Smokend Info Blog

Online casinos and card rooms have introduced many to the fun and exciting game of poker. After playing online, it’s not surprising that people would want to experience a live game at a casino with other players. New players may be nervous about trying their luck in a casino though, and prefer a more relaxed home game with family and friends.

Here a few tips on what you need to get a home game going. First, you’ll need a table that will seat at least six people. A round one is ideal. There are inexpensive table tops customized for card games available in many stores.

The next thing is chips, which are integral to poker. Of course you can always substitute some other items, like dried beans or coins, but real poker chips make the game more genuine. There are inexpensive plastic ones and chips made from clay that are similar to the kind used in casinos. If you game has six players, you’ll need at least 300 in chips, and 900+ chips for larger groups.

Obviously, you’ll need a deck of cards, which also vary in quality. Plastic cards resist bending and can survive spills. Inexpensive paper cards wear out quickly and are easily bent, making them easy to “mark” which can spoil the game. Copag and Kem are two popular brands of quality plastic cards.

If you’re hosting a home poker, get a book of rules on poker, preferably one that describes the formats for a variety of poker games. There is bound to be some controversy about hands and betting tactics, so rely on the rule book for guidance to keep the peace. For tournament games, you’ll also need a timer. Then round up a few friends and family members and you’ll be ready to play.

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I looked for a tool to resize images online. My mother is 72 years old and has no clue of computers. Software is too complicated for her. There are different offerings on the internet, just one site was entirely satisfyingIf you are in need for a simple solution to resize images online, ResizeImagesOnline.com is for you. There you simply can resize your images and save them for further use. Optionally you can even rotate your photographs and picturesif you are at home, at vacation, or at the office, in the internet cafe or using the cell All you need is you photo camera and internet acces.

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It started with the Tansy cakes. I had to ask myself ‘Why would anyone eat anything so utterly disgusting in taste’? Chrysanthemum Vulgare is a common perennial in the British Isles and the name Tansy is said to be derived from the Greek ‘athansia’, meaning ‘immortal’. Reasons suggested for this include the fact that the dried flower lasts forever or that it has a medicinal quality contributing to long life. Looking back to Greek literature, Tansy was given by the Gods to Ganymede to make him immortal. In the language of flowers the gift of Tansy means ‘Rejected address’ – ” I am not interested in you”. Its strange taste, not unlike the smell of ‘mothballs’ might have something to do with this.

Tansy certainly had a reputation as a vermicide and vermifuge (killing and dispelling intestinal worms) in the middle ages. John Gerard wrote in his 17th century Herball:

“In the Spring time are made with the leaves here of newly sprung up, and with eggs, cakes of Tansies, which be pleasant to taste, and good for the stomacke. For if any bad humours cleave there unto, it doth perfectly concoct them and scoure them downewards”.

Tansy was a common kitchen garden herb for medicinal and culinary use, in place of expensive foreign spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon. It was used to flavour custard, cakes, milk puddings, omlettes and freshwater fish. In Ireland it was included in sausages called ‘Drisheens’. Its use as a springtime ‘cleanser’ became ritualised into a part of the Christian religious Easter traditions;

“On Easter Sunday be the pudding seen,
To which the Tansy lends her sober green.”

The consensus on this much written about herb is that it was used at Easter to purify the blood after lent. This consensus shows a problem though, in that in England the plant does not show leaves until the end of May – well after Easter. This is evidence of the assimilation of natural ’self-medicating’ herbalism into a controlling religious patriarchy.

Observation of wild and domesticated animals shows that they regularly self-medicate with wild plants. Sick chimpanzees chew bitter leaves from a bush not normally part of their diet, and then recover. Research by Michael Hoffman shows that a particular nematode worm is common in the monkey’s gut during the rainy season and that their chewing of the leaves coincided with the prevalence of this parasite, which it destroyed. This was the same bush that local tribes use to get rid of stomach parasites.

Dogs and cats self medicate by eating couch grass or cleavers. Parrots, chickens, camels, snow geese, starlings – all have been observed consuming substances normally alien to their diet to remedial effect. Bears particularly are venerated by North American Indian culture because they symbolise the powers of ‘regeneration’. North American Indians discovered the use of a root called Osha from bears. It is so effective as an all round painkiller, antiviral, antipeptic that it is now on the endangered species list.

