Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Study shows that heavy cell phone use boosts tumour risk

Mobile_phone_keypadAccording to an Israeli study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, regularly using a cell phone for more than 22 hours a month increases a person's risk of developing a parotid gland (located near the ear) tumour by about 50 percent. Get more details here.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

I believe I can fly...

Are you looking for a new hobby?  Try this on for size:



Friday, November 09, 2007

8 secret scores that lenders keep

Credit_card_logos Most of us know by now that we each have a credit score - a 3-digit number that lenders use to gauge our creditworthiness and predict how likely we are to default on a loan or credit agreement. But did you know that your credit score is only one way that a financial institution will evaluate you? Discover the others in this eye-opening article by Liz Pulliam Weston for MSN Money.

Friday, November 02, 2007

How to succeed at on-line dating

Delete_key
Why would match.com consult a photographer, a management consultant, a career counsellor and a motivational speaker for tips on how to succeed at online dating?  Because 'great advice often comes from the unlikeliest of sources'.  Discover their dating success strategies here...

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Your body's warning signs

Toilet A discoloured tongue, 'chicken skin' on the backs of the upper arms and the need for frequent urination - these are among the warning signs that our bodies are either suffering from an illness or are deficient in a particular vitamin or mineral.

Discover what these (and other) warning signs tell us and find out what action you need to take in Your Body's Warning Signs.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Extreme pumpkin carving

Pumpkins If you thought pumpkin carving was just a case of scooping out the innards, cutting three triangles for eyes and a nose and then gouging out a jaggedy mouth, then shame on you! Check out the Squidoo Lens of the Day - Pumpkin Carving Video Showcase for extreme pumpkin carving, pumpkin stencilling and appearances by Princess Diana and Frankenstein...

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Aging Parents: 5 warning signs of health problems

Seniors_hand_in_hand A couple of Christmases ago, my mother (who was then aged just 70) announced at our family get-together that she was 'giving up walking'. My brother and I were slightly stunned, but after a bit of cajoling and teasing (the approach that works best with my mum), it turned out that she had a weak ankle that was making her feel uncomfortable and vulnerable when she was walking around outside the home. Fortunately, we were able to persuade her to visit her doctor, who in turn referred her to a physiotherapist and, within a few weeks, she was back to her normal self.

With the holiday season fast approaching, many of us will be meeting up with parents, aunts and uncles for the first time in a while and will have the opportunity to see how age is affecting them and to check if they are looking after themselves. This article from the Mayo Clinic offers you five things to look out for on your next trip home which will help you gauge whether your loved ones need assistance or not.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

The 12 'germiest' places in your life

Messy_handbag What do airplane toilets, a load of wet laundry and the bottom of women's handbags have in common? They're among the twelve 'germiest' places that you're likely to encounter! Discover the other nine and find out how to wage war against the microbes in this article from TODAY... but a warning - the methods advocated for combating the bugs aren't always the most environmentally friendly things you could do.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Why BLCK is the new green!

Baby_leaf_curly_kale Food companies are constantly releasing new products, but have you ever heard of a ‘new’ vegetable being launched? The food team at MSN hadn’t either, until they were sent a 'bucket load' of baby leaf curly kale - a new, fresh and tender variant of this member of the cabbage family and one that is being heralded as a new superfood.

In Why BLCK is the new green, the team take a look at the health benefits of BLCK and put it to the taste test. (And BLCK even has a website of its own at http://www.blckisthenewgreen.co.uk/.)

Update: We've tried BLCK on a couple of occasions since I wrote this posting. It's tasty (much nicer than the original curly kale) and it cooks in the steamer in just 2 minutes. Definitely worth a try...

Friday, October 12, 2007

Why social networking sites are a fraudster's paradise

Facebook_2 Are you a member of any of the social networking sites such as Facebook, Friends Reunited and MySpace? If you are, you could be leaving yourself wide open to fraud.

Emma-Lou Montgomery, writing in an article for MSN, says that visiting these sites is 'the 21st century equivalent of peering through your neighbour’s windows – only this time you’ve got millions of ‘neighbours’ whose lives others can nose into 24 hours a day'. And whilst you're busy finding out what old friends are doing now, what they look like and who they're married to, you're sharing cyberspace with opportunists and experienced criminals who are also searching - for personal data they can use to commit crimes such as identity theft - data including maiden names, dates of birth, children's names, even the names of childhood pets which, apparently, many people use as passwords...

Read Emma-Lou Montgomery's article here. (I must admit that, after reading the article, I visited my own profiles on various sites and deleted a few details!)

