articles

What's at the center of a strong marriage?

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:55:42 +0100

By Elizabeth Ann Wells
5/5/2008

The Catholic Voice (www.catholicvoiceomaha.com)

RALSTON, Neb. (The Catholic Voice) - Todd and Deb Banchor say they are nothing special, but their marriage is.

Don’t misunderstand. The Banchors, members of St. Gerald Parish in Ralston, are not saying their own marriage is perfect. They have had ups and downs like almost every other couple. But, as far as they are concerned, the sacrament of marriage is perfect because God is part of that union.

They say they are enjoying the benefits of a healthy marriage and have worked to help others reap the blessings of a strong marriage with God at the center. One of their best tools is peer marriage ministry.

Married in 1983, they participated in two Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekends in 1985 and 1989 in the Archdiocese of Denver. They said it renewed their marriage and solidified their desire to shine the light on the sanctity of marriage. Honoring that sanctity comes from a firm commitment to stay focused on each other.

“There is a saying that love is a decision,” Todd said, adding that they were challenged at their encounters to renew their decision every day.

“When you have been given something really great, you want to share that with other people,” said Deb. It led them to help first in Engaged Encounter and then Worldwide Marriage Encounter in Denver, Lincoln and now Omaha. Over the past 20-plus years, they have served in many roles in both movements. Each encounter has left the Banchors further committed.

Todd appreciates how Engaged Encounter reassures couples that their journey together can be wonderful with faith in God and their love for each other. He likens it to the mountain climber standing at the foot of a majestic mountain.

“Looking up, you know it’s going to be a beautiful journey, but you’re not sure what the paths and pitfalls are along the way,” he said.

As presenters at Marriage Encounter weekends, he said they regularly saw miraculous changes in people’s lives. Couples learn a communication technique called “dialoging.” It’s intended for daily use and helps couples to keep focusing on what is important - each other.

“We could see tensions between couples dissolve by the end. It’s for all ages. Every relationship can use a tune up or retreat,” he says. “When we would see other couples get re-energized, we wanted that for ourselves.”

Renew Church through renewal of marriage

Making their marriage the best it can be is the greatest thing the Banchors say they can do for their family. They also have made many friendships with people of like minds and similar values along the way. The constant reminder through their marriage encounter experiences reinforces their commitment to good marriages.

“Like all couples, our marriage has had its ups and downs,” Deb said. “It’s a human journey, but through it all you still know that this is the person that God gave me, and through the ups and downs, this person goes with me.”

This knowledge creates peace and offers comfort, the Banchors said. Home is the primary haven and within that home is the spouse. That promise of stability and support invigorates their own relationship and keeps them connected to their work in Worldwide Marriage Encounter because it’s the mission of the movement in action.

“That mission is to renew the church through the renewal of the sacrament of marriage. By renewing the church you’re changing the world. You must consider the ripple effect of loving relationships at home,” Todd said.

“That really does change the world.”

PATIENCE

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:54:01 +0100

Author: Father Nicolás Schwizer | Source: Catholic.net

Are you really a patient person? Father Nicolás' teaching on patience might surprise you

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: "charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity." (CCC 1832). The Bible further reveals the patience God has for us. God surely has patience with his children. He tolerates our defects and allows humanity to continue populating the earth in spite of our overall poor conduct.

It is the Divine Spirit who is patient with us and who now comes to us. From the Holy Spirit we must learn to have with others the same patience God has with us. The book of Proverbs teaches us: “It is better to be patient than powerful. It is better to win control over yourself than over whole cities” (Proverbs 16: 32). In his letters, Saint Paul insists again and again on the fundamental virtues of self-restraint and tolerance. He invites us to cover ourselves with patience, to bear with one another out of love, to mutually forgive each other (Colossians 3: 12; Ephesians 4: 2; 1 Thessalonians 5: 14; 1 Corinthians 13: 4).

