I don’t know who compiled the following but it’s interesting. What do YOU think are the saddest words? I read the obits (am in that age group!) and I have concluded that some of the saddest words I read are “No known survivors.” I can’t imagine not having family to mourn my passing! What has happened in a person’s life that he/she has no one to weep?

Poet T.S. Eliot: “The saddest word in the English language is, of course, ‘saddest.’”

Lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II: “But.”

Writer John Dos Passos quoted John Keats: “Forlorn! the very word is like a bell.”

Psychiatrist Karl Menninger: “Unloved.”

Statesman Bernard M. Baruch: “Hopeless.”

President Harry Truman quoted John Greenleaf Whittier: “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: ‘It might have been!’”

Alexandra Tolstoi: “The saddest word in all languages, which has brought the world to its present condition, is ‘atheism.’”

“Put all of these answers together and you have a faint picture of a soul without Christ. I think of that word which Keats used so dramatically—’forlorn.’ It is the English form of the Dutch word verloren, which means ‘lost.’ But the Word of God, through the apostle Paul, gives the ultimate description, ‘without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world’ (Eph. 2:12).”

Dr. Menninger’s word “unloved” causes us to wonder why a person is unloved. We must be loving to be beloved. Unfortunately, we have too many homeless in our city. Not long ago our paper had an article about the homeless and how they loved each other. They were there for each other and, when something terrible happened, they were a grand support system. It puts the rest of us to shame, doesn’t it?

So what do YOU think are the saddest words?

The tendency to develop osteoporosis depends on a number of factors, important ones of which are listed below:

Age: The chances of getting osteoporosis increase in women after the age 45-50, while in men 65-70 years.

Gender: As compared to men, women are 4 times more susceptible to osteoporosis since their bones are lighter and thinner than of men.

Race: Studies have revealed that Asian and Caucasian women are more prone to get osteoporosis than other women are.

Bone structure and body frame: Shorter people are at a larger risk of osteoporosis, as they possess lesser bone mass, loss of even some of which can be critical enough to lead to osteoporosis. Thinner people are also at a greater risk of osteoporosis since they possess lesser fat. Fat cells make estrogen, whose deficiency causes bone loss in women.

Genetic factor: People with family history of osteoporosis are at a greater risk of osteoporosis.

Malnutrition: Lack of proper nourishment may lead to the deficiency of vital nutrients essential for the bone health (like calcium, vitamin D) and hence increase the risk of osteoporosis

Smoking: Smoking also enhances the risk of osteoporosis.

Alcohol use: In people who drink heavily, boss loss is far greater than its formation. However, a recent research has shown that consuming moderate amount of alcohol may actually increase the bone density. Thus, cutting down the amount of alcohol to mild or moderate amounts would be a better option for your bone health.

Soft drinks: Regular consumption of soft drinks with a high amount of phosphoric acid can hinder absorption of bone.

Sedentary lifestyle: Too little or physical activity and weight bearing exercises like walking, running, dancing, weight lifting or climbing stairs can weaken the bones. Exercises also make your balance better and reduce the likelihood of falling.

Certain medical conditions: If you are suffering from certain medical conditions, like hyperthyroidism, or have a disorder that hinders proper utilization of calcium and vitamin D, you at a larger risk for osteoporosis.

Certain medications: If you are on medications like corticosteroids, generally used for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma for 6 months or a longer period, you are susceptible to steroid-induced osteoporosis. These medications are the common cause of osteoporosis seen in men.

Caffeine: A high amount of caffeine can also increase the osteoporosis. Thus, you must limit the intake of coffee, tea, cola, chocolates etc.

Anorexia: Anorexia refers to loss of appetite due to certain medical condition or deliberately fasting to lose weight. Such a condition often creates a deficiency of nutrients (like calcium, vitamin D) required for bone formation, hence increasing the chances of getting osteoporosis.

About the author: Riana Lance has a deep concern on health. Grasp her other motivational health tips at Health News. Also check Her Other websites and more.

