Cooking up tradition during the holidays

It may seem odd to latch onto a Southern tradition when you’re born and bred in New York City. But once I discovered a few years ago why Southerners eat hopping john on New Year’s Day - a few bites and you’ll have a lucky year - I’ve been hosting a hopping (or hoppin’, as it is often spelled) john party ever since. Who doesn’t want good luck, especially nowadays?Southerners aren’t the only ones who mark New Year’s with food rituals that hope for good things ahead - in Italy, lentils are eaten to bring prosperity; in Spain and Malta, people eat 12 grapes, one for each month; a sour grape means you’ll have a bad month so you can plan - or at least resign yourself.

There isn’t a holiday that doesn’t have some sort of food tradition, and many of us continue the traditions handed down by our family.

A few weeks ago, the IJ asked readers to send in some of their holiday food traditions. Here’s what they shared:

Maya Manny, San Rafael

Growing up in the Netherlands, foods were very seasonal (no strawberries in November!) and at this time of the year we would be focusing on the all-important arrival of Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas. This used to be celebrated with witty clever poems, small, fun gifts and certain traditional foods for St. Nicholas Eve, Dec. 5. and St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6. Even though we still were rationed on sugar in the fall of 1948, three years after the war had ended, somehow the necessary ingredients for some of the traditional food items appeared. This one is named banketletter.This is a quick and easy recipe and can be shaped into two long sticks or into eight letters, so you can give everyone their initial to eat. You also may find a chocolate initial in your shoe if you put it near the chimney and sing an appropriate song.

At Christmas time, I make the dough into circles and tie a red ribbon and green sprig on them.

For outer dough

2 cups flour (I use unbleached, unsifted)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

Mix quickly in Cuisinart or cut in by hand until crumbly. Add 1/3 cup ice water and spin, then gather it by hand into a sticky ball and chill at least 30 minutes.

For the filling:

7 ounces almond paste

1 egg

3 tablespoon sugar Ê Ê

In Cuisinart (or by hand) mix the filling and chill. Can be done the night before. Ê

Halve the dough, put rest back in fridge. Roll out between wax paper sheets or on silpat liner or on a lightly floured surface until a bit less than 1/4-inch thick.

Cut into 2 strips to make two wreaths or letters.

Layer the filling into a narrow strip, fold, moisten the edge, seal with a fork, turn upside down, connect the ends so the filling will not leak out.

Mix 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water and brush all over the pastries. Bake in 350-degree oven for 30 minutes till golden brown. Slice in 1-inch pieces.

Note: It is a good keeper. Freezes beautifully; reheat for 7 minutes in a hot oven.

Shirley Graves, Novato

My mother was a great cook - every meal was a work of art and nutrition! But the Christmas treat that I remember most was only “arranged” by Mother. We lived in a lovely 54-unit apartment building in Joliet, Ill., until I was 12 years old. A lady from Denmark, Mrs. Farb, lived upstairs. At Christmas she baked traditional Danish cookies for many neighbors. They were small, sweet and either dark red or dark green. I have never seen anything like them.Mrs. Farb did not ask for money from the neighbors she baked for, just that they provide the sugar and butter for their batch of cookies. The problem was, this was the 1940s, our country was at war, and many things were rationed, such as the sugar and butter that made up most of the cookies. Everyone had a government-issued book of ration coupons to use to purchase certain items. Our cookie-eating neighbors and my mother chose to use some of their coupons on a Christmas treat!

Lori Smith, San Rafael

For the past 15 or so years, I have prepared apple baked yams for family and friends on Thanksgiving Day. My two college-aged daughters, Jenn, age 20, and Heather, age 23, absolutely love this Thanksgiving treasure! When serving these yams over the holidays, I hear many comments such as: “This taste just like apple pie,” “These are the best yams I’ve ever tasted,” etc.Jenn, a junior at UC Santa Barbara, is studying abroad in Grenoble, France, this year, and wasn’t home for the Thanksgiving holiday. She recently called me long distance to request that I prepare a Thanksgiving dinner at Christmas time, and include her favorite apple baked yams on the menu. Without hesitation, I let her know that her wish was my command.

I can’t wait to have both daughters home at Christmas break, and to prepare this dish for my wonderful family. With pleasure, I share this recipe that has been enjoyed by family and friends over the years.

Lori’s apple baked yams

This recipe makes 5 to 6 generous servings. I usually double the recipe.

5-6 medium yams (pierce the skin before cooking, peel after cooking and when cool to touch)

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup raisins

3 Macintosh or Empire apples, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Cinnamon to taste

Cook the yams in preheated 400-degree oven for approximately 40 minutes, or in a microwave oven on high for 15 minutes, or until tender. Mash yams with milk, 2 tablespoons butter and raisins. Place a layer of yams in a greased 3-quart casserole dish. Add a layer of sliced apples, and sprinkle lightly with sugar and cinnamon. Dot with butter. Repeat layering of yams, apples, sugar, cinnamon, dot with butter, and finish with a layer of yams. Dot surface with butter. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 1 hour.

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Recipes for Health - Winter Squash Gratin

This gratin is an easy vegetarian main dish to make and resembles a quiche, but without the crust.

This series offers recipes with an eye towards empowering you to cook healthy meals every day. Produce, seasonal and locally grown when possible, and a well-stocked pantry are the linchpins of a good diet, and accordingly, each week’s recipes will revolve around a particular type of produce or a pantry item. This is food that is vibrant and light, full of nutrients but by no means ascetic, fun to cook and a pleasure to eat.
See previous recipes »

1 1/2 pounds winter squash of your choice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

3 eggs

1/2 cup low-fat milk

2 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/4 cup)

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Cover a baking sheet with foil and brush lightly with olive oil. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy membranes, brush the cut sides with olive oil and lay cut side down on the foil-covered baking sheet. Bake 40 minutes, or until soft enough to pierce easily with a knife. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then peel and either mash with a fork, puree in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or finely dice. You should have about 2 cups of pureed or finely diced squash.

2. Turn the oven down to 375ºF and oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish with olive oil. Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a medium heavy skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the parsley and sage, and squash, and remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and whisk in the milk. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir in the squash mixture and the Gruyère. Taste and adjust seasonings. Scrape into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the Parmesan over the top.

5. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned on the top and sizzling. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Read full recipe - Recipes for Health - Winter Squash Gratin

So many ways to treat so many types of headache

Treatments can vary widely, from medication to surgery or herbs
By CINDY GEORGE Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Constant shooting, stinging, throbbing and other painful head-pounding could ruin — or rule — your life.

Up to 35 million Americans suffer migraine and other forms of headache, according to the American Academy of Neurology.

• FOUR TYPES OF HEADACHES: The main types of headaches are tension, migraine, cluster and hormone.
Tension headaches, the most common, cause a band-like sensation or other pressure around the head. Most migraine headaches occur on one side of the head. Described as the most intense, cluster headaches attack in groups. Hormone headaches are associated with women’s menstrual cycles.

• OTHER TYPES OF HEADACHES: You might also experience over-medication rebound headaches, sinus headaches and those caused by brain abnormalities, including tumors.
• TRIGGERS: Stress, certain foods and sleeping patterns can trigger headaches.
“Eating meals regularly, staying well-hydrated and trying to minimize stress in life, sleeping well and getting exercise really do make a difference,” said Dr. Pamela Blake, a Houston neurologist at Memorial Hermann Northwest.

Changing weather that causes barometric pressure to spike or dip could be the culprit.

“When the fronts are coming in, primarily in the spring and fall, that will trigger headaches in the front of the head or face,”said Dr. Howard S. Derman, a neurologist at The Methodist Hospital. “People sometimes think those are sinus headaches because of spring flowers, but they’re really not.”

