Main Street Kelowna Magazine

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Over 12 s k o o B e e Fre Inside

Understanding Chronic and Terminal Illness:

A Guide for Healthy People

Top 8 Most Recyclable Products The 6 Keys to Permanent Weight Loss

Dig A Well Before You’re Thirsty

Startling numbers from Kelowna businesses that will help you

Flip Your Thinking

90% 60% 52% of businesses rely exclusively, or almost exclusively, on word of mouth advertising.

of businesses believe that a good marketing campaign would raise their revenue.

of businesses are using social media as a part of their marketing strategy.

Isn’t it time you considered your current marketing strategy? Join the Main Street Kelowna Business Network, an exclusive group of local small business owners who are working together to

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888 412-1067 info@mainstreetkelowna.com www.mainstreetkelowna.com Read the full results of the advertising survey in the Okanagan Business Examiner September 2010 issue.

Word from the Publisher

Doug Watson Publisher

Main Street Kelowna Magazine is published monthly by Main Street Business Network and serves the residents and business community of Kelowna, British Columbia.

101 -1865 Dilworth Drive, Kelowna, BC V1Y 9T1. Tel 888 412.1067 info@mainstreetkelowna.com • www.mainstreetkelowna.com

Publisher Doug Watson

Business Development Luke Vorstermans

Executive Assistant Ana Marie Banares

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Editorial Manager Augusto Meneses

Account Managers Laura McKinnon

Subscriptions Russel Leo Orais

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Top 8 Most Recyclable Products 22

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Playing the Lottery?

Avoid These Home Decorating Faux Pas

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A Remembrance of Things Repast

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Canada Rated as #2 in Garbage.

in every issue

Getting the Kids on Your Side

13 A Greener View

Decoration Ideas Using Natural Stones

17 Top 10

5 Quick and Easy Home Organization Tips

15 3 FREE eBooks 18 Around Home & Yard

33 The Back Page 3

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EALTHY LIVING The 6 Keys to

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Permanent Weight Loss

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Happiest Countries in the World Dealing With Jealousy Great Food for Your Brain The Power of Ginger

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The Mental BeneďŹ t of Weight Loss.

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16 Tips for a Better Night Sleep

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Do different types of Calories Matter?

in every issue 37 A Healty Perspective

39 3 FREE eBooks

41 Top 10 44 Health Matters

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Understanding Chronic and Terminal Illness:

A Guide for Healthy People Click

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Natural Options for Men with Erectile Dysfunction

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Top Ten Suggestions for Living

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Shape Up with Mind Aerobics

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Laughing It Off

in every issue

63 Wisdom Comes with Age 67 3 FREE eBooks 69 Top 10 72 What Matters Most 77 The Last Word

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9 Basic Principles for Entrepreneurs

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How to Raise Your Hourly Rate

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inside

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The Four Rules for Taming the eMail Beast The Power of Words

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Four Keys to Digging a WaterBearing Well

in every issue

83 Foresight 84 3 FREE eBooks

Use Job Interviews to Get New Ideas

85 Top 10

Innovate by Ignoring What Others Have Done

101 The Last Word

86 Business Briefs

BUSINESS Absolute Contrac�ng

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1422 Phoenix Ridge Lane Vernon, BC V1B4A1 Tel: 250.503.0208

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Janet Lawrence Planned Giving Officer Kelowna, B.C Tel: 250.860.2329 ext 29

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A Greener View

Our World Through Numbers That Are Easy to Comprehend MILLIONS. HUNDRED OF MILLIONS. BILLIONS. Oftentimes large numbers are beyond our comprehension. They’re just an innocuous number that gets bandied about in conversation or news cast but has little relevance. This video brings the Earth’s population down to a simple formula you can relate to. And with it you can get a better idea of how fortunate you are.

If you could fit the entire population of the world into a village consisting of 100 people, maintaining the proportions of all the people living on earth, that village would consists of: • 57 Asians • 21 Europeans • 14 Americans (North, Central and South) • 8 Africans

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…and in addition to allowing this information move you, have a nice day.

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eBooks

How to Cook Great Indian Foods

Indian Food is not just curry, but deserts and drinks as well!

These recipes have been put together painstakingly by myself for you to enjoy. It is a collection from all over India and from some of the top Indian chefs and restaurants. You don’t have to stick to the recipe; change them to make them hotter or milder. Swap chicken for fish and so on. Add things you like and take away things you don’t like.

You can always add meat to any of the vegetarian dishes as well.

Finding the Right Martial Arts School

By Kevin L. Brett Finding the right martial arts school for you or your children can be confusing and frustrating. This free eBook can make it easy for you to find the right school in a confusion and frustration-free way!

43 Great Cocktails

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Home & Garden

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Top 10 Best Selling Music Artists #1 - ELVIS PRESLEY (over 1,000,000,000 album sales) Between 1954 and 1977, Elvis Presley recorded a total of 77 albums, with all but nine of them reaching the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart. #2 - THE BEATLES (over 750,000,000) In their eight years recording together, they recorded a total of 12 original albums, finding immense success all over the world. #3 - MICHAEL JACKSON (over 750,000,000) Starting out with The Jackson Five at age 7, he went on to one of the most successful solo careers ever, releasing 11 albums and countless record-breaking singles. #4 - FRANK SINATRA (over 500,000,000) Beginning his career in the 1930’s and still performing just a few years before his death in 1998, the singer is also an Oscar-winning actor. #5 - ABBA (370,000,000) Abba had a plethora of international hits in the 70s and enjoyed over 10 years recording and touring together.

#6 - LED ZEPPELIN (over 300,000,000) Formed in 1968, Led Zeppelin was one of the first heavy metal bands and worked under the concept of album-oriented rock. #7 - NANA MOUSKOURI (300,000,000) Starting her music career in 1958 and still recording, Greek-born Nana Mouskari is known for her longing, melancholy love songs to which her unique voice is so suited. #8 - QUEEN (300,000,000) Formed in 1970, the English rock band is regarded as one of the greatest live bands of all time. Queen had great international success, gaining critical acclaim world wide. #9 - TINO ROSSI (300,000,000) A successful singer and actor from 1929 - 1982, Rossi’s operatic voice and “Latin Lover” persona helped him produce hundreds of records and appearing in over 25 films. #10 - JULIO IGLESIAS (250,000,000) Many music artists claim to have sold 250 million records (Elton John, Madonna, Pink Floyd); we decided to go with Julio Iglesias to finish off our list of the biggest selling music artists.

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Around the Home & Yard Playing the Lottery?

Why a System for Winning Does Not Work The enticements to play the lottery games are everywhere.

As the jackpot goes up, so do the lineups as well as the ‘wishing, hoping, dreaming and scheming’. Unfortunately, the odds of winning a $10 million prize are 1 in 34.9 million. In other words, you’d be more likely to get hit by lightning or die in a plane crash than win the jackpot. So, it’s really a sucker bet. But there is a thrill in playing the game.

Some people suggest using a system to try to win. They use birthdays, horoscopes or they keep track of which numbers have already been picked. But the truth is, none of them work. There is no way one can accurately predict which numbers will come up in a random drawing.

One of the most common systems to predict lottery numbers is tracking. People keep track of lottery numbers for years, trying to establish a pattern. They are looking for which numbers come up more often and use this information as a basis for the numbers they pick. But this just doesn’t work.

With the number of balls in a lottery (usually 40 – 45) there are just too many combinations of num-

bers to predict which will come up based on past performance.

Sure, the law of averages would say that the number 9 should come up soon, since it hasn’t been picked for 6 months. However, no one can say when the 9 will come up. You’ll probably find that 10 to 12 of the numbers haven’t been picked in some time. This is not a pattern, this is randomness.

These numbers will eventually be picked, but not all at once.

Playing by birthdays, addresses, or lucky numbers is the same. The idea is that if you always play the same numbers, they will eventually come up. In theory, this is true. However you may have to wait a few hundred, or even thousand of years, because of the sheer number of combinations possible.

If you play the lottery consistently, you are bound to win something, even if it’s a little prize.

This gives some people the misguided notion that their system works. Actually, they were just lucky.

If you look at the statistics for those who win the lottery, you will find that most of them let the computer pick their numbers. They play randomly.

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Getting the Kids on Your Side Make sure everyone understands their responsibilities If you get it out, you put it away. There is no excuse for a child’s bedroom to look like a bomb just went off. Make sure to hold them accountable.

When their chores and homework are done, then they get free time. They will feel so much better during the school year with a clean, organized room!

Set up routines Do you have a chore chart for your kids? Every busy mom needs help around the house. Everyone (even your toddlers) should have responsibilities.

Meal planning is a must Get your kids involved. Have them look through cookbooks and mark the recipes they like

with a post-it note and make a list of their top five favorite dinners. Take their ideas, and make a few weekly menus.

Set up a homework zone Children need a quiet, clutter free space to concentrate on their school work. Have a storage container for holding pens, pencils, rulers, scissors, glue sticks, and more. Keep extra paper on hand and don’t forget to have a pencil sharpener handy.

Post a family calendar Hang the calendar in a prominent place so everyone can write in their appointments as they come up. Make sure the older children do this and then have them transfer the dates to your personal calendar or daytimer. Life is so much easier to plan and you don’t have to worry about double booking.

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Home & Garden

Around the Home & Yard Decoration Ideas Using

Natural Stones

The beauty of natural stone lies in the fact that no two pieces of look alike. For this reason, more and more homeowners are drawn to natural stone for home decoration. Here is a brief guide to choosing natural stones to enhance a home setting.

MARBLE - Marble is a preferred mate-

rial to make beautiful floor tiles. A luxurious bathroom is easy to obtain by installing marble floors. In the kitchens, sinks and counters are constructed using marble to obtain an astonishing appeal.

SANDSTONE - Natural sandstone has a weatherproof property that makes it ideal for exterior pavements. It is also a wonderful choice for interior floors and walls. The most popular use of sandstone is in constructing elegant fireplaces.

SLATE STONE - Slate has unique ap-

peal and at the same time it is a durable natural stone. Apart from roofing and flooring, it is used for making backsplashes, countertops, sinks and pavements. It is also a great choice for garden area landscaping.

GRANITE - The slabs and tiles made

of granite are used for flooring, stair treads, countertops and many other designs. Using granite adds a glamorous look to any home.

LIMESTONE - Limestone is highly

resistant to heat and water. This is the reason that homeowners use it to for driveways, swimming pool areas and other exterior parts of the house. The stone is also used for interior flooring and kitchen countertops.

