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I took life for granted. Most of us probably do. We go from day to day and never really stop to realize how precious life is. That changed for me on my wife’s birthday, August 5th, 2004, the day I died.

We had planned to spend the entire day together, shopping and then lunch, a movie, more shopping, dinner and more shopping or another movie. Nothing went the way I planned it, we never even left the house together.

Nobody knew that at 8:45 AM I would suffer a massive heart attack and my wife Judith and our daughter Brittany would watch me take my last breath, and turn blue. Never thought about dying. Never even considered it. The paramedics arrived and saved my life for the first time. They rushed me to the hospital where Judith was told that there was a 10% chance that I would live 2 more hours!

A 10% chance that I would live it 2 hours? That’s it? My lifeless body was in the emergency room and my wife was by my side, touching my face and hands and trying to tell me how much she loved me.
There was no way I was going to make it out of that hospital alive and everybody knew it. Well, almost everybody.

My wife and many of our friends began to pray. Make no mistake about it I received expert medical care, but every Doctor that took care of me knew that it was just a matter of time. After 8 days in intensive care I regained consciousness for the first time. Technically I had been conscious before that but I have no memory of those days at all.

When you are on your death bed you will not think about work or traffic or all of the stuff that we spend so much time worrying about. You will think about your eternal destination and you will think about your family and nothing else.

I wrote this to help one person realize that we take life for granted. Maybe you are that one person. As we get older (I’m 48 today) we go to more funerals and say goodbye to more of our friends. Most of us go through our lives and never contemplate the things in life that are really important. We take so many things for granted as if our friends and family members will be around forever.

Hopefully you will tell somebody that you love, just how much they mean to you today! Perhaps you will forgive someone because you realize that bitterness and anger are a waste of precious time. Maybe you will speak a little sweeter or hug a little more often.

This was not written to give you the impression that I am a perfect person, living a perfect life. Far from it, but things changed for me the day I died. Hopefully through my experience you will begin to realize what I now understand, life is precious, none of us are guaranteed another breath, and the stuff that we worry about so much of the time, really means nothing at all.

Ask somebody on their death bed what they want the most, and the answer is time! You’ve got time right now, we hope you make the most of it, because you never know when your time will run out.

To download the FREE CD “Why I Had To Die” visit http://www.getoutnow.com

There are two ways you can learn a language: the quick way, or the correct way. The following tips and tricks are not meant for someone that wants to learn French for example simply so he can handle himself in a basic conversation 3 weeks from now, or for someone that needs to learn basic German in 2 weeks to get a D on her term paper. They’re meant for people that want to learn a secondary language thoroughly, become fluent in it and learn it correctly.

Language Learning Tips and Tricks - Stepwise Progression

Always use a stepwise progression when learning a new language. Most language lessons will provide a step by step structure, but if you settle on learning it on your own, try to follow these basic steps:

1. Learn some basic words to get used to your new language and to have a starting vocabulary.
2. Learn the basic grammar rules in combination with the basic words you learnt at step 1.
3. Once you get a mediocre grip on that language’s grammar, work hard to improve vocabulary.

Language Learning Tips and Tricks - Consistency

Ok, learning a new language, despite what those “learn Chinese in 14 days” books and free language lessons online tell you, is not an easy process. When you were a kid, did you manage to learn English (or your mother tongue) in 14 days? Of course not. It takes months to start understanding a new language and years to “think” in it and speak it fluently.

That’s why you’ll need to be consistent in your language learning process. Don’t learn for 1 week, than take a 1 month break, only to come back to learn for two more weeks. Try learning for shorter periods, but daily. Half an hour spent learning Chinese each day will be far more effective than learning for two weeks and taking a break for one month before continuing your studies.

Language Learning Tips and Tricks - Patience

Like I said above, learning a new language takes a while and is definitely not an easy task, especially if you want to become fluent in it. When setting out to learn a new language, make sure that you understand this won’t be a 2-week ride and that you’ll have to invest a lot of time and work in it.

You’ll have moments when you’ll probably simply want to quit or give up because you don’t understand a particular concept that is different in the language you’re learning than in your mother tongue. If you can overcome these moments (which are more likely to appear during your first month) then you are well on your way to mastering the new language.

