Smart Radio Spotify

I'm not even sure if it technically falls into the radio category...

But they have sponsors on the "free version" which of course all you smart people will be installing - so I'm sticking with the radio label.

Anyway I stumbled across this little music gem whilst doing a little research about the whole 'Pirate Bay' scenario. If you don't know what I' talking about better that way sometimes.

To be quite honest I'm a music lover and if I cant listen to exactly my mood for the day I'm not at my best!... Anyway spotify loaded with some crazy localised advertising, seem to be a UK based Beta at the moment, but if you pick-it up outside the UK let us know.

It's got some rather cool features with mixing your tasts and allowing you to select music to be played from certain decades, chosen by you.

Its Legal music file sharing, I like the sound of that... On their website they say we ain't gotta pay because of the sponsored ads (which you can opt out of, by paying a fee of £10.00 pm) umm that's steep!

On the free version I've been listen too I've had a great few day's full of Marley and Eminem mixed into a beautiful stew, I've even heard songs and versions I'd never heard before exept when the British Gas ad pops in, it's great steaming.

Smart pice of kit! I like it.

Smart Technology Saves You Time

Technology should work for you, not against you. It's meant to save you time and money. So for social butterflies, like myself, who have a number of IM accounts with say, Yahoo, MSN, Google Talk and then a few different email accounts and then even more social networking accounts (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace), a solution is required that consolidates all of them in one place. Cue my wonderful friend Digsby.

With Digsby, I've set up my 3 email accounts, 4 social networking accounts and 3 chat accounts. It's configured to start up with my pc or laptop and immediately I can see if I have new emails, can check Facebook for any updates and know who's available to chat without the slog of having to log into all the the IM accounts individually.

So what else can this sweet little tool do? Well you don't just get to see what's happening. You can also update your status, delete those new emails, mark them as read or report them as spam. You can set your preferences to suit your needs...timestamps, buddy icons, notifications, the works.

Best thing since sliced bread? No...Better.

Opposites: Optimism or Pessimism

Don't blame me for this... This blog owner asked for a new entry. I guess the last one wasn't enough of this old man.

What do you know abut Taoism?


I know nothing at all about Taoism except this story:


An old farmer's son found a great white stallion. His neighbor said, "My, how fortunate you are with your son finding that great horse."

Farmer: It could be good or it could be bad.

The horse bucked, his son fell and broke his leg. The neighbor told him how sad he was that his son had the misfortune of breaking his leg.

Farmer: It could be good or it could be bad.

A war lord came through gathering all able young men for war. The farmer's son was left behind with his broken leg. Again the neighbor said, how fortunate the man was that his son was not taken.

Farmer: It could be good or it could be bad.

The farmer is neither an optimist or a pessimist. It is all luck to him and good or bad at that.

When it rains, the optimist sees flowers and good crops coming. The pessimist prepares for a flood by building an arc.

The dreams of the optimist often come true. He sees the vision and he reaps the harvest.

The dreams of the pessimist come true too and he fails. He reaps the whirlwind.

So, will your dreams come true and are they positive dreams of success?

If they are, you will be the winner.

John

Are You Buying Postconsumer Content?

'Or' Are you buying recycled?

Just as important as recycling all of your rubbish is the act of “closing the circle” by buying stuff made of recycled materials. Keeping recyclable materials out of the trash heap is only the first step in ensuring the true value of recycling.

The high demand for eco-friendly products encourages manufacturers because of the financial benefits to use more of these materials. Belief that recycled products are more expensive or of poorer quality has consistently proven to be tosh. A recent Buy Recycled Business Alliance survey reports that 97% of respondents are satisfied with the performance of recycled products.

Try it for yourself compare products side-by-side to demonstrate the strength and quality of recycled products. Additional studies have shown that most of these products cost less than 5% more than comparable products made of virgin (non-recycled) content. Often the cost is the same or recycled materials even cost less.

Buying recycled products is easy. Just check the labels on the stuff you buy. Important to look out for is “Postconsumer content,” which means the product is made at least in part of materials we would usually throw away as waste.


