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April 27th, 2008

Finding Your Soul Mate

Are you looking for your soul mate? Do you hope to find your
soul mate while you’re sitting at your computer reading? If so,
you are not alone. There are many people that are searching for
soul mates throughout cyber space. Of course, there are other
methods to finding your soul mate as well. But, what will you do
when you find that soul mate? How will you know that he or she
is your soul mate?

Perhaps the answers to these questions should come from within
you. What qualities do you want your soul mate to have? Even
more important, what qualities will you hold to the highest
level and insist that your soul mate have? Things like honesty,
integrity, loyalty and on and on are things that soul mates must
have in common.

Perhaps that is the next most important thing for you to
consider in a soul mate. Will your soul mate need to have things
in common with you? Will your goals need to be the same? Will
your dreams need to be similar or at least compatible?

While no one can answer these questions but you about your needs
in a soul mate, it can be said that soul mates should be able to
understand the other soul mates needs and desires without them
having to be said. Soul mates know the feelings and desires of
their soul mate in the worst and the best of times. And, this is
something that you can not make up. Soul mates just come like
that! Are you looking for more information? Check out
http://www.getdatingtips.com.

April 26th, 2008

Customer Satisfaction Attorney Says Consumer Products Come With An Invisible Warranty!

Something about the video guy set off my internal alarm.

I got the feeling he wasn’t quite on the up and up; you couldn’t count on him to do his job well.

Still, his is one of the few outfits that can transfer video from a European to an American format, and I wanted this tape I own to work on my playback machines.

He called, said it was ready, and I paid and left with it.

The next day I returned with the DVD he had burned because it didn’t work right in my machines. He blamed them for being too old, and the obvious implication was, tough for you, buddy!

“Buy a new VCR!” he chided.

I said, more or less, if you thought there was any chance what you were going to make wouldn’t work on my machine, you should have warned me in advance. Then, I could have made an informed choice, weighing the risks and rewards. In light of the fact you didn’t, you should either refund my money or take another shot at making a video that will work.

Again, he stonewalled.

Finally, I’d had enough.

“Look, you’re straining my patience,” and with those words I reached into my wallet and plunked onto the counter a card.”

“I’m a lawyer, and we can do this the easy way or the hard way. If you like we can take it to Small Claims Court, and the judge will tell you just what I told you, but you’ll miss a half or full day of work.”

Within a minute, we settled the matter, amicably.

There is an implied warranty of fitness and use that comes along with most products. The law provides this; you won’t get it on a printed document that comes with the product.

Call it a guarantee, provided by law. The video guy, by placing into commerce the DVD’s he makes is saying, implicitly, they’ll work for their intended purpose, and they’ll work on your machine.

And they must, or you can rescind your contract; i.e. return an item when you first learn about the defect, and demand a refund.

There are some exceptions such as products that are sold on an “as-is” basis, where you are notified, in advance, that the sale is final.

Don’t be suckered into thinking you’re out of luck just because some blowhard says so.

His intimidation can’t stand up to the law!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

April 26th, 2008

Linking Purpose To Everyday Behaviors

Posted in Web Management

How do you know what’s the best use of your time right now?

Link your daily behavior to your purpose.

You’ll make better choices and see the value in seemingly insignificant or trivial tasks. It keeps you focused on doing what needs to be done to get what you say you want.

It’s one thing to say what you want, to choose projects that will get you what you want, and set goals that will achieve those projects. But, you still have to do the work. You still have to pay the price by just doing it.

Linking your purpose to your daily behaviors underlines the responsibility and the discipline you need to complete your projects.

Having an overall objective and doing what needs to be done gets priority. You can make your choices about what you are doing consciously, knowing that every little bit helps.

For example, one of your projects in support of your purpose of a successful one-person business may be getting a web site to promote your business.

Choosing to bring your lunch rather than spending eight dollars at the café every day is obviously the right choice. By doing the math, you quickly see you’ll save about $150 a month on lunch. Putting that money aside will get you your new web site that much faster.

It’s the little things done consistently and persistently that make the huge difference in achieving our projects, whatever our projects are.

Even with marketing and sales. New behavioral research has shown smaller tasks done more often are more effective in reaching your goals than larger projects done less frequently. Even if a larger project puts you in front of more people, it still isn’t as effective as more frequent, smaller contacts.

Build in momentum sustainers. If you’re like most people you start out a new project enthusiastically, and then lose track of it in the bustle of all your other obligations.