Language Learning Tips and Tricks - Learn Efficiently

You’ll find that a lot of the numerous language learning methods out there may prove extremely useful or almost worthless to you. Each person has his strengths and weaknesses so it’s only natural that some methods work best with some people. That’s why I don’t really trust people saying that THEIR method is “the best”. How do they know it’s the best for you? Anyway, you’ll have to figure out for yourself which of these methods suit you most and follow up on that road rather than settling for what someone else considers “the best”.

Some language learning methods include: playing vocabulary games, taking up some free language lessons online or offline, flashcards, taking up courses, using course books or simply improving your vocabulary naturally by watching TV shows or listening to audio tapes where people speak the language you’re trying to learn.

If you manage to combine these 4 factors, you’ll be assimilating the new language in no time. But remember, they all need to work together, if you’re missing one of them, the language learning card castle may crumble. For example, it doesn’t matter if you manage to learn efficiently, if you don’t learn consistently. Or it doesn’t matter if you follow a stepwise learning process, if you don’t have the patience to finish it. And obviously, no learning process can be perfected without a lot of practice, so after you mastered the above-mentioned four factors, practice hard, practice often and practice consistently.

Increase your foreign language vocabulary at http://www.InternetPolyglot.com by playing online games. The site contains thousands of lessons in different languages from English, Spanish, French, Russian to Hindi, Turkish, Ukrainian and many others.

For the tech-savvy individual, shopping on the net has never been more convenient with the many available choices you have as well online. Before placing and finalizing your order, there are several important concerns one has to bear in mind whether you are a savoir-faire online shopper or you are just concerned about the security of your provided information.

Cyber thieves are scattered all over the world wide web. It is important that your online store has a secure server where your information will be stored and any information you will be providing online will be encrypted. Check also if unauthorized charges are covered by the online store although many of the major banks provide support and assistance on such matters. This is very important especially when you use your debit cards or credit cards in making the online purchases.

Most sites provide numerous payment options. Some sites allow you to fax your order and credit card information. Paying by check online is also allowed. The order could even be placed in advanced with the payment billed later. Of course, the item won’t be shipped until payment has been made or the check has cleared. Add a few days for delay in expecting your ordered item if your payment is through mail.

Shipping options being offered may include next day delivery or others depending on how much shipping costs you are willing to pay for. Some sites offer free ground shipping within a specified area or location for all orders or for orders reaching a certain minimum amount. Check the available options to ensure that your orders will be shipped on time especially if it is for the holidays or an occasion like a birthday or anniversary for example.

A major concern for most people would be the online store’s return policy. You cannot expect to always give the right size, fit, etc. when buying presents for someone else. Quite often even if we do get the size right for instance, it isn’t a guarantee that the fit will look great. We would want to be able to purchase from an online store that allows returns or exchanges.

Most online stores provide the extra service of gift wrapping the ordered present sometimes for a charge or for free. Gift cards with a personal message are as well included. The gift wrapping fee is nominal compared to the time savings obtained in having the gift wrapped and shipped directly to the recipient.

James Brown writes about Exposures online coupons, Smugmug deals and Wolf Camera deals

Arizona elk hunting is to the avid elk hunter what an F1 GrandPrix race is to a racing mad motorist. It is considered one of the best big game hunting available. This happens for elk hunters when the fall season rolls around. It is during this time that they will go for Arizona elk hunting in the hopes of bagging a trophy bull. Even if they don’t succeed, the pure challenge of hunting one of the animal kingdom’s most elusive creatures is motivation enough.

The Rocky Mountain Elk is the most common kind of elk found on an Arizona elk hunting trip. This type of elk is also known as Wapiti. The male Rocky Mountain Elk weighs a massive 700 pounds or even more. Their hide is thick and their large internal organs are protected by a ribcage that consists of very tough cartilage. Because the elk is such a huge animal, you need the right ammunition in order to make a clean shot that is both efficient and ethical. Not only is the elk big, it is also as elusive as an eel. So it is really a challenge even for the experienced hunter.

Arizona elk hunting season begins during the fall months of mid-September all the way through October. This is the time that elk go into their mating season (or the rut). Elk males become aggressive, bugling loudly and looking to mate with other females. During this time, the use of elk calls is one of the most important aspects of the hunt. So it is important to be very familiar with these calls.

