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Do You Like Reading Ghost Stories?
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Friday, December 13, 2013
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Wednesday, November 13, 2013
How your company is watching your waistline
How your company is watching your waistline
![Pedestrians walk across the street near Times Square in New York]({"default":"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/82/c84257b7204e32c3769cb6b5ca9f3a/_h366_w650_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg","fill":"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/82/c84257b7204e32c3769cb6b5ca9f3a/_h338_w600_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg","snap":"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/82/c84257b7204e32c3769cb6b5ca9f3a/_h210_w320_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg"})
Reuters ![Reuters]({"default":"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/99/6a6e1e9d2013e8fe84e6814a7d491/_h17_w0_m6_otrue_lfalse.gif"})
By Kathleen Kingsbury of Reuters
Companies are taking advantage of new rules under President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul in 2014 to punish smokers and overweight workers.
Employers tried the carrot, then a small stick. Now they are turning to bigger cudgels.
For years they encouraged workers to improve their health and productivity with free screenings, discounted gym memberships and gift cards to lose weight. More recently, a small number charged smokers slightly higher premiums to get them to quit.
Results for these plans were lackluster, and healthcare costs continued to soar. So companies are taking advantage of new rules under President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul in 2014 to punish smokers and overweight workers.
Some will even force employees to meet weight goals, quit smoking and provide very personal information or pay up to thousands more annually for healthcare. That could disproportionately affect the poor, who are more likely to smoke and can't afford the higher fees.
Nearly 40 percent of large U.S. companies will use surcharges in 2014, such as higher insurance premiums or deductibles for individuals who do not complete company-set health goals, according to a survey of 892 employers released in September by human resources consultancy Towers Watson and National Business Group on Health, which represents large employers.
Related: Americans blaming Obama for losing prior health coverage
That is almost twice as many as the last time they did the survey in 2011, when only 19 percent of companies had such penalties. The number is expected to climb to two-thirds of employers by 2015.
Employers are getting much more aggressive about punishing workers who are overweight or have high cholesterol. A study released on Wednesday by the Obesity Action Coalition, an advocacy group, covered workers at more than 5,000 companies who must participate in their employer wellness programs to receive full health benefits. Sixty-seven percent also had to meet a weight-related health goal such as a certain body mass index.
Almost 60 percent of these workers received no coverage that paid for fitness training, dietitian counseling, obesity drugs or bariatric surgery to help achieve a body mass index under 25, which is considered healthy.
"Weight requirements are an effective way to make it harder for people with obesity to qualify for full health coverage," said Ted Kyle, the study's lead author and founder of Conscienhealth, a Pittsburgh-based company that advises other companies on obesity programs.
"Some programs can verge on discrimination," he said.
PENALTIES HIT SMOKERS HARDEST
Next year many more companies plan to penalize workers who use nicotine because of their much higher healthcare costs. Proctor & Gamble Co, the Cincinnati-based household-product giant, will begin charging such employees an additional $25 per month in 2014 until they have completed a company-paid cessation program.
Related: Obama's health law finally gets real for America
Under similar provisions, state employees in Wisconsin and Washington State will pay as much as $600 more per year, while nonunion smokers at United Parcel Service Inc will pay as much as $1,800.
"We found that while less than 10 percent of workers at large employers smoke, their impact to healthcare costs is disproportionately huge," said LuAnn Heinen, vice president for the National Business Group on Health. "Helping them quit — however you do that — has the most obvious near-term payoff in terms of savings and productivity gains."
A recent Ohio State University study found that businesses pay nearly $6,000 more annually per employee who smokes compared with a nonsmoker. Other research suggests that less than 16 percent of employees participate in voluntary smoking cessation programs, Heinen added.
A.H. Belo, owner of the Dallas Morning News, Providence Journal and other publications, told staff in September that for 2014 it would require employees and their spouses to complete a biometric health screening or face a $100 annual surcharge. In 2015, employees will be asked not only to undergo the screening but to meet three out of five as yet unspecified health goals to avoid the additional fee.
COSTLY PUNISHMENTS
Under Obama's Affordable Care Act, which takes effect in January, companies can offer a reward of up to 30 percent of healthcare costs paid by the employee to those who complete voluntary programs like smoking cessation, a risk assessment or biometric tests like waist measurement.
The financial incentives could add up to about $1,620 annually per worker. But if wellness programs don't end up saving costs, companies can raise premiums across the board or slap them on workers who don't get with the programs. In some states, tobacco users who sign up for insurance through the new state health exchanges could be charged 50 percent higher premiums than nonsmokers.
Research suggests savings may be harder to achieve when programs are voluntary than has often been thought. A report released in May by the RAND Corp found workers who participated in a wellness program had healthcare costs averaging $2.38 less per month than nonparticipants in the first year of the program and $3.46 less in the fifth year.
Some health and labor experts are concerned that penalties may be unduly harsh, especially for low-wage workers and those who have health conditions beyond their control. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 percent of adults with incomes below the federal poverty level smoke, compared with 18 percent of those above the poverty level.
Mark Rothstein, a lawyer and bioethics professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, chooses to pay a higher annual premium rather than complete a health questionnaire for his employer, calling it a "privacy tax." Lower-paid colleagues, he said, "don't have the same luxury to opt out."
Related: Health care reform: What it means for you
Fierce resistance forced Pennsylvania State University in September to abandon a plan to charge employees $100 per month if they did not participate in various health screenings and fill out a detailed health questionnaire administered by WebMD, which asked among other things whether a worker had recently driven after drinking too much, whether female employees planned to become pregnant in the next year and how frequently male workers performed testicular self-exams. This led to an outcry over privacy concerns and the potential for hacking of computer databases.
"These were just things no employer has the right to ask," says Brian Curran, a professor of art history at Penn State who started an online petition to protest the questionnaire.
University officials had argued the penalty was needed to tamp down healthcare costs and avoid tuition hikes. In January it still plans to implement a $100-a-month surcharge for spouses and a $75-a-month penalty on tobacco users.
Courts so far have shown little resistance to such programs. The 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) prohibits workers who are in a group health insurance plan from being discriminated against on the basis of health, and Obamacare extends that right to individuals. But neither bans penalties outright.
The law does specify that wellness programs must be voluntary, but Lewis Maltby, president of the National Workrights Institute, a legal advocacy organization, says that can be a slippery slope. Most employees don't feel like they have a choice, Maltby says. "In today's job market, any reasonable request by one's employer is essentially read as a demand."
___
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For years they encouraged workers to improve their health and productivity with free screenings, discounted gym memberships and gift cards to lose weight. More recently, a small number charged smokers slightly higher premiums to get them to quit.
Results for these plans were lackluster, and healthcare costs continued to soar. So companies are taking advantage of new rules under President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul in 2014 to punish smokers and overweight workers.
Some will even force employees to meet weight goals, quit smoking and provide very personal information or pay up to thousands more annually for healthcare. That could disproportionately affect the poor, who are more likely to smoke and can't afford the higher fees.
Nearly 40 percent of large U.S. companies will use surcharges in 2014, such as higher insurance premiums or deductibles for individuals who do not complete company-set health goals, according to a survey of 892 employers released in September by human resources consultancy Towers Watson and National Business Group on Health, which represents large employers.
Related: Americans blaming Obama for losing prior health coverage
That is almost twice as many as the last time they did the survey in 2011, when only 19 percent of companies had such penalties. The number is expected to climb to two-thirds of employers by 2015.
Employers are getting much more aggressive about punishing workers who are overweight or have high cholesterol. A study released on Wednesday by the Obesity Action Coalition, an advocacy group, covered workers at more than 5,000 companies who must participate in their employer wellness programs to receive full health benefits. Sixty-seven percent also had to meet a weight-related health goal such as a certain body mass index.
Almost 60 percent of these workers received no coverage that paid for fitness training, dietitian counseling, obesity drugs or bariatric surgery to help achieve a body mass index under 25, which is considered healthy.
"Weight requirements are an effective way to make it harder for people with obesity to qualify for full health coverage," said Ted Kyle, the study's lead author and founder of Conscienhealth, a Pittsburgh-based company that advises other companies on obesity programs.
"Some programs can verge on discrimination," he said.
PENALTIES HIT SMOKERS HARDEST
Next year many more companies plan to penalize workers who use nicotine because of their much higher healthcare costs. Proctor & Gamble Co, the Cincinnati-based household-product giant, will begin charging such employees an additional $25 per month in 2014 until they have completed a company-paid cessation program.
Related: Obama's health law finally gets real for America
Under similar provisions, state employees in Wisconsin and Washington State will pay as much as $600 more per year, while nonunion smokers at United Parcel Service Inc will pay as much as $1,800.
"We found that while less than 10 percent of workers at large employers smoke, their impact to healthcare costs is disproportionately huge," said LuAnn Heinen, vice president for the National Business Group on Health. "Helping them quit — however you do that — has the most obvious near-term payoff in terms of savings and productivity gains."
A recent Ohio State University study found that businesses pay nearly $6,000 more annually per employee who smokes compared with a nonsmoker. Other research suggests that less than 16 percent of employees participate in voluntary smoking cessation programs, Heinen added.
A.H. Belo, owner of the Dallas Morning News, Providence Journal and other publications, told staff in September that for 2014 it would require employees and their spouses to complete a biometric health screening or face a $100 annual surcharge. In 2015, employees will be asked not only to undergo the screening but to meet three out of five as yet unspecified health goals to avoid the additional fee.
COSTLY PUNISHMENTS
Under Obama's Affordable Care Act, which takes effect in January, companies can offer a reward of up to 30 percent of healthcare costs paid by the employee to those who complete voluntary programs like smoking cessation, a risk assessment or biometric tests like waist measurement.
The financial incentives could add up to about $1,620 annually per worker. But if wellness programs don't end up saving costs, companies can raise premiums across the board or slap them on workers who don't get with the programs. In some states, tobacco users who sign up for insurance through the new state health exchanges could be charged 50 percent higher premiums than nonsmokers.