The same concept applies to people plagued with head pain while flying, hiking or mountain-climbing.

Read full article: So many ways to treat so many types of headache

Lose Your Weight By Choosing Correct Diet Plan

The first step towards a healthy life is a healthy body. And for a healthy body you need to keep your body in shape. In other words you will have to loose the extra pounds you have accumulated for so many years by spending a lot of money. ‘Lose weight’ seems to be the new slogan of the present generation. They want to do it to make their life healthier, more promising and look better. Hence the requirement for a healthy body arises.

The first step toward loosing your weight would be controlling your diet. You will have to make your diet according to the requirement of your body. Many people think that they can lose their weight by abstaining from food, by eating just to survive. But this is not a healthy practice as you also lose the basic nutrients required by the body not just unnecessary fat. A correct diet plan should reflect your life style. For example if you work in a office and all you have to do is to just sit there and then come home then your diet plan would be something else than the person who has to constantly move from one location to another during their day job. It also depends upon whether you work in day or in night.

There are many diet plans available in the market. They include weight watchers, jenny Craig, south beach, and Atkins and nutria system. They all work well. They can help to enhance your healthy life and at the same time make you lose your weight if you follow its rules from the start to the end without any interval, without any break. But do remember that it is always easier said than done. Hence choose your diet plan carefully and accordingly. And once you have chosen them then stick to it.

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Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing with Meyer Lemon

By: Kathy Hester (View Profile)

Earlier this year I got myself a dwarf Meyer lemon tree. I have wanted one for a few years. It was only two feet tall, but already covered in green baby lemons. Now, six months later, I have about eight juicy yellow Meyer lemons to cook with.

It looked beautiful on my deck, and the white flowers were very fragrant. Unfortunately, I had to cut off the branch that was blooming to get rid of an unidentified icky pest that was trying attack it. I’m not sure if I’ll be harvesting much next year, so I want to make the best of what I have now.

In a warm climate, you could plant it outside, but I’m keeping mine in a pot. This way I can enjoy the green foliage inside during the winter and bring it outside for the summer.

If you haven’t used Meyer lemons before, you are in for a treat. They are sweeter, more of a cross between a mandarin orange and a lemon. Also the skin is much thinner. In fact, so thin that when I hit it on the counter to get it ready to juice, it busted open and went all over me and the floor. Let that be a lesson you don’t have to learn first hand!

Read full recipe: Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing with Meyer Lemon

Zephyr Announces Business Partners in Germany and South Africa

Following the establishment of its UK branch earlier this year, Zephyr are pleased to confirm international business partner contracts for Germany and South Africa. The new business partners will distribute the Zephyr PASSPORT family of terminal emulation products.

Houston, TX (PRWEB) December 14, 2008 — Following the establishment of its UK branch earlier this year, Zephyr are pleased to confirm international business partner contracts for Germany and South Africa. The new business partners will distribute the Zephyr PASSPORT family of terminal emulation products.

In Germany, Zephyr is represented by UBS Hainer GmbH (www.ubs-hainer.com), who manages and supports PASSPORT products at such customer accounts as Allianz Suisse, Daimler Bank AG and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW).

In South Africa, Zephyr is represented by JMR Software Ltd (www.jmr.co.za), who supports Zephyr products at First National Bank (FNB), Business Connexion (BCX), Cadiz and others.

“We have a wealth of current international customers and many new prospects that we feel will benefit from having fully trained partners in their own countries” said Russell Martin, Zephyr Vice-President Sales and Marketing. “Familiarity with local business practices and the ability to support the Zephyr products and business model is essential”.

“We really want to send a clear message to international organizations that use Attachmate®, MicroFocus® (formerly NetManage®), IBM® and other terminal emulation products: Zephyr can save you substantial sums of money with an easy and transparent change to PASSPORT”, Martin continued.

PASSPORT 2009 is slated for release in January and will have localized language support for the Italian, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese markets.

Zephyr Announces Business Partners in Germany and South Africa

New Nokia Smartphone Patent Features Swiveling Widescreen and QWERTY

A new patent from Nokia shows a pretty interesting new design: a full widescreen that can swivel behind a QWERTY keyboard so only half the screen is visible.

When held in one position, the phone looks a lot like Nokia’s traditional QWERTY candybars, but the screen can swivel up and out to present a widescreen, presumably for media or web browsing, apps that need a lot of screen real estate. It’s a cool way to combine the appeal of a giant touchscreen with the utility of a QWERTY keyboard, except unlike sliders like the T-Mobile G1 or the Sidekick, the keys are always available on this concept. The screen can also apparently rotate side to side, though I’m not really sure what use could be had from that.

It’s just a patent, and I’m sure there are a number of reasons why this idea won’t come to fruition (how is that screen attached?). But I like the idea and maybe we’ll see elements of it in future products from Nokia.
Source - New Nokia Smartphone Patent Features Swiveling Widescreen and QWERTY

15 important credit card terms to consider before buying a credit card!!

By Thomas Lindstrøm

A credit card is a form of borrowing that often involves charges. Credit terms and conditions affect your overall cost.
So it’s wise to compare terms and fees before you agree to open a credit or charge card account. The following are some important terms to consider that generally must be disclosed in credit card applications or in solicitations that require no application. You also may want to ask about these terms when you’re shopping for a card.

If you don’t understand the language, credit card offers and statements could lead you to deep debt — or at least furious frustration. For the big scoop on the fine print, here’s what these frequently used credit card terms mean.

1.Average daily balance — This is the method by which most credit cards calculate your payment due. An average daily balance is determined by adding each day’s balance and then dividing that total by the number of days in a billing cycle. The average daily balance is then multiplied by a card’s monthly periodic rate, which is calculated by dividing the annual percentage rate by 12. A card with an annual rate of 18 percent would have a monthly periodic rate of 1.5 percent. If that card had a $500 average daily balance it would yield a monthly finance charge of $7.50.

2.APR(Annual percentage rate) — A yearly rate of interest that includes fees and costs paid to acquire the loan. Lenders are required by law to disclose the APR. The rate is calculated in a standard way, taking the average compound interest rate over the term of the loan, so borrowers can compare loans.

3.Balance transfer — The process of moving an unpaid credit card debt from one issuer to another. Card issuers sometimes offer teaser rates to encourage balance transfers coming in and balance-transfer fees to discourage them from going out.

4.Cash-advance fee — A charge by the bank for using credit cards to obtain cash. This fee can be stated in terms of a flat per-transaction fee or a percentage of the amount of the cash advance. For example, the fee may be expressed as follows: “2%/$10?. This means that the cash advance fee will be the greater of 2 percent of the cash advance amount or $10.

The banks may limit the amount that can be charged to a specific dollar amount. Depending on the bank issuing the card, the cash advance fee may be deducted directly from the cash advance at the time the money is received or it may be posted to your bill as of the day you received the advance. The cost of a cash advance is also higher because there generally is no grace period. Interest accrues from the moment the money is withdrawn.

5.Card holder agreement — The written statement that gives the terms and conditions of a credit card account. The cardholder agreement is required by Federal Reserve regulations. It must include the Annual Percentage Rate, the monthly minimum payment formula, annual fee if applicable, and the cardholder’s rights in billing disputes. Changes in the cardholder agreement may be made, with written advance notice, at any time by the issuer. Rules for imposing changes vary from state to state, but the rules that apply are those of the home state of the issuing bank, not the home state of the cardholder.

6.Finance charge — The charge for using a credit card, comprised of interest costs and other fees.

