagon, and people are wondering where this leaves the old internal combustion engine. Actually, in an all-electric world the internal combustion engine, redesigned and revamped for service in a supporting role, would still be very important. The supportive role is in evidence in a car like the Chevy Volt. The way battery power works on the Volt is in some ways the opposite of what happens on a Prius. The gas-electric hybrid Prius runs primarily on a gasoline-fired engine; the battery and the electric motor only step in when the car runs very low speeds. The electric-gas hybrid that the Volt is, it runs on a battery-powered electric motor at all times, and only keeps a gasoline-fired generator at the back, to keep the battery pack charged should it run out after 40 miles. The Volt is the first of a line of real hybrid electric cars. The gasoline-fired generator doesn't have anything to do with turning the wheels. It is a low-speed engine locked in one setting, to provide the most efficient charging possible, is all.

This is a huge change of philosophy over the way things were done even recently. Better fuel efficiency has always meant tweaking the engine, designing more camshafts or valves for better ventilation; electronics and electricity only came in, finding better ways to control combustion and acceleration more efficiently. So much effort and love put into taming the internal combustion engine, all come to this - running at a set optimal speed, to turn a generator. They don't even get to turn the air conditioner or the power steering. They call such an engine on hybrid electric cars, a range extender. The Volt for instance, uses a four cylinder 1.4 liter engine borrowed from the company's models in Africa, Europe and Asia. Keeping the batteries charged on a Volt needs no more than 50 or 60 horsepower. Ordinarily, a 1.4 liter engine would not be very fuel-efficient if it drove the car by itself.

But every engine has an optimal point, a low speed where it will generate the most power for the least fuel, with the least noise and vibration. It is usually somewhere around 2500 rpm. Once hybrid electric cars with range extenders really take off, there will probably be dedicated engines built just for battery charging, and they will probably be half the size of what they use now. Early reviews of the Volt suggest that when the battery runs flat, the range extender engine can be pretty noisy when it kicks in. Pretty soon, lithium-ion battery pack technology will advance far enough to require less and less charging. Until then, the internal combustion engine, still travels with us wherever we go.

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how to fix your credit without professional help

If you're like millions of Americans, then your credit score and standing is in some disarry. Whether it's student loans, or credit card debt, or back taxes, if your credit has taken a hit, then you've got some work to do. And you probably don't have money to spare to get a professional to explain the process of repairing your credit to you step by step.

So if you want to know how to fix your credit, follow this advice. First, you need to get your most recent credit reports. You can't learn how to fix your credit if you don't know what your credit score is, exactly, after all. These credit reports have all the information you could possibly use when it comes to how to fix your credit, and you are legally entitled to free credit reports from all of the credit bureaus every year.

And you should take advantage of that, since the three credit bureaus might have conflicting information. You want as complete and total a view of your credit history as is possible, so taking all three reports into account is a must.

Once you have all three credit reports, the next step in the how to fix your credit process is to call out any inaccuracies. If you see a bill on any of your reports that is wrong, you have the legal right to fix it. And you absolutely shoud - why should you be punished for someone else's error? The credit bureaus are themselves good about including a detailed description of how to dispute an inaccuracy, and if they don't, you should just write a letter to them detailing the error and demanding that they fix it. It may take some work on your part, but it will be worth it.

The next step in how to fix your credit is where the money part comes in. If you have bad credit, that means you have past due accounts. Take care of these first and foremost. Nothing ruins your credit - or continues to ruin it - like having past due bills on your record. So get a detailed, current list of any accounts that are past due, and work on paying them off as soon as is viable for you.

After that, take a look at your accounts that have been maxxed out. Taht means credit cards, generally, that are bumping up against their limit. While credit card companies love you to carry a lot of debt and just pay down the interest rather than the principle, your credit suffers as a result of this. So give yourself some breathing room.

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How to Eat Healthy on a Tight Budget

It seems that everyone is feeling a financial pinch these days as the economy continues to sag. We're all trying to save money any way we can, while keeping our fingers crossed that our jobs remain intact. One of the easiest targets in any budget-slashing enterprise is the grocery bill because it's one of the most flexible expenses. But there is a tendency to forgo the healthiest items on our lists, such as fruits and vegetables, since they're often the costliest. It's not a good idea to sacrifice your health in order to save a few bucks, however, so here are some ideas for how to eat healthy on a tight budget.

I'll admit that it takes a bit of work to eat healthy on a tight budget, but it absolutely can be done. If you're committed to following through, then you can still buy the ingredients for hearty, wholesome, nutritious meals that won't put too much of a dent in your wallet.

The first thing you have to do is forget about buying prepackaged foods. It's no secret that consumers pay a premium for the convenience of bagged salads, heat-and-serve breakfast sandwiches, and the like. You can save lots of money each week by making your own salads and meals with fresh ingredients. Moreover, a key component in how to eat healthy is avoiding the preservatives that often go into prepackaged goods, so you'll actually be killing two birds with one stone.

Another thing to do is to use coupons or stick to items that are on sale. This sounds like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised at how few people take advantage of coupons anymore. Shopping this way does take some discipline, so be prepared to make frequent substitutions. If apples aren't on sale this week, make do with oranges instead. If beef has been slowly creeping up in price, switch to turkey or chicken. Most people who know how to eat healthy on a tight budget are very strict about the sales-only rule. It really makes a difference!

And finally, if the option is available to you, consider joining a wholesale club such as Costco or BJ's. In addition to the typical gallon jugs of ketchup these places are known for, they also sell meats and produce. If you have enough room in your freezer, you can stock up on lean cuts of beef, pork, or chicken, and simply defrost them when you're ready to cook. Similarly, you can purchase discount produce -- as long as you're sure you can use all of it before it goes bad. Loading up on vegetables and then making a couple weeks' worth of stews and casseroles to freeze is something lots of folks do.