Patience with Loved Ones
We all have had the following experience: The closer we are to a person, friction, annoyance and attitudes which are irritating increase. Let us consider our spouses, our children, our relatives who live with us, our coworkers, and our friends. The sincere relationship and the basic affectation towards the other person are maintained, but permanent esteem is tarnished with daily disgust.

A great deal can be done to lessen friction and improve living together: dialog, opening up, being truthful, correcting one another and accepting one another. A great deal can be done, but it all has to be based on the fundamental essence of patience, tolerance, and pure and simple humanly bearing with one another because in the final analysis, we know that the situation will never be ideal for ourselves or for others.

What we have to do, therefore, is to overcome the inevitable setbacks with anticipated resignation.

Things take time. Fruits ripen slowly. Nature takes its course and the seasons cannot be hurried. The same thing happens with the cultivation of the Spirit. Time is needed. Patience is needed, until the Holy Spirit gradually converts us, a little bit at a time, into masters of patience.

Patience on Listening
All those who surround us are, each and everyone of them, like an angel from God who brings us his message. How do I maintain my attitude for listening to the word of God which comes to me by means of another person? First of all, through love, he or she is a word of God for me, but also through his/her wishes, needs and troubles.

Everything is a word of God which is calling me: the other person’s gestures of love call me to give thanks, others’ wishes and necessities call me to service, their troubles call me to help wish solutions and to share.

Do I listen to those words of God which come to me through others? God wants to tell me something! When I feel there is something from God in what someone tells me, do I embrace the message, do I open my heart so that the word can find a dwelling place in me?

We are to listen to others, but we also need to speak to others. There are moments in which God wants to speak to someone through us. To speak is then a Christian duty. To dialog is a Christian duty. Then I am a word for someone else which the person needs to listen to in order to grow. If I do not speak to others, then I am refusing to be a word of God…..Good News…..the Gospel of God for them.

Questions for Meditation
1. Do I think of myself as a patient person? In this aspect, how do others see me?
2. Do I have moments of prayer to listen to what God is telling me through happenings or persons?
3. Do I listen joyfully when others speak?

Saint Francis Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of yourpeace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

A Religious Reaction to Gay Marriage

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:47:46 +0100

By: Kurt Soller

We saw it coming. This week's cover story, written by Lisa Miller, our religion editor, lays out the religious case for gay marriage. As Jon Meacham says in his weekly Editor's Letter, "The reaction to this cover is not difficult to predict. Religious conservatives will say that the liberal media are once again seeking to impose their values (or their "agenda," a favorite term to describe the views of those who disagree with you) on a God-fearing nation. Let the letters and e-mails come."

And come they did, in a flood. Throughout the week, I'll be featuring conversations with people on various sides of this debate, some thorough reader analysis of the issues at stake (keep commenting and e-mailing!) and perhaps some guest viewpoints to complement our cover, which is ultimately supportive of gay marriage.

To start, Politico reached out to conservative Christians, including Richard Land, who heads the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Liberty Commission. "It doesn't surprise me," he told Politico of our piece. "Newsweek has been so far in the tank on the homosexual issue for so long, they need scuba gear and breathing apparatus. I don't think [the piece] is going to change the minds of anyone who takes biblical teachings seriously."
The Atlanta Journal Constitution's political blog linked to the Politico piece and pointed out the comments made by Ralph Reed, the former executive director of the Christian Coalition. "I see it as an attempt to caricature and reduce to a cartoon the social conservative belief in the efficacy of a traditional marriage, and try to reduce it to some formulaic, scriptural literalism," he said. "There's more of a practical, sociological foundation for why we seek to affirm marriage as an institution than I think is generally understood by those who want to legalize same-sex marriage." And Tim Graham, the Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center, accuses NEWSWEEK of saying, essentially: "Religious conservatives are troglodytes on the wrong side of history."