Osteoporosis generally develops without any apparent symptoms and therefore is referred to as ‘silent disease’. A few of the symptoms that do arise generally emerge only in the advanced stages. People normally do not become aware of the disease being cropping up, unless their bones turn out to be so weak that a light bump or a fall leads to a fracture or collapse of a vertebra. Some people may also develop stooped posture, loss height or severe have back pain when the disease is in its advanced stage.

Fractures

These are generally the first symptom of osteoporosis. The bones become too weak to support the body so they break even by a light bump or a moderate strain. Although this disease affects all bones of the body, the most susceptible ones include spine, followed by hips, which is followed by wrist.

A spinal crush fracture, which involves crumbling or collapse of a vertebra is extremely painful and can result in deformed posture.

Stooped Posture and Loss of Height

Although most people believe that stooped posture and loss of height occur because of aging, they are actually avertable symptoms of osteoporosis. The loss of height most often occurs because of “compression fractures” in the spine, which in turn, arise when weak bone tissues of the vertebrae give way. These weak vertebrae can collapse even by coughing or sneezing, resulting in a sudden, unbearable pain. Over a certain period, these fractures lead to stooped posture, humpy back or loss of as much as 6 inches of height.

Acute or Chronic Back Pain

Your upper body is connected to your pelvis and legs by the lower spine. Your lower spine is one, which confers you the capability to turn, bend, lift or twist. It also supports most of the weight of your body while you stand. Hence, this is the region, which is always under maximum stress and also most susceptible to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis of this region causes sharp and unbearable pain.

Thus, the consequences of osteoporosis are often intolerable and debilitating. The good news is that osteoporosis is a preventable and treatable condition. The need is to educate yourself about how to make better your bone health and keep away from the risks of osteoporosis.

About the author: Riana Lance has a deep concern on health. Grasp her other motivational health tips at Health News. Also check Her Other websites and more.

The Philippines is the third largest Roman Catholic country in the world with some 80% of the 85 million Filipinos following the faith. The major events in the Christian calendar, Christmas, Easter, All Saints Day, are all celebrated with gusto but it is Easter or Holy Week, as it is known in the Philippines, which ignites the Filipino passion. From the public self-flagellation and crucifixions of Pampanga Province to the street parades and the shrines of Makati City’s Poblacion suburb with their infusion of popular and indigenous cultural influences, Holy Week is the celebration of the calendar.

For over half a century, the 17000 residents of this suburb have held street parades, a Saturday night, Sunday morning vigil or salubong and constructed shrines in honour of Holy week. Each year up to 40 shrines are dotted about the one square kilometer that is the inner city suburb of Poblacion. Throughout the year, street groups known locally as Samahans have raised the 50,000 pesos required to employ an artist, feed and water the volunteer assistants and obtain the materials necessary to actualize the artist’s vision for their shrine.

These shrines are folk art of the first order, utilizing a range of materials from the time honoured papier-mâché to the 20th Century’s set builder’s material of choice, polystyrene. When they are combined with bamboo, plywood, timber, bricks and mortar that call on the trade skills of the residents and the artist’s skill with the brush they produce settings worthy of an off Broadway production.

In the weeks leading up to Holy Week, streets become impassable to vehicles as the construction takes place. Scaffolding is erected, frames are built and clad, sculptures several meters high are constructed, water features are incorporated, lights are installed with the chosen street corners becoming beehives of activity. As the start of Holy Week arrives the activity goes up a notch, the shrines must be completed by Wednesday evening.

Its arrival heralds a street parade which wends it way through the suburb incorporating every shrine in its route. The devout carry crucifixes for installation in the shrines accompanied by the Makati City Marching Band. It is now that Christ’s Pasyon, the marathon chanting or singing of the poem of Jesus’ life, passion, and death begins and continues day and night through to 3pm on Good Friday.

The Thursday before Good Friday sees thousands of people from all over Metro Manila descend upon the suburb. They wander the streets admiring the diversity of the art created by the Poblacion residents. Although sacred in inspiration, the designs of the shrines are often unconventional ranging from the American Wild West to the pharaohs of ancient Egypt for their chosen themes. There is carnival atmosphere in the air as excited children run and point, adults ooh and ah, street sellers hawk their wares and camera flashes bounce off the walls of the shrines.

