Why You Should Stop Smoking Right Now

You already know that every cigarette that you smoke reduces your life by at least 4 - 5 minutes; this is a fact that cannot be disputed. It affects your health and your bank balance. So why don't you STOP Smoking? The argument about the possibility of your getting hit by a bus may be true, but let's face it, you're probably more likely to be hit while you're lighting up... You cannot really justify smoking in this day and age; where the 'benefits' of not smoking are clearly visible.

For the uninitiated, here's a brief on the potential health effects if you don't stop smoking. Each cigarette contains a range of carcinogenic (cancer causing) chemicals such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar which enters your lungs with each puff of smoke that you inhale, and while this may give you a temporary state of well being, the long term results can be rather disastrous.

Nicotine, the primary chemical at work, is highly addictive, thereby making smoking one of the hardest addictions to give up. Carbon monoxide is what you would find in car exhausts, something that can kill rather quickly if overdosed upon.

Your body does not respond very well when subjected to abuse in the form of cigarette smoke, and a variety of medical ailments are attributed to smoking. These include various forms of cancer, heart and cardiovascular diseases, emphysema, bronchitis, etc.

In Australia alone around 18,000 people die each year due to the various medical conditions that arise from smoking. This number exceeds the total number of deaths that occur due to road accidents and murders, drug & alcohol related deaths, as well as deaths due to natural calamities.

But the damage doesn't just stop with your health; second hand smoke can have disastrous health effects on your friends, colleagues, your spouse, and your kids. If you won't stop smoking for yourself, would you stop smoking for your kids' health?

Data also shows that out of the entire money that is spent on fighting drug abuse in Australia, a staggering 47% goes in addressing tobacco dependency, either in the form of costs towards heath care or towards mortality costs.

So if you do intend to stop smoking, doing it now is the best way to ensure that you do no further damage to your body. And a real bonus is the money that you will save in the long run.

Why Copywriting In Your Doctor's Office Can Give You An Incredible Edge Over Your Competition

If you'd like to become really good at writing bullet points...and do it without having to copy out other bullet points by hand or spending hours on end studying your swipe file...then this article will show you how.

Listen to this:

Next time you get one of your favorite magazines in the mail...or even if you are reading one in your doctor's waiting room...start taking note of the different "headlines" on the cover before you start reading it.

And as you're reading, whenever you come across a nugget of info like that sort of "wows" you -- and that makes you sit up straight and say, "gee, I didn't know that before!" -- condense it into a bullet point and compare it with the ones you saw on the cover.

Then simply ask yourself (or, even better, someone else) if yours is better? More interesting? More dramatic?

If not, keep playing around with that nugget of info until your bullet is more interesting, shocking and dramatic than the ones dotted on the cover.

At first, and especially if you're new to this, yours will probably be a bit rough and maybe not so good.

And that's okay.

Just keep reading and playing around with the words.

Take the interesting info you find and put a twist on it.

Make it a "can't be done" (i.e. something that sounds almost impossible) statement.

See if you can't play around with the words and make it so it would be almost impossible for someone not to notice.

Again, if you haven't written a lot of bullets and headlines, this will be a bit of a struggle at first. But don't worry. It gets easier. And not only does it get easier...but you will find yourself getting really good at this over time. Eventually, it will even be fun for you.

If you don't believe me, try it yourself.

Grab a magazine -- like Cosmo, Men's Health, Popular Mechanics, etc -- and start reading and digging out bullets. Doing so will not only be entertaining for you, but it will also give you an incredible edge over your competition.

Reasons To Get Tile Installed Professionally

If you plan on getting tile installed in your house, then you must use a professional to ensure that it is done right. A lot of people think that they can do it all themselves and you might be able to, however, tile that is installed professionally will last 3 times longer and is more durable. Just use a professional and you will not regret it. I know it will cost you a little bit more money, but in the end it will all be worth it.

One thing that you need to understand about professional tile installers is that they don't have a set price, so you can always get them to go down. This is great news for most people because a lot of homeowners think that they must pay the tile installer the exact price they give them. Below you will see some tips that will help you get a much better deal on the professional install.

Advice On Getting Tile Installed Professionally And Save Money

Ask For A Lower Price - One of the best things that you can do in order to get a lower price is to just ask for it. A lot of professionals will give you a slightly lower price if they think the job will be easier than normal jobs or if they like you. Just ask because it will not hurt you in any way if they say no.

