Global Premises

Lifestyle is style over amount. And style is an art - the art of living. You can’t buy style with money. You can’t buy good taste with money. You can only buy more with money. Lifestyle is culture - the appreciation of good music, dance, art, sculpture, literature, plays and the art of living well. It’s a taste for the fine, the unique, the beautiful.

Lifestyle also means rewarding excellence wherever you find it by not taking the small things of life for granted. With Valentine’s Day approaching I wanted to illustrate this with a personal anecdote:

Many years ago my lady friend and I were on a trip to Carmel, California for some shopping and exploring. On the way we stopped at a service station. As soon as we parked our car in front of the pumps, a young man, about eighteen or nineteen, came bouncing out to the car and with a big smile said, “Can I help you?”

“Yes,” I answered. “A full tank of gas, please.” I wasn’t prepared for what followed. In this day and age of self-service and deteriorating customer treatment, this young man checked every tire, washed every window - even the sunroof - singing and whistling the whole time. We couldn’t believe both the quality of service and his upbeat attitude about his work.

When he brought the bill I said to the young man, “Hey, you really have taken good care of us. I appreciate it.”

He replied, “I really enjoy working. It’s fun for me and I get to meet nice people like you.”

This kid was really something!

I said, “We’re on our way to Carmel and we want to get some milkshakes. Can you tell us where we can find the nearest Baskin-Robbins?”

“Baskin-Robbins is just a few blocks away,” he said as he gave us exact directions. Then he added, “Don’t park out front - park around to the side so your car won’t get sideswiped.”

What a kid!

As we got to the ice cream store we ordered milkshakes, except that instead of two, we ordered three. Then we drove back to the station. Our young friend dashed out to greet us. “Hey, I see you got your milkshakes.”

“Yes, and this one is for you!”

His mouth fell open. “For me?”

“Sure. With all the fantastic service you gave us, I couldn’t leave you out of the milkshake deal.”

“Wow!” was his astonished reply.

As we drove off I could see him in my rear-view mirror just standing there, grinning from ear to ear.

Now, what did this little act of generosity cost me? Only about two dollars - you see, it’s not the money, it’s the style.

Well, I must have been feeling especially creative that day, so on our arrival in Carmel I drove directly to a flower shop. As we walked inside I said to the florist, “I need a long-stemmed rose for my lady to carry while we go shopping in Carmel.”

The florist, a rather unromantic type, replied, “We sell them by the dozen.”

“I don’t need a dozen,” I said, “just one.”

“Well,” he replied haughtily, “it will cost you two dollars.”

“Wonderful,” I exclaimed. “There’s nothing worse than a cheap rose.”

Selecting the rose with some deliberation, I handed it to my friend. She was so impressed! And the cost? Two dollars. Just two dollars. A bit later she looked up and said, “Jim, I must be the only woman in Carmel today carrying a rose.” And I believe she probably was.

Can you imagine the opportunity to create magic with those around you, and all for the cost of a few dollars, some imagination and care.

Remember, it is not the amount that matters but the thought and care that often has the greatest impact upon those you love.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn’s Weekly E-zine.
Copyright 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved
worldwide. To subscribe to Jim Rohn’s Weekly E-zine, go to
http://Jim-Rohn.InspiresYOU.com

The holiday season is a wonderful opportunity to allow your children to help with the meal preparation and offers quality time together as a family. This is a way to keep your children occupied, but is also a fun, educational activity that incorporates a range of skills and senses, such as counting, measuring, reading, touching, listening, planning, smelling, tasting, and creativity. Baking teaches children useful skills and also makes them aware of potential hazards in the kitchen. Helping in the kitchen can increase confidence, as well as encourage children to try a broader range of foods. Children are more likely to try a new recipe if they have helped in the preparation of the meal.
Task allocation depends largely on the age and dexterity of the child, but there are some basic rules and tips that will make the process as safe and hassle-free as possible, remembering that children learn by observing and imitating adults. Basic Rules and Tips:

• Teach children the basics of hygiene (e.g., washing hands) before beginning food preparation, and also between stages, to avoid cross-contamination.