Home & Garden

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Quick and Easy Home Organization Tips These five home organization tips will get organized in just a few minutes every day. Doing every one of these daily should not take you more than 15 minutes each time.

1. File 10 pieces of paper every day.

One of the biggest challenges in home organization is finding a place for the paper that comes into your home. You’d be surprised by what a big difference it makes to take this small step daily. It will help that overflowing ‘to be filed’ tray will slowly shrink and help you feel like your home is getting organized.

2. Toss one thing from your kitchen that you do not use.

Your regular everyday trash does not count here. It has to be something that has been hanging around your kitchen for a long time and is something that you know

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you do not use. Gadgets, spices and that item you bought for such a good deal but that your family will never use. If you don’t use it or like it, toss it out or donate it.

3. Find a permanent home for one thing in your house.

If you’re like most people, getting organized seems like a big job because nothing seems to “live” in one spot. Your kids’ toys end up in the living room, kitchen, bedroom and sometimes even in your bed. One of the best ways to get your home organized is by giving every item in your home a place where it “lives.”

4. Toss one item of clothing from your closet.

The closet is one of those places that seem to defy all home organization attempts because there is simply too many clothes for the space. The absolute best piece of advice is this: downsize. Every day take things from your closet that no longer fits or that you know you would not be caught dead in anyway.

5. Organize one drawer or shelf.

If you have small drawers in your bathroom, that is a great place to start.

Take everything out and put the things you do need in an orderly fashion that makes sense. Going through the drawers and shelves will help you know what you have in that area and help you get that part of your home organized.

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Home & Garden

Avoid These Home Decorating Faux Pas Cassia Ann Jordan

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ave you ever walked into a person’s house and your eyes go straight to an item which seemed so out of place that it distracted you from the rest of the dÊcor? If so, you have stumbled upon a decorating faux pas. When decorating your own home, cautious planning and a keen eye can help you avoid this from happening. There are so many different ways to create a coordinating focal point without the distractions.

Using Color in your Home

The biggest error that beginning decorators make that ends in a cold space is selecting inappropriate colors, or leaving color out of your plan altogether. In most new homes, the walls are neutral which offers potential buyers the opportunity to see themselves living in the house. Neutral paint is also the most economical choice for homebuilders. It is not meant to remain in your new home long term.

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You must use caution with the ‘shades’ of white that you pick for your space. There are warm tones and cool tones. Warmer white tones can make a home look homey (think cozy cottage) and cool tones make a room look cold and uninviting. White tones should be used sparingly.

try-themed den. While treasures such this do have a place in your heart, you should carefully consider where they are placed in your home. You can hang them up in the den instead of the main hallway or even in a bedroom.

Warm paint colors are perfect to improve the comfort level in a space and add energy and personality. A home with restricted natural light is better suited for lighter shades that will absorb whatever natural light does fill the room and bounce it around the room. A space with plenty of windows, skylights and other sources of natural light can manage deeper, darker and richer paint colors such as eggplant, mustard, midnight blue and merlot red.

Yes, carpet looks pretty and keeps your feet warm on a cold morning, however, it doesn’t always belong in the bathroom or the kitchen. You should consider how hard it is to clean a carpet and rid them of offensive odors. Instead, consider hard wood or linoleum and use area rugs to accent the room. You can use flower shaped rugs or you can go for solid colors like yellow rugs to help you decorate your kitchen in a particular look.

Too Many Knick-Knacks

Carpet in the Bathroom or Kitchen

The Furniture is Too Big

It’s easy to end up with an overabundance of knick-knacks throughout your lifetime. Used sparingly, little figurines and curios can add spice and character to a room. When overused, they only serve to create a cluttered, jumbled up mess. It is better to scatter them around the home.

Without question, your furnishings and accessories are the ’eye candy’ for your home.

These pieces set the tone and personality for the room, from contemporary or Mediterranean to traditional or Georgian.

Choosing furniture that work seamlessly with your space is important.

If you have too many that you have collected over the years, consider rotating them. Place half of your collection into a box and place the box in the attic or down in the basement. Mark your calendar for six months and that is when you can change the collection out. Place a new batch out for another six months and you are continuously changing the look of the room with something that you like.

Large furniture looks absolutely gorgeous on a spacious furniture showroom floor. If your rooms are small in size, large furniture can look very out of place. In fact, it can become almost claustrophobic in the room because so much space is taken up. Find furniture that fits into your room not the other way around. You will be more content in a room that you feel is just the right size.

Items Not Matching the Theme

With just a little common sense and an eye for style, your home can be tastefully decorated in a way that will still reflect your own unique personality. Be creative and have fun with your decor.

While that replica masterpiece that came from your grandmother might be a magnificent piece of art; it probably would look out of place in a coun-

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Home & Garden

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ecorative pavers or bricks are commonly used for finishing or resurfacing driveways and walkways. The pathways that run through gardens and lead to sitting area and patios are also paved to give them a classic finish and add an element of safety to walkways.

Stamped concrete is one of the methods used to make decorative paving.

Walkways, driveways and other surfaces such as patios and gazebos can all be spiced up using stamped concrete.

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Stamped Concrete Patterns

Various types of pavers, stones and bricks are traditionally used for these areas and laid one by one. But with the stamped concrete method, the area is paved by first pouring a concrete mix and then converting the plain concrete into a designer surface while it is still wet. Along with the designs and textures, colors can also be added for a more classy and visually-appealing look.

It is the best alternatives to regular brick pavers at a much lower costs. Concrete stamping can easily create a texture to match existing brick pavers or create unique designs of your own. The coloring process will help match the brick pavers or offer a variety of coloring choices.

the stamped concrete patio designs by highlighting the borders using different sized stamps or adding different shade of color to the area.

Simple Patterns

Geometric Patterns

Create patterns after considering the shape of the walkway. For straight walkways, a more simple design and shape, like rectangles and square stamps, is the best idea. Random interlocking patterns that create a natural look is also popular and easily done using larger casts. For curved driveways and larger spaces, a mix of patterns can be used to give a trendy look.

Highlighting Borders

Usually borders are highlighted using a different patterns or sizes of stamps. You can play up

Use stamped concrete to finish gardens or yards for a individual look. Yard art, gazebos or playground structures with a circular base and boundary can look great when surrounded by stamped concrete patterns.

For gardens and other larger areas, geometric patterns are best choice. You can select a texture to create the best effect that matches natural stones.

Other elements like rocks, bricks and pebbles can be added to stamped concrete to create a unique space.

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Home & Garden

A Remembrance of Things Repast

Natalie MacLean Wine Column

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reakfast in a gulp, lunch on the go and dinner on the run. Life in the fast lane seems to have bypassed the slow, ancient pleasures of the table. However, an amiable group of gastromes hopes to put an end to our nuke-it-and-eat-it culture.

With a charming chiocciolina (small snail) as its mascot and a philosophy that advocates the defense of pleasure, Slow Food, an international organization with 30,000 members in 35 countries is helping members rediscover the flavors of regional cooking and fresh local produce. The group believes that small doses of sensual pleasure preserve us from the fast and frozen food, the enemies of contemplative cuisine.

In a society that fuels our frenzy with food, what is the appeal of slowing down?

Think back to memorable meals you’ve had in the past. Most likely, they were leisurely affairs with friends and family gathered around the table discussing events of the day while savoring each of the dishes.

A project called the Ark of Taste names foods that are in danger of disappearing from our table such as Macedonian yogurt, Scandinavian lamb, centuriesold orange trees in Nice, red-violet skinned peaches from Provenance and Californian zinfandel vines, among others. The group also hopes to preserve

artisanal food preparation by sustaining demand for these products.

Several trends point to the promise of the movement in North America including the emergence of microbreweries in a market long dominated by a few beer monoliths. Small wineries are also experiencing unprecedented popularity. The “cult cabs” of California such as Grace Family, Screaming Eagle and David Bruce together produce what would likely fit on one of Gallo’s delivery trucks, yet they cannot

Home & Garden meet demand for their wines, despite stratospheric prices.

But isn’t trying to get people to spend hours preparing homecooked meals naively out of step with our time-crunched culture? There’s a trendy answer to that too: the personal chef. A personal chef may cook for ten families, depending on the size of the business. After an initial meeting to determine dietary preferences, a personal chef usually visits each family’s house every two weeks and spends the day buying the groceries, preparing the meals, labeling them for the freezer, cleaning up and setting the table.

Your personal chef has been here today so you sneak upstairs, slip into your fuzzy slippers and read a chapter of the latest John Grisham novel before dinner.

So instead of wondering up and down the grocery aisles at 6 pm with a glazed look of hunger as you try to figure out what to cook for dinner, imagine walking into your home to the heady aroma of herb chicken and butternut squash. Your personal chef has been here today so you sneak upstairs, slip into your fuzzy slippers and read a chapter of the latest John Grisham novel before dinner.

When you and your family gather around the table, it is for an elegant meal that’s as fine as those in restaurants. The only difference is that you eat in the comfort and privacy of your own home without having to make reservations or wait in line for your table.

Who hires personal chefs? Professionals with children who not only have demanding careers, but

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also the added pressures of soccer practice, music lessons, after-school meetings. Given a choice, they’d rather spend their evenings with their kids than the cheese grater. According to Judith Madill, a professor at Carleton University, the growing popularity of personal chefs boils down to taste, convenience, healthfulness and priorities. “People are looking for strategies to cope with “role overload” – too little time for too many roles such as professional, father, wife, cook and so on.”

Recent studies reveal that Canadians’ interest in eating healthful food that tastes good is at an all-time high, but the time they have to cook is at an all-time low. In 1970, dual income families represented only 38 percent of all families in Canada and they spent 15 percent of their food dollars on meals prepared outside the home. By 1995, more than 51 percent included two wage earners and they spent 28 percent on out-of-home meals.

Fueled by these changes, a spectrum of “home replacement meals” has developed from high-end takeout meals from restaurants, delis and caterers to freshly prepared meals in boutique areas of grocery stores. According to Tracey Black, chef at the catering company MacKay Street Epicuria, 70 percent of the meals purchased from her take-home food store are for regular meals as opposed to special occasions and parties.

Madill adds that meals are tightly wound with family traditions; increasingly, people feel they regain a stronger sense of family life by sharJoin th ing a home cooked e conve rsation meal. While you can’t Natalie M accred acLean is an stop the clock, you ited som m wine w riter, sp elier, ea and jud can certainly unwind ge. Her ker book.

