Bowel Cancer and a Positive Attitude

We've all heard about the power of positive thinking. Having a positive attitude and so on.

Some of us will have found that these clichés are indeed true. Positive thinking can change your life dramatically. For many people their positive attitude has carried them through many adversities. For some, its made them rich believing in themselves and what they can achieve by being positive and pushing on regardless of what's put in their path. There are many paths in our lives where a positive attitude has triumphed over what might seem insurmountable obstacles.

In case you were wondering what this has to do with bowel cancer and indeed any cancer, it's this same positive attitude of the patient that's important in the recovery process and in fighting the disease itself. The mind plays a significant part in the healing process of cancer and time and again its been shown that patients with a positive attitude fare better than those that give up or are overly pessimistic.

The power of the mind can be demonstrated by such occurrences as the pointing of the bone by Aboriginals at a member of the tribe, who has done something wrong, and is to be punished. There have been authenticated cases (1953) where this has occurred and the victim has simply died over a short period of time with no medical explanation. (Sources: John Godwin, Unsolved: The World of the Unknown, pp. 163-76; Ronald Rose, Living Magic, pp. 30-36): Even though this is a somewhat morbid demonstration of the power of the mind it does show how powerful it is. Powerful enough for a person to believe he is cursed to die, and does so.

Could it now be argued that you could use the power of the mind to not die and to survive your cancer despite the odds? My research has shown that you can't afford to take this literally. I don't think it can be said, that if you have a positive attitude you won't die from cancer. That depends on a number of other factors but what I do think you can say is, having a positive attitude helps enormously in surviving.

The cancer patients I interviewed for my book, who are long term survivors, have all taken a positive attitude toward their treatment and outcome. None of them were ready to lie down and die just because they had cancer. They had the courage and the fortitude to take on this disease and beat it.

I don't think many of us can say how we would feel if diagnosed with bowel cancer. It would certainly take the wind out of your sails primarily, but having talked to these people who have survived I think, after my initial shock, I would be doing the same as they did. I would be positive about the outcome and would let nothing stand in my way in beating this terrible disease to live a long and happy life.

New Bowling Balls Can Improve Your Bowling Score

Are you an obsessed bowling player, determined to make a great spare or a fantastic strike in every game? Then you will want to make the investment in acquiring new bowling balls that are right for you. Every game will really make the top scores if your new bowling balls have the exact comfort and style that go with your game skills.

Although most of it looks almost similar with its circular external feature, these are diverse in substances, size of the ball, size of the holes and even styles of the it. These lead to how victorious your game will be. By obtaining a new bowling ball with every characteristic complementing your strategy, you will sure lead the scores.

These new items have many sorts of substances used in manufacturing. The most basic and cheapest consists of polyester substances. These are best for newbies or non-professional players. Polyester contained ball are used in straight shots and are not so beneficial in producing hooks. Most players used this kind of ball to make a spare.

Another type of substance used for new bowling balls is the urethane. These are more suitable on producing hooks and are fantastic for price conscious players. Reactive Resin Ball is another kind but more favored by masters than urethane balls since it is more useful on hooks in arid lanes and straight shot in a greasy lane.

The perfect kind in seeking for the best is the particle bowling balls. Yet, it is also the priciest of them all. It is broadly wanted by most skilled bowling players because it creates greater power to the ball.

When searching for it, the perfect place in the market is the superb bowling ball to purchase. However, one has to check out also other features before purchasing just about any ball. Whether these balls will be the priciest or the best in providing greater power to your ball, if you are still an amateur or just an informal player, these best types may be too much to suit your needs.

There are players that purchase the said item with holes that are customized to suit their hands. These generate ease in playing the sport. In addition, some pick heavy balls but can still be convenient.

Crisis Prevention - Are Corporate Blogs a Potential Legal Landmine?

