I’m sitting gazing out the window to my garden, and am happy to see that my little swarm of wild bees are back! They disappeared for a few months, and I was worried about them. Bees are disappearing all over the country, and I was afraid that mine had, too. I have no idea where they live, but a beekeeper friend identified them for me soon after they appeared here a few years ago turns out they are honeybees! He told me he’ll help me capture them and put them into a hive, but I’m not sure I want the responsibility of tending a beehive. The bees seem to be doing fine on their own. I guess you’d call it a “free range” bee farm!

One surprise they LOVE rosemary! My rosemary plants bloom off and on year-round here, and I never thought about that being a good source of pollen, or nectar. Apparently the bees think otherwise. I see a handful of them swarming the plant this morning, but last August there were thousands out there. The idea of rosemary-flavored honey is intriguing, I will admit.

I was glad to see the bees in the garden because they help the plants with pollination. One reason I have a totally organic garden is so that the beneficial insects can thrive in it and aren’t killed off by pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Too many of our native pollinators are disappearing because of widespread spraying of crops. For me, that’s reason enough to go organic.

———
Copyright ©2000-2007 Bobbi A. Chukran

Bobbi A. Chukran is a writer living in the Texas Hill Country. When not avoiding praying mantises in her garden, she’s blogging for The Earthly Gardener or herding cats. You may read more of her work at
The Earthly Gardener or http://www.bobbichukran.com

This article may be reprinted as long as the Resource Box and Copyright notice are included. All rights reserved by author.

Most filters fall into three categories, namely mechanical, chemical or bacteriological filtration base. The aquarium supply scene is so diversified and a multitude of products available that it becomes a little confusing to make a quick choice without studying the competitive data. You must carefully prepare your “brief” and specify all your requirements before deciding on the type of filtration to be used.

What & Why of Aquarium Filtration Units

Fish and organisms cause pollution in the form of waste and if not removed would cause toxin development and consequent illness of the fish. The aquarium filtration units consolidate this waste and purify the water that recycles back into the fish tank. The assembly of a filter relies on filtration media that serves the purpose of removing chemicals, particles, and bacteria. Commonly filters are available as packaged units with mechanical and bacteriological media. Chemical filtration can be added to this. Nitrogen residues in the form of ammonia causes distress to fish and the bacteriological filtration unit remove this component very successfully.

Short description of Aquarium Filtration Units

There are four basic types that you can install in case you are assembling your own aquarium. These are:
* Internal Power type
* External Power type
* Powered filters
* Internal box type filters

Let us compare the features of each filter assembly.
1. Internal Power driven filters are in two parts. The main cylinder contains a bio foam compound and is attached under the submersible pump that drives the filter. This is a mechanical filtration system and is most common in aquarium filter units integrated with fish tanks. The filter unit first mechanically filters the water, removing sludge and solid waste etc and then the bio-filter cleans the water of all biological impurities. It is also possible to have an option of chemical filtration, if that is desired or necessary. As this is the most common type of filter almost all manufacturers can supply a suitably sized filtration system to the aquarium owner.

2. External filter unit are also widely available and give superior duty in comparison with the internal aquarium filtration units. Since these are not integrated into the fish tank the capacity and duty may be of a higher quality and obviously cost compared to the previous internal type. The control is better and one can incorporate additional accessories that enhance the filtration of the water for your aquarium.

3. Air driven under gravel filters was earlier used by aquarium owners when the power driven versions were still in its nascent stage. This is a kind of biological filter where the water is purified and kept in constant motion through the gravel bed and the aerobic bacteria produced breaks down the waste into less toxic products, thereby rendering a pseudo-filtration action. The assembly is electrically driven or can be attached also to a power pump. Easily available and of a lower cost, the under gravel type of aquarium filtration units offer an easy solution to keeping your aquarium clean and healthy.

4. Finally, air box filters driven by internal air are compact and fit alongside the aquarium fish tanks. They are made of plastics and contain suitable filtration media. The air box filters are no longer used in professional or commercial units where the previous three types are more popular. They can provide low cost easy installable aquarium filtration units that a newbie or small fish tank owners can easily use.

Article Source: Desert Coral Aquatics

The chances of everyone having a similar taste in what a house/flat should look like are pretty remote, but often or not and certainly on a subliminal level, prospective buyers soak up how you present your home and the vast majority admit to allowing this to influence their purchase decision. This can be especially true with First Time Buyers who have less experience and/or imagination in what they want or can do with their first home.

