The Content Hoarder

The potentially fatal toxic shock syndrome, concerns about the environment and irritation are just some of the reasons why woman today are becoming more aware of the alternatives to conventional sanitary products. Here’s a quick guide to some of the options available…

Cath Wanless, 37 made what some women might consider a radical decision to give up using traditional tampons over three years ago. She says “Tampons have always made me feel dry and uncomfortable and I was also worried about the risk of toxic shock syndrome. I was also concerned about the environmental problems they caused, not to mention the fact that traditional tampons used to infuriate thrush which I’ve suffered from for years.”

“So I launched my quest for a natural alternative and began experimenting with alternative forms of sanitary protection. I initially tried the Mooncup, a reusable rubber cup which you wear internally to collect the blood and found it reasonably comfortable and easy to use.”

“However, the real breakthrough came when I stumbled across Sea Pearls on the internet. They’re a natural, reusable sea sponge tampon and they’re amazing! The idea may seem a little unusual, and it may take a little getting used to but they’re surprisingly easy to use and certainly no messier than non-applicator tampons.”

“Moreover, I haven’t been hit with a single bout of thrush since! My life has been transformed from miserable itching fiend to normal human being. Every woman should know the alternatives that are available, after all it’s a natural and unavoidable part of every woman’s life.”

There are a number of reasons why women want to swap to more natural menstrual products. Liz Sutton of Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) explains; “Rayon, which is used in many tampons, has been linked to toxic shock syndrome. It’s a rare disease but it can be fatal. In Britain we flush away four million sanitary items a day. They block sewers and some of them get washed out to sea. It’s better to bag and bin them but this can add waste to landfill sites. There are many natural products on the market, you just need to find one that suits you”. The Alternatives: • Sea Pearls Available in packs of 2 for £7.99, lasting six months or more from health food shops, chemists and beauty salons. They can also be found online at www.seapearls.co.uk. • The Mooncup Available from larger Boots stores, priced at £19.99 or by mail order for £17.99 at www.mooncup.co.uk. • Natracare’s non-chlorine bleached organic cotton tampons and towels are available from supermarkets and chemists or by mail order at www.natural-woman.com.

Do we agree that life is a struggle? It’s kind of fun if you have a sense of humor, but you have to be serious about estate planning. Estate planning simply means doing your best to preserve the wealth and assets you accumulate during your lifetime.

For those who have even a modest estate a living trust may be your first line of defense. An attorney can prepare one for a reasonable fee, or you can buy a guide and do it yourself.

Living trusts are easy to understand and easy to create if you will spend two or three hours reading instructions and preparing the needed forms and documents. A living trust is really just a legal basket into which you put all your assets to protect them from probate. The trust gives you a chance to pass your wealth on to those you choose. In probate a court makes those decisions.

Are there alternatives to a living trust? Yes, many. We will cover a couple of the simple ones.

The most common alternative is the joint titling of assets. If you want your house to pass to your daughter you put both your name and her name on title as joint tenants with right of survivorship. When you die the house passes to your daughter and avoids probate. You can do the same with bank accounts, brokerage accounts and cars.

Joint titling is easy, but dangerous. If your daughter has legal problems the assets with joint title become fair game for lawsuits. Another drawback is that joint titling is irrevocable. If things should turn nasty between you and your daughter, tough luck. You are stuck with her as a joint owner of your assets. There are also some tax consideration which might not be beneficial. Talk to your tax advisor.

Here’s a good one…the beneficiary deed. They are not yet allowed in all states, but it should be considered if they are legal where you own property. A beneficiary deed simply states who is entitled to the property upon your death. It is entirely revocable during your lifetime.

Bank accounts and brokerage accounts can contain a transfer-on-death designation. This is super, because the designation is entirely revocable during your lifetime. Transfer-on-death simply states who is entitled to the contents of the account upon your death. It avoids the risks associated with joint tenancies. You could name one beneficiary or any number and even what portion of the asset each should receive.