By building in appointments with people to check in with, and appointments with yourself for review, you force yourself to be accountable. You might want to set up weekly goals for yourself, or make an agreement to accomplish specific tasks by your next check in date.

Additional techniques for linking daily behaviors and long-term projects include:

  • Remind yourself what to do to support your purpose. Put up reminder notes around your house to keep your purpose front and center.

  • Figure out how long specific tasks take so you won’t skip out by telling yourself it takes too long or you don’t have the energy. At one point I decided I would get more serious about keeping up my database. I had told myself it was too big a hassle to do and I would wait until I had a lot and then find someone to do it for me. I was embarrassed to discover entering new contacts weekly actually took fifteen to twenty minutes.

  • Use lost, or fiddle time, to punch a hole in a bigger project. I always take work with me when I go on appointments. I can read an article, review my appointments for the next day, make a quick call on my cell phone in those times that would other wise be wasted.

  • Build in an artificial deadline and put yourself on a schedule. Play a game with yourself, and even reward yourself, for being a good kid when you’ve done one of those necessary but not fun little jobs.

  • Give yourself credit for what you have done and the hassles and work it was to accomplish it. I live in a wonderful town. When I tell people where I live, their reaction is usually “You’re so lucky to get to live there.” Luck had nothing to do with it. It’s part of a project I have in giving myself the business and life style I want.

(c) 2004, Pat Wilklund. All rights in all media reserved.

About The Author

Business coach Pat Wiklund works with entrepreneurs who want to make and keep more money from their businesses. Assess your one-person business with her free business tune up ecourse: pat3-32222@autocontractor.com.

Contact Pat at pat@leadinganorganizationofone.com.

April 26th, 2008

Why Most Leadership Development Efforts Fail

George was seen as an up-and-coming leader in the organization. People the worked for him liked and respected him. And those in Senior Leadership saw his potential, so he was slated to attend the company’s leadership development workshop.

George was ecstatic! He loved the organization and wanted to move up and contribute as much as he could. He saw this opportunity as a positive step in that progression. Plus, he had some challenges in his job that he hoped he could learn how to deal with more successfully.

After he found out he was slated to attend, George didn’t hear much more about the training until about a week before it began. The email gave him all of the details and he was excited all over again. Excited, that is, until he looked at his calendar and saw how much he had to do.

Because the training meant so much to him, he was determined to be focused while he was there, so he worked hard to get his projects all caught up before he left for the workshop.

George loved the workshop! The facilitator was great, the content was helpful, and the food was even good! He was so motivated by the new ideas and the people he met. He gained in confidence as they practiced some of the things they learned. As a part of the program he built an action plan. He left the two days completely stoked about what he had learned and how he would be able to apply it.

After the Workshop

George awoke the next morning and reviewed his action plan. He was excited because he knew what he would do to be a better leader, starting today. Then, George got back to work. As he fired up his computer he checked his voice mail.

23 messages.

His heart sank a little. As he listened to the messages, taking notes when needed on his next steps, he opened up his email and found an even more depressing sight. 91 emails. A quick glance found that there was little fluff there - it wasn’t 20 serious emails and a bunch of reading or jokes, it was a solid 91 emails to read, work through, reply to and take action on.

After getting a cup of coffee, George went to say hello to his team. This took awhile because they had questions and things they wanted to talk to him about - which was only natural since he had been out-of-pocket for two days. By 9:15 he was back at his desk, ready to tackle all the messages - including the 7 new emails that had come in while he was out.

By 3:00 he had mostly forgotten about his action plan - he remembered it only when he saw it in his briefcase. He took it out and looked at it wistfully. He was still committed to working on those items, but they would have to wait, the next project meeting was all day tomorrow. . .

Reviewing the Situation

Perhaps the situation above sounds familiar to you. What is written up to the “After the Workshop” heading looks good situation: a willing learner, a well designed workshop, and a person leaving excited about his action plan. This story might be a bit too rosy - admittedly, not every one who attends training will be as excited and motivated as George, but in the end it doesn’t really matter - because a highly motivated person like George won’t get as much from this effort as he could or even wants to.

Why?

Because while most leadership development programs focus on developing a great training program, that is a small part of the overall likelihood of success. You see, training is an event, but learning (including leadership development) is a process.

