What Do You Do When Your 26 Weeks of EI Are Up?

The great land of Canada has Employment Insurance to help you along but what happens when it runs out?




Over the weekend, I was logging on to the Service Canada site to report my earnings for EI and I got a message saying they did not have a record on an active claim for me.  


 What? I do not have a claim?


  I called them today because yesterday was a holiday and learned that my 26 weeks which I was eligible for ended on January 28th so I received my last payment last Tuesday.  

  I am in a scary situation folks and I have to do something fast. 


  My day job is a teacher but, with declining enrolment and teachers hanging on to their jobs longer, I am struggling by working supply (substitute teaching).  

  The number of days I get to teach vary widely from week to week and I never know what is ahead.  

For example, last week I worked 2. 47 days and this week I don't have a single day pre-booked. I may get calls the morning of or I may not.  


Without EI topping me up to $800 every two weeks, my financial sitatuation is terrifying.  I have three children, rent, food, etc and need to make x amount each month. With EI, I have just been scraping by  . . . so without . . . stress. 


In order to survive, I need to supply teach at least 3 days a week and I have only worked that many times a week a few times this school year.  




What am I going to do? 

I am going to market like mad, that's what!!

 I am going to work my ass of writing so I can get killer content out there. 


I am going to write those books so I can generate an income from them.  




I could get another job but I would have to work a hell of a lot more to make what I do in just 2 days of teaching a week and then would end up having to say no to work which would mean I would not get a long term gig or a permanent position in a field I enjoy and actually pays me to get inspiration for my writing. 




So I turn to this wonderful Empower Network blog and spill my guts out on this page. 




I have been living in poverty my entire life. 




I realized over that last few years that fact. 




I also realized that I have allowed myself to live in poverty because I didn't believe I deserved better.  




 I was holding myself back from reaching my full potential and attaining the life that I so want to have. 






My personal vision of myself and my future has always been simple  . . . 




but I never really stopped to ask why I thought my life would always be a struggle; 




why I didn't see myself financially free; 




why I lived in a one room cabin when I saw myself old.  




I have been doing a lot of soul searching lately and listening to the great entrepreneurs talk about how they got where they are.  And every success story I hear about and read about began with belief: believing that they deserved to have financial freedom . . . that success in business was not code for ruthless and greedy. I have come to realize my own prejudices were holding me back. My belief that being financially free and comfortable could only be attained if you were selfish and greedy. 

Boy was I wrong!

See for yourself . . . How to Build YOUR Personal Brand . . . 

As I follow my path to my own success I surround myself with other like minded successful people, even great people.

 These "gurus" and leaders in their fields are just regular human beings who love, face challenges, and work hard. 

Through my involvement in the Empower Network and network marketing I have been exposed to some wonderful, warm, hilarious, and caring people. 

Read this . . . The power of community

The leaders in this industry that I have rallied around are there because they helped others and worked as a team so that everyone succeeded with them.  


I had always looked at sales and marketing as a solitary venture that was cut throat competitive because of what I learned from my mother's experiences in retail sales and real estate. 

I recoiled at the thought of sales and marketing jobs 

 . . . because I am not a selfish cut throat, aggressive person so I didn't think I was going to be good at it.  I have come to learn, thanks to the wonderful community here at the Empower Network, that no one succeeds alone.  

The most successful in any industry got there by working with other like minded and driven people who supported each other, picked them up when they were down, and celebrated each success along the way. 

Is is an honour and a privilege to be part of such an amazing community of positive, caring, powerful people here at the Empower Network. 




Each person here at the EN is changing the world of business and revolutionizing how marketing and business leadership is viewed.  




I am proof that the Empower Network is powerful.  




I now see that I have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur with badass marketing skills because I have the compassion, drive, and positive energy required to be just like those leaders I so admire.  


 
                   





You can get in on this revolution too!! 

Take a look at this and let's DO THIS :)

Yours in marketing for success

Randine

To read more of my stuff click here.

Randine's Empower Network Blog

http://ping.fm/HoAPg

learn what viral sustainability is and how to create it in network marketing,

What is Viral Sustainability In Marketing?

