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By Carmel Baird Low maintenance gardens need not look like the bare type, not many plants, lots of rocks, paving, gravel etc. You can have a beautiful garden following a few principles. Choice of plants, type of plants, garden layout, mulching and a well thought out garden design. Planning a low maintenance garden is how you should start, with the planning. Visit your local nurseries, find out from your local council what plants are native to your area. These are usually the ones that will thrive for you for little effort on your part. Choice of plants. Today there is a wonderful variety of plants to choose from, to help with your low maintenance gardening. Drought tolerant and native plants should be your first consideration. These plants will require less attention from you, less attention means less garden maintenance. Start a reference file, write down all the plants that will be suitable for your area, then reference them either on the Internet or through garden plant books. Find a good garden book that will give you the expected growth height and width. This is very important to allow the growing room and deciding how densely you want the planting to be. The more densely a garden is planted the less moisture loss from the ground and so the less garden maintenance. Types of plants Any plants that need pruning regularly, don’t go there. If it says quick growing, always check the estimated height and width, these can get out of control quickly. Annuals, vegetables and herbs are not what you call low maintenance gardening. Although in containers these can work well and the maintaining need not be great because of a small number. After all a low maintenance garden doesn’t mean no maintenance. Go for leaf structure, variegated, assortment of leaf sizes and colors. There are some wonderful plants in the drought tolerant range and these will be your low maintenance plants.Choose plants of various heights and go for mass plantings of the various types you choose. Garden layout How you set out your garden is so very important when planning a low maintenance garden. It is all in the garden design. The walkways, areas for seating, maybe outdoor dining under shady trees in summer and trees that lose their leaves in winter. Raking up leaves doesn’t sound like low maintenance but a leaf vacuum will take care of that for you and it is only once a year. Lawn areas should be kept to a minimum. Lawns do take much upkeep especially in summer. The use of pavers, gravels, even timber can add interest. Curves look better than straight lines for a more relaxed garden. Straight lines can make a garden look more formal. You can add contrast to your garden with the use of different textures. That’s where the use of pavers, gravels, pebbles and timber come into play. The use of large pots, raised garden beds, water features, a wall or trellis for a vine to climb on and if the garden is small, why not a mirror on a fence to reflect the plantings. Take the eye through from one area to another with the use of plantings to create interest and extend the garden. Cleverly designing your low maintenance garden will not have it look like a ‘low maintenance garden’ but a wonderful place to enjoy. Incorporate in your low maintenance garden design, things that are low maintenance, like pavers, gravel, pebbles, rocks etc but make sure you either have them professionally put down for you or learn how to do the jobs like the professionals. Everything is in the preparation, learn to do the tedious first and the end result will definitely be low maintenance. The same applies to your garden beds. There are some very good weed mattings available today and the garden mulches or pebbles are a must. Combine these two for low maintenance gardening, no weeds or very little in the way of weeds. Mass plantings will help stop weeds growing too, give plants some room to grow but keep them tighter than recommended. Be careful with ground covers as some of these can get out of hand too and become almost like a weed. Often times people water their gardens too much, that is, more than the plants require. I live in Australia and we have some long drought times. Our native plants thrive during summer when there is a drought. The ones that flower are just so beautiful during these drought times, many of them have massive amounts of flowers, unlike when there is adequate rainfall. Many of the cultivated plants and shrubs during our current drought are doing the same, very tough water restrictions, no hosing at all and they are flowering so much better than other years when the home owner has been able to hose the gardens. So it is obvious, we water our gardens more than many of our plants require. Color in the garden to add interest When you start looking at the plants that are available in the low maintenance area, you will find the colors and variations in the leaves. There are some wonderful plants, plants like crotons, cordylines, with the number of varieties available, they can add that splash of color against the green tonings of other plants. If you want to add more color, then the pot-o-color available today can do the trick. Even though they are annuals, the maintenance is virtually low as all the hard work in establishing the plants has been done for you. So you can see, low maintenance gardening need not be boring gardening. You can have a garden to enjoy without the labor, it is all in the how planning a low maintenance garden is done. CTBaird is a freelance author and web publisher, included in her many interest is gardening and landscaping. You can visit All things Landscaping and http://www.landscaping.123moreforu.com for landscaping and gardening tips. 