It is a growing trend. Company employees and even senior executives are contributing to corporate blogs. A recent survey showed that seventy-six of the Fortune 500 companies now publish blogs. Thousands of other smaller firms do the same. Blogging is a good way of humanizing a major corporation by building a closer relationship with the customers and marketing new products. Blogs also, however, pose a hidden danger that may not be fully recognized at this early stage.   Recently, I attended a program in which corporate bloggers were discussing their roles in corporate marketing and communications. The one thing that raised immediate concern was that the bloggers seemed to have little supervision as they placed thousands of words on the Internet on a company website.   In one instance, a blogger at a major corporation said that she was expected to know what was appropriate for the company blog. None of the bloggers indicated that their organizations had any written policy about blogging or that they had been briefed by the company's legal counsel on the potential liability issues involving a blog.   Some of the issues should be obvious.   At a public company, bloggers should not be making forward- looking statements concerning products, product development, earnings, or the price of the company's stock. Some areas may be less clear. What if a blogger's enthusiastic comments about a company's product prove to be misleading or inaccurate? Can stockholders sue the company based on those comments if the highly touted product turns out to be a dud? What if bloggers disparage another company's product or use the blog to promote their own social or political agendas? There is no question that most bloggers will use good common sense. But there are plenty of well meaning individuals whose actions leave their employers shaking their heads and plaintiff's counsel jumping for joy.    Among the legal issues outlined in a recent article by the law firm of Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk & Rabkin (www.howardrice.com) include:   ·         Defamation and Privacy Torts ·         Intellectual Property Infringement ·         Trade Libel ·         Trade Secrets ·         Securities Fraud ·         Gun-Jumping ·         Selective Disclosure ·         Forward-looking Statements ·         Employment Issues ·         User Privacy ·         Discovery

Robert Sprague, an assistant professor in the Department of Management and Marketing at the University of Wyoming, published an article* in the American Business Law Journal which provides an excellent discussion of whether bloggers' work falls under the First Amendment or is more tightly regulated commercial speech. We have seen instances where aggressive state regulators have sued companies based on claims made in blogs and on the Internet, even in instances where employees were not directly making the product claims.   A prominent plaintiff's attorney was recently quoted as saying that he loves to use company websites as a basis to undermine the credibility of corporate officials during depositions. We have found that it is not uncommon for websites to contain information and claims that have not been vetted by legal counsel and can be misleading or taken out of context.   It seems ironic that organizations that spend hours reviewing every word in a press release would allow bloggers to produce material that appears on a company website with little or no review and only informal guidelines.   Blogging isn't going away. However, like any form of corporate communications, it needs to be controlled and monitored. 

*Robert Sprague (2007). Business Blogs and Commercial Speech: A New Analytical Framework for the 21st Century. American Business Law Journal 44 (1)

Meet My 4-Legged Family

If you've been reading this ezine for very long, you probably already know a good bit about my wife, Ann, who is also my business partner and soul mate, and my soon-to-be 13-year-old daughter, Amber. Today I want to introduce you to the rest of the family -- our 4-legged members:

LUCKY: Lucky is a black and tan Gordon Setter-looking type mutt but without the Gordon Setter legs. She literally walked into our home one day when one of the sliding glass doors was open and took up residence. While she's getting up there in age and her muzzle is turning gray, she continues to have a very independent spirit and reminds me of Tramp in the Walt Disney movie, Lady and the Tramp. She's very much her own dog.

LADY: We rescued Lady from the local animal shelter about a year after I lost Maggie McGee to cancer. Lady is a mixture of Australian Sheepdog (like Maggie was) and Border Collie. We renamed her Lady because she is so much a Lady. She even eats her dog food in a dainty sort of way. She came from the shelter already trained and has been my companion on many miles of walks around Bonclarken Lake and at Carl Sandburg's Home.

LINDY: The newest member of our 4-legged family, Lindy snuck into our home by first bonding with Amber at the heart level. She was supposed to come just for a few days until we found a permanent home for her. Well, we did find her that home -- our own. She looks like she could be Lady's daughter although they're not related. I personally feel her name should be Rascal 'cause she has that kind of disposition in a loving sort of way, but Amber is holding on to the Lindy name since it was her grandfather's middle name.

PRETTY HEART: At this time Pretty Heart is our only feline friend, having lost Princess Lera on Christmas Eve. (Ann had Princess Lera and Luke Catwalker when we first met. We lost Luke several years ago. Lera ruled the roost in our house ever since Ann and I set up house. She's definitely missed by all of us.) Pretty Heart, named by Amber, was the typical barnyard orange tabby cat. He grew immensely in his early years getting up to around 22 pounds. We think he was an emotional eater, but then he suddenly started losing weight, and was eventually diagnosed as diabetic. He's been quite stable and happy on a holistic medication that Ann found on the Internet and that he receives twice a day in capsule form. (Thank goodness I still have some of my vet skills left.) He definitely lives up to his name.

And that's the 4-legged members of my family. Like the 2-legged members, they share their lives and their love with me and I'm so very grateful to have them all as part of my life on purpose.

©2005 Brad Swift of Life On Purpose Institute, Inc. This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this resource box are included.