7.Floor — The minimum rate possible on a variable-rate loan or line of credit, after any initial introductory rate period. For example, on a credit card with the Prime rate as its index, no matter how low the Prime rate drops, the rate on the line may never decrease below the stated rate floor.

8.Free Period — Also called a “grace period,” a free period lets you avoid finance charges by paying your balance in full before the due date. Knowing whether a card gives you a free period is especially important if you plan to pay your account in full each month. Without a free period, the card issuer may impose a finance charge from the date you use your card or from the date each transaction is posted to your account. If your card includes a free period, the issuer must mail your bill at least 14 days before the due date so you’ll have enough time to pay.

9.Minimum payment — The minimum amount a cardholder can pay to keep the account from going into default. Some card issuers will set a high minimum if they are uncertain of the cardholder’s ability to pay. Most card issuers require a minimum payment of two percent of the outstanding balance.

10.Over-the-limit fee — A fee charged for exceeding the credit limit on the card.

Source article: 15 important credit card terms to consider before buying a credit card!!

Front yard decorations get more elaborate for WVC couple

A West Valley man does not need many hands to make light work — he has two to make 18,000 of them light up his front yard.

Dan Nelson has made and bought Christmas decorations for about eight years, and he is planning to expand his collection.

“Every year, I just want it to be brighter,” Nelson said. “I have more lights in my shed — in boxes that I don’t take out — than most people put up.”

“I think he’s obsessed, but I think it’s a good obsession,” said Jewel Nelson, his wife.

Dan Nelson, an architect, became fond of making Christmas decorations after a friend had asked Nelson to help with his. Ironically, the friend lived on Christmas Street.

Nelson got hooked.

“People go on vacations, and I buy Christmas lights,” he said.

In his front yard, Nelson has 10 ?plywood angels representing his granddaughters and 11 gingerbread boys representing grandsons. Each of them has a name written on it, and its eyes are painted, respective to the grandchild it represents.

Nelson said he made 21 reindeer for his friends and family members during the second year.

Among other decorations are reindeer and moose, three wise men and a nativity scene, a snowman, two soldier boys and pine trees, all decked out in lights and connected to 10 outlets. Onlookers can also hear Christmas songs in the background.

Nelson said he started getting his house into a festive mood the week before Halloween. He has since spent every weekend adding decorations.

Although the rest of Bluebird Drive doesn’t shine as brightly as the Nelsons’ home, neighbors don’t seem to mind. One of the neighbors, Randy Garcia, let Dan Nelson use a corner of his yard to set up some moose and pine trees.

“We’re actually waiting for Dan to expand all the way over,” Garcia said.

Nelson’s lights shine from 5 to 10 p.m. every night and help Rocky Mountain Power survive the country’s economic crisis.

“I don’t look at [the electricity bill],” Dan Nelson said. “We’re on a year-round [billing plan], and it goes up every year. I probably wouldn’t do this if I looked at it.”

He said that he’s trying to buy more LED lights, which run cooler and therefore save energy.

“It’s not like we’re saving anything because he keeps adding more stuff,” Jewel Nelson said.

Read full source - Front yard decorations get more elaborate for WVC couple

Ducati Wants Coolest Monster 1100S

Ducati North America is pleased to announce a customization contest as part of the forthcoming Ducati Monster 1100 S showroom premiere.

In order to launch the Monster 1100 S to the public in real monster style, Ducati has launched a dealer contest to see who can build the best custom Monster. As the original custom-ready naked bike, the new Monster 1100 S is ready for modifications, and the gloves are coming off in a contest to build the best.

Fifty-eight dealers in the US and Canada have taken delivery of a body panel set in order to begin paintwork on the dealership’s dream Monster; and all have accessories in house waiting to be fitted on the dealership’s first bike. The results promise to be nothing less than spectacular and will launch the Monster with a bang.

Read story source in full: Ducati Wants Coolest Monster 1100S

The Snoring Has to Stop!

We all long for a quiet night’s rest. But, for some of us, the snoring just blasts our eardrums!

It’s loud and it’s irritating. But, is it serious?

Patti from Pitman, N.J. e-mailed:

“My snoring wakes me up. Could this be a warning of a problem?”

Sometimes, snoring can just be annoying to your bed partner and annoying to yourself. But, sometimes, snoring can be the indication of a more serious problem like sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a common condition that leads to interrupted breathing for very short periods of time during sleep, usually the result of narrowed airways. Untreated, it can lead to health problems including, high blood pressure, memory problems, weight gain, and headaches.

“It’s associated with nighttime awaking or daytime sleepiness, so if that’s something that is occurring where you snore at night, you awake and feel tired, you’re sleepy during the day, you should talk to your doctor about perhaps having a sleep study done,” Dr. Helena Schotland said.

Doctors may recommend a device called a CPAP, which helps keep the airway open.

Darrell from Philadelphia asked:

“I have sleep apnea, but the device hurts my nose.”

“Just because you don’t like your particular mask doesn’t mean that you are stuck with it. There are a huge number of masks. Some are nasal masks that go over your nose. Some are nose and mouth. There are also little nasal pillows that are just little prongs that go over your nostril that are great for people with claustrophobia,” Dr. Schotland said.

Other treatments include:

Weight loss
Sleeping on your side instead of on your back
Read full story - The Snoring Has to Stop!

Homeowners refinance, put savings in piggy banks

When mortgage rates dropped to the lowest levels in almost a year, Warren Zeger seized the opportunity to slash $720 off his monthly mortgage payment by refinancing his home in Potomac, Md.

Just don’t expect him to spend the savings.

“I’d love to tell you I’m going to spend it to help prop up the economy, but we’ve tightened our belts,” said Zeger, 61, a retired attorney. “I plan on holding on to it.”

Zeger echoed homeowners The Associated Press interviewed nationwide who have taken advantage of lower rates since Nov. 25th. They planned to stuff the money they saved under the mattress or pay off bills. Refiinance activity has surged as interest rates tumbled about 1 percentage point to around 5.5 percent in response to the Federal Reserve’s plan to scoop up $600 billion of mortgage-related securities.

“We’ve had a lot homeowners waiting for some time” for this drop in rates, said Ritch Workman, co-owner of Workman Mortgage in Melbourne, Fla.

The Fed’s move was the latest in an unprecedented series of actions to help stabilize the housing and credit markets as well as the broader economy. However, pushing down mortgage rates may only have a muted effect on the economy. That’s because more than a quarter of homeowners with a mortgage can’t qualify for a new loan, and many who can are so financially stretched that little of the money they save will end up in store cash registers.

“If you’re worried about making it month to month and your mortgage is your biggest payment you’re not going out to buy a car and a lot of Christmas gifts,” said Guy Cecala, publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance, a trade publication in Bethesda, Md.

Stuart Cassell in Sarasota, Fla., is putting his $80 monthly refinanse savings into his nest egg, while product development manager Subash Ramnani in Chicago is using the extra $300 a month from his refinancing to pay for graduate school. Jennifer Burke and her husband in Bel Air, Md., are saving the additional $240 a month as they wait out the recession and raise a one-year-old daughter.

Marcus Leef’s $150 monthly savings is going to daycare costs and personal savings. Leef, a consultant in Hartford County, Conn., has seen his stock portfolio plummet 40 percent, his retirement savings plunge by half and his corporate stock tumble by 60 percent this year. He’s not optimistic.

“My view is the economy is in the toilet. It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” he said. “If rates drop another point tomorrow, I’ll (refinance) again the day after.”

Those are the luckiest homeowners. Les Berman, a mortgage broker in Encino, Calif., said most borrowers contacting him have interest-only mortgages and they want to lock into a fixed-rate loan. They’re not saving any money each month if they do that; instead, they’re taking higher payments to get out of riskier loans.

