Tasting Wine

Wine Tasting Component I: Look

The first step you have to undertake in wine tasting is visual.

1. Fill up the glass up to 1/3 of its volume; never fill it more than half;

2. Hold the glass by the stem. Initially you may find this too pretentious but there are good reasons for it:

а) by doing it this way you can actually observe the wine in it;

b) this will keep your fingerprints off the bowl;

в) the heat from your palm will not change the temperature of the wine.

There's a good saying by one of the greatest French wine lovers, Emil Painot: Offer someone a glass of wine and you can immediately tell whether he/she is a connoisseur by the way they hold the glass." Even though you may not think of yourself as a connoisseur, you could still learn how to hold the wine glass.

3. Focus on the color intensity and the transparency of the liquid.

a) the color of the wine, and more specifically its nuances, are best observed on a white background.

б) the wine's intensity is best judged by holding the glass without slanting it and looking at the liquid from above;

4. Next comes the swirling of the glass. This can also seem too pretentious or even dangerous if you have a full glass or a white top. But this movement is important since it prepares you for the next step in wine tasting ? the Taste. The easiest way to swirl the glass is to place it on a table or other even surface, and to swirl your hand while holding the glass by the stem. Swirl hard and have the wine almost touch the rim of the glass. Then stop. The wine leaves tiny traces with irregular shapes on the inside of the glass. Some "experts" then read them with as much zeal as coffee-tellers. The truth is however, that they are just an indicator for the quality of the wine ? the more alcohol a wine has, the more wine traces it forms.

What does the color of the wine tell us? The wine's color tells us many things about its character.

First, the color shows the grape variety. Let's take two popular varieties as examples ? cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir. Cabernet's grapes are smaller, with a thicker and darker skin than those of pinot noir. As a result, the color of wines made from cabernet sauvignon is usually described as violet to dark while the color of wines made from pinot noir is associated with ruby.

Second, the color is influenced by the climatic conditions. A hot summer and dry fall result in ripe grapes, with a dark, intense color. A cold summer and rainy fall will produce undeveloped grapes with a lighter color. Third, wine-making practices also have an influence on the color of wine. For red wine, the grapes are fermented with the skin. Since the coloring agents are in the grape skin, and not in the juice, the longer the process of maceration, i.e. the longer the skin stays with the juice, the darker the wine color will be.

Fourth, the process of wine aging also has an influence on the color of wine. The young red wines are rich in coloring agents and that makes their color denser and fuller. In the course of time chemical reactions take place in the bottle and sediment is formed at the bottom. The wine's color gets lighter and is often described as brick or amber.

Let's go through an example: you pour yourself a glass of red wine and after carefully observing it, you notice a full granite color, good density, and not so good transparency. What conclusions can you draw? Well, you can safely say that the wine is:

- from cabernet sauvignon grapes;

- from a Southern region;

- relatively young;

- from a good yield;

- that the wine-maker has gone for a good long maceration.

If you know the wine, compare what you know with what you see: maybe the wine has a very full color and the yield has been bad ? this speaks of a good wine-making technique; or maybe the wine is too pale for its age ? this speaks for undeveloped grape or poor wine-making technique.

http://www.wines-resource.com

Marriage or Divorce ? Check Your Social Security Number

Newlyweds and the recently divorced should make sure that names on their tax returns match those registered with the Social Security Administration (SSA). A mismatch between a name on the tax return and a Social Security number (SSN) could unexpectedly increase a tax bill or reduce the size of any refund.

For newlyweds, the tax scenario can begin when the bride says "I do" and takes her husband's surname, but doesn't tell the SSA about the name change. If the couple files a joint tax return with her new name, the IRS computers will not be able to match the new name with the SSN. This could result in tax assessments or even an audit since the IRS may be under the impression that you are simply evading taxes.

Similarly, after a divorce, a woman who had taken her husband's name and had made that change known to the SSA should contact the SSA if she reassumes a previous name. Failure to take this action can lead to audits. Can you imagine going through an audit with your former spouse?

It's easy to inform the SSA of a name change by filing Form SS-5 at a local SSA office. It usually takes two weeks to have the change verified. The form is available on the agency's Web site, www.ssa.gov, by calling toll free 1-800-772-1213 and at local offices. The SSA Web site provides the addresses of local offices.

Richard Chapo is CEO of http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com - Obtaining tax refunds for small businesses by finding overlooked tax deductions and credits through a free tax return review.

Business Owner--Educate Thyself!

