Only 2 days left

We’ve seen an amazing response so far, but to reach our goal of 1,000 new donors by Thursday, we need you to make a matching donation right now:

http://repoweramerica.org/match

Let’s be clear. The only way we’re going to win on clean energy is to upend business as usual politics.

Enough people need to act with enough strength that our elected officials can look beyond what Big Oil and Big Coal want — so they can lead, taking us into the 21st century to a clean energy economy. Otherwise those powerful special interests will ensure that we ignore the greatest challenge of our time.

We’ve got to push past them with a movement of ordinary Americans just like you coming together to solve the climate crisis so we can revitalize our country and leave our children and grandchildren a legacy of clean American energy.

You can see the personal determination people have to seize this moment in the notes supporters like you have been sharing as they match each other’s donations. I wanted to share a few of these notes with you:

Mathew in Norristown, PA:
Thank you so much for your support. Every person that contributes is making an investment in our future. A future with clean renewable energy for our children, thank you again.

Daniella in Los Gatos, CA:
It surprises me that we are even having to battle Big Dirty Energy at this late stage in the game. Yet, fight we must. Thank you Joan for offering this matching fund opportunity.

Jeremy in Edgewood, KY:
Thanks for matching my donation Ali. I believe clean energy is the way to greater prosperity and security for this great nation of ours (and for the world).  Let’s make it happen.

Join each of these new supporters by making your first contribution today. A previous donor has pledged to match your gift, doubling your impact.

Make your first donation of $25 now. If you’d like, you can exchange a note with the donor who matched your contribution.

The powerful interests thrive when we sit on our hands. But their power wilts when we decide to act.

We can have the clean energy future America so urgently needs — but only if we’re willing to fight for it. Help inspire a movement big, broad and strong enough to win.

Thanks for everything you do,

Maggie L. Fox
President and CEO
The Alliance for Climate Protection

3 Steps to reduce dangerous toxins in your home today

1. Get rid of conventional cleaners:
   Most conventional cleaners contain dangerous ingredients including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde, harsh acids, and hormone disrupters linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity, and eye and respiratory irritation.

   The solution: Use nontoxic, biodegradable cleaners free of synthetic fragrances. Most cleaning jobs can also be done with baking soda and vinegar.

2. Filter your water:
   The public water supplies in 19 of America’s largest cities delivered drinking water that contained contaminated levels exceeding EPA limits, including rocket fuel, arsenic, lead, fecal waste, and chemical by-products created during water treatment.

   The solution: Get a water filter, and ask your water utility for its "Consumer Confidence Report." But avoid bottled water – most brands are not much better than tap water and the bottles contribute to mountains of waste. Carry and refill your own reusable water bottle instead.

3. Use care with paints/stains:
   Conventional paints contain three dangerous chemicals: VOCs, fungicides, and biocides.

   The solution: Use super-low or even zero-VOC paints and stains. Look also for "biocide-free" paints and those that use natural pigments. If your home was built before 1970, consider having both your home and your children’s blood lead levels tested. Paint over lead-based paint to minimize dust and chipping.

Brought to you by Lifecoach Vaness

Why a first kiss can be a deal breaker

Whether it’s a soft peck on the cheek or a passionate encounter of lips, a kiss is an exceedingly rich and complex exchange of postural, tactile, and chemical cues that can have profound consequences for romantic relationships, report psychologists from the University of Albany in the Journal for Evolutionary Biology. As evidence of just how biologically important this exchange can be, one study found that 59 percent of men and 66 percent of women have experienced a first kiss as a "deal breaker".

The Albany researchers also found a marked difference in the preferred style of kissing. Male students preferred overall wetter kisses than their female fellow students and showed a greater preference for tongue contact and open-mouth kissing. The researchers speculate that males are unconsciously looking to maximize saliva exchange, which provides clues about fertility and may also allow the male to exchange hormones, including testosterone, which passes directly through the membranes of the mouth into the bloodstream and can boost female libido. Because men are less chemo-sensitive than women, men may need more saliva than women just to pick up the clues.

When participants were asked if they would have sex with someone without kissing first, more than half of the males responded positively, but only one in seven females would consider having sex without kissing first. When asked to rate kissing as an important ingredient in forming a relationship and in bonding, women rated kissing overall more important than males. Women also felt that someone’s being a good kisser was not a good enough reason to start a relationship. Interestingly, for short-term relationships, both men and women preferred wetter kisses, probably to maximize the hormone exchange and heat things up.