Be The Assistant - Where you aware of the fact that many professionals hire an assistant to come help them and you pay for that? This is something that you can do because their assistant is pretty much there to run and get them tools, more tiles and things like that. Just ask if you can be their assistant and how much that will save you.

Get All The Supplies - Something else I would highly recommend is that you buy anything that the tile installer needs. By getting all the things the tile installer needs you will be able to save a good amount of money and you will know exactly what everything will cost. Just try this and see how much it saves you.

If your goal is to save money, then you must use the things above in order to get a better deal. Remember, it is better to use a professional than to try and do the tile install yourself. I know it will cost you a little bit of money, however, it is well worth it and that is why I recommend it.

Mediteran Restaurant in St. Petersburg, Florida

The misspelled title may be an error in the language translation on the part of the foreign owner or a plan to draw attention. His probable flaws in spelling, he makes up for in charm. Branislaw Butina is a short man with brown rustled hair and a quick smile. It's not about him though, it's about the food. One of few places to get genuine Baltic food in St. Petersburg, The Mediteran Restaurant will have people from that region coming back and those of other ethnicities like me, in disbelief at the portion sizes and wondering about the recipes. He is not willing to disclose how he makes his ground meat based dishes look like real steak.

A Serbian neighbor and some of his other converts tried to explain the size of Butinas's Pljeskavica. I said, "That's what they all say." He and I took our bicycles to the 4th Street restaurant ready for refreshment. In the cooler behind the counter I spied Pepsi, the old-fashioned way, in the small glass bottles, perfect to start. Since I couldn't read the menu very well and I did not know what was good, Pedja ordered for me.

There was another Serbian man sitting at the counter and the three of them talked and talked in their language giving me plenty of time to occupy myself looking around the place. It definitely lacked a woman's touch but that did not take away from the good atmosphere. It was small with about six tables and with mismatched chairs. Imitation plants stood in the corners. The walls held pictures without much thought to real decor.

The cabinets behind the guest counter where Butina began preparing our meals were bright purple. Attached to the front were his advertisings of cappuccinos and espressos. I had cappuccino for dessert, it was great.

A family with two teenagers ate their meal at one of the small tables and many times people entered the place to order something or pick up take-out food. As soon as my plate was placed in front of me I said, "This is ridiculous." The meat was eight inches in diameter and fell a couples inches out of the sides of the special homemade bread and over the edge of the plate.

After looking at Pedja, Butina, and back again, I tried to figure out why he had brought me steak. I knew that's not what I was expecting. Politely speaking to me in English he said it was ground meat and Butina had a secret for making it this unique texture. I kept saying as I cut through the sandwich trying to form manageable bites, "This is steak."

Served with pepperochini, red onions, and sour cream I wanted to stop eating but could not. There seemed to be a lot of spices infused into the meat, as a matter of fact, Butina had asked me how I handled spice before he made it perfectly for me. The meat seemed airy but not spongy; I wish I knew how he did it. He would be happy to sell the meat after he had prepared it, but he wasn't going to tell us how he did it. As an American that has enjoyed Indian, Lebanese, Thai, Italian, Hungarian, Greek, and maybe some other kinds of ethnic food, I felt the story about this Baltic treasure had to be told. People should go to The Mediteran Restaurant and experience these flavors.

The name can be deceiving, before my friend taught me otherwise; I would expect Greek or Italian cuisine. I was surely ignorant but if you are also, check this place out. I ate as much as I could and still had a full meal left. -notes to follow-

Mediteran Restaurant 6500 4th St N St. Petersburg FL 33702 727-526-4466 Mon- Sun 7am-9pm closed Tue.

Do You Feel Like You Are Raising Chickens? A New Strategy for Whining

"AggiEEEEEE! Don't take my car from meEEEEEE!"

"MommEEEEE!!!! Seth hurt meEEEEEEEEEE!"

My children know how to hit that perfect pitch, the one that makes the little hairs on my neck stand up and my eyelid twitch. Their little crises are so urgent! Their hunger pains are so intense! Their needs are so dramatic! They sound like squawking chickens, and it makes me a little crazy.

How crazy? I grit my teeth when they come running to me, and I think my left eye is starting to twitch. I have tried to reason with them. I have attempted bribery. I have tried various forms of incentive-based behavior modification. I am done with those tactics. I am crazy enough to try a completely new strategy.

"Kids, if you are going to talk to me like squawking chickens, I am only going to reply like a chicken." They laugh and roll their eyes, not taking me seriously.

Then, five minutes later...

"MommEEE! I was tryEEEEng to make my bed but AggiEEEE-"

"SQUAWK!!!! SQUAWK SQUAWK!" says Mommy.

