Thursday, December 20, 2012

It's The End Of The World As We Know It...

Tomorrow being 12/21/12 seems to have a lot of people believing the world will end tomorrow according to Mayan prophesy, but is it really the end, or is it a new beginning.  The Mayans believed in cycles that last around 5200 years, and they believed this cycle of 5200 years would end on 12/21/12.  So if this is correct, we can be positive and say this is the end of an old cycle and the beginning of a new one.

As the title of this post suggests as per the R.E.M. song, it may be the end of the world as we know it, but I feel fine.  That's right, it's the end of the world as we know it, but the beginning of the world as we will soon experience.  This will be something new that we will begin to learn and will be enlightening.  Maybe it's a new beginning for us all.

With this, maybe we will all go through a spiritual rebirth, a spiritual cleansing.  This could be something to improve us spiritually, which will also improve us physically and emotionally, thus bringing us into prosperity.

Maybe the new cycle will improve your financial well-being.  Maybe your heart will bring you to do something for yourself, such as starting your own business.  This could be something to set you free by taking charge of something you can control by creating something from your own creative mind that you can share with others.

Although the world is not actually ending tomorrow, a lot of businesses are offering "End of the World" sales, and if you are looking to start a business in the new cycle, you will still need a website to get the word out about your business.  You will also need hosting for your website.  Host Gator is offering an "End of the World" sale tomorrow, 12/21/12, where for a limited time you can get 50% off hosting and domains for $1.95.  Yes, you will need a domain name as well, and hopefully your newly creative thinking will come up with some catchy name for your website and/or business.

A lot of people I know use Host Gator for their web hosting, not only for hosting their business's website but also for hosting personal and family/friends oriented websites.  People trust a highly reputable company such as Host Gator, and will continue to do so into the new cycle.

So as we go into the next cycle, let's see how our newly enlightened lives will help us to see and go beyond our present potential into new realms.


Thursday, November 15, 2012

A Brief History of Black Friday

Huge population centers around Lake Ontario in Canada have always attracted cross border shopping into the United States, and as Black Friday became more popular in the U.S., Canadians often flocked to the U.S. because of their cheaper prices and a stronger Canadian dollar.  After 2001, many were traveling for the deals across the border.  In 2009 several major Canadian retailers had their own version of the day by running promotions to discourage shoppers from leaving for the U.S.  Canada's Boxing Day is comparable to Black Friday in terms of retailer impact and consumerism, but Black Fridays in the U.S. seem to provide deeper or more extreme price cuts than Canadian retailers, even for the same international retailer.

More recently, Black Friday has been exported to nations outside of North America such the United Kingdom by major online retailers like Amazon or Apple.  In 2011, IBM reported online Black Friday sales were up 24.3% according to a study that included 500 retailers.


Origin of the term
Black Friday as a term has been used in many contexts dating back to the nineteenth century where in 1869 it was associated with a financial crisis in the United States.  The earliest known reference to "Black Friday" as a shopping day the day after Thanksgiving was made in a public relations newsletter from 1961 that is clear on the negative implications of the name and its origin in Philadelphia.

For downtown merchants throughout the nation, the biggest shopping days are normally the days immediately following Thanksgiving Day.  This resulted in traffic jams that became an irksome problem to police, and in Philadelphia it became customary for police officers to refer to the post-Thanksgiving days as Black Friday and Black Saturday.  This was hardly a stimulus for good business.  The problem was discussed by the merchants with their Deputy City Representative, Abe S. Rosen, one of the country's most experienced municipal PR executives.  He recommended adopting a positive approach that would change the names from Black Friday and Black Saturday to Big Friday and Big Saturday.

The attempt to rename Black Friday was unsuccessful, and its continued use is shown in a 1966 publication on the day's significance in Philadelphia:

JANUARY 1966 – "Black Friday" is the name which the Philadelphia Police Department has given to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day.  It is not a term of endearment to them.  "Black Friday" officially opens the Christmas shopping season in the city center, and it usually brings massive traffic jams and over-crowded sidewalks as the downtown stores are mobbed from opening to closing.