The Woolly Bear caterpillar has also been observed to change its diet according to whether it is infected by a particular parasite. Normally a Lupin eater, the caterpillar increases its chance of surviving a particular fly parasite by changing to a diet of Poison Hemlock. Self-medication is not therefore a ‘rational choice’ in other species, but a carefully integrated part of a survival mechanism against an invisible predator – disease. Humans seem to have lost this sense of their own health and are not usually informed as to the uses of plants growing around them.

Humans often self-medicate though – alcohol indulgence to deal with stress being an obvious example of this or the ready availability of pharmaceutical or street drugs. We often consume substances such as caffeine or sugar drinks for easy energy. The natural trait towards self-medicating may well be at the basis of many of our unconscious ‘eating choices’. Potatoes contain a form of opiate and all foods to some extent can act as ‘alteratives’ to a unique physiology. We talk about comfort foods and rewarding ourselves with treats to eat. Often we might have a favourite food that can help if we feel too ill to eat, like scrambled egg. This is a unique food because it contains all of the amino acids we need to digest it. Chocolate is to many the ultimate comfort food treat.

An extreme example of what we do is shown in ‘Pica’ where a person gets uncontrollable desires to eat certain edible (and inedible) substances. This condition is occurs in pregnant women and is thought to express the need for particular minerals. Because our food sources are often limited to processed food, and because of the destruction of herbal folk-lore and access to wild medicine, many of us have lost touch with our ‘health sense’ or ability to use food or wild plants as preventative or curative self-medication.

But finally the wheel is turning and people want access to this more holistic and gentle sense of health that is prevalent in other medical philosophies such as Chinese or Tibetan. If you like the taste of mothballs you could even try Tansy cakes.

Article with thanks to Roger Phillips and Michael Hoffman

The Wild Herbal at: http://www.simonthescribe.co.uk/wildflower.html

Think you know wildflowers ?
Take the free online wildflower test now by visiting simonthescribe

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Dear Readers, I received a letter this week that is written in Greek that I have translated and would like to share with you. It is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and it is addressed to: all my brothers and sisters living in the 21st century. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

For many years I have longed to see you. I have heard a great deal about you and all the marvelous things you are doing.

News have reached me that your scientific and technological advances are phenomenal. You have at your disposal automobiles so luxurious that the average man in my day would never have conceived such a possibility. I have heard about your ingenious skyscrapers and huge builders. I understand some folks become a bit dizzy and faint, just looking up at them. It boggles my mind just contemplating the fascinating achievements you have attained.

It is my understanding that your medical strides has made it possible for you to cure in the twinkling of an eye, the plagues and diseases that would destroy us by the thousands. All of this is wonderful. You can do so much more in your day than I could do in the Greco-Roman world of my day. Your educational facilities and advantages are superb and beyond compare to any other time in human history. You can travel distances in 5 days that in my day, required 5 years. All of this is marvelous.

And what is this I hear about that high-tech deluxe jumbo jet called Air Force One. I’m told it’s a floating mansion with sophisticated and extensive electronics. You have computers and cellular phones that make it possible for you to contact just about anybody in the world while cruising tens of thousands of feet in the air. All of this is simply fabulous.

Let me not forget to mention that I have also heard, but can hardly believe, that scientists have successfully cloned animals and human cloning is not far off.

I am a staunch believer in progress. I believe in development, I believe in growth and advancement. I think all of these are splendid. But I wonder if your moral and spiritual progress has kept up with your scientific and technological progress. From what I have been hearing, your spiritual progress lags far behind your technological progress. It seems to me that you have plenty of talent – but very little ethics; lots of gossip – but little Gospel; prey on bad news – ignore God’s good news; play too much – pray too little; fine houses – very few homes; lots of lust – very little love; talk too much – testify too little; lots of churches – few temples of God; lots of formality – little spirituality; lots of beliefs – no faith. And what are these Situation Ethics I keep hearing about? In my day it was, children obey your parents. But it seems like you all have changed it to; parents obey your children.