To learn  what viral sustainability is and how to create it in network marketing,
Check this video out:
How to Create Viral Sustainability So You Can Work Less and Make More

In a nutshell, viral sustainability is what happens when you write content or create a video and then share it with as many people in as many places as possible.

This video shows you some of the many ways how you can do this.

Some of the up and coming greats are squidoo and pinterest. So get on them and make them part of your link building regimen.

Changes in Language Lead to Big Changes in Behaviour

Success in a Home Business Demands A Perspective Shift That Places Emphasis on the Business Not the Home

   Andrew Cass said it best at last year's No Excuses Summit, when he said   

"Changes in language lead to big changes in behaviour."

Andrew Cass is a well-respected and seasoned Network and Internet marketer who has made 7-figures several times over. He is definitely worth listening to and not just heard. 

click image to watch. We all know there is a difference between hearing and listening, right? Listening requires all our faculties and demands that we internalize, synthesize and apply what we are hearing.    I want you to really listen to what Andrew has to say in the presentation above.   Andrew asked that we alter our language by first turning everything we say we will or want to do into active I statements. Rather than saying it would be nice if . . . or one day I want . . . , we need to be saying "I will . . . " "I will  . . ." statements are powerful and demand action and commitment that other statements just do not. The most powerful understanding that I will take away from this experience is an understanding that most of us who decide to start a business from home fail to realize.  

More than we are now our own boss, we are our own employee.

Working from home has some great advantages. We can go to work in our pjs, skip the shower, make up and personal grooming, and choose our own hours. We can snack and take breaks when the mood strikes and have the freedom to work around our responsibilities in the home. But we need to remember that we are still operating a business and we need to hold ourselves accountable for our productivity just as we were held accountable out in the physical world of work.    We should actually hold ourselves more accountable because as home business owners and operators . . .  

we are our only source of revenue producing activities. 

  Thinking of myself as my employee who needs to be accountable was the single most revolutionary perspective shift I have had to wrap my head around since I made the decision to work for myself.    Here are the Creeds that I internalized - and I hope you will to - during and after listening to him speak at last year's No Excuses Summit:   

I will . . .

work within my "Productivity Strength Zones."

  Andrew introduced me to the phrase "productivity strength zones" but I already knew that he was referring to the importance, in terms of revenue producing and success, of doing what you enjoy and are good at.   

If you are great at direct sales either in person or on the telephone, focus your efforts on those revenue producing activities. 

  If you are someone who has a talent and skill with the written word, focus your revenue producing activities on blogging, copy writing, email writing and sending, info content writing, and so on. 

 In order to maximize your revenue production, you must focus your time and energy on using your natural strengths. 

I Will . . .

break from the time management myth.

 

We all have the same number of hours in the day. We cannot manage time we can only manage ourselves in time.

The difference between me and the most successful out there is how we use the time we have. 

Andrew broke down the hours we have in a week and demonstrated how

just focusing 2 extra hours a day on our highest revenue producing activities (those that will make us the most money) can elevate our productivity level to superior. 

 

And we still have 5 extra hours for free time or personal activities and 8 hours of sleep!

 

I will . . .

devote 2 hours to my highest revenue producing activities each day to go from average to superior. 

 

I will . . .

not check or respond to email, text or phone messages until my revenue producing activities are completed first.

    Seems like a no brainer, I realize, but think about it and answer honestly:  when you start your day, do you focus on your revenue producing activities first?   

I know that I start out with great intentions and then get sidetracked with searches, or go into email to get a link and end up spending an hour checking messages. 

 

It is tempting to do all of that social media surfing before and during your revenue producing activities when you are at home and no one is watching. You forget that you are accountable to your self and any one else who depends on your success. 

  This creed forces us to remember that we are our employee and must focus on business before pleasure . . . even when we are the only one looking.   

I will . . . 

track or record my revenue producing activities in a journal.

 

This too speaks to the fact that we are employees of our own business and need to behave as such. 