We don’t learn important, complex life skills in brief instant. In an instant we can get an insight, an aha, and an inspiration. In an event we can get ideas, approaches, checklists and knowledge. But skills come to us over time - not in a one shot, one time training course (regardless of how well it is designed or how awesome the trainer is). Skills come with practice and application.

Leadership development is a process and as long as those efforts look like events, the return on those investments will never be high.

Much can be written about specific things that can be done to make the process more effective, but you can start without that list of ideas. Reread the story above. Connect it to your situation and then think of two things you can do to make your leadership development process (whether for yourself or your organization) be more successful.

Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company. To receive a free Special Report on leadership that includes resources, ideas, and advice go to www.kevineikenberry.com/leadership.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

April 26th, 2008

Pregnancy Fitness After The Baby Is Born

What happened to that pre-pregnancy body you once had? After nine months of your body going through numerous changes, many of which you do not like or enjoy, your newborn is here and its time to lose the excess weight you have most likely gained. You can speed the process of regaining your pre-pregnancy shape by exercising regularly.

While it may not help eliminate any stretch marks you may have, exercise will help you regain the body you had prior to becoming pregnant. Some of the most common questions asked by new moms are: How soon can one begin postpartum exercises? How long will it take to regain my pre-pregnancy shape? And what are the best exercises to help me achieve my goals? Keep in mind one of the most critical factors that help determine the answers to these questions is how healthy you were during your pregnancy - both physically and mentally.

Have you ever wondered how celebrity moms lose their baby weight so rapidly? One of the most common reasons is because they exercise strenuously prior to and during their pregnancy. Celebrities have been known to lose up to 60 pounds in what seemed like a few days. However, please keep in mind that this is not considered as the normal time frame. These individuals are also quite careful (almost to the point of obsession) about the types of foods they eat. They are also quite able to afford personal trainers and nannies so that they can perform their exercise routines 5-7 days a week for many hours at a time.

Because most new moms have the regular everyday tasks to contend with such as work, errands, families, losing that excess weight after childbirth is not quite so easy. Hopefully you found the time and the desire to engage in some kind of exercise during your pregnancy, even on the days you just wanted to simply crawl back in bed. If you did, you will find that the process of losing that extra baby weight will be a lot easier for you than for new moms who did no exercise at all while pregnant. Exercising regularly during your pregnancy will have given you the opportunity to become familiar with what will motivate you, give you the best results, and identify the types of exercise that you
find the most enjoyable.

Walking, jogging, aerobics, yoga, and many other types of exercise will allow you to lose the extra weight more quickly and you will feel better at the end of each day. Having a new baby can be an exhausting task and the simple act of exercising regularly will undoubtedly increase your energy and stamina when you need it most. Most doctors will say that it is safe to start a post-pregnancy exercise routine six weeks after the birth of your child. Walking and swimming can be started shortly after your baby is born if you do so in moderate amounts at a slow pace. Work up slowly to the more strenuous exercises to ensure your safety and reduce the risks of any complications that could arise from over-exerting yourself before your body has had adequate time to recover.

Tina Titas is a columnist for www.FunExerciseVideos.com — where you’ll find the latest and greatest exercise videos as a great price.

April 24th, 2008

The NSTP ( Non-Spatial Thinking Process ) Theory

The term NSTP (Non - Spatial Thinking Process) in the NSTP theory means thinking process existing in the form of non-spatial feelings. The theory is comprised of 7 theorems that are stated and demonstrated below.

Theorem 1:

Phenomenal mind (i.e. feelings or qualia) is non-spatial. In other words, no kind of feeling, e.g. feeling of bodily pain, can be represented by any spatial structure.

1. The feeling of bodily pain, for example, is conceptually distinct from its bodily counterpart (i.e. identification of some electrochemical signal in brain) for the following two reasons.

a. This conceptual distinction is obvious or self - evident or axiomatic to me. (It is important to note that I advocate ‘the principle of universal doubt’: anything may be possible, for that which is believed to be absolutely (or 100 %) certainly true at present could be false as the intellectual capacities of the believer may be limited. Thus all axioms are 99.99…% certain to me.)

b. The knowledge of the process of identification of electrochemical signal is not at all sufficient for the knowledge of the feeling of bodily pain, for example.

2. Theorem 1 is axiomatic to me. The abstract nature of a spatial structure and mechanism, involving transfer of information (in general, spatial actions), and the abstract nature of a feeling (which can only be experienced) are not equivalent.

Theorem 2:

All kinds of experiences, even abstract thoughts I know I am having, are ultimately feelings (or qualias).