• To save time and small children’s frustration, be sure to cut and measure ingredients before the child begins to assist. Small children have short attention spans and may become impatient.

• Give children quick, simple instructions, one at a time, and be prepared to repeat them if they do not understand or forget what they have been told.

• Older children can be encouraged to read the recipe and help to measure out or weigh the ingredients.

• Younger children can be involved in the mixing process by placing the ingredients in a jar with a secure lid and letting them shake the contents. This works particularly well with batters and salad dressings.

• All ages can help with frosting and decorating holiday cookies or cupcakes. Use your favorite homemade recipes, or time saving box or frozen dough for simple sugar cookies and cakes. Decoration ideas include: colored sugars, cookie cutters, frosting, icing, candies, etc…

• Always explain the potential dangers in the kitchen and the protocol for safety. Such dangers include sharp knives, hot stoves and ovens, pans of boiling liquids and invisible germs.

• Encourage the children to be involved in the cleaning-up process during and after the baking session is completed.

• For children interested in creativity with decoration, let them make up some edible “play-dough”, which they can craft into colorful centerpieces or napkin holders. Or provide children with paper, and crayons or paints to create personalized place mats for each family member and dinner guest.

• Adults make a mess when they are creating in the kitchen, so expect children to have even more mishaps.

Remember to remain calm and have a sense of adventure and humor!

Lisa Barnes is the owner of Petit Appetit, a cooking service devoted to babies and toddlers. Lisa teaches private and group cooking classes to parents throughout Northern California and is the author of The Petit Appetit Cookbook (Penguin, March 2005). Visit http://www.petitappetit.com for information.

Sweepstakes are frequently used by fast-food restaurants to boost business. You can win absolutely fantastic prizes every 10 weeks. Really anyone can win realy terrific SUVs every 2 hours. Members sign up once and are entered to various sweepstakes each month. The reason why contests are treated differently is that the winners are not chosen by chance but by an element of skill. 8 days ago a Belgium dutch online company begun with a contest websites. Consumer promotions advertised as contests, however, can require an entry fee or proof of purchase. Before home computers were popular a common method of entry was a mailed one. Great Porches to win at dutch online contests. Terrific speedboats to win at sweepstakes websites. Thats really great or fantastic to win 1331 euro. That should be super or super to win 9225 euros. In an effort to increase consumer demand for scratch cards and to help control the litter small problems associated with the disposal of non-winning lottery tickets. 3 months ago a Europe based dutch company started a dutch online sweepstakes. Sweepstakes are generally easier and quicker to enter than contests. Sweepstakes are also legally different from contests in the United States.

Translated it says: Woon je in Nuth of Haarlemmermeer en wil jij veel prijzen winnen’ Winnen met Windeprijsvraag.nl is nergens zo eenvoudig. Een prijs winnen met het windeprijsvraag systeem‘ Ruim 232 prijzen om het uur. Van Bladel tot Teylingen, met Windeprijsvraag.nl winnen kan hier altijd. Een vrouw van 77 heeft een dag geleden nog een fiets weten te winnen.

Everybody can win great tools every 22 days. Although some sweepstakes ask for a proof of purchase or UPC code, the sponsors must provide an alternate method of entry if they do so. Many more sweepers are choosing to enter online sweepstakes. Sweepstakes promotions are prohibited from requiring a purchase to enter. It will be fantastic or absolutely fantastic to win 3901 dollars. Really great micro waves to be won at online sweepstakes. There are also other online services, which automatically enter members into sweepstakes. 11 weeks ago a Dutch company took of a dutch online sweepstakes. Many state lotteries also run a second chance sweepstakes in conjunction with the retail sale of state lottery scratch cards. 7 months ago a European webcompany has started with a contest websites. Entering sweepstakes by mail is declining in popularity. 4 hours ago a European online company started a online sweepstakes.