Research suggests savings may be harder to achieve when programs are voluntary than has often been thought. A report released in May by the RAND Corp found workers who participated in a wellness program had healthcare costs averaging $2.38 less per month than nonparticipants in the first year of the program and $3.46 less in the fifth year.
Some health and labor experts are concerned that penalties may be unduly harsh, especially for low-wage workers and those who have health conditions beyond their control. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 percent of adults with incomes below the federal poverty level smoke, compared with 18 percent of those above the poverty level.
Mark Rothstein, a lawyer and bioethics professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, chooses to pay a higher annual premium rather than complete a health questionnaire for his employer, calling it a "privacy tax." Lower-paid colleagues, he said, "don't have the same luxury to opt out."
Related: Health care reform: What it means for you
Fierce resistance forced Pennsylvania State University in September to abandon a plan to charge employees $100 per month if they did not participate in various health screenings and fill out a detailed health questionnaire administered by WebMD, which asked among other things whether a worker had recently driven after drinking too much, whether female employees planned to become pregnant in the next year and how frequently male workers performed testicular self-exams. This led to an outcry over privacy concerns and the potential for hacking of computer databases.
"These were just things no employer has the right to ask," says Brian Curran, a professor of art history at Penn State who started an online petition to protest the questionnaire.
University officials had argued the penalty was needed to tamp down healthcare costs and avoid tuition hikes. In January it still plans to implement a $100-a-month surcharge for spouses and a $75-a-month penalty on tobacco users.
Courts so far have shown little resistance to such programs. The 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) prohibits workers who are in a group health insurance plan from being discriminated against on the basis of health, and Obamacare extends that right to individuals. But neither bans penalties outright.
The law does specify that wellness programs must be voluntary, but Lewis Maltby, president of the National Workrights Institute, a legal advocacy organization, says that can be a slippery slope. Most employees don't feel like they have a choice, Maltby says. "In today's job market, any reasonable request by one's employer is essentially read as a demand."
___
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Share your point of view with us on Facebook
Get the latest news and updates on Twitter
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Thursday, November 7, 2013
How to sell a million books with CJ Lyons
http://www.youtube.com/v/XK4QUHFFAoQ?autohide=1&version=3&feature=share&attribution_tag=lXCzBbIBHdsbg_CckfzyIg&showinfo=1&autohide=1&autoplay=1
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
How to market and promote your book - How to market my book
http://www.youtube.com/v/p8etkSSIquE?version=3&autohide=1&showinfo=1&autohide=1&feature=share&autoplay=1&attribution_tag=aeEUm5KaMDsaMF6SQGaVxg
Monday, October 21, 2013
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
How to Write Novels with Writing Software
The Best Article Writing Software
By Grace F. M.
Writing is just getting pen and paper and then jotting down your thoughts. No, not really. In a perfect world, maybe that would be acceptable. But the thing is there's a lot more to writing. Many people would probably like to come up with the best journal entries, articles, books, etc. In fact, even as students, each of us have the burden of writing the best essay, book report, term paper, research paper, etc. In earlier years, in addition to enrolling in writing classes, you have to go to the library to do research if you want to come up with a written masterpiece.
Today, thanks to computers and the internet, anybody can go online and avail of a wide array of tools to help improve their writing skills. Following are just some computer software available that can help all writers in polishing their skill:
These are just some of the available software that writers can avail to help improve their writing skills. Just do the research, study everything, find what works for you. Just like anything that you want to accomplish, as long as you focus and work on it, nothing will stop you from being a good writer.
Today, thanks to computers and the internet, anybody can go online and avail of a wide array of tools to help improve their writing skills. Following are just some computer software available that can help all writers in polishing their skill:
- Google Docs: Most of the time, writers need to share documents with other people. They need to do this because they need feedback or they want these people to edit the documents and/or add to them. With Google Docs you can add tables, images, comments, formulas, etc. It accepts most popular file formats including DOC, XLS, ODT, ODS, RTF, CSV, PPT, etc. The best thing about this software is that it's free.
- Writeboard: Just like Google Docs, Whiteboards are web-based text documents that you can share online. You can edit and compare changes easily. This software is also free.
- Microsoft Word: Microsoft Office Standard 2007 has the core Microsoft Office applications but it has been updated, enabling it to produce faster and better results. It is comprised of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. You can create documents, spreadsheets and presentations of excellent quality. It also enables you to manage your email, calendar and contacts with ease. Microsoft Office 2007 Standard version can be bought for $324.99 while the student version costs $109.99.
- Word Viewer: This is also free software from Microsoft. It allows the user to "view, print and copy word documents, even if you don't have Word installed."
- Open Office: This software can be used as an alternative to Microsoft Office. It is also a whole office suite so it is can replace other programs like Excel and PowerPoint. It "is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more." Open Office is available in several languages and it works on common computers. It can also be downloaded from the internet, free of charge.
- AbiWord: Abiword is a famous open source word processor that is perfect for the writer who is looking for a light and compact software. This free software has all the basic features of any word processor and it supports that different languages and operating systems.
- Wordpad: Some people find the sounds coming from a full word processor too distracting. Wordpad is easier to use compared to Word. It also allows formatting. This software comes free with your computer if you are running Windows.
- WriteRoom: This software was developed for Mac and iPhone users who want to write without distractions. WriteRoom is a full screen writing environment. Some people feel that word processors are just too cluttered. WriteRoom lets you focus only on your writing. This program has a retro feel because of the green text on black background. This software can be downloaded from the internet for $25.
- Dark Room: This is basically the Windows version of the WriteRoom. Just like the WriteRoom it has green text over black background. However, with WriteRoom you can change the background. But the good thing about Dark Room is that you can get it for free.
- JaLingo: If English is not your native language or if you are not that good with its correct usage, this software can help you with your grammar and writing style. Spelling and grammar checks in word processors do not really help the user. This program will give you a dictionary on your desktop where you can confirm spelling of words and you can check the definitions of the words. This software is OS independent, making it work smoothly on most computers. Best of all, it's free.
- WhiteSmoke: "WhiteSmoke performs advanced and context-based English grammar, spelling, and punctuation checking, as well as text enrichment to enhance your writing." This software is good for the more advanced writing such as business and executive writing. The "General" version costs $79.99; the "Business" version is $99.99 and the Executive writing version costs $250.
- StyleWriter: This software comes with a "Software for writers" CD and retails at $160. It was developed by editors, journalists and business writing tutors. By simply clicking the StyleWriter button in the Microsoft Word toolbar or the WordPerfect toolbar or any other clipboard text, you will launch a check for several faults and bad habits that are usually found in writing. This program will give you the skills of a good editor.
- Kaz-Type: It's not all about the writing style, typing speed, believe it or not is a big factor in bringing you success as a writer. Kaz-Type will help you learn to type and master your keyboard fast. You won't have to go through repetitive typing drills and games because this is an interactive multimedia tutor software. Kaz-Type has been tested and proven with more than 1 million users. You can download the software for $19.95 or you can buy the CD for $34.95.
- Miracle Type: This software costs $19.99. It is said that "Miracle Type will teach you to Touch Type faster than any other typing software. It uses a unique learning method to dramatically reduce your learning time to just ONE HOUR!" This software is good for users who have given up on being able to type fast.
- Q10: Q10 is a free alternative for WriteRoom and Dark Room. It gives you a full screen word processor without the distractions that regular word processors have. You focus only on your writing. Compared to WriteRoom and Dark Room however, it has added features like paragraph styling and live statistics about your articles.
- Scripped: Scripped is a free online service that you can use to work on your scripts from different locations and from different computers. It allows you to write, edit and print your scripts right there on their website.
These are just some of the available software that writers can avail to help improve their writing skills. Just do the research, study everything, find what works for you. Just like anything that you want to accomplish, as long as you focus and work on it, nothing will stop you from being a good writer.
Grace is a professional article writer. She writes on different topics for a company that does Tulsa web design and Tulsa SEO.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
How to Choose the Right Provider for All Your SEO Needs
How to Choose the Right Provider for All Your SEO Needs–Save Time,
Money, and Get What You Want.
SEO stands for Search
Engine Optimization. It is the process of getting traffic from listings on
search engines. All search engines like
Yahoo, Bing, and Google use this information to rank sites on what these search
engines consider to be relevant to users. SEO is what drives traffic to
specific sites. The sites that Yahoo, Bing, and Google find with relevant
information for users, put these sites up first on the page the user gets after
they put in the search phrase. With all that in mind, is the basic user going
to have a thorough understanding of all the ins and outs of running an SEO site?
Or will you search for a company that offers low cost SEO services?
There are thousands of internet sites that say they offer SEO
services, but how do you know which is the best provider of SEO services? Many
companies may state that they offer SEO services, but don’t specialize in true
SEO services. Most people don’t even know or understand anything about SEO
services, let alone cheap SEO services that deliver results. Since 90% of all
traffic is generated through the search engines, it is clear that it is a top
priority to get highly ranked with them. If you have a website, and are wanting
to bring more traffic to it, you will need to either know how to do the SEO
yourself or hire someone who offers SEO services.
There are several areas you will want to look at before
making your decision on a company offering SEO services.
·
Testimonials- A testimonials is a
declaration certifying one’s character, conduct, or qualifications.
·
Check the ranking of the company-
Most companies are unable to check their own ranking, so before you choose a
company that offers SEO services, check their rankings.
·
Call them on the phone- Calling them
on the phone allows an opportunity for you to see if they are the right fit for
your SEO services.
·
Beware of what they say- If it
sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
·
Contact clients- If you see previous
client’s information, contact them and see how their experience was with the
company’s services.
·
Check Keyword rankings, backlink count, and
check if the site is safe- You can check the keyword rankings at www.rankingcheck.com and http://googlerankchecker.net/. You can
check backlinks at http://www.freelinkcounter.com/.
For safety of any site check www.webutation.com
Once you have done all of your homework, you will most
likely have a list of potential SEO companies to check out.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Forgiving Cancer is on Sale!!
Forgiving Cancer: A Mother and Daughter's Journey to Peace, is on sale for only $.99 right now. Get your copy today before the price goes back up.A true account of two women who struggled to find themselves in the midst of cancer. One woman growing up in it and then learning to help her own mother walk her path through cancer and ultimately death. This book is written as a memoir of a personal story and journey.
