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Tips on training your puppy the easy way!

A puppy is always a pleasure to welcome into your home. These cute little rascals are friendly, funny, curious and mischievous, but just like kids – ;} – , they’ve got to be introduced to the ground rules of your home life in order for them to integrate into your family life as easily and pleasantly as possible, to your mutual satisfaction. Training your puppy may sound like an overwhelming prospect ? where do you begin? However, training a puppy need not be arduous and trying. On the contrary, training your new family canine can be easy and fun. Your puppy comes complete with attitude. For the best results and shortest learning curve, all you need to do is apply your lessons consistently, calmly and with a gentle manner. Here are a few tips to get you started, training your puppy the easy way.

When you first bring your puppy home, he’s bound to be excited and curious. Everything is new to him. Before you bring him in the house, lay a few sheets of newspaper down around the house. In his excitement, don’t be surprised if there’s an accident deposited on the floor somewhere. Treating carpets with a water repellent spray, prior to bringing your new family member home, may be a good investment! If a potty accident occurs, don’t flip out and shriek at the poor little puppy … he doesn’t know this is undesirable behavior. Instead, use a low, firm voice, saying ?No, no…?, and get him over to the newspaper. Granted, the deed is already done, but if you don’t scare him with shrill chastisements and excessive hand-wringing, your puppy will soon come to the party, associating the act with the newspaper as a people-pleaser.

One of the coolest characteristics of dogs is that they have an in-built desire to please you, which is certainly not the case with kitties! Keep this fact in mind as you begin training your puppy. He ? or she ? intuitively regards you as the master in this relationship ? unless you give your puppy reason to think otherwise! Never use a heavy-handed approach when training your puppy. If you do, he may dig in his heels or simply become afraid of you and less willing to go along with your program.

Being patient during the all-important potty training period lightens your load in future lessons, such as the ’sit’, ’stay’ and ‘heel’ training sessions. Sure, for you, the potty training is one of the least attractive aspects of training. On the other hand, try thinking of this stage as an opportunity to bond with your new puppy. He’s only doing what comes naturally. Given praise for the ‘right’ behavior is like a ray of sunshine in your puppy’s mind. Eager to please, he’ll learn the ‘correct’ behavior and bask happily in your praise. If he seems a little slow on the uptake, continue to be patient. He’ll get it, eventually. In the process, you’ll find him paying closer attention to your wishes, just for the sheer pleasure of hearing your praise.

During the first few days, allow your puppy to explore, so he becomes familiar with your home. Your puppy training program does require that you keep a sharp eye on him. Chewing on furniture and your daughter’s favorite sweater must be discouraged! The key to success lies in you keeping your cool, interacting with your puppy in calm and measured tones and consistent behavior.

Once you’ve mastered potty training, training your puppy to obey simple commands is a piece of cake. Now, your puppy knows all about the worst offenses. Teaching him to sit becomes easy. With a little biscuit or other treat in hand, push his behind down as you say ?Sit!?. Sitting is natural to a dog, but he’ll certainly love you all the more when he gets a treat for doing something that easy!

Training your puppy is easy, when you exercise patience and give him a lot of love!

Uncategorized Family, Home, Kids, Men, Pets

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Is Racism a new Concept?

How did racism originate? Where did it begin? Where is it headed? The history of racism or rather the earliest examples of racism that still exist today is the caste system that is practiced in India. This form of racism dates back to 1500 BC and is embedded in the Hindu religion. The racism involves the fair-skinned Brahmins who rule over the dark-skinned population. The Brahmins are further divided into hierarchical classes with the lowest being the Dalits. The extremity of the caste system is shown by the fact that the very sight or touch of the ?untouchables? by those of the ?higher order? is regarded as pollution. Considered inferior, the Dalits or the untouchables are the lowest in the caste system. They were not even permeated to enter the Hindu temples for worship and in time they came to accept this way of thinking even perpetuating the Hindu Casteism and sexism in the community and in the family circles.

The history of racism is also seen in ancient Egypt. They were known to distinguish groups according to their ethnicities with the dark-skinned Nubians residing in the southern regions of the Nile. In fact, it is possible that the Egyptians may have been responsible for the death of the red-headed people whom they saw as symbols of evil of the Egyptian god Seth. After reading an inscription on one of the tombs, the 13th Century Jean-Francois Champollion the Younger wrote: “According to the legend…they wished to represent the inhabitants of Egypt and those of foreign lands.? Thus we have before our eyes the image of the various races of man known to the Egyptians… the last one is what we call flesh-colored, a white skin of the most delicate shade, a nose straight or slightly arched, blue eyes, blond or reddish beard, tall stature and very slender, clad in a hairy ox-skin, a veritable savage… he is called Tamhou…. I certainly did not expect, on arriving at Biban-el-Moluk, to find sculptures that could serve as vignettes of the history of the primitive Europeans, if ever one has the courage to attempt it.? Nevertheless, there is something flattering and consoling in seeing them, since they make us appreciate the progress we?have subsequently achieved.”