Remember the training programs, seminars, and workshops you had to attend when you were on the corporate side of the table? You were expected to complete course after course for professional development and skill enhancement. Well, where do you get your training now that you are on your own? Do you learn from your clients? Are they the best teachers? What about your competitors?

Here are six ways to educate yourself and keep your professional edge:

Learn from your clients. Discover what they are doing or not doing to keep up with the changing marketplace. Ask them to share what makes them unique or industry leaders.

Join trade associations and networking groups that will keep you sharp and growing.

Find a mentor or coach-someone who is further along the business career path or more experienced. Learn from them. Soak up the knowledge they choose to impart and reciprocate as much as possible.

Read everything that you can about your industry and clientele. Identify and research your potential customer base.

Get the appropriate industry or specialty certifications.

Attend seminars and workshops to increase your knowledge and exposure. The more you associate and mingle with people who have similar businesses like yours, the more you will learn just by rubbing shoulders with them and mutually sharing your successes and challenges.

Educating yourself is very important. Set aside money each year for professional development. Don't rest on past laurels or stop growing. If you do, you will lose competitive ground and be left behind.

Roy DeBrule, entrepreneur and seasoned executive in the financial services industry, has helped small business owners for over 25 years to successfully tackle overwhelming business challenges through his clear strategic perspective and a proven ability to evaluate the feasibility of goals. His guiding principle is that everyone, especially executive management needs to embrace one vision.

Roy is the President and co-founder of RADSGroup Organizational Consultants, a Stamford, CT based human resources and organizational consulting firm to small and medium-sized businesses. He is a member of the National Speakers Association and is available to speak at management conferences and leadership retreats. To discover how Roy and the RADSGroup can transform your business, visit: http://www.radsgroup.com/

Does God Promise Long Life?

Over the last 10 years or so I have met several people who had very irrational fears of dying "young." When I asked them what they felt was "young," they said they did not expect to live past an age range of 40-55 years of age. They did not expect to live up to an age range of 70-90 years.

When I asked them why they felt this way - the answer I always got was because one of their parents had died young - usually in their 40's or 50's. I guess they thought there was some kind of curse on them - and what happened to one of their parents was going to eventually happen to them.

What does the Bible have to say about God wanting us to live long lives? For those of you who are not aware of these verses from Scripture - I think you will be pleasantly surprised to find that God does want some of His people living long lives down here on earth - and that this is a particular blessing that He can grant to us if we are willing to meet certain conditions under the New Covenant that we now have with Jesus.

I think the two main reasons God would like a lot of His people to have these long lives is so that they can complete whatever mission, purpose or call that God has set on their lives and also for them to be able to enjoy the fruit of all of their efforts before they go home to be with Him.

I think the greatest example of this would be in our marriages. I think God wants to give us the ability to grow old so we can watch all of our children grow up, then watch them get married and have their own children making you grandparents. You have put forth a tremendous amount of time, effort and energy raising your children to be good, God-fearing and law abiding adults. Now God wants you to be able to sit back, relax and watch your children fruit out as the men and women that He wants them to be in Him.

You have the rest of eternity to spend with God on the other side - but you only have one chance down here on this earth to watch your children physically grow up right before your very eyes. Once we all enter into heaven - we will all be "set" at a certain age. Never again will you be able to see your son or daughter grow up physically, emotionally and spiritually right before your very eyes. You only get once chance down here on this earth to see this event occur and I think God would like to give more of His people this long life blessing so they can see all of this take place in their lifetime.

If you would like to see all of the Scripture verses pertaining to this particular blessing and the conditions that must be met before God would consider giving you this long life blessing, go to http://www.bible-knowledge.com/Does-God-Promise-Long-Life.html for complete copy of this article. In this article, we will give you some of the main Scripture verses showing you that God can and does want to give this type of blessing to some of His people. There is also good commentary on why God may sovereignly choose to withhold this blessing from some of His people. God is still sovereign in all of His ways - including who He will choose to grant this long life blessing to and who He will not.

Article written by Michael Bradley, author of over 100 articles which can be found at http://www.bible-knowledge.com.

Profiling Eco-terrorists

The FBI recently before Congress stated that Eco-Terrorism was on the rise and it is probably the most significant current Domestic Threat. Unfortunately it is somewhat hard to profile these folks as most are misfits of society and somewhat socially inept. They do have some common ground however. First they hate Modern Day Corporations and believe that any problem of our society stems from corporations. They blame McDonald's for making us fat; Tobacco companies for cancer; Oil companies for world poverty and Drug Companies for diseases in third world nations.