Red, W hit at the dinner table, All Ove e and Drunk r was c ho the Bes t Wine sen savoring the timeLit ture Bo ok in th eraGourm and Wo e Engrld Coo lish language brainy less pleasures of kbo at the an life is to d unapologeti ok Awards. Fu cally tip intimida sy, her nny, at fine the earth’s bounty goal in restaura te those crusty nts with w edge. her sta ine stewards ggering and one another’s www.nat knowlaliemac lean.com natdeca nts@nat company. aliemac le an.com .

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Home & Garden

29

Top 8 Most Recyclable Products

R

ecycling in Kelowna is not a new idea that many now associate with the green bins we roll out curbside on garbage day. Recycling has been around for centuries in some shape or form. It has just taken us a while to catch up with our ancestors, to whom recycling was a way of life.

For them, it wasn’t just respect for the environment that had them re-using and recycling materials; it saved them time and money. Our disposal society is only now coming to grips with the huge cost associated with the way we buy, consume and get rid of the products we consume.

Most households in Canada now have separate bins for tin and metals, papers and cardboard, plastics, and some even go as far as recycling glass. If you are thinking about jumping on the bandwagon and either recycling your own products or are in the

market to purchase products made from recycled products, here is a list of the eight most popular recyclable products in the world today.

Metals & Tins Metal was one of the ďŹ rst items my mother recycled when I was a child. It probably sounds familiar: emptying your dinner canned goods, rinsing them out and then tossing them in the recycle bin. Recycled metals can be used for a vast variety of products, however metal is most commonly recycled for use in the automobile and construction industries.

Paper & Cardboard If you are at all familiar with recycling, you already know that the recycling battle started over

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Home & Garden

paper, trees to be exact. And to this day, it is still one of the leading causes for debates over the years with environmentalists. There is a neverending list of the many uses that paper can be re-used.

consumer product today, almost 100% as a matter of fact. Car engines, transmissions, doors, and many other parts are totally remanufactured or “rebuilt” to fit another car. Engine oil, gasoline and even coolant are recycled as well. Tires are often recycled to become brake petals and even floor mats. The industry is huge, it accounts for $25 billion in revenue each year.

Plastics Recycling plastic is tricky business because of the many different types of plastics used in our products today. Plastics are resinspecific, meaning not all plastics can be used for all purposes. In Kelowna, plastics are placed in the curbside recycling bin -- along with paper and cardboard -- for eventual separating and re-processing.

Glass Items such as beautiful glass tabletops and landscaping surfaces to candle holders and vases are created from recycled glass bottles.

Cars Did you know that almost 85% of all car parts are recyclable? In fact, cars are the most recycled

Fabric Clothing is another popular way to recycle. Recycled fabric can be turned into new and innovative clothing and purses. Why throw out your used clothes when you can recycle them into something else. Take a pair of jeans for example. Let’s say you wore out the knees. Don’t throw them away; make a pair of shorts out of them. If you visit any hobby store today, you will find many new and exciting ways to dress up and use outdated clothing.

Ink Cartridges This is probably the newest addition to recycling in the world today.

Instead of throwing away your used ink cartridge, you can take to a dealer or office supply store for disposal. Even better -- and more cost effective -- is to have it refilled for a frac-

Home & Garden

Canada Rated as #2 in Garbage Statistics Canada estimates this country produces 21 million tonnes of garbage annually. That number places Canadians in the top five in the world when it comes to the amount of waste each person generates. Among the 29 countries with advanced economies, here are the top “most-wasteful” countries:

tion of the cost of new. Not only does this save money, but saves unwanted plastic in our landfills too. While most manufacturers frown upon re-filling ink or laser cartridges – and some if threaten to void their warrantees – this is driven by profits. They want to sell you expensive replacement cartridges which are not necessary.

Furniture Reupholstered furniture is stylish and modern. It is a great way to create a new look in your home or office for very little money, in comparison to buying the furniture new. It is wasteful to see furniture sitting out on the road on trash day, when there are plenty of people willing to give it a good second home. Consider recycling it through local charities and websites like freecycle.org before sending it to the city dump.

• • • •

United States, 720 kg of trash per person Canada, 675 kg of trash per person Norway, 630 kg of trash per person Mexico, 300 kg of trash person

What's in all that waste? According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (1999): • • • • •

30 per cent is paper and paper products 34 per cent is food and garden waste 11 per cent is plastics 15 per cent is glass and metals 10 per cent is textiles and miscellaneous materials

Landfills are filling up, not to mention becoming a blight on the environment. It's estimated all that dirty, toxic, useless stuff we throw away can leach out 65,000 pollutants into our groundwater. Instead of dumping all those coffee grounds, orange rinds and food scraps in a big hole in the ground, re-usable waste can be diverted and then converted to compost. In Canada, an example of this type of recycling can be seen in Edmonton where more than 70% of waste is recovered at its new $150-million compost facility. By contrast, Toronto diverts only 32% of its waste from landfills.

31

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Home & Garden

The Back Page There have been many versions of this list over the years, and some emails have credited Andy Rooney as the original author.

• And when God, who created the entire universe with all of its glories, decides to deliver a message to humanity, He will NOT use as His messenger a person on cable TV with a bad haircut.

33

Some of Life’s

BEST Lessons • The one thing that unites all human beings, re-

gardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe we are above-average drivers.

• People who want to share their

religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

• If you had to identify, in one

word, the reason why the human race has not achieved its full potential, that word would be “meetings.”

• There is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness.”

• No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.

• When trouble arises and things

look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command.

Very often, that individual is crazy.

• The main accomplishment of almost all organized

• The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.

• A person who is nice to you, but rude to the

• You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.

protests is to annoy people who are not in them.

waiter, is not a nice person.

• Don’t think that because a person is having fun

they are drinking to excess. Some people have fun naturally, and you need to find out how they do it.

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EALTHY LIVING .COM .COM

A Healthier Perspective

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While she prides herself in ‘thinking outside the pill’ she is also very proud to wear her ‘white coat’ because she knows that there is a time and place for drugs and medications.

In this new video she discusses her latest book, Diabetes Without Drugs with Health Ranger Mike Adams, from www.NaturalNews.com, one of Internet’s the top natural health websites.

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HEALTHY LIVING

Top 10 Happiest Countries in the World The basis of this list is research done by professor Ruut Veenhoven, who runs the World Database of Happiness at Erasmus University Rotterdam, and takes into account a number of variables such as life expectancy and health, and most importantly answers to the multiple choice question, “How happy are you?” The variables are assessed from 1 to 10; the higher number, the happier the country.

10. Luxembourg This small European country has an army of 800 (yes, 800). They don’t have a navy or air force and together with Belgium they own one military cargo plane.

9. Guatemala Main exports of Guatemala include coffee, sugar and bananas. The latter is probably why they are so happy – have you ever seen someone that can stay sad while eating a banana?

8. Canada Canada has never cancelled its relations with Cuba and declined to take part from the Iraq War. 7. Sweden Home of IKEA, the world’s largest furniture store, it’s claimed that one in ten Europeans have been conceived on an Ikea bed.

6. Australia Australia is the only country in the world that consists of an entire continent. Australians are famous for playing rugby and calling each other mate.

5. Finland The country that brought us Nokia, the world’s largest manufacturer of mobile phones. Before making phones, Nokia made rubber boots!

4. Iceland Thanks to geothermal power, Iceland gets its electricity and hot water dirt cheap. Iceland (together with Norway) is the world’s most developed country.

3. Austria Austria is the home to the energy drink Red Bull.

Thanks to the wide use of wind, solar and hydropower, Austria produces around 80% of its energy from renewable resources.

2. Switzerland Switzerland is one of the top garbage recyclers in the world (66% to 96% recyclable materials recycled).

They achieve this by keeping recycling free, but charging for regular garbage.

1. Denmark According to Wikipedia, Denmark has the world’s highest taxes! Expect to pay 72% of your money to the government on the highest income tax bracket.

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HEALTHY LIVING

Health Matters Dealing With

Jealousy

Unaddressed feelings of jealousy can cause distress for couples. It’s common for jealousy to arise during the course of a relationship, however it is important to manage these feelings so it does not become detrimental to your personal relationships.

You can learn a great deal about yourself in the process of dealing with jealousy; it doesn’t have to be such a negative experience. Here are five steps to manage your feelings.

Be reasonable Jealousy is usually an irrational fear that doesn’t have any logical basis in reality. When we care about someone, it is not uncommon to be insecure about losing that person. Jealousy stems from the desire to feel secure with our loved ones. Keep in mind that most of the thoughts we have relating to jealousy are simply not true.

Communicate your fears with your partner

Develop your self confidence Jealousy is often be a problem with self-esteem.

If we feel like we are not good enough, we will feel jealous of other people. Build your self-confidence.

You are good enough for your partner; otherwise you wouldn’t have gotten together in the first place.

Change your focus When negative feelings arise, it’s often difficult to break the cycle of negativity. Focus your emotional, mental and physical energy into other areas. You need to break the cycle of negative feelings in order to overcome them.

Put your feelings on paper

Most feelings of jealousy are irrational and seeing them on paper can help you gain a better perIt can help both sides feel more comfortable by spective of the cause. The act of writing and putting expressing the fears that are triggering the feelings of your feelings on paper also puts them outside of jealousy. It’s important to let the other person know yourself. Once this is done, your perspective changes what’s going through your mind when the feelings and the feelings lose much of their power. of jealousy arise.

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HEALTHY LIVING

Great Food for Your Brain Salmon Although many types of fish are good for you, salmon is a particularly good brain food because it is very high in essential fatty acids, such as omega-3. Farm-raised salmon is not as healthy as wild salmon, since the fish are not raised in their normal rugged environment, which naturally ensures the highest quality fish.

Blueberries Berries are very good for your health in general due to their vitamins and antioxidants. Blueberries are particularly good for the brain, since they are high in omega-3. Studies have shown that blueberries prevent mental decline, short-term memory loss, and even cancer. You can eat blueberries raw or mix them with your whole grain cereal.

Walnuts Ironically shaped like the human brain itself, walnuts are very high in omega-3 and are 15-20% protein. Walnuts are known to help mood disorders and naturally increase serotonin levels which can help with depression. Other brainhealthy nuts are almonds and cashews.

Coffee Coffee beans have high levels of antioxidants, vitamins, and amino acids. Coffee is known to help avoid mental decline and Alzheimer’s. According to Harvard Medical Research, one cup of coffee per day does not have any negative effects on health, even though it contains caffeine. The caffeine acts as a stimulant which provides mental alertness for a limited period of time.