These are just a few basic ideas for how to eat healthy on a budget. I know it's tempting to simply stop off at McDonald's or Burger King and order off the dollar menu on your way home from work, but you won't be doing your waistline any favors that way. Your health is worth the extra effort!

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Mean Crowdsourced Hotel Reviews - Fair or Foul?

The start of the year isn't a good time to be in the budget hotel business. TripAdvisor, HotelsCheap, BudgetTravel, all of them put out their Top 10 best and worst lists around the new year. And do people have some mean hotel reviews to share about these cut-price affairs! One says about the premium VGP hotel in Chennai, India, "There were loud bangs outside the room. We later found out that the hotel staff were shooting stray dogs that had got in"; about the Heritage Marina Hotel in San Francisco, one customer says things like, "It would be safer and cleaner to sleep on the streets"; and about a hotel in Virginia, that "There was dried blood and hair in the made bed like someone had slaughtered a small animal." And then they go on to prove it too with detailed facts, names of the desk clerks on duty and everything.

Hotel reviews on sites like TripAdvisor are really getting hotel owners all worked up. Half of them claim that the mean badmouthing is just a dirty business trick that competitors use to get a leg up in business. Many of them plan to sue. If you want to pick up some interesting reading, you should probably head over to TripAdvisor.com for its 2010 Dirtiest Hotels list. It looks like people wait all year for its excellent insults on display. The website has been advertising for this list for years, and it always gets great reader response. Hotel owners who have been getting away with murder for decades, suddenly feel completely helpless in the face of the power of the Internet. They protest that this is too much power out of a businessmans hands. In fact, the hotel lobby in Europe is trying to get the government to regulate the review website industry, to make sure that what gets published, is real, and not evil-minded, under-the-belt sabotage.

But these websites are careful; they wouldnt want to jeopardize the advertising relationships they have in place with the hotels that advertise on their website. Websites that publish hotel reviews have every incentive to go and say something nice about everyone. But to the casual reader, it does ring true that there should be some terrible hotels out there. Even traditional printed travel guides hate being shown up by these upstart websites. They have been joining in the protest parade against website reviews. Oyster.com, another famous hotel reviews site, is equally hated. Oyster likes to send its own journalists to check out the worst hotels, and come back with its own pictures to publish. What can people say to that?

We've all been to a couple of the bad ones, havent we? To me, the mean reviews seem to ring completely true. They have to be; hotels are notoriously difficult to maintain.

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Hormonal Acne Treatment for Women

As an adult with problem skin, I know precisely how embarrassing it can be to experience a breakout right before an important meeting with clients, a big presentation at work, or a first date with someone new. I hate to admit it, but I've canceled meetings, called in sick, and backed out on dates just because of a fresh crop of pimples on my face. Some people would dismiss me as simply being vain, but they've probably never had a zit in their life. Fortunately, a dermatologist helped get to the root of my problem and set me up with a hormonal acne treatment that works relatively well.

I guess it could be argued that all pimples are the result of overactive hormones, but hormonal acne is mostly used to describe how women experience an increase in blemishes that corresponds with their menstrual cycle. This is likely due to the increased production of androgen. Therefore an effective hormonal acne treatment strives to control androgen as your cycle progresses.

How can you tell if you're in need of a hormonal acne treatment instead of the usual over-the-counter creams and lotions? The easiest way is to chart your cycle and note when your pimples come and go. You should do this over the course of three or four months to make sure there's a definite pattern before heading to your dermatologist. In addition, you probably need hormonal acne treatment if the usual benzoyl peroxide products don't work on your blemishes. But here again, it's probably best to see your doctor for a complete evaluation.

The most common hormonal acne treatment for women is birth control pills. Birth control pills are meant to control hormones, so it makes sense that one of the unintended consequences is clear skin. Not every birth control pill is made the same, however, which means you must specify to your doctor that you intend to use the pills as a hormonal acne treatment first and foremost. This will allow her to prescribe the proper formulation and dosage for your needs.

For those who wish to try an over-the-counter hormonal acne treatment that has been successful for some folks, just head to your local drugstore and check out headache medicines that contain Naproxen sodium -- commonly found in name brands like Aleve. Naproxen sodium is a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which some women say is quite effective at minimizing the appearance of pimples that form during the menstrual cycle. Apparently, one tablet in the morning and another at night for four or 5 days prior to menstruation does the trick for those who have reported success.

These are just two ideas to help you control breakouts before and during your period. For a hormonal acne treatment tailored specifically for your body, be sure to visit your dermatologist today!

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Making and Storing Homemade Baby Food

If you do not trust that the foods you can buy in the store are natural enough for your baby, you do not have to give them those foods. You can make your own homemade baby food. The ones in stores are better than they ever were, but you may still find some contain things (like preservatives) that you do not want to put into your baby's body. Making your own food is a bit time consuming, and storage may be tricky as well, but your baby can benefit from the time and attention you put into making great and simple foods for baby on your own.

You may not want to buy the baby foods you see in the stores, but you can use these for reference. The usual foods they make for baby are the ones that most doctor would recommend for a starting point. That means when you make homemade baby food you want to work on things like peas, green beans, squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots for first vegetables, and things like bananas, applesauce, and pears for fruits. These are all easily found in most grocery stores so finding the right ones can be easy enough.

