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  • Honoring Our Friend Bassel: Announcing the Bassel Khartabil Free Culture Fellowship

    Bassel
    Photo by Joi Ito, CC BY 2.0

    On August 1, 2017, we received the heartbreaking news that our friend Bassel (Safadi) Khartabil, detained since 2012, was executed by the Syrian government shortly after his 2015 disappearance. Khartabil was a Palestinian Syrian open internet activist, a free culture hero, and an important member of our community. Our thoughts are with Bassel’s family, now and always.

    Today we’re announcing the Bassel Khartabil Free Culture Fellowship to honor his legacy and lasting impact on the open web.

    Bassel was a relentless advocate for free speech, free culture, and democracy. He was the cofounder of Syria’s first hackerspace, Aiki Lab, Creative Commons’ Syrian project lead, and a prolific open source contributor, from Firefox to Wikipedia. Bassel’s final project, relaunched as #NEWPALMYRA, entailed building free and open 3D models of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. In his work as a computer engineer, educator, artist, musician, cultural heritage researcher, and thought leader, Bassel modeled a more open world, impacting lives globally.

    To honor that legacy, the Bassel Khartabil Free Culture Fellowship will support outstanding individuals developing the culture of their communities under adverse circumstances. The Fellowship — organized by Creative Commons, Mozilla, the Wikimedia Foundation, the Jimmy Wales Foundation, #NEWPALMYRA, and others — will launch with a three-year commitment to promote values like open culture, radical sharing, free knowledge, remix, collaboration, courage, optimism, and humanity.

    As part of this new initiative, fellows can work in a range of mediums, including art, music, software, and community building. All projects will catalyze free culture, particularly in societies vulnerable to attacks on freedom of expression and free access to knowledge. Special consideration will be given to applicants operating within closed societies and in developing economies where other forms of support are scarce. Applications from the Levant and wider MENA region are greatly encouraged.

    Throughout their fellowship term, chosen fellows will receive a stipend, mentorship from affiliate organizations, skill development, project promotion, and fundraising support from the partner network. Fellows will be chosen by a selection committee composed of representatives of the partner organizations.

    FELLOWSHIP DETAILS

    Organizational Partners include Creative Commons, #FREEBASSEL, Wikimedia Foundation, GlobalVoices, Mozilla, #NEWPALMYRA, YallaStartup and SMEX.

    Amazon Web Services is a supporting partner.

    The Fellowships are based on one-year terms, which are eligible for renewal.

    The benefits are designed to allow for flexibility and stability both for Fellows and their families. The standard fellowship offers a stipend of $50,000 USD, paid in 10 monthly installments. Fellows are responsible for remitting all applicable taxes as required.

    To help offset cost of living, the fellowship also provides supplements for childcare and health insurance, and may provide support for project funding on a case-by-case basis. The fellowship also covers the cost of required travel for fellowship activities.

    Fellows will receive:

    • A stipend of $50,000 USD, paid in 10 monthly installments
    • A one-time health insurance supplement for Fellows and their families, ranging from $3,500 for single Fellows to $7,000 for a couple with two or more children
    • A one-time childcare allotment of up to $6,000 for families with children
    • An allowance of up to $3,000 towards the purchase of laptop computer, digital cameras, recorders and computer software; fees for continuing studies or other courses, research fees or payments, to the extent such purchases and fees are related to the fellowship
    • Coverage in full for all approved fellowship trips, both domestic and international

    The first fellowship will be awarded in April 2018. Applications will be accepted beginning February 2018.

    Eligibility Requirements. The Bassel Khartabil Free Culture Fellowship is open to individuals and small teams worldwide, who:

    • Propose a viable new initiative to advance free culture values as outlined in the call for applicants
    • Demonstrate a history of activism in the Open Source, Open Access, Free Culture or Sharing communities
    • Are prepared to focus on the fellowship as their primary work

    Special consideration will be given to applicants operating under oppressive conditions, within closed societies, in developing economies where other forms of support are scarce, and in the Levant and wider MENA regions.