1. When I know I am thinking, for example, this knowledge ultimately comes through some kind of feeling.

2. Theorem 2 is axiomatic to me.

Theorem 3:

I am a (temporal) stream of (non-spatial) mental events (i.e. feelings).
I am an NSTP (Non - Spatial Thinking Process).

1. I am a group of feelings. I am not something other than feelings.

a. The feeling of pain, for example, is itself sufficient for its own existence. There is no need of some other substance (which is not a feeling itself) for the feeling of pain, for example, to exist.

b. When I know that I am feeling pain this knowledge itself, according to theorem 2, is ultimately represented as some feeling.

2. The feeling of bodily pain, for example, represents the idea, concept, or thought of the feeling of bodily pain (itself). Thus every feeling represents some thought. So I am an NSTP.

Theorem 4:

Feelings are most certainly real and thus physical or material.

1. The proposition ‘feelings are real’ is axiomatic to me.
I cannot deny I am feeling something at the moment. This feeling is the most real thing while the whole space, with all spatial entities including my body, could be a form of illusion. (I feel therefore I am.)

2. If something is real then it is physical or material. (The only exception to this rule is supposed to be the laws of logic which are meant to be eternal as they must exist forever. They cannot be changed and thus, despite being real, are not called physical or material.)

Theorem 5:

Space ( as a room or void out there: whether three or higher dimensional, bounded or unbounded ) is a mere form/kind of illusion. ( i.e., exclusively / only a virtual reality; a projection of non-spatial mind; a kind of feeling.)

1. The problem of spatial - non-spatial interaction and ontological [Ontology means theory of being. Here the term ontological is thus meant to be that which exists as real (esp. physical/material).] complexity-
If space and non-spatial mind are both realities (i.e. ontologically existent) then there are following two possibilities:

a. Spatial and non-spatial entities interact

b. Spatial and non-spatial entities do not interact but rather follow a parallelism

In the first case there is a problem ‘how spatial and non-spatial entities physically interact’ and in the both cases the model of the universe becomes unnecessarily (ontologically) complex as there are two real (ontologically existent) entities involved rather than just one.

2. The Zeno’s paradoxes -

a. The racecourse or dichotomy paradox:

‘There is no motion because that which is moved must arrive at the middle of its course before it arrives at the end. In order to traverse a line segment it’s necessary to reach the halfway point, but this requires first reaching the quarter-way point, which first requires reaching the eighth-way point, and so on without end. Hence motion can never begin.
This problem isn’t alleviated by the well-known infinite sum 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8… = 1 because Zeno is effectively insisting that the sum be tackled in the reverse direction. What is the first term in such a series ?’ (See David Darling: The universal book of mathematics, 2004.)

b. Achilles and the tortoise:

‘This is perhaps the most famous of the Zeno’s paradoxes.
The slower when running will never be overtaken by the quicker; for that which is persuing must first reach the point from which that which is fleeing started, so that the slower must necessarily always be some distance ahead. Thus, Achilles, however fast he runs, will never catch the plodding tortoise who started first. And yet, of course, in the real world, faster things do overtake slower ones.’ (See Simon Blackburn : Dictionary of philosophy, 1996.)

The Zeno’s paradoxes are out of the misbelief that space exists in the ontological sense, i.e. as a reality, out there. In fact, space is a virtual reality, a form/kind of illusion (existing in the form of non-spatial mind/s). Consequently (spatial) motion is also a form of illusion (to non-spatial observer/s). Thus reality (which is non-spatial) is not constrained by spatial infinities as whatever that is seen (i.e. experienced or felt) as happening in space is a mere illusion, with no resemblance to (non-spatial) reality. And illusion could be of any logically possible kind. In other words, that which creates (or is responsible for) the spatial illusion do not have to bother whether the mover has to first reach half of the distance and so on, or the faster has to first reach the point where the slower started or has infinitely many gaps to traverse, etc. The only thing is that it has to produce some dynamic spatial pattern (actually represented in the form of some non-spatial feelings or states of consciousness), as if a mover moving or the faster overtaking the slower. That’s it.