Throughout Good Friday Christ’s Pasyon is recited by members of the street associations, usually working in pairs. Church goers wander home from their devotions stopping to listen and gossip at the shrines. At 3pm, the reputed time of Jesus’ death, black shrouds are draped over the crucifixes in the shrines. In the evening a parade of the shrine’s tableaux traverses the streets of the suburb.

After Saturday’s midnight mass, at the local parish church of Saint Peter and Paul, effigies of Jesus and Mary are carried along different streets to meet for the Salubong outside the suburb’s sports complex. There, a temporary stage has been erected upon which a choir of children dressed as angels await their arrival. The statue of Mary has her head shrouded with a black cloth and before a crowd of several thousand people packed into this town square, it is removed when she meets her son. Blue and white helium filled balloons bare her shroud into the dark heavens above.

Eight to ten hours after this two a.m. meeting, many of the shrines are builder’s rubble. They have had their 4 days in the sun and over the following few days any trace of their existence will have vanished except perhaps for a painted section of road way and the record captured by the photographers.

Henry Bateman is an artist/photographer, his work can be seen at http://www.pissedpoet pics and this essay with photographs can be seen here.

Acupuncture can be used to treat certain symptoms and assist in the recovery from certain conditions, or the recurrence of those conditions. It can be used to reduce complications and to alleviate the need for further surgery or pharmaceuticals. Generally, the purpose of Acupuncture is to restore or jump-start the circulation of energy in a person’s body. In Chinese medicine this energy is know as “Qi” (pronounced “chee”). Qi is a concept of Chinese living and relates to “air” or the “life force” and “spiritual energy” of every living being.

According to ancient beliefs, Qi is constantly transferring between the Qi of the body and the Qi of the environment. One of the functions of Qi within the body is to prevent harmful Qi from entering. If the protective Qi is strong, resistance is high and disease is prevented. Before the discovery and use of microscopes - whereby man discovered individual cells - and before autopsies revealed the intricate workings of the human body, doctors and academics could only compare it to the visible world outside of the body. One aspect of civilisation, which was well developed, was the system of water courses, canals, streams, rivers, irrigation systems. They were considered as the givers of life and the human body was accepted as operating in the same way, moving the life-giving fluid in the same way. The fluid was the Qi and the canals and pathways where it flowed were termed the meridians.

There are known to be 500 acupuncture points along the body’s meridians, or pathways of energy flow. These areas are stimulated to enhance their receptiveness either by the insertion of needles, which is the common perception of what acupuncture involves, or via massage, herbs and even suction cups. Acupuncture can be used as a treatment or a cure for dozens and dozens of illnesses, diseases and conditions. Some of these conditions have been effectively controlled or cured by acupuncture and others still need to be proven. Notwithstanding this, the benefits to the patient’s state of mind can only be positive.

Initial consultation for acupuncture would typically involve an interview where the patient’s medical history, current treatments and symptoms can be explored. The next step would involve the taking of the pulse from both arms and an inspection of the patient’s tongue. The appearance of the tongue gives the practitioner a good indication of what is going on inside the patient’s body. A diagnosis and treatment plan follows. The treatment can last anywhere between 5 minutes and 60 minutes.

The treatment may consist of any or all of the following:

Needling - The insertion of needles into acupuncture points.

Moxibustion - The application of the herb mugwort to produce heat at the acupuncture points. Auricular therapy, which is the insertion of needles into acupuncture points on the ear and can often be worn for a couple of days.

Electropuncture - The introductions of an electrical current through the needles.

Laser therapy - The use of laser light at the acupuncture points for those people who are intimidated by the thought of receiving needles.

The treatment can also entail a dietary supplement using foods with therapeutic properties, the use of an herbal formula, exercise therapy or internal therapy such as massaging.

Costs for Acupuncture Therapy can vary depending upon the practitioner, but generally between $10 and $100 would be considered average. Dietary and herbal supplements can be extra. Some Health Insurance companies do have rebates for this type of treatment.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Acupuncture

Internet marketing is the key for any business wanting to increase profits via their web site(s).

The main elements of internet marketing are usually pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine optimisation (SEO) and the business generated via the internet could be the difference in making your business a success.