Over at the blog of the conservative magazine, The Weekly Standard, they refer to the NEWSWEEK piece
as a "dire mess." In turn, they point to the lengthy rebuttal that was written by Mollie Hemingway on getreligion.org (which, it's worth noting, has this tag line: "the media... just doesn't get religion"). In her lengthy piece , Hemingway argues that NEWSWEEK'S biblical analysis is off-base. "If you are going to pretend that opposition to same-sex marriage is based Sola Scriptura, could we at least get our Scripture right?" she asks before introducing herself into the piece:

Now, as a member of a contemporary marriage, albeit one that isn't so foolish as to think marriage is about gender equality or romantic love, I can honestly say that the Bible has been the only guide that has helped my husband and myself. We turn to it constantly to be reminded that the husband is to sacrifice for the wife and the wife is to respect the husband (these things don't come naturally to either my husband or myself).

Meanwhile, on the National Review's blog, Mark Hemingway says that Miller "can't even get through the first paragraph of her story without evincing an understanding of Christianity and its basic texts that is grossly oversimplified and distorted, filtered through an almost exclusively liberal political lens." And, on his personal blog, Albert Mohler, the ninth president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, argues in a lengthy response for the reproductive reasoning behind marriage: "At the center of this extended family stands the institution of marriage as the most basic human model of covenantal love and commitment, " he writes. "And this notion of marriage, deeply rooted in its procreative purpose, is unambiguously heterosexual."

Not according to everyone. On the Web site for America, the National Catholic Weekly, a blog post lauds Miller for quoting biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann, who says that the religious argument for gay marriage "is not generally made with reference to particular texts, but with the general conviction that the Bible is bent toward inclusiveness." In doing so, America encourages any readers who want to comment to "remember the dictates of charity."

And the leading gay news blogs, not surprisingly, were also supportive. On Towleroad, a gay news aggregator, an image of the cover is featured as the top story with this excerpt from the story: "...First, while the Bible and Jesus say many important things about love and family, neither explicitly defines marriage as between one man and one woman. And second, as the examples above illustrate, no sensible modern person wants marriage-theirs or anyone else's -to look in its particulars anything like what the Bible describes."

On AfterElton, a blog owned by the gay television network Logo, Brian Juergens writes, "Much like the excellent documentary "For the Bible Tells Me So," the Newsweek piece takes a hard look at exactly what the Bible says about marriage, homosexuality, and the place where the two meet. Not surprisingly, the fundamental text is not as anti-gay as many Prop 8 supporters would like us to think it is." And to round things out, the blog Queerty had this to say about our piece: "One of the most useful side-effects of the passage of Prop. 8 in California is that people are asking, "So why won't we let the gays get married again?" and anti-marriage advocates, unable to win their case in the civic square have retreated to religion, pulling out the "Because the Bible tells me so" defense. Not true, says Newsweek's Lisa Miller in this morning's cover story." The authors of the Queerty post close out by saying that, if history is any indicator, Miller's sure to get lots of angry responses.

Queerty is right. On the American Family Association's Web site, they have started a petition urging members and like-minded readers to e-mail NEWSWEEK's CEO. So far, his office reports that they have received 15,000 such e-mails.

5 Ways to Protect Your Kids (and Yourself!) from the Flu

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:46:32 +0100

The season is changing and we have finally arrived at that bittersweet time of Daylight Savings. I always feel like this simple one-hour time change throws me into a pretty significant physiological shift. For me, it also marks the beginning of the flu and cold season.

Ever wonder why the winter months are when we get sick the most? While many experts have their myriad reasons, the culprit is not as simple as "it's cold outside."

There are few steps that you can take to protect yourself and your family from what seems to be the inevitable flu. The guardian of the health of our body is the immune system. While intangible and challenging to identify, the immune system has very specific signs and symptoms.

For a moment, put aside the traditional considerations for assessing your child’s health. Instead, I’d like you to consider some new approaches and angles that will provide you with insight into the likelihood that your child will stay healthy or get sick this winter season.

