Articles Page - From www.HumNRI.com

Friday November 30, 2001

Reasons to Refinance Now

To refinance is to pay off an existing mortgage with funds obtained from a new mortgage loan. There are numerous great reasons to refinance your mortgage, among them the following
Lower Interest Rates A prime time for many people to choose to refinance is when interest rates drop lower than the rate they're currently paying. By taking out a new loan with a lower interest rate, not only do your monthly payments decrease, but so does the total amount you pay over the life of the loan, in the thousands of dollars.
Fix That Rate If you currently have an adjustable rate mortgage, you may seriously want to consider refinancing to a fixed rate mortgage. Adjustable rate mortgages are far riskier to the borrow than fixed rate mortgages. The payments are unstable with a tendency to increase dramatically over time, making budgeting your monthly housing payments increasingly difficult.
Build Equity Faster Buy refinancing to a loan with a shorter loan term, you pay off your loan faster and therefore build up equity in your home faster, equity that you can then use to make improvements to your home, pay for a big purchase or an emergency, or obtain additional credit. Borrowing against home equity through a refinance mortgage usually comes with a lower interest rate than other forms of credit, such as consumer loans and credit cards.
Own Your Home Free-and-Clear It's a phrase every homeowner covets, when they can finally be done paying off the money they borrowed to buy their home and own it outright. Refinancing is an excellent way to own your home free-and-clear sooner than you ever could have otherwise. One way to accomplish this is by reducing the loan term, or the amount of time you have to pay off the loan. A shorter loan term generally involves larger payments, but if you can afford to make them, it could be a wise and rewarding decision to refinance your current mortgage to one with a shorter loan term.
Get Cash in Hand If you already have equity built up in your home, then you can refinance for a larger amount than you currently owe and take that additional amount out in cash. This is also known as a cash-out refinance.
Consolidate Debt As home mortgages generally carry far lower interest rates than other forms of debt (ie.
credit cards, car loans, or student loans), many people choose to refinance their home loan in order to consolidate their higher interest debt into a lower interest mortgage. An additional benefit of consolidating debt this way (or any other way, for that matter), is that borrowers pay a single monthly payment that is usually much smaller than the sum of the many various payments otherwise made to each individual creditor.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Thursday November 29, 2001

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): A Neurotoxin Or A Harmless Food Flavor Enhancer?

MSGs safety for human consumption has been widely debated for well over 50 years. Some people are highly sensitive to it, while others appear not to be, and still yet, others may be and not even know they are.
Manufactured/processed monosodium glutamate is the substance in question that causes the most reactions in MSG sensitive people. So what is MSG exactly?
It is the sodium salt of the amino acid known as glutamic acid, and a form of glutamate. Glutamate occurs naturally and is found in many living things, including you. It is found in protein-containing foods such as cheese, milk, meat, vegetables, and spores (mushrooms).
When it is found in its natural unbound (unprocessed) form, and is not subjected to some sort of manufactured or fermented process, is not harmful for human or animal consumption. All forms of manufactured /processed glutamic acid contains contaminants, while the naturally occurring substance in nature does not.
Although most people connect MSG with Chinese food, few people realize how massively it is used in the processed food industry. It is present in nearly every food that is manufactured. Considering how cheap and convenient it is, food manufacturers love it because they can get away with reducing the amount of real food substances by substituting with cheap fillers, add some MSG to get a 'morphine like' taste punch to the food product. It also intensifies the eating experience in not only enhancing the flavor of the food, but it alters color and odor of the food as well.
The bottom line, it saves them a lot of money, it allows them to sell you an inferior food product.
MSG has no nutritional value whatsoever. Like sugar, it stimulates your taste buds, making you desire the taste so much you will keep on buying the product and keep eating it. MSG changes your perception of how a food tastes. Many experts in the field of studying its harmful effects claim that it stimulates parts of the brain to produce an addiction in much the same way as alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs do.
In other words, MSG is addictive. So, even if you do not drink alcohol or smoke, eating a lot of processed food is just as addictive as drugs, in essence your trading the pleasure of drugs for this addictive substance in the food you eat.
Food manufacturers are no dummies, they know they have the FDA on their side, and they know using MSG will ensure repeat customers for them.
So, what is all the fuss about when it comes to the over use of MSG, and another closely related substance called Apartame (NutriSweet)?
In literally hundreds of diet studies done around the world, scientists can create, and replicate the inducing of obesity in laboratory animals. Mice and rats can be made obese, without increasing their food intake by giving them MSG. According to John Erb, author of "The Slow Poisoning of America", there currently may actually be a chemical responsible for America's obesity and diabetic epidemic, and that chemical might just be MSG.
It has been scientifically linked to obesity over and over, and has been linked to irregular and rapid heartbeat, stomach problems, depression, fatigue, and brain problems. This is only a short list, there are many others to numerous to mention in this article.
Even knowing that most people, if given a choice, do not want MSG added to their food will not stop them from putting it in anyway. Manufacturers are on to the fact that consumers are scrutinizing food labels. They have taken on great deception practices to continue its use in food products by not directly labeling MSG as MSG. It is often hidden in names such as gelatin, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, yeast extract, malted barley, and rice or brown rice syrup.
The list of names is rather long and extensive. You can find out more by reading John Erb's book, or type in the search terms 'neurotoxin-MSG' on a search engine to learn more hidden names on labels disguised as MSG.
I really do not believe this is a conspiracy by corporate food companies to keep us sick, although some may argue with that way of thinking. I believe it is more connected to corporate greed than anything else. Greed in keeping millions of dollars flowing through corporate bank accounts. Can you envision a long and complicated money trail that benefits several industries besides the manufactured food business?
Another expert in the the health damaging effects of MSG saga, is Dr. Russell Blaylock. He is the author of "Exitotoxins The Taste That Kills". Dr. Blaylock says, "MSG basically overexcites your body cells, it over stimulates them to the point of damaging them., acting as a poison".
Avoiding MSG altogether is going to be real hard to do, but not impossible. It could take up quite a bit of your time if you let it, and until it is banned or taken out of our food supply what can you do to avoid its harmful effects?
Cooking from scratch and starting with whole foods is one way of cutting down on getting too much of this unhealthy substance. Another way to keep manufactured/ processed free glutamic acid from binding to cell receptors, is to eat a diet high in raw (or lightly cooked) dark colored fruits and vegetables. They are loaded with antioxidants and are one of your best defenses against a build up of this toxic poison in your body.
And, even though I have not read this specifically, I think I would be rather safe in recommending it, an an increased water intake would be highly effective also. By drinking your body's daily requirement of water will help you immensely in the flushing out process of MSG in your system.
Not to mention also, that the combination of increasing your fruit, vegetable, and water intake will go a long way in reducing many other major or minor health complaints you may currently have.
This solution is really beneficial in so many ways, you may just find it nothing short of incredible! You can also refuse to buy a lot of foods that contain MSG. That is only the real message food manufacturers will understand in the long run.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Wednesday November 28, 2001

Types of Online Gambling Bonuses

Whether you are a first time player or a regular player to an online casino, you will usually find a selection of online gambling bonuses that are offered by the different online casinos to be found on the internet. The following are the most popular terms that you will find for the different gambling bonuses that are offered online.
The welcome bonus is usually the first bonus that you will receive as a first time player at any casino that you will find online. The welcome bonuses may be offered as a match bonus, high rollers bonus or as a no deposit bonus for first time player
The match bonus is a bonus where you will get a percentage back as a bonus when you make your first deposit to the online casino that you are playing at for the first time. These match bonuses may vary from 25%, 50% to a high of a 400% match bonus on your first deposit to the casino that you are playing at for the first time online.
With the high roller bonuses players are offered a large sum of money as bonus to entice you to play at their casino. One will find high roller bonuses ranging as high as $1,000 depending at which casino that you are going to play at online. For a decent high roller bonus you will find that they are usually a 50% bonus of your first deposit to the online casino that you are playing at.
For those who play the no deposit bonus, the only one that ever benefits are the players who take them as a first time player to an online casino. With the no deposit bonuses you will find that there is no investment to be made and the only gamble is that before you may cash out any winnings you will have to meet the wagering through requirements of the casino that you are playing at first.
With the different online casinos you will as well find those that offer on going bonuses or reload bonuses when you become a regular player. These bonuses will usually have a stipulation where you will have to make your deposits using their preferred methods of deposit to their online casinos to qualify for these bonuse
These on going bonuses or reload bonuses also usually have a cap as to how much you may collect in these types of bonuses in any given month. They will usually also have a yearly cap as to how much you may collect in any given year as well as to different percentages for these bonuses depending on what your method of payment is for making your deposit
The above are the basic online gambling bonuses that you will find that are offered by the different casinos that you will find online. Other types of gambling bonuses that you will find are gambling online bonuses, best gambling bonuses and top gambling bonuses, all depending on how a online gambling webmaster promotes the different online casinos on their online gambling website.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Tuesday November 27, 2001

Natural Supplements: Losing Weight Safely with hCG

A large percentage of Americans are dealing with extra weight. In fact, many experts feel that obesity is a national crisis that must be addressed at a high level. As a result, researchers have been actively trying to find an answer to this crisis that will help people safely and naturally shed those extra pounds. One natural supplement that has become a shining beacon of hope is hCG.
Candidates for hCG
Although hCG is most widely recognized for being a hormone produced by the placenta of pregnant women, it is actually found in all human tissue. Therefore, whether you are a man or a woman, hCG is safe for you to use in order to lose weight. This means that nearly any overweight man or woman is a good candidate for this natural supplement, though it is still best to consult with a physician before starting a diet with the help of hCG. Of course, if you are a pregnant or nursing woman, you will not be able to receive hCG shot. After your pregnancy or when you are no longer nursing, however, you can use hCG to help you return to your proper weight.
Exploring Side Effects of hCG
Since hCG is a naturally-occurring hormone, side effects of its use are rare. Whether you are using the hCG shots or taking the supplement orally, you likely will not experience side effects when taking it for weight loss. Those women that take hCG for fertility reasons may experience occasional headaches or pregnancy symptoms, but you do not take the same dosage of the medication when taking it for weight loss. Therefore, you are unlikely to experience these symptom
Ceasing the Use of hCG
Unlike most fad weight loss plans, you will not have to worry about regaining the weight when you stop using hCG. After using hCG, most people find that their appetites and eating behaviors have changed. In addition, hCG will help to regulate your metabolism, which will help you get that "full" feeling after eating just a moderate amount. Therefore, by exercising for just 15 minutes per day and eating a healthy diet, you should be able to maintain your new weight.
Using hCG is perfectly legal and safe to use. Therefore, if you are struggling with those extra pounds that you just can't seem to lose, it is certainly worth your while to look into using hCG to finally get that body you have always dreamed of having.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Monday November 26, 2001

Safeguarding Yourself Against Staph Infections: By Eating More Good Bacteria Protection

