Lessons We Learned From Terri Schiavo

Let’s talk about Terry Schiavo, since her death illustrated for me many aspects of grief and hope. Who among us was not moved by the drama of her last days? I know I was. Her death was not the way I would want my own death to be. When my time comes, I want no heroic measures, since for me they simply postpone the inevitable. And watching the family feud that took place between her husband and her parents, with all the tension and the anger, saddened me terribly. Peace should be the last emotion Terry felt, but who knows if she heard only the angry words passed between those she loved. No one should have to die as she did.

What a shame. At the same time, look at the two different approaches to grief presented to us, one by her husband Michael and the other by her parents the Schindlers. Michael was clearly ready to “lay her gently down,” he was prepared to move on with his new life and to “begin again” with his fiancee and two young children. Some say he was ready a bit too soon, but I disagree. Grief takes as long as it needs, there is no clock for the soul. Her parents, on the other hand, were clearly unable to give her up yet. It is understandable that parents would be so protective of their kids, and I don’t know what I would do if, God forbid, one of my own kids was in a similar state.

I am not judging, just pointing out the differences in style and approach in this wrenching drama. For Terri’s parents, despite how they may feel now, they must know that there is still hope for them. There is a new future which they will soon help create; there will be new challenges for them and their family which they cannot yet know. When you are grieving, you often lose sight of the future, because the present is so draining. But no matter what has been taken from you there is hope. They still have each other and they still have a life in front of them. I certainly pray that they will find healing and consolation, and that Terri’s memories will bring them peace.

Rebalance And Diversify

The stock market has not been very kind to your investments lately. Your broker knows this so you may have received a call from him suggesting it is time to ‘rebalance and diversify’ your portfolio.

What does this really mean? He wants you to sell some of your holdings and buy something else. Probably sell stocks and buy bonds “because of market uncertainty”. Sounds good, but it really means he needs some commission and you are “it”. Yes, I agree it may be time to sell all your stocks and mutual funds and put everything in a money market account until this bear market is over. Your broker doesn’t like money market funds because he doesn’t make any commission. That may be why he never recommends them.

Rebalance doesn’t have any true stock market meaning. It is one of those Wall Street words they use to confuse you. It sounds good, but that’s all.

Diversify is another broker and financial planner favorite. Have part of your money in stocks, some in mutual funds, bonds and maybe 5% in a money market so you can take advantage of an initial public offering when a new one comes along. Yeah! Now let’s try the true meaning of diversify: put some here, put some there and a little there (and all of this does generate commission, of course) because I really don’t know what to do so we will spread it around and hope for the best.

No, I don’t hate your broker or financial planner. It is just that I know they have not been trained to protect your capital or how to make money. How do I know that? I used to own a brokerage company and I know how these guys consistently lose their customers and their own money. Yes, they even do it to themselves. That’s how dumb they are.

If you have lost money this year in your nice “safe” mutual fund you are not alone. Did you know that 99% of all stock mutual funds have a loss? Scary isn’t it. Is there any thing you could have done to have protected your capital from a major loss? Yes there is.

For example, in 1998 you could have bought Janus 20 mutual fund for about $40/share. You and several hundred thousand others did. All of you watched as it went up to $94/share. Wonderful! Uh oh, it is now selling for $35. If you had been told by your broker (and you weren’t) that it is a good policy to protect your profits with a mental stop-loss order of about 10% you could have sold out at about $80/share, but you are in for the long haul and you are a conservative investor so you won’t sell.

The term conservative investor is an oxymoron. There is no such thing when you have your money on the line. You are a speculator. It happens to be that you are a long-term speculator. And they get just as burned as the day traders. It just takes longer.

Don’t fall for the nonsense of rebalancing and diversifying. When one of your holdings starts down more than 10% just sell out. You want to diversify and rebalance into cash until this bear market is over.

Al Thomas - EzineArticles Expert Author

Al Thomas’ book, “If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy
It!” has helped thousands of people make money
and keep their profits with his simple 2-step
method. Read the first chapter at
http://www.mutualfundmagic.com
and discover why he’s the man that Wall Street
does not want you to know.

