To date, I already visited the city of Barcelona on 2 occasion (both were 1 week stays), and I still believe that there are many attractions which are yet to be explored. I will definitely revisit soon, since I simply fell in love with the place. If you are planning to visit Barcelona (or thinking about it) here are some cool tips from a travel junkie. Highlights: Visiting the old part (Barri Gothic Area) of the city is a must-see, yet in my opinion, the best parts of Barcelona are its contributions to 20th Century architecture. One must definitely visit all monuments left by famous 20th-century architect Antonio Gaudi; Parc Guell, Casa Miro, Casa Batlo, and most of all, the famous, unfinished Sagrada Famiglia Cathedral. Other definite monuments to be seen are the Palau de la Musica, The Maritime Museum, Picasso Museum, The Olympic Complex, and for the best nightlife of all, the Olympic Village. Day Trip Suggestions: I would typically suggest a trip to Salou, where one finds the magical theme park of Port Aventura. We spent 2 nights in the resort which adjoins the park, and booked this directly via the Internet . When I tried booking via my agent it was going to cost me 15% more. Hence, simply book this yourself since its very easy to do so. Arriving to the destination, is very easy since the resort and the theme park has a station located only 100m away from it. Whilst, Port Aventura may not be as large as DisneyLand Paris in size, I personally feel that it has a certain atmosphere of adventure which the Parisian park lacks. Other day trips worth considering are a visit to the wonderful Montserrat Mountains, as well as a visit to beautiful seaside resort of Stiges. You may acquire very advantageous day trip packages which include transportation, museum entrances, and lunch at the Tourist Information Office. Obtaining Literature Besides buying a good guide book (DK has a very colorful and informative guide), I would suggest that you would log onto the Barcelona Tourist Information office website, and contact them asking for some literature. For a very small charge (probably less than 3 Euros), they will send you very useful maps and guides which will definitely help you in planning your trip.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Winning video poker hands
Video Poker combines both the luck of the draw and the skill of the player. Luck comes into play when the video poker machine randomly deals out the player’s cards. Skill on the part of the player is needed to know which cards to keep and which cards to discard. Although luck is a big factor in the game, the likelihood of winning increases based on the amount of skill the player possesses. No matter what the skill level the player has, it’s important to know what to keep and what to discard if you want to end up with a winning hand. It’s essential to know the types of winning hands that are available in video poker if the player is playing to win. The smart player knows the patterns to look for, which will make the difference between them winning big and losing it all. Here is a listing of the most common combination of video poker hands ranked from the highest possible to the lowest. Sequential Royal Flush: This is a hand which occurs when the cards fall in exact order and suit, like 10 Spades, J Spades, Q Spades, K Spades, and A Spades. Remember this is video poker, and that the Sequential Royal Flush is different from the Royal Flush. Royal Flush: This is when you get a same suit flush with the cards 10 Hearts, Q Hearts, J Hearts, A Hearts, and K Hearts in any order. As long as all the cards are there, the order is not an issue. Straight Flush: The Straight Flush occurs when all five cards are in sequence, and all five cards are of the same suit 4 Spades, 5 Spades, 6 Spades, 7 Spades, and 8 Spades. Four of a Kind: Four of a Kind is when there are four cards which all possess the same rank 5 Diamonds, 5 Spades, 5 Clubs, and 5 Hearts. Full House: The Full House is three of a kind plus a pair. Suit does not come into play with a Full House. A good example of a Full house would be 5 Diamonds, 5 Clubs, 5 Hearts, 7 Clubs, and 7 Spades. Flush: The Flush is when the player gets five cards with all having the same suit. Rank makes no difference with this hand. It’s the suit that is featured in the Flush. For an example; 2 Hearts, 4 Hearts, 5 Hearts, 7 Hearts, 10 Hearts. Straight: A player holds a Straight when all five cards held are in rank sequence. With the following hand, the player would have a Straight; 2 Hearts, 3 Clubs, 4 Spades, 5 Hearts, 6 Diamonds. Three of a Kind: When a player is dealt three cards all of which have the same rank, they have Three of a Kind. The remaining two cards do not count as anything in the hand. The suit of the cards does not matter with this hand. An example of this hand is 4 Hearts, 4 Clubs, and 4 Spades. Two Pair: Two Pair is when the player has two pairs of cards, each set of a different rank. An example of this hand is 3 Diamonds, 3 Clubs, 5 Hearts and 5 Spades. One Pair: One Pair is two cards of the same rank, regardless of the suit. An example of this hand is 7 Diamonds and 7 Hearts.