They cite example after example of skewed and selective attacks on corporate advertising rather than personal responsibility. They are conspiracy theorists generally. Almost all of them are heavy into drugs and are the first to tell you that it is not a problem at all. They are all for legalizing marijuana and taxation to solve any economic crisis. They all believe in free health care. They were Jerry Garcia caps in many colors to cover their matted hair because they rarely take showers.

Despite all the backwards thinking and drugs many are intelligent and use this intelligence to just get by and sponge off others who have means. Many times they have wealthy friends who are trust fund babies and fund their alcohol and drug addictions, which they deny. Most of their wealthier friends know of their activities but do not come forward, as these ELF people provide social acceptance for them, that perhaps the trust fund babies lacked growing up.

Generally the ELF groups are groups of what some to believe to be total losers and one could hardly disagree upon study of the profile of those Eco-Terrorists who have already been caught by the Canadian Mounties or the FBI in the United States. Usually each group of ELF is a loosely affiliated group, which has a personal call to the cause and may not even be in regular contact with other groups. This makes them harder to catch, but not impossible as many of these groups have been infiltrated by FBI, local enforcement and informants.

Eco-terrorists have started huge forest fires, although deny those usually. Burned down entire resort towns, often deciding not to take credit for it. Burned down million dollar homes in the woods and rural areas. They have attacked laboratories, research facilities and corporations. They have burned down car dealerships, lumberyards, kennels and construction projects. They claim to be helping the environment by polluting trillions of cubic units of our atmosphere, killing helpless animals in the forest and sending toxic fumes into the city? They do this in the name of Environmentalism? This just proves that drugs warp your mind and that these folks are clearly a nuisance as well as a clear and present danger to our civilization. There goals and objectives also seem to coincide with much of the Islamic radical fundamentalist International Terrorist and some believe that there are ELF cells who have been infiltrated by Al Queda. I believe this is occurring, since their objectives are so similar and it is a Canadian based organization. Think about it.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

Find Mineral Nutrition Online

Mineral nutrition

Searching for mineral nutrition information is much easier today than ever before. I remember when we'd have to search manuals, books and do it at the library and also searching the encyclopedia. Thanks to Senate document 264 the truth finally comes out. Much buried of course as its information doesn't support the bottom line of retailers. But, to find the truth sometimes takes digging and especially mineral nutrition.

We've come to discover that many serious health issues including life threatening can be at the source of lack of minerals in our diet. Most of us haven't been taught that without these vital nutritional nutrients taking vitamins is useless. Since vitamins are such a large marketing item with plenty of resources we seldom read or see much about anything else.

It is critical to our health to understand that the depleted soils today do not yield its fruits and vegetables with the nutrients they once did years ago. Fast foods haven't helped either, and now we even read of a national epidemic about overweight child. Our kids are starving from the lack of good nutrition and most of us aren't doing anything about it.

Research online can be the resource of choice that let's us do the research work rather easily. Armed with some good up to date education and information goes a long way towards correcting one's path to optimum health. The responsibility falls on us for self preservation, not the doctors when it's perhaps too late.

We may also need to adjust our thinking for days of old. Our parents who didn't have the information available today taught us what they could, but may not in fact be the most effective approach today. When you gather your information you may very well be shocked, so stay open minded and be patient. Correcting the sorry state of affairs with good mineral nutrition isn't difficult or over expensive.

The rest of the story at http://www.liquid-vitamins-4u.com

How to Nurture Intimacy When Youre in a Long-Distance Marriage

The biggest problem long-distance spouses often face is how to keep emotional intimacy alive when they are separated. If you are in a long-distance marriage, you are probably already using email and the telephone as much as possible to stay in touch. But what else can you do to stay connected with your partner and not lose that special bond between you?

One suggestion is to take the extra time to also send "snail mail" greeting cards, letters, and postcards when possible. Buy an assortment of cards when you have a chance, and that will make it easier to send out one or two cards each week. Vary the type of cards that you send--some romantic, some funny. You could also send postcards to add variety and show scenes of the geographic area where you are working.

In your letters and emails, don't only talk about what activities you've been involved in, but be sure to share your feelings about what's going on in your life. Ask feeling-related questions, such as "Do you ever worry that one day we'll have been married 20 years and we'll discover that we don't really know each other?" Also share memories and experiences from childhood and the years before you met.

Write your spouse a letter telling her (or him)what you love about her,what attracted you to her, what you admire about her, and why you want to stay married to her. Before you send it to her, make a copy for yourself and read it once a day to remind yourself of all the positives about your spouse. Ask her to do the same for you.