The term Black Friday began to get wider exposure around 1975, as shown by two newspaper articles from November 29, 1975, both datelined Philadelphia.  The first reference is in an article entitled "Army vs. Navy: A Dimming Splendor," in The New York Times.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Breanna's 8th Birthday

Here are pics from my niece's birthday party at Young Chefs Academy.  Enjoy!


Fixing to make pizza!



Pink Pizza Dough!  Sounds yummy!














Breanna got to be the sous chef.


Breanna had an awesome birthday!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

No Hesitating


Recently I came up with the philosophy of Stop Thinking Start Doing.  In fact, I’m still trying to teach myself to follow this philosophy.  I also had to start writing this as soon as the idea came into my head so that I don’t think too much about it.
                                            
Why is it that we think too much and not do enough?  What are we waiting for?  It’s great to want to think about doing something, yet we procrastinate and procrastinate until we eventually give up because we haven’t started, or until our time on this Earth expires.  I mean, it’s great to think about it, but if we don’t do it, it’s never going to happen.

It’s not going to do itself; we have to do it.  This book is not going to write itself.  I have to write it.  So why do we think so much and not do anything?  Is it because we are scared?  Is it because we will not profit from doing it?  Is it because we are going to fail?  Is it because we are going to succeed?

I will admit, I feel scared.  I guess it’s the idea of taking that leap that could change my life.  For most of my life, I’ve felt like thinking of the idea gave me some sense of satisfaction.  I sit there thinking of the success that could come to me, and it gives me a temporary sense of success.  That is, until I realize that just thinking about it is not going to make it happen.  I wish my mind had the power to just think about something and it just happens.  Unfortunately, my mind is not that strong.  My mind can think all it wants, but until I do something, that something is never going to happen, except in my mind.  I live in reality, not a fantasy.

Sometimes I think, do I not want to at least try something because I am afraid to fail?  Am I worried I will be made fun of or ridiculed?  Am I afraid I will not profit from what I can do?  Is it not only that I’m afraid I will fail, but that I’m also afraid that I will succeed?

For me, I believe it’s both.  Like a lot of us, I feel that I’ve grown comfortable in my routine lifestyle that I’m afraid to step out of my comfort zone.  The thing is, we are meant to expand ourselves, not just confine ourselves to our comfort zone.  We are meant to achieve greatness.

When you are given an opportunity, you can’t just sit there thinking whether or not you want to take it, nor can you think too much about what you will or will not achieve from taking that opportunity.  What’s sad about this is opportunities come at us, but we do not see them.  Sometimes we see them, but we have to think about them, possibly because we are scared that that opportunity is a life changing event, and event that can bring you greatness and prosperity.  We go through life changing events all the time, whether it’s going to college, graduating from college, starting a new job, getting married.  But there are other life changing events, such as acquiring new wealth.  The opportunities we are given can open doors to a greater world, a world we cannot see staying in our comfort zone.  We are meant to expand ourselves, not stay stagnant.

When you are out and about and you see that attractive person of the opposite sex, you should go over and initiate conversation.  I understand it may take a drink or two to loosen up and help you to stop thinking about it, but you cannot wait too long or you will miss that opportunity.

I have given myself a challenge that if I do not write anything on this for a week that what has been written of this shall become a blog post.  However, I wish to keep going with this writing as it would go against what I would like to accomplish with this project.  If I come up with anything while I am away from my computer, I shall use the Notes app on my phone to take some notes and send to myself.  This is why you should always keep your phone with you because you never know when ideas will pop up in your head.  As I said, you have to take opportunities when they come to you.

“Talk is cheap.”
“Money talks.”
“Learn from experience.”

These are quotes that wise people not only speak, but also live by.  You can talk talk talk all you want, but it means absolutely nothing unless you walk the talk.  That’s why you can’t just speak, but you have to live by what you say in order for it to have any sort of impact on yourself or anyone else.  “Learn from experience” means just that.  Many people have to go through several if not many failed attempts before finally succeeding.  What this quote is saying is that you cannot give up after the first failed attempt.  What you must do is think about what went wrong with that failed attempt and learn not to make the same mistake in the next failed attempt. 

If the second attempt fails, look and see what went wrong in that attempt.  Hopefully, it won’t be the same thing that went wrong in the first attempt, and same for any future attempts with any previous attempts. 
If you want to do something, don’t just talk about it, do it.  If you want to make money from that something, do it, or at least attempt to do it, and if you fail, look at what went wrong and try something different.  This is what will lead to success.