Thursday, October 11, 2007

How to find the best airline fares

Palm_trees_and_beach This morning, I've been playing with the air fare comparison tools provided by Lea Woodward of http://www.lipliving.com/ in her new book, X Marks The Spot. I'm out of the habit of visiting these booking sites and I was amazed to see what you can do with them nowadays.

Lea recommends Skyscanner.net, Farecast.com, FareCompare.com and Yapta.com for finding the best fares.

Skyscanner seems to only compare the prices of flights from the UK (but check this out if you live elsewhere - you may get different results).

FareCompare is good fun - I booked an imaginary flight from Manchester to Orlando Sanford, a flight from Sanford to Fort Myers and 14 night accommodation at the 4 star Sanibel Harbour Resort, all for a very reasonable price!:-)

Farecast
compares fares and advises you whether to buy now (because fares are likely to rise) or wait to make your booking (because fares are likely to drop).

With Yapta, you can make sure that you pay the absolute minimum for your US airline tickets, even if you've purchased them already. Yapta tracks ticket prices for you and alerts you when the price drops so that you can either get a refund on a purchased ticket or buy that low-fare ticket on the prime flights.

How clever is that?

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Lipbook_2Lea Woodward is a Location Independent Professional (LIP). A LIP is someone who has the freedom to travel when & where they want to, yet still continue to earn a living. LIP living is perfect if a) would like to travel and see
something of the world and b) you have the skills that could enable you
to earn money using the internet and a telephone.

Lea has just released the eBook version of her first book, X Marks The Spot: The Indispensable Guide To Living As A LIP & Working From Anywhere. I downloaded my own copy this morning and I can highly recommend it.

The pre-launch version of the book is available for download in limited numbers in ebook format.

For just £6, you'll find out...

  • The types of businesses that allow you to earn a living from anywhere in the world
  • The questions you should ask yourself before taking the plunge

  • The things that could stop you from becoming a LIP... and what to do about them

  • What to do if your worst fears come true & everything goes wrong

  • How to decide whether the place you want to visit is a "good" versus "bad" LIP location

  • How to avoid some of the costly mistakes Lea and her husband made & save yourself some money

  • The essential tools to keep your business running smoothly

  • The things that could catch you by surprise and ruin everything...and how to avoid them

  • All the tools, resources & step-by-step processes you need to create your own LIP life

You can buy your copy of 'X Marks The Spot' here

Thursday, September 27, 2007

It's happiness week!

Lifetwo_logo_bg_trans It 'Happiness Week' over at LifeTwo. The guys are aiming to help everyone who visits their site to become happier by scheduling a week of lessons and exercises based on the work of Dr. Ben-Shahar who teaches Harvard University’s most popular class — Positive Psychology.

On each of the first five days they will be posting a lesson and two brief exercises and they intend to round out the week with additional resources and an interview with Dr. Ben-Shahar. The URL for the first post is: http://lifetwo.com/production/node/20070911-happiness-week-day-1-from-happy-to-happier.

Head over there now and get happy!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Why make-up can damage your health

Girl_with_face_mask_at_spaResearch has suggested that women who apply make-up every day could be flooding their bodies with up to 5lb of potentially dangerous chemicals every year.

The average woman applies 175 different chemicals to her skin on a daily
basis, many of which have been associated with skin problems, hormonal
conditions and cancer. Some of us, apparently, use more that 20 different beauty products every day and nine out of ten of us use make-up which is out of date, potentially endangering both our health and our looks.

If that's given you food for thought, you can find out more here:
http://style.uk.msn.com/wellbeing/mindbodysoul/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5580509

Friday, September 07, 2007

Thinking of relocating? Find your spot...

Logo_find_your_spot This is one for our U.S. readers.

If you're thinking about relocating to a different state but don't know where to begin looking, check out www.findyourspot.com. There's a fairly lengthy questionnaire to fill out and you do need to give personal information such as your name and address, but stick it out - it's worth it in the end. I was provided with 16 potential relocation locations (!) which were tailored to my personal preferences with regard to climate, city/town size, proximity to art and culture, education and facilities, lifestyle and organizations and even religious practices. (And the really odd thing was, even though I live in the UK, I have already visited 4 of the 16 suggested locations... how weird is that, when you think about the sheer number of towns and cities that make up the U.S.?)

Oh, and after you've logged off, if you go back to the site, it remembers you and you can pick up where you left off...