When you buy fruits and vegetables to make homemade baby food, you want to make sure these foods are as pure as they can be. You can look for organic foods in your local grocery, or find these foods at your local farmer's market. The problem with farmers markets is that they will not have all foods at all times of the year. Otherwise, they are a great place to get pesticide free foods (ask to make sure) to make homemade baby food. You may find other sources for natural or organic foods if you search online.

Even when you have chosen something that is organic, you must take the time to thoroughly wash all items before you use them. You can get fruit and vegetable cleaners, or you can soak and scrub on your own. Make sure all peels are removed so you know all dirt is gone. Food should be as ripe as possible so that they are easier to puree, which is what you will do when baby first starts to eat them. Inspect final products for lumps, as these can be choking hazards to baby.

It can be time consuming to make homemade baby food, but there are some great processors on the market to help you do this much more quickly and efficiently. They come with instructions that can help you make the best foods for your baby. You also need a good system for storage. These foods will not be good for long. You can learn more about making and storing them for later use if you want to make a bunch at once. Remember, as with jarred foods from the store, never dip the spoon and feed straight from the storage container, as this contaminates the entire serving. Dish out what baby will eat and save the rest for later.

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Home Insurance Companies Drop Customers in Florida's Hurricane Season

Insurance companies just keep getting better and better. First there was news that the Blue Shield health insurance company in Texas was denying coverage to offshore oil drillers and athletes, because they felt that these were high-risk jobs that could require more than normal healthcare. And now, here's something to not look forward to, hurricane season this year, starting August. The Florida home insurance industry, well, one company at least, is locking out 125,000 of its clients. They are doing this right ahead of the hurricane season when they expect a slew of damaging hurricanes to blow homes away, and they're doing this to their most vulnerable and defenseless subscribers.

That company, that many in Florida are calling the devil incarnate, is State Farm Florida, and the company is sending out cancellation devices to lots of subscribers who live along Florida's high risk coastline. Of course, State Farm says that this is not its fault. Florida had three hurricanes in 2004, and two major ones in 2005, Katrina one of them, and they nearly bankrupted the state's home insurance companies. The industry suffered about $50 billion in claims those years. So State Farm went up to the state's insurance regulators, and asked for nearly a 50% raise in its insurance rates in those high-risk areas. The government regulators balked at such a steep rise, and turned them down. State Farm said that this way, the company would need to close down in another three years, from its losses; and it went and did the one other thing it could do to keep itself from getting claimed out of house and home the next time a hurricane struck - it unhitched all the needy people who lived where the hurricane would strike. And also, it stopped accepting new applications from those areas.

Thankfully, there have been no major hurricanes in the last two years; but one knows that it is only a matter of time before one turns up and wipes the company out. Florida has about 200 home insurance companies, and most of them are running losses on the state. And so, State Farm is adamant; if it is not allowed the rate hike to end all rate hikes, it will shut up shop in that state. That went and put a scare into the insurance regulators in Florida, and they granted them a 15% rate hike, and let them drop the high risk customers. The government allowed the company to give its customers the mandatory six-month notice. Of course, that inconveniently places everyone right in the middle of the hurricane season without insurance. But depending on how other home insurance companies look at it, they get a chance at snagging all those extra customers. If they want them, that is.

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Home Addition Plans

I live in a neighborhood filled with what real estate agents like to call "starter homes". These are smaller houses that newlyweds and young couples typically purchase prior to having a family. The houses are old, cheap, and usually need some upgrade work done before the new folks move in. There used to be a lot of turnover in the area as most couples would go on to bigger and better things within five years or so, but these days with the market so bad, it seems like people are staying on longer. They're simply adding on to their house to accommodate their expanding family and waiting for the tide to change. In fact, that's what we did a decade ago and we're still here too!

Back when we decided we needed extra space, we started out by consulting with a contractor and reviewing home addition plans. Adding on to a house is not as straightforward as you might think. There are a lot of variables involved, and you might be limited by the design of the original structure, how much vacant land you have left on your lot, or building codes set forth by your city or homeowners association. The contractor we worked with gave us a whole checklist to go over before prior to even looking at home addition plans just to make sure we knew what we were getting into. I had to make a lot of phone calls to confirm that we were within our rights to proceed with the new construction, but finally got the green light to move forward.

After that, we started looking at home addition plans. We weren't completely taken with the ones provided by the builder, so we decided to find more on our own. Fortunately there were lots of free home addition plans online that we were able to sift through as we tried to envision what shape our bigger house should take. For instance, we saw some beautiful sunroom additions that would have worked well for our place, as well as some terrific bathroom additions that would have been nice to have. There were also a bunch of home addition plans that didn't really fit our situation, such as garage additions, ranch additions, split-level additions, and things of that nature. In short, we had a lot of different options right at our fingertips.

In the end, we went with one of the bedroom additions that we liked. We repeated the process a couple years later, so now our two-bedroom house has been converted into a far more spacious four-bedroom abode that's just right for our family. We've been able to save money by not having to sell our place for a loss because of the bad economy, and we've been able to establish our roots here.

If you find yourself in a similar dilemma with a growing family in a house that's too small, it might be worth your while to look at home addition plans instead of selling your property for a loss.

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Islamic Rap Makes the Hip Hop News

One isn't sure where it comes from, but as all true hip-hop fans know, there is something about Islam that naturally speaks to rap music and hip-hop. Somehow, the hip-hop creed of personal strength, self-respect, and opposing the whole world no matter how outnumbered of you are, finds great strength in the established principles of Islam that he stand for the same kind of personal strength. It might be unnerving to some, but the latest hip hop news is full of new artists, most of whom came of age after the September 11 attacks, rebelliously standing up for what they believe in, in a refreshingly stylistic and vociferously unapologetic manner often promoting American Islam, promoting in the best traditions of the hip-hop art, the feelings of everyday life that an American Arab or other American Muslim faces. Islamic hip-hop raps about personal growth, spiritual commitment, and social change.