An estate planning attorney will have lots of other solutions to your more complicated estate needs.

I use a very basic plan. I have my $142 dollars in an old soup can buried in the back yard. Oops! Don’t show this to the IRS.

Mark Walters advises real estate investors from his web pages at http://www.CashFlowInstitute.com

The evidence of creatures whose existence is uncertain is studied by cryptozoology, a science researching presumable proof of animals considered extinct or out of this world, which are still occasionally reported as seen in diverse locations. Such hypothetical creatures are usually referred as “cryptids”, a term coined by John Wall in 1983, while cryptozoology is a term attributed to the Scottish adventurer and explorer Ivan T. Sanderson, the Father of cryptozoology is regarded as Bernard Heuvelmans, who published a book using this term for the fist time in 1955. Bernard Heuvelmans believed that cryptozoology would be undertaken with scientific rigor, but keeping an open-mind to find the grains of truth behind fantastic elements in folk tales depicting fantastic unseen creatures, and that folklore and traditions are the best sources to approach these myths.

William J. Broad wrote in the New York Times, “Monster lovers take heart. Scientists argue that so much of the planet remains unexplored that new surprises are sure to show up; if not legendary beasts like the Loch Ness monster or the dinosaur-like reptile ‘Champ’ said to inhabit Lake Champlain, then animals that in their own way may be even stranger. Cryptozoologists try to unveil the mystery behind hidden creatures which all of us have heard about, but just a few have been seen very briefly that it is impossible to determine where the truth ends, but usually is where the myth begins.

The Loch Ness monster (Nessie), Mothman, the Abominable Snowman, and Chupacabras, are just a few of those creatures whose existence is not clear, and there is not enough proof whether to confirm or deny the legitimacy of reports made by witnesses who have seen them. Skepticism is prevalent among scientists, despite the fact that many cryptozoologists are also respected scientists in other fields, who have found vestiges of previously unknown animals, but still cannot find the missing proof of creatures seen during the last two centuries.

Anyway, notable cryptozoologists have contributed actively with their research, including Bigfoot researchers Erik Beckjord, Peter Byrne, René Dahinden, Paul Freeman, Cliff Crook and John Green. Loch Ness Monster researchers Tim Dinsdale, Fredrick William Holiday, Roy Mackal, and Peter Scott, and Cadborosaurus researcher Paul LeBlond, Chupacabra researcher Scott Corrales, Mothman researcher John Keel, Champ researcher Joseph W. Zarzynski, Jonathan Downes, founder of Centre for Fortean Zoology, and John Kirk, president of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, among many other scientists and researchers.

Cryptozoologists have found over a hundred creatures, whose existence is not confirmed, including the Winnipogo, Yeti, Kongamato, Igopogo, Globsters, Congo Peacock, Abogwe, Giant Anaconda, Minnesota Iceman, Mokele-mbembe, besides the widespread creatures mentioned above. In addition, researches have found dozen of different lake monsters, the Mountain Gorilla, Discovered in October 1902 by Belgian Army, the Kouprey and the Komodo Dragon discovered in 1937 and 1912 respectively, and the unbelievable Goblin universe.

There is a website that describes this and numerous other creatures of Cryptozoology in detail. The website is called: Unknown Creatures, and may be found at this address:

http://www.unknown-creatures.com

By Robert W. Benjamin

Copyright © 2006

Have you ever suffered from shoulder discomfort after working out? I am referring to aching or sharp pain experienced in the front of the shoulder or lateral upper arm that is felt with overhead activities, reaching behind the back or even laying on the shoulder. These symptoms are often indicative of rotator cuff inflammation. This is a common problem for many people who perform resistance training on a regular basis. It is also a problem that can easily be prevented by modifying the following “dangerous shoulder exercises.”

