Students Of Success

As well as looking nice, shower curtains require durable and
good-looking shower curtain rods that will hang them. Installing
a shower curtain rod is quite easy. You do not need to make
holes in your bathroom walls or tiles. Just use the fashionable
but strong hooks and place the shower curtain rods on them. Your
bathroom is ready to become beautiful with shower curtains.

 

Bathroom accessories like shower curtain rods have significance
of their own. These are no more the less noticed accessories of
your bathroom but have become one of the most important items
for your shower area in the bathroom. Gone are the days when
people just used to hang shower curtains on some metals wood
rods. Lifestyles have changed now and people are quite aware of
the design and styles of shower curtain rods.

 

The shower curtain rods can have a great impact on how you feel
while taking shower in bathroom. While dull shower curtain rods
can dampen the look of bathroom trendy rods make bathrooms look
really cool. However, you have to make sure the color and design
you are choosing for your shower curtain rods match your
bathroom walls and tiles used in bathroom floor.

 

The selection of rod will also depend on the type of curtain you
want to hang. If you are planning to hang dark colored curtains,
then go for metallic shower curtain rods with curved knobs. If you
are planning to cover your shower area from four sides, use
rectangular shower curtain rods. Use curved shower curtain rods
that will fit built-in tub units and various other shower units.
You can also use crescent shower curtain rods that will fit your
tub opening. There is also another type of shower curtain rods,
which are called shower enlarger rod. You can use this rod when
you require enlarging the shower area in your bath.

 

Ideally wooden rods should be avoided as a shower curtain rods
since these rods go through wears and tears every time you open
and draw the curtain.

 

Shower curtains come in different size and shape, as far as the
rod width is concerned. You have to select one that will fit
your bathroom structure, design and shower area.However, since
shower curtains are usually lightweight curtains, light metal
rods are perfect to hang the curtains. As far as the length of
the rod is concerned, it will depend on your bathroom height.
The shower curtain rods need to be durable and long lasting
because these rods have to withstand daily use.

 

However, you must not forget that your shower curtain rods too
need to be maintained like the curtain rods you use in your
rooms.

I waited until the last minute to start thinking about the traditional New Year’s Day activities - reflecting and making resolutions. I have no resolutions, no regrets, but maybe some new goals.

It seems contradictory but I am a person who plans and prepares, but I am also open to changes. I can’t imagine any other way to be. People are often surprised by how rigid I am about certain things. The same people have seen me become more flexible. My only explanation is that I have learned to follow the path that leads to the best outcome. When the path leads to nowhere, I shall not be moved. When the path leads to bigger and better things, I don’t mind if it is unpredictable. I guess 2005 was about learning the difference between the two paths.

I have several mentors in my life. Each one of them has an understanding of one or more of my goals. They monitor me as closely as I allow. Every one of them told me the same thing in 2005. Stop preparing and start doing! How do you know you can do something unless you try?

One of the mentors was my professor when I studied for my doctorate. Have you ever known someone who was always right? Not someone who thinks that they are always right or want to always be right, but someone who really is right all of the time? Well, he is that person in my life. I used to frustrate him while I was at Cornell and I frustrate him now. He knew the difference between the things that would make a difference and the things that wouldn’t. He has never steered me wrong about anything. In fact, I learned humility or “how to eat crow” while working with him almost ten years ago. He can tell when I am ready for something long before I feel ready. Feeling ready and being ready are very different. I got a much better understanding about that life lesson in 2005. In 2006, I will trust myself more.

Another one of my mentors is an accountant who consults for small businesses. He taught me that the flow of money says a lot about your priorities. It seems so obvious, but there is no better wake up call than a spreadsheet that tells you where you have been, what you did, and what you wanted for the last year. I highly recommend a blunt talking accountant to anybody who feels any type of confusion in their life. Numbers tell stories with a clarity that you just not get with words! At the end of 2006, my spreadsheet will reflect the life of a more determined person.