“They want that security. They want to protect themselves against the future,” he said, even if it means shelling out more each month.

Other borrowers, like Eric Dudek in Grand Rapids, Mich., are waiting to see if rates drop further after hearing reports that the government is considering a proposal to lower the rate on 30-year home loans to 4.5 percent by buying more mortgage-backed securities.

“I’m thinking maybe I should hold off, you know?” said Dudek, who would use the savings from a refinancing to pay off student loans.

Read this full story: Homeowners refinance, put savings in piggy banks

Hormone changes can generate migraines

By Paul G. Donohue M.D.
To Your Good Health
December 09, 2008 6:00 AM

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My daughter, who is 41, has been getting really bad migraine headaches just before her periods. Is it due to menopause?

— V.M.

Her headaches are not due to menopause. They come from her menstrual cycle, and they’re called menstrual migraines. A migraine sufferer often can identify things that give rise to a headache — foods, alcohol, physical exertion, too little sleep, too much sleep, hunger, bright lights and loud noise. For quite a few women, menstrual periods trigger the headache. The sudden drop in the female hormone estrogen that takes place at the time of a menstrual period precipitates headaches in these women.

Your daughter can take medicine prior to her anticipated menstrual period to prevent the headache. Naprosyn or one of the many other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, taken two days before the period begins, often can avert menstrual migraines. They should be taken for as long as the headache has lasted in the past.

Another approach is birth-control pills. The ones that stop periods for six months to a year are particularly useful. Seasonale and Lybrel are two such preparations.

Most migraine sufferers are aware of the triptan drugs, medicines that have had a huge impact on migraine treatment. There are seven such drugs, and I won’t mention them all. Maxalt and Relpax are two of these drugs. The triptans should be used as the anti-inflammatory drugs are used — two days before onset of periods and continued for the length of the usual migraine.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have a plantar wart. What do I do for it?

— C.R.

Read this full: Hormone changes can generate migraines

Building for the Future: Sustainable Home Design

Company: Solar Energy International Cost: $695/$645 mbr. Location: Online Website: Visit event website Whether you’re building your own house or simply want to talk knowledgeably with those who will build it for you, this workshop will help you understand the home design principles that make use of both new and centuries old methods and materials for sustainable living. Building for the Future Online will focus on the principles behind designing and building residential structures that achieve optimal year-round comfort, reduce energy consumption, improve indoor air quality, and limit environmental impact. The emphasis is on integrated design using a whole-building approach, applying building science and integrating green design strategies into the built environment. Also covered will be the synergistic relationship between climate-sensitive design and natural building materials. Designed to compliment each other, the Building for the Future online & face-to-face courses can be taken independently to bring you up to speed or combined with each other to solidify knowledge. Both courses provide a solid overview of building a sustainable home with specifics in site analysis, building science, energy efficiency, passive solar design and alternatives to conventional building materials & techniques. In addition to online curriculum, participants will receive The Building With Awareness video, the book Your Green Home by Alex Wilson, and industry related hand-outs, and numerous Internet resource links. A course glossary, extensive resource guide and case studies of successful sustainable homes are included online. You can work on the Building for the Future Online course at ANYTIME, but you will generally need between 8-15 hrs/week to complete assignments/quizzes and participate in online discussions. The Consortium for Education in Renewable Energy Technologies (CERET) offers certificates in Renewable Energy to provide students with the theoretical knowledge necessary to begin a career in energy management and renewable energy technology. Certificates are granted through Madison Area Technical College (MATC). SEI’s online courses qualify for college credits through MATC and towards a Renewable Energy Certificate. Click here for more information on CERET’s Renewable Energy Certificates.” Students residing outside the United States must pay an extra fee for shipping of course materials. Contact SEI for details. Topics Include * Building Orientation * Solar Site Analysis * Lessons Learned * Building Science * Moisture & Air Leakage * Super-Insulation Strategies * New Window Technologies * Passive Solar Designs * Energy Efficient Technologies * Indoor Air Quality * Sustainable Back-up Heating Systems * Healthy/Green Building Materials * Domestic Solar Hot Water * Renewable Energy Options * Practical Building Techniques Read full article: Building for the Future: Sustainable Home Design

Awful’ Month for Carmakers

By Sholnn Freeman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 3, 2008; Page D01

Carmakers continued to load on the discounts in November, but American consumers continued to slam on the brakes.

The industry tried everything. Companies offered zero-percent financing, “red tag” sales, employee-discount pricing and even buy-one-get-one-free pickup truck deals. Still, U.S. auto sales plunged to their lowest pace in 26 years. Overall, automakers sold 746,789 cars, trucks and minivans in the United States, down 37 percent from a year earlier, according to Autodata.

All major carmakers suffered steep declines, but Detroit was particularly hard hit. General Motors’ sales tumbled 41 percent, to 152,552. Ford sold 118,319 vehicles last month, a 30 percent fall. Chrysler sold 85,260, down 47 percent.

Jesse Toprak, a sales analyst at Edmunds.com, said the incentive programs have reached a point of diminishing returns, where virtually no amount of cash on the hood will move sales. He said Americans harbor deep economic fears.

“The majority of the decline is low consumer confidence,” he said. “Consumers are not showing up regardless of what kind of deals, regardless of how low gas prices go.”

Toprak said middle-class and upper-middle-class Americans — who make up the market for new car buyers — are reeling from steep erosions in home values and losses in 401(k) plans.

“They don’t know if they are going to have a job in the next few months,” he said. “It’s a bit depressing when you put it all together. Consumers don’t want to make a big-ticket purchase, and cars are the biggest purchase after homes.” The sales figures were also hurt by would-be buyers’ inability to get financing, Toprak said.

November’s sales, translated into the closely watched seasonally adjusted annualized sales rate, or SAAR, slipped to 10.18 million, the lowest selling pace since October 1982, according to preliminary figures by Autodata. Sales appeared to slow from October, when the seasonally adjusted selling pace was measured at 10.56 million.

Economists and industry analysts yesterday were looking for signs that the market was close to bottoming out. Bob Schnorbus, the chief economist at J.D. Power and Associates, said he expected stronger November results from automakers. He said the industry was struggling to get out of “unprecedented territory” and that fourth-quarter results may represent the low point for the industry, barring other large-scale financial calamities.

“It’s probably getting pretty close,” Schnorbus said. “That’s kind of cold comfort if it turns out that the recovery is very weak and protracted.”

Read full article: ‘Awful’ Month for Carmakers

Different Types of Taxi Insurance

Looking at the increasing number of road accidents, as well as vehicle theft, insurance for your vehicle is a must. Getting coverage for a vehicle means that at the time of damage or theft, the company from whom the policy is taken will cover the cost of damages, or will pay for the cost of the vehicle in case of theft. Many of the firms are offering insurance policies on a commercial basis as well, one example being the introduction of taxi insurance in which cover is provided for taxis, cabs and even vans. Private hire insurance policies, as well as public hire insurance policies, are two types of taxi insurance policies available. In comparison to the public hire insurance policy, private hire insurance policies are a lot more expensive as they involve a higher risk.

These types of taxi insurances are very popular these days, as having taxis for public as well as private hire includes a lot of risks, and not opting for any kind of insurance policy will make the running of taxis unaffordable. But one must also be very careful in choosing the company from whom the insurance is obtained, as it is a very specialised field, and very few companies are providing it at genuine prices. Getting a cheap taxi insurance policy may not be a very hard nut to crack because of the competition between the companies.