1. Sugar and processed foods impact the immune system.

Studies have shown that through a complex system of chemical processes sugar and processed foods depress the immune system. There exists a direct link between the amount of these foods that your child consumes and his/her health.

Obvious foods such as sodas, candy, cookies, ice cream, and potato chips are the big guns that should be kept concealed.

Even more disturbing are the foods that you think are healthy for your child that hide sugar and many refined ingredients: yogurt, and yogurt drinks and “pops;”most cereals; juices; fruit roll ups and “leathers;” “healthy” cookies and treats, soy ice cream and frozen treats. While being marketed as healthy choices, these foods aren’t much better than the obvious poor choices. Work hard during flu season to keep these foods away from your children. Read ingredient labels and watch out for: corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup or “HFCS,” brown rice syrup, fructose, sucrose, barleymalt and the obvious, sugar.

2. Fresh foods offer the highest quality vitamins.

It’s shocking to me how often I see people turn to orange juice for vitamin C in an effort to fight off a cold or flu.

It is important to understand that the majority of vitamin C in orange juice is added after processing. Vitamin C and others like zinc, vitamin E, and magnesium help to support the immune system and are a great defense during flu season.

Choose better by having kids eat fresh whole foods such as cherries, berries, and apples, and vegetables such as spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots and sweet potatoes.

I know you probably hear this suggestion all the time, but it can’t be stressed enough. It is imperative to find creative ways to prepare vegetables so that kids will actually eat them. Sautee, roast or grill vegetables with olive oil or real butter, add some fresh sea salt or sprinkle with organic low fat cheese and kids will be more likely to eat.

3. Sleep will boost the immune system.

At night while we rest, the body is working to rebuild the immune system. Deep sleep allows a complex set of hormonal changes that recharge the body so that it’s resilient the next day. Be diligent and ensure that kids get a full night sleep of 8-10 hours.

Mandate bedtime despite protests and stick to a regular schedule. These are the times that mom and dad really need to be the boss. Resist the temptation to allow your child to stay up late and watch his or her favorite show. At the end of the day when you are tired as well, it’s easy to give in to your child’s vigilant campaign.

Remember: Would you rather avoid the confrontation tonight? Or deal with a sick kid tomorrow?

4. Fatigue is the first sign of a distressed immune system.

As already stated, the immune system desperately needs sleep to keep the body healthy. When the immune system is fighting to keep your child healthy, it requests that the body get extra rest to help in the fight.

If your child seems more fatigued than usual, it could be a very strong signal that your child is on the brink of getting sick.

The best way to fight off a cold or flu is to act immediately and get extra rest. Pay attention to the health of others around you such as those at work or your child’s school. If you hear of a bug “going around” and you notice that your child is tired, there’s a good chance that extra sleep will ward off the cold or flu. This is the time to allow extra television and require a mid-day nap.

5. Wash hands frequently, but avoid antibacterial products.

This seems counterintuitive, but the best way to kill environmental germs is to use soap and hot water and scrub hands thoroughly. Bacteria live all around us. They are on every surface we touch and in every breath we take. Without bacteria, our immune system wouldn’t learn to be strong.

Our internal bacterial system fights off invaders and thereby gets more effective at winning the battle. It’s just like working out: In order to become stronger, you must work hard in the gym. Your child’s body is a bacterial gym. Again, this comes back to the immune system. If you foster a strong immune system, your child’s body will fight off invaders and therefore become more resilient to future battles. While it is imperative to wash hands frequently during flu season, remember that the hands are only one very small way that germs enter your child’s system. Killing off the germs on hands with antibacterial products is futile and weakens your child’s- and the world’s- future ability to confront germs.

by:Holly Perkins, Intent.com

Holly Perkins B.S. is a Fitness Expert and Personal Trainer in Los Angeles. Holly holds a degree in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition from Penn State and has been actively involved in the industry for over 12 years. Holly is a member of NSCA (soon to be CSCS certified), is the newest Celebrity Trainer on ExerciseTV, and is the current fitness model for WeightWatchers.com. Holly's unique approach bridging diet, lifestyle and personalized training has helped celebrities, athletes, moms and even a 2008 Presidential Candidate.

