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Identity Crisis

It’s not only the knowledge you carry around in your head. More important to your effectiveness as a leader is your character – who you ARE. In an interview of Harvard Business School Professor, Scott A. Snook, conducted by, Harvard Business School, Working Knowledge Senior Editor Martha Lagace, they exposed a truth that will help you guide your leadership development program.

The main thrust of this interview is how effective the Army has been in transforming the professional identity of its leaders after the end of the Cold War. Professor Snook explained what created the need for a transformation. The end of the Cold War brought about an “identity crisis” for the Army. It was no longer in a “bipolar world (that) had shaped a very strong and static sense of professional identity,” he explained.

“Such an identity crisis manifested itself in a variety of symptoms:
low morale, high turnover, waning commitment, missed recruiting goals, and officer retention nightmares.”

Character: Most important AND Most Challenging to Develop

One of the highlights of the research is that the character of a person is not only the most important “component of leader development,” but also, “the most challenge(ing).” In order for the Army to re-align the professional identity of its leaders, and arguably solve the negative manifestations of the crises, the hard, high-payoff work had to be focused on leader character.

The negative results of the identity crisis are challenges in the civilian sector also. We experience and fear low morale, high turnover and waning commitment. We fight with it every day, though leader identity is not typically cited as the cause. It goes without saying that leadership should be considered the source of all good and conversely the lack of it a factor in all negative. In order to increase the positive, which for corporate America comes in the form of higher profit margins and a more cohesive and pleasant work atmosphere, strong consideration needs to be given to Snook’s suggestion. “Our contention (is) that the real leverage in developing leaders has to do with the BE component.”

The BE component is explained as the, “who you ARE.” The paper uses BE and character interchangeably. This, of course, is our key area of focus for groups like Leading Concepts who get beyond the academic into the actual immersion experience of leader and team development.

Snook went on to say, first, “we build our understandings of ourselves from our experiences. Second, we progress through a finite series of universal and progressively more complex stages in how we construct our understanding.”

Experience For Change

As we dig into this idea of leader development and getting to the heart of it through a concentration on character, these two areas deserve more attention. It is interesting to see how our experiences have to be progressively more complex. It has been a trend, perhaps a plateau in civilian leadership development that has kept us from designing meaningfully complex learning vehicles. I believe that the reason is due to a concentration on the complexity instead of the experience. An experience is infinitely more complex than the most difficult concept. Simply add up the number of senses involved in a walk through the woods verses a day in a classroom.

The properly designed and guided experiential leadership development course will go much farther to influencing the character of a person than will a stack of the most deeply researched papers. To acknowledge the order of accomplishment, the deeply researched papers must precede the properly designed and guided course.

Professor Snook’s “research has several implications for organizations and those interested in leadership development.”

“Adhering to a traditional learning model is fine if you are primarily interested in improving your employees’ knowledge and skills. However, should you decide, as we did, that the leverage lies much deeper, in the BE component, be prepared to think differently about what development really means and how to go about measuring and influencing it.”

“I am currently studying how both life experiences and designed interventions contribute to our development as leaders. At this point it seems clear that it’s not only the nature of the experience itself, but rather a complex interaction of an individual’s readiness beforehand and sense-making afterwards that ultimately determines how much impact such events or programs will have on one’s development.”

ROI

The lessons of Professor Snook’s research were taken from the success that he observed in over 10 years of the Army’s transition from a Cold-War institution to a highly flexible, service-oriented and powerful organization ready for undetermined conflicts of the future. For everyone who downplays the power of this value (soft-skill) training, we have seen the ROI a thousand times over on our televisions over the past several years.

Without this training and development in such a purposeful and planned way, the victories in Afghanistan and Iraq would not have been possible and the loss of life and resources would have been much greater. Soldiers have always been able to shoot straight. They’ve had the technical abilities, as do your workforce. The difference between success and failure comes in the ability of the leader to activate that ability in conjunction with others in the team towards a common goal.

Crisis Free?

Notice that the Army undertook this transformation a decade prior to their need. They were forward thinking enough to know that their need for this enhanced flexibility would be necessary during some future conflict. Granted, the Army always knows that there is a next crisis. Don’t you?! Are you looking at today and thinking that everything is fine, or are you looking down the road to the next crisis?

The Army was successful in transforming the professional identity of its members because it focused on character development through experiential training.

