Students Of Success

The facts about Bitter Orange are out. More research is being called for, but for the most part this is what we know so far:

1. Bitter Orange has been shown in some studies to be associated with weight loss, increased thermogenesis, metabolism and loss of fat mass. The results of some of these studies are questioned by some authorities;

2. Documented reports are starting to come in of cardiovascular events occurring associated with the use of products containing bitter orange (citrus aurantium, zhi-shi or whatever you want to call it);

3. The two major components of bitter orange are synephrine and octopomine. Synephrine is structurally similar to the ephedra extract which is now banned in many countries due to its adverse side effects and synephrine has been shown to cause cardiovascular events in animals.

So why are people still using it. It is easy to make the conclusion that they are unaware of it’s ingredients and their effects, however, this is perhaps naive. Some people that take these types of fat burners are aware of the possible adverse effects that they may have on their bodies, however, sometimes go from one fat burner to the other, trying the different concoctions of herbs - hoping that it will cause rapid weight loss.

While the motivation for purchasing fat burning herbal products is obviously to lose weight - there is an extra pressure to lose weight fast, which is what these fat burners offer to their customers who may in some cases be grossly overweight and in risk categories for heart problems in the first place due to obesity issues. Fast weight loss is hardly ever permanent weight loss and never healthy weight loss.

There seems to be a common misconception that it is not as bad as ephedra. Over the past six years Health Canada received 16 reports of serious side effects involving tachycardia, cardiac arrest and black outs after products containing bitter orange were taken. Two of the patients concerned in these reports had died and had taken a combination of herbal supplements containing bitter orange, caffeine and ephedra. While 16 reports over six years does not sound like a whole heck of alot - these are only those from Canada, and are only those that were able to be linked to the herbal supplements.

It is plain that this perceived “need” for herbal preparations containing either bitter orange or ephedra is an emotional one. In some cases some people are so desperate to get rid of their excess weight, and have tried just about every diet under the sun and have battled with it for years, with no good success and then finally found these products that quite obviously do have an effect - but unfortunately do have significant side effects, even if it is just jitteriness.

So what’s the answer, well, there is no easy answer. The truth is that no fat burner should make you jittery. Weight loss, can be achieved without products containing bitter orange and those with persistent weight issues need to be consulting a doctor or dietition. In the end, it will probably end up costing less in the long run.

1. Preuss HG, DiFerdinando D, Bagchi M, Bagchi D. Citrus Aurantium as a thermogenic, weight-reduction replacement for ephedra: an overview J Med. 2002;33(1-4):247-64.

2. Fugh-Berman A, Myers A. Citrus aurantium, an ingredient of dietary supplements marketed for weight loss: current status of clinical and basic research. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2004 Sep;229(8):698-704.

3. Nykamp DL, Fackih MN, Compton AL. Possible association of acute lateral-wall myocardial infarction and bitter orange supplement. Ann Pharmacother. 2004 May;38(5):812-6. Epub 2004 Mar 16.

4. Penzak, S R : Jann, M W : Cold, J A : Hon, Y Y : Desai, H D : Gurley, B J Seville (sour) orange juice: synephrine content and cardiovascular effects in normotensive adults J-nat-prod. Washington, D.C. : American Society of Pharmacognosy. Jan 2001. v. 64 (1) p. 111-113.

5. Healthboards.com Feel jittery - Xenadrine EFX http://www.healthboards.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-111077.html

Copyright © 2004 Jenny Mathers All Rights Reserved.

Research resource for fat burning foods and supplements. Fat burning food research and information allowing you to take the guess work out of fat burning.

jennymathers@optusnet.com.au

You can pay as you talk with a cell phone plan, so why not pay as you drive auto insurance? It sounds like a good idea; but would pay as you drive auto insurance work for you?

The idea behind pay as you drive auto insurance is simple. Basically its this- if you do not drive very much, you will not pay high insurance premiums. Advocates for this type of insurance policy think that there are many merits to this type of program. Less air pollution, lower gas consumption, and lower costs to the consumer among them.

What if you car pool to work, or take public transit? You are not using your car very much so why are you paying high premiums. With a pay as you drive auto insurance premiums you would be able to quite literally pay as you go. Another situation where this plan would be of benefit is that of many retirees who have winter homes in temperate climates, the ’snowbirds’ living in Florida or Arizona six months of the year and six months in New York or Toronto for example.

Essentially the insurance companies would set an average driving amount for each car type. It could then be broken down into a cents per mile basis. If you wanted to us the pay as you drive auto insurance system you could purchase a set number of miles and you would be covered for insurance during this period.

Pay as you drive auto insurance is an excellent idea for those individuals who do not use their car very much or try to find cost saving methods or environment saving alternatives. Currently this type of program is not yet available, but there are supporters in many states who are hoping to change that soon.