5 Secrets to Staying Thin Through the Holidays

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:45:13 +0100

By David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding
Provided by: Men's Health

If you’re anything like the average American, you’re nearly a pound heavier after Thanksgiving than you were the day before. That’s because you just ate your way through the most calorie-riddled day of the year.
Between breakfast, snacks, drinks, desserts and the feast itself, the average person consumes more than 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving - more than twice your recommended intake.
Now here's the worse part: Between now and New Year's, you’ll eat on average an extra 600 calories per day! That means gaining an addition six pounds heading into the new year - if you're not careful. Here are 5 fitness secrets that will not only help you shed that Turkey Day bloat, but will keep you lean and fit throughout the holidays.
1. Volunteer to do the dishes. Studies show that the energy you burn outside the gym (called "nonexercise activity thermogenesis," or N.E.A.T., for you science buffs out there) can be greater than what you're burning during your regimented exercise routines.
Raise your N.E.A.T. by simply staying on your feet and doing some sort of activity - like helping out in the kitchen - instead of heading right to the couch. Another reason to take a stand against weight gain: Sitting shuts down your fat burners, according to University of Missouri scientists. After examining the muscle tissue of people being active and of those kicking back, the researchers concluded that parking your butt switches off an enzyme that prevents fat storage. Keep in mind, you burn one more calorie per minute when standing than when you are sitting.

2. After eating wait 2 hours, then go for a walk or run. It’ll help keep you out of the leftovers. In a recent San Diego State University study, scientists found that that people who exercised after they ate maintained lower hunger levels 5 hours longer than those who exercised before a meal.
The researchers haven’t yet pinned down the mechanism, but speculate that exercise may lower the concentrations of a peptide-YY, a hormone that increases appetite. The study participants worked out 2 to 3 hours after they ate. Plan accordingly.

3. Clip on motivation. Turns out, simply wearing a pedometer can make you more active. British researchers discovered that when study participants wore pedometers and logged their daily steps in a journal, they increased their activity level by 16 percent.
“People turn competitive with themselves and try to beat their previous number,” says study author Stacy Clemes, Ph.D. Try it yourself with any of the good ones out there, such as the New Lifestyles SW-701 Digi-Walker ($25, new-lifestyles.com). It weighs less than an ounce and tracks your activity in steps, miles, and calories burned - and is great way for helping you boost your N.E.A.T.

4. Get a good night’s sleep. Just one night of poor shuteye makes you crave fast food, reports a study from Baruch College, in New York City. The reason: people just don't feel like cooking when they're tired and irritable, say the researchers.
You, however, should try to buck the impulse: People who regularly consume two fast-food meals weekly gain an extra 10 pounds over 15 years, compared with those who eat more meals at home. If you need help with your shopping, check out 10 ways to save at the supermarket. And when you're out, remember that some of the most calorie-laden items you'll consume during the holidays are drinks - and try to steer clear of the 20 unhealthiest drinks in America.
5. Start lifting weights on Black Friday. This is especially important for women. Here’s why: Ball State University researchers put overweight people on a 1,500-calorie-a-day diet, and divided them into three groups - one that didn’t exercise, another that performed aerobic exercise 3 days a week, and a third that did both a similar amount of aerobic exercise but added weight training 3 days a week.
The results: Each of the groups lost nearly the same amount of weight - about 21 pounds. But the lifters shed 5 pounds more fat than those who didn’t pump iron. Why? Because their 21-pound weight loss was almost 100 percent pure fat, while the other two groups lost just 15 pounds of lard and more than 5 pounds of metabolism-boosting muscle. And besides protecting your muscle, lifting weights has been shown to raise the rate your body burns fat for up to 39 hours after you work out. What’s not to love?