1. Blank Canvas - Not an option available to many of us, but if you are able to sell a property vacant then everyone can see what they want to see! The added benefit is a potentially very quick purchase/sale situation and as we all know, once you have your new toy you just want to play with it as quickly as you can!

2. Added Benefits - Contrary to some misguided opinions, how many power points you have in all the rooms does not make or brake a deal. One could maybe profer a contrary argument on this with relation to the Kitchen, but as you are selling ask yourself did you ever go around counting them when you bought the property! If you do not have fitted appliances, keep them out of the initial sales particulars, as they can prove useful in bridging a gap between an offer and what you would like to achieve - even if you do not want them, as your new purchase has everything already fitted, you can always sell them on ebay!

3. Live and let live - Well in an ideal world of course, but remember although it is your home you will have an assorted group of strangers coming to visit and human nature being what it is, they will comment on how you live - not to your face of course, but on their trip back from whence they came - so tidy up as if you were about to be visited by your new in-laws! This goes for smells as well so cliche stuff like no wet dogs and bread baking in the oven, can set the right mood!

4. Sleep on it - Seems to be another human nature thing, but the consensus of opinion reckons that most people make up their mind to buy somewhere within minutes of entering your portals. Even when this is a negative, very few abort the obligatory tour and very few have the compunction to tell you that they are not interested and some even tell you they will be contacting the agent in the morning with a view to an offer - the truth is they often say entirely nice things to avoid embarrassment as they see it - so don’t open the champagne on a viewers say so - sleep on it!

5. Run your flag up the pole - Many people feel reluctant to use all the marketing tools available to them and especially ‘For Sale’ boards. Sometimes, in the case of leasehold blocks of flats, this is prohibited by your lease, but if not you should have one. People do drive around, even when they are on their way to visit another property, and your ‘For Sale’ board is on duty 24 hours a day. If your worried about the neighbours knowing that you are thinking of moving, what do you think they make of the viewers arriving waving property details around as they walk to your front door!

6. If all fails - Lets face it, it one thing to have a ‘Sale subject to Contract’ but that’s exactly what it means - until the ink is on the paper and lawyers exchange polite phone calls - you have nothing but expressed intent! Until the day that England and Wales change the conveyancing law, its a gripping cliff hanger ride all the way. There can be mounds of disinformation flying around, contradictory tales and promises made, but it can all come to nothing when the pressure is on and if there is a big chain alla Jacob Marley’s it can be a real nightmare, but in this case, a broken chain is not what to wish for……sometimes a quicker solution can be better.

Partner Blue Marble Property - http://www.bluemarbleproperty.co.uk

Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis is customized to the disease activity based on diagnostic testing. Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune disease where the body is somehow triggered to attack itself. There is no known cause but the outcome is the same.

The first step in identification of the disease is to do a physical exam for telltale rheumatoid nodules in areas of pressure as the elbow and fingers; examination also looks for redness, tenderness, swelling and heat in the joints. Doctors also use a thorough history, blood tests and some x-rays.

Once the diagnosis is suspected or confirmed a referral to a Rheumatologist is standard practice. The Rheumatologist is a physician who has received special training and education and has taken and passed certification board exams. Some doctors will say they are board eligible but this only means that they have passed their initial tests to be a doctor but haven’t taken the testing to be a Rheumatologist.

A Rheumatologist will complete the diagnosis, evaluate the progression of the disease, prescribe a treatment plan and follow up with the patient.

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis are usually symmetrical so if there is inflammation of only one or two joints the diagnosis may be more difficult. The doctor may use arthrocentesis to rule out an infection or gout. The presence of nodules around the elbows or fingers will also make the diagnosis easier.

Doctors use blood tests including a Rheumatoid Factor (antibody in the blood) to rule out Rheumatoid Arthritis. RF is present in only 60-80% of patients with RA. Most patients with RA also have Citrulline antibody in the blood. It is used in the diagnosis of patients who otherwise have unexplained inflammation and is felt to be present during the early stages of RA. AntiNuclear Antibodies (ANA) are also thought to be present in the early stages.

Sedimentation rate (sed rate) is the rate at which the blood cells fall to the bottom of the test tube. The rate is faster during flares and when the inflammation is higher and slower when the disease is in relapse. C-reactive protein will also measure the amount of inflammation in the body.

Rheumatoid factor, C-reactive protein, Sed rate and ANA can be abnormal in other autoimmune diseases so doctors use these tests in combination with others to diagnose RA

At this time there is no cure. The goals of treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis is to reduce the inflammation and pain as well as maximize the function of the patient. Studies have shown that early aggressive treatment will improve function and decrease the progression of the disease.