Obtaining these taxi insurance policies is very easy, as one may register directly over the net or can even consult any executive from the taxi insurance company. The best way to get cheap taxi insurance is to directly get in contact with the wholesale insurance agents as they are well trained and can calculate the minimum amount of premium required to obtain a taxi insurance policy. The prices, or the premium, of the policy is relatively cheap, if there is a good number of a taxis included in the policy. Apart from this, there are three types of taxi insurance policies offered by companies and they are: third party, fully comprehensive, and third party fire & theft.

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Information on Pearls and Pearl Jewelry

Pearls that were once the area of rich, famous and affluent have now become available to all. Pearl has always been the most sought after gems because of its natural beauty and brilliant shiny appeal.

Pearls were also treasured as a unique symbol of showing great opulence. British Royalties had excellent amount of collections of rare beautiful pearls all the time. They were limited to be worn by worriers and rulers. Many European countries passed laws odious the wearing of pearls by others outside of the nobility. In Roman Empire pearls were considered ultimate symbol of assets and prosperity.

It was only the wealthy people who enjoyed the privilege of possessing and wearing the precious pearl jewelry. During olden times, pearls were considered signs of love, health and prosperity. Many believed that they are tears from the Heaven or Goddess that nurtures in oyster’s womb.

Wonder hunting was done by few sea-divers extracting them by opening the oysters from sea floor or riverbeds but that was dangerous and risky. Because of unpredictable constitution of oyster growth, the pearls found were varying in quality and limited supply. Kokichi Mikimoto of Japan who perfected and patented his bead nucleating answer in early 20th Century which revolutionized the entire pearl cultivation. Now millions of these cultured pearls are produced in Japan, China, Australia and other Far Eastern Asian regions of the universe. You will find pearl farming in Central America seawater as well as in Mississippi River area.

The most commonly utilized and internationally recognized grading system by the pearl jewelry industry in general is A to AAA to determine the true pearl value. Precise adherence is often difficult when matching in a pearl strand. But this alphanumeric ranking alone does not have much of significance to a customer and often Q.

Lustrous quality, color, size and pearl type are the key factors when it comes to pricing.

Pearl jewelry is designed with many cultural pearls type such as freshwater pearls, akoya seawater pearls, Tahitian Pearls and South sea pearls. More than 80 percent of jewelry sold around the society is made with freshwater and akoya pearls, as they are more affordable than Tahitian and south sea which are typically on the higher side. Buy the one you like and admire most.

Source: Article directory - Information on Pearls and Pearl Jewelry

Read full article - Information on Pearls and Pearl Jewelry

The Biggest Secret of Successful Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss, the biggest hurdle that people face is that of getting started. They just don’t have any idea of where to start from! If you are one of these people then this article is for you! It doesn’t really matter whether you want to lose ten or hundred pounds, the tips I am going to share with you in this article are going to help you anyway!

The first step to successful weight loss is to set some goals. Goals should be used in the same way as milestones are used on highways. Just as without any milestone, you will have no idea of where you are going, without a goal, you will have no idea of how much work you need to do to shed all the extra pounds!

First you should ask yourself some questions:

1. How much weight you want to lose?

2. By when you expect to lose all the weight?

Then write answers to these questions on a sheet of paper. Oh yeah, before I forget, let me tell you that writing your goals is one of the surefire ways of making sure that you never forget them! Write your weight loss goals on a piece of paper, make copies of that paper, and stick each paper on every place you can.

Make sure you don’t forget to stick this paper on your refrigerator and kitchen, since it is in these places that the demon called temptation tries to ruin your weight loss efforts!

Setting goals is just not enough; in order to make the goals achievable, you must set REALISTIC goals. If you have a goal of losing sixty pounds within a couple of weeks or a month, that is not going to happen. Setting such unrealistic goals for yourself will nullify the very effect of goal setting.

When you set unrealistic goals and fail to achieve the same, you will be disappointed and frustrated with yourself and your weight loss efforts.

Read full article: The Biggest Secret of Successful Weight Loss

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10 tips for holiday travel

By Ed Hewitt
updated 3:11 p.m. ET Nov. 20, 2008

With the global economy in crisis and both travelers and airlines feeling the pinch, it may not seem like 2008 will be the cheeriest of holiday travel seasons. Airlines have cut flights, raised fares and added a surge of surcharges for everything from checked bags to phone bookings. Meanwhile, many travelers are postponing or canceling their holiday plans to save money.

But for travelers still planning to visit Grandma’s for Thanksgiving or spend Christmas weekend in Paris, the news isn’t all bad. There are still deals to be found, provided you shop carefully and plan ahead. Check out our 10 tips for holiday travel and find some joy this holiday season.

Avoid peak travel dates
At Thanksgiving, Wednesday is the critical outbound “avoid” day as a rule. Traveling on Thanksgiving day proper is often a breeze and more affordable; there are often cut-rate airfare deals on Thanksgiving day.

On the return, Friday morning isn’t bad at all, with each successive day getting a little busier, more difficult and more expensive through Sunday evening. The bottom line: If you are looking for a deal, you won’t find one on the peak travel days. Travel off-peak whenever possible.

Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Thursdays this year, which means that the same advice for Thanksgiving will apply to both of these holidays — fly on the holiday itself if possible, and avoid Sunday evening at the end of the long weekend.

Book early
Haven’t booked your holiday travel yet? It’s time to stop waiting and start booking. Fares are only rising as Thanksgiving approaches, so those who hold out in hopes of a late-breaking sale are likely to get left out in the cold or pay a very steep price for their procrastination. The same goes for the Christmas holiday; book sooner rather than later, particularly if you require very specific travel dates or times. With the current state of the airline industry, it is never too early to book your holiday travel flights.

While many of the best deals are probably already gone, keep an eye on our Holiday Deals section for any last-minute bargains. Be prepared to be flexible with dates and flight times.

Read full article: http://blog.summer-winter-air-travel.info/?p=9

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3 Ways to Sell Your Moldy House - Even When Your Realtor Says It’s Impossible

Do you need to sell a house with a mold problem? You want to sell it, but your realtor says it’s impossible! Won’t even take the listing. This may come as a surprise to you, but there are at least 3 ways to sell your moldy house. If your realtor disagrees, you may want to look for a different realtor. What are your three options?

Option #1 - Tell It Like It Is And Sell It Like It Is

The mold in your house doesn’t mean you can’t sell it. It only means you must disclose it. You just have to tell a potential buyer about the problem. You don’t have to fix the mold yourself. Although this option makes finding a buyer more difficult, it can be done. You should at least be aware of this option and how it works before crossing it off your list.

Option #2 - Fix It First

Another option is to fix the problem before you sell. If you choose this option, you need to make sure the job is done right! Otherwise you could end up paying for the repairs twice!

And be sure to get the proof (in writing) that the mold was successfully abated using a recommended procedure. You’ll need the documentation for your buyer, and probably her lender, to show the problem is solved.

Doing it right is not hard. But it is important. If the job is done wrong, you could make things worse. And you need something more than a paid receipt to show the work was done correctly. You need a written report that proves the mold problem is gone!

Option #3 - Let The Buyer Fix It

Another option is to find out how much it will cost to solve your mold problem, and then let the buyer hire the contractor and pay for it after the closing. The buyer does the work after you close and no longer are the owner.

Read full article: 3 Ways to Sell Your Moldy House - Even When Your Realtor Says It’s Impossible

How to Lose Ten Pounds in Five Days Or Five Pounds in Ten Days!

Are you trying to lose weighht, but feel helpless? Do you know how to lose five pounds in ten days or even ten pounds in five days? There are many different methods that work to help you lose weight rather quickly. Here are a few tips to help you shed the weight you want to lose.