Now, stop hesitating and start doing something.  There’s nothing to think about, just do it.  In fact, I have a t-shirt and coffee mug with the saying “Stop Thinking Start Doing” in my Zazzle Store.  

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Are You Looking For Part-Time Work?


I received the following letter in my email yesterday.  I thought I'd share it.
_________________________________________________________________________________

We are looking for some people that are interested in working from their home on a part or full-time basis.

If you want to earn $100, $200 or even up to $500 a day, and you don't mind writing some short opinions up, this is the perfect opportunity for you!

We work with hundreds of companies such as 20th Century Fox, Paramount Entertainment, Ford Motor Company, Google and more!  We recruit people to fill 1000s of jobs for companies like this every year.

Many of these jobs are simple online writing tasks, such as blogging about a movie that you recently saw, commenting on what your opinion is of a certain kind of car, proof reading simple documents and more!

These companies are fighting for exposure on the internet and know the more people blogging about them, means the more exposure they are going to get, and ultimately the more money they are going to make.

There has been an explosion in the need for online writers, regardless of skill.  These companies are more interested in your honest genuine opinions when you're writing blog entries about their company... not if you are a very talented writer.

If you're looking for work, or just want to make some part time money on the side, please come check out the jobs we have available.

We are currently accepting new members.  Sign Up Below.

Sincerely,
Lisa Roberts
Director of HR
_________________________________________________________________________________

Today, we could all use a little extra income.  Most people's incomes are staying stagnant, if not going down, while costs for necessities are increasing.  Also, the government is wanting to increase taxes to help with the budget.  Any little bit of extra money can help, and for many people, it's hard to find second jobs.

You can write for companies from the comfort of your home, and you don't have to spend a lot of extra time doing it, just a couple of hours a day.  I like to write, and this gives me an opportunity to make a little extra money doing what I like to do.  It helps me.



Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Automated Betting System With 87% Accuracy


It seems that the guys responsible for the famous 100Winners Arbing Software have found a much more profitable way to make money to complement their Arbing earnings.

A friend of mine, Cyril, has been a Beta Tester of their system for months (he regularly posts on their Facebook Fanpage that has over 11,000 members), and he has made over $6700 in the last 5 months by placing on $100 bets.

$100 USD placed per system bet, and he made over $6700!!  That`s a nice chunk of change.

In the world of Sports Investing, thats a gain of 670%!  What kind of betting system makes that kind of a return?

Unlike Arbing where you need to invest thousands just to see a few hundreds, here, you only need to put in a few hundreds to see thousands!  The best part:  It`s scalable!  If he had used $1000 USD bets he would be sitting on $67,000 USD right now!  $10,000 and he'd be looking at $670,000!

No Arbing, no missed picks, and no problems that make duplicating a winning system almost impossible.  This is a fully automated system software!

Even if you only bet $10, you'd be sitting on $670 effortlessly gained.

Here, what you see is EXACTLY what you get, no ifs, no conditions, and no scammy bookies that try to part you from your hard earned money.

It`s a bold claim but its absolutely true, and they PROVE IT!  It`s really exciting to look beyond old-school picks and to discover new and even easier ways to make money!

We've been lulled so much into old-school betting systems that it`s hard to see on the outside.  We need to break that cycle and stop hopping onto every hype train that comes along.  If there's an easier way to make a living, why not embrace it?

You need to read more of what this Z-Code System is all about.  It`s not just Cyril; there are many other winners, in fact, it seems that 100% of the Beta Testers have already raked in profits!

You have to see this with your own eyes because they want to give us the goods upfront.  This means if you access their page now for the next 24 hours only, they will give you:

The FREE Goodies!
----------------------------------

a.) FREE Access to 1 daily Z-Code Pick that lets you make money right there.
b.) FREE Access to the Betatesting Facebook group with over 11,000 Fans

and c.) A FREE 3 Day Profit Journey for you to experience as they prove their system over the next three days showing you everything about how they make the big bucks in under 3 minutes a day!

----------------------------------

That's 3 bonuses that you can get right away, but they are only available online for the next 24 hours.