Submitting your website to directories for free
What is the one thing webmasters the world over wants for their websites? They want their websites to be visible on the net! And what better way to do this than to have their websites included in site listings and search engines. Most search engines only list websites depending on the key words or Meta tags you put on your site. But then there are sites that go further and categorize the listings that make it easy for most to find the sites they are looking for, if the site is list within the site listing or search engine. With a category listing, imagine how much easier it is to find what you want and other sites of similar categories. You could be looking for PDA (personal digital assistant) and click on the category PDA and instantly get a listing of websites that sell, review, or support personal digital assistants. Or how about when you want to have a few laughs? There are thousands upon thousands of joke and comedy sites out there but how do you find them? This is where site listings and search engines come in handy. Site listing is mostly a free service offered by many search engines. Most sites ask you to fill in a form, asks you for Meta tags for easy searching, and you will be required to wait for at least 24 hours for your site to appear in their search engine. However, there is also such a thing as a “premiere listing”. This means that the webmaster will be charged a fee (anywhere from $2 up) to have his website listed on the first page when the searcher inputs his keywords. One premiere feature is called “feature listing”. A featured site appears not only in the regular listing, but also in a special section, often at the top or the right margin of the screen. For example, you might type “spam blockers” and when you look at the listed results, you may see recipes for Spam luncheon meat in the feature boxes. This means SPAM paid for this feature listing. Oftentimes, these websites ask for a feature called a “link exchange”. As you submit your site to them for inclusion in their website, a script is provided to you for inclusion in your site. This often manifests as either a text link or a banner or button, which, upon clicking, will bring you to their website. This link exchange also helps them in monitoring the incoming traffic of your website. Some sites offer daily web statistics, while others only give them to you upon your request. Don’t just sit on your hands and hope someone finds your website. Submit the URL of your website to site listing and be seen. Key in the appropriate key words and Meta tags or categorize your website properly to increase your visibility on the net. Site listings and search engines work. Do a “web search” on anything, test their features, and be one of many who has submitted their websites for inclusion. I know I have.
5 Tips for successful bird watching
Can you name the number one spectator sport in North America? It’s not baseball, figure skating or racing. It’s bird watching. That’s right, more people are watching birds than football and hockey combined. With so many people hoping to see a bird they’ve never seen before, it’s not surprising to see a clamoring for the latest tips and tools to get the job done. Here are my top five tips for getting the most out of your birding experience. #1. Get to Where the Birds Are! This sounds obvious, but many birders spend the majority of their bird watching time and energy on poor locations. Some folk have the advantage of looking out of their windows into the back yard to observe nature’s best. The rest of us need to get moving. I would highly recommend visiting a National Wildlife Refuge. There are over 500 of them across the United States. To find one near you, visit refuges. fws. gov/ #2. Know What Species to Expect. There are approximately 900 species of birds in the United States and recognizing each of them is nearly impossible. So when you visit an area, do a little research first. You may find that perhaps only a few species actually inhabit that particular area. With a little preparation, you will be able to more readily identify bird species from each other. Keep a list of successfully viewed species – we’ll call this tip number two and a half. #3. Get a Great Pair of Binoculars. Spending time and money to get to the right place can be totally wasted when your binoculars are inadequate. If you have an inexpensive pair of binoculars you are not getting the most out of your viewing. Today’s technologies come at a price and they provide crucial benefits in wildlife viewing. For instance, image stabilization will keep your view from shaking-very important when watching from a long distance. Other cool features include anti-fogging, low-light viewing and wide-view characteristics. Additionally, binoculars with built-in digital cameras enable you to identify birds once you get home. These benefits will definitely enhance your bird watching. A great pair of binoculars will turn a mediocre experience into a great one. You can count on it! #4. Practice Before You Go. A key to viewing wildlife, and especially birds, is to have the ability to very quickly put your binoculars on target. Many people have difficulty finding a full moon in a pair of binoculars-but alas-learning to focus on a bird in a bush or track a bird in flight is easy for someone who has practiced prior to their outing. Try this before you go; lower your binoculars to your side and very quickly raise them to find and follow a jet airliner across the sky. After only a few attempts, you’ll get good at quickly acquiring your target. Quite often, birds are visible for only a few seconds, practice to become proficient. #5. Take Someone with You. Life is always better when shared. Not only do you get to spend time out of doors with someone you like, but they might alert you to the “Number One Sight of the Day.” Share your birding experiences with your friends and family. Pass the birding excitement to a child. The best part about wildlife viewing is that you the viewer, control almost every aspect of the experience. The more you are prepared, the more rewarding your time in our backcountry will be. Use this information and you’ll Get It Right The First Time. Get Outdoors!
