Thierrys Blog

If an unlucky noble was picked on and ridiculed by a Troubadour, he could be certain to be famous in every court and castle in Southern Europe, because unfortunately for him he would be a laughing stock. In some cases, he may have to fight to defend himself and his family against marauding neighbours, as had the Lord of Rossilho when Alfonso of Aragon laid waste his territories, as vengeance for the death of the Troubadour Guillem de Cabestanh.

To the Troubadours we owe the existence of various art forms common to music and poetry. Such as the Pastorela, or Pastorela - the shepherd’s song, whence the modern Pastoral or Pastorale; the Alba - song of the morning, whence the Ambade; the Serena - song of the evening, whence the Serenade; the Ballada - a song to accompany the dance, from which comes the Ballad.

In Northern France the Trousers, and in Germany the Minnesingers, followed in the footsteps of the Provengal poet-singers, although with modifications of the Provengal aims and methods born of their different surroundings.

More interesting were the Meistersingers of Germany, burgher minstrels, than the courtly Minnesingers and Trouveres. The first Mastersingers belonged to Mayence, and from there the Meistersong spread throughout the length and breadth of Germany. Strasburg, Augsburg, Munich, and Nuremburg, all attained celebrity as centres of the Meistersong. The Meistersinger, with whose name the general public are most familiar, Hans Sachs, was a native of Nuremburg. The Meistersong arose in the fourteenth century, about the time of the decay of the Minnesong, and flourished for nearly four centuries.

It was eminently characteristic of the feudal age that, whereas the Troubadours, Trouveres, and Minnesingers, for the most part people of gentle birth, apparently felt no necessity for any definite union among themselves. The Meistersingers, citizens and traders, living in safety behind the strong walls of their towns, should have fenced round their pursuit of art with the strong wall of guildery.

Going several steps lower in the social scale than the Meistersingers, we find the travelling musicians, as early as the thirteenth century, seeking such protection and increase of dignity as was to be gained by the formation of associations or guilds.

One of the earliest of these was formed in Vienna in 1288, under the title of the Brotherhood of St. Nicholas. Another was the Confrerie de St. Julien des Menestriers, established at Paris in 1330. The members of these guilds were generally known as town pipers, and although it is probable that their acquirements, taken on an average, were little above those of the travelling musician of the present day, yet their services to the cause of music, albeit rendered unconsciously, can scarcely be overrated.

At a time when most musical knowledge was church based, the most non-religious composition still had a church based style through the mere process of being written down. The only instrumentalist who was regarded as a respectable member of society was the organist, generally a religious man; these strollers were preserving among themselves the seeds, from which were to spring the secular music and instrumental playing of a time when knowledge would be more evenly distributed.

Michael Shaw is an organ and keyboard teacher and sells sheet music and tutor books at his websites www.keyboardsheetmusic.co.uk http://www.keyboardsheetmusic.co.uk and www.mikesmusicroom.co.uk http://www.mikesmusicroom.co.uk

Reuters - A meat company has been branded Dickensian after forcing its employees to clock-off every time they want to go to the toilet.

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Even though everyone’s financial situation is unique, practically all of us have some sort of debt. It might be huge debt like with mortgages and loans or small credit card or department store credit debt. The only way to wind up with debt is as a result of being extended credit. In these financial times we are in it can be difficult to get by without credit. But too often it becomes difficult to pay off the credit and that is when the trouble begins. Once you are late in your payments, your creditors will report this to the credit bureaus and it will affect your credit rating. When you are stuck with a bad credit report, even if you have a good reason such as illness, etc, it will be very difficult for you to get credit in the future when you are back on your feet financially. This means you may not be able to buy a house or a new car on credit. Or, if you are able to get a loan, it will be from a subprime lender who will charge you exorbitant interest fees.

If you have been through a tough spell and now have bad credit, you can undergo credit repair and one way to do this is through debt consolidation.

One thing about bad credit is that it can continue to get worse. It is not a case of having good or bad credit, it is a case of your credit being assigned a numerical value on a scale from good to bad and with each late payment, your credit slips farther into the bad side of the scale. So to repair your credit you need to get your creditors paid up to date as quickly as possible.

Chances are that you don’t have the money to do this or you wouldn’t be behind in the first place. This is when debt consolidation can be a useful tool for credit repair. You take out a single load which is used to pay off all your other loans. Now all your bills are paid up to date and you just have one monthly payment to make on your new consolidated loan which probably won’t be due for thirty days so you have some breathing room to get back on your feet.

You will still owe the same amount of money, but if you arrange your loan to do so, it can be spread over a long enough period that the payments are more manageable. The advantage of a debt consolidation loan is that it can repair your credit quickly and help you get back on your feet financially.