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By Dawn Crouse Education has always been vital to one’s survival, even long before formal schools were established. Imagine how long prehistoric man would survive if he did not learn how to hunt or to protect himself against the elements. In American culture, we have witnessed the increasing demand for formal education as a means of survival. As a parent, it is your duty to provide your young students with the skills and resources necessary for them to succeed in school and in life. Valuing education is a fundamental prerequisite. You cannot complain that your child is not taking school seriously if you do not demonstrate its importance. It is not enough to repeatedly say to your teen, “School is important” or “You have to do better at school.” What are your attitudes towards education? Do you manifest a desire in your life to learn and to undertake challenges that may be difficult? Consider your response when you are offered or required to participate in training related to your job. Parents must foster a value of education in themselves before they can expect their children to adopt it. Maybe the workshop or conference you attended was boring, but can you not find at least one thing that might help you in your occupation? Get excited about that one piece of information, new approach, or to just reflect on your occupation. If the training was ineffective, think about why it is not more interesting - what do you need to increase your interest and motivation? What can you do differently at work to promote positive change? Share positive attitudes with your family; get excited about work, learning, and growth. Consider your attitude towards your job. School is your teen’s primary job; it should be his or her priority. Do you model the perspective that work is an activity to which you give your best? Or do you promote an attitude of “getting by”? Killing time and waiting impatiently for the work day to end are not effective messages for your children (and they are signals that your life is not fulfilling). If you tell your children that school is important so that they can attain a good job, but you do not like your job, a student has no motivation to achieve such a dubious reward. Perhaps your teen is smarter than you give him or her credit for, rebelling against meaningless labor. When conversing with your teen, where do you place your emphasis? If you express greater interest in your teen’s sports than upon his or her academic work, your actions are contradicting your words that school is important. How much attention do you pay to what your student is actually learning rather than upon his or her grades? Ask about that book being read for English. Ask your teen to teach you to do that math problem. Discuss with your teen how the chemistry lesson applies to daily life. Your interest in your teen’s learning will convey the value of his or her education. Seek learning opportunities in your life. This does not mean that you have to continually be enrolled in college courses, but that you pursue learning eagerly. Explore something on the internet: learn a new word or recipe, name that bird that you see every morning, get golf tips or gardening tips, research health issues. Take up a new hobby. Read an article or a book and discuss it. Wonder about where that road goes and then find out. Learning is about discovery; be curious about things and follow up on your curiosity. Your enthusiasm for learning and your practiced expectation that your teen also engage in learning will instill a value that will benefit him or her through life. Attitudes are learned and you can teach your teen to be successful. You can cultivate an aspiration for learning within your home that will reap rewards, not just for your teen, but yourself as well. Valuing education is a prerequisite for your teen’s success. Author is a licensed high school English teacher, family therapist, mental helth counselor, as well as the parent of three grown sons. www.curwhibble.blogspot.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dawn_Crouse http://EzineArticles.com/?Your-Teens-Academic-Success:-Your-Attitude-Towards-Education&id=347345 chemical name zolpidem ambien and soma online cleanse ambien ambien on line