    Eligible Projects. Proposed projects should advance the free culture values of Bassel Khartabil through the use of art, technology, and culture. Successful projects will aim to:

    • Meaningfully increase free public access to human knowledge, art or culture
    • Further the cause of social justice/social change
    • Strive to develop both a local and global community to support its cause

    Any code, content or other materials produced must be published and released as free, openly licensed and/or open-source.

    Application Process. Project proposals are expected to include the following:

    • Vision statement
    • Bio and CV
    • Budget and resource requirements for the next year of project development

    Applicants whose projects are chosen to advance to the next stage in the evaluation process may be asked to provide additional information, including personal references and documentation verifying income.

    ABOUT BASSEL

    Bassel Khartabil, a Palestinian-Syrian computer engineer, educator, artist, musician, cultural heritage researcher and thought leader, was a central figure in the global free culture movement, connecting and promoting Syria’s emerging tech community as it existed before the country was ransacked by civil war. Bassel co-founded Syria’s first hackerspace, Aiki Lab, in Damascus in 2010. He was the Syrian lead for Creative Commons as well as a contributor to Mozilla’s Firefox browser and the Red Hat Fedora Linux operating system. His research into preserving Syrian archeology with computer 3D modeling was a seminal precursor to current practices in digital cultural heritage preservation — this work was relaunched as the #NEWPALMYRA project in 2015.

    Bassel’s influence went beyond Syria. He was a key attendee at the Middle East’s bloggers conferences and played a vital role in the negotiations in Doha in 2010 that led to a common language for discussing fair use and copyright across the Arab-speaking world. Software platforms he developed, such as the open-source Aiki Framework for collaborative web development, still power high-traffic web sites today, including Open Clip Art and the Open Font Library. His passion and efforts inspired a new community of coders and artists to take up his cause and further his legacy, and resulted in the offer of a research position in MIT Media Lab’s Center for Civic Media; his listing in Foreign Policy’s 2012 list of Top Global Thinkers; and the award of Index on Censorship’s 2013 Digital Freedom Award.

    Bassel was taken from the streets in March of 2012 in a military arrest and interrogated and tortured in secret in a facility controlled by Syria’s General Intelligence Directorate. After a worldwide campaign by international human rights groups, together with Bassel’s many colleagues in the open internet and free culture communities, he was moved to Adra’s civilian prison, where he was able to communicate with his family and friends. His detention was ruled unlawful by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and condemned by international organizations such as Creative Commons, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Jimmy Wales Foundation.

    Despite the international outrage at his treatment and calls for his release, in October of 2015 he was moved to an undisclosed location and executed shortly thereafter — a fact that was kept secret by the Syrian regime for nearly two years.

    The post Honoring Our Friend Bassel: Announcing the Bassel Khartabil Free Culture Fellowship appeared first on Creative Commons.

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  • Free Book: Heal yourself – Discover The 7 Keys To Living a More Fulfilling, Healthy and Wealthy Life

    ATTENTION: Feel a lack of fulfilment in life?…

    “Discover The 7 Keys To Living a More Fulfilling, Healthy and Wealthy Life”

    You’ll Find Out How To Finally Get Ahead And Attract Anything You Want In Life!
    I am so tired of all the negativity around me!

    Are you?

    This world is toxic and it is sick.

    I hate watching the news, reading the newspaper or even interacting with my neighbors.

    I don’t want to appear antisocial.

    I genuinely love people. But this world has made us cold and cruel.

    The result is a society of unhappy people.

    Well over 50% of all marriages end in divorce.

    Well over 50% of all young adults do not even believe in marriage.

    We need to get back to the days where it was easy to talk to strangers and it was unnatural not to be polite.

    Back to the days where people actually believed in love and looked out for their neighbors.

    We need to start loving ourselves again. We each need to be the change we wish to see in the world.

    We need to heal ourselves and start loving ourselves again.

    Why Happy People Are Successful People

    Happy people are successful people. This is simply because being happy makes it easy to stay motivated to reaching your goals.