Find the full interview “How the U.S. Army Develops Leaders” at http://www.hbswk.hbs.edu

To learn more about how immersion team building and leadership training can help you visit: http://www.leadingconcepts.com

Copyright 2005 Brace E. Barber

Brace E. Barber works extensively with Leading Concepts, Inc. http://www.leadingconcepts.com in the field of immersion soft-skill training with a focus is on how to develop leaders, who are prepared for and can succeed under stressful circumstances. He is the author of the book No Excuse Leadership. http://www.noexcuseleadership.com

Say it isn’t so? Not another bowl game!

The NCAA on Wednesday approved a new postseason football bowl game in Houston starting next season.

It will replace the former Houston Bowl and is the fifth new game approved by the NCAA Postseason Football Licensing Subcommittee since the end of last season.

The bowl, which has not yet been named, will be managed by Lone Star Sports and Entertainment, which is affiliated with the Houston Texans of the NFL.

The name of the new bowl and other details will be announced later. In April, the NCAA approved a fifth Bowl Championship Series game, which will be played in Glendale, Arizona, along with the International Bowl in Toronto, the Birmingham Bowl and the New Mexico Bowl.

Bowls that were renewed for next season are: the AutoZone Liberty, Capital One, Champs Sports, Chick-Fil-A, Emerald, FedEx Orange, Gaylord Hotels Music City, GMAC, Independence, Insight, Pioneer Pure Vision Las Vegas, MasterCard Alamo, Meineke Car Care, MPC Computers, Motor City, All-state Sugar, Outback, Pacific Life Holiday, San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia, Fort Worth, Rose, AT&T Cotton, Hawaii, Tostitos Fiesta, Toyota Gator, Vitalis Sun and New Orleans.

Don’t get me wrong, I love college football. I love the atmosphere, the crowds and the future NFL stars that dazzle us every Saturday. But do we really need more bowl games. There’s already too many teams who don’t deserve to be in one and now the NCAA has approved five new games since the end of last season.

Some will argue that it makes the game better, it’s better for the fans and the schools gain money which helps in recruiting and other improvements, it helps create excitement…blah, blah, blah.

Any team that is 6-5 doesn’t belong in a bowl game. Period, end of story. I don’t care if they were 0-11 the previous season and the feel good story of the year, 6-5 or God help us 6-6, just doesn’t cut it. Why reward mediocrity? If I was a coach and my team went 6-5, I’d be pissed!

The bowl system has been in place for a long, long time and most of the good ole’ boys in the NCAA don’t want to see that changed. The NCAA, along with the universities, love to count all the money that rolls in from corporate sponsors during bowl season.

The problem is that all these games are watering down college football and taking away what makes it special. To tell the truth, nobody, even the most diehard college football fan, cares about two 6-5 teams playing in a bowl game. Unless you are/were an alumnus or it’s your favorite team.

Nevertheless, the NCAA will keep creating more bowl games and continue to reward mediocrity. Remember, North Texas State made it to a bowl game a few years back with a 5-6 record! Excellent.

College football is a great institution, but like all institutions it desperately needs some overhauling. Too bad it’s not going to happen for a long, long time. Not while the dollars are flowing and the status quo is secure.

All I know is when the first International Bowl kicks off in Toronto and the NCAA smiles as it tries to win the hearts of Canadian fans, I’ll be at home, the TV turned off, with visions of a true playoff system dancing in my head.

Magnets are very fascinating and interesting elements. They have
been used for so many functions as well as for having fun.
Toying around with magnets can provide entertainment for
children and adults alike. Playing with their incredible
capabilities makes one at awe; it’s like magic how they cling to
metal and other magnets as well. Man has been engrossed with
their magnetic capabilities that they soon discovered how to
synthesize these capabilities bringing forth the electromagnet.
By simply coiling wires around into a loop, electric current is
passed through these coils and a magnetic field is created. This
can be very useful when natural magnets or permanent magnets are
not available or too costly. Permanent magnets are those that
don’t need outside influences to have a magnetic field.

Magnets are any object, be it a permanent magnet or an
electromagnet, which has a magnetic field. Magnets are attracted
or repelled by other objects. When that object can attract or
repel a magnet it is said that such objects have high
permeability, iron and steel are examples of those. All types of
magnets have two poles, termed bipoles; they are the South Pole
and the North Pole. Even if a magnet is reduced to a molecular
size there would still be the two opposing poles. Similar poles
would repel one another while dissimilar poles would attract
each other and make them stick together.