Copyright 2005

The Planets Best Sexual Toy Survey for Chaps to Use

So adult sex toy are on the lips of every lady these days, either discussing about them in the web chats, at the uni or on the telly. But which adult sex toy is the nicest, with the superb choice to pick from surely someone had to find out the best one.

A sex toy company asked over one hundred women in November what their best adult sex toy was along with other personal questions.

If you love sex toys you should try out Sex Toys for Her

It was found that the most best adult sex toy for women was the vibrator, and they just really liked it! Shoppers were so excited by the idea of a big vibrator that many of them would use it straight after coming home from work. The best types of vibrator were the Jessica bunny vibrators as they help to stimulate the clit as well as inserting into the love tunnel.

The second most popular adult sex toy was the exciting dildo dong. Dildo dongs are similar to vibrators except they do not have batteries or vibrate. Dildo dongs come in all shapes and sizes from five inches to twelve inches. They can come with suction cups to have an excellent experience hands free and can easily attach to a bath or toilet set. Dildo dongs have been a firm fav since the 1990s and looks like they will be around for a long time.

So it was decided that the vibrator was the winner and the dildo came in second place, with some many sex toys out there it was difficult to know which type of vibrator was the most exciting for women to try. The classic vibrators are battery powered and shaped like a mans penis. Classic vibrators are shaped just like the proper thing and use batteries for power. Classic vibrators can be made up of plastic, vinyl metal or silicone. Classic vibrators can either be slipped in or placed against your vagina to get the sexual sensation. Sex bomb supply a wide range of classic vibrators.

The best way to use classic vibrators is to make sure it is nice and fresh before use, make sure it is not too giant for your vagina, and also make sure that you do not use it every Monday night and you do venture out on a date to the cafe.

Be The Jean Queen With Denim This Fall

For all you denim lovers you are going to love this falls pics.
Be the jean Queen with denim this fall! Denim is a hot fashion
statement this fall! It’s finally getting the recognition it
deserves!

Forget the limited selections of boot cut, low rise, or relaxed
fit jeans. This season you’ll find have denim hats, tops, belts,
skirts, and even shoes. Denim jackets are certainly back and you
can even get them lined with lambs wool. So this fall wear your
denim with a little attitude!

Many celebrities are really utilizing denim - they’re dressing
it up with embroidery, lace, fur, jewelry, accessories. What
ever the heart desires. Dark denim, light denim, stone washed
denim, colored denim - all good to go this season!

The gals can dress it up with pearls, the guys with a tie.
Crystal or rhinestone jewelry will make you dazzling! Add some
long fun beads, a chunky necklace, or an armful of bangles.
Don’t forget to accessorize. Add a hat, a belt, or how about
suspenders just for kicks. Add a fitted blazer to that denim
skirt, add some heals to your favorite pair of jeans. Try a pair
of the ever popular wedge shoes with any of your denim items.

For women with small waists and wider hips Joe’s jeans has a new
jean line called “Honey Jeans” They are designed so they don’t
gape at the waist. They accomplish this by making a two part
waist band which give them more of a curve. Low rise jean that
truly fits the feminine form. Check them out. They run around
$148.00 a pair and can be found online.

Paper Denim has grown in popularity and offers great body fits -
Super low rise, low rise, x-low slash pocket, and x-low flare.
As well as the trouser and boot cut if your looking for
something different.

Marc Jacobs has a form fitting dress that is ever so sexy. Add a
light cardigan for those cooler evenings and you’ll look
sensational.

There are a host of denim designers and manufacturers offering
jeans of various cuts, mini skirts, bustle skirts, form fitting
dresses, flowing dresses, capri pants, denim shirts, vests,
hats, denim belts, denim shoes, the list goes on and on.

If you want to get some great ideas of what you can do with your
denim I recommend you visit Misssixty.com Very interesting and
informative site!

Denim is durable, wearable, comfortable, and now more than ever
fashionable. So enjoy your denim and dress it up or down to
whatever the occasion. Be certain to accent it with your
favorite jewelry and have fun! Make your fashion statement!