Types of Shower Door

There are 5 key designs of shower doors and there are variations on which manufacturers supply them. Manufacturers provide left and right options where appropriate, also door height measurements, also take care to identify whether the glazing is toughened safety glass or acrylic. All doors and door frames are manufactured using high precision assembly jigs and can therefore only be made perfectly square and true. If after installation the door either catch, fail to close properly or appear twisted this is due to the frame not being installed squarely or the shower tray not being level. Most door designs have some adjustment which may compensate if the shower tray and/or tray are slightly out of line, however, if this is insufficient the unit must be re-fitted correctly.

Pivot Door

A pivot door swings on two pins, that located within the top and bottom of the frame at two fixed points. Pivot doors can be used within conjunction with side panels and infill panels.

When space is the problem then one of your best options is to use this kind of door and the door folds in so there is no space needed for the door to open out. This option can be used with side panels and infills also.

Hinged Or Frameless Swing Door

Hinged doors still require a frame but the door is a pure glass panel of between 5 & 10mm thick. Hinged doors provide a wider opening, and are ideal to fit across an alcove or in a corner with a matching side panel. They are a luxury product with high aesthetic appeal.

Swing Fold, In-slide Or Fold In Door

The in-swing door; is a full size door that swings into the shower enclosure giving maximum access capability yet ideal for installations where space is a premium and you do not want the shower door opening into the shower room. Note the carrying or swing arm that is located on the top and bottom of the door, this folds in such a way so as to leave the access to the shower enclosure free of instruction.

Sliding Door

The sliding door is usually fitted on the larger oblong type shower trays and can range from 1200mm - 1600mm long. The door gives maximum access without requiring clearance space within the enclosure or the shower room.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban missile crisis lasted for roughly 14 days. This time was one of the most dangerous times in modern days, almost driving the worlds two biggest superpowers into nuclear war with each other. There were many reasons for Khrushchev placing nuclear installments in Cuba and then for him dismantling them. These reasons include; providing a quick fix to the USSR's strategic inferiority, to expel the chance of the united states launching a first strike against them and increasing their own first strike capabilities, to act as a physical deterrent of the U.S Jupiter missiles placed in Europe and around the globe, and then to stop a nuclear war between the US and Russia. To understand these reasons, we must first understand what happened during the crisis and eventually why Khrushchev took the options he did.

The USSR had been in an inferior strategic position against the U.S for a long time, only having less than one fifth of the firepower America had. Because of this the Soviet Union started making up false reports concerning their numbers of nuclear warheads, in an attempt to scare the U.S. This became to be known as the missile gap, which Kennedy in his campaign promised to close. The U.S continued with their missile build up and by the time the crisis began the U.S controlled over 18,000 warheads. This was a ratio of seventeen to one against the Soviet Union, and showed just how much more power the U.S had against them.

Ever since Fidel Castro was made president of Cuba after the revolution in 1959, Cuba had tried to isolate itself from America. Before Castro Cuba encourages American involvement in domestic and industrial affairs. A good example was the American industries inside Cuba using Cuban workers. This use of Cuban citizens caused the revolution and is why Castro wanted to disassociate from America. Because Castro installed a communist government in Cuba, the U.S broke all trade agreements with them and Cuba had to find another country to form trade agreements with. They turned to the USSR and the Soviets accepted, giving Cuba long term loans with low interest and military aid. Something that made the Soviet link with Cube more string was the failed U.S backed counter-revolution by CIA trained Cuban exiles. It was the famous bay of pigs invasion; the exiles didn't even make it past the beach. Though this failed attempt showed Cuban authorities what the U.S intentions really were. This was seen as a major blunder by Kennedy. After that Castro was certain that the US would attempt a full invasion of Cuba and he requested military assistance off Khrushchev. Khrushchev obliged and sent 60 missiles and their warheads, 22 jet light bombers, 39 MIG fighters, 3 cruise missiles, 62 other fighters and 12 Komar-class cruise missile patrol sites. All this was constructed and maintained by 42, 000 Soviet troops deployed in Cuba. It was Castro's fear of the US that stimulated the installments of offensive missiles in Cuba. Even though Khrushchev may have had other reasons for placing these missiles in Cuba, if Castro had not invited him to, this crisis may never have happened.

The USSR was placed in a position which gave the US and its allies had a superior first strike capability. The US could not be reached from Russia using conventional weapons, where the missiles in Turkey, Italy and England were all pointed in their direction. The missiles in Cuba were only 90 miles from the coast of America, and the missiles the US had in Turkey were 135 miles away from Russia. The US was very worried about the position of the missiles in Cuba, though the USSR thought that their complaints were hypocritical saying; Why shouldn't the Soviet Union have the right to do the same as America? By placing Soviet missiles within 100 miles of the US coastline the USSR was evening the score and it allowed them to feel a little more secure and give the US a reason not to attack.