Magnets have been very useful and have been utilized in many
everyday objects. Many of what we enjoy today uses magnets in
one way or another. For instance, magnets are converted into
magnetic strips where in information can be stored. In the case
of video tapes and audio tapes, the sound and images are stored
on the magnetic coating of the tape. Placing these tapes near a
strong magnet will destroy the data encoded inside it. ATM,
credit and debit cards also employ a strip of magnetic field on
its backside. This magnetic strip contains all the information
needed to access their accounts and financial institutions
that’s concerned with the card.

Microphones and speakers also need magnets to make them work.
They utilize a combination of permanent magnet and an
electromagnet. Speakers use the electromagnet to carry the
signals that generate a varying magnetic field that influences
the motion of the magnetic fields that is generated by the
permanent magnet. This recurring force moves the cone which
produces the sound. The microphone has the same concept but is
done in a reverse manner. Common television sets and computer
monitors also use magnets to generate images. Generators and
electric motors also need magnets for proper operation.
Transformers also use them. Then there are the other uses for
magnets that can be quite fun and amusing, such as the
refrigerator magnets.

Magnets though can be stripped off of their magnetic
capabilities. For an electromagnet it is very easy, you only
need to deprive it of its flow of current and the magnetic field
will die down. For permanent magnets there are a couple of ways
to demagnetize it. Rubbing one magnet to another in a random
manner will do the job; some materials though cannot be
demagnetized because they have a high coercive field. Intense
heat also influences the magnetic attributes of a permanent
magnet.

Often times you haven’t even done anything to get buggered eyes. By that I mean you haven’t actually personally damaged them to the point of needing visual aid. If you’re like many you were just born with buggered eyes, and have had to deal with the hassles of glasses or contacts for a time that is too long to remember.

Is it worth it? - The hassle. That is the question that you should be asking yourself. Contacts came and made it more convenient, but what now? Eye surgery! Eye surgery has been around for several years now, and it’s amazing at how many people are still skeptical about it.

What is Lasik Eye Surgery?

Good Question - Glad you asked. Lasik is an acronym that stands for Laser-assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. It’s a procedure in which a laser is used to correct the shape of the eye, an as a result to correct the vision of the patient.

The first form of Lasik surgery was in 1970, when Dr Jose Barraquer, made it possible by developing the first microkeratome. The microkeratome is used to cut thin flaps in the cornea and alter its shape, in a procedure called keratomileusis. Building off the work of DR Barraquer Dr. Lucio Buratto in 1990 & Dr. Ioannis Pallikaris took the technique and made it widely effective and safe.

With the long history that is behind the surgery, there is not a need to be skeptical. I would recommend talking to your eye doctor, to gain more advice on the surgery and to see when and if it’s right for you. Good luck, happy sight!

Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of Cheap Lasik Eye Surgery Info - http://www.cheap-lasik-eye-surgery-info.com, which is the best site on the internet for all lasik eye surgery related information.

My right: Universal elementary education
A plight on Indian universal elementary education system

The god has created this wonderful universe. In this universe he/she has sent human to live. In human he/she has inserted an organ named brain. The brain generates ideas, these come from knowledge and finally knowledge can be gather only and only by education. Thus education is a basic fundamental need of human to live natural life.
In future, India is going to be largest population hub of world. Are we providing our new born brains that knowledge which they deserve? “My Right” deals with this aspect of future’s India. Right to education has become fundamental right in Indian statues books in 2002, as once Indian parliament had given its approval to 86th constitutional amendment in 2002 under article 21A of constitution. According to this every Indian child 6-14 year of age has fundamental right to free and compulsory education. Additional to this government of India has introduced a bill called “Right to education bill 2005”, which deal with early age child care and education for all children until they acquired the age of six. It also says that, it is the fundamental duty of every Indian parent to provide equal opportunities to his/her children of age of 6-14years to get education.
Please look into this for my sake.
Population
(6-14years) 226204139
Below poverty line
Population(6-14 years) 56573568
(25%)
Total of students
(primary) 149400000
Number of schools
(primary) 664041
Number of teachers
(primary) 2900000
Teacher/students ratio 40/teacher
Children not able to attend
the school (primary) 76804139
(33.9%)
%of girls out of school 39%
Expenditure on education 4.02% GDP
Source: census 2001&: UNICEF statistical year book

