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WHO EVER THOUGHT OF THIS SHOULD GET A GREEN MEDAL


WHO EVER THOUGHT OF THIS SHOULD GET A GREEN MEDAL


WHAT A GREAT IDEA. NO MORE TWIST TIES OR RUBBER BANDS.
AND THEY ARE WATER PROOF AND AIR TIGHT. GREAT!

The guy who first thought of the idea must be given an award for originality !!!


How to seal a bag
and make it air-tight




Cut up a disposable water bottle
and keep the neck and top, as in photo




Insert the plastic bag through the neck
and screw the top to seal.




The bottle is made to be air-tight, such that water will not leak, the secret lies with the top and screw!

This is a great idea to share. Good for us and the environment too.

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A Secret Scrolls 52 – 57

A Secret Scrolls #52A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda ByrneCreator of The Secret and The PowerFrom The Secret Daily TeachingsKnow yourself! Watch how you manifest the small things in life and think about how you felt inside with those things. Think about how easily they came. You will find that you thought of a small thing once and never thought about it again, and then it manifested.What really happened was you didn't think any thoughts or speak any words which contradicted what you wanted, so the law of attraction was able to do its work.May the joy be with you,Rhonda ByrneThe Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billionsA Secret Scrolls #53A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda ByrneCreator of The Secret and The PowerTo celebrate the end of the year, and to guarantee that 2011 is your absolute best year yet, this Secret Scrolls contains one of the life-changing revelations from the book The Power, and one of the most powerful processes you can do in your life.Whether you realize it or not, you bring everything to you through the power of your imagination. The power of imagination is not something you have to acquire; you have it already! You think in images even if you aren't aware that you do, and you use imagination or imaging every single day of your life. When you think about the past you are imagining. When you think about the future you are imagining. And as you imagine and concentrate on anything with feeling, you are bringing it to you.When you worry about something, you are using your immense power of imagination negatively. You are imagining the worst, and as you imagine the worst, you are bringing it to you. When you are excited about something, you are using your power of imagination positively. You are imagining the best, and as you imagine the best, you are bringing it to you.Using the power of your imagination is something that comes to you naturally, but I want you to understand something about your imagination that will change your life: Whatever you can imagine already exists! You simply can't imagine anything unless it exists already, because when you imagine something you are actually tuning into a particular frequency, and if that frequency didn't exist in the Universe you wouldn't be able to tune into it. So when you imagine yourself with something you want you are tuning into a real thing that already exists, and you are looking at the very frequency of you with your desire!Now I am going to take you step by step through a revolutionary process using your imagination from the book The Power.First, imagine something that you really want. It could be money, health, a particular job, a partner, a vacation, happiness, or anything else. Imagine yourself with your desire; close your eyes and really get the picture of yourself with your desire.Pay special attention to what you see about yourself in your imagined picture. Notice how you are talking. Notice how you are moving. Notice how you are walking. Notice how you are acting. Notice how you are feeling. Look at everything about yourself in your imagined picture, but in particular, notice how happy you are! Capture every detail that you can, and open your eyes.Understand that the picture you just imagined of yourself with your desire exists already! You know it exists because if it didn't exist how could you tune into it? How could you see it in your imagination? When you imagined yourself, you were looking at the actual real version of you with your desire!Can you see the difference between yourself right now and your imagined picture of yourself? Because your job is to become as much like the version of yourself in the picture as you can! Walk like that now. Talk like that now. Act like that now. Feel the same as that, now. Become as happy as that person, now. Be that person, now! When you become the person in your imagined picture you have shifted yourself to the frequency of your desire, and it must and will appear. Your imagination is showing you precisely the person you need to become. It is showing you what you look like and how to act and feel so that you can copy it and become that person!To help you become more and more like the person in your imagination, practice closing your eyes and seeing yourself in the imagined picture with your desire as many times as you want. Seeing the imagined picture of yourself will continuously remind you how you need to be, feel, and act. Then come out of your imagination and go about your day doing your best to act and feel like that person, now. You will be amazed at how little copying it takes before you see the evidence that your desire is coming.This is one of the most powerful processes you can ever do to make your desires appear with lightning speed. This process is based on the physics of the Universe. Use it! Practice it! You have The Power to your life; every force in the Universe will do anything for you, but you have to use The Power that you have!Happy Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year, and may joy be with you in every moment,Rhonda ByrneThe Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billionsA Secret Scrolls #54A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda ByrneCreator of The Secret and The PowerFrom The Secret Daily TeachingsEvery religion on the planet has told us to have FAITH. Faith is when you cannot see how, but you absolutely know that the moment you have the dream it is given to you, and all you have to do is relax and allow the Universe to magnetize you to your dream and your dream to you.May the joy be with you,Rhonda ByrneThe Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billionsSecret Scrolls #55A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda ByrneCreator of The Secret and The PowerFrom The Secret Daily TeachingsIt is when you no longer feel the need for money that money will come. The feeling of needing money comes from the thought that you don't have enough, and so you continue to create not having enough money.You are always creating, and when it comes to money, you are either creating the lack of it or the abundance of it.May the joy be with you,Rhonda ByrneThe Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billionsA Secret Scrolls #56A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda ByrneCreator of The Secret and The PowerFrom The Secret Daily TeachingsNo-one is destined to live a life of poverty, because each of us has the ability to change everything in this life. The law of attraction is the law of creation, and it allows each person to create the life they want. Every person has their own unique circumstances to overcome, but every single person has the opportunity to achieve anything - and change everything.May the joy be with you,Rhonda ByrneThe Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billionsA Secret Scrolls #57A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda ByrneCreator of The Secret and The PowerFrom The Secret Daily TeachingsSo often when things change in our lives, we have such a resistance to the change. This is because when people see a big change appearing they are often fearful that it is something bad. But it is important to remember that when something big changes in our lives, it means something better is coming. There cannot be a vacuum in the Universe, and so as something moves out, something must come in and replace it.When change comes, relax, have total faith, and know that the change is ALL GOOD.Something more magnificent is coming to you!May the joy be with you,Rhonda ByrneThe Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billions
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Secret Scrolls 46 - 51


Secret Scrolls #46

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

From The Secret Daily Teachings

Imagine writing an email of what you want to the Universe. When you are happy that your email is very clear, you hit "Send" and you know your request has gone into the ethers. You also know that the Server of the Universe is an automatic system, and it doesn't question email requests. Its job is simply to fulfil every request.

If you begin to worry and stress that you haven't got what you wanted, then you have just sent another email to the Universe to stop your order. And then you wonder why you haven't received what you asked for.

Once you Ask, know that the Server of the Universe is an automatic infallible system that never fails, and expect to receive your request!

May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne
The Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billions


Secret Scrolls #047

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

From The Secret Daily Teachings

Whether you know it or not, today you are placing an order for your tomorrows from the catalogue of the Universe. Your predominant thoughts and feelings today are creating a frequency that is automatically determining your life tomorrow.

Feel good now and for the rest of the day, and make your tomorrows magnificent.

May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne
The Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billions


Secret Scrolls #048

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

From The Secret Daily Teachings

Every day, or at the very least once or twice a week, take a few minutes and focus on seeing yourself in joy. Feel yourself in joy. Imagine only joy ahead in your life and see yourself basking in it. As you do this the Universe will move all people, circumstances, and events to bring you that joy. You can't be in joy if you have money worries, or health worries, or relationship problems with friends or family. So deposit some joy in the bank of the Universe as often as you can. There isn't an investment that is more worthwhile.

May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne

The Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billions


Secret Scrolls #049

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

This Secret Scrolls features a very powerful process from my new book, The Power, which will help you bring your desires at lightning speed!

This process, called 'The Point of Creation', uses a powerful ancient symbol, and helps to dissolve the idea in your mind that your desire is 'big' and that it will therefore take a long time to appear. This simple process will have a big effect in dissolving 'big' and 'long time' in your subconscious mind.

