The LuxMob Info Tags

To imagine the unimaginable is the highest use of the imagination. – Cynthia Ozick

We all have it, it’s just that we seldom use it.
We go about our day following the usual routine and rarely fire-up our imaginations to plan or develop something well out of our usual schedule.

Steve Joordens, a cognitive psychologist and professor at the University of Toronto, puts it this way - “It’s only a small percentage of our lives that we spend consciously considering things. We may go through 80 percent of our life without much conscious thought of what we are thinking and doing.”

Professor Joordens, points out that when you’re involved with your usual daily tasks, any effort to awaken your imagination for some creative purpose is “effortful and easily disruptable. In order to get to the creative thing you have to expend an effort. A lot of people don’t tend to make those efforts.”

For those however, who take the time and make the effort to ignite the power of imagination, find the experience energizing and often leads to a successful conclusion of an creative idea.
In an article on the power of imagination, Andrew Chung writes – “Many of the greatest advances, like the theory of relativity were the product of an abundance of imagination….”

Another powerful creative tool is to combine imagination with visualization – this is the combo used successfully by athletes such as Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus – they take the time and make the effort to imagine various shot possibilities, then after calculating the best opportunity, they picture making that shot in their minds – imagination plus visualization - a powerful tool in developing a more creative, and happier you.

Imagination is something we all have but use sparingly, and when we do imagine something, it habitually deals with the usual mundane concerns of our lives and we are missing out on a wonderful opportunity to improve our lives.

Take the time and make an effort to use your imagination to think outside the box – innovative ideas and creative challenges that will bring about a new lease on life.

There are no days in life so memorable as those which vibrated to some stroke of the imagination. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dave Wright is a retired television reporter and editor of PPP Retirement a site dedicated to the development of Positive, Productive and Profitable creative challenges to take you into and through retirement. He is also the producer of Quotation Movies - mini-movies featuring a series of motivational quotations over spectacular landscape and nature pictures.

Copyright © 2005 PPP Retirement Plans - Reprints Accepted

Tyler Perry’s Madea character is a gun-toting, crude caricature of a “strong” (or maniacal) black woman. While we denounce films where black males settle their differences with guns, the media embraces this negativity wholeheartedly. What is the difference between the image presented by O-Dog in “Menace To Society” (played by Larenz tate) and Madea? How much positivity can be drawn from a black man dressed as a loud talking, gun-toting, short-tempered woman?

The common thread among “Perryites” is that they find a message in his works, but most people who watch his movie—young folks in particular—aren’t seeking a message. Like most filmgoers they seek two hours of something that draws them away from reality; amusement. The imagery is particularly bad if it portrays black men as weak and subservient, contradicting the traditional male model.

Non-threatening black images have been a Hollywood staple since the days of Bert Williams, Stepin Fetchit and Eddie “Rochester” Brown. That trend has continued onward and we have enough JJ’s, Reruns, Grady Wilsons and Anthony Bouviers (Meshach Taylor’s character on “Designing Women”) to prove it. This is why books, movies, CDs, etc. that bash black men are such big sellers. In that regard, Mr. Perry pales in comparison to the queen of the MISTERsogynists, Terri “My-man-caused-blues-are-yo-man-caused-blues” McMillan.

Blacks who confront racism head, even in a comedic vein like Martin Lawrence, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, wind up beat down by the same system that first propped them up. When is the last time you saw a Hughes Brother film getting major play in the media? Why is Spike Lee now making “safe” films? One of Mr. Lee’s films, “Bamboozled” was less product than prophecy, and all it takes is a look at the dearth of quality black films coming out of Hollywood. to see that decision makers in Hollywood see most blacks as buffoons.

Recently black thespians Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Jamie Foxx and Halle Berry have won Oscars. Furthermore, in recent years we have seen a spate of fine afrocentric films—”Ray”, “Antwone Fisher”, “Rwanda,” Lackawanna Blues” and “Drumline” to name a few. But for every one of those films there is a “Soul Plane”, “Pootie Tang”, “White Chicks” or a Tyler Perry creation—multiplied by three.

Why is there such a dearth of innovative black filmmaking? Where is the political satire (as in “Undercover brother”)? The believable love stories (as in the surprisingly good “Deliver Us From Eva”)? Where are the relevant bio-pics—such as The Jackie Robinson story, or a film detailing the lives of Frederick Douglas and Robert F. Williams?

Spike Lee attempts to answer that question, stating “The one way to change everything is to get Black people into those gate keeper positions (where they have the power to green light films). That’s how you change things, not with Academy Awards.”