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Make perfect copies of all your disks
DVD and CD disks became a part of our lifestyle, most of us have a significant collection of movies, audio CDs, photos, games, office documents and other disks. And it's very often that you need to make a copy of that disks, for backup purposes or simply to make a couple of copies of your wedding video for your friends. There are many programs that can copy your DVD movies, but very few of those which can copy all your disks, both CD and DVD. Here we'll test a program called Clone My DVD, which claims copying any kind of DVD and CD disks. "Clone My DVD - a universal DVD and CD copier" is what we see on product's website, and we'd like to check is it really can copy any kind of disk? Installation takes several seconds, the program is designed as a classic step-by-step wizard, it looks slick and clear. Choose disk to copy, it's a DVD movie now, and press "Next" button to go further. We've got two DVD drives on our test computer so the program asks do we want to copy directly from drive to drive? Yes we do! Press "Next" again and it started to copy. By default it makes one copy, but you can set number of copies as you like. Come again, now with an audio CD. Clone My DVD does the job perfectly, we've got exactly the same CD, no quality loss at all! We did the same with a couple of game CDs, CD with photos, MP3 music DVD, another DVD movie, and one more DVD movie. All attempts were successfull, no hassles. Then we tested how it works with a single CD/DVD drive. First it copies from disk to computer, then asks to insert a blank disk and writes a copy. It takes additional time, but the result is also perfect. What we also noticed is Clone My DVD doesn't reduce the quality of DVD movies and audio CDs, which is good. In fact, you get a true copy, exactly the same as original. Clone My DVD is really able to copy any CDs and DVDs, and it doesn't matter what disk is in your drive, you get a proper copy with Clone My DVD anyway. We succesfully copied over ten disks, both CD and DVD, which contained video, MP3 music, CD audio tracks, photos, documents, free software and other stuff. It successfully recognizes various CDR/RW, DVD+/-R/RW disks and double-layer DVD movies. There is only one feature missed in Clone My DVD. Regrettably it cannot encode 9Gb double-layer DVD to the 4.7Gb single layer, so those who're looking for this feature will be frustrated. But anyway Clone My DVD is still one of the best copying software we ever seen. Free trial version allows you to copy up to three whole disks, the only limitation is copying protected DVD movies, which is available only in full version. Free download from clonemydvdmovies/clonemydvd11.exe Conclusion Clone My DVD is awesome, it can make a copy of all DVD and CD disks, even those are region-protected. You just insert a disk, press couple of buttons and get a carbon copy. It can copy to blank disk, make multiple copies if you want, and it allows to copy directly from drive to drive. All these functions are wrapped into a very clear and simple nterface, not overloaded with too many buttons and menus. If you're looking for all-in-one disk copier try Clone My DVD, which is like a swiss knife - easy to handle and universal at the same time. You can find more information on Clone My DVD and download free trial version at clonemydvdmovies Get full version without limitations at clonemydvdmovies/Order
Golf workouts can transform your game
I’m sure by now you’ve heard most of the professional players; both men and women actively participate in golf workouts. It’s no secret. But why then do most amateur golfers ignore this? Is it because it seems like work? Or, does the thought of actually breaking a sweat get you tired already? Either way…the proof is in the bag. The number one player in the world, Vijay Singh, does his golf workouts all the way through Sunday of each tournament. Does it look like it’s hurting his game? I don’t think so. Back in 1997, a young, very athletic golfer came on the professional scene and blew everyone away. I think you know who I’m talking about. Tiger took golf to another level. A real eye-opener for the veteran players who were hitting the 19th hole after every round…and the last thought on their mind was “exercise”. What a wake-up call to be totally dominated by a player who was only 20 years old at the time. How about the year Annika Sorenstam shot a 59 and totally dominated the LPGA? Do you know what she attributes it to? Golf workouts! She hired a trainer and got serious about her fitness. And look what happened? She hasn’t looked back since. She just recently came out with an instruction book and devoted a chapter to golf workouts. To my recollection, that’s the first women’s instruction book to include golf workouts. Working out to playing better golf isn’t just for the guys; Annika has proved that. Now more LPGA players are working out to try and catch her, just like the guys did with Tiger. How about the senior tour? Now players are realizing they can still make good money, even after they’ve turned 50 and can’t really compete with the young guys anymore. With the money at stake, they too are all working out. This group of players both amateur and pro is the biggest demographic that needs it the most. With age comes a decline in both flexibility and strength. When the body declines, the swing goes right along with it. The result is a big loss in yardage, more mishits, and ballooning scores. The end result…frustration! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve played with and received phone calls from older golfers who are just about ready to quit the game. They are SO frustrated at this rapid decline, that golf’s not fun anymore. But there is hope. The answer? Get your body moving just a little better. How? By participating in golf workouts that focus on golf-specific strength AND flexibility. It’s amazing to see golfers in this age bracket dramatically improve their driving distance, accuracy and scores. You don’t have to accept that with age, your body declines. No way! You’ve got to fight it all the way! I’m dead serious. The ones who do, are the ones who are enjoying the game again and taking all the money in their foursome. What is a golf workout anyways? Is there such a thing? You bet there is. The golf swing is an awkward movement that puts a tremendous amount of stress on the body. To prevent injury and improve swing speed and distance requires your body to be both strong and flexible specific to the swing. I could spend dozens of pages describing what this entails, but for the sake of this concise article, let’s keep it simple. The golf swing is a rotational movement, with your body in golf posture. Slight flex of the knees and a bending forward at the hips. Since the golf swing is primarily rotational, wouldn’t it make sense to focus on rotational strength and flexibility? That is improving your turning ability related to range of motion and speed. So anything involving twisting with resistance such as a medicine ball, a dumbbell, or even a weighted club would work. You need to have a resistance to take your body beyond where it normally goes. For instance, if you took a club and placed it behind your neck, got in your golf posture and rotated back and forth; do you think that by itself would improve your range of motion or power? No, you need to add resistance to accomplish this. Take a weighted club and make golf swings. Now you’ll be making a bigger turn AND improving your power. Same thing with a medicine ball. Make turns back and through holding a 4 to 6 pound ball and you’ll see a BIG improvement. In fact, most of your abdominal work should be rotational. Doing straight crunches won’t improve your driving distance. Doing rotational movements with added weight will. This is where I could go on and on, but I won’t overload you. I hope I’ve convinced you to take a real serious look at what all the other successful professional players are doing to stay at the top of their game. Doing golf workouts can and will dramatically change your game forever. Now get out there and get it started. No procrastinating. Do it right now!
Nurse assistant training
Nurse Assistant Training Nurse Assistants play a vital role in our healthcare facilities. They provide patients with assistance in regard to their basic needs including bathing, feeding, and dressing them. The level of assistance depends on the individual needs of each patient. They also are an invaluable resource for the Nursing staff. Becoming a Nurse Assistant requires completion of a certificate program. Such programs are available at several medical facilities and college campuses. The programs can be completed in as little as four weeks. Others run as long as twelve weeks. It depends on the curriculum, the requirements of the state the program is taking place in, and how many hours per day the course is conducted. All Nurse Assistance courses will teach you the basic fundamentals of taking care of those under your care in a safe and professional manner. Your work will be supervised by licensed Nurses both during your training and regular employment. The training program will teach you to care for both the physical and psychological needs of each patient. Since you must successfully pass the Certified Nursing Assistant exam, the course will help you prepare for the information on that exam. During the Nurse Assistant course, you will be involved in learning textbook materials as well as hands on training. The textbook material cover all the terminology and information you need to lay a solid foundation to build on. This information will also cover items that are likely to be found on the Certified Nursing Assistant exam. You will also learn ways to improve your communication skillsmunication is key to being a great Nurse Assistant. You will need to be effective at communicating with patients, their family, and the other medical staff. The hands on portion of the training will give you the opportunity to practice the concepts you are learning in the classroom. Most training programs have special medical maniquins that you work with. You will practice proper bathing and lifting on them. You may also practice taking their vital signs as some are designed for that purpose. The majority of Nurse Assistant programs work with in conjunction with the medical facilities in the area. This often means a large portion of your hands on training will take place as such a facility. This portion of the curriculum is called clinicals. During this process, you will tend to real patients with the close supervision of licensed medical staff. You will begin applying your knowledge in this setting. Clinicals can be intimidating to some students. However, they are designed to give you the best opportunity to fully understand and learn your role as a Nurse Assistant. Generally, these clinicals are conducted with a very small group of students. Your class will be broke up into groups of at least two but no more than six. They take place in the actual medical facility. It is important to understand that you will not be paid for the work you do during these clinical hours of training. During clinicals, the Nursing staff is fully aware of your inexperience. They will attempt to explain what is taking place as it happens to improve your ability to look for key factors in a medical setting. It is very important that if you do not fully understand something, that you discuss it with those training you. They are there for that purpose during the training portions of the Nurse Assistant program. Completing your Nurse Assistant training at a medical facility not only gives you hands on experience, it may lead to a job offer at the end of your training program. Many medical facilities that host the clinical training are watching out for students who show potential. They are looking for punctuality, attendance, attention to detail, a willingness to learn, and a positive attitude. On advantage of accepting a job offer at the facility you completed your clinical training at is that you will know their policies and procedures. It is important to keep in mind that every facility has variations of how you were training. The basics will be the same, but you will need to be willing to adjust to what is expected at the particular facility you accept employment with. Keeping that in mind, you will want to ask questions of that nature during job interviews if a complete job description is not given to you. Word Count 730
