Fortunate Contest

Here it is - that time of year when everyone’s thoughts turn to food! I’m thankful that at our house, we have plenty of food, but sometimes I am not so grateful that I am the one who usually gets to cook it!

So I am always on the lookout for simple, tasty recipes that are also easy on the budget. Here are a few of my family’s favorites:

Corn-Rice Casserole

• 1 1/2 cups minute rice (uncooked)
• 2 cans cream-style corn
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 8 oz. jar Cheez Whiz

Melt butter in large saucepan and add onion and green pepper. Cook until tender. Add other ingredients and cook on low for about 5 minutes, stirring often.

Pour into greased 2-quart baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly.

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Sweet Potato Casserole

• 2 16-oz. cans sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup flour

Drain sweet potatoes and mash. Add other ingredients and mix well. Pour into ungreased 9″ square baking pan. Mix all topping ingredients till crumbly. Spread on yams then bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Tip: You can make this the day before. Just refrigerate till you are ready to bake.

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This one is perfect for supper the night before Thanksgiving.

Harvest Time Soup

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup cubed potatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 lb. process cheese spread, cubed
• 1 cup ham, cubed

Bring water, potatoes, carrots and celery to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer till vegetables are tender.

Add cheese and ham; cook, stirring till cheese is melted.

This makes about 4 servings, but it could easily be cut in half or doubled.

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Samuel Adams, father of the American Revolution:

“It is therefore recommended … to set apart Thursday the eighteenth day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise, that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor …”November 1, 1777

(adopted by the 13 states as the first official Thanksgiving Proclamation)

Cyndi Roberts is the editor of the “1 Frugal Friend 2 Another” bi-weekly newsletter and founder of the website of the same name.

Visit http://www.cynroberts.com to find creative tips, articles, and a free e-cooking book. Subscribe to the newsletter and receive the free e-course “Taming the Monster Grocery Bill”.

editor@cynroberts.com

Medical insurance frequently isn’t top priority when budgeting for a college education. At that age, the majority of students don’t consider medical insurance. Teens imagine they will be around forever and that they can never become ill.

Unluckily, regardless of how healthy a person is, there is no guarantee of their future health. An appropriate student health insurance policy isn’t only a good idea, it is really an essential. Students who are covered by their parent’s medical insurance are generally covered up to they’re twenty-three. For the student who does not currently have insurance coverage on their family insurance, obtaining alternative insurance plans for affordable student health insurance has to be an integral part of budgeting for college.

What should a student look for in a plan for college students? Deductibles: It’s an annual sum you must pay prior to your health benefits commencing, much the same as an auto deductible. To illustrate, should your deductible be 500 dollars, 500 dollars has to be paid prior to receiving any benefits connected with your insurance.

What exactly does co-pay mean? When you have paid your deductible, in general for each trip to the physician, medication, or operation you will be expected to pay a pre-determined part of the cost. That, succinctly is a co-pay.

What is the area of insurance cover? Numerous insurance policies are HMO and Partnership for Prescription Assistance. Basically this means particular doctors might be excluded from your list of health professionals or not be covered on a insurance plan. A directory of approved health professionals should be included with virtually all insurance plans, before making a decision make sure you look into the options thoroughly. What exactly is catastrophic health insurance coverage? Limitations are frequent in student medical insurance plans in particular concerning terminal illness, in virtually all cases, the cover is generally less than any standard insurance policy. What are the limitations? Affordable student medical insurance policies frequently set restrictions. It is very important to study your insurance policy carefully to discover precisely what is and isn’t included. Carry all the health insurance details close to hand everywhere. It’s not just not possible to plan for accidents or an illness, but they are regrettably likely to hit when it’s least expected. So ensure to be conversant with the ins and outs specific to your health insurance plan even should you be included in your parent’s insurance policy.

Nowadays, as a great deal of organisations & managers are looking towards web video websites as a wonderful place to distribute content to attract their potential clients, it is essential to tell between the main values of utilising online video marketing channels.