I am proud to hear America, that through your political genius you have managed to make your world a neighborhood. I understand that you have been able to establish working relationships with far away countries and that is beautiful. But it is tragic that with all you have at your disposal; you have failed to make it a Brotherhood.

Oh yes, my brothers and sisters, you have managed to produce the ultimate in scientific knowledge. In my day in my wildest imagination, we never would have thought of the invention of nuclear bombs; that deadly weapon that can be dropped from a plane on the heads of millions of people and can set the whole world on fire with the press of a button.

You live in an age of technological genius. But I also heard the other day that you live in an age of longing, age of anxiety, age of suspicion and fear. You live in an age in which people are afraid to defend the faith for fear of offending disbelievers; an age of compromise and acceptance and tolerance for the intolerable. You live in an age where all representations of Christianity in the work place, schools, community and government offices are considered inappropriate and to be reserved for the private home environment only. So it seems like you have plenty of genius but no wisdom. Therefore I find it necessary to write to you to remind you; in the midst of all your great knowledge and advancement, of the responsibility laid upon you to represent Jesus Christ in the times in which you live.

In a time when man’s inhumanity to man has reached chaotic proportions and destroying the very foundation of ethical values, we need those who are willing to take a stand for Jesus Christ.

You are the salt of the earth; you are able to be a light in the midst of a dark world. You have become one the richest nations under the sun. You live in a land that flows with milk and honey. You have eaten from grapes that you did not plant; you live in homes that you did not build, and yet I hear the painful cries of people all over the world dying of starvation.

Therefore I, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, deem it necessary to write to you to inform you that God is still sovereign Lord. It seems to me you depend more on pills than you depend on God. I understand you have invented pills to come in all shapes and sizes, all colors and taste. You have a pill for just about everything. But it is strange that out of all those pills, there is not one that will prevent a person from lying and cheating, stealing and killing.

Well, that being said brothers and sisters; I encourage you to take a stand for the Lord. Live or die, survive or perish, stand on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:10-18. NIV)

Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. (Romans 16:25-27 NIV).

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: A Grief Healing Workbook, will be available soon.

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Coaching can cover many different areas from sport to business and it is essential that you make yourself aware of coaching in general before you get involved in a single area. If you joined a sport in grade school you had a coach explain to you the rules and the best strategy to use to help win the game. In high school you had this same advantage, but once you reach the grown up world you may think you don’t have this advantage anymore. This is not always true, there are coaches out there to help you be the best you possibly and this also applies to the business world as well.

Over the years companies have realized that using coaches in the business world can make a big difference in their corporation. Coaches in the business world can really help, for example if you are an employee trying to get a head it can give you an advantage over other employees. If you are a supervisor who hires a coach for the employee you may be giving your company an advantage over other companies. Whichever way fits your needs it is a fact coaching can make an impact in the world of industry.

Just because an offer from a coach sounds good, in reality it may not be the right one for you; therefore you need to be sure and check out all the information given to you before accepting an offer. Don?t accept the first offer that come to you, check out several choices, compare, and then choose. You are searching for a coach that can offer you the most help in the areas of business that you are concerned with, along with someone with a good reputation of proving themselves as an excellent coach.

Accessing the web to look for a coach that would be right for you is probably the best way to find one. You are looking for a coach that makes you feel comfortable and relaxed; after all you do have to pay for their services. You cannot find a coach that will be perfect in every area, but you can come real close by searching online. Keep in mind that hiring a coach that comes as close to what you need, will benefit you the most.

When you have chosen a coach and they have started to work for you, they will be able to see things that you may have overlooked. Because of this you may have to make some changes that you don?t feel comfortable with or don?t really understand. This is why it is important for you to trust the coach and let them make some changes to improve your business. A great coach will show you what can be accomplished in the future, by making changes now; you may have choices you never knew existed before.

After you have gotten rid of some old habits and found newer better ones to use, you may find that you can accomplish anything you set out to do. Having a good coach will definitely help you to achieve this, even though it may seem hard at first letting another person tell you how to run your business.

