Health Eating Guide with WHO Food Pyramid

The food we consume comprises varying proportions of the following:

• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Fats
• Fiber
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Water

The World Health Organization advocates the Food Pyramid as a simple guide to healthy eating.

Components of Healthy Diet

The base of the pyramid is the “carbohydrate” component. Thus rice, pasta and cereal products should make up the bulk of our food intake. The next tier consists of “protein” products like meat, seafood and soy. Proteins should comprise a proportionately smaller component of our diets than the carbohydrates. The smallest contribution should be from the “fat” group as this is linked to the development bof obesity and heart disease. Vitamins and minerals are trace elements that are found in varying quantities in the various food substances.

More recently, healthy eating advisors advocate the minimum daily consumption of two pieces of fruit and two portions of vegetables. This is to ensure the intake of fiber is adequate for the regulation of bowel movements.

Reducing Fat Intake

Although meat products are primarily made of protein, the choice of cut can markedly affect the fat content. We can choose to reduce our fat intake by choosing lean cuts of meat and ctting off all visible fat prior to consumption. With poultry, the breast meat tends to have less fat than the thigh meat. However, the removal of the skin and visible fat allows us to continue to enjoy the thigh meat. Such small actions can have a drastic effect on our total fat intake and long-term health.

Use the Right Cooking Technique

In the same way, the way we cook the food also has marked effects on the eventual fat content. The use of deep-frying or shallow-frying techniques markedly increases the fat and calorie content compared to grilling or steaming.

I advocate the use of stir-frying with non-stick equipment (particularly frying pans and woks) and the use of minimal amounts of cooking oil.

Generally, 1 teaspoon of cooking oil is enough for each dish. Compare this with the numerous cookbooks that advocate the use of large amounts of oil to marinade the meat (to prevent sticking), followed by stir-frying with large volumes of oil or even deep-frying the meat before stir-frying!

Quality, Not Quantity, Counts

Read full article: Health Eating Guide with WHO Food Pyramid

Merkel holds anti-crisis summit

BERLIN - GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel, under fire over her reaction to the financial crisis, called together business leaders, ministers and experts on Sunday to discuss ways of escaping the international recession.

‘No concrete measure was decided,’ Economy Minister Michael Glos said after the six-hour meeting finished.

The goal of the meeting had been to reflect on possible measures, he added, with the government aiming to decide on specific actions by the end of January.

Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said everything would be done to avoid job losses.

The time had come for ‘us to take joint responsibility, as the government cannot handle the economic situation alone’, Ms Merkel told a press conference before the meeting.

Ms Merkel has made defending German jobs a top priority but increasing numbers have been lost in Europe’s biggest economy in recent weeks.

The criticism of the government has particularly hurt as Ms Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) prepare for a legislative election in 2009. The CDU is in a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD).

German economic experts and officials have said her 31 billion euro (40 billion dollar) economic stimulus is not enough.

Other European Union members have also pressured for Merkel to spend more.

Quoting government sources, the weekly Wirtschaftswoche reported the government is preparing a second 30-billion-euro economic plan that will include investment and fiscal incentives.

The package is not expected to be announced until the end of January, giving Merkel time to prepare an anti-crisis strategy within the government, the weekly said.

Ms Merkel is to meet state and local government leaders this week.

Der Spiegel magazine said in its latest edition that the government now expects the economy to shrink by two per cent in 2009. The official government forecast is for a fall of up to one per cent. — AFP
Source

Read full article: Merkel holds anti-crisis summit

New Nokia Smartphone Patent Features Swiveling Widescreen and QWERTY

A new patent from Nokia shows a pretty interesting new design: a full widescreen that can swivel behind a QWERTY keyboard so only half the screen is visible.

When held in one position, the phone looks a lot like Nokia’s traditional QWERTY candybars, but the screen can swivel up and out to present a widescreen, presumably for media or web browsing, apps that need a lot of screen real estate. It’s a cool way to combine the appeal of a giant touchscreen with the utility of a QWERTY keyboard, except unlike sliders like the T-Mobile G1 or the Sidekick, the keys are always available on this concept. The screen can also apparently rotate side to side, though I’m not really sure what use could be had from that.