Staph infections, at times, can circulate rapidly through communities. They definitely upset health officials because of their potential danger to harm vulnerable individuals who, for various different reasons, have suppressed immune systems
A certain strain of staph infection, known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is problematically resistant to a broad spectrum of antibiotics, except for a very small few of the most powerful ones. Staph is a bacterium that commonly exists harmlessly on the skin, under fingernails, and in the nostrils of about 30 % of our population, according the the 'U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention'. But, about 1 % of the population contacts the antibiotic resistant strain, known as MRSA, and this form of staph infection can cause a very serious skin infection, and an internal infection as well.
This type of staph infection can circulate rather quickly in common athletic areas such as gyms and fitness centers. This potentially harmful bacteria can be found on sports equipment, in locker rooms, and on personal hygiene care items such as towels, soaps, and razors. MRSA infections are contagiously spread by skin-to-skin contact through an open cut wound, or contact through personal hygiene care item
A known outbreak in a community should, therefore, have everyone seriously paying attention in keeping sports equipment, and other suspected areas, properly sanitized. Warnings, also, need to be issued in the advising of no sharing of personal care item
People with healthy immune systems are not as susceptible to succumbing to this type of infection as those individuals who have a weaker immune system resistance. These individuals can become colonized with this type of deadly infection rather quickly. Lesions on the skin may first appear to be a spider bite or a boil. But, experts on staph infections claim that about 25 % of these types of skin infections end up requiring hospitalization. They cause infections of the bloodstream, central nervous system, heart valves, bones, and pneumonia.
In fact, over the last four to five years 95% of staph infections turn out to be MRSA. MRSA can also carry a gene mutation that can destroy white blood cells and infect other body tissues and organs. MRSA infections start out as small red bumps on the skin that can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses. Sometimes the bacteria remains confined on the skin but, it can also burrow deep inside your body. Causes of MRSA include
The results of decades of unnecessary and excessive antibiotic use.
The overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming operations, resulting in feedlot run off that migrates to municipal water systems.
Continued unnecessary and excessive antibiotic use contributes to their ineffectiveness of other types of antibiotic
Risk factors for contacting a MRSA infection are
A current or recent hospitalization.
Being a resident of a long-term health care facility.
Requiring dialysis, catheterization, feeding tubes, or other invasive hospital proceedures.
Have been treated with fluoroquinolones ( a type of antibiotics) such as ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, levofloxacin, and cephalosporin.
Doctors diagnose MRSA by obtaining a tissue sample of nasal secretions. The sample is sent to a lab and results are returned within 48 hours. There are some newer tests, becoming more widely available, that can detect staph DNA in a shorter amount of time. Vancomycin is one of the few antibiotics left, that is still effective against hospital strains of MRSA. Be advised, however, that it is no longer effective in every single case.
There is some promising news, however, on how you can protect yourself against an infection with an antibiotic resistant form of staph infection, in a more natural way. Regularly consuming good bacteria nutrition, like what you will find in homemade fermented foods and beverages, can help protect you from developing this dangerous type of infection.
These friendly germs, in abundant populations, will help provide your skin, digestive tract, and immune system with a very powerful, protective barrier against disease causing pathogens such as a common staph infection, or a more problematic and antibiotic resistant MRSA infection..
In light of what is not working on the drug treatment battleground scene with antibiotics, which approach do you believe has a more common sense potential to solve this problem?
Flushing out potentially harmful disease causing staphylococcus bacterias out of your internal system with nothing much else, in fluids, but water is another a good way to avoid a serious staph infection like MRSA.
You can take more control in naturally building up your immune system strength, in fighting off many other different types of disease causing bacterial infections this way also. You can make your intestinal system more fit, and healthier, with a boosted diet of good bacteria nutrition and, of course, by keeping yourself properly hydrated and cleansed in adding more water consumption to your daily diet routine.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Sunday November 25, 2001

How to Calculate the Volatility of the Spread in Options Trading

To be able to calculate the volatility of the spread, we must equalize the volatilities of the individual option
First, let's move the June calls by moving June's implied volatility down from 40 to 36, a decrease of four volatility ticks. Four volatility ticks multiplied by a vega of .05 per tick gives us a value of $.20. Next we subtract $.20 from the June 70 option's present value of $2.00 and we get a value of $1.80 at 36 volatility. Now the two options are valued at an equal volatility basi
Looking at this first adjustment where we moved the June 70's volatility down to 36 from 40, we have a value of $1.80 at 36 volatility. The August 40 call has a value of $3.00 at 36 volatility. So the spread will be worth $1.20 at 36 volatility.
If you wanted to move the August 70 calls instead, you would take the August 70 call vega of .08 and multiply it by the four tick implied volatility difference.
This gives you a value of $.32 that must be added to the August 70 call's present value in order to bring it up to an equal volatility (40) with the June 70 call. Adding the $.32 to the August 70 call will give it a $3.32 value at the new volatility level of 40 which is the same volatility level as the June 40 call
Now, our spread is worth $1.32 at 40 volatility. August 70 calls at $3.32 minus the June 70 calls at $2.00 gives the price of the spread at 40 volatility.
It does not make any difference which option you move. The point is to establish the same volatility level for both options. Then you are ready to compare apples to apples and options to options for an accurate spread value and volatility level.
Since we now have an equal base volatility, we can calculate the spread's vega by taking the difference between the two individual option's vegas. In the example above, the spread's vega is .03 (.08 - .05). The vega of the spread is calculated by finding the difference between the vega's of the two individual options because in the time spread, you will be long one option and short the other option.
As volatility moves one tick, you will gain the vega value of one of the options while simultaneously losing the vega value of the other. Thus the spread's vega must be equal to the difference between the two options vega's. So, our spread is worth $1.20 at 36 volatility with a .03 vega or $1.32 at 40 volatility with a .03 vega.
Going back to our original spread value of $1.00 with a vega of .03, we can now calculate the volatility of that spread.
We know the spread is worth $1.20 at 36 volatility with a vega of .03. So, we can assume that the spread trading at $1.00 must be trading at a volatility lower than 36.
To find out how much lower we first take the difference between the two spread values which is $.20 ($1.20 at 36 volatility minus $1.00 at ? volatility). Then we divide the $.20 by the spread's vega of .03 and we get 6.667 volatility ticks. We then subtract 6.667 volatility ticks from 36 volatility and we get 29.33 volatility for the spread trading at $1.00.
We can also determine the volatility of the spread as the spread's price changes. Let's fix the spread price at $1.30. To calculate this, we must first take the value of the spread ($1.20 at 36 volatility) and find the dollar difference between it and the new price of the spread ($1.30). The difference is $.10. This dollar difference must now be divided by the vega of the spread. The $.10 difference divided by the .03 vega gives you a value of 3.33 volatility ticks. Then add the 3.33 ticks to the 36 volatility and you get 39.33 as the volatility for the spread trading at $1.30.
Let's double-check our work by calculating the volatility the other way.
This time we will do the calculation by moving the August 70 calls up to the equal base volatility of the June 70 calls. As calculated earlier, the August 70 calls will have a value of $3.32 at 40 volatility.
The June 70 calls are worth $2.00 at 40 volatility. Thus the spread is worth $1.32 at 40 volatility.
Now let's again move the spread price to $1.30, $.02 lower than the value of the spread at 40 volatility. As before, we take the difference in the prices of the spread. The result is $.02 ($1.32 - $1.30). Then, divide $.02 by our spread's vega of .03 (remember that the vega of the spread is equal to the difference between the vega of the two individual options). $.02 divided by .03 gives us a value of .67. That .67 must be subtracted from our base volatility of 40. That gives us a 39.33 (40 - .67) volatility for the spread trading at $1.30. This volatility matches our previous calculation perfectly.
At first glance, you might be wondering why we went through all of these calculations. With the June 70 calls at 40 volatility, price $2.00, vega .05 and the August 70 calls at 36 volatility, price $3.00, vega .08 why not just take an average of the volatility? This would give us a 38 volatility for the spread with a price of $1.00 when in actuality $1.00 in the spread represents a 29.33 volatility.
This would be almost a nine tick difference which represents a whopping 30% mistake! Because, as stated earlier, vega is not linear you can not weigh each month evenly and just take an average of the two months. For argument's sake suppose you did. Let's say you found the difference of the vegas of the options and came up with a spread vega of .03 which is correct. However, when you try to calculate the spread's volatility and price you would have difficulty.
Now, recalculate the spread with the trading price of $1.30, or $.30 higher than your value at 38 volatility. Divide that $.30 higher difference by the spread's vega of .03. You get a 10 tick volatility increase. Add that increase to the base 38 volatility. That would mean you feel the spread is trading at 48 volatility instead of a 39.33 volatility! This type of mistake could be very, very costly. Remember, apples to apples, oranges to oranges. It doesn't matter which option's volatility of the spread you move as long as you get both options to an equal base volatility.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Saturday November 24, 2001

Options Trading Lesson: Spread Trading

In options trading, there are some basic lessons that are the backbone of many other successful options trading strategies. How to engage in spread trading in options trading to enhance potential gains is one of these lessons.
Spread trading is a foundational tool that you should have in your options trading toolkit. It will allow you freedom and flexibility for enhanced profit and will give you defense against potential loss while reducing your overall risk. Now, let us look at this fundamental of options trading, the spread trade.
We have demonstrated how well options function in unison with a stock position. They enhance potential gains, provide profit protection and limit the risk of the entire investment. They enable us to manage risk in a single stock as well as an entire portfolio. But, as good as options are in conjunction with stocks, they can be even better when traded against each other.
Spreads are strategies that do not involve the use of any security other than another option. Their positives are that they are inexpensive, offer protection for both buyer and seller and are in effect automatically hedged trade
Spreads can provide large percentage returns with low risk and can be entered into with small capital outlay. A spread involves the purchase of one option in conjunction with the sale of another option. There are many types of spreads. Some take advantage of stock movements while others are set up to take advantage of movements in implied volatility and even time decay. There are calendar or time spreads, diagonal spreads, ratio spreads and also vertical spreads, which we will discuss in depth here.
Spreads are more advanced and sophisticated than the strategies discussed in our beginner product 'OPTIONS 101.' Where certain spreads, like 1 to 1 vertical spreads, can be less risky than a buy-write, there are more variables to consider and control which makes trading the spread more complicated.
When you trade a spread you are dealing with three elements the spread as a whole (which you can buy or sell) and its component parts - the option you buy and the option you sell.
Although the cost of most spreads is relatively inexpensive to initiate, they can provide a large percentage return and there is protection (limits) to both sides of the trade. Therefore, even experienced investors can profit from learning about spreads and their investment potential.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Friday November 23, 2001

Light Reading With Audio Books Is Educational

For financial advice, a person might spend a great deal of money on a financial counselor. The counseling sessions might take weeks before a financial problem is resolved. If the person had audio books on finance to refer to, they might tell them all they need to know about how to handle debt, or solve a financial dilemma that has been going on for weeks without incurring extra expenses to find resolution.
Reading up on financial management could save people with credit problems a lot of difficulty in finding a resolution to a debt problem. Light reading with audio books takes very little time or expense, and can be very educational in most cases. Audio books can be turned on during lunch hours or when there is time off from the fast-paced office environments. Taking time to listen to an audio book might help a businessperson to relax after a hard day at the office.
Gaining knowledge from audio books gives people the power to make business deals successfully. Some audio books give people a certain perspective on world events and cause them to change jobs so that they can make a difference in the world using their talents more effectively. People are able to listen to commission reports through audio tapes and understand what is being discussed on television show
Other audio books might reveal where our political history started, and others will tell people where the political trends show that our politics and policies are going. Some people gain enough knowledge from audio books on aircraft and decide to run for public office just so they can make a difference and change the political policies that they disagree with. Without audio books, some people might have to remain ignorant and vote just because they were told to go to the polls on Election Day.
Some people go through great despair during the course of a regular day. They might select a few audio books that focus on romance because they need some good feelings to occur in their life, even if it is just for a little while. Some people are despondent over a love relationship and can listen to an audio book from a family counselor and realize that they need to remain faithful and work on their marriage.
Audio books are an affordable and convenient method to achieving an education. While no diplomas will be issued when the book is finished, it is quite possible for some people to study for tests while using audio books for reference material. Audio books are lightweight books that can be carried across a college campus with little difficulty, and can be listened to while in the company of others without disturbing anyone who is not interested in being educated.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Thursday November 22, 2001

Sports Drinks: Safe Alternatives or Junk Food?