Monika Rice

Brought to you by LifeCoach Vaness

Try this meditation to more deeply savor your food

In the rush-rush-rush of our daily lives, it’s easy to forget to savor our most intimate connection with the earth: the food we eat. you can enjoy this short meditation on your own, but it’s even better to try it with friends or family. That way, one person can read the meditation to the others, allowing them to meditate on the images that form in their mind’s eye.

Find a comfortable way to sit.

Close your eyes.

Take a deep breath through your nose, in and out. Pay attention to your breath.

As you breathe easily, fill up your stomach, your ribs, your sternum. As you breathe out, feel the breath coming up first from your chest, then your ribs, then your stomach.

Now, picture one of your favorite fruits, vegetables, or fresh herbs. Breathing in and out, develop the image of this food in your mind.

Take the image of your food and place it in your hands. Feel its weight as you hold it in front of you. Is it heavy? Is it light? Does it barely fill your palm, or are you staggering under its weight?

As you imagine holding it, picture running the fingers of one hand across its surface. Does it have a soft skin? A hard rind? Is it leafy? Is it silky, hard, smooth, bumpy, fuzzy? Spend a moment touching its surface.

As you touch its stem, think about how it grows. Think about its life before you … did it grow in the ground? On a tree? On a bush? Picture how it grew.

As you look at it, drink in its color. Is it deep in color or is it pastel? Is it the color of a monk’s orange robe? A sunset pink? Morning light’s yellow?

Now picture yourself peeling it or cutting it or tearing a leaf off of it. Drink in its smell. As you breathe in, imagine that you’re smelling your food. Think about the fragrance. Is it strong or subtle? Sweet or spicy?

think about how you most love to eat it. If you’d eat this raw, bring it closer to your mouth. If you’d cook it, shift your image of it until it’s the shape, color, and texture of your food cooked as you most love it.

Now imagine taking a bite of it. Picture that first bite. Is it juicy? Crunchy?

As it lands on your tongue, savor its texture and its scent as it changes when your taste buts – not just your nose – get involved. Let the flavor sink into your mouth.

Picture yourself chewing and enjoy meditating on the taste as it changes in your mouth.

Imagine swallowing. Feel your food as it moves down the back of your mouth, down your throat.

Continue breathing in and out.

Sit. Feel the food become part of you.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Slowly, whenever you’re ready, open your eyes.

Breaking news in alternative therapies

Pomegranate Juice for Prostates

The tart fruit is not only trendy, but it’s quickly advancing to the forefront of new research aimed at tackling prostate cancer cells. According to a new study published by the American Chemical Society, pomegranates are rich in a special class of antioxidants called ellagitannins, which break down during metabolism into compounds known as urolithins, which seek out and destroy prostate cancer cells. Although the chemo-preventive action of pomegranates needs further study, researchers are hopeful that the fruit may play a vital role in treatment.

Vitamin C fights tumors

After years of controversy, vitamin C is back on the A-list of anti-cancer research, thanks to a new study at John Hopkins Medical Institutions. The research found that vitamin C can indeed inhibit the growth of some tumors – just not in the manner that formerly was believed. According to conventional wisdom, antioxidants such as vitamin C prevent cells from becoming cancerous by grabbing up free radicals, thus preventing damage to our DNA. The Hopkins study, however, describes the discovery of a new mechanism by which the vitamin appears to prevent cancer. Vitamin C, it was found, inhibits a protein that feeds tumors with oxygen. Without oxygen, tumors die. "By uncovering the mechanism behind antioxidants, we are now better suited to maximize their therapeutic use, "say the researchers, who will continue to put vitamin C to the test.

Flaxseed for Hot Flashes

A small preliminary study performed by the Mayo Clinic suggests that flaxseed can help quell hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms for women who are not on hormone replacement therapy. The study participants who ingested 40 grams of crushed flaxseed per day reported a 50 percent reduction in the frequency and severity of the hot flashes. They experienced improved mood and a decline in joint or muscle pain and in chills and sweating -  common symptoms associated with menopause. As an increasing number of women decline hormone therapy, which has been linked to an increased risk in breast cancer, flaxseed therapy shows great promise as a natural and effective alternative.

Brought to you by LifeCoach Vaness

Health benefits in non-humor-dependent aerobic laughter

Get this! As part of a study called "Workplace Laughter and Personal Efficacy" (Journal of Primary Prevention, vol. 28:2), 33 employees of a behavioral health center met for 15 minutes a day for 15 consecutive workdays to engage in "a guided program of nun-humor-dependent laughter" (i.e., making your body laugh regardless of whether anything funny is going on). And, as arduous as such forced laughter might sound, it made everybody feel better. The participants reported significant increases in self-regulation, optimism, positive emotions, and social identification – increases they maintained at a follow-up examination.