You may be facing a type of disappointment, frustration, loss, or general sadness. It is in these times you can immediately begin to search for the counterbalancing positive to it. This is a flawless universal law: An opposite condition must emerge to offset the initial condition.

Emerson referred to it as the “Law of Compensation”. In some degree, the equilibrium of the universe if affected by all thought, desire, and action. At this point, the harmony of the universe has been disturbed, so it seeks to return to balance.

“An inevitable dualism bisects nature, so that each thing is a half, and suggests another thing to make it whole: as, spirit, matter; man, woman; odd, even; subjective, objective; in, out; upper, under; motion, rest; yea, nay.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls a butterfly.”

Look for the new opportunity. It might be hidden; it might be obvious; but it is there. You now have an altered perspective because of what happened. Use this perception creatively to seek out the direction which will empower you in a way unlike ever before.

Ask yourself what extraordinary thing it is that you now will be, do or have because of this? That is, because “X” happened, I now will have “Y”, and would never have had “Y” if “X” never happened. Therefore, “X” serves as the catalyst to put you into the advantageous postion of the journey toward, and ultimately, being, doing or having “Y”.

What can you take away from this that you never could have had before? When you discover what that is, begin to visualize and feel the emotion of the powerful, positive path you’re about to embark on.

Let if fuel you; Let it empower you; Let it work for you … And let it move you to greater heights you otherwise would not have climbed. Because remember, “When God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.”

About The Author

Dan Britt is a NJ Drummer/Instructor who conducts clinics in public schools. With a background in psychological research, his inspirational writings have appeared in international magazines. He can be contacted at danbsticks@aol.com or via www.dannybritt.com

danbsticks@aol.com

Maximize Your Fat Burning Potential By Kevin Koskella, www.thehealthyburn.net

Are you frustrated by that stubborn fat that seems to stay with you no matter how hard you work out or exercise? Are you getting annoyed that no matter how you eat, you cannot seem to lose that extra 10 pounds you’re carrying around with you?

Many people are in the same boat, from coach potatoes to hard core athletes. They train hard, lose some weight, but then hit a plateau and the fat loss stops. There are reasons for this, but more importantly, there is a solution! Often, even active people are unable to trim down to their ideal weight or shape due to factors such as:

* Eating too much and eating the wrong foods

* Training too HARD (YES! You may need to slow down to burn fat), including not taking recovery days

* Skipping strength training workouts

* Feeling stressed about “getting all your workouts in”

As a former athlete, reality started settling in after I graduated from college and I needed a fitness and nutrition plan that worked! The mac & cheese and meatless spaghetti diet was failing me. I was getting a gut and I was tired all the time. I started making massive changes to my diet and finally got back to being trim and fit and had more natural energy.

The changes I implemented were even more important as I started doing triathlons. As an athlete, you need the energy to train sometimes twice a day, and at the same time, you need to prevent from being broken down and susceptible to colds and flus. You need to keep your endurance up and keep injuries away.

How can you do all this and maximize your fat burning potential?

Here is a great start:

1. Cut out empty calories and simple carbohydrates like potatoes, pasta, and cereal as much as possible.

2. Eat more green vegetables, low fat protein, nuts, and healthy fruit like apples, pears, blueberries and melons.

3. Incorporate immune-boosting coconut oil and heart-healthy omega-3 (fish) oils into your diet.

4. Exercise every day, and keep most of your workouts aerobic, like walking, running, biking, or rollerblading.

5. Reduce stress by adding in 10 minutes a day of quiet meditation. Stress often prevents you from breaking through the plateau that is keeping you from losing that extra 5-15 pounds.

Instead of counting calories, choose the right kind of calories. And, if you are looking to get into the shape of your life without getting sick all the time, you need to train smart, not hard!