Optimal treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis involves medications, exercise, rest, joint strengthening, joint protection, and patient and family education. Treatment is customized according to the progression of the disease, the types of joints involved, age of the patient, occupation, general health and the cooperation of the family and patient.

There are two types of medications used to treat Rheumatoid arthritis. First line drugs are anti-inflammatory such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil) and corticosteroids. These are fast acting drugs and are used to decrease inflammation, pain, swelling and discomfort.

Second line drugs are Disease Modifying AntiRheumatic Drugs (AMADs) and are slow acting. They are used to promote remission of the disease and decrease the progression such as methotrexate, gold and hydroxycholoquine.

Other treatments of Rheumatoid Arthritis include fish oil, which has anti-inflammatory effects. Acetominophen (Tylenol) gives some quick pain relief. Recent research has also shown some promising results using antibiotics. Exercise is also important to strengthen the muscles that support the joints while heat or cold packs after exercise can help decrease the discomfort.

Although this disease has varying degrees of severity in patients treatment of Rheumatoid arthritis has improved significantly over the past several years. As research continues to move treatment plans forward we are getting closer to finding the trigger that initiates the immune cascade that results in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Vanessa Youngstrom, a nurse practitioner, enjoys writing and educating on health and wellness topics. You’ll find more articles at http://www.PathToYourHealth.com

I had a heart attack August 12, 2006. I thought it was a pulled muscle and just took some over the counter medication to see if that would help. The tightness I felt around my chest and the steady pain did not go away. The thought of a heart attack had never entered my mind at the age of 51. There was no history of heart disease in my family and I was not having one of those clutch your chest, fall over, Hollywood type attacks so I did not realize what was happening to me. I did not listen to that inner voice that was telling me something was wrong until an hour had passed.

Finally I decided to call 911 and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. It took an hour to get to the hospital because I was back deep in the woods at a cabin when I felt the attack begin.

Because of the length of time it took to start treatment, I suffered damage to the heart’s left ventricle (main pumping chamber of the heart)

It was explained to me later at Cardiac Rehab that heart attacks rarely happen like in the movies, especially to women. It can be as simple as having pain in your arm or in your jaw that is the first sign of trouble.

My message is to say that there are no times when anyone should feel embarrassed about getting to a hospital when they do not feel in their normal mental or physical self.
Believe that you know your own body and mind better than anyone else does on any given day or in any given situation.

Keep a journal of what is going on when you feel stress, panic, anxiety or depression. Writing down this information can help you later when you reread it. The triggers to your situation may be found in your descriptions and feelings.

Taking action by recording your attacks,whatever they may be does help because when you take action you will get results. We all think we will remember the details of everything that happens during these attacks because we suffer so much from the affects, that it stays with us for days.

I come back to the journaling action because I feel a written record can be more useful as evidence and lead to knowledge about our situations.

Anxiety can be hidden in many issues and triggered at times and in places we are not aware of at the time of the attacks. Feeling the affects of these attacks can go on for days and writing your experiences down on paper or in computer journals is your record to look back on in the future in order to help yourself get a better understanding of the self.

It is amazing to read back in time and see all the similarities that crop up.Knowledge is power so be informed about yourself and take time to help yourself each time attacks occur.

You may notice that in writing and reading personal journals,over time you are actually not carrying the after affects of these attacks with you for days because you got rid of the emotion associated with the attacks through your writing.

It does not have to be perfect spelling and grammar,just write everything down naturally as it comes into your mind.
I know this will help as it has helped me. Try it, all you have to lose are those lingering feelings that keep you in the anxiety moment.

“For 40 years, 7 months, 4 days and 3.9 hours I suffered from anxiety and panic attacks - especially after my heart attack on August 12th, 5:00am EST 2006. As a result of my suffering, I decided I would go on a crusade to reveal the most powerful, most effective and most successful system for living an Anxiety and Panic Free Life.” - Lorraine Roach, Founder AnxietyEnded.com Visit: http://www.anxietyended.com to discover what 99.2% of ALL anxiety and panic sufferers do wrong, and how to make sure YOU avoid it.

