Main Street Kelowna Magazine

Magazine

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FEBRUARY 2011

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Over 12 s k o o B e e e Fr Inside The Art of

Feng Shui

in Interior Design

The Six ‘Must-Dos’ for Truly

Younger Looking Skin FORGETFULNESS...

It May Not be as Bad as You Think

50 Things

Your Customer Wished You Knew

Get noticed.

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Word from the Publisher

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

linda@mainstreetkelowna.com

Editorial Manager Augusto Meneses

augusto@mainstreetkelowna.com

chris@mainstreetkelowna.com

luke@mainstreetkelowna.com

Executive Assistant Ana Marie Banares

Subscriptions Russel Leo Orais

russel@mainstreetkelowna.com

anamarie@mainstreetkelowna.com

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Production Manager Chris Pana

Business Development Luke Vorstermans

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Publication Manager Linda Ryan

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HOME & FAMILY Feng MAI

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The Art of

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Shui

in Interior Design

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Strategies to Solve Any Problem

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Understanding Home Construction Lending Reducing Air Pollution inside Your Home A Bakers Guide to Chocolate

in every issue 13 A Greener View

Top 5 Websites to Debunk

15 3 FREE eBooks

Internet Hoaxes

17 Top 10

Bedroom Designs Ideas

18 Around Home & Yard 33 The Back Page

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EALTHY LIVING The Six ‘Must-Dos’

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Younger Looking Skin

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Tips to Help You Correct Your Eyesight The Year in Drugs 2010 Hall of Shame Green Tea Extracts May Protect You from Oral Cancer

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Different Types of Massage Therapy

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Eat Out, Eat Well, Lose Weight

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How to Cook Brown Rice

in every issue 37 A Healty Perspective 39 3 FREE eBooks 41 Top 10 57 Health Matters

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SENIORS

FORGETFULNESS...

It May Not be as Bad as You Think

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Best Senior Dating Websites

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Graceful Aging Starts When You Are 45

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Life Lessons From a 90ish Writer

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The Challenge of Growing Unusual Orchids Old Hollywood Squares

in every issue

61 Wisdom Comes with Age 63 3 FREE eBooks 65 Top 10 66 What Matters Most 77 The Back Page

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Reasons Why Expert Status Is Essential For Small Businesses Three Truths about Technology Free Sales Letters Can Lead to a Sales Explosion Ten Things Said that Limit Your Success

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Do you have a Lead Generation System?

Questions to Ask Before Buying a Franchise Lessons From a Kid Selling Popcorn

in every issue 81 Foresight 83 3 FREE eBooks 85 Top 10 87 Business Briefs 101 The Last Word

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Agents in Mo�on Royal LePage Kelowna #1 - 1890 Cooper Road Kelowna, BC V1Y 8B7 Tel: 250.860.1100 h�p://www.agentsinmo�on.ca/

Big Brothers and Sisters Lisa Hobson Execu�ve Director Tel: 250.765.2661 h�p://www.bigs.bc.ca

Blinds Plus 1546-A Harvey Avenue Kelowna, BC V1Y 6G2 Tel: 250.868.0126 http://www.blindsplus.ca

Breast Cancer Support 1633 Pandosy Street Kelowna, BC V1Y 1P6 Tel: 250.762.6381 h�p://www.cancer.ca

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CrocTalk

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325 Bay Avenue Kelowna, BC V1Y 7S3 Tel: 250.762.3213 h�p://www.menziesprinters.com

DaxAir Charters

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102-6197 Airport Way Kelowna, BC V1V 2S2 Tel: 250.868.6656 http://www.daxaircharter.com

h�p://www.peta.org

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Designs for You Baskets P.O.Box 89, Sta�on Main Kamloops, BC V2C 5K3 Tel: 877.372.1557 http://www.designedforyoubaskets.ca

Write a Book Now Steve Manning 2065 Blue Ridge Crescent, Pickering, ON L1X 2N5 Tel: 905.686.4891 h�p://www.writeabooknow.com

Gord Turner Renova�ons 3304 Appaloosa Road Kelowna, BC V1V 2W5 Tel: 250.765.1166 http://www.gtrenovations.com

SweetLife Realty 1 - 415 Commonwealth Road Kelowna, BC V4V 1P4 Tel: 250.766.4255

Heart to Heart Counselling

http://www.sweetlife.com

#6-1638 Pandosy Street Kelowna, BC V1Y 1P8 Tel: 250.864.1135 http://www.hearttoheartcounselling. ca

Trade Exchange Canada 748 Bernard Avenue Kelowna, BC V1Y 6P5 Tel: 250.717.0026 http://www.tectrade.ca

Kelowna CleanPro 2405 Collingwood Rd Kelowna, BC V1Z 2C3 Tel: 250.826.7896 http://www.kelownacleanpro.com

Vata Health #71 – 700 Tranquille Rd. Kamloops, BC V2B 3H9 Tel: 877.914.VATA(8282) http://www.vatahealth.com

Kelowna Salva�on Army Janet Lawrence Planned Giving Officer Kelowna, B.C Tel: 250.860.2329 ext 29 h�p://www.kelowna.salva�onarmy.ca

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The Art of

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a greener view

Shift Happens A sobering look at numbers This video was first created by Karl Fisch in November of 2007 and there have been several updates and variations. This version has particularly powerful music to accompany the graphics.

Many people find the video somewhat unsettling. Through simple data, it reveals the growth of the world’s population, the exponential growth of information and how these two inexorable forces are changing the world as we know it.

This video, and others with updated information, have been used in thousands of US and Canadian schools to bring awareness and understanding to the current situation.

If you’d like to send this to a friend, click on the Email icon button on the Navigation Bar.

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Be a Stargazer – A Guide to Astronomy All sciences are making an advance, but Astronomy is moving at high speed. Since the principles of this science were settled by Copernicus, four hundred years ago, it has never had to beat a retreat. It is rewritten not to correct material errors, but to incorporate new discoveries.

Astronomy and space science is an ever changing study, and possibly the most exciting of the sciences. It is for one reason that this book was written, to hopefully interest more people in the exciting study of the universe around us.

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By Richard W. Wetherill

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Home & Family

Top 10

Strategies to Solve Any

1. IGNORE IT FOR A WHILE and see if it solves itself. Oftentimes the problem is larger than we have imagined it to be.

2. DECLARE IT TO BE A CRISIS and invest many resources to solve it.

This approach is what governments and corporations tend to do… at our expense.

3. GIVE THE PROBLEM TO SOMEONE whose job it is to solve it.

There are lots of people selling their expertise as problem solvers. Hire one.

4. IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM first. This step is often overlooked. Is it really a problem? Can we eliminate it at its source?

5. THROW MONEY AT IT. The can be a fix however it can also be a short term solution with long term consequences, i.e. more problems.

6. GET THAT IT’S NOT A PROBLEM at all and treat it like the opportunity that it is! Ah, bring out the inner entrepreneur and get rich.

7. DO THE OPPOSITE of what you’d normally to do to solve the problem. Many problems are the result of continuing to do the same things over and over again and expecting a different outcome.

8. IDENTIFY THE FIVE STEPS that will solve the problem. And then… act on them.

9. EXTEND YOUR BOUNDARIES immediately so that this type of problem doesn’t happen again. Like the wisdom of keeping your enemies as your friends or drawing a larger circle and not isolating the problem from ourselves.

10. CHANGE YOURSELF and increase your perspective, so that it’s no longer a problem. Seems like the simplest solution.

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Problem

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Home & Family

Around the Home & Yard

Top 5 Websites to Debunk

Internet Hoaxes Has this ever happened to you? You’re busy working on a project when someone excitedly forwards you one of those stupid urban legend chain mail spams asking if it is true. Or worse, they simply forward it to everyone on their list without checking to see if it’s for real.

When your co-workers, friends or family turn into Chicken Little over the latest hoax, scam, rumor, or urban legend that being emailed across the globe, point them to the sites on this list to ease their minds (and preempt a rash of chain mail).

Bedroom Designs Ideas A bedroom is that room in the house that is en�rely a personal space where you can kick back and relax. However you plan to beau�fy it, in the end it needs to be comfor�ng, relaxing and snug. Whether the interiors need to be plush and extravagant or simple and basic, it is all up to the choices of the individual.

Home & Family

Snopes Who hasn’t heard of Snopes? This is the granddaddy of all fact-checking sites. Some of the worst chain spams even quote Snopes with an embedded link to give their email an added level of authenticity. Of course, Snopes has been known to be wrong and has changed its listings on several occasions. It has also become commercialized over the years, but it’s still a very complete site.

About Urban Legends This About.com subsite has been hosted for 10 years

by David Emery, and he has done a great job. He is passionate about finding and debunking all those rumors, myths, pranks, and odd stories. I refer more people to his site than Snopes because I like the format better. The site also shows up in more Google searches than the others, indicating that the content is well linked and used.

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over. I have been just as annoyed for just as long, but he did something about it. His site is getting more professional looking all the time. He is also frequently cited by the media when looking for an authoritative source on these stupid chain mails.

TruthOrFiction.com This excellent site, founded by Rich Buhler in 1999, offers information on “eRumors,” hoaxes, requests for help, and other items circulated via email. You can search for a story, browse through categories such as Food-Drink, Warnings, and eRumors in the News, view the top 20 stories of the hour, and subscribe to its email alerts (for a very modest price).

Sophos

In 1999, John Ratliff was annoyed that he kept receiving the same chain spams forwarded to him over and

This antivirus company keeps a small list of hoaxes and urban legends, but it is not nearly as complete as the sites at the top of this list. Their focus is more on virus hoaxes — you know, the ones that scream that you will wipe your hard drive and melt the motherboard if you open the suspect email.

The bedroom design depends upon who it is being designed for. A kid’s bedroom could be childish and cute, but would change as the child grows up. So no ma�er whom it needs to be set up for, bedroom designs need a li�le bit of thought and effort put into it. One idea used is the art of feng shui. It involves grooming the bedroom by arranging the objects of the room in a certain way so that it soothes and calms your senses.

Designing a room for a child can be tricky because with the change in age there also undergoes a change in their likes and dislikes. A boy’s bedroom would have more common ideas that incorporate sports themes and certain preferred cartoons. Basketball and soccer themes or the child’s favorite cartoon teamed up with his favorite colors would make up for a good part of the room.

Colors and lights are important to give out the looked out for res�ul feeling. Subtle and warm colors like beige, white, yellow etc are generally best for rooms that are meant for rest and sleep. Accordingly, the colors and textures of the bed sheets, pillows, and curtains can all be complemented with each other. The lights in the room can be so� instead of bright for a more comfortable feel.

For girls the choices are more varied depending on the colors and designs that they would like. Pink and purple are more popular teamed up with stripes, flowers, stars and polka dots etc. Disney themed bedding sets usually work out for both girls and boys.

Break The Chain

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Around the Home & Yard To build a home is the dream of many people. While it conjures up images of happiness and family life, the whole process can difficult and emotionally draining. Such a project is fraught with financial risks; the most common are delays and associated cost overrun.

To minimize those risks, it is important for people to be well prepared and have a clear plan.

Many people place offers on a vacant lot and then approach a lender to arrange financing with a one or two week window.

This is way too short for most situations.

Understanding Home Construction Lending

Financing construction is very different from getting a mortgage for an existing home. For a start, lenders typically lend up to 80% of finished appraised value without requiring CMHC insurance. Interest rates are commonly set at prime plus 2%.

