What to Look for in a Weight-Loss Program before Signing Up

Some people can lose weight the right way on their own; others benefit from organized programs. However you achieve your goals, you'll want to learn the principles of sustainable weight loss and skip programs and products that don't work or are unsafe.

Nutritionists say that if you consume more calories than you burn, your body stores the excess as fat, causing you to gain weight. If you take in only as much as you use, your weight stays the same. But to lose body fat and weight, you'll need to burn more calories than you consume.

Experts suggest that if you want to slim down, a reasonable goal is to reduce your weight by 10 percent over six months. Most healthy individuals should aim to lose up to about 1/2 to 1 pound (about 500 grams) a week. To lose weight at this rate, you'll have to burn about 200 to 300 more calories each day than you take in. The best way to do that is to limit calorie intake while increasing exercise. [Read Full Article]

Bananas in Singles for Sale: Hooray to the American Consumers

Without a doubt, the banana is one of the most popular fruits in the world. And next to milk, it is considered to be the most complete food when it comes to providing our bodies with the needed energy and in preventing a substantial number of illnesses. It is not fattening and has no cholesterol. Bananas are rich in carbohydrates, contain phosphorus, potassium, vitamins A and C, and three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose, and glucose.

As an integral part of a diet, bananas can help prevent a number of health-related conditions. For example, since they are high in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and thus help in preventing anemia. As they are likewise high in fiber, they can help prevent constipation by restoring normal bowel action without resorting to laxatives. They can boost brain power, as researches have shown: as they are packed with potassium, bananas can assist in the learning process of students by making them more alert. Their large amounts of potassium can also help in preventing dehydration. Here's a good tip: If you are bitten by an insect (a mosquito, in particular), don't go outright for the insect bite cream. Instead, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin first. Many people find it surprisingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation. [Read Full Article]

Things we can do to Slow down Global Warming

Global Warming is in the news almost everyday - in newspapers and on television news broadcasts - around the world. Extreme weather conditions and climatic changes that are experienced across the globe have indeed become concerns of great proportion. Scientific records, in fact, indicate that the last 15 years have seen the 10 warmest years ever recorded on Earth. And in some countries, particularly those in Southeast Asia, people are seeing a trend that is now cause for worry - the periods between the occurrences of the El Nino phenomenon are becoming shorter and shorter. El Nino is an abnormal warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean (as opposed to the La Nina phenomenon which is characterized by below normal sea temperatures). A few decades ago in the Philippines, for example, the periods between El Nino's used to be 5 to 10 years. "The intervals have become much shorter now - down to 3 years", according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. More instances of El Nino will mean more hot and dry spells for that country, causing drought on land and the destruction of coral reefs in the seas. [Read Full Article]

The Art of Questioning: A Guide to Teachers

Even in today's modern educational practices, the art of questioning has remained one of the best tools in promoting effective learning. In fact, questioning continues to be an essential component of good teaching. There are even some people who believe that the effectiveness of a teacher can be measured by his ability to ask good questions. And yet far too many teachers take this teaching tool for granted, or use it carelessly.

Skillful questioning involves knowledge of the various uses of the question, the characteristics of a good question, the techniques of questioning, and the techniques of handling the learners' responses. It often takes many years of classroom experience, professional reading, and self-evaluation for a teacher to be a proficient questioner. All the while, the teacher must make a constant and persistent effort to improve his questioning ability and technique. [Read Full Article]

The Great American Presidents and their Famous one-line Quotes

1. George Washington (1789-1797)

"My movements to the chair of government will be followed by feelings like those of a criminal going to his execution."

2. John Adams (1797-1801)

"I do not say when I became a politician, for I never was one."

3. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)

"Science is my passion; politics, my duty."

4. James Madison (1809-1817)

"I would sooner be a constable than run for President."

5. James Monroe (1817-1825)

"There is every reason to believe that our government will achieve the highest level of perfection."

6. John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)

"I am a man of cold and forbidding manners."

7. Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)

"I only know two tunes. One is 'Yankee Doodle', the other ain't."

8. Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)

"As to the Presidency, the two happiest days of my life were those of my entrance upon the office and my surrender of it."

9. William Henry Harrison (1841)

"Some folks are silly enough to have formed a plan to make a president of the U.S. out of this clod hopper."

10. John Tyler (1841-1845)

"The only people who seem to like me are my children."

11. James K. Polk (1845-1849)

"I prefer to supervise the whole operation of government myself."

12. Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)

"The idea of my becoming president seems too ridiculous to think about."

13. Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)

"May God save the country, for it is obvious the people will not."

14. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)

"You have summoned me in my weakness. You must sustain me with your strength."

15. James Buchanan (1857-1861)

"At least I meant well for my country."

16. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)

"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

17. Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)

"Duties have been mine; consequences are God's."

18. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)

"The art of war is simple. Find out where the enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike at him as hard as you can and keep moving."

19. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)

"No one ever left the presidency with less regret."

20. James A. Garfield (1881)

"What is there in this place that a man should ever want to get into it?"

21. Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)

"Heaven save us."

22 & 24. Grover Cleveland (1885-1889) and (1893-1897)

"I have tried so hard to do right."

23. Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)

"...So high a degree of prosperity and so general a diffusion of the comforts of life were never before enjoyed by our people..."

25. William McKinley (1897-1901)

"I am a tariff man, standing on a tariff platform."

26. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)

"Speak softly and carry a big stick."

27. William Taft (1909-1913)

"Politics, when I am in it, makes me sick."

28. Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

"A Yankee always thinks he's right. A Scotch-Irish knows it."

29. Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)

"I am not fit for this office and never should have been here."

30. Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)

"The business of America is business."

31. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)

"Prosperity is just around the corner."

32. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

33. Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)

"The buck stops here."

34. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)

"You know, once in a while I get to the point, with everybody staring at me, where I want to go back indoors and pull down the curtains."

35. John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)

"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

36. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)

"Let us reason together."

37. Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974)

"I never in my life wanted to be left behind."

38. Gerald Ford (1974-1977)

"I'm the first Eagle Scout president of the U.S."

39. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

"I will never lie to the American people."

40. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)

"I'm not smart enough to lie."

41. George Bush (1989-1993)

"I want a kinder and gentler nation."

42. William "Bill" Clinton (1993-2001)

"I think everybody has work to do, and you're supposed to do the best you can."

43. George Bush Jr. (2001-Present)

"You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you're gone."

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NOTE: Period in parenthesis ( ) denotes term of office.
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Source: "Our American Presidents" by Joan Bumann and John Patterson