Bench Press - This is a popular exercise chosen to build the chest, along with the anterior deltoid and triceps. Most teach taking the bar down until it lightly touches the chest. However, I believe this is unsafe because it exposes the anterior shoulder capsule to excessive load, in addition to compressing the soft tissue of the rotator cuff between the humerus and the acromion. Over time, with repeated bouts and heavy loads, the rotator cuff becomes inflamed.

Individuals with any anterior shoulder laxity (loose joints) or history of subluxation/dislocation are also at increase risk for rotator cuff injury or labral (shoulder cartilage) damage. Furthermore, you also have the potential to rupture the pectoralis tendon with full range pressing during heavy loads. The safe answer is to lower the bar until the upper arm is parallel to the floor (elbow bent to 90 degrees). This prevents the shoulder joint from moving into the unsafe range. The same advice applies to push-ups.

Lat Pull Downs - This is a good exercise to strengthen the back, but when done behind the head it can cause problems. Like the bench press, pulling the bar down behind the head positions the humerus in such a way that the rotator cuff can be pinched. This may depend on other factors, including the shape of a person’s acromion and degree of any present arthritis, but I still believe the risk outweighs any benefit. Not to mention that keeping the bar in front of the head still accomplishes the same movement for the target muscle, while eliminating the risk of shoulder injury. Remember not to sway during the movement, and position the body in a slightly reclined position, pulling the bar toward the sternum. Another unrelated reason not to do behind the neck pull downs is that it places undue stress on the cervical spine.

Military Press - This exercise when performed behind the neck with a bar, positions the shoulder in the aforementioned unfavorable position. Done repeatedly, the rotator cuff can become inflamed. Similar to behind the neck pull downs, you also expose your neck to unnecessary stress. It is safer to perform the exercise in front of the head or utilize dumbbells and work in the scapular plane. You must watch to avoid arching the low back and it is best to use a bench with back support to prevent this.

Dips/Upright Row - As before, the key mistake made with these exercises is allowing the shoulder to move beyond 90 degrees relative to a position parallel to the floor or perpendicular to the body. I always recommend stopping at 90 degrees to protect the shoulder capsule and the rotator cuff.

Dumbbell Lateral Raise - In my opinion, this exercise is often done incorrectly. The mistakes include lifting too much weight, keeping the arms straight, and raising the arms out away from the body in the plane of the body. The force on the rotator cuff reaches 90% of your body weight when the arms are raised to 90 degrees with the arms straight and in the plane of the body. That is a lot of force on four relatively small rotator cuff muscles. The target muscle is the lateral deltoid, but the rotator cuff is extremely active, and it functions to allow you to raise the arm by depressing the humerus so that it passes under the acromion during active elevation. When heavy loads are introduced in the wrong plane of motion, disaster usually occurs. I am fanatical about performing this exercise correctly.

The proper way to execute a lateral raise is to keep the elbows comfortably flexed (20-30 degrees) and raise the arm to no higher than parallel to the floor. The arm should be in the scapular plane of motion (approximately 30-45 degrees from being perpendicular to the body) and the weight should be relatively light. Once you feel you have to shrug or use momentum to raise the weight, you need to rest or lower the weight. In my opinion, this is one of the worst exercises for the shoulder if done incorrectly.

In summary, I want to emphasize that good intentions may spell bad results for the shoulder if proper form is lacking. The rotator cuff and shoulder joint is extremely vulnerable to heavy loads and repetitive bouts of exercise. Gradually, it may become inflamed and hinder or limit your workout altogether. Be sure to master form before increasing weight, and do not attempt to work through pain, as this often perpetuates the problem. Remember to assess risk and reward at all times, and rest assured that these modifications will not hinder your gains. Instead, they will prevent missed time in the gym and produce happier, healthier shoulders!

Copyright © 2004 Brian Schiff.

Brian Schiff, PT, CSCS, is a respected author, physical therapist and fitness expert. To learn more about preventing shoulder injuries or resolving rotator cuff pain, visit http://www.rotatorcufftraining.com.