He giggles, takes a deep breath, then continues in a normal voice, "Mommy, I was trying to make my bed but Aggie wants the pillow on the top but I rEEAALY want it- (slipping into whining again)

"SQUUUUAAAAAAWWK!!!" say I.

It took about five tries, but he finally got the whole story out without a single whine. I then stopped acting like a chicken myself and helped him solve the problem rationally.

Before long, it was Aggie screeching, "MommEEEEE!"

"SQUUUAAAWK!" I replied.

She suppressed her smile and tried hard to reign in the whining, but could only get to word number three before she was assaulted by mommy squawks once again.

She put her hands on her hips. "Mommy," she said seriously, "I am trying to tell you something."

"All right, then use a nice voice to tell me."

"Mommy. I was going down the slide with my car but Seth is trying to go up and I REEEEALY don't-"

SQQQQQQUUUUAAAWWWKKK!! SQUAWK! SQUAWK!

(deep breath) "and I really don't want him to do that but he woooooooon't-"

SQUAWK!

Exasperated, she walked away from me.

Calmly, she said to her brother, "Seth, could you please stop going up the slide so I can go down?"

"Ok Aggie," he smiled.

I chuckled (or maybe I clucked) as they ran off together.

I wonder if I will have the courage to keep this up in public.

How to Pour Concrete Driveways

Every wonder how the concrete mason pours concrete? They work fast don't they? Here is where it all begins.

Base preparation

Concrete needs a firm, flat sub-surface on which to be placed; much of the concrete's strength depends upon it. Often washed stone or gravel is used to level out parts of the area to be covered with concrete. Small washed stones often referred to as pea-gravel are easy to level with a rake and provide a suitable sub-surface. The level stones also allow your contractor a uniform base from which he can accurately estimate how much concrete will be needed.

Forming

Once the sub-surface is prepared. The next step is to form the perimeter of the project. Forms can be made from any material, but usually wood and metal are most common. Sometimes contractors use masonite, or even plastic for curvy sections. Many residential concrete driveways are 4 inches thick; however driveway thickness can vary up to 6 inches. For a 4 inch thick concrete driveway, usually a wooden 2 inch by 4 inch board is used on its side and placed around the perimeter of the project. Once the form boards are in place, reinforcing wire mesh or reinforcing bars (re-bar) are laid within the project to help either reinforce the concrete or keep it from separating.

Pouring Concrete

Concrete is ordered and delivered from a local batching plant. Concrete is often ordered at pounds per square inch (psi) rating of around 4000psi. This usually means about 6 bags of portland cement to every yard of concrete. When the concrete arrives it usually requires that water be added to achieve the correct consistency or slump.

Screeding

The concrete is placed between the forms. A screed is used to level the concrete. A screed is a straight board or piece of aluminum in the shape of a 2 by 4 board that the contractor uses to level the top of the concrete. Contractors will now begin the finishing process by floating the surface. The tools can be hand floats up to as big as a finishing tool called a bull float. Floats are used to help level and fatten the concrete even further. The aggregate or stones in the concrete are pushed down into the concrete giving the slab a smooth finish. At this time the contractor will likely begin other finishing steps including edging the concrete with an edging tool or hand cutting the slab.

Finishing

After a brief initial drying period, the concrete is ready for final finishing. Drying time can be as little as a few minutes to up to an hour. In places where the concrete will be exposed to the elements, the concrete requires an anti-slip texture to be applied. Often these textures can either be a variation of a magnesium float finish or a broom can be drug across the surface.

Saw Cutting

The concrete slab should be saw cut for stress relief if it wasn't already hand cut during the finishing process. The saw cutting of the slab weakens the concrete where it has been cut so that when the concrete cracks from various pressures it will hopefully crack where it weakest; in the saw cut. The idea is that it is better to have cracks that are straight inside your saw cuts where you can't see them then to have cracks running rampant throughout the slab.

Curing and Sealing

The concrete will need to cure before it can be fully utilized. During this curing process, it will be necessary to apply a curing/sealing product to help the concrete cure slowly and evenly. A curing product will slow the evaporation of water from the concrete helping eliminate potential problems such as cracking. The curing process usually last between 1-2 months; longer if the temperature is cool. The concrete should be cured well enough however for a vehicle to be parked on it in as few as 7-14 days with 14 days being the safer amount of time.

Hot Tip! Purchase the best concrete sealer you can afford. Penetrating sealers are best and will form a permanent bond to your concrete.