Excerpt from The Power

The Point of Creation


"To help you have the true perspective of creation, no matter how big your desire may seem to you, think of it as the size of a dot! You may want a house, car, vacation, money, the perfect partner, your dream job or children. You may want to receive full health in your body. You may want to pass exams, get into a particular college, break a world record, become president, a successful actor, lawyer, writer, or teacher. It doesn't matter what it is you want, think of it as the size of a dot, because for the force of love, what you want is smaller than a dot!"


"If you find your faith wavering, just put a dot in the center of a large circle and next to the dot write the name of your desire. As often as you like, look at your drawing of your dot in the circle, knowing your desire is the size of that dot for the force of love!"

I wish you a life of joy, and a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Rhonda Byrne
The Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billions


Secret Scrolls #50

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

From The Secret Daily Teachings

Our highest power is love, and it is one thing each of us has an unlimited amount of. How much love do you give to others in one day? Each day we have an opportunity to set out with this great, unlimited power in our possession, and pour it over every person and circumstance.

Love is appreciating, complimenting, feeling gratitude, and speaking good words to others.

We have so much love to give, and the more that we give, the more we receive.

May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne
The Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billions


Secret Scrolls #051

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

From The Secret Daily Teachings

You can most certainly help others through your thoughts, and they can help you. Every good thought you send to another is a living force. However, the person you are sending the thought to has to be asking for the same thing you are sending. If the person does not want it, then they are not in harmony with your thought frequency, and it will not penetrate them.

You cannot create in another's life against their will, but if it is something they want, your thoughts are a real force that helps them.


May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne
The Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billions

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Vitamin C And The Law


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, November 11, 2010

Vitamin C And The Law
A Personal Viewpoint by Thomas E. Levy, M.D., J.D.


(OMNS November 11, 2010) As a patient, you have the right to any therapy that is not prohibitively expensive, established to be effective, and not prohibitively toxic.

Any physician, or panel of hospital-based physicians, claiming that vitamin C is experimental, unapproved, and/or posing unwarranted risks to the health of the patient, is really only demonstrating a complete and total ignorance or denial of the scientific literature. A serious question as to what the real motivations might be in the withholding of such a therapy then arises.

A doctor has the right to refuse to see you or treat you. A doctor does not have the right to deny you any therapy that is inexpensive and known to be effective and nontoxic; if there is toxicity involved, the patient can discharge his responsibility for such toxicity with proper informed consent. A doctor does not have the right to deny you consultation with another doctor that may have conflicting medical points of view.
Just as ignorance of the law is no sound defense to legal charges brought against you, ignorance of medical fact is ultimately no sound defense for a doctor withholding valid treatment, especially when that information can be easily accessed

While a hospital may or may not have a legal right to dictate to its physicians what they may or may not do, the patient and the family of the patient have the legal right to sue that hospital for any negative outcome that is perceived to directly result from such interference in patient care.

The patient and the family of the patient also have the right to sue any physician that refuses to administer an inexpensive, nontoxic therapy that is established to be of use in the medical literature, such as vitamin C, especially when no other options other than permitting the patient to die are offered. Doctors have a very strong herd mentality, and they do not thrive well when forced to deal with a lawsuit alone, and possibly not even with the backup of their malpractice insurance company, which would seriously question why an approved medicine such as vitamin C was withheld from the patient. Remember that any insurance company always looks for a legal way not to pay expenses or settlements.

In a court of law, legal decisions regarding medical issues are usually decided by comparing a doctor's actions (or inactions) to the accepted standards of medical practice in the community in question. The legal sticking points relate to how different that community might be from others, and whether the accepted standard of practice is too far deviated from overall mainstream medicine norms.

The legal system struggles with reconciling something well-established in the medical literature, but not reflected in the standard medical textbooks. A case involving withheld vitamin C would not currently have any direct legal precedent of which I am aware, but there are multiple reasons to believe that the time is ripe for the law to rule for the patient's right to receive vitamin C in the hospital over the doctor's "right" to withhold it.
The time for changing the view of vitamin C by the law and mainstream medicine has arrived. Over the past 20 years, many more doctors have begun to routinely give 50 grams (50,000 mg) or more of vitamin C intravenously on a regular basis to patients with the entire gamut of medical conditions. These doctors have come from the same medical schools and postgraduate training programs as their unlike-minded mainstream counterparts, meaning they have the same traditional credentials and warrant equal consideration.

The law recognizes that there is no one perfect medical approach to a patient. Having an increasingly large body of doctors who recognize the importance of vitamin C will allow the courts to permit an additional "school of thought" as long as enough traditionally-trained doctors think that way. The question yet to be legally determined is, How many such doctors is "enough?"

Under United States law, the long-standing Frye standard (1923) held that expert opinion based on a scientific technique is admissible only where the technique is generally accepted as reliable in the relevant scientific community. This standard made it almost impossible for any technique embraced by a minority, however competent or appropriately trained, to ever coexist with, much less supersede, a technique embraced by the larger scientific community. Basically, majority always wins, and minority always loses.

The Daubert standard (1993) finally replaced the Frye standard. Daubert held that the court should:

1. Evaluate whether the science can be or has been tested
2. Determine whether the science has been published or peer-reviewed
3. Consider the likelihood of error (quality and quantity of the data)
4. Evaluate the general acceptance of the theory in the scientific community

If the court is so inclined, the evaluation of general acceptance in the scientific (medical) community does not have to invoke the "majority rules" nature of the earlier Frye standard. Rather, it can allow the consideration that enough scientific studies embraced by enough qualified doctors could prevail legally. However, any final ruling would be heavily dependent on the particular facts of the case and the precise intervention requested of the court.

The principles of Daubert do not assure a victory for vitamin C proponents in a court of law, but they do allow an objective judge to see that the body of evidence supporting vitamin C usage is clearly established in the mainstream medical literature, warranting a thorough legal evaluation as to why it is not yet a permissible therapy. These principles allow for much more flexibility than the earlier Frye "majority rules" standard.
Also, with any individual case in which a doctor refuses to administer vitamin C and serious damage (including death) occurs, a strong legal case can be now be made that the burden of proof falls with the doctor to show:

1. That the therapy was exceptionally expensive, toxic, and/or unproven
2. That the patient's best interests were somehow best served by withholding vitamin C

Always try to make an alliance with your doctor and avoid an adversarial relationship if at all possible. Theoretically, if your doctor really wants to do what is best for the patient and is not more concerned with being told what to do, much stress and conflict can be avoided by all. However, do not hesitate to let your doctor know directly that you will avail yourself of all your rights or your family member's rights as a patient to optimal health care if so forced.

A very common "out" in all of these scenarios is to suggest that "further studies" should be done. More information is always useful, but vitamin C has already been researched more than any other supplement, or even most pharmaceutical drugs, in the history of the planet. Don't allow another 70 years of research to transpire before its proper use begins.

Stand up for your rights today. The way medicine is practiced will never change until the public demands it and the law legitimizes it. Remember, it's your body and your health. Doctors are answerable to you, not you to them.

Thomas Edward Levy, M.D., J.D. is a graduate of the Tulane University School of Medicine and the University of Denver College of Law. He board certified in Internal Medicine and is also a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. He was admitted to the Colorado Bar in 1998 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1999. Dr. Levy is on the Editorial Board of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service.

References:
Frye v. United States, 293 F. 1013 (D.C. Cir. 1923)
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 509 U.S. 579 (1993)
An expanded version of "Vitamin C and the Law" by Dr. Levy is available as a free pdf download at http://www.tomlevymd.com/downloads/VC.NZ.Sept.2010.pdf or http://www.doctoryourself.com/VC.NZ.Sept.2010.pdf

Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine
Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org
The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.