But why was this study done?

"One of the biggest methodological problems in the research on laughter is the failure to distinguish between humor and laughter," wrote researchers Heidi Beckman, Ph.D., Nathan Regier, Ph.D., and Judy L. Young. "Humor is a construct, while laughter is a physiological event… Humor is a stimulus, and laughter is one of several possible behavioral responses to that stimulus. When this distinction is made, it is easier to see that humor and laughter are distinct (although often associated) events. Humor can occur without laughter, and laughter can occur without humor."

Ahhh. So thanks to this work, we now know that "Purposeful laughter is a realistic, sustainable, and generalizable intervention that enhances employees’ morale, resilience, and personal efficacy beliefs." And if we suggest this practice to our coworkers and they laugh incredulously, we need only remember: they are not laughing at us, they are merely ameliorating their self-regulation and optimism.

Betsy Robinson

Brought to you by LifeCoach Vaness

Finding happiness on $5 a day

The results of three simple studies from a team of researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Harvard Business School may add up to a simple key to happiness.

First, the researchers asked more than 630 Americans to report their annual income, rate their general happiness, and provide a breakdown of their monthly spending (including bills, gifts for themselves, gifts for others, and donations to charity). As reported in ScienceDaily, UBC psychologist Elizabeth Dunn said, "Regardless of how much income each person made, those who spent money on others reported greater happiness, while those who spent more on themselves did not".

The second study measured the happiness levels of employees at a firm in Boston before and after they received their $3,000 to $8,000 profit-sharing bonus. What affected the employees’ happiness, says Dunn, was not so much the size of the bonus but how they spent it. The employees who devoted more of their bonus to gifts for others or toward charity consistently reported greater happiness than employees who simply spent money on their own needs.

In the third experiment, participants were given $5 or $20 and told to spend the money by 5 p.m. that day. Half the participants were instructed to spend the money on themselves; the other half had to spend the money on other people. Once again, the participants who spent the money on others reported feeling happier at the end of the day than those who spent the money on themselves.

Concludes Dunn, "These findings suggest that very minor alterations in spending allocations, as little as $5 a day, may be enough to produce real gains in happiness."

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

Brought to you by LifeCoach Vaness

Why your doctor doesn’t feel your pain

Does your doctor rush? Do you feel that he or she doesn’t empathize with you, but is more concerned with moving on?

When most of us see someone in pain, our neural circuits mimic what we see and cause us to feel pain as well. But a study published in Current Biology shows that physicians learn to shut the circuits off.

The study, by Jean Decety, Ph.D., at the University of Chicago and a Taiwanese team, was conducted with 14 physicians and a control group of 14 people who had no experience with acupuncture. Brain responses were recorded while individuals from both groups viewed videotapes in which people were pricked with acupuncture needles in their mouth regions, hands, and feet. They also watches as patients were touched with a Q-tip. Brain scans showed that physicians, unlike the controls, registered n increase in activity in the portion of the brain related to pain. But the physicians registered an increase in activity in the front areas of the brain, with the neural circuit related to emotional regulation and cognitive control.

Because doctors sometimes need to inflict pain on patients as part of the healing process, they must also develop the ability not to be distracted or overwhelmed by the suffering, explains Decety. And that also explains why some doctors need to work on their bedside manners.

Neil Bartlett

Brought to you by LifeCoach Vaness

Why attractive mates seem so scarce

Why is that special someone so elusive for so many people? Or that perfect job? Or that perfect community? Now, an international team of psychologists have found an answer: Our own longings seem to create an illusion of scarcity.

Researchers Xianchi Dai, Klaus Wertenbroch, and Miguel Brendi from INSEAD, the international business school with campuses in France and Singapore, have been studying cognitive shortcuts or "rules of thumb" we use when we are unable to make informed decisions about value. The connection between scarcity and value is something we readily accept; for example, gold is considered precious because it is rare. The psychologists theorized that we also accept the inverse: that what’s valuable must be scarce.

To test their theory, the researchers had a group of young people view nearly 100 pictures, half of birds and half of flowers, in random order. the participants were told that they would get paid for each bird or flower picture they had seen – birds or flowers determined by a flip of a coin. Before getting paid, all participants were asked to estimate the total number of bird pictures and the total number of flower pictures they had seen.