Groups including Environmental Defense, the Conservation Law Foundation and even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are working to organize a national cooperative that would work with insurance companies to offer deep discounts for low-mileage drivers; halfway a step toward PAYD (Pay As You Drive) insurance.

General Motors and On-Star Offers PAYD Rates. In mid-2004 General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) Insurance began offering mileage-based discounts to OnStar subscribers located in some states. The OnStar system reports a vehicle’s odometer readings at the beginning and end of the policy term to verify mileage. Motorist who drive less than specified annual mileage can receive insurance premium discounts of up to 40%.

PAYD programs are also currently available in Israel, South Africa and Holland. PAYD is gaining momentum, and will be coming to your area soon.

D.Demetre is a contributing author at Online-Car Insurance.us where you can find Cheap Auto Insurance

The recovery from Katrina and Rita ushers in a new era of Disaster Recovery and Prevention. Governments and people are rethinking their response to disasters and the steps they can take to prevent or minimize the worst consequences. The biggest catalyst for this new era is the political fall-out from Katrina.

The slow response to Katrina was a black eye for the Bush administration. For Michael Brown, the ex-head of FEMA, it was a national humiliation. The fates of Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin remain to be seen, but reports have pointed out their failures in prevention and response, and that will come into play at election time.

President Bush wants to make up for the bungled response (and restore some political capital)and has earmarked a recovery effort that may total $200 billion dollars. The early response to Katrina has become a cautionary tale for politicians and bureaucrats in federal, state and local governments, and you can be sure they will be pushing for more disaster prevention spending in their own particular fiefdoms. And the media is keeping watchnewspapers in California have been filled with stories warning about the lack of disaster (especially earthquake) preparation in the state.

The Army Corp of Engineers, burned by the lack of follow-through on their recommendation to raise the New Orleans levees, is now looking to repair vulnerable areas around the country. And they’re not the only ones.

New homes have multiplied along vulnerable coastal areas. From Florida to the Outer Banks up to The Hamptons and all throughout the east coast, coastal property values have soared. Dune Road, a sliver of land with pricey homes between the ocean and a bay in Westhampton, New York, was virtually wiped out by flooding little more than a decade ago. Now it has been rebuilt with even pricier multi-million dollar homes. You can be sure these homeowners will spend what it takes to protect their properties.

And they may need to because it looks like big storms are brewing. If many meterologists are correct, we may have entered a cycle of increasing frequency and severity of hurricanes.

Combine the measures slated for homeland security, rebuilding the Gulf coast and the ramp-up of disaster prevention around the country and you have a near permanent state of disaster recovery and prevention.

For some companies, let’s call them Hurricane stocks, the opportunity to take part in the Gulf recovery means a great deal of more business in the short term. For others, it may mean more business for many years to come.

Hurricane stocks are companies that are needed right now. For instance, the immediate need to help those whose homes have been destroyed or are unhabitable. Think of companies that provide temporary living and survival gear. Think of Coleman camping products, such as tents, sleeping bags, portable stoves, flashlights. Coleman is owned by Jarden (JAH:NYSE).

Manufactured homes have come a long way in the past decade, and will prove to be a good temporary solution for many and a permanent solution for others in the Gulf. Cavalier Homes (AMEX:CAV) has been contracted to build and deliver manufactured homes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to house Gulf Coast residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The contract is expected to generate $58 million to $63 million in revenue for the company.

Some other compnnies in this sector include Champion (NYSE:CHB), which partners with nearly 3,000 independent retailers, builders and developers, Fleetwood Enterprises (NYSE: FLE) and Coachmen Industries Inc. (NYSE:COA).

Oil and gas facilites in the Gulf coast also need emergency repair. The economy of the Gulf Coast and, to an extent, the economy of the U.S. depends on it. A number of drilling rigs were damaged in the storms, which means that a company like ENSCO (NTSE:ESV) which owns drilling rigs in the area, will be in big demand. Oceaneering International (NYSE: OII), which inspects and repairs underwater infrastructure of oil facilities, will be busy, as will Jacobs Engineering (NYSE:JEC), providing engineering and construction services to oil and gas companies.

Rebuilding the Gulf Coast

Rebuilding will include the big dogs in construction, like Halliburton (NYSE:HAL), The Shaw Group(SGR) and Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT). But many smaller companies will also take part, often as subcontractors. The Army Corp of Engineers has increased its task order from $10 million to $20 for Aduddell Roofing, a subsidiary of Zenex International, Inc. (OTCBB:ZENX). National Storm Management (NLST:PK), an expanding national construction company specializing in storm restoration management, will also do a good deal of restoration work in the Gulf Coast.

To build you need building materials. Home retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe’s will be seeing their orders increase, but so will companies that provide raw materials like timber. Take a look at Rayonier (NYSE:RYN)and Plum Creek Timber (NYSE:PCL), two REITs that own and manage timber properties.