First, you are going to have to start exercising. Stretching is great to get your muscle going and this actually help you burn more fat as well. Running or any aerobic exercise is preferred because this will be the fastest way to burn calories and fat. Without exercise you will struggle to lose weight and keep it off so add this to your week.

Second, you have to choose better foods. If you want to lose weight you have to avoid refined foods with a lot of sugar in them. This also includes empty calories found in soda, beer, and sweet desserts. Instead have all natural ice cream, lots of water, and natural whole grain pastas and breads. The more natural the food the better it is for you.

Last, if you really want to lose ten pounds in five days or five pounds in ten days, then you can try a juice fast. This is a period of either 3, 5, or 7 days that you eat no solid foods and you drink all natural juices that you make yourself. This is great for the body and will help you shed a few pounds very fast. Make sure to consult your doctor first for safety reasons.

Discover all the secret methods to losing weeight fast and shed those pounds quick. Get more info here: http://blog.homyhealth.net/category/weight-loss/

Soutce: How to Lose Ten Pounds in Five Days Or Five Pounds in Ten Days!

Maintain a Healthy Body With Colon Hydrotherapy

Do you know that colon health is important for a healthy lifestyle? Are you taking good care of your colon health? Take a good look at the kinds of food that we normally take.

We have too much foods that are highly processed and refeined, lack of essential vitamins and minerals and abnormally high in saturated fats in our normal diet. Constipation is somebody’s business right now and it’s not surprise that you have it as well. The main characters of health- digestion, assimilation and elimination largely contributes to good health. Food waste that are left behind that are accumulating in digestive system, will later ferment and putrefy and at the end form a breeding ground for bacteria and disease.

Many people usually use a familiar solution- laxatives to solve constipation. This is aquick solution because you might have stop your constipation but laxatives didn’t stop our body from creating constipation for the next time. Colon hydrotherapy is quite different from it. Its main objective is to maintain colon health. Colon hydrotherapy or others might call it colonic irrigation is a very natural colon cleansing process that removes stagnant wastes and food from your colon. Above this, you’ll get other benefits such as better absorption of nutrition, remove mucous, gas, parasites and cellular debris.

There are doctors who claims that all sickness begin at the colon. Therefore, keeping an optimum colon health is not only solving constipation, it increases your body digestive system’s ability to absorb nutrition, essential fatty acids and protect you from different diseases.

A ordinary session of colon hydrotherapy take around 45 mins. A small sterile speculum will be inserted into your rectum. It is attached to a plastic hose connected to a machine controlled by a colon therapist.

Read full article: Maintain a Healthy Body With Colon Hydrotherapy

Top 5 Trucks to Choose From

Trucks are mainly bought to carry or ferry goods. This is because they have a large carriage space behind the cabin. There are different types of trucks and they are classified depending on the model of the car and on the type of truck. These include pickups and other SUV trucks. The rating of the trucks is based on the fuel consumption, popularity, transmission and the available carrying capacity. The first of the top five trucks is the Nissan Titan SE. It is designed with a big carriage space and it is also very fuel efficient. It has a high off-road performance that makes it stand out from other trucks. With the Nissan Titan SE, one can drive at a relatively high speed even when loaded, since it is lowered close to the ground to ensure balance and for stability. It has a high towing power and the speed is not affected by the load in tow. The 2006 Toyota Tundra is another tough car in performance, transmission and fuel consumption. Though the carriage space is not wide, it is strong enough to carry heavy loads and the off-road performance is also commendable. It is raised above the ground and it uses wide wheels hence, it has a wide base of ground coverage thus, it can also be driven at high speeds comfortably. It has a double cabin hence, it has a bigger passenger carrying capacity and it is a good choice for a family car. Since it is more of an SUV, the price is relatively higher than for most trucks of the same carriage capacity and size, mostly because it is an imported car. The Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab LT2 is the third in the ranking. It has a high engine capacity and the consumption is efficient. It is the cheapest of these trucks. Its off-road performance is exceptional and it is lower for stability and it is balanced to allow it to move at high speed even while carrying to capacity. It is a favorite with many people since it has good transmission and it is affordable. It is used both as a SUV and as a truck since there is enough space for 5 passengers.
 Read full article: Top 5 Trucks to Choose From

Gift Ideas For the Realtor in Your Family

Christmas time is fast approaching, which means that it’s time to start thinking about gift ideas for family, friends, and co-workers. If a real estate agent happens to among the people on your gift-giving list, here are a few ideas for what to fill their stocking with this year. A BlackBerry; if he or she doesn’t already have one of these technological marvels, now is the time to treat them. Not only will a BlackBerry make an agent’s workday more efficient and organized, but they’ll also be able to keep track of dates with family and friends, which can be difficult sometimes for busy realtors to do. It’s a phone and a web browser, it’s got a calendar for scheduling appointments, and it can synchronize its information with your desktop computer, so all your information is stored at the ready. Agents can instantly access maps and get turn-by-turn directions to properties, keep in touch with clients and associates, and much more. These trusty gadgets are so useful and addicting that they’ve even been nicknamed “CrackBerry.” High tech tools like the BlackBerry are essential for today’s real estate agents to take their business to the next level. The iPhone is a recent addition to the world of high tech communications. Similar to the BlackBerry in its appeal to businesspeople, the iPhone features an easy-to-use touch screen interface, offers Internet access, and can play videos and music MP3 files. iPhones are fairly new to the marketplace, and already they’ve received a great deal of positive buzz. Some suggest that a BlackBerry would be more suitable to an agent’s needs, particularly due to its GPS system and convenient email and calendar access, but no doubt your favorite realtor would be pretty excited to find a new iPhone under the tree as well. If you’re looking for something more affordable that will still help your loved one stay organized, consider buying a nice leather or moleskin agenda. He or she can keep all their contacts and appointments together in one sharp looking date book. If you’d like to be extra helpful, fill in any birthdays, anniversaries, and phone numbers you’d like the person to remember before you give them their gift. You’ll be saving them time, as well as potentially saving them from the doghouse later on. Another great idea this Christmas is to consider treating the real estate agent in the family to a spa day. Realtors spend most of their time dealing with clients, so they need to put their best foot forward. And if they’re really successful at their job, they may not have time to pamper themselves when they need to. So, give them something that will truly be a gift-a massage, facial, pedicure, or mud bath and sauna. There are so many exquisitely relaxing treatments out there that can rejuvenate the soul, so research a little to see which treatment would be right for your friend or family member.
Read full article: Gift Ideas For the Realtor in Your Family

Virginity and Dating

With all the failed relationships and marriages that have happened in the last 40 years we can all start to see a pattern that develops. It seems like sex does not have the precious meaning a relationship that it once had. Men and women both have become so accustomed to having sex within months into their relationships that sex has turned into an act almost entirely of lust. Saving your virginity for men and women has become an almost extinct cause as the dinosaurs. Now teenage men and women both have different reasons for entering into premarital sexual relationships. Men for example have been conditioned to think that being manly or being a stud means how many women you have slept with and how many women can talk into getting into bed with you. Women on the other hand usually think that sex is a gift that they withhold from a man until he has proven that he truly cares for her. Notice how there is a disconnect each week our men have about sex and how women feel about sex. I think that both genders are looking at it in the wrong ways. I think personally that is both men and women decide to save themselves for their wedding night their chances of finding love become greater. Why do you ask? I feel that marriage is not just about love but it’s about the balance of love that both men and women feel for each other. If men for example start dating women with no hidden intentions of having casual sex with them that he can truly get to know her as a person and start to develop deep feelings for her. This way, then we’ll start to look at sex as lovemaking instead of just an act of instinctive pleasure. Women on the other hand, seem to look at sex as a trophy or reward that they decide what man they bestow that reward to. The way that women can start to fix this preconceived notion that they have been conditioned to think is to start looking at sex as a special act that is given freely to the one that you truly love and will be with forever. Whenever I am interested in a woman, I would never ask her out on a date as I feel that dating is only a way that both men and women show themselves off to each other in the most favorable and the most unrealistic light. This then gets both men and women the unrealistic expectation that a relationship and the marriage will be this way every day for the rest of their lives. Sorry to break the news to them harshly but true, loving and caring relationships take hard work and commitment and they are more than just fun and games. Instead of asking her out on a date, I would ask her if she would like to hang out get to know each other as friends. Hanging out as friends takes away all the unrealistic expectations that dating brings with it and allows both men and women to get to know each other deeply and truthfully.
Read full article: Virginity and Dating

