The smell of frying bacon was coming from the kitchen, but Sam stayed where he was. He glanced at his face in the mirror over the fireplace as if seeing it for the first time. Then he looked at the rest of the room, over his reflection’s shoulder; the two old armchairs, the long dining table and the sideboard, upon which rested the big mahogany wireless.
Sam liked everything about that wireless. He liked its solid chunkiness, the big wooden dials and the window with its red needle, which lit up when you turned the set on. He thought of the programmes he listened to in the evening, sometimes with Keith, sometimes with all the family.
There was ‘Dick Barton, Special Agent’; “Come on, Snowey, help me break down this door before the blighter gets away!” “Right you are, sir - here, better take my gun”; and there was ‘Journey into Space’, with Jet Morgan and Lemmie, which had them on the edge of their seats with its sounds of rocket engines roaring, hissing air escaping from something or other, and the eeriest music they had ever heard. He even listened to ‘Toytown’ with Larry the Lamb, although he was supposed to be too old for that; “Please Mr. Policeman, there’s a dra-a-a-gon in the woods”.
He wondered briefly why it was called a wireless, when anyone could see the thick wire coming out the back of it, but life was full of mysteries. For instance, why were all airplanes a mile long, why did you float to the ceiling if you swallowed an orange pip, why was there a flagpole without a flag in the garden, and what had happened to their pedal car. This wonderful vehicle had been made for Sam and Keith by Uncle Gill, and was the envy of all the kids in the street. One day it disappeared from their garden, and the grown-ups claimed they didn’t know what had happened to it. The boys suspected it had been broken up for firewood, but nothing was ever proved.
Sam sighed. Looking out through the French windows he could see the flagpole at the bottom of the garden. He remembered the ‘boxing match’ he’d had with Keith in the garden. Uncle Gill had bought them each a pair of boxing gloves, and they couldn’t wait to try them out. Off they trooped to the end of the garden. They both swung and landed a mighty punch at the same time. It was the only punch of the match. They burst into tears at the same moment, and the boxing gloves were taken away, never to be seen again.
When he had first come to stay with the Drayson family, they had called him Silent Sam, and even now, six years later, he wasn’t a great talker, but he was happy, and couldn’t remember having lived anywhere else. Keith was just four months older than Sam, Pam was a couple of years older and Tommy was nearly grown up. Tommy’s real name was Eva, but she had always been called Tommy. Sam was a little in love with Tommy, but then so was everybody else.
In summer they sometimes cycled the five miles to Hainault Forest to pick blackberries. At least, the two girls did the cycling and Sam and Keith perched on the handlebars. He remembered that the metal brake levers would pinch his thighs if he weren’t careful.
He returned to the present to hear Uncle Gill calling him from the kitchen. Sam scuffed his shoe against the fireplace. He did not want to go into the kitchen. He knew his life was about to change in ways he could only imagine. Uncle Gill called again, and this time Sam made his way to the kitchen. Uncle Gill did not look at him. “Your mother will be here soon, boy. I’ve made you a bacon sandwich for the journey”.
Auntie Eva had gone off to work this morning, Keith had gone to school, and Pam and Tommy had gone wherever they went during the day. Sam and Uncle Gill were the only ones left in the house. The boy watched as Uncle Gill cut the rind off the bacon. This was the first time Sam had ever seen him cook anything.
They heard a car scrunching to a stop in the road outside. Footsteps came up the path. Now the man looked at the boy and ruffled his hair. Another first. Sam found he could not speak. The doorbell rang.
James Donaldson Collins
James Collins is an artist and writer.
He lives in the Scottish Highlands with his wife, daughter and three dogs.
His interests are history, sci-fi, chess and snooker.
He also claims to play guitar like a ringing a bell.
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Category: Uncategorized
If you like the taste of a good brew, then here is some good news! In a recent research study of over 2,900 women and men, researchers found that beer, which contains silicon, may promote bone health. Silicon is a mineral that is thought to stimulate collagen production, which is a building block in bone formation. Wine is rich is phytochemicals, which may also benefit bones. Research does not show, however, in the battle of the sexes, that beer or wine has better or less results in either men or women. In a recent WebMD interview, Katherine Tucker, PhD says that it is possible that two glasses of wine could benefit men, while women may get a bone boost from two cans of beer. Another study of 2,847 people from the Framingham Osteoporosis Study found that men and pre-menopausal women who drank the most silicon, about 40 mg a day, had the highest bone mineral density, a measurement of bone health. Silicon is rarely listed on food labels, so it is hard to tell exactly how much you are consuming. But, you can estimate that one 12-ounce beer has approximately 7 mg of silicon.