Guitar lesson: Why So Much Advice On Guitar Playing?

A friend told me once, I would like to give you a piece of advice: “Don’t listen to advice!” May I give you some advice on how to relate to all learn to play guitar advising on the net.

I stand amazed when I see all fitness equipment being advertised on TV and I wonder, how is possible that ads on fitness incessantly is showed on TV and expensive equipment is sold? Is it the same people who buy these expensive things or is it new fresh buyers all the time?

Is it something wrong with the fitness training equipment? I don’t think so. Is it something wrong with all advice on guitar playing on the net or in books? I don’t think so.

See it this way; We are susceptible to advice or advertising because we are searching for something. Sometimes we are searching for something that doesn’t exist.

I think that we sometimes are searching for a quick solution to a problem. Sometimes there is a quick solution and sometimes you just have to work on a problem over an extended period of time. The guitar book you bought is probably a good book. You just have to work on the guitar lessons until you master them. One at a time with concentration.

Sometimes we are in reality seeking for the motivation to do something, like exercising our body or learning to play guitar. A new book on guitar playing or a new piece of training equipment might motivate us for a while but sooner or later our motivation will decrease if it is built upon new things only.

People are different and learn things in different ways. Some people can easily set their own goals and also work on achieving these goals over a long period of time. Others need a lot of help in order to organize themselves. Maybe they need a tutor and ordinary lessons to help them progress as guitarists.

What advice will I give you founded on the previous thoughts?

It is okay to buy training equipment if you like it. It is okay to buy a lot of learn to play guitar books and DVD’s if you feel good about it and can afford it. You might also help the market to flourish and so on.

The important question is; What do you want to accomplish? Is your main interest to test new guitar educational books and DVD’s or do you want to progress as a guitarist?

If you reflect over these questions and are honest with yourself you will find out your ultimate goal. If you want to progress as a guitarist and want to try out if you can do it all by yourself you can make this test on yourself:

Look through your guitar books or DVD’s and choose one exercise or lesson you want to work on. Give yourself a decent homework and decide on a deadline. Follow the advice in your books. Congratulations, if you can work this way! It will save you much time and money not having to pay a guitar teacher.

However, I strongly suggest that you every now and then visit a good guitar teacher to advise you! An experienced guitar teacher will spot your weaknesses in seconds and will encourage you to climb upwards as a guitar player.

As a final thought I just want to suggest that maybe the cheapest training equipment is yourself and the most overlooked fitness exercise is doing push-ups because we give up on it so easily.

If you start doing one push-up everyday for a week and the next week two you will after a year be able to do 52 push-ups everyday. Don’t believe me, but try it if you like! After all, it is only a piece of advice…

Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music teacher. Visit his site Capotasto Music and download your free sheet music and learn to play resources at http://www.capotastomusic.com.

Different types of Paralegal Academic Programs

Obtain a certificated title when searching for a job is every day more needed. A degree in paralegal studies can be obtained from a number of institutions, both public and private. Programs for paralegals come in different forms of extent and layouts.

Associate degrees offered by community colleges along with some universities and business schools, are earned when a student has successfully completed 60 to 70 semester units. Usually, the coursework include paralegal courses as well as general education and areas of related interest split into separate halves.

Baccalaureate Degree Programs are offered with a focus on Paralegal education at four-year colleges and universities that have paralegal studies majors, minors, or concentrations within a major. The curricula contain a total of 120 to 130 semester units, of which 30 to 60 semester units are in paralegal and other subjects appropriate to the profession.

Several educational institutions offer paralegal Certificate Programs varying from 18 to 60 semester units. Just like an associate degree, longer programs include additional classes in general education.

Paralegal Diploma Programs can be available to students attending various colleges and universities. These establishments provide students with undergraduate paralegal degree programs are also making available to them advanced degrees in paralegal studies.