Using proven, ethical methods, your website can bring your dreams and business goals to life. No matter if it’s a hobby or an established business, using a combination of tried and tested marketing methods, you could see traffic levels increase by up to 2000%, or even more, and most of this can be targeted traffic, which could result in a sale, enquiry or affilliate click revenue.

Too many companies rely on their web site alone to generate sales or leads, and this is a fatal mistake.

Unless you have a successful name or web site already, the majority of your budget should be spent on Internet marketing or pay-per-click (PPC) to get the traffic to your site. Only when you start to receive revenue from your site, should you then update, upgrade or enhance your site with all the functionality that you require.

This theory only works if your site has been optimised for accessibility, content and has “calls to action”, to make the visitors perform the function you require, whether it be subscribing, purchasing or just emiling via an enquiry form.

Any Internet marketing agency should be able to show previous experience and successes from search engine rankings on Google, Yahoo and MSN and be able to provide reports and statistics to back this data up.

One of the most important factors of any Internet marketing campaign, is the choice of keywords used to obtain targeted traffic. Always ask to see the keywords used for your campaign and do not be afraid to ask questions and get statistics to show the number of searches made per month for each keyword.

Your time and money will be wasted if the keywords used are not the best ones for your business, service(s) or product(s).

All Internet marketing agencies should use an established and successful statistics package to track and monitor your web site’s visitors, and also to see what web sites or search engines they are coming from.

With these statistics, you should be able to see what is working and what isn’t, so you can adjust or optimise your Internet marketing plan accordingly. With a good SEO consultant or marketing agency behind you, you will be on the road to success and before you know it, you’ll be seeing turnover increase and wondering why you never did it sooner.

Lee Smith is a London SEO consultant that writes articles and press releases for search engine optimisation and Internet marketing.
Internet marketing agency

Life as a grandparent is going great when your daughter and her husband drop the bombshell. Your son-in-law has just landed a job-of-a-lifetime, but it is in a community that is a two day’s drive away. Your heart sinks as you realize that the grandchild that you’ve been seeing every weekend will be out of sight most of the year.

What can you do when your grandchildren move away? How can you keep in touch as you miss most of their growing years? Consider the following ideas, written especially for situations that involve grandchildren under 10. You can easily adapt some of these ideas to older grandchildren.

(1) Plan some special times together before they move.

Hopefully your children have been able to give you at least several weeks notice of the move. These last two or three weekends should be spent doing some special activities, ones that you know your grandchild enjoys. Perhaps they have a special place they like to visit, like a children’s museum, or a special eatery. Make sure you capture the events with your camera and/or camcorder.

(2) Make a special photo album

All grandparents have photos of their grandchildren, especially ones that capture special times. Photos of trips you have taken together, of pets you’ve played with, of parties you’ve been at, of friends and family you’ve spent time with. Gather a group of these photos together, especially ones that show you and the grandchildren together, and make a special album. This becomes a little going away gift. Don’t forget to include photos from the final weekends.

(3) Give them contact info

If you are a modern grandparent, you will have a phone number, a postal address, and an e-mail address. Maybe you even have Personal Cards with this information. (personal cards are a business card designed specifically for handing out to new friends and such - one inexpensive way to get these is at Vista Print) Depending on their ages, make sure your grandchildren know how to contact you via all three options. One way of ensuring that you receive hand written (or printed) material is to supply them with some pre-addressed and pre-stamped envelopes. That way, they just have to fill the envelope with some personal notes or new drawings and then pop it into a mail box. You, of course, can also write, phone, and e-mail them.

(4) Home Made Videos

A truly modern grandparent can also send out not only new photos, but even a home-made DVD. Just use your camcorder to record special events that your grandchildren cannot be at, and mail them a DVD version. Some newer camcorders take DVDs as their standard way of recording. Others will require you to transfer them via a computer. Just visit your local computer store for the additional hardware and software required. Some beginner style ones are very economical.

There, now you have four ideas of things to do when your grandchildren move away. These ones will help you think of others. Now all you have to do is start planning your first trip to your grandchildren’s new home.

