The Effects Of Funny Things

Are you feeling run down? You could try laughing more! Some researchers think laughter could be the best medicine, helping you feel better and bringing that spring back into your step.

It makes sense that if people can get more laughter in their lives, they are happier and healthier too.
Laughter is a wonderful thing - that's why we have all heard the saying "laughter is the best medicine". There is strong evidence that laughter can actually improve health and help fight disease.

Test the theory and see for yourself!

First id like you to think of some really funny things, situations you have been in or pictures you have seen, as long as it's really funny!
Now I want you to smile, come on! Let the corners of your mouth turn up. Giggle, chortle, chuckle. And slowly build up into a loud laugh.

How do you feel now? Refreshed? Exhilarated? According to recent studies done by neuroscientists and psychologists, as well as the newest fads in holistic medicine, laughter is the greatest panacea yet discovered.
It has been credited with everything from lowering blood pressure and reducing chances of heart attacks and strokes to increasing your intelligence and capabilities to retain process information.

Humour and laughter are regularly being used in a variety of therapeutic situations.

Research into the use of therapeutic humour tells us it has the power to motivate, alleviate stress and pain and improve one's sense of well being.

When really funny things make us laugh, natural killer cells which destroy tumours and viruses increase, along with Gamma-interferon (a disease fighting protein), T- cells (important for the immune system) and B - cells (which make disease -fighting antibodies).
As well as lowering blood pressure, laughter increases oxygen in the blood, which also encourages healing.

What is laughter?
Believe it of not laughter is not the same as humour. It is the physiological response to humour and is made of two parts - the production of a sound and a set of gestures.
Laughing causes our brain to conduct both the production of a sound and a set of gestures simultaneously.

Why do we laugh?
Some researchers believe that strengthening human connections is related to why we laugh because laughter occurs more often when people are comfortable around one another.
Have you noticed in an office everyone in the office laughs when the boss laughs? This is because dominant people use laughter more often than their subordinates.
Laughing and Humour is like a medicine and a very powerful one.
It can bring together families in troubled times, reduce anger and frustration and lower your stress levels.
If you can laugh at yourself or a situation you are in that seem overwhelming it will help to diffuse the stress.

Laughter and really funny things serve a great purpose in our life not only from a medical point of view we discussed earlier but it will make you feel better about yourself and the world around you. It will make a bad situation seem a little less daunting.

A hearty laugh a day may well keep the doctor away, so keep looking at really funny things!
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Understanding Memory Lapses

Most people think that memory lapses are for the hopelessly disorganized. This is because some have systems. For instance, the keys go into the key jar.

The point is, compulsive list makers never come home from the supermarket without the items they intend to buy. Imagine their annoyance when eventually they take three trips between two places before they remember why they went from one place to another anyway!

A lot of us, faced with these glitches, worry that Alzheimer's is just around the corner. Experts are reassuring us that memory lapses are part of the normal wear and tear that goes along with middle age.

No one is exactly sure why memory goes downhill. It may be that we lose brain cells as we age or the remaining cells do not communicate with one another as effectively. But, the result is well known: mental gaffes cause embarrassment and inconvenience.

For example, Linda, 35, went to her son's school with a big cake thinking it was Family Day. As it turned out, the schedule of the Family Day is set on the next day. Her son was surprised to see her and overjoyed when she brought out his favorite chocolate cake. Of course, she had to bring the same thing the next day, this time for real.

Mental Congestion
Attention is the gateway to retention. Multitasking makes it hard to commit things to memory in the first place. If the information does not get in to begin with, forget trying to save it and access it later. If multiple activities crowd your day, do not rely on your recall skills. Make lists, take notes, and ask others to do the same.

Interestingly, people tend to blame age, rather the busy nature of their work for their slips.

Take the common lapse of forgetting someone's name. It happens to everybody, young and old. Names are difficult to handle because they are abstract. The person's face and his name are not logical ideas for the brain to link together. According to neurologist Barry Gorden, M.D., Ph.D., the older we get, the more data we have to sort through in our brains. Some mental lapses are nothing but congestion.

Also, we blank on names because we know too many of them. Anxiety makes it worse by creating more traffic. That is why the name often pops into our minds later when the mental traffic has died down.

Types Of Memory
There are three kinds of memory, with each one responding differently to the aging process.

Episodic memory is for recalling the name of a restaurant or a movie plot from last week. It starts to decline in our early forties.

Semantic memory is the type that gives us the ability to collect and retain new facts and figures. It holds up pretty well, which is why we know what a blog is but forget your dentist's address.

Procedural memory is for tasks we do automatically, such as playing the piano or driving a car. This is fairly resilient. So, even if we can't think of our friend's phone number, we can press the right keys on the phone's pad.

Is Memory Lapse An Illness?
Certain medical problems can interfere with our ability to recall. These may include depression, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, a concussion, diabetes, and side effects from some drugs. While these can affect how we recall things, it does not mean that we can treat memory lapses the same way we treat illnesses. Improving our diet and lifestyle can help us get back on track.

Let us manage our stress. Try whatever works for us is yoga, gardening, walking, etc. Not only does tension distract you, making it hard to learn and remember things, but it also takes a direct toll on the brain.