The losers in this game are young black people, who are spoon-fed negative images of self under the guise of “comedy.” Meanwhile, films that attempt to elevate the level of consciousness (”Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored”, “Rwanda”, “Bamboozled” et al.) are poorly promoted, shown outside of the black community and largely ignored. This, in my view, is no coincidence. As long as the producers of these films don’t look, think or live like us, all we can expect to see from them is their twisted take of black life.

The sad and simple reality is that the black cinematic works being greenlighted for wide release usually portray blacks as clowns, drug dealers or gangsters. Blacks are a significant portion of the movie audience, and this is supported by the fact that three black films released in 2006 have finished number one at the box office during their first week of release. (“Inside Man,” “Madea’s Family Reunion” and “Big Momma’s House 2.”

Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com believes, “There is a six-week period where there is a lot of attention on African-American stories. The studios have figured out that this is a nice time of year to serve what is often times an underserved audience.” (Greg Hernandez, Los Angeles Daily News, April 14, 2006).

Hollywood Fascinated By Race

Recently I viewed the 1999 flick, “Whiteboyz” on HBO. It is a satirical, yet all-too real film about a white kid from Iowa who goes by the moniker Flip Dogg, and who glamorizes everything “black,” or at least his perception thereof. (Flip is played by the co-writer of the film, Danny Hoch). When Flip’s black friend Khalid tells him he isn’t black, Flip replies “I’m black on the inside…black is the dope s—t.” It takes a brutal reality check and the death of an innocent man before this kid is jarred back to his vanilla reality. Later that evening I caught Robert Benton’s, “The Human Stain.” Both films dealt with racial denial and the shame and self-hatred felt by many light-skinned blacks, But such introspective and informative perspectives on race are sore lacking in Hollywood, with one notable exception: “Crash,” which earned the 2006 Oscar for Best Picture. It too had race as the central theme. However, Hollywood relegates most films detailing the serious side of black life to the straight-to-video bin. Instead of “Lackawanna Blues” (Terrence Howard, Mos Def, S. Epatha Merkerson) getting major play, we get force-fed movies loaded with caricatures, such as “Madea’s Family Reunion.”

Hollywood sometimes confronts the issue of race, but usually that take is not realistic and oftentimes downright laughable (The 1995 John Travolta, Harry Belafonte film “White Man’s Burden” comes to mind). When it comes to black and white, why can’t we see more films like 1970s “The Landlord” (Beau Bridges and Diana Sands)? Instead we get Joe Pesci in “The Super” (1991), a film so laden with stereotypes its unwatchable.

Hollywood’s Dearth of Originality

I lament Hollywood’s moving from “storytelling” to “action sequencing”. Today’s movies stink for a variety of reasons, but one is what I call “The Piggyback Principle”: More commonly referred to as “monkey-see-monkey-do.” This is seen in the plethora of films with a similar theme (for example, the teen romance genre), or in the form of lame-brained sequels. This holds true for black “comedies” like “Soul Plane.”
Films today fail to let the camera tell the story, but rely too heavily on special F/X and gratuitous nudity.

As filmgoers, black and white patrons need to send a message. We are weary of Hollywood foisting mindless, unfunny racist comedies and unrealistic portrayals of black life. We demand realism, respect and less of the mind-rotting schlock being passed off today as “art.”

Timothy N. Stelly, Sr. is a poet, novelist and activist residing in Northern California. His most recent work is an as of yet unpublished work of poetry, “Tales From The Black Side of the Rainbow.”

In 1969, Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross published her famous book; On Death and Dying and later went on to launch the Hospice movement in America. Even though her studies focused more on those who were dying than the caregivers that were left behind, her work has had enormous influence on the understanding of various stages of death and grief.

She described five distinctive stages of the grief process:

• Denial
• Anger
• Bargaining
• Depression
• Acceptance

Although not everyone progresses through these stages in the same order and not everyone experiences each stage, the feelings and emotions identified seem to be universal.

At one time the diagnosis of cancer, AIDS or COPD was a death sentence. Advances in medicine and treatment now sometimes place patients with these diseases in a chronic rather than acute condition, leaving the caregiver with a sense of on-going sadness, or “anticipatory grief.”

Anticipation in this context refers to the anticipation of an event in the future. Barring a miracle, the caregiver has a sure knowledge that death will occur in our loved one sooner rather than later.

In anticipation of eventual death, the caregiver changes her focus from the hopes of a miracle cure to ensuring comfort and quality at life’s end.