Family the basic social unit
Family is the basic social unit. Family represents people living together by ties of marriage, blood or adaptation, thus representing a single household. According to sociology, the family has the primary function of reproducing society; biologically, socially, or both. There are various structures of a family based on the relationship shared between the parent and the children. The different types of family are patrifocal, where the family consists of a father and his child; matrifocal, where the family consists of a mother and her child. Consanguineal family is one which consists of the mother, the child and other people, mainly belonging to the family of the mother. The conjugal family consists of one or more mothers and their children, with other people and one or more spouses. The parent-child relationship varies due to different cultures. One of the prominent forms is the nuclear family. It consists of the marital pair living with their offspring separately. The joint family is an extension of the nuclear family. Joint family occurs when children of one sex live at their parents’ house. In a joint family, the children bring along their spouse to live with them at their parents’ house after marriage. A joint family usually consists of an older man and his wife, his sons and unmarried daughters, his sons’ wives and children. Members of a joint family share all the task of trade, food gathering and preparation and child rearing. Children who share one parent but not another are called “half–brothers” or “half–sisters”. Children who do not share parents, but whose parents are married, are called “step-brothers” or “step-sisters”. Similarly, if a person is married to the parent of a child, but is not the parent of the child themselves; they are called “stepfather” or “stepmother”. A complex family involves more than two adults. It refers to any extended family or to polygamy of any type. A joint family is also known as a complex family. The parents and their children in a joint family live together under a single roof. In a joint family setup, the womenfolk are often housewives and cook for the entire family. The patriarch of the family is usually the oldest male member, who lays down the rules of the family. This kind of setup is fast eroding in many parts of the world. Almost all the urban families are switching over to the nuclear family society.
Parents kids and time alone
“What are some of the ways in which you explain to kids that mom and dad need time alone, without feeling guilty about it?” A journalist, writing an article on having time alone and couple time when you have kids, asked me this question. Parents will feel guilty only when they believe that they are doing something wrong by spending time alone and couple time without their children. This is a false belief. The truth is that children grow up far healthier emotionally when their parents are happy and fulfilled, even if it means that their parents spend less time with them. When parents understand that they are being good parents by talking loving care of themselves and their relationship, their children will understand this. One way of helping children understand this is to introduce the concept of “time alone” very early in a child’s life. By the time a child is three, he or she can easily understand the concept of time alone. If, each time you spend time alone with your child, you say, “This is our time alone,” your child will begin to understand the concept. When you have time to yourself, you can say, “This is my time alone with myself.” When you spend time with your partner, you can say, “This is Mom and Dad’s time alone together.” Parents can tell their children, as soon as they are capable of understanding the words, “We need time alone with you, with each other, and with ourselves. All of us need to respect this about each other.” Our three children fully understood the concept of “time alone” because we spent time alone with each them. They came to understand and respect at a very young age the need for time alone. If you put yourself aside and don’t spend time with yourself and with your partner, you are giving your children unhealthy role modeling. You are teaching them that others are always responsible for meeting their needs. You are teaching them to feel entitled to your time and attention rather than helping them learn to respect others’ time. You are teaching them that it is okay to demand that others put themselves aside for them, which may create narcissistic behavior. Healthy parenting means finding a balance between being with your children, being with your partner, and being with yourself. For your children to grow up taking responsibility for their own needs and feelings, they need to see you taking responsibility for your needs and feelings. Constantly sacrificing yourself for your children does not role model personal responsibility. Children need to experience you and your spouse enjoying your time with each other, as well as with yourselves. They need to see you pursuing your work, hobbies, creativity and passions in order to understand that they also need to find their passions. If you are always there to meet your children’s needs, how can they discover who they are and what brings them joy? Always being there to meet your children’s needs for entertainment creates a dependency on others rather than finding these resources within themselves. Many people grow up not knowing how to be alone with themselves. Because they were either always in front of a TV or being entertained by their parents, they never discovered how to “play by themselves.” Of course it is very important to have enough time alone with your children. But it is equally important to have enough time alone with your spouse and with yourself. When you understand this, you will stop feeling guilty about taking your time alone. When you no longer feel guilty, your children will learn to stop guilting you and respect your needs.