A Taste Of Organic Cuisine

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:43:25 +0100

COOKING WITH CHARACTER
By Dr. Nestor Alonso II
The Freeman November 25, 2008 12:00 AM

In a country like ours, there are plenty of opportunities to eat organic food; just visit your nearest barrio and you have fruits and vegetables that have never seen artificial fertilizers or conventional pesticides and are grown in soil free from contamination from human or industrial waste. Neither are these plants genetically modified!

If meat is available, chances are they are grown without antibiotics or growth hormones. If consumed immediately, there is no need for artificial food additives, food irradiation or chemicals as preservatives. Yes, my beloved readers, such is the definition of “organic food” under the standards adopted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2000.

However, your favorite food columnist never traveled far for an “Evening of Organic Flavors”; guest na pud of the International Culinary Arts Academy Cebu (in front of USC-Girls High, email: icaac@skyinet.net, phone 256-0461, 418-2988) for the Final Culminating Dinner Event of the Two Year Culinary Arts Chefs Programme last November 14. Joining me at the dinner table were charming ladies from Plantation Bay, F&B Manager Rocel Gonzaga and Ms. Mia Santiago; dashing gentlemen from Marriott Hotel, F&B Manager Helbert Villarosa and Harry Dale Seno; and one of my favorite chefs, Mayor Christian Purisima.

With a glass of Canti, Chardonnay-Pinot Grigio, Italia, the first course was the organic vegetable salad, apple-wood smoked sea bass and Bloody Mary sauce, celery root puree, crispy fish skin and Russian Ossietra caviar. This was followed by the organic chicken consommé and organic chicken breast with porcini sabayon and beet tapioca pearls. The two dishes were delicious and when consumed with the soup, simply heavenly.

Grilled organic pork belly and Arugula Salad came next and this was paired with the Ramirana, Chardonnay 2007 Chile. The rich peppery taste of the greens effectively neutralized any greasiness left in the pork and with the wine, the taste is definitely luxuriant.

The next dish showed the playful antics of Chef Jeremy Young, Dean ICAA Cebu: Spicy chocolate sorbet with Jalapeño. The latter are chili peppers that originate from Mexico and imagine cold chocolate that is chili hot!

The Farm Way Chèvre, a Rack of Organic Goat with Preserved Lemon Butter and Potato Mushroom Pavé was then served, paired with the TMV White, South Africa 2006. The goat meat was extra delicious and together with the accompanying veggie Pavé, this will be etched in my memory cells as one of the 10 best dishes that I have had in this culinary school.

The next dish had a rather long name: Organic Pork Dou, Organic “crispy pork leg “on a bed of cabbage, bacon and mushroom slaw served with an espresso and lager barbecue sauce and polenta frita and Organic pork loin with creamy cheese grits, apricot and mustard sauce served with San Miguel Cerveza Negra. This kind of pairing of beer and pork (3 types of wines were served earlier) produces a combined taste sensation that seems strange yet surprisingly appetizing.

I love duck dishes and was happy with the appearance of the Grilled organic duck consommé and Organic duck breast with farro & organic pancetta. Farro is the Italian name for Emmer wheat while pancetta is pork belly which has been salted, spiced and dried. The combination of two types of meats and a carbohydrate is yummy. Personally I would prefer a white wine to accompany the dish rather than the Port wine.

After palates were refreshed with the Lime Mint Sorbet, I was ready for the dessert: Dessert Sampler with three types of Verrine (confection, originally from France, made by layering ingredients in a small glass), the Verrine apple basil chibouste, Verrine rote grutze and mascarpone and the Verrine chocolate frost. This is one dessert that is to be eaten very slowly; with each bite, you think of the hours of preparation that went into the dish and with each sip of the Porto Messias, imagine the months of training that transformed mere mortals into culinary masters.

