A screen reader is a software application that attempts to identify and interpret what is being displayed on the screen. This interpretation is then represented to the user with text-to-speech, sound icons, or a braille output. There are also open source screen readers, such as the Linux Screen Reader for GNOME and NonVisual Desktop Access for Windows.
The latter developed in part by Knopper who has a visual impairment. Later versions of Microsoft Windows include an Accessibility Wizard and Magnifier for those with partial vision, and Microsoft Narrator, a simple screen reader. Screen reader choice is contentious: differing priorities and strong preferences are common. The Macintosh OS also comes with a built-in screen reader, called VoiceOver. The console-based Oralux Linux distribution ships with three screen-reading environments: Emacspeak, Yasr and Speakup. Almost 24 percent of those deemed legally blind, by any measure, have no vision. Next month Anthony Loeff medical volunteer is testing software applications for people suffering from blindness The open source GNOME desktop environment long included Gnopernicus and now includes Orca. The movement towards greater web accessibility is opening a far wider number of websites to adaptive technology, making the web a more inviting place for visually impaired surfers.
Screen readers can be assumed to be able to access all display content that is not intrinsically inaccessible.
More and more, screen readers are being bundled with operating system distributions. Screen readers are a form of assistive technology potentially useful to people who are blind, visually impaired, or learning disabled, often in combination with other AT such as screen magnifiers. However, using a screen reader is, according to some users, considerably more difficult than using a GUI and many applications have specific problems resulting from the nature of the application. Further functionality remains limited compared to equivalent desktop applications, the major benefit is to increase the accessibility of said websites. A persons choice of screen reader is dictated by many factors, including platform and the role of organizations like charities, schools, and employers.
The primary audience for such applications is those who have difficulty reading because of learning disabilities or language barriers. Access technology such as screen readers and Screen magnifiers enable the blind to use mainstream computer applications.
Most legally blind people 59 percent do not use computers. Experimental approaches in sensory substitution are beginning to provide access to arbitrary live views from a camera.
Linux distributions for the blind include Oralux and Adriane Knoppix. Web browsers, word processors, icons and windows and email programs are just some of the applications used successfully by screen reader users. Recent versions of Microsoft Windows come with the rather basic Narrator. The rest have some vision, from light perception alone to relatively good acuity. While Apple Mac OS X includes VoiceOver, a more feature-rich screen reader. Only a small fraction of this population, when compared to the sighted community, have Internet access.
Do you believe that the best way to deal with procrastination is to “get tough” with yourself and “just do it?” Many people take this approach. What is behind it is the sense that procrastination is essentially a character flaw, a weakness, and that the only way to deal with it is to muscle past it through sheer will. But the truth is, there is a more effective way to approach it that also happens to be much more self-respectful.
Essentially, the idea is to identify what is MOTIVATING the procrastination behavior, consider it valid, and then address THAT. For example, you may be putting off doing something because you actually do not know how to do it. The way to solve that would be to get some help. Or, perhaps you are avoiding making a particular phone call because you are afraid of the outcome. One way to address the fear is to schedule a call with someone you trust before and after the fear-inducing call, in order to have support before and after the difficult encounter.
Get the idea? Give up the character flaw idea, and look for what is really underlying the procrastination. Once you know what that is, you can usually figure out a way to deal with it, get unstuck, and get moving again.
What follows are real life examples of how two of my clients solved the problems underlying their procrastination:
PROCRASTINATION: I am not writing the letter.
PROBLEM: I want the letter to be brilliant and creative but do not feel brilliant and creative about it.
SOLUTION: “I realized it was more important for the letter to be OUT than to be brilliant. Once I decided I could write a less-than-spectacular letter, it became much easier to just sit down and do it.”
CONCEPT: Do not get it right, get it written. “Expedient” is not a dirty word. Sometimes, it serves you better to have the B+ letter out in the world already, being read, than to have the A+ letter still sitting in your word processor, unfinished, and nagging at you.
PROCRASTINATION: I am not unpacking the boxes in my new office.
PROBLEM: Boring!!
SOLUTION: “I hired my [young] daughter to unpack the boxes, shelve the books (I had to tell her where), and dismantle the boxes. She was happy to do the work and earn a little money, and she thought it was cool to help me. I was happy because we got to spend that time together AND . . . the job got done.”