What are the reasons behind this all?
1. 25% of Indian population still live below poverty line means 2. The low adoption of modern education system by Muslims.
India is a multi religions nation.
a) % of religion based population
b) %of illiteracy among 6-14year
Above facts clearly tell the whole tale itself. 30.8% of my Muslim friends are remaining illiterate in target age for universal elementary education campaign (6-14 year). This is highest among all religious population in India. It is largely because, Muslims prefer theirs religious education over modern education.
3. Gender bias ness.
The Indian society is fully male dominant. The gender equation always tilts towards male section of society, decline sex ratio; numbers of women in different parts of society to government position is clear cut message of bias ness towards women in my part of world. This is also a hurdle in making my school/class fully humane. (Where every child of age 6-14 year can attend it
without any consideration of caste, creed, religion and gender).Please go through it. After making every girl child into school/class room, then and only than we can see education for all in real sense.

primary school
enrollment rate Primary completion
rates Youth illiteracy Rate (% of people aged 15-24)
Male
91
85
20.3
Female
76
69
35.2
Source: world Bank
4. Urban based education system.
Education system of India is urban centric, Every financial capable Indian parent want to send theirs kids to these urban schooling, so big gap has been created in favors of urban because all good schools, educational institutions and universities are based in urban areas.
Who is caring for me?
The education in India is subject of all and none to responsibility. As per Indian constitution education fall in concurrent list, which mean federal and state governments has its say on this all important subject of human development. Following are my care takers.
1. Federal government.
2. State government.
3. International agencies (united nations)
4. Private sectors.
What are being done for my sake?
1. Sarv shiksha abhiyan(Indian universal elementary education campaign)
2. Mid day meal programme(food for education launched in 1995 and revised in 2004)
3. District Primary Education Programme (launched in November, 1994 to overhauling the primary education system in India)
4. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (Setting up unto 750 residential schools with boarding facilities at elementary level for girls belonging predominantly to the SC, ST, OBC and minorities in difficult areas.)
5. Programme of Mobilizing Local Support to Primary Schools (PLUS)(launched in 2004 to get additional local resources by local support.)
6. 86th constitutional amendment in 2002 under article 21A of constitution. (every Indian child 6-14year of age has fundamental right to free and compulsory education)
7. Right to education bill 2005. (Early age child care and education for all children until they acquired the age of six.)
What I require?
As above stated programmes and schemes are being run by different federal and state governments agencies for me but still I am not able to reach school yet. So to get me enroll in school, I require following.
1. One teacher for 15 students

Students/teacher ratio Source: UNESCO
Above pictorial facts show that developed nations has always less Students/teacher ratio as compare to developing side, but some developing nations has achieved shoulder to shoulder with developed ones like China, Iraq etc. As identical to China, I require one teacher for 19 students of my class.
2. One School in one kilometer radius.
India has 2973190sq.km Land area. AS one school with in one kilo meter radius need approximately 2000000 primary schools, where as only 664041 schools are for me. This clearly means 1335959 more schools I require to get my education near to my home.
3. Free education for all
As per 86th constitutional amendment has ensured me free and compulsory education (6-14year age). But in practical rural India and some urban, it is too implemented in true sprit.
4. Common education system across India.
As in India education is subject for all but responsibility of none, because there is not a uniform education system in nation. This has made me more vulnerable when I have to move around nation in my 6-14 year’s child hood. So I need a common education system across the nation to make me easy at every part of country as same.
5. Education in my mother tongue
Language is the first barrier which a child has to face in his/her school entrance in India. If it is removed than I may really not fear to attend my school as I do now. Which in latter becomes substantial reason of my drop out from schools.
Where lay my future?
My future is lying in your hands. The world fraternity has pledged in April 2000 at Dakar (Senegal), education for all unto 2015 A.D. Where as my Indian education planners has set 2010A.D for me to be in school/class room. Last not the least is my humble request to all who are concerned with this mission “education for all” that kindly look into above plight, so that my right for universal elementary education will be available to my every brethren and sisters at the time of theirs birth.
Plighted by
An Indian child of 1967
E- mail:drawat@abcnewsnetwork.com

www.abcnewsnetwork.com

Many individuals judge the quality of their exercise session from the amount of pain they experience afterwards. These individuals are convinced by the old adage “No Pain No Gain”. Research on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) has demonstrated that here may in fact be some truth to this phrase.

Recall in a previous article presented on this website dealing with Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, we discussed the high probability that muscular pain after exercise results from actual muscle damage. This damage is viewed by the immune system as would any other injury and as a result, an inflammatory response is initiated to start the healing process. Several substances and chemicals are released during an inflammatory response and are thought to enhance the sensation of pain by excessively stimulating the nerve endings in the damaged tissue. So since pain is associated with muscle damage, in some cases it may be a fair indicator of a “good workout” or running session. The repair and healing of damaged muscle allows for hypertrophy or enlargement of the muscle fiber by the addition of myofibrils, thus increasing the cross sectional area.