Laser Surgery For Snoring - How to Permanently Stop Snoring

I’m going to talk about the different types of laser surgery for snoring available today. Snoring can be considered as one of life’s major problems. It can affect you and your sleeping partner. A permanent solution to snoring is laser surgery. This type of surgery is the best solution for snoring problems to date. It is popular because its effect is permanent and is technically safe. The effectiveness of laser surgery for snoring is evidenced by uvuloopalatopharyngoplasty or UPPP. But to be really safe, you have to be in the hands of an expert when undergoing this type of treatment therapy. You need the help of a qualified health expert. After surgery and the required recovery time, you will experience an almost immediate relief to snoring. If you compare laser surgery to the tools and devices used for snoring, the former would fair better. All others can only provide for a temporary solution to snoring. Laser surgery, on the other hand, can give permanent relief. This is why laser UPPP is the one most popular today. While there are other types of laser surgery for snoring, only one thing is their main goal - to remove all the blockages present in your mouth or throat that are causing you to snore. The uvuloopalatopharyngoplasty or the UPPP is a type of laser surgery that aims to remove the patient’s tonsils, along with some parts of the uvula and soft palate. There are actually two kinds of laser surgery for snoring. The more preferred type is laser-assisted, which is the main point of interest here. When it comes to price, the laser-assisted UPPP is a lot cheaper than traditional UPPP. Here, the uvula will not be removed totally, rather it is shortened. The soft palate will be vaporized with the use of the laser beam. The other type of UPPP is referred to the traditional method. That one requires the use of anesthesia. If laser-assisted surgery is performed under local anesthetic, traditional UPPP surgery needs general anesthesia. The only problem with this method is the fact that the tonsil should be removed before the actual procedure is performed. As such, the method is perfect for people who had already taken out their tonsils.
 Read full article: Laser Surgery For Snoring - How to Permanently Stop Snoring

Neighborhood News and Local Blog Roundup Seattlest

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South Africa Culture Ministry Regrets Death of Miriam Makeba AllAfricacom

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According to the condolences message from the aforementioned ministry signed by the incumbent minister Rosa Cruz e Silva and which was delivered to ANGOP the musician was one of the greatest legends of the African music worldwide. Her career reads the note was totally dedicated to the African cause having sung in various parts of the globe through her vast repertoire of songs which eagerly expressed the liberation desire for the independence of the population and the fight against the Apartheid regime. The Angolan Culture Ministry bow before her memory and addresses to the South African government and people its deepest heart felt condolences over the irreparable loss of this great voice of the African culture. Mama Africa suffered from a sudden! death in Roma Italy shortly after performing during a show. Relevant Links Central Africa Southern Africa Angola Arts Culture and Entertainment Music South Africa Miriam Makeba was after a good will ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organisation FAO during which the agency s director Jacques Diouf evoked the assistance extended by Mama Africa in the combat to the reduction of famine and improving the living conditions of the world s poorest population. AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over African news organizations plus more than other sources who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . Share this on Facebook Digg Del.icio.us StumbleUpon Muti Copyright Angola Press Agency. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media allAfrica.com . To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections or for permission to republi! sh or make other authorized use of this material clickhere . 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What you should know about Phentermine 37 5mg

With nearly two-thirds of Americans being overweight, many are looking for ways to lose weight and keep it off. This is where Phentirmine 37.5 mg can help. Phentermine 37.5 mg is an appetite suppressant that is prescribed for use by overweight patients. Now there are many things that can assist in getting you to a healthy weight, but it is essential that you make necessary diet, exercise and behavior medications in order for your weight loss efforts to be successful and permanent.

Phentenermine is no different. It is a weight loss tool and not a miracle. Phentermine works by stimulating the hypothalamus gland and affecting certain neurotransmitters to decrease appetite. This supplement affects the nervous system and will speed up your metabolism. It may cause nervousness and sleeplessness the first few days, but these symptoms should subside within a short number of days. For this reason phentermin is meant to be taken in the morning.

Phentarmine can get you started down the right path, but there are some other things that I feel are essential to weight loss. Smart food choices and exercise go with saying. If these are things you have struggled with all your life, try setting 3 small goals. They can be as simple as exercising one hour per week, decreasing the number of sodas you drink or the number of times you eat out each week.

Accomplishing these small goals will give you a feeling of power and control. This will give you the self esteem to achieve bigger goals. I find journaling and forums to give me motivation. Journaling helps you deal with your emotions and forums will provide you with experience, strength and hope from others that have gone through what you are going through. There is a lot to be gained by what other people have already experienced.

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South Africa’s Rand Rises Against Dollar, Euro as Stocks Rally

Nov. 4 (Bloomberg) — South Africa’s rand rose against the dollar as gains in stocks on better-than-expected earnings eased concern the global economy is slowing, encouraging purchases of higher-yielding assets.

The rand traded below 10 per dollar as advances in Asia and Europe boosted the MSCI World Index of stocks for a sixth straight day. South Africa’s currency strengthened even after an industry report showed vehicle sales fell for a 19th straight month in October, indicating the continent’s biggest economy is faltering.

“Globally we’re seeing a general improvement in positive sentiment which has fed through to European equities from Asia,” said Jon Harrison, an emerging-markets currency strategist in London at Dresdner Kleinwort. “Lower global interest rates help alleviate some of the strains in the financial system and that helps short-term risk appetite.”

The rand climbed as much as 1.9 percent to 9.8506 per dollar and was at 9.9125 by 1:12 p.m. in Johannesburg. It also advanced versus all 16 most-actively traded currencies monitored by Bloomberg, adding 0.7 percent to 12.6187 per euro.

South Africa’s currency still faces “challenges in the medium to long term” and will “trend much weaker” next year, Harrison said. It may slip to as low as 12 per dollar in the next three to six months, he predicted.

“Emerging markets aren’t going to avoid the impact of a global economic slowdown,” Harrison said. “We still expect to see further sell-offs in riskier asset classes.”