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Ben_dean Want to make your relationships better? Then start to notice how you react to someone else's good news. Many thanks to psychologist and coach Ben Dean for including the following thought-provoking item in his newsletter, Coaching Towards Happiness, this morning. Ben writes:

Shelly Gable's research teaches us a simple, yet powerful way to nurture relationships: active-constructive responding. Yet even though it makes intuitive sense, it's all too easy for me to sabotage. Here's how I've learned to handle my own lapses.

Perhaps you’ve heard the now-famous quote, “Will you be there for me when things go right?”

Shelly_gable This powerful question stems from Dr. Gable’s research into the positive psychology of love and marriage. She does not focus on troubled marriages. She studies how to make good marriages great. She's been interested in how one partner responds to the other’s good news.

It sounds absurdly simple but it’s not: your response to good news affects your relationships. More specifically, the way you respond when someone in your life (loved one, acquaintance, friend, even a colleague) shares a positive event shapes the quality of your relationship with that person.

According to Shelly, how you respond to another person’s good fortune can be divided into these four categories:

Active/Constructive: enthusiastically, showing genuine concern about the good event

Passive/Constructive: silently supportive, displaying subdued happiness

Active/Destructive: critically, pointing out negative aspects and possibilities

Passive/Destructive: indifferently, failing to show any interest

For example, a close friend calls to tell you she’s been asked to teach a course at the University of Chicago. You can respond:

“Wow, congratulations!! You’ve so earned this! You’ll be great!” (Active/Constructive)

“That’s nice.” (Passive/Constructive)

“But that’s in a really bad neighborhood?” Or much worse, “Honey, I’m sorry, but you’re not going to be able to handle it.” (Active/Destructive)

“Did you hear who got voted off American Idol last night?” (Passive/Destructive)

To read Marty (Seligman’s) discussion of this construct, click here.

As he writes in the article, Shelly calls the first category "Capitalizing," amplifying the pleasure of the good situation and contributing to an upward spiral of positive emotion.

Capitalizing turns out to be a key to strong relationships.

Even though we understand its importance, many of us find it’s very easy not to remember to capitalize with our children or spouses when we’re distracted. And it is particularly likely to happen with colleagues.

Since I learned about her work, I’ve realized that I often unknowingly fail to respond in an active constructive manner.

Here’s what I do to get back on track when I realize I’ve gotten derailed.

Notice the Cues

When you’re interacting with someone, pay attention to the energy in their voice, the speed and richness of their speech, the way their eyes look: all signals for whether or not you’re responding in an active/constructive manner. A rise in energy almost inevitably follows when I respond actively and constructively. When I respond with a passive constructive or a negative, the other person’s voice loses energy.

Create Opportunities to Practice

Practice active/constructive responding by starting conversations with invitations like, “What’s new & exciting?” This invites them to tell you their good news. And it then gives you practice in responding.

Balance Safety vs. Savoring

When you want to support someone, but you’re legitimately concerned there may be a dangerous side to their good news, show your support first: let them savor the good for a while --- and tell them your concerns later. For example, Susan tells me about a wonderful opportunity she’s just received but I know that she may be missing a dangerous possibility. My first response is still, “What great news! You deserve this. Tell me about it.”

Avoid The Hero Trap

I notice that sometimes I find myself offering unsolicited advice or trying to come up with things they haven’t thought about before. This is a particular trap I can fall into. When I ask myself why, I discover it is almost always for my benefit more than theirs.

There is one friend whom I’ve supported for 20 years. When she tells me great news, I sometimes start to throw in my advice, and her voice’s loss in energy alerts me. I think I do it because I do not want to lose my privileged place as a key supporter. My advice says, “I’m still here. I can still help you.” In other words, it’s become about me, not her. And I quickly try to fix the situation.

Put Them First

If their triumph involves a conflict with an opposing person, don’t show empathy for the other person. (Possibly save it for later.) By definition, this is not affirming for them and will kill their energy every time.

Avoid Subtle Put Downs

Notice the difference between “I can see how this could be exciting for you,” and legitimately being excited about it. Not participating in the excitement is a subtle way of sabotage when you’re feeling threatened. I once had a friend who would respond to my good news with
an “I can see this matters a lot to you.” Arrgh.

In general, by paying attention to cues, you can tell when you’re being a deflator (me first) instead of a supporter (relationship first).

Active/constructive responding seems obvious, yet it is so worth paying attention to: I promise you, this is a simple change that will pay big dividends.

Want to hear a perfect example?

In the movie Yours, Mine, and Ours, Helen North (Rene Russo) and Frank Beardsley (Dennis Quaid) fall in love (many complications with kids and differing outlooks shortly follow). Then they have a huge fight. While on the outs and unbeknownst to Frank, Helen wins a huge
contract with Saks Fifth Avenue, something she'd been pursuing for months.