It’s just a patent, and I’m sure there are a number of reasons why this idea won’t come to fruition (how is that screen attached?). But I like the idea and maybe we’ll see elements of it in future products from Nokia.
Source - New Nokia Smartphone Patent Features Swiveling Widescreen and QWERTY

Front yard decorations get more elaborate for WVC couple

A West Valley man does not need many hands to make light work — he has two to make 18,000 of them light up his front yard.

Dan Nelson has made and bought Christmas decorations for about eight years, and he is planning to expand his collection.

“Every year, I just want it to be brighter,” Nelson said. “I have more lights in my shed — in boxes that I don’t take out — than most people put up.”

“I think he’s obsessed, but I think it’s a good obsession,” said Jewel Nelson, his wife.

Dan Nelson, an architect, became fond of making Christmas decorations after a friend had asked Nelson to help with his. Ironically, the friend lived on Christmas Street.

Nelson got hooked.

“People go on vacations, and I buy Christmas lights,” he said.

In his front yard, Nelson has 10 ?plywood angels representing his granddaughters and 11 gingerbread boys representing grandsons. Each of them has a name written on it, and its eyes are painted, respective to the grandchild it represents.

Nelson said he made 21 reindeer for his friends and family members during the second year.

Among other decorations are reindeer and moose, three wise men and a nativity scene, a snowman, two soldier boys and pine trees, all decked out in lights and connected to 10 outlets. Onlookers can also hear Christmas songs in the background.

Nelson said he started getting his house into a festive mood the week before Halloween. He has since spent every weekend adding decorations.

Although the rest of Bluebird Drive doesn’t shine as brightly as the Nelsons’ home, neighbors don’t seem to mind. One of the neighbors, Randy Garcia, let Dan Nelson use a corner of his yard to set up some moose and pine trees.

“We’re actually waiting for Dan to expand all the way over,” Garcia said.

Nelson’s lights shine from 5 to 10 p.m. every night and help Rocky Mountain Power survive the country’s economic crisis.

“I don’t look at [the electricity bill],” Dan Nelson said. “We’re on a year-round [billing plan], and it goes up every year. I probably wouldn’t do this if I looked at it.”

He said that he’s trying to buy more LED lights, which run cooler and therefore save energy.

“It’s not like we’re saving anything because he keeps adding more stuff,” Jewel Nelson said.

Read full source - Front yard decorations get more elaborate for WVC couple

Analyst: Apple could sell a million iPhone gift cards

Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu has been checking with his contacts in Apple’s (AAPL) supply and distribution channels and reports that demand for the iPhone is “fairly healthy” in the U.S., Europe and, with the exception of Japan, most of Asia Pacific. He’s anticipating sales of 6 million units for the December quarter (Apple’s fiscal 2009 Q1), down from 6.9 million in Q4 but in line with the Street’s expectations of between 5 and 7 million.

But that significantly understates actual demand for the iPhone, Wu says, because it doesn’t include the wild card in this holiday season’s iPhone sales: the iPhone gift card.

“We think there is strong reception of AAPL’s new iPhone 3G Gift Card program,” Wu wrote in a report to clients Wednesday, “where the process of giving the iPhone as a gift is greatly simplified without the need for activation and personal information. … We estimate several hundred thousand to one million units could be impacted.”

The good news about these gift cards is that Apple gets to collect the revenue up front, which improves cash flow. The bad news for Apple’s Q1 earnings is that it can’t recognize the sale of an iPhone until the customer activates it. “The risk here is that the customer will likely activate post-Christmas,” writes Wu. “Therefore revenue and units won’t likely be recognized until the March quarter.”

In a separate note issued Tuesday, Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster took a stab at estimating how many iPhones Wal-Mart (WMT) is likely to sell when it, as reported, begins carrying the devices three days after Christmas. Bottom line: Apple could sell as many iPhones through Wal-Mart in 2009 as it sells through its own Apple Stores.

Read more: Analyst: Apple could sell a million iPhone gift cards

Spanish Property Law Decreto 218/2005 in Andalucia Set to Shake Up the Property Market

Marbella property company La Costa Property Solutions now undergoing an audit in order to comply with the new Spanish property law in Andalucia - Decreto 218/2005, which is now being enforced by the Junta de Andalucia in order to protect consumers.

Marbella, Spain (PRWEB) December 9, 2008 — In order to protect the rights of their property buyers and vendors on the Costa del Sol, real estate company and Spanish Property specialists La Costa Property Solutions recently announced their intent to fully comply with the new law for real estate agents and developers selling or renting properties on the Costa del Sol.