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Max_Bellamy]Max Bellamy The cell phone has made life easier for everyone. Its contribution to the economy of the world, as well as to individuals cannot be gauged in terms of simple statistical data. Ever since the advent of the cell phone, life, business and relationships have seen a tremendous improvement. However, along with these benefits, it has also brought along extra expenditure for those who use cell phones. If one is not careful, one may end up spending more than required. The most important thing to know while doing research on cell phone plans is to know the type of plans that are available. Most of the cell phone service providers in the U.S. offer plans and incentives that include free long distance calling, closed user groups, free or cheap evening rates, cheaper mobile-to-mobile calls, and others. Knowing what to get depends on what one is seeking. The first thing to determine is where one is expecting to make the most calls. Is it to a local number, national, or international number? This sets the path for the research. The other thing to know is what features, apart from the call and SMS, you are looking for in your cell usage. Are you looking at voice mail, call waiting, call forwarding, conference calls, and even Internet access on the phone? These features come with extra charges. One must choose from the endless options available from various cell phone companies to find out exactly what one needs. Another important thing to consider is whether you want monthly billing or whether you want to go with pre-paid cell phone plans. Each plan has its inherent advantages. However, as a general rule, pre-paid plans are for those people who do not need to make too many calls and when the cell phone is mostly used for receiving calls rather than for making them. Also, the credit limit of a person determines whether one goes for a pre-paid or a billing plan. If someone has a bad credit history, a pre-paid plan seems to be the only option for him or her. Thus, one must research cell phone plans to find out exactly what it is that one requires, both for the short term as well as the long term. [http://www.e-CellPhonePlans.com]Cell Phone Plans provides detailed information on Cell Phone Plans, Cell Phone Family Plans, Compare Cell Phone Plans, Prepaid Cell Phone Plans and more. Cell Phone Plans is affiliated with [http://www.e-CellPhoneDeals.com]Free Cell Phone Deals. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Max_Bellamy http://EzineArticles.com/?Research-Cell-Phone-Plans&id=304167 ambien addiction plan ambien without a precription brain damage ambien ativan adiction

By Jodee Bock I’m thinking today about how fear within our organizations holds us hostage to what we can feel, see, hear, taste and touch. Many people in our organizations are obsessed with what’s “REAL,” and can’t seem to make sense of anything that goes outside of those boundaries. I’ve been fortunate in the past to work with organizations in promoting innovation and creativity within their cultures. How refreshing to be around people who actually want to get beyond their five senses to create from the ground up. I’ve learned new processes and new techniques to support people in going from what they know to creating their own unlimited possibilities and it’s amazing! But in my experience those organizations and individuals are the exception in Corporate America. So often I see leaders who view organizational development as a fluffy perk - a distraction from the work at hand. When it comes to innovation and creativity, which at its best is undefinable because it produces new thoughts and ideas, the line is just too blurry between “the way we’ve always done it” and “the way we could do it” to allow more than a step out of the proverbial box. “Yeah, we let Bob go to one of those touchy-feely workshops a while back and he really got some wacky ideas about doing things different around here. We’re not going to let anyone go to any more of those kinds of things. Distracts us from the REAL work we need to get done.” Of course, it’s the fear of having to do something differently - even if it might be better - that keeps us doing things the way we’ve always done them. It’s getting better, though. At least there are more leaders within organizations who are willing to have a conversation about the possibilities that exist outside of what they currently know. But getting them to actually DO something, now that’s another story. It is just too difficult to let go of what they know - whether or not it’s working anymore. It reminds me of those booths at trade shows and on game shows where there are dollar bills blowing around and you have to catch as many as you can in a certain amount of time. If you grab two handfuls, that’s the physical limit for you - you can’t get any more unless you loosen your grip on what you’ve got. I’ve seen people stuff those dollar bills in their shirts, pants, wherever they can as they grab for more before time runs out. But in order to grab for more, they had to let go of what they had. Think of the