Later that evening, Frank asks how her day has been. In a monotone, she lists four or five things, ending in the same dull voice with, "and I got the deal with Saks.”

"You did not!” Frank yells. He hugs her, asks her all about it. Then he asks: “And how can I help?”

You cannot have a better example of an active-constructive response than Frank’s. We don’t need to know about Hollywood endings to guess how their relationship turns out.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

The Univeral Packing List

Suitcases Well, it's not the prettiest site in the world, but it certainly is useful. The Universal Packing List will generate a customised packing list for any holiday or vacation trip you choose to undertake. Simply fill in a short form and voila! My imaginary trip to Sanibel and Captiva on 31 September for 2 weeks (I wish!) generated a list of 181 items and a shedload of things to remember before I set off.

Generate your own list at: http://upl.codeq.info/.

Friday, August 31, 2007

Profit from your passion By Nicola Cairncross

Nicola_cairncross_2_2 Do you want (or need) to earn some extra money to help you fund everything that you want to be, do and have in life? Here's an article from top UK Wealth Coach, Nicola Cairncross to give you some ideas:

How many of us dream of creating a part time business from doing something we enjoy and are passionate about?

There must be a market for these hand made slippers / old fashioned cakes / feng shui'd nursery cot dressings / low fat nutritious ready meals, we say. And wouldn't it be wonderful to make your living - or even better, make your fortune - doing something you love? In my time I have tried being a fashion designer, a specialist dinner party chef, flat finder and a hairdresser - none of which made me any money, all of which I enjoyed immensely.

I don't want to go into the details of starting a business too much - this is about Profiting From Your Passion not Minding Your Own Business! But one of the secrets is not to try and re-invent the wheel, don't start from scratch but do your research. Find out if anyone is doing what you want to do, successfully. Perhaps look at related or complementary fields to your passion where business is booming and it's a similar target market. Don't be worried about finding out that there is competition; that's a good thing. It means that other people are making a living from a business based around their hobby or passion and if they can, you can.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed? One of the best quotes I heard recently was by Dolf De Roos, one of Robert Kiyosaki's advisors (Robert wrote "Rich Dad, Poor Dad"). He said the best reason to set a goal to become a millionaire is for the knowledge you will acquire along the way. I agree and also think that one of the best reasons to start your own business, doing what you love, is for the knowledge and skills you will acquire along the way (and the fun you will have).

So many people never get started because they think that they have to have something else (equipment, staff), know something else (perhaps technical knowledge, marketing skills, book-keeping skills, how not to fall foul of the tax man) or be someone else (more positive, from a business background, cleverer) but really, you don't. No one else has all the answers. Just get started and learn along the way.

And what about the people who don't know what they want to do, but only know that they want to do something?

I have always loved the idea that you can create an income flow or business from ideas. Think about record royalties (Dolly Parton made more from the song "I Will Always Love You" than Whitney Houston did. Why? She wrote the song); think about the greetings cards made from the paintings of Cezanne or Van Gogh. The estates of those painters are profiting from every greetings card sold!

There is also a growing industry in packaging knowledge, or intellectual property, into programmes" or e-courses. I have just created the Financial Intelligence 101 eProgramme, which is delivered by email, once a day, for 101 days. It turned into an ebook, which sells from my website http://www.themoneygym.com/ - while I'm asleep. Then it became a real life book on Amazon - while I'm asleep. All largely passive income, created from the thing I know about and am passionate about. Financial Intelligence.

What do YOU know about, or have experience of, that other people might need to know, or that could help people get through a specific situation? What skills do you have that could be packaged up into an ebook or eprogramme? If you have a collection of resources that you found helpful, someone else might pay for the knowledge. What have you done in your life that could help others?

Napoleon Hill said in his book "Think & Grow Rich" that if you can find a way to serve a great number of people, then you will almost certainly become wealthy. I like that idea a lot, because it gives me pleasure to serve others. It's a positive thing.


In addition to "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael E Gerber, you should also read "Striking It Rich.com" by Jaclyn Easton, the story of 21 online businesses you probably never heard of, that make more than 1 million dollars PER YEAR. Most were started by people in their attics or garages about things they were passionate about. That'll really get you going! After reading that book I finally took action about an idea that had been knocking around from my music biz days.