As the price of home heating oil, natural gas, electricity and other forms of energy continue to climb, many homeowners are hoping for divine intervention. Some homeowners however are exploring the installation of the solar power equipment that will allow them to harness the energy of the sun to provide energy for their houses.

When electricity prices were low, it was often difficult to justify the upfront outlay of cash required to install photovoltaic equipment, solar water heaters and similar equipment. The reason was simple to understand - it would simply take too long to recoup the cost of the equipment in the form of lower energy bills.

The recent rise in energy prices changes this dynamic quite a bit, however. As energy prices continue to go up, the amount of time required to recoup the upfront cost goes down. In addition, a number of state and local tax incentives make it even easier for homeowners to go solar and save money right away.

The dynamics of this economy have now changed though. The costs of installing solar panels is still high, with a typical two kilowatt installation of OVR Solar solar panels costing about £10,000 / ($20, 000) in most cases, but special tax incentives and long term energy savings can help homeowners recoup those upfront costs faster than ever before.

Subsidies are also now available. This tax savings can help eligible homeowners recoup some of the costs of installing solar panels and solar water heating systems up front, in addition to the energy savings they will enjoy down the road.

Any homeowner considering the installation of a solar system should be sure to check with his or her state and city to determine what types of tax breaks are available. It’s sensible to look into what help your local authorities are willing to provide. Just Google it to find out what help is available to you.

The factors affecting how long it will take to break even will vary from case to case.. However, as the prices for heating oil, gas and other forms of traditional energy continue to soar, demand for solar installations will mirror this growth.

Take the first step to energy self sufficiency with OVR Solar.

Casino gambling has been a hot source of debate among people coming from various religious and economic backgrounds.
Religious authorities generally frown on casino gambling because of its perceived social costs. This is why in highly religious countries, casino gambling (or any sort of gambling)is not allowed. Most Islamic nations specifically prohibit gambling while other nations tend to regulate it to some extent.
Most legal authorities also put some sort of censorship on gambling. The law does not recognize wagers as contracts and views consequent losses as “debts of honor” that cannot be enforced through the legal process. This leads to organized crime taking over the enforcement of large gambling debts, sometimes in a violent manner.
Since contracts of insurance have many features similar to wagers, legislation makes a distinction between the two. It typically defines any agreement wherein either of the party has an interest in the outcome of the bet beyond the specified financial terms as an ‘insurance contract.’ So the bet on whether one’s house will burn down becomes a contract of insurance, since a person has an independent interest in the security of his or her home.
Many people participate in casino gambling as a form of recreation and sometimes as a means to have more income. Before you become obsessed with casino gambling, remember that like any form of behavior, it involves variation in brain chemistry. Thus, it can lead to disruptive behavior and psychological addiction. The phenomena of reinforcement may also make gamblers persist in gambling even after incurring repeated losses.
Russian writer Dostoevsky portrays in his short story entitled “The Gambler,” the psychological effects of gambling on gamblers. He suggested that the idea of gambling or the get-rich-quick mentality may have originated from the Russians. He shows the effect of betting money for the chance of having more money in 19th century Europe. The origins of the Russian roulette fueled legends associating Russians with gambling.
Due to the negative connotations of the term “gambling,” casinos and racetracks owners often use the word “gaming” to connote the recreational activities they offer.

Online Gambling provides detailed information on Gambling, Online Gambling, Casino Gambling, Gambling Addiction and more. Online Gambling is affiliated with Casino Gambling.

The CIA robotic spies will look like you and I, talk, walk, eat, act and even make mistakes like us. But these will not be living, breathing organic humans. The Labs around the country are working on them now, by 2025 they will be everywhere. It is time to a have a serious discussion on artificial intelligence and the future of clandestine spies using artificial intelligence robotics.

