Beware of what you puff

Did you know that puffing one cigarette can shorten a smoker's life by 11 minutes?

Research has shown that smoking reduces life expectancy by seven to eight years. About 90 percent of lung cancer cases and 30 percent of fatalities from cancer is related to smoking. Deaths related to smoking are due mainly to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), heart disease, and cancers. Smoking-related illnesses kill about half of all smokers. In most cases, those who started smoking early also make it a life-long habit. These early smokers are also those who are most prone to smoking-related diseases.

Even if the ill-effects of cigarette use are widely known, why do many people still continue smoke? Smoking is a hard habit to break because tobacco contains nicotine, which is highly addictive. Like heroin or other addictive drugs, the body and mind quickly become so used to the nicotine in cigarettes that a person needs to have it just to feel normal.

People start smoking for a variety of different reasons. Some smoke because they think that it is the “cool” thing to do. Others get started on smoking because their family members or friends also smoke. Statistics show that 9 out of 10 tobacco users started smoking even before they reached 18 years old. Most adults who started smoking in their teens never expected to become addicted. That's why people say it's just so much easier to not start smoking at all.

Many of us breathe smoke whether we like it or not. We usually inhale smoke in public places, around doorways of buildings, and at work. When someone smokes inside a home or car, everyone inside breathes second-hand smoke. When a person smokes near you, you breathe in second-hand smoke. Second hand smoke is produced when a cigarette burns. It is made up of two components. One is mainstream smoke, which is what a smoker inhales and exhales. The other is called sidestream smoke and comes from the end of a burning cigarette, cigar, or pipe.

Cigarettes produce about 12 minutes of smoke, yet the smoker may inhale only 30 seconds of smoke from their cigarette. The rest of the smoke lingers in the air for non-smokers and smokers to breathe. Second-hand smoke contains more than 4000 chemicals. Many of these chemicals are known to cause cancer.

Moreover, second-hand smoke causes sore eyes, throat and nasal irritation, headaches, coughing and wheezing, nausea, and dizziness. One can also get colds and the flu. Breathing in second-hand smoke can also trigger asthma attacks and increase your chances of getting bronchitis and pneumonia. The longer you're exposed to second-hand smoke, the more it will affect your health.

The only thing that really helps a person avoid the problems associated with smoking and second-hand smoke is staying smoke-free. Limiting your exposure to secondhand smoke may seem easy, but sometimes it is not, especially if everyone around you is smoking and offering you cigarettes. One can keep his or her home and car smoke free by smoking outside. However, remember that smoke can linger for up to two and half-hours, so opening a window or leaving the room doesn't really count.

Even the slightest exposure to second-hand smoke is dangerous. A piece of advice for smokers: it is never too late to quit your unhealthy habit. By quitting smoking, you can help save other people's lives, including your own.

Online coupon-the benefits

Consumers that love to save a few dollars also adore using online coupons. In fact, consumers that frequently take advantage of online coupons already know the benefits that are afforded to them through the use of online coupons. Yet, do you realize the benefits that accompany the use of online coupons? If you are not in the practice of using online coupons, you probably don’t know what outrageous savings you are missing out on!

First, you can save anywhere from five to fifty percent off of many purchases when you use online coupons. Although the savings afforded to you will vary from one retailer to the next, there are virtually hundreds of big-named retailers offering online coupons that provide consumers like you with huge savings on products and services. If you are not taking advantage of such savings then you are truly losing out on significant savings—savings that can be accumulated and stored away for life’s little emergencies or money that can be spend on things that you really enjoy doing in your free time.

With online coupons you don’t have to wait for the savings to come to you. Although the local newspapers and your favorite magazines often have excellent coupons that you can use toward products and services, you often have to wait for such resources to be distributed before you can actually get your hands on the great savings they have to offer. Conversely, online coupons and the websites that offer them, provide you with immediate access to hundreds of dollars worth of savings, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. All you have to do is visit a website offering online coupons—immediately you will be astounded by the opportunities afforded to you with online savings.