Be aware of the reasons for such memory lapses and we will be more understanding and tolerant of our selves.
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A Billion-Euro Question

In the end all that seemed to matter was the size of the fine. When it was announced on May 13th it turned out to be the largest ever of its type: euro1.06 billion ($1.44 billion). This is what Intel, the world’s biggest chipmaker, will have to pay if the European Commission prevails in its view that the firm, which sells about 80 per cent of the microprocessors for PCs, has abused its dominance.

Yet the case against Intel is not chiefly about money that might one day “sponsor the European taxpayer”, in the words of Neelie Kroes, Europe’s competition commissioner (the fine will sit in a blocked bank account until the case is decided). The main question is: under what conditions can a quasi-monopoly such as Intel give discounts and rebates to computer-makers and retailers?

The commission does not think that such practices are illegal per se. But it claims that Intel’s discounts and rebates were often conditional on the exclusion of its rival, AMD. The commission says that in one case Intel paid Media-Saturn Holding, Germany’s largest electronics retailer, to sell only computers with Intel chips inside, and in another case a computer-maker had to agree to buy at least 95 per cent of the chips in its business PCs from Intel to qualify for rebates.

Computer-makers have to play along, the commission argues, because they depend on Intel for a majority of their chips-a result of the fact that AMD’s production capacity is limited. If a firm decided to buy as many AMD chips as possible, it could end up worse off since it might then have to pay more for the chips purchased from Intel. To overcome this handicap, AMD would have to price its processors below cost, and perhaps even pay its customers. In one case, according to the commission, AMD offered a computer-maker 1m free chips, but it ended up taking only 160,000 of them.
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Latex or Polyurethane Condoms, what do you prefer ?

There are many different brands of condoms, but the real focus is on what type of condom you should use. To prevent both pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), you need to use either

latex or polyurethane condoms.

Latex condoms are the most common and affordable. They're durable and usually won't rip if you use them with a water-based lubricant, such as K-Y Jelly or Astroglide. Some major brands of latex condoms are Trojans, Lifestyles, and Durex.

Polyurethane condoms are harder to find. They're also very durable, and some people say these condoms are thinner and provide even greater sensations than latex ones. Polyurethane condoms are a great alternative for people with latex allergies and can be used with any kind of lubricant. The most popular brand name of polyurethane condoms are Avanti or Trojan Supra.

There are also flavored condoms. These are designed to be used during oral sex. STDs can be spread through unprotected oral sex or skin-to-skin contact if an infected person ejaculates in a partner's mouth or if their partner touches an infected area, not covered by the condom. The flavored latex condoms help reduce the risk of catching an STD through oral sex.

But don't use flavored condoms for vaginal or anal sex. The sugary substances that make themtaste good can also cause infections. You can find flavored or polyurethane condoms in most drug or grocery stores.

There are also natural skin or natural membrane condoms. These are made from the intestinal skin of an animal and some people believe they feel more natural. Since they are made of real skin, they have naturally occuring pores, which may allow some infections to pass through them. So, they only prevent pregnancy, not STDs. The major brand is Trojan Naturalamb and they're usually much more expensive than latex condoms.
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How To Prevent Stretch Marks: Dietary Tips To Live By

There are thousands of women, men and teens who would like to know how to prevent stretch marks. In the first place, stretch marks are scars that appear on the surface of the skin when the skin is stretched to the limit.

There are various causes that play a role in determining whether a person will get stretch marks or not. One of these is genetics. Another is hormonal changes. Pregnancy, weight gain and sudden growth of the body cause the skin to stretch.

The bad news is there is no way for stretch marks to disappear completely. That means they will always be with you once they have shown up. Blame it on the key factors above. What laser surgery and stretch mark lotions do is that, they reduce the visibility of stretch marks to make them less noticeable and less embarrassing.

Preventing stretch marks, therefore, is the best thing you should do if you don't want them. Stretch mark products, as mentioned, can only make scars look faded. However, if you'd like to prevent stretch marks, you might be disappointed to know that it is not guaranteed that you will indeed avoid getting stretch marks since genetics play a role. If one of your family members had stretch marks, chances are huge that you will have them as well.

However, I've read other people's stories on how they've successfully prevented stretch marks, despite the fact that they've had them before. So, why not give the preventive measure a try and who know, you might end up being stretch mark-free later.

Believe it or not, one of the best things to do how to prevent stretch marks is by changing your diet. They say that the health of skin is greatly affected by what you eat. If you keep eating fresh fruits and vegetables, your skin will be radiant, smooth and glowing.

When it comes to your diet, you will need to eat balanced meals that follow along your own health needs.

We all know that certain vitamins are great for your skin such as vitamin E; however it never seems to occur to most people that you can get it from food and not just lotions and creams.

There are specific vitamins that you should be looking to consume that are directly related to your skin. These vitamins should include vitamin C, E, A and zinc in specific. Remember we use zinc to shield your skin from the sun; why wouldn't we want consume it as well? So what we have is that there are specific foods that will provide these vitamins. Here is a specific foods list that you can consume to help you in battling stretch marks.