Anti-obesity, health advocates are at it again. They have successfully won a battle on having sodas banned in elementary schools by the 2008-2009 school year. They are furthering their cause by trying to also ban sports drinks in schools such as 'Gatorade' and 'Powerade' and flavored waters. They are claiming that sports drinks contain as much as two-thirds of the sugars in sodas, and more than three times the sodium.
Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has apparently agreed with this cause, enough, by introducing a bill in congress that would allow the government to decide what is best for the nation's children, in setting nutritional standards for all foods, drinks, and flavored vitamin waters in schools. The hotly debated topic ensues in congress between nutritional health care advocates and the trade group that represents the bottlers of these drinks. Are they really 'safer alternatives' or just 'junk food'? It certainly is garnering some attention in congress, and for other interested bystanders as well.
The trade group representing the manufacturers of these drinks, of course, are adamantly opposing this bill. They proclaim these drinks are lower in sugar and calories than sodas, and are appropriate, even essential, to young high school athlete
But, there is more evidence coming from the University of California at Berkeley, that adds fuel to the health care advocates cause, that warns about the possible weight gain associated with consuming to many of these drinks. They conclude that students who drink one 20- ounce of the drinks in question per day, for a year, without sufficient physical activity may experience a weight gain of up to 13 pound
Nutritionists, and health care advocates are not at all surprised with these findings. They say that looking at the ingredient label pretty much says it all. Read what the first three to four ingredients are in a recipe, they are listed in the order of their prevalence in the mixture. Most sports drinks and flavored waters consist mostly of water, many different types of sugar, acid flavor enhancers, and sodium.
Bucket loads of money is being spent by beverage manufacturers, on brainwashing advertisements, to get consumers to believe that these drinks are healthy, and essential. They claim they are needed to replenish those lost electrolytes, due to physical exertion. But, there is simply no real scientific evidence to support this theory. So, you can then begin to understand why the makers of these drinks do not want any official congressional sanctioning, of the notion, that sports drinks are linked to obesity.
Children who are involved in a long and physically demanding game, or any lengthy physical activity, and are drinking simple carbohydrates such as high fructose corn syrup (HFC), glucose, dextrose (the list can be quite lengthy), will experience a rise in normal insulin levels. Elevated insulin levels causes a short spike in energy levels followed by a sudden energy crash. This sluggishness can affect a child's overall athletic performance.
Sports drinks also contain enough sugar, just like sodas, to corrode teeth. Physical exertion causes dry mouth conditions, as not enough saliva is present in the mouth to fight off the acidic effects that sugar can have on teeth.
Children, or adults, simply do not require a short-term energizing boost in heir insulin levels in, relation to the amount of mild physical activity they are expending most of the time. Walking the dog, washing the car, or a quick game of hoops does not qualify as a vigorous enough activity to warrant the use of a sports drink. And, many children, and adults, lead very sedentary lifestyles, that buying into advertising claims about the safety, or essential need for such a product can help add to an ongoing obesity problem.
The only situation where a sports drink might be helpful, is after an individual has truly engaged in a vigorous physical workout that lasted for at least an hour. If you are actually sweating profusely, or if hot and humid weather conditions combined with high physical exertion are present, you might treat yourself with a sports drink. Otherwise, there are healthier food options for energy, and water alone does a wonderful job of re-hydrating you. To replace lost minerals, give your body some pure unrefined salt.
There really is no getting around it, manufactured beverages the way they are currently being sweetened are not healthy hydrating fluids for your body. And, they should never be used in total replacement of pure water. If you think you must have a sports drink, try a watered down version instead. However, plant the seed of knowledge in your mind,right now, that nothing satisfies your body more efficiently than plain and simple water.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Wednesday November 21, 2001

Options Trading Lesson: Closing the Time Spread Position

It is important to remember that the time spread will leave you with several potential positions that can be altered by other options or stock in numerous ways.
There are a number of decisions you must make to clarify your understanding and goals. Being open to a number decisions can be a very good thing for the flexibility of your position, whether entering or exiting trades. In this example we'll look at the position you have and the ways you can make your decision
First, it is important to understand what position you are going to be left with when the near-month option expire
Second, you must form your opinion of what you think the stock is going to do (formulate a bullish or bearish lean) and then figure out the best way to take advantage of that opinion.
Next, you must figure out how to adjust your present position and change it into an advantageous position for a profitable outcome. That might mean selling out of the position totally. Your changes to the position must not only be correct, but also done in the most efficient, cost-effective manner including keeping commission prices down.
It is also important to note that you should make sure to go from a hedged position to another hedged position to ensure proper risk management.
Concluding Thoughts
The time spread is an excellent strategy for premium sellers who want to capture premium in a hedged way. It is best used in stagnant periods when a stock is likely to remain in a tight price range. It is less expensive and less risky than most other premium collecting strategies thus is friendlier to investors who are short on capital and experience. It can also be used to take advantage of volatility changes and even some directional stock movement
The time spread can leave you with a residual naked position that needs to be managed for risk at expiration of the front month option. As always, it is important to fully understand the risks and rewards of the strategy and the potential risks and solutions of the residual position before executing the strategy. Don't take this too lightly.
The residual position does allow you many choices including closing out the position totally, or continuing the position by combining it with either stock or another option to create a new position that fits the investor's new expectations for the stock.

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Tuesday November 20, 2001

Options Buyer Risk & Reward

Like most trades, time spreads have a maximum loss for the buyer. As a buyer, you can only lose what you have spent. If you paid $1.00 for the spread then your maximum potential loss is that $1.00. If you bought the spread for $2.00, then $2.00 is the maximum potential los
The buyer of a time spread will be purchasing the out-month option while selling the nearer month option of the same strike in a one-to-one ratio. Since the out-month option will have more time until expiration than the nearer month option, the out-month option will cost more. This means the buyer will be putting out money (debit spread) which makes sense. The buyer can only lose the amount of money they spent to purchase the spread. Thus the buyer's maximum risk is the cost of the spread.
The buyer can profit in several ways. First and foremost, being a time spread, the buyer can profit by the passage of time. Options are wasting assets. So as the nearer month option decays away more quickly than the outer-month option, the spread widens (increases in value) and the buyer sees a profit.
Second, implied volatility can increase. As implied volatility increases, the out-month option, which the buyer is long, increases in value more quickly (due to its higher vega) than the nearer month option which the buyer is short. This will force the spread to widen or increase in value, which again is profitable for the buyer.
Third, the buyer can make money due to stock price movement. As stated before, a time spread's value is at its maximum when the stock price and the spreads strike price are identical (at-the-money). You could have an increase in value if you owned an out-of-the-money or in-the-money time spread, and the stock moved either up or down toward your strike. As the stock moves closer to your strike, the spread will expand and increase in value creating a profit for you, the buyer.
The buyer's risks are obviously the opposite of the rewards. You can not stop or reverse time so the buyer of the spread can never be hurt by time.
Implied volatility, however, can decrease as easily as it can increase. A decrease in implied volatility will decrease the value of the out-month option (which the buyer is long) faster than it will decrease the value of the nearer month option (which the buyer is short) due to the higher vega of the out-month option. This will narrow the spread thereby creating a loss for the buyer.
In the same way that stock movement in the right direction can be profitable for the buyer of a time spread, stock movement in the wrong direction can be costly. As the stock moves away from the spread's strike, the spread decreases in value. That will create a loss for the buyer of the spread.

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Monday November 19, 2001

Saturated Fats Versus Polyunsaturated Fats: A Dietary Warning

Despite a popular, misconstrued public belief in the healthiness of dietary polyunsaturated fat oils, this health scourge on human health has kept several industries and professions lucratively employed for almost a century. In objective, scientifically researched studies conducted over 70 years ago, researchers indicated that the human body does require a daily intake of fats to function optimally but, the type of fats consumed are just as important as the amounts, if not more so.
Looking at these objective research studies done in the past, it becomes more clear that certain industries have played a key role in what oils were, and still are, served up on our dietary menus. The conflicting evidence has either been purposely ignored, or grossly misjudged in the complex role that saturated fats play in healthy human bodies.
Once upon a time in America's history, there was a time that saturated animals fats were our main source of dietary fat. Saturated fats like beef tallow, lard, butter, eggs, were the daily diet fat norms. Diseases such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, and diabetes were unheard of. In other words, saturated fats were working quite nicely for the human species.
Then a slow and gradual turn began taking place after the turn of the 19th century. In the second decade, illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes began to intrude and disrupt American lives. This gave birth to what we now have come to know as new and superior modern day convenience foods, new diseases, and, sick care management.
When did these health scourges begin to seriously threaten American's physical health and emotional well-being? How did unhealthy polyunsaturated food oils end up in our food supply and be replaced by the beneficial saturated fats that were so prevalent in our diets for hundreds of years?
According to Ray Peat, Ph.D., a physiologist who has studied the effects that dietary fats have on hormones for over 40 years, says, "look back to the end of World War II". "The seed industry was in a serious financial crisis. As a culture, we traditionally used seed oils like flaxseed oil, and several others, in products such as paint, varnishes, and plastics. But, this era was ending abruptly, and older compounds such as these were rapidly being replaced with newer petroleum substances (black crude oil). The seed industry desperately needed new markets for their seed products".
A whole industry ingeniously invented news ways to convince a largely ignorant public, that seed oils were so much healthier than saturated animal fats or nut oils. This idea was so appealing that the manufactured food industry embraced it with open arms, despite clear evidence to the contrary.
Cattle ranchers discovered in the 1940's, that when their herds were fed with, at that time, inexpensive coconut oil expecting them to fatten up quickly for market, they instead became more active, lean and hungry. A thyroid-suppressing hormone drug was then tried and the animals became less active, more docile, and gained weight quicker on less food. But, the drug was later discontinued after the discovery of its toxic side effects. In the late 1940's ranchers then discovered the same thyroid suppressing effect of the discontinued drug by feeding corn and soybean grains (a polyunsaturated food source) to fatten cattle on less pasture grass, adopting the current modern day feed lot practices that are still being used today. This is a good reason to avoid commercially produced beef.
A second good reason to avoid eating it, which some of you may or may not be aware of, is that most all commercially produced animal food products (including beef) are laden with toxic chemical residues caused by the over use of antibiotics, and parasite controlling drugs. These toxic residues store themselves in the meat food sources fat tissue. Otherwise, if you can locate a locally grown, range fed poultry or red meat food source with very little or no drug use, these saturated food sources are healthy for you to eat.
Way back in 1950, unsaturated fats were clearly shown to suppress the metabolic rate, by apparently creating hypothyroidism. In following years, researchers looked for the cause of this reaction, and discovered that polyunsaturated fats damage the miochondria (digestive system of a cell) through body heat oxidation and enzyme suppression.
Human studies, as well as animal, both demonstrated that when strict diets of polyunsaturated seed oils are largely consumed such as sunflower, corn, safflower, and soybean, they act like toxic hormone, immune suppressing drugs inside the body. All unsaturated oils no matter how organically produced, cold-pressed, unprocessed, bottled in glass, or kept away from heat and light are health damaging fat
And, animals that are fed a high polyunsaturated food diet, instead of a free range diet, will not produce a healthy saturated fat meat source.
Vegetable oils whether they are hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, or not, have been been scientifically implicated to be associated with a wide variety of diseases that have exploded in the American population over the last 70 year
A coconut oil expert, Bruce Fife, C.N., N.D., author of "The Coconut Oil Miracle" says, when the attack on saturated fats like animal fats, coconut oil , and palm oil was at its peak, medical and dietary research professionals, who were familiar with the disease fighting properties of saturated fats were shocked and wondering why. They knew, and had thoroughly researched the effects on millions of people for thousands of years who maintained their traditional diets high in saturated oils. Cultures such as Pacific Islanders who consume high amounts of coconut oil as a dietary staple, have lead healthy lives free of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes, unlike their disease plagued polyunsaturated oil eating American counterpart
Then, in the early 1980's, just when it looked as if the real scientific evidence in favor of saturated fats was going to be finally assimilated and objectively viewed by the American health field, the ASA (American Soybean Association) developed a very slick money marketing ad campaign gimmick, based mostly on junk science and highly successful congressional lobbying tactics, built upon the the mass publics favor and accepted use of polyunsaturated oil
In conclusion, it appears that Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential to the body, as we can not manufacture them. But, a proper balance must be struck. Clearly, this fat must be seriously reduced to no more than 3% of our daily diets. Whether the dramatic rise in cancer and diabetes rates is associated with our high consumption of polyunsaturated oils is unknown, but the evidence strongly suggests it.
If you are predisposed (a family history) to develop diabetes, or have diabetes, Bruce Fife, C.N., N.D. encourages the use of coconut oil. It provides a high form of energy, is easily digested, reduces stress on the pancreas, enhances insulin action, and increases metabolic rate. Coconut oil will help stabilize blood glucose levels, and helps shed excess body weight, he says,"it should be the only oil a diabetic should eat".
It is the opinion of the author of this article, that dehydration issues further complicate serious health issues as well. The general mass population is se