How To Build A Massive Pair Of Arms

It’s no secret that every serious lifter out there desires an
impressive pair of strong, muscular arms. Who wouldn’t be happy
with tall, peaking biceps sitting on top of rock-hard,
horse-shoe-shaped triceps? Who wouldn’t love to have a pair of
ripped, well-developed guns forcefully bursting through the
sleeves of their shirt? While developing muscular arms is
usually at the top of many peoples’ agenda, the reality is that
the majority of lifters out there have a very poor understanding
of how to properly train their arms for maximum gains. In order
to gain the proper insight into effectively stimulating arm
growth, we must first recognize three basic truths:

1) Relatively speaking, the biceps and triceps are small muscle
groups. 2) The biceps receive heavy stimulation during all basic
pulling movements for the back. 3) The triceps receive heavy
stimulation during all basic pressing movements for the chest
and shoulders.

What do these 3 points tell us about effective arm training? The
most important thing for you to realize is this:

For maximum gains in muscle size and strength, the biceps and
triceps require only a very small amount of direct stimulation!

So why is it that every time I enter the gym I see the same
misinformed people, week in and week out, slaving away on
endless sets of bicep curls and tricep extensions?

It’s very important to understand that the biceps and triceps
receive a very large amount of stimulation from all of your
chest and back training. In fact, a lot of the time when you
reach muscular failure on a chest or back movement, it is
actually your biceps or triceps that give out first! Couple this
with the fact that your biceps and triceps are already small
muscle groups to begin with and it becomes quite clear that
direct arm training is of minor importance.

Remember, your muscles do not grow in the gym. The work that you
accomplish as you train with weights is merely the “spark” that
sets the wheels of the muscle growth process into motion. The
real magic takes place out of the gym while you are resting and
eating, as this is the time when your body will actually be
synthesizing new muscle tissue. Because of this, it is vital
that you do not overtrain your muscles. You must always make
sure to provide them with sufficient recovery time if you want
to see impressive results. Overtraining can actually make your
muscles smaller and weaker.

If you’re looking to achieve serious arm growth, you must stop
placing so much emphasis on direct arm movements. Forget about
performing endless sets of concentration curls and tricep
pressdowns. Strong, muscular arms are mostly a product of heavy
chest and back training. If you are able to accept this basic
truth and place the majority of your focus on building up the
muscle size and strength in your major muscle groups, you will
prevent yourself from overtraining your arms and will therefore
yield greater overall gains in bicep and tricep size.

This is not to say that no direct arm training is necessary,
just not very much. Here is a sample arm routine that you can
use as a part of your program:

Barbell Curls - 2 sets of 5-7 reps Standing Dumbbell Curls - 1
set of 5-7 reps

Close-Grip Bench Press - 2 sets of 5-7 reps Standing Cable
Pushdowns - 1 set of 5-7 reps

Take all sets to complete muscular failure and focus on
progressing each week by using slightly more weight or
performing an extra rep or 2.

If you can incorporate this way of thinking into your arm
training, you will achieve arm size beyond anything you
previously thought possible!

Balance Your Portfolio With This Option

Balancing your portfolio with stocks, bonds and mutual funds, provides a unilateral balance; they all face into one positive direction. That is alright for the long term.

What goes down must go up. Or was it the other way around? The question is, “Is your investment portfolio counting on this?”

So, when constructing and maintaining your investment portfolio you should never forget one (kind of) option.

Most financial advises are too positive. The amount of “Buy” and “Hold” advices outnumber the “Sell” advices. This is logical in a sense; in the long term, stocks move up.

The risks occur however in the short term. Today I read an article about The Greenspan period (managing the Federal Reserve) which is to end shortly and together with the article we got a little graph presented, showing the ups-and-downs of the Dow. Even on a yearly graph you could distinguish quite a few of those dips.

Not only investment advisors are on average more positive than negative about the market and their forecasts. Managers too are when dealing with business.

Take for instance a new project; where team members start with enthusiasm. Yet, after a while, your project is hit by many incidents. As a project manager you will know this. You know you will face many uncertainties. You can plan the project, but you should always add a risk-factor when setting up the timeline.

So what to do?

You should always address this possibility of risk. You can do this by buying put-option. You could do this for protecting up to a tenth of a percent of your portfolio or even less. The issue is not as such the fact of protecting your portfolio, but maybe more important, protecting yourself from being over confident.