Identity theft what to do
Get Copies of Your Credit Report Send for your credit reports following the instructions from the credit bureaus. Review the reports carefully. Look for creditor’s names that you did not request credit from. Also check your personal information; SSN, address, name, initials and employer information. Order your credit report at least every three months for the first year of the fraud. Some areas provide a free report every 12 months. Other areas will give you several free reports for the year you report an identity theft. Some will charge for each report. Tell them you are an identity theft victim and ask for a free report. File a Police Report Keep records of the fraudulent activity as proof for your report. Blackout unrelated activity and give copies to the police. Give them any new evidence as it turns up and keep a copy of the report as proof for creditors and the credit bureaus. Collect Account Information Contact the creditors who issued accounts to the identity thief. The Police may give you a form to request the information. Send a copy of the police report and the account statements to the creditor. Pass any new information over to the police. Close the Accounts For NEW Accounts created by the thief: Call the creditors (including credit cards, department stores and cell phone accounts) and ask for their security or fraud department. Tell them you are an identity theft victim and ask them to close the accounts and report the closing to the credit bureau. If the account has already been used by the thief ask them not to hold you responsible for the debt. For EXISTING Accounts used fraudulently by a thief: Close the accounts and ask the creditors to report the closing to the credit bureaus. What can you do to prevent identity theft? Get free adware download and protect your online privacy. Request that they declare the account “closed at consumer’s request”. If you open a new account don’t use personal information like your mother’s maiden name or your SSN for a password. If those are the only options request to use a different password. Get your free $97 PC Security book at pc-tool. info/
Bona fide history about steroids
Testosterone Propionate was the first anabolic steroid in the history about steroids in the United States. The anabolic steroid was mentioned in a U. S. weightlifting/bodybuilding magazine, in a letter to the editor of Strength and Health magazine in 1938. Dianabol (Methandrostenolone) was developed by Dr. John Ziegler with the help of Ciba pharmaceutical company, and was first marketed in the United States in 1956. Dianabol was approved for use in the United States by the federal Food and Drug Administration in 1958. According to the later 20th Century history about steroids, the US Congress began considering placing anabolic steroids under the Controlled Substances Act after Ben Johnson controversy at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. However, during deliberations the AMA (American Medical Association), DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), FDA (Food and Drug Administration), and NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) all opposed listing anabolic steroids as controlled substances citing the fact that use of these hormones simply doesn't lead to the physical or psychological dependence required for scheduling under the controlled substance act. The history about steroids further articulates that anabolic steroids were put under the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990 placed anabolic steroids into Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, and Congress enacted a rigorous legislation that had higher criminal penalties for the illegal distributors of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone. According to the Controlled Substances Act, anabolic steroids are the drugs or hormonal substances that are chemically and pharmacologically related to testosterone (other than estrogens, progestins, and corticosteroids) that promote muscle growth. Several US pharmaceutical companies, such as Ciba, Searle, Syntex and others, stopped manufacturing or marketing anabolic steroids by the early 1990s. According to the recent history about steroids, the 1990s was the time when the market of counterfeit anabolic steroids emerged, and the drug markets were flooded with fake anabolic steroids. This resulted in the amendment of the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990. Taking effect on Jan 20, 2005, the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004 placed both anabolic steroids and prohormones on a list of controlled substances, making possession of the banned substances without a prescription a federal crime.