Likewise, when you wait around for newspaper advertisements and magazines to provide you with coupons, such resources are limited in the type of coupons they offer and how many coupons they offer for products or services. For instance, if you receive a local newspaper with coupon inserts, you will find perhaps 20 or 30 coupons for food, toys, household cleaners and the like. However, you may not find coupons for the products you really favor and this can be a disappointment. Alternatively, when you visit a website offering online coupons you can search for your favorite retailers, and in some cases, you can search for your favorite name brands and immediately be provided with huge savings on your favorite products. Further, the coupons offered online are hardly limited in their diversity; you can find hundreds of coupons for an assortment of products and services.

Another benefit that you may be missing out on if you are not taking advantage of online coupons is the fact that websites offering online coupons have a tendency to lead you to retailers you may have not been aware of before. Using the Internet to shop opens up new doors to every shopper, because you are no longer restricted to simply shop in your local area. Instead, you can easily access hundreds of stores all over the nation and order your products from various retailers’ websites. Have your products shipped directly to your home and save money by using online coupons in the process. Moreover, in using online coupons and shopping online, you are saving money on travel costs—you can shop from home and find exactly what you need without having to shop from one store to the next scouring the shelves to find what you are looking for.

Along with the benefit of diversified shopping, you can also find out where all the best bargains are and comparatively shop on the Internet when you are using the Internet and online coupons. Many websites offering online coupons will frequently afford you the opportunity to view side by side comparisons of the offers that retailers are currently offering. A listing of retailers with each offer is supplied to website visitors and it only takes a few moments to identify the best deals available. What does this mean to the consumer looking to save money? It means that consumers can reap the most savings each and every time they shop online and use the Internet because they can choose the best deals whenever they shop.

Clearly the benefits derived from using online coupons are numerous and if you are not using online coupons you may want to start. The savings you can reap are more than worth a few minutes of your time. Moreover, you can open yourself to a diversified shopping experience and find all of the products and services you need by accessing a website with online coupons. What are you waiting for? Don’t you think it’s time you starting saving money on all of the items you frequently shop for

A good communication technique

Human beings are social beings and we are interacting with people every day of our life. Often, our happiness depends a great deal on how the interactions with each person turn out. This is especially true of those whom we care about e. g. in close friendships as well as in marriage. However, because each personality we deal with is unique and presents its own challenges, managing the myriad of relationships requires us to consciously observe the process and impact of our interactions so that we continue to gain knowledge, understanding and experience in developing relationships in a positive way.

I have realized that to have good management of relationships, we need to be assertive and honest in sharing our thoughts, feelings and concerns. However, this needs to be done in a way that does not provoke the other party, but is instead respectful and encourages both parties to listen to each other. A good way to do this is through the communication technique of "I" Messages.

In "I" messages, statements are made about ourselves, how we feel and our concerns, and what actions of the other party has led to the concerns. "You" messages focus on the other person and would usually lead the other party to become defensive unless the "You" message is a positive statement of the other person. For example, a husband or wife is waiting for the return of the spouse and when the spouse returns, he or she might be greeted by this: "You are always coming home late! Why can't you come back earlier?" This "You" message leads to the spouse feeling blamed and attacked and the ensuing communication would likely not be an amiable one. In a conflicting situation, "You" message focuses on attacking the other person. As a result, the primary issues are pushed aside. In contrast, in this same scenario, an "I" message would look like this: "I feel rather lonely while waiting for you to come home. I'm concerned that you are often home late and I get rather frustrated wondering when you're going to be home." In this statement therefore, the speaker shares his or her feelings and concerns. The clear communication of the concern is a good starting point for both parties to work out what can be done about it.

"I" messages are effective because the focus is on the issue or concern and not on the other person. The sharing of the speaker's feelings can also lead to more trust in the relationship as it shows the speaker is willing to look within himself or herself and take responsibility for his or her feelings.

In fact, generally in most interactions, my opinion is that the use of "I" messages is always superior to "You" messages and is a more respectful way of communicating. So, even when expressing positive feelings, a "You" message: "You look good in this dress", could be enhanced by "I" messages: "I'm so happy to see you. I remember all the fun we used to have. You look good."

Generally, there are three parts to an "I" message:

I feel _________________ (express your feeling)

when you _____________ (describe the action that affects you or relates to the feeling)

because _______________ (explain how the action affects you or relates to the feeling)

The order in which the 3 parts are expressed is usually not important.

Sometimes a fourth part might be added. This states our preference for what we would like to take place instead.