The results: People who were paid for spotting flower pictures thought there were fewer flowers than birds, and those who were made to value birds believed there were fewer birds than flowers. in truth, there were exactly the same number of flowers and birds.

In other experiments, participants of both sexes viewed portraits of men and women, some attractive and some not. When questioned later, both men and women believed that there were fewer attractive people of the opposite sex than there were of the same sex.

In both experiments the participants appeared to be substituting their emotional desire entwined with a belief in scarcity for real calculation, suggesting that our cognitive shortcuts may have us assume (and perhaps live) more solitary lives than might be warranted by reality.

Brought to you by LifeCoach Vaness

Going vegan may have fringe benefits

What’s the best diet for preventing heart disease? Low fat, high carb? High fat, low carb?

For years, champions of one diet or another have argued.

Now, scientists at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute have joined the fray by suggesting that removing all animal products from your diet – including milk and eggs – may have unexpected health benefits for your heart.

In their study, which was published in the medical journal Arthritis research & Therapy, 66 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (people with rheumatoid arthritis are at increased risk for heart disease) were randomly assigned to either a vegan, gluten-free diet or a well-balanced, non-vegan diet. Here’s what they ate for three months:

The vegan diet consisted of 10 percent protein, 60 percent carbohydrates, and 30 percent fats (with no more than 10 percent in saturated fats). The vegans consumed vegetables, nuts, fruits, and sunflower seeds along with gluten-free grains and starches, such as buckwheat, millet, corn, and rice. They drank "sesame milk" made from unshelled sesame seeds to make sure they got enough daily calcium.

The non-vegan diet contained 10 to 15 percent protein, 55 to 60 percent carbohydrates, and the same fat intake as the vegan regimen. Non-vegans were encouraged to have five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables and to increase their intake of starch and other complex carbs, including whole-grain products.

As it turned out, going vegan and gluten-free fora at least three months lowered cardiovascular and atherosclerosis risk factors, including total cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein, often called "bad cholesterol"), the ratio of LDL to HDL (high-density lipoprotein, or "good cholesterol"), weight, and body mass index (BMI).

What’s more, the vegan diet raised the level of natural antibodies that may keep disease processes from developing. "Our findings suggest a new mechanism by which the level of natural protective antibodies can be increased," says Karolinska professor Johan Frostegard, who led the study. "They also show that diet can have effects on the immune system, with implications for the incidence of disease."

Brought to you by LifeCoach Vaness

Sad? Stay out of the mall.

William James pointed out in 1890 that "misery is not miserly" and scam artists have always targeted the sad. now scientists from Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, and Stanford are getting closer to understanding why sad people are so willing to part with their money.

In their experiment (see Psychological Science, June 2008), participants viewed either a sad video clip or one devoid of human emotion. Afterward, they could purchase a water bottle at various prices. Participants randomly assigned to the sad video clip were willing to spend three times as much money for the bottles as were "neutral" participants. Even more surprising, those in the sad group typically insisted, albeit incorrectly, that the emotional content of the film clip did not affect their spending.

The researchers also tested the level of self-focus in both groups. Among participants "primed" to feel sad, those who were highly self-focused paid more more money than those low in self-focus. Why might a combination of sadness and self-focus lead people to spend more money? First, sadness and self-focus cause one to devalue both one’s sense of self and one’s current possessions. Second, this devaluation increases a person’s willingness to pay more for new material goods, presumably to enhance the sense of self.

As James wrote, "a man’s Self is the sum total of all that he CAN call his, not only his body and his psychic powers, but his clothes and his house…" When that self is shrunk by sadness, shopping therapy may geel good, but it’ll likely be very expensive.

Stephen Kiesling

Brought to you by LifeCoach Vaness

Improve your credit record

A lot of people spend more than they can afford and pay less toward their debts than they should. To get control over your finances and to manage your debt, try:

Budgeting – In many cases, people design and then stick to a budget to get their debt under control. A budget is a plan for how much money you have and how much money you spend. Sticking to a realistic budget allows you to pay off your debts and save for the proverbial rainy day.

Credit Counseling – Many universities, military bases, credit unions and housing authorities operate nonprofit financial counseling programs. Some charge a fee for their services. Creditors may be willing to accept reduced payments if you’re working with a reputable program to create a debt repayment plan. When you choose a credit counselor, be sure to ask about fees you will have to pay and what kind of counseling you’ll receive. A credit counseling organization isn’t necessarily legitimate just because it says it’s nonprofit. You may want to check with the Better Business Bureau for any complaints against a counselor or counseling organization. Visit www.bbbonline.org for your local Better Business Bureau’s telephone number.