So, even if you don`t like sports at all, you should definitely check this out!  After all, we are in it for the money, right?

Placing a few bets here and there while making a truckload of mullah will definitely turn into a fun experience.  Cyril doesn't know anything about sports much less even cares, but he's still making good money and a nice income on the side, as well as many other people that have been lucky to become selected Beta Testers for Z-Code.

Do yourself a favor and go check it out, and while you're at it grab all the freebies you can!

It`s absolutely astounding!

Update: Seems there are a free Z-Code memberships up for grabs as well, if you hurry!


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Fitness Tips for Women

Today, staying healthy and fit is quickly becoming a basic concern for most people.  In today’s fast-paced and high-stress lifestyle, an increase in diseases caused mainly due to neglect of health and fitness is occurring exponentially.  Therefore, following a simple exercise routine along with a healthy meal plan can ensure someone a healthy and long life.

Our society has been dealing with wide spread obesity in recent years.  Women are generally more prone to various obesity-related diseases; thus, there is a visible requirement for people, especially women, to pay proper attention towards fitness for obtaining long-term benefits.

Importance of Exercise for Staying Fit

Exercise is essential for ensuring a healthy lifestyle.  Regular exercise is the best way to lose excessive body fat because it boosts metabolism and encourages the body to burn off the excess calories.  Exercise also lets women have healthier and stronger bones that can make them look and feel good.  Exercise also helps women increase stamina to make it easier to keep up with the hectic pace of life.  Although it is necessary to stay fit, exercise is not given enough importance as many women tend to ignore its benefits.

Undergo Aerobic Exercise for Staying Fit

Women must realize that if they stay healthy, they can enjoy life more.  Regular exercise will not only help you to live longer but will also help you to stay healthy.   Aerobics is one of the best methods for weight loss that can be taken up to stay in shape.  Aerobics is perhaps the best cardiovascular exercise.

Aerobics strengthens the muscles, controls weight, and also exercises the heart.  Some of the most common aerobic exercises for fat burning include jogging, rowing, swimming, climbing stairs, and biking.  Unlike other ways of achieving health fitness, aerobic workouts are more beneficial as these help the body use oxygen in an effective manner thus making the heart stronger.

Walking and biking are two of the best exercises for toning the lower body while rowing can be the best exercise for toning the upper body.  Along with toning the muscles, regular aerobics also helps women to sleep better and increase the immune system.    

Stay Motivated for Ensuring Maximum Fitness

Maintaining a fitness regimen can be challenging because of strenuous steps involved with this program.  Therefore, there is a strong need for motivation.  Some do not face difficulty in getting started but may be unable to continue the process for so long time without seeing results.  In such a case, motivation plays a major role in ensuring that a fitness routine continues for a longer period to see better results that come with time.


Sunday, March 4, 2012

Fitness for Kids

Fitness can be very beneficial for kids to help them stay healthy and fit.  As trends change over time, kids today are living more of an indoor and inactive lifestyle.  This tends to lead to health problems as they grow older and is what is a causing a nationwide epidemic known as obesity.   

Sitting in front of the television or computer for long hours is one of the major causes for kids becoming unhealthy and obese.  In addition, consumption of junk food while watching television is another major contributor.  This lack of physical activity results in calories not being lost and makes kids overweight and leading to early problems with obesity.

Therefore, fitness, as an essential part of overall health, is extremely important for kids.  There are various ways to raise children’s fitness levels.  Traditionally, exercises and a healthy diet were considered necessary only for adults, but with today’s obesity levels, it is also necessary for kids to exercise and have a healthy diet.  Thereby, the importance of physical activity cannot be ignored.

Advantages of Regular Exercise for Kids   

Exercise can make the muscles as well as the bones of children stronger and result in overall fitness.  Along with making them strong, children also learn how to control their body fat so they can avoid the chances of becoming obese later in life.

The chances of getting Type 2 diabetes are also reduced if children follow a regular exercise regimen.  Children who undergo regular exercise and maintain a healthy diet will also have lower cholesterol and blood pressure now and later in life.

Importance of Exercise for Kids

If exercise is not made a part of the daily routine along with a nutritious diet, it can lead to obesity in children.  It is the parent’s duty to pay adequate attention for ensuring their children’s fitness.