Hamza is one such popular Islamic rapper, who made the hip hop news recently for starring in a documentary on PBS, called New Muslim Cool. The theme you see in Islamic hip-hop is, depending on how you see it, disturbingly familiar. Just as Gangsta rap does, Islamic hip-hop seems preoccupied with death, prison, drugs, and harsh betrayal. However, in keeping with Islamic restraint, they rarely bring in vulgar jewelry, cars or women into their rants. Familiar themes include sounding off against corporate soullessness, praise for God and berating the war in Iraq.

A part of what Islamic rap tries to do is show with its lost youth how music and religion can give them something to anchor themselves to life with. The way samples of Martin Luther King's or Malcolm X's speeches often make it into hip-hop background music, samples of Louis Farrakhan's speeches often make it into both hip-hop news and hip-hop music. The only problem is, that Islamic rap often tries to "go back to the roots" when it deals with religion. You'd see it right away at any Islamic rap concert; where in a regular rap concert you'd see a lot of skimpy dressing and beer, at an Islamic rap concerts, you would see only men, and fruit juice or milk shakes.

The strict religious code on drink, extends to the music itself. There has been hip hop news made recently about how Islamic high priests have let it be heard how they did not approve of music that represents religion. You have heard of how the Taliban shoots up music shops in Afghanistan. Islamists had to stand against music. Conservative Islam sees music as corrupting and evil. Mos Def and Everlast are two such Orthodox Muslims, who find themselves in a dilemma. As a general rule, Islamic hip-hop doesn't really find much of a following. The less they bring religion into it, the better it appears to be for their popularity.

But still, Islamic hip-hop is a nascent artform; it still needs to find its niche, and make sure that the hip-hop news, reflects the hard work it does to grow.

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Taking Care During a High Risk Pregnancy

The miracle of birth does not always come without complications. There are many things that can happen that would classify your condition as a high risk pregnancy. If this happens to you, don't panic too much. Your doctor or doctors know what to do and how to help you have a happy and healthy pregnancy, even when you have to do special things or avoid more activities than other pregnant women. A pregnancy labeled as high risk can be problematic, but it does not mean that you won't have your happy ending.

Anyone over the age of 35 is considered to have a high risk pregnancy. This does not mean that you are going to have any problems if you are over this age, but it does mean the doctor may pay a bit more attention to what is going on in your pregnancy than usual. It could also mean that you get more diagnostic tests covered by your insurance than you would if you were under 35. A high risk pregnancy that is such just because of age is usually non eventful and everything turns out okay. If you fall into this category, take advantage of the extras if you feel they will allow you to relax about your pregnancy.

Someone who has given birth prematurely before will be considered a high risk pregnancy. This is because those that give birth early once have a higher chance of doing so again. If you have one preemie, and no real reason for that happening was found, you may get more specialize care to try to get you to carry full term the second or third time around. If there was a reason you gave birth early, like infection, your chances of the same thing happening again are low, but you may still get the high risk label while pregnant.

Some women can develop gestational diabetes while they are pregnant. This can happen if you are overweight or obese, or if you have insulin resistance. Sometimes, there is no reason. When you get this, your baby could have some complications and will probably be a large baby. You are going to have a special diet and may need insulin while pregnant. You will be considered a high risk pregnancy in this case as well. Make sure you take care of yourself and your baby and you should be just fine. Remember that if your baby grows too large you may have to have a Cesarean section instead of having a vaginal birth.

There are various other conditions that can contribute to you having a high risk pregnancy. When this happens the important thing to do is to not panic. If you like and trust your doctor, you can try to relax and be assured that he or she is going to do all they can to help you have a safe delivery at full term. There are always times when this is not possible, but babies are safer than ever, even when born early. Follow your doctor's instructions whether it be about diet or bed rest, take care of yourself, and think positive thoughts for your baby.

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Hedge Fund Strategies Open up to the Small Investor -

Hedge Fund Strategies Open up to the Small Investor - through Mutual Funds

It makes people feel special, exclusive, to know that they've chosen hedge funds as their investment vehicle. They can be mysterious in the way they work, and they certainly make you look like one of the big boys. While this might really have felt good two years ago to small-time investors like you and me, in a world that has been burned by Bernie Madoff, and seen giants like Lehman Brothers collapse in a day, unfathomable exclusivity is not really a selling point. Transparency is. And so, to present themselves better to an investor community that is once burned twice shy, many investment houses, are opening their doors to the little guys, with hedge fund strategies that allow them to be used as mutual funds. Even a $1000 investment can get you in the big leagues, investing in things like merger arbitrage and commodity futures.

In mutual funds you'll find nothing more exciting happening today than the crack in the door you get into hedge funds. And people are certainly jumping on the band wagon. There has been twice as much money rolled into hedge fund strategies last year by small investors, as the past four years put together. The problem is, hedge funds haven't been around for small investors for long enough, that anyone should be able to tell if these are the right idea. The returns you make on these aren't measured by the usual market benchmarks you would see for other investments either. But still, financial planners have been around hedge funds in other markets long enough, to feel hopeful.

For the longest time, hedge funds were limited partnerships, and no one would have considered them a good investment opportunity if presented as a mutual fund. Hedge funds are not invest-and-forget propositions - your financial planner will need to do things like set daily price limits, and tinker with the asset base; doing this for the large customer bases that mutual funds have, can quickly become unmanageable. And of course, mutual funds are heavily regulated, and running around answering to these regulations can be something that hedge fund strategies don't take into account normally.