CONCEPT: Delegate! If a task seems boring, it is often a good clue that this is a job to delegate. You may need to supervise or train someone to do it, but there is likely to be someone for whom the job would be a plus. Find that person and work out a deal. Delegation arrangements can be paid or bartered in infinite creative ways. Do not be stopped by failure of the imagination.
Here are the steps that you can take when tackling procrastination. Please note that each step is important. Do not under-respect any of the steps just because you think you already know how to do them. And do not underestimate how long it may take you to master some of these steps. Some people, for example, find it takes a very long time to learn how to stop judging themselves.
- Recognize when you are procrastinating.
- Notice if you are judging yourself for procrastinating.
- If you are judging yourself, stop. If you are not judging yourself, acknowledge yourself for that.
- Identify what is motivating the procrastination.
- Solve the problem that is underlying (motivating) the procrastination.
- Take the action that you no longer need to procrastinate.
- Say this to yourself: “Well done!”
Good luck - and let me know how this works for you!
Copyright 2002, Sharon Teitelbaum.
Sharon Teitelbaum, http://www.stcoach.com, a Work-Life and Career Coach, works with high achieving women with young children, people at mid-career, and professionals seeking greater career satisfaction and work-life balance. She coaches by phone and in person in Boston. Her newsletter, Strategies For Change, offers practical tips for work-life success.
Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued: Restoring Work-Life Balance, Sharon’s first book, was published in 2005.
A motivational speaker, Sharon also also delivers keynotes & workshops on work-life issues. Clients include Children’s Hospital Boston, SunLife Financial, Arnold Worldwide, and many parent and alumni groups. She’s been featured in national publications including The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and Working Mother Magazine.
If you need more advice and are considering hiring a coach to help you with challenges like these, contact me for an initial consultation at no charge.
Married for 30 years, she is the mother of two amazing young women.
Some guys have a complicated time keeping a hard on and some females have exceedingly long sex drives, meaning it takes the lady a remarkably long time to climax Because of this contrast in sex drives, sex intercourse might become a boring and unsatisfying love making session. That’s why thick dildos can often be helpful. If the guy ejaculates early in the session, or even if the woman just takes longer than her bloke, he can continue to penetrate the gal with the huge dildo. That way all sexual play does not end. It gives him time to recharge his batteries and keeps the gal happy. Hence when he’s prepared to come back into the session, she’ll still be aroused enough to accept the man.
Your most sensual field is your brain. And as much as innumerable feminists will not admit this, the penis is an ancient symbol of fertility, no matter how huge or tiny, it is still associated with fertility. Penetrating your partner with a thick dildo could make a fantasy of power fun reality.
Some females adore the sensation of feeling full in their vagina or bottom. Whenever a sexy toy such as a dildo, penetrates the vagina or anus, the muscles contract around it. Numerous women see the tightening of the above muscles to be remarkably enjoyable. If you are having sex you should use Sex Toys.
Its mad that laptop computers are now becoming a standard technology, as if you should own one. Taiwanese companies have said component scarcities will affect shipments this year due to the massive demands. It seems like once there are pending orders those will only increase because demand for laptops is not diminishing at all. New gadgets are popping up all the time that litterally create new niches in the laptop computer industry.
The majority of brands have been launching gaming notebooks recently. Because of the increased production and speedy changes it means costly parts are cheaper in price than before. Gaming notebooks are no longer jeered by serious gamers because they are actually pretty good. What stuck me the most is how slim and slick some gaming notebooks are becoming compared to earlier years. Speed of desktops should infinitely be a step ahead of notebooks but its still inspiring to see. I feel gaming notebooks are always interesting to read about because they are constantly pushing the boundaries on mobile technology.
I feel we’re seeing greater amounts of start up business exclusively dealing in custom built notebooks. The benefit with a handful of custom notebooks is that you get better third party parts fitted in them. In my opinion being able to specify the processor, ram and storage is most suited the more hardcore people out there. Regardless of the fact of there being plenty of notebook computers in the shops its not likely you will discover a lot of alternatives of powerful systems. This is why custom notebooks are here. The positive thing is that there are lots of resellers who make laptops and they give super customer care as well. This is also an additional major selling factor.