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Sunday November 18, 2001

Factors that Affect Strangle Prices

Since the Strangles' profit potential is dependent on its price from purchase time to expiration, the investor should be aware of the several factors that affect the Strangles' price.
Stock Price
The first is, of course, stock price. The stock's price will dictate the value of both components of the Strangle - the call and put thus affecting the Strangle price as a whole. As the stock price moves, the prices of the call and the put will fluctuate via the current Deltas of the options and thereby affect the price of the Strangle.
As the stock moves higher, the price of the call will increase while the price of the put will decrease. However, they do not move linearly meaning that as the stock continues higher, the call's value increases progressively more while the put's value decreases progressively less. The option's changing Delta causes this non-linear effect.
The call Delta increases as the stock goes up while the put Delta decreases as the stock goes up. This opposing effect continues until finally the call gains value dollar for dollar with the stock (once its Delta reaches 100) indefinitely. At the same time, the put value-loss stops because the put now has no value (as put Delta approaches 0). Of course, the opposite is true if the stock trades down.
The call will lose value progressively slower until it reaches $0 while the put will gain value at an increasing rate until the Delta becomes 100 and then the put will gain dollar for dollar with the stock indefinitely. The effect of stock movement on the dollar value and Delta value of the Strangle is in the chart below.
Again, we will use the July 60/65 Strangle as an example. The Strangle will be worth $3.31 ($2.11 for the call, $1.20 for the put). For clarification, these prices are not expiration prices. This Strangle has three weeks to go before expiration.
Stock $ Call $ Call Delta Put $ Put Delta Strangle $
55.50 .23 7 5.23 -76 5.46
57.50 .42 15 3.86 -62 4.28
59.50 .78 24 2.74 -50 3.52
61.50 1.35 34 1.85 -38 3.20
63.50 2.11 45 1.20 -28 3.31
65.50 3.13 56 .74 -19 3.87
67.50 4.35 66 .44 -13 4.79
69.50 5.77 75 .25 -08 6.2
Implied Volatility
A second factor that affects the pricing of a Strangle is implied volatility. As implied volatility increases, the value of the Strangle increases. As stated, the price of both calls and puts increase as implied volatility increases.
A Strangle will feel an increased effect when volatility increases because the strategy employs two options working together and not against each other. When a strategy uses two options working against each other, the effect of implied volatility on the strategy is the difference of its effect on each option. This is different from a Strangle. With a Strangle, the two options are working together combining the effect of implied volatility on each option.
Implied volatility movement affects an individual option to an exact dollar amount as indicated by the option's volatility sensitivity component or Vega. An option with a $.05 Vega will increase five cents in value for every tick that implied volatility increases and likewise will decrease in value five cents for every tick that implied volatility decreases.
Because the Strangle combines a call and a put, the Vega value of the call adds to the Vega value of the put. This means that the Vega of a Straddle is the sum of the Vega of the call plus the Vega of the put.
Look back at our example. If the July 65 call has a .10 Vega and the July 60 put has a .07 Vega then the July 60/65 Strangle will have a .17 Vega. This means that for every tick that implied volatility increases, the July 60/65 Strangle will increase $.15 in value.
Conversely, for every tick that volatility decreases, the July 60/65 Strangle will decrease in value. The chart below shows how the Strangles' value changes at different implied volatility level
Stock Price Vol. Level Call $ Put $ Strangle $ Strangle Vega
63.50 30 2.11 1.20 3.31 .168
63.50 40 3.02 1.97 4.99 .173
63.50 50 2.92 2.80 6.72 .174
63.50 60 4.83 3.63 8.46 .174
63.50 70 5.73 4.46 10.19 .174
When you study the chart, you can see that as implied volatility increases or decreases the value of the Strangle increases or decreases by the amount of the Strangles' Vega multiplied by the amount of tick change in implied volatility.
Time
Finally, time is another major factor affecting the price of a Strangle. As you have learned from our previous strategies, time takes a toll on all options. Its effect is even more pronounced on this strategy that combines two options for the same time period.
A Strangle will see a much higher rate of decay than a single option. From previous discussions, we should be familiar with the option decay chart and its non-linear curve. As time goes by, the Strangle will decay, day after day, at an ever-increasing rate until expiration Friday at 400 p.m. The implication to the buyer and seller should be obvious.
The passage of time decreases the value of the Strangle and thus always favors the seller. Time works against the buyer. The buyer has only until expiration to get either a large stock or implied volatility movement to offset the price paid for the Strangle.

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Saturday November 17, 2001

Dangers Of Microwave Cooking

Yes, there is no doubt that the microwave oven was one of the eighties hottest must have kitchen appliances. Do you remember how much the first ones cost to own? Look how cheap and common place they have become since. Sure heating foods and liquids in seconds, not minutes, has caused most people to abandon any intuitively negative thought they may have had in suspecting radiation cooking to be bad for you. Due to this convenience factor, denying and not acknowledging the danger is normal. But, there are reasons why the sale of these appliances was banned early on in countries like the Soviet Union.
One of the worst outcomes of microwaved food is not so much the radiation factor, as most people feared, but the almost complete (97%) nutrient loss in healthy fresh food like vegetables, for instance, when micro-cooked. There is also the formation of new radiolytic compounds. This chemical structure change in foods and liquids has been the focus of a few studies done to determine what kinds of changes occur in microwaved foods. Rest assured, however, that although the studies have been few, the changes discovered have been significant.
Hans Hartel, a swiss food scientist, is a man of intense passion, he determined that there is no need to violate the laws of nature by corporate man and his state-supported monopolies in science, technology, or education. Hans was one of the first scientists to form an idea to conduct a quality study on the effects of microwaved nutrients had on the blood and physiology of human beings. This small but well-controlled study pointed a very firm finger at a highly degenerative force in microwave ovens and the food produced in them.
Blood samples of the volunteer test subjects were taken before the ingestion of the foods offered. Then, at predetermined intervals after the eating of raw milk and raw vegetables, or the same food conventionally cooked, or microwaved.
What was eye-opening, and rather shocking, was that there were significant changes discovered in the blood samples of the test subjects who had ate the foods cooked in a microwave oven. These changes included a decrease in all hemoglobin and cholesterol values, especially between the HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol) values and ratio.
White blood cells also showed a more distinct short-term decrease after eating microwaved food than opposed to eating food conventionally cooked or raw. Hartel's conclusion was this, due to extensive scientific literature describing the different hazardous effects that microwave radiation has on living systems, it is astonishing what little effort has been made to replace this technology with something more nature friendly.
From the conclusions of Swiss, Russian, and German scientific studies, here are 10 good reasons to ditch your microwave oven for good.
1)Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term -permanent- brain damage by 'shorting out'electrical impulses in the brain depolarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue].
2)The human body cannot metabolize break down] the unknown by-products created in microwaved food.
3)Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.
4)The effects of microwaved food by-products are residual long term, permanent] within the human body.
5)Minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients of all microwaved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.
6)The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in microwave ovens.
7)Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths tumors]. This may explain the rapidly increasing rate of colon cancer in America.
8)The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.
9)Continual ingestion of microwaved foods causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.
10)Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.
Now, I do not know about the rest of you but, once information like this enters my head it is hard to just toss it out. I roll it around for a little while, then, I make a conscious choice. My nineteen year old has been trying to get me, for quite a while, to get rid of our microwave and replace it with a toaster oven.
After doing some intelligent researching on line and reading of this subject, you too have the same option I did in making a healthy choice for your health, and your family's health. Remember one point, our society pretty much runs on money (the bottom line). The corporations who manufacture microwaves make a lot from the sale of them. There is no money for me, or any of the scientists who know that eating food processed in one of these things is dangerou
You do, however, have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping others to live more healthy, you are saving lives, and you are spreading future happiness by encouraging anyone to, including yourself, stop eating microwaved food.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Friday November 16, 2001

Options Trading Lessons: Vertical Spreads

There are two main types of vertical spreads. There is the vertical call spread and the vertical put spread. Each spread allows you to do two things. First, you can buy it, making you long the vertical spread. Second, you can sell it making you short the vertical spread. Both can be employed to take advantage of directional stock plays. When we use the term 'directional stock play,' we refer to using vertical spreads to capitalize on anticipated stock movements either up or down.
A bull spread is used when the investor feels that a stock is most likely to go up. As we recall, 'bullish' means to have a positive outlook on a stock's future movement. There are two ways to set up a bull spread. The first is with the use of calls. In this case, a bullish investor would buy a vertical call spread (bull call spread). This is accomplished by buying a call with a lower strike price and selling a call with a higher strike price.
The second way to construct a bull spread is with the use of puts. A bullish investor could sell a vertical put spread (bull put spread) hoping to profit from an increase in the stock's value. The investor would sell a put with a higher strike price and buy a put with a lower strike price. Let's take a look at how the P&L chart of a Bull Spread looks below.
To recap, if you feel a stock will be increasing in value, you may put on a bull spread by either buying a vertical call spread (bull call spread) or selling a vertical put spread (bull put spread)
A bear spread, however, is used when, you the investor, feels a stock is likely to trade down. Remember, 'bearish' means that one's outlook on the future movement of the stock is negative. To take advantage of this expected downward movement, the investor would put on a bear spread. This can be done in either of two way
First, the investor can do it using puts. The purchase of a vertical put spread (bear put spread) can be accomplished by purchasing a put with a higher priced strike and selling a put with a lower priced strike.
The second way an investor can construct a bear spread is by using calls, specifically, by selling a vertical call spread (bear call spread). You do this by selling a call with a lower strike price and purchasing a call with a higher strike price.
So if you think that a stock is likely to decrease in value, you sell a vertical call spread (bear call spread) or purchase a vertical put spread (bear put spread). Let's take a look at the P&L diagram for a Bear Spread below.
Finally, there are two fundamentals that are universal to all vertical spreads. These fundamentals are critical to understanding the foundation of the vertical spread strategy (1) you can determine a vertical spread's maximum value by taking note of the difference between the two strikes and (2) vertical spreads have intrinsic value.

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Thursday November 15, 2001

Making Jewelry Is A Crafter's Passion

Learning jewelry making techniques will help craftsmen to create many stylish jewelry designs. Some jewelry craftsmen will have to handle the tools of the trade before they can begin crafting jewelry for their friends and family to wear. The process for making jewelry will sometimes require the use of various materials and tools or the use of patterns so crafters have a lot of things to learn.
Some jewels used in jewelry pieces might require the craftsman to refine them before they are incorporated into a jewelry design. A jewelry craftsman might have to read about these stones to be able to work with them at times. Using stones like diamonds might require learning how to secure them properly and knowing the strength of the various precious metals will make each piece lovelier than the last.
Some jewelry making techniques will incorporate the use of beaded materials like pearls or colored beads. Fastening these findings onto great lengths of chain, braided rope or affixing them to finished jewelry designs will require many hours of practice. Jewelry craftsmen will find tools such as crimping pliers to be very useful in creating necklaces that will be secure on the neck.
Jewelry making classes are a great way to learn the basics and develop the skills for making high-end jewelry items. There is no set rule to follow for creating designer jewelry items because each piece is unique. Learning to use tools such as wire cutters and crimpers is essential but learning to attach clasps and gems is equally fundamental.
Jewelry making requires the implementation of several mediums at one time. The wiring used in making jewelry designs could be fashioned from rope, metal, or plastic wiring. Melting metals to create gold filigree leaf, or pouring precious metals into molds is standard practices that take time to learn to create any sturdy ring base. Painting shapes on jewelry and accenting various ridges with color will add depth.
Most jewelry making courses will provide a brief introduction to gemology. Learning the hardness ratings of precious gems such as diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires will help the crafter develop a passion for creating jewelry pieces that have character and style unique to the stone. Stones such as opals are fragile and care should be taken when mounting these stones in jewelry.
Fine jewelry making tips might consider the cut of the diamonds used in many jewelry pieces. The cut of the diamond will determine how well it will reflect a fiery brilliance and which body ornaments would benefit from each stone. Small cultured pearls are suitable for young children, but stringing larger pearls on double thread is right for adults.