Excessive muscle pain that continues for more than several days or continuously however is not desirable, as this is often an indicator of athlete overtraining or over-reaching. It must be stressed that if pain is experienced, it should be a “good” pain that is, not originating in the joints and should resolve within a couple of days. As exercise becomes more regular and the exerciser more accustomed to it, it will be noticed however that it becomes increasingly harder to elicit the same painful muscle response. The reason for this is unclear at this time but it is suggested that an exercise session that causes DOMS has a protective effect on subsequent exercise - lasting several weeks. Again it is unclear the exact mechanisms behind this protective effect.

In conclusion then, a regular exerciser should not place a high value on the “No Pain No Gain” evaluation of their workout, as their muscles will be less susceptible to the effects of DOMS. Rather it is suggested to concentrate on other factors such as strict technique and exercise variety so as to avoid undue stress on the joints and overtraining of single muscle groups.

David Petersen is a Personal Trainer/Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and the owner and founder of B.O.S.S. Fitness Inc. based in Oldsmar, Florida. More articles and information can be found at http://www.bossfitness.com

NOTE: You’re free to republish this article on your website, in your newsletter, in your e-book or in other publications provided the article is reproduced in its entirety, including this note, author information and all LIVE website links as above.

If you’ve studied business concepts you know that finding a customer can be the most expensive part of the sales process. Once you’ve got a customer why not maximize the money you’ve already invested in the effort?

This time honored business concept certainly falls under the category of going the extra mile for a customer. Assuming your product, customer service, packaging and shipping all work together to create a positive feedback posting, here are a few simple ideas companies have been utilizing for years to help them stand out from the crowd and maximize the return on sales dollars:

• A personalized thank you

• A drop in

• A thank you gift

Personalized Thank You

Every package you send to a customer should include a personalized thank you letter. Personalized means there is a salutary greeting such as “Dear Customer Name” and your personalized signature. Why personalized? Ever hear the old sales adage, “Don’t sell the product - sell the person?” It’s taught to sales professionals because it works. A friendly thank you note near the end of a good transaction (more on this later) reminds the buyer they are thought of as a person, not just another sale or number. A personalized touch in today’s impersonal marketplace is very refreshing.

The body copy of the note or letter is certainly up you but should be as specific to the transaction as possible (if you also include a packing slip/invoice the letter can be a little more generic). The goal of the note is to let the customer know they, and the sale, are important to you. Here’s a short example:

Dear (Customer Name):

I just wanted to personally thank you for your winning bid on our (product name), Item #11111111111, enclosed. Our customers are very important to us. We realize you have a choice in selecting who you buy from and we greatly appreciate your business - now and in future.

Sincerely,

(Your Signature)

Drop-ins and gifts

A drop-in or gift provide extra chances to say thank you, create customer loyalty, increase future sales, and maximize your return on the investment of finding your customers. As an example let’s say you’re selling pet supplies. For a few pennies each you can have refrigerator magnets printed like business cards that include your company name, email, eBay store, or website address. They can be as simple or complex as you can afford but only need to include something like:

Acme Pet Supplies (Your company name)

For All Your Pet’s Needs (A marketing line is a good idea)

Your Website Address (Either a link to your website or auctions)

Other inexpensive drop-ins and gifts could be something as simple as a business card, a sales sheet listing all the product types you carry, a gift certificate (to be used on your e-commerce website) for a future purchase, or an offer for your free newsletter. If you’re selling kitchen products you could include your favorite recipe, or if you’re selling poker supplies - a print out of the best starting hands might be nice.

Closing the Sales Cycle

Do you remember my comment earlier when I mentioned “near the end of a good transaction”? If you consider sending the product (with a thank you note, drop-in or gift) the end of the sales process you are missing another great opportunity to increase sales and improve you customer relations. Don’t consider the sales process completed until you send your valued customer one more email. About a week or ten days after shipping the product, send a follow-up email such as:

Dear Customer Name (again, make it as personal as possible):

Just wanted to follow up on our transaction and make sure everything went smoothly for you. We trust everything went well but if you had any problems please let us know. We are always looking for ways to improve our service and your input is very important to us. We will post positive feedback for you and hope you’ll do the same for us. We look forward to doing business with you again in the future.

Thanks again,

Your Name

(Suggestion: To avoid spam filters, in the subject line of your email include the eBay or auction item name and number)

Are the efforts to include a note, a drop-in, a gift, and do follow-ups a little more work and expense? Of course, but with the aid of simple automation packages on your computer the follow-ups can be somewhat automated and the drop-in or gift will help you create a returning customer.