With construction financing, your loan may be drawn down in stages while making interest-only payments until construction is complete. Completion for homeowners means that the house is 100% complete and has its certificate of occupancy. Different lenders may have more or less the same number of ‘funding’ stages; the following is a common example:

• An additional advance may be requested to assist in purchasing the land.

Additional advances may be requested subject to an appraiser’s inspections to maintain sufficient cost to complete.

• Drywall, insulation, wiring, and plumbing (approximately 30% of funds)

Lending for construction is usually planned for 6 to 9 months depending on the project and the institution.

At each stage of funds being advanced, an appraisal and inspection of the property and a lien search is typically required. The goal here is to ensure that construction is following the plan as stated in the application.

• Finishing: exterior and interior (approximately 20% of funds)

Construction loans are ‘story’ loans. That means that the lender has to know the story behind the planned construc-

• Lock-up stage: foundation, framing, windows, doors, roofing, etc (approximately 40 % of funds)

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Selecting a Custom Home Builder This is by far the most important task of the new home construction process. There are four key words for this task, passion, commitment, integrity, and fit.

Select a builder who truly enjoys the entire process of planning, coordinating and physically working on-site, someone who gets excited by new ideas and who has the ability to translate the customers dreams into reality.

process. The builder must ensure a clean and safe work site and clearly define the tasks for every trade. It is the builder’s responsibility to ensure the customer’s vision is translated into the look and function exactly as promised.

Passion

Fit

The builder is fully responsible for making your dream home a reality. He needs to be available to you 100% of every day from the beginning of the project through to completion. Any contractor who’s building more than one house at a time can’t be 100% committed to your dream home.

Above all, the homeowner needs to feel comfortable with the builder. After all, there are as many personalities as there are people. Trust your instincts with this; first impressions are usually correct. Make your final choice from a small group of builders capable of delivering passion, commitment and integrity.

Task

Integrity Your builder must have the homeowner’s wants and needs at the forefront of every task during the building

Source: Brian Roth, Hartley Homes and Consul�ng Ltd

tion before they're willing to loan you money. To be successful an applicant must provide most lending institutions with the following:

• a copy of all contracts relating to the construction is a must

• a complete set of plans

• a time table for completion

This article is meant as an overview and specifics will vary between lenders. In writing the article I searched the internet for information, and I did not find much. The reason is simple, each project is specific and each lender adapts their practice to the local environment.

• an appraiser will examine site survey plans, construction plans, specifications and cost estimates in order to produce an appraisal on a completed construction basis

Source: Philippe Daigle, White House Mortgage. www.philippedaigle.com

• specification of materials • cost estimate for the proposed building

This list is not exhaustive and will vary between lenders.

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We provide full services ranging from helping you develop your plans, guiding you in your selection choices to keep within your budget, to generating a comprehensive, written agreement for your project.

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Over the years, we've built a solid reputation backed by happy clients and a long list of solid references that we will confidently provide to you. In fact, our clients are so happy with our work they want their testimonials on our website.

Why choose us? Because we’ll make things go smoothly and we won’t disappoint you!

250.469.9379, ext. 1

www.gtrenovations.com

Home & Family

Reducing Air Pollution inside Your Home

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hile we may pay attention to air pollution outside, such as car exhausts, chemical sprays and smoke from fires, our home environments are also prone to becoming toxic zones. Living inside a modern home, especially those made to be air tight to protect from the harsh Canadian winter, can often harbor pollutants that can affect your health.

There are several indoor air pollutants that are generated within the home, sometimes in excess of ten times the concentration of outdoor levels. Poten�al pollutants include asbestos, formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide.

Typical sources of asbestos include pipe and duct insulation, shingles, and firewalls. Carbon dioxide sources include non vented combustion and human respiration. Carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide can come from gas stoves, furnaces, cigarettes, wood burning stoves, fireplaces, and non-vented space heaters. Formaldehyde can be emitted from newly installed urea-formaldehyde foam insulation or from new manufactured wood products such as furniture, plywood, particle board, flooring or paneling.

There are ways of measuring indoor air pollu�on but in many cases they involve expensive equipment and technical expertise. Some private laboratories can pinpoint pollutants, but may charge between $400 and $2000 to do

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Home & Family

such tests. Relatively inexpensive monitors that measure formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide can be installed in your home and later sent to a lab for analysis. The more air exchanges there are within the home, the more often indoor pollutants are diluted with outdoor air to lower pollution concentrations.

The more tightly concentrated a home, the lower its air-change rate will be.

Attaching a combustion air duct from the outside to the appliance helps ensure safe combustion and minimizes the use of heated air inside the home. If the home seems too humid or has excessive condensation on windows, remove as many sources of moisture in the house as possible. This may include firewood stored in the basement, clothes hung inside to dry and leaking basements.

The modern home, especially those made to be air tight to protect from the harsh Canadian winter, can often harbor pollutants that can affect your health.

Eliminate Sources of Indoor Air Pollutants However, proper distribution of outside air within the home must also be considered because indoor pollution is generated in different areas of the home. Eliminate obvious sources of pollutants, such as all non-vented combustion appliances from the living space. A yellow flame in your gas furnace may indicate insufficient air supply for combustion, causing an increase in carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.

High levels of carbon dioxide (C02) may indicate that ventilation systems are not delivering enough fresh air. Symptoms may include stuffy air, drowsiness, dizziness, and headaches.

If this is the case, you may try running several fans at night to help mix air, leaving bedroom doors open and setting fans to blow air out into the hall and living areas. If you have a forcedair heating system, set the furnace fan to run continuously at night. If you don’t feel more refreshed in a week or two, try running the fans, plus leaving a window in each bedroom open about a quarter of an inch.

If the above measures don’t help, consider having a mechanical ventilation system installed by a certified contractor.

To determine if a gas furnace is leaking combustion by-products, hire a qualified professional. If you ever smell leaking gas in the home, contact your gas utility company immediately and follow their instructions.

Is your home a health hazard?

In today's air-tight homes indoor air quality is a growing concern. Most household dust contains mites, molds, mildew, pollen, and animal dander. Many of these contaminants are circulated through the centrail air systems in most homes and can aggravate the symptoms of asthma and allergies.

The Rotobrush system removes the contaminants that circulate through the air duct system. Then we sanitize your air ducts with an environmentally safe sanitizer commonly used in hospitals and nursing homes, leaving behind a fresh scent.

BEFORE

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There are no security risks as all equipment is portable. No doors are left open to accommodate hoses.

Smaller carbon footprint. No vehicle is left running outside burning fossil fuels.

www.kelownacleanpro.com

Home & Family

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A Bakers Guide to

Chocolate Understanding the difference in chocolate and how it is used is essential to baking.

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hat’s the difference between bittersweet chocolate and semisweet chocolate? Can I use Dutch cocoa in all my recipes calling for cocoa? Understanding the difference in chocolate and how they are used is essential to baking. In this guide, well identify the characteristics of those chocolates used in baking.

Cocoa Cocoa is the dry chocolate powder derived from chocolate liquor.

It comes in two types: natural and Dutch process. Dutch processed cocoa is processed with an alkaline. It is slightly darker, smoother, and more easily dissolved than natural cocoa.

In many recipes, natural cocoa and Dutch cocoa are not interchangeable. Natural cocoa is slightly acidic and will therefore chemically react with baking soda to create carbon dioxide bubbles and some leavening power.

Dutch cocoa is slightly alkaline, will not react with baking soda, and must rely on baking powder for leavening.

Chocolate ingredie type

Home & Family Bitter Baking Chocolate Bitter (unsweetened) baking chocolate is made from pure chocolate liquor. By specification, it must contain 50 to 58 percent cocoa butter though with inferior products, vegetable oil may he added.

Depending on the producer, milk solids, vanilla, or salt may be added. I have a package in front of me that contains only chocolate and milk solids. Unsweetened chocolate has a bitter taste and relies on sweeteners in the recipe to make it palatable.

Sweet Baking Chocolate Sweet baking chocolate–bittersweet, semisweet chocolate–has sugar added. These products must contain 35 to 50% cocoa butter but may have as little as 15% chocolate liquor. Because unsweetened chocolate has twice the chocolate liquor, we prefer to use unsweetened chocolate in most of our baking. Bittersweet and semisweet chocolate can be used interchangeably in recipes though there is a difference in flavor. Often, bittersweet is a more expensive chocolate and to many, a better, richerflavored chocolate.

e is one in demand ent used in most es of baking.

Milk Chocolate Milk chocolate is made with ten percent chocolate liquor. It contains a minimum of twelve percent milk solids. Because it has such a low percentage of chocolate liquor, rarely is it melted and added to batter or dough.

White Chocolate White chocolate contains no chocolate liquor but is made with cocoa butter. Historically, the FDA has not regulated the manufacture of white chocolate so you need to read labels carefully.

If the product was made with vegetable oil instead of cocoa butter, it will not perform the same as a product with cocoa butter.

Chocolate Chips Chocolate chips are made with chocolate liquor with only minimal amounts of cocoa butter. Instead, they are made with vegetable oil and stabilizers to help them hold their shape. Without the cocoa butter, chocolate chips have a different taste and mouth feel. Chocolate chips will have a firmer set in puddings, pie fillings, and sauces than baking chocolate. Chocolate chips can be purchased in milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate.

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Home & Family

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The Art of

Feng Shui

in Interior Design

Feng Shui is a way to cultivate the energy ow and tranquility of a room or home’s natural layout

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F

eng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of living, has come into vogue for homes and offices all over the world. For those trying to put more Feng Shui into their personal space, here is a guide to the many decorations and purchase options following the trends of this Chinese art.

For beginners, Feng Shui is a way to cultivate the energy flow and tranquility of a room or house’s natural layout. This is done by arranging the furniture and layout of a room, as well as by the careful selection and positioning of symbolic decorations and artworks within the room. The entire purpose is to make the living space more enjoyable and comfortable for its inhabitants and to increase the positive energy of the room.

Placement and selection of decorative objects in the room is a key aspect of Feng Shui, and all objects have a symbolic meaning or character which can influence the energy and inhabitants of the room. When choosing a decorative item, you must be aware of the meaning behind the object and its possible impact on your life. If you are an energetic or stressed-out type of person, a symbol of energy or impact might not be the best choice. Objects in Feng Shui should remind you of your own goals, and by their existence and your growing awareness of them, lead you to fulfill those goals in your life.

Symbols for energy, love, happiness, wealth, and others abound in Chinese decorations, and you should become comfortable with those meanings before making a decorating choice. Each decoration is also associated with a particular element as well.

Shrine A small family shrine is one of the centerpieces of Feng Shui. The family shrine should be a composition of things that are important for you, including photos of loved ones, symbols of your life, and other reminders of your dreams and aspirations.

Usually set in a small alcove or quiet corner of the room, the shrine should be periodically rearranged and kept in order. You can use the shrine to burn incense, or to leave small offerings of loose change or rice as well, in a symbolic gesture to the house-

Objects in Feng Shui should remind you of your goals, and through your growing awareness of them, lead you to fulďŹ ll your these goals in your life.

30 hold gods. Usually made from carved stone, these shrines have a connection to the earth element.

Small Fountains The sound of the falling water and the constant movement is designed to add tranquility to your living space.

For stressed out people, this can be an opportunity to reflect on the water and let your stress flow out of your body. Fountains come in several varieties, from small constant trickles of water down a rock face to the periodic rhythmic tilting of bamboo cups into a larger pool of water. Clearly, because of the use of water, these fountains are symbolic of the element of water.