Richard Killey is a father of 3 and a grandfather of 2 who writes about children from a grandfather’s point of view. More of Richard’s articles can be read at http://www.grandparichardskids.com

Starting a home business venture is an exciting time, but there are specific aspects you have to be careful to avoid. It can be a hectic time getting a home business up and running, especially if you are new to the internet industry. While it is important to begin marketing your website as soon as possible, you also want to be careful rushing into anything.

When should you begin marketing your home business venture is a question many people have. One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting to begin marketing and advertising their home business until it is further developed. The problem with waiting is that you are just losing potential customers.

If you are in fear that your website is not up to par quite yet, there is nothing wrong with putting a note informing visitors that you are just getting started and will be further developing the website over time. But waiting to begin marketing your home business website until it is further developed is a mistake. The main reason for this is because you will never be completely finished with the website. The internet industry requires constant attention and development over time to stay with the competition.

While it is a mistake to wait to release your website, it is also a mistake to rush any part of the development phase. For example, there is no benefit to your website or its visitors if you provide poor quality content just to have content. Another example is having a sloppy web design just to make it look more developed than it really is. Take your time and gradually build the website you dreamed up when you started.

The content you produce is a crucial part to your home business venture. Poorly edited content is detrimental to your website, but having content that is unrelated to your website can be even more devastating. By distributing unrelated content, you are only wasting your time by providing your visitors with useless information.

The last thing to avoid when developing your home business venture is using keyword optimization incorrectly. Keyword optimization is a great way to generate a high traffic volume and produce quality content. However, if you flood your readers with the same keywords repetitively, your writing will be unprofessional. You have to learn to place the keywords within the flow of the content so that the readers notice the keyword, but aren’t annoyed by it.

The best way to start a home business is to just jump right in. While there is no right way to start a home business venture, there are certainly wrong ways. Therefore, by paying close attention to the features listed above, you are bound to have a flourishing start to your home business.

Vincent Murphy is the Webmaster/Owner of http://www.HomeGrail.com

Successful Home Based Business FREE GIFT, 6 FREE HOME BUSINESS EBOOKS: http://www.HomeGrail.com/newsletter-signup.html

No doubt, a job is always stressful. The more you are in a responsible position, the more stress you are supposed to take. Accepting new challenges, meeting tight deadlines, working for long hours and day to day hassles, make the body vulnerable to serious ailments. Stress badly disrupts the body’s ability to process glucose, leading to diabetes. Stress is also responsible for the thickness of arteries thus developing cardio vascular diseases and high blood pressure.

The job related stress is there and we cannot get rid of it altogether. However, we can minimize it as far as possible by changing our attitude to work and adopting a healthy life style. (Drinking a dozen cups of coffee and smoking three packets of cigarettes a day is not the proper way of coping with the stress).

Enjoy Your Work

The work is not play but you can make yourself believe that the work you are doing is giving you full enjoyment as if you are busy playing an interesting game. Meeting a deadline is indeed stressful but it also gives you the much needed confidence that you are capable enough to meet any deadline. Accepting a new challenge is often stressful but can also be rewarding if you take it as an opportunity to show your hidden talents. The more you enjoy your work the more you get rid of yourself from the negative effects of work related stress.

Establish Good Relationship with Colleagues

In any organization, most job related stress is due to the ill-attitude of subordinates and colleagues. This ugly scene creates unnecessary hurdles in the smooth functioning of work. It is, therefore, utmost necessary for you to create a friendly atmosphere in the office as far as possible. In a pleasant environment it is possible to get the cooperation of others for your work done properly with full concentration without unnecessary interruption from others. In this way your work stress will be minimized, your working efficiency will be increased and so the chances of your promotion to the next higher level. So think of improving your relations with your subordinates and colleagues.

Take a Nap

During lunch hours, take a five to ten minutes nap with your eyes closed and body fully relaxed while lying or sitting on a sofa or a comfortable seat. This is a great stress reliever. I want to tell you that this short nap would have magical effects on your mind and body. This not only relaxes your inner and outer muscles but also gives you the vital energy sufficient enough to keep you working for another couple of hours!