Isaac Asimov had artificial organic robots in his books. We all saw the movie AI. Will we be fooled in the future by robots posing as people? Will we care? This might be a great opportunity for spying? Create a robot which looks and acts like a person and is controlled thru tele-robotics or constantly monitored thru sensors watching the target by TV Screen and putting in controls and feeding in topics of conversation? Realizing that this technology will be available in our lifetimes, should we be thinking ahead of how best to use this technology for CIA Clandestine efforts.

Today we have technologies such as putting a cell phone in someone’s false teeth. They can then meet with a source and be fed instructions as to what to say and ask. Today we have built Haptic enabled ‘robotic faces’ to mimic the person it interfaces with, based on a known human trait of personality called mirroring. Mirroring is often used in the spy industry, police investigations, good guy bad guy routines, dating, sales, negotiation and politics. Whether we realize it or not, we all mirror people we are talking with, it is extremely hard not to do this simply by habit. Robotics researchers and psychologists designing robotic companions and humanoid type robots, have taken this into consideration. Robots, which learn thru these interactions will learn how to mimic human interaction and become quite good at cultural norms when on duty as spies. However currently we fall way short even trying to train new CIA recruits to learn cultural norms to those outpost regions in which they have never traveled. It is hard enough for them to learn the variations in language dialogue, slang and accents.

Cultural norms, language and behavior is not the only thing that is difficult to teach and in the future we will need to teach the robots to make human type mistakes, laugh and understand when a joke is told, before we can release them autonomously. This is why tele robotics will come first when using robotic spies. In the future we will have a tough time teaching robots to be random or rather appear random as humans often seem to be. The only way to attempt to achieve the randomness of human interaction will be to have simultaneous algorithms running all at once and a couple more algorithms controlling which algorithm will reside in the decision to vector of a conversation or interaction with a human being otherwise the human will become suspicious as they often are anyway.

We might be better off to wait to send in robotic spies until we have partial human, partial robot units or transhumans with additional capacities and assisted brain power. Eventually we may find as we develop our species to include more advanced robotic systems, which become “part of us” that we may lose our abilities to be random in pure humanly terms. Organic humans are very random but not completely, it will be most difficult to fool a human who is interacting with a robot until well off into the future. Even if we study the target subject completely, recording previous conversations, writings, emails and have a complete LifeByte virtual file on the target subject, we may find it difficult to conceal the non-organic robotic spy. This is because humans will recognize patterns of mirroring and mimicking which are unnatural to human interaction and be able to tell that the robotic spy is not acting like humans act.

There will someday be a crossing point I suppose where there are enough human beings with non-natural parts that it might be difficult to tell which are totally human, which are partly human and which are cyborgs or a combination of species created thru biological DNA, RNA manipulations. As more non-100% humans interact and society changes the humans will begin to mimic the average mean behavior of their societies to keep from being left out of the social structure. Robots will be programmed to also mimic the average gestures, posture and behavioral slant.

Humans are innately social and have a sense of need to belong. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs predicts respect from your fellow man at near the top of those human needs. Will Robotic Researchers in the future be able to adapt these units to interact without detection first or will the merging of man and machine change human interaction in society and civilization first. The overwhelming complexity of mimicking human behavior and interaction is being studied by researchers of Artificial Intelligence, they are taking on the challenge, but being able to fool a human might be tougher than we think. Will all this studies one day just all come together or will it be a long drawn out process over a number of years or possibly decades. Will the time frame be so far off in the future that we may not ever notice the change at all and then one day we cannot tell?

There are other possibilities and those are that humans may evolve into a completely different species by modifying the on-off switches of our own DNA to the most desirable attributes skipping over the alluring challenge to create non-organic robots for transhumanism modifications and manipulations. Many species have attributes we do not possess, but that does not mean with a little genetic manipulation that we cannot also know these things:

http://worldthinktank.net/wttbbs/index.php?showtopic=176

Think about it, you could swim like a fish, communicate like a dolphin or have the strength and agility of a tiger, yet still possess the brain of the world’s smartest human? Once a set pattern of perfection is established will we see widespread cloning to make more perfectly desirable humans. Here are some thoughts on the advantages and costs of cloning on society and the farming of:

http://worldthinktank.net/wttbbs/index.php?showtopic=321

Would it be wise to clone a set of clandestine spies? Organically superior human spies or is it better to create non-organic robots to do our spying? The future of the spying industry will be changing, some downsizing will occur and robotic spies with upgrades may never be retired. Will there be a time when robotic spies are spying on neighboring nations robots not knowing that they are spies too? Even if we can fool a human, will robots be able to fool other robots?

