by Marlene A. Affeld

By negligently discarding plastic items, especially plastic water bottles, fishing gear and plastic bags, people are unknowingly causing the deaths of millions of mammals, fish, birds and reptiles each and every year. We defile the face of the earth with plastic refuse creating waterway contamination. Since the invention of plastic earlier this century, it has become a popular material used in a wide variety of unique and innovative applications.

 

Plastic is used to make, or wrap around, many of the items we buy or use. The problem comes when we no longer want these items and how we dispose of them, particularly the throwaway plastic material used in wrapping or packaging. Plastic is handy, lightweight and easily discarded. Too easily discarded. Plastics are utilized because they are easy and inexpensive to manufacture, strong and durable. Regrettably these same useful characteristics make plastic an overwhelming pollution problem. Inferior quality and low cost means plastic is readily discarded. Plastics take around 300 years to photo degrade.

Its long life assures it survives in the environment for extended periods where it can do great harm. Because plastic does not easily decompose and requires high energy ultra-violet light to break down, the volume of plastic waste in the world's oceans is steadily increasing. Plastic is now found in virtually all the oceans and rivers of the world, even the most remote and once pristine.

Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

Are you one who is addicted to smoking but want to quit it? This article is for you. Keep reading it. Arguably the most critical aspect to succeed in quit smoking is your determination. Once you've determined to give up this habit, everything will be easy to tackle. After that it's time to find tips and methods to quit smoking and the variety of resources and support available to you. You may find some of the tips on how to quit smoking given below useful. 

 by Michelle Faber

 

 Tips for Finding Perfect Premium Coffee... There is coffee and THERE IS COFFEE! You likely know about the generic quality coffees you find at the supermarket, using the inferior Robusta beans. And, in contrast, there is the alternative: the coffee regularly termed Gourmet Coffee you buy direct from roasters around the country. Popular large volume roasters, like Starbucks as well as most of the the smaller roasters dispersed about town, essentially utilize this far better grade, high altitude, shade grown Arabica bean. That being said, and broadly known by all nowadays, how can you siphon out the crème de la crème of gourmet coffee beans to purchase? To begin with, let's hone in specifically on taste. Nowadays, coffee has become a "drink of experts"... evolved into an art of reflection! We've begun to savor our coffee...flavor identify and define the subtle hints and nuances, as well as the qualities that identify the bean's continent of origin..

 

By Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer Over time, you've probably learned what not to say in a relationship. "Are you losing your hair?" "Yes, you do look fat in that dress." "I should give my old boyfriend a call." "You're just like your mother." Experience has taught you just how much trouble you can get into with a few words. When it comes to the workplace, however, you might not realize there are plenty of things you can say to damage your work relationships or even your own career. An off-the-cuff remark that you think went unnoticed, for example, might be the first thing your boss remembers when he thinks about you. "During my 23 years in management, I heard many comments from colleagues that reduced their credibility and damaged morale," says Bill Lampton, Ph.D. and author of "The Complete Communicator: Change Your Communication, Change Your Life!" Remember: Just because you don't end up sleeping on the couch, it doesn't mean your mouth can't still get you in trouble. For the sake of your career, we've put together a list of things you should avoid saying at work.

1. "That's not my job." If somebody comes to you with an issue, there's probably a reason. It might be your responsibility to deal with it or your input is valued. Either way, use the situation to prove you're a team player and a problem solver. Plus, it pays to earn some good office karma because you never know when you'll need help from other colleagues.

 2. "Yeah, no problem." (If you don't mean it.) If you take on a task with a smile but have no intention of actually completing it, you're going to earn a reputation as an unreliable person. If you know you can't or won't complete the project, be honest about it. Your colleagues are relying on you, so your decision not to follow through impacts their jobs, too.

3. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but ... " If it's really a secret, keep it to yourself. Whether you know someone's about to get fired or what the boss' salary is, you're going to get credit for spreading the news. You're not exempt from being the subject of office chatter, either. Don't expect your gossip-loving co-worker to suddenly have tight lips when it comes to divulging your secrets.

4. "I haven't had a raise in four years." "Most savvy supervisors don't think longevity merits a raise - only high productivity does," Lampton states. Asking for a raise because of how long it's been since your last one will only tell your boss that you want more money, not that you deserve it. Instead, highlight the accomplishments you've made in the last four years, Lampton suggests. Prove the raise is merited.