It is important is that you drink any alcoholic beverage in moderation because while two cans of beer or two 6 ounce glasses of wine may be good for promoting bone growth, drinking more is harmful. The not-so-good news is that if you drink distilled beverages such as vodka or Scotch, daily consumption of these beverages has shown to actually promote osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a bone-wasting disease that makes your bones brittle and more prone to breaks. The disease increases with age and is more common in women than men, especially postmenopausal women.
Drinking red wine has also shown to be linked to heart health. So, what we are seeing now is a diet that is good for the heart and another that is good for the bones. Because good nutrition is good for the heart, you can consider it good for the bones as well. Other studies have shown that good nutrition also plays a significant role in brain health.
So, how much beer or wine is good for your bones? Current recommendations are for two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women. So, don’t jump and run to a keg party quite yet, remember that moderation is best.
Now, if you are not a beer or wine drinker, don’t start now just to promote bone growth. There are other ways to get silicon, and let us not forget that alcohol consumption raises other health risks such as osteoporosis itself. So, if you are interested in a healthier way to introduce silicon into your diet, you will want to eat dates, mangoes, melons, spinach, apples and even some bottled mineral waters will be good sources.
Publishing Rights: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author’s information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. Copyright 2005, Michele Webb. All Rights Reserved.
About the Author
Michele Webb owns her own website and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada USA. She has over 20 years experience in health care, clinical trials, management, project management and software development. She currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada USA with her two dogs.
You are invited to visit her website at: http://www.ebooksnstuff.com. Or, you can email the author at: support@ebooksnstuff.com
What if it were that easy I ask? What if instead of sending nuclear enabled ICBMs to your neighboring countries, you could solve you anxiety and frustration thru designer cartoons? What if we all stepped back and laughed at ourselves and each other and determined all this sound and fury does no one any good, but rather is creating animosity and spite which has lasted thru some 60 generations?
It seems as we saw the riots in the Muslim nations over the Danish University Newspaper cartoon of the Great Allaah with a turbine on his head made to look like a bomb signifying the most radical Islamic clerics who use their religion to recruit suicide bombers; we are learning a lesson indeed. The lesson is this; when someone wants to cause a conflict over something they will always find a way. They will always find a way to play victim or use the conflict label another or a group or even a nation.
We know in watching human groupings and chimpanzee troops or even High School Football team cross town rivals that to build a team, you must first pick an enemy. Well not always, but we know that such a method is perhaps the easiest way. Rather than uniting ourselves against another, why not unite all in a common cause of cartooning.
So that we may look at ourselves and our neighbors and just laugh at the whole thing; after all we are a bunch of silly humans and get all worked up nothing at times. Come on humor me, this was not such a bad article? Consider this in 2006.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
Category: Uncategorized
What is Nitric Oxide anyway?
The chemical compound nitric oxide is a gas with a chemical formula NO. It is an important signaling molecule in the body of mammals including humans, one of the few gaseous signaling molecules known. Nitric oxide (NO) is not nitrous oxide (N2O) or with nitrogen dioxide (NO2). (Formal definition courtesy of Wikipedia)
What is L-arginine (the key ingredient used to produce Nitric Oxide)?
L-arginine is an amino acid found in grains and fish, meats, supplements and passes through the intestine into the blood. From the blood, it enters endothelial cells, (these are the layer of cells lining the inside of the blood and lymph vessels of the heart) where it is used to produce nitric oxide.
L-arginine can be found in many foods such as meat, poultry, dairy products, and fish. The body also uses arginine to produce nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels. For this reason, it has been used to treat cardiovascular disorders such as heart failure, intermittent claudication, impotence, female sexual dysfunction, and interstitial cystitis. (Formal definition courtesy of Wikipedia).
It can also be used as an ergogenic aid to supplement bodybuilding and sports endeavors.
L-arginine supplements cause a delayed release of Nitric Oxide into the blood. Ed Byrd (the creator of NO 2) called this the “pHyser3″ effect of creating a sustained hemodilation or blood flow in the body.