My final mentor is also called my “lifestyle sensei” because I don’t know anyone who enjoys life as much as he does. We became friends very quickly and have remained so despite all of the changes that happen between young adulthood and middle age. He is such a great friend. In 2005, I realized that being a good friend is something that requires thoughtful discipline. My friend has contagious optimism and the ability to express it in ways that make people want to be around him. I think I can conjure up some of that energy for 2006 and be a great friend to more people.

Dr. LaMar researches, consults, writes, and speaks about mentoring relationships among professional women. Her weekly e-newsletter is available every Wednesday. Sign up at http://www.DramaFreeWorkplace.com
http://www.DrLaMar.com

Almost every woman has, at one time or another, felt so fatigued she wanted to cry. But for some women, and for a variety of reasons - including menopause, caring for a new-born, working odd hours, chronic anxiety, and poverty, to name only a few - fatigue is a constant, not an occasional, problem.

Stimulants don’t really give us more energy, though they are what many women turn to when they feel too tired. Stimulants create false energy, leaving us more exhausted at deeper levels. One more cup of coffee, one more soft drink, one more jolt of fear increases energy, to be sure. But these choices also deplete our bones of their minerals, weaken our core energy, and prevent truly restful, restorative sleep. Even herbal stimulants, like cayenne and guarana, are, well, stimulants. They push us too hard and erode our long-term health.

Are there ways to boost energy that are effective and healthy? My guide, Grandmother Growth, gave me some ideas of how to help myself when I feel bone-tired. And I gathered together the best remedies I know, plus the wisdom of my Wise Woman friends, so you can help yourself too, when you are too weary for words.

“Fall into my arms and sleep,” offers Grandmother Growth. “You don’t have to make things happen; they will happen on their own. Let me hold you. Let go. Don’t resist. Rest. You are working hard. You are delving deep and changing yourself. Of course you are tired. Change is hard work. Rest in my strong arms. Let go. Give your weariness to me. Let go of all that worries you. Surrender yourself into my strength. Take courage from me. Let me support you. Let me ease you. Let go.”

Extreme fatigue indicates a profound need to do nothing. Ask family and friends to give you a day totally off … and take it! Barricade yourself in your room if need be (or, like the cartoon character Sylvia, in the bathroom).

BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF

The internal processes that occur during puberty, motherhood, menopause or any other profound change in your life require tremendous amounts of energy. Even if you provide yourself with very high quality nutrients and use your energy wisely, you may still feel unreasonably tired. Many cultures offer newborns and moms a quiet, alone month or more, allow menopausal women to retire for a year or more while they Change, and give grieving parents/partners/children/friends time off from responsibility. If yours doesn’t, if you can’t, at least be gentle with yourself.

Give yourself a break: every hour, take a 60-second break. Breathe deeply; stand up and stretch; drink a glass of water or some herbal infusion. Schedule a regular time to meditate or take a nap every day. Small frequent rests help more than an extra hour of sleep; but do both if you can.

Set aside an hour a week to do something indulgent for yourself: a long soak in a hot bath, a manicure, a walk alone in a beautiful place. Nourish yourself and you will have more energy to give to others.

Treat yourself to a massage once a month. (It need not break your budget; find someone willing to barter for a skill or product you have.) A skilful massage releases tension, helping you get more benefit from your sleep and downtime, thus liberating more energy and helping you begin the upward spiral into increased vitality.

“Lower your standards.” This advice, though difficult to hear, has been one of the most important guidelines for me in choosing a life that delights and energizes me. It helped me choose to let the floor go unswept, the dishes unwashed, the bed unmade, while I gardened, or studied, or even just went for a walk in the woods. When I do the things I want to do I have LOTS more energy. What are you doing that saps your strength and erodes your delight in life? Find a way to quit, or at least cut down on the time you devote to it.

LIST TEN GOOD THINGS ABOUT FATIGUE, LAZINESS, LETHARGY, AND PROCRASTINATION

I’ve found laziness to be my best guide to efficiency; lethargy has stopped me from taking foolish risks; and procrastination helps me find more efficient ways to proceed. Love and honor your fatigue for helping you conserve energy and giving you the time to find creative new ways to do the same old things.