Cancer is a word all people know about. They either have it themselves or know someone who does. The author grew up knowing about cancer, and how it affected her family. She shares with you, her story of courage, sadness, anger, love, compassion, hate, and fear. Walk with her as she takes your hand and guides you along her life path. Not only is this book a fantastic, easy read, it encourages you to grieve the losses that many of us have been dealt because of cancer.
The author has several strategies to help caregivers and/or patients with cancer. Be prepared as you make your journey and see what you need to know before embarking on that journey. Jerri shares with you everything she wished she had known about before hand. Reading her book will help you deal with the frustrations and overwhelming feelings of helplessness. It will encourage you to fight for your rights and their rights.
Get your copy today if not for you, maybe someone you know who needs to read this book. People are loving this book just look at the ratings that have been left by other readers.
Get it here http://www.amazon.com/Forgiving-Cancer-Daughters-Journey-ebook/dp/B00AY1FKGY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380337308&sr=8-1&keywords=forgiving+cancer
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
34 Writing Tips that Make You a Better Writer
34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer
Now, without further delay, the 34 writing tips that will make you a better writer!
1. Daniel
Pay attention to punctuation, especially to the correct use of commas and periods. These two punctuation marks regulate the flow of your thoughts, and they can make your text confusing even if the words are clear.
2. Thomas
Participate in NaNoWriMo, which challenges you to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I noticed that my writing has definitely improved over the course of the book — and it’s not even finished yet.
3. Bill Harper
Try not to edit while you’re creating your first draft. Creating and editing are two separate processes using different sides of the brain, and if you try doing both at once you’ll lose. Make a deal with your internal editor that it will get the chance to rip your piece to shreds; it will just need to wait some time.
A really nice trick is to switch off your monitor when you’re typing. You can’t edit what you can’t see.
4. Jacinta
In a sentence: write daily for 30 minutes minimum! It’s easy to notice the difference in a short time. Suddenly, ideas come to you and you think of other things to write. You experiment with styles and voices and words and the language becomes more familiar…
5. Ane Mulligan
Learn the rules of good writing… then learn when and how to break them.
6. Pete Bollini
I sometimes write out 8 to 10 pages from the book of my favorite writer… in longhand. This helps me to get started and swing into the style I wish to write in.
7. Nilima Bhadbhade
Be a good reader first.
8. Douglas Davis
While spell-checking programs serve as a good tool, they should not be relied
upon to detect all mistakes. Regardless of the length of the article, always read and review what you have written.
9. Kukusha
Learn to take criticism and seek it out at every opportunity. Don’t get upset even if you think the criticism is harsh, don’t be offended even if you think it’s wrong, and always thank those who take the time to offer it.
10. John England
Right click on a word to use the thesaurus. Do it again on the new word and make the best use of your vocabulary.
11. Lillie Ammann
After editing the work on screen or in print, I like to read the text aloud. Awkward sentences and errors that slipped through earlier edits show up readily when reading out loud.
12. H Devaraja Rao
Avoid wordiness. Professor Strunk put it well: “a sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.”
13. David
Write as if you’re on deadline and have 500 words to make your point. Then do it again. And again.
14. Yvette
Sometimes I type in a large font to have the words and sentences bold before me.
Sometimes, in the middle of a document I will start a new topic on a fresh sheet to have that clean feeling. Then, I’ll cut and insert it into the larger document.
I wait until my paper is done before I examine my word usage and vocabulary choices. (And reading this column it has reminded me that no two words are ever exactly alike.) So at the end, I take time to examine my choice of words. I have a lot of fun selecting the exact words to pinpoint my thoughts or points.
15. Amit Goyal
To be a good writer is to start writing everyday. As Mark Twain said, “the secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
Try using new words. i.e avoid repeating words. this way we learn the usage of different words.
Do edit your previous articles.
Start with small paragraphs like writing an article for a Newspaper, and proceed from there.
16. John Dodds
Remove as many adjectives as possible. Read Jack Finney’s tale, Cousin Len’s Wonderful Adjective Cellar for a fantastical tale about how a hack becomes a successful author with the help of a magical salt cellar that removes adjectives from his work.
17. John Ireland
I set my writing aside and edit a day or two later with the aim of making it terse. It has trained me to be more conscious of brevity when writing for immediate distribution.
18. Jai
Try to write in simple way. Express your views with most appropriate words.
19. Mark
Read great writers for inspiration. If you read them enough, their excellent writing style will rub off onto your dazzling blog.
YOU ARE what you read (and write!).
20. Caroline
I watch my action tense and wordiness in sentences when I am writing my technical diddley.
For example, in a sentence where you say …”you will have to…” I replace it with “…you must…”, or “Click on the Go button to…” can be replaced with “Click Go to…”.
Think of words such as “enables”, instead of “allows you to” or “helps you to”.
If one word will work where three are, replace it! I always find these, where I slip into conversational as I am writing quickly, then go back and purge, purge, purge.
21. Akhil Tandulwadikar
Don’t shy away from adopting the good habits that other writers use.
Do not worry about the length of the article as long as it conveys the point. Of course, the fewer words you use, the better.
Start the article with a short sentence, not more than 8 words.
22. Julie Martinenza
Instead of adding tags (he said/she said) to every bit of dialogue, learn to identify the speaker by showing him/her in action. Example: “Pass that sweet-smelling turkey this way.” With knife in one hand and fork in the other, Sam looked eager to pounce.
23. Aaron Stroud
Write often and to completion by following a realistic writing schedule.
24. Joanna Young
One that works for me every time is to focus on the positive intention behind my writing. What is it that I want to communicate, express, convey? By focusing on that, by getting into the state that I’m trying to express, I find that I stop worrying about the words – just let them tumble out of their own accord.
It’s a great strategy for beating writer’s block, or overcoming anxiety about a particular piece of writing, whether that’s composing a formal business letter, writing a piece from the heart, or guest blogging somewhere ‘big’…
25. Shelley Rodrigo
Use others writer’s sentences and paragraphs as models and then emulate the syntactic structure with your own content. I’ve learned more about grammar and punctuation that way.
26. Sylvia
Avoid long sentences.
27. Mike Feeney
Learn the difference between me, myself and I. For example: “Contact Bob or myself if you have any questions.” I hear this very often!
28. Richard Scott
When doing a long project, a novel, for instance, shut off your internal editor and just write.
Think of your first draft as a complex outline waiting to be expanded upon, and let the words flow.
29. David
Careful with unnecessary expressions. “At this point in time” came along during the Nixon congressional hearings. Too bad it didn’t go out with him. What about “on a daily basis?”
30. E. I. Sanchez
For large documents, I use Word’s Speech feature to have the computer read the article back. This allows me to catch errors I have missed – especially missing words or words that ’sort of sound the same’ but are spelled differently (e.g. Front me instead of ‘From me’).
31. Cat
Either read the book “Writing Tools 50 Strategies for Every Writer”, by Roy Peter Clark, or read the Fifty Writing Tools: Quick List on his blog. Then join a writing group, or hire a writing coach.
32. Suemagoo
Write the first draft spontaneously. Switch off your internal editor until it is time to review your first draft.
33. Lydia
If you’re writing fiction, it’s a great idea to have a plot. It will coordinate your thoughts and add consistency to the text.
34. Pedro
Edit your older articles and pieces. You will notice that great part of it will be crap, and it will allow you to refine your style and avoid mistakes that you used to make.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Writing a Short Story
Her heart pounded as she ran through the forest. Gasping for
air, she hid behind a tree. What is
following me? She thought to herself. Snarling could be heard from behind.
It was getting closer. She pulled out her sword holding it between her hands.
It was cold. It shook as she felt her body shuttering as the snarling came
closer. Gasping for air, her lungs rattled as she tried to catch her breath.
Quiet, everything went quiet. She peeked around the tree only to face evil. The
eyes stared deep into her blue eyes. The hairs stood up on her arms as she
began to back away from the beast. It moved stealth like as it moved closer.
Holding the sword out in front of her, “Stay back,” she yelled.
She knew it was going to leap. It crouched down, dark in
color it was almost unseen against the blackest of night. The piercing red eyes stared her down causing fear to flare
within herself. As it leaped, she turned to run. It landed on her back. She
screamed for help, but no one was there to help her. She tried to turn over as
she felt the piercing pain as it clawed her back. Her hands out in front of her
she tried to pull herself free. The pain was intense and rendered her
paralyzed. She passed out.
She woke with a start. Wondering if she was alive, she
looked around. The sun’s rays shined through the trees. Remembering the beast,
she rolled over. She was covered in blood. It dripped from her hands. Blood
dripped from her sword as she held it up to the sky. Her head was throbbing. She pulled her long black hair off to the side and could feel the stickiness of blood stuck to her hair. It hurt to move as she tried to stand up dizziness kept her from standing.
"Who are you," a voice came from behind. As she turned her head she saw a man sitting on his white horse. He dismounted, and walked toward her. Fear of being hurt, she reached for her sword, but could not find it. She rummaged through the leaves that covered the cold, wet ground. Nothing. "Where is my sword?" she asked. "Who are you?" she asked. "They call me, Jeremiah," he said while reaching his head out to help her stand up.
- What do you think so far?
- Where do you think I should go from here?
- What do you think I should title it?
- I welcome your comments.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Can DNA be Reprogrammed?
I thought this article was very interesting about how DNA can be reprogrammed. I thought you all might like to read more....
By Grazyna Fosar and Franz Bludorf
THE HUMAN DNA IS A BIOLOGICAL INTERNET and superior in many aspects to the artificial one. Russian scientific research directly or indirectly explains phenomena such as clairvoyance, intuition, spontaneous and remote acts of healing, self healing, affirmation techniques, unusual light/auras around people (namely spiritual masters), mind’s influence on weather patterns and much more. In addition, there is evidence for a whole new type of medicine in which DNA can be influenced and reprogrammed by words and frequencies WITHOUT cutting out and replacing single genes.