Examples of more "I" messages:

"I get very anxious when you raise your voice at me because it makes me feel like I've done something very wrong. Could you please not raise your voice when we talk?"

"I'm so happy you're learning to cook because then I'll know you can prepare your own meal when I'm unable to be home in time to cook."

"When you take so long talking to your friend on the phone, I'm concerned that there might be urgent calls that cannot come through. Also, I feel frustrated as I would like to spend more time with you. How about asking your friend to call at another time, when I am not around."

Use of "I" messages might not come naturally to most people initially. However, with practice, you will be surprised at how you will begin to like this communication approach, especially when you begin to experience the good result of better quality interactions and more harmonious relationships.

Reference:

1. succezz. com/S2/ForbiddenPsychologicalTactics. html

2. succezz. com/happy1.html

3. jacobgan. com/MotivateYourWayToSuccess. html

Lipstick so many choices

Lipstick is a fashion accessory that some women just can’t do without. Lipstick has been the one cosmetic staple that most women have relied on.

It’s not uncommon for a woman to put on lipstick before anything else and in the case of being in a hurry many women forego mascara or blush and reach for their lipstick.

Although the term “lipstick” clearly means a cosmetic that is applied to the lips, there are several different types of lipsticks available for purchase. Each woman has her own unique preference when it comes to the different types of lipsticks and which one suits her best.

One common ingredient found in many different types of lipsticks is a moisturizer. This is important because lips can often become dried out because of the weather or the lack of humidity in a building. Incorporating a moistening agent into lipstick allows the woman to wear it all day without worry that her lips will become dry or chapped.

Another important ingredient in many different types of lipsticks is sunscreen. As much damage as the sun’s rays can cause to skin they can cause just as much damage to lips. Therefore it’s very important when browsing the cosmetics aisle to choose lipstick that has a sun screen in it. It doesn’t change the appearance or feel of the lipstick at all.

All of the different types of lipsticks come in many assorted colors. Some women love a bold look and for them a bright or dark red is a good choice. For other women they are looking for lipstick that is more demure. In this case they’ll want to concentrate on a lipstick that is a pale shade, perhaps pink or coral.

You can also change your shade of lipstick depending on the event or your mood. If you are attending a gala dinner you’ll want to choose a more striking lipstick that complements your outfit choice. If you are heading to the beach for a day of rest and relaxation a more subtle shade of lipstick would be most appropriate.

Although it seems that the color choice in lipstick is unending, there are also just as many brands of lipstick to choose from.

Cosmetic companies recognize the importance of lipstick in their customer’s lives. They want to improve their lipstick products so that they are longer lasting and the colors stay more vibrant.

There are several lipstick brands that now offer all day wear. This means that the woman applies the lipstick once in the morning and it is intended to stay fresh throughout the day. Many of these types of lipstick claim that the product wouldn’t smudge off even if the woman is drinking or eating.

For a very busy woman who enjoys looking her best this type of lipstick can be perfect. She chooses the shade that best matches her look for the day. She applies it before leaving home and can work all day without worrying about reapplication.

Purchasing lipstick is as easy as visiting your local cosmetics counter. In most major department stores the cosmetic counter is staffed with a beauty specialist. This person will be able to help you when you are buying lipstick.

Quite often they have training in cosmetology and understand what shades of lipstick complement what skin tones the best. They’ll choose a few lipsticks for you to consider. In most stores there are lipstick testers which allow the customer the chance to apply a small dab of lipstick on their wrist to check for color.

Lipstick is fun to wear and it can brighten up a woman’s mood instantly. When choosing lipstick it’s wise to pick a few different shades that reflect your different moods.

Beginning wine tasting

Wine really does deserve some serious attention if you ask me, it’s a lot more than just a drink. It is for this reason that I find it very strange that there is no defined tasting procedure which has a universal acceptance. It is common that the majority of wine tasters follow their own set out plan when tasting and this will vary from person to person. Most of these steps, whilst having their place in the vineyards would be frowned upon at the dining table, they involve a set of steps which to the layperson would appear quite ridiculous. The difference can be akin to that of a persons preference to a particular style or genre of music. The world of critical wine tasting is a comparison between a real standard and the wine in question, drinking wine with a meal is greatly different to this and the wine is undoubtedly intended as an accompaniment to the meal and as a “refreshment”. Although there is no doubting the eccentric activities of a wine taster at a dinner party are perhaps not required it is worth admiring and appreciating the great talent and concentration that goes into the true appreciation of wine. From an outsiders view, these strange and sometimes occult like tastings may seem a little over complicated but with a true desire and ability to focus ones attention it is quickly possible to begin to understand and appreciate wine in a more full sense. For the basics of wine tasting we are undoubtedly in debt to the likes of Clarke and Goulden.