I feel numerous of techies are awiting the next range of laptops. So far it seems as though cheap portables are the popular item. So many resembling devices have already been launched at a fast pace. Large screen and supremely lightweight, that’s what everybody should embrace. Overlook performance and price and we would already have this. We’re witnessing slicker gaming notebooks now and it seems this will keep on going. Even though laptop technology follows roadmaps theres always going to be a idea that changes all that.
In my view Rizeon have the best gaming laptops in relation to price and performance.
If you’re a movie buff, you’ve undoubtedly come across and perhaps embraced the genre that is called, the “road” movie.
There are tons of them. “Thelma & Louise” is an anthem to certain women. “Five Easy Pieces” and “Easy Rider” are early rebel classics from Jack Nicholson’s filmography.
And who can forget the immortal work, “The Grapes of Wrath,” chronicling the Dust Bowl migration during the Great Depression? This is yet another enduring icon of road picture making.
Deep down, I think most Americans love the road, the grit of it, the adventure, and the flexibility that it requires of us.
You can find yourself on the road, tuning into a self that is different than the everyday.
Partly because you don’t know the servers in the cafes and restaurants, or the bends in all of the roads, or the pillows in the next hotel, you’re thrown off your routines.
On a recent trip to Northern California, I was shaken out of my complacency by the roadside fauna, on Interstate 5, near Sacramento. Beautiful plantings, mostly bushes and hedges, featuring deep reds and purples and blues utterly took me by surprise.
Someone planned this hardy, but beautiful landscaping, and credit is due.
This unexpected display made me pay attention, and it gave me “aesthetic arrest.” That’s just not likely to occur as I autopilot my habitual highways down South.
On the road, you have a chance to get away. This seems obvious, but I think it’s more subtle and worth exploring.
For instance, I’ve visited faraway places, yet I never felt I was “away,” in the grand sense. I hadn’t left behind my buzzing thoughts, my duties, my various tics and habits.
The open road, especially if you’re driving great distances over time, makes you realize you’re in a different dimension, a dreamscape, where the impossible and improbable, suddenly, aren’t.
What you’ve taken for granted is now receding in the rearview mirror.
You begin to appreciate that you’re a construct, an amalgam of intention and molding from outside, and now, you have a chance to tilt in the direction of becoming truly intentional, once more.
You find yourself thinking, “I chose where I live!” and “I can un-choose it, if I like!”
I can be here.
Or anywhere.
Or anything.
Gosh, look at that sunset!
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. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. Headquartered in Glendale, California, he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.
For more information about coaching, consulting, training, books, videos and audios, please go to: http://www.customersatisfaction.com
Property Index sell a range of villas and apartments, take a look at their site if you are looking for overseas property investment, click here to view the properties.
Regardless the fact that the Property Index service is still a recent organization, they were established only in March 2007, they have attained to expert status very quickly. As a matter of fact, they are a extraordinarily uncomplicated organization and focus on advising every visitor attempting to buy property in most popular areas of the world. They avow to help you light on precisely what’s needed very quickly not to mention easily. Property is being offered in the most popular regions of the world these days, one of the most exclusive areas being property available for sale in Spain. It’s quite easy to determine the fun properties for sale in Spain, the motive for investigating real property here is the houses and apartments you can purchase and the great possibility of spending your life surrounded by this eager populace.
This is one of the most popular regions these days, and in view of the gorgeous landscape and the wonderful climate surrounding you, who could say no… Property in Spain is rich in history, this realm of the world has a long tradition as a home to more than a few sophisticated cultures. Only 25-30 years back you would find a mere dribble of Britons keen on properties in Spain. Ask any person who has chosen to relocate to Spain and they will be certain to confirm this. Plenty of people would look upon it as a mere rage and others look upon it as a that’s nearly an infatuation. People intent on removing to this place will typically range from young couples in search of a life perspective to elderly people meaning to loosen up and enjoy themselves.
Note, though, that you may well encounter a few perplexities when attempting to acquire properties overseas - you’ll have to cope with hundreds of procedures whether plotting, visiting or actually purchasing. If you miss out on one minor procedure this is sure to initiate overwhelming perplexities and, preeminently, loss of money. As is to be presumed with this well-liked area, properties might be fairly high-priced in this location which is, of course, only caused by the steep buyer demand. Nonetheless clients doubtlessly are rather spoilt in terms of choice in a place so richly blessed by sunshiny landscape and view. It’s certainly got almost everything any of us may relish, etc.