My other site www.artistmanager.com matches up unsigned artists and music managers, worldwide, via an automated powerful database, while I sleep. People pay to be able to browse the database for one year, then every so often, fifty, sixty, one hundred pounds pops into my bank account. Marvellous! Go on! What are you waiting for? Don't make the slippers, sell the secret of making and selling slippers! Virtual slippers R Us. Dot Com.

Copyright: Nicola Cairncross, Wealth Coach, www.TheMoneyGym.com

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

My Single Friend

Sarah_beeny If you're single and you live in the UK, you may be interested in a website I found recently - My Single Friend. Here's how the owners describe the site:

mysinglefriend® is the brainchild of TV presenter Sarah Beeny and her childhood friend, Amanda Christie.

Sarah is notorious for setting her friends up (with mixed consequences!) so it occurred to her that if we could create some kind of online resource where we could describe our fabulous single friends, then they could all check each other out.

So the core idea of mysinglefriend® was born, and it developed so that people could seek out suitable dates for each other, generating a little matchmaking amusement - and not by a computer, but by someone who actually knows you.

As the site grows, our singles can recognise and get to meet 'friends of their friends' who are single - and the Team at MSF think that's a wonderful thing!

We've created the antidote to the solitary 'online dating' experience - as friends join the site together.

  • Single or not - you can join in:

  • a friend can add their single pal who then has to look over, approve and add comments to the description before it goes live

    or

  • a single can nominate themselves, ask a friend to describe them, again approving the description and adding comments before it goes live.

Visit the website at http://www.mysinglefriend.com/

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Mary Hunt's new blog

Mhbloglink_2 Mary Hunt is the founder of Debt-Proof Living (formerly Cheapskate Monthly), an author, Woman’s Day money editor and syndicated columnist (”Everyday Cheapskate” is available in 500 U.S. newspapers). If you live outside of the US, you may not have heard of her, but her book, Debt-proof Living, is recommended by two of the best British wealth coaches that I know - Nicola Cairncross and Judith Morgan of the Money Gym.

Mary has a new blog, which she describes as 'where I go on (and on) about money, debt and all the stuff that bugs me'. It's definitely worth a look! There's an excellent tip about watch batteries on there which I'm sure would apply wherever you live in the world... The link you need is: http://www.moneyrulesdebtstinks.com/.

Buy Debt-proof Living from Amazon.co.uk

Buy Debt-proof Living from Amazon.com

Friday, August 10, 2007

Great quotes

Mark_twain"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain

Thursday, August 09, 2007

How many colours have you eaten today?

Row_of_peppers We all know by now that we should be eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. But, just to make life a little more complicated, did you know that we should be choosing our fruit and vegetables carefully to ensure that we are eating a range of foods from the five different food colour groups?

'What's that all about then?', I hear you ask. Read on...

http://style.uk.msn.com/wellbeing/healthyeating/gallery.aspx?cp-docume


Thursday, August 02, 2007

Get the best seat on the plane!

Plane_seat Before you book your next seat on a plane, you may want to check out SeatGuru, which shows you the seating layout for all planes used by the major airlines and indicates which are good seats, which are poor, which seats have extra legroom and which have power ports, etc.

SeatGuru is an excellent resource if you prefer checking-in on-line and has all sorts of other information such as check-in times, boarding times and latest flight news for each airline.

Friday, July 27, 2007

How sunglasses can put eye health in the shade

Sunglasses Do you put fashion and price before safety when choosing sunglasses? According to a recent report by the College of Optometrists, 80% of us would rather look cool than protect our eyes and 1 in 7 of us don't wear sunglasses at all!

Get the lowdown on sunglasses safety at:
http://health.uk.msn.com/healthencyclopaedia/features/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5418293

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Tomato_img_0137 I'm not much of a cook - I'd much rather eat the results of someone else's efforts - but I bet even I could find something to inspire me in this New York Times article which offers 101 summer recipes designed to get you in and out of the kitchen in just 10 minutes or less! Check out all 101 at:

Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less

Friday, July 20, 2007

Do you hate packing?

Suitcases Here in the UK, the holiday season starts with a vengeance this weekend. From today the roads, motorways and airports will be packed with people desperately trying to escape the unseasonably wet weather that we are experiencing here at the moment.

Of course, people who are already retired have the luxury of being able to avoid peak holiday periods like the plague, but, whether you're retired or not, before you take your next trip, you may want to check out the following sites for ideas to help ease the burden of deciding what to take with you and how to fit it all into your baggage allowance:
www.travelite.org
www.smartpacking.com
www.onebag.com

Friday, July 13, 2007

Are you a Paraskevidekatriaphobe?