There are many types of calls that allow hunters to mimic bull or cow elks. But you need to know that it is important not only to entice the quarry with calls but to know how and when to use them. Too little or too much bugling will tip off the alert elk. They will become completely quiet or move out of the area altogether. Then you lose them.

The use of an outfitter (or experienced guide) is one of the best moves you can make while elk hunting in Arizona. Especially so if you are not well versed with the geographical location or inexperienced with the aspects of hunting this type of large game.

Even if you have experience in Arizona elk hunting, you still need the services of an outfitter, most of the time. A good outfitter guide will be able to offer his tips, tricks and advice for finding and bagging the ever elusive elk. These outfitters can also provide a helping hand in moving the massive creature once it is down. Can you imagine doing it yourself?

Gary T is the owner of GuideForHunters.com, a website for elk hunters. Get
this FREE ebook on how to plan for your perfect hunting trip plus weekly tips & tricks.

Recently I needed some work done by a colleague of mine. I had done a lot of pro bono or free work for him and now I needed him to do some work for me. When the job was completed he presented me with a full retail bill. The work he did was what he had promised — but nothing more. He had returned my favors by making me pay full price. After paying I began to wonder — was I missing something here?

About a week later another colleague asked me to do some pro bono work. As I had some extra time, I did it. Several days later he called me saying he wanted to refer one of his clients to me. His client was a computer programming company that had management issues and he did not feel competent to do the work since he was a systems integrator. He also stated he wanted a percentage of my fee as compensation. After our conversation I began to wonder — was I missing something here?

These two individuals are not dummies. They both are intelligent and educated. They both run moderately successful businesses. And maybe that’s the key — moderately successful. They must treat their customers, employees and vendors just like they treated me — squeezing down to the last nickel. Perhaps they viewed me as super successful since I tend to not get worked up over relatively small amounts of money. I also noticed that these two individuals had something in common: they worry all the time.

They worry if they’re busy or if they’re slow. They worry if the vendors are charging too much or too little. They worry if it’s tax time or if it’s not. They worry that each nickel in assets they own is threatened. They even worry if they aren’t worried!

This oddity struck me and it kept my focus when I met them next. With each they were clenching their teeth, telling me how busy yet how bad things were, worried that they were not being as successful as they really should be. Their smiles were forced and the voices strained.

Then it all began to make sense. They did not see that by taking advantage of me I might not be as willing to help them the next time they had their hand out. Not only that, if they were to get in a real bind — which they will — they may not be able to count on my ability to tell them what they should do. Or help them at all!

These two are not evil or even bad. They are actually decent people that have somehow lost control of that which made them decent. They have traded their basic understanding of business dynamics for a transitory figure that temporarily pops up under the net profit column. Their philosophy has become simple if not simplistic — If it does not bring swift and significant gain it really does not matter.

And for business people that is sad. We who do not have the security of getting a hand out must rely on the strength of the relationships we can forge in the dog-eat-dog world of unbridled competition. We love the hunt but we know we can so easily be hunted as well. Perhaps it is just such a fear that makes my two colleagues oblivious to decency.

So now I take deep breath when I think of these two. I hope they find some degree of happiness in the midst of all their anxiety. If the ulcers don’t get them then the coronaries will.

I am proud to say that despite it all I really bear no ongoing resentment. Fortunately they need me a lot more than I need them. Thankfully the cost-benefit imbalance was not that significant and in a real sense I certainly did get my money’s worth. These are two individuals that I might have been convinced to help out in a larger context. Learning bad lessons can certainly be cost effective in the long run by avoiding the bigger mistakes.

And I truly hope they are happy. Hopefully the tag of ‘moderately successful’ will not be too painful. As hard as they work and as much as they worry they deserve all the happiness and success they can get! Just not from me…

Jack D. Deal is the owner of Deal Business Consulting. He can be contacted at jddeal@jddeal.com Related articles can be found at http://www.jddeal.com and http://www.freeandinquiringmind.typepad.com

As a young child I’ve been taught that milk is a complete food because it contains most of the nutrients necessary for good health. Most especially, milk is the best natural source of Vitamin D and Calcium - the key nutrients for bone health.