SEAWEED

Seaweeds of all kinds help restore energy by nourishing nervous, immune, and hormonal systems. Make it a habit to eat seaweed as a green vegetable at least once a week. Try kelp in your oatmeal, wakame in your beans, kombu in your soups, hijiki salads, toasted dulse, sea palm fronds, and deep-fried nori!

ROOTS

Counter that tired-every-day feeling: get down and get grounded energy from roots. Try a tincture of ginseng, siberian ginseng, yellow dock, or dandelion roots. A dose is 10-20 drops of any one root, taken with meals.

TIRED BLOOD?

You may need more iron: eat a spoonful of molasses or try a dropperful of yellow dock tincture several times a day.

STIR IT UP! DON’T JUST SIT THERE!

Energy is attracted to energy. Get moving this way: stand up, feet shoulder-width, knees relaxed. Swing your arms toward one side, then the other. Let the shoulders and hips move as you twist your upper body. Let your arms move freely. Continue for a minute or two. Then, start rocking your tail bone, your whole pelvis, forward and back, forward and back, again for at least a minute. Alright!

GREEN IS THE COLOR OF PLANT ENERGY

The plants with the deepest green give you the most energy. A daily cup of nettle infusion increases energy without wiring your nerves. Nettle strengthens the adrenals, allowing you to tolerate more stress with less harm. And it nourishes your immune system, too.

To make it:

• Put one ounce of dried nettle leaf in a quart jar.
  
  
• Fill to the top with boiling water.
  
• Cap tightly and steep at least four hours (overnight is fine).
  
• Strain and drink.
  
• Refrigerate the remainder and consume within 36 hours.

(Leftovers may be used as a hair rinse or fertilizer for your houseplants.) I drink several quarts of nettle infusion every week. It helps me have the energy to teach all day and write for hours each evening.

OATSTRAW

Oatstraw infusion builds deep energy for the next day, especially when you have been riding an emotional roller coaster. Oatstraw nourishes the nerves, easing anxiety and improving our ability to live with uncertainty. Make it like the nettle infusion, using a full ounce of oatstraw to a quart of boiling water. OK to drink it hot or cold, with honey or miso, or any other addition (juice, coffee, whiskey) you desire. Remember to refrigerate the infusion after it has brewed 4-8 hours, even if you don’t get a chance to strain the plant material out.

EAT MORE

When you’re too tired to eat, you get more tired. (If this sounds like an old wives’ tale, remember that old wives were the wise women. But, actually, it’s the latest scientific thinking.) In addition to at least one really good meal a day, eat high quality snacks hourly.

Though it seems contrary, St. Joan’s wort (Hypericum) tincture relaxes the nerves yet increases energy. A dose is 25-30 drops several times a day, including before bed. You’ll sleep better, ache less, and wake up with more energy and a brighter outlook on life.

Warming herbs such as ginger and cinnamon increase energy (but may increase hot flashes, too). Make a tea with 1 cup/250 ml boiling water and 1/2-1 teaspoon (1-2 grams) of the powder of any one of these.

Very tired women need more fuel, that is, more fat, in their diets, and best if the fats are also natural sources of vitamin E: avocados, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, tahini, and olive oil are good food sources. Herbs rich in vitamin E include nettle, seaweeds, dandelion, and watercress.
B vitamins build energy. Find them in whole grains, organ meats, sweet potatoes, avocados, egg yolks, fish, and whey. Both oatstraw and nettle infusions are good sources of B vitamins, as are red clover blossom infusion, peppermint leaves, and fenugreek seeds.

Low levels of potassium, iron, and iodine contribute to fatigue. Celery, cabbage, seaweeds, nettle infusion, and red clover infusion are excellent sources of potassium. Molasses, chocolate, seaweeds, nettle infusion, and dandelion leaves are all superb sources of iron. For iodine, seaweed shines, but sea salt, mushrooms, and greens grown in gardens fertilized with seaweed also supply significant amounts.