Look for ways to create reminders that will trigger thoughts of each other when you're apart. For example, you might consider naming a star for your spouse at the International Star Registry (www.starregistry.com). Then, each starry night, you will both feel connected as you look for "your star."

You might come up with some other symbols to trigger your thoughts, such as agreeing to think of each other every time you see a certain type of bird. Or pick a car with special meaning and think of each other every time you see a red Camaro, for example. Perhaps you will both agree to listen to a certain song on a CD before you go to sleep each night, knowing the other person is doing the same thing.

Brainstorm about ways you can feel connected even when you're not talking on the phone or emailing each other. Mail your husband (or wife) a tape of yourself reading a love poem or sweet letter you have written to him. Send small surprise gifts when you can. They don't have to be expensive; they just need to show that you're thinking of him.

You could order gifts of gourmet candy, nuts, popcorn, flowers, or other items from the Internet. Or you could give a magazine subscription to your spouse so she (or he) will think of you each time the publication arrives. Another idea is to send her a new CD that you think she'll like or a paperback book.

Consider creating your own web site where you can post photos you both take with a digital camera. The pictures could show scenes from your life apart and also pictures from the times you are together. Over time, this would document your history as well as your current life as a couple. One site that provides free web hosting for family web sites is www.myfamily.com.

Other ideas include having a print shop like Kinko's put a photograph of you and your spouse on coffee mugs, or having a photograph put on a T-shirt or sweatshirt for each of you. If you have some common interests in reading or listening to audio books, pick a book to read or listen to at the same time and then discuss it as you go along.

Put on your creative thinking cap and experiment to see what works best for the two of you. By using your imagination, you can deepen your emotional connection with your spouse, even though you're physically separated by thousands of miles.

Nancy J. Wasson, Ph.D., is co-author of Keep Your Marriage: What to Do When Your Spouse Says "I don't love you anymore!" The e-book is available at http://www.KeepYourMarriage.com , where you can also sign up for the free Keep Your Marriage Internet Magazine. Contact Nancy at Nancy@KeepYourMarriage.com.

Science Cant Explain Everything!

You will know that if you have spent at least some time reflecting on the world around you, some things cannot be explained in purely scientific terms. Armies of scientists and researchers swarm in labs around the world trying to take the mystery out of every bit of wonder we witness.

What is it that attracts us to a future partner? Scientists will say...tiny, odour sensors in our noses!

What causes shimmering lights in the night sky? Scientists say...sun spots affecting the earth's electromagnetic field.

It is true (I guess) that those things come about due to some sort of cause and effect from physical laws we have devised.

But it takes so much of the magic and mystery out of our lives.

Maybe it's a sunspot...but can I see a sunspot and predict the result? No I can't...All I can see is the mystery and beauty of the results. Can't I just spend some time enjoying the wonder of it?

If I managed to see my future partner across a crowded room and feel an instant 'twinge' does it make it any less magic? Is it worth reflecting on how, despite being born at opposite ends of the earth, we found ourselves in the same place and time at a random event that saw two worlds collide? I think it is. Because no event is a result of just one other event. It is always a combination of physical law and mysterious circumstance.

So is it so surprising that we can divine mysterious things in our gardens?

Take the case of companion planting, particularly in a vegetable garden. Companion planting is when the health and yields of particular plants can be improved by planting specific other plants near them. For instance, peas love being near beans, corn, carrots and cucumbers, but really hate being near onions. Potatoes enjoy the company of beans, peas and cabbage but are unhappy near tomatoes.

Any number of botanists will tell you that there are 'reasons' for this. Some attract the sort of bugs another needs, some have a scent that disturbs the progress of others. But wait a second...doesn't this sound just a little bit like personality?

Is it not possible that some plants just generally get along better with others because... what? They get what they need from them? They enjoy their company? Sound like another species you might be familiar with??

Companion planting is not considered 'scientific' because the results are not consistent and not always provable. Companion guidelines are based on observation and anecdote. Some combinations work better in the northern hemisphere than the southern hemisphere (True! Well, at least, anecdotally it's true). Some plants react contrary to expectations. But could that be due to something else??

The difference between male, female and neutral plants can be startling. You will know yourself that sometimes, two plants started at the same time or from the same magnificent parent plant will turn out completely differently. So now, not only do we have to contend with personality, we have to contend with the sex of a plant.