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Wednesday November 14, 2001

Options Seller Risk/Reward

The seller of a time spread buys the nearer month option and sells the outer-month option in a one to one ratio.
In order to profit from the sale of the time spread, the seller is looking basically for two thing
First is a decrease in implied volatility. As volatility decreases, the out-month option (which the seller is short) loses money faster than the near month option (which the seller is long) because of the higher vega in the out month option. This will cause the spread to contract or lose value. That will be profitable for the time spread seller.
Second, the stock can move. As stated before, a time spread is at its widest, most expensive point when it is at-the-money. A movement away from the strike in either direction decreases the value of the spread. So, as long as the stock moves in either direction away from the strike, the seller's position could be profitable provided that time decay does not outperform the stock movement.
Time, unfortunately, never works in favor of the time-spread seller. The passage of time hurts the seller because the nearer month option (which the seller is long) naturally decays at a faster rate than does the out-month option (which the seller is short). These differing decay rates cause the spread to expand and increase in value. That obviously produces a loss for the time spread seller. Time can neither be stopped nor turned back. It only moves forward which always hurts the time spread seller.
Increases in implied volatility are also detrimental to the potential profits of the time- spread seller. When implied volatility increases, the out month option (which the seller is short) increases in value faster than the near month option (which the seller is long) due to the out month option's higher vega. This creates an expansion in the spread and increases its value resulting in a negative for the spread seller.
The seller, in theory, has an unlimited loss potential. For the seller, the maximum loss potential is not so much determined by the stock price movement but by the movement in implied volatility. As the seller, you will be long the front month call and short the out- month call. As we know, the out month call will be more sensitive to movements in implied volatility due to a higher vega or volatility sensitivity component. If implied volatility increases then the seller's short, out month option will increase more in value than will the seller's long, front month option. This will cause the spread to widen or increase in value that is negative for the seller.
The second risk is that the option the seller is long is going to expire approximately 30 days prior to the option the seller is short. If volatility does not decrease or the stock does not move away from the strike significantly before the seller's long option expires, he/she will be left short a naked or un-hedged option and a loss on the position. If the seller can wait out the position, the lost extrinsic value of the short option can be recaptured. As we know, this option too has a limited life and must shed its extrinsic value, no matter how much, by its expiration. The problem facing the seller is that the position is no longer hedged and the seller now faces unlimited risk.
Once the long option expires and the seller is left short a now naked call, stock price movement in the wrong direction is a substantial risk and under the circumstances described above, a big problem. While the seller can wait out an implied volatility movement that created an increase in extrinsic value, they probably will not be able to wait out a large, negative stock movement creating an increase in intrinsic value. In that case the seller must take action to prevent substantial losses once the front month expires. Attention to the implied volatility in the farther out option when the nearer month option expires can save the seller from a large loss.

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Tuesday November 13, 2001

Financial Services Make Online Trading Worth The Risk

With the help of an investment counselor and other people that specialize in a wide variety of financial services, an investor can make sound business decisions that include the risk that an investment might not ever show a profit. The financial goals that the investor sets will have a lot to do with how much risk the investor is willing to take in their investment strategie
Some financial investors are willing to add a start-up company to their investment portfolio. The investor is willing to risk the start-up capital in this business venture because they think the company has a good business plan and a unique product. Getting in on the ground floor of a start-up company and staying involved financially until the company goes public is a risk that will pay off handsomely one day.
Some real estate investors are willing to take risks simply because interest rates are low and the housing market is active. These investors will find foreclosure homes that are low-priced and are willing to take a risk on being able to repair them to a level where they can be sold at a considerable profit. The real estate investor is betting that the housing market will not go into a slump and that the house will sell quickly to give them a high return on their investment in a short period of time.
Some investors take the financial risk associated with many investments because they have determined that they can risk losing that money. The objectives that they made for the long-term have been reached and now they are looking for other investments to make their money grow more. An investment professional can help them find other business ventures to invest in and identify which business ventures that the investor should avoid at all cost.
A conscientious investor will review all of their assets periodically to determine the level of risk that they have in their investment portfolio. Some investments will maximize the earning potential on a definite time plan and at the end of the time period the investor will realize a projected return on the money they invested. The investor might have many certificates of deposit and bonds in the portfolio that will mature.
These are considered low-risk investment opportunities that the investor can afford to make and still invest in other business ventures to get a higher rate of return on the money that they have. Some investors choose to invest their monies and transfer losses across the board to every investment in their portfolio. The risk seems to be less when it is spread out among many investments.

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Monday November 12, 2001

Introducing The Amazing Stock Repair Strategy

Introducing the Amazing Stock Repair Strategy. This strategy involves buying one at-the-money call option while simultaneously selling two out-of-the-money call options on the same stock, in the same month.
The construction of this trade is critical. First, you must make sure to purchase exactly the equivalent amount of at-the-money call options as shares of stock you own. Remember, each option contract is worth 100 shares. So if you own 500 shares, then you would purchase 5 at-the-money calls. If you owned 3000 shares then you would purchase 30 at-the-money call
Now that you have purchased the correct and exact amount of at-the-money calls, you then must sell exactly twice the amount of out-of-the-money calls. Again, it is imperative that you sell exactly two times the amount of out-of-the-money calls as the amount of at-the-money calls you own.
Looking at the case in which you owned 500 shares and bought 5 at-the-money calls, you would then have to sell 10 out-of-the-money calls to properly construct the Stock Repair Strategy. Likewise, in the case where you owned 3000 shares and bought 30 at-the-money calls, you would then have to sell 60 out-of-the-money calls for proper Stock Repair Strategy construction.
Here's why. The 500 shares of stock you have, along with the 5 call options you just bought, will result in an even spread trade. The reason this is important is because without owning the equivalent of 10 calls (or 1000 shares of the underlying stock), then the 10 out of the money calls you sell would be considered 'naked' and may require an additional margin requirement.
Selling naked calls is considered risky. However, by owning 1000 shares of stock (or 10 call options) at a lower price, your risk is limited because your sold calls are considered 'covered.'
The chart below shows some examples of the correct Stock Repair Strategy ratio
The total dollar value of the options' trade should be neutral or very close to neutral. In this way, you can establish the position without putting out any more money or at least very little.
In some cases, you can even put on this trade for a credit, whereby you can sell the out of the money calls for more than you paid for the at the money calls. This scenario is ideal, because then you also profit from this part of the trade - also known as a credit spread. (Remember, you will be selling the out of the money calls in a 21 ratio to the at the money calls you purchase.)
The out of the money calls will invariably be cheaper than the calls you buy, but the 21 ratio makes up for the difference in pricing. The easiest way to explain this is by example. Again, we will go back to our XYZ example. You have purchased 500 shares of XYZ for $40.00. The stock then trades down to $30.00 leaving you with a $5,000 los
At this point, at $30.00, you would construct the Stock Repair Strategy. (Option prices are for example purposes only.) You would buy 5 February 30 calls for $1.50 and sell 10 February 35 calls for $.75 each. This strategy is known as a 1 by 2 spread.
Now that the position is in place, you are long 500 shares of XYZ, long 5 February 30 calls and short 10 February 35 calls. Just to clarify, if you were long 1000 shares of stock, then you would also be long 10 February 30 calls, and short 20 February 35 calls. Remember, the ratio of stock, to purchased calls, to sold calls is 112.

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Sunday November 11, 2001

Options Trading Mastery: Factors that Affect Straddle Prices

Since the Straddle's profit potential depends on its price from purchase time to expiration, the investor should be aware of the factors that affect the Straddles price. Several factors affect a Straddle's price. The first is, of course, stock price. The stock's price dictates the value of both components of the Straddle - the call and the put - affecting the Straddle price as a whole. As the stock price moves, the prices of the call and the put will fluctuate via the current Deltas of the options and thereby affect the price of the Straddle.
As the stock moves higher, the price of the call will increase while the price of the put decreases. They do not move linearly, meaning that as the stock continues higher, the call's value increases progressively more while the put's value decreases progressively less. This non-linear effect is because of the option's changing Delta.
The call Delta increases as the stock goes up while the put Delta decreases. This opposing effect continues until the call gains value dollar for dollar with the stock (once its Delta reaches 100) indefinitely. At the same time, the put value-loss stops because the put now has no value (as put Delta approaches 0).
The opposite is true if the stock trades down. The call will lose value progressively slower until it reaches $0. Meanwhile, the put will gain value at an increasing rate until the Delta becomes 100. Then the put will gain dollar for dollar with the stock indefinitely. The chart below illustrates the effect of stock movement on the dollar value and Delta value of the Straddle.
Again, we will use the July 65 Straddle as an example. The Straddle will be worth $4.10 ($2.10 for the call, $2.00 for the put).
Stock/ Call/ Call Delta/ Put/ Put Delta/ Straddle
57.50 .42 15 7.81 -86 8.23
59.50 .78 24 6.16 -77 6.94
61.50 1.35 34 4.17 -67 6.06
63.50 2.11 45 3.46 -56 5.57
65.50 3.13 56 2.47 -44 5.60
67.50 4.35 66 1.69 -34 6.04
69.50 5.77 75 1.11 -25 6.88
71.50 7.37 83 .71 -17 8.08
73.00 9.09 83 .43 .12 9.52
A second factor that affects the pricing of a Straddle is implied volatility. As implied volatility increases, the value of the Straddle increases. The price of both calls and puts increase as implied volatility increases. A Straddle will feel a double effect when volatility increases because the strategy employs two options working together and not against each other.
When a strategy uses two options working against each other, the effect of implied volatility on the strategy is the difference of its effect on each option. This is different from a Straddle where the two options are working together. This combines the effect of implied volatility on each option.
Implied volatility movement affects an individual option to an exact dollar amount as indicated by the option's volatility sensitivity component or Vega. An option with a $.05 Vega will increase five cents in value for every tick that implied volatility increases. It will decrease in value five cents for every tick that implied volatility decrease
A call and its corresponding put will have the same Vega. That is, if the July 65 call has a .10 Vega, then the July 65 put will also have a .10 Vega. Remember, Vega is calculated by the strike price and does not differentiate put or call. Now that we have confirmed this concept, we can use it to calculate how much our Straddle price will change with a movement in implied volatility.
The Straddle combines a call and its corresponding put doubling the Vega effect. This means that the Vega of a Straddle is the addition of the Vega of the call and the Vega of the put. Since the put and call Vega are the same, we simply times the Vega of the strike by two.
Look back at our example. If the July 65 call has a .10 Vega, then the July 65 put must also have a .10 Vega and thus the July 65 Straddle will have a .20 Vega. This means that for every tick that implied volatility increases, the July 65 Straddle will increase $.20 in value. Conversely, for every tick that volatility decreases, the July 65 Straddle will decrease in value. The chart below shows how the Straddle-value changes at different implied volatility level
Price/ Vol.Level Call Put Straddle Vega
65.50 30 3.13 2.47 5.60 .174
65.50 40 4.05 3.39 7.44 .180
65.50 50 4.96 4.31 9.27 .182
65.50 60 5.88 5.23 11.11 .184
65.50 70 6.80 6.15 12.95 .184
When you study the chart, you can see that as implied volatility increases or decreases, the value of the Straddle increases or decreases by the amount of the Straddle's Vega multiplied by the amount of tick change in implied volatility.
Finally, time is another major factor affecting the price of a Straddle. Time takes a toll on all options. Its effect is even more pronounced on the Straddle which that combines two options for the same period. A Straddle will see twice the rate of decay that a single option will. From previous discussions, we should be familiar with the option decay chart and its non-linear curve. As time goes by, the Straddle will decay, day after day, at an ever-increasing rate until expiration Friday at 400 p.m.
The implication to the buyer and seller is obvious. The passage of time decreases the value of the Straddle and thus always favors the seller. Time works against the buyer. The buyer has until expiration to get either a large stock or implied volatility movement to offset the price paid for the Straddle.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Saturday November 10, 2001