I love gemstone roughs! They are so fascinating.
I have been collecting gemstones for a few years now, and I tell you what, it is so fascinating that God has made all these things, so precious that sometimes I am simply tempted to get every piece of fine rare little piece of rough gemstone at slightest opportunities.
Sometimes also, I am simply amazed at the array of pleasant colors and very unique properties that characterize these little fascinating treasures.
Dealing in gemstones can be quite rewarding too. Purchasing or buying some very rare roughs that appreciates with time and season could be a wonderful way of collecting very tangible treasures and passing them on to generations. The ceaseless radiant beauty that is associated with jewelries made of gemstone materials; make them the very likeably adorned by many especially at unique and special occasions like weddings and also by celebrities. All these, make excellent rough gemstones collecting a profitable and worthwhile venture.
I have been quite passionate about excellent gemstones collecting, I read a lot about gemstones, their various features and colors, new discoveries, popular gemstones and I have not failed to continue to invest reasonably in this great venture because gemstones will only appreciate thereby, adding value to me.
I also love gemstones because of their significance. A lot of them have very unique and reasonable traditional significance such as birth and anniversary representation. A stone like Alexandrite (the rarest of all birth stone) for instance is the birthstone for those born in June and one of the popular choices for a fifty-fifth wedding anniversary.
These gemstones incidentally, have been widely distributed by God himself in various regions and various countries of the world ranging from Nigeria, USA, Australia, Brazil, Russia, Parkistan, India, Afghanistan, Kenya, Tanzania and a whole lot of other places around the globe.
I have simply been able to put some of my little available collections of these excellent roughs together in my website at http://cryativegems.com. Here, you would have the opportunity of seeing rare gemstones especially from Africa.
I also collect beautiful and unique local arts and crafts especially those made with sand - I mean just the “ordinary sand you step on”. You can view my crafts shop here: http://cryativetreasures.cryativegems.com
Happy viewing.
Best Regards
Ikem
I am a webdesigner, gemstone collector and supplier; I also collect unique crafts and arts and currently the owner of cryativegem Inc.
Listed below is a guide to mortgage terms. It is a useful list of definitions of mortgage terms that may or may not be familiar to you.
Apr
This stands for Annual Percentage Rate. It takes into account all fees and other costs in connection with the mortgage as well as the lenders interest rate.
Advance
This is the actual amount of money that you borrow including any additional fees that have been added.
Base Rate
The UK ’s core interest rate which is set by the Bank of England.
Bridging Loan
A temporary loan that enables you to complete the purchase of a new home before completing the sale of your existing property.
Capped Rate
These mortgages have a ceiling above which your payments will not rise.
Completion
The point at which the money to buy your new home is released to the seller and ownership is transferred to you.
Conveyance
Legal document which transfers ownership of unregistered freehold land.
Disbursements
The fees your solicitor has to pay such as; stamp duty, land registry, search fees, etc which will be added to your solicitor’s bill.
Discounted Variable Rate
For a set period the interest rate charged will be a set percentage less than the standard variable rate.
Early Redemption Charge
If you repay your mortgage in full before a specified date you may be asked to pay an early redemption charge.
Equity
The difference between the value of your property and the amount of any outstanding loans secured against it.
Fixed Rate
These mortgages offer a fixed interest rate for a set period of time.
Freehold
The term used to indicate ownership of property and the land on which it stands.
Interest Only Mortgage
With this type of mortgage, the payments you make each month simply pay the interest on the amount you borrow. At the end of the mortgage term you must pay back the amount you originally borrowed.
Land Registration
This is a record held by HM Land Registry which lists the registered owner of a plot and any legal charge that may be placed on it.
Lease
A document, which grants possession of a property for a fixed period of time and sets out the obligations of both landlord and tenant such as; payment of rent and repairs.
Leasehold
Arrangement between a landlord and tenant where the landlord agrees for the tenant to lease the property for a fixed period of time.
Legal Charge
The legal document held by the Land Registry that identifies who has a claim on your property.
Mortgage
A loan you take out to buy your home.
Mortgage Deed
Legal document that you must sign to say that the lender has a legal charge over your property.
Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance
This is an insurance that will cover your mortgage payments should you be unable to work due to an accident, illness or involuntary redundancy.
Mortgagor
Person who borrows money to buy a property.
Mortgagee
Building society, bank or other company which lends money against the security of a charge over the property purchased.
Offer Letter
This is the official letter that the lender sends to you once all the referencing and valuations have been carried out satisfactorily.
Quotation
Document that illustrates the cost of your mortgage.
Redemption Penalties
These are the charges that some lenders make if you decide to move your mortgage.
Repossession
When a borrower fails to pay back their loan in accordance with its terms and conditions, the lender can exercise their legal right to take ownership of the property.
Repayment Mortgage
The payments you make each month will pay off the interest and an element of the capital.
Redemption Figure
This is the amount to be repaid to your existing lender when you move your mortgage.
Sealing Fee
This is the charge made by some lenders when they release the legal charge over your home.
Searches
Enquiries made at the Land Registry, the Land Charges Register and Local Authorities to ensure there is nothing to cause concern about title to the land.
Stamp Duty
A government tax on the price you pay for your home.
Standard Variable Rate
This is the normal variable rate charged by a lender. This rate can go up or down at any time at the lender’s discretion.
Subject to Contract
A provisional agreement made between buyer and seller, before exchange of contracts, which allows either side to back out without penalty.
Term
Length of time over which your mortgage loan is to be paid.
Title
Legal right to ownership of a property.
Title Deed
Legal document which transfers ownership of registered land.
Valuation
This is a report produced on behalf of the lender. Lenders use this to decide whether they will offer a mortgage on the property.
Valuation Fee
A fee paid by the borrower for the lender’s inspection of the property.
You may freely reprint this article provided the author’s biography remains intact:
About the Author
John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help UK homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.
There is a reality about weight loss that people need to be aware of. Losing weight requires you to feel hungry from time to time. There is no way to lose weight without feeling some degree of hunger. Believe me, I have exhaustively explored this issue. I have tried appetite suppressants. I have tried food combinations. I have tried meal-timing strategies. I have tried just about everything natural under the sun to eliminate those hunger pangs and food cravings that you get when you are attempting to lose weight and there is nothing that completely eliminates those cravings. Hoodia gordonii helps, as I’ve stated in previous articles, but it by no means turns off your hunger like a light switch.
There are many strategies that help reduce hunger: avoiding refined carbohydrates, getting plenty of natural sunlight on your skin, drinking large amounts of water on a regular basis, and getting plenty of fiber in your diet. But there is nothing that absolutely eliminates hunger. The bottom line is that if you are going to lose weight, you are going to experience hunger at one time or another. This is especially true if you, like me, engage in strength training. Nothing gets your appetite whipped into a fury like the leg press.
The key in all this is realizing there’s nothing wrong with experiencing hunger from time to time. It’s a normal human response to a decrease in your consumption of calories. The problem that most people encounter when they feel hungry is they feel it’s some sort of emergency. It feels like they are dying or wasting away when, in fact, the body is just signaling that it doesn’t have enough calories to add new fat to the fat stores it’s already carrying around. The first feelings of hunger are really more of a false alarm than anything to be concerned about. At least from a logical point of view. (But when you feel like you’re starving, logic goes out the window, right?)
A person who is aiming for a low percentage of body fat learns to manage their hunger so that it becomes something they can live with. In my own experience with losing weight — and remember, I dropped 50 pounds of body fat using absolutely no drugs or pharmaceuticals of any kind — I found that there are several “lifesaving” foods and beverages you can turn to when you are feeling intense hunger pains but you don’t want to consume foods that add significant calories to your daily intake.
These foods and drinks are what I call emergency appetite control foods. What these foods and beverages have in common is that they make your stomach feel like it’s full of calorie-rich foods. But in reality, you are filling your stomach with foods that contain almost no calories or carbohydrates. This way, even though your stomach is full, you are not adding calories to your intake. But your body is temporarily fooled into thinking you’ve just woofed down a triple-plate buffet.