I know what you're thinking. Well, I think I know what you're thinking...how do you tell the sex of a plant? It's very unscientific, but so far, pretty reliable in its results. Hold a pendulum over the plant. This can be a needle on a thread, a seashell on fishing tackle, a necklace, whatever. The pendulum will move of it's own accord to indicate the sex of the plant.

Try it. The really healthy plants will be female (positive). They will make the pendulum move in a clockwise circle over the top of it. The male (negative) plant will make the pendulum move from side to side. If the pendulum doesn't move at all, the plant is neutral or the soil is lifeless. Forget it. Nothing is going to come out of that.

It's called dowsing and is the same method that has people finding water using a Y shaped pointed stick. Scientific? Nope. Does that mean it doesn't work? Not at all.

So here we are with two startling propositions. That your vegetable plants have both a sex and a personality that will determine at least in part, how they turn out despite your input. Geez, that's starting to sound a lot like my kids! (who will turn out very different from me, despite the magnificent parenting stock!!)

What does it mean for you as a gardener? The same thing it means for you as a parent.

Nurture your plants. Give them everything you think they will need to succeed.

Read advice books as required, but understand that observation will be your best guide.

Do not despair. Do not give up. It's about the journey, not the destination.

Understand that not all things can be understood. Sometimes, it's just the wonder of nature. Enjoy yourself.

Judy Williams (http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com) splits her time between being a big time media executive and alternative lifestyle earth mother. This accurately reflects her split 'Gemini' nature. She refuses to give up on the notion she can have it all.

The Benifits of Home Ventilation

The purpose of a home ventilation system is to maintain a healthy living environment by supplying fresh air to your home while at the same time removing stale and polluted air. Home ventilation also helps to maintain proper humidity levels of 30 to 50 percent.

The air in your home is used many times over, often with fresh air entering only when we open doors or windows. As we strive to build homes more and more energy efficient, we create an environment prone to indoor air quality problems, thereby, reducing the homes ability to breathe and natural air changes do not occur.

The reason for the buildup of indoor pollution in today's homes is a direct result of our efforts to conserve energy. With insufficient home ventilation, pollutants can build up and become very concentrated. These pollutants come from many sources and some, such as mold, are more problematic when combined with high humidity levels, which is another problem associated with inadequate home ventilation.

When humidity is too high, mold, mildew and rot can become serious problems. A mold outbreak can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to your home and in some cases can make a home uninhabitable.

Another problem with high humidity is dust mites. Every home has dust mites and they thrive in humid conditions. This is a concern for people who suffer from dust mite allergies.

Low humidity, on the other hand, can cause nose and throat irritation, dry skin, wood can shrink and crack and hardwood flooring can shrink and become noisy when walked on. Static electricity is a symptom of low humidity.

Home ventilation is one of the most important things you can manage, in order to maintain a healthy environment for you and your loved ones.

Heat Recovery Ventilators, Air Exchangers, Kitchen and Bathroom Exhaust Fans, Attic Ventilation Fans, Dryer Vents and attic and crawl space vents are all important components of proper home ventilation.

Pet Dander, Pollen, Lead, Dust Mites, Mold Spores, Tobacco Smoke, Household Chemicals, Pesticides, Cleaning Supplies, Paints and Solvents are only some of the common pollutants that can build up without adequate home ventilation.

Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide and Soot from fuel burning appliances and heating systems can also become a problem without proper home ventilation.

Proper home ventilation can help reduce allergy and asthma symptoms and help ease other respiratory ailments that burden millions of people.

About The Author

Troy Munn is the Webmaster of home-air-care.com where he offers valuable information and tips on improving the air quality of your home. To find more information, to help you reduce allergy symptoms and control indoor pollution visit: http://www.home-air-care.com

tdmunn@nb.sympatico.ca

What Is An Open Rate

Good thing in emarketing business today is that many people use email marketing as an item in their promotional activities. Many companies publish a company email newsletter in order to stay in touch with their clients and prospects and some other people only advertise in other email newsletters. Everyone have one thing in common ? they want that their email newsletters open as many people as possible. In other words to have a good open ratio?

So what is an open ratio? Open ratio represents the number or percentage of people who actually opened your email newsletters. Yes, you are right. Not everyone will open your email newsletter. In fact, it is often the case that the majority of your subscribers won't open your email newsletter. Sad bad true. If your newsletter has 10,000 subscribers and 4000 subscribers opened your email it means that your open ratio is 40%. This is, by the way, good open ratio according to recent email marketing statistics that show that average open ratio in B2C (Business To Consumer) email newsletter is around 20% and that open ratio is higher (more than 30%) in B2B (Business To Business) email newsletters.