Now, the combination of Vitamin D and Calcium has been found to reduce the risk of developing type-2 diabetes, giving us (even adults) additional reason to drink milk.

According to this article: the recommended three servings of low-fat or fat-free milk provides 900 mg of calcium, 300 IU of vitamin D and 80 mg of magnesium daily.

Magnesium in there caught my eye - because increased magnesium in the diet has recently been linked to reduced risk of type 2 diabetes as well.

Well, I guess we should all start drinking milk - especially if like me, you’ve lost the habit somewhere in time - though we should remember to keep it fat-free.

A German study suggests that increased intake of fiber and magnesium-rich grains can significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes. The said research, led by Matthias Schulze, from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke revealed the following:

- Consumption of fiber through cereal, bread and other grain products (cereal fiber) was associated with a reduced risk of diabetes; highest fiber intake (an average of 29 grams per day) resulted to 27% lower risk than those with the lowest intake (an average of 15.1 grams per day).
- No difference observed in the reduction of risks between soluble or insoluble fiber
- Highest consumption of cereal fiber was associated with a 33 % reduction in the risk of diabetes
- Consumption of the most magnesium had a 23 per cent lower risk, compared to those who consumed the least

In both cases (fiber or magnesium), no association was found between fruit or vegetable fiber and diabetes risk. The study’s findings, reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, strongly support the importance of whole grain foods in diabetes prevention.

But of course, it cannot be just fiber and magnesium but an entirely nutritionally balanced diet that will lower our risks of developing diabetes.

Other sources of magnesium are green leafy vegetables, meats, starches, grains and nuts, and eating more of these may be able to reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes, according to meta-analysis of observational studies by Karolinska Institutet researchers.
“Findings from this meta-analysis of cohort studies indicate that increased intake of magnesium may reduce the incidence of type-2 diabetes. This observational evidence should be treated as compelling but not definitive.

The potential protective role of magnesium intake against type-2 diabetes may be due to improvement of insulin sensitivity. Studies in animals have demonstrated an adverse effect of magnesium deficiency on glucose-induced insulin secretion and insulin-mediated glucose uptake.

In contrast, magnesium supplementation was shown to prevent fructose-induced insulin resistance and reduce the development of diabetes in a rat model of spontaneous type-2 diabetes.”

The author writes about Berberine and blogs at http://www.daily-diabetic.com/.

Today’s world has given us a whole lot of choices. Sometimes it seems as though we are getting attacked by all sorts of options. We can choose from among different modes of conveyance. We can choose from among different brands of clothes. We are blessed with such a wide range of stores to shop in. And this is just the start.

We can even choose from the many movies in the theatre. We no longer have to come home with sad faces because we got no tickets to the movie playing in the neighborhood theatre. Thanks to the rise of multiplexes we can always try getting tickets for some other movie if the tickets for the one that we originally wanted have been sold out. Even when it comes to eating out, we no longer have just a few restaurants to choose from. There are all sorts of restaurants everywhere, each of them claiming to be better than their nearest rivals.

The fact that we are given so many options intensifies the number of temptations that we have to combat. It is human nature to equate temptation with the immoral aspects of life such as excessive alcohol, unsafe sex, gambling, stealing, and so on. However, wouldn’t you agree that the temptation to spend more than you wanted to is far more overpowering than most of these other so-called immoral temptations?

For instance, if you go to a bookstore (assuming that you are a booklover), you would probably have to keep yourself on a tight leash to make sure that you do not buy more books than you can afford. Temptation is far more difficult to resist when it is something like books or movies that you feel would do your good. If something is good for you, would that justify your going over-budget?

It is permissible to overspend some times. But what do you do if you then get stuck with some other urgent expense that you lack the money to pay for? In the old days, you might have been stuck. However, banks have come up with the concept of payday loans to help you cope at such times. Thus, someone who is broke can apply for a payday loan to tide him over till his next paycheck comes in. This is a very convenient loan type. Of course, that is not reason enough to give in to temptation and regularly go overboard with one’s expenses. However, at times of emergency, a payday loan is a godsend.

Loans just got simpler. Get fast payday loans and I mean the helpful no fax payday loans.