But hedge fund providers have no option. Their biggest clients, are beginning to demand this. Hedge funds strategies are not traditionally about providing investors with any kind of liquidity. In the economic meltdown two years ago, that kind of deal got a lot of investors into deep trouble. And so, the biggest are trying to alter the way hedge funds are handled, so that a little liquidity could be brought into the mix. They do much better than the market does in a depressed climate; but they don't do nearly as well as regular stocks in a healthy market. This makes hedge funds a great tool for the present, for the small investor.

Basically, this makes hedge fund strategies, the very thing you can hedge your investments with. These are not supposed to be your core investment plan. They are supposed be used to ensure that you don't take too much of a hit, should everything plunge down a black hole tomorrow.

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The Latest Bluetooth Hearing Loss Aids will let you Dial

The Latest Bluetooth Hearing Loss Aids will let you Dial your iPhone and Swim (Preferably not at the Same Time)


How are today's hearing loss devices different from what your grandmother used to hear with? Well, this should convince you that they are a completely different animal - they come with Bluetooth that will let grandma communicate with cell phones, iPods and the like with. No one would know she had them on, either - they are inserted deep into the ear canal, and just can't be seen on the outside. The attempt is to make hearing loss devices as natural to live with as your natural-born ears themselves. The latest development here is the swimming pool-proof hearing aid. These are called the Lyric; and they have started testing them on swimmers who like to go take a thorough dip about twice a week.

The technology involved putting a coating on the hearing aids inserted in your year, that make all water bead up and leave them alone. Ordinary hearing aids would not stand a chance - they would crackle and bite the dust (the water?) in a second. So what kind of market is such a product aimed at? Basically, seniors who love swimming. As a way to get exercise, swimming gives the elderly a very stress-free outlet, as opposed to, say, the Stairmaster. It isn't as if people with hearing loss aids haven't been swimming at all until now; they just use a little DIY ingenuity. They get those special earplugs they make to help people swim when they have ear infections; a waterproof headband and a Speedo round it out. For people with hearing loss, using these products is all about getting their lives back - without having people give them strange looks, and with the comfort of taking their hearing for granted. These new Lyrics certainly seem up to the job.

But it's a shame that most people don't really buy hearing loss aids at all; four out of five just live their lives as they best can. It happens to be very difficult to admit it when your hearing begins to fade out. Sometimes, it is just the way you were born; at other times, it could be untreated infections, or a weakness for loud rock music. If people were to just lose their hearing all of a sudden one day, they would surely pick up on it. But hearing loss is something that takes your life away day by day - in increments.

But hearing loss aids are usually quite expensive; the really good ones hide in your ear canal, and are the most comfortable; but your ear canal has to be large enough to fit them in. These can actually cost you more than $1000 every year. And if older people have the problem that the sound of a hearing aid is seriously annoying to them, the newer models carry directional microphones that do really good job of only picking up the useful sounds, and rejecting the really loud annoying noises. There is really no reason to not accept one anymore; and once you are in, you get to use every sound-operated tech toy out there, car navigation systems, cell phones, included.

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Healthy Eating Plan

With the rising risk of obesity and poor-eating health related complications on the rise, our society is today bombarded with conflicting advice about healthy eating plans. As such, it becomes extremely challenging for a person searching for insight about the same to get the appropriate details. This raises the question; what exactly is a healthy eating plan? It is simply a concise arrangement by a person to include healthy foods in his daily diet.

To formulate a healthy eating plan, one needs to know what constitutes healthy meals. For starters, fruits and vegetables should be a daily inclusion in all meals. Dieticians recommend that any person above five years of age should at least consume five portions of fruits and vegetables everyday. A portion is defined as 80 grams of any fruit or vegetable.

A healthy eating plan should also include at least five portions of cereals and whole meal foods. Foods from this group include oats, breakfast cereals, rice, pasta, noodles and whole meal breads. One can also consume Irish and sweet potatoes to compliment his or her diet. A healthy eating plan should also include 2 average servings of milk and other dairy products. Some of the healthy food choices in this category include yoghurt, cheese and skimmed milk. One should avoid the consumption of butter and dairy cream.

A healthy eating plan should also include food groups that are high in proteins. Such includes meat, fish and poultry. Eggs are also a healthy source of animal proteins but they should be consumed in moderation. When consuming animal proteins, it is always advisable for a person to plan on consuming foods that have low fat content. Alternatively, one can opt for animal proteins, which can be sourced from kidney beans and nuts.

Although there has been so bad comments going around about fats and sugars in the diet, it is important that every one realizes that they too have a vital role to play in the human body; they are the main source of energy. As such, a healthy eating plan should contain a healthy content of the same. To avoid the disadvantages that come from such foods, one should limit their consumption to a maximum of three servings a day. To be on the safe side, one should plan to include unsaturated fats such as corn oil, sunflower and olive oil in their dietary plans. Saturated fats contained in animal products and highly processed foods should be avoided. When factoring in sugar in the diet plan, one should strive to include complex sources of the same. Foods containing highly refined sugars such as biscuits should be avoided. Overall, a healthy eating plan should contain foods in the three basic food groups: proteins (body building foods), vitamins (mineral-rich foods) and carbohydrates (energy-giving foods). Fats are also a vital component in the eating plan.