[ In analogy with (spatial) personal computers (PCs) a software programmer or graphic designer do not at all have to worry with Zeno’s arguments or paradoxes. All s/he has to do is to design and write a program in order to create an appropriate dynamic or changing pattern on the computer monitor screen. ]

[ The last two of the four Zeno’s paradoxes have different solutions which are stated in my article ‘The NSTP theoretical resolution of Zeno’s paradoxes’. (Published online. Please consult www.google.com) ]

3. The problem of quantum non-locality -

‘In 1997 experiments were conducted in which light particles (i.e. photons) originated under certain conditions and travelled in opposite directions to detectors located about seven miles apart. The amazing results indicated that the photons interacted or communicated with one another instantly or in no time.’ (See Robert Nadeau and Menas Kafatos, 1999. The non-local universe. 1st ed. Oxford : Oxford University Press.)

This problem is also out of the misbelief that space exists in the ontological sense, i.e. as a reality, out there. (Because if we believe that space does indeed exist in that sense then any spatial communication would need some appropriate spatial structure and time, whereas in the case of quantum non-locality the communication between photons is instantaneous and with apparently no spatial structure/mechanism in between.) However, space being a virtual reality (to non-spatial observer/s) the quantum non-locality is no longer mysterious or problematic as the photons and their behaviour is a mere form of illusion, a virtual reality.

[ Again in analogy with personal computers such a photonic behaviour on the computer monitor screen has no slightest mystery surrounding it, as it is just a dynamic or changing pattern of pixels modulated by some hidden software process/es. ] Zeno’s paradoxes (being logical) imply that space is logically necessarily a virtual reality. While quantum non-locality (being empirical) implies that space is not logically necessarily a virtual reality. That is, it may exist as a reality in some kind of world where quantum non-locality does not exist.

Theorem 6:

The spatial illusion (to individual non-spatial minds, such as humans, animals, etc.) is (orderly / thoughtfully) created or modulated by some superhuman non-spatial thinking process/es (NSTP/s). In other words, the individual (or peripheral) NSTP/s are created or modulated by some (central) superhuman NSTP/s (i.e. non-spatial feelings representing superhuman thoughts or ideas).

1. There should be some intelligence responsible for the immense order in the universe (e.g. gravitational phenomenon or quantum non-locality). I/we, the individual NSTP/s, are not responsible for the order (i.e. orderly spatial illusion). In general, in any machine where its peripherals are not intelligent enough to account for their own behaviour there has to be some central intelligent part in the machine to bring out the peripheral happenings or phenomena.

[ In analogy with personal computers the order in the dynamic pattern on the monitor screen is created by some central intelligent hardware representing some software. ]

2. As the spatial illusion (say, gravitational phenomenon or quantum non-locality) could be of any logically possible kind there has to be some way to change the ways individual NSTP/s are generated (or created or produced). And for that to be possible there has to be some central intelligence existing in the form of (non-spatial) feelings (It could be existing in some unknown non-spatial form instead, but it’s my conjecture that it exists in the form of (non-spatial) feelings.), which itself could be modulated to alter (or modulate) the modulation of individual NSTP/s.
[ In analogy with personal computers if the software instructions or parameters (ultimately some hardware pattern) are changed the dynamic pattern on monitor screen could be changed (or even destroyed). ]

3. The central NSTP/s represent superhuman thoughts or ideas (or, in general, mind) as they orderly create individual (non - superhuman) NSTP/s which is a super-task, distinctively beyond human capacities.

Theorem 7:

The central superhuman NSTP/s are processed instantaneously (i.e. in zero time).

This is because of no spatial limitations. (In space it takes time to transfer data from one spatial location to another.)

[ Although a conscious human being, for example, is nothing but an NSTP, it is, at least partially, conceptually (as in contrast with physically) bound to the spatial biochemical brain, and thus the central NSTP/s introduce time lag (i.e. temporal experience) in individual NSTP/s. ]

[ Thus, in computer terminology, in the NSTP model of reality the hardware of the universe is composed of non-spatial feelings, while its (central) software is made of superhuman thoughts, and the peripherals represent non-superhuman thoughts, concepts, or ideas. ]

How the non - spatial universal computer exactly works. -

Consider some experimental setup for detecting quantum non-locality. A conscious (human) being observing one of the photons (say A) is actually a peripheral NSTP. An event in this NSTP has some superhuman or meta representation in the central NSTP/s, which is caused and further processed by static (representing laws of physics : in computer terminology main instructions and parameters in the software) as well as dynamic (representing thoughts used merely for the purpose of processing : in computer terminology the run time data) NSTPs. According to theorem 7 this central processing takes no time, and thus within no time (i.e. instantaneously) creates appropriate illusion of the other photon (say B). Ultimately it appears that the two photons communicate with each other instantaneously or in zero time.