Lakeycia jefferson on wealth masters
Prior to becoming a consultant with Wealth Masters International, Lakeycia Jefferson, a consultant with Wealth Masters International ( wmitoday/wealthtransfer) was a network marketer who experienced firsthand the limitations of a traditional mindset. "I never went beyond my inner circle of family, friends, and acquaintances," she says. "I simply didn't have access to a marketing system that would enable me to reach the numbers of people necessary to truly create wealth." Regardless of how hard she worked, Jefferson was never able to generate the massive downline necessary to succeed with traditional network marketing paradigms – which is one of the reasons that she switched to Carbon Copy Pro ( wealthtransfernow). Whichever way you look at it, American families are suffering unprecedented financial hardships. The collapse of the subprime mortgage market is forcing homeowners into foreclosure and is having a ripple effect on other borrowers, who are finding themselves in dire straits or in bankruptcy court. "Although people desperately want to gain control of their finances and build wealth, there has been an overwhelming trend in the opposite direction," says Jefferson. The numbers bear out Jefferson's assertions. According to the U. S. Federal Reserve Board, 58 percent of families with credit cards have an average outstanding balance of $5,100. Between 2001 and 2004 (the last year for which statistics are available), household debt increased a whopping 26.3 percent. During the same time period, the median income fell almost a full percentage point, to $37,800. Furthermore, nine percent of families surveyed by the Fed reported that they had been at least 60 days late with a payment in the previous year. "Unless and until Americans adopt the practices of the wealthy, they will continue to spend more money than they earn, and have nothing to show for a lifetime of hard work," says Jefferson. Moreover, she witnessed the mistakes of those who did experience success. "Oftentimes, people who made a considerable amount of money would simply blow through it, because the companies they were affiliated with didn't offer direction and guidance to help them achieve their long-term goals," Jefferson says. In contrast, she has found Wealth Masters International's commitment to personal and financial growth a refreshing change. "The company offers a free analysis of a member's credit situation and helps them get on track to pay down their personal debt and step on the road to financial freedom," Jefferson says. "The company has alliances with experts in everything from credit repair and financial goal-setting to investments and wealth accumulation strategies." Jefferson notes that the company's "Six Steps to Freedom" resources have not only assisted her in her consultancy, but have helped her develop skills that she routinely uses in her other business ventures. The six steps involve analyzing your personal finances, minimizing your tax obligations, creating a savings fund, ensuring that you are legally protected, building a legacy through wealth creation, and creating a lifestyle that achieves your personal goals. "Wealth Masters International has enabled me to create a life where I can achieve my income potential and spend more time with my family. But the most rewarding part is being able to help other people stop the downward spiral and not only live, but also thrive," Jefferson concludes. Considering the state of our nation's collective financial trouble, that's refreshing news indeed.
Shopping for wedding favors with your fiance
Shopping for Wedding Favors with Your Fiancй For many couples shopping for wedding favors can be a difficult task especially when they are doing this together. This may sound strange but shopping for wedding favors is actually one activity which may cause a great deal of disagreements during the wedding planning process. It may sound like such a trivial detail but in reality shopping for wedding favors can actually be quite stressful and involved. There are a number of reasons for this. One of the main reasons is the large number of options available. There is such a wide range of wedding favors available that selecting just one can be an incredibly daunting task. Furthermore having two people agree on the same favor out of the many options available can be even more difficult. This article will provide some information on how couples can reduce the stress involved with shopping for wedding favors together. One of the easiest ways to avoid the stress and arguments which are likely to ensue while shopping for wedding favors with your fiancй is to simply avoid the situation altogether. You and your fiancй can discuss the situation beforehand and if he is not very interested in helping to select the wedding favors he may be more than willing to give you free reign to select the wedding favors. If you have similar tastes he will likely be confident that you will select something great and will be more than happy to allow you to do so. This makes the shopping process incredibly easier because you simply have to choose something you like and will be confident your fiancй will be happy with the favor as well. However, if you want your fiancй to feel included in the shopping process you can do the shopping beforehand and then have him take a look at the favors before you make your purchase just to be sure you both love the favors you have selected. Another way to eliminate a great deal of stress related to shopping with wedding favors with your fiancй is to discuss the budget carefully before you begin shopping. You should have a good idea of how many guests you are expecting as well as how much you can afford to spend on each favor how much you can afford to spend on wedding favors overall. This is very important because it will help to ensure you and your fiancй are both looking at wedding favors which are priced appropriately for your budget. Having this discussion beforehand will be very helpful because if you start looking at wedding favors first you will likely be drawn to more expensive items. However, once you realize these are out of your price range you may be disappointed. This can make selecting a wedding favor more difficult because you will likely compare the other favors to the ones you cannot afford to purchase. Finally, if you and your fiancй are having a difficult time shopping for wedding favors because you cannot reach an agreement on which favor to select it might be a good idea to seek an outside opinion. One way to do this is to have each of you select a wedding favor and to ask another person to choose between the two final choices. You can either have a sales associate choose between the two or you can bring along a trusted family member or friend who can be objective to help you make the decision. You and your fiancй should agree ahead of time that you are going to accept the decision of the other person. Word count 603