AVOID

Some women report greater fatigue on days when they’ve eaten frozen or raw food. Traditional Chinese Medicine says eating raw or chilled foods, especially cold drinks and raw juices, contributes to fatigue because you have to use your internal energy to warm up the food before you can digest it. The more tired you are, the greater your need for well-cooked foods, like nourishing herbal infusions and healing soups.

I avoid wheat grass juice, green barley powder, spirulina, and all blue green algae. None are as nourishing as nettle infusion, and all are considerably more expensive, more difficult to make yourself at home, and more likely to be sold through multi-level marketing.

“Energy-producing” foods/drugs/herbal supplements such as coffee, guarana, caffeinated drinks, and excessive amounts of black tea or chocolate will create greater fatigue in the future.

“Rest your head down on me,” crones Grandmother Growth. “For this moment, rest in me. Let the energy of the earth infuse you. Let my energy carry you. Let yourself be enough. Let go.”

Legal Disclaimer: This content is not intended to replace conventional medical treatment. Any suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner with a specific formula for you. All material contained herein is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a reputable healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second opinion.

Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081

Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative.

Susun is one of America’s best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women’s health. Her four best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used and cherished by millions of women around the world. Learn more at http://www.susunweed.com

“Jump into the Fire”

Terry Dashner (www.ffcba.org)

You can stand next to a stream of water and not get wet because
the banks provide the current’s boundaries.

You cannot stand next to wind because it has no boundaries. You
can stand in it only.

You can stand neither next to fire nor in the fire without
feeling the effects of fire. Fire like water can be contained,
but its properties are very different. Fire like wind can engulf
you, but fire is different from wind. Fire uniquely defines the
Father God. In Psalm 50:3 we read, “Our God shall come and shall
not keep silence. A fire shall devour before Him, and it shall
be very tempestuous round about Him.” And again in Hebrews fire
is a metaphor for God. The Bible says that God is a consuming
fire.

So what does this say to us? If we want God, we’ve got to be
willing to burn. If we are right with God, we are on fire and
people around us feel the effects of it. If we’re on fire with
God others not only feel His presence in our company, but they
also see light. You are the light of the world, said Jesus. In
light there is no darkness, only transparency. The fire with its
light makes us transparent so that others may see Jesus living
in us.

Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is coming again. This
time He is coming with judgment fires.

Blessing to you, Pastor T.

With a new baby on the way, you’ll want the perfect crib to coordinate with your nursery and provide a safe sleep environment for your little one.

Not only are there different styles of baby cribs, but there is now a wide selection of convertible cribs. Many baby cribs are designed to convert to toddler beds, children’s benches, and even adult daybeds for later use elsewhere in the home.

There are so many different types and sizes of kids bedding and baby bedding for children that it can sometimes be baffling to try and determine which bed size is best, and there is really no correct answer to this. It is all based on the individual child and other considerations.

The crib must meet all recommended safety standards. Most new cribs on the market today comply with both mandatory and voluntary safety standards.

For example, the bars or slats of the crib railing should be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart so a baby can’t wedge his head between them. A mattress should fit snugly into the baby crib. There should not be any room that allows your baby to get his or her hands (or any other body parts) caught between the mattress and the baby crib.

Carefully choose the location for your baby’s crib, in particular don’t place the crib against a window, near drapery fixtures, or near furniture which could help your baby climb out.

This article may be used without permission as long as it is shown in its entirety with links intact.

Because a baby crib is the only children’s product manufactured with the intention that a child will be left unattended, parents should be extremely careful in the selection process. You might find this link very handy with your selection process http://www.epinions.com/

Copyright Glenda Erceg.

For more pregnancy and baby resources visit http://www.babycribsinfo.com/

If you’re trying to decide between an elliptical trainer and another piece of exercise equipment, consider the workout advantages an elliptical provides. What’s so special about an elliptical workout? Here are 3 unique advantages of using your elliptical trainer to workout:

#1) Forward & Back Motions Provide Better Workout Results

Almost all elliptical trainers offer both forward and back motion (also called dual action motion). This allows you to work different sets of muscle groups in your legs (hamstrings vs quads) which adds up to more calories burned, more muscles toned and an overall better body workout.