The disadvantage of a debt consolidation loan is that if you don’t use it properly it can get you deeper into financial difficulty. There is a saying that you can’t borrow your way out of debt and this is very true. You should examine your financial situation carefully and make sure that your situation has improved so that you will be able to handle the payments on your new loan or you could wind up damaging your credit further and making credit repair even more difficult down the road.

Geoff Spencer is a staff writer at www.finance-journal.com http://www.finance-journal.com and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including www.onlinebusinessgazette.com http://www.onlinebusinessgazette.com .

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The doctrine of Salvation or Soteriology is our focus for this comparative study. More specifically how Muslims (followers of Islam) and Christians (followers of Christianity), view Salvation and its inherent requirements.

The word Salvation can have many different definitions to various people and religions.

The definition for salvation we will be using comes from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition ;

1. Preservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty, or evil.
2. Deliverance from the power or penalty of sin; redemption.

In plain English, we will define salvation as what it takes to get into Heaven or Paradise.

We will investigate the following questions.

1. What do the religions of Islam and Christianity teach in regards to salvation?
2. How is salvation gained by an individual?

The Koranic quotations are taken from by Abdullah Yusufali’s translation titled The Meanings Of The Holy Qu’ran unless otherwise noted.

The Biblical texts will be from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, again unless noted otherwise.

By examining what both the Qu’ran and the Bible have to say on the topic of salvation we find that both use the word Grace to describe a mechanism of God’s gift of Salvation.

Qu’ran Surah 8:29

O ye who believe! if ye fear Allah, He will grant you a criterion (to judge between right and wrong), remove from you (all) evil (that may afflict) you, and forgive you: for Allah is the Lord of grace unbounded.

Bible Deuteronomy 7:9

Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands.

Grace shall be defined as the following:

1. a special favor
2. the prerogative of mercy exercised (as by a chief executive) or granted in the form of equitable relief

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Grace is a therefore receiving something we did not deserve or earn through our own actions.

Islam and Christianity diverge however on our need for salvation based on their understanding of Sin.

Christianity teaches that all men and women are born in a fallen state and thus have no hope of the righteousness demanded by God. The Doctrine of Original Sin states that Adam by his conscious description to disobey God ushered death into the world.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned. Romans 5:12

[The effects of this first sin were] (1) shame, a sense of degradation and pollution; (2) dread of the displeasure of God, or a sense of guilt, and the consequent desire to hide from his presence. These effects were unavoidable. They prove the loss not only of innocence but of original righteousness, and, with it, of the favour and fellowship of God. The state therefore to which Adam was reduced by his disobedience, so far as his subjective condition is concerned, was analogous to that of the fallen angels. He was entirely and absolutely ruined (Hodge’s Theology).

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

Men and women don’t just have a sin nature, they are conceived with a sin nature!

Indeed, I was guilty [when I] was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. Psalm 51:5

Thus the Biblical understanding of Sin, and our need for Salvation is one of desperation. Salvation is a condition that man can not resolve on his own. As evidenced by Jesus’ reply to his astonished Disciples after His rebuke of the rich young man as recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels.

Those who heard this asked, Who then can be saved? Jesus replied, What is impossible with men is possible with God. Luke 18:26-27

The Qu’ran like the Bible, states that Adam sinned by disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve admitted there sin and begged forgiveness. Allah forgave them, but also punished them with a mortal existence on Earth.

They said: Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls: If thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall certainly be lost.

((Allah)) said: Get ye down. With enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood,- for a time.

He said: Therein shall ye live, and therein shall ye die; but from it shall ye be taken out (at last). Surah 7:23-25

Islamic Theologians teach that the nature of man is basically good, but prone to following this own will and not the will of Allah.

Qu’ran Surah 12:53

Nor do I absolve my own self (of blame): the (human) soul is certainly prone to evil, unless my Lord do bestow His Mercy: but surely my Lord is Oft- forgiving, Most Merciful.

M.S. Laher in A Living Faith Published by I.M.S states “regarding the Islamic understanding of the nature of man As made by God, man is innocent, pure, true and free. He is not sinful by nature. He is born free from any so called Original Sin, By nature he inclines to do righteous deeds. He is given true understanding about his own position in the universe and about God’s goodness, wisdom and power. That is man’s true self - just as it is the nature of the lamb to be gentle and of the horse to be swift.

But man is caught in the web of customs, superstitions, selfish desires and false teachings. These make him unclean, false, slavish, greedy, lustful and selfish. It is these that make him have strong desires for things that are wrong and forbidden. Man is diverted from the love of his fellowman, and the pure worship of the One True God. The problem is to cure this crookedness and to restore human nature to what it should be under the Will of God.”

The Christian view of Sin is that due to Adam’s sin all men are born with the propensity to sin.