How does this help with bodybuilding?
Nitric Oxide helps with a sustained blood pump in your body. The blood vessels that deliver muscle building agents (nutrients, creatine) to your muscles are “forced open” for an extended period of time throughout the day. This means quicker recovery, enhanced muscle gains, greater strength, more endurance due to the prolonged pump NO2 provides. You know how you feel “pumped up” after a workout? Nitric oxide helps perpetuate this muscle pump effect.
Are there other health benefits to Nitric Oxide besides bodybuilding?
There is evidence that nitric oxide can prevent heart disease and stroke. The vasodilation effect nitric oxide helps protect the blood vessels from dangerous constriction. This increases the blood vessel flexibility to blood can circulate at a lower pressure. Nitric oxide may also help control platelet function, reduce artery plaque and even lower cholesterol.
Nitric oxide supplements is available at most supplement and health nutrition stores. Here are five nitric oxide products I would recommend:
-Nitrix by BSN. Nitrix has quickly gained the reputation as the world’s top Nitric Oxide (NO) supplements.
-NO-xplode by BSN. NO-xplode uses both creatine and nitrix oxide to help you explode you bodybuilding regimen.
-A-AKG by Pro-line. This is perhaps the most economical priced nitric oxide supplement I could find.
-Mid-Cycle by Fizogen. Mid Cycle effectively enhances nutrient uptake, increases cell-signaling vasodilation and promotes improved muscle torque and intercellular energy levels.
-Cold Fusion by Legal Gear. This bodybuilding supplements is especially appropriate for serious athletes looking to maximize muscle gains with NO2. Cold fusion has twice as much NO per serving than any other nitric oxide product.
You can find nitric oxide in almost any supplement store or the internet. I have experimented (and have been ripped off a few times) with several supplement stores. I found GNC was the most accessible but way too expensive. So far the company I have been most pleased with is Rocky Mountain Sports Nutrition. They offer the best selection of bodybuilding supplements and weight loss products I could find. When it came to prices and customer service they were second to nobody. Check them out at http://www.discountanabolics.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chad Klingensmith is an American Council on Exercise certified Personal Trainer. He has helped many clients, friends and family realize the benefits of exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Do you have any fitness questions for Chad? Email him at fitnesschad@gmail.com
Category: Uncategorized
It’s 5:30 p.m. and you’re heading home after a long, full day. All of a sudden your mind turns to the daily question, “What’s for dinner?”
Whether it’s just you or whether you’re preparing a meal for a whole gang, it’s not an energizing prospect to imagine planning, shopping for or cooking a meal from scratch at the end of a long day.
That’s probably why the fast food businesses are booming and why our health is suffering from the effects of these “easy” foods.
If you think meal planning is an unnecessary step, or that it would create a strict regimen that you’d be trapped by, read on about how meal planning can free you from worry and improve your health and well being.
REASONS FOR MEAL PLANNING
Less time and money spent at the grocery store
When you plan your meals out a week at a time, your trips to the grocery store become much more manageable. You know exactly what you’ll need and you’ll be less susceptible to “impulse” buying. Sometimes, when I’m feeling REALLY efficient, I even write my list in order of where I’ll find it in the grocery store. Plus, buying the ingredients to cook a meal from scratch usually costs much less than the ready-made version.
Healthier meals = healthier you and your loved ones
When you’re planning ahead, you’ll have much more control over what you eat, and you can consciously choose to improve the health of your meals.
Better-timed meals
If you BEGIN planning and cooking dinner when you get home, it could be quite late before you’re sitting down to eat it. The closer to bedtime it is when you finish dinner, the less likely you’ll have time to properly digest and for your body to absorb what you’ve eaten. For breakfast and lunch, having the meals planned out can help remind you to STOP and EAT them.
Variety
When we choose our meals in the moment, based on what’s fast, easy and enjoyable, we tend to stick to a few standby’s and don’t branch out very much. Nutritionally, this leaves us lacking. We also risk getting bored with our food and looking to fast food or unhealthier options for “excitement”.
HOW TO PLAN YOUR MEALS FOR THE WEEK
1. Keep some spontaneity. You could just plan one part of the meal. For instance, if you know that you always have plenty of fresh of frozen vegetables that you can choose from, then simply plan “chicken, potatoes and vegetables”. Then you can still have some spontaneity in your meal.
