I didn’t have it as bad as it could have been. Many of the businesses that I visited spoke English as a second language. What amazed me was how patient and helpful those that couldn’t speak English were to me. I was able to go where I wanted and get what I needed with relative ease. It didn’t matter if we spoke different languages because we worked out other ways to communicate. Contrast that to some experiences I have witnessed in the United States. I have watched non-English speaking people intentionally ignored or dealt with without any patience. I have also heard people say they shouldn’t be in the United States if they can’t speak English.

Do you want to make the world a better place by doing even little things? My recent trip to Germany was proof that you don’t have to speak the same language to help others. The next time you see someone that may be visiting from another country, go out of your way to smile and greet him or her. Spend time finding a way to help them if they appear to need something. I am confident you will make their day better and yours as well.

Roger Carr is the founder of Everyday Giving. His life purpose is to help people help others. To learn more ways to give and sign up for the Everyday Giving ezine, go to http://www.everydaygiving.com/ezine.htm.

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While the concept of “baby tees” has taken on a whole new meaning in the new millennium, some companies have made a real dedication to the original intent of the phrase. Of course there is always the basic “I Love My Mommy” and “Someone in Tallahassee Loves Me” t-shirts, but in keeping with the times, some companies have designed some shirts that really let baby and parent’s personality shine through.

Take, for example, Wry Baby, a company that specializes in humorous baby t-shirts. Some of my favorites include “I’M NOT A BOY,” “NEW,” “SCENTED,” and a special twin set that reads, “STOP COPYING ME.” There are also onesies that come complete with baby care directions for everything from feeding to carrying.

For the breast feeding baby, there are shirts made in the style of the “I Love New York” shirts that read, ‘I Love Big Boobies.” A shirt that reads “Blankie, Boopie, or Bottle, Nobody Rides for Free” and features a picture of a tricycle is a nice take-off on a popular bumper sticker that’s a little bit more PG rated than it’s predecessor.

At Baby Wit, online shoppers can find a wide range of baby and toddler t-shirts. Whether your baby wants to make a political statement, hang out with the cool kids, or just have a cute monkey on his or her shirt, there is something for them here. Here you can find some more controversial t-shirt sayings, like “He Thinks He’s My Daddy” or “My Mommy Drinks Because I Cry.” There are also some amusing, but more tame shirts for the family set. Shirts like, “Come Closer So I Can Spit on You” and “Been Inside for Nine Months” (in prison suit font) make this site a well-rounded source of baby novelty bliss.

For the most creative parents, there are sites that feature personalized t-shirts for babies. It is also pretty easy to pick up the paint and stencils necessary to create a super-personal look for your newborn fashion plate. So if you think you can come up with something better than “Look, Maybe Someday I’ll Be Changing Your Diapers” than get thee to a craft store.

If you’re politically minded, mypunkbaby.com, a company based out of Massachusetts, donates five percent of all proceeds to a different charity each month. All shoppers are given a ballot at the end of their checkout to decide which of the highlighted charities will receive the five percent donation for the month. This way, your money is not only helping a good cause, it’s helping a good cause that you get a say in deciding.

You can, of course, go with the method of using your baby’s clothing as a way to instill the values that you hold nearest and dearest to you, like moral fiber, ethics, and rock and roll. Recently, at a baby shower for a friend who had recently graduated from college, the new mother got a baby t-shirt that had the Guns’n'Roses logo with the words, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” printed across it. It’s good to know that the next generation will be a good, hearty stock.

Green Tea is one such discovery?now there I go; it is not a discovery, although it seems like the entire US population has just been introduced to the latest and the greatest discovery since the last big thing, exercise for weight management? How many centuries has this natural substance existed? And I know that Dr. Perricone did not invent green tea either, but you’d never know it by the response evidenced by his appearance on the Oprah show. By the way I do like and enjoy both Oprah and Dr. Perricone and agree with most of the good doctors ‘discoveries’.

And the truth be known, I have known about green tea for decades and have enjoyed its many benefits for as long, boy do I need Oprah to discover me? I wonder if Bob Green would mind. Hmmm, there’s still Martha Stewart, hey Martha have you tried green tea? Well, anyway?