Vitamin A foods include:
1. Liver
2. Carrots
3. Sweet potato
4. Pumpkin
5. Apricots
6. Green leafy vegetables
7. Mango
8. Cantaloupe
9. Tuna

Vitamin C sources are:
1. Oranges
2. Guava
3. Papaya
4. Cantaloupe
5. Kiwi
6. Strawberries
7. Chili peppers
8. Broccoli

Vitamin E sources are:
1. Polyunsaturated oils and seed
2. Sunflower
3. Safflower
4. Canola
5. Corn
6. Almonds
7. Peanut butter
8. Wheat germ
9. Tomato puree
10. Avocados

Zinc-rich sources are:
1. Bananas
2. Raisins
3. Legumes

These are a sample list of foods that can help prevent stretch marks. As mentioned, having a healthy daily diet is one of the best things to do how to prevent stretch marks. Hence, try to incorporate them into your daily diet.


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Useful Suggestions About Poker Chip Storage Cases

Poker is the most popular cards game in the world, known as a celebrated skill game, and sport. Since it's humble origins in the 14th century, The game's jargon has become a part of English and American culture.

Poker chips are almost synonymous with the game of poker itself. Early poker players sometimes used jagged gold pieces, gold nuggets, gold dust, or coins as well as "chips" primarily made of ivory, bone, wood, paper and a composition made from clay and shellac. Several companies between the 1880s and the late 1930s began making clay composition casino chips.

Casino chip collecting also became increasingly popular beginning in 1988, with the establishment of the Casino Chips & Gaming Tokens Collectors Club (CC>CC). Poker chip collecting is the practice of intentionally taking chips from Casino premises, trading or collecting online, or in person, for the purpose of collection. Casino chip collecting is a part of numismatics; a variation of exonumia, or coin collecting. Before it became a more serious hobby, chip collecting was simply a case of people keeping chips as souvenirs from a casino they had visited. Some poker chips are now worth up to $50,000.

Whether a serious collector or a weekend gamer, some equipment will be needed in order to store or display your chips. The best way to store or display your poker chips is very subjective, and will ultimately boil down to personal preference.

There are several alternatives to storing and displaying your chips. Frames specifically for displaying poker chips are available, or you can buy special mounting "backer" board to hold the chips and frame them yourself. Another display option is easel-mounted frames for one or more chips. For that extra-special or lucky chip, you might want to consider a poker chip Key Chain Holder. This is typically a clear plastic air-tight holder attached to a key chain.

Storing your chips can range from very inexpensive to extravagant, depending on the type of chips you own, and whether you want them on display or not. Several vendors offer "Poker Chip" binders that are basically a padded binder with the words "Casino Chips" printed on the front and spine. These binders are designed to hold the three-ring binder pages that are in-turn specifically designed to store casino chips.

Flips are typically stored either in binders or flip boxes. The former offer the convenience of being able to view your chips much like viewing a photo album. The flip boxes on the other hand, allow you to store more chips in a small space and are more efficient and practical for those of you who don't have a lot of shelf space for chip albums.

Chip or coin, wallets are small vinyl albums that typically hold anywhere from 24 to 80 chips depending on their size. Air-tights are transparent plastic coin holders that store a single coin. An air-tight consists of two halves that snap-together around a coin to form a snug, air-tight fit. Air-tights are great storage solutions to show-case your best poker chips, but tend to be pricey, so it can be cost-prohibitive to store your entire collection in them.

Coin tubes are hard plastic tubes that can store approximately 20 chips in a small space. The coins are tubular on the inside but are molded square on the outside to prevent rolling and allow stacking. When ordering coin tubes, you should order the 39mm, or "medallion" size. Coin tubes are a good storage solution to store your many traders, but you should be aware that the poker chips are not separated from contact with each other in the tubes. As a result, if not handled properly, it's theoretically possible that the chips could mar each other. For well used or older chips, this may not be a concern, but you may want to think twice before storing your mint-condition chips in a storage tube.

There are several varieties of cases available from aluminum to leather to vinyl to wood. Your budget is your only limit! These cases usually store anywhere from 300 to 500 chips although there are some 1000 chip models. There are several varieties of special presentation cases that are excellent to showcase your most prized poker chips.

Wooden poker cases may include chip trays that can be used to protect and store your chips, or can be removed to stack each players chips at the poker table. There is a shallow groove on the back of the trays to permit you to stack the trays at the poker table. When buying or ordering wooden poker chip case and trays, it is important to specify the finish be polyurethane or a non-soluble varnish. Specifically, avoid any type of Oil finish such as Tung or Danish oil, as these oils can penetrate into the clay chips over time.

Again, be certain that your chips are appropriately sized for the chip case. Generally speaking, the majority of chips are of the 39mm size. Large denomination chips, as well as chips based on the Paulson Inverted Hat and Cane (IHC) fractionals mold, are of the larger 43mm size.

Another measurement that may be referenced is the mold size - 66.7 or a 67.7 rack. This number is an indication as to the length (in millimeters) that is required to house a stack of 20 chips. Paulson chips require a 66.7 rack, others are on the 67.7 size. This may not be a major concern, but it is worth mentioning. Poker chip thickness can also impact how difficult it is too add or remove chips from a tray. As a chip begins to show signs of wear, edges may become less crisp and the chip becomes a bit thinner. Over time, chips may wiggle a bit in the case
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What Distinguishes a Fine Poker Chip Case from a Wooden Box?

So you have decided to invest in a poker chip case to store all of your poker chips. There are a multitude of chip cases and trays on the market, from inexpensive plastic trays to outrageously expensive sets.

If you have your heart set on a wooden poker chest, here are some things to consider that differentiate a fine poker chip case from just a plain wooden box.

