To Your Health

#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population.)

#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.

#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.

#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?

#9. It is essential to drink water while exercising and during outdoor activities especially in the summertime.

Fitness By Marilyn
Rockport, TX 78382
361-288-1806
fitnessbymarilyn@gmail.com
http://www.fitnessbymarilyn.com
Independent AIM Member - Marilyn Wilson Price

New Words For 2007

1. BLAMESTORMING : Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.
2. SEAGULL MANAGER : A manager, who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.
3. ASSMOSIS : The process by which some people seem to absorb success and advancement by kissing up to the boss rather than working hard.
4. SALMON DAY : The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream only to get screwed and die in the end.
5. CUBE FARM : An office filled with cubicles
6. PRAIRIE DOGGING : When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on.
7. MOUSE POTATO : The on-line, wired generation's answer to the couch potato.
8. SITCOMs : Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage. What Yuppies get into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids.
9. STRESS PUPPY : A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiny.
10. SWIPEOUT : An ATM or credit card that has been rendered useless because magnetic strip is worn away from extensive use.
11. XEROX SUBSIDY : Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from one's workplace.
12. IRRITAINMENT : Entertainment and media spectacles that are annoying but you find yourself unable to stop watching them. The J-Lo and Ben wedding (or not) was a prime example - Michael Jackson, another...
13. PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE : The fine art of whacking the crap out of an electronic device to get it to work again.
14. ADMINISPHERE : The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file. Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.
15. 404 : Someone who's clueless. From the World Wide Web error Message "404 Not Found," meaning that the requested site could not be located.
16. GENERICA : Features of the American landscape that are exactly the same no matter where one is, such as fast food joints, strip malls, and subdivisions.
17. OHNOSECOND : That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you've just made a BIG mistake. (Like after hitting send on an email by mistake)
18. WOOFS : Well-Off Older Folks.

A New Year's Prayer 2007

A New Year's Prayer

God grant us this year a wider view,
So we see others' faults through the eyes of You:
Teach us to judge not with hasty tongue,
Neither the adult... nor the young.

Give us patience and grace to endure
And a stronger faith so we feel secure;
And instead of remembering, help us forget
The irritations that caused us to fret.

Freely forgiving for some offense,
And finding each day a rich recompense,
In offering a friendly, helping hand
And trying in all ways to understand,
That all of us, whoever we are..
.Are trying to reach "an unreachable star".

For the great and small... the good and bad,
The young and old... the sad and glad,
Are asking today, "Tis life worth living?"
And the answer is only in "Loving & Giving".

For only "Love" can make man kind,
And Kindness of Heart brings Peace of Mind
And by giving love, we can start this year
To lift the clouds of hate and fear.

~~ Helen Steiner Rice ~~

History Of Auld Lang Syne

Here is an old Scots version of Auld Lang Syne:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne?
Chorus (repeated between stanzas):
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.
And surely ye'll be your pint stoop
And surely I'll be mine
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We twa hae run about the braes
And pou'd the gowans fine
But we've wander'd mony a weary foot
Sin' auld lang syne.
We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn
Frae mornin' sun till dine
But seas between us braid hae roared
Sin' auld lang syne.
And here's a hand, my trusty fiere
And gi'e's a hand o' thine
And we'll tak a right good willy waught
For auld lang syne.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You know that song you hear every New Year’s Eve? The one about not forgetting old acquaintances. Did you ever wonder what that phrase is in the chorus? Is it: For old ang zine Far hold ang zyne For old aunt Gzyne Farheld ang zyne Farheld ang sign For old ang sign For old angsign Foothold and sign For all the aunts of mine Actually, it’s not any of these. On New Year's Eve, the most common song for most English-speaking people to sing is "Auld Lang Syne." Isn't it funny how it's possible to sing and hear a song so many times and have no idea what it means? And wouldn't it be funny if it meant "Big Pink Elephants?"

A good sub-question is, what language is it?

It turns out that "Auld Lang Syne" is an extremely old Scottish song that was first written down in the 1700s. Robert Burns is the person whose transcription got the most attention, so the song is associated with him.

A good translation of the words "auld lang syne" is "times gone by." So (incorporating a couple of other translations) when we sing this song, we are saying, "We'll drink a cup of kindness yet for times gone by."

Auld Lang Syne means ``old long since'' and is adapted from a traditional Scottish folk tune. The basic words date to at least 1711, though some scholars say it was mentioned as early as 1677. Scottish poet Robert Burns is credited with first publishing it, in the mid-1790s, and, researchers say, smoothing out some of the verses and changing the melody.

The song recalls the days gone by and says we will always remember them. ``Should auld acquaintance be forgot?'' it asks. No, the chorus replies: ``For auld lang syne (for times gone by), we'll tak (drink) a cup o' kindness yet.''

As for the other lyrics, Verse 2 refers to friends at separate places (or pubs), drinking to each other. Verses 3 and 4 talk about a long journey to find that friend, running ``about the braes'' (hillsides), and ``pou'd the gowans fine'' (pulled the pretty daisies), and getting tired doing so (``wander'd mony a weary fit,'' or ``a weary foot'' depending on the version). It continues with wading streams (``paidl'd in the burn''), from dusk until dinnertime, but even then, broad (``braid'') seas roar between them.

