Born Free: How
The buying and selling of humans is big business — and an enormous development challenge. It is estimated to generate anywhere from $32 billion to $150 billion a year and affect tens of millions of people: the International Labor Organization believes that nearly 21 million men, women, and children are currently victims of some form of slavery, forced labor, or human trafficking.How to Prevent Human Trafficking…Read more
As a lover of beautiful things I can’t resist such sounds. The purity and sincerity of Janine’s voice comes through awesome clear. Simply beautiful…simply beautiful.
Narrative: (Duration – 90 mins)
Day number 2; Pretty good long run today. Not too much doing after the run – just cool down and chill. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 32mins)
Day number 1; I started tuning up in September, but started tracking in earnest as of today. I am using this month as a tuneup to start improving stamina and work a bit on speed. I will eventually start working in adominals and a bit of weights into my program. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Just recently went to the movies to watch “Into the Storm” and saw the trailer for “If I stay”. This song by A Great Big World and one most favorite female artist next to Whitney – the incomparable Christina Aguilera.
Came across this song while perusing an email about web development and got hook. I really like the melody, smoothest and beat, not to mention the softness of the chick’s voice.
My husband was only 36 when we sat in the exam room and received the bad news we already knew was coming. The cancerous tumor in his esophagus had returned, and it would kill him.
“We can buy you a little more time, but that’s the best we can do. I’m sorry,” were the exact words from the oncologist.
If you’re reading this with interest, chances are you or someone you know may be grappling with a terminal diagnosis.
First, I offer you my deepest sympathies. https://mbno.com/rLH/b5g
Will I surrender into my happiest memories, my dearest moments? Think of tender wet lips and sweet touch? Will I dream of the exquisite sensation and flavor of a hot mint chocolate mocha gliding down my throat, melting and warming from the inside out? Read more at Rebelle Society
Although you may dread doling out large sums of cash for your homeowners policy year after year, you simply can’t afford to go without it. That would be crazy. However, you don’t have to break the bank to carry suitable coverage.
Read more at – Money Talks
Got this from one of my subscription – The Wealth Pilgrim. I found it to be so timely, coming now to the end of 2013. It has caused me to reflect quite a bit on what I am doing in the moment to prepare for a possible future self. When I put this next to Sam Harris’ – It is Always Now, it distills for me a really powerful elixir to live by. Enjoy…
Another of Sam illuminating talks. It doesn’t really matter to me what one’s concept of the God or the Afterlife is…it really only matter that to live in and experience the present; it would also be wise to not close off one’s mind to all possibilities even the possibility of the non-existence of both God and an Afterlife…just be an open vessel.
I am an avid reader of all things Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins. I totally enjoy their frank and clear point of view regarding religion, philosophy and meaning of life. Here Sam gives a pretty good laydown on how much we waste time always hoping for future when we never get to meet it.
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Cancer.org reports that each year “more than 296,000 American women face breast cancer,” and its website offers a wealth of information regarding reconstructive surgery. And with those surgeries come scars.
There are other options, too. Some women choose to forego reconstructive surgery altogether, adorning their chests with inked art instead.
Source: Knoworthy.com
You probably don’t have any trouble finding ways to spend your time. But are you using your time to its fullest? Probably not. Most people (including yours truly) struggle with wasting time to some extent. That’s a shame. Not only does this make it more difficult to move up in your career, it’s easier to fritter away the wonderful life you have.
Source: Weath Pilgrim
When it comes to car shopping, timing is everything. But the formula for figuring out the perfect time to make the purchase can be complicated.
If you’re shopping for your next new car, keep the following tips and statistics in mind.
Source: USAA
Well, yes, they do. Study after study shows that men’s sex drives are not only stronger than women’s, but much more straightforward. The sources of women’s libidos, by contrast, are much harder to pin down.
Source: WebMD
Many people share the common misconception that estate planning is something only very affluent individuals should do before they die. However, estate planning is important, even for those individuals of modest means. Planning for the disposition of one’s assets upon death can offer significant benefits to all parties involved.
The greatest benefit may lie in knowing that your wishes will be respected. Naming your heirs—and relieving them of unnecessary costs and stress by carefully designating which assets they will receive—is preferable to having a court make such decisions for you.
The estate planning process not only includes designating your heirs, but it may also include establishing vehicles—such as trusts—to help protect your assets. This will help ensure your assets go to the people you care about, and can help minimize taxes. In the event of mental or physical incapacity, an estate plan can designate people to help care for you and your property through a durable power of attorney and a health care proxy. You may also want to include a living will among your estate planning documents, so your health care providers know your wishes regarding the possible use of life-sustaining measures in dire situations.