Open ratio is very important because if an advertiser pays that his ad be in front of 10,000 people he wants that nearly 10,000 people really see his ad. Let me put it this way. If you buy a automobile that has a declared speed of 240 kmh you expect that you will be able to drive that fast if you want. Although, I wouldn't suggest you that.

Email publishers count open ratio by embedding a code that will call an image, usually white image in format 1x1 pixels from their server. So every time image is loaded, it means that email newsletter is opened. I said opened, not read. If you want to increase the probability that the open ratio nearly represents the number of people who also read your newsletter you can embed that image source code at the end of your email newsletter. Also, you can write your articles in "teaser" format. "Teaser" format!? You can write first 4-5 sentences of your article and after that write something similar like this:

If you want to read the whole article please visit http://www.yourdomain.com/yourarticle

This way you will know how many people read your article. Of course, if you use some CTR (Click-Thru-Ratio) or web counter software. For click-thru software I would suggest you to use Group Metrics ? http://www.group-metrics.com It is all-in-one package that will also help you to know what is your open ratio, click-thru-ratio, you will be able to creat polls?

You may say that 20-30% is a very low open ratio. However, open ratio is a little bit complicated thing. Why? First of all, many people will open your newsletter but you won't know that. How is that possible? It is very simple. If they read a plain-text version of your email newsletter (they requested to get your email newsletter in that format) so not in HTML format you won't be able to measure your open rate. Also, many people are offline while they read email newsletter or their email clients don't support HTML formats. In these cases, too, you won't know if they opened your email.

In the next article you will read about techniques for improving your open rate.

Dejan Bizinger is a Contributing Editor for Infacta. Infacta is email messaging services company providing powerful, yet easy-to-use award-winning Group Mail, software for sending highly-personalized email messages and Group Metrics, software for email tracking. For more information visit: http://www.infacta.com

Two for One Dinners: Beans

If you find leftovers boring, uninviting or downright "yuck," then here are some ideas to put the "zing" back into mealtime. With a little creativity your home-cooked meal can easily become a delicious meal another night. There are a six articles in this series, today we are going to look at what you can do with beans.

DINNER - NIGHT ONE: Vegetarian Chili

It is so easy to make a simple chili from onions, carrots, red bell pepper, chopped mushrooms and frozen corn. Throw in canned black beans and canned chopped tomatoes to complete the dish. You can use the flavored canned chopped tomatoes to add more zing. If you want to add meat to your chili, instead of the vegan option presented here, cube and sear beef and add to the mixture. Store the leftover chili in the refrigerator.

DINNER - NIGHT TWO: Black Bean Burritos

Using the leftover chili, add cooked, cubed chicken or beef (if not already in the chili) and put into a wrap of a flour tortilla with shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream and guacamole. You can use flavored wraps which are great. You can also add other ingredients in your wrap such as shredded lettuce, tomatoes, olives or your other favorites. For a nonfat alternative you could substitute sour cream with plain yogurt or even nonfat ranch dressing.

Publishing Rights: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author's information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. Copyright 2005, Michele Webb. All Rights Reserved.

Michele Webb owns her own website and is a member of a number of organizations for women Netpreneurs and business owners. She has over 20 years experience in health care, clinical trials, management, project management and software development. She currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada USA with her two dogs.

You are invited to visit her website at: http://www.ebooksnstuff.com. Or, you can email the author at: support@ebooksnstuff.com

Natural Beauty: What Is It Really?

Natural beauty is the ideal many people strive to achieve when they purchase make-up, creams, shampoos and other forms of cosmetics. But what really constitutes natural beauty, and how can it be achieved?

Many consumers, in an attempt to cleanse, tone, moisturize, mattify, shine, colour, enhance and so on, have overloaded their skin and their cabinets with too many needless products. Experts have found that 63 percent of all women complain of having developed 'sensitive skin', and many of these complaints can be traced back to an overcomplicated skin care regimen (Fairley, 2001). In contrast, the needs of human skin are simple. They are cleansing, moisture, nourishment and protection. Skin which suffers from burning, reddening, pimples, rashes and other symptoms similar to these may be caused by or made worse from adverse reactions to the cosmetic products overloading many women's cabinets. Often many of these products claim to alleviate or eliminate the very symptoms they are causing (Begoun, 1991).

When selecting skin care, it is best to choose a product formulated for your skin type. Everyone's skin is individual and varied, but to assist in product selection, and in understanding what your own skin needs, the following skin types have been generalized.