Only 10% of our DNA is being used for building proteins. It is this subset of DNA that is of interest to western researchers and is being examined and categorized. The other 90% are considered “junk DNA.” The Russian researchers, however, convinced that nature was not dumb, joined linguists and geneticists in a venture to explore those 90% of “junk DNA.” Their results, findings and conclusions are simply revolutionary! According to them, our DNA is not only responsible for the construction of our body but also serves as data storage and in communication. The Russian linguists found that the genetic code, especially in the apparently useless 90%, follows the same rules as all our human languages. To this end they compared the rules of syntax (the way in which words are put together to form phrases and sentences), semantics (the study of meaning in language forms) and the basic rules of grammar. They found that the alkalines of our DNA follow a regular grammar and do have set rules just like our languages. So human languages did not appear coincidentally but are a reflection of our inherent DNA.
The Russian biophysicist and molecular biologist Pjotr Garjajev and his colleagues also explored the vibrational behavior of the DNA. [For the sake of brevity I will give only a summary here. For further exploration please refer to the appendix at the end of this article.] The bottom line was: “Living chromosomes function just like solitonic/holographic computers using the endogenous DNA laser radiation.” This means that they managed for example to modulate certain frequency patterns onto a laser ray and with it influenced the DNA frequency and thus the genetic information itself. Since the basic structure of DNA-alkaline pairs and of language (as explained earlier) are of the same structure, no DNA decoding is necessary.
One can simply use words and sentences of the human language! This, too, was experimentally proven! Living DNA substance (in living tissue, not in vitro) will always react to language-modulated laser rays and even to radio waves, if the proper frequencies are being used.
This finally and scientifically explains why affirmations, autogenous training, hypnosis and the like can have such strong effects on humans and their bodies. It is entirely normal and natural for our DNA to react to language. While western researchers cut single genes from the DNA strands and insert them elsewhere, the Russians enthusiastically worked on devices that can influence the cellular metabolism through suitable modulated radio and light frequencies and thus repair genetic defects.
Garjajev’s research group succeeded in proving that with this method chromosomes damaged by x-rays for example can be repaired. They even captured information patterns of a particular DNA and transmitted it onto another, thus reprogramming cells to another genome. ?So they successfully transformed, for example, frog embryos to salamander embryos simply by transmitting the DNA information patterns! This way the entire information was transmitted without any of the side effects or disharmonies encountered when cutting out and re-introducing single genes from the DNA. This represents an unbelievable, world-transforming revolution and sensation! All this by simply applying vibration and language instead of the archaic cutting-out procedure! This experiment points to the immense power of wave genetics, which obviously has a greater influence on the formation of organisms than the biochemical processes of alkaline sequences.
Esoteric and spiritual teachers have known for ages that our body is programmable by language, words and thought. This has now been scientifically proven and explained. Of course the frequency has to be correct. And this is why not everybody is equally successful or can do it with always the same strength. The individual person must work on the inner processes and maturity in order to establish a conscious communication with the DNA. The Russian researchers work on a method that is not dependent on these factors but will ALWAYS work, provided one uses the correct frequency.
But the higher developed an individual’s consciousness is, the less need is there for any type of device! One can achieve these results by oneself, and science will finally stop to laugh at such ideas and will confirm and explain the results. And it doesn’t end there.?The Russian scientists also found out that our DNA can cause disturbing patterns in the vacuum, thus producing magnetized wormholes! Wormholes are the microscopic equivalents of the so-called Einstein-Rosen bridges in the vicinity of black holes (left by burned-out stars).? These are tunnel connections between entirely different areas in the universe through which information can be transmitted outside of space and time. The DNA attracts these bits of information and passes them on to our consciousness. This process of hyper communication is most effective in a state of relaxation. Stress, worries or a hyperactive intellect prevent successful hyper communication or the information will be totally distorted and useless.
Scientist Proves DNA Can Be Reprogrammed by Words and Frequencies
© Adam Scott Miller
We came across this article today and thought that it would be a great read for our viewers. It’s awesome information showing the true nature of our reality and how science is changing everyday, opening up to the possibilities of this reality.
“Scientist Prove DNA Can Be Reprogrammed by Words and FrequenciesBy Grazyna Fosar and Franz Bludorf
THE HUMAN DNA IS A BIOLOGICAL INTERNET and superior in many aspects to the artificial one. Russian scientific research directly or indirectly explains phenomena such as clairvoyance, intuition, spontaneous and remote acts of healing, self healing, affirmation techniques, unusual light/auras around people (namely spiritual masters), mind’s influence on weather patterns and much more. In addition, there is evidence for a whole new type of medicine in which DNA can be influenced and reprogrammed by words and frequencies WITHOUT cutting out and replacing single genes.
Only 10% of our DNA is being used for building proteins. It is this subset of DNA that is of interest to western researchers and is being examined and categorized. The other 90% are considered “junk DNA.” The Russian researchers, however, convinced that nature was not dumb, joined linguists and geneticists in a venture to explore those 90% of “junk DNA.” Their results, findings and conclusions are simply revolutionary! According to them, our DNA is not only responsible for the construction of our body but also serves as data storage and in communication. The Russian linguists found that the genetic code, especially in the apparently useless 90%, follows the same rules as all our human languages. To this end they compared the rules of syntax (the way in which words are put together to form phrases and sentences), semantics (the study of meaning in language forms) and the basic rules of grammar. They found that the alkalines of our DNA follow a regular grammar and do have set rules just like our languages. So human languages did not appear coincidentally but are a reflection of our inherent DNA.
The Russian biophysicist and molecular biologist Pjotr Garjajev and his colleagues also explored the vibrational behavior of the DNA. [For the sake of brevity I will give only a summary here. For further exploration please refer to the appendix at the end of this article.] The bottom line was: “Living chromosomes function just like solitonic/holographic computers using the endogenous DNA laser radiation.” This means that they managed for example to modulate certain frequency patterns onto a laser ray and with it influenced the DNA frequency and thus the genetic information itself. Since the basic structure of DNA-alkaline pairs and of language (as explained earlier) are of the same structure, no DNA decoding is necessary.
One can simply use words and sentences of the human language! This, too, was experimentally proven! Living DNA substance (in living tissue, not in vitro) will always react to language-modulated laser rays and even to radio waves, if the proper frequencies are being used.
This finally and scientifically explains why affirmations, autogenous training, hypnosis and the like can have such strong effects on humans and their bodies. It is entirely normal and natural for our DNA to react to language. While western researchers cut single genes from the DNA strands and insert them elsewhere, the Russians enthusiastically worked on devices that can influence the cellular metabolism through suitable modulated radio and light frequencies and thus repair genetic defects.
Garjajev’s research group succeeded in proving that with this method chromosomes damaged by x-rays for example can be repaired. They even captured information patterns of a particular DNA and transmitted it onto another, thus reprogramming cells to another genome. ?So they successfully transformed, for example, frog embryos to salamander embryos simply by transmitting the DNA information patterns! This way the entire information was transmitted without any of the side effects or disharmonies encountered when cutting out and re-introducing single genes from the DNA. This represents an unbelievable, world-transforming revolution and sensation! All this by simply applying vibration and language instead of the archaic cutting-out procedure! This experiment points to the immense power of wave genetics, which obviously has a greater influence on the formation of organisms than the biochemical processes of alkaline sequences.
Esoteric and spiritual teachers have known for ages that our body is programmable by language, words and thought. This has now been scientifically proven and explained. Of course the frequency has to be correct. And this is why not everybody is equally successful or can do it with always the same strength. The individual person must work on the inner processes and maturity in order to establish a conscious communication with the DNA. The Russian researchers work on a method that is not dependent on these factors but will ALWAYS work, provided one uses the correct frequency.
But the higher developed an individual’s consciousness is, the less need is there for any type of device! One can achieve these results by oneself, and science will finally stop to laugh at such ideas and will confirm and explain the results. And it doesn’t end there.?The Russian scientists also found out that our DNA can cause disturbing patterns in the vacuum, thus producing magnetized wormholes! Wormholes are the microscopic equivalents of the so-called Einstein-Rosen bridges in the vicinity of black holes (left by burned-out stars).? These are tunnel connections between entirely different areas in the universe through which information can be transmitted outside of space and time. The DNA attracts these bits of information and passes them on to our consciousness. This process of hyper communication is most effective in a state of relaxation. Stress, worries or a hyperactive intellect prevent successful hyper communication or the information will be totally distorted and useless.
In nature, hyper communication has been successfully applied for millions of years. The organized flow of life in insect states proves this dramatically. Modern man knows it only on a much more subtle level as “intuition.” But we, too, can regain full use of it. An example from Nature: When a queen ant is spatially separated from her colony, building still continues fervently and according to plan. If the queen is killed, however, all work in the colony stops. No ant knows what to do. Apparently the queen sends the “building plans” also from far away via the group consciousness of her subjects. She can be as far away as she wants, as long as she is alive. In man hyper communication is most often encountered when one suddenly gains access to information that is outside one’s knowledge base. Such hyper communication is then experienced as inspiration or intuition. The Italian composer Giuseppe Tartini for instance dreamt one night that a devil sat at his bedside playing the violin. The next morning Tartini was able to note down the piece exactly from memory, he called it the Devil’s Trill Sonata.
For years, a 42-year old male nurse dreamt of a situation in which he was hooked up to a kind of knowledge CD-ROM. Verifiable knowledge from all imaginable fields was then transmitted to him that he was able to recall in the morning. There was such a flood of information that it seemed a whole encyclopedia was transmitted at night. The majority of facts were outside his personal knowledge base and reached technical details about which he knew absolutely nothing.