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All the Misguided Health Tips Circulating among all the Aunt

All the Misguided Health Tips Circulating among all the Aunt Pollys out There

Hundreds of thousands of the elderly watch enough health shows and surgery broadcasts to believe they're almost qualified doctors themselves. With much casual medical knowledge easily available on the subject of what to eat, how to exercise, and how all the medicines on the pharmacy shelves work, some people can effortlessly end up with some pretty strong feelings on how to maintain the body, in a state of good health. Anyone who sees a self-styled health expert go on like this, invariably thinks of the following lines from Tom Sawyer: " [Aunt Polly] was one of those people who are infatuated with patent medicines and all new-fangled methods of producing health or mending it. All the "rot" [the "Health" periodicals] contained about ventilation, and how to go to bed, and how to get up, and what to eat, and what to drink, and how much exercise to take, and what frame of mind to keep one's self in, and what sort of clothing to wear, was all gospel to her, and she never observed that her health-journals of the current month customarily upset everything they had recommended the month before." Let's look at a few of the health tips that the overenthusiastic get wrong all the time.

Eating healthy is wonderful, and important. But people love to get carried away with the dietary health tips. One rule they love is, "only eat raw organic foods", because cooking destroys the "essentials" in foods. Some people love to save up all their money to spend on exotic small farm produce that's carted over by a pony and Farmer Brown. In fact, "eating right" can so consume them, and take up all their energies, that they often have little time for anything else in life. Doctors actually feel that there is a kind of eating disorder associated with going too far with eating right. They call it orthorexia nervosa, and they feel it's as serious as anorexia.

If there is any one thing among all health tips that deserves to be called a health demon, it has to be the multivitamin. Advances in an understanding of what vitamins were in the early 20th century, revolutionized public health. Quaint old diseases that were very common back then, scurvy from low vitamin C, beriberi from a lack of thiamine, rickets from low Vitamin D and such, came from how humanity then, had not enough food to go around. What people got to eat, didn't supply them with the vitamins they needed. So, the health establishment began to recommend vitamin supplements. While those were excellent for the time, they aren't really needed today, a time when reasonable nutrition standards are easily achieved all over. But the multivitamin habit is hard to kick, still. And from this comes vitamin overdosing. There were all kinds of reports now, that too much vitamin C can give you cancer, how too much vitamin E can give you a heart attack, and so on. The thing is, if you don't have a clear health problem you need to take extra vitamins for, you're best off leaving them alone.

And of course, to include something from outside of the diet, how about a runner's knee? The health tips are always telling you that a regular run in the park, I can give you arthritis. The doctors got that from studying marathon runners long-term. But researchers have been following marathon runners long-term, and they find that nothing really happens to them after running for 20 years. They find that people who have sore knees and take a running, actually improve over time. If you have a good running technique, no one can fault you for exercise of this kind.

The basic rule with following health tips always seems to be, to follow your heart, and to not let an idea run away with you.

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The Best Way Forward for People who need Health Insurance

The Best Way Forward for People who need Health Insurance for Individuals

If you happen to be happily self-employed, say, as a successful freelance musician or writer, it can fill you with pity, looking at the rest of humanity getting up and rushing off to work at eight in the morning in pressed suits when it's raining and snowing at the same time. And fill you with gratitude for what you have, as you look down at your bare feet and shorts, and the warmth of how your creativity keeps you productive in your own home. But there is one area at least where those poor drones have it better than you - finding good affordable health insurance. They get health insurance with their employers; you have to go down the treacherous waters of health insurance for individuals. If you live at a place where Blue Shield Blue Cross operates as a major player, you could be in for a pretty nasty time getting any coverage at all. In New York, health insurance can cost the highest in the whole country, and has seen prices climb about 10% every year

If you check for the rates they have on policies in health insurance for individuals though, you'd be shocked; they'll easily raise those prices 30% to 50% this year. And what is worse, lots of private clinics are so sick of dealing with the insurance companies, they just flat out refuse insurance anymore. You are a successful musician or writer, and you wish to go out there and find group insurance for your family in Florida; over there, a family of four could possibly be four groups, the way their definitions work. It's just that when you happen to be self-employed, you're not quite sure which category your placed in - the individual one, or the group one, or which works out better for you. Health insurance for individuals will usually require screening for health issues, and if you have no problems, they will give you an excellent rate. If you want to apply as part of a group, you don't have to take the risk of getting the screening, and having your rates bumped up. But you do miss out on the discount for good health.

So what is the best way to go about finding the best health insurance for individuals? The suggestion that is about to follow may not sound that great to you, but if you happen to have a certain amount of free time, getting a part-time job might be just the thing for you. Even working part-time at Starbucks, or at major bookstores like Barnes & Noble, perhaps five hours a day, will give you great all-covered healthcare. And no one is going to screen you before they offer you coverage. But if you do have enough money to afford a proper health plan of your own, try signing up to a professional organization. If you are a writer for example, you could sign up to the freelancers' union; if you are an actor, the actors' guild would help too. If yours is a genuine professional organization, you'll probably get nearly free health insurance just by working a certain amount at your profession each year.

Health insurance for individuals is such a poorly thought-out system in this country, no one would have any part of it if they could possibly help it. The trick to getting personal insurance then is avoiding getting it as far as possible.

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When the Health Insurance Companies give you the Runaround with

When the Health Insurance Companies give you the Runaround with a Claim

A yoga instructor in Northern California thought things couldn't get worse when she was told she needed to surgery, for a painful growth she had on her hip bone. It would take her time to recover , and get back to her class; her salary would suffer and so would her home life. But at least, she thought she was covered for the expensive surgery, as she had a plan with one of the best health insurance companies in California. Her doctor told her that he had performed this very kind of surgery on several other insurance-covered patients over the past couple of years, and claiming had never been a problem. The surgery went well, and just as she was getting back on her feet, she received a bill in the mail. It was from her hospital; for about $25,000. Her insurance claim had been denied.