2. When you have time, make “frozen dinners”. Make a double or triple recipe; package the leftovers in single (or family-size) servings and freeze.
3. Factor in schedule changes. Maybe the night after the big meeting or the night of the soccer tournament aren’t the best nights to cook a meal from scratch. Plan a quick meal, take-out or your own “frozen dinner” for those nights.
4. Aim for balance. With the week spread out before you, look for balance between heavy and light meals, vegetarian and meat-based meals, and a variety of different-coloured fruits and vegetables.
5. Plan while you’re in the kitchen. That way you can easily check for the ingredients of the dishes you’re planning. If they’re not there, add them to your grocery list immediately.
6. Keep an active grocery list through the week. That way, when staples run out you can add them to list.
7. Grow your recipe collection. Use the Internet, the cookbooks of your friends and family, magazines, etc. and find new things to try. One new recipe a week will keep things exciting!
8. Get some expert advice. Consult a trusted source such as Canada’s Food Guide, or better still get individualized meal and nutrition suggestions from a registered dietician or a holistic nutritionist.
9. Make it a team effort. If you’re feeding others as well as yourself, make the planning a team effort so that everyone gets some of their favourites through the week.
10. Always follow your plan, except when you don’t. There are going to be things that come up, days that you just don’t feel like eating what you’ve planned, or days when you’ve forgotten to do your nightly prep. Create a list of healthy stand-by’s that you can throw together with the staples in your own kitchen. If you’re on the go, be prepared by having a list of healthy choices at your favourite restaurants.
A meal plan is not a rigid “diet” or set of orders. The meal plan serves you, not the other way around.
Start now with tomorrow’s meals. What can you defrost or partly prepare tonight to make tomorrow’s meals easier and healthier?
(c) Copyright Linda Dessau, 2005.
Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, is the author of “The Everyday Self-Care Workbook”. For free resources, including your own Meal Planning Worksheet, visit http://www.genuinecoaching.com/resources.html
Hair Strand Drug Testing
Drug screen has grown into a general problem around the earth. Many parties do drug tests on freshly employed people or active employees to assure a drug-free surrounding at workplace.
Insurance authorities and courts direct drug exams on a frequent basis on suspected individuals. The key inquiry that comes to your head, when you go for some exam is how to beat a drug test?
Internet sites much like Home Recipe To Pass A Drug Test proposes the cutting-edge detox products including enduring cleansers, artificial urine products, and saliva cleansing products, herbal drinks and home drug exam kits.
Meth Drug Test
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Home Drug Test Kit
Embedded on the new internet site is a full-size range of products for detox and examining uses. Permanent cleansers are proposed in 3, 5 and 7, 10, 14, 21 and 30 day products, with a variety of herbs, roots, barks and minerals that are acknowledged lipoids destroyers which run to break down fat cells and eradicate toxins altogether. Fake urine is proposed, which carries all factors normally incurred in urine, especially balanced for pH with specific gravity, creatine and other wee wee characteristics. A saliva cleaning mouthwash is offered up will clean toxins from your mouth with simply 3 minutes of use. We sell a range of cleansing drinks, each containing the most effective herbs and fiber to help free the body of toxins that may have accumulated.
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Remedy To Pass A Drug Test
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TX Auto Insurance Policy Legal Requirements
- Bodily Injury Liability: $25,000/$50,000 Limit
- Property Damage Liability: $25,000 Limit
*As of 04-01-2008,these increased requirements moved into effect
Texas observes a Tort system meaning one person has to be found to be blameable for causing the accident, and that individual and their auto insurance company is financially answerable for all the costs. You should be conscious that the items of a tort system change from state to state.
Within the state of Texas, you can add complemental insurance coverage to your insurance policy that can furnish additional piece of mind. Two different alternatives are uninsured/underinsured automobile insurance or No-Fault auto insurance coverage. Underinsured driver coverage is nonmandatory auto insurance coverage that protects you against drivers who do not have an insurance policy. If you’re involved in an accident with them, you can help cover costs with your own auto insurance firm. With No fault insurance, you will be protected by your insurance company no matter who is detected to be answerable.Texas does not mandate these additional insurance policy options by law, but many citizens do choose to add them to their policy.