Candles Feng Shui candles come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and meanings. Each color candle is representative of a different goal, including wealth, love, and success. Candles can be slightly scented, and their warm glow is seen to spread energy and life around the room. Because of the small flame, candles are associated with the element of fire.

Wind Chimes Providing simple music with each breeze, wind chimes should be placed near an open door or window to lighten up the room and give it a pleasant environment. Wind chimes are symbolic of serenity and tranquility and are also thought to bring luck to whoever listens to them. Wind chimes can also incorporate other symbols, of animals or dragons, opening up a whole variety of meanings and purposes.

Home & Family

A fresh coat of paint is one of the best ways to give a whole new look to a space. It’s rela�vely inexpensive, easy and unless the room you’re pain�ng has twenty-foot cathedral ceilings, pain�ng a room is a one-day project. Pain�ng a room can cause a drama�c shi� in the way its occupants feel about the space.

If the color is chosen according to principles of feng shui, that shi� can help a person sleep be�er, enliven family conversa�on around the dinner table, or turn an ordinary bathroom into a peaceful oasis.

The Bedroom The bedroom should be a relaxing place where you can unwind and rest. Many people also want their bedrooms to be roman�c havens, or places where the en�re family can sleep. A common mistake is to paint walls in their bedroom bright colors to cure problems with their house’s bagua chart--the grid that divides a home into areas correlated with children, rela�onships, helpful people, career, knowledge, family, wealth, fame, and earth. If part of a bedroom is in the fame sec�on of the home, for instance, a fledgling actress may be tempted to paint the bedroom red to kick-start her career. She probably won’t sleep very well in a red bedroom, though, because red is a yang color, and sleeping is yin. The actress would be be�er served by placing one red pillow or picture frame in the bedroom, and pain�ng the walls a more muted color.

Another approach to choosing a bedroom color is to choose a color that enhances the elements in your natal chart. Some schools of feng shui assign elements-water, wood, fire, earth, and metal-to people.

Somebody with a lot of water in his or her chart may feel more comfortable in a pale blue bedroom, but could easily become stagnant. The water person could enrich his or her life by adding colors that balance out the elements, such as green for wood; red or pink for fire; orange, yellow, or brown for earth; and white, sliver, or gold for metal.

Choosing a color for a child’s bedroom is a bit more complicated. Parents want to choose a pale or pastel yin color that enhances the child’s elemental makeup, but parents should remember that a child’s bedroom is for playing as well as sleeping. Too pale a color will drive the child out of the room during non-res�ng �mes, hur�ng the development of crea�ve play. Perhaps a colorful rug or an alcove painted in a brighter, yang shade of the wall color will help create a space where the child can both rest and play.

Home & Family

31

FENG SHUI:

Using the Best Colors for Bedrooms, Bathrooms and Living Areas the nega�ve energy of the toilet area by incorpora�ng an earth color, like yellow or brown.

Living Areas The first rule when choosing a wall color for the living areas of a house is that the en�re family should feel comfortable with the color. Colors give off vibra�ons, and different people react differently to those vibra�ons. If you, an earth person, decide without consul�ng the family to paint the dining room beige with a bright yellow accent wall, you may find that your daughter with a lot of metal in her chart suddenly clams up at dinner �me. She’s not being purposefully obs�nate; she can’t cope with a room that feels so completely wrong to her.

The Bathroom Like the bedroom, the bathroom should be a res�ul place.

For many of us busy people, �me spent soaking in the tub is the most peaceful �me of the day. Pain�ng the walls of the bathroom in a color that makes that �me more enjoyable is a worthwhile endeavor. As you choose a wall color for a bathroom, think about the people who use the bathroom. What is their elemental makeup? Be sure to choose a color that enhances their elements. Also, remember that bathing is a yin ac�vity, and choose your color accordingly. Finally, minimize

Think carefully about what you use your spaces for. If you like to entertain in the dining room and living room, but use the family room for quiet evenings reading by the fireplace, remember that when you choose a color scheme. Par�es in room with too many yin colors will fall flat and be memorable only for being slow, and you’ll have difficulty concentra�ng on your book if the colors in your quiet family room are too yang, or bright. Remember to have balance in both places, however.

By choosing wall colors according to the principles of feng shui, you’ll find yourself and your family sleeping be�er, enjoying the bath, dining together more o�en, and rela�ng be�er to one another.

Resource: Using Feng Shui in Your Deign Projects

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Home & Family

The Back Page I am an unabashed dog lover. I’ve never met a dog I didn’t enjoy, and some of them have been among my best friends ever! Here’s a collection of wit and wisdom from the world of our canine friends. Enjoy!

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue. – Anonymous Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful. -- Ann Landers If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. --Will Rogers There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. --Ben Williams A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.

--Josh Billings The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.

--Andy Rooney We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. In return, dogs give us their all. It’s the best deal man has ever made. --M. Acklam I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult. --Rita Rudner A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down. --Robert Benchley

33

Wit and Wisdom from

Dogs

Dogs are men’s best friend.

If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons. --James Thurber Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul-chicken, pork, half a cow.

They must think we’re the greatest hunters on earth! --Anne Tyler Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. --Robert A. Heinlein If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.

--Mark Twain Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.--Roger Caras

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The Six ‘Must-Dos’ for Truly

Younger Looking Skin

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a healthier perspective

200 Years of Global Development Using a fascinating model of animation, Hans Rosling combined a staggering amount of data, including over 120,000 numbers, and takes viewers through a journey of 200 countries over the past 200 years and how they moved from a poor and sick environment to a rich and healthy one.

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Time Management for Creative People

By Mark McGuinness

Organisation, structure, discipline and habit – these often seen as threats to creativity. Not to mention corporate-sounding phrases such as ‘time management’ or ‘workflow’.

We like to think of creativity as a space for untrammeled imagination, free from all constraints. Yet while freedom, rule-breaking and inspiration are undoubtedly essential to the creative process, the popular image of creativity overlooks another aspect: examine the life of any great artist and you will find evidence of hard work, discipline and a hard-won knowledge of the rules and conventions of their medium.

Universal Sense: The Blue Print for Success

By Balasa Prasad

The essence of our existence on this planet is survival – the struggle to lead secure, productive and gratifying lives in a constantly changing and complex world. In times marked by rising unemployment and cost of living, a fragile economy and global competition for limited resources, the quest for survival becomes even more challenging.

It is therefore a breath of fresh air to discover a method of success that requires only applying specific principles and strategies to one’s life-the principles and strategies of the Universal Sense. This book is a practical guide designed to help all people navigate life’s challenges.

The Ultimate In Herbal Tea Remedies There are so many ways that our immune systems can be overwhelmed ... it’s in our air, our water, our food, our workplace, our stress.

No matter what ails you, this collection of herbal tea blends will provide comfort and relief. Over 75 blends to choose from.

HEALTHY LIVING

Top 10 1. Move, move, move Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body.

Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Think ‘move’ in small increments of time.

2. Lean, mean, fat-burning machine

41

Essential Tips

To Practice

Y A D Y EVER

Avoid the obvious such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats. Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts.

3. Give up just one cigarette, the next one The jury is definitely in on this verdict. Thought for the day: Give up just one cigarette, the next one.

4. When seeing red, think pink clouds, and then float on them Easier said than done, stress busters come in many forms.

Some techniques recommended by experts are to think positive thoughts. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. Meditate. Count to ten before losing your temper.

5. Smoke gets in your eyes If you can’t live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas, breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares.

6. Buckle down and buckle up Statistics show that seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes.

7. Floss and be your body’s boss Recent studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Perhaps it’s because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than people who don’t?

8. A jug of wine should last a long time While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a

You are entitled to live your life the way you want it. day can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney disease.

9. You can’t be unhappy when you’re smiling or singing There’s a definitive connection between living well and healthful and having a cheerful outlook on life.

10. Choose your parents well The link between genetics and health is a powerful one. But just because one or both of your parents died young in ill health doesn’t mean you cannot counteract the genetic pool handed you.

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HEALTHY LIVING

Health Matters The Year

2010 Hall

Tips to Help You Correct

Your Eyesight

2010 will go down as the year the diet pill Meridia and pain pill Darvon were withdrawn from the market and the heart-attack associated diabetes drug Avandia was severely restricted.

Writing in Counterpunch, Martha Rosenberg lists the drugs which made the 2010’s Hall of Shame.

Yaz and Yasmin They say the eyes are the mirror of the soul; therefore they should be taken care of.

This really depends on your type of vision impairment. If you have some sort of oculomotor issue (having to do with the muscles of your eye) then yes, vision therapy at an optometrist’s office can be beneficial. This also depends on your age and motivation.

However, if you are referring to refractive error (nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, presbyopia (can’t see at near over the age of 40) then the answer is no. There are a lot of myths that exercises can improve refractive errors and it simply is just that....a myth. If you want to correct refractive error, you will need glasses, contacts or surgery. Glasses and contacts would be the best bets.

If you have certain refractive errors, you might be a good candidate for orthkeratology. Basically, custom made contacts are worn overnight to reshape your cornea so your vision improves during the day. This treatment is typically offered at optometrist’s office that specializes in contact lenses, specifically RGP (rigid gas permeable) contact lenses.

Make an appointment at an optometrist’s office to see what your options are for vision correction.

Soon after Bayer launched the pill Yaz, 18 year olds started coming down with blood clots, gall bladder disease, heart attacks and even strokes.

Chantix After cases of possible psychosis, reports of suicidal behaviors and actual suicides, the government banned pilots, air-traffic controllers and interstate truck and bus drivers from takingthis antismoking drug.

Ambien Law enforcement officials say this sleep drug has increased traffic accidents from people who drive in a black out.

Tamoxifen For every case of breast cancer prevented by Tamoxifen, there is a life-threatening case of blood clots, stroke or endometrial cancer caused by it.

Lipitor and Crestor All statins can cause muscle breakdown. Crestor is so linked to the side effect, the FDA’s David Graham named it one of the five most dangerous drugs at a Congressional hearing.

43

HEALTHY LIVING

in Drugs

of Shame

Placebos Work - Even Without Deception It has long been believed that the placebo effect works only because people believe they are taking a real drug. But a new study casts doubt on this assump�on.

Placebos may work even when they are administered without decep�on.

Even though placebos contain no ac�ve ingredients, pa�ents o�en respond to them. In fact, many American physicians – perhaps as many as 50 percent – secretly give placebos to their pa�ents.

Since this prac�ce is ethically ques�onable, a group of researchers decided to explore whether or not the power of placebos can be used without the secrecy.

Science Daily Repo rts

Gardasil and Cervarix Vaccines The Gardasil HPV vaccine doesn’t work for all viral strains, requires a booster and is linked to 56 girls’ deaths as of September in the U.S. alone.

Singulair and Accolate, leukotriene receptor antagonists These leukotriene receptor antagonists never looked safe.

And Singulair, Merck’s top selling drug, is now suspected of producing aggression, hostility, irritability, anxiety, hallucinations and night-terrors in kids.

To see the full list of dangerous drugs, click on the link: Counterpunch December 24, 2010

“... 80 patients su ffering from irrita ble bowel syndrome (IBS) w ere divided into tw o groups: one group, the cont rols, received no tre atment, while the other gr oup received a regi m en of placebos – honestly de scribed as ‘like su gar pills’. .. By the end of th e trial, nearly twic e as many patients treated w ith the placebo repo rted adequate symptom re lief ... Also, on othe r outcome measures; patient s taking the placeb o doubled their rates of impr ovement to a degr ee roughly equivalent to the ef fects of the most po werful IBS medications.”