Both the USSR and the US were concerned with each others first strike capabilities (the initial use of nuclear weapons to attack a country that also had nuclear weapons). This first strike policy is considered feasible only when the attacker can destroy the other countries ability to retaliate. The Soviets before placing missiles in Cuba were at a huge disadvantage to the US, and by placing the missiles in Cuba they increased their first strike capability by 70%. Because both sides were afraid of the other initiating a first strike the US brought in the idea of a second strike capability, which is the ability to survive a first strike and launch a second. This was one of the main justifications of the nuclear arms build up of both the US and USSR. The US launched their Polaris fleet of nuclear submarines in preparation for a second strike. The USSR feared the US, mainly because of their lead in nuclear weapons build-up and power and because the US was acting more aggressively towards the USSR and the Soviets did not want America to exploit their weaker position. By placing missiles in Cuba they ended their strategic inferiority and forced the US to respect their position. They used this position to try and negotiate to relax the tensions between the two countries. By placing nuclear missiles so close to America they thought that would make them listen.

It has been revealed that the USSR wanted to redirect government spending from military to industrial and agricultural sectors. And through placing missiles in Cuba would create a stalemate with the US where this was made possible. All the Soviets were after was recognition and respect. The US denied both of these things point blank and gave Khrushchev an option he would have to make which could destroy the world or save it. The US also created fear in Cuba with several assassination attempts made on Castro, and it was these attempts that created greater distrust between the two countries. This is the distrust that caused Cuba to turn to the USSR and in turn start the crisis. The US cant be blamed entirely for the crisis, though its involvement in it was great. It could be seen to have started because of each countries views and fears of the others political views and government systems and each of their own ideas about the others motives. All these things fueled the cold war and made the Cuban Missile Crisis a flashpoint in it.

The Cuban missile crisis was a fight between communism and capitalism, with neither side actually wanting to fight, it was fitting that the solution to the crisis was a trade off. Where each nation could pull out and claim a small success where neither system of government was tainted in the process. It was a result that was required to prevent the obvious outcome of nuclear war which was coming closer and closer.

The US had missiles placed in England, Italy and Turkey and they were all aimed at the USSR. Khrushchev used these missiles as justification to placing missiles in Cuba. He thought that they would be just as frightening to the US as the missiles the US had placed in Turkey were to them. Khrushchev saw a way where Cuba could get a pledge from the US not to invade them and they could get the missiles in Turkey dismantled. This reasoning of his can be seen in a letter he wrote to Kennedy on the 27th of October. Your rockets are situated in Britain, situated in Italy, and are aimed against us. Your rockets are situated in Turkey. You are worried about Cuba. You say that it worries you because it is a distance of ninety miles by sea from the coast of America, but Turkey is next to us he then proposes. I therefore make this proposal: we agree to remove the missiles from Cuba those means which you regard as offensive means; we agree to carry this out and make a pledge in the United Nations. Your representatives will make a declaration to the effect that the US, on its part. Considering the uneasiness and anxiety of the soviet state, will remove its similar means from Turkey

What Khrushchev didn't know was that the US had already marked the missiles in Turkey for dismantling. They were being replaced by the Polaris submarine fleet. And Kennedy saw that if he accepted this trade publicly. It would be seen as him trading the United States security for Turkeys, and if Khrushchev did force this trade, they might still force more trades. He decided that he would deny everything if these were their minimum requirements.

Placing the missiles in Cuba showed the US what it was like to have nuclear warheads aimed at them and what it was like to have no where safe to go. This scared the public greatly and mass panic was seen all over the country. The country wanted Kennedy to solve the crisis as soon and by whatever means he had possible. So Kennedy agreed to withdraw the quarantine he had over Cuba publicly and he agreed in person to dismantle the missiles in Cuba, Khrushchev however publicly agreed to dismantle the missiles in Cuba and it was seen that the soviets were backing down. This gave Kennedy back a fierce public reputation and made the soviets look slightly weaker.

There were many reasons behind the Cuban missile crisis and many reasons as to why Khrushchev planted missiles in Cuba. Khrushchev wanted to feel more secure in his country and he wanted his country to feel more secure. He wanted Kennedy to know what it was like for him and to release some of tension of the cold war by withdrawing missiles from places so close to home. The Cuban missile crisis was one of closest times in history where mutually assured destruction was just around the corner. This crisis changed the way the world saw the Soviet Union and Khrushchev in a way got what he wanted was that the USSR was a powerful state that shouldn't be underestimated. Personally I think the crisis was due the US being stubborn and power hungry, it is allowed for them to have all the power, but when they are threatened it is a different story. Russia did learn their lesson though the US still hasn't.

Matthew Spear