Parents should encourage their children to perform physical activity, including but not limited to cycling, swimming, running, and walking.  These activities strengthen their cardiovascular system and also establish healthy habits of regular exercise which will be highly beneficial and have defined positive effects on their health.

Ways of Achieving Health for Kids

To ensure weight loss and maintaining an ideal weight for their children, parents and guardians should encourage them to participate in various physical activities.  Taking part in physical education classes will help keep them fit.  Parents should also encourage their children to take part in extra-curricular activities in their school or in their local community.

Since children tend to get bored with routine exercise, parents can help make physical exercise fun by organizing active programs and games.  Parents can also encourage their children to participate in various sports including softball, baseball, tennis, football, kickball and soccer.  Dancing, marital arts, and swimming, among other activities, are excellent forms of exercise that kids can enjoy.  Enrolling kids in these activities is one of the best ways to help them stay fit. 

Therefore, regular physical activity children enjoy doing can help them to maintain a fit lifestyle, but it is also important that they maintain a regular healthy diet.  Parents can help their children do this by teaching and guiding them through this so they will be healthy in their later adult lives.


Saturday, February 18, 2012

Join a Health Club and Stay Healthy

Getting rid of that unwanted flab is a desirable goal, but attaining it can be a daunting task.  We’ve all tried different ways to lose weight, but among the most effective way is joining a health club.  Health clubs are no longer what people thought they used to be; you know sweaty, smelly weight rooms with guttural-sounding men in the muscle shirts.  Today, one can find different kinds of people in the gym – seniors, juniors, women, children; all exerting themselves with the same goal of getting in shape.  However, while achieving the goal of weight loss, it is absolutely necessary to find the appropriate health club that will suit your requirements.

Finding a suitable Health Club

By talking with the staff members of a potential health club, you will get to know if they are friendly and professional.  The staff should be well-trained to give you proper fitness training because in the absence of suitable training staff, you may end up injuring yourself, or you may get distracted from your goal.  Also check the safety and cleanliness of the place.  You certainly would not want to work out in unhygienic or dirty environments.  So, make sure of these things before enrolling.  By doing a little research, you can find the right health club for staying fit and healthy.  Take references from your friends and research online to find the fitness paradise that’s right for you. 

Benefits of Joining a Health Club

A fitness center offers a plethora of fitness equipments and machines that are no match in their variety and effectiveness.  If you are looking for a variety of choices to carry out your workout sessions, a fitness center is the right place for you.  The range of equipment, including ellipticals, treadmills, and recumbent bikes for gliding, walking, and pedaling are excellent for cardiovascular exercises that strengthen one’s heart and muscles and ensure a complete physical wellness.  Strength training is another aspect of the fitness centers.  Shaping the pecs, biceps, and trimming your body is easier with weight training provided by a suitable fitness program.


Training Experts at Fitness Centers

Apart from the fitness equipment, one can consult with experts to take guidance in terms of taking care of overall fitness.  Training experts help people utilize the equipment to the best of their advantage.  They also help the individuals to meet their fitness goals with constant motivation and diet plans.  Fitness experts also constantly assist those who come in to lose weight and stay healthy.

Special Classes at Fitness Centers

Most of these fitness centers provide special classes where you can share your interests and goals with other people who have similar goals.  This can help you become inspired to work harder towards your goals.  By registering with these classes, you can work towards your fitness goals without any hassles.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Beginners Guide to Fitness

So, are you finally ready to get off your couch and start working out?  Congratulations!  Welcome to the world of fitness.  If you are a beginner and are not aware of the proper method of starting a fitness regimen then you could find the following tips useful.     

Tips for Beginners 

Get Moving

The foremost thing to do as a beginner is to start moving.  Adapt your body to walking.  Go for a walk early in the morning or before going to bed at night.  Try to make this a routine.  This way you will be able to build up cardiovascular endurance and burn calories.

Stretch

Once you get used to walking and liking it, then that is the time to include something new in your exercise routine.  Try stretching your body before and after walks.  Begin by stretching down and trying to touch your toes.  Then, hold it for about twenty seconds.  You will feel stiffness and strain in your hamstrings and calf muscles at first.  Don’t worry; stretching your body will pleasantly improve your posture and enhance your fitness and flexibility.