The Islamic view of Adam’s sin is of a personal nature, what Adam did is not applicable to anyone but Adam. That our sin is personal and men have the ability to not sin and thus follow Allah’s will.

The first step, which until now had been unspoken and that is Faith. What are the requirements of “Faith”?

The Muslim to be must first express his faith in Allah and his prophet Muhammad. The convert needs to make a declaration, known as la-shahaadatain. This declaration of faith has two parts one swearing fealty to Allah and the acknowledges his messenger Muhammad.
The Arabic transliteration is as follows;

1. Ash-hadu alla ilaaha illallah
2. Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammad-ar-rasool ullaah

The English translation would be :

1. I bear witness and attest that there is no god worthy of worship but the One God Allah
2. I bear witness and attest that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah
For the Muslim this is the required first step.

The Christian is called to an expression of faith in a similar fashion; Romans 10:9 states “If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

John 1:12 further states “but to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name,”

Paraphrasing the two verses they say, believing and confessing that Jesus is Lord and Saviour makes you a child of God. The words used are far less important than the sentiment expressed.

The Bible teaches that Christians are saved out of the loving kindness of God’s good grace, nothing else is required.

But God, who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. By grace you are saved! Ephesians 2:4-5

The Qu’ran actually has three additional criteria that must be met, these are

1. deeds
2. leading each other to the truth
3. leading each other to patience.

All of these are expressed in the 103:1-3. We will discuss only one of these requirements for brevity’s sake and that will be deeds.

Qu’ran Surah 103:1-3

By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.

At puberty a ledger of good and bad deeds starts accumulating. This ledger of deeds is used by God to judge the persons fate. Islam teaches that our good deeds can position us to receive mercy, and thus admission to Paradise. The Muslim can never know which side of the scale is holding the heavier balance. That of his good deeds possibly leading to Paradise or that of his evil deeds pointing to Hell.

Qu’ran Surah 23:101-103

Then when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no more relationships between them that Day, nor will one ask after another! Then those whose balance (of good deeds) is heavy,- they will attain salvation: But those whose balance is light, will be those who have lost their souls, in Hell will they abide.

With no assurance they have done enough good to earn their way into Paradise,outside of martyrdom, Islamic concept of grace is more a reward than a gift.

The Christian can take solace in the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as recorded in John 5:24

I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.

The Greek word translated as “has” is echo (ekh’-o) and means to have, to own and to possess. Christ tells us we can be assured we are His. In Christianity the Child of God HAS everlasting life.

To summarize the questions we set out to answer;

1.What do the religions of Islam and Christianity teach in regards to salvation?

The Muslims need for a Saviour is non-existent due to the ability of each individual to choose to not sin. Islam teaches that humans are generally good by nature. Thus Salvation is a foreign concept in Islamic teachings.

The Christian teaching of Sin and are the need for an unblemished, right before God sacrifice, dictate the need for a Savior.

2.How is salvation gained by an individual?

The Muslim must have faith in Allah, do more good than bad, teach each other truth and patience.

The Christian must make Jesus Christ Lord of their lives.

Clyde Annach is the operator of uhho, Clyde’s been thinking again! Web log.Please feel free to write me at clydesblogs@gmail.com clydesblogs@gmail.com or visit my Web Log at uhho-clydes-thinking-again.blogspot.com/ http://uhho-clydes-thinking-again.blogspot.com/ .

Reuters - Florida sued mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp for predatory lending practices on Monday, alleging the company at the center of the U.S. mortgage crisis made subprime loans to people who could not repay them.

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In today’s American society it is not uncommon for the average citizen to encounter a great deal of “free” time or time away from work. The average workweek has decreased significantly over the past 150 years. In 1850, American’s workweek average was nearly 66 hours (11 hours a day, 6 days a week) . Today’s 5 day weeks and 8 hour days have presented an increased gap in time available for leisure activities. So one might say that leisure is simply a matter of free time, others share different views. One such concept sees leisure not merely as a time block, but as a force, which is not only the germinating concept of art and culture, but a pause during which a participant gains glimpses of values and realities that he ordinarily misses in everyday life. Such a perception supports the proposition that the quality of civilization depends upon such a transmission of values, and the widespread distribution and use of leisure is a matter of great importance, culturally and economically, to a nation.”

Recreation’s definition, given by Merriam-Webster online dictionary is “refreshment of strength and spirits after work; also: a means of refreshment or diversion,” but this doesn’t nearly do it justice. The word itself holds a new meaning to whomever you ask, dependent upon their personal views, beliefs, values, but most importantly - their interests. Recreation to you may not mean the same to a Native American living in southeastern Alaska. His ideology, on the value of spending time, may focus more on family and nature. The culture and environment in which an individual develops and learns has lasting effects on the life that they will lead. This includes the recreational activities in which one participates.