Benefits do exist for your exercise program with the use of treadmills. Your heart, lungs, and circulation will get a wonderful cardiovascular workout from the use of a treadmill. It is easier and less painful to workout when there is low impact on your joints while you exercise.

It is a great workout for women who are pregnant. It builds endurance which will likely help during labor because it is low impact and cardiovascular in nature. Treadmills especially the lower end models, are not expensive and they are easy to use. If you want to lose weight and body fat try using a treadmill.

Treadmills have a non-physical benefit, they don’t take up a lot of space. Some treadmills could take up a whole room but you can find some that fold and are powered by your movement only, if space is the issue. If you want to find the one that is appropriate for you, do some research and talk to professionals.

The best thing to do is to compare various models. What kind of features do you want on your treadmill? When comparing different models you should look at a number of things. This can all be overwhelming because all you want to do is workout.

The motor type can affect the size of your machine. One of the most important things to look at are the belt trackers. It’s the running belt placement and the type of movement of the belt as you work out. The belt should move smoothly over the rollers as opposed to jerky movement.

Have you seen the checkout belts in the market that move then stop and move again and stop again? If your treadmill works like that there can be more impact on your joints than necessary and injury could result. The width of the belt and its length is something else to look at.

You could end up “running-off” the end of the belt if it is too short. Your stance will not necessarily be supported if the belt is too narrow. You can try a machine that is similar to the one you want or try the one you do want if possible. The impact on your joints as well as your workout will be affected by the type and percentage of incline.

You can increase the slope to be as if you were climbing a steep hill on most treadmills as you make progress. You should be able to adjust the speed-how fast the belt moves also. There is a minimum and maximum speed, do you know what it is? You can make your workout more effective with this knowledge and plan it better.

Check your treadmill console for the heart monitor which should be a key feature. Knowing your resting heart rate and the target heart rate (the highest number you can safely reach to get maximum benefits) will help make your workout more beneficial.

Also on your console there should be displayed your speed, your time, and the distance you’ve covered. Learning how to properly use your treadmill is essential before attempting to use it. The control panel should be very easy to read.

In order to use the control panel, do you need the software program? Something you don’t want is a noisy treadmill. You don’t want the noise to be overpowering but know there will be some noise. The noise level should be tolerable, is it?

Is the belt’s thickness acceptable? You want a belt thick enough to last for a long time, a thin belt could wear over time. Some belts will stretch out. If you want your treadmill to last, be sure to check the belt for stretching or cracking.

The weight of the machine is something you should consider. Some companies will deliver it to the door but it’s your job to get it into the house and set it up. If you don’t like the looks of your machine you will be less likely to use it.

When not in use, will it be easy to store? Since it will likely occupy the same space it does when not in use, you will have to decide if this is practical for you. Treadmills should not be place near walls to prevent injury. Set it up at about 8 feet from any wall, ledge, or window.

In order to prevent someone from falling while getting off the treadmill all of the wires and the power supply should be out of the way of walking areas or taped down. Listed below are a few tips on using your new treadmill.

Straddle the belt before you get on it, and make sure it’s set at the proper speed. Keep your eyes straight ahead because your feet will follow your eyes. Preventing slips and falls can be done by staying in the center of the belt.

If your looking for tips and advice on treadmills or fitness equipment in general, Martin Smith had a resource of information available. From Treadmills to Home Fitness Equipment you’ll find something.

Even though Property Index may be considered a young house, they were registered only in March 2007, they have fast gained in reputation. They are actually a pretty down-to-earth house focusing entirely on servicing any person determined to buy, sell, etc. realty across the world. They promise to help you out light on dead-on what’s looked for very quickly plus, obviously, in a trouble-free manner.

Real property is available just about anywhere currently, one of the most called for areas being realty available for sale in Portugal. It should be easy to chart the fun property for sale in Portugal, one reason for opting for estate here being realty you can purchase and the superb possibility of spending your life amongst such a animated populace. This is one of the truly trendy property markets currently, and in view of the scenic beauty and the wonderful sunshine surrounding you here, how could you ever say no? Real property in Portugal is steeped in history, art and culture, this region is home to a good many nations.