In other words, if you eat two cups of cashews versus two cups of cabbage, your body can’t really tell the difference for the first few minutes. Your stomach will turn off the hunger signals thinking you have eaten a large quantity of food regardless of whether you are eating cabbage or cashews, but in fact the cabbage may only contain 20 calories while the cashews contain as much as 900 or even 1000 calories. Two cups of cashews provides probably half the calories you need for the entire day, whereas two cups of cabbage provides virtually no calories whatsoever. You burn off the cabbage just digesting it. (Raw cabbage is, in fact, an outright cure for ulcers. But that’s another article…)
Emergency appetite control food #1 Fresh drinking water. That’s right: water is a powerful appetite suppressant and if you drink an 8-ounce glass of water when you first start feeling hungry, you will find that it suppresses your appetite in nearly every case. If you just drink a full glass of water and have the discipline to wait 10 minutes, you will find that your appetite is either completely gone or dramatically reduced.
Your next choice, if water does not do the trick for you, is to purchase a 32-ounce quart of natural, organic vegetable broth. You can get organic vegetable broth from Trader Joe’s, health food stores, or even many of the finer grocery stores that have a natural health section. The key is to get organic vegetable broth that does not contain excitotoxins. These are ingredients that cause neurological disorders because they overexcite and harm nerve cells. Those ingredients are MSG, yeast extract, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, and other similar ingredients. Warning: watch out for broth products made by Kitchen Basics. They claim their products don’t contain MSG or yeast extract, but when I tried their product, I experienced a massive “MSG headache” that tells me it contains free glutamic acid that isn’t listed on the label. (I’m very sensitive to MSG.) The brand of broth I buy is Trade Joe’s house brand, which does not contain free glutamic acid.
You can also choose organic chicken broth if you prefer the flavor of chicken. Once you have that, simply empty the entire quart into a very large bowl, heat it up and eat it like soup. You will probably be unable to get through the entire bowl without feeling full. And how many calories have you consumed? Not 900 like you get in two cups of cashews or 1200 like in a big Mac, not even 300 calories like you get from a typical protein bar, instead you get 20 calories only. That’s right: you can feel full on 20 calories by drinking an entire quart of organic vegetable broth.
Emergency appetite control food #2 The next best strategy is to turn to green vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, bokchoy, and other leafy vegetables. They have so few calories that in my own diet, I don’t even count them. That’s right: I allow myself to eat an unlimited quantity of any green leafy vegetables without even recording the number of calories I have consumed. In my book, they are “free” foods.
It takes just as many calories for your body to digest them as you get out of the foods themselves. And yet at the same time, they fill your stomach and make you feel full, turning off the hunger signals in your brain. You may have also heard these called “negative calorie foods.”
You can consume these green leafy vegetables in a couple of ways. Most people don’t like to eat them plain. Instead, you can fill up a very large bowl (I am talking about something the size of a family dinner salad bowl) with lettuce and salad greens, then add only 100 calories worth of salad dressing. You will want to find some of the lower calorie salad dressings out there, and of course you want to avoid MSG, high-fructose corn syrup, and other ingredients in salad dressings. There are many very good salad dressings that only have 25 calories per tablespoon. Using those dressings, you can put four tablespoons of salad dressing on your salad and start munching away. In a few minutes, you will feel quite full and yet will have only consumed 100 calories that count. Remember the calories for the green leafy vegetables are free. You only count the calories of the salad dressing itself. This is an excellent way to fill your stomach and turn off your hunger signals while only giving yourself 100 calories.
Another strategy that uses green leafy vegetables is to stir fry them in a pan with no oils whatsoever. Just use water and flavoring such as onions, garlic and soy sauce. Simply stir fry all the green vegetables you want, add the spices and eat it. I do not count the calories in onions or garlic either, nor do I count the calories in soy sauce since none of these spices have very high calorie density. As a result, that entire meal goes in your stomach and counts for zero calories. Once again, it’s a great way to curb you appetite without consuming large quantities of calorie rich food.
Emergency appetite control food #3 This is one of my favorites: I call it my “instant banana pudding” recipe, but of course, it’s nothing at all like store-bought pudding. You’ll need a blender for this one.
Add a quart of soy milk to the blender, then a couple of scoops of unsweetened banana-flavored simply natural spirutein soy protein powder. (Sources are listed in the downloadable book, “Secret Sources.” Add stevia powder as the sweetener. I also toss in some supergreens powders, but you may want to avoid that at first, since it’s an acquired taste (and it turns your banana pudding green).