Dark Chocolate Natural dark chocolate has a higher percentage of cacao than most of the chocolate treats sold in grocery stores. It’s known to be good for the brain and helpful to your mood as well. Make sure the chocolate is 75% cacao or higher.

Eggs At only about 70 calories each, eggs pack a powerful punch for the brain. Eggs contain choline, which is a critical component of brain mass. Choline is known to aid in concentration and the firing of neurons in the brain.

Avocados Avocados contain healthy, mono-saturated fat. This helps with blood pressure and blood flow, and is therefore healthy for the brain. The potassium in avocados is essential to mental function and nerve impulses.

Source: www.mrhealthy.com

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HEALTHY LIVING

Health Matters The Power of

Ginger

Ginger is one of the foods that can give you a health punch because it is so full of healthy benefits for your body and mind.

Fresh ginger is best, so it is a good idea to keep some around. Buy ginger that is firm and has smooth skin. Avoid ginger with wrinkled skin, soft spots, or any mold.

Ginger is most beneficial when grated or pressed in a garlic press. You can also slice it.

Muscle Strains - Apply warm ginger paste with turmeric to the affected area twice a day.

Sore Throat - Boil some water and add a dash of cinnamon, a little piece of ginger, 1 tsp honey and drink.

For a persistent cough - Take a half teaspoonful of ginger powder, a pinch of clove with a pinch

Treat Colds and Flu the Natural Way back into your head. The best way to blow your nose is to press a finger over one nostril while you blow gently to clear the other.

Get Rested Blow Your Nose

It’s important to blow your nose regularly when you have a cold rather than sniffling mucus

Resting when you first come down with a cold or the flu helps your body direct its energy toward the immune battle which taxes the body. So give it a little help by lying down and staying warm.

HEALTHY LIVING

of cinnamon powder and honey in a cup of boiled water and drink it as tea.

Asthma - A teaspoon of fresh ginger juice mixed with a cup of fenugreek decoction and honey to taste acts as an excellent expectorant in the treatment of asthma.

45

and squeeze out the ginger juice into a pot containing 4 liters of hot water (do not boil the water). Dip a towel into the ginger water and wring it out. Apply very hot to the affected area.

For relief of nausea - Ginger is generally taken in doses of 200 mg every 4 hours.

Headaches - Dilute a paste of ginger powder, about 1/2 a teaspoon, with water and apply to your forehead.

Diabetes - Some doctors recommend some drinking ginger in water first thing in the morning to help regulate your glucose level.

Colds - Boil a teaspoonful of ginger powder in one quart of water and inhale the steam - helps alleviate colds.

Ginger Tea - Make with fresh ginger root. Grate a small piece of ginger, about the size of a nickel, into a mug. Add the juice of a half a lemon. Fill the mug with boiling water. Stir in a teaspoon of organic honey.

Ginger Compress - This method stimulates blood and body fluid circulation, helps loosen and dissolve toxic matter such as cysts, tumors. Place about a handful of coarsely grated ginger in a cloth

Gargle

Gargling can moisten a sore throat and bring temporary relief. Try a teaspoon of salt dissolved in warm water, four times daily. To reduce the tickle in your throat, try an astringent gargle – such as tea that contains tannin – to tighten the membranes. Or use a thick, viscous gargle made with honey. Steep one tablespoon of raspberry leaves or lemon juice in two cups of hot water; mix with one teaspoon of honey.

Drink Hot Liquids

Hot liquids relieve nasal congestion, help prevent dehydration, and can soothe the uncomfortably inflamed membranes that line your nose and throat.

Use a Salve Under Your Nose

A small dab of mentholated salve under your

For relief of flatulence - Ginger is generally taken in doses of 250 to 500 mg 2 to 3 times a day.

nose can open breathing passages and help soothe the irritated skin at the base of the nose. Menthol, eucalyptus and camphor all have mild numbing ingredients that may help relieve the pain of a nose rubbed raw.

Apply Hot or Cold Packs

Either temperature may help you feel more comfortable. You can buy reusable hot or cold packs at a drugstore.

Sleep With an Extra Pillow

This will help with the drainage of nasal passages. If the angle is too awkward, try placing the pillows between the mattress and the box springs to create a more gradual slope.

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The 6 Keys to

Permanent Weight Loss

D

ieting, losing weight, weight loss, weight management… call it what you want, no other New Year’s topic receives as much billing as the one dealing with taking off the excess pounds. Losing weight is a national conversation.

Poor diet coupled with a lack of physical activity is not just stressful on the body, it’s downright dangerous. We have a significant increased risk of developing a laundry list of very bad health problems: diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, stroke, respiratory problems, liver disease, several types of cancer, and more.

Each year, the bestselling books list in Canada feature a variety of new diet, health and weight management self-help books. And while each one claims to be the defini-

tive answer to losing weight and keeping it off, many Canadians continue to struggle with their unhealthy eating habits.

Successful weight loss and good weight management is not simply “doing a diet.” If weight loss were a function of the number of diets, diet plans and diet books we have available, then none of us would be overweight!

For lasting change with any weight management regime, there are six fundamentals you must implement to insure your ultimate success.

1. Think medium. And longterm If you are overweight – one of the first things to remember is that it this weight gain happened over a period of time. Though it may seem that the

HEALTHY LIVING

49

People who lose weight slowly, through gradual changes and improvements, are more likely to have long-lasting and long-term weight loss. extra 15 pounds appeared overnight, the reality is that the gain was relatively slow and gradual.

Maybe an important internal or external event left a void that food has replaced. Perhaps it was the birth of a baby or lifestyle stress.

Regardless of the why, it’s important to remember this fact and to plan realistically for dieting success. Real, sustainable, healthy weight loss needs to also take place gradually.

2. Be realistic. Go slow(er) rather than fast.

Your specific weight loss goals should be realistic. One important factor, besides the amount of weight you want or need to lose, is the type of changes you can realistically make, and how many changes are reasonable to expect. This is something only you can answer, but take baby steps at first.

People who lose weight slowly, through gradual changes and improvements, are more

likely to have long-lasting and long-term weight loss.

3. Break it down. Write it down. Add it up.

By focusing on losing the weight, we often fail to examine the situations and behaviors that contributed to gaining the excess weight.

By breaking down exactly how the weight gain happened, we can identify where changes can be made that can reverse the course. Go back over the past few years, and see it you can pinpoint situations that contributed to a change in your lifestyle.

4. Be specific. Set a goal. Have a plan.

Being specific is not only about “how many pounds” and your timetable (losing 15 pounds in five months). It requires a specific plan of action.

Be specific on incorporating some physical activity in your day.

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HEALTHY LIVING

Commit to the activity and the time – walking the dog in the morning or getting on the treadmill – each day. Then, make a list of daily strategies to get there such as parking the car farther away, walking with a neighbor after work and before dinner, etc.

5. Know where you stand It is important to know how well you are progressing and the best way is to buy an inexpensive scale and weigh yourself at the same time every day, as weight often fluctuates throughout the day.

Some days will seem like they are frozen in time with little or no changes evident. Other days will make you sing. Don’t look at your scale as a judge, it’s just providing you with feedback.

6. Be your best friend and coach.

If you’re obsessed with all the things you have to give up or cut down, your focus will soon become negative. Don’t be too rigid, and be sure to reward yourself.

Make a list of all of the great foods you can and will enjoy. Make the list of things you can have longer than the list of things you need to cut down. Make sure you highlight your favorites.

There will be times when you splurge – if it’s planned as a reward, than enjoy it! But if the splurge wasn’t planned, it doesn’t serve you to feel you’ve “fallen off the wagon” and are suddenly starting

over from the beginning. Be an understanding coach – the diet game is not lost in one play. The important part is to not think that you have failed, but rather, that you’re ready to go on and enjoy the next meal, or the next walk. A winning coach supports the effort of his team and realizes that not every game will be won. The main thing is to continue playing of the game.

HEALTHY LIVING

The Mental Benefit of

Weight Loss

Will power. Does that word stir a feeling?

In our heads and our hearts we may have the will or desire to lose weight but having will power seems like some kind of overly simple cure or discipline. Trying to lose weight through sheer will power is often a frustrating (not to mention demeaning) action that is neither constructive nor instructive.

There is the physical and biological side to weight loss – calories consumed, carbs, vitamins, fat, metabolism, etc. But what tends to get lost in many of the popular books on dieting is that weight loss, for most of us, is not so much an outcome as it is a new behavior that produces the outcome. To put it another way, while the result is important, the process to get there is critical.

With a weight loss program, the amount of weight lost is not measured until after the behavior that made it possible to lose the weight has been implemented. In other words, a change in attitude and behavior always precedes the loss of weight. As a result, it is extremely important to understand the role of the mind – what you think about and what you focus on – throughout your weight loss program. Along with diet information, we also need an understanding about the mental process underway.

When you lose weight, through eating well and staying active, your body responds and lets you know how happy it is. As a result, you like the way you look, but more importantly, you

enjoy the way you feel. There’s also more energy, better sleep, and an increased ability to deal with stress. All these benefits come into play and influence the way you feel.

How is losing weight going to make you feel? You can’t accurately answer that question, especially if you are trying to lose weight for the first time, but you assume that you are going to feel better – probably much better – physically.

How you feel about yourself will also spill into your world.

How will your children or spouse feel? What role will your example play in helping others in the family set up good nutrition as part of healthy lifestyle? The benefits to your improved sense of wellness and well-being can be seen and felt by those around you. This can be a very motivating factor for people on a diet.

Focusing on the benefits to yourself and those around you can help motivate and inspire you far more than just a weight loss goal.

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HEALTHY LIVING

53

16 Tips for a

Better Night Sleep

good night’s rest means that you get one chunk of solid sleep without waking up, partially waking up, or noticing any sounds while you’re in a dream state. Here are 16 tips to help you fall asleep and stay asleep:

A

and write it down on paper. The very act of doing this will help your brain relax because everything you been thinking about is now organized and accounted for and doesn’t need to be reviewed over and over again.

Clear your mind

Eliminate noise and the TV

Oftentimes it’s hard to fall asleep because your mind is running in circles. Something is worrying you or you’re excited about an idea and can’t stop thinking about it. Hours pass by and you’re staring at the clock.

Make sure your room is as quiet as possible.

Many people rely on a television to put them to sleep, but this will affect the quality of your sleep.

The TV engages your mind with its babble while your brain is in the early stages of sleep.

When your mind is running in circles over the same topic, here’s a simple solution: Get out of bed

If there are disruptive sounds, such as traffic or kids yelling, close your window. If you still hear dis-

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HEALTHY LIVING

ruptive noises, try using ear plugs or turn on a fan that will diffuse the disruptive sounds.