As the country has evolved economically, technologically, and so on, so too has it evolved on its view of recreation. Not so long ago the purpose of hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing, and skiing held a much different purpose. The way we were fed, clothed, moved from place to place, etc. were all very much a part of everyday life, not just a way to “unwind.” The accessibility of food, clothing, transportation and the like are no longer the responsibility of the individual hunter, trapper, or fisherman. These activities have taken on a new label in our society - sports. The competitive edge now fills the void where need of survival once reigned.

The sports that have been known throughout the ages have evolved and engulfed so many variations of the kind. “Sport within our society reflects a complex, multi-faceted, socioeconomic system. It also represents a tremendous diversity in participation from a child’s frolic, to unstructured and random play within the home, to the fulfillment of a dream in winning a tournament championship, to the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle through regular sport participation.” There are indeed many forms of sports and many levels and we all have our reasons for participating.

Some experts believe that recreational and leisure activities are engaged in simply as a way to alleviate the built up stressors that evolve in our daily lives. Play can be a safety valve for the excess energy in our bodies and becomes a natural outlet, soothing our physical and psychological well-beings. These theories, however, fail to account for the fact that most individuals do not partake in recreational activities as a means of relieving stress or recharging for the work week to come.

Why then, do people engage in activities on a regular basis? The answer is not a simple one, nor can it be fully addressed since there is such a multitude of opinions, professional or otherwise, on sports and recreation. There are, of course, many reasons why people keep coming back to the same gym for a pick-up game or take out the fishing boat weekend after weekend. Some may be: the love of the game, the adrenaline rush, the excitement, the exercise, the social interaction, etc. My reason for playing what I play, or doing what I do results from a combination of these factors and more like them.

No matter the reason, the motivation, or the cause, we all are participants of what we love. We have evolved along with the sports in which we’ve come to enjoy; and whether we play to win or play just to play doesn’t seem to matter. Rules and regulations can control your play on the court (i.e. dunking, spiking) but they can never control your love of the game - that is your own.

Yukic, T. (1963). Fundamentals of Recreation. New York, NY: Harper and Row.

Yukic, T. (1963). Fundamentals of Recreation. New York, NY: Harper and Row.

Bayless, K., Mull, R., & Ross, M. (1983). Recreational Sports Programming. North Palm Beach, FL: The Athletic Institute.

Bryan Weichelt runs the www.wi-rec-sports.com/ http://www.wi-rec-sports.com/ website. It was started to bring together recreational athletes of the central wisconsin area by posting scores, standings, and schedules of recreational sports leagues. I give full permission for you to use this article in your newsletter or on your site as long as you include my resource box with my website links included. www.wi-rec-sports.com/ http://www.wi-rec-sports.com/ .

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A healthy dog is easy to recognize - lively eyes, energetic, and with a shiny, bright coat. As a dog owner, you should understand the importance of how to get your dog healthy and how to keep him in that condition.

Let’s begin with the most basic ingredient - food. All animals need water and food to exist. From a human perspective, we realize balanced food intake is the only way to get a quality diet and to stay on top of our game. Dogs too require the same consideration or they face malnutrition. To ensure our much-loved pooches get proper nutrition, they need a diet rich in minerals, vitamins and doggy nutrients. This is very simple for us to do since the majority of today’s brand-name dog food is complete. A dog food’s price does make a difference, as the cheaper brands tend to be less nutritious and contain too much cornmeal.

Just like us humans, dogs can overeat and become overweight. In the wild, this problem never happens since an out-of-shape animal can’t fend for itself and doesn’t stick around very long. The only time an obese animal is found is when it’s domesticated. Although some kind-hearted pet owners think they’re making their pet happy if little Tito is eating lots and lots, these owners are actually shortening their pet’s lives and putting them at risk for respiratory problems, arthritic pain, diabetes and heart disease. These obese pets also are more likely to pass away if they need to be put under anesthesia for surgery. (Unfortunately, this is also true for obese people.) Thus, feeding your dog the correct food in the correct amount is ultimately the most important way to show how much you care for your pet.

The condition of a dog’s fur, skin and stools need to be addressed. Dogs can get ill from tics and fleas. Flea collars aren’t always good at keeping away these pests. Instead, use a good powder or spray. Make sure to use these correctly according to the instructions. If a flea problem does arise, it’s vital that you attend to it right away. First, clean the spots that the dog regularly lies around. Every time that you vacuum these areas, immediately empty the vacuum bags. Also, wash the dog’s bed every time he lies in it. These steps will prevent further outbreaks from the fleas and their eggs nested in your home’s carpet and fabrics.