Copyright © Steven Woodward – All Rights Reserved

About the Author:

Steven Woodward is the owner, editor and publisher of the Auction Sellers Network (ASN); a web site for individuals and companies who are serious about utilizing the online auction marketplace for their business. In addition to topical articles, ASN provides an extensive resource center, news feeds, member forums and classified ads. For more information or to become a member visit http://www.AuctionSellersNetwork.com

No permission is needed to reproduce an unedited copy of this article as long the About the Author tag is left intact and included. We do request that we be informed where it is posted and reciprocal links will be considered.

WHY ARE WE DYING TO KNOW THE TRUTH?
Please take the time to really read this report thoroughly as it contains vital information on health you will not find easily obtainable from other publications.

If you weren’t aware of the carcinogens and POISONS in your everyday personal care items then these reports will shock you!

Please READ ON!

Learn critical health secrets the giant vested interests don’t want you to know!
This new information may save your life…. but only if you put it into practice! To fully understand the significance of what is contained in these reports requires some basic knowledge.

Let’s begin by reviewing the way cancer is treated in North America, the UK and most “developed” countries today.
One of the most frightening things a person can hear from their doctor is, “you have cancer”. This is because we all know people who have been affected by this terrible disease. We may have friends or family members who have suffered and died from cancer. We may also know people who have contracted cancer and survived, but we also know the price some of them paid in chemotherapy induced illness and hair loss, in physical disfigurement from surgery, or in side effects from radiation treatments

The purpose of these reports is not to scare you, nor is it to provide medical advice. Ultimately, only you can decide what is best for you whether you are trying to prevent cancer or if you already have cancer and are seeking treatment.
To make good decisions, you must first have good information.
Would you agree…
Informed people make informed decisions?
If you want to reduce your chance of getting cancer, you must know something of what may cause cancer. You must know how you can minimize your potential exposure and how you can support your body’s natural abilities to protect itself from cancer.
In this report, we will attempt to provide some of that information.
The first step will be to expose a few myths

• MYTH #1:
We are winning the battle with cancer, and survival rates are much better today than in the past.
False!
Cancer has become AN EPIDEMIC… effecting massive numbers of people in all social and economic groups. It is now the 2nd leading cause of death in North America, Australia and the UK. Death from cancer is exceeded only by heart disease.

The American Cancer Society says that 1 in 2 of all men and 1 in 3 of all women in our country today will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime. This is a massive increase over the 1 person in 80 who contracted cancer 100 years ago. Due to the huge numbers of people dying in the USA from all degenerative diseases, not just cancer, life expectancy is being revised downward for the first time ever by medical researchers.
According to the NEJM report, studies suggest that two-thirds of American adults are overweight. One study cited by the authors indicates that the prevalence of obesity in U.S. adults has increased about 50 percent per decade since 1980.

Additional research has shown that people who are severely obese live up to 20 years less than people who are not overweight and are much more prone to contracting cancer. Some researchers have estimated that obesity causes about 300,000 premature deaths in the U.S. annually. In addition, obesity is fuelling an epidemic of type 2 diabetes, which also reduces lifespan and is the cause of many debilitating diseases and blindness.

Life expectancy in the USA is now at a high of 77.6 years. If the researchers’ predictions hold true in the next 50 years, it would be the first reversal in life expectancy since the government started keeping track in 1900.

This year, about 1,200,000 new cancer cases will be diagnosed in the USA alone, with hundreds of thousands more in the UK and in Australia and other Western countries. When added to the millions who already have cancer, the anticipated loss of life easily exceeds 1,000,000 per year. (Over 1,500 people in the U.S. alone die every day from cancer.)
In spite of massive investments in research, cancer rates are increasing markedly among all age groups, including children, whose rate of increase is nearly 1% per year according to the American Cancer Institute. In some parts of the world, cancer already affects 1 in every 2 people, and the trend continues to get worse.
Eventually the rate could approach 100%

Although small improvements have occurred in treating some cancers, the overall rate of recovery for cancer patients has changed very little over the past 50 years. The average cancer survival rate was about 50% in 1950, and it is still about 50% today. For African-Americans, the survival rate in 1950 was under 40%, and it also remains about the same today.

• MYTH #2:

Chemotherapy is very effective in treating cancer and in saving the lives of cancer victims.
False!