Many of the caregivers I have worked with not only mourn the anticipation of death of a loved one, but also the end of their role in life. They are afraid of who they will become when they no longer bear the title of “wife”, daughter” or “caregiver.”

The overwhelming burden of caring, worrying and dedication will end with the death of a loved one. What will fill the void? Have they been strong for so long that when death does occur, they will collapse?

Nature demonstrates that almost everything occurs in cycles. Each individual experiences an endless flow of beginnings and endings. Much of our fear and grief stems from our uncertainty about the new beginning and if we will be able to handle it.

The more we can trust that with every ending is a new beginning, the less likely we are to resist letting go of the old. We play a part in choosing what the new beginning will be. We do not need to rush into anything. We have worked hard and with love, and we deserve to rest and regroup.

Trust yourself and trust nature that you will be guided in your journey. Each one of us goes through the cycles of life in our own way. We can see each ending as a tragedy because we will no longer have daily exposure and experiences with our loved one, or we can see it as a new beginning for everyone.

This article may be re-printed in it’s entirety as long as full credit is given to the author, Judy H. Wright. For a full listing of books, articles and tele-classes on this and other subjects related to the journey of life, please go to: www.ArtichokePress.com

This article may be re-printed in it’s entirety as long as full credit is given to the author, Judy H. Wright. For a full listing of books, articles and tele-classes on this and other subjects related to the journey of life, please go to: http://www.ArtichokePress.com To contact Ms. Wright call 406-549-9813 or write JudyWright@ArtichokePress.com

Electronic device manufacturers and content producers have
got to back away from the forest and see the light filtering
throught the trees. Consumers want to control the content
they purchase and want to be able to use their electronic
devices together without restrictions placed on them.

Standards and interoperability will have to come to digital
devices, just as Google co-founder Larry Page said in his
Consumer Electronics Show keynote speech when he introduced
Google Video. Right now, only those video’s purchased through
Google Video that are NOT copy protected will play on video
iPods and Sony PSP’s - the rest only work on Google Video.

http://www.google.com/press/podium/ces2006.html

That news about Google Video and Digital Rights Management
(DRM) standards of interoperability had me fuming about my
inability to use my content (photos, movies, music) on
devices made by different manufacturers or between cell phone
providers. Today I ran across a story about an Anti-DRM group
in Britain campaigning to demand an end to DRM.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/18/drm_consumer_opposition/

Obviously I’m not the only one disturbed by the fact that I
cannot move digitally recorded movies from my Tivo to my DVD
recorder (purchased for exactly that reason, but before I
knew it wouldn’t work) I only found out that I couldn’t
record movies from the Tivo to the DVD recorder when I called
Pioneer customer support to ask why the recorder wouldn’t
record my movies. It seems that I can only move digital
movies from the Tivo to my computer (which I found I could do
with free Tivo Desktop software when I called Tivo customer
support.)

So instead of recording directly from my Tivo to my Pioneer
DVD recorder, I have to move the movie over to my computer
via Tivo Desktop software, then burn a DVD from my computer.
Very smart move on Tivo’s part, as it means I definitely
won’t buy the DVR from my satellite TV provider because they
don’t support skipping commercials, nor do they support
moving movies to my computer.

This also means I don’t NEED my Pioneer DVD recorder - so
their DRM which stops Tivo digitally recorded movies from
recording to DVD means that I won’t use that Pioneer DVD
recorder and will now sell it. The other DVD player connected
to my other television will suffice. If I want to record
something, it goes on the Tivo because it is so easy to use
and works so extremely well. I’ll use the free Tivo Desktop
software and move it to my computer and burn DVD’s of my
recorded television and movies there.

Clearly Tivo is doing all they can to make their device
consumer friendly - but they are being besieged by television
and movie content producers, who are screaming at them to
stop the “piracy” of their users. Tivo now disables the 30
second commercial skip button daily (which you have to know
how to program - Select, Play, Select, 3-0, Select). They do
this via automatically updated internal software because
advertisers screamed at them for several years about the
consumer ability to skip commercials. The result is that I
reprogram that function daily anyway - annoying, but not
nearly as annoying as not being able to control my own device
the way I want to.

I’m convinced that content producers will lose this battle
over the long term and I’ll do all I can to fight them
myself, like supporting anti-DRM groups wherever I find them.
And I’ll research more thoroughly before buying products
which contain DRM to make certain they will work with my
existing devices - meaning no Sony CD’s or DVD’s. There have
been rumors that Apple is creating a set-top box and service
similar to Tivo and I’d buy one in a split second as I’m sure
I could use my iPod, iMac and iPhoto seamlessly between all
devices.

