The LuxMob Info Tags

During the last few years, I have witnessed first-hand the
increasing anti-religion movement upon which the United States
was originally founded. With items such as removing prayer from
schools to banning the public display of the Nativity Scene, and
let’s not forget the person who wanted to sue congress for
mentioning God in the Pledge of Allegiance, it would seem that
quite a few Americans have developed a sour taste to the notion
of a celestial god. Granted, my encounters of such behavior are
more frequent since I currently reside in one of the most
liberal states of America, nevertheless, the truth remains that
religion seems to not be as important as it once was. The key
word here is ’seems’.

In August 2005, Newsweek Magazine published a survey that noted
519 million people believe in THE higher power. While “THE” is
subjective to each individual, it falls within the many American
melting pot religions that turn to divinity for comfort. Also
noteworthy is a recent news story. One church managed to drudge
its way past celebrity gossip, wartime casualties and disastrous
weather forecasts right smack into the media spotlight. Looks
like religion really does still exist since this particular
church, Lakewood Church, out of Houston Texas just became what
is called a “mega-church”. This title belongs to only a few in
the United States, and to be deserving of such a label takes
massive accomplishment. In this case, having a physical weekly
congregation of approximately 30,000 people and claiming NBA’s
Houston Rockets former coliseum as its new home. Further, if the
number of parishioners is impressive to you, let it be known
that preacher Joel Osteen inspires even more people across the
country with his televised Sunday morning ministry, which can be
found in competitive timeslots to your local Sunday morning
service as well as late night hours throughout the week. But
what does this mean to the health industry?

In 2005 after a two-year study on participants attending a
weekly religious service, research indicated that a spiritual
enthusiast actually experiences above-average health. This
reduction in illness includes physical ailments as well as
mental afflictions, such as depression. And even more
interesting is that the mortality rate is lowered over measured
periods of time, with one panel’s research showing a 25% lower
rate of death in those attending a weekly religious service.

While some once-skeptical medical professors now support the
notion that belief in God is associated to health benefits,
other researchers excuse the better health as simply a less
risky lifestyle of those who follow the faith. For instance,
someone striving to be a good Christian may lower there alcohol
consumption. In this case, it is possibly the lowered alcohol
consumption that actually decreases the chance of illness.
Another example would be a person intent upon living a
moralistic lifestyle based on religious beliefs may have a lower
involvement in casual sex encounters, thereby lowering the
chance of contracting disease. And finally, the practice of
prayer and meditation lowers the incidence of stress. The
latter, a well known factor in many heart disease pre-cursor
conditions.

While the proof of a divine higher being will remain a mystery
all the days of our life, quite a few professionals agree that
there are definite positive benefits associated with being a
believer. Number one, we cannot control our lives nor everyone
in them, no matter how hard we try. When the chips are down in
these instances, what better way to turn the reigns over to
another source and alleviate a moment or two of inner turmoil
and angst. Number two, it is highly likely that the majority of
people who attend church really do want and strive to be good
people, no matter what their human tendencies may default to,
post service. And finally, if and when we do arrive at that
celestial set of white pearly gates, we will have walked the
walk of faith and will promptly gain entrance with our
well-merited one way golden ticket.

A family swimming pool can be a great addition to any household A gathering place for friends and family, for relaxation, for exercise, parties and more. Unfortunately many prospective pool owners and even those lucky enough to own a pool are put off by the maintenance involved and confused about how to do it properly.

Pay now or pay later.
Like your automobile and so much else, doing the right things a few minutes each day will make your pool a joy to own, avoid problems and save time and money. Pool care can be reduced to two key elements test and shock. Swimming pools contain water (duh) and water is a very complex substance. It is THE universal solvent, which means most anything likely to come in contact with your pool water will dissolve.

Swimming pool water also needs to maintain certain key characteristics to be attractive and safe for swimming. In many ways keeping a swimming pool in top condition is like hitting a constantly moving target. The water changes almost daily as it absorbs products of the environment and pool owners attempt to maintain a happy medium with chemicals and filtration. Yikes! Fortunately there are ways to put yourself in charge and keep it that way.