Resource: http://ar

ticles.mercola.com

44

HEALTHY LIVING

Health Matters Extracts from green tea may prevent the formation of mouth cancers in people with risk signs of the disease, according to a new study from Texas. Over 50 percent of participants in the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center study experienced a clinical response to the green tea extracts. Said lead researcher Vassiliki Papadimitrakopoulou, MD.: “While still very early, and not definitive proof that green tea is an effective preventive agent, these results certainly encourage more study for patients at highest risk for oral cancer. The extract’s lack of toxicity is attractive -- in prevention trials, it’s very important to remember that these are otherwise healthy individuals and we need to ensure that agents studied produce no harm. We need to further understand if green tea offers longer-term prevention effects for patients.”

Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent. Oolong tea is semi-fermented tea and is somewhere between green and black tea. Oolong tea is semi-fermented tea and is somewhere between green and black tea.

The study, a phase II dose-finding trial, followed 41 people with oral leukoplakia, a condition is a sign of oral cancer risk. The participants were assigned to receive either placebo or green tea extract at one of three doses, including 500 milligrams per metre squared of body mass (mg/m2), 750 mg/m2, or 1,000 mg/m2 three times a day.

Almost 60 percent of people taking the two highest doses of the green tea extracts had a clinical response. Just over 36 percent of people in the lowest extract dose group had a clinical response, compared to 18 percent in the placebo group, said the researchers.

Resource: www.nutraingredients.com

Green Tea Extracts May Protect You from

Oral Cancer

HEALTHY LIVING

Different Types of

Massage Therapy Massage is one of the oldest, simplest forms of therapy for relaxing body muscles completely. Massage has therapeutic benefits for relieving muscle pain and relaxing tight muscles. There are many types of massages you will find in a massage parlor.

Types of Massage Therapy Swedish Body Massage: Swedish massage uses five specific massage techniques in order to increase blood circulation in body, release tension and relieve muscle soreness.

Esalen Massage: It is a holistic form of massage

that promotes both physical and psychological health and keeps you fit.

Hot Stone Massage: Hot Stone Massage is a

deeply relaxing form of massage that uses hot basalt stones, a form of volcanic rock in small sizes. The massage therapist uses different sizes of basalt stones to help the muscles release tension and relax more deeply.

Deep Tissue Massage: Deep tissue massage

targets the deeper layers of body muscle and connective tissue. The massage therapist uses slower strokes or friction techniques across the grain of the muscle for giving deep relaxation.

Thai Massage: Thai massage aligns the energies

of the body using gentle pressure on specific points that helps in restoring the body energy.

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HEALTHY LIVING

If you want to have soft, smooth, younger looking skin, then read on and learn what you can do to maintain a younger looking healthy skin.

Dr. Joseph Mercola

The Six ‘Must Dos’ for Truly

Younger Looking Skin

HEALTHY LIVING

I

f you want to have soft, smooth, younger looking skin, then read on. The following information is just what you need to get the skin you’ve always wanted, no matter what your age.

Limit Intense Sun Exposure Exposing your skin to intense sunlight for an extended period of time may result in sunburn, which you always want to avoid. Sunburned skin is more susceptible to damage and may age more quickly. During the hottest hours of the day, typically this is between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., be sure to limit your sun exposure by wearing a widebrimmed hat or other protective clothing, particularly during the summer months.

Using sunscreen is not a good way to limit your sun exposure; in fact, sunscreen is one of the LAST things you want to put on your body.

Sunscreen is a toxic chemical that can cause problems in your system and increase your risk of disease.

Remember that sunlight is not something to be avoided.

You need sunlight in order to stay healthy. The key is to gradually build up your resistance to the sun by going out slowly in the beginning of the season, perhaps 10 minutes at a time to start, and always avoid getting burned.

Avoid “Yo-Yo” Dieting A recurrent cycle of gaining and losing weight will cause your skin to stretch and become less elastic. As you age, this loose skin will be more prone to sagging and wrinkles simply by the force of gravity.

However, remaining overweight will also contribute to older looking skin, as excess fat can accumulate around your chin, neck and cheeks as you age. Maintaining your ideal weight will keep your skin firm..

49

Coconut Oil Using virgin coconut oil as you would any lotion is an ideal way to rejuvenate skin. Not only does it prevent the formation of damaging free radicals and protect against them, but also it can help to keep the skin from developing liver spots and other blemishes caused by aging and overexposure to sunlight.

Coconut oil keeps the skin’s connective tissues strong and supple, which helps to prevent sagging and wrinkles, and in some cases it might even restore damaged or diseased skin.

Coconut oil will not only bring temporary relief to the skin, but it will aid in healing and repairing, unlike most lotions. The coconut oil can help bring back a youthful appearance to your skin by removing the outer layer of dead skin cells, making the skin smoother. The skin will become more evenly textured with a healthy “shine.” And the coconut oil will penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin and strengthen the underlying tissues.

Naturally, you need to choose a high-quality coconut oil that is free of chemicals and is not bleached or hydrogenated, all of which can irritate your skin, if you want to experience the maximum healing effects. My team and I here researched coconut oil extensively until we found the ideal source--one that is certified organic and made from the freshest coconuts.

I now highly recommend and offer you what is clearly the premier brand of virgin coconut oil, Tropical Traditions.

Relax Your Facial Muscles If you frown (or smile broadly) often, over time lines will form where the muscles tend to contract. Try to become aware

50

HEALTHY LIVING

of any tense muscles in your face and make a conscious effort to relax them.

Similarly, sleeping on your face may cause wrinkles to appear over time because of the continuous pressure and pulling of your facial skin. Try sleeping on your back or varying your sleeping positions so that you don’t create permanent creases in your skin.

fish due to mercury contamination, the Vital Choice brand of salmon, which comes from the cold, pristine waters of Alaska, proved to contain less than .1ppm of mercury and no other toxins when we had it lab tested. If you choose to eat fish from another source, please be sure it has been independently lab-tested and found to be safe to eat.

Avoid Cigarette Smoke Whether you smoke yourself or are around people who do, cigarette smoke exposes you to damaging free radicals that will accelerate the aging process by damaging the microcapillaries in the skin.

This limits the skin’s ability to absorb nutrients, which accelerates wrinkling and aging.

Get Plenty of Omega-3 Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to healthy skin, but unfortunately most people are seriously deficient.

Making sure you get enough omega-3 in your diet, by taking fish oil or cod liver oil regularly, will help to keep your skin looking vibrant, young and healthy.

Omega-3 fats help to normalize skin lipids and prevent dehydration in the cells. This keeps skin cells strong and full of moisture, which can help to decrease the appearance of fine lines. Fatty acid deficiency can manifest in a variety of ways, but skin problems such as eczema, thick patches of skin, and cracked heels are common. Plus, omega-3 fats may have an anti-inflammatory effect that can help to calm irritated skin, giving you a clear, smooth complexion.

Antioxidants, such as those found in fresh vegetables and fruit like organic blueberries, can help to fight free-radical damage and will naturally promote healthy, young-looking skin. A diet with plenty of vegetables will also provide plenty of micronutrients and antioxidants, which will limit damage from the sun and accelerate the skin’s repair processes.

Sunscreen is a toxic chemical that can cause problems in your system and increase your risk of disease.

Aside from taking a high-quality fish oil or krill oil, you can also indulge in delicious, omega-3-packed Vital Choice salmon--the only fish I’ll now eat. Although I don’t recommend eating most commercial

Resource: Dr. Mercola

is the founder of the world’s most visited natural health web site,Mercola.com. You can learn the hazardous side effects of OTC Remedies by ge�ng a FREE copy of his latest special report The Dangers of Over the Counter Remedies

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52

HEALTHY LIVING

Eat Out, Eat Well,

Lose Weight When we eat out, there are things we can do that can make a big difference in both eating well and weight management.

T

wenty years ago a bagel was three inches in diameter and had 140 calories. Now the average bagel is more than twice that—around 350 calories.

Who doesn’t like to eat out? For most of us, it’s not just a meal, it’s our lifestyle. Whether that’s a night out with dinner and friends, a quick stop at the local fast food place to pick up something, or room service during the business trip. The fact is we are out and about—eating here, there and everywhere.

It can be a challenge to eat right and eat well at the same time, especially on the go or out. We can choose where to eat, but sometimes there aren’t many choices. Or we can’t actually control what is served or on the menu. Meeting friends out may mean you don’t get to choose where to eat.

But there are things we can do each time we eat out that can make a big difference in both eating well and weight management (or weight loss, depending on your aim).

Portion Size It isn’t just the fast food places that are super-sizing. Many restaurants serve much more than what are considered normal portion sizes (based on a 2000 calorie diet). But that’s of little

HEALTHY LIVING

help when the plate arrives at the table. And for many of us, what we see is what we eat.

Calorie Chaos The number of calories you take in is very important; also important are the types of calories you’re taking in. The nutrients and substances contained in what we eat can help or hinder our goal to eat well. Many if not most fast food places now have posted the nutritional values and composition of their meals.

53

Look and ask for lean, low-fat (or fat-free). Most fast food restaurants have these options today. Restaurants may not point out which menu items are lean or low-fat, but the type of entree (fish, pork loin, a lean sirloin) and how it is cooked (fried vs. baked or grilled) are usually good indicators. When in doubt, ask how the item is prepared.

Include good calories and nutrients. Look for whole grains.

Add and include vegetables and fruits, many of which have good fiber and will help you feel full without a lot of calories

For most of us, eating out is not just a meal, it’s our lifestyle.

Take a look and make informed choices. Fountain drinks (those sweetened with sugar, fructose, corn syrup and the like) have many calories with little nutritive value. Fats provide flavor and nutritive value, up to a point. Too much fat in the wrong forms (saturated fat, trans fat) is not good, both in terms of calories and the negative health issues associated with them.

What You Can Do Armed with a few good tips and strategies, we can make the most of eating out and still eat well. While some of the tips are also important at home, when you are out and eating they can really help you avoid putting on extra pounds.

(unless the broccoli is slathered with cheese sauce and butter).

Watch the salt and sugars. At a fast food restaurant, take a look at the sodium content. You might be surprised just what items are higher in salt—sometimes the sodium content is a result of how an item is prepared. Look for the nutritional labeling and the Daily Value (DV) percentages included (ideally, DV should be less than 5%). Skip the sugary drinks (including juice drinks) and go for the diet version. Better yet (nutritionally), go for low-fat milk. The protein in milk helps satiate, or make you feel full.

Resource: http://www.healthandwellness.com

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HEALTHY LIVING

How to Cook

Brown Rice Many people have trouble cooking brown rice but it’s not that hard to do. The truth is there are many different ways to prepare it.

M

any people have trouble cooking brown rice and having it turn out decently, since it can be more temperamental than white rice. There are also many different ways to prepare it.

Here’s the most efficient way I found to cook brown rice on a stove. It takes about 35 minutes from when you start to when you’re eating (which is pretty good for brown rice). This method works for both short grain and long grain brown rice. I prefer long grain. I’ve eaten hundreds of batches of brown rice using this method over the past 10 years.

HEALTHY LIVING

Brown rice can be more temperamental than white rice.

Steps on How to Cook Brown Rice

55

How to Make a Tasty Dish from Leftover Rice

• Put brown rice and water together in a pot with a lid. Use the ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice. I normally make 3c rice with 4.5c water for a single batch.

• In a small pot, add 1 teaspoon of oil, and heat it for about 1 minute on medium heat. I prefer dark sesame oil because it adds a lot of flavor. Canola oil works well too.