Bankruptcy – Bankruptcy is considered the credit solution of last resort. Unlike negative credit information that stays on a credit report for seven years, bankruptcies stay on a credit report for 10 years. Bankruptcy can make it difficult to rent an apartment, buy a house or a condo, get some type of insurance, get additional credit, and sometimes, get a job. In some cases, bankruptcy may not be an easily available option. Finally, recent changes to the bankruptcy laws may affect your ability to seek bankruptcy relief. For a discussion of some of these changes, see New Bankruptcy Law Requires Credit Counseling Before Filing. You also may want to visit www.usdoj.gov/ust. That is the website of the U.S. Trustee Program, the organization within the U.S. Department of Justice that administers bankruptcy cases.

brought to you by LifeCoach Vaness

Protect your identity

Identity theft involves someone else using your personal information to create fraudulent accounts, charge
items to another person’s existing accounts, or even get a job. You can minimize the risks by managing your personal information wisely and cautiously. Here are some ways to protect yourself from identity theft:

• Before you reveal any personally identifying information, find out how it will be used and whether it will be shared.
• Pay attention to your billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if your bills don’t arrive on time.
• Guard your mail from theft. Depositing outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after it has been delivered. If you’re planning to be away from home and can’t pick up your mail, call the US Postal Service Toll Free at 1-800-275-8777., or visit www.usps.gov to request a vacation hold.
• When possible, put passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts. Avoid using easily available information like your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your social Security number or telephone number, or a series of consecutive numbers. It’s a good idea to keep a list of your credit card issuers and their telephone numbers.
• Don’t give out personal information on the telephone, through the mail or over the internet unless you’ve initiated the contact or you know whom you’re dealing with.
• Protect personal information in your home. For example, tear or shred documents like charge receipts, copies of credit offers and applications, insurance forms, physician’s statements, discarded bank checks and statements, and expired credit cards before you throw them away. Be cautious about leaving personal information in plain view, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help or are having service work done.
• Find out who has access to your personal information at work and verify that the records are kept in a secure location.
• Never carry your Social Security card; leave it in a secure place at home. Give out your Social Security number only when absolutely necessary.
• Order your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies every year to make sure it is accurate and includes only those activities you’ve authorized.
• Carry only the identification that you actually need.

Brought to you by LifeCoach Vaness

Keep credit cards under control

Whether you shop online, by telephone or by mail, a credit card can make buying many things much easier; but when you use a credit card, it’s important to keep track of your spending. Incidental and impulse purchases add up, and each one you make with a credit card is a separate loan. When the bill comes, you have to pay what you owe. Owing more than you can afford to repay can damage your credit rating.

Keeping good records can prevent a lot of headaches, especially if there are inaccuracies on your monthly statement. If you notice a problem, promptly report it to the company that issued the card. Usually the instructions for disputing a charge are on your monthly statement. If you order by mail, by telephone or online, keep copies and printouts with details about the transaction.

These details should include the company’s name, address and telephone number; the date of your order; a copy of the order form you sent to the company or a list of the stock codes of the items ordered; the order confirmation code; the ad or catalog from which you ordered (if applicaple); any applicable warranties; and the return and refund policies.

Finally, if you have a credit card, take the following precautions:

• Never lend it to anyone.
• Never sign a blank charge slip. Draw lines through blank spaces on charge slips above the total so the amount can’t be changed.
• Never put your account number on the outside of an envelope or on a postcard.
• Always be cautious about disclosing your account number on the telephone unless you know the person you’re dealing with represents a reputable company.
• Always carry only the cards you anticipate using to prevent the possible loss or theft of all your cards or identification.
• Always report lost or stolen ATM and credit cards to the card issuers as soon as possible. Follow up with a letter that includes your account number, when you noticed the card was missing, and when you first reported the loss.

Brought to you by LifeCoach Vaness

Keep your credit record clean

Good credit is important, now and in the future. In most cases, it takes seven years for accurate, negative information to be deleted from a credit report. Bankruptcy information takes even longer – 10 years.

Know what creditors look for on credit reports

Understanding what types of information most creditors evaluate is important. Your credit report is a key part of your credit score, but it is not the only factor. You get points for other things like:

• Your bill-paying history
• How many accounts you have and what kind
• Late payments
• Longevity of accounts
• The unused portions of lines of credit
• Collections actions
• Outstanding debt

Where to obtain a copy of your credit report

Each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian, and Transunion – is required to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months.