Work experience degree get what you deserve
I lost track of how many bags of Doritos I’ve eaten this week. If I sat up and looked underneath me, I bet I could get a lot better of an idea. Ah, but I don’t really want to do that. I’m really comfortable. In fact, I’ve been comfortable for…god, I guess four or five years now. Its not that bad, sometimes friends come by and my mom has called me before too. Although I do have one regret. Probably my only issue with my life dedicated to the ultimate acquisition of sloth (really I like to think of myself as a Western monk), is that I’ve acquired virtually no skills or experiences whatsoever, work or life derived. Normally I wouldn’t consider this a problem. That drastically changed when I heard about work experience degrees. A work experience degree is a college degree that you can earn by using your knowledge and skills and experience instead of going to the classroom and laboratory and learning these things by experts, academics, professors and intellectuals. You may be thinking that even having a degree is something that wouldn’t appeal to me. Normally, you’d be right. But, through the work experience degree method, obtaining a degree is completely congruent with my life philosophy. For those of you who are crying, “FOUL!” Quiet yourselves. This isn’t one of those “diploma mills” that just doles out undeserving degrees to any fool that fills out the online application. I’m talking about utilizing your native understanding of Spanish to pick up a Spanish 101 course credit. I’m talking about bring using a painting you did to grab yourself a little intro to art credit. Get the picture? That boring seminar on new methods in bookkeeping that your job sent you to just earned you credits in accounting. This is legitimate, is reasonable and its respectable. The more knowledge you have gained in your jobs, travels and general life, the more college credits you’ll have with the work experience degree. There are several institutions that can help you with this, but the Thomas Edison State College is one of the best. This is because it has no restrictions on the number of credits you can acquire through work experience. So, for those of you that have done more in your lives than me (which should be just about all of you…if not call me, we’ll hang out), start making your experience work for you. Go get started on your work experience degree.
Pick up trucks the symbol of today s middle america
Middle America geographically refers to the area of land between the east coast states and the west coast states, but the term is more often used as a cultural label rather than a geographical one. It tends to suggest a suburb or small town where most of the residents are middle class (households earning approximately between $19,000 annually – considered lower middle class – and those earning up to about $55,000 per year – upper middle class). The paradigm of "Middle America" often includes a highly Protestant, highly Caucasian concentration of Americans, but both the religious makeup and ethnicity of those groups are evolving to a more diversified composition. What isn't changing about "Middle America," is its economy. Traditionally, those living in "Middle America" work in some type of agricultural field with the exception of those living in suburban locals. Housing prices tend to be lower there, home prices tend to appreciate much more slowly, and the people living there tend to be less affected by urban sprawl, traffic, and the other social ills that come with major industrial and residential growth associated with bigger cities. Politically, "Middle America" tends to encompass the "battleground states," in which no candidate of either party has overwhelming political support. Despite the clichй that Middle America supports "traditional family values" (which tend to learn toward the more conservative political positions), voters there have been known to vote for whichever candidate supports the hot button issues that affect those living in the region, since many of the issues that affect city-dwellers do not affect them. So what does this mean for pickup trucks? Interestingly, quite a lot. Pickup trucks, such as the extended cab Isuzu i-370 and others like it, are popular vehicles in "Middle America." Their versatility is a key factor; they make hauling farm equipment and supplies easy, able to fit much more in their open beds than could be wedged into an SUV, while also providing an ideal vehicle for family outings most seating up to five or more people comfortably. They fare well in adverse weather conditions as well. Because much of "Middle America" deals with constantly changing seasons, from harsh rains in the summer months to blizzards in winter, pickup trucks can usually press on where smaller vehicles equipped with a lower wheel base, cannot. Because of their power and versatility, the pickup truck is more than just the preferred vehicle for Middle Americans. Over the years, it has become a symbol of hard work, of perseverance, of longevity. For manufacturers and distributors of pickups, this is a good thing. Sales of pickups don't rise and fall the way they do for other types of vehicles. While trends for city drivers can change dramatically based on which models have the best safety features, which are friendlier to the environment, which are most attractive, pickup trucks appear to be exempt from such peaks and valleys. People who drive pickups continue to drive pickups. They know what they want and pickup trucks meet their needs as well as support their identity and beliefs as a symbol of the working class. Pickups are, in short, as American as baseball and apple pie.