Get a day planner from the dollar store or wherever or make one on your computer outlook or on your phone. Whatever method you prefer but just make sure it is a method that you will use daily. Treat it like punching a time clock or recording your hours for a client. This is how you will be able to keep track of what revenue producing activities you utilized, evaluate them, and assess your value as an employee of your company.   

If at the end of the week, you would fire yourself, you need reevaluate and make adjustment to how you use your time. 

To best monitor your use of time in order to see where you can make adjustments, record every activity you engage in during your day and how long they took. Record this daily and at the end of each week, you can assess your value as an employee.        This leads me to my next creed. If I have managed my time well and did my revenue producing activities first each day . . .  

I will . . .

reward myself for hitting my benchmarks for the week. 

 

Rewarding yourself for a job well done at the end of each successful week will not only increase your productivity but make you happier and healthier. 

I will . . .

 have a regular fitness regimen. 

  It is easy as an individual running a business from home to fall into the sloth trap. We don't have to look presentable to the public and we are often sitting for hours on end alone staring at a computer screen.   

 

We are not managing our time well enough to schedule in exercise so we let it slide because we tell ourselves that we are focusing on the revenue producing activities. And there just isn't time. 

 

But Andrew showed us that we can increase our revenue producing activities by 2 hours each day and still have 5 hours to spare. So we have time we just don't make time. 

As the sole owner and employee of our business, we need to stay healthy and strong. Our survival depends upon it.

  Even just 30 minutes a day or two or three times a week will do wonders. For some fantastic High Intensity Interval Training that requires nothing more than your own body weight and dumbells, check this out.   

To watch a short video on HIIT, click link or image above.  

 

The best source for workouts that I have found is 

IntervalTraining.net

You will find mp3s that are designed to fit the interval workouts so you don't have to keep track of time.  There are many different workouts so you will never  get bored.   

HIIT is the best form of exercise because you will never plateau, your body is always being pushed to its maximum and you will continue to benefit from the metabolism boosting and muscle strengthening for up to 72 hours after!!

  I found this after hours of searching for something that fit my lifestyle and lack of budget. I wanted something that would force me to work to my max, not take hours to get the results, be challenging yet simple to execute, and not require a ton of space or equipment. This type of training can be adapted to whatever you already enjoy doing as you saw from the YouTube video.  Give it a shot. You won't be disappointed. I honestly felt my muscles twitching and working for 24 hours :)

I will . . .

have a clutter-free environment.

  I think that is self-explanatory. A cluttered space is a cluttered mind. 

I will . . .

batch my personal activities. 

  This goes back to managing your us of time. Schedule your personal errands and activities so that they happen in a dedicated time slot. If they break up your day they will make it hard to stay focused on your revenue producing activities. 

If you are like me, you need time to get into the right mindset and groove before you can actually engage in those productivity strengths that produce revenue for you and your business.

If you have personal errands like picking up the kids, doing landry, cooking meals, cleaning, housework, car care, hair cuts, and appointments scattered throughout your work day and work week, you will not be able to stay focused on those vital revenue producing activities. 

  Do as many of those personal activities as possible at the same time so that they eat up a couple hours and you are able to plan mentally and physically for them and your time back building your business.       Along with this . . .  

I will . . . 

schedule distractions.

 

I will . . .

create self-imposed deadlines.

  You are your employee so treat yourself like one. Giving yourself deadlines allows you to reward yourself for a job well done and gives you goals to focus on that will help motivate you.  

I will . . . 

 associate with winners.

 

 In order to be a winner you need to surround yourself with winners.

  Surrounding yourself with people who are successful does so many things for you.  First and foremost, it will inspire you and they will teach you things about what it takes to get to the top that you would never learn on your own.  Second, positive energy creates positive energy. In order to do positive things with your life and move in a positive direction you need to be positive and surround yourself with others who are positive and moving in a positive direction.  Being around positive people will help your business and help you personally grow into the successful person you know you can be.  

I will . . .

associate with winners.

  This last creed compliments the one before it.

If you want to be a winner you have to hang with the winners. Learn who they are, what they are doing and how they are doing it. 