About 10% of all claims placed before health insurance companies in America, get denied. It is no surprise. Her bill, informed her that she had the option to appeal against the decision. And that is exactly what she did. She read up in medical periodicals and elsewhere, to find reports that the procedure worked really well, and it wasn't experimental at all, as her insurance company claimed. She put all that in letter, included a letter from her surgeon who said the same thing, and filed it. Her appeal was still turned down as most health insurance companies will do. She then took her appeal to her health insurance company's external review board, where a third-party doctor looked at her case. The expert said that while it would be hard to convince the company that her surgery was indeed medically "recognized" and not experimental, she had a strong point in her argument that the company had found no such problem, allowing the surgery for other people that same year, as her surgeon told her. And she won.

But the insurer, right after conceding the case, went and protected itself from future claims, by declaring that surgeries of this kind would not be covered from then onwards. The woman in this case had a hard time because her insurance company tried to make a technical point, about whether the procedure in question was a valid one. Health insurance companies often give their subscribers a hard time, if they are forced to visit the emergency room at a hospital that is not covered under their insurer's network. If they have a condition that requires the doctor to try several kinds of medicines, before he hits upon the right one, the insurance company will have every excuse to scream "Experimental!". But lots of cases get denied for far simpler reasons, like clerical mistakes in how your hospital or doctor filled the form. Appealing, always make sense. Half of all those who appeal, win.

However, if you are planning action, make sure you do it before the deadline is up. With health insurance companies, it's usually between two and three months. Just make sure that your appeal is properly drafted. You don't want to give them an excuse to throw your case out, do you?

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Hard Disk Data Recovery

Data recovery involves salvaging of corrupted, failed, damaged and otherwise inaccessible data form a storage media. In hard disk data recovery, the goal is usually to retrieve deleted or corrupted data by either the use of software or advanced forensic methods. Hard disks data losses can be caused by a wide variety of things. It could be that there was a hard disk head crash, damaged logical structures of the file system or malware. For physical damage, technical expertise may be needed in order to retrieve lost data. However, where the file system has been damaged, the end user can be able to retrieve the data using certain techniques.

Hard disk data recovery can be done by use of disk imaging. This involves reconstructing the usable data from the already existing sectors. Tools such as HDClone and others are used to either communicating with the hard drive directly thus bypassing the operating system and the BIOS, by reading even the bad sectors generally skipped by the operating system, by use of various read commands and disabling certain features such as SMART to minimize imaging time and further drive degradation.

Hard disk data recovery caused by logical damage can be performed using various programs. Since this sort of problem is caused by power outages where files tend to remain completely unwritten, these inconsistencies can be corrected using software. Sometimes though, the drive may not be getting enough power. Another possibility is that the firmware may have become unstable. In all of the above scenarios, you do not need the expertise of a rocket scientist to resolve the problem. All you have to do is know the right software to use and how to go about making it work. It is even possible to recover accidental deletion of data. Trust me some powerful software are out there that can do exactly that.

Would it be rather nice instead to prevent damage in the first place than have to go looking for hard disk data recovery specialists or methods online to recover the report you worked on last month or those vacation pictures you took last year? Its easier done than said. System maintenance tools that come with the operating system can be used to maintain consistencies and protect against bugs in the file system before something major happens. Make regular restore points and backup your data frequently. You never know when your hard disk might just decide it has had enough of you and refuse to respond to your requests.

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Finding the right harassment attorney

We live in a world that some folks call overly politically correct. Others feel that the world we live in can tend toward crudeness and a lack of sensitivity toward minorities, women, the elderly and the mentally challenged. The common response to that is to say that we actually live somewhere in the middle where the world isn't really too crude or too stifled, but that's not reallly a good analysis of what it's actually like out there.

You see, most of the time the world is just fine. People of all genders, colors, creeds and races can get along with each other and sort of pull in the same direction with little to no problems. However, that ninety five percent of the time doesn't make up for the five percent of the time when people - and again, it's usually people who fall into the categories mentioned above - are harrassed, discriminated against, or otherwise treated as less than another group.

That is why, if you feel you have suffered something akin to what I've just described, you should do your due diligence and find a competent harassment attorney. Especially if it's a work related situation.

And remember, harassment doesn't have to be as overt as being called the "N-word" by an overbearing boss. An harassment attorney can listen to your story and tell you whether you have a case, whether you've been harassed or discriminated against, and whether you are due damages in civil court.

Of course, whether you win said damages largely depends upon the skill of your harassment attorney. A good one can turn the jury toward sympathy for the plaintiff with seeming ease, while a bad harassment attorney isn't likely to win you anything even if you've been pantsed and stuffed in a trash bin.

Harassment itself comes from French roots and the anglicized version of it dates back to the seventeenth century. The French word itself dates from the sixteenth century, and its definition is loose enough to mean anything from "bother" to "torment." Hence, you find many a harassment attorney who can stretch the definitin of harassment - workplace or otherwise - to fit the needs of any particular case.

Probably the most famous harassment-related legalities stem from the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964, specifically title VII. It became the constitutional basis for all types of harassment law, and as such it is a relatively young - not even fifty years old! - legal field.

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Is gray the Hair Fashion Statement of the Future?

You almost never get to see gray hair anymore on women over 50. Everyone is a lustrous and shimmering brunette or blonde, at any age. The trouble is, there are very few proud celebrity representatives for natural hair fashion for those older than stepping into old age. Of course, there is Helen Mirren, or Meryl Streep. But those are just two well-admired celebrities, that people tend to sideline what they're doing as high society rebellion. For most women, to go about with gray hair is like wearing a sandwich board that says they are over the hill, past a good future, past romance. As much as it seems like a terrible sacrifice to make at the altar of mature self-acceptance, most people hate being stuck on the gerbil wheel of constant skincare and hair care. If it's six weeks, you simply have to run off to get your roots colored. Years spent on regular hair coloring can end up feeling quite like you've been somehow been abusing your body, and getting off can often feel really liberating. It is funny, if you think about it. There really is nothing wrong with a hair color habit; and yet it does feel like relief when you finally step off the merry-go-round.