“It’s important to note that if people buy or rent directly with property owners, they are not protected by the Decreto. This is why it is better to use a real estate agency that is compliant with Decreto 218? says Justin Thompson of La Costa.

The Decreto 218/2005 is a law that has been in existence for over 2 years and the Junta de Andalucia is now enforcing it strongly, sending inspectors to make sure agents and developers are complying with the law and handing out fines if this is not the case.

All agencies must have a Decreto 218 Compliance notice on display in their office and failure to comply with this can result in fines ranging from up to €5,000 for minor offences to €400,000 for more serious offences.

Read this full story - Spanish Property Law Decreto 218/2005 in Andalucia Set to Shake Up the Property Market

Vodafone and Western Union to Partner on Money Transfers

Vodafone has joined forces with Western Union on an international mobile money transfer pilot; residents in the U.K. town of Reading will be able to send money to the mobile phones of relatives and friends in Kenya.

Money transfers has already become a success in Kenya via the M-PESA (”M” for “mobile” and “Pesa,” the Swahili word for “money”) system, which, for example, can be used by someone in an urban area to forward money to relatives in rural areas, and people in rural areas can pay off a loan in an urban area.

The service is marketed by Safaricom, in which Vodafone holds a stake, and there are currently around 4 million M-PESA customers, and that number is growing by approximately 200,000 users a month, according to Caroline Dewing, a spokeswoman at Vodafone.

“What we are doing is extending M-PESA internationally, and we are partnering with Western Union to do this, because they have such a huge foot print in terms of stores and knowledge in the space of international remittances,” Dewing said.

A person who wants to transfer money will be able to go into a Western Union store in Reading and say that they want to transfer some money to a Safaricom cell phone in Kenya. For the receiver in Kenya it will work just like any M-PESA transfer.

“They’ll get a text message saying you have been given X amount of money, and they can then choose how to store that: money on the phone, send it on to someone else or go to an M-PESA agent and cash it,” Dewing said.

Convenience and the ability to send smaller amounts for a low fee are the two major benefits compared to traditional money transfers. Sending up to £100 costs £4.90 (US$7.35), and £100 to £200 is £6.90, according to Dewing.

The trial will be conducted for three to four months. During those Vodafone will test all elements of the service and also see if the fee structure works, according to Dewing.

The goal is to roll it out between the U.K and Kenya, and then on to other markets within the near future, said Dewing, who declined to be more specific.

Using the mobile for either money transfers or as an electronic wallet is getting a lot of attention from the financial and telecom sectors.

Western Union is, for example, already working with Orascom Telecom, Globe Telecom and SMART Communications.

Read this article: Vodafone and Western Union to Partner on Money Transfers

How to Make Easy Appetizer Recipes

The cookery sites, cookery recipe books & some special subscription of some famous chefs make cooking very easy for all users. So ready-made easy appetizer recipes are also one part of that online cooking. There are various simple recipes of appetizers which user can make at home. Also apart from home, the restaurants, hotels, such recipes also benefit food parlors.

Easy appetizer recipes also incorporated the user by giving various additional categories of these appetizers recipe & suggest some links like special reviews, comment and search option regarding search for exclusive, famous and award winning appetizer recipes.

Unusual categories are involved in various easy appetizers recipes. Various types of cheese recipes are ideal for appetizers & finger foods. There are several supplementary recipes, which are allied to the appetizers. Appetizers cheese recipes include beer cheese, brie, cheeseball, gougere, goat cheese, pimento cheese. We can sight numerous hottest, continental & customary appetizer recipes that are prepared of cheese and we can surf it from the cookery recipe sites.

The next category of easy appetizer recipes is cold appetizers recipes, which have also supplementary types. These categories or cold appetizers are antipasto, finger sandwiches that is provided as cold appetizers. Tapas, Pinwheels, Eggs that are deviled, Roll ups, Mushrooms that are marinated are the types of simple cold appetizer recipes. These cold appetizers recipes can access from perticular cookery sites.

Dip and Spread recipes are also one kind of easy appetizer recipes. It contains additional recipe categories like layer dip, appetizer cheesecake, artichoke crab dip, artichoke spinach dip, baba ghanouj, bean and cheese dip, black bean dip, bread dip and many more.
The next essence in the easy appetite recipes are hot appetite recipes. It contains added recipe categories like appetizer meatballs, bacon appetizers, asparagus appetizers appetizer quiche, artichoke appetizers and many more. We can explore for recipe ingredients of those appetizer recipes via links from the toolbar.