Listen to Andrew Cass and other successful entrepreneurs, read their stories, find them online, this will improve your business exponentially because you will learn how to be like them personally and professionally just by being present. 

    In turn, others will come to associate you with the winners and your value will increase as a result. 

 

So I encourage. . .

 no . .  admonish. . .  you to watch Andrew Cass

speak at the No Excuses Summit,

do what he asks,

and apply it to your life and business. 

What have you got to lose?  

Those bad habits?

Sounds like a win win to me. 

To your success and mine, 

Randine. 

To learn how to make 100% commission click here. 

 

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No More Excuses

No More Excuses

As I stand at the sink washing what seems like my millionth soiled glass . . .

I hear myself urging my daughter to follow her dreams and not to let anything or anyone tell her she can't, and it feels hollow somehow.

I fade into myself and all the dreams I have had in my life that were put on a shelf because I listened to someone's discouragements. I recall my dream of singing for a living and my need to express my deepest emotions through song. What stopped me?

The answer comes to me (as it did back then) as I recall the night I sat in my car in the parking lot, staring at the door to the studio I was to audition to sing lead for an established local band. Fear of failing, I started the ignition an drove slowly away. The knowledge that I would be standing naked, defenceless and raw before a band of strangers who could totally reject me was too much to bare.

At the time,

I felt that allowing myself to be that vulnerable was worse than living with the knowledge that I gave up before I began. I never fully returned to that dream. My heart just wasn't in it enough to do all the hard work it would take to get where I want.

My thoughts fast forward twelve years.

     My marriage is falling apart because I can't deal with the pain, loneliness, and unhealthiness of my environment. I see several advertisements for auditions for modelling and acting agencies.

The first cattle call is held at The Docks in Toronto and I quickly discover  that it is actually a feeder audition - a front - for pornographic film productions. The call me and ask if I would be interested in doing films which will make me $1500 a piece. I decline the offer, regardless of how lucrative and in-obtrusive they made it seem. It is just something I am not interested in doing so I cross that off the list.

The next was for a management agency for film and commercials. The agency was IN Group. They seem somewhat legit so I pay for head shots and  get the full make up and photo shoot experience. My heart wasn't really in this either so I didn't wow them. My gut kept telling me this was not all that it seemed. After the shoot was complete and I met with them to pick up my head shots, I learned that there were more fees and then they would take a commission on top. They were an agency who makes their real income from their clients who pay hundreds of dollars to have them represent them and not in the film or advertisements.

So I go home and cross another hopeful off the list.

The next was a modelling agency.


As I sit in the lobby reading their propaganda and listening to the other hopefuls speak with the "agents" (I use that term loosely), I quickly realize that this was just a fly-by-night scam agency.

They were just there to make money from the dreams of many.

They told a little girl (and her mother) that she had potential but needed modelling training which would cost thousands of dollars and a portfolio which would cost hundreds of dollars . . . and then there was the agency fees and on and on but always with the promise of stardom.

Reeling from the dollar signs, I left that place.

I later learned from someone in the film industry that the real agencies don't charge you to get involved but will take a commission (referral fee) when you work. They make their money keeping you busy.

I was informed of a local agency who just asked for a headshot, short bio including height, weight, hair color, eye color and birth date and an enclosed self-addressed stamped envelope for them to send your info back to you if will not represent you.

I sent in my info and received it back in a few weeks. I was impressed by their integrity and professionalism but not surprise in the least. I expected as much because modelling and acting were really not dreams of mine.

It was not the path for me.

I was still avoiding my real dream. . . the one I have had since I was young. . .

My thoughts drift to another dream . . .


. . . a more true to me kind of dream. The dream of being a published writer. I have been writing stories and poems from the time I learned the magical power of taking a writing implement and forming letters and words on a page.

Writing with a pen and paper is meta-cognitive. The words and story flow from my subconsciousness through my arm to my hand and onto the page in a mystical and almost spiritual way. Like my reader, I don't know the story until it takes shape on the page, much of the time.