Here are a number of fundamental things you have to comprehend before you start to publish videos on web video sites. Make the most of the full potential of the World Wide Web with quality internet video marketing from Vidify.

Constantly strive to use professional videos that provide value added info to your potential customers - Lots of business people incorrectly think you can simply put any variety of advertisement on a video portal, but nothing could be further from reality. All videos must offer some worthwhile info to the target market, or otherwise start topic of conversation.

Do some degree of market research on the video channels previous to you adding your very first video - it is a wonderful suggestion to give some substantial amount of time putting your market’s important keywords into Google, in an attempt to find out what similar videos are at this time on the World Wide Web. Next jot down the profile names of the most important businesses in your area. Maybe somewhere down the line you can become involved in a joint venture or have some kind of association with these users.

Take into consideration that each video website has a society built into it - With this in mind you must respect the other members and it’s recommended that you write positive remarks about your rivals’ videos. Primarily you must be a member of the community, offering opinion, ideas etc. And only then should you regard yourself as being a marketer & begin to promote your very own 1 and goods.

Commit yourself to developing numerous corporate videos - You should have a clear strategy for making and distributing quite a few professional videos. If not, your company’s page on the video sites will give the idea of being bare if it simply has one solitary video live. With this in mind, make time planning the creation of a series of short format promotional videos, instead of one lengthy video.

Web video marketing is one of the most efficient and quickest techniques of promoting your business at the moment.

If you’re looking ahead to the holiday season and wondering how you’re going to get all your baking done, consider freezing your cookie dough or fresh baked cookies ahead of time. When the holidays get closer you can get that last bit of shopping done or last present made instead of spending all your time in the kitchen.

FREEZING COOKIE DOUGH

Cookie dough will freeze well for 4 to 6 weeks. Rolls of dough should be sealed tightly in plastic wrap (chill in refrigerator first before freezing). Other kinds of dough should be stored in airtight containers. Drop cookies (unbaked) may be frozen on cookie sheets and transferred to freezer bags. Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking.

Don’t try to freeze soft meringue-type cookie dough. Chocolate chip, brownies, peanut butter, and sugar cookie dough (or anything similar) freezes well. Let the dough defrost in the refrigerator (about 2-3 hours). Make sure to label the container with the date and type of cookie dough.

FREEZING BAKED COOKIES

Almost any baked cookie freezes well. Let cookies completely cool before freezing. Wrap cookies individually in plastic wrap then store them in a ziploc freezer bag or storage tin (coffee cans or holiday tins work great). You can also just layer the cookies between layers of waxed paper in the container, but the individually wrapped ones will store longer.

Freeze frosted cookies uncovered first until they are firm. Then pack them in airtight container lined with plastic wrap or foil. Make sure to label the container with the date and type of cookies. Unfrosted cookies can be frozen up to 6-12 months (frosted, about 3 months). Frozen cookies thaw in about 10 minutes at room temperature (if you can wait that long). If cookies should be crisp when thawed, remove them from the container before thawing.

Gingersnaps

1 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter
2 eggs
3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 c. molasses

In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add eggs. Stir in flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Add molasses, stirring well. Refrigerate dough for an hour or two to chill. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in a little sugar and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

Snickerdoodles

1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and eggs. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Refrigerate dough for an hour or two to chill. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Peanut Butter Crackles

1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. peanut butter
Chocolate kisses or stars

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix together butter, peanut butter, and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and press chocolate kisses firmly into cookie.

About the Author

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom helping other moms to organize their families and their lives. For other organizing hints visit http://www.Organized-Mom.com.

Imagine the following scenario: You wake up one morning and instead of speaking English, everyone around you–including your family and friends–is speaking Hungarian. This is a problem because you don’t speak Hungarian and you don’t have a clue what they’re saying. You become frustrated. The people around you become frustrated, too, but instead of switching back to English, they speak Hungarian more loudly.

Somebody gets the bright idea of writing you a note. You take the note in your hands and study it. Unfortunately, it’s in Hungarian, too, and you can’t read it. So they write you another note, still in Hungarian, but this time with large, block letters. You can’t read the second note, either.