- Balanced, which is neither oily nor dry, and similar to the skin type of children.

- Oily

- Dry

- Sensitive, which is a condition involving reddening, burning or rashes when a cosmetic is applied.

- Problem, which is prone to acne and breakouts.

- Combination, which is most skin, containing oily and dry patches.

Beautiful skin can be obtained by making good choices for your skin, such as using cosmetic products and make-up which are truly natural. Eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, water and healthy oils (such as polyunsaturated fats, essential fatty acids found in flax seed oil, olive oil, etc.) all assist in achieving and maintaining healthy skin. Lastly, adequate rest, sleep and exercise also contribute significantly to beautiful skin.

Simple Skin Care Steps:

- Gentle cleansing - depending on your skin type or preference, choose a natural soap.

- Toning - use a toner which is alcohol-free, infused with essential oils

- Daytime moisturizing - light or rich skin moisturizer

- Nighttime moisturizing - use facial oils formulated with essential oils

Make-up:

Choose make-up which is made with all natural ingredients and colours, regardless of one's age. All faces look fresh and naturally beautiful when colours which reflect the earth's vibrant range of hues are applied. Rainbow-like colours, or deep, dramatic shades cannot be obtained naturally in make-up without synthetically derived colours. These colours rarely look natural, are often trendy and go out of style quickly.

Great looking skin does not mean flawless, masked skin. Rather, lets reconstruct our notions of what constitutes 'beautiful skin' and 'beautiful faces', because perfection does not exist in the natural world, nor does it exist in human beings. Computers, cameras, lighting and other sophisticated technologies create "flawlessness", to create an ideal image no one can attain. Instead, beautiful skin and natural beauty is skin that is free from harmful chemicals, hydrated from within and on the surface, fed with balanced nutrition and wise food choices, and regulated with reasonable exercise. A positive outlook on life and an optimistic perspective also contribute to natural beauty, inside and out.

How The Organic Make-up Company Can Help You Achieve Your Own Natural Beauty

Our products are made fresh for you once we receive your order. We do not stock inventory, so our cosmetics do not require powerful shelf life lengtheners or potent synthetic preservatives. The preservatives we use are natural, such as wheatgerm oil, grapeseed oil, d-alpha tocopherol (vitamin E) and/or ascorbic acid (vitamin C). While our products do not need refrigeration, our creams, as they contain water, are best stored in a cool, dark place, away from steam, light or unnecessary exposure to the air.

Our packaging is simple, without fancy and unnecessary labels, boxes or inserts. We believe very strongly that the purchasing power of your money should be directed towards a natural, high quality product, rather than wasted on packaging.

We invite you to give our natural products a try. We do not make any unrealistic or unscientific claims, such as anti-aging or wrinkle elimination, which are impossible in any cosmetic. We develop our products based on sound scientific principles and the physiology of the skin. Our products will convince you on their own merit, since they are natural, vegan and an excellent alternative to conventional cosmetics and make-up.

If you have any questions, please contact us at http://www.organicmakeup.ca.

Interested in selling our products? Contact us to discuss how we can assist each other to bring our safe, natural cosmetics and make-up to interested consumers.

References:

- Begoun, Paula (1991). Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me, Beginning Press, Seattle.

- Fairley, Josephine (2001). Organic Beauty, DK Publishing, London.

- http://www.naturalcosmetics.ca

Lori Stryker has been researching and developing all natural skin care and make-up for the purpose of offering men and women safe, natural cosmetics for everyday use. She brings to her research a specialist in human biology from the University of Toronto, coupled with a professional home economics degree and an education degree from the University of British Columbia, fusing chemical and biological knowledge with food, family and textile sciences.

You may use this article but any modification or publication of this article for fiancial gain must be approved of by the author. The author's name, Lori Stryker and her company's name, The Organic Make-up Company, needs to by noted when used.

A Writer's Inner Battle

by: Grace V. Planas
There is a psychological nuisance so powerful that can deflate the drive,
self-esteem, and human spirit of many aspiring Writers of any age. These
Writers are faced with an obstacle that make them stop, think twice and
question their right to be a part of a respected community. This even
leads them to doubt their ambition of pursuing their literary or
journalistic calling.

It is that inner voice echoing: "Huh! Who do you think you are, a J. K.
Rowling in the making?" or "Oh my God, stop pretending you have a literary
mind!" and more similar lines of thinking. Some may call it a fiend while
others may describe it as the self-defeating aspect of a person.