JOINTS

Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining together pieces of wood, to create furniture, structures, toys, and other items. The characteristics of wooden joints - strength, flexibility, toughness, etc. - derive from the properties of the joining materials and from how they are used in the joints. Therefore, different joinery techniques are used to meet differing requirements. When designing a poker chip case, you have to take into account the weight of the chips, which can approach 50 lbs for a 1000 chip case. The joints have to be strong, or the case will fall apart under the weight of the chips.

Most pre-made cases bought on the market utilize a butt joint. A butt joint is a joinery technique in which two members are joined by simply butting them together. The butt joint is the simplest joint to make since it merely involves cutting the members to the appropriate length and butting them together. It is also the weakest because unless some form of reinforcement is used, it relies upon glue alone to hold it together. Because the orientation of the members usually present only end grain to long grain gluing surface, the resulting joint is inherently weak.

When ordering a custom chip case, you can specify a dovetail joint. A dovetail joint is a joint technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart (tensile strength), the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front. A series of pins cut to extend from the end of one board interlock with a series of tails cut into the end of another board. The pins and tails have a trapezoidal shape. Once glued, a wooden dovetail joint requires no mechanical fasteners.

Another simple and strong joint is the mortise and tenon joint, which has been used for thousands of years by woodworkers around the world to join pieces of wood. This is commonly used when the pieces are at an angle close to 90°. Although there are many variations on the theme, the basic idea is that the end of one of the members is inserted into a hole cut in the other member. The end of the first member is called the tenon, and it is usually narrowed with respect to the rest of the piece. The hole in the second member is called the mortise. The joint may be glued, pinned, or wedged to lock it in place.

HARDWARE

Hardware for a poker chip case must also be durable. A variety of hinges and hardware are used in commercial cases, but usually a stamped hinge is used which is the weakest type of hinge. When ordering a custom case, there are a variety of hinges you may request.

A full length piano hinge is a long narrow hinge that runs the full length of the two surfaces to which its leaves are joined. This imparts additional strength to the hinge when a solid wood lid is used.

Concealed Hinges are used for furniture doors (with or without self-closing feature, and with or without dampening systems). They are made of 2 parts: One part is the hinge cup and the arm; the other part is the mounting plate. Also Euro/cup hinge. This gives a cleaner look to the case.

FINISH

One thing to consider when choosing a wooden chip case is to specify that the finish be 'chip friendly.' Polyurethane or a non-soluble varnish is an ideal choice, as it does not stain or seep into your chips. Specifically, avoid any type of Oil finish such as Tung or Danish oil, as these oils can penetrate into the clay chips over time.

CHIP SIZE

Commercial chip trays are usually 'one-size-fits-all', so be certain that your chips are appropriately sized for the chip case. If ordering a custom chip case, be sure to specify the size of your chips. The majority of chips are of the 39mm size. However, large denomination chips, as well as chips based on the Paulson Inverted Hat and Cane (IHC) fractionals mold, are a larger 43mm size. Casino Chip thickness can also impact how difficult it is too add or remove chips from a tray. As a chip begins to show signs of wear, edges may become less crisp and the chip becomes a bit thinner. Over time, chips may begin to wiggle a bit in the case.

So when investing in a wooden poker chip case to store your chips, remember to consider the type of joints, hinges, and finish used in the design of you case.
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The Latest In Crime Fighting

Nigel Osprey sits in front of his television set with a can of beer in his hand and slowly raising it and taking a luxurious sip and a sound escapes his wet lips ‘ah…..this is life!’

He is enjoying the sport program on television, holding his favourite brew in his hand as symbol of freedom, whilst stabilising a family size pizza that had just been delivered and now balances precariously on his knees. He notices its steam rising gently and wafting through the air, filling the room with his favourite aroma: ‘food!’

He listens with rapture to his favourite football manager’s ranting.

Yes, he reminds himself with glowing eyes: that manager’s a real man, strong, with a thick-set body and a mouth that continually seems to burst forth outrageous statements! And expletives – admittedly beeped out by a sissy programme editor – seem to stream effortlessly from thick and egotistic lips.

Nigel giggles to himself. He is enjoying these outbursts; they are amusingly insulting and words are being aired that cannot be received over the airwaves because of their earth content – they are too earthy! But one can always lip-read and not missng out, thereby increasing the fun!

Wonderful thoughts are coming to his mind as he takes another strong suck from his beer can: The wife’s gone away, this time for good! The divorce was very disturbing and a real upheaval. She seems to live now with her aunt Gerti in Muckalot in another state - wherever the hell that is.

Her dim-witted cousin Winston had come and picked-up all her belongings. He’s taken a lot, piling it high on a truck, but it was great to see the last of her junk!

From now on, he keeps reminding himself, there is no more screaming at him, no more berating, the home is now quiet and peaceful as there is only he and his cat Benny, who is in complete agreement with him.

He glances around and notices that the room now looks sparsely furnished. His wife, ex-wife to be exact, has left him with the bare necessities! But there is a tranquil light filtering through the sheer curtains, making all the dust visible and yet giving the room a tranquil ambience.

‘This is a man’s paradise’, he thinks, nodding to himself. There are his scattered newspapers, with the sports pages open and soon there will be a few magazines lying around the room he would normally not have dared to buy.