You can’t walk backwards on a treadmill (ok, you can but that might be difficult. And peddling backwards on a bike might not be so helpful. The dual action ability of your elliptical trainer helps you work more muscles. Plus you have the potential to burn more calories

#2) You Get A Lower Impact Workout

A properly designed elliptical trainer mimics your body’s natural stride - the way your foot moves elliptically when walking, running, or jogging. You stand upright striding in a forward or reverse motion. Your feet never leave the pedals.

Because of this, impact is basically eliminated and there is much less overall stress on your knees, hips and back, joints and back. (Just make sure you get a properly designed elliptical trainer - not one of the cheaper department store versions!)

Because of the lower impact of an elliptical workout, the elliptical machine is becoming very popular with the older population or those who are more easily prone to sports injury.

#3) Upper Body Arm Bars Help You Burn More Calories & Get A Superior Overall Body Workout

Many elliptical trainers offer moveable upper body arm bars. By working both legs and arms, your heart rate elevates more quickly which encourages your body to burn calories faster and more efficiently.

It also results in a lower perceived rate of exertion (basically you don’t feel like you worked as hard as you really did). This may mean that you end up burning more calories, even without feeling like you did much of a workout.

By offering upper body arms, an elliptical trainer workout also helps you tone your arms, shoulders and back for better definition.

An elliptical trainer workout has many advantages over other exercise machines.

Kathryn O’Neill is the chief editor for Elliptical Trainer Reviews, a consumer oriented website focusing on the home elliptical trainer market.

For the latest elliptical trainer Best Buys visit Elliptical Best Buys 2006

If there was ever a principle that was responsible for the most happiness and achievement in the world, it would be the 80/20 Principle.

The 80/20 Principle or Pareto Principle was discovered in 1897 by an Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto while he was searching for patterns of wealth and income in England.

What he found was that 80 percent of the wealth was enjoyed by only 20 percent of the population. Additionally, it was consistent in different countries and in different times.

This has been found in present day as well and in almost any activity that we perform, business or otherwise.

In other words, 80 percent of your results in a given activity, are generated by 20 percent of your input or effort. Just the same, 80 percent of revenue or profits are generated by 20 percent of your efforts or sales.

The 80/20 relationship can also easily be documented in personal achievement and happiness.

Most people have never taken the time to count their achievements or much less figure out what makes them happy. If they did, they would have realized that there are very few things that contribute to most of their happiness. They would also have found that there are very few things that they have done that has resulted in most of their achievements.

A great example of the 80/20 Principle in achievement would be to look at some achievement that you’ve made in your life, and write down all of the things that you did that “truly” got you there. If you’re looking at it honestly you’ll see that it took consistent effort on very few things to get you most of your results.

My website http://www.RasheedAli.com is another great example. I could have spent a lot of working hours and even more money to get my traffic up, but in reality it took very little work and money to get my Alexa traffic rank from over 3,000,000 in the world to currently 212,901 and climbing every week! It has taken very few, small but effective steps to achieve this. You will find this time and time again in your life if you take a closer look. What you may have thought of as hard work may have been a few effective actions combined with many ineffective actions. By the way, this was done in less than three months.

Now, although achievement makes us happy, what else does?

A serious “Happiness Analysis” is also something all of us should do at least once in our lives. If you documented the things that contribute to your happiness then number the things that make you the happiest, you will find that there are only a few things that contribute to most of your happiness. In other words 20 percent of the things that make you happy, contribute to 80 percent of your happiness!

With that said, if you were to spend more time doing the things that result in most of your happiness or achievement, you WILL double or even triple your results!

Rasheed Ali was once a homeless runaway on the streets of NY and is now dedicated to helping people from all walks of life to reach their ultimate potential by conquering any and all obstacles through his Conquer Your Adversity Newsletter. You can subscribe at http://www.RasheedAli.com

rasheed@rasheedali.com

As we get older some of us tend to lose our inhibitions and
begin to speak out more. Some would say grumpy old men and
others might be more charitable and say that we speak our mind
but for me, today, it finally happened. At last I got chance to
do something I have always wanted to.