Texas auto insurance can be pricey. In 2003, the average auto insurance rate was slightly above $900 and a large number of residents do not know that their insurance premiums could be smaller. Insurance quote comparison sites acknowledge there are discount insurance quotes available for Texas drivers, and will help you discover them.
These insurance quote comparison sites can help you save money, but it isn’t a guarantee to always keeping your rates low. In general, insurance premiums tend to increase over time. 2007 saw the first reduction in rates since 1999. The lessening was around 1% and the decrases continued through most of 2008. However, by the end of 2008, rates again began to increase.
As time goes by the auto insurance premiums also shift and by brushing off the rate changes in Texas, you might be paying more than you need to. In 2003, average costs were $932. Just one year earlier, the average auto insurance costs in 2002 was about $882, that’s an get more expensive of about 5.67% in just one year! Stop paying so much for auto insurance. Compare current auto insurance premiums using insurance comparison websites.
• Complementary treatments. Natural methods using plants and herbs with nutrients that protect against specific illnesses. Complementary treatments through natural methods are also some of the oldest in anti-aging therapy. Being natural, these are the safest and often the cheapest as they could be as natural as the food on the table.
• Cosmetics and Cosmetic Surgery. Deals with alteration and repair of skin and body defects that were caused by ageing, accidents and heredity. Collagen treatments, facelifts, botox, Isolagen, scar removal, rhinoplasty, lip repair, breast augmentation, and implants are only a few of the treatments that are offered. The objective being to revitalize, repair and recapture the youthfulness and glow thereby improving and enhancing a patients appearance and boosting the sense of well being.
• Hormonal treatments. These are anti-aging treatments that often require the administration of bio-identical hormones like DHEA, androgens, growth hormone, estrogens and testosterone that typically improves muscle tone vigor, vitality and sexual activity.
• Therapies such as treatments from stem cells, immune therapy and cell therapy.
• Lifestyle change or adaptation of lifestyle alternatives. These include stress-releasing exercises, physical exercises, brain exercises, health education, calorie restriction and diet management.
• Methylators. These are widely accepted to improve memory. Examples are the administration of SAMe and TMG.
• Nootropics. These are also anti-aging treatments that are widely used to improve memory and cognitive ability. It is also called study enhancers and smart drugs. Nootropics are also widely available through plants, fruits and herbs. Some of products and fruits that contain or are rich in nootropic properties are the ginkgo biloba, centrophenoxine, memantine, piracetam and bacopa.
• Technological advancements. Today anti-aging treatments are also applied in the likes of genetics, technology and nano technology.
Aside from this list, other medications therapies and anti-aging treatments that target very specific illnesses and defects are widely available albeit very highly specialized. In spite of different approaches, anti-aging treatments tackles the same basic ideato slow, prevent or reverse the effects of aging improving the quality of life of a person.
Category: Uncategorized
Picking out moving companies can be tough enough, moving with a family can be even more challenging. There are a lot of changes happening for you and your family. That’s why it is important to spend some time assisting your children manage the switches going on around them. The advice set forth below will make your move go more smoothly.
Communication is Key
- Don’t forget to keep the lines of communication available. Ahead of and during your move, encourage your children to let you know about their issues.
- Most probably, you are feeling a little nervous about moving too (no matter how fortunate your new neighborhood is likely to be).
- Later, spend time together with your loved ones. Pay attention to each other’s stories so that you can be sure about how everyone is dealing with the change.
Settling In
Realize that there may be a grieving period for youngsters after a big move; it may live on a few weeks, maybe even a couple of months. Here are a few easy things you can do to make moving less hurried for your children.
- Enquire and explore your new neighborhood together. Look for new and unusual things.
- Visit your child’s new school with them ahead of time and walk about the new school together to aid them to find their bearings.
- Accompany your youngsters on their path to school until they are comfortable traveling by themselves.
- Seek out after-school activities where your children can make new friends with similar interests.
- Do not forget to encourage them to keep in contact with old friends.
Additional Hints for Moving Kids
- There are children’s books that help kids come to terms and manage an upcoming move, and manage some of the feelings they may be experiencing.
- If you have young kids, it’s crucial to take away dangerous situations and to child proof your house.
- The sooner you teach your children your new address and phone number, the better.
Additional Moving Resources
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