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ONIONS

ONIONSIn 1919 when the 'flu killed 40 million people there was this Doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it and many died. The doctor came upon one farmer and, to his surprise, everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home, (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions.She gave him one which he placed under the microscope he found the 'flu virus in the onion.It had obviously absorbed the bacteria, there by keeping the family healthy.Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in AZ. She said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers.The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop and, to her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work... and no, she is not in the onion business.The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office or under your desk or even on top somewhere. Try it and see what happens.We did it last year and we never got the flu. If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the better.If you do get the flu, it just might be a mild case.. What have you to lose? Just a few bucks on onions!!!!Now there is a P.S. to this... I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues and she replied with this most interesting experience about onions:Thanks for the reminder. I don't know about the farmers story, but I do know that I contracted pneumonia and needless to say I was very ill. I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion, put one end on a fork and then place the forked end into an empty jar...placing the jar next to the sick patient at night.It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs. Sure enough it happened just like that...the onion was a mess and I began to feel better.Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago.They have powerful antibacterial and antiseptic properties.This is the other note.LEFT OVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUSI have used an onion which has been left in the fridge, and sometimes I don't use a whole one at one time, so save the other half for later.Now with this info, I have changed my mind....will buy smaller onions in the future.I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, makers of mayonnaise. Mullins is huge, and is owned by 11 brothers and sisters in the Mullins family. My friend, Jeanne, is the CEO.Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned from a chemist. The guy who gave us our tour is named Ed - he's one of the brothers.Ed is a chemistry expert and is involved in developing most of the sauce formula. He's even developed sauce formula for McDonald's. Keep in mind that Ed is a food chemistry whiz.During the tour, someone asked if we really needed to worry about mayonnaise.People are always worried that mayonnaise will spoil.Ed's answer will surprise you. He said that all commercially-made Mayo is completely safe. "It doesn't even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but it's not really necessary."He explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at a point that bacteria could not survive in that environment. He then talked about the picnic, with the bowl of potato salad sitting on the table and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick.Ed says that when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials look for is when the 'victim' last ate ONIONS and where those onions came from (in the potato salad?).Ed says it's not the mayonnaise (as long as it's not homemade Mayo) that spoils in the outdoors. It's probably the onions, and if not the onions, it's the POTATOES.He explained, onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions. You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion...it's not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your refrigerator.It's already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit, that it can be a danger to you. (and doubly watch out for those onions you put in your hot dogs at the baseball park!)Ed says if you take the leftover onion and cook it like crazy you'll probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put on your sandwich, you're asking for trouble.Both the onions and the moist potato in a potato salad will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial mayonnaise will even begin to break down.So, how's that for news? Take it for what you will. I am going to be very careful about my onions from now on. For some reason, I see a lot of credibility coming from a chemist and a company that produces millions of pounds of mayonnaise every year.Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions.Please remember it is dangerous to cut onion and use or cook the next day. It becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach infections because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.Please pass it on to all you love and care about.
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Oncologist suggests cancer treatments responsible for Kara Kennedy's deathFriday, September 23, 2011 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer(NaturalNews) Kara Kennedy, daughter of Joan Kennedy and the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, recently died after many years of battling lung cancer. And in a startling admission that confirms everything we have been saying here at NaturalNews for quite some time, Kara's brother, a former Congressman, and a well-respected oncologist from the Women's Heart Clinic (WHC) at the Mayo Institute both admitted that Kara's aggressive cancer treatments were most likely the actual cause of her death.It is a disease that has repeatedly plagued the Kennedy family on numerous occasions, including when it took the life of Sen. Edward Kennedy in 2009 in the form of brain cancer. Farrah Fawcett, Rich Cronin, Michael Douglas, and a number of other prominent figures and celebrities have also succumbed to its inevitable death grip as well.But does cancer inevitably result in death, or are conventional cancer treatments the actual culprit? In the words of Kara's brother Patrick and Dr. Sharonne N. Hayes from WHC, both of which are quoted in a recent Daily Mail piece, it was Kara's chemotherapy and radiation treatments that led to her eventual death, and not necessarily her cancer."Depending upon where the lung cancer was, her heart could have taken a direct hit," commented Dr. Hayes concerning Kara's sudden death following a routine workout at the health club. "The heart muscle can be weakened. This is probably widely under appreciated. People are so fearful of cancer, but in order to save people from cancer, other organs are put at risk -- the heart, in particular."Building upon this, Patrick Kennedy noted that Kara's aggressive treatments "took quite a toll on her and weakened her physically." After getting part of her right lung removed, Kara received conventional cancer treatments so aggressive that "[h]er hear just gave out," said Patrick, a former Rhode Island Congressman, to Daily Mail.Both of these statements -- and Dr. Sharonne's statement about the heart, in particular -- are shocking, not only because of their validity, but because of the fact that the mainstream media actually reported on them. As serious as Kara's condition truly was, it appears, once again, that mainstream medicine's answer ended up being the real killer.If only Kara, Fawcett, and the many other prominent victims of conventional medicine had taken the time to learn about alternative, nutrition-based cancer treatments, their lives may have been able to be preserved.Sources for this story include:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033658_Kara_Kennedy_cancer_treatments.html#ixzz1YmcfEgUM
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Our Ancestors Didn't Die of Cancer


Our Ancestors Didn't Die of Cancer
Posted By Dr. Mercola | September 23 2011


If you're interested in living a longer, healthier life, nothing beats proper diet and exercise—even low amounts of exercise. A recent study published in the journal Lancet, which included several hundred thousand people between 1996 and 2008 found that a mere 15 minutes of exercise a day can increase your lifespan by three years!

Those who got themselves moving for at least 15 minutes a day, or 90 minutes a week, also had a 14 percent reduced risk of all-cause mortality.

Furthermore:

"Every additional 15 minutes of daily exercise beyond the minimum amount of 15 minutes a day further reduced all-cause mortality by 4 percent, and all-cancer mortality by 1 percent. These benefits were applicable to all age groups and both sexes, and to those with cardiovascular disease risks.

Individuals who were inactive had a 17 percent increased risk of mortality compared with individuals in the low-volume group."

How Exercise Increases Life Expectancy
Exercise is known to be effective in the prevention of disease of all kinds which, naturally, will allow you to live longer.
For example, exercise can help:
Lower your blood pressure
Fight depression
Lose weight
Relieve chronic knee pain

Manage arthritis
Lower your risk of diabetes and reverse pre-diabetes
Reduce your risk of cancer
Slow down your aging process

Lower your risk of heart disease
Build strong bones
Increase your energy levels
Boost your IQ and think better


Researchers have measured the biochemical changes that occur during exercise, and found alterations in more than 20 different metabolites. Some of these compounds help you burn calories and fat, while others help stabilize your blood sugar, among other things. Essentially, being of a healthy weight and exercising regularly creates a healthy feedback loop that optimizes and helps maintain healthy glucose and insulin levels through optimization of insulin receptor sensitivity. And, as I've mentioned before, insulin resistance—primarily driven by excessive consumption of refined sugars and grains along with lack of exercise—is the underlying factor of nearly all chronic disease that can take years off your life.

For example, heart disease and cancer are two of the top killers of Americans, and exercise can effectively help prevent the onset of both, primarily by driving down your insulin levels. Exercise also helps lower your estrogen levels, which explains why it appears to be particularly potent against breast cancer.

Exercise may also be imperative for successful treatment of serious diseases such as cancer. In fact, a new report issued by Macmillan Cancer Support argues that exercise should be part of standard cancer care. It recommends that all patients getting cancer treatment should be told to engage in moderate-intensity exercise for two and a half hours every week. Research has shown that exercise can:

• Reduce your risk of dying from cancer. For example, exercise reduces your risk of dying from prostate cancer by up to 30 percent. And a previous study by Harvard Medical School researchers found that breast cancer patients who exercise moderately for three to five hours a week cut their odds of dying from cancer by about half, compared to sedentary patients. In fact, any amount of weekly exercise increased a patient's odds of surviving breast cancer. This benefit also remained constant regardless of whether women were diagnosed early on or after their cancer had spread.