‘It‘s great to be free’, he thinks – it is a wonderful feeling, and he becomes aware of an intoxicating rush rippling through his body, making him sigh in bliss.

Suddenly, there are knocks on the door, rather firm and banging with determination.

‘What on earth…..’ He doesn’t like unforeseen visitors, especially when they are interrupting his favourite television program!

Before he is able to shout ‘Go away!’ it bangs again, this time with an added touch of impatience and very annoying! He feels his fury rising.

Opening the door somewhat to avoid further noise, he becomes aware of two men who were obviously detectives, identifiable by their tight fitting suits and felt hats – ‘who wears hats, nowadays?’ he observes. Behind them jostled a fat policeman with a television news team, complete with camera man and sound technician.

The detectives worry him - right from his first glance at them he has this gut feeling that they spelt troubles. These two men had faces so leathery and weather beaten and with darting eyes that, when making eye contact, seem to yank out any secrets a person might want to withhold.

They are with a third man, a kind of professor type, with thick glasses, holding a clipboard in his hands.

The news team is getting visibly exited, starting to push their way closer to Nigel. They are of the delicate type, colourfully dressed, ‘very pansy-like’, Nigel observes.

They are holding their various apparatuses as if they were doing the public, and humanity in general, a great favour! ‘But what is this all about?’ his thoughts keep racing through his mind.

Before he could think straight and absorb all this gathering, one of the detectives, with a face like a constipated bulldog, with eyes that were big and bloodshot and darting everywhere, held out a shiny metal plaque.

‘Homicide!’ he rasps, ‘Are you Nigel Osprey?’

And he did not wait for a reply – so sure was he of his case.

‘You are under arrest for the murder of a Mrs.Emilia Prattlelot…, your ex wife!’

‘W..w..w.whaaaat?’ Nigel could only gasp incredulously.

‘That’s right!’ You heard!’ This bellow comes out of non-existent lips.

‘Come with me now. Come on, come on…..’ A huge fat hand reaches out to grab him.

‘What are you talking about?’

Nigel instinctively tries to close the door in an attempt to shut out this hostile crowd.

Unfortunately, this Robert-Mitchum-look-alike has big feet – very big, they reach the door gap, thereby preventing its closing.

The third man, the one looking like a boffin, but with the same non-descript clothes, had white hair and probably a large bald spot that, too, is covered by the old-fashioned hat. His pronounced features were thick spectacles – very thick. They were so pronounced that they seem to convex out in an attempt to reach him, with two tiny black spots showing that are trying to hypnotise him – they were either his pupils or the dots flies had left on his glasses.

‘We know’ escaped his stern lips. His Adam’s apple moved up and down his scrawny throat with a collar that was far too big, giving the impression of shrinking whilst on duty!

The policeman, was in a uniform that tries to control his excessive weight by compressing it severely. But it only shifted his blubber downwards, manifesting itself in legs like concrete crushers, with rather gigantic, broad feet.

Now, he too, tried to get into the act: Come out, quick!’ it escapes his thick lips.

Nigel feels that it is time to say something:

‘Look, I haven’t done anything to anybody – I just wish to be left alone’. He forcefully through his weight against the door, as hard as he could, jamming that giant’s foot as hard as he could – with no effect.

‘He must have a prosthesis’, he observes as the man’s features betray nothing.

The man with the thick goggles explained:

‘We are from PCU, Predictive Crime-fighting Unit, based at police headquarters……’

‘I don’t give a fig what you are – I haven’t done anything and my meal is getting cold’

(He didn’t shout exactly ‘fig’, but this writer is of good upbringing and would not know how to spell the exact expletive!)

Nigel keeps banging the door against the detective’s shoe - a useless exercise.

‘Hey’, shouts the man with the microphone, ‘can you come out a bit and give us a smile – you will be on the news tonight!’

Amazed, Nigel opened the door and steppes outside. ‘What news? What are you talking about?’

The reporter was quite friendly; ‘Our government has installed a new supercomputer that not only records all the crimes in this state, keeps statistics as to their frequency and type……..’

The scientist took over:’ With all the demographic details, and the time-span, motive and all other relevant personality traits of the perpetrators, we are now able to forecast where a crime will happen, by whom, the reason, et cetera, et cetera’, letting the Latin words dissolve on his tongue.

He looked really exited about this new era of crime fighting. His hand, holding the pen, seem to write something unseen in the air.

‘What rubbish! I ‘aven’t done anything and that’s it. Leave me alone – the lot of you!’

His eyes encompassed everybody and his chin pointed especially at the reporter and his team. Blood is draining from his face and suddenly he feels so alone and helpless.

‘This is a nightmare! How do I get out of this?’ his thoughts keep racing. And there are now signs of perspiration on his forehead.

‘Come with us – come on, come on!’ The hefty detective uttered these words like a busy landlord reminding his patrons of closing time.

‘Just to show you how accurate we are,’ the scientist tries to demonstrate eagerly, ‘You’ve ordered a pizza for dinner, with extra anchovies and mushrooms.’ Staring at his clipboard folder in his hand, he rattled off the words.

Stunned silence prevailed.

‘Well, yes, but…..’

‘Come on, come with us. Don’t give us any troubles.’ The mountain-man began tucking at his arm again - a symbol of his impatience.

‘Leggo of me - I ‘aven’t done anything!’

Nigel’s cry now sounds a bit more desperate.