Read full article: How to Make Easy Appetizer Recipes

The 12 days of Christmas plants — poinsettias

This is the second in our series on how to buy and care for the most common holiday plants. Once upon a time, this Mexican native was such a finicky plant that it rarely last much beyond the end of December, if that long.

Boy, have things changed! Now it’s not at all unusual for a poinsettia to look good all the way till Easter.

If that hasn’t been your experience, here’s what you need to know:

In the store, when you’re choosing the plant, look for deep green leaves all the way to the base. Move the foil back at the bottom of the foliage to see if any leaves have turned yellow from lack of light.

If you want the freshest plant available — one, typically, that should last longer because you’re going to give it better care at your home than it received in a big-box store — look at the tiny little yellow buttonlike flowers in the middle of the colored bracts.

If they’re closed or barely open, the plant is very fresh. If they’re missing (having already fallen off), it’s been around a while. See if you can find another.

OK, let’s stop a second here for those of who might be confused by the word “bracts” and who think those little yellow things in the center of all that red couldn’t possibly be the flowers of the plant. If you know all this stuff, skip the next paragraph.

The showy red (cream, pink, yellow, or bicolor) parts of a poinsettia are called bracts. They’re actually there to entice pollinating insects to visit the inconspicuous flowers.

Once you’ve picked the poinsettia you want, make sure that the store gently wraps it up if temperatures are 50 degrees F. (10 C ) or lower. On a cold day, you’ll want to take the plant right home, not leave it in the car while you do the rest of your holiday shopping. Poinsettias don’t respond well to shivery weather.

The first thing to do after you have the plant back home is remove the foil wrapping. It blocks light from reaching the lower leaves and encourages root rot because water collects in the bottom.

Better to put the plant into a cachepot if you want something decorative. There, you can see if there’s standing water in the bottom that you need to pour off.

If you can’t bring yourself to do that, at the very least move the foil back from the base of the plant and poke good-sized holes in the bottom so water can drain out. (Then put the plant n a saucer, of course.)

Place the plant where it will receive at least six hours of bright light daily but not touch a cold windowpane. I know, I know. You bought the plant as a decoration, and it should be on the coffee table or the fireplace mantel, not a windowsill.

But give it light during the day — to keep it happy and looking good — then move it to wherever you like in the evening.

Read full article here: The 12 days of Christmas plants — poinsettias

House of the rising sums

Dec 7 2008 by David Williamson, Wales On Sunday

The Government and the Bank of England are trying to ride to the rescue of the housing market. But will slashed interest rates and a new mortgage support plan do enough to prevent misery for thousands of Welsh families?

QI’m worried about losing my job and then losing my home. Will the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme help me out?

AThe Government clearly expects a rise in unemployment and is determined to prevent a rush of repossessions.

If you experience a sudden fall in your income you may well be able to defer some of your interest payments on your mortgage for up to two years.

These will be added to your outstanding mortgage debt and have to be paid off when your finances improve.

QHow do I know if I qualify?

AThe precise details are still being hammered out. However, it is aimed at people who would not qualify for other Government help, such as households where one earner is made redundant but the other continues working, or where a homeowner loses only part of their income through reduced shifts.

QI took out a big mortgage for the family home. Will I be covered?

AProbably. The scheme will cover mortgages up to £400,000.

QWhich lenders are taking part in the scheme?

AHalifax Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Abbey, Lloyds TSB, Northern Rock, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC have all signed up – they represent 70% of the market. Monmouthshire Building Society and Principality are both waiting to see the full details of the scheme.

QI’m already in trouble and need help. When does the scheme begin?

AIt should be up and running early next month.

QHang on a moment! How much are taxpayers having to fork out to help people with mortgages they can’t afford?

AThe Government has guaranteed that lenders in banks and building societies will not lose money if borrowers are later unable to repay the debt.

QSo hard-working people are footing the bill? This sounds like another bail-out.

AIt has not been said how much the scheme will cost but it is estimated the Government will take on around £1bn of liabilities.

QWhat other help is there for those of us who are struggling with our mortgages?