Options Trading Mastery: Effects of Volatility on the Time Spread

When purchasing a time spread, the investor should pay attention to not only the movement of the stock price, but also the movement of volatility. It plays a very large roll in the price of a time spread, which is an excellent way to take advantage of anticipated volatility movements in a hedged fashion.
Option Volatility
Since the time spread is composed of two options, the investor should understand the role of volatility in options as well as in time spreads. Let us start with option volatility.
We measure an option's volatility component by a term called Vega. Vega, one of the components of the pricing model, measures how much an option's price will change with a one-point (or tick) change in implied volatility. Based on present data, the pricing model assigns the Vega for each option at different strikes, different months and different prices of the stock.
Vega is always given in dollars per one tick volatility change. If an option is worth $1.00 at a 35 implied volatility and it has a .05 Vega, then the option will be worth $1.05 if implied volatility were to increase to 36 (up one tick) and $.95 if the implied volatility were to decrease to 34 (down one tick).
Keep these facts in mind as we continue to discuss Vega
1. Vega measures how much an option price will change as volatility changes.
2. Vega increases as you look at future months and decreases as you approach expiration.
3. Vega is highest in the at-the-money options.
4. Vega is a strike-based number. It applies whether the strike is a call or a put.
5. Vega increases as volatility increases and decreases as volatility decrease
It is important to note that an option's volatility sensitivity increases with more time to expiration. Further out-month options have higher Vegas than the Vegas of the near term options. The further out you go over time, the higher the Vegas become. Although increasing, they do not progress in a linear manner. When you check the same strike price out over future months you will notice that Vega values increase as you move out over future month
The at-the-money strike in any month will have the highest Vega. As you move away from the at-the-money strike in either direction, the Vega values decrease and continue to decrease the further away you get from the at-the-money strike. Remember, Vega (an option's volatility component value) is highest in at-the-money, out-month options. Vega decreases the closer you get to expiration and the further away you move from the at-the-money strike.
The chart below shows Vega values for QCOM options. Observe the important elements. The stock price is constant at 68.5. Volatility is constant at 40. Time progresses from June to January. Finally, the strike price changes from 50 through 80. Notice the increasing pattern as you go out over time and how the value decreases as you move away from the at-the-money strike.
Chart 3- Vega
Stock Price 68.5 Vol. 40
Strike June July October January
50 0 .008 .064 .114
55 .004 .030 .102 .153
60 .023 .063 .135 .184
65 .053 .090 .157 .205
70 .056 .094 .165 .215
75 .032 .077 .154 .213
80 .011 .052 .142 .203
Another important fact about Vega is that it is a strike-based number. This means that the Vega number does not differentiate between put and call. Vega tells the volatility sensitivity of the strike regardless of whether you are looking at puts or calls. Therefore, the Vega number of a call and its corresponding put are identical.
The chart below shows the Vega values for calls and the corresponding puts. As you can see, these values match up in every instance.
Chart 6
Strike Price-Call Vega-Put Vega
June
60 .023 .023
65 .053 .053
70 .056 .056
July
60 .063 .063
65 .090 .090
70 .094 .094
October
60 .135 .135
65 .157 .157
70 .165 .165
January
60 .184 .184
65 .205 .205
70 .215 .215
Vega can also calculate how much a specific option's price will change with a movement in implied volatility. You simply count how many volatility ticks implied volatility has moved. Multiply that number times the Vega and either add it (if volatility increased) to the option's present value or subtract it (if volatility decreased) from the option's present value to obtain the option's new value under the new volatility assumption. The calculation works on individual options and can analyze the value of the time spread.
Apply Vega to Time Spreads
Now, let us apply the concepts of Vega to the Time Spread. When you apply the Vega concept to time spreads, you observe that as implied volatility increases, the value of the time spread increases. This is because the out-month option, with the higher Vega will increase more than the closer month option with the lower Vega. That widens or increases the spread.
The chart below shows a time spread and its reaction to increasing volatility. Each time that implied volatility increases, the value of the time spreads increase. This increase would naturally favor the buyer.
Chart 4
Stock Price $ Vol. June / July 65 Oct / July 65
65.5 30 1.09 2.09
65.5 40 1.43 2.75
65.5 50 1.77 3.41
65.5 60 2.11 4.05
65.5 70 2.49 4.60
If an investor bought the time spread at low volatility and within a few weeks volatility had increased and pushed the spread price higher, the investor could sell the spread at a profit even before expiration.
Of course, the Vega can also demonstrate the opposing effect. As implied volatility decreases, the spread tightens or decreases in value. As volatility comes down, the out-month option with its higher Vega will lose value more quickly than will the nearer month option with its lower Vega. In the chart below, you will see how decreasing volatility affects the time spread's value.
Chart 5
Stock Price $ Vol. June / July 65 Oct / July 65
65.5 70 2.49 4.60
65.5 60 2.11 4.05
65.5 50 1.77 3.41
65.5 40 1.43 2.75
65.5 30 1.09 2.09
Glance back to Charts 4 and 5. Take note that the stock price is constant. The changes in the price of the spreads are due to the change in volatility.
We discussed how to use Vega to calculate an option's price when volatility changes. The same calculation method works for time spreads but the calculation is slightly more difficult.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Friday November 09, 2001

Pearl Jewelry Offers Neutral Fashion Options

Pearl jewelry is typically suitable for wear with any outfit because of the neutral coloring found in pearls. There are freshwater and saltwater pearl varieties and there are several factors that will affect the shape of these natural gems. Pearls will become fashion jewelry accessories when strung together or fashion accents when sewn into garment
The pearl jewelry colors can range from black to silver and these color differences occur from the pearl making process. Black mollusk shells render black mother of pearl coatings which over time will form around grit that enters the mollusk shell and form a black pearl. The natural pearl is highly sought after and make excellent gems for jewelry.
Pearl jewelry is easily damaged due to the natural layering that occurs when these gems are made. When stringing pearls, it is important to create a rigid barrier between each pearl to keep them from scratching the other one that is on a string. People use pearl knots for making these exquisitely styled necklaces and bracelets because the triple knots serve as spacers between these fabulous natural gem
The pearl jewelry designs can be fashioned to implement various shapes of pearl because they are so ornamental and unique. The most popular shapes in pearls are pear shaped, round and elongated. There are irregular shaped, low grade pearls in many colors that are often used as accents on purses, fashion wear or as additional ornaments on earring
Some pearl jewelry materials are created in labs rather than in oceans in streams. The cultured pearl varieties will vary in thickness and can be engineered to meet a specific size and shape. This process allows a jewelry designer a lot of versatility in creating dramatic necklaces and bracelets with enlarged pearls incorporated in the jewelry design.
Pearl jewelry is perfect at any time of the year because these pieces possess a beauty that is elegant and timeless. The beauty of the pearl might be assessed to the geographic location where they are formed or the length of time that they are given to mature in the ocean or a laboratory environment.
The exact shape of a pearl is never final until it is removed from the oyster and for the most part, it can not be determined ahead of time. This makes wearing pearl jewelry more enjoyable for everyone. The quantity of pearls that can be produced at any one time can be coaxed quite a bit in a laboratory environment because lab technicians only have to increase the amount of grit that is put into the oyster that starts the pearl making process.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Thursday November 08, 2001

Transformers Is A Movie That Will Become A Classic

When it was announced in 2005 that Michael Bay, the director of such hits as Pearl Harbor and Armageddon, would bring the classic 1980's cartoon Transformers to the big screen, fan boys and fan girls met the news with a rather mixed reaction. With rumors circling around the movie fans were both ready to jeer and cheer.
For those unaware of the animated series, here is a brief description. On the planet Cybertron, there is a war for the source of life (the Allspark) of its robotic inhabitants. These robots, consisting of both the righteous and kind Autobots, and the malicious and cruel Decepticons, fight to either preserve peace or to conquer the universe.
They're war spans the universe until they finally land on our planet and take the forms of cars (Autobots) or airplanes (Decepticons). As the war progresses, the Autobots are befriended by the human Sam Spike Witwicky as they try to find the Allspark. The Autobots are led by the wise Optimus Prime while the Decepticons are led by the villainous Megatron.
Now, the plot of the film, like any book, comic book, or TV adaptation, has it's own fair share of deviances from the source material, but this is one of those rare instances where that would be considered a good thing.
In this version, Sam Witwicky's encounters with the Autobots and Decepticons are not by mere chance. He is being sought by both sides because he has a pair of glasses that belong to his ancestor, an explorer, that also reveal the location of the Allspark. Siding with the Autobots and the United States Military, Sam sets out to find the Allspark before the Decepticons get it and claim victory.
This film boasts a cast of fresh faces with Shia LaBeouf as Sam, Megan Fox, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, John Voigt, and featuring Hugo Weaving as Megatron, and original voice actor Peter Cullen reprising his role as Optimus Prime. The acting is fluently delivered and fairly realistic given the story.
One problem the movie does have is that it is a difficult concept to make an audience believe in, but if one can simply get over the fact that it isn't exactly Shakespeare, then it should be a surprisingly good time. It should also be pointed out that the special effects in this film are absolutely breath-taking. So, if you'd like a movie that has amazing visuals, good acting, and a story deeper than most action movies, then Transformers is definitely for you.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Wednesday November 07, 2001

Negative Emotions: The Effect They Have On Back Pain

Did you know that your positive or negative emotions can have a profound impact on your physical health? A new study has found that psychological interventions are extremely effective at reducing or eliminating back pain, arthritis, depression, and many other health-related problem
Conventional treatment-related costs for back pain in the United States ranges from $20 billion to $80 billion dollars a year. In comparison, psychological interventions were found to be far superior to standard treatments not only for back pain but for an entire range of other pain-related health issues. But, it gets even better! Psychological techniques like a relaxing massage, hypnosis, biofeedback, or meditating regularly had the most effect on reducing all types of pain in its intensity.
Advances in neuroimaging have led researchers to the discovery that the brain processes pain in a network of brain areas such as the cingulate cortex, amygdala and thalmus, all of which are heavily involved in your emotional state. This pain network is known as the 'pain matrix'. The 'pain matrix' consists of two parallel systems the medical pain system, which processes the emotional aspects of pain, and the lateral system, which processes the physical sensation
This study also suggests that these pain activated areas of the brain also control attention. This may be the result of patients concentrating on how to cope and deal with the pain.
Eating and drinking more healthfully to reduce pain is another trusted avenue for reducing back pain. Giving discs, nerves, and tendons the right balance of nature's whole nutrients and the proper lubricants they need to perform at their optimal best is also a must. The most important lubricant of all is water. Discs need an abundant amount daily to stay well hydrated and float in the vertebral column to avoid a ruptured or slipped disc.
Specifically targeted back muscle strengthening exercises done regularly will address muscle weaknesses and strengthen tendons. Often times, just a few simple and easy back exercises done daily over the course of a few months is enough to put you on the fast track to eliminating or reducing your pain.
Learn to stop, feel, and listen to your emotional state and what it is trying to tell you regarding any physical illness or pain. It plays a huge role in nearly every physical condition you may have.
Your mind has an enormous influence over you and what you perceive to be true. Give it the credit it deserves and dispel any myths about your abundant health being a reality for you.
When you are in pain viewing it negatively, because that is where your attention is being focused, and with a sense of hopelessness causes you to manifest more pain, misery, and grief into all areas of your life. I'm sure that is not what most of you want in your life, now is it?
But, when we begin to focus on something different, like what we would like to feel like and experience, we set in motion the changing of our reality. When we begin to envision a healthier life without feeling depressed, pain, or regaining our ideal body weight, we are then focusing our attention on a different outcome.
In taking the motivated and necessary steps to implement the healthier lifestyle choices mentioned in this article, your body really does not have any other choice but to respond, as that is where you are then focusing your attention.
Feeling great is not a accident when your focus your intention and attention in the right direction. Take a courageous leap of faith and stamp out your fear and end back pain forever!