This strange scenario is almost exactly what happens to people who have a stroke (circulation impairment) to the left side of the brain, except that the family and friends aren’t really communicating in Hungarian. They’re speaking and writing English–same as ever–but to the stroke victim their words are suddenly incomprehensible. This sudden disruption in language-processing is called aphasia.

Different patterns of aphasia occur with damage to different parts of the left side of the brain. The preceding scenario, in which comprehension of language is impaired, is called a receptive aphasia and is associated with injury to the upper portion of the brain’s left temporal lobe, roughly adjacent to the temple and top of the ear. In receptive aphasia the affected individuals can still produce sentences, but, in an odd twist of fate, they can’t make sense of or properly monitor their own words, so their output is riddled with errors.

A pattern of language impairment opposite of receptive aphasia is called expressive aphasia, in which individuals can understand what others say or write, but cannot produce much, if any, speech or writing of their own. In 1861 Pierre Paul Broca, a French surgeon, recognized a case of expressive aphasia and followed through with an autopsy of the patient’s brain.

For much of the nineteenth century most scientists and physicians believed that the brain was homogenous, and that its different actions were spread diffusely throughout the entire brain. They did not believe that functions were localized to specific regions of the brain. (The phrenologists believed otherwise, but that is a story of its own.)

However, when Broca treated a patient who lost his power of speech (the only word he could still say was “tan”) he was able to correlate this language impairment with damage to the left side of the man’s brain. Instead of being in the temporal lobe, the destroyed brain-tissue was in the frontal lobe in an area now referred to as Broca’s area. In fact, expressive aphasia is also known as Broca’s aphasia. Dr. Broca’s case was the principal salvo in a reversal of understanding about how the cerebral cortex (the brain’s wrinkled gray surface) operates. Now we realize that many functions–not just language–are localized to specific regions of the cortex.

Receptive and expressive aphasias are not the only patterns of language impairment, but nicely convey the basic idea of a sudden disconnect in language processing. What becomes of these cases? As is seen with strokes affecting other parts of the brain–for example, those causing weakness or paralysis of muscles on the opposite side of the body–recovery varies widely among patients. Some patients become normal again and others don’t improve at all, but the usual outcome is somewhere in between.

Improvement in language function that occurs within the first week or two following a stroke is due to brain cells that were sick from the stroke–but not quite dead–becoming healthy and operational again. By contrast, improvement in language function occurring over ensuing weeks, months and even years is due to the retraining of surviving brain cells that take over for their fallen comrades. A younger stroke patient with more brain cells in reserve has a better chance for recovery than an older patient with fewer reserves.

Is there anything that can be done to improve outcome? First of all, there is the management of the stroke itself which generally takes place in a hospital. One important point to emphasize is that a stroke causing aphasia is no less a stroke than one causing paralysis of muscles. Sometimes it seems that the latter receives more serious attention than the former. Management of fundamental issues–like blood pressure, body temperature and blood sugar–can set the stage for the best possible outcome.

Following a first stroke, physicians also implement “secondary stroke prevention” to decrease the odds of a second stroke. In cases of stroke due to hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) this often takes the form of ratcheting down blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, along with elimination of smoking and other unhealthy behaviors. Also, the doctor usually prescribes a medicine to reduce blood-clotting. Other causes of stroke might call for other measures.

Does speech therapy help stroke-patients with aphasia? So far, this form of treatment has not been proved beneficial. Randomized, controlled trials (the standard of proof in clinical medicine in which patients receiving the treatment are compared to similar patients receiving either a dummy-treatment or no treatment) have not clearly demonstrated that speech therapy is better than either no treatment or treatment provided by family or friends.

Sometimes patients with aphasia are perceived as “confused” in the sense of having a delirium or dementia. But this is not the case. Acutely aphasic patients need to be recognized as having suffered a stroke to a specific part of the brain so they can be triaged for appropriate medical care. Over the longer term, family and friends need to remember that the stroke victim is still a perceiving, self-aware human being who happens to have a communication problem. He or she should be loved, appreciated and otherwise included in activities just as before.