When hyper communication occurs, one can observe in the DNA as well as in the human being special phenomena. The Russian scientists irradiated DNA samples with laser light. On screen a typical wave pattern was formed. When they removed the DNA sample, the wave pattern did not disappear, it remained. Many control experiments showed that the pattern still came from the removed sample, whose energy field apparently remained by itself. This effect is now called phantom DNA effect. It is surmised that energy from outside of space and time still flows through the activated wormholes after the DNA was removed. The side effect encountered most often in hyper communication also in human beings are inexplicable electromagnetic fields in the vicinity of the persons concerned. Electronic devices like CD players and the like can be irritated and cease to function for hours. When the electromagnetic field slowly dissipates, the devices function normally again. Many healers and psychics know this effect from their work. The better the atmosphere and the energy, the more frustrating it is that the recording device stops functioning and recording exactly at that moment. And repeated switching on and off after the session does not restore function yet, but next morning all is back to normal. Perhaps this is reassuring to read for many, as it has nothing to do with them being technically inept, it means they are good at hyper communication.
In their book “Vernetzte Intelligenz” (Networked Intelligence), Grazyna Gosar and Franz Bludorf explain these connections precisely and clearly. The authors also quote sources presuming that in earlier times humanity had been, just like the animals, very strongly connected to the group consciousness and acted as a group. To develop and experience individuality we humans however had to forget hyper communication almost completely. Now that we are fairly stable in our individual consciousness, we can create a new form of group consciousness, namely one, in which we attain access to all information via our DNA without being forced or remotely controlled about what to do with that information. We now know that just as on the internet our DNA can feed its proper data into the network, can call up data from the network and can establish contact with other participants in the network. Remote healing, telepathy or “remote sensing” about the state of relatives etc.. can thus be explained. Some animals know also from afar when their owners plan to return home. That can be freshly interpreted and explained via the concepts of group consciousness and hyper communication. Any collective consciousness cannot be sensibly used over any period of time without a distinctive individuality. Otherwise we would revert to a primitive herd instinct that is easily manipulated.
Hyper communication in the new millennium means something quite different: Researchers think that if humans with full individuality would regain group consciousness, they would have a god-like power to create, alter and shape things on Earth! AND humanity is collectively moving toward such a group consciousness of the new kind. Fifty percent of today’s children will be problem children as soon as the go to school. The system lumps everyone together and demands adjustment. But the individuality of today’s children is so strong that that they refuse this adjustment and giving up their idiosyncrasies in the most diverse ways.
At the same time more and more clairvoyant children are born [see the book “China’s Indigo Children”by Paul Dong or the chapter about Indigos in my book “Nutze die taeglichen Wunder”(Make Use of the Daily Wonders)]. Something in those children is striving more and more towards the group consciousness of the new kind, and it will no longer be suppressed. As a rule, weather for example is rather difficult to influence by a single individual. But it may be influenced by a group consciousness (nothing new to some tribes doing it in their rain dances). Weather is strongly influenced by Earth resonance frequencies, the so-called Schumann frequencies. But those same frequencies are also produced in our brains, and when many people synchronize their thinking or individuals (spiritual masters, for instance) focus their thoughts in a laser-like fashion, then it is scientifically speaking not at all surprising if they can thus influence weather.
Researchers in group consciousness have formulated the theory of Type I civilizations. A humanity that developed a group consciousness of the new kind would have neither environmental problems nor scarcity of energy. For if it were to use its mental power as a unified civilization, it would have control of the energies of its home planet as a natural consequence. And that includes all natural catastrophes!!! A theoretical Type II civilization would even be able to control all energies of their home galaxy. In my book “Nutze die taeglichen Wunder,” I have described an example of this: Whenever a great many people focus their attention or consciousness on something similar like Christmas time, football world championship or the funeral of Lady Diana in England then certain random number generators in computers start to deliver ordered numbers instead of the random ones. An ordered group consciousness creates order in its whole surroundings!
When a great number of people get together very closely, potentials of violence also dissolve. It looks as if here, too, a kind of humanitarian consciousness of all humanity is created.(The Global Consciousness Project)
To come back to the DNA: It apparently is also an organic superconductor that can work at normal body temperature. Artificial superconductors require extremely low temperatures of between 200 and 140°C to function. As one recently learned, all superconductors are able to store light and thus information. This is a further explanation of how the DNA can store information. There is another phenomenon linked to DNA and wormholes. Normally, these supersmall wormholes are highly unstable and are maintained only for the tiniest fractions of a second. Under certain conditions stable wormholes can organize themselves which then form distinctive vacuum domains in which for example gravity can transform into electricity.
Vacuum domains are self-radiant balls of ionized gas that contain considerable amounts of energy. There are regions in Russia where such radiant balls appear very often. Following the ensuing confusion the Russians started massive research programs leading finally to some of the discoveries mentions above. Many people know vacuum domains as shiny balls in the sky. The attentive look at them in wonder and ask themselves, what they could be. I thought once: “Hello up there. If you happen to be a UFO, fly in a triangle.” And suddenly, the light balls moved in a triangle. Or they shot across the sky like ice hockey pucks. They accelerated from zero to crazy speeds while sliding gently across the sky. One is left gawking and I have, as many others, too, thought them to be UFOs. Friendly ones, apparently, as they flew in triangles just to please me. Now the Russians found in the regions, where vacuum domains appear often that sometimes fly as balls of light from the ground upwards into the sky, that these balls can be guided by thought. One has found out since that vacuum domains emit waves of low frequency as they are also produced in our brains.
And because of this similarity of waves they are able to react to our thoughts. To run excitedly into one that is on ground level might not be such a great idea, because those balls of light can contain immense energies and are able to mutate our genes. They can, they don’t necessarily have to, one has to say. For many spiritual teachers also produce such visible balls or columns of light in deep meditation or during energy work which trigger decidedly pleasant feelings and do not cause any harm. Apparently this is also dependent on some inner order and on the quality and provenance of the vacuum domain. There are some spiritual teachers (the young Englishman Ananda, for example) with whom nothing is seen at first, but when one tries to take a photograph while they sit and speak or meditate in hyper communication, one gets only a picture of a white cloud on a chair. In some Earth healing projects such light effects also appear on photographs. Simply put, these phenomena have to do with gravity and anti-gravity forces that are also exactly described in the book and with ever more stable wormholes and hyper communication and thus with energies from outside our time and space structure.
Earlier generations that got in contact with such hyper communication experiences and visible vacuum domains were convinced that an angel had appeared before them. And we cannot be too sure to what forms of consciousness we can get access when using hyper communication. Not having scientific proof for their actual existence (people having had such experiences do NOT all suffer from hallucinations) does not mean that there is no metaphysical background to it. We have simply made another giant step towards understanding our reality.
Official science also knows of gravity anomalies on Earth (that contribute to the formation of vacuum domains), but only of ones of below one percent. But recently gravity anomalies have been found of between three and four percent. One of these places is Rocca di Papa, south of Rome (exact location in the book “Vernetzte Intelligenz” plus several others). Round objects of all kinds, from balls to full buses, roll uphill. But the stretch in Rocca di Papa is rather short, and defying logic sceptics still flee to the theory of optical illusion (which it cannot be due to several features of the location).
All information is taken from the book “Vernetzte Intelligenz
” von Grazyna Fosar und Franz Bludorf, ISBN 3930243237, summarized and commented by Baerbel. The book is unfortunately only available in German so far. You can reach the authors here: www.fosar-bludorf.com
Transmitted by Vitae Bergman[ www.ryze.com/view.php?who=vitaeb ]
References:
1. http://noosphere.princeton.edu 2. fosar-bludorf.com 3.http://www.ryze.com/view.php?who=vitaeb
For years, a 42-year old male nurse dreamt of a situation in which he was hooked up to a kind of knowledge CD-ROM. Verifiable knowledge from all imaginable fields was then transmitted to him that he was able to recall in the morning. There was such a flood of information that it seemed a whole encyclopedia was transmitted at night. The majority of facts were outside his personal knowledge base and reached technical details about which he knew absolutely nothing.
When hyper communication occurs, one can observe in the DNA as well as in the human being special phenomena. The Russian scientists irradiated DNA samples with laser light. On screen a typical wave pattern was formed. When they removed the DNA sample, the wave pattern did not disappear, it remained. Many control experiments showed that the pattern still came from the removed sample, whose energy field apparently remained by itself. This effect is now called phantom DNA effect. It is surmised that energy from outside of space and time still flows through the activated wormholes after the DNA was removed. The side effect encountered most often in hyper communication also in human beings are inexplicable electromagnetic fields in the vicinity of the persons concerned. Electronic devices like CD players and the like can be irritated and cease to function for hours. When the electromagnetic field slowly dissipates, the devices function normally again. Many healers and psychics know this effect from their work. The better the atmosphere and the energy, the more frustrating it is that the recording device stops functioning and recording exactly at that moment. And repeated switching on and off after the session does not restore function yet, but next morning all is back to normal. Perhaps this is reassuring to read for many, as it has nothing to do with them being technically inept, it means they are good at hyper communication.
In their book “Vernetzte Intelligenz” (Networked Intelligence), Grazyna Gosar and Franz Bludorf explain these connections precisely and clearly. The authors also quote sources presuming that in earlier times humanity had been, just like the animals, very strongly connected to the group consciousness and acted as a group. To develop and experience individuality we humans however had to forget hyper communication almost completely. Now that we are fairly stable in our individual consciousness, we can create a new form of group consciousness, namely one, in which we attain access to all information via our DNA without being forced or remotely controlled about what to do with that information. We now know that just as on the internet our DNA can feed its proper data into the network, can call up data from the network and can establish contact with other participants in the network. Remote healing, telepathy or “remote sensing” about the state of relatives etc.. can thus be explained. Some animals know also from afar when their owners plan to return home. That can be freshly interpreted and explained via the concepts of group consciousness and hyper communication. Any collective consciousness cannot be sensibly used over any period of time without a distinctive individuality. Otherwise we would revert to a primitive herd instinct that is easily manipulated.
Hyper communication in the new millennium means something quite different: Researchers think that if humans with full individuality would regain group consciousness, they would have a god-like power to create, alter and shape things on Earth! AND humanity is collectively moving toward such a group consciousness of the new kind. Fifty percent of today’s children will be problem children as soon as the go to school. The system lumps everyone together and demands adjustment. But the individuality of today’s children is so strong that that they refuse this adjustment and giving up their idiosyncrasies in the most diverse ways.