TEST-THE FIRST BIG ONE

Given the complex nature of pool water and environmental contaminants the only way to find out about your water is to test regularly. Regularly is a minimum of 4-5 times each week. In the past testing could be tedious and inaccurate due to the type of test kits generally available. For many years the standard test kits were based on liquid reagents added to pool water and a resulting color change indicating the results of the test. Given the inaccuracy of counting reagent drops and the characteristics of the reagents results for the average pool owner were often inaccurate and led to problems.

A giant step forward was made in the late 1980’s with the introduction of the pool water test strip by Environmental Test Systems of Elkhart, Indiana. Called Aquachek, these slim plastic strips had three paper pads that were impregnated with a reagent specific to the testing that is most important to keep a pool in good shape free chlorine, pH and total alkalinity. Dipping the strip into the pool water produced a color change that could be compared to a color chart on the test strip container. If the color was in the correct color range for that test everything was good, if not the test let you know which way to go to correct the problem. Now made by a number of companies since the expiration of the ETS patent test strips have made pool water testing quick, easy and accurate. No excuses! You can test your pool in under a minute.

TESTING FOR WHAT AND WHY?

Let’s introduce the big three: free chlorine, pH and total alkalinity. Many years of research and practical experience has shown that these three components of pool water have the most influence on water quality. If free chlorine, pH and total alkalinity are in the proper range no swimming pool is likely to have problems with water. Let’s discuss each one in some detail.

Free Chlorine-who captured it anyway?

When chlorine is added to pool water in any form, liquid, granular or tablet, it forms hypochlorous acid or free chlorine. Fear not, the concentration is typically well below 10 parts per million. Hypochlorous acid is pretty interesting stuff. It reacts with just about anything organic like all that stuff nature and swimmers put in your pool. Use your imagination and you can believe there is plenty of organic material to work with. When free chlorine reacts with organic junk it “attaches” to it and breaks it up like a fire burning wood. Technically it “oxidizes” the offending material. Burned up by the free chlorine the offending material becomes inoffensive and no problem. The chorine does not escape unscathed however.

Once chlorine attaches itself to and destroys contaminants it is no longer free chlorine but a chloramine. Chloramines are used up and useless for any further clean up work in a pool. They have to be replaced with more free chlorine. It’s clear that knowing the amount of free chlorine in your pool is very important. When you buy a test kit be sure it tests for free chlorine. Liquid test kits using a chemical called DPD and all test strips measure free chlorine.

pH-why capitalize the second letter?

pH is the most important component. pH measures the acidity or alkalinity of water. A low pH is acidic and corrosive, a high pH is alkaline or basic and causes mineral buildup and irritation. Swimming pool water should be kept at a pH of between 7.2 and 7.8. Keep in mind that pH is measured on a logarithmic scale so the difference between a pool water pH of 7.2 and 7.3 is not one-tenth more but 100 times more! The seemingly narrow pH range is not so narrow after all and being “just a bit over or under” is important.

The mysterious Total Alkalinity

Total alkalinity measures the dissolved carbonates in your water. All water has a natural level of these dissolved carbonates and they play an important role in swimming pools. Total alkalinity acts as a buffer to pH. At the proper level alkalinity “locks” pH into a range and keeps it there. Very soft water has low alkalinity and pH tends to bounce around quite a bit. Keeping the alkalinity in the proper range of 80-160 ppm keeps pH in line too.

There it is. Regular testing of your pool water lets you know if the BIG 3, free chlorine, pH and Total Alkalinity are in the proper range so your pool stays clear and inviting. You will also know right away if the water is out of whack and can take action before it goes bad. Testing and adding any necessary chemicals might take as much as fifteen minutes 4-5 times a week. Not too shabby!

SHOCK-THE SECOND BIG ONE

Using your pool is what it’s all about. After using your pool determines how soon you might get to use it again.