Property Index sell a range of villas and apartments, take a look at their site if you are looking for overseas property investment, click here to view the properties.

Just 25 or 30 years ago you’d find just a trickle of Britishers in search of property in Portugal. Ask any person who has emigrated to Portugal and they’ll certainly back this up. Quite a few people would are tagging it a brief trend and others are tagging it a that’s more or less a fetish… People that are looking to migrate to this region generally range from young working couples looking for a new life perspective to OAPs planning to have a break. Note that there could be difficulties when trying to purchase property overseas; you’ll have to cover a million different, often not very intuitive, procedures be it when brainstorming, surveying or completing. If you only miss just a single minor action it is certain to bring about overwhelming difficulties not to forget, even more important, financial damage.

Obviously, as is to be supposed with this favored region, property may well be pricey in this region which is, of course, clearly because of the wide spread market demand. Notwithstanding buyers are doubtlessly quite spoiled in such a place boasting such a tremendous environment. It can boast all, stock and barrel, a buyer may ever desire, and then some.

Why home owners file insurance claims? The answer to this question is obvious;
because of some kind of loss. Do you know what the leading reason property
owners filed claims with their insurance companies? According to c 2005 fact book
the answer is Fire and lightning counting for 32.42% of all loss claims. The second
leading cause of damage claims is Wind with 22.8 % followed in third by Water
damage with 21.74% and finally theft with 4.54%(these figures are based on 5 year
averages from 1999 to 2003). What does this mean? It means that statistically
speaking you have less to fear from your neighbor than you thought you did.
Knowledge is power; you are now empowered to protect your home from these
causes of home damage. How though?

One unsettling thought is how we are at the whim of natures’ wrath. Sure you can
install a lighting rod on your home to protect it from lightning strikes but what do
you do to protect you from the big ole tree next to our house that just got slammed
by lightning and is now not only on fire but also falling onto your house. Cut the
tree down, make a home out of asbestos and open up a whole other can of worms
or do you just try to be prepared as best you can for disaster? Being prepared for
disaster sounds like the best option to me.

How do I prepare for eminent doom? You would start by taking care of obvious
holes in your homes safety net. For example if you don’t have a grounded lightning
rod installed on your house do that especially if you live in a high risk area i.e. an
area where there are frequent lightning storms. Make sure that when you do tackle
a hole in that net that you fix it correctly the first time, otherwise you’ll learn the
lesson my grandma ingrained in me “the lazy person winds up working twice as
hard”. After patching up the apparent holes its time to shore up the not so palpable
ones; what I mean is doing the little things that will pay back big dividends for your
foresight. Or example making an inventory of all your possessions is a great place
to start. If the unthinkable happens, with your home inventory you’ll have a record
of everything you had and what’s more your inventory is just the tool you’ll reach
for during the claims process.

The first thing your insurance company will ask you for is to compile a list of all the
lost or damaged items. No problem for you because you have your home inventory!
But what is this wondrous, magical tool? A home inventory is simply a list of all of
your possessions, with photos and details such as make, model, serial number, all
compiled in a neat and organized fashion for quick dissemination. Imagine the
claims process without it; having to compile that list after the home was burned
down. Could you remember everything? Would you be even in the right state of
mind to be able to do this? Don’t wait if you haven’t done this act now, later will be
too late.