    Your thoughts have a very significant impact on the life you lead and the quality of the relationships you will have with family members, friends, and significant others.

    Some even reason that our thoughts and beliefs can have an even stronger effect on our health than modern medicine.

    Consider these examples:

    • A middle-aged man dies a day after his Doctor diagnosed him with Cancer, even though his autopsy revealed he was misdiagnosed.
    • Many women who are desperate to have a child will begin to have real symptoms of a pregnancy such as cravings and an increase in the size of their breasts, despite the fact that they are not actually pregnant.
    • People who suffer from Depression who participate in clinical trials for new antidepressants start experiencing an improvement in their moods although they were given the placebo and not the actual drug.

    That being said, it has been scientifically proven that you can improve your health, career and relationships simply by improving the way you think about yourself and the world around you.

    I’ve written a guide intended to help you heal yourself of all the scars and the influence of all the negativity around.

     

    Introducing…

    heal yourself

    HEAL YOURSELF

    Here’s what you’ll discover in this guide:

        • Key #1: Know yourself. This is one if the most important keys to living a happy and fulfilled life. In this chapter, we’ll discuss how to get to know yourself.
        • Key #2: Know your limits. In this section, we’ll discuss how to find your strengths and weaknesses.

      Other keys you’ll find out in this guide:

    • Key #3: Be honest.
    • Key #4: Be kind.
    • Key #5: Be forgiving.
    • Key #6: Be generous.
    • Key #7: Be yourself.

     

    How Can I Use This Powerful Guide Right Now?

    You can own Heal Yourself today for  FREE.

    That is a truly incredible value, especially considering the significant difference it’ll make to your success.

    Did I mention this eBook is only FREE? It’s definitely a point worth repeating. You will be hard-pressed to find a more valuable resource.

    Get it now safely in your mail

    [contact-form-7 id=”65704″ title=”Free Book : Heal Yourself”]

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  • SERAP Gives Fashola Seven-Day Ultimatum On Supply Of Pre-Paid Meters

    Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has given a seven-day ultimatum to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, SAN to direct electricity distribution companies to provide free prepaid meters to Nigerians or face legal action.

    In an open letter to Fashola, SERAP requested him to use his “good offices and leadership position to urgently enforce your directives to electricity distribution companies (DISCOs) to provide free pre-paid meters to Nigerians, and end the use of patently illegal and inordinate estimated billing across the country.”

    The organization asked Fashola to “take this step within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter, failing which SERAP will institute appropriate legal proceedings to compel the discharge of your ministerial and statutory duty in this matter in order to ensure completion of metering of unmetered customers and total abolition of estimated billing in the country.”

    In the letter dated 22 May 2017 and signed by SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organization expressed “concern that while countries like Zambia are subsidising electricity payments to enable consumption by socially and economically vulnerable groups, this government is implicitly promoting the use of unjustifiable estimated billing, and increasing consumer costs. The use of estimated billing is marginalizing Nigerians living in extreme poverty, disproportionately affecting women, children and the elderly, and increasing their vulnerability to discrimination.”

    According to the organization, “Excessive billing of customers is arbitrary, unfair, unjust, unreasonable and exploitative of millions of socially and economically vulnerable groups. SERAP is concerned that the apparent failure of your office to exercise due diligence and effective regulatory oversight on DISCOs to ensure full compliance with your directives to provide free pre-paid meters to Nigerians has denied millions of customers regular and uninterrupted access to electricity.”

    The letter read in part: “It’s the responsibility of this government and your ministry to ensure that the privatisation of the power sector does not impair in any way, shape, or form access of Nigerians to regular and uninterrupted electricity supply by among others actively promoting the provision of pre-paid meters to all Nigerians particularly the socially and economically vulnerable groups. Nigerians should not be penalized by disconnection or denial of access to electricity because they cannot pay unwarranted estimated bills.”