Such can only be achieved with an investment of a child’s education in a culinary school like the ICAA Cebu with facilities that are comparable to world standards, local and international linkages and chefs who can not only cook but also able to impart their talent to their students.

PISONG PANG-GULO

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:41:21 +0100

O, tingnan ko nga kung kaya n'yo 'to... Huwag n'yo lang dibdibin masyado ha... piso pa lang 'yan...

May natagpuan kang T-shirt sa Department store, ito ay nagkakahalagang Php 97.00. Wala kang Pera, humiram ka sa nanay mo ng Php 50.00 at sa tatay mo ng Php 50.00. Magkano na pera mo? (ans: Php 100.00)

Binili mo ang T-Shirt. Magkano sukli mo? (ans: Php 3.00)

Binalik mo yung piso sa nanay mo, magkano na lang ang utang mo sa nanay MO? (ans: Php 49.00)

Binalik mo yung isa pang piso sa tatay mo, magkano na lang utang mo sa tatay mo? (ans: Php 49.00)

Yung isang piso na sa iyo.

Eto na ang pang-gulo...

49 + 49 ? (ans: 98) + piso na nasa iyo? (ans: 99)

Nasaan na yung Piso , Bakit kulang ng Piso ?

Warren Buffet Interview

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:39:27 +0100

Warren Buffet Interview

Here's a man to be admired, not for his wealth, but for his principles and old-fashioned values.

Warren Buffet

There was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second richest man who has donated $31 billion to charity. Here are some very interesting aspects of his life:

1. He bought his first share at age 11 and he now regrets that he started too late!

2. He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers.

3. He still lives in the same small 3 bedroom house in mid-town Omaha that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has everything he needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a fence.

4. He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him.

5. He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest private jet company.

6. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies. He writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals for the year. He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis.

7. He has given his CEO's only two rules. Rule number 1: do not lose any of your share holder's money. Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.

8. He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His past time after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch television.

9. Bill Gates, the world's richest man met him for the first time only 5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only for half hour. But when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates became a devotee of Warren Buffet.

10. Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his desk.

11. His advice to young people: Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself.

Overlooked Fat Loss Factors

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:37:55 +0100

Overlooked Fat Loss Factors

By Joel Marion

Fitness Expert

We're often told that losing weight is a simple mathematical equation of calories in, calories out. Burn more calories than you eat and you’ll lose fat. However, is it really that simple? The truth is that the actual “number” of calories you consume is not the only factor that affects your fat-loss efforts. In this article, we’ll discuss five other things that should be considered when determining the effect of your diet on your waistline, primarily overlooked fat loss factors. Incorporate this knowledge into your workout and nutrition routines and soon you'll be ripped like Ryan Reynolds -- and attracting the Angelina Jolies and Kim Kardashians of the gym for it.

1- The thermic effect of the food you eat

The thermic effect of food (TEF) measures the amount of energy that is required to support the processes of digesting, absorbing and assimilating food nutrients as well as the energy expended as a result of the central nervous system's stimulatory effect on metabolism when food is ingested. Of the three macronutrients, protein carries the highest thermic effect. Eat more protein; burn more calories.

2- The fiber content of the food you eat

Due to its chemical makeup, fiber is classified as a carbohydrate; however, it is unlike other carbohydrates in that it is an indigestible nutrient. Even though each gram of fiber contains four calories, these calories will remain undigested and will not be absorbed. Therefore, if you were to consume 300 calories of red beans (a food in which nearly 1/3 of the caloric content is from fiber), approximately 100 of these calories would pass through your intestinal tract undigested.