Maybe they’ll make a phone with a Mac OS and a PDA as well (I
actually used to own an early Apple Newton PDA and oh, how I
wish they had continued to develop that wonderful little
thing). I’m happy to use anything Apple produces - but I
won’t switch cell providers or switch my Satellite TV
provider. Interoperability and standards are essential to me.
It’s about choice. Pioneer limited my choices and lost a
customer and Motorola lost my ROKR iTunes phone business
because the device is only available from Cingular.

Obviously, I’m a Mac user and had studiously avoided
purchasing Windows machines until I had to buy a Windows box
to run business software not available for my Apple machines.
So I bought an extremely cheap $299 PC to run the three
programs that won’t run on my Mac. That cheap machine now
serves as my DVD burner for movies (with a cheap external
hard drive as movie storage drive). Pioneer lost a customer
because they don’t allow me to record movies to DVD from my
Tivo. How about a Tivo/Apple partnership? That would be a
marriage made in heaven due to the customer-centric design
and usability so elegantly addressed by both companies.

I’ll put up with Apple’s walled garden (iTunes and
proprietary AAC files) and their own DRM only as long as
everything they make works seamlessly together. Apple
products always have worked elegantly together and probably
always will. Somehow most third party software seems to
interact well with everything else on the Macs. The moment
Motorola makes that ROKR iTunes phone available through MY
cellular provider, I’ll consider buying that phone.

Being in the market for a phone, I had been looking at a Palm
Treo 650 phone/PDA and was excited when they introduced the
new 700 model, just as I was about to make that purchase. So
I read a few reviews and discovered to my horror that Palm
just fell victim to the dominance of Microsoft and replaced
their own well designed Palm operating system on that new
Treo 700 with a buggy, slow and cumbersome Windows OS!

In the process they lost another customer, because I can’t
stand the clunky way one must navigate with Windows
(reviewers agree) and refuse to buy that machine now, the
same way I avoided all other PDA’s running Windows for the
past 10 years. This is all because Palm couldn’t port
Microsoft documents and Windows related bits to the Palm OS
when corporate users required that interoperability. Thanks
to Gates & Company, Palm lost another customer - and their
own elegant OS.

If mainstream electronics device manufacturers continue to
take the path of least resistance by kowtowing to content
producers, lowest common denominator software and stifled
functionality and interoperability, then consumers will
eventually find a way to take back the control. We’ll avoid
buying products (CD’s & DVD’s, “rented” music) that don’t
work with their existing devices (Tivo’s, DVD recorders,
PDA’s, iPods) and will find companies that make all of this
stuff work together and buy from them - but only so long as
ALL devices and ALL content work with each other
interchangeably.

Mike Banks Valentine is a Search Engine Optimization
Specialist and blogs about web content at:
http://
weblogs.Publish101.com and distributes articles about
business at: http://
Publish101.com while operating a small
business ecommerce tutorial at: http://WebSite101.com

For today’s student, distance learning can provide a valuable
and affordable way to work toward a GED, the best way for an
adult to demonstrate the skills learned by the average high
school graduate. But there are a growing number of companies and
schools who aren’t really in the business of education. Instead,
they’re in the education business — their biggest business is
selling quick and easy programs or simple online tests that come
with worthless transcripts and fake diplomas.

In most cases, the GED — the term for General Education
Development credential — is the only official ‘diploma’ that
has value and is meaningful for adults who never completed their
high school education. There are exceptions. But as a rule most
transcripts and diplomas ordered or obtained from online high
schools are worthless.

Unfortunately, students and adult learners are often misled –
and easily misled — by these diploma factories or diploma
mills. Here’s a recent letter from a new GED student, who
learned about one education business the hard way:

“I paid $250 and got this paper in the mail, but it didn’t help
me get a better job. It was a ripoff. It wasn’t till my boss
told me that I found out it wasn’t a real high school. It wasn’t
even a real high school diploma, just something somebody made on
a computer. But it looked like a real school. With a real test.”

This student’s story is typical, tragic, and more common every
day. Many adult learners fall victim to diploma scams, usually
paying $200 to $800 in tuition, testing, transcript or diploma
fees. But because the school or program isn’t accredited, the
diploma has no value — it’s meaningless. When it comes to
employers, job training programs, tech school, community
colleges and universities, bogus diplomas are useless.

But a GED credential is useful. For today’s 34 to 38 million
adults in the US who never graduated from high school, passing
the GED test is a pass key to both career and educational
opportunities. Approximately 95 percent of employers and 97
percent of US colleges and universities accept the GED because
it’s an official, accredited ‘diploma.’