Ticks like to jump aboard your dog while you walk him in the country. After every walk in the woods, check your dog’s coat. Also, inspect your dog’s stool for visible signs of worms like roundworm, whipworm, tapeworm and hookworm that attack a dog’s intestinal tract. It’s still important to stick to a worming schedule since not all worms can be seen by the naked eye.

These practices are easy ways to make sure your dog is healthy. You can also do other measures to increase your pet’s health such as regularly visiting your veterinarian and giving your pet vaccinations on schedule. In this caring manner, you’re helping your dog live a long, healthy and comfortable life.

Copyright 2006 Sally Ricco. All rights reserved. Sally Ricco’s site Pet Dog Health - an informative site about common and serious dog health problems. More details at www.petdoghealth.com/ http://www.petdoghealth.com/

The Christian Science Monitor - Few doubt that the war against terrorism will be a long one. In fact, it is one that may never be entirely “won” or lost: At some point the US may have to accept low levels of ongoing violence.

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Laser hair removal is the new black for hair removal consumers. In fact it’s been that way since the mid-sixties, if you knew where to look. These days the market is swamped with competing technologies, with physicians, electrologists, beauticians and self-proclaimed ‘laserologists’ all vying for your attention - and your credit card details. But lasers aren’t for everyone, and proper treatment requires some serious training and education. So if you’re considering ‘LHR’ as a solution to your excess hair trouble, you need to know the facts.

First off, the science. Laser treatment works by delivering light into your skin. It comes from a hand-piece at a specified wavelength. It targets dark matter, such as the pigment in your hair. So while the tissue surrounding the follicle is ignored, the laser causes thermal and/or mechanical damage to the hair follicle and inhibits its ability to produce hair.

Sounds good, right? Well, it is. Done properly, laser hair removal is safe, it’s very useful for large areas (unlike electrolysis), and many consumers report long lasting hair removal or permanent hair reduction. Those with light-skin and dark hair have the best results, and if there is re-growth, it’s often much lighter and softer than the original hair.

It’s worth bearing in mind though that there’s nothing long-term about how safe or effective this method of hair removal is. In fact, recent research has raised concerns about the effect of laser irradiation on other skin structures. Low-skilled treatment can result in burns, lesions, temporary skin discoloration, as well as patchy re-growth. Beyond this, laser treatment can be expensive, painful, and sometimes ineffective, even for those who fit the bill completely.

The bottom line - it’s a good idea for some, not so much for others. Just don’t trust any claims that sound too good to be true. If a practitioner doesn’t admit to all of the above, he’s more interested in your wallet than in your satisfaction, and if he’s using words like ‘guaranteed’ in his sales pitch, steer clear. Remember that while some users experience permanent hair removal, many don’t. There are also inadequate controls governing the proper application of treatment from state to state.

The best thing you can do is shop around. Even the best doctors are salespeople, so there’ll be plenty of hype to read through before you get to the nitty gritty. If you’re really confused, probably the safest person to use is a dermatologist or plastic surgeon, with specific training and qualifications in laser treatment.

Don’t be afraid to call first and get all of your awkward questions out of the way. A decent, considerate physician will be more than happy to help. Set up a consultation with the person who will be carrying out the treatment. Talk to some other clients if you can. You should even be able to get some test patches done, somewhere that won’t show too much if something goes wrong. Keep tabs on your findings and take your time. This is an important - and sometimes expensive - procedure. You probably can’t afford to get it wrong.

Tamra Cantar is a freelance writer on topics of interest and has a website dedicated to providing the visitor with useful information and resources for hair removal. Visit www.hair-removal-systems.info http://www.hair-removal-systems.info for more information on laser and other hair removal techniques.

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People today are very health conscious and eating sugar is avoided or kept to a minimum either due to health conditions like diabetes or, in some cases, from the simple desire to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Chocolates, on the other hand, are the favorite food item of many people and it is very likely you’ll come across individuals where these two contradictory conditions are at loggerheads with each other. That is to say a person likes chocolates but cannot eat them due to the large amounts of sugar that go into the making of mainstream chocolates.

As they say, where there’s a will, there’s a way, therefore it is not surprising that an alternative exists for such people, namely the sugarless chocolate. Although the name is self explanatory, that does not mean that such chocolates are not sweet (which would defeat the primary goal of your palette and your love for munching them).

There are several artificial sweetening agents commercially available which can be used to simulate the affect of sweetness on the tongue, but do not have the harmful affects associated with table sugar. Although there is a certain level of uncertainly regarding the safety of such products like saccharin (which was demonstrated to produce cancerous affects under laboratory conditions). Despite the doubts, there does exist several types of sugar alternatives in the market, and these alternatives are being used by manufacturers of food products, including chocolate.