Will the silver mane catch on as the new hair fashion statement for today among older women? In a country where more than half of all of those who belong to the female gender, choose hair color, either for their gray hair, or to make a fashion statement? A natural gray, is all poised to become the new politically correct position; and colored hair, to become the new implants that those with women's rights politics will love to oppose. Most women in their 50s, choose to visit the salon to have their hair colored but not to indulge in some kind of hair fashion; appearance really counts in lots of jobs these days. You could be a lawyer dealing with youngish business clients, or you could be an office manager with a bunch of fresh business school graduates under your wing. It often just feels like you are running into obsolescence, if you look your age.

Lots of older women, experienced in fashion sales, find that in large image-conscious cities like New York or Philadelphia, trying to simply do your job and help customers with their choices, doesn't really work. You don't really want your college student customers to look at you and be reminded of their mom. But you know that it gets really ridiculous, when women in a job where they are employed for their wisdom and their maturity, still have to hide how old they are. School teachers and college lecturers, can't ever seem to be taken seriously with gray hair. In America, old age is just irrelevance.

But as badly as people react to grayhair in public situations, most women feel that in personal and intimate relationships, they're never judged by the color of their hair.

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An online guide to grammar and writing

The internet is a wonderful thing. It's been an invaluable tool in bringing the world closer, helping one culture understand another, and, for me, anyway, making it possible to watch soccer from around the world pretty much any time I want.

But the internet has also had a deleterious effect on grammar and writing. Convenience has taken the place of accuracy and precision, and finding an online guide to grammar and writing can help recall the fundamentals that were drilled into you as a child in grade school.

There is not one particular guide to grammar and writing that is recommended above all others, but it's worth noting that none of these guides will tell you it's advisable to use "chatspeak." "Chatspeak" is using abbreviations like "u r" for "You are", or IMHO for "in my humble opinion." Chatspeak is where a good guide to grammar and writing goes to die.

It's funny bringing up the "you are" example in particular, since that particular phrase has suffered long before the internet ever came into existence. For whatever reason, most people can't grasp the difference between "your" and "you're". Yes, they're pronounced the same way, but they mean different things. "You're" is a conjunction meaning, literally, "you are." "Your" is modifier that indicates possession. I'll write a sentence - your own little guide to grammar and writing right here in this article - using each correctly.

You're right, a guide to grammar and writing would be useful.

Your guide to grammar and writing is very useful.

See the difference there?

Oooh... "there". That's another good one. People seem to have difficulty distinguishing between three words: "There", "Their" and "They're." I'll use them each correctly.

There is a goood guide to grammar and writing on the internet.

Their guide to grammar and writing is faulty.

They're going to need a guide to grammar and writing if they ever want to be taken seriously in the real world.

Each of the previous three sentences means something different than the other two. Memorize those sentence structures and how those three words are used, and you'll be halfway there in finding your perfect guide to grammar and writing.

I'd also encourage you to go to the library and find books on grammar and writing, and educate yourself on the proper use of punctuation (everyone struggles with apostrophes - there's no shame in that!) as well as tenses. Once you've done that, proper grammar and writing will become second nature to you.

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GSM Cell Phones for Business Travelers

Our iPhones, Blackberrys, and Androids have become such a huge part of our lives that we can't imagine going for even a single day without carrying a phone around. That's usually not something we have to worry about during our regular routines, but what happens when it's time to go on vacation? What about frequent business travelers? How do they stay in touch while traveling abroad? It used to be that you would have to rent a phone or buy a disposable while traveling. But thanks to GSM cell phones, you can now go practically anywhere in the world and use your own handset for communicating with folks back home.

GSM cell phones are those that adhere to the global system for mobile communications, which is the technological standard most prevalent around the globe. Without getting into all the technical details, this basically means that people using GSM cell phones can enjoy uninterrupted coverage as long as they are traveling somewhere with the proper network and infrastructure in place -- which is most of the developed world, for sure. Yes, roaming charges from your home carrier will still apply, but that's a small price to pay for having all your personal data at your fingertips.

Actually, that last reason is precisely why so many business travelers opt for GSM cell phones these days. With a disposable or rental phone, the only thing you can do is make calls -- and even then you'll have to carry your contacts list separately to ensure you'll be able to get in touch with the right people. But when you use your own handset, you've got all your contact numbers listed right there, along with email addresses, fax numbers, and any other information you might need. Plus, you can still send text messages and all your bookmarks will be in place when you browse the web from your device. The true power and value of GSM cell phones, then, is this convenience of keeping all important data with you wherever you go.

What are some GSM cell phones on the market these days? To be honest, I'm reluctant to give specific model numbers here because phone manufacturers change their product lineups so often that there's a very good chance anything I list here will be "retired" by the time you read this article. Instead, the best way to go about shopping for GSM cell phones is to simply ask the store clerk which handsets have global roaming capabilities. Hopefully he'll lead you in the right direction! Also, there's always the possibility of "unlocking" your phone to make it work worldwide -- but that might void all warranties so be careful about going that route.

For business travelers who frequently go abroad to deal with clients and customers, GSM cell phones are a must-have accessory that allows them to access critical information at all times, along with making the usual calls that are a big part of any overseas journey. Make sure you're equipped properly before your next trip!

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