At the same time more and more clairvoyant children are born [see the book “China’s Indigo Children”by Paul Dong or the chapter about Indigos in my book “Nutze die taeglichen Wunder”(Make Use of the Daily Wonders)]. Something in those children is striving more and more towards the group consciousness of the new kind, and it will no longer be suppressed. As a rule, weather for example is rather difficult to influence by a single individual. But it may be influenced by a group consciousness (nothing new to some tribes doing it in their rain dances). Weather is strongly influenced by Earth resonance frequencies, the so-called Schumann frequencies. But those same frequencies are also produced in our brains, and when many people synchronize their thinking or individuals (spiritual masters, for instance) focus their thoughts in a laser-like fashion, then it is scientifically speaking not at all surprising if they can thus influence weather.
Researchers in group consciousness have formulated the theory of Type I civilizations. A humanity that developed a group consciousness of the new kind would have neither environmental problems nor scarcity of energy. For if it were to use its mental power as a unified civilization, it would have control of the energies of its home planet as a natural consequence. And that includes all natural catastrophes!!! A theoretical Type II civilization would even be able to control all energies of their home galaxy. In my book “Nutze die taeglichen Wunder,” I have described an example of this: Whenever a great many people focus their attention or consciousness on something similar like Christmas time, football world championship or the funeral of Lady Diana in England then certain random number generators in computers start to deliver ordered numbers instead of the random ones. An ordered group consciousness creates order in its whole surroundings!
When a great number of people get together very closely, potentials of violence also dissolve. It looks as if here, too, a kind of humanitarian consciousness of all humanity is created.(The Global Consciousness Project)
To come back to the DNA: It apparently is also an organic superconductor that can work at normal body temperature. Artificial superconductors require extremely low temperatures of between 200 and 140°C to function. As one recently learned, all superconductors are able to store light and thus information. This is a further explanation of how the DNA can store information. There is another phenomenon linked to DNA and wormholes. Normally, these supersmall wormholes are highly unstable and are maintained only for the tiniest fractions of a second. Under certain conditions stable wormholes can organize themselves which then form distinctive vacuum domains in which for example gravity can transform into electricity.
Vacuum domains are self-radiant balls of ionized gas that contain considerable amounts of energy. There are regions in Russia where such radiant balls appear very often. Following the ensuing confusion the Russians started massive research programs leading finally to some of the discoveries mentions above. Many people know vacuum domains as shiny balls in the sky. The attentive look at them in wonder and ask themselves, what they could be. I thought once: “Hello up there. If you happen to be a UFO, fly in a triangle.” And suddenly, the light balls moved in a triangle. Or they shot across the sky like ice hockey pucks. They accelerated from zero to crazy speeds while sliding gently across the sky. One is left gawking and I have, as many others, too, thought them to be UFOs. Friendly ones, apparently, as they flew in triangles just to please me. Now the Russians found in the regions, where vacuum domains appear often that sometimes fly as balls of light from the ground upwards into the sky, that these balls can be guided by thought. One has found out since that vacuum domains emit waves of low frequency as they are also produced in our brains.
And because of this similarity of waves they are able to react to our thoughts. To run excitedly into one that is on ground level might not be such a great idea, because those balls of light can contain immense energies and are able to mutate our genes. They can, they don’t necessarily have to, one has to say. For many spiritual teachers also produce such visible balls or columns of light in deep meditation or during energy work which trigger decidedly pleasant feelings and do not cause any harm. Apparently this is also dependent on some inner order and on the quality and provenance of the vacuum domain. There are some spiritual teachers (the young Englishman Ananda, for example) with whom nothing is seen at first, but when one tries to take a photograph while they sit and speak or meditate in hyper communication, one gets only a picture of a white cloud on a chair. In some Earth healing projects such light effects also appear on photographs. Simply put, these phenomena have to do with gravity and anti-gravity forces that are also exactly described in the book and with ever more stable wormholes and hyper communication and thus with energies from outside our time and space structure.
Earlier generations that got in contact with such hyper communication experiences and visible vacuum domains were convinced that an angel had appeared before them. And we cannot be too sure to what forms of consciousness we can get access when using hyper communication. Not having scientific proof for their actual existence (people having had such experiences do NOT all suffer from hallucinations) does not mean that there is no metaphysical background to it. We have simply made another giant step towards understanding our reality.
Official science also knows of gravity anomalies on Earth (that contribute to the formation of vacuum domains), but only of ones of below one percent. But recently gravity anomalies have been found of between three and four percent. One of these places is Rocca di Papa, south of Rome (exact location in the book “Vernetzte Intelligenz” plus several others). Round objects of all kinds, from balls to full buses, roll uphill. But the stretch in Rocca di Papa is rather short, and defying logic sceptics still flee to the theory of optical illusion (which it cannot be due to several features of the location).
All information is taken from the book “Vernetzte Intelligenz
” von Grazyna Fosar und Franz Bludorf, ISBN 3930243237, summarized and commented by Baerbel. The book is unfortunately only available in German so far. You can reach the authors here: www.fosar-bludorf.comTransmitted by Vitae Bergman[ www.ryze.com/view.php?who=vitaeb ]
References:
1. http://noosphere.princeton.edu 2. fosar-bludorf.com 3.http://www.ryze.com/view.php?who=vitaeb
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Free Writing Tips
Article Writing - Reach More Prospects by Sharing Your Information Through Writing Short Articles
Article writing can be an excellent way to relax and build your online business at the same time. This technique gives you an opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas with others while letting people know more about who you are and what you do.Keep a notebook with all of your ideas. This is a must for article writers because we tend to have great ideas that are quickly forgotten. They say that the dullest pencil is better than the sharpest mind, so get into the habit of writing down what you want to write about so you can always go back and turn it into an article.
Write conversationally so that you do not alienate any part of your readership. Even if your prospects are highly educated, write in layman's terms so that people can read your writing quickly and put your information into use right away.
Also, keep your articles to about three to four hundred words. This allows you enough time to get your message across without it becoming tedious. The goal is to have the reader learn what you have to share and then click on your link to visit your blog or website. On your site you then have the opportunity to go into greater detail about everything you have to offer. Your article gives prospects just a taste of what you can do to help them succeed or solve their problem in your niche.
So make a point to schedule some time every day to just sit down and share your ideas with others in the form of a short and informative article.
Article writing can build your business online. Remember that the reason to start an internet business is to give you the time and money to live the life you choose. Download a free teleseminar on building your online business by visiting http://www.OnlineWritingSuccess.com to learn how to write articles, blog, become involved in social networking and learn the technology needed to build a profitable online business.
Connie Ragen Green has been online since 2005 and teaches people how to build their own online business in record time, offering free teleseminars weekly, as well as online courses in a workshop environment with webinars.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Ragen_Green Connie Ragen Green has been online since 2005 and teaches people how to build their own online business in record time, offering free teleseminars weekly, as well as online courses in a workshop environment with webinars.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Do You Like Reading Ghost Stories?
Hello everyone,Who loves to read ghost stories? Do you like to read real life ones or fiction? Which is your favorite? I love to read ghost stories, especially real life events.
So if you like to read a good ghost story then check out this newest book, "Living in a Ghost Story," which is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Nobles. Here is the link to Amazon.
It is on sale right now for .99 Just click the link below
http://www.amazon.com/Living-Ghost-Story-Jerri-Cote/dp/1483951820/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376328088&sr=1-11&keywords=living+in+a+ghost+story
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
20 Writing Exercises and Tips for Expert Authors
20 Writing Exercises and Tips for Expert Authors
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Keep Your Inspiration Flowing and Pen Moving 
Whether you have writer’s block or simply don’t have a lot of time on your hands, you know creating buzz will help you succeed, but how do you do it?
First, it’s important that you don’t let your platform lay fallow or become stagnant. From publishing articles to social media, stay fresh on the scene by continually providing content that offers a great user experience. And not just any old content – make sure it’s quality content that’s relevant, informative, and original.
Next, make writing a priority. Even if it’s simply 15-30 minutes a day, create a dedicated writing routine. If and when you feel the clammy hands of writer’s block or just need a jump start, try any of these 20 writing exercises and tips!
- Research trends. Don’t become obsolete – stay in the conversation! Change can happen daily; be the first to pick up on new trends. See what others are discussing on various blogs and news sites. Discover, consider, and then predict.
- Become a storyteller. Stories of real-life events often show the reader what you mean better than just telling them. These stories can lead to relevant calls-to-action that offer advice as to how to accomplish or avoid the moral of your story.
- Listen to imagine. Listen to one of your favorite pieces of music – something that ‘moves’ you. Let that music feed your imagination and write.
- Train the rookie. “When I first started …” Imagine you’re giving advice to your replacement, i.e., someone who has little or no experience. Explain the obstacles you overcame, what you learned (the hard way), etc.
- Read your draft out loud. This helps you pick up errors or “trouble spots” more easily than silently reading. When you become tripped up, consider how to write your message more clearly.
- Going on holiday? Use the new scenery as inspiration for article ideas! Take a travel journal with you and discover how you can work those ideas into your niche.
- Read comments. Next time you’re reading an article or a blog post online, scroll down to read the comments. Note the questions, reactions, etc. to gain reader insight as well as discover what readers want or what other authors are missing.
- Ditch the technology. Combine a fresh sheet of paper, your passion for your niche, and a good pen to unleash the power of your ideas during your next brainstorming session.
- Ask: who, what, where, when, why, and how? Start with any subject and apply all of these questions. Dig deeper, beyond the obvious, to deliver incredible answers to readers.
- Get your blood pumping. Workout. Go for a run. Do push ups in your living room. Get moving! A healthy body is a healthy mind and it will channel your energy into great articles.
- Change your scenery. Go somewhere. The park, zoo, downtown, or just sit under a tree and enjoy the day for a moment. Focus on your surroundings to find inspiration in your environment.
- Alphabetize. From A to Z, list the letters of the alphabet. Write a word related to your niche for each letter of the alphabet. Go over these words and consider how you can expand on these topics.