    “It’s unlawful for DISCOs to disconnect electricity supplies on the basis of unpaid estimated bills. This government and your ministry bear responsibility for the failure and/or refusal of DISCOs to provide free pre-paid meters to millions of Nigerians.

    “Several years after the country’s power sector was privatized, millions of Nigerian households particularly the socially and economically vulnerable sectors of the population continue to complain about outrageous bills for electricity not consumed, and poor power supply from distribution firms. Despite several directives and deadlines by both your office and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission for DISCOs to provide free pre-paid meters to customers, our information reveals that millions of electricity users across the country remain unmetered.”

    “SERAP is concerned that diminished power infrastructure and your ministry’s inability to enforce your directives and regulations on provision of pre-paid meters to Nigerians means that millions of customers continue to be exploited through the use of patently illegal estimated billing by DISCOs.”

    “SERAP continues to receive complaints through our helpline against corruption in the electricity sector that majority of consumers still get estimated bills. While electricity supply is for the most part declining, estimated bills continue to go up. In several parts of the country, consumers pay more for electricity than they pay for house rent. The feedbacks we have regularly received suggest that unreliable, inefficient and poor quality of electricity in several parts of the country is majorly responsible for the deplorable living conditions of millions of Nigerians.”

    “SERAP argues that access to regular electricity supply is a prerequisite for satisfying basic human needs, improving living standards, maintaining good human health, alleviating poverty and facilitating sustainable development. SERAP notes that Article 14(2)(h) of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to which Nigeria is a state party explicitly recognises electricity as a human right.”

    “Similarly, the UN Commission on Sustainable Development has argued that sustainable development is attainable through universal access to cost-effective energy sources. Moreover, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has adjudged the failure of States to provide basic services such as electricity as violating the right to health.”

    “SERAP believes that electricity provides a safe means of cooking (through electric stoves) and food preservation (refrigeration). Electricity is therefore essential to agriculture and a prerequisite for food security. Electricity can also be employed to realise the human right to access clean water. Electric power operates pumps and sanitation systems so that drinking water is within the safe physical reach of all individuals and accessible by households, educational institutions and workplaces.”

    “SERAP therefore urges you to act diligently and swiftly to enforce your directives, deadlines and regulations on the provision of free pre-paid meters to Nigerians and end the use of patently illegal estimated billing across the country. We also urge to establish independent monitoring teams to regularly monitor the proportion of households across the country with pre-paid meters.”

    “Should you fail and/or neglect to act as requested within seven days after the receipt and/or publication of this letter, SERAP will be compelled to pursue appropriate legal action against your ministry to ensure strict enforcement of your directives, deadlines and regulations on provision of free pre-paid meters to Nigerians and an end to estimated billing across the country.”

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  • Personal finance

    Personal finance

    Questions in personal finance revolve around

        Protection against unforeseen personal events, as well as events in the wider economy
        Transference of family across generations (bequests and inheritance)
        Effects of tax policies (tax subsidies and/or penalties) on management of personal finances
        Effects of credit on individual financial standing
        Planning a secure financial future in an environment of economic instability

    Personal finance may involve paying for education, financing durable goods such as real estate and cars, buying insurance, e.g. health and property insurance, investing and saving for retirement.

    Personal finance may also involve paying for a loan, or debt obligations. The six key areas of personal financial planning, as suggested by the Financial Planning Standards Board, are:

        Financial position: is concerned with understanding the personal resources available by examining net worth and household cash flow. Net worth is a person's balance sheet, calculated by adding up all assets under that person's control, minus all liabilities of the household, at one point in time. Household cash flow totals up all the expected sources of income within a year, minus all expected expenses within the same year. From this analysis, the financial planner can determine to what degree and in what time the personal goals can be accomplished.
        Adequate protection: the analysis of how to protect a household from unforeseen risks. These risks can be divided into liability, property, death, disability, health and long term care. Some of these risks may be self-insurable, while most will require the purchase of an insurance contract. Determining how much insurance to get, at the most cost effective terms requires knowledge of the market for personal insurance. Business owners, professionals, athletes and entertainers require specialized insurance professionals to adequately protect themselves. Since insurance also enjoys some tax benefits, utilizing insurance investment products may be a critical piece of the overall investment planning.
        Tax planning: typically the income tax is the single largest expense in a household. Managing taxes is not a question of if you will pay taxes, but when and how much. Government gives many incentives in the form of tax deductions and credits, which can be used to reduce the lifetime tax burden. Most modern governments use a progressive tax. Typically, as one's income grows, a higher marginal rate of tax must be paid. Understanding how to take advantage of the myriad tax breaks when planning one's personal finances can make a significant impact.
        Investment and accumulation goals: planning how to accumulate enough money – for large purchases and life events – is what most people consider to be financial planning. Major reasons to accumulate assets include, purchasing a house or car, starting a business, paying for education expenses, and saving for retirement. Achieving these goals requires projecting what they will cost, and when you need to withdraw funds. A major risk to the household in achieving their accumulation goal is the rate of price increases over time, or inflation. Using net present value calculators, the financial planner will suggest a combination of asset earmarking and regular savings to be invested in a variety of investments. In order to overcome the rate of inflation, the investment portfolio has to get a higher rate of return, which typically will subject the portfolio to a number of risks. Managing these portfolio risks is most often accomplished using asset allocation, which seeks to diversify investment risk and opportunity. This asset allocation will prescribe a percentage allocation to be invested in stocks, bonds, cash and alternative investments. The allocation should also take into consideration the personal risk profile of every investor, since risk attitudes vary from person to person.
        Retirement planning is the process of understanding how much it costs to live at retirement, and coming up with a plan to distribute assets to meet any income shortfall. Methods for retirement plan include taking advantage of government allowed structures to manage tax liability including: individual (IRA) structures, or employer sponsored retirement plans.
        Estate planning involves planning for the disposition of one's assets after death. Typically, there is a tax due to the state or federal government at one's death. Avoiding these taxes means that more of one's assets will be distributed to one's heirs. One can leave one's assets to family, friends or charitable groups.

     

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  • Best Jobs

    Employers have said that they are more likely to be 12 percent more graduates this year than last year. It is the first projected increase since the year 2000.

    In another study, a projected 60 percent of US business plan to employ the same number of graduates this year as with last year. That is an increase of fifty-five percent from last year, according to the CERI (Collegiate Employment Research Institute) at MSU.

    According to recent studies, US Corporations and businesses will employ more graduates with a bachelor’s degree in business, biological and physical sciences. Those with construction management, engineering degrees, health care and accounting will also experience an increase in hiring. Other fields will have a slight decline.

    On the average, companies are hiring forty three percent of its interns to fulltime and regular status. The expected increase in the hiring of graduates coincides with an expected growth forecast of the economy next year according to a recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank.

    A lot of companies are coming out of a slump and are now hiring their interns and looking for more. A lot of companies are posting jobs and coming into different campuses.

    Most experts advise that during the holidays, whether you’re looking for permanent employment or internship, it is time to step up your search.

    Take advantage of the holiday events you’re going to, discuss what you’re looking for and your goals. Businesses don’t want to be flooded with calls and faxes of resumes. They will probably rely on word-of-mouth to get a handful of candidates The holidays are a perfect time to network.

    What to expect:

    Companies will hire more students earning bachelor’s degree in business and management, physical and biological sciences. Engineering, health care and accounting degrees also would experience an increase. Other degrees will experience a decrease in hiring

    Businesses expect to employ about the same volume of MBAs this year as last year. Businesses have found employees with bachelor's degrees being able to do some work being done by MBAs.

    It will be harder for graduates with computer science degrees to find work.


    Companies are more likely to employ students who have undergone internships. The work experience, they say, makes a lot of difference. Federal agencies will employ more graduates but not nearly enough to offset the decrease in hiring by the state and local government agencies.


    On average, starting salaries will increase by 1 to 2 percent.