When choosing an education program, an adult student’s best bet
is a GED solution, whether enrolling in a local class or online
preparation program. If online learning or distance learning is
the best solution for you, look for a program that includes all
the components needed to prepare for the GED test.

Here are some guidelines for choosing a real online GED program
provider and avoiding bogus schools or fake diploma scams:

– The American Council on Education (ACE) has tight guidelines
for the GED. The test covers science, social studies, language
arts reading and writing, and math — including algebra,
geometry and data analysis. Find a program that includes all
testing areas; avoid any solution or school that doesn’t include
all test areas or information about test areas and ACE
requirements. — GED practice tests are available online and are
a good way for a student to determine what to study to get ready
for the test. But the actual GED test cannot be taken online!
The test is only given at official test sites. So avoid any
company that claims to offer the official GED test or a quick
version online. For a listing of official test sites and state
contacts, visit http://www.passged.com/test_state.php#1.

– Read the fine print, before you pay — make sure you
understand what the company or school is offering and determine
if it’s worth the price. Is it a worthwhile learning process or
just a fake diploma? Will it help you progress in your career or
education? Will the online GED program or learning solution you
choose really prepare you for the GED test? Ask for guidance if
you’re unsure.

– Look beyond the company or school; discover what other
teachers, students and adult learners are saying. Explore GED
and education message boards, online forums or learning
communities. What do people say? Are there complaints, or
reports of success? Does the school or company you’re
considering even offer a blog, message board or forum where
people can post their experiences and results, difficulties and
successes?

– Be very cautious in dealing with any company or online high
school that offers a diploma or transcript after passing an
online test. The GED test is difficult; the test is timed and
usually takes more than seven hours. Basically, just as the old
adage says: If it sounds too good to be true it probably is too
good to be true.

Education is probably the best investment you can make in
yourself. Make sure your investment is a good one, and gives you
a return that’s worthwhile. The GED credential might be harder
to get than a $250 diploma, but you can sure count on it to take
you to where you want to go.

For more information about the GED, and free GED resources
online: visit http://www.passGED.com/. The website includes
answers to the most common questions about the GED, and links to
accredited resources.

With advancing technology revolutionizing the television viewing field, consumers have more choices than ever before. And as is often the case with electronics, it can be confusing. Terms and acronyms are used in the electronics industry that you just don’t find anywhere else, and if you aren’t careful it can keep you from buying newer technology simply because you don’t understand it well. That can certainly be the case with modern TV monitors.

The old analog TV sets of yesteryear did not have to have a very advanced monitor because the TV signal was only so good anyway, So CRT monitors lasted as the screen choice for decades. But now with HDTV moving the entire viewing experience forward in dramatic fashion, better ways of producing the on-screen image is in full production.

Two of those competing screen technologies are plasma TVs and DLPs (digital light processing TVs). Both types of screen technologies have been around for a while, although DLPs have only become commonplace in recent years. They use completely different means of displaying a TV picture and so each has it’s own peculiarities, both for good and bad. So you as the consumer need to weigh the differences and determine which will best fit your own needs.

Plasma TVs are well-known for their high contrast images and vivid colors, and they are generally cheaper than DLP TVs in the larger screen sizes. They have a wide viewing angle, and would make an excellent choice for many people. The drawbacks include less longevity and faster wear rate at higher altitudes above 6,000 to 7,000 feet, and the fact that they tend to run hot and need internal fans to cool them down that can sometimes be noisy depending on the model that you choose. They also can suffer from screen burn-in when an image is left on the screen for a very long time, producing a faint ghost image even when viewing something else.

DLP TVs are are capable of painting the screen with high contrast, color dense images too, although the nod still has to go to plasma TVs in general in this area. They are also easily used as a monitor for almost any digital video source that you have, including your computer. They use a reflective technology to display the screen image and so their picture is very bright and easy to see even in brightly lit rooms. However, they must be viewed at eye level, since the brightness falls off rapidly as you view them from either above or below eye level. The DLP will last almost indefinitely, but the light source must be replaced every 10,000 hours and that will cost over $200 when you do.

Actually either will make a fine choice to use with today’s emerging television technologies. Just be aware that each has it’s own drawbacks, so choose the monitor that will fit your own particular needs and uses best.

Jim Johnson is a successful author and publisher on consumer related matters. You can find out more about the best dlp tv and dlp vs lcd by visiting our HDTV website.