Up in the testing section we talked about contaminants from nature and swimmers and how chlorine deals with them. After a long afternoon in the pool your free chlorine is completely exhausted. If you don’t replace it in a hurry …….bad things! Do your own test on your next pool afternoon with family and friends. Once everyone is out and enjoying dinner or perhaps adult beverages stand near the pool. You’ll smell “that chlorine smell” good and strong. What your nose is picking up is the smell of chloramines, used up chlorine! Free chlorine in pool water is virtually odorless. A heavy chlorine smell means you’re low on chlorine not that you have too much.

Adding more chlorine to your floater or feeder is great but it won’t get around the whole pool in time to prevent a potential breakdown. That’s where shocking comes in. We pool types differentiate between shocking and superchlorination. Super chlorination raises the level of free chlorine from the normal 1.5-3 ppm to at least 5 ppm. Shocking raises free chlorine to at least 10ppm. Raising the chlorine level in this way ensures that contaminants are completely burned out or oxidized and that enough free chlorine is available to re-establish the normal level of sanitizer in your pool.

When the pool clears out after use just add 1 lb. of shock for every 10,000 gallons of water your pool holds and call it a day. Calcium hypochlorite is the most popular shock. It does the job and quickly breaks down in sunlight so you can swim again. Sodium dichlor products are gaining popularity as are non-chlorine shocks. If you use a non-chlorine shock remember that by itself it’s not much good. Non-chlorine shock needs some chlorine in the water to work.

QUICK AND EASY

Remember the dynamic duo test and shock. If you do these faithfully your pool will reward the your few minutes each day with great looking, inviting water all season long. And it will cost you less! It’s a win-win baby!

Rob Coxworth is President and CEO of Webfoot Leisure.com, an online retailer of swimming pools, supplies and equipment.

Rob has been in the swimming pool industry since 1985 and involved in water chemistry and chemicals since first joining the swimming pool industry.

The good Dr. has held senior positions in sales, manufacturing consulting and marketing and worked with many major companies in the pool water chemical marketplace. http://www.webfootleisure.com

Last week I saw a brief feature on local TV about a Canadian couple who had mortgaged their home to create an international development organization in Peru, starting with shipping a container full of donated medical supplies to a small town on the Peruvian coast. I didn’t catch the person’s name, but I did catch the website: www.paraelmundo.org. Once on the site I sent an email, and Josh, the co-founder of this organization, got back to me in an email from Peru to arrange an interview with his wife, Danielle, who had came up with the idea for this project.

Josh and Danielle remortgaged their home to raise $30,000 to start a non-profit community development organization in a town called Mancora, a small fishing town of 15,000 people, located in northern Peru on the Pacific coast, just south of the Ecuadorian border.

They already started with organizing a shipment of medical supplies and also want to find a doctor who would be interested in volunteering his or her time and expertise to the community. Women’s health and men’s problems with alcoholism are among the top problems that the population in Mancora faces. Danielle and Josh also plan to work with the men and women in this town to address unemployment and social issues. Later on they also plan to obtain funding for a solar-powered drinking water system that will supply the town’s population with drinking water, a precious resource in this drought-stricken community. They have a long-term plan in mind to help this community and make it self-sufficient.

Once one of Peru’s most important fishing communities, Mancora has faced economic hardship in the last 15 years associated with the collapse of the fish stocks, in part due to over-fishing, especially by foreign-owned mega-trawlers, as well as a devastating El Nio in 1989 which caused such extensive mudslides that they reshaped the coastline and changed coastal sea currents. This has led to a sharp rise in unemployment and social problems, and has slowed the pace of development.

On the positive side, Mancora and the surrounding region have more recently begun to benefit from the rise of tourism, as they are blessed with a spectacular beach and one of the best surfing spots in South America. Peru in general has seen an increase in tourists over the last few decades, with adventurous travelers lured by the country’s amazingly diverse history, geography and culture.

Danielle discovered Mancora when she was doing her one-year placement as part of her social work degree at Toronto’s York University. She got to know the town and the people and she fell in love with both of them.

Danielle herself is a very interesting individual, a very friendly 26-year old woman, who left home at an early age to hitch-hike across Canada, with her guitar. Although this wasn’t necessarily the safest travel option, Danielle always felt protected while she was doing it and she came out of this trip with amazing experiences.