• Set the heat to maximum, and bring the rice/water to a boil uncovered. Then put the lid on the pot, and reduce the heat to low/simmer. If your lid has a steam valve, keep it closed. Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes.

• Add some chopped veggies to the pot, and sauté them in the oil for a few minutes. My favorites are onions, green onions, and bell peppers (any color).

• Turn off the heat, and let the rice sit in the covered pot for another 10 minutes. It’s OK if you let the rice sit longer than 10 minutes (20 or 30 minutes is fine too), but don’t let it go any less. I prefer my rice to be slightly chewy, not mushy, so I usually remove the lid after 10 minutes.

• Once the veggies are cooked, scoop in some of the leftover brown rice. I like to use 2 parts rice to 1 part veggies. Mix it well with the veggies.

• Eat and enjoy. Be careful when you remove the lid, since a lot of steam may escape when you do.

This works for white rice too.

After the rice is cooked, I normally scoop some into a bowl, and mix it with a little tamari and 1 – 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds. The sesame seeds add a lot of flavor to the rice. Sometimes I’ll eat it with steamed veggies and blackened tempeh, both of which can be prepared while the rice is cooking.

I put the leftover rice in a plastic container in the refrigerator, which keeps well for several days. Since I don’t use a microwave, I usually just eat the leftovers cold. But when I’m not in the mood for cold rice, here’s another tasty dish I make from the leftover rice.

Resource:. www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/03/how-to-cookbrown-rice.

• Reduce the heat slightly to medium-low, and cook the rice/veggies for 3 – 4 minutes until the rice is hot, stirring about once every minute.

• Pour in a little tamari to taste, and mix it with the rice. Cook for another minute to sear in the flavor.

• Turn off the heat. Mix in 1 – 2 tablespoons sesame seeds.

• Eat and enjoy.

I hope you find these recipes helpful. Brown rice became a staple of my diet after I studied macrobiotics during the mid-90s, and I eat it almost every week. I find it a great food for endurance activities.

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HEALTHY LIVING

Winter Hours: Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm Sunday: Noon – 5 pm

Open for pre-booked Croc Talks mid-week.

Call today for reservations!

The Back Page A Lesson from a

Mad Hatter

One of the first steps to accomplishing great things in your life is to cease dwelling on the negative things in your past.

One of the first steps to accomplishing great things in your life is to cease dwelling on the negative things in your past. Carefully assess your present strengths, successes, and achievements. Dwell on those positive events in your life, and quit limiting your potential by constantly thinking about what you have done poorly. Alice and the Mad Hatter in Wonderland had a conversation that illustrates this concept: Alice: Where I come from, people study what they are not good at in order to be able to do what they are good at.

Mad Hatter: We only go around in circles in Wonderland, but we always end up where we started.

Would you mind explaining yourself?

Alice: Well, grown-ups tell us to find out what we did wrong, and never do it again Mad Hatter: That’s odd! It seems to me that in order to find out about something, you have to study it. And when you study it, you should become better at it. Why should you want to become better at something and then never do it again? But please continue.

Alice: Nobody ever tells us to study the right things we do. We’re only supposed to learn from the wrong things. But we are permitted to study the right things other people do. And sometimes we’re even told to copy them.

Mad Hatter: That’s cheating!

Alice: You’re quite right, Mr. Hatter. I do live in a topsy-turvy world. It seems like I have to do something wrong first, in order to learn from what not to do. And then, by not doing what I’m not supposed to do, perhaps I’ll be right. But I’d rather be right the first time, wouldn’t you?

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Full Time RV Lifestyles

By Bill Revill

It seemed that, despite the interest and attraction in this low-cost, carefree RVing lifestyle, many people lacked the confidence and know-how to take that initial step. Understandably, for some it seems just a little too daunting.

Perhaps it’s time to delve a little more deeply into what we have found to be the most common of these concerns so that, with deeper insight, we might put them all to rest.

In the following pages is a selection of the sorts of questions we and other fulltime RVers are frequently asked.

For Seeing Eye Dogs Only

By Robert Swiatek

This is a book about intelligence, or more specifically, the lack of it around us today.We can land a man on the moon but we, the citizens of the country, wind up reading words on the mirrors of our cars that say, “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear!”

People just don’t think. They have been given intellects, but from some of their actions, we have to question when they are going to use them. Individuals may have a high IQ, but they still say and do things that indicate they may not be any smarter than a rutabaga. There may be a silver lining, as they need not worry about ever getting brainwashed! This book will show you many instances of this type of behavior.

Habitats for Birds How to Create an Inviting Yard to Attract Birds

Among the fondest and most memorable moments of childhood are the discoveries of songbirds nesting in the backyard. The distinctive, mud-lined nests of robins and their beautiful blue eggs captivate people of all ages. Likewise, the nesting activities of house wrens, cardinals, chickadees, and other common birds can stimulate a lifelong interest in nature.

As you learn to enjoy the beauty of birdlife around your home, you may wish to improve the “habitat” in your yard so that more birds will visit your property.

You can attract birds by placing bird feeders, nest boxes, and bird baths in your yard, and by planting a variety of trees, shrubs, and flowers. These can provide good nesting sites, winter shelter, places to hide from predators and natural food supplies that are available year-round.

Pose Events is a licensed travel agency which offers a personalized service for all of your travel and accommodation needs. Whether you are planning your next family vacation, corporate travel booking or a destination wedding group, Pose Events will meet your requirements. They will beat/match other Internet prices available!

Contact us today to book your next trip.

p. 250.863.3374 e. info@poseevents.com w. www.poseevents.com Proud Member of

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Best Senior

Dating Websites

Claims to be the world’s most frequently visited dating site for seniors with almost 400,000 active users in total.

Age Match It boasts that it is the “best and largest age-gap dating site in the world” and with its large user network and collection of communication facilities it certainly seems to deliver as a value for money dating site with an active community.

Senior Match SeniorMatch is without a doubt one of the most attractive websites – its slick exterior instills a great deal of confidence, and in many respects this is well deserved.

Prime Singles One of the most innovative dating sites for seniors although it does not exclude younger people from joining the site. The site is unusual as it allows free members to access a great number of the features of the site without payment.

you’re looking for and they have a dedicated section for senior online dating.

Silver Singles

Also part of the large network of sites run by Tangowire, giving the user the confidence which comes with such a large organization. Users automatically become members of other Tangowire sites.

As the senior dating arm of the large online dating network of sites owned by Spark Networks, which also includes one of America’s largest dating sites, Spark.com.

Dating for Seniors Part of a wider group of dating sites catering for a wide spectrum of different dating interests. The site is attractive and comes complete with a standard complement of features including instant messaging, chat rooms, forums and photo profiles.

Perfect Match Match A great choice for seniors looking to date online as they have a huge number of profiles from all ages of people. It’s popularity means you’ll find plenty of singles in the age range

Senior Date Finder

12 Meet Senior Offers members the chance to communicate with potential matches using email and live chat, and also to use its “My Match” software to generate a number of potential matches based on the information.

10 Senior People Meet Part of the huge Friendfinder network and has many great features for finding a new partner. They has thousands of profiles to search and their matching system lets you know when new members join the site.

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Aging and Grand Parenting Graceful Aging

45

Starts When You Are

by Joy Stevens and JB Johnson

There are many benefits to aging than we thought.

W

hen you were a child, education was stressed as an essential component of a good life. Education, and the ensuing career, would dictate much of what you got from life.

Quality aging requires that you embark on a whole new path in order to reap all of the rewards from aging that you are able.

We will all get there but how you fare when you arrive is up to you.

By the time you are 45 years old, you should be getting a glimmer of what age has in store for you. Certainly it should be dawning on you that you will not have enough time to do everything in life. Therefore, you must do what is important.

And aging gracefully needs to go to the top of your list!

Despite what the media, the cosmetics/fashion industry, the diet industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and now the cos-

metic surgery medical establishment would have us believe, there are many benefits to ageing.

What We Gain as We Age A few of things we gain as we grow older – and wiser – include: • Women become more active, assertive, and work-oriented.

• Men become gentler, more submissive, less interested in power and more interested in learning about intimacy and relationships.

• Age offers wisdom to many. The husband/wife authoring

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team, Joan and Erik Erikson wrote, "Lots of old people don't get wise, but you don't get wise unless you age."

• Most lose their fear of death after middle age.

• Intellect and curiosity can increase with age.

• Sex and intimacy becomes less stressful and more accepting • Grandchildren.

• There is less stress and even less dissatisfaction for most people as they age.

And if you are approaching retirement without the best retirement income in the world, take heart. There will be more and better work opportunities for older workers in the future.

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Quality aging requires that you embark on a whole new path in order to reap all of the rewards from aging that you are able.

Resource: Joy Stevens and JB Johnson.www.cyberparent.com.

Rules for Graceful Aging 1. Develop and maintain a strong social support network of family, friends, and colleagues.

2. Develop a personal exercise program combining aerobics and weight work. Hire a personal trainer to get you started.

3. Take charge of your brain. Make an active commitment to learning and growth. IF you continue to use your brain and develop your intellect and IF you remain socially connected and active, you can actually increase your IQ scores as you age.

4. Take charge of your financial future. Plan, plan, and plan. If you are single, don’t count on getting married to finance your old age. You are on your own! If you are married, learn what is going on with your finances. If you are female, statistics say you will spend seven to fifteen years or more as a widow, depending upon the age difference between you and your husband.

5. Eat a low-fat, high-fiber diet. Learn to live on fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes as much as possible. Plan a few days a week that include no animal products, not even dairy.

6. Stay aware of the latest nutritional information.

7. Don’t fall for fad diets. When something sounds too good to be true such as The Atkins’ Diet, it usually is.

When something sounds too good to be true and 8. Remember that the pharmaceutical industry makes money from selling drugs. Read, study, and form your own opinions about taking cholesterol, blood pressure, estrogen and other “old-age” medicines. Very few longterm studies are available to show the results of these medicines. The industry does extensive advertising to the medical profession pushing these drugs. The industry also does excellent advertising and good PR work with the public in support of these drugs. Your doctor is not a genius. It is your responsibility to read, study, and keep up with the truth for yourself.

9. Practice moderate to no drinking.

10. Drop the cigarettes, no matter what.

11. Remain goal oriented. Regardless of your age, still set one, five, ten and twenty-year goals. Keep on growing!

12. Don’t become more conservative. Age is an attitude.

Conservative is an old, stuffy attitude that allows life to pass you by and makes you sound old and boring.

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To celebrate growing older, I once wrote an article on the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

• Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

• When in doubt, just take the next small step.

• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends •andYour parents will. Stay in touch.

• Pay off your credit cards every month.

• You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

• Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

• It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

• Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

• When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

• Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

• It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their •journey is all about.

Life Lesson

90ish W

A compilation to cheer you up make yo

• If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it. can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; •GodEverything never blinks.

• Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

• Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful, or joyful.

• Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger. too late to have a happy childhood. But the second •oneIt’sis never up to you and no one else. it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take •noWhen for an answer.

Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.

•Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

Life isn’t tied wit still a gift. We s way we want, n

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ns From a

• Over prepare, then go with the flow.

• Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

• The most important sex organ is the brain.

• No one is in charge of your happiness but you. every so-called disaster with these words, ‘In five years, will •thisFrame matter?’

of life lessons p and hopefully our day.

• Always choose life.

• Forgive everyone everything.

• What other people think of you is none of your business.

• Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.

• However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

• Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

• Believe in miracles. loves you because of who God is, not because of anything •youGod did or didn’t do.

Writer

th a bow; but, it’s should live it the no matter what.

• Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

• Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

• Your children get only one childhood.

• All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

• Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, •we’dIf wegraballours back.

• Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

• The best is yet to come.

• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.

• Yield.

• Life isn’t tied with a bow; but, it’s still a gift.

Resource: Regina Brett. She is 90 years old and a columnist with The Plain Dealer, in Cleveland, Ohio.

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FORGET FU

N L

E

. . .

S S

It May Not be as Bad as You Think

A

s we grow older and start to forget things, we may joke and utter, “it’s my Alzheimer’s kicking in!”

But it’s no joke for someone who has a loved one with dementia.

Many older people worry about becoming more forgetful. They think forgetfulness is the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease. In the past, memory loss and confusion were considered a normal part of aging. However, scientists now know that most people remain both alert and able as they age, although it may take them longer to remember things.

Most people remain both alert and able as they age, although it may take them longer to remember things.

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A lot of people experience memory lapses. Some memory problems are serious, and others are not. People who have serious changes in their memory, personality, and behavior may suffer from a form of brain disease called dementia. Dementia seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. Alzheimer’s disease is one of many types of dementia.

The term dementia describes a group of symptoms that are caused by changes in brain function. Dementia symptoms may include asking the same questions repeatedly; becoming lost in familiar places; being unable to follow directions; getting disoriented about time, people, and places; and neglecting personal safety, hygiene, and nutrition. People with dementia lose their abilities at different rates.

Dementia is caused by many conditions.

Some conditions that cause dementia can be reversed, and others cannot. Further, many different medical conditions may cause symptoms that seem like Alzheimer’s disease, but are not. Some of these medical conditions may be treatable. Reversible conditions can be caused by a high fever, dehydration, vitamin deficiency and poor nutrition, bad reactions to medicines, problems with the thyroid gland, or a minor head injury. Medical conditions like these can be serious and should be treated by a doctor as soon as possible.

Sometimes older people have emotional problems that can be mistaken for dementia. Feeling sad, lonely, worried, or bored may be more common for older people facing retirement or coping with the death of a spouse, relative, or friend. Adapting to these changes leaves some people feeling confused or forgetful. Emotional problems can be eased by supportive friends and family, or by professional help from a doctor or counselor.

The two most common forms of dementia in older people are Alzheimer’s disease and multi-infarct dementia (sometimes called vascular dementia). These types of dementia are irreversible, which means they cannot be cured.

In Alzheimer’s disease, nerve cell changes in certain parts of the brain result in the death of a large number of cells.

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease begin slowly and become steadily worse. As the disease progresses, symptoms range from mild forgetfulness to serious impairments in thinking, judgment, and the ability to perform daily activities. Eventually, patients may need total care.

In multi-infarct dementia, a series of small strokes or changes in the brain’s blood supply may result in the death of brain tissue. The location in the brain where the small strokes occur determines the seriousness of the problem and the symptoms that arise. Symptoms that begin suddenly may be a sign of this kind of dementia. People with multi-infarct dementia are likely to show signs of improvement or remain stable for long periods of time, then quickly develop new symptoms if more strokes occur. In many people with multi-infarct dementia, high blood pres-

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sure is to blame. One of the most important reasons for controlling high blood pressure is to prevent strokes.

People who are worried about memory problems should see their doctor. If the doctor believes that the problem is serious, then a thorough physical, neurological, and psychiatric evaluation may be recommended.

A complete medical examination for memory loss may include gathering information about the person’s medical history, including use of prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diets, past medical problems, and general health. Because a correct diagnosis depends on recalling these details accurately, the doctor also may ask a family member for information about the person.

Many people with dementia need no medication for behavioral problems. But for some people, doctors may prescribe medications to reduce agitation, anxiety, depression, or sleeping problems. These troublesome behaviors are common in people with dementia. Careful use of doctor-prescribed drugs may make some people with dementia more comfortable and make caring for them easier.

Tests of blood and urine may be done to help the doctor find any problems. There are also tests of mental abilities (tests of memory, problem solving, counting, and language). A brain CT scan may assist the doctor in ruling out a curable disorder. A scan also may show signs of normal age-related changes in the brain. It may be necessary to have another scan at a later date to see if there have been further changes in the brain.

A healthy diet is important. Although no special diets or nutritional supplements have been found to prevent or reverse Alzheimer’s disease or multi-infarct dementia, a balanced diet helps maintain overall good health. In cases of multi-infarct dementia, improving the diet may play a role in preventing more strokes.

Diagnosis

Alzheimer’s disease and multi-infarct dementia can exist together, making it hard for the doctor to diagnose either one specifically. Scientists once thought that multi-infarct dementia and other types of vascular dementia caused most cases of irreversible mental impairment. They now believe that older people with irreversible dementia have Alzheimer’s disease.

Treatment Even if the doctor diagnoses an irreversible form of dementia, much still can be done to treat the patient and help the family cope. A person with dementia should be under a doctor’s care, and may see a neurologist, psychiatrist, family doctor, internist, or geriatrician. The doctor can treat the patient’s physical and behavioral problems and answer the many questions that the person or family may have.

Sometimes olde emotional proble mistaken fo

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Family members and friends can assist people with dementia in continuing their daily routines, physical activities, and social contacts. People with dementia should be kept up-to-date about the details of their lives, such as the time of day, where they live, and what is happening at home or in the world.

Memory aids may help in the day-to-day living of patients in the earlier stages of dementia.

Some families find that a big calendar, a list of daily plans, notes about simple safety measures, and written directions

er people have ems that can be or dementia.

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describing how to use common household items are very useful aids.

Advice for Today Scientists are working to develop new drugs that someday may slow, reverse, or prevent the damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease and multi-infarct dementia. In the meantime, people who have no dementia symptoms can try to keep their memory sharp.

Some suggestions include developing interests or hobbies and staying involved in activities that stimulate both the mind and body. Giving careful attention to physical fitness and exercise also may go a long way toward keeping a healthy state of mind. Limiting the use of alcoholic beverages is important, because heavy drinking over time can cause permanent brain damage.

Many people find it useful to plan tasks; make “thingsto-do� lists; and use notes, calendars, and other memory aids. They also may remember things better by mentally connecting them to other meaningful things, such as a familiar name, song, or lines from a poem.

Stress, anxiety, or depression can make a person more forgetful. Forgetfulness caused by these emotions usually is temporary and goes away when the feelings fade.

However, if these feelings last for a long period of time, getting help from a professional is important.

Treatment may include counseling or medication, or a combination of both.

Some physical and mental changes occur with age in healthy people. However, much pain and suffering can be avoided if older people, their families, and their doctors recognize dementia as a disease, not part of normal aging.

Resource: http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/forgetfulness.htm

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The Challenge of Growing

Unusual Orchids

by Jack Swain

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illions of people around the globe appreciate and love the beauty of these magical flowers. Available in so many different colors, shapes and sizes, orchids attract everyone with its simple glimpse. Interestingly, books on this special natural beauty record only its 22,000 varieties. However, in real terms, you may find more in its places of origin. It is not easy to grow orchids. They require special care so that they grow beautifully.

There are only two types of orchid, the terrestrial and epiphytes. This article concentrates on the less common type of terrestrial growing orchids. It isn’t practical to attempt to cover them all in this article however I shall endeavor to cover the more unusual species.

Terrestrial Type Disa Uniflora: Origin -- South Africa. This medium sized

plant has thick roots, but no pseudobulbs, and a branchless stem some 20 inches (50 cm) in height. The flowers appear on the apex of the stem and usually number 4 to 5 in colors ranging in various shades of orange. Other available colors are white, pink, and red. Flowering is in spring and summer.

The Disa species are known to be difficult to grow. The D. uniflora can be grown in a pot with a medium of peat and pearlite mix with a helping of sphagnum. The growing period is very long and regular watering is needed to moisture high.

Eulophia Guineensis: Origin -- Tropical Africa. A medium to large plant, the oval pseudobulbs sit close together on the rhizome. The leaves are quite large measuring 10 inch (25cm) by 3 inches (8 cm) are heavily veined and pointed towards each end. The stem is around 16 inches (40 cm) high and holds at least 10 beautiful pink flowers which open in sequence. Flowering is from autumn to winter. Once the pseu-

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Like other types of owers, orchids are beautiful and unique in their own way. They come in different sizes, types, shapes, colors, etc. dobulbs have developed the plant will need a resting period of at least one month. They are easily grown but should be re-potted in medium pots every year using a bark based medium with sphagnum added.

Ludisia Discolor: Origin -- India, Indonesia, Indochinese peninsula. This medium to small terrestrial has no pseudobulbs. The erect stems are quite substantial in a reddish-brown color and reach 8 to 10 inch (20-25cm) in height. The leaves are elliptic and quite beautiful in a dark reddish-green with light colored veins. The plant produces many small white flowers with a yellow lip which only last around two weeks. Flowering is in winter.

This species is grown usually for its beautiful leaves rather than the actual flower. Very good results can be obtained by growing in small to medium pots or baskets. Potting medium should be bark with added sphagnum which should always be moist but never water-logged.

Oeceoclades Maculata: Origin -- Tropical areas of the Americas and Africa. Quite a mouthful to pronounce, but a very cute small to medium terrestrial.

The oval pseudobulbs are about one inch (2.5 cm) tall sit close together on the rhizome with a single

leaf at the top. The elliptic shaped leaf is marbled in various tones of green. The erect stems are 12 to 16 inches in height (30 to 40cm) and can hold a variable number of small flowers in white to brown or pink. Flowering is in autumn and can be short lived.

This is an easy growing orchid and should be potted relative to its size. Potting medium should be equal amounts of bark and sphagnum. Water regularly and reduce during when there is no plant growth. Re-potting should be done after the plant as flowered.

The Back Page Long-time subscriber, Laurie Larson sent these to me and they made me laugh right out loud!

Some are slightly off color but I didn’t think they were beyond the scope of TIPS subscribers, so enjoy!

If you remember the original “Hollywood Squares” and its comics, this may bring tears to your eyes. These great questions and answers are from the days when “Hollywood Squares” game show responses were spontaneous and clever.

Q. Do female frogs croak?

A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.

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Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more, or less, with your hands while talking?

A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I’ll give you a gesture you’ll never forget.

OLD

Q. Charley, you’ve just decided to grow strawberries.

Are you going to get any during the first year?

A. Charley Weaver: Of course not...I’m too busy growing strawberries.

If you remember the original “Hollywood Squares” and its comics, this may bring tears to your eyes.

Q. If you’re going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?

A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.

Q. True or False: A pea can last as long as 5,000 years.

A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Q. You’ve been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?

A. Don Knotts: That’s what’s been keeping me awake.

Q. According to Cosmo, if you meet a stranger at a party, and you think he is attractive, is it okay to ask him if he’s married?

A. Rose Marie: No... wait until morning.

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?

A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency.

Q. What are: “Do it,” “I Can Help “and “I Can’t get enough”?

A. George Gobel: I don’t know, but it’s coming from the next apartment.

Q. In bowling, what’s a perfect score?

A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.

Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet?

A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately, Peter, I’m always safe in the bedroom.

Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls?

A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out.

Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?

A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.

Q. When a couple has a baby, who is responsible for its sex?

A. Charley Weaver: I’ll lend him the car. The rest is up to him.

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions.

What are they?

A. Charley Weaver: His feet.

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?

A. Paul Lynde: Point...and Laugh

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10 Design Mistakes That Make Your Business Look Dumb

By Pamela Wilson

This report details how to avoid “design land mines,” the graphic disasters that make your business look amateur, disorganized and unprofessional.