Many employees seem to accomplish more if they have a coach assisting them along the way; this is one good reason for an employer to hire a coach. Sometimes the employer may want to hire a coach to help them advance their skills of management even further than they already have. Whatever the reason for hiring a coach, either for the employer or the employee, the company will benefit from the added contribution. If you are employed at a company that does not provide a coach, you can always hire your own to help you improve and advance your career.

After researching and finding the coach you feel is best for your company, you may want to use that same coach for yourself. This is why it may be a good idea to find one that is also qualified in the area of management. You can review a first hand evaluation of the coach?s ability, and know if he can improve your skills, helping you to accomplish your goals. Now that you are aware of the basics of coaching you can now proceed with ease into the are that most interests you.

Lorraine Dawse is renown for her many
Coaching articles.
Her site can be found at www.yourcoaching.com

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When was the last time you asked yourself that question? Do I really like me? What is it about me that I like?

Most people spend their lives speculating whether other people like them: Does….like me? Am I attractive to ……? What have I done to upset…………

The upshot is you spend a considerable part of your life trying to please others. Trying not to offend others. Trying to keep the peace. No matter what.

Although you may well be successful using this method, the result is you spend most of your time doing what you think others would like. You are rarely effective.

Just think for a moment:

• How much of my day is spent trying to please others?

• How much time do I spend thinking I mustn’t say that?

Rather than try to make others fall in love with you how about falling in love with yourself. I don’t mean that in a vain, egotistical, self absorbed way where you’re always looking in the mirror and telling others how good you are. But, do you like being with yourself? Do you like the person in your body? If you met you on the street would you stop and talk to you. If you were in need of help would you stop and help you or would you quickly cross the road and avoid you?

Go on Be honest with yourself. Do you like the person in your body?

You see, when we fall in love with ourselves. When we can accept ourselves for what we are. When we know all our faults, flaws and blemishes as well as our agreeable, and delightful qualities and still want to live with ourselves then we have a chance.

When you love yourself it shows in the way you look. Your eyes sparkle, your face looks happy, you smile a lot. You feel confident. You feel comfortable. You don’t try to second guess what someone is going to say to you. You feel calm and at one with yourself. In fact, in a nutshell, you are someone everyone would like to get to know.

You don’t have to worry about pleasing others. You don’t have to worry about doing the right thing. People like what they see and gravitate towards you because the language of your eyes has changed.

All you have to do is be honest with yourself. Of course you will make mistakes. Of course not everyone will like what they see. But if you focus on being honest with yourself, on working with the real you, then gradually, as you gain more and more experience, there will be less and less mistakes.

There is a little secret. The secret is; as you become more and more at one with yourself, you become more and more composed and unruffled when you are with others.

But the best bit is: as you feel less anxious, less tense and peaceful you become happier.

Yes, you got it. The more contented you are with yourself. The more peaceful you become, the Happier you become. And it is that peace and happiness that shows on your face and then attracts others to you.

See, it’s simple. All you have to do is like the real you.

Stop thinking to yourself I mustn’t hurt that person. I don’t want to upset them. What can I do to keep them happy? Just focus on YOU.

In other words, stop banging your head against the wall, focus on the real you and do what’s best for you and watch your relationships improve.

Good Luck

Graham and Julie
http://www.desktop-meditation.com

To improve your intuition, initiative and energy levels please go to:
http://www.desktop-meditation.com It’s free.

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It is plain to see that the UK has been hit badly by recession, and the effects are being felt in multiple ways. Along with the obvious fear of losing the job, another prominent impact the economic downturn is having on the employees is that they have to work more without being paid for it.

TUC has released its first official data regarding unpaid overtime since the start of the economic turmoil. The data shows that the industries worst hit are public administration, finance and research and development, where about 33% of the workforce had to put in unpaid overtime in 2008. Areas like agriculture, garages and tool hire too have seen a significant impact, wherein workers are putting in unpaid extra time amounting to anywhere between 5 to 13 extra days in comparison with last year.

The data gathered indicates that the UK has an estimated five million people working about seven hours extra time per week, for which they are not paid. The key reason for the increase in unpaid overtime seems to be the fear that has engulfed both the employers and the employees.

The TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber, offering an insight into the issue, says that people are so afraid they may lose their jobs that they are readily working longer hours without much fuss. However, on the flip side, there are people who are working in industries which have seen a total loss in business activity, resulting in employees being idle even during the normal working hours.