- Respectfully eavesdrop. Sit in a busy public place and listen to others around you. Jot down the topics of their conversations. What are others passionate about? What topics are popular in the world around you? Write a list of 10 article titles based on the conversations you heard.
- Shake up your approach. Instead of envisioning your article, imagine you’re writing a movie or a book, painting a picture, or giving a speech. You will think of new approaches for your niche; utilize those approaches to create new and compelling articles.
- Get a stopwatch. Write down a topic. Set a stopwatch for at least two minutes and then immediately begin writing. Allow your mind to tangentially flow without reviewing what you’re writing. Once the time is up, consider what your readers would find most valuable. Use it to write your next article.
- Save the introduction for later. Don’t get stuck deciding how to introduce your topic. Write the most important information first: the benefit(s) to readers. Once you have the structure and informative benefits, then write the introduction and conclusion.
- Turn on the television. After watching a movie or TV show, consider the most memorable scenes or character interactions. What emotions did you feel? What did you relate to the most? What parts of your niche or audience’s needs are similar? Try to emulate these scenes or characters to engage and compel readers in a relevant article.
- Practice descriptive writing. Paint a picture in your readers’ minds by incorporating more descriptive details in your writing. Use similes, metaphors, and even analogies to help form a clear image.
- Start a conversation. Whether it’s a peer, a friend, or family member – start a discussion. Talk about your ideas, your audience’s needs, or even a new trend in your niche to gain another perspective because two (or more) minds are better than one.
- Map your ideas. Pick a topic and map it out by narrowing it down to its most basic principles. Reverse this process by expanding the topic – consider elements that are related to or affected by the topic.
Do you have any exercises or writing tips you would like to add? Join the conversation by sharing them in the comments section below!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Weight Loss
Healthy Weight Loss & Dieting Tips
How to Lose Weight and Keep It Off
In our eat-and-run, massive-portion-sized culture, maintaining a healthy weight can be tough—and losing weight, even tougher. If you’ve tried and failed to lose weight before, you may believe that diets don’t work for you. You’re probably right: traditional diets don’t work—at least not in the long term. However, there are plenty of small but powerful ways to avoid common dieting pitfalls, achieve lasting weight loss success, and develop a healthier relationship with food.
In This Article:
- The key to successful, healthy weight loss
- Avoid common pitfalls
- Put a stop to emotional eating
- Tune in when you eat
- Fill up with fruit, veggies, and fiber
- Indulge without overindulging
- Take charge of your food environment
- Make healthy lifestyle changes
The key to successful, healthy weight loss
Your weight is a balancing act, but the equation is simple: If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. And if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight.
Since 3,500 calories equals about one pound of fat, if you cut 500 calories from your typical diet each day, you'll lose approximately one pound a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories). Simple, right? Then why is weight loss so hard?
All too often, we make weight loss much more difficult than it needs to be with extreme diets that leave us cranky and starving, unhealthy lifestyle choices that undermine our dieting efforts, and emotional eating habits that stop us before we get started. But there’s a better way! You can lose weight without feeling miserable. By making smart choices every day, you can develop new eating habits and preferences that will leave you feeling satisfied—and winning the battle of the bulge.
Getting started with healthy weight loss
While there is no “one size fits all” solution to permanent healthy weight loss, the following guidelines are a great place to start:
- Think lifestyle change, not short-term diet. Permanent weight loss is not something that a “quick-fix” diet can achieve. Instead, think about weight loss as a permanent lifestyle change—a commitment to your health for life. Various popular diets can help jumpstart your weight loss, but permanent changes in your lifestyle and food choices are what will work in the long run.
- Find a cheering section. Social support means a lot. Programs like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers use group support to impact weight loss and lifelong healthy eating. Seek out support—whether in the form of family, friends, or a support group—so that you can get the encouragement you need.
- Slow and steady wins the race. Aim to lose one to two pounds a week to ensure healthy weight loss. Losing weight too fast can take a toll on your mind and body, making you feel sluggish, drained, and sick. When you drop a lot of weight quickly, you’re actually losing mostly water and muscle, rather than fat.
- Set goals to keep you motivated. Short-term goals, like wanting to fit into a bikini for the summer, usually don’t work as well as wanting to feel more confident or become healthier for your children’s sakes. When frustration and temptation strike, concentrate on the many benefits you will reap from being healthier and leaner.
- Use tools that help you track your progress. Keep a food journal and weigh yourself regularly, keeping track of each pound you lose and inch lost from your waist. By keeping track of your weight loss efforts, you’ll see the results in black and white, which will help you stay motivated.
Not all body fat is the same
Where you carry your fat matters. The health risks are greater if you tend to carry your weight around your abdomen, as opposed to your hips and thighs. A lot of belly fat is stored deep below the skin surrounding the abdominal organs and liver, and is closely linked to insulin resistance and diabetes. Calories obtained from fructose (found in sugary beverages such as soda, energy and sports drinks, coffee drinks, and processed foods like doughnuts, muffins, cereal, candy, and granola bars) are more likely to add to this dangerous fat around your belly. Cutting back on sugary foods can mean a slimmer waistline and lower risk of disease.Healthy dieting and weight loss tip #1: Avoid common pitfalls
Diets, especially fad diets or “quick-fix” pills and plans, often set you up for failure because:- You feel deprived. Diets that cut out entire groups of food, such as carbs or fat, are simply impractical, not to mention unhealthy. The key is moderation. Eliminating entire food groups doesn’t allow for a healthy, well-rounded diet and creates nutritional imbalances.
- You lose weight, but can’t keep it off. Diets that severely cut calories, restrict certain foods, or rely on ready-made meals might work in the short term. However, once you meet your weight loss goal, you don’t have a plan for maintaining your weight and the pounds quickly come back.
- After your diet, you seem to put on weight more quickly. When you drastically restrict your food intake, your metabolism will temporarily slow down. Once you start eating normally, you’ll gain weight until your metabolism bounces back—another reason why starvation or “fasting” diets are counterproductive.
- You break your diet and feel too discouraged to try again. Just because you gave in to temptation doesn’t mean all your hard work goes down the drain. Healthy eating is about the big picture. An occasional splurge won’t kill your efforts. Diets that are too restrictive are conducive to cheating—when you feel deprived, it’s easy to fall off the wagon.
- You lose money faster than you lose weight. Special shakes, meals, and programs are not only expensive, but they are less practical for long-term weight loss and healthy weight maintenance.
- You feel isolated and unable to enjoy social situations revolving around food. Without some practical, healthy diet strategies, you may feel lost when dining out or attending events like cocktail parties or weddings. If the food served isn’t on your specific diet plan, what can you do?
- The person on the commercial lost 30 lbs. in two months—and you haven’t. Diet companies make a lot of grandiose promises, and most are simply unrealistic. Unfortunately, losing weight is not easy, and anyone who makes it seem that way is doing you a disservice. Don’t get discouraged by setting unrealistic goals!
Low-carbohydrate: Quick weight loss but long-term safety questions
First published in the 1970s, Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution launched the low-carbohydrate diet craze, which enjoyed a resurgence in the late 1990s. The diet is a carnivore’s dream, focusing largely on high-protein meats and poultry (along with eggs and full-fat dairy products), while banishing most carbohydrates such as bread, rice, and pasta. One popular permutation of the low-carb diet is the South Beach diet, which also restricts carbohydrates but urges people to avoid saturated and trans fats (found in meat and processed foods) and to favor healthier, unsaturated fats (found in nuts and fish). It also allows more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, making it a more balanced approach.The low-carb eating strategy is based on the biological fact that eating carbohydrates raises blood sugar levels, which triggers an outpouring of insulin from the pancreas. The theory goes a step further, claiming that high insulin levels produce hunger, so people who eat carbohydrates take in more calories and gain weight. The antidote to carbohydrates is fat, which is more satisfying and filling. So, people on a high-fat diet eat less and lose weight. Low-carbohydrate diets also tend to cause dehydration. To make up for the lack of carbohydrates in the diet, the body mobilizes its own carbohydrate stores from liver and muscle tissue. In the process, the body also mobilizes water, meaning that pounds are shed as urine. The result is rapid weight loss, but after a few months, weight loss tends to slow and reverse, just as happens with other diets.
The American Heart association cautions people against the Atkins diet, because it is too high in saturated fat and protein, which can be hard on the heart, kidneys, and bones. The lack of fruits and vegetables is also worrisome, because these foods tend to lower the risk of stroke, dementia, and certain cancers. Most experts believe South Beach and other, less restrictive low-carbohydrate diets offer a more reasonable approach.
Adapted with permission from Lose Weight and Keep It Off, a special health report published by Harvard Health Publications.
Healthy dieting and weight loss tip #2: Put a stop to emotional eating
We don’t always eat simply to satisfy hunger. If we did, no one would be overweight. All too often, we turn to food for comfort and stress relief. When this happens, we frequently pack on pounds.Don’t underestimate the importance of putting a stop to emotional eating. Learning to recognize the emotional triggers that lead you to overeat and respond with healthier choices can make all the difference in your weight loss efforts.
To start, consider how and when you eat. Do you only eat when you are hungry, or do you reach for a snack while watching TV? Do you eat when you’re stressed or bored? When you’re lonely? To reward yourself?
Once you’ve identified your emotional eating tendencies, you can work towards gradually changing the habits and mental attitudes that have sabotaged your dieting efforts in the past.
Strategies to combat emotional eating
- If you turn to food at the end of a long day, find other soothing ways to reward yourself and de-stress. Relax with a book and a steaming cup of herbal tea, soak in a hot bath, or savor a beautiful view.
- If you eat when you’re feeling low on energy, find other mid-afternoon pick-me-ups. Try walking around the block, listening to energizing music, or doing some quick stretches or jumping jacks. Another alternative is taking a short nap—just keep it to 30 minutes or less.
- If you eat when you’re lonely or bored, reach out to others instead of reaching for the refrigerator. Call a friend who makes you laugh, take your dog for a walk, find a fun activity to do, or go out in public (to the library, the mall, or the park—anywhere there’s people).