Balancing your portfolio with some puts means a balance that is prepared for both the long and the short term.

Hans Bool - EzineArticles Expert Author

Hans Bool is the founder of Astor White a traditional management consulting company that offers online management advice. Astor Online solves issues in hours what normally would take days.
You can apply for a free demo account

Why Phase-Out Organotin Paint?

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted a legally binding Convention banning the application of organotin anti-fouling paints on ships’ hulls by 2003 and its presence by 2008. This requires not less than 25 States, the combined merchant fleets of which constitute not less than 25% of the gross tonnage of the world’s merchant shipping, it’s not likely that the Convention will enter into force by 2002. So WWF is seeking commitments from industry and government to show active support for the IMO Convention. This will be achieved through eliminating the use of organotin paints, with action taken to bring about such elimination of the use organotins before 2003, the date proposed by the IMO.

The main qualification for membership in the 2003 Group (organotin-free group) will be that the industry player concerned is fully organotin-free by January 1st 2003. Membership will not be granted to the shipping companies unless their entire fleet is organotin free by 2003.

Organotin compounds, such as TBT, are considered to be amongst the most toxic chemicals ever released into the marine environment. Even at very low concentrations, they have been shown to produce serious negative impacts upon marine life. These cause the disruption of the hormone systems in marine invertebrates, such as dogwhelks, causing fremales to acquire the sexual characteristics of males. Studies show that organotins are present in marine species at all levels of the ecosystem: fish, birds and mammals. Possible human endocrine disrupting properties of organotins have been seen.

Anti-fouling paints on ships’ hulls is a major source of organotins. Organotin paint has been partially banned for use on smaller vessels. This has been shown to reduce levels of organotin, but their continued use on larger ships, and the fact that the compounds can persist in sediments for a lengthy time period, means that the marine environment is still saturated with these chemicals at unacceptably high levels.

To support conservation of marine biodiversity and reduce destructive human impacts it is imperative that the use of these organotin compounds be phased out. This chemical is considered to be the most toxic chemical ever deliberately released into the marine environment.

Contacts:

Patricia Cameron
Pollution Prevention Officer
WWF Germany - Marine and Coastal Division
Am Gthpol 11
D - 28757 Bremen
Germany
Tel. +49 421 65846 16
Fax +49 421 65846 26
email: _ HYPERLINK mailto:Cameron@wwf.de __Cameron@wwf.de_mailto:svowles@wwf.org.uk __svowles@wwf.org.uk_

Dr Simon Vowles
Marine Policy Officer [Pollution]
WWF
Panda House
Weyside Park
Godalming GU7 1XR
UK
Tel ++44 1483 426 444

About the Author

Margot B, Writer & Web Developer
http://www.writers.Org-HQ.com
mailto:margotb@wonderport.com

Laptops Are All The Rage For Playing Games On The Move

The last 12 months has seen a lot of attention towards the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 but a lot of interest has been seen in new PC games like Crysis and the like. It’s obvious the Desktop Computer will remain a mainstream means to gaming.

Even though some manufacturers have tried, gaming PC’s are usually thought of as being bulky, beastly, loud, downright expensive and they are always stuck in a small, isolated room. Consumers have driven up notebook sales in the past two years. In fact in 2007 Notebook Computers were expected to take over their desktop counterparts in overall PC sales.

Even though unnecessary there is something about being able to move a notebook computer from one room to another and neatly packing it away that we all find a must. The only gripe for game players was that the majority laptops were not powerful enough for gamers. Any notebook marketed for gaming was also bulky, beastly, loud and just downright expensive. A lot is different now. First the Intel Core Duo and Core 2 Duo processors ensured that the laptop CPU’s caught up with their desktop counterparts. Intel have done brilliantly marketing centrino and being the market frontrunner but AMD has applied the necessary pressure on them with their Turion X2 line. Another company that has really been making gaming laptops a reality is Nvidia. The future of gaming laptops seems good. In 2008 Intel will release the quad core laptop processor. The Nvidia Geforce 9 series is also set for its entrance in the market.

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