Where possible it is advised that you should rinse your mouth clean before tasting a wine, but obviously in a dinner party setting this is not always possible nor desired. I would however, recommend that the beginner use this method, it clears the palette and allows the wine taster to become more familiar with the basic characteristics of the wine being tasted (if in doubt, borrow from the experts!). A more experienced taster will more quickly be able to get the basic qualities of a wine and will often omit this step. Many consider that rinsing with water in this way detracts from the wine and affects palette because the water alters the sensitivity of the tongue and therefore adds a further complication in the whole process. During a long session of tasting it is quite possible that the mouth can become fatigued and therefore this instance lends itself to a revitalization with water.

Wines are best tasted in tulip shaped glasses, with the exception being sparkling wines which require a fluted glass (the elongated type you often see unused in display cabinets!). These style of glasses enhance the sparkling wines natural effervescence. If you don’t have the correct glasses (or enough if you’re having friends round) you can always loan them from a friend. It is important when comparing wines that each glass is filled to the same level (about a third full is the normal) this allows the taster to hold the glass at a steep angle to allow for a nice observation of the colour and clarity but also allows for a nice vigorous swirl of the wine which in turn releases the aromatics in the wine. At dinner party’s it’s also a useful tool when showing off, but beware there is always someone at the party who knows more about wine than you, so credit your fellow guests with some intelligence!

Imagine that defining an imaginal education

Education is failing in the United States. By saying this, I know that I join the ranks of the self-appointed Cassandra’s who hurl our hands up to our foreheads and sing the doom of a nation. But it’s true.

And most of the wailers miss the point. Underlying the political agendas, funding battles, culture wars, and the simultaneous disrespect for and outrageous expectations of teachers, there is a much deeper failure.

Think of a moment in your life when you were completely caught up in learning something. In that moment, learning wasn’t about facts, tests or grades, succeeding or failing. Instead, it was an all-consuming, joyful burst of energy and pleasure at finally discovering something. Of understanding something. To borrow from Shakespeare, it was an instance of god-like apprehension, comprehension of our place as partners in a creative universe.

How often have you had a moment like that in your educational process? If you’re like most people, pretty rarely. Somewhere along the line, education became a consumerist contest of amassing skills and factoids and spewing them back to the world like game show geeks. But when we become glorified databases, we lose the analytical abilities that keep us from being engulfed by systems (be they political, religious, societal, or media) without bothering to ask if they should exist at all. We have all of the pieces out of the puzzle box and arrayed on the table, but we don’t have a picture to follow.

And that’s what we’re missing: the picture. The image. The imagining. Our failure is a failure of imagination, both in what we teach and how we teach it, but also, far more importantly, a failure to understand that education is ultimately about imagination itself.

When we become imaginal learners, we move beyond passive collectors of information into creators. We find the enchantment, the poetics of learning, and we can imagine entire universes into being. Learning becomes a spiraling generative process that invites us to continue to learn and to shape ourselves and our worlds.

So what would an imaginal education look like? Part of its beauty, and admittedly, its complexity, is that there isn’t one answer. It is an invitation for each learner to understand herself and the world around her as a classroom. It is about inviting wonder to be your partner, and continually asking “why” and “how” and “what if” about everything and everyone that crosses your path.

Since it is so vast, let me try to sketch out an example from a very small, prosaic beginning point: the number 32. I have a painful memory of standing in a classroom with flashing cards and spots before my eyes, trying to spit out multiplication tables. But in spite of that (mostly because I count on my fingers), I know that eight times four is thirty-two.

In an imaginal learning context, the flash cards are gone. The walls of the classroom are gone, replaced by a hillside on a quiet night where the stars seem made for counting, and infinity has a tangible and richly mythic presence. So I lie on my back, and imagine a life for the number 32. A combination of eight (a sideways symbol of infinity) and four (of the four elements) make up the sinuous and stable combination of thirty-two. I imagine its colors, its own suggestion of infinity when turned sideways – like three mountains and the beginnings of a fourth.