Another infamous people in the history of racism are that of the ancient Greece ad Rome. Ancient Greeks recognized differences in people just like the ancient Egyptians and even the historian Herodotus who lived in the years 484-425 B.C. seems to refer to black-skinned people as Aethiopian or ?burnt-faced? in Greek. He seems to have thought of the differences in human phenotypes as a result of adaptations due to the differing environments. The Greek seem to have had a very unfavorable view of their neighboring nations. The word ?barbarian? comes from the Greek word meaning ?non-Greek? and it referred to those not participating to the refinement and the enlightenment of Greek culture. According to the book, History of the Goths, by Herwig Wolfram, “Barbarians can neither think nor act rationally, theological controversies are Greek to them… Under the assault of their horrible songs the classic meter of the ancient poet goes to pieces…Barbarians are driven by evil spirits; “possessed by demons”, who force them to commit the most terrible acts…incapable of living according to written laws and only reluctantly tolerating kings…Their lust for gold is immense, their love of drink boundless. Barbarians are without restraint…Although generally they are considered good-looking, they are given to gross personal hygiene…They run dirty and barefoot, even in the winter…They grease their blond hair with butter and care not that it smells rancid…Their reproductive energy is inexhaustible; the Northern climate of their native land, with its long winter nights favors their fantastic urge to procreate…If a barbarian people is driven back or destroyed, another already emerges from the marshes and forests of Germany…Indeed, there are no new barbarian peoples–descendents of the same tribes keep appearing.”?Indeed, the history of racism should be a lesson to present-day nations and its effects should teach us that all have something to contribute to overall advancement of human societies.

Uncategorized Family, Home, Men, Religion

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Free Fruit Smoothie Recipes Online

I haven’t always paid as much attention to my health as I should. There are frequent stretches of time where I stop going to the gym, eat too many meals at fast food restaurants, and don’t get enough sleep. Sure, I have excuses, such as work and family commitments that prevent me from sticking to any kind of steady workout regimen or diet, but in the end these are still just excuses. Well, now I’m ready to make my health a priority again, and I’m starting by hitting the gym and collecting as many fruit smoothie recipes as I can find.

Why the sudden interest in fruit smoothie recipes? After examining my eating habits, I discovered that most of my trips to McDonald’s and Burger King were the result not of an intense desire to pig out on burgers and fries, but by a lack of time to prepare a proper meal. This was especially true after a late night at work. On the drive home, I was simply too exhausted to even think of cooking real food for dinner, so I would just stop off for a quick bite. But I figure if I learn how to make good smoothies, I can whip those up as a meal substitute or as a healthy snack to tide me over until I cook dinner.

I don’t know the first thing about making smoothies, but fortunately there are lots of websites where I can get free fruit smoothie recipes. I’ve already checked out a handful of these sites, and really liked what I saw. For one thing, it seems that smoothies are very quick and easy to make. That’s a definite plus for me, as I’ve already explained. For another thing, there are just so many different fruit smoothie recipes to choose from that I’ll never get tired of them! From your basics like banana, strawberry, and pineapple to more exotic ones like raspberry chocolate and eggnog, I’ll be able to quench my thirst and satisfy my stomach no matter what I’m craving.

Not all the fruit smoothie recipes I’ve seen are low-calorie or healthy in the strictest sense of the word, so I’ll have to pay attention to the ingredients list to make sure I don’t sabotage my diet. But it should be pretty easy to make substitutions or eliminate completely unhealthy additions to the recipe and still come out with something palatable.

Overall, I’m looking forward to trying out some of the free fruit smoothie recipes that I’ve found online. Hopefully this will be just what I need to get back on the right track as far as healthy eating habits go. Then I can concentrate on getting my workouts back up to speed, and eventually I’ll look and feel much better!