Darkness is good The ideal setting for quality sleep is a dark room. Seal up any possible sources of light from outside the room and cover up the alarm clock or angle it away from yourself as you sleep.

Don’t overdo the naps Napping is not a bad thing, but it can greatly interfere with your ability to fall asleep and also the quality of sleep. Your nap should never be more than an hour long. The shorter the nap, the better.

Avoid Eating before bed We know that eating can make us feel sleepy but it doesn’t help the quality of our sleep. Your body shouldn’t be digesting a heavy meal when it’s supposed to be sleeping. It doesn’t need a rise in blood sugar either. Ideally you should eat dinner at least 2-3 hours before bedtime.

If you’re going to read a book befor You don’t want to stimulate you

A very light snack, such as a banana or a warm glass of milk, is helpful before bed but only eat if your stomach is empty and growling with hunger.

Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it will not improve the quality of your sleep. Avoid alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine since they have a lingering effect on the quality of your sleep.

Tone down the mental activity

Get a comfortable mattress

If you’ve been sitting in front of the television or computer before bed time the glow of the television or monitor will affect the quality of sleep, as will the images which have been imprinted on your mind.

Whether soft or hard, coils or springs, a regular mattress or waterbed, your mattress is the most important part of your sleep regiment. You spend 1/3 of your life in bed so it’s important that your bed is comfortable, warm and you feel relaxed in it.

Always buy the best mattress you could afford.

Take at least 30 minutes to let your brain relax before bed time. The same goes for physical activity.

It’s best to allow the body to relax before going to sleep.

Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and smoking

Engage in some regular exercise People who get regular exercise sleep better; it’s as simple as that. Cardio is best, but all forms of exercise helps.

HEALTHY LIVING

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be. Dog and cats move about during their sleeping cycle. They also snore, make noises and dream. All these disruptions will affect your sleeping pattern.

Meditation and breathing exercises Simple, repetitive exercises (like counting sheep!) can bore the mind into falling asleep. There are many meditation exercises that can be found online if you are interested in pursuing these relaxation methods.

One suggestion is to take several very deep breaths and with each breath, take a little longer to exhale than to inhale. This helps oxygenate your body and achieve a state of relaxation.

Try a massage

re you sleep, read something boring. ur mind with an intriguing plot!

Receiving a massage is a great way to help you relax. If you’re alone and have no one to massage you, consider buying a massage device or chair.

While the latter can be expensive, if it induces a sense of relaxation that helps you sleep, they are worth the investment.

Avoid drinking too much water

Or a hot bath

If you drink water before going to bed, you’re probably going to wake up to use the bathroom.

Make sure to empty yourself beforehand.

A hot bath will help you relax but don’t overdo it. You’ll have to experiment to find out how hot and how long of a bath is needed to relax you. Keep in mind that getting your head wet in the shower is more likely to wake you up than to help you fall asleep.

Use sleep supplements As mentioned earlier, a half banana (potassium) or glass of warm milk (calcium, magnesium) can be comforting and help you relax. Other helpful herbs are chamomile tea, melatonin and St. John’s Wort.

Banish your pets from the bedroom Sleeping with a snoring spouse can be challenging but a lot of people who sleep with animals in their room and don’t realize how disruptive they can

Good ventilation and temperature Make sure your room is well ventilated. You can close your window when you sleep but leave it open some time during the day or early evening so there is plenty of oxygen in the room. Find out what temperature is the most comfortable for your sleep time and regulate the temperature to keep it there.

HEALTHY LIVING

Do different types of

Calories Matter?

A

calorie is roughly the amount of food energy it takes a 150 pound person to burn over the course of one minute while resting.

Calories come from different sources; mainly carbs, fat, sugar, and protein. They will all have similar effects on your weight, as long as you’re eating the same amount of calories.

For example: If you were to eat 1000 calories from a donut, or 1000 calories from broccoli, the increase in your weight should theoretically end up being the same by the next day.

However, there are two things to consider aside from comparing calories from different foods:

1. The nutritional value of the food 2. The speed of digestion

Calories from Bad Carbs: Refined Flour and Sugar We’re referring to easily digested, starchy carbs such as white bread, pasta, potatoes, donuts, or french fries. The quick digestion causes a rapid spike in blood sugar in comparison to calories from other foods.

The rapid spike in glucose also causes a rapid surge in your body’s insulin, which controls blood sugar. By the way, this is one reason why overweight people end up with diabetes.

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HEALTHY LIVING

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Eating simple, refined carbs and sugars can make you fat right away, because they digest too fast and leave you feeling tired and hungry again.

Next, the glucose gets absorbed into your muscles, as glycogen, and then immediately stored as fat afterwards. To add insult to injury, your body starts sending out hunger signals, and guess what...

You end up eating again!

you want to die of a heart attack early in life or develop heart disease, this would be the diet for you.

In all fairness, Atkins was partially right with his weight loss plan, in regards to cutting out the bad carbs.

Calories from Saturated Fat

The Best Strategy

As you probably know, the Atkins diet promotes fatty foods that are high in protein too, but eliminates carbs altogether. While this is partially a good idea since you’re at least cutting out the ‘bad carbs’, there’s one thing you have to keep in mind:

For weight loss and optimal health, the best strategy would be to avoid fatty foods and eat a diet that consists of only the right kinds of fats and carbs - whole grain products, beans, nuts, fruits, vegetables, lean poultry and fish.

Eating a diet loaded with fatty foods such as bacon, sausage, and other red meats will have a terrible toll on your health, even if you are losing pounds from the slowly digestive Atkins diet. If

The slow digestive quality of these complex carbohydrates help keep you full, and since you’re not pigging out on saturated fat, you’re also keeping your body healthy.

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Wisdom Comes with Age

Healthy Aging

Words of wisdom from Dr. Edward Schneider, Senior Advisor, Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging As a young doctor in the 1970’s, Dr. Edward Schneider was one of the first to recognize the need for geriatric medicine in America. Today, he’s recognized as a world authority on healthy aging and has authored several books on wellness.

He has served as the Deputy Director of the NIH’s National Institute on Aging and is currently the Senior Advisor for Special Projects at the Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging and the dean emeritus at USC’s School of Gerontology.

In the video, Dr Schneider discusses the importance of exercise, vitamins, supplements and ways to beat sagging skin.

“

Multi vitamins are a false security. People take them because they provide 100% of the RDA but the RDA is the minimum daily amount that’s needed. So often they do not receive the correct amount of the more important vitamins like vitamin C and D.

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A Thousand Lies Every Good American Must Believe

By D.W. St. John

These are a few of the lies we must believe if America’s political system, culture and world dominance is to endure. Our faith in them insures we never question who we are, how we live or the world we have made. We can’t live as we do without them. This list is for all Americans, be they progressive, conservative, moderate or radical. It is guaranteed to offend everyone.

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Top 10 Suggestions

For Living

1 2

If you throw hot coals at your enemies, you’ll burn your hands.

Give because it’s the right thing to do. Expecting something in return is a business contract.

3

Forgive the unskillful acts of others; they probably did the best they could.

4

Ask for forgiveness for your own unskillful acts. You probably did the best you could.

5

Don’t wait. We never know what will come first, tomorrow or eternity.

6

Compassion is a universal elixir that heals both the giver and the receiver.

7

Think less and do more. Life is known by doing, not through contemplation.

8 9

Welcome grief, it’s the price we pay for joy.

Listen more and talk less. Wisdom comes from listening, not filling the silent gaps.

10

Be nice and don’t hurt others.

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What Matters Most Talk to anyone over a certain age and they will joke about senior moments — lapses in memory.

Underlying the humor is a fear of developing Alzheimer’s disease or senile dementia. Their concern isn’t unfounded, because nearly 5 percent of people aged 65 and older (and a much larger proportion over 80) do get Alzheimer’s.

Shape Up with Mind Aerobics

However, there is mounting evidence that memory lapses don’t necessarily foreshadow dementia, and that doing mind aerobics can reduce the risk. out:

Here is a 10-step memory work-

1. Exercise regularly. Studies have shown that aerobic fitness may reduce the loss of brain tissue common in aging.

2. Stick to a healthy diet. Avoid sugar and saturated fat. And eat lots of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, spinach, and beets.

The magnesium found in dark green, leafy vegetables appears to help maintain memory.

3. Learn new things. Mastering activities you’ve never done before, such as playing the piano or learning a foreign language, stimulates neuron activity.

4. Get enough sleep. Too little sleep impairs concentration.

5. Devise memory strategies. Make notes or underline key passages to help you remember what you’ve read. Invent mnemonics formulas to help you remember things.

6. Socialize. Conversation, especially positive, meaningful interaction, helps maintain brain function.

7. Get organized. Designate a place for important items such as keys and checkbooks. Keep checklists for things such as daily medications or items to pack when you travel.

8. Turn off the tube. Experts say too much TV watching weakens brain power.

9. Jot down new information. Writing helps transfer items from short, to long-term memory.

10. Solve brainteaser. Crossword puzzles, card games, and board games such as Scrabble improve your memory.

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Can laughter really help us heal? Anecdotal evidence and some studies seem to point in that direction. Scientists aren’t sure. But why wait for them to figure it out? Just yuck it up. It certainly can’t hurt.

Scientists know that laughing increases the rate at which the heart beats and the muscles contract. Laughter stimulates the cardiovascular, circulatory, and endocrine systems. Some studies have even shown that laughter bolsters the immune system, reduces stress hormones, and increases our tolerance to pain.

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Internal Workout A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. It even provides a good workout for the heart.

Distraction Laughter brings the focus away from anger, guilt, stress and negative emotions in other mere distractions.

Perspective

Hormones Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine, adrenaline, dopamine and growth hormone. It also increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters. Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T cells. All this means a stronger immune system, as well as fewer physical effects of stress.

Laughi

Physical Release Have you ever felt like you “have to laugh or I’ll cry”? Have you experienced the cleansed feeling after a good laugh? Laughter provides a physical and emotional release.

f f O ng It and more positive.

Studies show that our response to stressful events can be altered by whether we view something as a ‘threat’ or a ‘challenge’. Humor can give us a more lighthearted perspective and help us view events as ‘challenges’, thereby making them less threatening

Social Benefits of Laughter Laughter connects us with others. Also, laughter is contagious, so if you bring more laughter into your life, you can most likely help others around you to laugh more, and realize these benefits as well.

By elevating the mood of those around you, you can reduce their stress levels, and perhaps improve the quality of social interaction you experience with them, reducing your stress level even more!