As we saw with the Enron fiasco, it would seem that we should we be expecting to see a similiar nightmare in the mortgage lending arena. The difference here is that people are not loosing their 401ks as with Enron… instead, they are loosing their homes. With several of the big name lenders; Ownit Mortgage Solutions Inc., Mortgage Lenders Network USA Inc., ResMae Mortgage Corp., and just last week New Century… are among rival companies that have recently filed for bankruptcy. It seems as though the US Government is currently not willing to accept that this situation is a problem.

Subprime mortgages are made for individuals with low credit records or heavy debts. These loans typically charge 2 to 3 percentage points more than those to individuals with higher credit scores, and these loans usually come with adjustable interest rates that can cause the mortgage payments to drastically increase in future years.

New Century for example, rode the U.S. housing boom to become the largest independent mortgage lender to subprime borrowers. With the downward spiral in the housing market, collapsed as interest rates rose and home prices fell. New Century’s market value soared to more than $3.5 billion in December 2004, and last year it made about $60 billion in loans. Similar to other subprime mortgage lender firms trying to compete for these loans, the company lowered its lending standards to keep business flowing after demand for new home loans fell. So individuals who couldn’t afford ‘normal’ loans based on good credit scores were offered very attractive loans which would ‘adjust’ to a higher loan payment in later years. Now that these loans are adjusting, many individuals are unable to make the new higher payments.

Over the past several years, securities firms and banks financed mortgage lenders to create a steady flow of mortgages they could package into bonds. With delinquent home loans rising nationwide, those same firms have cut back credit to mortgage lenders. Forcing the mortgage lenders to halt new loans since they are unable to make a payment to the securities firms and bank or couldn’t persuade them to keep the credit lines open.

Various types of data may be considered as critical evidence in litigation. As more loans are defaulted and as more lenders file for bankruptcy, these types of data become very valuable for litigation:

• e-mail
• plain text and documents
• calendar files
• databases
• spreadsheets
• digital faxes
• audio files
• websites
• computer applications

The collection of data is just the first phase in E-Discovery. Once a data audit has been completed and a computer forensics or data recovery service implemented, then there are the tasks to process the electronic evidence and produce the electronic evidence in a format which the client and lawyers will accept, such as TIFFs or PDFs. It is critical to get a Computer Forensic expert involved early in the process to prevent compromising or destroying the data that could be important to litigation.

Jason Perry

For more information on ADR Data Recovery’s Computer Forensics service, visit http://www.computerforensicsassociates.com

Making the right choices in life is a success secret that many times, seems like only the super successful know. However, this success secret is much simpler than you might have imagined. You see, the first step in making the right choices in life is knowing where you want to go. There is an old saying that goes like this, ‘If a man knows not what harbor he seeks, any wind is the right wind.’

You see, if you don’t know specifically where you are going in life then you will never really know which is the right choice to make. You will just be wandering around in life not knowing whether you are even on the right path because you don’t have a clue where you want to go.

Note: You have to be specific about this. If you generalize things in your life you still won’t be able to make the right choices to succeed. It’s like if you wanted to go to a mountain range. That is a very general and broad desire. You could end up at any mountain range in the world. However, if you were more specific, like saying you wanted to go to a mountain range where you could ski, you would be able to make better decisions on how to get to your destination. Of course you could continue to narrow this down by being more specific about what parts of the world you would like to go, the quality of the snow, the quality of slopes, and maybe even the ones with the best views.

This success secret is used by everyone that has achieved great success in their life. Don’t be fooled into thinking that they just ended up where they are. They made specific choices based upon the destination that they chose. You too, will have to follow this success secret in order to achieve the greatest amount of success in your own life.

Is there greatness on the inside of you but you don’t know how to achieve it? Jason has just completed his brand new 7 part e-course, ‘Find Your Greatness’

Get it free when you subscribe at: Find Your Greatness

Jason and Rebecca Osborn have dedicated themselves to changing thousands of lives by helping people find their greatness and true potential through their Find Your Greatness Newsletter.

Debt relief. If this is what you’re looking for, you are far from alone nowadays.
Many, many people are worried and stressed about the money they owe their creditors.
So what can you do?

Consumer debt has rocketed up to an amazing $2.2 trillion dollars. Yes, trillion!
Staggering, isn’t it? This debt has been driven primarily by revolvind debt, ie,
credit card debt. A lot of people in the US are actually spending more than they
take home by dipping into savings, maxing out credit cards, not making payments
on certain debts, etc. One way to greatly improve this situation would be for
the government to stop taking our hard earned cash so we can put it in our pockets
where it belongs. But that’s a whole ‘nother topic!