[ Theorems 1 to 4 are relatively axiomatic; theorems 5 to 7 are relatively hypothetical; while theorem 6 and thus theorem 7 are not necessary for the NSTP theory, at least for its nomenclature. ]

Conclusion

The 7 theorems of the NSTP theory

1. Feelings are non - spatial.

2. All experiences are feelings.

3. I, a conscious being, am an NSTP (Non-Spatial Thinking Process).

4. Feelings are physical or material.

5. Space is a virtual reality, that fact which the Zeno’s paradoxes necessarily imply (for if space is a reality, i.e. ontologically existent, then Zeno’s paradoxes would arise/be unsolved).

6. Individual or peripheral NSTP/s are orderly created by central superhuman NSTP/s.

7. The central superhuman NSTP/s take zero time for being processed.

The NSTP theory

1. Maintains both mentalism (or idealism: only mind is real), as only non-spatial mind is a reality, and materialism (or realism: only matter is real), as mind itself is matter.

2. Coincidently entails the ideas of philosophers, viz Descartes (mind as non-spatial), Kant (space as a projection of mind), Leibniz (material reality as fundamentally non-spatial : windowless monads in Leibniz’ monadism), and Sankara (world of appearance as Maya, i.e. illusion).

3. Strongly supports that idea of solipsism (I’m the only mind in the universe) as well as the idea that any apparently spatial entity could be conscious.

4. Falsifies general relativity, for example, on its physical or ontological side, while retaining its (so called) mathematical validity.

Problems with two other models of reality

1. Many - worlds:

a. Does not explain exactly how a single world splits into many (i.e. multiple) worlds and how multiple worlds unite into a single world.

b. Does not explain consciousness. (i.e. Does not provide appropriate physical basis for consciousness.)

2. String theories:

a. Do not explain consciousness.

b. Do not solve problems like quantum non-locality.

Kedar Joshi - EzineArticles Expert Author

I was born on 31 Dec 1979 to a Hindu (Brahmin) family, in Mumbai (Bombay), India, where I lived for the first 15 years of my life. Then I moved to Pune (Poona). In March 2004 I came to Cambridge, England where I currently live and work. I’m inclined to Christianity for its moral and social manifestation. I see most of the major world religions, including Hinduism and Christianity, to be parts of a bigger (Superultramodern) metaphysical picture.

Founder & President- Superultramodern Scientific Institution St John’s Innovation Centre
Cowley Road
Cambridge CB4 0WS
http://www.bssi.org.uk
email: kedarkj1@rediffmail.com

April 24th, 2008

Valentine Recipes - Delicious Puddings for your sweetheart

Posted in Best Food

Valentine Recipes - Delicious Puddings for your sweetheart

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Here are Recipes of
Delicious Valentine Puddings for your special person coming to
dinner on Valentines’s Day. Try these Valentine Recipes to make
this day more Romantic.

Valentine Recipe:1 HONEY PUDDING

Mix one-half cup of honey with six ounces of bread crumbs and
add one-half cup of milk, one-half teaspoon of ginger, grated
rind of half a lemon and yolks of two eggs. Beat the mixture
thoroughly and then add two tablespoons of butter and the whites
of the eggs well beaten. Steam for about two hours in a pudding
mold which is not more than three-quarters full.

Valentine Recipe:2 CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Take half a cake of chocolate broken in one quart of milk and
put on the range until it reaches boiling point. Remove the
mixture from the range. Add four teaspoonfuls of cornstarch
mixed with the yolks of three eggs and one cup and a half of
sugar. Stir constantly until thick. Remove from the fire, flavor
with vanilla and pour the mixture in a dish. Beat the whites of
the three eggs to a stiff froth and add a little sugar. Cover
the top of the pudding with a meringue and set in the oven until
a light brown. Serve cold.

Valentine Recipe:3 JELLY PUDDINGS.

Two cupfuls of fine stale biscuit or bread crumbs, one cupful of
rich milk cream, if you can get it; five eggs beaten very light,
half a teaspoonful of soda stirred in boiling water, one cupful
of sweet jelly, jam or marmalade. Scald the milk and pour over
the crumbs. Beat until half cold and stir in the beaten yolks,
then whites, finally the soda. Fill large cups half full with
the batter, set in a quick oven and bake half an hour. When
done, turn out quickly and dexterously. With a sharp knife make
an incision in the side of each; pull partly open, and put a
liberal spoonful of the conserve within. Close the slit by
pinching the edges with your fingers. Eat warm with sweetened
cream.