Staring at his clip board folder, the scientist eagerly continues:

‘You’ve ordered this from an outlet called Pizza Paradise – did you not? Then you fed your cat – didn’t you? Also, you rang your friend Alfredo, inviting him for the evening?’

The last sentence was shouted with disgust.

In the background, the television anchorman started to talk into a microphone, explaining to his unseen viewers this great new technology, with the eager face of an expert and an uneasy stomach because he was not sure what exactly he was talking about.

Standing on a nature strip, he notices that this was not the only thing he was standing on. Don’t people believe in picking up after their dogs?

Now the policeman gets into the act: ‘You have a brother called Arthur who lives in England. And a cousin in Townsville, called Edward, - right? And your car number is ……’ Raising his voice in triumph he finishes:

‘Your ex-wife will arrive any moment now, attempt to take custody of the dog, leaving you with the cat. And then it will happen!’

He nodded at the increasing number of spectators. Justice is being done – everybody can see this!

A new person, female, approaches the crowd. She is somewhat dowdily dressed, with a headscarf and showing an expertly way of pushing and shoving her way into the crowd and through it.

Nearly reaching Nigel, she nods at him.

‘Stop! Where do you thing you are going? And who are you anyway?’ The policeman held up a meaty hand with sausage fingers.

‘Let me through, I must see Nigel!’

The detective tried to state a fact:

‘So, you are Emilia Prattlelot, the ex-wife?’

The gathered crowd outside the door stiffens; they look at each other, nodding ‘I told you so!’ Then they step back somewhat, aware that they are facing a cataclysmic moment.

‘No, I am Sally the cleaner! I am here to pick up my pay for the house cleaning. She looked at Nigel, holding out a hand: ‘You promised you’ll have the eighty-five dollars for me…..’

Nigel gasped: ’Of course, Sally, eighty five-dollars did you say? No problem! Reaching into his back pocket he produced his wallet and carefully counts out the money into her upheld palm.

Staring at the money piling-up in her hand, she readily gives information to the questions. Yes, she comes regularly and this afternoon is her pay-day.

Great consternation is spreading and the police suddenly look deeply wounded: It is supposed to be the time of murder!

There are frantic phone calls to the police head offices and phones are ringing in reply, back and forth.

‘Thanks, Nigel, see you soon!’ Sally disappears with the same amount of determination she came with, but this time with an added touch of triumph.

For some reason the group of police are looking pale and stunned. The scientist staring into his clipboard folder was suddenly red-faced, the police crowded around him, all attempting to look knowingly.

‘There is no mention of a Sally!’ The geek with the thick glasses seems to have his eyes protruding like on stalks.

‘The wife is not here, but a cleaning woman turns up…..’

First, a murmur goes through the crowd, then a kind of rebellion starts spreading. Mumbling first disappointment, then loud sounds of dissatisfaction about the police in general and the law begins to be aired.

The television team hurriedly pack-up their various equipment with downcast expressions whilst their bus driver starts the engine. Now, they have no story to report!

People are walking away, disgusted and in all directions, having been cheated out of a real drama.

The people of the law are still making frantic phone calls to their head offices, especially to their computer department.

‘Goggle-eyes’ stares at his mobile as if he cannot believe what he’s just heard, Fatso tries to crush his phone in his meaty hand and the bulldog’s blood-shot eyes keep staring in disbelief at the scientist’s computer readout.

But after a while they, too, withdraw, making their exit with a final glare at Nigel: ‘We will be back,’ their looks seem to say.

Everybody withdraws – the new, crime-predicting, computer has made a mistake!

Leaving Nigel standing outside his door, alone and scratching his head. Shrugging his shoulders he murmurs:

‘Who the hell is Sally?’
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3 Effective Ways To Get Your Ex Back - Even If It Seems Hopeless

No matter how bleak your situation is, there is hope for you. If you're serious about reversing your breakup, here are 3 effective ways to get your ex back - even if it all seems hopeless.

#1 Way

When you're looking for ways to get your ex back, the first thing you need to understand is that your ex has probably left you because the relationship was more effort than it was worth and because he/she did not see any value in you, at least not enough to make them want to stick it out. So what does that tell you?

Yes, you need to make yourself more valuable in the eyes of your ex. And by more valuable I don't mean start sending your ex expensive gifts or stuff like that. What I mean is you need to transform yourself into the kind of person that your ex would love to be with; someone that they find is extremely hard to stay away from.

Thus, you need to build your confidence, become more compassionate and considerate of other peoples' feelings, and become more committed to relationships and people.

#2 Way

Make sure your ex knows you want to get back together with him/her. You may think that this sounds like silly advice and may be wondering to yourself, "Of course I want my ex back. What's there to tell?"

But you'll be surprised to know that very often people don't realize that their ex may still have feelings and wants them to come back. And in not realizing this, they never even consider the option of reconciliation because for them the break up is a done deal. Thus, make sure you actually come right out and tell your ex that you want to get back together and don't simply assume they know it.

#3 Way

Take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror. Some may say that only a shallow person would fall for someone because of their looks. But let's be real, physical attraction is a big part of any relationship. It's human nature for people who have been in a relationship for some time to start neglecting their looks, which may indirectly fuel a breakup. Thus, before you approach your ex, ensure that you're looking your best. The physical difference will make a very positive impact to how you're feeling as well.