Source: MassMutual Group
Pediatrician’s phone number is programmed into your iPhone, check. Home finally childproofed, check. Hand sanitizers strategically placed everywhere you may need them, check. You’re doing everything by the book for your child, and now it’s time to complete the final step in that equation: getting your finances in order to prepare for your family’s future and dreams. Here are five things every new parent should do:
1. Build up an emergency fund
An emergency fund is a stash of money set-aside to pay for unexpected life events, from new brakes for the car to a surprise medical bill to a new roof. Without it, you might have to pay for those expenses in financially harmful ways like by raiding your retirement fund or going into debt, says Danny Kofke, author of “A Simple Book of Financial Wisdom: Teach Yourself (and Your Kids) How to Live Wealthy with Little Money.” Save at least six months of income in your emergency fund, Kofke says, and put this money in a safe and accessible place, such as a money market or savings account.
Source: MassMutual Group
Title: Scarcity
Summary:
In the blockbuster tradition of Freakonomics, a Harvard economist and a Princeton psychology professor team up to offer a surprising and empowering new way to look at everyday life, presenting a paradigm-challenging examination of how scarcity – and our flawed responses to it – shapes our lives, our society, and our culture.
Why do successful people get things done at the last minute? Why does poverty persist? Why do organizations get stuck firefighting? Why do the lonely find it hard to make friends? These questions seem unconnected, yet Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir show that they are all are examples of a mindset produced by scarcity.
Drawing on cutting-edge research from behavioral science and economics, Mullainathan and Shafir show that scarcity creates a similar psychology for everyone struggling to manage with less than they need. Busy people fail to manage their time efficiently for the same reasons the poor and those maxed out on credit cards fail to manage their money. The dynamics of scarcity reveal why dieters find it hard to resist temptation, why students and busy executives mismanage their time, and why sugarcane farmers are smarter after harvest than before.
Once we start thinking in terms of scarcity and the strategies it imposes, the problems of modern life come into sharper focus.
My Comments:
Still reading this…thus far really enjoying it with a more thorough update…
Grab it from Amazon
Your speech should advance your leadership, not undermine it.
Effective leadership requires verbal discipline.
Leaders need to care about and practice the quality, specificity, and power of their language. Not enough of them do.
Communication is particularly crucial to entrepreneurs. A founder’s individual vision and presence is vital to his or her organization’s sense of itself and its direction. There are several ways a leader can immediately improve his or her language and communication.
You can be anything you want to be! – This is one of the most trite statements and nearly every adult says it to every child. Mostly, it sets kids up for unrealistic expectations. Because, frankly, most kids just want to be famous. And most will not even be internet-famous. The reality is that you can be anything you want to beonly if you have incredible focus, determination, perseverance, luck, connections,chutzpah, a positive attitude, a giving spirit, luck, people skills, the right connections, clarity in defining success, and dozens of other things (suggestions welcome).
Winning a fight doesn’t end it. Only a negotiated solution can provide a lasting peace. When power or authority are used to dominate another, it creates a grudge.
When your explanation simplifies something to make it understandable,
people are more impressed than if it were “too complicated to explain”,
especially when it is.
Don’t “Try Harder”. Often, the act of “trying harder” forces you to focus on immediate outcomes, rather than the big picture. Sometimes, only “trying softer” will do. This is especially true if you’re trying to win someone over to your way of thinking. Trying harder will most likely drive them further away.
Failure is necessary and even desirable.
It definitely sounds counterintuitive, but if you’re not failing, it means you’re not trying hard enough or setting high enough goals for yourself. Nothing important gets done without making mistakes until it gets done better and—hopefully, eventually—right.
Meetings are terrible venues in which to pitch your ideas. Do the pitching informally, so that you have a chance to improve your ideas, confirm your concerns, strengthen your argument–or find out you’re wrong. Don’t bring your idea to a meeting until you have good reason to believe it’ll survive the discussion that follows.
Thinking about death is not depressing.
At first, it seems as though only depressed people are preoccupied with death or that thinking about the inevitable end is a way to become depressed. This may be so for those who are already depressed, but I maintain that reflecting on mortality is a good way to stay cheerful.
By thinking about death, you are faced with the idea of your life as a whole, and of the legacy you may leave either physically or in your influence on those around you. You remind yourself of your fundamental values, rather than being carried from moment to moment in reactive thinking or pleasure seeking. If you think about your life as a whole, it’s easier to get perspective on issues that seem to loom large, or to move away from destructive patterns.
If you’re wrong, admit it as soon as you realise. It’s a sign of character and intelligence. Let the person who corrected know you’re thankful, and that you’re appreciative of their input.
See more at – Quora
This fat sits directly under your skin, making you appear soft and pudgy. For men, subcutaneous fat accumulates mainly around the low back and stomach. In women, subcutaneous fat tends to accumulate around the thighs and buttocks. (What’s Better Than A Six-Pack?) The different distribution is based on the influence of hormones between genders—testosterone and cortisol in men, estrogen and progesterone in women. (McDonald, 2003)…continue reading
Source: Stack.com
We have an egg-cellent way for you to start the morning. Feed your small army with this omelet that’s chock full of bacon, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms and cheese. If you’re a fan of omelets, this delicious dish is definitely for you.