Lucky for most of us wishing to be slim and fit, many of the major producers of chocolate have their sugarless chocolate alternative apart from their mainstream sugared counterparts. The consumer is now given the ability to use their own discretion when deciding which type of chocolate to consume.

Chocolate has a long and illustrious history and people will continue to be drawn to everything chocolate! For diabetics or people with weight problems, chocolate is no longer out of their reach. With care and proper research fine foods once forbidden to many can go back on their diets. From holidays to just a relaxing part of anyone’s day, sugarless products are making it possible for everyone to be happy!
Fred Goldman is the Founder of D-lectable.com Sugarless Candy Store. You’ll find healthy snack choices including natural chocolate, sugarless chocolate, and more at www.d-lectable.com http://www.d-lectable.com .

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In my Commercial newsgroup and at seminars, people often ask me, “How I start my career dealing from small to larger properties?” The inquiry is frequently followed by a recital of how the depositor has tried and failed to acquire a bigger property or is uncertain of the steps needed to acquire larger revenue properties. Some have yet to do their first transaction and be unsure if they can initiate in commercial real estate without first acquiring smaller properties.

Realtors first start their profession by buying a rental house, then small flats or apartment building. More quickly, they capture their position in the market. The “wall” is when you are bank tells you they cannot give you any more single-family mortgages or that your range is outside their lending parameters.

It is a common aspect and a real trouble. Realtors have too big to transact with the residential lending individuals and they are like a “man without air” when it comes to know how to move toward the commercial side of the bank.

The other familiar aspect is that the realtors who deal in an income property deal, perhaps assumes the present mortgage or negotiates seller financing. The property proves to be a successful; the realtors fetch a nice profit, and then look for another deal.

Why you feel easy when the first property proves difficult to reproduce. Then you ask, “How to know the worth of the property?” “How to trust the seller that he is telling the truth about the cash flow?” “How to raise down payment?” These uncertainties are irresistible.

The realtor wakes in the middle of the night setting problems in his dreams. When he wakes up in the morning, his eyes still fuzzy with sleep and sees in the alarm clock flashing “SALE”

Real estate is the best ways for everyday, people to build wealth. Real estate can create whatever life you desire, but it swallows you if you are not aware of what you acquired and how you acquired.

As we know, experience is a right one every body needed. I read the law of accidental consequences. Since life is uncertain, we never know what happen, but we can shrink the downside by forecast for the unforeseen.

Through many years, I have a great chance to see many plans come to reality. The deals I made turned out great profits and it fetches a good reputation in the market. Lastly, I learned that the higher attention paid, will bring success in our life at the end

When you are just starting, trying to get superior, or even trying to get away, the job becomes easier through the lots of choices, when you have proper guidance. Preferably, that guides you personally, leverages your strengths, and desires by avoiding your weakness. Shortly, strategy is defined as, “A plan of action projected to achieve a particular goal”. If we wish to have a particular outcome, then we must be eager to work, to think in all way before we begin. We should start the goal, by identifying it.

A four-intelligent point to investing

To build considerable wealth investing in commercial real estate, you require time to think things through. Recognize that the real estate is generally is a kind of business where one can get rich lastly, and for that one requires planning, patience, and persistence.

Guiding without a strategy obtains an undesired result what we never think. How does such a strategy look like? It is easier than you may think.

Firstly, obtain your personal financial house. Adjust your financial dealings to serve your purpose of building wealth. Lacking capacity with an opportunity is an illusion one.

Then form criterion for assets type, size, and location. Each type needs a different set of skills and offers different levels of return. It is better to make the property fit to the investor, than trying to make the investor fit the property.

There is no general real estate market. By observing your local market you can identify the opportunities within your capacity to act on.

If you recognized a possible transaction, learn perfectly to value a property based on its condition, your return necessities and borrowing power.

Finally, learn to develop the deals and make good offers. Prepare yourself not only to obtain the profits, but also how to invest the profit in a proper way. The best key factor of building wealth is Tax planning and asset protection.

The above four steps are the four modules topic in my new book, to Guide Commercial Real Estate. This book has been printed for the investor who failed and looking for another way around it. The book has been printed for the realtors who want to move to or start with bigger properties.

Ron Victor is a real estate professional for Real Estate Investing Information. He written many articles in various topics.For more information about real estate business, real estate investing course and real estate investing. Contact him at ron.seocopywriter@gmail.com ron.seocopywriter@gmail.com .

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Who Gets Hemochromatosis?

Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is the most common form of hemochromatosis. It is predominately a disorder of persons of northern European extraction. In this form of hemochromatosis patients are most commonly homozygous for (carry two copies of) the C282Y mutation of the HFE gene. Sometimes patients may carry one copy of the C282Y mutation and one copy of the H63D mutation. There are other forms of hemochromatosis and iron overload which will be discussed later.