     

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  • What Beauty Products You May Find in a Beauty Supply Store

    Are you interested in buying new beauty products or beauty supplies?  If you are, your first thought may be to head down to your local beauty supply store and start shopping.  While this is more than possible to do, you may want to think about taking the time to first decide what you want or what you need to buy. This will lessen the chances of you spending more money than you have or more money than you wanted to spend.

    When it comes to making a beauty product or beauty supply list, you will want to first familiarize yourself with some of the many products that are sold at beauty supply stores.  If you are an avid beauty supply store shopper, you may already have an idea of what type of products are sold at beauty supply stores, but if not, you will want to take the time to familiarize yourself with those items.

    Before examining a few of the many products that are sold at beauty supply stores, it is important to remember that not all beauty supply stores are the same.  There are some beauty supply stores that offer products for just about anyone of any gender or any age.  On the other hand, there are beauty supply stores that cater towards a specific group of individuals, such as African American women.  The type of store that you are interested in shopping at will have a significant impact on the type of beauty products that you can find for sale there.

    Despite the possibility of a variance, one of the most commonly sold items at a beauty supply store is makeup.  Makeup is an important part of beauty, as it is makeup that often hides some of the skin’s common flaws.  Makeup comes in a number of different formats.  At a beauty supply store, you are likely to find liquid foundation, powdered cover-up, lipstick, lip gloss, mascara, eye liner, eye shadow, and so on.What Beauty Products You May Find in a Beauty Supply Store

    Aside from makeup, the other most popular items sold at beauty stores are those of skincare products.  Skin care products are often defined as beauty products that are used to improve the appearance or health of a person’s skin.  Skin care products regularly include lotions, age defying creams, stretch mark reducers, and so forth.  Out of all of the products sold beauty supply stores, skin care products are usually the most expensive, but the cost typically depends on the brand in question.

    Hair care products are other items that are almost always found for sale inside a beauty supply store.  Hair care products are also popular because everyone, even if they don’t wear makeup, is usually concerned about the appearance of their hair.  Hair care products can include simple items like shampoo, conditioner, and hairspray, but other items like hair coloring kits or highlight kits and hair extensions can also be found for sale at many beauty supply stores.

    Nail care products are also regularly sold at many beauty supply stores.  As for the type of nail care products that you are likely to find, it is important to remember that not all beauty stores carry the same types of products.  What that in mind though, you should be able to find a large selection nail polishes, nail polish removers, and other nail care products, like clippers and nail files.

    The above mentioned beauty products are just a few of the many that you should be able to find available for sale at a beauty supply store.  In addition to one of your local beauty supply stores, you should be able to find some of the above mentioned beauty products, as well as many more online.  If you decide to shop locally, you may want to think about contacting the beauty store in question to see if they have what you want or need. This may be able to save you a considerable amount of time and a wasted trip.

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  • Avoid Dieting Make Positive Changes Instead

    Avoid Dieting Make Positive Changes Instead

    Why is it that merely saying the "D" word, you know "diet" brings immediate thoughts of failure to the minds of many men and women around the world? Could it be that we have all learned through trial and error that diets simply do not work? I know many of you are sitting back with jaws dropped at the moment. After all, this is an article about dieting, right? It is and it isn't. Dieting is the kiss of death for many while a new phase in your life or lifestyle adjustment may be just the thing that will mean success for you and your fitness and health goals.

    Eating for some is an addiction. Unfortunately, you can't exactly give up eating all together as a smoker can give up cigarettes. I'm not applying by any means that giving up cigarettes is easy but how much more difficult would it be if you were forced to have three a day? At that point you may as well enjoy them every time the urge hits right? The same holds true for food. You must eat in order to survive. You cannot live without eating. This means that if food is a problem in your life, you must find a healthier way of viewing food.

    Isn't this where diets generally come in handy? The short answer is no. This is where diets often fail. Diets do very little to change how we view food. In fact, most diets only serve to tell us which foods are good, which foods are bad, and which foods (typically most of the foods we enjoy most) are strictly taboo. Diets begin by forcing people to feel deprived or punished. And no one likes to feel either of these things.