dollar bills in this analogy as knowledge. We can’t gain any new knowledge without letting go of some of the old. First we’ve got to be willing to ask ourselves the question “How is it working?” and then be honest about the answer. Try having a conversation with someone in your organization that goes beyond the status quo. Talk about something meaningful that goes beyond the project you’re working on. Let go of your fear and venture out. See what riches you might be able to grab hold of! Jodee Bock is a life purpose and career coach, speaker, facilitator, and trainer. She works together with people - individuals and teams - who want to practice “riskful” thinking as opposed to merely “wishful” thinking. In addition to her coaching and facilitation, Jodee is available for keynote addresses, and develops and delivers customized workshops and seminars. She is a certified Job Relations trainer for manufacturing environments, and also a certified Accelerated Innovation trainer and coach with SolutionPeople (http://www.solutionpeople.com). Jodee is a co-author of the book “Don’t Miss Your Boat,” and her own book “The 100% Factor: Living Your Capacity” will be released this fall. For more information, check out her website at http://www.bocksoffice.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jodee_Bock http://EzineArticles.com/?Weve-Got-to-Let-Go&id=189581 ambien bradycardia buy cheap buy zolpidem tartrate ambien and dxm ambien and breast feeding

By Wendy Wood Joining Manitoba and Alberta, the province of Saskatchewan serves as the middle region within the section of Canada known as “the Three Prairie Provinces.” Within this interesting stretch of land, the largest city, Saskatoon, boasts a population close to 250,000 with other major cities trailing behind, such as Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, and Swift Current. As a gift basket business owner, there are plenty of ideas to tap into when it comes to exploring the culture, arts, and history of Saskatchewan. Historically, the land serving as home to Saskatchewan was populated by an array of Native American groups that occupied the territory before European settlement took place. Prior to the first European to step foot on Saskatchewan soil, Algonquian, Sioux, and Cree tribes inhabited the vicinity during the late 1600s. To explore the beauty of the Native American culture, gift baskets may include an assortment of pearls, precious and semi-precious stones that allow consumers to create their own necklaces, bracelets, and other pieces of jewelry. A do-it-yourself guidebook coupled with a finished piece may also accompany the arrangement. This kind of basket would make the perfect unique bridesmaid gift or graduation gift for a student. In Saskatchewan, the centennial of the province was celebrated in 2005. To pay homage, the Royal Canadian Mint issued a commemorative 5-dollar coin that displayed the wheat fields of the country. Wheat is seen as a strong symbol of Canada, also making an appearance on license plates throughout Saskatchewan in the form of three stalks. Today, a boost in wheat-related products has made strides in promoting a healthier outlook on diet. A gift basket with wheat pasta, fruit and nut wheat breads, wheat crackers, wheat bran, and flavored shredded wheat stands to turn a profit. Hockey is also a popular aspect of Saskatchewan, as it is one of the top provinces to send the most players per capita to the National Hockey League (NHL). Signature pucks, stuffed animal mascots, and colorfully decorated snacks are just some of the ways to fill a hockey-related gift basket. When it comes to golf, Saskatchewan is probably not one of the first places to come to mind when it comes to courses. Throughout the province, there are almost 250 golf courses scattered about the area, which is said to possess more courses per capita than any other location in the world. Obviously, there must be enough golfers in the province to keep these establishments thriving. Gift baskets offering tees, novelty golf balls, stuffed animals in golfing attire, and even golf-themed pasta could prove quite beneficial. Wendy Wood is the owner of Seek Gift Baskets, an online gift basket directory.For more information on gift baskets Saskatchewan visit http://www.seekgiftbaskets.com/directory/search_result/Browse/Canada-Saskatchewan/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wendy_Wood http://EzineArticles.com/?Saskatchewan,-Canada-Gift-Basket-Ideas&id=531015 ambien and birth defects zolpidem web page shore zolpidem off shore ambien