The three companies have set up a central website, a toll-free telephone number, and a mailing address through which you can order your free annual report. To order, click on www.annualcreditreport.com, call 1-877-322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Form and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. You can print the form from ftc.gov/credit. Do not contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies individually. they are providing free annual credit reports only through www.annualcreditreport.com, 1-877-322-8228, and Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. You may order your reports from each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies at the same time, or you can order your report from each of the companies one at a time.

For more information, see YOUR ACCESS TO FREE CREDIT REPORTS at ftc.gov/credit.

Sponsored by www.lifecoachvaness.com

Do the math

Keep in mind that credit card interest rates and minimum monthly payments affect how long it will take to pay off your debt and how much you’ll pay for your purchases over time.

Suppose you’re 22, you charge $1,000 worth of clothes and CDs on a credit card with a 19 percent interest rate.

If you pay $20 every month, you’ll be over 30 by the time you pay off the debt.

You’ll have paid an extra $1,000 in interest. And that’s if you never charge anything else on that card!

Sponsored by www.lifecoachvaness.com

The Fine print

When applying for credit cards, it’s important to shop around. Fees, charges, interest rates and benefits can vary drastically among credit card issuers. And, in some cases, credit cards might seem like great deals until you read the fine print and disclosures. When you’re trying to find the card that’s right for you, look at the:

• Annual percentage rate (APR) – The APR is a measure of the cost of credit, expressed as a yearly interest rate. Usually, the lower the APR, the better for you. Be sure to check the fine print to see if your offer has a time limit. Your APR could be much higher after the initial limited offer.
• Grace period – This is the time between the date of the credit card purchase and the date the company starts charging you interest.
• Annual fees – Many credit card issuers charge an annual fee for giving you credit, typically $15 to $55.
• Transaction fees and other charges – Most creditors charge a fee if you don’t make a payment on time. Other common credit card fees include those for cash advances and going beyond the credit limit. Some credit cards charge a flat fee every month, whether you use your card or not.
• Other options – Creditors may offer other options for a price, including discounts, rebates and special merchandise offers. If your card is lost or stolen, federal law protects you from owing more than $50 per card -  but only if you report that it was lost or stolen within two days of discovering the loss or theft. Paying for additional protection may not be a good value.

Your personal information

Banks and other financial companies may share your personal financial information with their subsidiaries and other companies. But you can limit some of that sharing if you want to. "Opting out" can help keep much of your financial information private and reduce unsolicited offers that come in the mail. But it also means you may not see offers that could interest you. Your financial institutions will send you a privacy notice once a year in your statement or as a separate mailing. Be sure to read these notices carefully. Get answers to your questions from these companies. If you decide you want to opt out, follow the company’s instructions – you may need to call them, return a form, or go online. You can shop around for a financial institution with the privacy policy you want.

Sponsored by www.lifecoachvaness.com

Your Credit

Most creditors use credit scoring to evaluate your credit record. This involves using your credit application and report to get information about you, such as your annual income, outstanding debt, bill-paying history, and the number and types of accounts you have and how long you have had them. Potential lenders use your credit score to help predict whether you are a good risk to repay a loan and make payments on time.

Many people just starting out have no credit history and may find it tough to get a loan or credit card, but establishing a good credit history is not as difficult as it seems.

• You might apply for a credit card issued by a local store, because local businesses are more willing to extend credit to someone with no credit history. Once you establish a pattern of making your payments on time, major credit card issuers might be more willing to extend credit to you.
• You might apply for a secured credit card. Basically, this card requires you to put up the money first and then lets you borrow 50 to 100 percent of your account balance.
• You might ask other people who have an established credit history to co-sign on an account. By co-signing, the person is agreeing to pay back the loan if you don’t.

Sponsored by www.lifecoachvaness.com

What’s credit?

Being out on your own can be fun and exciting, but it also means taking on new financial responsibilities. The decisions you make now about how you manage your finances and borrow money will affect you in the future -  for better or worse.

Did you know that there are companies that keep track of whether you pay your debts and if you make payments on time? Then these companies make this information available in the form of a credit report and score.

A bad credit history can haunt you for a long time – seven years or more. That’s why the best thing to do is learn how to maintain good credit before there’s a problem. While this might seem complicated at first, it gets easier once you understand the basics of credit and how it works.

Credit is more than just a plastic card that you use to buy things – it is your financial trustworthiness. Good credit means that your history of payments, employment and salary make you a good candidate for a loan, and creditors – those who lend money or services -  will be more willing to work with you. Having good credit usually translates into lower payments and more ease in borrowing money. Bad credit, however, can be a big problem. It usually results from making payments late or borrowing too much money, and it means that you might have trouble getting a car loan, a credit card, a place to live and, sometimes, a job.