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Lottery - Early history

The first signs of a lottery trace back the Han Dynasty between 205 and 187 B.C., where ancient Keno slips were discovered. The lottery has helped finance major governmental projects like the Great Wall of China. From the Chinese “The Book of Songs” (second millennium B.C.) comes a reference to a game of chance as “the drawing of wood”, which in context appears to describe the drawing of lots. From the Celtic era, the Cornish words “teulet pren” translates into “to throw wood” and means “to draw lots”. The Iliad by Homer refers to lots being placed into Agamemon’s helmet to determine who would fight Hector.The first known European lottery occurred during the Roman Empire, and was mainly done as a form of amusement at dinner parties. Each guest would receive a ticket, and prizes would often consist of fancy items such as dinnerware. Every ticket holder would be assured of winning something. This type of lottery however, was no more than the distribution of gifts by wealthy noblemen during the Saturnalian revelries. The earliest records of a lottery offering tickets for sale is the lottery organized by Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. The funds were for repairs to the City of Rome, and the winners were given prizes in the form of articles of unequal value.The earliest public lottery on record is that which was held in the Dutch town of Sluis in 1434.The first recorded lotteries to offer tickets for sale with prizes in the form of money were held in the Low Countries during the period 1443–1449. Various towns in Flanders (parts of Belgium, Holland, and France), held public lotteries to raise money for town fortifications, and raising money to help the poor. The town records of Ghent, Utrecht, and Bruges, indicate that the lotteries may well be of even greater antiquity. An early record dated May 9,1445 at L’Ecluse, refers to raising funds to build walls and town fortifications, with a lottery of 4,304 tickets and total prize money of 1737 florins.[1] In the seventeenth century it was quite normal in The Netherlands to organize lotteries in order to collect money for the poor. Tickets cost about four guilders and the prizes were paintings (50 to 100 per lottery); some of these the paintings were produced by nowadays famous painters as Jan van Goyen.

The Dutch were the first to shift the lottery to solely money prizes and base prizes on odds (roughly about 1 in 4 tickets winning a prize). The lottery proved to be very popular, and was hailed as a painless form of taxation. In the Netherlands the lottery was used to raise money for e.g. supporting poor people, building dikes, construction of defense works for towns and to buy free sailors from slavery in the Arab countries. The English word lottery stems from the Dutch word loterij, which is derived from the Dutch noun lot meaning fate. The Dutch state owned staatsloterij is the oldest still existing lottery.

Source: Lottery - Early history

Ukraine Presents Best Escort Services In Europe!

It is often said that relationships between ladies and gentlemen are like business. Thus, business-like gentlemen are more likely to treat courting a lady with the effort of luxurious fun and souvenirs doesn't differ much from just paying her for sex or company. As a result, escort agencies will blossom while there are girls ready to offer sexual services and men willing to pay for them. With the progress of globalization, things have become even easier: if you cannot pay for pleasure or afford a vip escort girl in your native country, you may always go abroad for a massage escort. One of the sex attractions in Europe is Ukraine. Economically Ukraine is stabilizing. And yet, capitalism does not offer happiness for everyone. They work hard to live a better life. Financial guarantees and independence is what lures many young girls to work for escort agencies. As everywhere in the world, escort services in Ukraine can be grouped into certain classical segments. On the lowest level you will see several types of independent escort girls from Kiev also known as a bar girl. VIP escort agencies providing adult escort service Ukraine are on top of that industry. Such agencies provide widest choice of beautiful and educated Ukrainian women. However, there's a significant difference between simple prostitutes and elite agency girls. Some escort agency kiev present elite educated girls to make you company for some specific cultural and social parties. However, it is not clear whether an exchange of sex for money actually happens. You can find an agency offering professional erotic massage service in the web. If you are intended to pay for a girl's time, there is an advantage in such a service that you may find them from home. Came to Kiev? The girl you arranged to date can even meet you when you arrive to Kiev. The drawback is that you have to pay beforehand. In case you don't like the lady of your choice don't hope to get a refund. Srteet prostitutes are definitely not that expensive and don't require prepayment. If you choose this option, you'll have to investigate tourist areas of Kiev before risking into something like that. Another problem that may appear is that such independent women are less likely to speak English than that escort service lady from the agency. Nevertheless, this disadvantage may seem quite sexy to some. So, you think you might want to have a try? Kiev is no doubt a great city to visit. Beign accompanied by a gorgeous woman is definitely great. Some wise men believe, however, that no sexy escort, not even gorgeous Ukrainian, can substitute true relationships.

Basters and their "Starter Packs"

Namibia is a multihued nation with different cultures and believes. Every culture has certain character traits that group them together. Most people believe that Ovambo people mostly drive Toyota Hilux Bakkies. The Herero people drive Isuzu Bakkies. Today we're talking about Basters and their starter packs. I think the next thing that going to pop in your mind is '' what is a starter pack?'' Most of us define the starter pack and the Volkswagen Golf which can branch from the Citi Golf to the Velocity Golf, and or the Toyota Conquest or Tazz. What I have just mentioned is a very controversial topic and everyone will have his or her own point of view. Let's take one example Alan Bock was born and raised in Rehoboth. As he grew up his first aim was to have his own car. He wanted a silver Toyota conquest. Interior will be leather seats. Maple color with darker sued. 18'' inch rims, spinners to be exact. Black tinted windows and a massive sound system. This is a Baster's dream car for his partying days. Most youngsters buy it, as it's the most reasonably priced. Everyone that buys the famous 'starter pack' say it's fairly easy to maintain, as the spare parts are cheap to replace; yet most of these cars are second hand models. You'll hear people say that they bought from Jacky who bought it from Alan who bought it from Jason who bought if from Babsie who bought it from Nam Cars over the internet. As the young Basters grow older and become more mature, they realize it's better to have a secondhand model Ford bakkie. This can be a Bantam or the Ranger 1800 and the most famous is the Nissan Champ 1400 Bakkie.

The Girls of Your Initial Fantasies

We can name leisure time a period of time when people haven't anything to do i.e. they don't have to do any job or other kind of activity, so they have some free time. It contains doing anything you want except the things you do each day such as having some sleep, having a dinner, household chores etc. This word comes from Latin and signifies "to be permitted" or "to be free". But the notions leisure and free time appeared from the period of industrial revolution when a working day was diminished to 8 hours and people had 2 official days off. At that period vacations and hobbies appeared. People separate leisure into two types: active and passive. During the active leisure people expend a lot of powers having kick-boxing or soccer for example. Playing draughts or painting a picture are also active leisure because these activities exhaust your mental efforts. Passive free time is the period of time when people don't exercise any physical or brain powers such as going to movie theater, museum, gambling and so on. Many persons claim that this kind of leisure is irrational i.e. all advantages of leisure time are forfeited. A great amount of people prefer to have passive leisure time than active one. Woman escort offer you to spend your leisure time in the surrounding of amazing girls. You would get physical and mental activity and in the same time relaxation during your sexual meetings with our ladies. So you have active free time and in the same time an amazing relaxation that is really good for your health. On our internet page you will find a lot of different services including erotic massage. You may get this service from our massage escort Ukraine. Massage is the totality of physical exposure methods on a person's body. An erotic massage is our proposal that we present to our clients and customers. A professional erotic massage is a great satisfaction and a escort girl Ukrainian will be the one that you need to do it. This kind of massage is a great process that is done with the assistance of a woman's body but not only with the fingers. You will feel her hips, buttocks and tits. It is really amazing especially when you have it for the first time. For people who can't live without varieties in sex and pleasure thismassage is the thing that they need. A lot of people are also afraid of the notion "prostitute". Today it is not as horrible as it was several years ago but many people still have an unpleasant relation to the prostitutes. But this relation is absolutely depends on the social opinion of sexual activity in general. From the one hand sex presents you a pleasure. It makes sex an average service as you can get for example in store or somewhere else. But from another point of view this type of sex is not related to making children. At all ages people tabooed diverse sexual relations and reproved everybody who had such relations. That taboo was as strict the more monogamous was the community. And only in the twentieth century sexual rehabilitation has begun in the countries of Europe and Northern America. Society use this word in different situations and may introduce any notion or occupation with the help of this term. For example any mercenary man can be named "a prostitute". But we are the persons of the twenty first century and our attitude should be lenient to every manifestation of human activity. Don't be afraid of this word and contact our business firm to have a magnificent pleasure with our girls.