Another smart move would be to check out what disasters are actually covered by
your insurance policy. Listed below is a list of most of the disasters covered by most
insurance policies (from the Insurance Information Institute’s website). http://
www.iii.org/individuals/homei/hbasics/whattype/

What type of disasters are covered?
Perils
1. Fire or lightning
2. Windstorm or hail
3. Explosion
4. Riot or civil commotion
5. Damage caused by aircraft
6. Damage caused by vehicles
7. Smoke
8. Vandalism or malicious mischief
9. Theft
10. Volcanic eruption

The following might not be covered by your policy!
11. Falling objec
t
12. Weight of ice, snow or sleet
13. Accidental discharge or overflow of water or steam from within a plumbing,
heating, air conditioning, or automatic fire-protective sprinkler system, or from a
household appliance.
14. Sudden and accidental tearing apart, cracking, burning, or bulging of a steam or
hot water heating system, an air conditioning or automatic fire-protective system.
15. Freezing of a plumbing, heating, air conditioning or automatic, fire-protective
sprinkler system, or of a household appliance.
16. Sudden and accidental damage from artificially generated electrical current
(does not include loss to a tube, transistor or similar electronic component)

Most policies cover only the first ten items on this list the rest are extra’s. The next
list covers item that are not covered by most home policies.

Disasters not covered
1. Floods?
You can purchase flood coverage directly from your homeowners insurance agent.
However, the policy is provided by the Federal Flood Insurance Program
( 800-427-4661, http://www.fema.gov/nfip ). You can get replacement cost
coverage for the structure of your home, but only actual cash value coverage is
available for your possessions. There may also be limits on coverage for furniture
and other possessions stored in your basement. Flood insurance is available for
renters as well as homeowners. You will need flood insurance if you live in a
designated flood zone. But also consider buying it if your house could be flooded by
melting snow, an overflowing creek or water running down a steep hill. Don’t wait
until the evening news announces a flood season warning to buy a policy. There is a
30-day waiting period before coverage takes effect.?

2. Earthquakes?
Earthquake coverage can be a separate policy or an endorsement to your
homeowners or renters policy. It available from most insurance companies. In
California, it is also available from the California Earthquake Authority
( http://www.cea.gov ). In earthquake prone states like California, the policy comes
with a high deductible.?

3. Maintenance damage?
It is your responsibility to take reasonable precautions to protect your home from
damage. Your insurance policy will not cover damage due to lack of maintenance,
mold, termite infestation and infestation from other pests.

In light of recent disaster’s it might be a good idea in looking into flood insurance
coverage. You can find out if you live in a flood plain by contacting your local
government office, for that info if you’re not sure. You can find their phone
numbers listed in the blue pages of your local phone book.
Finally use your imagination as to how you can protect and make your home
disaster proof. There are countless other things you can do inspite of the factors
that you cannot control. Just use your head and find the holes. Remember you are
your homes first and last line of defense; if you don’t take care of your home, who
will? Be proactive, that way you can be prepared for the worst of situations. Good
luck and be safe!

http://www.myhiss.com H.I.S.S. Home Inventory Service Specialists is headed up by
CEO: Richard Berroa; a producer whose background is in live T.V. production and
documentaries. At HBO, NBC and PBS; Rich was responsible for gathering all the
information for the shoot (the who, what, when, where) and putting them to insure a
successful production (the How). That skill set is now put to work for your own
H.I.S.S. catalog; which is a mini production itself. The same commitment, attention
to details and meticulous organization will now work for you. We are a company set
up to serve an under served need; the fact is that all insurance companies tell their
clients to make an inventory but they do not provide this service to their customers.
WHY? Maybe it is because it’s simply is not in their (the insurance company’s) best
interest. Empowering you the customer is our priority. We are insured; currently we
service the entire east coast but we are willing to travel beyond on a per case basis.

One of the key things to remember when developing your web-site presence is to always evaluate your competition. See what’s working for them; how they market their products and services, and even evaluate their KEYWORD and DISCRIPTION tags.

The key points of using these two Meta Tags, is optimization!

Evaluate your Keywords: look at your web-site and evaluate it services and products, be sure to do a search in www.Google.com to help you pick the keywords that your potential clients may be looking for.

The next thing is to evaluate your site content to see just how often you’re using these keywords, the biggest mistake that web-masters make is creating their Meta Tag Description and Keywords and not including them in their content pages.