3- The glycemic and insulin indices of the food you eat

The glycemic and insulin indices are scaled numbers that refer to how quickly a particular carbohydrate source enters the bloodstream as sugar and how much insulin is needed to rid that sugar from the bloodstream, respectively. Generally speaking, there is a positive relationship between the two; the quicker sugar enters the bloodstream, the more insulin is needed to rid that sugar from the bloodstream. When high levels of insulin are present within the blood, fat burning is brought to a screeching halt, which is anything but desirable for those whose goal it is to obtain a lean, muscular physique. Don't let this be an overlooked fat loss factor.

4- The different macronutrients present in the food you eat

Although insulin's primary function is to shuttle glucose (sugar) into skeletal muscle, it also carries many other nutrients to their respective storage sites -- this includes lipids (fat). Since carbohydrate ingestion stimulates a large insulin response and fat ingestion gives rise to blood lipid levels, when the two are consumed together, they promote the greatest fat storage.

There's one more overlooked fat loss factor you need to know, along with some other great weight loss tips.

5- The size, frequency and time of the meals you eat

Large, infrequent meals tend to promote storage of the ingested nutrients, as the body is unsure as to when the next feeding will take place. Conversely, consuming smaller, more frequent meals will result in an increase in metabolism and utilization of the ingested nutrients. Also, ingesting a large amount of carbohydrates before bed spikes insulin, deters nocturnal thermogenesis and increases fat storage during sleep. On the contrary, consuming a great deal of calories early in the day does not bring about this problem; rather, these calories are likely to be used as energy to support daily activities.

fight the fat

As you can see, someone could be eating a relatively small amount of calories daily, but at the same time be promoting a great deal of fat storage by: 1) Making poor food choices; 2) Combining macronutrients in a nonproductive fashion and; 3) Consuming food infrequently and at inopportune times. To illustrate this further, let's take a look at a recent study that analyzed the diets of 38 police officers. This study discovered that although the officers were consuming a hypocaloric diet (fewer calories than they burn), they all had unhealthy levels of body fat and had been gaining fat mass over the past five years. If all you had to do to lose fat was consume fewer calories than you burned, then these individuals would be losing fat, not gaining it.

To confirm the importance of the factors that I previously mentioned, let's take a look at some of the other things this study noted:

Only 15% of their diet consisted of protein, the macronutrient with the greatest TEF.
Their diet contained very little fiber.
Over 50% of their carbohydrate intake was derived from simple sugars, which have very high glycemic and insulin indices.
They didn't note this, but I'm willing to bet that they didn't avoid the fat-carb combo.
They ate infrequently -- only 10% of their caloric intake was consumed at breakfast and over 50% was consumed right before bed.

By now, it should be obvious that fat loss isn't just a matter of calories in, calories out. And while it’s a little more complex than that, you can easily use the tips in this article to ensure you’re getting the most from your dieting efforts.

Joel Marion is an internationally recognized fitness expert and the author of The Cheat to Lose Diet (Random House, 2007). To learn more about Joel’s top-rated Body Transformation Coaching program and to download a free copy of his latest fat loss report, The Secret Fat Loss Hormone, visit www.JoelMarionCoaching.com.

Check out the four ways that women often come off as too dependent.

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:36:20 +0100

Check out the four ways that women often come off as too dependent.

By Orlando Lima for Cosmopolitan Updated: Nov 14, 2008

A needy woman is a big buzz kill. The problem is, a lot of chicks have no clue when they're acting like the human version of Velcro. But after reading this list of things that make guys beg for breathing room, you won't be able to claim ignorance.

Seeking His Approval

We have enough of our own doubts to deal with without having to reassure you perpetually. So asking us to weigh in on your most minute decisions ("Should I get bangs?") is a guaranteed system meltdown. Sure, we want to be consulted on major issues, like if you're thinking about leaving town, but for everything else, assume our two cents isn't even worth that. "My girlfriend's sister won't buy a pair of earrings without getting her boyfriend's okay," says Nelson,* 28. "Unless he's paying, I guarantee he doesn't care. I'm so glad my woman has more confidence in her decision-making abilities."