• Reduce your risk of cancer recurrence. Research has found that exercise reduces risk of breast cancer recurrence by about 40 percent

• Boost energy and minimize the side effects of conventional cancer treatment

According to Ciaran Devane, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support:
"Cancer patients would be shocked if they knew just how much of a benefit physical activity could have on their recovery and long term health, in some cases reducing their chances of having to go through the grueling ordeal of treatment all over again. It doesn't need to be anything too strenuous; doing the gardening, going for a brisk walk or a swim, all count."

What's More Important: Diet or Exercise?
Actually, as important as exercise is, it only accounts for about 20 percent of the health benefits reaped from a healthy lifestyle. The bulk of the benefits are really derived from proper nutrition...

"Body by science" by Doug McGuff, MD from Ancestry on Vimeo.
Here, Dr. Doug McGuff, author of the book "Body by Science," explains how going back to a "paleo" way of eating – similar to the way our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate – can help you optimize your health and live a longer, more disease-free life. The paleo diet is not a fad – with proven science behind it, a growing number of physicians and health advocates are embracing this back-to-basics diet, which may be better at lowering body fat than exercise.

During the Paleolithic period, about 12,000 years ago, people ate primarily non-starchy vegetables, fruit, nuts, roots and lean meat, including ostrich and bison as well as organ meats and seafood—a far cry from the standard American diet. Today, these healthy staples have been largely replaced with refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, cereal, bread, potatoes and pasteurized milk products … which are doing you no favors in terms of health. During the Paleolithic period our ancestors didn't die of heart disease, diabetes and cancer -- which are among the leading causes of death today, and all are related to diet.

The primary disease-causing culprits in the modern diet are sugars, particularly fructose, and grains. If you want to avoid heart disease, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes or even cancer, you'll want to severely restrict your fructose and grain consumption.

My Diet Plan—Summary of Basic Concepts
If you're still confused about what a "proper diet" is, I suggest reviewing my Insulin Diet Plan, which is designed to guide you through the dietary changes in a step-by-step fashion, moving from beginners to intermediary to advanced. When properly applied, it can improve just about anyone's health.

Following is a summary of the basic recommendations:• Limit fructose to less than 25 grams per day. Ideally, you'll also want to limit the amount of fructose from fruit to 15 grams per day, as you're likely consuming 'hidden' fructose if you eat even small amounts of processed foods or sweetened beverages
• Limit or eliminate all processed foods
• Eliminate all gluten, and highly allergenic foods from your diet
• Eat organic foods whenever possible, preferably locally-grown
• Eat at least one-third of your food uncooked (raw), or as much as you can manage
• Increase the amount of fresh vegetables in your diet
• Avoid artificial sweeteners of all kinds
• Swap all trans fats (vegetable oils, margarine etc) for healthful fats like raw butter or coconut oil
• To re-balance your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, take a high-quality omega-3 supplement, such as krill oil, and reduce your consumption of processed omega-6 fats from vegetable oils (trans fats)
• Drink plenty of pure water
• Optimize your vitamin D levels, either through appropriate sun exposure, a safe tanning bed, or as last resort an oral vitamin D3 supplement

Five Principles of Exercise
Getting back to exercise, variety is the name of the game. You also need to pay attention to intensity or level of difficulty. When an exercise becomes easy to complete, it's a sign you need to work a little harder and give your body a new challenge.

There are five types of exercises that will turn your peak fitness regimen into a truly comprehensive exercise plan:

1. Interval (Anaerobic) Training: This really is aerobic and anaerobic, but the research shows that the anaerobic phase if far more important. The BEST way to condition your heart and burn fat is NOT to jog or walk steadily for an hour. Instead, it’s to alternate short bursts of high-intensity exercise with gentle recovery periods. This type of exercise, known as interval training or burst type training, can dramatically improve your cardiovascular fitness and fat-burning capabilities.

Another major benefit of this approach is that it radically decreases the amount of time you spend exercising, while giving you even more benefits. For example, intermittent sprinting produces high levels of chemical compounds called catecholamines, which allow more fat to be burned from under your skin within the exercising muscles. The resulting increase in fat oxidation increases weight loss. So, short bursts of activity done at a very high intensity can help you reach your optimal weight and level of fitness, in a shorter amount of time.

It also promotes the production of human growth hormone (HGH), known as “the fitness hormone,” which can help you add youthful vigor to your years, in addition to promoting weight loss and improved muscle building.

2. Aerobic: Jogging, using an elliptical machine, and walking fast are all examples of aerobic exercise, which will increase the amount of oxygen in your blood and increase endorphins, which act as natural painkillers. Aerobic exercise also activates your immune system, helps your heart pump blood more efficiently, and increases your stamina over time.

Just don’t make the mistake of using aerobic as your primary or only form of exercise, as you’ll forgo many of the most potent health benefits exercise has to offer if you do

3. Strength Training: Rounding out your exercise program with a 1-set strength training routine will ensure that you're really optimizing the possible health benefits of a regular exercise program. You need enough repetitions to exhaust your muscles. The weight should be heavy enough that this can be done in fewer than 12 repetitions, yet light enough to do a minimum of four repetitions. It is also important NOT to exercise the same muscle groups every day. They need at least two days of rest to recover, repair and rebuild.

4. Core Exercises: Your body has 29 core muscles located mostly in your back, abdomen and pelvis. This group of muscles provides the foundation for movement throughout your entire body, and strengthening them can help protect and support your back, make your spine and body less prone to injury and help you gain greater balance and stability.

Pilates and yoga are great for strengthening your core muscles, as are specific exercises you can learn from a personal trainer. Even if a personal trainer is not in the cards for you right now, please watch these sample videos for examples of healthy exercise routines you can do with very little equipment and in virtually any location. Focusing on your breath and mindfulness along with increasing your flexibility is an important element of total fitness.

5. Stretching

Exercise Tips for Those with Chronic Health Problems
Remember that even if you're chronically ill, exercise can be a potent ally. That said, if you have cancer or any other chronic disease, you will of course need to tailor your exercise routine to your individual scenario, taking into account your stamina and current health. For example, you may at times need to exercise at a lower intensity, or for shorter durations, but do make a concerted effort to keep yourself moving. As mentioned above, even cancer patients should aim for a minimum of 2.5 hours of exercise a week, at moderate intensity, to boost their chances of successful recovery.

Always listen to your body and if you feel you need a break, take time to rest. But even exercising for just a few minutes a day is better than not exercising at all.

In the event you are suffering from a very weakened immune system, you may want to exercise in your home instead of visiting a public gym. But remember that exercise will ultimately help to boost your immune system, so it's very important to continue with your program, even if you suffer from chronic illness or cancer.