AThere is the £200m Mortgage Rescue Scheme. Homeowners can sell some or all of their home to a social landlord and rent it back again.

Plus, the Department for Work and Pensions is reforming its Income Support for Mortgage Interest initiative so benefit kicks in after just 13 weeks and covers interest repayments on mortgages of up to £200,000.

QIs the Welsh Assembly Government doing anything?

AYes. There are grants for housing associations to buy a share of your mortgage or buy your property outright and then rent it back to you.

QDoes this scheme work?

AIn 2007-08, the Assembly Government provided £850,000 to help 15 households to remain in their homes. A further £5m was provided in June.

QIt’s so confusing and I’m desperately worried. Who can I turn to?

Read full article here: House of the rising sums

German Stocks Drop; Hypo Real Estate, Continental, E.ON Fall

By Stefanie Haxel

Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) — Germany’s DAX Index declined for the first time in three days as interest-rate cuts by European policy makers failed to ease concern the region’s economy will deteriorate further.

Hypo Real Estate Holding AG and Continental AG dropped at least 2 percent after Deutsche Boerse AG said the companies’ shares will be removed from the benchmark index this month. E.ON AG and RWE AG, Germany’s biggest utilities, retreated as power for next-year delivery slid to a 15-month low.

The DAX Index slipped 0.1 percent to 4,564.23 after gaining as much as 3.6 percent earlier. DAX futures expiring this month retreated 1.6 percent as of 6:07 p.m. in Frankfurt. The broader HDAX Index added less than 0.1 percent.

Germany’s DAX Index is down 43 percent this year as almost $1 trillion in credit-related losses and writedowns at financial firms worldwide push the economy toward a recession, damping the outlook for earnings.

European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said the euro region’s economy will shrink next year for the first time since 1993 after the bank delivered the biggest interest-rate cut in its 10-year history, reducing borrowing costs by 75 basis points to 2.5 percent.

The ECB’s decision came after the Bank of England today lowered its key rate by one percentage point to 2 percent and Sweden’s central bank cut borrowing costs by the most since 1992.

Hypo Real Estate lost 7.1 percent to 2.89 euros, the biggest drop in two weeks. The property lender will be replaced by Salzgitter AG in the DAX on Dec. 22. Salzgitter, Germany’s second-largest steelmaker, climbed 4.2 percent to 51.42 euros.

Continental, Utilities

Continental lost 2.4 percent to 35.82 euros. Europe’s second-biggest car-parts maker that’s being acquired by Schaeffler Group will be replaced by Beiersdorf AG, which slipped 0.7 percent to 43.42 euros today. The maker of Nivea skin creams aims to expand more quickly than the market next year, Chief Executive Officer Thomas Quaas said today.

E.ON, Germany’s biggest utility, lost 1.9 percent to 24.98 euros. RWE, the second-largest, sank 2.3 percent to 61.80 euros.

Electricity for next year in Germany, Europe’s biggest power market, slid to the lowest since Aug. 28, 2007, on expectation demand for power will weaken as economic growth in Europe stalls.

The following stocks also rose or fell in German markets. Symbols are in parentheses.

Read full article: German Stocks Drop; Hypo Real Estate, Continental, E.ON Fall

Major Causes of Frequent Headache

There are various causes of frequent headache. Some of these causes of frequent headache are quite common whereas some are quite rare. Everybody may have had a headache at some point of time in their lives and the severe pain may have forced them into rushing to get speedy medical attention to alleviate the excruciating pain without evaluating the causes of frequent headache. The causes of headaches and dizziness vary. If the headache persists or repeats, it is better to take a close look at what are the underlying causes of the frequent headache.

Some causes of frequent headaches may be linked with
- meningitis,
- blood pressure,
- strokes ,
- brain tumors, though they may yet be only rare causes of frequent headaches.

The more likely causes of frequent headaches are simple ones such as
- viral infection,
- sinusitis,
- fatigue and headache,
- other forms of tension ,
- musculo-skeletal conditions.

Below are some explanations of common causes of frequent headaches.

Meningitis
Meningitis causes an inflammation of the membrane surrounding the brain and is very serious. If not treated immediately, it may even result in death. If the cause of frequent headache is due to meningitis, the sufferer must be transferred to a hospital for treatment. Please be warned that in its early stages, it may only seem to be nothing more than the ‘flu’.

Read full article: Major Causes of Frequent Headache

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