Some of us have flair, and some of us don’t. But we all prefer to be appropriately dressed for office work, if we can afford it. In fact, many corporations still mandate what employees can and cannot wear to the office. This can make life painfully difficult for someone who is coming off unemployment. She has probably been stress eating for a long time, and none of her previous wardrobe fits, even if it once was suitable. The sneers from co-workers can be hard to take.

There are organizations that specialize in providing a business suit to a woman who cannot afford to buy one, if she meets their income criteria. One example, by referral from an approved agency only, is Dress for Success. Wardrobe for Opportunity (in the San Francisco Bay area) is an example of an organization that assists males with suitable clothing for the workforce.

Incidentally, I have a friend who always found beautiful outfits at regular thrift stores; she invariably looked as though she had shopped at an upscale department store. And that wasn’t just her “Sunday, go to meeting” clothes. Her office outfits looked just as nice. True, she wasn’t a manager, and didn’t need to buy power suits, yet she was always at least as well dressed as everyone else in the building. And in most cases, she was better dressed.

Time was that even I could also find a few clothes at a regular thrift shop, such as Salvation Army, and they were not only appropriate for wearing to work for 12 months or so, they lasted for years more as “running errands” clothing. Times, however, seem to be changing, so recently, I decided to try a couple of new forays into the thrift shop experience.

What I found was that the quality of donations to thrift stores is not as high as it was just three years ago. I think the ongoing unemployment situation, coupled with new and massive layoffs in several industries, is making middle-class people afraid to get rid of very much. In addition, large donations of needed clothing have been sent to victims of disasters in the United States and around the world. Regardless, almost no women’s pantsuits appeared on the racks, and few jackets or blazers, at least in our neighborhood.

I did find a lot of heavy sweaters, not often needed in Southern California away from the mountains and coastal zones. On the other hand, homeless women, and those not able to afford heat in their homes in our colder months, will definitely welcome warm sweaters and pants for such modest prices, around $6 or $7 at the most. (Less, when the store is having a 50% off sale).

Overall, while weekly trips to the nearest thrift stores will probably produce good results for those women needing blouses and knit tops, it will take a lot of patience to work through the racks to find appropriate slacks and jackets. The Men’s Department had filled racks, of varying quality, but, as one example, I saw brand name, gently used, soft leather jackets for only $40, and not just in black. Such jackets retail for as much as $175 to $300.

A thrift store is a good place to begin your search, followed by outlet stores, if they are within reasonable distance. Driving 30 to 150 miles to reach an outlet store is probably not the wisest use of limited funds. Inexpensive clothes can also be bought at chain stores, especially during sales, but again, patience is needed to get past inappropriate styles.

© 2006 Shirley Ann Parker

Shirley Ann Parker is a full-time technical writer, who has survived many ups and downs in the business environment. She is also the author of Discoveries: A Journey Through Life, an engaging collection of positive short stories about the joys and frustrations of family and friendships. The stories cover topics from the so-called everyday to magical realism. Buy it, and enjoy it, from http://www.bbotw.com or other online bookstores. Shirley’s website is http://www.shirleyannparker.com and additional creative work is at http://www.cafeshops.com/topazcoveplus

If you can successfully figure out when the right time to start potty training is then you have half of the battle won already. It is a very delicate matter and care should be taken in choosing the right time to start.

Most children are ready to begin potty training somewhere between 18 months and 36 months. If you start too early the child will get confused as it will be unable to control its own body movements. Trying to learn how to use the potty and not physically being able to will not only frustrate the child and yourself but will also make the task much more difficult in the long run. On the other hand, starting too late will also be a problem making it much more difficult to achieve as bad habits will have set in and will be difficult to break.

Your child should be giving you tell tale signs that they are ready to begin using the potty. They should be holding liquids and staying dry for periods of up to two hours or so, they should be at a development stage where they can understand you and follow up to 2 commands given at once, they should start showing a natural interest in the toilet and may even try to imitate other family members. All of these signs normally become apparent at around the 18 month - 2 year mark but can vary greatly from child to child. Each child will have their own time for beginning the process and should be giving you clear signals when the time is right.

Once you have established that the time is nearing and your child is ready to start potty training then first of all you should do a bit of research into the various methods and approaches that exist, choose one and try to stick to it. It will be counterproductive to go switching tactics each time there is a slight hiccup in the progress. If you are certain that your method isn’t working once embarked upon and you find another method more suitable then by all means change but it is not advisable to change between on method and another and then back again simply so as to not confuse the child. The key to success in potty training is to teach your child a routine. The child is young and may take time to adapt to that routine but as with any learning the key is in the repetition. The same actions time after time will eventually lead to assimilation of the idea and soon your child will be using the potty and the toilet as if they had been doing so for ever.