Read more…
Heartburn or heart attack? How to tell the differenceMore than 220,000 people suffer from heart attacks in the UK each year, and sadly, about one in three die before even reaching the hospital.Heart attacks need to be dealt with immediately. The odds of surviving a heart attack are significantly improved if you are treated within 90 minutes of experiencing the first symptoms.Despite being a medical emergency, too many people delay calling for an ambulance when symptoms start.Research from the US has found that men waited an average of two and a half hours before contacting the emergency services, and women took even longer.A likely explanation for this is that people know only one of the main symptoms of heart a heart attack - chest pain - but don't know the others. Even then, if the chest pain is mild, heart attack victims often put it down to a bad case of heartburn or indigestion. So how can you tell the difference?Heart Attack Warning SignsThe common or 'classic' symptoms of a heart attack include:• Pain in the centre of the chest• Chest pain which spreads to the arms, neck or jaw• Chest pain and feeling sick or sweaty• Chest pain and shortness of breathThe less commons symptoms of a heart attack include:• A dull pain, ache, or ‘heavy’ feeling in the chest• A mild discomfort in the chest that makes you feel generally unwell• A pain in your chest that can spread to the back or stomach• A chest pain that feels like a bad episode of indigestion• Feeling light-headed or dizzy as well as having chest painHeart attack symptoms differ from person to person. Chest pain can vary from mild discomfort in the centre of the chest to severe pain which is often described as a heavy pressure, crushing or tightness.But, for others, the chest pain may be relatively mild, but accompanied by some of the other symptoms, so recognising a pattern of symptoms is key - 'heartburn' with breathlessness and sweating needs to be checked out.Both men and women can experience common or uncommon symptoms of a heart attack, or even a combination of both. Either way, they need to be dealt with immediately.
Read more…

Opals



Opals


All of Nature’s splendour seems to be reflected in the manifold opulence of fine Opals: fire and lightnings, all the colours of the rainbow and the soft shine of far seas. Australia is the classical country of origin. Almost ninety-five per cent of all fine opals come from the dry and remote outback deserts.

Numerous legends and tales surround this colourful gemstone, which can be traced back in its origins to a time long before our memory, to the ancient dream time of the Australian aborigines. It is reported in their legends that the creator came down to Earth on a rainbow, in order to bring the message of peace to all the humans. And at the very spot, where his foot touched the ground, the stones became alive and started sparkling in all the colours of the rainbow. That was the birth of the Opals.

The group of fine Opals includes quite a number of wonderful gemstones, which share one characteristic: they shine and sparkle in a continually changing play of colours full of fantasy, which experts describe as “opalising”. Depending on the kind, place of occurrence, and colour of the main body, we differentiate Dark or Black Opal, White or Light Opal, Milk or Crystal Opal, Boulder Opal, Opal Matrix, Yowah Nuts from Queensland – the so-called “picture stones“, and also Mexican and Fire Opal. Opal variations are practically unlimited. They all show in their own special way that unique play of colours – except for Fire Opal, which due to its transparency, however, is nevertheless also considered a Fine Opal specimen. If Opals are lacking the typical play of colours, they are simply named “Common Opal”.

Upala, opallios or Opalus – fascination created by tiny spheres

The name Opal was probably derived from Sanskrit “upala“, meaning ”valuable stone“. This was probably the root for the Greek term “opallios”, which translates as “colour change”. In the days of Roman antiquity there existed a so-called “opalus”, or a “stone from several elements”. So the ancient Romans may already have had an inkling why the Opals show such a striking play of colours. But we will come to this later …

Pliny, the famous Roman author, called Opal a gemstone which combines the best possible characteristics of the most beautiful of gemstones: the fine sparkle of Almandine, the shining purple of Amethyst, the golden yellow of Topaz, and the deep blue of Sapphire, ”so that all colours shine and sparkle together in a beautiful combination“.

Up to the first half of the 19th century, Opals were relatively rare. But then their career boomed suddenly and made them one of the most popular gemstones, and the start of this development brought them to the gemstone cutters of the gemstone centre of Idar-Oberstein. In the era of Art Deco the Opals experienced their flourishing, with contemporary gemstone artists preferring them to all other stones because of their subdued charm, which in turn was excellently suited to be combined with enamel, another very popular material of those days.

Opal’s colour play emanates a very special attraction and fascination. But what causes this phenomenon? This question was impossible to answer for a very long time. Only when in the 1960s a team of Australian scientists analysed Opals with an electron microscope, it was discovered that small spheres from silica gel caused interference and refraction manifestations, which are responsible for the fantastic play of colours. The spheres, which are arranged in more or less compact structures, succeed in dissecting the light on its passage through the gemstone and turning it into all the colours of the rainbow, always new and always different.


Australia, classical Opal country

Australia is the classical Opal country and today is the worldwide most important supplier of Fine Opals. Almost 95 per cent of all Opals come from Australian mines. The remaining five per cent are mined in Mexico, and in Brazil’s north, also in the US states of Idaho and Nevada, but recently the stones have also been found in Ethiopia and in the West African country of Mali.

The history of Australian Opal began actually millions of years ago, when parts of Australia were covered by a vast inland sea, and stone sediment was deposited along its shoreline. When the water masses flooded back, they flushed water containing silica into the resulting cavities and niches in the sedimentary rocks, and also the remains of plants and animals were deposited there. Slowly the silica stone transformed into Opal, for basically Opals are simply a combination of silica and water. Or, to be more precise: Opals are a gel from silica, with varying percentages of water.

In 1849 the first Opal blocks were accidentally found on an Australian cattle station called Tarravilla. The first Opal prospectors started in 1890 at White Cliff mining the Opal rocks. And even today the eyes of Opal lovers light up when somebody mentions places like White Cliffs, Lightning Ridge, Andamooka or Coober Peddy: for these are the legendary sites of the Australian Opal fields. The most famous one is probably Lightning Ridge, the place where mainly the coveted Black Opal is found. Andamooka, where Crystal Opal and Light Opal are brought to the light of day, cam boasts to be the place where the probably largest Opal was found, with a weight of 6,843 kilograms, the “Andamooka Desert Flame”. Coober Peddy, by the way, is a word from Aborigine language meaning „white man in a hole“. This clearly describes how Opal was in fact mined: many Opal prospectors made their home in deep holes or caves in the ground, to protect themselves from the burning heat of daytime and from the icy winds of night time. Usually they worked only with tolls such as pick and shovel. Buckets full of soil, hopefully containing Opal rocks, were pulled up out of the depths of 5 to 40 m deep shafts by hand, for this is the depth of the Opal containing crevices and cavities, which are also mined nowadays.

Being an Opal prospector is still not an easy job, although today of course there are some technical means available, such as trucks or conveyor belts. And still the hope to make the find of a lifetime which will let you live happily ever after attracts many men and women to come to the hot and dusty Australian outback.

About cabochons, doublets and triplets

In order to best bring out the play of colour in a Fine Opal, the stones are cut and polished to round or oval cabochons, or any other softly domed shape, depending on the raw material. Only the best qualities of Fire Opal, however, are suited to faceting. The Opal cutter will first of all carefully remove any impurities using a diamond cutting wheel, before working out the rough basic shape. The comes the fine cutting, the finishing with sandpaper and then the final polishing with a wet leather wheel.

Opal is often found as flat lenses, or thin layers, bigger pieces are rather rare. If you leave a thin but supporting layer of the harder mother rock, you will receive a pre-stage of the Opal-doublets which are frequently used today for mass produced jewellery. These are gemstone combinations consisting of a surface from millimetre-thin Opal plates, which have been mounted on Onyx, Obsidian, artificial black glass, or Potch-Opal. Triplets have been developed from this design; here the Opal layer receives an additional cover from Rock Crystal, Plastic, Hard Glass or Lead Glass for protection.

Opal love to be worn on the skin

Due to the differing percentage of water, Opals may easily become brittle. They always contain water – usually between 2 and 6 per cent, but sometimes even more. Thus if stored too dry or exposed to heat over a longer period of time, Opals will show fissures and the play of colour will become paler. Therefore, Opal jewellery should be worn as often as possible, for then the gemstone will receive the needed humidity from the air and from the skin of its wearer.

Opals are not very hard: they only achieve 5.5 to 6 on the Mohs’ scale. Therefore they appreciate a protective setting. In earlier days Opal’s sensitive surface was often oiled, but today also sealing them with colourless artificial resin has become quite popular.

From Harlequin to Peacock: Opal experts lingo

When Opal experts talk about “harlequin”, “church windows” or “needle fire”, do not be surprised. They are probably discussing Opals. The play of colour in this stone is described with many imaginative terms for various structures and phenomena, like, for example, “flame opal”, “lightning and peacock opal”, or the above named “harlequin” and “church window”.