If you've just been through a break up, you might be feeling lost, confused and frustrated about all your attempts to get your ex back.

I want to share with you a very effective strategy to winning back your ex girlfriend, boyfriend, husband or wife... even if it seems hopeless!

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Signs Of Physical Attraction: How To Know If Someone Is Attracted To You

When people are attracted to you, they give out signs of physical attraction. These signals are often done unconsciously so don’t expect them to be obvious or direct. However, there are ways to figure out these signals and interpret them for what they really are.

If you want to learn more about the signs of physical attraction, then you’ve come to the right place. Below are some of the most common ones you wouldn’t want to miss out on.

Signs of Physical Attraction # 1: Body Facing You

When the person’s body is facing towards you, that means he’s attracted to you. It could be a person’s torso, legs or even the whole body. This is all done on a subconscious level so you’ll know right away whether a person is genuinely interested in you or not.

Signs of Physical Attraction # 2: Making Body Contact

When the person you’re talking to makes physical contact, they’re trying to get your attention and subtly communicating their interest.

They might lean their head on your shoulder should the opportunity present itself. Or the person could touch your arm lightly or in an affectionate way. No matter how brief the contact is, you can bet that the person is attracted to you.

Signs of Physical Attraction # 3: Longing Glances

If someone glances at you more than once or longer than necessary, you’ll be pleased to know that this person likes or fancies you. You can either smile back or try catching that person in the act. If that person turns red or suddenly stammers, you know you have successfully interpreted their actions.

These signs of physical attraction are easy to spot. The next time you meet or go out with someone, notice if they are exhibiting these non-verbal communication signals. If they are, then it’s your call if you want to reciprocate or simply get flattered for being an attractive person.


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4 Steps to Launching a $100K+ Executive Level Job Search Campaign That Gets You Hired in a Recession

Joy Andrews lost her position as a $100K+ executive about three months ago. Devastated, Joy took some time off to clear her head and get ready for her executive level job search campaign. But now,

months later, she hasn't had many interviews and prospects are bleak. Her question to me was, "What can I do to get myself to get more interviews and get hired faster?"

In this article, I am going to give you four critical steps you must take if you want to find that $100K+ job and get hired during a recession.

Step #1 – Get organized

I am constantly amazed how executives who were driven and forceful in their jobs become lost in how to start their $100K+ executive job search. Getting organized includes these elements:

1. Treat your job search as a full time job. Totally dedicate your time to finding a job. Inform your family that your full-time job is to find a full-time job and nothing else!

2. Act as if your job search was a product or service launch. Plan your executive level job search campaign. Don't wing it. Organize your activities in a project plan and measure yourself against your milestones and sub-goals.

3. Start your day just like you would if you were employed. Did you start your day at 7:00am and end it at 6:00pm? Then do the same for your job search.

4. Create goals for every day and every event. Get a daily goal and meet it. Develop your networking goals for each event and stay until you achieve them.

Step #2 – Get help

For many, getting help is equivalent to going to the dentist. But getting help is the smartest thing to kick-start your executive level job search campaign. Getting help includes:

1. Ask for a review of your resume. There are many services available to review your resume for free. Better yet, pay an expert to write your resume.

2. Learn from the experts. There are many experts out there that write articles like this one. Many experts also have website tools that are available for free downloads. For example, I have a free eBook at: http://www.marketyourpotential.com/ebook.asp. Take advantage of these resources.

3. Get a career coach. For executives who earn more than $100K+, getting advice for your particular situation is a wise investment Make sure, however, that your coach teaches you how to fish, not just fishes for you.

4. Get a support group. When you launch a job search campaign when the headlines are awful, being upbeat and positive is extremely difficult. Get a small group of business associates and friends who can help you during this time.

Step #3 – Get real

Just a short while ago, executives could expect to find a new position in about 90 to 120 days. Now, realistically, it can take upwards of 8 to 10 months. Getting real includes:

1. Do what it takes to survive a 10-month search. Expecting your search to go faster and not preparing for the long haul is just nuts. Reduce your expenses to just what is necessary and cut back.

2. Invest in your career. Now is the time to invest in your career and not try to "do-it-yourself." Investments include coaching, books, tools, events, memberships, and travel to targeted cities.

3. Develop quantitative benchmarks and metrics. Analyze your job search results and measure them against standards. When you do this, you'll be able to improve along the way which guarantees results faster.

4. Design qualitative feedback loops. Behaviors are qualitative and you can "measure" reactions to your oral and written pitch. Their reaction is a qualitative feedback loop that you can automatically gauge.

Step #4 – Get Clear

Getting a message that is clear and succinct takes work. And trying to figure out what you want next is also hard. Getting clear includes:

1. Do extensive research on target companies and industries. The Internet has a wealth of information. My recommendation is to conduct research at least 1 hour per day – above and beyond job posting searches.

2. Test your messages within networking groups. Take someone out for coffee. Try out your verbal pitch, and get their feedback. I tell my clients that they should attend at least 2 different networking groups a week during their job search campaign.

3. Know what's happening around you. Know what's happening around the globe. Integrate current affairs into your oral and written pitch and show how you can address the issues of the day.