Some time ago Danielle also went to Cuba, with very little money, and she ended up trading private ESL language classes for room and board with a local Cuban family. Danielle has a very strong social conscience and when I met her today I really recognized how much she wants to make a difference. She said she feels very privileged to have been this fortunate in life and she would like to make a contribution to help people in less fortunate places.

Danielle and Josh put their own financial resources on the line when they started this venture. They are uprooting themselves and moving to a different continent to help an entire town in need. Their best friends are joining them on this venture and they will be reporting regularly from their experiences in Peru. They are now working with a grant writer and legal experts to obtain the funding to turn this spontaneous idea into a long-term development project.

Stay tuned for this interview, and see how one Toronto couple turned their life upside down to make a difference.

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions(http://www.travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with travellers and travel experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and many other features. You will also find stories about life and the transitions that we face as we go through our own personal life-long journeys.

Submit your own travel stories in our first travel story contest(http://www.travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm) and have a chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon River.

“Life is a Journey Explore New Horizons”.

The article with photos is published at Travel and Transitions - Interviews

We’ve probably all heard the famous movie quip, “why don’t you wait here while I slip into something a little more comfortable”. It’s a comment to make most of our ears (particularly male ones!) stand up on end with the anticipation that the film has actually taken a turn for the better. In real life however, slipping ‘into’ something more comfortable can often lead to outcomes that are anything other than desirable.

To create a compelling life, often what we need to do is ’slip out of comfort’ and into something a little more challenging, a little more exciting and a lot more rewarding!

What is the ‘Comfort Zone’?

The ‘Comfort Zone’ is a situation where a particular level of ‘non strenuous’ effort produces a fairly certain and familiar result, albeit in most cases, a pretty average one.

As our species evolves, we seem to be preoccupied with living in the comfort zone. I mean who can imagine the extreme torture one might experience from getting up off the couch to change channels or to walk down the street to pick up a pizza! The sad thing is that this state of lethargy seeps into the way we live the rest of our lives.

The attraction of the comfort zone can be quite compelling because of the common human fear of the unknown. Lets face it, when it really comes down to it, most of us don’t really like surprises. A probable average result is often much preferable to the possibility of an outstanding but uncertain one.

What most people don’t realise is that getting out of the ‘Comfort Zone’ gives you the opportunity to slip into the arena of the ‘Pleasure Zone’.

Why aren’t more people successful?

I heard a very successful entrepreneur and motivational speaker asked the question “Why aren’t more people successful?” He responded by saying that it’s “because it takes real skill to die of starvation in countries such as the UK, US and Australia.”

I actually found this statement to be quite profound. I mean how many people do you encounter on a daily basis that consistently give much less than what they are capable of but are still able to hold down their jobs, put food on the table and make their mortgage repayments? Could you see this as a possibility in less fortunate, less developed nations?

One shot.

Until someone manages to convince me otherwise, I can only assume that we get one shot at life (the Universe is a fascinating place so I am open to suggestions on that one!). Time is running out for all of us. We have one shot and one shot only to experience the magic and beauty of all this life has to offer.

What would you do?

What would you do if you had a day to live? How about a week? What about a month, a year, a decade? We are all going to die someday. Why not be that somebody who can look back over your years and smile as you say to yourself “you know something, I gave it everything.”

4 Steps to a Less Comfortable but More Compelling Future.

1. Think deeply about what your special gifts are and what you love doing most.

2. Think about how you could structure your life to spend more time developing, cultivating and sharing your gifts.

3. Experiment putting aside your comfort seeking behavioural patterns.

4. Get out there and be the best you can be.

Copyright Damien Senn 2005. All rights reserved.

Damien Senn is a Life and Business Coach as well as a fully qualified Chartered Accountant. He helps professionals, artists and entrepreneurs create compelling futures.

He is the author of the ‘Senn-Sational Success Journal’ and has developed his own coaching model called the ‘Senn-Sational Success System’.

For your free life coaching tool ‘101 things to do before you die’, please click the following link: http://www.senn-sational.com/freeresources.htm