In my youth, I called these sudden impulsive bursts that I have to write down - because they eat at me and take over all my thought processes until I do - brainwaves.

These brainwaves come to my attention as a phrase or even just an image accompanied by anxious energy. It is that sense of urgency that compels - no forces - me to write it down. I learned over the years, that if I fight the urge and do not put pen to paper while that feeling is strong, it will fade and eventually disappear along with the words. There is no writing that piece later. The thought is lost and so is the story.

     In my teen years and young adult life, I wrote prolifically. The brainwaves flow also during times of trouble. I even made a personal oath that when I began to write professionally I would use the first name my mother wanted for me as my pen name.

That's exactly what they were:  brainwaves. They still happen but for many years, I stopped putting a pen and pad by my bed and in easy reach . . .

I had stopped writing.

Much of the last thirteen years of my life have been filled with raising children, returning to school and struggling to make inroads into an incredibly stable career. A career that would, I thought, allow me the freedom to return to my writing.

At every decade year, my reflections remind me of this longing . . .

. . . longing to write something substantial and be able to say "I am a writer" when asked what I do and for it to be true and not just a hobby I do in my spare time.

Fast forward to the present.

I have been struggling to make it in the teaching profession


doing whatever I can to earn that coveted holy grail


called a permanent teaching position for four years now


and from what I know it could be five more years


before anything opens up.

In a deep funk and faced with disappointments, 

I began doing personal inventory . . . looking at my dreams and personal ambitions. 

I have done this so many times in my life but this time it was different. 

I was approaching it differently. 

I have cast this dream aside for too long. 

Every path I take in life brings me back to it . . . everything.

and my love of it. I decided to seriously pursuit writing and see where it will take me. 

Deciding that writing professionally was something I can do and will do turned on a switch 

inside me.  The ideas are flowing and I have set a goal to write at least one book and send it

 out to publishers by the years end. I have decided to stop doubting myself and follow my 

heart and trust that everything else will fall into place. 

Believing in my own success is hard for me.

Believing I deserve success and what that brings is even harder. 

I am my toughest critic and have expected so little of myself all my life. I realized that I have 

been punishing myself for never seeing anything through so heavily that it has prevented me 

from completing things and giving anything a real solid committed effort. It's that self-

fulfilling prophecy working against me instead of for me that I needed to change. 

I am making those mental changes and setting goals that are attainable but challenging 

enough to push me forward. 

I have the time to write and have nothing to lose.

I am at the lowest I want to be.

I am again feeling the desire to write and make it my life and career. . . 

 . . . only this time I have made the mental switch and changed this dream from a wish to a want . . .

I search the net for opportunities to give this writing professionally dream a fair and diligent 

shot. I know that the novel is at least a year away from completion. Hell! It hasn't even 

progressed beyond the research and incubation stage.


I have so many ideas.


Narrowing in and focusing on just one thing has never been a skill of mine.

I look at the life I have and what I am unable to provide for myself or my three children and know I have to make a change and fast.

I decide to work on my writing and see where it can take me.


I began blogging daily here in the Empower Network


(where I also am provided with a great venue to promote my own writing, learn about effective marketing, and earn 100% commission while I am at it . . . it's a Win Win)


and elsewhere because practice makes better.


I also created a website where I publish some of my writings and share in my journey to becoming a published writer.


I know that writing is what I need to do to feel complete and accomplished. Writing is what I was born to do. I love it and need to do it.


Writing is one dream that won't let me go.


It tugs at me and pulls me to opportunities that I have ignored so often. Well, not anymore.


I have nothing to lose because I am near bottom and refuse to go any lower. I have been at my bottom and will fight with everything in me to keep from going there again.


So now I have made the necessary mental shift: no more using my children, economic situation or pragmatism as excuses. I no longer fear failing because not doing is failure: 

failure to be true to myself; failure to show my children that they need to follow their dreams and stay true to themselves not matter what.

And so . . .


I begin my journey full of ideas and excitement. I can hardly wait to announce:

 

"I finished my writing first book."

Completing things has always been a challenge for me.