Valentine Recipe:4 APPLE CUSTARD PUDDING.

Put a quart of pared and quartered apples into a stewpan, with
half a cupful of water and cook them until they are soft. Remove
from the fire and add half a cupful of sugar, two tablespoonfuls
of butter and the grated rind and the juice of a lemon. Have
ready mixed two cupfuls of grated bread crumbs and two
tablespoonfuls of flour. Add this also to the apple mixture,
after which stir in two well-beaten eggs. Turn all into a
well-buttered pudding-dish and bake forty-five minutes in a
moderate oven. Serve with sugar and cream or hard sweet sauce.

Valentine Recipe:5 APRICOT PUDDING

Take 1 tin of apricots, 6 sponge cakes, 1/2 pint of milk, 2
eggs. Put the apricots into a saucepan and let them simmer with
a little sugar for 1/2 an hour. Take them off the fire and beat
them with a fork. Mix with them the sponge cakes crumbled. Beat
the eggs up with milk and pour it on the apricots. Pour the
mixture into a wetted mould and bake in a hot oven with a cover
over the mould for 1/2 an hour. Turn out; serve either hot or
cold.

Valentine Recipe:6 CARROT PUDDING

Take three or four clear red carrots, boil and peel them, take
the red part of the carrot, beat it very fine in a mixing bowl,
put to it the crumbs of a penny loaf, six eggs, half a pound of
clarified butter, two or three spoonfuls of rose water, a little
lemon-peel shred, grate in a little nutmeg, mix them well
together, bake it with a puff-paste round your dish and have a
little white wine, butter and sugar for the sauce.

Valentine Recipe:7 CHEESE PUDDING

Take breakfast-cupful of milk into a saucepan with a piece of
butter the size of a large egg. Let it remain until the butter
is melted, then pour it over three-quarters of a pound of bread
crumbs and half a pound of grated cheese; let these soak for
twenty minutes, then add a pinch of salt and 4 eggs, well
beaten. Pour the mixture into a well-buttered dish and bake in a
quick oven upto 40 Minutes.

Valentine Recipe:8 DATE PUDDING

Melt three tablespoons of butter, add one-half cup of molasses,
one-half cup of milk, one and two-third cups of flour sifted
with one-half teaspoon of baking-soda, one-quarter teaspoon of
salt, one-quarter teaspoon each of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Add to the above one-half pound of dates, stoned and cut. Turn
into a well-buttered mold. Butter the cover also and steam two
and one-half hours. Keep at a steady boil. Serve with any kind
of sauce.

Hope you will enjoy these Valentine’s recipes. Happy
Valentine’s Day!

Amy Tylor is the Author of Pudding Recipes E-book:
http://www.puddingrecipe.7try.com/ She also maintains a
Directory of Valentine day Recipes at:
http://www.valentine-day.7try.com/valentine-day-recipe.html

April 24th, 2008

Things to Know Before Buying Medical Billing Software

Spend time and money on receiving a medical billing degree or certificate program because despite the false ads you may have read you cannot make a good salary, or even find employment in the field without a degree. Those ads that promise a good job, great earnings comfortably from your home and without investing any money and efforts in a medical college, are only scams. Medical billing is a skilled profession that needs experience and studies.

A medical billing specialist must be able to perform several tasks and posses much knowledge and skills including maintaining the ability to fill out several types of hard to understand to the untrained person, insurance claim forms, read insurance guidelines, procedures and claims submission process, have the ability to analyze Explanation of Benefits (EOB) forms to ensure that insurance companies have properly assessed and paid for charges and to follow up with insurance companies and patients to ensure that bills are paid on time as well as to make and present accounts receivable reports for clients.

Medical Billing and Coding Programs
Enter a program to learn medical billing and coding. Medical coding is the first step in the billing process, so both skills are usually combined into a single program.

April 23rd, 2008

Print on Demand: Is it Right for You?

When you hear the word print on demand what comes to your mind? You’ll probably say ‘on demand printing’, ‘fast turnaround time” or ’small quantity printing’. Well, you are right. Print on demand is a printing technology that allows you to print small quantities of documents at affordable price and in a short period of time. The market for this kind of printing technique took a while to develop and a while for the technology to improve.