Once you have chosen a method you will follow you should start getting ready for the potty training or ‘pre-potty training’.

You should show the potty to your child, show them how to use it. (Maybe practice with a doll). When getting dressed or undressed you should make a point of trying to get the child to pull up or down their own pants (with your hands guiding theirs if necessary). Read them potty story books and / or show them potty story videos.

After a few days of ‘getting them used to the idea’ you can start the actual potty training itself.

First of all you should dress your child in loose fitting pants so that they will be able to pull them up and down easily themselves without your help. You should make a commitment to not use diapers any more, use pull ups or training pants and don’t be tempted to go back to the diapers as this will confuse the child. You may however want to carry on using diapers at night until the daytime training is well under way.

Give your child plenty of liquids at first so that they will need to go a little more often than usual. After about half an hour of so you can then run them through the process,

Let them know what you are about to do, tell them the words you want them to use when they need to go the potty so they can let you know, e.g. ‘pee pee’ or ‘potty’ or whatever you chose.

Say your chosen words to them then walk them (with a certain urgency) to their potty, have them pull down their pants sit them on the potty and wait for them to do something. If they don’t do anything then spend a short while waiting, read a book or sing to them. If this doesn’t work then have them pull up their pants and wash their hands anyway and try again in another half an hour.

If they do go then make a big fuss of them, tell them they are big and gown up now and that you’re proud of them or other words of encouragement. The encouragement will motivate any child no end and will make them want to repeat the process to please you again.

In the event of an accident you should take the child back to the ‘scene’ of the accident and then walk them to the toilet or the potty, have them pull down their pants and sit in the potty, even if they don’t go any more just so they will associate the potty with the accident. Clean them up and have them pull up their pants and wash their hands. It is important not to be cross or punish the child when they have an accident, simply tell them to tell you and do it in the potty next time.

The whole process of potty training can be a long and slow one but with a bit of patience and a lot of repetition then there will be positive lasting results.

At htpp://pottyaid.com there is lots more information and other articles similar to this one. There is also the 5 day email course you can sign up for free of charge - Potty Training made easy.

Tattoos are not new. They have been around longer then recorded history. It just seems I have been noticing them a lot more lately. I don’t know if that was because I started to take an interest or there are a lot more people getting them.

Before I decided to get my tattoo, I did some home work. I don’t come from a background of drunken sailors, so my only thoughts were those dark and dingy, back alley shops you see on late night TV. As most of you reading this can guess, I was wrong. There are clean and reputable tattoo shops even in my town. Some of these tattoo shop are even open during the day light.

I did a lot of internet searching and have learned a lot about tattoos and tattoo shops. Mostly I learned not to prejudge. But some of the things I learned I thought would be worth passing on to my kids and to whoever is deciding to get a tattoo.

Tattoos can put you at risk for contacting many diseases, such as HIV, Hepatitis and even tuberculosis. Tattoos can bring on skin infections such as impetigo, dermatitis and possibly an allergic reaction to the tattoo pigment. To minimize the risk you really need to follow a couple of common sense rules when seeking out a tattoo shop.

Stop by a tattoo shop and look and see if they are using single service equipment. Make sure all needles and tubes are individually packaged, dated, sealed. The person who tattoos should use guidelines created by OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for the handling of body fluids. And of course, the person doing the tattoo should be wearing gloves.

After you get your tattoo, don’t pick or tug on the area of the tattoo. Clean with soap and water not with alcohol. Tattoos are sensitive to sun; use SPF 30 or greater to protect them. Also, use antibiotic cream for several days. The body considers tattoos as an open wound.

I hope anybody considering a tattoo or who has a tattoo and is getting another will just take a few precautions.

Remember friends don’t let friend’s get a tattoo while under the influence of alcohol or after just meeting Mr. or Ms. Right.

Authored by Richard Amburn http://www.body-art-online.com

Tips on Tattoos http://www.body-art-online.com

Protecting Wisconsin Waters in the Fall - Benefits of
Composting

Wisconsin’s water is our most precious resource. And in
Wisconsin, water means more than what comes out of the tap – it
is part of our lives and heritage. Our beautiful lakes, rivers
and natural areas are the places where our families go to swim,
fish, boat, hike and just plain enjoy. One simple way to protect
our waters is to compost your fall leaves.

“This time of year leaves make up the biggest component of
landscape wastes,” Derek Scheer, Water Policy Director of Clean
Wisconsin said. “Leaves are one of the easiest landscape wastes
to compost. A simple compost pile, can protect our waters,
reduce waste in landfills and improve your plants.”