The day started off pretty much the same as any normal Saturday
really. A trip to the local Sainsburys supermarket to get
provisions which inevitably means that I almost always follow
the trolley around the aisles in a dream-like state looking for
all the things that I buy each and every week in an act of
repetition that should be challenged with something like a trip
to Tesco or Asda where the shock of change would force me to get
out of that mode of complacency and habit and actually allow me
to shop for food that I want to eat rather than what I force
myself to eat.

This is not really what I wanted to tell you. Today was in every
way mundane, except for one thing. Today I became an enforcer of
the law. One minute I was citizen Joe, the next I am pulling
over a vehicle and forcing the police to comply with my
instructions.

I was on my way home when it happened. I was following a police
car and about 3 miles from my destination when I noticed that
the car in front, a police patrol car, was slowing down for the
lights and yet no tail lights were showing as the vehicle
decreased in speed. As we waited for the lights to change to
green I watched the vehicle in front as it moved off, increasing
in speed before deceleration and the next traffic lights. This
vehicles rear stop lights were not working. Of that there was no
doubt. As traffic moved away from the lights into the dual
carriageway I began to muse at previous occassions when the
police had stopped me in my youth, either on my motorcycle or as
a young car driver. They might pull me up on the pretext of a
stop light malfunction or anything that might allow them to pull
me over and check my ID or license.

Following the police vehicle for about two miles I suddenly had
this wicked idea. Could I pull it off? What would happen if it
went wrong? What should I do? I could run this through my head
many times or I could act now and do something I had always
wanted to do. This was my chance. Yes, I should seize the
opportunity. Still hesitant I watched the car in front slow down
at the next set of lights. No tail lights again. This car was
illegal.

The lights changed to green. We moved away once again and the
traffic was light. I pulled over into the far lane and began to
overtake the police car. As I drew alongside I beeped the horn
and just like you see on the movies, with a stern face, I
motioned the driver to pull over. The driver was clearly
perplexed. He stared back at me with a blank expressionless face
which changed into a look of disbelief when I ordered him once
again to pull over. This time he complied.

I pulled up behind the police car and lacking blue flashing
lights I was hesitant, but finally convinced myself that I
should play this role to the letter. I put on my four way
emergency flashers. This was it. There was no going back now. I
stepped out of the car and walked slowly and deliberately
towards the drivers side of the vehicle in front. The driver had
not even opened the window. I noticed that there were two of
them in the vehicle. I tapped on the glass. ‘Wind down the
window please Sir’ I said loudly and with all the authority of
their superior officers. Sheepishly the window was lowered half
way. ‘Whats your problem?’ the occupant said sharply. ‘I have no
problem’ I replied curtly. ‘It is you that has the problem. Your
rear stop lights are malfunctional and contrary to the road
traffic act of 1958 your vehicle is unfit for the public
highway’. This wasn’t going too well. The driver looked annoyed
and shocked. Muttering something about 1956 instead of 1958, I
could barely hear him, he then opened the door and got out of
the car, walking around to the rear of the vehicle and examining
the light units. With his colleage pressing the foot pedal the
policeman shouted to his colleague in confirmation ‘Hes right.
They don’t work’.

At this point I knew I had them on the run. Their attitude had
changed from being slightly hostile to one of bemusement. I
turned to the driver. As cool as a cucumber I said. ‘ Sir, I
have a dilemna. You are driving an illegal vehicel and as such I
should insist that you write out a ticket requiring the owners
of the vehicle to produce their MOT, Tax and insurance details
to the nearest police station. Furthermore, you will need to
caution yourselves and make it clear that the necessary action
may be taken with regard to driving an unsafe vehicle on the
public highway. For almost two whole minutes the silence was
intense. Unfortunately it was I that broke the stand off. I just
couldn’t go through with it anymore. I looked them dead in the
eye and asked them straight - ‘If you had stopped me for faulty
lights what would you have done?’ They stumbled, mumbled
something about a caution and then went as quiet as schoolboys.