I like baby carrots, they taste really good and they work well as practical healthy snacks. However, I never knew that baby carrots are not actually young carrots. In fact, baby carrots are small pieces of carrots that are chopped and whittled down to look like small carrots. They are peeled and washed, to make them ready to be eaten. Carrots don't always grow in perfect shapes, so the ones that look lumpy, dumpy and ugly just won't sell even if they taste good. Mike Yurosek, a farmer from California, was sick of throwing away tons of imperfectly shaped carrots from his farm. That's when he came up with idea of cutting those ugly carrots into small pieces with a uniform appearance. He came up with this clever idea in 1986. And since then Yursek continued his efforts in brining baby carrots to the shape and taste that they are today. He actually managed to bring those non-selling carrots into baby carrots that would bring more money to his farm than regular carrots do.

Are you finding your self running out of time? Are you always late in handing out  your unfinished business ?  it's easy , you need planing ,organizing and prioritizing skills. These skills must be learned you probably use these skills but maybe not in the right way or right order.

It's all about using your time effectively and efficiently that is doing what you used to do in less time and doing it better . It seems impossible for some you , but it worked  for a lot.

That's what i do :
1- I print a monthly calender , and point out the most important events ,appointments and dead lines. In another words all the items in this calender are urgent and important and must be archived during this specific month .I keep updating this calender from time to time as it's not fixed , some times you need to shift some stuff.

2-  At the beginning of each week i also write down what do i have to do and this time more items are included , though they are not urgent but its the weekly stuff that is important to do  however not doing them won't put me under pressure.

3- Finally the daily schedule  , its this small piece of paper that you write, like a" to do list"  of the day . And that will insure of course doing both the weekly and monthly plan .

I hope you don't run out of time ^_^
Also Read :
Have a break

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary
Because it means you've made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

sent by Nuha

 Feeling sleepy in the middle of the day , for some of us it's a daily task , infact it's in their to do list ( ok just joking ) .

We do feel some times sleepy in a class room , or at work , specially when you haven't had a good sleep the night before . And you might have witnessed some people accually sleeping in a class room , it's amaizing btw .

Try a coffee (a strong one) , wash your face or do  some thing else which i belive is the most effective ; have a walk around, go out side the building you're staying  and take a deep breath.

IF you were born on the 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th of any month you are number 1.

If you were born on the 2nd, 11th, 20th, 29th of any month then you are number 2.

If you were born on the 3rd, 12th, 21st, 30th of any month then you are number 3.

If you were born on the 4th, 13th, 22nd, 31st of any month then you are Number 4.

If you were born on the 5th, 14th, 23rd of any month then you are number 5.

If you were born on the 6th, 15th, 24th of any month then you are number 6.

If you were born on the 7th, 16th, 25th of any month then you are number 7.

If you were born on the 8th, 17th, 26th of any month then you are number 8.

If you were born on the 9th, 18th, 27th of any month then you are number 9.

 

 

Number 1

You are smart, a straight talker, funny, stubborn, hardworking, honest, jealous on a competitive basis, kind hearted, temperamental,friendly, and popular. You always want to be on the top and most likely to be independent. You are most likely to fall in love at a young age, but will marry once you mature! You are likely to have problems with people who have opposite views and you are most likely to take revenge over your enemies on a long time basis. You are a spender, but you will have a good profession in the future. If you are guy you will be very popular. You can go anywhere from the local shop to the heart of the parliament because you are positive and talented in numerous areas. But in your life you will always have some people who will work hard to bring you & your name down. Because of your intelligence, some might hate you. You are a pioneer, independent & original your best match is 4,6,8 while a good match would be with 3,5,7

 

Number 2

No matter what, every one will love you because you are ruled by the Moon. You day dream a lot, you have a very low-self esteem, you need to have a back up for every move in your life, you are very unpredictable. You tend to change according to time and circumstances, selfish, have a very strong sense of musical and artistic talent and powerful verbal communication. You can be sweet as an angel and can be ruthless when double-crossed. Some might say you have a sixth sense. You will become a poet, writer, an artist or a business person. You are not strong in love, so your relationship will be in disarray until you settle down. If you are a girl, you will be responsible for your family. If you are a man, you tend to get involve in fights & arguments in the family. You will sacrifice your life for your family. You are gentle, intuitive with a broad vision. You make a well-balanced person. Your best match is 2, 5, and 9 no other people can put up with you!!!