To get the best results, is to ensure that you use as many of your keywords and discretion tags throughout your entire site.

The next thing is your products or images, be sure to include some of those keywords in your <*IMG ALT=*"" Tag, this to will help you optimize your site, and increase more frequent visits from spider bots.

Google, Yahoo, and Msn all use the following tags:

Be sure to include these in your Meta Tag, as it tells spider bots to search links to other pages on your site, increasing your chance of getting better indexed in the search engines.

The next key point is to also ensure you have created page titles for each section of your site, this is another mistake most make and they usually brand each page with their site name, the mistake is that, when your potential client types in to Google for a specific item or product you lesson your chances on being pulled up.

Name each section of your site using the Keywords you developed for your web-site, this ensuring higher page ranking in Google, and you not being found within the first returned results but ending up on page 15 etc.

Google looks also for inbound links, these being partner web-sites that have agreed to become a link partner or affiliate of your site.

Also update your content regularly, Google loves content, content, content, the more rich content you provide using your keywords the better you page rankings will be. The best method we found is to update your pages 2 to 3 times a week, for example Monday, Wednesday and again Sunday.

Thus ensuring the Google spider-bot will return regularly as so will your potential clients, as visitors are most likely to visit a web-site that is updated with new and interesting topics or items.

Now use Google, and do a search for your competition, within the first page results returned looked for potential link partners, which offer the same resources or products as you.

Contact the administrator or web-master simply asking them to link exchange with you. Most sites already offer a link exchange program or an affiliate program. These are perfect ways to create inbound links to your site that have already established Google page rank.

List your site in Link Directories that offer a specific category for your services, these are also excellent ways to create inbound links as the more inbound links you have generated to your web-site the higher the page rank in Google.

The key points to getting your site noticed is to optimize the keywords and use them threw out your site. Get quality link partners that have the same services or products you offer. The reason for this is if you link to a Tupper ware site and you offer fine wine, it isn’t going to do you much good as there is no common denominator. List your sites in Link Directories that offer a specific category that best fits your site content and services.

About the Author:
Shawn DesRochers is the CEO and Founder of Invision-Graphics Design Firm, They offer articles and tips on Search engine Optimization and support forums, were they help many members and visitors increase their page rankings in many of the popular search engines.

For more advice and free articles be sure to visit
http://www.invision-graphics.com

It’s Saturday night. You’re sitting at home. Your phone has not rung in the past few hours. As a matter of fact, your phone hasn’t rang much in the last two weeks (other than the bill collectors). You sit there. You pull up the movie offerings on Comcast. And you wonder - ‘Is this what life is all about?’

You think to yourself - ‘Shouldn’t I be out with someone?’ And, even if you didn’t want to go out, shouldn’t someone at least have called so that you could have the pleasure of saying no? Or should you call someone to ask him or her out, though you’re sure they’ll say no?

I mean, it’s not like you don’t have other options - as much as you don’t want to use them. You would call your ‘girls’, but you’re starting to think you’re related to them because you see them so much. Or, you could call the ‘fellows’, but one more made up story about how many girls your one friend has will definitely send you over the edge. So what’s a girl or boy to do?

First, let’s ask ourselves - is it okay to be home, alone, on a Saturday night? Are you the butt of some cosmic joke that is destined to make you a permanent bachelor or bachelorette? Though it may seem this way at times, it is simply not so! Being single is a great thing. And, if it makes you feel any better, you can rest assured in the knowledge that you are not alone.

Being single (by choice or by circumstance) simply means being called to ’singleness’. This means you are solo in life, but not in your friendships, with your family or as a valuable, contributing member of society. In other words, you don’t have a mate, but you have everything else a healthy individual needs to enjoy life. You have a job (and if you don’t, being single gives you plenty of time to look for one!). You have your family, and you may or may not have children, so you are not lonely. You have your friends, so you have people who will talk to you or hang out with you. You have yourself (and if you find you get bored with your own company, then you might really have a problem!). But, most importantly, you have God.