- If you eat when you’re stressed, find healthier ways to calm yourself. Try exercise, yoga, meditation, or breathing exercises. Better manage stressful situations by either changing the situation or changing your reaction. See related articles below to learn more about stress management.
Healthy dieting and weight loss tip #3: Tune in when you eat
We live in a fast-paced world where eating has become mindless. We eat on the run, at our desk while we’re working, and in front of the TV screen. The result is that we consume much more than we need, often without realizing it or truly enjoying what we’re eating.Counter this tendency by practicing “mindful” eating: pay attention to what you eat, savor each bite, and choose foods that are both nourishing and enjoyable. Mindful eating will help you lose weight and maintain your results.
Mindful eating weight loss tips
- Pay attention while you’re eating. Be aware of your environment. Eat slowly, savoring the smells and textures of your food. If your mind wanders, gently return your attention to your food and how it tastes and feels in your mouth.
- Avoid distractions while eating. Try not to eat while working, watching TV, reading, looking at your phone, using your computer, or driving. It’s too easy to mindlessly overeat.
- Chew your food thoroughly. Try chewing each bite 30 times before swallowing. You’ll prolong the experience and give yourself more time to enjoy each bite.
- Try mixing things up to force yourself to focus on the experience of eating. Try using chopsticks rather than a fork, or use your utensils with your non-dominant hand.
- Stop eating before you are full. It takes time for the signal to reach your brain that you’ve had enough. Avoid the temptation to clean your plate. Yes, there are children starving in Africa, but your weight gain won’t help them.
Healthy dieting and weight loss tip #4: Fill up with fruit, veggies, and fiber
To lose weight, you have to eat fewer calories. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to eat less food. You can fill up while on a diet, as long as you choose your foods wisely. The key is to add the types of food that can keep you feeling satisfied and full, without packing on the pounds.Fiber: the secret to feeling satisfied while losing weight
If you want to lose weight without feeling hungry and deprived all the time, start eating foods high in fiber. High-fiber foods are higher in volume, which makes them filling. They also take longer to chew, which makes them more satisfying to eat. High-fiber foods also take a long time to digest, which means you’ll feel full longer. There’s nothing magic about it, but the weight-loss results may seem like it.High-fiber heavyweights include:
- Fruits and vegetables – Enjoy whole fruits across the rainbow (strawberries, apples, oranges, berries, nectarines, plums), leafy salads, and green veggies of all kinds.
- Beans – Select beans of any kind (black beans, lentils, split peas, pinto beans, chickpeas). Add them to soups, salads, and entrees, or enjoy them as a hearty dish of their own.
- Whole grains – Try high-fiber cereal, oatmeal, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, whole-wheat or multigrain bread, bran muffins, or air-popped popcorn.
Focus on fruits and veggies
The high water and fiber content in most fruits and vegetables makes them hard to overeat. You’ll feel full long before you’ve overdone it on the calories.
- Pour a little less cereal into your morning bowl to make room for some blueberries, strawberries, or sliced bananas. You’ll still enjoy a full bowl, but with a lower calorie count.
- Replace one of the eggs and some of the cheese in your omelet or scramble with vegetables. Try tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, spinach, or bell peppers.
- Swap out some of the meat and cheese in your sandwich with healthier veggie choices likelettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers, and avocado.
- Instead of a high-calorie snack, like chips and dip, try baby carrots with hummus, a sliced apple, or the old-favorite: celery with peanut butter (just don’t overdo it on the peanut butter).
- Add more veggies to your favorite main courses to make your dish “go” further. Even dishes such as pasta and stir-fries can be diet-friendly if they’re less heavy on the noodles and more focused on vegetables.
- Try starting your meal with a low-density salad or soup (just watch the dressings and sodium) to help fill you up, so you eat less of your entrée.
Fruits and vegetables to eat in moderation
Fruits and vegetables of all colors, shapes, and sizes are major players in a healthy diet, but you still need to watch out for the following potential diet busters.- Veggies that have been breaded or fried or doused in heavy sauces are no longer low-calorie, so tread with caution. Opt for healthier cooking methods, such as steaming, and use low-fat dressings and spices for flavor.
- Salads are guilt-free—unless you drench them in high-fat dressing and toppings. By all means, add some nuts or cheese, but don’t overdo it. As for dressing, a little fat is healthy (try a vinaigrette made with olive oil), but again, moderation is key.
- Dried Fruit. Be careful when it comes to dried fruit, which is high in calories and, often, in added sugar. You can eat a whole lot more fresh fruit for the same number of calories. If you do choose to snack on dried fruit, keep your serving size small.
- Fruit Juice. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a glass of juice every now and again. But remember that the calories quickly add up, without doing much to make you feel full. Also make sure that your drink of choice is made from 100% fruit juice and contains no added sugar.
Healthy dieting and weight loss tip #5: Indulge without overindulging
Try not to think of certain foods as "off limits"
When you ban certain foods or food groups, it is natural to want those foods more, and then feel like a failure if you give in to temptation. Instead of denying yourself the unhealthy foods you love, simply eat them less often.In order to successfully lose weight and keep it off, you need to learn how to enjoy the foods you love without going overboard. A diet that places all your favorite foods off limits won’t work in the long run. Eventually, you’ll feel deprived and will cave. And when you do, you probably won’t stop at a sensible-sized portion.
Tips for enjoying treats without overeating
- Combine your treat with other healthy foods. You can still enjoy your favorite high-calorie treat, whether it’s ice cream, chips, cake, or chocolate. The key is to eat a smaller serving of it along with a lower-calorie option. For example, add strawberries to your ice cream or munch on carrot and celery sticks along with your chips and dip. By piling on the low-cal option, you can eat a diet-friendly portion of your favorite treat without feeling deprived.
- Schedule your treats. We are creatures are habit, and you can use this to your advantage when trying to lose weight. Establish regular times when you get to indulge in your favorite food. For example, maybe you enjoy a small square of chocolate every day after lunch, or a slice of cheesecake every Friday evening. Once you’re conditioned to eat your treat at those times—and those times only—you’ll stop obsessing about them at other times.
- Make your indulgence less indulgent. Find ways to reduce fat, sugar, or calories in your favorite treats and snacks. If you do your own baking, swap out half the butter or oil in the recipe with applesauce, and cut back on the sugar, making up for it with extra cinnamon or vanilla extract. You can also eliminate or reduce high-calorie toppings and sides, like whipped cream, cheese, dip, and frosting.
- Engage all your senses—not just your taste sense. Instead of chowing down mindlessly, savor and prolong the experience. You can make snack time more special by setting an attractive table, lighting candles, playing soothing music, or enjoying your treat outdoors in a beautiful setting. Get the most pleasure—and the most relaxation—out of your treat by cutting it into small pieces, taking time to smell what you are eating, and by chewing slowly and thoroughly.
Healthy dieting and weight loss tip #6: Take charge of your food environment
Your weight loss efforts will succeed or fail based largely on your food environment. Set yourself up for success by taking charge of your food environment: when you eat, how much you eat, and what foods are available.- Start the day with breakfast. People who eat breakfast tend to be thinner than those who don’t. Starting your day with a healthy breakfast will jumpstart your metabolism, plus, it will help keep you from binge eating later in the day.
- Serve yourself smaller portions. One easy way to control portion size is by using small plates, bowls, and cups. This will make your portions appear larger. Don’t eat out of large bowls or directly from the food container or package, which makes it difficult to assess how much you’ve eaten.
- Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time. You will be more inclined to eat in moderation if you have thought out healthy meals and snacks in advance. You can buy or create your own small portion snacks in plastic bags or containers. Eating on a schedule will also help you avoid eating when you aren’t truly hungry.
- Cook your own meals. Cooking meals at home allows you to control both portion size and what goes in to the food. Restaurant and packaged foods generally contain a lot more sodium, fat, and calories than food cooked at home—plus the portion sizes tend to be larger.
- Don’t shop for groceries when you’re hungry. Create a shopping list and stick to it. Be especially careful to avoid foods at the ends of the aisles and along the perimeter, where grocers tend to sell high-calorie snack and convenience foods.
- Out of sight, out of mind. Limit the amount of tempting foods you have at home. If you share a kitchen with non-dieters, store snack foods and other high-calorie indulgences in cabinets or drawers out of your sight.
- Fast for 14-16 hours a day. Try to eat your last meal earlier in the day and then fast until breakfast the next morning. Early studies suggest that this simple dietary adjustment—eating only when you’re most active and giving your digestive system a long break each day—may help you to lose weight. After-dinner snacks tend to be high in fat and calories so are best avoided, anyway
Soda: The Secret Diet Saboteur
Soft drinks (including soda, energy drinks, and coffee drinks) are a huge source of calories in many people’s diets. One can of soda contains between 10-12 teaspoons of sugar and around 150 calories, so a few soft drinks can quickly add up to a good portion of your daily calorie intake.Switching to diet soda isn’t the answer either, as studies suggest that it triggers sugar cravings and contributes to weight gain. Instead, try switching to water with lemon, unsweetened iced tea, or carbonated water with a splash of juice.
Healthy dieting and weight loss tip #7: Make healthy lifestyle changes
In addition to your food and eating-related choices, you can also support your weight loss and dieting efforts by making healthy lifestyle choices.- Get plenty of sleep. Lack of sleep has been shown to have a direct link to hunger, overeating, and weight gain. Exhaustion also impairs your judgment, which can lead to poor food choices. Aim for around eight hours of quality sleep a night.
- Turn off the TV. You actually burn less calories watching television than you do sleeping! If you simply can’t miss your favorite shows, get a little workout in while watching. Do easy exercises like squats, sit-ups, jogging in place, or using resistance bands or hand weights.
- Get plenty of exercise. Exercise is a dieter’s best friend. It not only burns calories, but also can actually improve your resting metabolism. No time for a long workout? Research shows that three 10-minute spurts of exercise per day are just as good as one 30-minute workout. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or park in the back of the parking lot. Every bit helps.
- Drink more water. You can easily reduce your daily calorie intake by replacing soda, alcohol, or coffee with water. Thirst can also be confused with hunger, so by drinking water, you may avoid consuming extra calories, plus it will help you break down food more easily.
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