To have a major impact, try to buy paper towels with at least 30% postconsumer content. Other great things to buy that are made from recyclables include aluminum cans, toilet tissue, trash bags, egg cartons, and glass containers. More and more of these products are available all the time, so support their manufacturers and keep the cycle going!

Borrow from time a peaceful tomorrow

I was researching poetry with my daughter for a school project led us to Helium and we came across something that has a lot to say in so little words . I do hope it's hopefully helpful. Beth says I should give 'my own' interpretation of the poem here. Maybe later ...

To Push Forward

Always find all possible ways
Chase so that success you can trace
Face the task as courage ever pays
Grace of God comes, if a soul prays

Fear not, instead have cheer
Dear friend, please shed no tear
Hear my word, for you, I am here
Near us is God in the atmosphere

Gather strength let it not wither
Bother not, but be bold dear brother
Altogether love changes mind’s weather
Feather-touch of God soothes like ether

Throw away worry to strongly grow
Narrow thoughts produce sorrow
Borrow from time a peaceful tomorrow
A zero becomes by hard-work a hero

Stay with hope to win the day
Say a prayer to make Angels obey
Play life-game keeping worry away
To allay fear, may help this little lay.

by M V Venkataraman

How To Make Foods Last Longer

I've never been a fan of wasting or throwing away food especially in these tough times.

You can make foods last longer by applying some very simple tricks that are not too commonly known. Here's a very helpful video on making foods last longer.

A plan to achieve your goals.

Have you ever felt like your doing what your are supposed to do but you don't seem to be getting anywhere?

Last week I was out shopping and I bumped into an old employee of mine 'Claire. She was one of those exceptional employees, priceless to a business, Claire added value to everything she touched she was one of the best budding managers I had the pleasure to develop.

We both had a few bags and decided to have a sit down a coffee and a catch-up. It had been almost 3 years since I last saw at a Claire.

She mentioned how she seemed to be standing still in her own life goals. Work seemed to be standing still. and she was unsure which direction to go and had a few options within the company. Her life outside of work seemed to be standing still almost waiting for something to happen.

So I pulled out a little pad that I had in my coat pocket which made us both burst into laughter. (As chance would have it I had written my shopping list on a page of one of my old little work note pads, the exact kind I used to buy all my employees to keep there to-do lists in!)

We went through an old exercise that make things a little clearer. at the end of coffee, Claire had a 2 new clear lists and a plan:

1. Her work achievements.
2. Her life achievements.

Claire wasn't standing still in life at all, she was merely too close to see what steps she had taken and achieved towards her end goals. Once we plotted the start to the end it was easy for Claire to see. She had actually taken some big steps that did need taking and actually milestones were reached.

I've found that making a simple list is great for helping me to plan for success. I take a single sheet of paper at the top of the sheet write my current status ... then the end of the sheet of paper the goal or result of that I want to achieve, then I can plot all the steps in the middle a lot easier.

Ticking off all the steps along the way makes me feel a whole lot happier too.

Green - Rubbish!

The world’s trash problem begins with the choices we all make every day. If we try to be more environmentally aware with what we buy and apply best practices, we will make a serious dent in the ever growing heaps of garbage filling the landfills.

There are a few simple, general guidelines you can follow to reduce your contribution to the world’s waste. If you have a choice of two similar products, choose the one with less packaging (or, in the case of some produce and other items, no packaging at all).

Whenever possible, buy long-lasting products instead of disposables. Consider buying frequently used products such as soap, laundry detergent, and dishwashing detergent in bulk or in concentrate to reduce unnecessary packaging.

Try shopping for bulk goods with a friend or family member—that way you can share the goods. Pay attention to how much you actually use of the common products on your shopping list, and buy only that amount.

Packaging and material goods are only two aspects of the “reduction” mindset.

We can all make an effort to reduce our use of electricity usage, water, petrol, paper, etc. In most cases, cutting back to the basics will simplify your life, creating a more peaceful, more economical, more earth-friendly existence.