Stay_in_bed_today_note Do you suffer from Paraskevidekatriaphobia? If you do, you're really going to be having a bad day today. Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th and, apparently, $1 billion worth of commerce won't happen today, because people are too afraid to fly, travel, and shop. Find out more about Paraskevidekatriaphobia at: http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/columns/?article=fridaythe13th.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Myths about oral health

Toothbrush I'm a bit fussy about my teeth. I brush at least twice a day and I always floss and use an interdental brush after brushing. And I've always brushed my teeth within a few minutes of finishing my breakfast... until today that is, when I read that:

"The worst thing that you could do is to brush your teeth straight after eating or drinking something acidic such as citrus fruit or fruit juice, because the acid actually softens the top layer of your teeth and by brushing you are actually scrubbing that bit off. Always wait half an hour before brushing so that your teeth have remineralised."

Oops!

Read other myths about oral health in DIY Oral Health here

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

The best reason to go out and buy a mattress immediately

Dust_mites I've been subscribing to the Health Tip of the Day from Health Coach Training for some time now and, to be honest, I haven't really learned a lot from them - until yesterday, when this little gem arrived in my inbox:

'It is best to get a new mattress every 7 - 10 years. Mattress weight will double in size from perspiration, oils and dust mites.'

Yuk. How disgusting is that?

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

What's on your 'To Do Before I Die' list?

Joan_jettI never thought I'd see my name on the same list as those of former US politician Dan Quayle and rockers Joan Jett and Patti Smith, but Wesley at LifeTwo has posted a great article about making a 'To Do Before I Die' list and he asked the rest of the Blogging Boomers to tell him something that we have on our own TDBID lists.

Find out what we all said here

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Great quotes

Ralph_waldo_emerson_2 To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm, and sung with exultation;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (There are various versions of this quotation around. I am not sure which is the correct version, however, this is the fullest version that I have seen. I think you get the gist...)

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Still studying at 95!

Cap_and_gown I love stories like this! When Nola Ochs graduated in May 2007 at the age of 95, she became the oldest college graduate in the world. Not satisfied with her scholarly achievements, however, in September, Nola plans to head back to the classroom to start working on her Master's degree.

Nola start taking classes after the death of her husband in 1972. She says, 'There's something within me that wants to keep learning. I just can't quit.' Read Nola's story at:

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Departments/AdultLearning/?article=StillCracking95&GT1=10092

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Britain's got talent - Connie Talbot

And just in case you're one of the few people in the known Universe that hasn't seen the clip of 6 year old Connie Talbot, here it is. Again, Kleenex at the ready:


Saturday, June 16, 2007

Britain's got talent - Paul Potts

For those of you who don't live in the UK (and for those of you who do but missed it), I thought you might like to see the following clip from Britain's Got Talent. Bet you can't watch it with dry eyes!



Friday, June 15, 2007

Don't fall for email hoaxes by Patrick Goss

Email Why do people continue to fall for email hoaxes? You know - the ones involving exiled leaders or worldwide lotteries and those purporting to be from legitimate organisations and requesting your bank or credit card details. MSN's Tech and Gadgets Editor, Patrick Goss, can't believe that some of us are still so gullible. Find out what he has to say about it all at: http://tech.uk.msn.com/features/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5224211.

Friday, June 01, 2007

The rise of Newglish - an evolving language

Buy_new_dictionaryDo you sometimes suspect that English is becoming an unfathomable language? For example, do you know what a Hactivist or a Looky-loo is? If something was described as hinky or eeyoreish, would you know what that meant? And just what is a twonk?

Find out with this quick guide to 20 of the 'most bizarre, controversial and ingenious words' that, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, did not even officially exist a year ago: http://news.uk.msn.com/the_rise_of_newglish.aspx

Thursday, May 31, 2007

I know it's not Father's Day yet, but...

I bet you can't watch this without a tear in your eye! Me? I blubbed for England!

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Great quotes

Nelson_mandela_3"In a moment we catch a glimpse of the potential of all that we can be and in a moment we can lose that to fear."