Eat Well

Most of us are not in the habit of eating well. Normally we take high fat, high sugar, high carbohydrate or greasy fast foods which certainly lack essential vitamins and minerals. At least 50 percent of our diet should consist of raw fruits and vegetables. Some nutritionists advise to take five servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit daily. If you keep on sitting for long hours in the office, it is necessary to take light but nourishing food to keep you active and mentally alert during work. Fresh fruits also have soothing effects on the stressful bodies.

Drink Plenty of Water

Always keep a bottle of pure natural water on your table. Instead of taking frequent cups of tea or coffee why not drink plain water. Each and every cell of the body need water for nourishment and for flushing out the unwanted wastes from the body. Drinking too little water can result in severe constipation, dry and itchy skin, acne, urinary infections, dry coughs, and headaches. Drinking plenty of water is the answer to many stressful ailments.

Exercise Regularly

Some kind of physical activity, walking, cycling, swimming, aerobics or yoga, is necessary to keep yourself physically fit and mentally relaxed. You can do exercise in the morning or evening as you find time. At least a 20 minute workout is necessary to keep yourself healthy and in shape. The more time you give to physical activity the more rewarding and stress relieving.

About the Author:
Hifzur Rehman is the editor and owner of http://www.selfimprovement.ch. He is also the author of articles on personal growth, health and beauty.

Hifzur Rehman (C) 2007. All Rights Reserved.

Family ski vacations are among the most popular Christmas vacation ideas now days. These vacations are great fun if you are into winter sports.

All it requires is for you to take your family to a ski resort during the Christmas vacations and enjoy the various winter sports activities like skiing, snowboarding, sledding, and tubing.

If you do not know any of these sports, a skiing vacation is the best time to learn them. You can also teach these sports to your kids - after all there is no better time to learn than childhood. Family ski vacations are not just about skiing and other sports. There are other fun things that you can do with your kids, like getting them to enjoy the snow.

Why would you want to plan your family ski vacation during the Christmas holidays?

Because, with the onset of the winter, many people experience the winter blues. The best antidote for these blues is sitting down and coming up with some great Christmas vacation ideas. Family ski vacations during your Christmas holidays can be great therapy, and can give you the chance to recharge your batteries for the coming months ahead.

Another practical reason for planning family ski vacations during the Christmas holidays is that during these vacations, you get enough time off, no matter which walk of life you come from. School-going kids get a long holiday during this period. The more time you get to stay away holidaying, the fresher you will feel. Also, this will give you more time to learn and hone your skiing skills.

So does planning the ideal family ski vacation difficult? While family ski vacations may be great Christmas vacation ideas, the next thing to do after deciding to take one is to plan for it.

The first step in planning such a vacation is to identify a good ski resort in a scenic locality, a place that is child-friendly and has good accommodations. All ski resorts may not be suitable for families and skiers who are at the beginners’ level. While some resorts may have lovely accommodations, the skiing slopes may not be suitable for beginners.

However, it will not be difficult for you to find such a resort, as there are plenty of resorts that are great for new skiers. Once you have identified a few such ski resorts, you now need to look at which of these offers the best holiday package.

Your idea behind a skiing vacation is to pack in skiing with having fun with the rest of the family as well, and the resort you choose should fulfill that objective. If there are beginners in your family, choose a resort that has all the required conveniences, and has slopes that are specially oriented so as to enable the newcomers to come back to the top easily. The resort that you choose should provide you, as well as other beginners, with all the required equipment, such as boots, skis.

The resort would also provide you with poles and training sessions. You can learn skiing with your own family here.

Now days, there are numerous ski resorts, all of which provide custom or specially-designed slopes and facilities for profit in their business, by providing their customers good facilities. Also there are numerous ski resorts offering free tickets for kids.

There are other incentives as well – some offer free tickets and free lodging while buying a ticket for you. Again, some of them have childcare facilities, also. They take special care of those children who are raw in this sport and easily get tired on the slopes.

Want to know more tips on Christmas ski trip? Only 20 minutes a day, Qing Gu will help you to learn how these wonderful ideas themselves create an wonderful family ski vacation in this 5 Day FREE eCourse: http://www.coolest-christmas-holidays.com/skivacation