Over the years, many dramatic claims have been made by pharmaceutical companies and other members of the cancer establishment regarding drug based treatments for cancer. Today, chemotherapy is the most common form of cancer treatment. If such successful results were actually being achieved, improvements could readily be observed in the survival rates. Yet, survival rates remain basically unchanged.

Chemotherapy consists of a mixture of highly toxic drugs which are given the patient in a series of treatments over a period of time. Research shows that chemotherapy can often cause a partial or even complete shrinkage of a tumour, although this shrinkage does not necessarily prolong expected survival.

In fact, studies have found that the cancer often returns even more aggressively than before, because the chemotherapy has created more resistant cells. In addition, a strongly negative side effect of chemo is that it can severely damage the body’s immune system as well as the kidneys and liver. Some patients will die from these complications alone. It is often a case of the cure being far more serious and deadly then the disease.

A good indication of the effectiveness of chemotherapy can be found in polls surveying cancer doctors regarding what they would choose for themselves if they were diagnosed with cancer. Many US doctors have stated they would not choose chemotherapy for themselves due to its ineffectiveness and its unacceptable levels of toxicity. Sixty percent of doctors who responded to a similar poll in the UK indicated that they would not submit themselves to chemotherapy!

Still, doctors continue to administer chemotherapy because they do not have approved medical alternatives. The fact is, there are large profits to be made by the drug companies in administering chemotherapy, whether it is actually effective or not.

Well that is all in this first Toxic Chemical and Cancer Report. I hope you have enjoyed reading this, the first report in a ten report series. The reports will continue to give you factual hype free information about the myths concerning cancer and other health issues in future reports.

Sincerely
Kind regards

Kevin McGoldrick

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Most people have some kind of debt throughout their life. Having debt isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s how you manage your debt that’s important. Because, having excellent credit means that you will typically get the best interest rate when you do borrow money. Creditors will see you as less of a risk and they will provide you with the most attractive loan terms, because they want your business.

Typically, there are three big debts in life: housing, transportation and education. You have debt when you choose to either buy a place to live or rent. Technically, either is a form of debt. Also, unless you are very disciplined and save a lot to pay cash for you car, you will probably have to borrow to buy your car. Many people can’t even escape college without debt. That is why many students must seek debt consolidation for their student loans. These debts are realities for most people.

You also can have bills that are considered debt, like your electric bill. Financial planning purists would have you live with no debt. But, this is not realistic for most people. So a debt plan is needed (which sometimes debt consolidation).

Your goal is to live without unnecessary debts and debt consolidation can help with this. “Unnecessary debts” are things like credit cards, loans for new windows, furniture financing, etc. These are normally small debts that sounded good at the time you borrowed, but may have gotten out of hand when stacked on top of each other. Although, sometimes they’re necessary purchases, like new tires, it’s the way that they are managed by people that makes them burdensome. Debt consolidation will not reduce the burden, but it could, if managed effectively, make your debt more manageable.

So let’s outline a procedure for taking back your life if debt has become or might become burdensome.

1. Get all of your bills together and list your monthly debts.

2. Sort the debts. You should physically put them into two piles: one for monthly bills you can’t do anything about and one for other (these will end up being bills eligible for debt consolidation). For Example: Pile 1 includes: Home Mortgage, Gas Bill, Child Support, … (these are not eligible for debt consolidation) and Pile 2: Credit Cards, Lines of Credit, small loans, … (these are eligible for debt consolidation).

3. Next take out three pieces of paper and write “Absolutely Necessary” on the top of one piece of paper. List all the bills in Pile 1. But, before you add up the total, determine if there’s any debt you’ve listed that you can immediately eliminate. For example, have you listed Cable TV or newspaper. You can you cut back on these and save money. Although they’re small, they add up.

Once you come up with a list of debt that’s absolutely necessary, add it up and circle the total. If this number is bigger than your take-home pay, Stop. You need to find a financial professional or certified credit counselor, immediately. You have reason to be scared, because currently you aren’t making it.

4. Write “Manage” on the top of the other piece of paper. List Pile 2. This is the list you can work on (budget, payoff or debt consolidation). You may have moved the Cable TV or newspaper bills to this pile. Just to see where you are, add up this page. Circle the total.

5. On the Third piece of paper, write “Worksheet”. This is where you are going to figure things out. This page will show you how to use budgeting, payoffs and debt consolidation to your best benefit.