Nelson Mandela

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Myths about being single

I_love_being_single Do you secretly subscribe to the myth that single people live lonely, miserable existences? That they are self-centred, have few friends and that they die alone and are eaten by their cats? Think again! Discover the reality of being single in an article entitled Myths About Being Single by Bella DePaulo:
http://match.engb.msn.com/matchscene/article.aspx?articleid=8168&lid=0&TrackingID=511021

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Why Healthy People Suffer Heart Attacks by Dr Arthur Agatston

Ecg In this excerpt from The South Beach Heart Program: The 4-Step Plan That Can Save Your Life, Dr. Arthur Agatston, the author of The South Beach Diet explains how seemingly fit and healthy people can have heart attacks and how 'soft' plaque can be a hidden killer. Read it at:
http://health.msn.com/centers/cholesterol/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100156977&GT1=9997

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Healthy habits that aren't so healthy

Glass_of_water_with_lemon What kinds of things do you do to keep yourself healthy? Do you, for example, drink 8 glasses of water a day? Do you use antibacterial products such as handwashes and dishwashing liquid? Do you always sit up straight to protect your back? If you answered 'Yes' to any or all of those questions, you could be doing yourself more harm than good. Find out why by watching the Healthy Habits That Aren't slideshow at: http://health.msn.com/womenshealth/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100163331&imageindex=1.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Beauty over 40

Girl_with_face_mask_at_spa Is that a moustache? Where did my eyebrows go? And what's going on with my nose? Get the scoop on five little beauty secrets no one ever tells you about aging in an article by Valerie Monroe from O, The Oprah Magazine, October 2006: http://boomers.msn.com/articleOPRAH.aspx?cp-documentid=387809.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Laziness_street_sign I don't often write a blog posting on Saturday, but I was up early today, catching up with my email backlog and, through a series of web-links (where you click on something of interest, which in turn leads to something else of interest, etc), I came across a relatively new blog by life coach Kamin Bell (pronounced Ca-meen). You can read Kamin's blog for yourself at What If You Believe? but I particularly enjoyed and could identify with the following posting, entitled What Looks Like Lazy:

What Looks Like Lazy...
can be so many other things. I recently coached someone regarding going for a new job. We discussed the actions he should take and the next steps. And...nothing. There are times that I am tempted to get frustrated when someone doesn't follow through, but how can I? I know for them, as I know for myself, that it's not lazy. I have watched myself over the years not do something I needed to or not go after something I want. I used to say I was a procrastinator. But I know better now. Sometimes is just plain old fear. But that fear holds information. What am I afraid of? What am I afraid will happen to me? Am I ready to do that thing I'm putting off? Do I need more information? Is the timing right? Is it fear of looking stupid or making a mistake? That's been a big one for me to deal with. I'm a recovering Virgo perfectionist. I work at being willing to be less than perfect and being willing to simply try.

And, sometimes I have to trick myself. Yesterday, I needed to send a long overdue email requesting assistance from someone (another challenge of mine, asking for help ). On the way home I had to stop at Target for a few things. And, since it's Easter season, my favorite candy, the Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs are in stock. I'm only allowed to buy 1, though. So, I promised myself that I could have the egg after dinner and only after I sent the email. Boy that egg tasted great knowing that I had followed through on my promise. Sometimes I have to set a timer for 15 minutes to get something started or completed. And, sometimes I journal to work out the feelings that are present and holding me back from doing what I know I must. And, sometimes it's recognizing the difference between a "should" and a "must" and following my heart.

So, no more labeling lazy or procrastinator. There's just some nugget of growth behind it that needs to come forward. Some stone to look under and say "hmm, isn't that interesting. I wonder what I'm afraid of?" and then go conquer it.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Eight Things to Help Your Mom Stay Younger Longer by Barbara Morris

Mothers_day_flowers It's Mother's Day in the US on Sunday, so if you're lucky enough to still have your mum around, here's a timely article from Barbara Morris entitled Eight Things to Help Your Mom Stay Younger Longer, which is equally relevant, no matter where you live in the world:
http://putoldonhold.net/Help_Your_Mom_Stay_Young.htm

Thursday, May 10, 2007

The joy of text

Mobile_phone_keypadIf someone sent you a text message with the abbreviations 10Q or AFAIK in it, would you know what they meant? How about G2G or IKWYM? Struggling? So was I, before I read How Text Speak Is Taking Over. Read it for yourself at: http://tech.uk.msn.com/features/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4890569.

Friday, April 20, 2007

The art of the road trip

Us_road_signsHave you ever dreamed of taking a road trip across the US? If you have, you're not alone... I, for one, would join you in a heartbeat! If you're considering heading out on the open road, you can't afford to miss The Art of the Road Trip by Robert Isenberg. Check it out at:

http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-doc


Friday, April 13, 2007

London 'UK's ID fraud capital' by Mathew Plowright

Stolen_dog_tagDid you know that Londoners are almost three times more likely to fall victim to ID theft or fraud than those living elsewhere in the UK?