As it turns out, coffee just, well what do I know and who the heck am I anyway, here’s what the expert has to say? Dr. Perricone explains, "Coffee has organic acids that raise your blood sugar, which affects insulin levels and insulin puts a lock on body fat. When you switch over to green tea, you will get your much needed caffeine, in addition to lowering insulin levels and, here is the doosey?body fat will diminish somewhat rapidly. So, overall, 10 pounds in six weeks should be the result. But if I may chime in, regimented exercise and proper supportive nutrition, as well as adequate hydration should precede any and all wonder discoveries for health, wellbeing, vitality and lifestyle, then again?what do I know.

All jokes aside, I am elated to see that Oprah has jumped on the bandwagon and is exposing the numerous health benefits associated with green tea, like; its ability to enhance immune system function, build stronger bones, and decrease the risk of cancer?just to name a few. Conversely, the biggest buzz is about green tea’s ability to contribute to winning the battle of the bulge, pretty cool eh?

Sure enough, studies on green tea continue to reach the same conclusions. Not to mention, green tea also assists appetite suppression, helps to burn more daily calories and works to increase your body’s energy production. Incidentally, by increasing activity, decreasing your caloric intake and managing your hydration, with the addition of green tea?weight loss becomes a natural process.

The only drawback with these studies experts say is?that a person would have to drink a couple of quarts of green tea daily to obtain these benefits, which would be next to impossible. Personally, I don’t know of anyone who has the time to prepare and drink 10-15 cups of green tea each day, nor based on my less than ‘official’ expert opinion should you really have to, but I am not an official expert, just a lifelong practitioner of balance and moderation in exercise and eating right? How do you become an expert anyway? Martha, Martha? Ms. Stewart!!!

-To Your Absolute Health, Kurt Lee Hurley

Kurt’s website http://www.kreatefitness.com, as well as his Provo Utah Private Fitness Facility Synergy Fitness Systems, specializes in in providing leading edge exercise and nutrition programs and a super premium supplement line. All of these superior products offer superior results.

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This Latin name translates as “many flowered” or “abundance of flowers” and the Floribunda rose surely lives up to its name. These roses are among the most colorful of the modern roses. Their blooms are arranged in low-growing large clusters.

Many consider the Floribunda a better variety than the Hybrid Tea, their ancestor, largely because of its capacity to continue producing blooms over an extended period of time. Furthermore, they are much more hearty and resilient than Hybrid Tea roses.

Floribundas are available in a vast array of colors and styles and can grow as high as 4 feet. They are often grown for display rather than as a cut flower. Planted as an elegant landscape bush, they can produce abundant color for many seasons.

The Rob Roy has become very popular in recent years. It blooms in a deep red color and proffers a sweet soft scent. As long as there aren’t any severe frosts, they will bloom continually from spring until late fall. They produce an extremely bold showing when planted in large clusters.

Planting New Roses

Select an ideal sunny garden location and get your soil ready. Active blooming roses flourish best in a few inches of organic mulch. For best results, enhance it with a rich compost of manure or other organic matter.

You should provide generous spacing in which they can grow. Arrange your bushes from 18 to 24 inches apart from one another.

Dig a hole that will be deep enough for roots to spread without any restriction, about 8 to 10 inches deep. Adding bone meal to the soil is another good idea, as it is high in phosphates.

Now you’re ready to plant. Remove each rose bush from its container and place gently into the ground. Backfill the hole with loose soil. Then, using your palm, pack any loose soil firmly. Repeat this process for every plant.

When you’re done, water every new plant thoroughly. Continue watering your new roses on a daily basis for the first 2 weeks. After that, a weekly irrigation is usually enough.

Maintaining Healthy Roses

Late winter is the best time to prune. Most gardeners prune in January or February, depending on their local climate. Remove all debris first, and dead foliage from the plants and around their bedding. Clip off all dead bark-like canes. In order to promote new growth for the next season, remember to remove all the old flowers.

If it’s warm enough, it’s a good idea to fertilize the ground with organic matter at this time.

Although you should try to maintain some shape to your rose bushes, be gentle with the cuts. Many horticulturists say that Floribundas, in their first year, flourish with a cane 6 inches long.

Now, just sit back, relax and watch your flowers bloom beautifully for many months, and years, to come.

Dog lovers often refer to their dogs as “baby”, or to themselves, when talking to the dog, as mummy or daddy. It’s no surprise then that dog toys are a big market, and can make excellent dog lover gifts.