If you were to blend this up, you’d have a banana-flavored soy protein shake. But we’re not done yet: while the blender is running, put in about 1/2 tablespoon of guar gum powder, plus another 1/2 tablespoon of xanthan gum powder. These are thickeners. Within seconds, your blender will start whining and the whole mixture will attain the consistency of pudding. Now just pour it into a bowl and eat it like banana pudding! The mixture has near-zero carbs, no sugars, and is high in soy protein. Plus, it tastes great and fills you up fast. This is my favorite choice for a late-night appetite emergency.
You can get guar gum and xanthan gum at a health food store, or order online at a vitamin supplier.
Emergency appetite control food #4 The next food is pickles. That’s right, pickles. But I am not talking about the pickles you find at a regular grocery store. Nearly all pickles you find in grocery stores contain artificial food coloring. They have a yellowish tint to them that has been added through the use of chemical colors. This is not a natural ingredient and so it is something you want to avoid purchasing. Instead, you want to buy completely natural pickles like the ones you get at Trader Joe’s that are made without artificial colors or flavors and that have an extremely low calorie count as well. An entire jar of pickles may give you only 50 calories or so and yet they can be quite satisfying and take up a considerable amount of space in your stomach, thereby turning off your appetite cravings.
Just don’t buy pickles containing any added sugars or artificial colors. Some pickles are, believe it or not, loaded with sugar. They’re more like candied cucumbers than pickles. Read the ingredients labels to be sure what you’re getting.
By the way, while you’re eating pickles, it’s an excellent time to take some calcium and mineral supplements, too. The acidity of the pickles will accelerate the absorption of calcium.
Emergency appetite control food #5 Here’s an easy one: apples. Yep, apples. Eat the largest apple you can find. Sure, you’ll get some calories and some carbs, but the apple will fill you up for quite a while, and that will stop you from eating far more calorie-dense foods.
Let me explain why this is such an effective strategy. If you’re crazy hungry, it’s very easy to reach for some processed foods (bag of chips, for example) and start munching away until you’ve consumed 1000 calories or more. And that’s about half the total calories you need for the entire day!
But I dare you to try to eat 1000 calories worth of apples. It’s impossible. You’ll fill up even before reaching 400 calories, probably. Apples are great appetite suppressing foods because the bulky fiber fills up your stomach and turns off your appetite control hormones before you overeat. Plus, apples contain various phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. They’re even a decent source of folic acid.
How to further suppress your appetite One more supplementary strategy to all of this is that you can multiply the appetite suppressing effects of all foods by swallowing a couple of fiber tablets before you begin eating. Fiber tablets or capsules would include psyllium husk, glucomannan, oat bran fiber, apple pectin fiber, or other natural fibers. You can find fiber supplements at any health food store. Be careful to watch the dosage of the fiber and drink plenty of water as you take these pills because without adequate water, they can gum up in your digestive tract and in extreme cases, they can block your digestive tract. So, you want to drink plenty of water with them.
By consuming both the fiber and the water before you start eating, you’ve already significantly turned off your appetite. Then by consuming these extremely low caloric density foods and beverages, you will further suppress your appetite. You can get an entire meal into your stomach for 100 calories or less and you can trick your brain into thinking you consumed an all-you-can-eat buffet.
But there’s a catch to all this: in about an hour or so, your body will figure out that there isn’t much energy in the food you’ve consumed. Your hunger will begin to return, but at least you delayed the onset of that hunger by an hour or more. If you combine this with physical exercise, you can delay it even further because the very act of exercising releases stored body fat and converts it back into blood sugar, which raises your blood sugar level and suppresses your appetite cravings.
You can also extend the effect of this by taking appetite suppressant supplements. Hoodia gordonii is one I’ve reviewed quite extensively, and it is currently increasing in popularity. My own experience is that hoodia tincture can help, but even hoodia doesn’t shut off appetite completely.
Also, you don’t want to starve yourself by eating these 100-calorie meals all day long. Remember, starvation is the fastest way to train your body to hold on to body fat. These are just items to get you past a difficult time when your appetite is unbearably intense.