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What Matters Most

Natural Options for Men with Erectile Dysfunction

While the sale of Viagra, Cialis, Levitra and similar drugs that treat erectile dysfunction continue to soar, the lon- term effects will not be known for years to come. These drugs are generally well tolerated, although there is the potential for dangerous interaction with certain heart medications. Side effects like headache, blurred vision, dizziness, flushing and dyspepsia are possible.

These drugs sell, and they work well. They spark excitement by relaxing blood vessels in the penis. This is accomplished by raising a substance called “nitric oxide.” Yes, that is related to the same explosive element that’s in bombs! The power of nitric oxide can be indirectly harnessed, purified and sold as a pricey pharmaceutical. Repeated doses are required because the effect is temporary.

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A naturally occurring amino acid called L-Arginine also boosts nitric oxide, just like pricey pharmaceuticals. We already know that arginine is needed for male fertility.

Many over-the-counter sex pills enhance mojo because they contain arginine, but their effect on nitric oxide is also short-lived.

Among the many brands, one stands out for its unique time-release formula: PerfusiaSR. Available without prescription, it delivers arginine to the body very slowly over 12 hours. This ensures steady levels in the body, long-lasting benefits and few, if any, side effects. For now, Perfusia-SR is only sold through the Internet.

Other formulas containing arginine are widely available in pharmacies and health food stores. Arginine is not a cureall. Treatment success depends largely on the cause of the problem. Good sex can be destroyed by drug side effects, hormonal imbalances, prostate problems, underlying disease, testosterone imbalances and freeradical damage from smoking and drinking.

There’s also “sexual alienation syndrome,” the condition of not wanting to sleep with the partner you’re with.

Another factor affecting men is their vascular health. Simply put, if plaquing is extensive, the only thing that may be hardened is the arteries. Thinking two steps ahead, you realize that arginine increases blood perfusion, so it fills a niche for men who suffer with both erectile dysfunction and coronary heart disease. One small study shows significantly increased blood flow to the heart, especially when combined with statin cholesterol-lowering drugs.

There’s also ‘sexual alienation syndrome,’ the condition of not wanting to sleep with the partner you’re with.

Precautions are advised for those who take estrogen/progesterone (female hormones) and potassium-sparing water pills. Don’t take arginine if you have ulcers or severe liver or kidney problems.

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Understanding Chronic and Terminal Illness:

A Guide for

Healthy People

By Dan Goldberg

A

client who was dying once said to me, “Every day I feel as if I’m on one of those exercise boards that rest on a ball. Just when I steady the damn thing, it starts moving and I’m struggling again to balance myself. Why don’t people realize that’s what my life has become?”

I’ve heard similar descriptions for thirty years from clients and patients living with chronic and terminal illnesses. Many believed that not only did they have to deal with the effects of their illness, but also the unskillful acts of friends and loved ones who didn’t understand what they were experiencing. And

that’s the purpose of this article: to explain it.

There’s a constant interaction of elements that contributes to mood unpredictability in people with chronic and terminal illnesses. From my experience, the most critical ones appear to be a lack of control, loss, physical effects of the illness or medication, and uncertainty.

Lack of Control Imagine for a moment that your attitude about living is heavily shaped by people, objects, and activities.

It could be an abusive boss, a landlord intent on evicting you, or a car that constantly breaks down. While oppressive, you could act.

You could move on to

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another job, find a new apartment, or use public transportation.

But what if none of these choices resulted in acceptable consequences? If you quit work, you might not find another job in this economy. If you gave up your apartment, you might become homeless. If you couldn’t afford to repair or replace your car and there was no public transportation available, you’d be stuck in your neighborhood.

A lack of control would, at the very least, make you disagreeable.

People who live with chronic or terminal illnesses constantly experience a lack of control. If I have an advanced case of CPOD (chronic pulmonary obstructive disease), I know that without proper medication and the constant use of oxygen I’ll die. On one side of the scale is death.

On the other, the side effects of the medication, minimal movement, and oxygen. No contest.

I’ll choose the medical protocol—not because it’s something I desire—but rather because it’s something more acceptable than the alternative.

Loss The feeling of losing something that gave your life meaning is profoundly upsetting. And it happens often with chronic and terminal illnesses. Unfortunately, the magnitude of loss is often thought of in terms of someone else’s sense of what’s important. An active person might think that no longer being able to walk is tragic, but the inability to knit is inconsequential. Yet for someone with rheumatoid arthritis whose entire life centered around knitting, the loss is devastating. Many chronic and most terminal ill-

75 nesses result in life-changing losses. The ability to knit may disappear, but its memory is constantly present.

Physical Effects We think with our minds, not our bodies. But we know the relationship between mind and body is strong. In my hospice work, I’ve watched how the physical effects of a tumor changed a calm, peaceful man into a paranoid, aggressive person.

While he sometimes understood that the cancer was changing him, during those lucid moments he realized that he had no control over what was happening to him. The ability to think and act rationally can be effected by changes in metabolism and the occurrence of pain. I’ve never had a client or patient who chose to be moody or act irrationally. There always appeared to be a cause. And often it was a physical change.

Uncertainty Most of us want predictability in our lives.

If I buy an apple tomorrow I expect that it will taste similar to the one I ate yesterday. When the traffic light turns green for me, I expect cars to my left and right to stop so I can go through the intersection without being hit. But what if that apple I had yesterday tastes like an onion today or it became optional for anyone facing a red light to wait until it turned green? I could stop eating apples and wait until no cars were present before going through a green light. But what if the unpredictability spread into other areas of my life? My anxiety would become palpable.

We may want some uncertainty and a bit of

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“When I feel lousy I always wonder when I’ll get some relief. When I have spontaneity to doesn’t necspice up our lives, essarily have to relief, I always but it’s predictability control the mind. that allows us to funcBy understanding wonder how tion sanely on a daily basis. that pain and suffering aren’t internal, but rather long it will For many people with chronour reaction to events, the ic or terminal illnesses, predictabileffects of chronic and terminal last.” ity may be an elusive state of being. illnesses can be reduced or elimiOne day, the illness is controlled either by medication or who knows what, the next day it comes on with the power of a sledgehammer. On good days, although there’s jubilation, there’s also the fear that the reprieve will end. On bad days, there’s the fear that it will persist and never relent. Wondering if the pain will ever stop might make it difficult for someone to be supportive when a friend complains how his wife never lets him choose the movie they’re going to.

For someone with a terminal illness, there is certainty, but it’s not desirable: there’s the knowledge that the illness will continually progress.

The uncertainty involves the course it will take.

People with terminal illnesses often wonder how much pain they will have to endure or the extent of reduced abilities until the body just gives up.

The Interaction It is difficult to prevent the effects of any one of the above elements from having a negative impact on relationships. Living with all of the elements, and quite often having to deal with them simultaneously, is mind-boggling. Experiencing chronic and terminal illnesses is not a static event. It’s constantly changing as each of the elements takes its turn effecting one’s mind and personality.

Some very wise people maintain that illness

nated. As a Buddhist for most of my adult life, I would like to believe that.

But as someone who has been involved in the lives of people who have chronic and terminal illnesses, I know the difficulty in believing in a concept when all you can think about is the loss of something that was critical to your happiness, unrelenting pain, or a future envisioned, but unobtainable.

What I have found that’s comforting to people I serve, is the expression of acceptance and compassion for what they are experiencing.

The anger and sarcasm vented in my presence is rarely about something I have done (I certainly hope not!). But rather, it’s the effects of trying to balance that board on top of the ball.

As a monk once said to me, “We do the best we can, given the circumstances of our lives.” So when Join the con versation someone you know Copyright 20 10. who has a chronic or Stan Goldbe rg, PhD is a canc er terminal illness apsurvivor, husb and, fat he r, author of six pears to be cranky, books, nume rous ar tic les unappreciative, and workshop facilitato r in the areas of lea aggressive, or disrning, change, loss, tant, it’s not about and end of life issues. you. The balance http://www.st angoldbergwr iter.com stan@stangold bergwriter.com is probably out-ofwhack.

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The Last Word Once there was a king had a great highway built for all the people of his kingdom. After it was completed, but before it was opened to the public, the king decided to have a contest. He invited anyone who so desired to participate. The challenge he set before them was to see who could travel the highway the best.

On the day of the contest the people came from all directions. Some brought with them the finest of chariots. Others rode horses, mules or donkeys. A few even ran along the highway People traveled along the highway all day, but as each one arrived at the end they complained to the king that there was a large pile of rocks and debris left on the road at a certain spot which got in their way and hindered their travel.

At the end of the day, a lone wearily traveler crossed the finish line and bowed beforethe king. He was tired and dirty but he addressed the king with great respect and handed him a bag of gold. “What’s this?” asked the king.

“I stopped along the way to clear a pile of rocks and debris that was blocking the road. This bag of gold was under it all. I want to give it to you so you can return it to its rightful owner,” the traveler explained.

The king replied, “You are the rightful owner.”

The traveler replied, “Oh no, this is not mine. I’ve never known such money.”

“Oh yes,” said the king, “you’ve earned this gold, for you won my contest. He who travels the road best is he who makes the road smoother for those who will follow.”

Remember those words of wisdom as you travel the road of life!

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A successful entrepreneur is motivated by one of three things: increase the quality of life, right a wrong or prevent the end of something good.

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How the Market Really Works

By Robert Dorfman Download this eBook, read it, and you will know more about how the stock market works than many Wall Street professionals. Discover what you need to know from Wall Street-trained trader and best-selling author, Robert Dorfman (Hedge Fund Trading Secrets Revealed), as he takes you inside the tactics used by some of the biggest firms on Wall Street that are all about taking your money. Learn how to be a more successful trader/investor before risking even one penny in the stock market.

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17 Highly-Guarded Strategies to Close (Open) Every Sale Guaranteed

By John DiLemme Seventeen highly guarded strategies to close every sale -- guaranteed! I have to admit, that’s a powerful title for a book and full of a lot of action. Based upon my experience in sales, I have a very high closing ratio because I have a different kind of mindset than most people who teach sales and closing, and you’re going to learn that. I suggest that you sit back, enjoy, and get ready for some serious revelations. Get ready to say to yourself, “Wow, I can’t believe I never knew that. That’s what’s holding me back from closing my sales!”

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Top 10 Promotional Gifts #1 - Printed Pens Printed pens are the most popular promotional giveaways. It has been used for some time now and proves to not only be cost-effective, but effective in giving wide exposure.

#2 - Promotional Mugs Mugs are highly effective everyone uses them.