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Tuesday November 06, 2001

Bee Movie Causing A Buzz With All Original Story Line

In the almost never ending barrage of computer animated films, most of them consist of vaguely recycled plots that are well and good for kiddy cannon fodder.
Not only are their plots recycled, but nowadays the big trend seems to be using penguins. However, DreamWorks Bee Movie is a highly entertaining and original film that both kids and adults can appreciate. With such voice talents as Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zelwegger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Patrick Warburton, and even Chris Rock.
Any person who has ever felt that their job was menial, repetitive and soul sucking should relate to main character Barry Bee Benson (Jerry Seinfeld). Barry has just graduated from Bee College and becomes rather disillusioned at the prospect of devoting the rest of his life to the business of making honey.
When he dares to venture to the outside of the hive to see the world before he decides on his life's career, he gets caught in the rain, which renders him incapable of flight.
Seeking refuge inside of an apartment where he is nearly killed, he is saved by a human (Renee Zelwegger) and begins to talk to her. After a few of what one could consider to be dates with the human, Barry discovers that the honey his people work so hard to make is being stolen by bee farms and sold. Being highly offended and outraged by this theft, Barry breaks the silence of the bee race and decides to sue the honey companies.
This movie is very funny on a level that both kids and parents will enjoy. Unlike most animated films that only get big name actors for hype, Bee Movie has actors who do a legitimately good job of their voice acting. Seinfeld's voice is channeled effortlessly into his character.
John Goodman does a fine job as a stereotypically southern lawyer who is quick to point out human superiority. However, Patrick Warburton definitely stole the show with his deep and laughingly manly voice.
While you probably won't find it to be Shakespearian, Bee Movie has a message that almost anyone can identify with. In fact, the only real problems I had with the movie were the many scenes requiring serious suspension of disbelief (even for an animated film), and the false scientific information scattered throughout the entire film.
So, if you're looking for a family night out, or just a light-hearted excursion from daily hassles, then Bee Movie is just what you have been looking for.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Monday November 05, 2001

A Speed Freak For Energy Drinks? Damage May Come From Being Over The Limit

Other than an altered form of water, most of the products marketed as energy drinks contain high doses of sugar and caffeine as their two main ingredients. Some energy drinks may also contain herbal forms of caffeine including extracts of guarana seeds, kola nuts, and yerba mate leave
What supposedly makes these drinks healthier than a regular soda is that you also get some vitamins, amino acids, and herbal supplements. The average energy drink has very little of these added ingredients to be of any real health value. However, a few particular brands do add mega doses of B vitamins (which have not been proven to give you more energy, by the way), so read labels. If you eat a wide variety of foods you should not need an energy drink for a pick me up.
Why do most young people drink these drinks? They are, quite simply, looking for the buzz or short term energy they give the user. Caffeine is a drug, but unlike tobacco or alcohol which are legal and regulated, caffeine is legal and totally unregulated in the multi-billion dollar beverage industry.
Most health conscious people understand that large amounts of sugar and caffeine are not healthy for your body, and drinking a lot of them will definitely keep you hyper (depending on your reaction to sugar and caffeine), help you put on extra weight, and keep you dehydrated.
Most people do not understand the body's reaction to another ingredient in most of these drinks of a carbonated base. Phosphoric acid is a synthetically, and inexpensively, produced acid that is widely used in soda-like drinks, and yes, even heavily promoted healthy energy drinks. You can even find phosphoric acid in some cheeses, beer, wine, jams and jellies, and in especially large amounts in sodas. Phosphoric acid is added as a tangy flavor enhancer. In nature, this type of tangy flavor can be found in ginger or lemon
Many people would also be shocked to learn that it has an acidity that approaches the level of battery acid. Drinking acidic carbonated beverages is not only bad for your teeth, it also dissolves away your whole skeletal system. Americans drink more than 50 gallons per capita of carbonated soft drinks each year, and Americans have the highest per capita CSD consumption in the world.
Phosphoric acid is used in fertilizers, detergents, and it is used to clean rust off of metal in industrial strength cleaners. The human body's reaction to high levels of this stuff is to pull stored minerals out of your bones to keep your blood at a normal pH, more alkaline balance. If it were not for this automatic response, drinking this stuff would actually kill you.
Many people that have pre-existing health problems such as excess weight issues, high blood pressure, or mental conditions will have individual responses to high doses of caffeine, sugar, and acid intakes. Energy drinks stimulating properties, along with the little added benefits of vitamins and herbal substances, have unknown reactions to prescription medications a person may be taking, and can not be assumed to be safe.
Energy drinks, if consumed in mass quantities along with other caffeine intakes of coffees, teas, sodas, or caffeine pills, can boost the heart rate and raise blood pressure (sometimes to the point of palpitations), dehydrate the body, and caffeine like other stimulants, prevents sleep.
People of all ages, in the United States, are chronically sleep deprived. We push the limits on being workaholics. We push our children to out perform academically, athletically, and socially. We seem to be highly influenced and driven to be financially and socially successful to feel accepted, and we pass these desires onto our offspring as well.
But, when we push the limits on our self-medicating, poison control centers are seeing increased numbers of emergency room visits, especially from youngsters. Teenagers are suffering from rapid heartbeat, nausea, and respiratory distress caused by caffeine overdose
The energy drink market targets the 18 to 30 year old age group. But sadly, children much younger than this are buying into this ad marketing gimmick. This does not happen by chance, intense marketing efforts aimed at young adults also lure in children to help soft drink companies gross over 3.5 billion in sales in 2005 on energy drinks alone, in the United States.
The effects of high doses of caffeine and sugar on young children have not been extensively studied. No one knows how safe or unsafe these substances are for growing young bodies. And, while adults may be less likely to abuse these drinks, our modern day culture has a nonchalant attitude towards caffeine and sugar consumption.
This uncaring attitude may be the main underlying issue behind the increased need for prescription sleeping pills. More than a few doctors have probably wondered why people do not control their use of caffeine before seeking a hard core sleep solution such as these. According to Medco Health Solutions of Franklin Lakes, N.J., the use of such medications by adults ages 20 to 44 has increased 114 percent from 2000 to 2005.
Modern and technologically advanced cultures around the world seem to be easily led by one of the most successful beverage ad marketing campaigns to ever grace the last decade. This is truly a dream come true for beverage companies. They are promoting a supposedly unique and healthy beverage, and understand all too well why this modern day culture feels a need to get wired.
A better source of long lasting energy that will not let you down is simply this
1.Eat more healthy whole foods, covering all of the basic food groups daily.
2.Engage in moderate physical exercise every day, walking is one of the best forms of exercise.
3.Allow yourself plenty of sleep, limit caffeine consumption up to six hours before bedtime, especially if your are sensitive to it.
4.Stay well hydrated with nothing more than water. Open your mind to its simplicity, inexpensiveness, and ability to energize you.
You should not, then, have the need to buy an grossly overpriced chemical cocktail to keep you going, or pad the bank accounts of beverage companies looking for easy money.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Sunday November 04, 2001

Options Trading Mastery: Construction & Value of a Vertical Spread

Construction of a vertical spread occurs with the purchase and sale of a call (put) in the same stock and in the same month. The only difference between the two options is the strike price. For example, an investor would construct a vertical spread by purchasing the IBM June 55-call while selling the June IBM 60 call. This trade would be called the IBM June 55 - 60 call spread. Similarly, a purchase of the IBM July 45 put and sale of the IBM July 60 put would be called the IBM July 45 - 60 put spread.
The key to the constructing these vertical spreads is choosing options in the same stock and month, but different strikes and in a 1 to 1 ratio. That is, you must purchase one option for every one you sell or sell one option for every one you buy.
Value and the Vertical Spread
A vertical spread's maximum value is the difference between the two strikes. For example, the maximum value of the June 55 60-call spread mentioned previously is $5.00. 60 - 55] = $5.
Spread- Difference in Strikes - Spread Maximum Value
August 35 - 40 call 5 $5.00
April 70 - 85 put 15 $15.00
Nov. 20 - 22.5 call 2.5 $2.50
Dec. 40 - 50 put 10 $10.00
Jan 60 - 80 call 20 $20.00
Using the June 55 - 60-call spread example, we will set the date to June expiration on Friday. On that day, all the June options will expire and the options will be worth parity, as all of the extrinsic value will have eroded away.
Where does the spread get its value? From its two components - the call (put) you buy or the call (put) you sell. Look at the spread's value with a couple of different closing stock prices. If the stock closes at $55, then both the 55 strike and the 60 strike will be out of the money and worthless. The value of the spread will be zero since both options are worth $0. If the stock closes at $57.50, the June 55 calls will be worth $2.50. The June 60 calls will be out of the money and thus worthless, therefore the spread will be worth $2.50 (June 55 call $ 2.50 - June 60 call $0).
If the stock closes at $60.00, then the June 55 calls will be worth $5.00. Meanwhile, the June 60 calls will be worth $0. This means that the spread will be worth $5.00 (June 55 call $ 5.00 - June 60 call $0). This is the maximum value of the spread. Note that the maximum value is identical to the difference between the strikes.
As the stock goes higher, the June 60 call becomes in-the-money and gains intrinsic value. For every penny that the stock increases in value, the June 55 calls and June 60 calls gain value equally, keeping the $5.00 spread between the two strikes constant.
To see this, refer to the Table below.
Price- June 55 Call- June 60 Call- Spread
55 0 0 0
56 1 0 1
57 2 0 2
58 3 0 3
59 4 0 4
60 5 0 5
61 6 1 5
62 7 2 5
65 10 5 5
70 15 10 5
100 45 40 5
The difference between the strikes is the maximum value of all vertical spreads regardless of the distance between the two strikes. It does not matter whether the spread is $5.00 wide, $10.00 wide, $20.00 wide, or even $50.00 wide. Its maximum value is the difference between the two strikes. Further, the vertical spread's maximum value (the difference between the two strikes) holds true for vertical put spreads as well as vertical call spreads. Look at our other example, the July 45 - 60 put spread.
Again we set time forward to Friday, July expiration. We set the stock closing price at $60.00. At $60.00, both the July 45 puts and the July 60 puts will be out of the money and thus worthless. With the July 45 puts and July 60 puts worthless, the spread is also worthless (July 60 put $0 - July 45 put $0). If the stock finishes at $52.50, then the July 60 puts will be worth $7.50 while the July 45 puts will still be worthless. In this scenario, the July 45 - 60 put spread will be worth $7.50 (July 60 puts $7.50 - July 45 puts $0). If the stock finishes at $45.00, then the July 60 puts will be worth $15.00 while the July 45 puts will be worth $0.
At this level, the spread is worth $15.00 (July 60 puts $15.00 - July 45 puts $0). This is the maximum value of the spread. As you can see, it is identical to the $15.00 difference between the strikes.
As the stock lowers, the July 45 puts become in the money and gain intrinsic value. For every penny that the stock decreases in value, the July 60 puts and the July 45 puts will gain value equally, keeping the $15.00 spread between the two strikes constant. To see this, refer to the table below.
Price- June 60 Put- July 45 Put- Spread
65 0 0 0
62 0 0 0
60 0 0 0
57 3 0 3
55 5 0 5
50 10 0 10
47 13 0 13
45 15 0 15
42 17 2 15
40 20 5 15
As stated, the maximum value of a vertical spread is the difference between the two strikes while the minimum value of the spread is, of course, $0. This means that in this strategy, both the buyer and the seller have a limited, fixed maximum loss.
The buyer can only lose what he spent. Therefore, if the buyer spent $2.20 to purchase the August 35 - 40-call spread, the most he can lose is the $2.20 he spent.
For the seller, the maximum loss is the difference between the maximum value of the spread (difference between the strikes) and the amount of money received for the sale of the spread. For example, if you were to sell the August 35 - 40-call spread for $2.20 then your maximum loss will be $2.80. Remember, the maximum value of the spread is the difference between the 2 strikes or $5.00 (40 - 35).
The difference between the maximum value of the spread ($5.00) and the amount the seller received for the sale ($2.20) leaves a $2.80 maximum loss.
Below, the chart shows the potential amount of money, both profit and loss, that can be made or lost by both the buyer and the seller.
Closing - Aug 35-40 Call Spread - Aug 35-40 Call Closing Price - Buyer P & L - Seller P & L
30 2.20 0 -2.20 +2.20
32 2.20 0 -2.20 +2.20
34 2.20 0 -2.20 +2.20
35 2.20 0 -2.20 +2.20
36 2.20 $1.00 -1.20 +1.20
37 2.20 $2.00 - .20 + .20
38 2.20 $3.00 + .80 - .80
39 2.20 $4.00 +1.80 -1.80
40 2.20 $5.00 +2.80 -2.80
42 2.20 $5.00 +2.80 -2.80
44 2.20 $5.00 +2.80 -2.80
46 2.20 $5.00 +2.80 -2.80
48 2.20 $5.00 +2.80 -2.80
50 2.20 $5.00 +2.80 -2.80
It is important to understand and remember that vertical spreads have both a limited profit and a limited loss scenario for both the buyer and the seller.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Saturday November 03, 2001