By Rita Bode You’ve seen those beautiful wall hangings and quilts, and thought that is something you would like to do. If you have a sewing machine - go for it. If you don’t have a sewing machine, you might want to rent or borrow one to see if quilting is something that you would like to try. My neighbor is a real sweetheart, but a bit eccentric. She thought she would like to try sewing and ran up against an unscrupulous dealer who sold a novice like her a wonderful machine for $7,000! For that exorbitant price, it can do anything from basic sewing to appliqu with blanket stitching to embroidery. Now, she’s discovered that she really isn’t interested in making quilts. It is too much detail work for her with all those small pieces to cut and piece together. So, the expensive machine just sits there gathering dust. A basic machine that sews an even straight stitch will work fine. I have one that is 30 years old that I’ve kept in good repair by oiling it regularly and taking it in to a professional to have it checked over periodically. I did buy a newer machine for about $400 that works just fine. My husband wondered why I would need two sewing machines. You never know when one will malfunction, and you need a back up right away. As long as the old one still works, I will store it. You can probably find a good machine for about $250. There are three types of machines on the market. Computerized models like the one my neighbor bought can perform the widest variety of tasks, but you don’t need all those bells and whistles for quilting. The mechanical kind, the most basic, uses manual knobs and dials, and is often the least expensive. Electronic sewing machines are what you want for quilting. Besides having a straight stitch, it should also have an adjustable needle position and dual feed. With dual feed, both the top and bottom move the fabric through the needle position, which helps you match patterns or sew fabrics of different weights. I also bought a special pressure foot for quilting that makes an exact 1/4 inch seam. This pressure foot was an added expense, but making exact seams are well worth the cost. I had always thought I was sewing a 1/4 inch seam with the regular pressure foot. After I bought the special quilting pressure foot, I found that my seams had really not been the right width, and that was why some of my blocks didn’t end up the correct size that the pattern had said they should be. If you’ve decided quilting is something you’d like to invest time and money in doing, having the correct tools makes a great difference in the quality of your results. No need doing the work if you aren’t going to be satisfied with the final product. To find a sewing machine you’d like to work with, do some research on-line and go to stores that specialize in sewing machines - they’ll have the greatest selection and they’ll be set up so you can test them. Bring some fabric with you, and enjoy the process of choosing the tool that will help you create beautiful quilts and wall hangings for your home and for gifts. Rita Bode’s creates custom-designed quilts and wall hangings. Her articles on topics related to quilting are published at Quilt Concepts and The Quilt Box , leading resources on-line for information about quilts. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rita_Bode http://EzineArticles.com/?Quilting—Essential-Tools-for-Success&id=144515 zolpidem 10 ambien xanax ativan diabetes buy xanax valium zolpidem ambien

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow] Lance Winslow It is very interesting this hypochondriac attitude which permeates our society? The power of suggestion is alive and well? “Do not feel good today, take a drug?” Oh that made you feel a different way? Take another drug? Oh those two together caused another feeling you do not like, my oh my, here is a third drug? You know these tests prove conclusive that this is not working and something is wrong, we should try this other drug too? Crazy, are you buying all this. I remember visiting my grandmothers friend who had a drug regiment, she took something like 13 different pills some every 4 hours, some every six, some every 8, one every twelve and the rest once per day? My gosh, I was surprised she could even keep up with all this. She said oh, the doctor has her on a very special plan. Oh, yah that is real special indeed? I doubt she has to worry about getting run over by a reindeer this next Christmas, she will be at home safe taking her pills, just like the doctor told her? I got to thinking that was quite expensive too, who is paying for all this anyway? But it did not take long to figure out, because as soon as my grandmothers friend explained it to us she shut the medicine cabinet door and there was a mirror on it of course, I looked at the mirror with a glance and then I had my answer. Think about it. “Lance Winslow” - Online [http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/] Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; [http://www.WorldThinkTank.net] www.WorldThinkTank.net/ Article Source: [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow ] http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow [http://ezinearticles.com/?Over-Medication;-Grandma-is-on-Drugs&id=36724 ] http://EzineArticles.com/?Over-Medication;-Grandma-is-on-Drugs&id=36724 ambien long term medical zolpidem immovane us pharmacies zolpidem no prescription needed no fees prontuari zolpidem