Every time you communicate, you have the opportunity to make a good impression. Marketing materials that are targeted to your audience, easy to understand and attractive will make your business look established, professional and trustworthy.

Read and see examples of dumb mistakes, and learn the easy “Big Brand fix” you can apply in each situation.

Timeless Wealth Secrets

These seven extraordinary people - Jim Rohn, Randy Gage, John Reese, Corey Rudl, James Allen, Lester Levenson and T. Harv Eker - have made outstanding contributions and created millions of dollars.

Believe it or not, you are living in the world of wealth that you may not realize in the past. This world of wealth is abundant. You did not ‘see’ it before, because you have been ‘educated’ NOT to see this world of wealth.

YOU are going to be successful, happy, healthy, and wealthy (may be far beyond the wildest dream that you can imagine) if you apply to yourself the secrets we have revealed here beginning today.

Career Satisfaction from Within

By Christopher R. Edgar

This book is designed to help two groups of people. The first group would like to change careers or start a business, but has the nagging feeling that for one reason or another, the transition isn’t possible. Perhaps these people feel they don’t have the skill or ambition to make the change, that the business they’re interested in is too competitive, that their families will disapprove or something else.

The second group entered the working world feeling driven and passionate, but gradually the work became uninspiring and routine. These people don’t necessarily want a transition — they understand that even if they changed jobs, they might end up in the same rut in a few years. They just want to find a way to restore some of the passion and drive they had when they started.

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Top 10 Reasons Why Expert Status Is Essential For

SMALL BUSINESSES When you are known as the ‘go to’ person in your industry, it opens many doors effortlessly. Yes, you need to genuinely know a lot – this is about ‘celebrity with integrity’ rather than ‘splash then crash’! You also need to keep learning and keep packaging your expertise and knowledge in ways that make you stand out.

3. Your referral business will grow as you are seen as a trusted resource.

4. It’s easier to gain media coverage and this builds trust with potential clients.

Sounds like a lot of work... but really, what is the alternative? Being average leads to average (or worse!) business performance.

6. You can help clients more productively and insightfully than competitors.

7. You can gain access to rare resources and other respected authorities in your field.

If you aren’t the ‘go to’ person currently, but you’d like to be, here are the top 10 reasons to put time and energy into building your expert status: 1. You can market yourself with authority and establish your business as an industry leader.

2. You can make your business highly visible with ease.

5. Speaking at your industry conference is much more powerful than just attending!

8. By sharing, you can attract respect while having fun and being creative!

Smart and successful small business owners create expertise that cannot be copied!

9. You can convert followers into raving fans.

10. You can charge more!

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Business Briefs Three Truths about

TECHNOLOGY Not all entrepreneurs are tech savvy. What’s worse, a lot don’t want to be. What follows is a look at the underlying factors—three truths—that provide a framework to help entrepreneurs take charge of the ever-important technology upon which their businesses depend.

Truth 1: Technology is simpler than you think.

Entrepreneurs should make it a practice to spend a few minutes each day getting a tech “education,” not so much to find the answers as to be able to ask the right questions. You can get a tech education by being alert to tech trends. Read newspapers and journals, listen to talk shows, attend forums, and surf the best of the relevant web sites, such as howstuffworks. com. Occasionally, pick up the manual for the new piece of equipment you just bought and do more than just flip through it. These small investments of time every day will enhance your decision-making process in the technology area—and your company will benefit.

when problems with a product arise. With technology, ironically, it’s all about people. Make sure you do your part. Treat the people you deal with as human beings, not as handy targets for venting about the problems you’ve encountered with your equipment.

Truth 3: Technology is integrated.

In the heat of the entrepreneurial battle, nothing quite equals a failed computer system or a network collapse to make even the most resourceful entrepreneur feel utterly alone.

While the number of automated voices on tech company phone lines and hotlines is increasing, the fact remains that people are behind technology every step of the way.

Entrepreneurs must always keep the big picture in mind.

In no area is that more apparent than in technology. As your company grows, you must remember that the list of contacts on your desktop must be able to make its way to the new inventory control system and eventually onto the sophisticated network. In short, you must make sure that the hardware and software you select when upgrading can work with what you already have.

When considering software, for example, you can discuss your needs with designers engaged by the vendors from whom you might buy. You can nail down information about tech support, such as whether you will have access to a human being

Technology can’t be ignored, even in pursuit of the more visionary aspects of company building. The truth is that you, the entrepreneur, have a stake in making technology work for your company.

Truth 2: Technology is about people.

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Free Sales Letters Can Lead to a

Sales Explosion

Studying your sales letters is like getting a free sales course every day. Now I’m not saying that every piece of mail you get will be a great sales tool. Most of what you get will stink...but you can still learn from it.

Here are some tips of what to look for in a good sales letter.

Start a file and when you discover letters or even postcards that follow these rules, stuff that baby in the file for later reference and you will on your way to creating a library of swipable free sales letters.

1) Must have a headline. If your sales letters don’t have a headline that reaches off the paper and grabs the reader by the throat...you are sunk. Start paying attention to headlines.

2) Must clearly demonstrate how the reader will benefit from reading it. It’s amazing how often sales letters will go about the company or product and how great it is. Your reader doesn’t care...they always want to know what’s in it for me.

You may never call a sales letter junk mail again You trudge to the mailbox, open it up and out fall a pile of bills. Of course you also get to flip through the so called “junk mail” as it slides off your desk for the trash can right?

If you own a small business and you aren’t poring over every piece of mail you get then you are making a silly mistake.

1. When I...Uh huh.

2. If I can do x, then Y will result... Big if.

3. It should... Yeah, it should, but WILL IT? 4. I could... Yes, but WILL YOU?

3) Must have a call to action or offer that makes sense. If a sales letter is well written, you will come to the end hoping to reach an offer that you can’t resist. Without an offer, even an offer to give some more information, you are wasting your time.

You might even sign-up to receive some mail from some of the biggest direct mail folks just so you can learn from some of the best sales letter in the business!

Ten Things Said that Limit Your

SUCCESS

5. If I could just... Nah, it’s not that easy.

8. If only... If only pigs fly.

6. It’s a done deal... It isn’t really done until the client’s check has been cashed and the services/goods have been delivered.

9. If you’d just support me... Support yourself.

7. We’re very close... Close to what, reality? Dream on.

10. No one understands what I am trying to do... Very likely. If they did understand, you wouldn’t have much to offer, then, would you?

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Business Briefs For many businesses generating leads is an activity they do anytime things get a bit quiet. If you want to run a profitable and growing business, then it’s time to systemize your lead generation process so that it works, even when you are working with your clients.

The average business will need around six different lead generation strategies to create a leads pipeline that will deliver consistent results. Many lead generation strategies cost little, they just need consistent implementation. That’s where a system comes in handy.

Here’s three simple tips that will get you started: 1. Do you and your staff have a system for asking for referrals? If you have a sandwich shop then it can be as simple as giving out ‘two for the price of one’ vouchers. If you are a professional services firm your approach will need to be a little more sophisticated, such as inviting your client to lunch and encouraging them to bring a business colleague from another company who may be interested in your services (no hard sell over lunch though – this is all about relationship building!)

2. Do you know exactly what action you want your prospects to take, in every point of your sales funnel?

Is it easy for your prospects to ‘take the next step’?

The easier it is, the more leads you’ll gain.

3. Are you delivering value at every point in your sales channel? Do you know what your client really needs? How can you automate this to ensure the relationship continues to build?

Do you have a

Lead Generation System?

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Questions to Ask Before Buying a Franchise Franchise businesses are booming. Franchises for just about every conceivable kind of business are being sold in ever increasing numbers. Some franchises are very good. Others are very one-sided and some are a rip-off.

Below is a list of questions you should be asking, and get satisfactory answers to, before investing.

• Has your lawyer studied the franchise contract, and do you both approve it without reservations?

• Does the franchise give you an exclusive territory for the length of the franchise period, or can the franchisor sell a second or third franchise in your territory?

• Is this franchisor connected in any way with any other franchise company handling similar products or services?

• Under what circumstances can you end the franchise contract, and at what costs to you?

• If you sell your franchise, will you be compensated for your goodwill or will it be lost to you?

relations and advertising program; d) Capital; e) Credit; f) Merchandising ideas?

• If needed, will the franchisor assist you in finding a suitable location?

• Is the franchising firm adequately financed so that it can carry out its stated plans?

• Does the franchisor have experienced management, trained in-depth?

• How many years has the firm offering you the franchise been in operation?

• Has the franchisor investigated you carefully enough to assure itself that you can successfully operate at a profit to both of you?

• Does the company offering you this franchise have a reputation for honesty and fair dealing among its franchisees?

• How much equity capital will you need to purchase the franchise and operate it until your income equals your expenses?

• Has the franchisor shown you any certified figures indicating exact net proof of one or more of its members, and have you personally checked the figures with these people?

If you can afford the entry into this business, statistics are on your side. Buying a franchise can give you a measure of security, and in some cases, sure-fire profits. Business surveys show that fewer than 20% of all new franchised businesses fail.

This is in comparison to a 60 to 80% failure rate for all new businesses started in this country each year.

• Will the franchisor assist you with: a) A management training program; b) An employee training program; c) A public

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Lessons

Above the Herd

T

he youngest group of Boy Scouts, the Beavers, received a whole new shot of energy in the form of my son Ben. Inspired last year by the character Russel (from the Disney movie Up!), Ben decided he wanted to try scouts. Ben is determined to become the camping master.

Monday night was the very first Beaver meeting. The kids received order forms for their fundraiser: Popcorn Sale 2010.

The grand prize: A Marshmallow Cross-Bow. Yes folks, it is a cross-bow that shoots marshmallows.

As soon as my husband got home from work, Ben was ready to go. Ben has never done anything like this before, so I thought a little practice would serve him well.

Me: The first thing you do is introduce yourself. Tell them your name.

Kid Selling 1. Avoid giving too much or too little info right off the bat.

“Hi, my name is Ben and I’m with Beaver Scouts. I’m hoping to raise enough money so everyone in scouts can go camping. Would you like to buy some?”

Homeowner: “Buy what sweetie?”

Ben: Why do they need to know my name?

Me: It shows them you care about building a relationship with them. People like to do business with someone they know.

Ben: Got it. Then do I tell them about the cross-bow?

Me: No. We don’t mention the cross-bow because that is a

prize for you, not for them. You tell them where you are from and what you have to offer them.

Ben: I’m selling popcorn for Beaver Scouts so we have money for all of the families to go camping together.

We did a practice run on our neighbor and then set off. At our first house, Ben asked me to hang back so it didn’t look like he was with his mom. I could hear his little voice.

There were three major lessons that my Ben learned last night that all sales people would do well to remember.

Ben: “Popcorn!”

The first bit of advice I have for sales people is to clearly and simply articulate what it is that you are selling. Too much or too little information will lose your sale. The only thing worse than assuming that people know what you are selling is a convoluted message with overwhelming information.

It is obvious that if you never tell people what you have to offer they won’t know what to buy.

Many bury their simple message beneath a bunch of information that the customer does not need at first glance. I see too

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s From a

g Popcorn

By Kimberly Parker

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the steam from the water causes pressure to build up. Because the steam can’t seep out the hull will actually burst. When it reaches 347 degrees….” You get the point.

At one of our stops, a woman had more questions about whether the manufacturing plant was peanut-free. Another woman had MSG concerns. As the customer raised them, we then talked about those details. But not everyone cared about them, so we didn’t include it until we were asked.