But finally, in the last verse, the friends find each other. And they ``tak a right guid-willie waught'' (``drink a goodwill drink'') for times gone by.

It wasn't Burns, however, who turned this misty-eyed tune into a New Year's tradition. That would be Guy Lombardo, who first heard the song in his youth from Scottish immigrants in his hometown of London, Ontario.

Mr. Traher, who organizes the Royal Canadian Big Band Music Festival and tribute to Lombardo every year in London, says the song stuck in the musician's head. When Lombardo formed an orchestra with his brother in 1919, they arranged the piece and made it part of their repetoire.

``It seemed appropriate for New Year's -- a time to look back,'' Mr. Traher says. So when the Lombardo brothers got the chance to headline a New Year's Eve party in New York in 1929, they played Auld Lang Syne near midnight, then counted down.

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and of course having lived in Scotland I had to find and do something Scottish for The New YearI wish all of you Good Health,Happiness and Good Fortune for the year 2007

Recipe For A Happy New Year

RECIPE FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Take twelve whole months,
Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness, hate, and jealousy,
Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.
Now cut each month into twenty-eight, thirty, or thirty-one different parts, but don't make up the whole batch at once.

Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients.
Mix well into each day one part of faith, one part of patience, one part of courage, and one part of work.
Add to each day one part of hope, faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.
Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation, and one good deed.
Season the whole with a dash of good spirits, a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play, and a cupful of good humor.

Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thoroughly over radiant joy, garnish with a smile, and serve with quietness, unselfishness, and cheerfulness.
You're bound to have a happy new year!

Fitness By Marilyn
Rockport, TX 78382
fitnessbymarilyn@gmail.com
http://www.fitnessbymarilyn.com
Independent AIM Member - Marilyn Wilson Price

A Different Christmas Story

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light, I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight. My wife was asleep, her head on my chest, My daughter beside me, angelic in rest. Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,transforming the yard to a winter delight. The sparkling lights in the tree I believe, Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep, Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep. In perfect contentment, or so it would seem, So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream. The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near, But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear. Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear, And I crept to the door just to see who was near. Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night, a lone figure stood, his face weary and tight. A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old, Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold. Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled, standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here! Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve, You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!" For barely a moment; I saw his eyes shift, Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts. To the window that danced with a warm fire's light.

Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right, I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night." "It's my duty to stand at the front of the line, That separates you from the darkest of times. No one had to ask or beg or implore me, I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December," Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers. "My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam, 'And now it is my turn and so, here I am'. I've not seen my own son in more than a while, But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile. Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue ... an American flag.

"I can live through the cold and the being alone, Away from my family, my house and my home. I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet, I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another, Or lay down my life with my sister and brother. Who stand at the front against any and all, To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright, Your family is waiting and I'll be all right." "But isn't there something I can do, at the least, "Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?" It seems all too little for all that you've done, For being away from your wife and your son." Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret, "Just tell us you love us, and never forget.

To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone, To stand your own watch, no matter how long. For when we come home, either standing or dead, To know you remember we fought and we bled. Is payment enough, and with that we will trust, That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.

Through A Rapists Eyes

This is important information for females of ALL ages.

When this was sent to me, I was told to forward it to my lady
friends. I forwarded it to most everyone in my address book. My men
friends have female friends and this information is too important to
miss someone. Please pass it along.

A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on
what they look for in a potential victim and here are some
interesting facts:

1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle!

They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid
or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed . They are also likely
to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not
common targets.

2) The second thing men look for is clothing.
They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly.
Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.

3) They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through
their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are
off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning,
between 5:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery
store parking lots.
Number two is office parking lots/garages.
Number three is public restrooms.

6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a
woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have
to worry about getting caught.

7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year
sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged
because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going
after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming

9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas,
or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their
hands.

Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the
attacker to use them as a weapon.
So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.

10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are:
If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or
with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask
them a question, like what time is it, or make general small
talk: "I can't believe it is so cold out here", "we're in for a bad
winter."
Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you
lose appeal as a target.

11) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of
you and yell STOP or STAY BACK ! Most of the rapists this man talked
to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she
would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an
EASY target.

12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate
of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yell I HAVE PEPPER
Spray and holding it out will be a deterrent.

13 ) If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you
can by outsmarting them!
If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker
either under the arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper
inner thigh VERY VERY HARD .
One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm
pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she
broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed
stitches.
Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it;
it hurts

14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN .
I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a
guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll
anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing
these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will
not cause a lot of trouble.
Start causing trouble, and he's out of there.

15) When the guy puts his hands up to you , grab his first two
fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure
pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me
without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both
knuckles cracked audibly.

16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware
of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you
see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!!
They are God-given instincts.

You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse
if the guy really was trouble


And ladies, just because you live in a small town or rural area,
this doesn't always mean you are safe.