Jamie Pugh | How To Triumph

Many people will take the easy road and never know there full potential. Some say that it's smart to walk the road most trodden. last night a "simple bloke from the valleys" (as he describes himself ) Walked a road where he truly cut his own path.

Jamie Pugh a 37yr old warehouse worker by day, a pizza delivery driver by night.. from Wales, faced his biggest fear last night which was singing in public. As he walked onto the stage of the UK TV show 'Britain's got talent' Jamie was physically shaking.

In front of over 3000 he tentatively nodded for the background music to start still shaking with fear as he did. Was a smart idea for Jamie to trust in himself and those who loved helped him to get where he was at that moment? Evidently it was...

Driven by raw emotion Jamie Pugh 'who had not slept for 3 days, prior due to his fear of performing in public.' had all who watched his ordeal welling up in tears by the end of his performance.

Jamie sang the most heart wrenching rendition of "bring him home" the West End Classic from Les Miserables.

Simon Cowell the main judge of the talent contest mentioned to Jamie that he could see just how important the last few minutes were, and it wasn't about the singing and Jamie held his head down in tears.

As he walked off the stage when asked how he felt "just for this brief moment I feel complete" said a Jamie.

I am certain that he has shown others that the impossible is often achievable...

Another Smart Idea - Simon asked Sue Son to come back and audition as a solo act!

Tips for Beating the Swine Flu Outbreak

Ever seen that movie Outbreak? Its a '90's film with Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo. It also featured a Capuchin monkey.

At the time when I watched the movie, I think I became a little bit more conscious about what was going on around me. If I was taking public transportation and someone sneezed, I just held my breath for a minute and tried to get some fresh air from outside the window. Constant coughing had me paranoid.

Well that was a whole different disease and I won't want the government to deal with the swine flu as they did in Outbreak.

As the swine flu speads across the world with pandemic threats, its very important to know how to lessen the chances of getting infected.

It might be a smart idea to do what the CDC suggests.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Dispose of the tissue in the trash after you use it.

• Wash your hands with soap and water especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs can spread this way.

• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.


• If possible try to avoid shaking hands.


• Should you get sick, the CDC recommends that you stay at home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Lastly, since flus of any kind usually attack the immune system it would be a good idea to keep yours in top shape. Get plenty of sleep, eat nutriciously and keep yourself clean on the inside and outside.

Don't go out for a posh lunch on Mondays!

It's always a smart idea to eat out...

I've been holding aces up my sleeve for a day that comes around quite rarely. (A day when the missus and I are both off together)

That may sound a bit odd, but she works shifts, any 5 out of 7 days, And as parents anytime that we do get off seems to be focused around educating (Montessori Style), feeding, entertaining and cleaning up after the 2 little brats. The two of us actually getting a day to ourselves is quite a miracle with an 8yr old girl and 4yr old little man! However last Monday we struck lucky...

It was about 12:05am and I began to feel a bit peckish, I said to the wife that we hadn’t had a posh lunch date for at least six months or, and suggested we take the opportunity to do so before the kids has to be collected from school...Within 10 minutes we were both ready for the “relaxing” afternoon together; I intended to pull out one of those aces...

We drove about 25 minutes to a lovely hidden country pub/restaurant I stumbled upon a few months ago. This would be my 3^rd visit and I was really excited, I’m hard to please when it comes to food, and I’d given this particular pub/restaurant 9/10 on both previous visits. The two of us were in for a treat.

How wrong was I! We were greeted beautifully as we entered and asked if we wanted a table for 2 which of course we did and were led through to the restaurant. It was then that I saw the first signs. It was nothing more than a few dirty tables but in a place like this, (where presentation is so important) I knew that they were crashing! The host sat us down and departed gracefully.

We didn’t have to wait too long wait for the waitress, she came over and very pleasantly asked if we would like a drink, as she did so she realised that we didn’t have a drinks menu and went off to fetch one....we then to placed our order for 2 glasses of house red :)... When we asked what the fish of the day was? She again wandered off in search of an answer, I thought if we just got off to a bad start!