It took until my late 30s to finish my undergraduate degree and teaching certificate. The pride I felt when I received those pieces of paper telling me that I actually finished something I started was so exhilarating. I long to feel it again.


Stay tuned while I share my journey with you.


My children are my motivation and my inspiration. 

The deserve a better life and so do I. 

I want to teach them to never give up on their dreams. 

I had to learn it the hard way.


Randine

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Child Brides - How We Can End Child Marriage

It Only Takes a Girl - How Education Can Change Everything

I recently was exploring the profiles of my friends on Facebook and found this:

It Only Takes A Girl

This reminded me of an article I read, while waiting for my daughter at the dentist, about a young girl Nujood Ali who was a child bride forced by her parents to marry a much older man who raped and beat her. She fled and petitioned the courts for a divorce. The divorce was granted and the child bride was able to return to her family home and go back to school. A short interview with Nujood Ali is in the CNN report below.

Watch this . . .

Child Brides

Click here to read the article on Nujood Ali, a child bride, in Glamour magazine.

The stats on child brides are astonishing, as you saw in the YouTube video - one is seven girls is married by the age 15 in the developing world. There are cultural, political and economic reasons for families marrying their children off at such young ages. Without an education these girls grow up and raise their girls who will in turn be child brides and the cycle will continue.

The only way this can stop is if education is given and girls and their families are shown another way. Most child brides won't have a family member who will support their decision to leave their husbands and stand before a court to gain permission to divorce. Most will be forced back to their husbands who will often punish them severely.



There are organizations dedicated to eradicating this:

International Planned Parenthood Foundation

We Day - Global Voices: The Right To Childhood

International Center for Research on Women



Are just a few that you can read about and get involved in.

I learn about these archaic traditions and how horrible most girls in the world have it and I am ever thankful that I was born and raised in a culture that allows women to follow their ambitions and make choices for themselves. I may not have a nice home with a comfortable existence but I have an education, the freedom to use my mind and follow my passions. For that I am eternally grateful.

I hope by sharing this with you, I am making a change in my own way by giving a voice to so many who are without.

Thank you for reading.

To read more from me

Are You Making These 7 Dieting Mistakes?

As most of us know, the holidays are often riddled with sweets, treats, large meals, and libations. Many of us eat and drink to excess during this festive time and then spend New Years making resolutions to stop overeating and drinking. However, how many of us realize that we are making diet mistakes all year round that are far more damaging to our health and waistline than our one week binge over Christmas?

So . . .

if your resolution is to get healthy this for you but it is something we all can benefit from because these are accepted behaviors in our society that we need to change to improve our overall health - not just to reduce our waistlines!!

Anyone who wants to improve their health, please read:

Health Update:

Are You Making These 7 Dieting Mistakes?

You've started a new diet. You've been good all week, making sensible meals, managing your portions, even exercising a little...then the weekend hits. You eat too much. You drink too much. You give up.

Not so fast! A couple of slipups won't undo all your hard work. The key is to know the dieting pitfalls you¢re likely to make and plan ahead to avoid them.

Here are the top seven dieting mistakes. How many are you making?

1. Skipping breakfast.Research shows that people who don't eat breakfast actually weigh more than those who do. There's a mistaken belief that if you skip breakfast, you're saving calories. Problem is you end up snacking and eating more at other meals because you're body is so starved for food. Always begin your day with a healthy breakfast. Black coffee, an egg, whole wheat toast and a half grapefruit has only 250 calories and will stave off hunger pangs till lunch.
   
    
   
2. Too many liquid calories. Did you know that a regular soda can pack on 15 pounds in one year? Not to mention lattes, fruit smoothies and alcohol. These liquid calories do little to satisfy any hunger and the calories add up fast.
   
    
   
3. Not exercising. If 30 minutes is too much to even think about, start with 10 and see how it goes. If exercising is a drag to you, try something fun like bowling, playing ping-pong, or dancing. The idea is to get moving and have so much fun you'll stick with it.
   