(C) 2005 by Gary Cordingley

Gary Cordingley, MD, PhD, is a clinical neurologist, teacher and researcher who works in Athens, Ohio. For more health-related articles see his website at: http://www.cordingleyneurology.com

A promise is made between two people and is typically meant to be kept for some time. So to signify this promise, a promise ring can be exchanged between two people. There are many types of promise rings available: diamond, titanium, gold, white gold and silver promise rings, to name a few. There are also many reasons to exchange promise rings: to signify the sealing of a long relationship between two people, to promise not to have sex until marriage, or perhaps to signify being a member of a cult or religious group.

Silver, used for both practical and ornamental purposes, is a metal that has a staying power. It is the most plentiful and least expensive of the earth’s more precious metals like gold and palladium. Silver is a metal that has been used since the time of ancient civilizations to make everything from dishes to armor and crafted jewelry like silver promise rings. As such, a person with a small budget for a promise ring could ideally opt for a silver promise ring. As silver is a malleable and ductile metal, the silver promise ring could be inscribed with lovely, private wordings to seal the relationship.

However, one of the disadvantages of exchanging silver promise rings is that since silver is susceptible to tarnishing and scratching, the silver promise ring might become tarnished and scratched in the long run. To maintain the life of the silver ring, it should be stored in a cool, dry place and regularly rubbed with a polish and polishing cloth.

Promise Rings provides detailed information on Promise Rings, Diamond Promise Rings, Meaning Of Promise Rings, Titanium Promise Rings and more. Promise Rings is affiliated with Best Prom Dress.

How often do you perform a kata movement and think, ‘What on Earth could this be about?” Times change and so does the nature of karate. We are better off working with kata movements in a modern context than trying to guess the original intention of the technique. So why not do a little research and experimentation of our own?

The term bunkai means to break down and study. Anyone with a little imagination and common sense can contribute to this area of karate as long as you understand the basic principles that hold kata together. You can begin by learning the interpretations created by other people, or better still, discover how they added meaning to the techniques.

We can start with a simple example. One principle of bunkai relates to the angle of your movement. The opponent is not necessarily coming from that angle (although he could do), but the pattern shows you the best angle to stand in relation to him. More often than not the best angle allows you maximum effect while reducing the opponent’s options. A good strategy involves turning the opponent’s centre line away from your own while you maintain an advantageous position. From there you can bring all your weapons into play while he is restricted to perhaps just one side.

Armed with this knowledge and a few examples you can now have a go at creating some interesting applications. Think about the following alternatives.

First, define what your opponent does. You could decide upon a common type of attack, perhaps a lapel grab and punch.

Secondly you could work the technique from your end. Ask yourself “Are there any significant clues in the movement?” - look out for mechanical efficiency, grabs, turns and twists or body movements to amplify the effects of a strike.

You don’t have to take the entire kata movement and use it literally. Get the feel for the movement, the idea behind it or take a small segment. Another good example would be the first set of techniques from pinan shodan/heian nidan. How many options are covered within the three basics movements (raise arms, pull inwards, shooting outwards). Look at the whole body movement including the stance. Do not be locked into the arm actions alone.

Allow your training partner to make his attack slowly. Start by performing the kata movement as you might see it when training solo. Does that help? How can you make the movement more effective without losing the essence of it? How does changing the angle and line of attack affect the application?

You’ll probably find that transition and “in-between” movements in the technique will stop, redirect or off-balance your partner and the end movement represents your counter blow, tie-up or throw. What further options are available afterwards?

Work with a number of alternatives and see which is best. Then swap roles so that you are now the attacker and your partner must find a suitable response. When you are both satisfied test out your applications by showing them to someone else. Can they make them work too?

Incorporate the application into your combat drills, flow drills and progressive sparring. If it still holds out as you pile on the pressure there is every chance you have found a winner. Train as close to reality as possible with a partner you don’t normally work with. Be sure to train under as-near-to-live conditions as you can. It’s better to find a flaw in the application now than outside in the street.