2. Pay attention and try new things. many websites that tragically are overloaded with language and way too much detail for the consumer to consume on a visit. The actual nuts and bolts of what is for sale and why gets lost in the mix.

At what point would you zone out if Ben had opened his sales pitch with: “I am trying to sell a grain

At our first house, Ben asked me to hang back so it didn’t look like he was with his mom. that was discovered

by Native Americans thousands of years ago. It is composed of a small amount of water covered by a starchy hull. It is then heated until

I stood in awe when at our third or fourth stop, Ben showed the woman the brochure and decided to point out: “The microwave popcorn package seems to be the best deal for your money.”

Where did he learn that? He heard a woman at the previous stop make that comment. He recognized that she thought it was a good deal, so perhaps others would think so, too. And he tried out his new technique. WOW! And he made another sale. This only works if you truly pay attention to your customers’ reactions and responses to the words you say.

3. Give the customer time to close the sale.

Homeowner: “I don’t have any money right here.”

Ben: “Ok. Thanks anyway.” And he began to walk away.

Homeowner: “But wait! Let me go upstairs and get my wallet.”

Ben stopped listening when he heard her say, “I don’t have any money.” He would have been gone when she returned, ready to buy the popcorn. When a customer offers what sounds like a rejection on the surface, pause a moment – give them some time to complete their thought process. How often do we process our thoughts out loud? Give your customer time to think it through and avoid the urge to assume.

I am sure it certainly helped that Ben is an adorable 6-year old with character oozing from his little grin, but these basic sales principles are applicable whether what you sell is popcorn, Chevys or marshmallow cross-bows.

Kimberly Parker is an author and partner in Red Giraffe, a Kelowna-based sales and marketing company.

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50 Things

Your Customers

Wish You Knew

by Sonia Simone

The better you understand both the noble – and not-so-noble – secrets in your customers’ consciousness, the better you can serve them.

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I

t doesn’t matter what kind of customers you have. I don’t care if your customers are kidney donors or Zen masters or million-dollar contributors to your nonprofit organization. Each one of us has some less-than-loveable characteristics that tend to come to the forefront when we are in the role of customer.

If you knew, really knew, these 50 things about your customers, and acted accordingly, you would gain their trust and even their love. After all, who doesn’t want to be loved despite all our flaws and embarrassing insecurities?

Here are 50 things your customers wish you knew: about them, about how they see you, and about your relationship:

1. I don’t need you to be perfect, but I do need to know I can rely on you.

2. Telling me what you don’t know makes me trust you.

13. Once you’ve won my trust and loyalty, the truth is you can screw up once in awhile and I will forgive you. If I don’t think you’re taking me for granted, that is.

3. It means a lot when you take the time to thank me for my business or a referral.

(And you really need to mean it.)

14. When I refer my friends and you give them exceptional service that makes me look and feel smart. I love that.

4. You don’t need to do all that much to be a superhero. Just do exactly what you say you will do.

15.Why don’t you ask me what how you could change your store to make my shopping experience better?.

5. A friendly voice on the other side of the phone means more than you can imagine.

16. The wealthier I get, the more I like free stuff.

6. Your employees treat me about as well as you treat them.

17. A lot of the time, I secretly feel like a lost little kid. I don’t admit it, but I want to be taken care of.

7. I don’t mind spending the money, as long as I feel I’m getting real value.

18. I’m lousy at admitting I was wrong, but I respect you when you do it.

8. My life is really stressful. If you can reduce that stress, you become immensely valuable to me.

19. I like to get little goodies no one else is getting.

9. I want to tell you what would make this relationship better for me. Why don’t you ever ask me?

20. I don’t understand how to use your website, but I won’t admit that because it would make me feel dumb.

10. I don’t understand a lot of the messages you send me. Can you make them clearer?

21. There’s no worse feeling than feeling like I was suckered into trusting you. If I’m screaming at you or one of your employees, that feeling is probably behind it somewhere.

11. My life is very complicated. If you make it easy for me to just buy a simple all-in-one package that I can use without learning anything, I’ll take it and be grateful.

12. I want to trust you, but it’s hard for me to trust anyone.

22. Our relationship isn’t equal and it never will be.

23. I get crazy jealous if I think you love another customer more than you love me.

98 24. I don’t have any interest in your excuses. In fact, I usually don’t notice them at all, and if I do, they annoy me.

25. I find myself endlessly fascinating.

26. I don’t like salespeople, but I really like to buy things.

27. I only like to communicate over the phone/Web/mail and I hate when you try to make me communicate with you over the mail/phone/Web.

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We all have some less-thanloveable characteristics when we play the role of a customer but we want to be loved in spite that.

28. I want to buy your product, but I need you to help me justify it to myself.

29. There’s something in my life I’m afraid of losing. If you can make me feel like you’ve protected it for me, my gratitude will be intense and eternal.

30. I’ll give you anything you ask if you can help me not feel silly.

38. It infuriates me when you answer the phone while I’m talking with you face-to-face. Do I mean that little to you?

39. Embarrassment scares me more than death.

40. I’m lazier than I would ever admit.

41. I’m more selfish than I would ever admit.

42. I’m more vain than I would ever admit.

43. I’m more insecure than I would ever admit.

44. Despite all that, I secretly think I’m a better person than most people. Help me believe that and we’ll be fast friends.

45. I believe I deserve much more than I’m getting.

31. I want you to do the hard work for me. Even better if I can get all the credit.

46. I want to tell you everything you need to know in order to sell to me, but I’m lazy. Make it easy enough and I will. (Especially if you flatter me a little.)

32. I’d rather do it the convoluted hard way than learn something new.

47. I don’t know what I want most of the time. Can you figure that out for me?

33. I’d love to know something about your product that I could use to brag at a dinner party.

34. I have the attention span of a goldfish. Go too long without contacting me and I’ll simply forget you exist.

35. Money is no object when it comes to my obsessions.

36. What you think you’re good at is not what you’re good at.

Ask me, and I’ll tell you what you do better than anyone else.

37. I like it when I feel like you’re talking just to me. (Which means the cell phone stays in your pocket.)

48. I mostly daydream about making life better for myself, but I’ll take action to keep from losing what’s mine.

49. I believe that most of what’s wrong in my life is someone else’s fault. Let me keep that cozy illusion and I’ll believe anything you say.

50. The bottom line? It really is all about me.

Resource: Sonia Simone is a remarkable communications expert.

www.remarkable-communication.com/author/sonia-simone

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7 Pillars of Marketing a

Local Business Online

by Jim Edwards

Online marketing is not optional anymore and you need every one of these 7 pillars to succeed, especially in a local market.

W

hen I first started writing articles in 1998, the Internet was a giant mystery. Almost 13 years later, it’s still a mystery for most! With the emergence of Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, Google, Linkedin, and a host of other sites, getting started with online marketing seems more daunting than ever. Yet, as consumers flock to the Web daily to research local products and services, visibility for your business via the Internet literally spells success or failure.

Bottom line: Online marketing is NOT optional anymore and you need every one of these 7 pillars to succeed, especially in a local market.

Pillar 1: A Website You Control You must operate your own website, which enables you to make basic changes to it yourself, preferably right through your web browser. Waiting for a “webmaster” to update text and pictures does not qualify as a smart use of your time or money. WordPress, an open-source (free) publishing platform,

makes an excellent choice for managing and organizing virtually any size website.

Pillar 2: Google Maps Google now stands alone as the “900 lb. Gorilla” of the online search world. However, most don’t realize that “Google Maps” is the most basic component of local online marketing with Google. Get all the details at Google.com/places/. This tool is one of the fastest ways to get found in Google.

Pillar 3: Basic SEO SEO stands for “search engine optimization,” which means making your website relevant when someone searches for your business name or terms related to what you sell. Building all the content, information, and text on your site around a central theme is the No. 1 thing you can do to increase your chances of ranking well in Google and other search engines.

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The fortune is always made in the repeat business.

Pillar 4: Make Value-Added Offers

Pillar 6: Local List Building

Most people don’t make offers on their websites. Their web pages look like everyone else’s and say basically the same things. You must make offers on your site that spur people to action. Offer a discount or faster service. Give an incentive to come in today. Most important: Make your offers on your site while giving people a reason to do business with you right now!

Building up a local following that you communicate with using online tools rates as one of the smartest and most cost-effective things every local business can do. Whether through email, text, Twitter or Facebook, communicating with a targeted group and providing value-added information and offers can bring huge rewards. One coupon with the right offer to the right audience can turn a ho-hum Thursday into a blockbuster sales day.

Pillar 5: Drive Traffic

Pillar 7: Consistent Follow-Up

You won’t make a dime with your website if the right people don’t see it. The fastest way to drive traffic is to buy it, specifically with the Google AdWords pay-per-click program.

Pay-per-click means you only pay when someone clicks your “sponsored” ad on the search engine listings, and Google’s AdWords is the largest pay-per-click advertising network. However, make sure you set up a “geo-targeted” campaign when starting out so only people in your local area see your ads.

The biggest online marketing mistake I see people make is NOT following up with prospects and customers. Use email and other communication tools to keep in contact with your prospects and customers and give them reasons to do business with you while providing useful information they want. As a wise man once said, “The fortune is always made in the repeat business.”

Resource: www.SmallBusinessMarketingWeekly.com

The Last Word

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Have you ever compiled a detailed list of your personal information that Google does know? I just did, and it’s slightly startling!

Here are 16 things Google knows about me and how they acquired the info: 1. My Full Name – It’s in my Gmail headers and a requirement on various Google signup forms.

Owns my Identity

2. My Physical Street Address – It could easily be pulled from the various Google Maps search queries I’ve performed.

Or from my Google Adsense accounts.

3. My Phone Number – Gmail used to require a cell phone number for signup verification. It’s also in my Adsense and Checkout accounts.

4. When I’m Online – Since iGoogle is my homepage, I guess they know every time I open my web browser.

5. My Latest IP Address – Based on the previous point, I guess they know every time my IP address changes too.

6. My Popular Interests – My Google Reader and Google Bookmarks is chock full of my favorite news sources, articles, blogs, RSS feeds, online stores, etc. Toss in my YouTube habits for good measure.

7. Every Website I Visit – Google is the portal to almost everything I see online. I also use Google Web History, Google Toolbar and Page Rank info.

8. My Daily “To Do” List – I usually keep this updated in Google Notebook.

9. My Schedule – Most of my major appointments are entered in Google Calendar.

10. Who I Know – Even if they aren’t reading my email, they have every entry in my Gmail Contacts, many of whom are Gmail users as well.

11. What I Say – Between Gmail and Google Talk, let’s just say Google has clear documentation of what’s on my mind.

12. What Stocks I Own – I have some of my stock portfolio setup in Google Finance because some of the tools are better.

16 Things They Know About Me

By Anonymous 13. My Bank Account and Routing Number – Associated with my Google Adsense account.

14. Everything About My Blog – Google Analy�cs tracks the stats for my blog and Google Webmaster Tools hosts my XML sitemap. So they know what I’m publishing, how popular it is, and who’s reading it.

15. What I Look Like – As you can see, I have a photo gallery on my blog. In addition, I use Google’s Picasa Web Albums.

16. Where I Exist Online – This one is obvious. Since they know my full name, email address, online alias, search history, etc., all they need to do is plug that information into their own search database and start cross referencing every other site where I have a visible account.

Now take all the information Google has on me, connect the dots and analyze it. I bet they could tell you more about the historical trends in my life than I could. Here’s to hoping that never happens…

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