Opal’s value is not only determined by the body colour, transparency and factors based on place of occurrence. (Body colour refers to the basic colour of the gemstone, which can be black, dark or light and coloured). It is also important if the stone is transparent, translucent or opaque. And the opalizing effect may also influence the transparency.

Black Opal or Opal with a dark grey body shows the most brilliant play of colours imaginable. Crystal opal, which comes immediately after Black Opal in the hit list, should be more transparent with a deep play of colours. White or milky Opals show more diffuse colours and are the least expensive Opals. The occurrence-specific characteristics include, for instance, denominations such as “Black Opal from Lightning Ridge” (we are talking absolute top luxury here) or “Mexican Fire Opal”.

The most important criterion for determining the price of an Opal, however, is the play of colour, the colours as such and their pattern. If the colour red appears when looking through the stone, all the other colours will appear also. For evaluating Opals the thickness of the Opal layer is considered, the beauty of the patterning, the cut, weight and finish. Finally the total impression will be decisive, and of course offer and demand will determine ho much you will have to pay for “your” Opal. If you are interested in a really valuable specimen, get an Opal expert to advise you, because it takes a real expert to know about the many criteria which determine the price.

Opals and emotions

For ages people have been believing in the healing power of Opal. It is reported to be able to solve depressions and to help its wearer find the true and real love. Opals are supposed to further enhance the positive characteristics for people born under the zodiac sign of Cancer. Black Opal is recommended to those born under Scorpio, and Boulder Opal is the lucky stone for Aries.

The fantastic colour play of Opal reflects changing emotions and moods of people. Fire and water, the sparkling images of Boulder Opal, the vivid light flashes of Black Opal or the soft shine of Milk Opal – striking contrasts characterise the colourful world of this fascinating gemstone. Maybe this is the reason why it depends on our daily mood which Opal we prefer. Opals are like human emotions: you always experience them different and anew.


Legends and lore

Historically, Opal was considered a lucky charm that brought beauty, success and happiness to its wearer. The early Greeks believed Opals embodied the powers of foresight and prophecy.

The Romans also cherished Opals, considering them to be a symbol of hope and purity - an appropriate attribute for a gem with a rainbow locked within it!
The Arabs thought that Opals must have fallen from heaven in flashes of lightning. According to Arab tradition, it is believed that Opals prevent lightening strikes, shield its wearer from any undesirable elements in their day-to-day lives and give a cloak of invisibility to its wearer when desired.

Opal featured in literature with Shakespeare referring to it in “Twelfth Night” as “the queen of gems.”

The history books would have us believe that the European supplies of Opal came from India and the Middle East, but it is far more likely that they came from Hungarian mines.

Opal made the headlines in the 1890’s with the first samples of Australian Opal. The Hungarians declared that the new Australian variety was not the real thing, as Opals with such a fusion of fire and color had never been seen before. According to Koori (indigenous Australians) legend, the Creator came down to earth on a rainbow to bring a message of peace to all humans. At the spot where his feet touched the ground, the stones became alive and started sparkling in all the colors of the rainbow, giving birth to Australian Opals. Today, Opals are one of Australia’s national treasures and one of the world’s most prized gemstones.

Queen Victoria intervened in the near destruction of the 19th century Opal market when the writer Sir Walter Scott started a superstition that Opals were bad luck for people not born in October. In one of his novels, the heroine owned an Opal that burned fiery red when she was angry and turned ashen gray upon her death. Queen Victoria finally dispelled the curse by giving Opal jewelry as gifts at a royal wedding.
Scandinavian women still wear Opal hair bands to ward off the onset of gray hair, while some people believe that this gemstone has therapeutic properties that rejuvenate the inner spirit and invigorate the mind.


Just the facts

Opals possess flashes of rainbow colours that change with the angle of observation, called “play of colour.” This effect is similar to the rainbow colors displayed on a soap bubble, only much more dramatic. This should not be confused with “opalescence,” which is the milky blue or pearly appearance of Opal caused by the reflection of light.
The physical structure of Opal is unique. Tiny precipitated spheres of silicon dioxide form a pyramid shaped grid interspersed with water. Tiny natural faults in this grid cause the characteristic play of colour.

Opals are typically classified depending on the “potch” (the host rock, also called the “matrix”) on which the Opal is formed and their resulting transparency. For example, Black Opal has a black potch, Semi Black Opal has a potch darker than gray, but not quite black, White Opal has a white potch, Queensland Boulder Opal is Opal with an ironstone (boulder) potch and Jelly Opal (also know as Crystal Opal) is Opal with no potch whatsoever. Distinguished from Jelly Opal by its minimal play of colour, Fire Opal is Jelly Opal that displays extraordinary fiery yellows, tangerines and reds. Matrix Opal (also know as “opal with matrix”) are any Opals where the potch or matrix is visible face up.

Opal actually exhibits many different colours including cherry coloured specimens that rival Ruby, fiery-orange Opals that sparkle like Spessartite Garnet, tropical blue gems as intense as Chalcedony, and even gorgeous pinks and greens.
Today approximately 95% of the world’s Opal is sourced from a handful of prominent mining areas in Australia, namely Lightning Ridge, Coober Pedy, Andamooka and Mintabe.

Black Opal





Black Opal is principally found at Lightning Ridge in New South Wales, Australia. Known as the “King of Opals,” Lightning Ridge Black Opal has been coveted since it was discovered in 1902. Located 575 miles north of Sydney, Lightning Ridge (a free wheeling town of about 15,000 people) is the world’s major source of the finest Black Opal.

This magnificent gemstone is the most coveted form of Opal. Its dark background colour sets the spectral colours ablaze much like a storm cloud behind a rainbow (the black background provides contrast and intensity to this Opal’s play of colour). So prized is Black Opal that even wafer thin slices are made into doublets or triplets to give them enough strength and depth to set into gold rings and other jewellery items.

The Black Opal mining fields of Lightning Ridge and the majority of Australia’s Opal fields are located in a geological phenomenon called “The Great Australian Basin.” The basin was formed from sediments of a large inland sea that existed over 140 million years ago. Approximately 120 million years later, sandstones were deposited by waterways over the top of these sedimentary rocks. Eventually these younger rocks weathered, and their silica filtered down to cavities in the older host rock in the form of a gel. The silica gel hardened forming around a nucleus, creating the Opal’s characteristic regular spheres and voids. It’s the diffraction of light through these transparent spaces that produce Opal’s brilliant play of colours.

Mined directly from narrow seams in sedimentary rock, Opal mining involves hard digging with picks and shovels 20-59 feet underground. Buckets are then loaded and hauled to the surface using simple mechanical winches. The rough Opal (called “nobbies”) is initially separated by hand, prior to sieving. The remaining Opal nobbies are then taken to small converted cement mixers to wash off the excess dirt.
Unfortunately, all Australian Opal, but especially those from Lightning Ridge, are becoming increasingly scarce. The old fields at Lightning Ridge that produced high dome cabochons are virtually depleted, with only marginal areas presently being worked. Despite the fact that the government has opened many new prospective areas, to date there have been no significant new prospects found. Opal production at Lightning Ridge is half of what it was 10 years ago. The current supply problems are infuriating as international demand remains high. The present jewellery trends favouring colour have seen an increase in Opal use among the world’s leading jewellery houses.

Boulder Opal



Boulder Opal is found sparsely distributed over a wide area of Australian ironstone or boulder country where the Opal (silica mix) fills veins, cracks, cavities and crevices in ironstone boulders. Opal bearing boulder is always cut to include the host brown ironstone. The GIA (Gemmological Institute of America) classifies two types: gems with ironstone visible face up, called “opal with matrix” and gems with no visible inclusions, called “opal in matrix.” Boulder Opal is usually cut as “opal with matrix” to the contours of the Opal vein, creating a baroque wavy surface often freeform and irregular in shape, making each Boulder Opal unique. Located northwest of Lightning Ridge in western Queensland, the Queensland Boulder Opal Fields encompass a vast area centering on the town of Quilpie and extending as far north as Winton and south to Cunamulla. The last 12 months have seen slightly lower production levels, with any fine gems quickly snapped up. Known for its lively flaming bright rich colours, this variety is in very high demand and extremely popular. Interest in Queensland Boulder Opal has increased markedly over the last 20 years as this unique type of Opal gains recognition from gem enthusiasts the world over.