Eat Healthy

Fitness experts claim that your appearance directly reflects the foods you eat.  It is very important to follow a healthy meal plan for remaining fit and looking good.

  • Avoid eating fast food.  Fast food or junk food is very unhealthy.
  • Include at least five servings of vegetables and fruits in your daily diet.  These food items are rich in essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals and they give you a wholesome feeling without adding too many calories.
  • Eat four to five moderate meals in a day instead of two huge ones.  This will ensure that your metabolism rate remains high so that you burn lots of calories.
Start Going to the Gym

After you have added walking and stretching to your daily schedule and have started a regular healthy diet, then that is the time to join a gym.  Do not get scared or intimidated of the idea.  Look for a gym in near your home or workplace.  Start with resistance training or cardiovascular training.  The best motivation for going to the gym comes from knowing that somebody is waiting for you.  If you feel you are not getting enough motivation for working out then it will benefit you greatly to find a friend to accompany you.  Find someone with similar fitness objectives with whom you would like to share your fitness routine.  The idea of working out with a friend is great and can be rewarding.

So these are the basics of starting with a fitness routine.  Now all that is required of you is to get up from your couch and start leading a fit and healthy lifestyle.  The decision to become fit and stay healthy will be the finest decision you take in your lifetime.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Top 10 Resolutions for 2012 from 43 Things

Here are the top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for 2012 from the website 43 Things.  These are those keywords that show as larger size bold sayings.

In order based on the number of people who said these are:

      1.      Drink More Water                              20,344 people

2.      Read More Books                               11,818 people

3.      Be More Confident                             11,466 people

4.      Exercise More                                     5,567 people

5.      Write More                                         3,769 people

6.      Stop Smoking                                      3,408 people

7.      Get Fit                                                 3,345 people

8.      Travel More                                        3,190 people

9.      Beat Depression                                  232 people

10.  Be Always Aware of the Moment       29 people



You can
·         Drink More Water

·         Be More Confident

·         Exercise More

·         Stop Smoking

·         Get Fit

·         Beat Depression

·         Be Always Aware of the Moment

Not to mention, you can also

·         Read More Books

·         Write More

·         Travel More

Drinking more water is important because water is essential to living healthy and keeping hydrated.  Without enough water in our bodies, we tend to feel groggy and constipated, which will cause us to feel tired and not wanting to do anything, which in turn leads to an even unhealthier lifestyle, which could lead to even more disastrous consequences, including weight gain, smoking, depression, and a lack of confidence.
Watch the video below to see how you can drink more water so you can feel more energetic and live a healthier lifestyle.


Theresa Stevens is a Samba dancer and instructor who created a program that can help you lose weight and enjoy doing so.  Losing weight does not have to be strenuous and stressful; it can be fun.  Trying something that is not fun and exciting makes you not want to do it.  That’s why a lot be people have been unsuccessful in the weight loss programs they have tried.  If something’s not exciting, you will not feel enthusiastic about doing it, meaning you will give up on it.   
Theresa is a former English teacher who once looked like this

Although she was relatively attractive in that photo, she did not feel she was at her full potential.  Therefore, after starting Samba dancing, she feels a lot more confident about herself.  This is what she looks like after

Dancing and moving to the beat can make one feel better about themselves.  It’s fun to do, and it’s great exercise.  It’s also rejuvenating and will make you feel a lot better about yourself.  See how poised Theresa is in this video


And in this one

See how great she looks, and the confidence she radiates?
The best thing to do is start drinking more water.  This will help you feel less constipated and will make you more hydrated to exercise more.  Exercising more will help you get fit, which can cause you to stop smoking, beat depression, become more confident, and also help you to live in the moment.  Moreover, all this can help you concentrate more and exercise your brain so you can read more books, come up with more ideas so you can write more, and may even motivate you to travel more, which that in itself can give you more ideas to write about.  But keep in mind this starts with one thing.  Just that one thing will be the spark that will start the invigorating lifestyle you desire to live.

You can learn what that spark was that lead Theresa to live the life she now lives.  Read her story here.

To a healthy and prosperous 2012!