Mugs offer great usability, excellent printing and maximum visibility. Tumblers and bottles also achieve the same effect.

#3 - Key Rings and Key chains

#7 - Mouse pads

All people own keys, and for every key, there is always a key ring or even a couple of them. Key chains are one of the cheapest promotional giveaways.

Mouse pads puts your company on your clients’ desk and keeps your company in sight all throughout the work day.

#4 - T-Shirts

#8 - Post-it-note pads

Having someone wear promotional t-shirts is much like hiring walking billboards that advertise your company. It may prove a little more costly, but its usefulness well compensates for it.

Post-it notes will get your advertising message in bulletin boards, memos, cork boards, fridges, and various other strategic places in the house or in the ofďŹ ce.

#5 - Bags

#9 - Calendars

Everybody uses bags -- conference bags, sports bags, travel bags, lunch bags, grocery bags and tote bags.

These bags will take your advertising message far and wide.

Everyone needs them and uses them so every day for 12 months of the year; calendars are a popular way to promote an advertising message.

#6 - Umbrellas Be it in the rain or under the bright rays of the sun, umbrellas puts your message out right in the streets.

It is also like putting up a billboard on the street.

#10 - Clocks Clocks are effective promotional gifts to get you noticed every minute of every day. You can go for wall clocks, desk clocks or alarm clocks, depending on your target market.

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dynamics

Business Briefs The Four Rules for Taming the eMail Beast Is your email killing your productivity? Then it’s time for some basic email management. Checking email, reading email, and answering email can take up hours of time if you let it.

The first rule of email management is to let your email program manage your email as much as possible. Email management starts with setting up and using filters. If you’re using an email program such as Outlook, you can configure email rules to send your spam directly to the trash—meaning that you don’t waste your time reading and deleting it.

The second rule of email management is to not respond to your email on demand. You don’t need to see every piece of email the second it arrives. If you’re using an email program that announces the arrival of new email, turn off the program’s announcement features, such as making a sound or having a pop-up screen announce the arrival of email.

RELAX. There is never enough time and energy to do everything you can imagine. Sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is nothing at all. Then, when you get back into action, you can use strategies that are better, or you can reengage in a more intelligent way.

Speed Up By Slowing Down

If you’re too caught up in the practicalities of the day-to-day operation of anything you can lose the plot of the bigger picture. When that happens, you can become more productive by slowing down and relaxing rather than attempting to increase your misdirected physical activities. People in a hurry sometimes become so myopic that they expend all their energy on activities of only marginal value rather than getting to the heart of the matter.

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The third rule of email management is closely related to the second rule: Don’t read and answer your email all day long. You may get anywhere from a handful to hundreds of emails each day that need to be answered, but they don’t need to be answered immediately, interrupting whatever else you’re doing.

Instead, set aside a particular time each day to review and answer your email.

Schedule the hour or whatever time it takes you to answer the volume of email you get, and stick to that schedule as regularly as possible.

The fourth rule is: Don’t answer your email at your most productive time of day. What time of day is your most productive? Scheduling less demanding tasks such as checking, reading and answering email outside of your “best” working time will help you make the most of your working day—and that’s good email management.

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The Power of Words

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit and when they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead.

The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all of their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could.

Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just accept his fate. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, “Didn’t you hear us?”

Therefore, relax. Go to dinner with your spouse or someone important in your life. Get your team off site and let them hang out together. Put in the clutch (figuratively), so you can shift to a higher gear.

You’ll find that after a quick break, your mental capacities and physical energy levels will return, and you’ll be able to make some genuine headway on your projects. By relaxing a little, you’ll be better positioned to play your best game rather than being forced to play your quick game.

The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time. The more than told him to stop, the more he thought they were encouraging him to try.

The moral of the story?

1. There is the power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.

2. A destructive word to someone who is down can sometimes be what it takes to kill them. Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path.

The power of words....it is sometimes hard to understand that a encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.

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Business Briefs Use Job Interviews to

Get New Ideas

Instead of having an unstructured chat as a job interview, put potential new people through their paces. Give them something you’re working on as a sample task and see how they perform.

They may come up with something fresh and original regardless of whether or not you ultimately decide to hire them.

For most employers, their personal biases strongly influence their decision on whether to hire someone. If the candidate likes similar things, is physically attractive or relates well to the interviewer, they have a higher chance of being employed.

Most managers flatter themselves as being very good judges of character on the basis of a job interview, yet many studies have shown the conventional hiring process isn’t effective at identifying who will become the superstars of the future.

With that in mind, try a new approach. Harness the job interview process as a way to spark creativity and innovation. Use interviews to increase the number of ideas floating around inside the company. You do this by asking different questions, like:

 “What are the most promising new technologies or business models you learned about in school?”  “Who are the most interesting people you have interviewed with at other companies, and what made them interesting?”  “Looking in from the outside, what have you noticed about our com-

pany or our competitors?”

“What strikes you as being the most important trends in our industry and where do you think things will head in the future?”  “Have you heard any interesting rumors, gossip or stories while doing the interview rounds?”

With a little forethought, you could even get job candidates working on the real problems you face.

Listen to what they have to say. Write down their suggestions. Ask smart questions about topics you need to know, and then shut up. See whether or not the candidate can contribute something meaningful.

Most times they will not, but on a few rare occasions, a genuinely good idea may emerge.

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Innovate by Ignoring

What Others Have Done

Don’t begin a business project by checking what others have already done in that area. That limits your thinking. Instead, concentrate on doing what seems logical and right. Plunge right into it by looking at how similar problems are solved in other industries and see whether there are some crossover ideas.

In the creative process, ignorance is bliss, especially in the early stages. People who don’t know how things are ‘supposed to be’ aren’t blinded by existing beliefs. They can see things others have failed to notice, and imagine new ideas and perspectives that would never occur to people who develop deep, but narrow, expertise in an area.

Ignorant people don’t know what they are supposed to see or ignore, so they can see old things in new ways that so-called experts have rejected, or never thought about.

In many ways, the more naive you are, the better your chances of making a genuine breakthrough. Therefore, the most creative work will always be done by people who don’t know the accepted way of doing things – which means new hires fresh out of school, people from outside the industry or even people from a foreign country.

To take this idea further:

• Hire people with formal tra ining in different industries – and see whether they can come up with an entirely original way to ap proach problems in your own industry.

• Find people with diverse backgrounds – different sets of technical skills, opini ons and experience.

• Look for people who are bright, creative and willing to try things others wouldn’t even give a second thought to.

• Dare to be different – hire people who have the “wrong skills” for a project and see whether they can solve a problem the peop le with the generally accepted set of skills fail at.

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Dig A Well Before

H

You’re Thirsty

arvey Mackay wrote the book with this title more than a decade ago. I just really like the title. For Harvey, it was all about how to get what you want from the world through networking. And while I agree that building an active support network is one of the keys to success, it shouldn’t be done at the expense of genuine, mutually engaged relationships.

In other words, don’t think of people as merely stepping stones to get you where you need to go. If you’re not in it to develop real relationships, there are those who will smell your insincerity a mile away. Sure, we all have an agenda of some sort - goals, objectives, things we want to accomplish. But if you start to use people as the main source of fulfilling your agenda, your

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ultimate success (if you actually achieve it) will be built like a house of cards.

We all know Agenda Amy. She calls or emails without much of a “Hello, how are you?,” and launches into a plethora of questions or is constantly making requests or demands. Or you meet her at a party and she charms you with her tremendous interest in who you are and what you do. But you wonder why you leave feeling so exhausted. And you get an email from her the next day asking for an introduction to one of your contacts.

Agenda Amy is a user. A taker. She has no real interest in you as a person, only what you can do for her or how you can connect her to someone seemingly more powerful or influential. Amy is dying of thirst but she’s never taken the time to dig her own well.

What Amy has neglected to take into account is that relationships take time to develop, and what matters is quality, not quantity. As Harvey McKay writes, “You can’t stop the world from changing, but one thing is always within your control: the strength of your relationships with others.

As the world changes, one thing will remain constant: the relationships you develop over a lifetime.” Notice he said, “over a lifetime,” not “overnight.”

Join the conversati

on

©Liz Den nery San ders 2010 . Liz Den nery Sanders is a dyna mic combinatio n strategist, of brand marketing consultan t and successful e ntreprene ur with more th years of e an 20 xp outreach in marketin erience and public g, celebri relations. http://ww ty w.shebran d.com elizabeth @shebra nd.com

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Four keys to digging

A WATER-BEARING WELL Take Your Time Getting to Know Someone New We’ve all seen fast friendships fizzle out even more quickly than they began. You don’t really know someone until you’ve seen them in action - with friends, family, peers, and especially service people. You can learn a lot about someone by how they treat a waiter or sales clerk at a store.

Give Without Any Expectation For Return Give because you are in a position to help someone who deserves it. Give because it makes you feel great and you know what you put out into the universe comes back to you tenfold. But mostly, give because it could actually change someone’s world for the better.

Under Promise and Over Deliver No one likes a loud mouth name-dropper, except for Agenda Amy. She’s drawn to this ego-driven, big talker like a bee to honey. Protect your network as you would a golden egg. Be willing to share and connect, but only once you know someone’s intentions. Once you have an established, genuine relationship with someone, help them to dig their own well too.

You Can Have It All, You Just Can’t Do It All Yourself No matter how smart you are, no matter how talented, you can’t do it alone. Take the time to build a great support network. Find and promote people who get it done better, faster and easier than you. It is said that the savviest business people surround themselves with people who are smarter than they are. That way, if you are off your game for a few weeks or even months, you have a team in place that’s got your back.

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9 Basic Principles

for Entrepreneurs Principle #1 – Obsess over building a great team – not a getting great idea

Principle #3 – Get to market fast with whatever you have! Right away!

Almost every entrepreneur falls in love with their idea. Yet the world is awash with good ideas. It’s the ability to execute a good idea well that’s in short supply. Therefore, it’s more important to assemble a team with deep reserves of “execution intelligence” than it is to come up with a knockout idea.

Once you find out what potential customers feel pain about, you’ll be tempted to delay launching until you can develop a killer product that will solve every aspect of the problem. If you try and do that, however, you’ll only end up burning through all your capital resources. A far better idea is to release, as soon as possible, Version 1.0 of your product with a minimal set of features. Then keep enhancing the product with successive improved versions. Get to market as soon as practicable – even if that means partnering up with someone whose product complements your own.