Fire Opal



Fire Opals are appropriately named for their fiery cherries, sunburst yellows and deep tangerines. Unique and mysterious, Fire Opal is remarkable in that unlike many other Opals its play of colour is minimal. Also known as Mexican Opal, Mexican Fire Opal, Tanzanian Fire Opal, Cherry Fire Opal, Ethiopian Fire Opal, Brazilian Fire Opal or Sun Opal, its legendary popularity instead comes from its breathtaking brilliance, opalescence, extraordinary fiery hues and stunning clarity. Fire Opals have been treasured in the Americas since the time of the Aztecs, where they were named “quetzalitzlipyollitli” or “gemstone of the bird of paradise.” Coveted by the Aztecs as symbols of intense love, such radiant gemstones were believed to have emerged from the primordial waters of creation.

While Fire Opal is predominately sourced from Mexico (and occasionally Australia), this gem has recently been found in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Mali and now Brazil. While Opal has been mined in Brazil since approximately 1945, production has always been very limited, making it difficult to secure commercial quantities. Today, the Piaui State is increasingly garnering international acclaim for its Opals, with their quality favourably compared to Australian Opals, arguably the worlds finest. With the enforcement of new mining regulations, scarcity has increased, strengthening the appeal of this relatively new addition to the Opal family.

Green Opal



Discovered in the 1960’s, Green Opal is a green translucent Opal that resembles Chrysoprase or Jade and is commonly called Prase Opal or Chrysopal because of its resemblance to Chrysoprase. It is mined in the Arusha region of Tanzania (the same region as Tanzanite). While this gem does not display the play of colour found in some Opals, its mint to apple green body colour has made it very popular for jewellery. Trace amounts of nickel gives this Opal its unique colour.

Jelly Opal







Jelly Opal (also known as Water Opal or Crystal Opal) is mined in Mexico and Australia. Offering an attractive blend of indistinct colours, it is transparent pure Opal with a gelatinous appearance and an occasionally pronounced opalescence (bluish sheen). The play of colour is a subtle sheen dancing throughout the gem, rather than distinct colour patches. When held out in direct light, Jelly Opal can display some of the most intense Opal colours. Very occasionally it is also found in Lightning Ridge, Australia, where it is essentially Black Opal without the black potch background. This is the type of Opal used in Opal inlay jewellery that has the base of the setting blackened (typically using black rhodium) before a precisely cut crystal Opal is set within.

Peruvian Opal
Hailing from the Andes and coveted by the ancient Incas, Peruvian Opal is extremely rare and exhibits an exquisite translucent colouring. While it typically comes in blue or pink colours, greens are also occasionally found.


Semi Black Opal







With a brighter transparency than Black Opal, Semi Black Opal has a body colour darker than gray, but not quite black. Opacity is the key that divides black from semi black with Black Opal appearing more opaque than Semi Black Opal. Semi Black Opal was discovered at Andamooka in the 1930’s. Situated 398 miles north by road from Adelaide, South Australia, Andamooka remains a typical dusty “wild west” desert town. In the 1960’s when Andamooka was booming, an Opal setting (at the time worth hundreds of thousands of dollars) was presented to Queen Elizabeth II. While Andamooka Opals remain world renowned, only a small amount of Opal is now mined from Andamooka due to high logistical expenses related to its remoteness.

Andamooka Opal is typically of an exceptionally high quality, but has become more difficult to source in the last few years. Andamooka is reportedly very quiet at present with less than 50 serious miners.


White Opal



White Opal is translucent with a creamy appearance that dominates the diffracted colours. While all the Australian Opal fields produce White Opal, the majority is mined in Coober Pedy.
Commenting that “there is in them a softer fire than the Ruby, there is the brilliant purple of the Amethyst, and the sea green of the Emerald - all shining together in incredible union,” Opal clearly impressed Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD), Roman historian and author of the “Historia Naturalis,” the world’s first encyclopaedia.

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Waterfall of Fire

Waterfall of FireA rare sight!! Yosemite National Park , California , USA This park was gazetted as a national park in 1890. It is world famous for its rugged terrain, waterfall and century-old pine trees. It covers 1200 sq km and the "fire" waterfall of El Capitan is one of the most spectacular of all scenery.The spectacular view of the waterfall is created by the reflection of sunlight hitting the falling water at a specific angle. This rare sight can only be seen at a 2-week period towards the end of Feburary. To photograph this rare event, photographers would often have to wait and endure years of patience in order to capture them. The reason is because its appearance depend on a few natural phenomenons occurring at the same time and luck.1st, Is the formation of the waterfall - The water is formed by the melting of snow and ice at the top of the mountain. It melts between the month of December and January and by the end of February there might not have much snow left to melt.2nd, is the specific angle of the sunray hitting the falling water - The sun's position must be exactly at a particular spot in the sky. This occur only in the month of February and at the short hours of dusk. If it is a day full of clouds or something blocking the sun, you can only take pictures of your own sorry faces on the waterfall. It coincides with the fact that the weather in the National Park at that time of the year is often volatile and unpredictable. It compounds to the difficulty of getting these pictures.Someone did !!! and we all get to see it !!!
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Sometimes it does take a rocket scientist!

Sometimes it does take a rocket scientist!Scientists at NASA built a gun specifically to launch standard 4 pound dead chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets and the space shuttle, all traveling at maximum velocity. The idea is to simulate the frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of the windshields.British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the windshields of their new high speed trains. Arrangements were made, and a gun was sent to the British engineers.When the gun was fired, the engineers stood shocked as the chicken hurled out of the barrel, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashed it to smithereens, blasted through the control console, snapped the engineer's back-rest in two, and embedded itself in the back wall of the cabin, like an arrow shot from a bow.The horrified Brits sent NASA the disastrous results of the experiment, along with the designs of the windshield and begged the U.S. scientists for suggestions.NASA responded with a one-line memo --"Defrost the chicken." (True Story)
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the pick-up truck driver

A lady was telling her neighbor that she saw a man driving a pick-up truck down the interstate, and a dog was hanging onto the tailgate for dear life!

She said if the pick-up truck driver hadn't been going so fast in the other direction, she would have tried to stop him.

A few weeks later, her neighbor saw this truck at the local Bass Pro Shop. �

The pick-up truck driver is a local TEXAS taxidermist with a great sense of humor! Taxidermists are a twisted lot anyway!

And it is not a dog in the 1st Place; it is a Coyote. � �� �
Can you imagine how many people tried to stop this guy?

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Old hurts are neglected

Old hurts are neglected,Worries are rejected,Cares and fears deflected;Our attitude's affected,Our focus re-directed,Good times are recollected,Our feelings are protected,And love's sweetly reflected...In the eyes of a friend.Nancy Brister
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You're going to be okay

You're going to be okayI'm thinking of you this evening,thinking of all of us,and how insecurity can chase usbut God whispers instead--"Stop, rest, come.Let me hold you close.Let me tell you what your heart needs to hear...You're enough because I've promised you all you need.You belong because I've chosen you.You're beautiful because I made you.You've got a purpose because I'm directing your life.You're secure because I've got you--and I'll never let you go."I may not know what waits for you this week but I know the One who will be with you every moment and I'm asking Him to give you all your heart needs most.Elizabeth
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THE GINGHAM DRESS

THE GINGHAM DRESSA lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment in to the Harvard University President's outer office.The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge.'We'd like to see the president,' the man said softly. 'He'll be busy all day,' the secretary snapped. 'We'll wait,' the lady replied.For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go a way. They didn't, and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted.'Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave,' she said to him!He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, and he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office.The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted to ward the couple.The lady told him, 'We had a son who attended Harvard for one year.He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus'The president wasn't touched. He was shocked. 'Madam,' he said, gruffly, 'we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.''Oh, no,' the lady explained quickly. 'We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.'The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, 'A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.'For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now.The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, 'Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?'Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. Mr. And Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the university that bears their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.................................A TRUE STORY By Malcolm Forbes'People will forget what you said,People will forget what you did.But people will never forget how you made them feel'.
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Tea Anyone?