6. On your worksheet, write “Where I Am:” then add pages one and two

Example: Where I Am: $1500 + $750 = $2250

7. Look at the number from Step 6. How does it compare to your paycheck? To find out, subtract Step 7 from your paycheck. Example: Paycheck - Payments = $2300 - $2250 = $50

8. If Step 7 is negative or very small, your problem is that you don’t have enough money to live on with your current debt. Debt consolidation may help you, but you need to follow a strict budget that will result in the elimination all of your unnecessary debt.

9. If Step 8 is relatively large, then you have a spending problem. You will need to learn how to spend better so you can payoff your debt, otherwise you will never escape this problem. There are many budgeting systems and software existing to help you with this problem. Quicken works great for me and many others. Other software you can use includes Microsoft Money. There’s also free downloads you can use to help you develop a family budget.

If you determine that you have a spending problem, then you can use debt consolidation, but without a good budget plan, you are likely to get in trouble again. Some people in your situation use debt consolidation and actually in end up with more debt! So my recommendation is to put off the debt consolidation until you have a budget.

10. If Step 7 is negative or very small, measures need to be taken to manage your debt. Take a good look at your list. We discussed Cable TV above. Look at any subscriptions that you could cut back on or eliminate? Do you need your gym membership? Can you cancel a cell phone? Are you paying someone to cut your grass? Some of these things you may need, while others you can completely eliminate.

11. Next, look at your debts. Do you have a bunch of little loans? If so, then develop a plan to pay the minimum on the others to pay them off. You probably can’t do anything quickly about a $7000 balance, but a $400 balance could be paid of in just a few months.

12. Cancel all but your largest credit card. When you cancel a card, you won’t have to pay the balance immediately, you simply won’t be able to place any charges on it. This way if you have to put something on a card, only one balance will be growing.

13. Now that you have in effect “closed the barn door,” what do your debts look like? Is there very little improvement? Has your budget opened up? If you are left with more than three large debts, you should look at a debt consolidation loan. This loan will reduce your payments to the minimum possible and maximize the size of your paycheck. I recommend that you use a mortgage calculator to figure out what interest rate and terms you need and what are available to further ease your spending.

14. Lastly, go thru Steps 1-7 again. In fact do this over and over. Think wash, rinse, dry. Does the picture change significantly each cycle? If yes, and you are now living comfortably, good. Stay the course. If no and you are not living more comfortably, talk to a certified credit counselor. You need more help than this article on debt consolidation loans can give you.

Debt consolidation should not be considered some magic pill that will make all your debts go away. Debt consolidation is really a tool you can use with other strategies to manage your financial life, not just your debt. Debt consolidation can reduce your stress, but could also make your situation worse, if not managed effectively. To make it work for you, you have to find a budget that you can live with.

With all of the styling tool options available in today’s market, it can be very confusing to choose the best curling iron for your hair. I mean, let’s face it; most curling irons claim to be the best buy, but are they really? So, what should you really look for in a curling iron and what should you avoid?

When choosing the best curling iron for your hair, you should discount everything that companies say about their product in order to market it. I mean, they have a vested interest in selling more curling irons, so who would believe what they had to say anyway? But you should pay attention to what is written on the packaging in the small letters.

The first thing that you should look for is a thermostat controlled heat setting. This feature will allow you to select the temperature of the curling iron and set it according to how much heat you need to style your hair. You see, not all hair can withstand the same amount of heat. Some hair types, like fine hair, can only withstand minimal heat while coarse hair may need more intense heat to achieve any curl. So, choosing a curling iron without this setting could result in more damage than is necessary or styles that are hard to achieve and maintain.

Another thing that you should pay attention to is what type of material the barrel is made out of. On most irons, the barrel is made of metal, but you can find irons that are velvet covered and ceramic plated. Velvet covered irons are great for hair that is easily snagged and broken. Ceramic plated irons work to infuse moisture into the hair strands while it is being curled. For the most part, a metal barreled iron will do and these are the least expensive. But if your hair is damaged or dull, you might want to spend a little extra for the ceramic-plated iron.

The first thing to wear out on a curling iron is usually the cord. This is because the cord is put under a lot of pressure at the point where it connects with the curling iron when you move the iron this way and that. To get an iron that lasts, choose an iron with a swivel cord connection. This type of cord will move as you move thus reducing the stress to the inner wires.

So, the next time you choose to buy a curling iron, pay less attention to the brand name and pomp surrounding a particular iron and look for features that you really need.

Jenny is a hair expert, and the author of an incredible free minicourse, that explains how to find your unique style, how long or short you should have your hair, how to find the right hair color for you, how to find the right salon, and a lot more. Go to www.hairstylevillage.com/ now!