Or that the three northern English seaside resorts of Blackpool, Southport and Scarborough, saw a marked rise in the number of reported ID fraud cases, while Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands, Llandudno in North Wales and Chorley in Lancashire have also been identified as high-risk ID fraud hotspots?

Check out the UK's top 10 ID fraud hotspots (according to a report compiled from research carried out by credit reference agency Experian) at http://money.uk.msn.com/Banking/Current


Wednesday, April 11, 2007

The Procrastinator's Creed

Guilty_dogDo you procrastinate? I saw a discussion about procrastination on an email networking site that I belong to which culminated in the following Procrastinator's Creed:

1. I believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have been done already.
2. I shall never move quickly, except to avoid more work or find excuses.
3. I will never rush into a job without a lifetime of consideration.
4. I shall meet all of my deadlines directly in proportion to the amount of bodily injury I could expect to receive from missing them.
5. I firmly believe that tomorrow holds the possibility for new technologies, astounding discoveries, and a reprieve from my obligations.

6. I truly believe that all deadlines are unreasonable regardless of the amount of time given.
7. I shall never forget that the probability of a miracle, though infinitesmally small, is not exactly zero.
8. If at first I don't succeed, there is always next year.
9. I shall always decide not to decide, unless of course I decide to change my mind.
10. I shall always begin, start, initiate, take the first step, and/or write the first word, when I get around to it.
11. I obey the law of inverse excuses which demands that the greater the task to be done, the more insignificant the work that must be done prior to beginning the greater task.
12. I know that the work cycle is not plan/start/finish, but is wait/plan/plan.
13. I will never put off until tomorrow, what I can forget about forever.
14. I will become a member of the ancient Order of Two-Headed Turtles (the Procrastinator's Society) if they ever get it organized.

I can certainly identify with a few of those... can you?

Friday, April 06, 2007

Caught in the middle?

Egg_salad_sandwichesDo you belong to the sandwich generation? Are you one of those people caring for an aging parent whilst still having responsibility for one or more children under the age of 18?

The combination of an aging population and the fact that many boomers put off having children until their 30's and 40's means that more and more of us are caught in the middle, squeezed from above and below and, literally, feeling like the filling in a generational sandwich.

Read Melissa Segrest's account of one American woman's story of being Caught in the Middle at: http://boomers.msn.com/articleSG.aspx?cp-documentid=385773&GT1=9306.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Six ways to speed up the healing process

Honey_032Did you know that burns treated with locally-farmed honey heal, on average, 4 days earlier than those treated without it?

Or that yoga eases lower back pain faster than conventional exercises?

Find out what else you can do to speed up the healing process at: http://health.msn.com/general/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100

Friday, March 23, 2007

Thirty two uses for beer

Beer You can bathe in it,

use it to put out a fire,

polish things with it,

scale fish with it,

kill slugs with it and

loosen rusty bolts with it...

Check out these and the other 26 things you can do with beer at:
http://men.msn.com/articlemh.aspx?cp-documentid=3872767&GT1=9212.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Do you need to take a break?

How do you feel about giving up half of your annual leave in order to stay at work so that you don't fall behind with your responsibilities?

If that sounds like a good idea to you, then you're not alone. It's estimated that 19 million holiday days are 'abandoned' every year by British employees because taking a break proves to be more hassle than it's worth. (And I suspect that, included within that figure, are many thousands of days abandoned by workers in their final year before retirement who decide to work through their holidays just to get 'straight' and hand over a tidy ship to their successor.)

And what about all the people who manage to make it onto the plane, but then use technology to keep in touch with their work whilst they're away - checking their emails, and leaving their phones switched on in case of a workplace emergency, even on the beach?

If any of the above sounds like you, check out Workproof your Holiday by Emma Robertson and find out what you can do to restore your work/life balance.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Advice on love and marriage

Love_advice I received the following in Philip Humbert's newsletter this morning:

Paul Vogt sent me these quotes from little kids on the secrets of love an marriage. Isn't here a Bible verse about wisdom coming from the mouths of babes? Enjoy!

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHOM TO MARRY?
You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming. -- Alan, age 10


No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with. -- Kristen, age 10

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids. -- Derrick, age 8


WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
Both don't want any more kids. -- Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough. -- Lynnette, age 8


WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
When they're rich. -- Pam, age 7

The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that. --Curt, age 7

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
I don't know which is better, but I'll tell you one thing. I'm never going to have sex with my wife. I don't want to be all grossed out. -- Theodore, age 8


It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them. -- Anita, age 9

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there? --Kelvin, age 8


"And the #1 Favorite is........"

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck. --Ricky, age 10