As a final check ask yourself if the application fits in with the essence of the kata or your system and if all the basic principles are adhered to. Is the technique easy to perform? Does it put you at a position of advantage? Is there a back-up in case it goes wrong? Can it be used against variations of the basic attack?

Fun and play are an important part of the learning process. So play with your kata! Training in this way helps you uncover the principles and perhaps remember the form better. And of course there’s the satisfaction of creating something for yourself and your colleagues.

For more information about karate kata training
Please visit http://www.thekatabook.com.

Stephen Irwin has studied martial arts since 1985 and presently
teaches non-sports wado ryu karate.

One of the great advantage of Chamonix France is its closeness to Geneva. One can easily depart from the UK in the morning and be skiing by the p.m.. The popularity of Easyjet and budget carriers has resulted in much lower fares and with only a one hour transfer duration between the airport and Chamonix a ski break is now within the price range of everyone; and all the chalets are available from Weds/Thurs until the Sunday to enable you to benefit from cheaper flights and empty slopes. On disembarking the plane at the airport right up until collecting your skiing tickets awaiting for you on arrival; every last detail is booked to guarantee that you spend the least time traveling and the most of the holiday skiing.

A ski weekend in Chamonix can be an exciting trip provided you arrange the finer details correctly so you can revel in your valuable holiday. Of course that entails getting the air flights airport transfer and chalet bang on and ferrying you onto the runs as quickly as possible. The goal is to provide you the maximum period of time skiing with the min. amount of hassle including the usual high levels of comfort cuisine and personal service. To this end we supply swift transfers superb lodging superb cuisine and we are happy to advise and book skiing guides and snowboarding instructors.

The much-anticipated rollout of the new FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) broadband services has finally started around the Oxford Road area in Manchester city.

The Manchester City Council had announced last year that it would provide the new FTTP network soon to everyone in the city. People in the area had been waiting to get their hands on the much faster speeds that come with the new technology. In fact, the City Council has claimed that broadband speeds would be nearly a thousand times faster once the new network starts functioning. However, the actual speed remains to be seen because most of the FTTP users claim that they are usually able to access speeds of ‘up to’ 100Mbps. The fact remains that a 100 Mbps speed is still quite impressive and the city’s residents realise that this is a major upgrade for them in terms of access to the latest in broadband services.

The establishment of the fibre optic network is a part of a much larger project that has been taken up by the Manchester City Council. Termed as Next Generation Digital City Project, it is focussed at bringing a digital revolution to this part of the UK.

Neil Swannick, the City Councillor, has claimed that with these high-speed broadband services, Manchester can claim to be in the top bracket of European cities in terms of digital telecommunications. He did acknowledge that the city still had a long way to go before it could compete with the likes of Paris and Amsterdam two cities that are known to provide the cheapest and the best in broadband technology.

Mr. Swannick further added that the endeavour of this project would extend beyond Manchester and would soon include other nearby locations such as East Manchester. Another part of the plan is to create a truly international Internet Hub in the Central Park area.

Once the rollout for the new service is complete, Manchester will be able to lay claim to having the latest in broadband technology, but it still has to compete in terms of the cost of these services that are significantly in excess when compared with other major cities in Europe.

Appearances in online poker can be deceiving. Sometimes poker and casino savvy comes in the most unlikely of situations, as many would claim is the case with internationally known and legendarily hot young actress Shannon Elizabeth. Known first for her unforgettable nude scenes as a foreign exchange student in the American Pie movies, Shannon has made quite a second name for herself in her pursuit of a reputation as a poker player worth her sharp looks in skill.

For any that would question the actress’s talent, she’s already in the relatively short amount of time she’s been on the scene made it known that she’s not just another pretty face messing around. Her biggest poker accomplishment so far has been going to the semi-finals in NBC’s National Head Up poker championships where she moved on against a series of well known pros, showing she has chops even against the world’s best.

Shannon has also made strong appearances in the last few years of the World Series of Poker and other bracelet events. While she may still be early on in her poker career, and may still have a lot to prove, the credentials and reputation she has earned outside of her other pursuits are impressive in and of themselves.