Hereditary hemochromatosis takes many years to display its true nature. This is because it takes time to load iron in the body. Men usually load more quickly than women. This is because women have monthly menstrual cycles and have children. Each pregnancy is equivalent to the loss of 1 gram of iron. So the bar is “set lower” to confirm the diagnosis of HH in women. Before the true genetic nature of the disorder was recognized the diagnosis was made if the patient could be venesected or deironed of 5 grams of blood (if male) without causing significant anemia. If the patient was a woman only 3 grams of iron had to be removed by venesection without causing significant anemia to make the diagnosis. Liver biopsy was not infrequently employed to confirm the diagnosis.

Now with the ready availability of genetic testing the criteria are different. Often the diagnosis can be made using genetic testing and iron studies. Liver biopsy is often now not necessary.

What Happens When A Patient Presents?

Let us assume that a patient has presented with fatigue and arthralgia (aching joints) to a doctor. Now many things can give such a presentation. Paradoxically one of them is anemia or iron deficiency. Anyhow let us assume that the patient is suspected of having hemochromatosis. The patient is a lady of some 65 years of age. She had five children and menopause at age 45 years. She is of Irish/Scottish extraction and her mother died of liver problems - yet her mother never drank a drop of alcohol in her life. The patient is quite fair skinned. However this may be a red herring as not all patients with hemochromatosis go a bronzed or grayish color. When the patient is examined by the doctor she is noted to have enlarged and painful second and third knuckles and pain at the base of her thumbs. This is known as “iron fist” and is a clue to hemochromatosis. Examination of the patient’s abdomen reveals an enlarged liver. So preliminary testing is done. This patient is found to have an enlarged liver on ultrasound - but no cirrhosis. Her ferritin level is 650 ug/L and she has a transferrin saturation of 96%. In itself these are big clues - this patient probably has HH. Genetic testing reveals the patient to be a carrier of two copies of C282Y. Liver function tests are slightly abnormal. Now this patient has HH. A liver biopsy is probably not necessary as the ferritin level is not markedly elevated. Interestingly this patient almost certainly has fibrosis of the liver which may well be reversed if the patient is properly deironed.

The treatment for this patient is to deiron her down to a ferritin level of 25 to 75 ug/L and try and maintain that level. Other comorbid conditions (conditions associated with HH) must be looked for and treated. Of especial importance is diabetes. The patient’s family should also be screened for HH. Those at greatest risk are the patient’s siblings. However all first degree relatives should be screened. Initial testing consists of ferritin levels, transferrin saturations and genetic testing. In this way many early cases of HH are now being picked up and successfully treated before patients load enough iron to give the severe consequences of organ failure.

What Happens If The Patient Cannot Tolerate Venesections?

Our patient - who we shall call Mrs. Abbott - is a small lady. She weighs in at just over 110 lbs and is only 5 foot 2 inches tall. After Mrs. Abbott’s first venesection of 500 mls (which is equivalent to 250 mcg of iron) she is totally exhausted and has difficulty standing for some three days. This is despite adequate hydration before and after venesection. This lady is also known to have osteoporosis (the rate of which is increased in HH) so it is important that she not fall as she could easily break an arm or worse a hip. Another venesection is planned for a week later.

What needs to be done is to decrease the standard venesection unit down to 250 mls and probably do this every few weeks after she has adequately recovered. It will take longer to deiron Mrs. Abbott, but her treatment overall is safer. If Mrs. Abbott had a ferritin level of say 2,000 ug/L then it would be a tougher call. She would need to be deironed more quickly.

Immediately after venesection a cold pack was applied to Mrs. Abbott’s veins. This was done to preserve the veins. This is especially important in persons with frail veins and those who will need multiple venesections.

After a further 20 venesections of only 250 mls each Mrs. Abbott has a ferritin level of 46 ug/L. She has been successfully deironed. Her liver function tests are now normal and her transferrin saturation has fallen to 45%. Proper treatment is to now monitor Mrs. Abbott and see how quickly she loads iron. She is probably a patient who may only require 2 or 3 (half) venesections per year.

Why Is It Important To Screen Relatives?

Now Mrs. Abbott is from a very large family. She has 10 siblings, all of whom are younger and still alive. There are 5 sisters and 5 brothers. All the siblings are willing to be tested and live close. Often people simply do not want to know. This is of course their right.

Because one C282Y mutation is inherited from each parent Mrs. Abbott’s parents were at least carriers of one C282Y mutation or were C282Y heterozygotes. Both her parents are deceased so they cannot be tested. If we assume that both parents were C282Y heterozygotes then the chance of each of their children carrying two copies of C282Y is 1 in 4 or 25%. If one parent was a C282Y homozygote or carried two copies of C282Y then the children have a 50% chance of carrying two copies of C282Y. If both Mrs. Abbott’s parents carried two copies of C282Y then all her siblings will carry two copies of C282Y.