Uncategorized Family, Food, Health, Home, Men, Recipe

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High Blood Pressure Remedies

One of the major health concerns today is high blood pressure. This affliction can be brought on by a number of things, and many people who have it do not realize they have it. Therefore it goes untreated, and sometimes for a very long time. The key is to understand you body and how it normally functions. It is also crucial to know your family’s history with blood pressure issues. Being informed is half the battle. If you are unsure what your blood pressure is, it is high time you visited your doctor to learn more and have your blood pressure taken.

There are high blood pressure remedies that work, but it is important to stick with them in order to see results, First of all, let’s go over a few common things that cause high blood pressure. As stated before, it can be genetic. So it’s important to understand if it runs in your family or not. Secondly, be sure to watch your weight. Being overweight or obese can certainly increase your chances of having high blood pressure. Then there is your diet. Sodium or salt is a common culprit for raising blood pressure in certain individuals. So even if you are not overweight and have no family history of this health condition, you might still be told by your doctor that you have high blood pressure.

Now for high blood pressure remedies. There are modern medications that must be acquired through a licensed physician, which are said to help lower blood pressure. The best way to find out which high blood pressure remedies are right for you and your individual condition is by visiting a doctor. He or she can advise you of any effective remedies that may lower your blood pressure and keep it down. Exercise is a major factor when it comes to high blood pressure. If you do not exercise, this can naturally have an effect on your heart, and can cause you serious issues in the future. Therefore it is crucial to adopt a fitness regimen that you participate in daily. At least five days a week. This is one of the simplest high blood pressure remedies.

Don’t overlook stress! If you feel like you are starting to stress out over finances and marital issues, it is time to relax. Calm down and take a breather. DO this every day in order to slow your heartbeat and allow your body a break. Meditation and stretching is a wonderful high blood pressure remedy that works for most people. Okay, so the first key to treating your high blood pressure is knowing it exists. Find out what your blood pressure is, and then proceed to embrace effective high blood pressure treatments from there.

Uncategorized Family, Finance, Fitness, Health, Home, Men

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ABC Soap Operas

As a television watching American citizen, you must have heard of at least a couple of these ABC soap operas: All My Children, As the World Turns, The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, Guiding Light, One Life to Live, Passions and finally, The Young and the Restless. You might recall Joey?s occasional stint as Dr. Drake Ramoray on Days of Our Lives, or how Susan Lucci seemed doomed to suffer from the chronic inability to score an Emmy for her role as Erica Kane for at least 20 years. Soap operas, ABC soap operas in particular, have come to be a significant part of pop culture, and like other pop culture icons they are susceptible to the occasional parody or satire. Soap operas are often mocked for their over the top acting and their preposterous storylines. Most people consider soap operas to be a guilty pleasure?you?d never tell any of your friends that you watch it, yet you?d never miss an episode of it.

The love affair that we have with soap operas is a complex one. As much as we might disparage them, we?re not likely to break up with them anytime soon because even if soap operas are guilty pleasures, they bring us pleasure nevertheless. But what is it about ABC soap operas that seem to repel us, yet attract us all the same? Why do we scoff at a leading man who?s having an affair with the maid, who turns out to be the real mother of his son who?s embroiled in a love rectangle that stopped his wedding right when bride and groom had approached the altar when coming back to the leading man, whose become the target of blackmail due to his inability to pay back his debts?and yet we don?t stop watching.

One criticism of soap operas might be that they?re too unrealistic. What are the chances of a real life family being involved in that much scandal? And why are the characters moving and speaking so robotically despite all that they?re dealing with? In a nutshell, people watch soap operas because they like drama, but they like it when it?s not happening to them, and even if the drama is exaggerated, these are still somewhat real events that people do experience. As overblown as they are, soap opera portrayals of life are representative of our culture. They represent what we value and what we fear, but in a safe, detached form; we?re drawn in by the simultaneous reality and fantasy of this scripted world. That?s why ABC soap operas have been on the air for over 30 years, and probably will continue to be as long as the world turns.

Uncategorized Family, Home, Television

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Building A Fence

There are many things you need to consider when you are building a fence. You may have decided that you would like a little privacy, or perhaps you would like to build a barrier to keep your children safe. No matter what you have chosen or how you chose to go about it, there may be more to think about when building a fence than you have considered. In some cases you have to have some sort of building permit, you may have to talk to your neighbors as well.

Even though building a fence may seem like you are putting a wall between you and your neighbors, quite often this makes for good relations with in a neighborhood. Most people will not be offended if you are building a fence, as long as you talk to them about a first. Explain why you want to have a fence between your properties, and asked them if they have any problems or issues with what you are going to do.