    
   
4. Using extreme diets. These don't work and can be very detrimental to your health. When you deprive your body of food two things happen: your metabolic rate slows down to make up for few calories and your desire to binge increases. In addition extreme dieting may lead to the bloating of fat cells, shrinking of muscle cells, accumulation of toxic fats and fatigue. Rather than thinking "diet" think lifestyle change.
   
    
   
5. Mindless munching. Even if it's not on a plate, it still counts. A couple of cheesy crackers before dinner, test-tasting a sauce, finishing food from your kids¢ plates while washing dishes, all adds up to more calories. On average figure 25 calories per bite. Do that 4 times in a day and you've just added 100 extra calories to your waistline without even realizing it.
   
    
   
6. Going overboard on low fat. It's psychological. You pick a low-fat snack and you justify eating more of it because it IS low fat. Research backs this up. More food, even if it is non- or low-fat still means more calories.
   
    
   
7. Not taking vitamins and supplements. In a perfect world, we'd get all the nutrition, vitamins and minerals from our three perfectly balanced daily meals. Truth is, few of us do. Even if you think you're eating right, modern food processing can deplete whatever nutrients were in the food originally. That's why many take daily vitamins and supplements. While it's important for everyone, it's especially important for those who are trying to lose or maintain weight. It starts with a good, high-quality multivitamin.

As quickly as the pounds add up, they can also come off. The key is knowing what your pitfalls are and how to avoid them.

For great vitamin choices, visit Botanic Choice.

Kobo has entered the Tablet Era with the Vox!! $20 off until Jan 1

This looks downright amazing. You can now do so much more than just read with Kobo now and it is in full colour as well. The Kobo Vox rivals the ipad touch that runs for $600 and it's only $199!!
Here are the specs for all you techno geeks:

• Processor: Freescale, iMX51; ARM Cortex A-8; 800 Mhz; Offers faster overall system performance and improved power management.
• Storage: 8GB of onboard storage
• RAM: 512MB
• Operating System: Android™ OS v2.3; Full open access
• Add additional storage: Expandable with Micro SD card (32 GB)
• File Types; Books: ePub including fixed layout & enhanced. Images: JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP. Audio: MP3, AAC, 3gp, mp4, m4a, flac, ogg, wav, mid. Video: 3go, mp4, webm
• Built-in Wi Fi: Wi Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Micro USB support.
• Audio: Built-in speaker and universal 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack.
• Micro USB connector: Connect to PC for easy synching.
• 7" display, 1024 x 600; anti-glare screen resolution; 400 brightness Multi-touch screen.
• Pick up where you left off: automatically bookmark pages.
• Size: 192.4 mm X 128.4 mm
• Slim: 13.4 mm
• Weight: 402.5g
• Battery Life: Up to 7 hours with Wi Fi off
• Touch Sensor: Home, Back, Menu
• Physical Button: Power, Volume up, Volume down
• Warranty: The Kobo eReader comes with a 1-year Factory Defect Warranty

Desktop Application Requirements:

• Windows® 7/ Windows Vista®/Windows XP (SP3), Mac OS®X v10.5 (Intel®) or later; Intel® Core Duo (Mac) or Pentium 4 or higher (PC)
• 512 MB RAM, 100 MB hard drive space (plus extra for books)
• Screen resolution of 1024 x 768

Account Requirement:

• To purchase and sync eBooks with the Kobo eReader, you will need a Kobo.com account.

International Military Tribunal

I embarked on a historical quest. I want to explore and reveal (if possible) the corporations and professions that benefited from the concentration camps and the experiments held therein. I want to see if these third parties were penalized or reprimanded in any way for their involvement, awareness, and complacency. A friend sent me this link and it is a fantastic source. It links to the actual tribunal proceedings documents. I should find something there. International Military Tribunal

Suggested reads...

December 2011 Goodreads recommendations
Click above for the latest Goodreads newsletter. Now I have a ton more reading to do.

Currently I am reading on Mendele and researching how the medical and pharmaceutical industries benefited from the SS experiments in the concentration camps of WWII.
I know that all experiments were ordered destroyed but you cannot take back what you already know or learned... it had to impact your practice and the industry... the challenge is in proving it.