Think it’s SCI FI? Think again as artificial intelligence robotic labs are breaking barrier after barrier on their way to make indistinguishable units. The DOD, CIA have already been looking at this future and funding it. Do you think you can tell the difference? Some say they may already be here amoungst us? But all of us know they will be here soon.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Now exclusively at Scin Boutique you can receive a fabulous free Lemongrass shower gel when you purchase any two MOP products. The promotion runs out at the end of August so don’t miss the chance to grab this refreshing shower gel completely free!

MOP - modern organic products - is a delicious smelling, natural hair care range that leaves your locks looking and feeling fabulous. MOP products look stylish, fitting into the modern bathroom, and they leave your conscience as clean as your hair - knowing that your locks are free from nasties.

MOP’s use of organic and food-derived ingredients provides nutrition to let your hair and scalp me as toxin-free and healthy as possible as well as providing protection from environmental elements. Of course MOP products don’t contain any potentially damaging chemicals; they feel it’s all about healthy choices for our bodies and our environment!

Scin Boutique provides MOP shampoos and conditioners to cater for all hair types, including Basil Mint shampoo to lift the grease and dirty out of oily hair, Mixed Greens conditioner for normal to dry hair and Extreme Protein treatment to smooth the frizz and fight those pesky split ends.

So pick up some delicious MOP products from www.scinboutique.com and get your refreshingly free Lemongrass shower gel.

So you’re in the mood to decorate your bedroom, but you’re on a limited budget…

AND you don’t have a headboard. And we all know that the bed is the major focal point of a bedroom. Your bed needs weight and drama… a headboard!

But if you don’t want to spend $1000 on a headboard, what do you do?

Well here are 6 very budget friendly ways to adding a headboard to your bed.

1. Place box cushions along the wall at the head of your bed. These are thick enough to hold there shape while adding a cushioned backdrop to your bed. Now you can lay in bed and read a book comfortably. You can make your box cushions out of foam and fabric or find some discount cushions to match your decor. Even old couch cushions covered in new fabric can work!

2. Hang a full-length mirror horizontally above your bed. This will give the feel of a headboard, reflect light in the room and help open up your space. You’ll be surprised at how great this looks!

3. Hang fabric down your wall. Quickly sew up some rod pocket curtains, or find some pre-made curtains and hang them from the ceiling down and behind your bed. This will add height, texture and drama to your bed. You can hang your fabric with a standard curtain rod or staple it to 1″ x 2″ board.

4. Hang framed art across the wall above your bed. Find images that complement your room’s color scheme and frame them in a rich wood tone or paint the frames to add a punch of color. Evenly space them on the wall above the head of your bed.

5. Make your headboard! This is easier than you think. Get some plywood at the height and width that you need. Glue a layer of foam to the board. Then cover the foam and board with batting, stapling it to the back of the board. And the cover the batting with your fabric, stapling it to the back of the board. Easy!

6. Hang shutters behind your bed. What a terrific country look, to reuse some old shutters or fencing and use it as a headboard!

With a little imagination you can come up with your own special headboard creation that will add much needed drama to your bedroom plus adding in your personality. Because what’s a bedroom without your personality shining through?

Happy Decorating!

Jennifer Thoden

Discover free home decorating ideas for all rooms of your home. Visit http://www.homedecoratingideas4u.com to enjoy free interior designer tips, home decorating ideas and dozens of interior decorating articles.

http://www.homedecoratingideas4u.com