By Joshua Feinberg In small business computer consulting, it can be easy to get yourself into money trouble really fast. Conserve your precious capital by avoiding some of the common mistakes when marketing your small business computer consulting firm. Perform Tests Whenever youre doing any marketing with your small business computer consulting firm, think about being able to run smaller, measured tests before making big marketing bets. It can be something as simple as direct mail. Dont mail five or ten thousand pieces your first time out of the gate. Dont put $2,500 or $5,000 or more on the line. Start Small and Focus on Your Target Market First, try a $500 test and see how your small business computer consulting firm does. If youre thinking that you absolutely must put an ad in the yellow pages or the newspaper, reconsider. There are much better ways than broadcasting to an audience where 95% of the people arent interested. Small Bets are Less Risky If you are set on marketing your small business computer consulting firm in the yellow pages or newspaper, start smaller and test the waters with something on a smaller scale before you ramp up. Whenever youre making decisions on marketing and business development, think about small, measured bets before making big marketing bets so you can test things out, analyze all the results, track the number of inquiries and learn what happens to those inquiries. Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance} Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of computer consultants around the World get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too get more steady, high-paying clients. Sign-up now for Joshua’s free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Feinberg http://EzineArticles.com/?Small-Business-Computer-Consulting:-Smart-Marketing&id=214394 diet pills and phentermine where to buy phentermine without prescription phentermine 37.5 pharmacy phentermine 37.5

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Carry]John Carry An unsecured personal loan comes with some substantial returns, but a borrower needs to use it accurately to make maximum use of it. The main advantages attached with an unsecured personal loan are: Non-involvement of collateral: Well, the borrower does not carry any sort of risk due to non-involvement of collateral or security with an unsecured personal loan. Easy and quick availability: Usually, the processing of an unsecured personal loan does not take much time due to lesser paper work. Use the loan amount the way you like: Usually, the lender does not impose any sort of restriction in the usage of the loan amount of unsecured personal loan. Well, you can use the loan amount of an [http://www.go4ukloans.co.uk/unsecuredpersonalloan.html target=_blank]unsecured personal loan to fulfil various needs and desires such as to buy a car or vehicle, for holidaying, for business purpose, to fund education, to pay off debts or bills, for home improvement. Except these uses, the borrower can also use the loan amount for debt consolidation to merge all the previous debts into a single and easy debt. All these benefits are quite alluring to convince someone to opt for unsecured personal loan. Nevertheless, there are some factors, which can affect the interest rate and other things. Usually, the lender charges higher rate of interest and allows shorter repayment period in case of an unsecured personal loan. The borrower can bargain for concession in interest rate, if he carries a good credit history. Therefore, a borrower ought to improve his credit records by repaying all the previous debts before opting for an unsecured personal loan. The author is a business writer specializing in finance and credit products and has written authoritative articles on the finance industry. He has done his masters in Business Administration and is currently assisting Go-4-UK-Loans as a finance specialist. For more information please visit: http://www.go4ukloans.co.uk Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Carry http://EzineArticles.com/?Make-The-Maximum-Use-Of-An-Unsecured-Personal-Loan&id=281483 phentermine 30 mg diet pills cheap phentermine pills phentermine online no rx buy phentermine with mastercard

By Virginia Bola, PsyD We are a large people. 65% of us are overweight, 30% actually obese. How did we reach this point? We ate ourselves into a prison of our own fat. Why? Well, we certainly didn’t sit down and decide that we wanted to gain weight, did we? We had no pressure on us to fatten ourselves for some eventual slaughter. On the contrary, as our collective girth increased, we paradoxically elevated scrawny to a cultural icon, happily dismissing the corseted matronly figures of the past two centuries. Where did the disconnect between our reality and our ideals begin? We can blame the processors who milled out the vitamins and minerals we need. We can blame the preservers who cut back on fiber and freshness in favor of additives and chemicals. We can blame the packagers who added sugar and starch to everything. We can blame the fast food industry for frying everything