This was power. This is what they mean about empowerment. This
was my moment of glory. This was payback time!. I had achieved
what I set out to achieve. I managed a wry grin which broke into
a full smile to the relief of the policemen. They even thanked
me for pointing the fault and assured me that they would get the
car back to the station immediately for repair. We shook hands
and parted company. Elated and charged with adrenalin and
personal pride I suddenly realised I still had to get the
potatoes, pick up a TV magazine and go to B & Q. Oh well, that
livened up the day a little.

http://www.birminghamuk.com

Part of the beauty of an engagement is choosing a wedding band. With today’s choices, a couple has far more options than ever before. Yellow gold will always be a timeless classic, but wedding bands, just like the times, are changing. Today’s most popular options are white gold or platinum. There is an assumption that because of the same, shiny, whitish color, both metals are equivalent. However, that could not be further from the truth.

A white gold ring is an alloy of regular gold combined with other metals such as silver and palladium or nickel. Part of what makes white gold look almost identical to platinum is a finishing process that occurs when the ring is being made. The white gold ring is finished with a coating of Rhodium, a metal that shares many of Platinum’s properties. While white gold is naturally a light shade of gray or has a slight yellow tint because of the natural color of gold, the Rhodium coating gives the completed ring a sparkly white color. The main downfall to a white gold ring is that without proper care, the Rhodium will eventually wear off and change the color of the ring. With proper replatement every 1-3 years, the rhodium will stay lustrous and the ring beautiful.

Platinum differs from gold because it is used almost entirely in its pure form when making a platinum wedding band, as opposed to being combined with different metals. Platinum rings do not need to be treated with Rhodium because the natural color of platinum is the desired shining white. Platinum is a good material to choose if you are harder on things, or constantly on the go, because it wears longer. It is a heavier, denser metal, which allows it to be more scratch-resistant than white gold. The downside is that platinum, because it is not mixed to make up the composition of the wedding band, tends to be far more expensive. The normal guideline when shopping for rings is to expect a platinum wedding band to be up to two to four times more expensive than its white gold counterpart, depending on the complexity of the design and the weight (gold or platinum content) of the wedding ring.

To see a sample of a white gold or platinum wedding band, online wedding band stores are an excellent resource. They offer an excellent way of researching or shopping for your perfect wedding ring! Regardless of your choice of metal, both white gold and platinum make for a beautiful wedding band.

The Low Down On Worms

We all know that plastic worms are one of the most productive lures there are, but did you know certain worms have special uses? I have a whole tackle box with nothing but plastic worms in it, hundreds of them!

Here is what I use a certain worm for:

Floating Worm…I use this worm in shallow water and mainly in the spring. I use no weight whatsoever and like to use it when the fish just start thinking about spawning.

Stick Worm…..I use this worm in 60-70 degree water. If you use it whacky style it will vibrate on both ends.

Paddle Tail…..This is one of my favorite shallow water lures. When I fish vegetation I use long casts and just reel it back in slowly.

Gator Tail…This is also a shallow water worm that I use in the summer. It’s also great on streams and rivers.

Curly Tail….I use this worm in the summer around stumps, docks, timber, lily pads and it’s one of my favorite when I fish deep water to 20 feet.

Straight Tail…This is one of my favorites for docks, timber and brush. I have found it doesn’t wrap around brush like most worms do.

French Fry….I always carolina rig a french fry and use it in clearer water. The action of this is amazing when you move your line and the weight comes up the line.

Ribbon Tail…I read about 30 years ago of people fishing with a 10 inch ribbontail at night. I’m here to tell you this works, I have caught some nice bass on a big ribbontail. I use a regular ribbontail when fishing 10-15 feet of water too.

If you like to worm fish now, try some of the types of worms above for specific conditions. I think you’ll like the results.

Charles E. White has fished for bass for almost 50 years. He has fished from
Florida to California and has caught more than 6,000 bass in his lifetime. His
biggest bass is 12 pounds 14 ounces.

Charles has owned two tackle stores in his lifetime and taught dozens of people to fish for bass.

He now resides in Ohio.
Charles is webmaster for: www.bassfishingweekly.com