If you have been afflicted as I have been, do not worry, the voice speaks
only in behalf of detractors, real or imagined. It is not the embodiment
of the authentic gift of creativity you and I were born with.

When you know you have a great idea brewing in your head that you could
almost see it completed in your mind, strike the keys; When the voice
blows its cacophony horn, resist the urge to stop.

Mind and Behavior

How your thinking becomes your staunch enemy at times has reasons of its own.

While confidence takes a respite, this occupational hazard of qualm
attacks during your journey as a blossoming writer haunts even the best of
Writers.

"I have written practically nothing yet, and now again the time is getting
short. There is nothing done. I am no nearer my achievement than I was two
months ago, and I keep half doubting my will to perform anything. Each
time I make a move my demon says at almost the same moment:" Oh, yes,
we've heard that before!" Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923), British short
story Writer.

Just as how old manipulative thinking habits have repeatedly, slowly, and
unconsciously crept into your subconscious, so shall you replace them with
new ones consciously.

"Whatever action we take is first of all determined by our thoughts, so if
we change our thoughts, we can change the way we behave." Cherith Powell
and Greg Forde

Decision is your first step. Redeem your faith in your ability to write by
making up your mind of wanting to do so. Ignore unwanted mental murmurs
right away. Refuse to dwell on them.

"Anytime you can be aware of and witness your own thoughts, instead of
becoming lost or absorbed in them, you're in a position to grow from your
experience rather than being immobilized by it," Richard Carlson, Ph.D.,
famous author and Expert on happiness and stress.

Act on this decision by writing always until the habit has been embedded
in your system. Stick to it. The discipline will condition your mind to an
'I can' attitude and will provide you with proofs of your writing skill,
slowly but surely.

Search for the inner voice responsible for getting you on board this
vessel of courage to have ever wanted to write or written a few pieces in
the first place. Relive it. Delight in it.

However, more than positive self-talk, you will need something tangible to
corroborate your long buried positive belief. Produce the written piece.
It will bear out the reality of your skill as a writer and will sustain
the writer's spirit running in your vein.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a
habit." Aristotle.

In addition, submitting your work often and getting published even in
small publications (print or online) immerse you more in the world of
writing and defines further what you really want, what you can achieve and
what you will ultimately become. It validates you further as a writer in
your eyes and in the eyes of others.

A published work further nullifies that damaging inner voice and even the
real detractors (in contrast to professional, constructive and objective
Literary Critics) existing beyond your writing comfort zone.

"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask Act. Action will delineate and
define you. You will find out from your actions." Witold Gombrowicz
(1904-1969), Polish Novelist, Playwright, Essayist.

Beating the Beast Within

Make it a habit to study the lives of people who started out with wobbling
knees in careers totally different from the degree they have earned in
college, dreaming dreams that no one thought they could reach. Count the
number of times they were told they were misfits but went on to succeed in
fields seemingly incompatible to their personality and intellect.

Read Writers' biographies and unearth their struggles, look around you and
be inspired. Shift your focus from the mockery of your thoughts to real
quiet people who never bragged but wrote nonetheless with profundity.

As a late blooming writer myself I employ these pointers. In my own pace,
I have learned to fight back. The automatic reaction casts out the ugly
feeling of inefficiency and helps me to proceed.

It may not guarantee a life free of backslidings to negative self-talks
but these mental approaches serve as buffers that strengthen the mental
defenses overtime until the bad voices are subdued.

The advice of other writers that says write, write, and write is a gold
mine. It sharpens and stimulates your writing mind. Best of all it brings
you closer to your vision and away from your psychological beasts.

So unless you do exactly the opposite of what your demon says you cannot
do, your inner battle will not be silenced.

Pursue your dream. Write!

©2003

Sources: The Writer's Life as edited by Carol Edgarian and Tom Jenks
Shortcut Through Therapy by Richard Carlson Ph.D.
Self Hypnosis by Cherith Powell and Greg Forde

About The Author

Grace V. Planas, Filipino-Chinese residing in the Philippines, is a
Homemaker and part-time Writer. She holds a degree in Accounting and has
completed correspondence courses on Freelance Journalism and Adult
Psychology. Formerly a Contributing Writer for Working Woman Magazine -
Philippines, she writes self-help/Psychology, inspirational, and personal
essay pieces. She also writes poems, short stories/flash fictions. Most of
her works have been published in various Websites like, The Writers' Life,
AbsoluteWrite-The Debate Desk, ArticleCity.com and other online Writing
sites. Her published magazine articles are posted at:
www.geocities.com/my_hearts_haven.