Sometimes God is overjoyed at our singleness. His joy is the equivalent of your being on a diet and eating half a fat-free popsicle every day and then, whoo-hoo, getting to eat a whole pint of Haagen Dazs (or maybe it’s just me)! If your life is like most people’s, you are probably pretty darned busy most of the time with life, family career and church. And, when you were in a relationship, you were probably busy with the talks, the dates, the drama and the like. So you probably don’t have a whole lot of time for God in the first place. But being single works in your favor - you have more time to spend with God, more time to pray and more time for the solitude required to develop a true walk with God.

Because this is when He can truly work on you! It says in the Bible that a single person seeks to please the Lord, but a married person seeks to please his or her spouse. The inference is obvious - when you are married, your mind shifts to other priorities. Even if you were domesticated before, now there’s double-duty - double the dishes, double the money to do your grocery shopping, double the trash to take out, double the cars to service, and double the time spent with another person. Double the time, but still only one you. Being single is the perfect time to devote yourself to God! And to let Him develop you into the Christian He wants you to be.

This is not to say that you should never go out. Go out, have some good, clean fun. Mr. or Mrs. Right is out there somewhere waiting for you and he or she will put in an appearance - at the right time. But, until then, take advantage of your free time! Get in tune with God (because, believe me you’ll need it when you get married), re-discover who you are, spend time with your friends, and become more committed at church. More importantly, spend ‘quality’ time with God. He wants you to. And you need to, to maintain joy, happiness, and peace of mind.

Date sometimes, but spend time with God all the time. And - here’s a bonus - you just might find that spending all that time with God has put you on the fast track to spiritual maturity which will lead to finding the mate of your dreams even sooner! Better than waiting on the phone to ring, right?

Sonya C. Triggs is the Founder of Urban Christianz Ministries, which can be found at http://www.urbanchristianz.com. Visit her website to find articles, advice and resources about dating, relationships, spirituality and other Christian issues!

Many people who received durom hip applied in their hip replacement surgical operations are discovering that there are negative ramifications that far surpass the average expectations for recovery. These individuals are feeling a lot of additive pain for longer time periods, facing revision surgeries and enlarged medical costs, and losing income by not being able to work at their normal businesses. Although Zimmer Holdings, Inc. is postulating that that their implant could never be imperfect and say it is not their fault for the faulth cup hip implants, some people are filing cases against them and taking settlements.

In October, 2008 Zimmer declared that it had set-aside $47.5 million to pay for claims they had received. Many physicians have some issues that the hip implant device is not faulty as the company has suggested. In fact, when Zimmer provided online education to physicians in order to teach them what they said were more correct techniques for executing the implant surgical operation, roughly 1/2 of the physicians refused to take part. Thus, the entire state of affairs remains to be nerve-racking for all doctors involved, but none more than the hundreds of poor people who are needing a revision surgical operation due to the issues with their implant coming loose in the socket.

These troubled implant recipients definitely deserve some help and compensation which is the reason product liability lawyers are telling them to start the lawsuit process. defective hip implants has been settling some of these claims, too. However, even if the money they are being offered seems like it could be a air settlement, in most cases patients are resolving too fast and with no provision put in place for reoccuring problems if it happens again. If they don’t wait to find out what an actual case is worth, individuals might find themselves incurring alot more expenses out of their own pocket when further issues or pain return.

Anyone who thinks they probably have a claim against Zimmer may consider looking into it. If you imagine you could qualify, you should telephone a lawyer to be certain. Look for a firm that covers countrywide and centers their attention on litigation against malfunctioning medical devices. This law firm has taken out all the risks and has setup a special section to do the research and process claims against Zimmer and obtain nice sized settlements for their customers.

If your orthopedic surgeon tells you that you’re going to need revision surgical procedure to correct your Zimmer Durom hip replacement device, call an lawyer right now.