A few years back when e-books were on the rise, many thought that the publishing industry would be changed forever. But as years passed, it seemed that people were not yet ready to give up their ink and paper books. Most people still prefer books that they can hold and read at the comfort of their bed or veranda. This is where POD technology came in. It allowed many authors to publish their work and offer readers with less expensive books.

There are many advantages of print of demand technology. In general, getting published with this technology is very easy. Publishing is also quick usually around sixty to ninety days. POD also allows you to test the market at little cost. Little or no money is needed to be invested in inventory maintenance and insurance. There is no fear of overstocking and no missed sales due to tight deadlines. On top of this, you can do last minute changes that are not allowed in the traditional publishing process.

But of course, there is also the downside. For one, you will find it difficult to have your book purchased, reviewed and placed in bookstores. And with POD publishing you would perhaps have lower sales since most retailers won’t carry POD books.

Hence, before you avail of POD technology you have to ask yourself whether it is the right choice for you. If you want to control the layout of your book or you have a marketing vehicle for your book, then this may be the right option for you. Additionally, if you know that your book is so specialized that it won’t get picked up by a conventional publisher or you don’t want to go through years of submissions and rejection from conventional publishers then go ahead and avail of this printing technology.

The dream of every POD authors is the same as self-published authors - to have their books picked up by a major publisher. There is a chance that POD could prosper as a respected addition to the publishing industry over the years to come. But the industry has to act quickly to make it more author and reader friendly or it could be tarnished forever. Nevertheless, whether or not print on demand technology comes to the nearest bookstore to you, it will surely slowly change the way the publishing industry works.

For comments and suggestions kindly visit Short Run Printing

April 23rd, 2008

Taxidermy - Today’s Replicas Help Tomorrows Fisherman and Anglers

As the human population continues to grow, more and more
individuals
have become hooked on fishing. Never has there been a better
time to
consider having that trophy fish yove caught reproduced out of
fiberglass.

In the past, it was necessary for anglers to keep and kill the
fish they
caught and then take it to the local fish taxidermist. Once
there, the
taxidermist would perform the standard process of preserving the
skin,
eyes and fins while stuffing the inside of the fish with
filling. This was a
time consuming and expensive process.

Today, the process of replicating fish has come along way.
Today’s
taxidermists use molds custom made from fish in the past, to
create
standard fiberglass fish mounts, replicating the mold. Each mold
can be
used over and over.

The final step of a successful taxidermist process is the
airbrushing. The
airbrushing separates the experienced and talented fiberglass
taxidermists from those who are not. Sometimes fiberglass fish
mounts
can get a bad review. This is because all mounts are not built
the same.
Poor craftsmanship and a bad airbrush artist can degrade the
integrity of
the mount.

However, with a good taxidermist who recreates a lifelike
mount, coupled with a talented airbrush artist, can create
vibrant and
incredibly realistic mounts. With every detail included, your
mount can
look exactly like your memorable catch. Ultimately, this allows
anglers to
release their prize catch, yet still obtain a memorabilia.

What’s the advantage you ask? Fiberglas fish replicas offer
the
following advantages over old school fish taxidermy:

(1) easy to clean

(2) more affordable

(3) lighter and easier to hang

(4) fiberglass won’t crack or rot over time

but most important

(5) fiberglass fish mounts allow you to release the fish to be
caught
again

Ok, now that you understand the value of fiberglass fish mounts,
consider this. In 2000, a central Florida taxidermy shop decided
to take
fiberglass taxidermy to the next level. They decided to take
their
straightest molds and create half sided mounts that are hollow
on the
backside. Well, that sounds funny you might say, but think about
it.

When the fish mount is up on the wall, you are only viewing the
outer
portion and the wall hides the backside. This process, which
takes about
half the time to produce, ends up looking identical to a full
mount minus
the backside. Nautical decorators and restaurant owners find
the half
sided fish mounts to be perfect for their needs.

The half sided mounts take up less room, cost less, and are
easier to
clean, essentially creating a huge selling advantage. Next time
you are
inside of seafood restaurant be sure to check out the fish on
the wall and
see if that restaurant is utilizing half sided mounts as their
decoration.

Remember, the most important feature is the preservation of our
ocean.
By choosing a half mount fish replica, this will help insure
that our
children and our childres children can continue to enjoy in the
excitement of catch and release sport fishing.

Copyright Troy Denson of Mount This Fish Mounts http://www.mountthis.net

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