Sponsored by www.lifecoachvaness.com

5 ways to keep from overloading on calories when you have an alcoholic drink.

Thank goodness it’s Friday! It’s been a long week, and you’re looking forward to happy hour. But a night on the town can do serious damage to your diet, especially if you order cocktails made with high-calorie mixers. Still, happy hour doesn’t have to be a diet downer. With a little planning, you can avoid diet disaster, and there are some alcoholic drinks that are relatively low in calories.

It’s all too easy to overdo it with alcohol calories. We all know desserts are fattening. But when it comes to alcoholic drinks, sometimes the calories don’t register, even though a single chocolate martini has more calories than a McDonald’s grilled chicken sandwich. In fact, 1 gram of alcohol has 7 calories, compared with only 4 calories for a gram of carbohydrates or protein.

And calories add up even more quickly for mixed drinks than for beer and wine. The standard 1.5 ounce serving of 80-proof alcohol has 96 calories even before you add any mixers. A 6-ounce serving of orange juice has 84 calories, but add a shot of alcohol to make it a screwdriver, and the calories more than double.

Calories aren’t the only reason to take it easy on alcohol. Not only do cocktails boost calories, they also have a powerful impact on your inhibitions.

“Your resolve can be really strong when you are sober, but after a few drinks, you may find yourself mindlessly overeating the nuts, another slice of pizza, or whatever food is within striking distance,” says Christine Gerbstadt, RD. Drinking alcohol can also make you feel hungrier because alcohol can lower blood sugar.

What Makes Calories in Alcoholic Drinks Add Up?

The number of calories in mixed drinks depends on several things, including the amount and proof of the alcohol; the mixers; and the size of the drink. 

“It’s the mixers, syrups, and sodas that really get people into calorie trouble, because most drinks start with 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits that only have around 96 calories, but mixologists can easily turn that into a drink with hundreds of calories,” says Carolyn O’Neil, MS, RD, co-author of The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous.

Whether you’re drinking a beer or a cosmo, the higher the alcohol content, the higher the calories, says O’Neil. For example:

• 80-proof vodka (40% alcohol; the most common type) has 64 calories per 1oz
• 86-proof vodka (43% alcohol) has 70 calories/1 oz
• 90-proof vodka (45% alcohol) has 73 calories/1 oz
• 100-proof vodka (50% alcohol) has 82 calories/1 oz

When it comes to portion size, the average serving size of wine and alcoholic beverages is probably smaller than you think.  Beer, on the other hand, is more standardized in bottles and beer glasses, except if you are in a European beer garden.

Most glasses of wine contain 125-150 calories, but that can double depending on the size of the glass size and how full it is.  At cocktail or dinner parties, glasses are often refilled before empty, making it especially hard for dieters to track their alcohol and calorie consumption.

Beer can range from 64-198 calories per 12 ounces. Light beers are a better choice because “they contain the same amount of alcohol as regular beers but fewer carbohydrates,” says Gerbstadt. And, she adds, “low-carb beer is just another term for light beer.”

Another diet destroyer is the rising popularity of super-caloric cocktails.

Some are desserts in disguise, from chocolate martinis to hot buttered rum. Creative cocktails are all the rage, and bartenders are tempting patrons with mega-calorie cocktails like the Key lime pie martini. It’s creamy, delicious — and loaded with calories, from the cream to the graham-cracker crust rim.

“The trend in cocktails is to sugar the rim, add chocolate syrup or any number of creative sweet touches that boost calories, and turn the cocktail into a dessert,” says O’Neil.

If you must have one of these, she advises, trim your dinner calories and enjoy your cocktail afterward as a dessert. Better yet, order a small after-dinner liqueur, like Amaretto, over ice and sip it slowly.

And then there are the super-sized drinks. Some chain restaurants serve jumbo drinks, like margaritas with double shots and extra mixers, that could add up to 1,000 calories or more in one mug, Gerbstadt says. A single giant glass of TGI Friday’s frozen mudslide, for example, contains 1,100 calories.

5 Tips to Curb Alcohol Calories

So how do you keep those calories in alcoholic drinks from adding up so quickly? Here are five tips from the experts.

1. Alternate alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks to save calories. The savvy dieter finishes one cocktail, glass of wine or beer, then has a “mocktail” — a nonalcoholic, preferably zero-calorie beverage (like sparkling water with a lime) that looks like the real thing. This strategy not only reduces the risk of over-consuming calories and alcohol, but it also helps you stay hydrated so your head will thank you in the morning!