Choosing the right dog toys can be more difficult than you may think. The problem is, you probably “think” in a human way. Dog lovers, and those buying gifts for them, love to buy cute, squeaky toys for the dogs, or give them stuffed animals which they can chew on and carry around. That’s really the human thinking in baby terms. The result is likely to be a dog lover gift for the dog lover, not the dog.

If you are buying a gift for a dog lover, or are a dog lover buying for your own dog, then try to remember that dog toys have no need to be cute to look at. A dog does not appreciate cuteness, so if you want a real dog gift, rather than a dog lover gift, then look for something practical, fun for the dog, durable, and safe.

The Best And Safest Toys For Dog Lover Gifts

An important consideration with gifts for dogs is size. Kongs, balls, and other common dog toys must be small enough that the dog can chew them and also carry them. However, they should not be so small that they can become lodged in the dog’s mouth or throat.

For the same reasons, durability is an important factor, particularly for a dog that loves to chew. A toy that will break apart easily can become a hazard as the small, sharp parts of the toy can be swallowed, caught in the dog’s throat, or they could cut the mouth and gums. A hard rubber Kong, easily one of the best dog toys ever conceived, is a great choice for a dog lover gift.

If you, or the dog lover you are buying the gift for, has a gentle softie of a dog, then you can consider softer toys, like the popular "squeak" toys made of thin plastic and full of air. These are good for dogs that are that bit gentler. Such dogs are unlikely to chew through these softer toys, so again these can be good dog lover gifts if chosen with the type of dog in mind.

A good ol’ tennis ball can be a good choice, but are great for some dogs, and poor choices for others. This is likely to depend on size. If the dog is too small to fit a tennis ball all the way into its mouth, then it can be an excellent toy, one which the dog will love but will cost you very little. If the dog is a large one with a large mouth, and the tennis ball fits all the way in, then the tennis ball becomes a choking hazard. Your dog lover friend or relative may not thank you for buying a box of tennis balls that endanger the dog and land him with emergency vet bills.

This gift for dog lovers article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner author of the Gifts For Xmas website, and the Xmas ornament website: http://www.xmas-ornament.com

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Many people could not resist a rose’s beauty and scent. Imagine this coming from your rose garden. These flowers are known to be a bit complicated to grow, but anyone could start rose gardening in the comfort of her own backyard. Good rose care will keep it beautiful.

To make sure that your most prized rose garden is in the pink or even red of their health, simply follow these tips on rose care dealing with most of their health dilemma:

1. Black Spots on Leaves in Your Rose Garden

This disease is commonly known as black spot. Black spots appear as circular with fringed edges on leaves. They cause the leaves to yellow. The solution is to remove the infected foliage and pick up any fallen leaves around the rose. For the rose care artificial sprays may be used to prevent or treat this kind of rose disease.

2. Stunted or malformed young canes

Known as powdery mildew, this is a fungal disease that covers leaves, stems and buds with wind spread white powder. It makes the leaves to curl and turn purple. Spray with Funginex or Benomyl to treat this fungal disease that could ruin your rose garden.

3. Blistered underside of leaves

A disease of roses known as rust, it is characterized with orange-red blisters that turn black in fall. In spring, it attacks new sprouts. This disease can even survive winter. What you can do is to collect and discard leaves that are infected in fall. Benomyl and Funginex spraying every 7-10 days may help.

4. Malformed or stunted leaves and flowers - not for your rose garden

What could have caused this is the presence of spider mites. They are tiny yellow, red or green spiders on the underside of leaves. They also suck juices from leaves. The application of Orthene or Isotox is good rose care and will help in treating this infestation.

5. Weak and mottled leaves with tiny white webs under them

This might be caused by aphids. They are small soft-bodied insects that are usually brown, green or red. Often clustered under leaves and flower buds. They suck plant juices from tender buds. Malathion or diazinon spray may help roses to survive these bugs.

6. Flowers that don’t open or are deformed when they open.

The infestation in your rose garden is probably thrips. It is characterized with slender, brown-yellow bugs with fringed wings thriving in flower buds. They also suck juices from flower buds. The rose care for this is to cut and discard the infested flowers. Using Orthene and malathion may also treat this health problem of your roses.

This valuable information regarding the diseases your roses are prone to have will prove to be very helpful in making your rose garden ever more inviting.