Stage 1

Principle #2 – Learn everything that can be known about your customer Every entrepreneur assumes they know what the customer wants. “It’s simple – they will want whatever I am going into business to provide”. This is a dangerous illusion that always leads to a “Ready-fire-aim” approach to starting a business. Seasoned entrepreneurs know they need to validate the market actually exists, so they can go for the far superior “Ready-aim-fire” approach instead.

Principle #4 – Raise just enough capital to get to the next milestone Most entrepreneurs assume they need to raise loads of bucks right away to be a success.

Therefore, they decide to raise everything they

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need ($5 million usually sounds like a nice round figure) before launching so they won’t have to worry about raising any more money. This is the complete opposite of what successful business builders do.

They go through a number of funding rounds, each raising just enough to get to the next key milestone.

Market validation

Principle #5 – Investors fund great teams – not business plans Investors don’t fund business plans. They fund opportunities to create wealth – which are opportunities for a solid management team to respond to what is a real and pressing market need. The business plan is really the preparation the management team does for its in-person funding pitch.

Principle #6 – The right investors will always wait for quality return Good investors will always be in it for the long haul rather than attempting to get a quick return on their money. Successful start-ups know there are loads of potential investors available, and are choosy. They look for investors who will add value to the business and who will provide “smart money”.

Principle #7 – Know the difference between advertising and marketing.

Most entrepreneurs assume advertising and marketing are the same thing. This is a fallacy. Advertising is expensive and is hard to evaluate. Good marketing will be an extension of the market validation program.

Principle #8 – Own the sales process.

Understand how to sell your product A startup has to own and manage its own sales process because nobody else will be as interested in generating sales. Partners will have their own set of priorities. You have to do this for yourself if you’re to have any realistic chance of succeeding.

Principle #9 – Avoid complacency – retain the entrepreneurial spark The only way for a large business to continue growing is to act as if it were a startup. Mature companies become fixated on defending their market share whereas startups focus on stealing market share from others. The key to longterm success for any business enterprise is to retain an entrepreneurial mind-set.

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When does it make sense to raise your hourly rate?

How to Raise Your

Hourly Rate

I

f you work as an independent professional or employee whereby you get paid by the hour, then your income depends heavily on your hourly rate.

So obviously, if you can raise your hourly rate, you can earn more money without working longer hours.

How do you know if you’re charging a fair price for the service you provide?

If you’re going to raise your rates, there should be solid business reasons for doing so. In the absence of such reasons, it makes no sense to raise your rates.

Because you feel like it is not a solid business reason.

Nor is the desire to earn more money. That’s a nice intention, but it’s not a justification for charging your clients more for the same service.

When to Raise Your Rates There are several reasons where raising your rates as a professional service provider may be a wise choice. Following are some of the most common business reasons for raising your rates, but there are others, many of which are field-specific.

• You’ve improved your service and/or skills. If

you’re able to provide more value to your clients in less time, then raising your rates to reflect your increased quality and efficiency is reasonable.

• The supply-and-demand curve for your service

has changed. If you’re missing opportunities, becoming overbooked, or having to turn away clients because the demand for your service exceeds the

supply, then it makes sense to raise your rates to bring supply and demand into better balance.

• You want to work shorter hours. If you want to

reduce the number of hours you work with clients, you can raise your rates to reflect the scarcer supply.

• You’re testing to gain more information. Test-

ing a higher rate is a perfectly valid business reason.

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However, before you test new rates, be sure to have a fallback plan in case the new rates meet with too much resistance.

• You want to reposition yourself. Positioning or

branding is also valid business reasons for raising your rates. However, you’d better have the necessary skills and experience to back up your new positioning. If you want to be a high-priced consultant, be sure that you can consistently deliver high quality results. Otherwise if you charge premium prices for less-than-premium service, you’re essentially scamming people.

the point of having to turn away business because you’re getting overbooked, then it’s time to raise your rates. But if you overcharge right out the gate, many potential clients will know you aren’t worth as much as a seasoned expert, and they’ll avoid patronizing your business.

• Changing rates too often is a less common mis-

take but still one to be avoided. If you’re changing your rates every season, you’re going to confuse

Common Mistakes to Avoid Raising your rates requires thoughtful execution to minimize any adverse affects on you and your business. Here are some common mistakes people make when raising their rates:

• Not raising rates at all, i.e. undercharging is a

common business mistake. This means leaving lots of money on the table and being paid significantly less than you’re worth, especially as your skill increases. It’s a suboptimal way to run a business or build a career.

• Not testing is another huge mistake. If you never

test higher rates, you’ll never know how much potential income you may be leaving on the table.

A good approach is to test higher rates with new clients first, but keep your existing clients at the old rates for a while. This way you don’t have to risk losing your old clients if a rate increase proves ineffective and you decide to return to the old rates.

• Raising rates beyond what the supply-and-de-

mand curve will bear is a common novice mistake.

Some people want so much to be on the same level as the experts in their fields, but they haven’t yet acquired the skills to justify such high prices. It’s best to keep your rates reasonable (even low) until you’ve built up a decent client base. When you reach

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“If you want to be a highpriced consultant, be sure you consistently deliver high quality results. Otherwise you’re essentially scamming people.”

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dynamics base grow via word of mouth. Let a high quality of service be the central core of your marketing efforts. Violate your clients’ expectations in the best way possible.

• Keep non-core work from

becoming a distraction. Take the time to establish and maintain good systems for invoicing clients, educating new clients, handling tax filings, etc. Put this type of detailed work on autopilot so it doesn’t become a distraction.

• Collect testimonials. When

your existing clients. Frequently changing your prices will make it hard for your clients to see how your services might fit into their budgets. Don’t be surprised if you initially see a decrease in business whenever you raise your rates. If the rates are reasonable, business should pick up again within a few weeks.

How to Raise Your Rates Here’s some advice to help you get your hourly rate trending upward:

• Invest in improving your service. Keep adding

value; don’t get complacent. The more you improve your service and skills, the more you can charge.

Note that more knowledge doesn’t always translate to better service. If you want to increase your rates, then focus on building skills with market demand.

Don’t waste years learning how to do things that no one needs done or that can be done at a lower hourly rate than what you’re already charging.

• Over-deliver. Provide such outstanding service

that your clients feel compelled to talk about the great experiences they had. This will help your client

you do good work for a client, ask for a testimonial. Most satisfied clients will be happy to provide them. Then you can share the testimonials on your website or other marketing materials.

• Ask for referrals. Ask your clients for referrals to

others they feel might benefit from your services.

Some businesses even go so far as to “fire” clients who never provide any referrals because such clients are dead ends. If it seems reasonable to do so, formalize your referral program and offer referral incentives, such as by providing an affiliate program your clients can join.

• Leverage your strengths. If you do work that

you’re especially good at, you’ll be able to raise your rates faster. Switch fields if necessary, but make sure you’re working in the sweet spot of your core talents and skills.

• Care about your clients. Treat your clients as real

human beings, and they’ll be more likely to want to continue doing business with you — and to refer their friends, families, and co-workers to you. A business is built on relationships. If you treat your clients coldly, don’t be surprised when they respond coldly to your requests for referrals.

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with you for years to come, and they may generate fresh referrals for you as well.

• Embrace change. The world is awash in change,

and change represents opportunity. Don’t be a dinosaur. When you see industry-impacting changes occurring, jump to the front of the line, and look for ways to leverage those changes to provide new and better services. For example, what new technologies are becoming available that are causing surges in demand for software developers and consultants?

• Be Patient. The best rates for your service will

ultimately be determined by the marketplace. Sometimes you’ll be delighted by the results. Other times you won’t like the market’s verdict, especially when it tells you there are few people willing to pay you what you’d like to earn. Realize that this is only a reflection on the social value you’re currently producing; it doesn’t speak to your intrinsic value as a human being. Accept the market’s feedback for what it is, and use it to make better decisions as you move forward.

Don’t try to argue with the market — you will lose!

• Keep in touch. Don’t be a stranger. Check in on

your clients now and then. Let them know about meaningful improvements to your service. Don’t spam them with fluff, but do maintain the relationship you’ve built.

• Reactivate dormant clients. A client may go inac-

tive for a variety of reasons, and many of those reasons have nothing to do with you. There’s a good chance that such clients can be reactivated, even after a year or more of inactivity. Maybe they had a bad year. Maybe there were some personal issues they had to attend to.

Maybe there was a misunderstanding that can be remedied. If you’re open to doing more business with this client, reach out and reconnect. The worst case is that they won’t do business with you again (which is no worse than the status quo), but the best case is that you reactivate a good client who continues doing business

The nice thing about setting your own rates is that the sky is the limit. You may not be able to control market forces, but you can control how you angle your virtual surfboard and ride those forces.

Will you let them toss you to the sidelines, or will you ride them to the top?

Keep in mind that even if you’re an employee, everything in this article still applies Join the conversa to you. In that case tion you’re simply conSteve P avlina is widely re co tracting with a single as one o gnized f the mo st success ful perso client. You still na develop ment blo l ggers on decide what rates the Intern e attractin g more th t, an two millio you charge for your n month ly readers to service; despite site, Ste his webvePavlina.com .H articles appearances to the on author o e is the f over 10 tivity, rela self-help topics, 00 including tionship s and sp Persona contrary, that deirituality. producl Develop His book, ment for translate Smart P d into a eople cision isn’t up to do www.ste vepavlin zen different lan has been a.com guages. your employer.

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Flip Your Thinking

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The Last Word The Best

Tools

for The Job

By Philip Humbert A critical distinction that determines the future of almost any business is your willingness to invest in equipment and training.

I cringe when I hear a professional talk about the “cost” of new equipment, hiring or training better staff, or attending a conference or hiring a business coach. These things almost NEVER “cost,” they pay!

We live in a world of immediate cost and quality comparisons. Trust me, whether you own a restaurant, run a law office, or manufacture widgets, your customers talk to each other! There are no secrets and the truth about your quality, your level of innovation, and your performance is known to every one of your customers, and to virtually every potential customer.

Whether you invest in new software, new furniture, or training, if it makes even a slight difference

in your performance, it can make a HUGE difference in your bottom line. It’s called leverage!

Attending a training or conference to meet the best people in your profession, or to learn new skills, or enroll in a weekly training or coaching program can be worth a fortune.

Customers want it done right the first time, and they will pay a premium price for the confidence that you know what you’re doing. Investing in your knowledge base is not a cost, it’s an investment in your success.

Even buying a new laptop can pay for itself almost instantly if it makes you slightly faster, slightly more creative or more productive. You only need a slight edge to multiply your results enormously.

Invest in the right tools for the job. Invest in your future.

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