Mrs. Abbott’s children need also to be tested. She has 5 children. The children live in various locales and are not immediately available for testing. So the alternative is to test Mr. Abbott and work out the possibilities for the children. When Mr. Abbott is tested he is shown to be a C282Y/H63D compound heterozygote. He carries one C282Y mutation and one H63D mutation. However Mr. Abbott is a long time blood donor so it is difficult to assess what his true iron status would have been. He appears to be a nonexpressor i.e. he is not loading iron. This is the usual case in C282Y/H63D compound heterozygotes. Over the years it turns out that Mr. Abbott has donated 50 pints of blood. His ferritin level is 76 and his transferrin saturation is 41%. Thus it is important to continue to monitor Mr. Abbott who has just turned 65 years of age and been told that he can no longer donate blood. There is a 50% chance that the children of the Abbott’s will carry two copies of C282Y and a 50% chance that they will be compound heterozygotes like their father. So the children all need to be individually tested.

Peter Whittington maintains www.health-fitness-for-all.com http://www.health-fitness-for-all.com an article site devoted to health and fitness and with his sister Dr Chris Whittington, an acknowledged expert on Hereditary Hemochromatosis, www.ironic-health.com http://www.ironic-health.com , a site devoted to information about hemochromatosis , the iron overload blood disorder. Peter can be contacted at admin@ironic-health.com admin@ironic-health.com .

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As Nintendo chief Miyamoto says about the Wii…

‘The hardware is basically a GC. We’ve upgraded our development tools to new versions but, you can still use GC programs as they are. With that in mind, I thought we could remake GC titles for the Wii and modify them to work with the Wii remote so that they’re more fun to play.’

This statement been making its speedy journey around the web, with the predictable result.

‘i tuld u tha Wee sux0rs!’ ‘Thus proving the Wii is infact.. a repackaged gamecube’ ‘ Rofl @ Nintendo Rofl @ Nintendo ‘

The argument need to be split in half to avoid confusion. Lumping the two arguments together ends in a negative situation, where neither of the debating parties can influence the opposition.

Firstly, The Wii is GameCube 1.5?

Miyamoto, in his cute little ‘Wish we had an international auxillary language to stop english speaking ‘l33t’ gamers from mocking our consumers’ way, was accurate with his statement. The hardware is similar to the GameCube. WAIT! Don’t go running away just yet, for here is a word equation that will float your boat.

The Nintendo Wii hardware is similar to the Gamecube, as A gaming PC is similar to a Windows 95 word processing computer.

What! Says you, but my ‘uber el33tzo0r’ Gaming PC has 4 GB of Ram! It has 6.7 Gigahertz of processing power! THINK. Instead of thinking about the technological specifics of ‘hardware capabilities’, when the above statement is made, one is referring to the style in which hardware and software are created. The Architecture of the device.

Going out on another tangent, Nintendo would not be stupid enough to make the GameCube mistake again. The GC was not a high point for flailing Nintendo. Why now, riding on the success of the Nintendo DS, an innovative handheld device that has taken the world by storm, would Nintendo choose to release an updated version of a failure?

Wii Vs Xbox360 Vs Playstation3

To be blatantly honest, the next-gen console battle will be fought between the Xbox360, and the Playstation3. Unfortunately for Sony and Microsoft, they have launched products capable of the same types of activities, with the same types of controls and the same types of games. It’s a marketing battle to see who will triumph. But for those looking for new, innovative [ie: Not BluRay] technology with an element of fun and a totally unique experience will choose the Wii. There is nothing else on the market to compete with it.

So who would buy the Wii? Just little kids right? Nintendo has many different demographics to target. From the very young, to the very old. The DS has opened the eyes of previously video game free generations, and inspired those just entering the market, as well as gameboy fans looking for a quality handheld. Half-core gamers want something fresh. they want to play with their friends and have fun. They don’t want to shell out big bucks for a gaming system, but would be happy to pay a much lower price for entertainment.

You can not compare consoles on specifications alone. You must use implementation examples to compare things. On paper, the Playstation 3 is the strongest console. Better than the Wii, better than the Xbox360. But does it have quality games? Will there be many games? Will Sony finally be able to create a game that creates a third of the hype that Halo does? Until all consoles have been released internationally, it is futile to argue over which console is ’superior’ and which will succeed.

The Nintendo Wii is not a Game Cube. As the old saying goes, it’s like comparing apples and oranges. Both are in the same general class, yet there are fundamental differences that make comparing them pointless.

Kit Allen, the chief contributor to Nintendo Blog, nintendocommunity.com http://nintendocommunity.com wrote this article to inform the world about the Nintendo Wii.

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