It’s that time of year again. The kids are back in school, or are about to be. Parents are writing checks for PE clothes and school supplies. You’re finding out that your child has grown 2 or more shoe sizes since summer started. Not to mention that none of their clothes fit anymore.

You have a lot on your mind right now. If you’re anything like me you are concerned already about upcoming grades. My children seemed to have a difficult time at the end of last year keeping their grades up. Since my oldest is now in high school I have to be sure that he keeps his grades up as high as he possibly can. Not just for graduation requirements, but also so that he has the best possible chance to get some grant money for college.

What’s a parent to do? How can we help our kids keep their grades up throughout the entire year? How do we keep them motivated at the end of the school year, which seems so far off right now?

There are some things you can do as a parent, things that I do myself with my own kids, that will help your children to keep their grades up and their stress levels down. The best thing is to be sure your child is organized throughout the entire school year.

First of all make sure you participate in helping your child, no matter what grade they’re in, in picking out school supplies like their backpack and their main binder. Make sure that the binder is adequate for their needs. Be sure that their back pack is large enough to hold everything they are going to be bringing back and forth. Check to be sure there are organizing compartments in the backpack. These will be helpful for your child to stay organized.

Second of all, I know that each classroom of each school hands out this very extensive supply list that they say your child MUST have before school starts. In my experience my children only use a little over half of the items I HAD to buy. What I do now is I send them off to school with the basics; a binder, paper, pencils, pensthat’s it.

Over the next few weeks my children will come home and tell me the things they really do HAVE to have. I will go out then and buy them and nothing extra. That way my child isn’t responsible for keeping needless items organized. His life is way hectic enough as it is. Not to mention that since my children do not have lockers all these items must be kept in their backpacks, where honestly, there is not enough room for everything.

Third of all, if you want your child to be organized and to keep their grades up you as the parent are going to have to be involved in the process. Nearly every day I go through both of my children’s backpacks and binders. I go through their assignments when they tell me they’re done with homework to be sure they actually did it right and then filed it properly in their binder.

While I’m going through their backpacks I take out all the things that need to be filed and I have them file them properly in their binders then and there. Any homework that was not done properly is then handled correctly.

Yes, this is a pain for me. It takes up time I would rather not give up to this purpose, considering my children are in middle school and high school. But I know for a fact that when I stop going through their backpacks and their binders that they get unorganized very quickly. Their grades are sure to fall soon after that.

So stay involved. You have to remember that your children are just thatchildren. They do not want to stay organized. They don’t even want to do their homework. If you stay involved with this tedious aspect of their lives they will learn to be organized, which is a wonderful skill to have and they will be able to keep their grades up throughout the entire year.

Copyright 2005 Kerry Flinders

Modern bathroom vanities and medicine cabinets come in a huge variety of styles and finishes, from the simulated antique look to sleek modern designs. Your choice of vanity unit and storage cabinet can have a big influence over the look and feel of your bathroom, so it’s worth putting some thought into your decision to make sure you get it right. Think about the theme of your decor, as well as the layout of your bathroom. The positioning of your bathroom cabinets and vanity set plays an important role in the overall appearance of the whole room.

A well designed bathroom sink vanity can be adapted to store all sorts of items to help you keep your counter tops neat and tidy. You could have partitions in the drawers for small things such as makeup, with shelving for larger toiletries, and perhaps a pull out trash can to save space. Door racks for holding hair dryers or electric shavers are another useful feature of many contemporary vanity units. Similarly, bathroom medicine cabinets can hold all kinds of accessories, from towels to toothpaste. They can rest on the floor or be wall mounted or situated in a corner, depending on the best use of the space available.

Bathroom sinks can be made from a number of materials, from traditional porcelain to rustic looking stone or fashionable glass. Vanity tops can be custom made from your choice of material, including polished marble and granite. As well as choosing whether to have a furniture style vanity with legs or a block cabinet design, you can select all kinds of finishes, from unfinished wood to glazed maple or distressed paint. Attention to details such as your bathroom cabinet hardware can make all the difference to the end result. Try to find hinges and handles that match to the style and finish of your bathroom fixtures, such as your faucets.

Vanity units and cabinets are relatively easy to install and can work wonders at transforming an outdated bathroom. Vanities and cabinets for bathrooms are available in loads of different designs and can be the icing on the cake when remodeling your bathroom.