Each day, you still need to get nutrition into your body in the form of whole foods and whole food supplements. The kind of meals I consume are soups made with quinoa, salads with low-calorie dressing, raw fruits and nuts, or avocado shakes made by blending avocado with soy milk and stevia. Of course, I also consume my superfood shakes on a regular basis. They are made from superfoods green powders such as Berry Green or The Ultimate Meal.
Overall, keep in mind that weight loss takes effort. You will experience moments of intense hunger, and these low-calorie, filling foods are one excellent way to get through a difficult time without packing on the pounds.
Copyright 2006 Truth Publishing
You’re a new online writer keen on publishing your work online in some web site or something and you are wondering where to get started. You are also probably looking for some valuable tips to quickly help you start earning some income from your online writing as soon as possible.
Here are 7 of what I consider to be the most valuable secrets in online writing today.
1. Initially It is not the rate you’re being paid but volume of work that you’re publishing that matters
The biggest mistake most new online writers make is to look at the rates being offered first. This is a big mistake because of several reasons. One of them being that the rules are totally different online. In the offline-publishing world, writers have to put in some legwork doing some research, but they usually earn a hefty amount for their work. Rates ranging from $300 for a short piece to $3,000 for writing an assigned article for a leading monthly publication.
In the online world, all the research is done online. The territory favors writers who can write quickly but well. Top rates will hardly exceed $40 but the more common rates are $20 and below per article for experienced well know online writers and $3 to $10 for most new online writers.
As a new writer, the thing to look for is as many assignments as you can get to gain both experience and contacts.
I personally started off writing short articles for $2.50. But I got to a point where I was making thousands of dollars doing those articles. But the most valuable experience I got from writing those $2.50 articles was that I gained valuable experience in writing keyword-rich articles and it also opened the door for other better-paying writing assignments.
Initially just go for volumes rather than look at the paltry rate being offered for the work.
2. The best sites for a beginner to seek publishing work from
The site that I found most useful in landing writing assignments was by far www.freelancewriting.com. especially the section for low-paying assignments. The interesting thing about this site is that you can also advertise your writing services for free.
There is no doubt in my mind that this site enjoys a very high volume of traffic of writers and also prospective clients looking for writers.
3. Write and publish every day
Online writing favors writers who love to write. Most people do not know that a modern day freelancer usually spends very little time doing the actual writing. Most of their time is spent sending out queries searching markets and doing many little tasks that are related to looking for the writing jobs and assignments. And even when they do get the assignment up to half the time will be spent on research. So they end up spending very little of their time doing the actual writing. With online writing the Internet makes the marketing side and research a lot easier. The result is that writers can spend much more time doing what they should be really good at - writing. Even when you don’t have actual assignments make a habit out of writing several articles every day. Later in this article you will see a number of useful things that you can do with those articles.
This is the only way to sharpen your writing skills and to also improve on your speed which is critical to successful online writing.
4. Market every day
Every day spend a little time exploring new markets sending off an email or two to web sites you think you can contribute your writing to. Market every day, even as you write every day.
5. Write Publish and distribute free articles
One of the most effective ways of attracting clients to give you freelance online writing assignments is by writing and publishing you articles in high traffic article directories and other sites that will publish your article free.
There is nothing more powerful to convince a prospective client that you can write than actual samples of your writing. Clients get very impressed when you give them links to your writing work already published online somewhere.
6. Use Adsense to Publish and start making money immediately from your writing
When you’ve written a dozen articles or so, launch a blog and publish them there. From now on make sure that you refer people to your blog in every article you publish at other web sites and article directories. Refer them there for more information and for more similar articles by you. This will drive very targeted traffic just the sort that will easily click on your Google AdSense ads psoted at your blog.
You will gave to apply to Google Adsense and your blog will have to be approved by them. It may be a good idea to visit www.google.com/adsense to see what they are usually looking for before you making your formal application to be considered.
The wonderful thing about Adsense is that you start earning money from articles that you have written but not sold to any client. And you write an article once and continue to earn from it for years.
7. Publishing your work at this site has numerous advantages
Then you can take advantage of a new breed of emerging web sites for content that display and sell your writing for you for a commission and then leave you with even more time to write. You’ll find more details on this at my blog. Find the address in the resource box below.
Christopher Kyalo is a successful online writer. Visit his blog http://100grandonlinewriters.blogspot.com for more details on the above article and for more online writer secrets. He can be reached at strongwallafrica at yahoo.com