You may also want to tell your neighbor that you are building a fence and that you would like their input. They, after all, have to stare at this fence as well. They may greatly appreciate the fact that you came to them first. You may also have to talk to someone in your community about any specifications you need before you begin building a fence. In some cases, you may not be able to have one. However, in most communities, these are fine.

Remember when building a fence that you have to keep your family in mind. If you have small children, you want to make sure that your fence is all-inclusive and is not something that can be easily climbed over. There is no sense in building a fence to keep your children safe from the roadway if they can easily climb over the top of it, or climb underneath it. You have to think of beauty when you build a fence, but you also have to consider safety issues. If privacy is all you are looking for, building a fence will be a little easier, but you just have to build a little higher. In most cases, most people have fences for a combination of both reasons. It is not necessarily privacy from our neighbors that we are looking for, though this does happen, it is usually so that cars going by on the street will not gawk at us as we spend the afternoon in the backyard with our children.

Uncategorized Beauty, Cars, Family, Home

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2nd Income

If money is tight in your household, as it is for many right now, you may be thinking about a 2nd income to help pay the bills and pay for the little extras that make life fun. For some families, it is a great idea to have both parents working, but for others, it may not be as much of an advantage as it may seem. You have to look at your situation, your potential income, and the expenses you will incur by getting a second job to decide if this is a good idea in your case or not. For some people, not working pays more than working, though that does not seem to make much sense.

When you have young children at home, you probably already know how expensive childcare can be. If you have one child, you get a set price. If you have two or three, you may get a cheaper rate each child you add, but this can be very expensive. You have to find out how much you are going to pay for child care before you go out looking for a source of 2nd income to decide if it would be worth it. In some areas, if you get a lower paying job, you pay just about everything you make out to child care. When that is the case, it doesn’t make much sense to work for nothing.

Some areas of the country have great public transportation. If you live in one of these areas, add the cost of that to the cost of your child care. When using public transportation like buses or subways, you won’t have to spend a lot to get back and forth to work. However, if you live where there are limited or no bus or subway service, you may have to get another car. The cost of a car payment and your insurance can be high. If you add that to your child care, you may be paying out more than you can make with a 2nd income. Many families have been frustrated by this fact.

Once you know the cost of getting a second job or 2nd income, add up what you would make per hour and then what you would spend to go to work. Decide if it is enough to make leaving the house, messing with taking children back and forth to child care, and all the other hassle and expense of having a job worthwhile. Add in clothing costs, gas, and other miscellaneous expenses that will also be added to your list. Some people find that when they look at the numbers, they come out just twenty dollars ahead per week with a 2nd income, which hardly makes it worth the trouble. Some even find they spend more money than they could make.

If you decide that a 2nd income is worth it for you and your family, you can then start looking at jobs knowing how much you have to make to make it worth while. There are great resources online that you can use to find 2nd income opportunities for you. Check out all the job and career sites that have listings for your area, and also at local sources like online classifieds and job recruitment centers. Get your resume out there for the best possible position you can find.

Uncategorized Family, Home, Men

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What Are You Doing To Stay Healthy?

In today’s world, there are plenty of things that you can do to compromise your health. The world is a convenient place now, meaning we have to do less physically to accomplish what we need to do to live. You no longer have to grow your own food or build your own shed. There is someone out there doing it for you as long as you have the money to pay them. You don’t have to cook dinner and there is a machine that washes your dishes. These are not bad things, but they can lead to a sedentary lifestyle that can be very unhealthy. You have to think of ways to stay healthy to balance out modern convenience.

Your doctor will have a lot of suggestions on what you can do to stay healthy, and most of what they say is based on what they see in their practice. There is a good reason they are giving you the advice they are giving, but that does not mean you are going to listen. The number one things most doctors say first is that if you smoke you should quit. Not only does smoking lead to cancer, it compromises your health in many other ways. If you have children, your smoke could be hurting them too. It is very hard to quit smoking to stay healthy, but keep trying until you succeed.

You can also stay healthy by cutting down on the processed foods that you eat. This helps you with your weight, overall energy levels, toxins in the body, and your sodium count. If you have high blood pressure, it is very likely because you have high sodium levels (though not always). You have to cut down on the salt. Just don’t cut it out completely, as the body needs salt to function. Instead, eat more natural and unprocessed foods and then salt what you like rather than getting your sodium as someone else sees fit. You will feel so much better and so will your heart.