And then I begin to count. Eight constellations, each of four stars. Sixteen pairings of two. I remember the stories of the constellations. I make up poems with four stanzas of eight lines each, and drum out rhythms in 4/4 and 2/4 time. And then I explore 32 as a leaping point into other thoughts, other disciplines, awareness of myself and those around me. For example, in the Buddhist tradition, there are 32 body parts. How many can I count? And what lies underneath a philosophy that identifies the body this way? Or, I look to language. Balagtбs Tagalog, one of the indigenous languages of the Philippines that is being replaced by a state sanctioned combination of Filipino and English, has 32 letters. What letters would I add to the English alphabet? And can I understand the despair of losing my language and the identity that goes with it?

As philosopher and mathematician Gaston Bachelard writes, imagination is “a voyage into the infinite.” Education is the most powerful when its goal isn’t overtly focused on what it will achieve for us, but instead when it is an open process that seduces us into searching for what we’ve not been able yet to see. It helps us not only to fit the puzzle pieces together, but to turn the pieces into the image that we have created.

In that voyage, we become infinite ourselves. And education stops being a metaphorical key to a brand new refrigerator and dining set that you vie for because you want to be a good consumer, but instead truly becomes something that is good for the entirety of the soul.

Persuasion through isolation

Last year I saw a documentary about the cult leader Jim Jones called "Jonestown: The Life And Death of People's Temple". It is the history of the murder/"suicide" of 913 members of the People's Temple in Guyana through photos, clips, recordings and interviews of surviving members.

The Reverend Jim Jones was a master at getting people to join his "ministry" because he reached out to people who were disenfranchised and he preached equality. This appealed to a larger community and he expressed caring and was able to eventually use his power to persuade the followers to drink cyanide-laced cherry Flavor Aid.

This is a very disturbing example of evil persuasion through isolation, charismatic authority and all of this in relationship to brainwashing and manipulation.

There are two kinds of isolation--physical and mental. Jim Jones used both.

Physical isolation isn't always possible for some cults, MLM companies or religions. It's possible they may employ both kinds of isolation, but normally the mental isolation is enough to keep their members involved. They begin to "divide and conquer" the members by suggesting that anyone who doesn't support their choice in life of belonging to the group/cult/religion/MLM, is not looking out for their best interest.

When isolation is used by someone who has bad intentions, it is a very dangerous tool.

Isolation can also be used for sales or business on a more reputable level.

Mental isolation is most effective with customers/clients/prospects who you see on a regular basis. Lots of small interactions tend to create more loyalty. Cafes are a good example of this. It's competitive. People have many choices from chains to locally owned chains to independently owned mom and pop cafes.

Recently I was in a locally owned cafe where the owner sparked up a conversation and suggested their product was not generic, it was high quality and didn't cost a fortune like the most famous national chain. If you are invested in a home grown, grass roots type of existence, this remark might be preaching to the choir. Alternately, if you're someone who doesn't pay much attention to things like that, then it might plant a seed or it might just float right past you.

Some religions use isolation in terms of imposing rules about what is and what is not okay to talk about with non-members or "outsiders".

I consider myself a very spiritual person and this is in no way a judgment about religion. it's just a way to illustrate persuasion and how the persuasion of isolation is used to indoctrinate members of a given group.

Creating a shared experience is another way to create a psychological isolation. This can be accomplished in business by having a retreat or conference. It can be used to reward employees. Shared tragedy also has this effect. Think of 9/11 wives/survivors, New Orleans residents who were at the Superdome, Gulf War veterans. All of these groups have incredibly powerful bonds and there is the potential for them to become very committed to each other.

The final strategy in isolation is to 'predict the future'. Sales people do this all the time in response to the 'shop around' objection. "Sure, go ahead. But X shop doesn't have our selection (return policy, prices, etc.)" Cults use this future predicting by telling new members that their "choice" in joining will be ridiculed by friends and family. The cult leaders offer this as "proof" that the new member's family and friends obviously don't care about them as much as the group does. 'If they really cared about you, wouldn't they be glad that you found something to make you happy?'

I urge you to use this information with integrity and honesty. Failing to do so will most definitely come back to bite you.