Increased working hours can increase the risk of workplace accidents. Avoid unexpected accidents by having staff properly trained by the experts at Workplace Law. Find out more about their well regarded first aid courses .

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Benefits of Glucosamine Chrondroitin as a Dietary Supplement

In the medical world today, many diseases and disorders have no cure. Most
of the things offered by the medical world to diseases and disorders are
only just intervention. There are no exact things to reverse the whole body
function.

Most of the treatments provided and offered are only acts to lessen or avoid
the worsening of the diseases and disorders. Medical world still relies to
the traditional medicine that has been developed and innovated.

Alternatives are given to act as sources of necessary nutrition that is
needed by the body. They are the things that are used to supply the deficit
of the medicines that are available.

The medical world still relies on the natural products that are necessary to
our body. They still rely on vitamins and minerals that our body required.
They still rely on the chemicals that are produced by the external
environment and internal environment of the human’s body.

Glucosamine and chondroitin are two of the chemicals that are needed by the
body. The human body normally produces them but because of health problems,
the homeostasis is being impaired leading to disorders.

Glucosamine is a natural sugar produced by the body and found in some foods.
It is involved in the production, maintenance, and repair of the cartilage.
It is also found in the liver and kidneys. It can be synthesized for
commercial use from the crab, lobster, or shrimp shells.

Glucosamine is the one that stimulates the production of glycosaminoglycans
and proteoglycans. They are essential building blocks of cartilage.

Chondroitin is a more complex molecule than glucosamine. It is also a major
constituent of cartilage. It draws fluid into the tissue to give the
cartilage more elasticity and to slow breakdown by protecting it from
destructive enzymes.

Glucosamine and chondroitin are used to help fight osteoarthritis and joint
pains. Advocates say that glucosamine supplements can jumpstart the
production within joints. The long lasting pain relief and functional
improvements are some of the benefits that are reported by the users of the
two chemical supplements. It is a result of the anti-inflammatory agents, an
increase in building activities, and a reduction in the enzymatic
destruction of the cartilage.

It is also believed that glucosamine and chondroitin also reverse the
progression of damages in the joint. The rapid pain relief upon initiation
of glucosamine and chondroitin supplement is a result of increased
production of hyaluronic acid, which is involved in the lubrication and
shock-absorption activities within joint fluids.

The glucosamine-chondroitin supplement treatment is gaining popularity among
the consumers because of proof of its effectiveness in recent scientific
studies. There are evidences that glucopsamine and chondroitin help reduce
or eliminate osteoarthritic pain.

Some physicians and researchers speculate and believe that the supplements
may also offer similar benefits to the sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis,
ankylosing spondylitis, spinal disk degeneration, tendolitis, and bursitis
and physical injuries to joints.

Many advocates feel that glucosamine and chondroitin supplements play a
pre-emptive role in eliminating the development of osteoarthritis.

The use of glucosamine and chondroitin in combination may be synergistic.
More and more clinical trials have begun to support the benefits of
glucosamine and chondroitin for overall joint health and resilience.

One recent study found that general immobility over time in both a placebo
group and the experimental group that was taking glucosamine and
chondroitin. The result began to manifest quickly.

There have been too many scientific investigation, studies and researches
conducted in hopes to scientifically confirm the testimonies to the wonders
of glucosamine and chondroitin supplements.

Traditionally, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are prescribed
to treat the symptoms of osteoarthritis. These potent drugs primarily masks
symptoms that causes stomach upset and even ulcer formation, as well as
damage to the liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract.

In contrast, gluocosamine and chondroitin supplements have no serious side
effects causing only mild ingestion and headaches. Glucosamine and
chomndroitin do not work by prostaglandin inhibition. The continued use of
the supplements does not lead to progressive joint destruction

Glucosamine and chondroitin are labeld as food supplement, so therefore the
Food and Drug Administration do not regulate the amount and purity of these
two. Always consult health care provider before beginning supplement regimen
to ensure safety. .

Joyce Dietzel writes articles For-Your-Vitamins.Com a website dedicated to vitamins,herbs and supplements

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