One message that seems to go around as much as the quit smoking message is the message to get moving. This is a hard one for some people who have jobs that require them to sit for a long period of time each day. Get up and walk around, take the stairs, and park far away when you are going somewhere. Take a walk on your lunch hour or after you get home from work. Do what you can to stay healthy by joining a gym or even organizing things to do with your family on the weekends that are active and fun. It is hard to start exercising, but it feels darn good once you are done.

Keeping a positive light in your life can also help you stay healthy. If you are always depressed, you are not going to take care of yourself as well. You may not live as long. Don’t be afraid to see someone for help if you are always feeling sad. Try to see the good in things as well as the bad for a good mental balance. You can plan for the worst in life, but you should always hope for the best. You may be surprised at how a good, positive attitude can help you stay healthy in all other ways. Happy people take care of themselves.

Uncategorized Family, Food, Health, Home, Men

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My parents celebrated their golden wedding anniversary two years ago. Now that people are living longer it seems that more people are reaching this milestone. My parents had a nice celebration that included family, neighbors and friends. We had placed an advertisement for an open house in their local paper as well as their church bulletin. We also sent invitations to people that we knew would not see either of those announcements. One of the things that we neglected to include in the announcements was not to bring gifts. As a result my parents had many 50th wedding anniversary gifts that they did not know where to store.

Shortly before celebrating their anniversary my parents downsized to a two bedroom condo. They felt that we children had enough space in our homes to host holiday gatherings and they could no longer keep up the maintenance of their large home and yard. They kept some of their furniture and belongings, but had to part with many things in order to have room in the condo. At the end of their celebration they did not know where to put the 50th wedding anniversary gifts that they had accumulated. A number of people gave them money, which was nice because they put that towards a trip. There were also a number of gift certificates for restaurants and department stores. The problem came in with the number of 50th wedding anniversary gifts that are specifically made for the anniversary. They received everything from creamer and sugar bowls to picture frames, dishes, serving bowls, glasses and other figurines. They had many duplicate gifts. I have seen these items displayed in various stores, but I never realized how many things were available for the golden wedding anniversary.

We helped my parents sort through the 50th wedding anniversary gifts so they could pick out the things that were from special friends and the things that they could use. This left three boxes of things that they did not have room for or were duplicates. My dad mentioned that they had three golden wedding anniversary parties that they were invited to and he thought they should give some of the items as gifts. My mom did not like this idea, but they decided that they would do that. My mother and father-in-law are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in a few months. I told them to make sure that they put no gifts on the invitations. From now on I will only give money as a gift when I am invited to an anniversary party. The keepsake items are nice, but getting several of each kind is not a good thing.

Uncategorized Family, Home, Men

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Discount Quilting Supplies Online

A few months ago, I was over at a friend’s house when I noticed a beautiful quilt hanging over the back of the sofa. I asked about it, intending to buy something similar, and was completely shocked when she told me she had made it herself. I wasn’t aware of her hobby, nor was I aware that it was possible for an amateur to create such a stunning quilt. My friend could see that I was clearly interested, so she sent me home with a few quilting supplies and a book to show me how to get started.

Ever since then, I try to work on my quilts whenever I have a free moment. I have definitely fallen in love with my new hobby, and wish I had taken this up years ago. It’s so peaceful and relaxing to sit down with my quilting supplies to work on a favorite project. I often listen to some great music while working, and every once in a while indulge in a glass of wine too. In my opinion, there’s simply no better way to wind down and forget about all the stresses of the day!

Because I devote time to my hobby nearly every day, I’ve become quite good in a relatively short time. And since this seems like something I’m going to continue to do for years and years, I decided to treat myself to some top quality quilting supplies to make sure that I can handle any project I desire to undertake. At first I went to local craft stores in my area, but the rather limited selection and high prices turned me off pretty quickly. Luckily, I was able to find lots of affordable quilting supplies online, so I shop that way exclusively now.

When I talk about being able to find quilting supplies online, I mean I’m able to get absolutely anything I want. There seems to be a limitless variety of materials, squares, templates, fabric, cutters, mats, tools, and batting for me to choose from. This variety helps me complete my projects precisely the way I want, without having to compromise on anything. I love being able to order my quilting supplies from the comfort of my own home, and having them arrive right on my doorstep a few short days later. You just can’t beat that kind of convenience! And the less time I spend shopping for quilting supplies, the more time I have to actually work on my quilts. This system works out great!

I’m now at the point where I can start giving away quilts as birthday and holiday gifts. It’s wonderful to be able to give something so personal for these special occasions, and I hope to start several family traditions involving quilts. I’m just delighted that I found something productive to do in my spare time!

Uncategorized Family, Home, Men, Music, Shopping