Ingredients
10 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
4 dashes hot pepper sauce
1/2 lb. bacon – cooked, and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 (4 oz.) can black olives, drained
2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/3 cup mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Methods/steps
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8 in. square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine eggs and milk. With an electric mixer, beat until foamy. Blend in salt and hot pepper sauce. Stir in bacon, olives, tomatoes, green onions, mushrooms and cheese. Pour into prepared pan and cover with lid or aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until eggs are set in the center.
Additional Tips
PREP TIME 10 Min
COOK TIME 45 Min
READY IN 55 Min
My Phoenix Rising
The year 2012 was not my best year by far; I suppose I could also say that 2011 was not that much better either. I made quite a few personal missteps and only now, at the start of this new year, am I feeling my Phoenix rising again. I intend to make this year count.
Here are my goals for this year:
Lots have happened over the last 2 years – this is my year to open my eyes and rise again!
My wife pointed out this poem to me written after the Massacre (including the cold-blooded killing of 20 children). I have not written much about this. I was just so torn up by the whole thing. It goes well beyond the “Gun” issue. It is just pure the thought of such evil existing in this world. I will delve into that more in future times, but for now check out this poem –
What Is a Stroke?
Stroke is a medical emergency and a leading cause of death in the U.S. It occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts or, more commonly, when a blockage develops. Without treatment, cells in the brain quickly begin to die. The result can be serious disability or death. If a loved one is having stroke symptoms, seek emergency medical attention without delay.
Source: WebMD
Our hearts broke on Friday as we learned of the tragic and senseless deaths of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
Last night, President Obama addressed the families of Newtown, offering the love and prayers of a nation, and vowing to use whatever power his office holds to protect our children from such unthinkable acts of violence.
What really goes on in the back rooms of car dealerships across America?
What does the car salesman do when he leaves you sitting in a sales office and goes to talk with his boss?
What are the tricks salespeople use to increase their profit and how can consumers protect themselves from overpaying?
These were the questions we, the editors at Edmunds.com, wanted to answer for our readers. But how could they really know that our information was accurate and up-to-date? Finally, we came up with the idea of hiring an investigative reporter to work in the industry and experience, firsthand, the life of a car salesman.
We hired Chandler Phillips, a veteran journalist, to go undercover by working at two new car dealerships in the Los Angeles area. First, he would work at a high-volume, high-pressure dealership selling Japanese cars. Then, he’d change over to a smaller car lot that sold domestic cars at “no haggle” prices.
Source: Edmunds.com | Read follow up here
My comments:
This is definitely a must read for anyone getting ready to go buy a car. It was really a great heads up from a good friend of mine. I am getting ready to buy my second real car in 22 years and this was really insightful.
Title: 23 Things They Don’t Tell You about Capitalism
Summary:
Thing 1: There is no such thing as the free market.
Thing 4: The washing machine has changed the world more than the Internet.
Thing 5: Assume the worst about people, and you get the worst.
Thing 13: Making rich people richer doesn’t make the rest of us richer.
If you’ve wondered how we did not see the economic collapse coming, Ha-Joon Chang knows the answer: We didn’t ask what they didn’t tell us about capitalism. This is a lighthearted book with a serious purpose: to question the assumptions behind the dogma and sheer hype that the dominant school of neoliberal economists – the apostles of the freemarket – have spun since the Age of Reagan.
Chang, the author of the international best seller Bad Samaritans, is one of the world’s most respected economists, a voice of sanity – and wit – in the tradition of John Kenneth Galbraith and Joseph Stiglitz. 23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism equips listeners with an understanding of how global capitalism works – and doesn’t. In his final chapter, “How to Rebuild the World”, Chang offers a vision of how we can shape capitalism to humane ends, instead of becoming slaves of the market.
Ha-Joon Chang teaches in the Faculty of Economics at the University of Cambridge. His books include the best-selling Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism. His Kicking Away the Ladder received the 2003 Myrdal Prize, and, in 2005, Chang was awarded the Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought.
My Comments:
Really great read. I did not have a decent understanding of what the Free Market means, this breaks it into pieces and provide a pretty concise and interesting treatment of how it affect impacts modern (primarily U.S focused) society. Â Thoroughly enjoyed and very much recommend.
Grab it from Amazon
As I stated before this song is my rock…one that I come to when I need a lift of spirit…I need it now.
Originally posted in July 2011: I think this is one of the most uplifting songs I know about. It is definitely one of my favorite and one that I go back to time and time again when I am going through some really tough times (yes…I do have tough times too). I use it to help me regain a view on life that problems are temporary and only our spirits/consciousness endure forever.
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Lyrics to I Believe I Can Fly:
[Verse 1:]
I used to think that I could not go on,
and life was nothing but an awful song;
but now I know the meaning of true love,
I’m leaning on the everlasting arm.
(more…)