4. Stay focused and determined. Persistence is the key to finding a $100K+ executive level position during an economic downturn. Direction is the result and movement in your job search is guaranteed.
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Fertigator Fertilizers Bringing the Green Back To Lawns

Fertigator fertilizer is a specially made blend that is designed to complement the Fertigator irrigation system. This automatic fertilizer injection system attaches to an in-ground sprinkler and then feeds your lawn every time you water. The Fertigator Company manufactures a Feeder home edition, for small to medium sized products, and a Pro edition for larger jobs.

The great thing about a Fertigator fertilizer system is that you can “spoon feed” your lawn gradually, which is a far better way to oversee plant nutrition than using traditional fertilizer. Traditional fertilizer is chemical-based; this process also pours too many nutrients at once, which results in overfeeding (since plants rapidly take in these nutrients) and then a period of starvation. Unlike human beings, (or at least some human beings) plants do not know how to proportion their meals. There is no Jenny Craig program for plants!

This smarter irrigation process is nothing new—in fact “fertigation” has been around for well over three decades and has permeated numerous industries besides agriculture. The Fertigator fertilizer offered for these irrigation systems include FertiGro TLC with GatorGuard, which is Total Lawn Care designed for year-round use; FertiGro TSC with GatorGuard, which is Total Summer Care Fertilizer with lower nitrogen and extra iron (which helps plants form a darker green color and slows down rapid growth) and FertiGro TGC with GatorGuard, which is for Total Garden Care Fertilizer, which has extra phosphorous and essential micro-nutrients. All of these formulas contain GatorGuard, a special concoction that deters insect and rodent pests. However, unlike most chemical pesticides, this pest-repellant is completely natural and not harmful to plants. The ingredient known as Enhance Bio-Stimulant enriches the soil and allows for maximum growth potential.

The Fertigator fertilizer company advises users not to use regular organic fertilizer for a Fertigator fertilizer system. This is because the special concoction provides a more gradual release than chemical fertilizers. The timeline is important here. Failure to use the right fertilizer and according to the system could result in damage to the plants, damage to the system and could also void any warranty.

You may be wondering how exactly a Fertigator fertilizer system is healthy for the environment and how, specifically, it can avoid contamination of the water-supply, which is always an issue with traditional irrigation. Because it reduces run-off, which eventually combines with the drinking water supply, a Fertigator system minimizes the risk of water contamination. In this operation fertilizer is being injected into the water stream. Additionally, a backflow preventer stops any liquid that contains fertilizer from migrating back into the water line. You see, the Fertigator does not actually increase the pressure in the system; so it should only need a pressure vacuum break backflow preventer.

If you want to see more greenery and a higher quality of plant life then invest in organic materials and in a Fertigator fertilizer system. You can reduce pollution, increase soil quality and enjoy a far more fruitful garden or landscape. The Fertigator is modern irrigation at its best.
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Beware of Scholarship Scams ! - Common Scholarship Scams

Many scholarship-finding services will tell you that "millions of dollars in private scholarship money goes unused every year" and they can guarantee that you will get this money by using their service and most of time there is up front fee incur. BEWARE! It might be scholarship scam’s trap. In general, if you have to pay money to get money, it's probably a scam.

Every year thousand of students and parents are defrauded by scholarship scams. And many of them even unaware that they had dropped into the trap of scholarship scams, the victims usually write off the money paid up front to the scams as thinking they just simply didn’t win the scholarship.

Let review some of common scholarship scams so that your will be alerted and precaution about the suspicious scholarship offers.

Common Scholarship Scams

According to the Federal Trade Commission's Scholarship Scams, if you receive an offer that uses one of these tactics, be suspicious:

The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back
Beware of scholarship-finding services that guarantee you will win a scholarship or your money will be refunded. If it is a scam, you will find it extremely difficult to qualify for refund, because this refund guaranteed often have terms & condition attached. Get and review refund policies before you pay.


Ask for your credit card or bank account to hold the winning scholarship for you
If you receive phone call saying that you have won a scholarship and they need your credit card or bank account in order to hold the winning scholarship for you. Never! Never give out any credit card or bank account without getting information or confirmation in writing first. It might be a set-up for an unauthorized withdrawal from your account.


A super low interest rate loan that need advance fee
This scam will offer you an unusual low interest rate loan but they will ask you to pay for a fee during the loan application submission. And when you pay for it, the promised loan never materializes. Be aware, real education loan usually deduce the fees from the disbursement check. It never required you to pay for a fee when you submit an application. If the loan is not issued by a bank or other recognized lender, it is probably a scam. Check the offer with your local bank’s manager before you pay..


You can’t get this scholarship information from anywhere else
There are many scholarship lists available for public. A real scholarship is normally announced to public and you can get this information easily from college and the recognized financial aid agencies. Start your own researching from those locations before you pay for somebody to do the work for you.


You won a scholarship prize!
The scam will inform you that you have won a college scholarship worth a few thousands of dollars but you will be asked to pay for a “redemption” fee or taxes before they can release your prize. If you receive this good news but you don’t remember entering any scholarship contest, be suspicious. Even If you have entered the contest, check and get the winning confirmation letter first before any payment being made. There are scams use the real scholarship contest to cheat for money, they know many people are enrolled for the contest and by chance you are in the list.



Summary
The above are just some commons in scholarship scams. There are still many other scholarship scams around. Always be precaution in any scholarship offer to you and always check for confirmation before any money pay out. The basic guideline is "if you have to pay money to get money, it's probably a scam".

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