Arthritis And Related Conditions: How To Treat Them Naturally and Successfully

As May is National Arthritis month, promoting awareness about a study recently conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on arthritis shows a rather alarming increase this disease has taken. The average person may believe this to be a condition associated with an aging population, however, even arthritis among children (juvenile arthritis) is also a relatively common occurrence.
As the first of America's baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) advance into late middle age, arthritis and other related rheumatic conditions such as fibromyalgia, gout, and scleroderma are taking up an increasing amount of health care spending. The recent study on arthritis conducted by the U.S. CDC spanned a six year time period from 1997 to 2003, and documented a 25 percent increase in the number of Americans succumbing to painful arthritis and other related rheumatic condition
Some 46 million (or 1 in 5) Americans suffer from arthritis, up from 36.8 million six years ago. The $81 billion price tag associated with treating these conditions represents about 3 percent of the gross domestic product. Baby boomers are leading the pack in this spending increase. Out of the newly 9 million people being diagnosed with arthritis and other related rheumatic conditions during this six-year study, 66 percent were between the ages of 44 to 64.
Interestingly, too, according to the researchers of this study, was that most of the increases in arthritis and other rheumatic related conditions occurred among people who also had other health worries such as diabetes, obesity, and heart conditions. This particular group seen an increase of 28 percent, up from 31.8 million to 40.8 million, compared to a 6 percent increase for those who were otherwise healthy, 5 million to 5.3 million.
Being overweight or obese are definite prime culprits for putting you at an increased risk for developing arthritis and its related conditions. A higher level of body mass index will put you at a higher risk for developing osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, and results from the wear and tear of normal movement. Osteoarthritis in the joint this year will eventually become a joint replacement years down the road. The pressure of gravity causes physical damage to the joints and surrounding tissues. Symptoms are
1.pain
2.swelling
3.tenderness
4.decreased function
Rheumatoid arthritis is a little different, it is an autoimmune problem that occurs when the body's own immune system mistakenly attacks the synovium (cell lining inside the joint). If left untreated over the course of years, a gross disfigurement of the affected joints begin to appear in fingers, toes, knees, and elbows. This is a very chronic, and potentially disabling disease that causes symptoms such as
1.joint pain
2.stiffness
3.swelling
4.loss of joint function
Arthritis is really not just a single disease. There are actually around 100 different variations of arthritis, or other related rheumatic conditions. Arthritis literally means 'joint inflammation', and the term 'itis' actually means inflammation. So, in essence, any part of your body can become inflamed and painful due to arthritis. Some rheumatic conditions can result in debilitating, even life-threatening complications, and affect other parts of the body including muscles, bones, and internal organ
In conclusion, drug treatment options did rise sharply during this six year study period (24%). But, other costs such as hospital stays dropped, so that actual per-person spending evened out to remain unchanged. Researchers concluded that the main reason for increased spending on treatment was due to the newly increased number of people developing arthriti
In comparing the rising cost of treating arthritis, how do you suppose these findings compare to the rising costs of other health care problems Americans are being diagnosed with in general?
Clearly, the only control that seems to make much sense at all is to help educate and motivate people to become healthier. There is no question that the incidence of arthritis does seem to increase with age, however, nearly three out of every five sufferers are under the age of 65. You can not control the aging process, no one can, of course. However, you can choose to make yourself healthier, that is an option that is realistically doable for anyone.
Getting enough exercise to help increase joint mobility in arthritis sufferers is one option that is consistently being preached. But, it alone will not be enough, it is very hard to freely move painful joints through exercise that are chronically dry and dehydrated. Diets need to be addressed and modified. Increased intakes of omega-3 fatty acids and other whole food nutrients will swing the odds in favor of a successful remission of symptom
F. Batmanghelidj's book "How To Deal With Back Pain and Rheumatoid Joint Pain" is an inexpensive self-help manual anyone can read to learn more about water's amazing role in relieving joint pain naturally. In this short paper back book, you will learn that joint pain is simply just a signal that your body is emitting to let you know that joints are thirsty and dehydrated.
Listen to that signal, give your joints what they need to be healthy and stay lubricated every day with nothing more than pure water!

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Friday November 02, 2001

The Power of Enzymes: For Digestion, Nutrient Absorption, and Longevity

Overeating or bolting down the wrong foods can lead to bodily reactions such as excess gas and acid, bloating, and grogginess. Do you often find yourself needing an antacid after eating certain types of food? If you know what I am referring to here, the problem is most likely due to eating a diet of highly processed or over cooked food.
This type of food is indigestible, your body simply can not eliminate it efficiently. Indigestible food is food that has had all of its naturally occurring enzymes, and other healthy nutrients removed. Lack of enzymes in food is also known as denatured food. Enzymes are what causes fruit to ripen, spoil, and rot. Ever notice how margarine does not spoil or rot? No enzymes present, indigestible, not good for you.
Enzymes are necessary catalysts for healthy chemical reactions inside the body. Enzymes are, very simply put, protein based substances that bind with other nutrients that bring about changes in the body by speeding up tasks such as digesting food, absorbing nutrients, and maintaining and repairing tissue. More than 2,000 different enzymes play an active role in digestion and many other important bodily function
Enzymes work together in perfect harmony with other necessary nutrients called co-factors such as vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and phytochemicals.
Nature's perfect complex requires all of the other team players to be present or the game does not happen. That may be the biggest reason why supplementing with synthetic vitamins and not whole food vitamins, or supplementing with various other nutrients alone does not work. No single nutrient without the others will be the single magic bullet. Nature is more complex than this. So, enzymes without co-factors will have no activity.
The average modern diet consists of too much processed, nutrient deficient, and over cooked food. Heating any whole food above 118 degrees F destroys enzymes, and other important healthy nutrients. A good rule to follow in getting more enzymes is raw before cooked, steamed veggies before boiled, poached before hard-boiled, and cook meats rare before well-done.
Some experts believe that 80 percent of our expended energy goes into digesting a typical over cooked and processed meal. Our over burdened digestive system works 24/7 trying to break down food that , for the most part, is indigestible or will only be partially digested. This could take days to eliminate a meal, or never!
Because of this continual process, only about 20 percent of body energy is left to handle other important functions like thinking, breathing, seeing, and immune system support, to name only a few. It goes like this... if you want to stay healthy, or get healthier, you must free up more of your digestive and elimination proces
No matter how many trans fats, or how much white sugar and flour, or any other indigestible substance you may ingest, your body will try to break it down by means of enzymes. Foods that are easy on your body to digest and eliminate are natural whole, raw, or lightly cooked. Your body will not have to waste energy on producing enough digestive enzyme juices to turn food into a half way usable form.
Most modern societies eat a truck load of non-foods that were never intended to produce a healthy body. We know that we did not evolve as a species over the centuries eating stuff like burgers, fries, pizza, sodas, and beer. Our digestive system simply can not break down these chemical bombshells. This stuff does not get thoroughly digested, and without enzyme activity, it will just sit in the intestines forever, putrefying.
In time, some of this leaks out of the intestines into the blood stream taxing the whole body. Body organs that were never meant to eliminate toxins try to do just that. Organs such as kidneys, lungs, and skin can become inflamed and diseased trying to eliminate toxic residue from a poor diet and an inadequate digestive process. The unfortunate consequences of over cooked whole foods, or fast food diet
Consciously choosing to eat healthier includes eating more food in its raw form as much as possible, or lightly cooked. Try eating at least one meal a day with this thought in mind, by helping support your body in a more productive digestion and elimination proces
Ideally we should be eating 80 percent of our food this way, but unfortunately that is most likely not going to happen for most of us. What can you do to further support this important process in your body, and get rid of possibly large amounts of built up sludge in your intestinal tract?
By supplementing with a good digestive enzyme supplement product found at any local health food store, you will be making a wise decision to improve your overall health.
Each and everyone of us can benefit from this special knowledge, from the elderly to small children. We have to put back what is not in our food. This is far cheaper to do than run to your local M.D., who never studied much about enzymes in medical school, than to treat diseases by masking symptoms with drug
Look for a complete enzyme supplement that breaks down the four main components of a human diet
1.fats / Lipase
2.protein / Protase
3.carbohydrates / Amylase
4.cellulose or fiber / Cellulase
Remember to look for the suffix 'ase' tacked on to the name that designates it as an enzyme that breaks down that specific component.
Enzyme supplements are a simple solution to a whole variety of health challenges. If you have had a doctor tell you that your diet is harming you physically, and sacrificing your longevity, should it not make sense then, that the right food and drink would be able be to restore your physical condition, if only you knew how? Do not count on most doctors to know how, as they have been trained to use drugs, surgeries, and other intrusive measure
What solvent is nature's perfect element to wash down and carry nutrients to absorb them, plus carry away any toxic build up inside you? Why nothing more than water of course!

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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Thursday November 01, 2001

Travel Tips On Safety For Young People On Vacation

It is common to find many young people on a vacation to be drinking and partying. But it is of utmost importance that young people practice safety when traveling especially when in a foreign country. This does not simply deal with the issue of irresponsible drinking alone but you have to be extra careful and be aware of your surroundings for your own safety and for a smooth vacation trip while having some fun, rest and relaxation.
It is important that you know your limits when it comes to alcohol drinking. The problem regarding hang-over is just a minor one. You should be more concerned with other potential effects of excessive alcohol drinking like alcohol poisoning, possible black out and the worst effect which could be death. Your judgment can be impaired by too much alcohol and you could possibly get into bad situations. Monitor your consumption of alcohol as well as the alcohol consumption of those people who are traveling with you.
Create a buddy system with your friends or travel group. Watch for each other and stay together at all times as much as possible. If you do get separated for instance at a party, check out on each other at least every hour. Decide on a rendezvous point or meeting place if you don't happen to find each other. Staying close with your friends can be very helpful for the boys when one gets into a fight. As for the ladies, your friends will be there to save you should someone be making sexual advances in the hopes of taking advantage of your drunken situation.
Do not accept drinks, candies, etc. from strangers and don't trust anyone. You have to be extra careful especially for the ladies who get drinks from stranger. You may never know that he is trying to drug you to be able to take advantage of you. Do not leave with someone whom you just met and never give out information like your hotel room, etc.
For every action that you will be doing, always think about the possible outcome or consequences that may have you regretting for it in the end.
When you are traveling out of the country, be aware of the laws, customs and rules of the country you are visiting. Many young people get arrested for intoxication in public areas or driving under the influence of alcohol. If you happen to get into trouble in a foreign country, immediately contact your local embassy in that country.
Do not bring excessive amounts of cash, unnecessary credit cards and blings that could make you an attractive target of robbers and snatchers. Leave a photocopy of your passport back at home and one in the hotel you're staying. In case you happen to lose your passport or it gets stolen, having a photocopy can help speed up the replacement process.

Posted by varghese at 12:01 PM

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