Some Hurricane and rebuilding stocks have already jumped and retreated. But the point to remember is that while the hurricanes resulted in an immediate need to help those in dire need, they also ushered in a new era, an era when governments and people in the U.S. and around the world know they can do more to recover from disasters and minimize the consequences. So keep an eye on companies that will be at the center of the Disaster and Prevention theme for years to come.

Leon Altman founded www.InvestingIN.com and www.SmallcapRecap.com, two websites that offer news and commentary on stocks. Sign up for free newsletters on the sites.

Somebody (I don’t know who) said that an INFP is someone who
gets lost between the front door and the car. I am INFP and that
statement describes me very well. An INFP will know that the car
is the goal but will take so many side-trips (physical,
intellectual, and emotional) that the car may never be reached.

You might expect, then, that an INFP would be at a total loss
for organizational ability. This isn’t true, because the less
dominant Thinking and Judging functions can be summoned at need
to allow an INFP to perform organizational skills.

Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes is often given as an example of
INFP. Calvin seems perfectly normal to me. I don’t know why
people think he’s funny. But I recognize Hobbes, the tiger. He’s
the aspect that surfaces to deal with practical world. The
humour is in the extremes. Most INFPs are somewhere along the
middle range of Perception.

It is healthy to summon a recessive trait, to awaken a sleeping
tiger, in case of need. It is also healthy to restrain this
seemingly new power. Awareness is the key. The business world,
in particular, demands Thinking and Judging organizational
skills. Under this pressure, an INFP can summon the recessive TJ
and place it in the starring role, rather than its natural
supporting role. If the role reversal becomes permanent, the
cost to personal satisfaction is too high. INFPs in this
situation are likely to have success, money, friends, and
misery. They gave the whole show to TJ, who is exhausted, while
poor FP starves.

Is INFP handicapped, then, in this highly organized world of
ours? Not at all! A good example is my own specialty - what
office workers call “putting out fires.” My INFP plays the major
role, flitting from crisis to crisis in true INFP fashion,
analyzing and solving them, while my supporting TJ takes notes.
I never go anywhere in an office without a notepad. In truth,
INFP carries the notepad; TJ writes in it. INFP deals with the
issues. TJ makes and reviews the notes, writes the memos, and
keeps the records. The unstructured job kept me happy as INFP.
It’s important to distinguish between the kinds of decisions
that I was happy with: they were based on long experience in a
complicated field with right answers. I knew the right answers.
This isn’t the same as making snap decisions in unprecedented
situations, which would not be ideal for an INFP at all.

An area where an INFP needs guidance is setting goals. Goals are
often built into a job description, which can simplify
professional life. On a personal level, however, an INFP might
need prodding to set goals and guidance as to priorities. As
their first goal, for instance, many people would write “Pay off
mortgage.” Mine was “Swim with dolphins.” Obviously, a nudge
from a counselor (or maybe a recessive trait) would be useful.
The Intuitive function that is so useful to an INFP must be
allowed its input to the goal-setting process. This is why INFP
goals may seem a little odd to people who greet the world in a
more Sensate manner. The same balance should be allowed in
structuring paths to reach goals.

Now that we’ve set goals and steps to achieve them, we have only
to follow the path to the goals. In other words, we have to try
to get from the front door to the car. It can be done if INFP is
continually hip-checked back onto the path by TJ. However,
completely unrelieved attention to goals will result in a very
frustrated INFP driving a car that she has come to loathe. No,
INFP must take the detours to meet the world through Intuition,
to evaluate by Feeling, and to exercise Perception. TJ, with the
maps, organizational lists, and pie-charts, must stand aside. At
agreed intervals, TJ can bump INFP back onto the path. After
many happy detours and returns, INFP will succeed in going from
the front door to the car - goal achieved!

Christmas coloring pages can help kids learn about the subject matter depicted on the page while they develop their hand and eye coordination. By coloring, children can work on developing their fine motor skills that are crucial, especially to preschoolers.

When children enter school, some of them have more trouble than others with simple tasks like writing and cutting with scissors. Children who have developed their fine motor skills tend to perform much better throughout their academic lives.

Holiday coloring sheets offer a young person the opportunity to gain a positive and independent attitude they’ll use later in life; it gives them an outlet for expressing the way they perceive the world that surrounds them. When they see the blank figures come to life as they complete their coloring, it’ll stimulate their minds and teach them about colors and shapes.

When a child sits down for a coloring session they should be given free rein to express their own personal concepts, allowing their personality and attitudes to shine through. It is fine to help the child learn how to used coloring tools, but when you step aside and let them apply their own special touch to a coloring page, they’ll discover a sense of who they are and it will jump start their appetite for knowledge.

Show a genuine interest in their “masterpieces” and set aside some time to discuss their work. Christmas coloring pages can instill a confidence in a child that they’ll carry with them as they enter school and begin their journey into adulthood.

Article provided by http://www.letters-from-santa.net

A place where you can get free letters from Santa, coloring & activity pages, lyrics to your favorite Christmas music, and even purchase a piece of the northpole!