and we can blame the beverage companies for their addictive colas. While all of these made their contributions to our current plight, one source of our caloric distress runs through everything: portion size. We eat hamburgers - not the gigantic, multi-patty ones, just a standard burger - that are 3 times as big as those of 30 years ago. Our orders of french fries are at least twice the size of their cousins in the 1970s. Pizza no longer has cheese only on the top but its crust is also filled. Large soft drinks are the size of watering cans instead of baby bottles. Recipes that once announced “serves 8″ now report “serves 4″ with exactly the same ingredients. Bagels and muffins are 3 to 4 times as large as their predecessors (and any fan of Seinfeld knows that only the tops are worthwhile). Thank heavens for hormones that can produce the 20 to 30 pound turkeys we demand for our holiday dinners. Compare the small boxes of frozen vegetables that so awed us in the 1950s with the huge bags available today, awash in butter or cheese sauce. The TV dinners we precariously balanced on rickety tray tables are now heavy enough that those same tables wouldn’t hold them. Restaurant meals have grown as well, with a “to go” container almost standard because few eaters can finish them (although we try terribly hard). Far from their smorgasbord roots, buffets have become almost obscene in their offerings. Whatever happened to nouvelle cuisine? Has the fastidious gourmet been completely swallowed by the voracious gourmand? Is gluttony no longer a deadly sin? We love nothing better than a good bargain: something for nothing or, at the very least, at a discount. If we can obtain just a few more ounces of something for negligible extra money, we pounce on the larger size. If we’re offered two for the price of one and a half, we don’t have to stop and think. If we can save money by buying a whole package, even if we don’t want all of it, we’ll do it because it makes economic sense (ah, the birth of super size!) Where did we get the idea that bigger is better? Is it the national legacy of the depression when we swore we’d never “do without” again? Is it a natural spillover from our thoughtless squandering of the world’s resources? Is it the speed and stress of our competitive lives that logically leads to our attacking our food with the same disregard for restraint we show in business? Whatever has brought us to this point, it is time for us all to cry “enough!” We may fear terrorist attacks or biological warfare but it is our daily over-consumption of food that is killing us. Diabetes, clogged arteries, and other obesity-related illnesses cost 350,000 American lives a year and the figure continues to climb. The associated medical costs are staggering and threaten eventual bankruptcy for the Medicare system if not reined back. Several states and school districts are attempting to apply brakes to a junk food society out of control. A change in the structure of our farm subsidy programs has been suggested - to reward the growers of healthy crops and penalize those who raise the building blocks of edible garbage (sugar and corn syrup). Taxation, as has been used to curb the purchase of cigarettes, could change the consumption equation by hitting our wallets (and a 1 cent tax on every soft drink sold in the United States would raise 40 billion dollars a year). However, the great change will only come when each of us, individually and collectively, start cutting back. We need to insist, repeatedly and loudly, that restaurants serve child and senior size plates to adults and split orders without extra charge (where are the class action lawyers when you need them?) We have to demand that small sizes of meal components are offered. We should start boycotting those huge “economy” sizes of everything from soft drinks, to frozen potatoes, to cooking lard, and potato chips. And the buck finally stops at our own plate. For our health, our longevity, and our looks, we must limit how much we eat of anything. If we cut our intake in half, we will be doing ourselves, our children, and our society a great favor and our bodies will thank us for it. Virginia Bola is a licensed psychologist and an admitted diet fanatic. She specializes in therapeutic reframing and the effects of attitudes and motivation on individual goals. The author of The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a free ezine, The Worker’s Edge, she recently published a psychologically-based weight control e-workbook, “Diet with an Attitude” which develops mental skills towards the goal of permanent weight control. She can be reached at http://www.DietWithAnAttitude.com She provides support and guidance in use of the workbook through her regular blog, http://dietwithanattitude.blogspot.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Virginia_Bola,_PsyD http://EzineArticles.com/?Food:-The-Proof-Is-In-The-Portion&id=48228 canadian pharmacy site phentermine ltxt com online pharmacies for phentermine phentermine online no rx phentermine online