You’re not going to find debt relief overnight. I know many companies promise
that, but it’s just not going to happen. Not legally, anyway. You will have to
put in some work if debt relief is your goal. And the longer you put off getting
out of debt, the more work it will take, the longer it will take, and the bigger
the sacrifices on your part will be. While there are plenty of tips and techniques
you can take advantage of, there are no easy short cuts to debt reduction and debt
relief.

However, if you follow the tips and strategies you can use, you will reduce your
debt. Eventually, you’ll have more money in your pocket, lower debt, and a lot
more peace of mind, which means less stress! You’ll enjoy every other aspect of
your life a lot more when you are debt free.

If you want debt relief, you have to get a grip on your finances. This means you
have to get organized. You need to know your complete financial situation in
black and white - your assets, liabilities and net worth. You need to know who
all your creditors are, how much you owe each one, what the payment terms are, etc.
You need to know how much cash you’re bringing home each month and how much you’re
spending, both on your bills and on all those things you may not need to spend
your money on, at least not until you get out of debt.

You really can’t do anything about your debt before you know your complete financial
situation. I know it won’t be fun but you need to sit down and get all this
information together. It’s step one in your debt reduction plan.

Learn more about how to use debt management tips with Freddie Johnson’s free articles on debt relief, debt consolidation, debt management and credit repair tips at http://www.mydebtconsolidationtips.com

As a leader you will always be striving to get the best results in everything you do, but it’s not always easy to accomplish. There can be many reasons why you don’t always get the best results. But I want to share with you a success principle that will help you achieve your goals with the most success possible.

As a leader, you know that it can be very easy to get stuck into a routine of doing things they way they have always been done. As some people say, if it’s not broke why fix it? However, we would never have the huge number of innovations that we have today if people like Henry Ford, Bill Gates, and Albert Einstein had thought like that. Even if you don’t agree with everything that they have done, they all had one thing in common that has changed the way we live today. They all considered things in their next largest context.

Let me explain. Eliel Saarinen once said, ‘Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context — a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.’ You see, all of these people thought much larger than what they could see at the present moment. They saw how things applied in the next largest context.

As a leader, you have to use this success principle to be able to reach your highest levels of leadership success. How does the work that you do as a leader affect those that are closest to you? How does it affect the families of those working with you? How does it impact your town or community? How does it affect your country? How does it affect the world?

If you can answer these questions you will be able to do things in a way that will produce the best results for your short term and long term goals. Understand fully what you are doing as a leader, and how it affects people on all levels, and you will start getting better results with all of your efforts.

Is there greatness on the inside of you but you don’t know how to achieve it? Jason has just completed his brand new 7 part e-course, ‘Find Your Greatness’

Get it free when you subscribe at: Find Your Greatness

Jason and Rebecca Osborn have dedicated themselves to changing thousands of lives by helping people find their greatness and true potential through their Find Your Greatness Newsletter.

Your ability to lead properly can be crippled by indecision. Not only will it affect the success you have as a leader, but it will negatively affect almost every area of your life. As a leader you have to be able to analyze a situation, think quickly, and make a decision. If you are indecisive you will soon lose the respect of everyone around you.

There is an African proverb that explains how people perceive indecision. It goes like this, ‘Indecision is like a stepchild: if he does not wash his hands, he is called dirty, if he does, he is wasting water.’ You see, if you are indecisive then people will begin to look at the things you do and not be able to see any good in them.

Another way to look at it is like this. Have you ever had a bad injury to your foot or knee? If you have, you know how much that can cripple your ability to do just about anything. It can even affect the simplest thing like walking. Every step is painful and awkward. It takes you much longer to get to where you are going. Plus people know that you are hurt so they don’t ask you to help them with anything, which means some very good opportunities may pass you by.

If you are indecisive, have you ever asked yourself why you are that way? If you haven’t, think about that for a few seconds. Most of the time people are indecisive because they fear that they may be making the wrong decision. If that is one of the reasons why you find it hard to make decisions, you have to begin to realize that every decision you make in life has some sort of risk involved. You will never be 100% sure that you have made the right decision. The best thing to do is to start trusting yourself. You will be surprised how many times you will be right if you just follow your conscience.

Is there greatness on the inside of you but you don’t know how to achieve it? Jason has just completed his brand new 7 part e-course, ‘Find Your Greatness’

Get it free when you subscribe at: Find Your Greatness

Jason and Rebecca Osborn have dedicated themselves to changing thousands of lives by helping people find their greatness and true potential through their Find Your Greatness Newsletter.