Why
Compost? There are a number of good reasons to compost.

1. It reduces the amount of algae in our lakes.

2. It reduces the amount of waste in landfills.

3. It improves soil structure, texture, and aeration and
increases the soil’s water-holding capacity. Your plants will
thank you for the compost by producing more.

Reduces Algae in our Lakes

Leaves contribute to our lakes turning green in the summer by
fertilizing lake weeds and algae. When leaf piles sit, wind and
rain carry them into storm drains and into our lakes, through
the storm sewers. Even if the leaves are piled on your lawn,
rain seeping through the piles picks up phosphorus and other
plant nutrients that flow into the storm drains.

Reduces
Waste in Landfills

Nearly 30 percent of the wastes homeowners throw away each year
can be composted. This keeps these wastes out of landfills and
creates a product that adds valuable organic matter to the lawn
and garden. Composting may be the easiest way for homeowners to
dispose of them. Instead of clogging landfills, those leaves and
fruit and vegetable peelings can be recycled as backyard
compost.

Improves Soil

Leaves, plants killed by frost, vegetable scraps and grass
clippings–all these materials can be composted. Fall is the
perfect time to start a compost pile. The composting process
will continue throughout winter and yield you rich soil for your
spring planting. Compost is one of nature’s best mulches and
soil amendments, and you can use it instead of commercial
fertilizers. They’re easy, an efficient way to use yard waste
and will kick start your spring garden. Best of all, compost is
cheap.

Setting up a Compost Pile

Composting can be as easy as digging an area in your garden, at
least a foot deep, dumping leaves in the hole and covering it
with the twelve inches of soil you dug up. You could also
purchase a compost container or build your own.

The compost pile should contain a mix of nitrogen- and
carbon-rich materials because both are essential for the
microorganisms that do the decomposing. Green, leafy wastes
usually are high in nitrogen, while woody materials tend to be
high in carbon. Also include kitchen scraps such as egg shells,
melon rinds, coffee grinds, banana peels, etc in your compost.
Placing an empty ice cream pail in the kitchen cabinet below
your sink is an easy way to collect the scraps. You should avoid
meat scraps and dairy in the compost pile. These typically
attract rodents and other pests you don’t want in your backyard.
For a great list of what can and can’t go in a compost pile see:

http://www.compostguide.com/. They have an easy to follow
chart listing common composting materials.

As long as the pile is large enough to insulate itself, it will
continue to decompose throughout the winter. When warm weather
returns in the spring, use a shovel to stir the pile (turning).
The object of turning is to rotate the material in the pile. The
pile should be turned once a week. The compost is ready to use
when the pile cools and the material is dark, crumbly and
sweet-smelling, like soil. Finished compost can be used next
spring to mulch around shrubs or flowers or as a soil enhancer
for gardens.

If composting won’t work for you, participate in your local or
municipal fall leaf collection.

• Call your local Public Works Department. Most cities, towns
and villages have leaf collections in October or citizens can
drop off yard waste at specific sites. Call for the schedule.

• If your municipality picks up leaves, place leaves for pickup
on the terrace between the sidewalk and the street. Put a tarp
over the leaves on your terrace to stop them from blowing into
the street. Bag your leaves only if your terrace is very narrow;
bags must contain only leaves and be open at the top for easy
emptying. Raking leaves into the street will carry them into
storm drains and into our lakes, through the storm sewers.
Please note that piles of leaves and bags of leaves won’t harm
your grass. By late fall, grass has stopped growing and becomes
dormant until spring.

Other options to protect Wisconsin Waters from leaves:

• Use a mulching or regular lawnmower to chop leaves into small
pieces that will breakdown easier and release ‘good’ nutrients
into your lawn.

• Rake leaves over flower beds mulched with wood chips as a
supplement to help reduce weeds. The decomposed leaves will
enhance the planting bed and save money.

• Plant a natural landscape under trees. Using native
wildflowers, ferns, and grasses will provide a natural place for
fallen leaves.

• Set up a community or neighborhoods compost pile. For example,
Eau Claire County no longer accepts yard waste at any of their
collection sites. On the
County web site , there is a yard waste directory. The list
consists of homeowners who accept yard waste to compost.

Wisconsin’s water is precious and it’s our responsibility to
keep it safe and useable. For more information on protecting our
lakes, rivers and streams call Clean Wisconsin for their poster
’30 easy ways to care for Wisconsin Water’ or visit our web site
www.cleanwisconsin.org
.