“It is a good idea to start the evening with a tall glass of water or sparkling water to satisfy your thirst so you won’t use the alcoholic beverage to do it for you,” adds Gerbstadt.

2. Choose wine, light beer, or simple cocktails made with low-calorie mixers. Just as you might order your salad with dressing on the side, don’t be shy about asking for your cocktail your way.

“You can save 100 calories if you have a diet soda as your mixer,” says American Dietetic Association spokesperson Dawn Blatner-Jackson, MS, RD.

Mix cocktails with water, club soda, low calorie juices, artificial sweeteners or sugar-free syrups for easy calorie savings. Fruit and vegetable juices can be good choices because they are lower in calories than some other mixers and also contain disease-preventing antioxidants. Still, “be careful of fruit juices because even though they are more nutritious, the calories can add up quickly,” says Blatner-Jackson.

Some mixers that won’t pack on the pounds include:

• Diet soda or diet tonic: 0 calories
• Orange juice (6 oz): 84 calories
• Cranberry juice cocktail (8 oz): 136 calories
• Light orange juice (8 oz): 50 calories
• Light cranberry juice (8 oz): 40 calories
• Light lemonade (8 oz): 5 calories
• Coffee, tea: 0 calories
• Baja Bob’s sugar-free margarita or sweet ‘n’ sour mix: 0 calories
• Lemon or lime juice (1/2 oz): 10 calories
• DaVinci or Torani’s sugar-free syrups: 0

3. Skip the mixer altogether. Try ordering your favorite spirit or one of the new flavored liquors on the rocks. “Infused vodkas are very popular because they are not sweetened but infused with flavors, from jalapeno to peach, without adding any extra calories,” says O’Neil.

4. Dilute your drink. Another option is diluting your drink with club soda or sparkling water. Wine spritzers are a low-calorie standby. And if you usually drink vodka and cranberry, for example, try it with club soda, just a splash of cranberry juice, and a squeeze of lime. Garnish with a wedge of citrus or pineapple to add flavor and few calories.

5. Have a game plan. Before heading out to the cocktail party or happy hour, make sure you have a game plan. Decide in advance the number of cocktails you are going to drink and cut back on calories during the day in anticipation. But eat a light snack before you go so you won’t get tipsy with the first drink and it will be less tempted to dive into the food. Always be aware of your own personal limits. Don’t drink too much, and, of course, don’t drink and drive.

How Many Calories in Popular Cocktails?

So just how many calories are in your favorite cocktail? These calorie counts for popular alcoholic drinks are approximate, based on popular recipes, but may vary depending on ingredients and portions.

• Pina Colada (6 oz): 378 calories
• Mojito (8 oz): 214 calories
• Cosmopolitan (4 oz): 200 calories
• Chocolate martini: (2 oz each vodka, chocolate liqueur, cream, 1/2 oz creme de cacao, chocolate syrup): 438
• Margarita (8 oz): 280
• Green apple martini (1 oz each vodka, sour apple, apple juice): 148
• Martini (2.5 oz): 160
• Port wine (3 oz):128
• Bloody Mary (5 oz): 118
• Red wine (5 oz):120
• White wine (5 oz): 120
• Alcohol-free wine (5 oz): 20-30
• Beer (12 oz): 150-198
• Light beer (12 oz): 95-136
• Ultra-light beer (12 oz): 64-95
• Champagne (5oz): 106-120
• Coffee liqueur (3 ounces): 348
• Godiva chocolate liqueur (3 oz): 310
• Wine spritzer (5 oz): 100
• Eggnog with rum (8 ounces): 370
• Hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps (8 oz): 380
• Hot buttered rum (8 oz): 292
• Spiced cider with rum ( 8 oz):150
• Mulled wine (5 oz): 200
• Vodka and tonic (8 oz): 200
• Screwdriver (8 oz): 190
• Mimosa (4 oz): 75
• Gin and tonic (7 oz): 200
• Long Island iced tea (8 oz): 780
• White Russian (2 oz vodka, 1.5 oz coffee liqueur, 1.5 oz cream): 425
• Mai Tai (6 oz) (1.5 oz rum, 1/2 oz cream de along, 1/2 oz triple sec, sour mix, pineapple juice): 350
• Rum and Coke (8 oz): 185
• Rum and Diet Coke (8 oz): 100
• Mike’s Hard Lemonade (11 oz): 98

Sponsored by www.vaness.ws