    Even worse however, is that we punish ourselves further when we slip along the straight and very narrow pathways upon which our diets place us. This means that we are going to wallow in guilt over every little misstep we make until we give up all together and decide to over indulge once again and ignore the guilt all together.

    In order to have real success you must make a lifestyle change. This is the only way that you will be able to shed those unwanted pounds without experiencing the horrible guilt that so many dieters go through each and every step of the way with their diets. Set goals for yourself. Keep them aggressive but realistic for fitness, dropping pounds, and eating new healthy foods. Even if your goal is as simple as eating  5 vegetable servings a day it is a great place to start.

    Change your way of eating. Then change your way of seeing food and you will experience amazing changes in your attitudes toward your health, your body, and even your fitness level. As the first pounds begin to drop you will begin to experience more energy and less pain when exercising. This should help keep you motivated to do even more as time goes by.

    Do not think that long term weight loss goals will be as easy to achieve as the first five or ten pounds. Consistency is vitally important when making these lifestyle changes. Take each day as it comes and begin again the very next day. This means that even if you fall completely "off the wagon" today, you can start over tomorrow. The trick is in staying the course more days than not and learning moderation and balance when it comes to straying from the straight and narrow.

    There are many ways to fail when it comes to dieting and I know people who have failed in almost every one I can possibly imagine. There is no way to fail, however, when you are making positive changes in your life that are getting positive results. It may take weeks, months, or even years to reach your goal. As long as you are making steady and continuous efforts and progress, you are doing many great things for your health and well being.

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  • Humor Turns E-Mail Viral

    Humor Turns E-Mail Viral

    A study by Sharpe Partners, an interactive marketing agency, revealed that 89% of adult Internet users in America share content with others via e-mail. This is excellent news for those companies who use self-propelling word-of-mouse” e-mail techniques to sell their products.

    The study generated some interesting results regarding the type of content that is most often forwarded, as well.  The most popular content is humorous material.

    The second most popular category is news, followed by healthcare and medical information, religious and spiritual material, games, business and personal finance information and sports/hobbies… in that order. So it is easy to see that humor is the best content for your viral e-mail campaign.  

    Cartoons, jokes and funny video clips are among the things that can be added to an e-mail to insure that it will go viral. People will want to pass along something that makes them laugh.

    They are a lot more likely to hit the forward button and send your email to their friends and relatives if it is an “advertainment” rather than an advertisement.  

    Not along ago, about 35 million people got an e-mail containing a picture taken in Disneyland. It took a minute to see it but there was Donald Duck lying prone in front of the famous Cinderella Castle.  The title of the picture was “Bird Flu has hit Disneyland”. It was a viral e-mail advertising Disneyland and used the edgy strategy of making light of what’s serious… and it works.

    I’d guess that most people who own a computer have seen that picture… and thus the advertisement for Disneyland.  The bird flu epidemic is newsworthy and has the potential to attract an enormous amount of attention to any brand that might, for whatever reason, associate itself with it.

    Remember that people are much more likely to share a joke or a funny picture than anything else so you would be well advised to include humor in your e-mail campaign.

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  • Smart Secrets to Budgeting

    A Little Goes a Long Way: Smart Secrets to Budgeting

    There’s nothing more we want than to be able to efficiently manage our money. After all, the money that we want to manage is money that is oftentimes, hard earned. This is where a budget comes in. A budget executed properly, should help you see where your money is going, get more utility out of every buck, and help you save some extra for future use.

    The first smart secret to a budget is to set a goal. What do you want to achieve? Do you want to correctly appropriate your income into bills payments? Do you want to put an amount aside for a big purchase or a huge investment? By having a goal, you will be able to shape your budget to best serve your interests.