Posted by Carol Anne ParadisTea Anyone?There was a couple who took a trip to England to shop in a beautiful antique store to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery, and especially teacups. Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked "May we see that? We've never seen a cup quite so beautiful."As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke, "You don't understand. I have not always been a teacup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My master took me and rolled me poundedand patted me over and over and I yelled out, 'Don't do that. I don't like it! Let me alone.' But he only smiled, and gently said; 'Not yet!'" "Then. WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. 'Stop it! I'm getting so dizzy! I'm going to be sick,' I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, quietly; 'Not yet.'"He spun me and poked and prodded and bent me out of shape to suit himself and then. Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door. Help! Get me out of here! I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, 'Not yet'.""When I thought I couldn't bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good! Ah, this is much better, I thought. But, after I cooled he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Oh, please; Stop it, Stop it!' I cried. He only shook his head and said. 'Not yet!'.""Then suddenly he put me back in to the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up. Just then the door opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited ------- and waited, wondering "What's he going to do to me next? An hour later he handed me a mirror and said 'Look at yourself.'" "And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful!'Quietly he spoke: 'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life. If I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't have survived for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you."The moral of this story is this: God knows what He's doing for each of us. He is the potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, and expose us to just enough pressures of just the right kinds that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect will.So when life seems hard, and you are being pounded and patted and pushed almost beyond endurance; when your world seems to be spinning out of control; when you feel like you are in a fiery furnace of trials; when life seems to "stink", try this....Brew a cup of your favorite tea in your prettiest teacup, sit down and think on this story and then, have a little talk with the Potter
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Crystalline Planet Divine Blueprint

There is a "Crystal Frequency" in space. This frequency emanates from an actual crystal planet. The entire planet is a type of organic crystal. Well all crystals are organic but this type is softer but higher in frequency. I was told that this planet creates waves or vibrations that makes sound that travels through the space, this sound or vibration carries the original print with it, not sure what the original print is but, I was told it creates like what we see on earth with the 11:11, it creates a vibrational "Wake Up" call per say, that helps awaken dormant consciousness of the planets and stars and such, like a time prompt on a galactic level not just us but all of the stars, planets, galaxies, universes etc, It is said that this planet due to it's composition can not be destroyed so it has remained in it's perfect crystalline form since the big bang, I was told it was created by the compression of certain materials and energies. Something to that effect. I was told even just thinking about the planet awakens you and raises your frequency so much that you can actually physically feel it.

Beyondcontact.com

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3 Cancer-fighting salads

Cancer-fighting salads
Article By: Jennifer Gruden

Try these 3 salads to get more cancer-fighting foods into your diet.

Although the risk factors for cancer are complex and no single food can cure or prevent cancer, numerous studies have shown a link between diet and cancer risk.

One of the most promising areas of research involves examining antioxidants. According to the American Cancer Society, "The body appears to use certain nutrients in vegetables and fruits to protect against damage to tissues that occurs constantly as a result of normal metabolism (oxidation). Because such damage is linked with increased cancer risk, the so-called antioxidant nutrients are thought to protect against cancer.

Antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and many other phytochemicals (chemicals from plants). Studies suggest that people who eat more vegetables and fruits, which are rich sources of antioxidants, may have a lower risk for some types of cancer."

Here are three salads to help you get more cancer-fighting foods into your diet this summer.



Power packed pomegranate salad

Pomegranates are known for their antioxidant punch, which has fueled pomegranate juice sales in North America and around the world. But the seeds may have benefits the juice doesn't.

A Technion-Israel Institute of Technology research team presented a study in June 2001 which indicated that pomegranate seed oil triggers apoptosis -- a self-destruct mechanism in breast cancer cells.

This salad combines pomegranate seeds with spinach, a leafy green also rich in antioxidants.

1 pound cleaned spinach leaves, tough stems removed
3/4 cup diced red onion
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Seeds from 1 pomegranate (approx. 1 cup)
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing, or President's Choice brand Honey Pear Vinaigrette.

Place the spinach in a large salad bowl.
Sprinkle on the red onion, parsley, pomegranate seeds and pine nuts.
Just before serving, dress the salad with either shakes of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or the PC Honey Pear Vinaigrette, to taste, adding salt and pepper as needed.



Blueberry chicken salad
Serves 4

Blueberries have become a part of the anti-cancer arsenal due to the fact that they are the berries richest in anthocyanosides, one of the most powerful antioxidants in the prevention of cancer cell growth. This lunch type salad is a great way to add blueberries into your diet, as well as increasing your consumption of leafy greens and lower-fat meat.

Feta cheese and pecans add a decadent feel to the dish.

4 cups sliced Belgian endive (about 2 large heads)
1 cup gourmet salad greens
1 1/2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tbsp chopped pecans, toasted
Dressing:
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp honey
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine first four ingredients in large bowl.
Combine vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper; stir with whisk.
Add dressing to endive mixture; toss gently.
Sprinkle with cheese and pecans.
Yield: 4 servings



Black bean and tomato salad

Beans contain a number of phytochemicals, which have been shown to prevent or slow genetic damage to cells – and may particularly aid in preventing prostate cancer.
In addition, the high fiber content of beans has been connected with a lower risk of digestive cancers.
Tomatoes also contain lycopene, which has been shown to be especially potent in combating prostate cancer.

2 cups corn kernels (about four ears of grilled corn, or use frozen or canned)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
3 green onions, chopped finely

Dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine corn, black beans, and tomatoes in a medium bowl. Whisk oil, vinegar, oregano, and salt and pepper together.
Drizzle over salad and toss until coated.
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Ancient Mayan "Space Vehicle" Reverse Engineered

Using the Ancient Mayan gold figurine as a guide, I made a model to see if it would fly with the HOLES on the wing. There is PHYSICAL PROOF (see links below) that other cultures way older than the Mayans and Before Christ that also showed technology.

Being Naive about our Earth's history doesn't mean the evidence doesn't exist. It does. I only ask questions in this video and am not making any "religious statements".

Inspired by the book Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Daniken and the History Channel's recent airing of shows about USO's, UFO's and Ancient Aliens, we find the Mayans were a mysterious people who had retreated deep into the rain forests of southern Mexico and Guatemala after the Spanish first arrived in the Yucatán in 1511. How could they dream up flying vehicles?

There are 5 figurines of (airplanes) found that are now owned by the State Bank of Bogota, Columbia.

Replicas were rumored to have once been offered for sale in the gift shop of a local museum until the stunning but obvious airplane connection was made, when they were quietly withdrawn.

Theres an uncanny resemblance to modern airplanes, but some mainstream archaeologists claim the tiny models are of insects, not of delta winged airplanes.
There are 5 types of such gold airplane configurations, but only 5 are presented here.

*Note
There are no known South American insects that resemble these gold planes.

Besides, insects were never represented in gold.

In the video you will also see the Syakou-ki-dogu
"Snow goggle-eyed figure"

Jomon Period, 12,000-300 BC (that is very old)


Ancient Mayan "Space Vehicle" Reverse Engineered

http://youtu.be/7-C7XO-QH-s
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