But no, our little helper had to research a starter dish, forgot about the extra glass of red the missus wanted, the kitchen sent out very over cooked, instead of the ‘medium rare’ lamb we asked for, and we got baby new potatoes instead of roasted but to top it off my baked crab and avocado al forno had NO pasta in it.

At the end of lunch we sat for a few moments and just thought about the whole experience. Our waitress was very pleasant, even with her long untied hair, jeans torn away at the bottom from being walked on, (apparently fashion!) Chipped and warn nail polish, we decided never to go out for a posh l lunch on a Monday.

All the good staff are off for the day, knackered from a busy weekend, believe me it’s a smart move!

Do One Thing At A Time

This world can be a confusing place.

We have so many perturbations on us that we sometimes can't think straight. We have so much to do and we try to get everything done as soon as possible. What occurs is that we do not do things correctly and we join the ranks of the non-productive. We do not get a reward for our efforts.

The solution is to do one thing at a time. Big shot executives may write down two or three important things to do and they ignore all of the rest. They concentrate on that one most important thing and they do it right. They get their rewards.

Frustration can keep us from being focused. If we are not focused, we miss the target. So to stay focused, do that one most important thing and ignore the rest.

OK! You are a mother of four (4) and you can't do this. Well, put the kids to bed and work on that one thing. Send your husband to bed saying, "I'll be right there, Honey!" Then do your thing. When you go to bed an hour later, say, "Couldn't you stay awake for ten minutes?"

Yes, you have to schedule that one most important thing to exclude all else.

John
Your FREE Guide to Successful Employment and Long Term Success

Smart about your whole foods

Smart "old wives tales"
The regular advice your grandma ever gave you (apart from "don't touch that") may have been the best: eat more fruit and vegetables. Is that a smart idea? Here's the 2009 update: eat more whole foods. Whole foods can be easily defined as anything - fruits, vegetables, meats, grains that are brought to you untreated and in their organic state, in there purest form. They are, simply, food, not food-derived products that host a lot of vitamin enriched or calcium fortified and govern the modern food stores of today. More than anything else, being smart with whole foods diet won't just help you live more healthily, but it can also help protect the environment.

Whole foods provide nutrients in their most natural unprocessed state, when they are best able to absorb into the body and start making a difference straight away. Omega-3 enriched orange juice, for example, may sound good, but you're better off getting your vitamin C from a real orange and your Omega-3 fatty acids from a natural source, such as oily fish such as mackerel or herrings or nuts, these whole foods are smart foods, they contain balanced combinations of other vital vitamins and minerals that are much better for your body.

What gases do you let off?
It's been shown that eating whole foods can also cut major carbon emissions. The most recent EPA assess connect over 24 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions to the food industry, a large part of which comes from food processing and packaging. By being a little smarter and keeping to whole foods, you can stop these emissions altogether. A smart diet of whole foods can be extremely easy to follow, and you don't have to shop at "Whole Foods R Us". Simply avoid processed and packaged foods as much as you can steer clear of refined grains and sugars.

For the most part, this means looking for whole grain bread and pasta products, avoiding low-fat and falsely enriched foods that have been modified from their original forms, and staying out of fast food joints. By not accepting these additives and modifications, we all will have a better, healthier smarter existence whilst reducing your environmental impact.

Hi your looking for an answer to "why have I invited you?"

They say if you don't ask you don't get

Thanks for clicking and giving me the chance to explain.
I have come into contact with all of you (except 1 Adrienne)through wealthy Affiliate in some way or the other. It's you few who have really in your own way started me off on a proper long and hopefully very rewarding career in IM.

I wan't your help.... I know I asked some of you B4 I think the platform wasn't right fr quick and easy ... hopefully this is.

Of course I'll benefit from you all, and hopefully we all may get a little boost from this in the not too distant future.

That's the exact point...in delivering "smart ideas" to folks, but really it's how we all help ourselves with the help of others..

Thank you for reading I do hope I can get you on-board even if it's 1 post a month.