    Secondly, you would want to take note of where your money usually goes. This includes bills, major but regular purchases (like grocery costs, healthcare costs, and the like), and everyday miscellaneous purchases. Only when you list down where you know your money usually goes will you be able to identify which expenses you can do without. Once you’ve identified these regular expenditures, take into consideration what you can cut back on. How much do you spend on your daily caffeine fix in the morning? How much do you spend on newspaper deliveries to your front door? The measly $2 or $5 of these small purchases cumulatively translates to more than $3600 a year! Instead of buying your expensive latte or reading the newspaper on print, put aside the amount you would usually pay for these small routine purchases in a small container. You will be surprised at how much you’re saving out of your older budget.

    Being indebted is a vicious cycle on its own. You’re talking about continuous payments, not to mention huge interest rates. The best way to deal with this is to pay the minimum on all of your debts in order to avoid paying extraneous late fees. Whatever cash excesses you may have, you can opt to add on to the payments you make in your biggest debt. This way, you are concentrated on getting the biggest debts first that cost you the greatest interest rates. Doing this progressively, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ll get off your huge debts.

    The last and most important step is to jot down the amount you earn the sum you spend. You can make use of computer cash management programs, or make database sheets of your own. Make a system that works for you and will help you keep track of your monthly budgeting progress.

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  • Can Losing Weight Help Improve Your Sex Life?

    Are you a woman who is unhappy in the bedroom?  If you are, there are likely a number of reasons for your unhappiness.  Despite the possibility of a number of causes, do you think that your weight may be to blame?  If you are overweight or obese, it may be.

    Since you now know that your weight may have an impact on your sex life, you may be curious what weight loss can do for you.  It is really possible to improve your intimacy with weight loss?  Unfortunately, the answer isn’t always the same, as it tends to vary.  Weight loss and its impact on your sex life will honestly all depend on you and your own personal situation.

    For starters, many women make the mistake of believing that their lost weight resulted in better sex.  It can, but did you know that many women are just deceiving themselves?  Being intimate with your partner may feel better and result in more pleasure, but it honestly may be due to an increase your self-confidence levels.  Women who lose weight do see an increase in self-confidence.  This extra confidence often allows women to enjoy it better.  What does this mean?  It means that the sex may be the sale ole sex you have been receiving for years, but it just feels better now.

    Another impact that your ability to lose weight may have on your sex life is your ability to experiment in the bedroom.  Experimentation is a key to keeping your relationship “hot.”  One type of experimentation that you may want to try is a new sex position.  Has your weight previously kept you from being creative?  If so, now is your time to shine.  Show your partner that you now have moves that you never even thought of trying before.

    In keeping with experimenting in the bedroom, it is important to know that experimentation comes in a number of different formats.  One other format is that of role playing.  As previously stated, weight loss gives may women confidence.  You may now have the confidence to have sex with the lights on, wear sexy lingerie, or a full-blown costume.  These large steps can do wonders for your relationship, both inside and outside of the bedroom.

    It is also important to take your partner into consideration.  Unfortunately, this is not something that many women take into consideration.  If you were to lose weight, there is a good chance your partner will like the improvement.  Yes, your husband most likely loves and worships you now, but there is still something attractive about women who take steps to better themselves, especially in terms of appearance.  If you do decide to lose weight, let your husband know that you lost the weight for them and to better your sex life.  They will not only be proud of you, but they may also be turned on.

    Since there is a good chance that your sex life will improve with weight loss, you may be interested in starting a weight loss plan today.  If so, go ahead and do so.  Use your need for improved intimacy in the bedroom as a source of motivation.  When you can envision yourself thin and in the bedroom having an amazing time with your husband, you may find it much easier to lose weight, as well as exciting.  Speaking of which, remember that a healthy diet and a strong exercise plan are needed.

    The more weight you have to lose, the more your sex life may improve.  With that said, be sure to use your best judgment.  If you are average or thin, weight loss is not needed and can be dangerous.  If you are seriously overweight, consider talking to your doctor before starting a new diet or exercise plan.  Losing weight to improve your sex life is important, but don’t put your body at risk just receive extra satisfaction in the bedroom.

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