Summary. Sometimes a flavorful and fulfilling snack can reduce a person’s appetite and result in fewer calories consumed later.

One such treat is the combination of International Delight creamers with milk to create a smooth and sweat drink.

Pictured here is Peppermint Mocha, a selection from their Seasonal Celebrations series of flavors.

Because International Delight creamers area  concentrated blend of sweetening and flavor, a little goes a long way. When combined with coffee, the creamer helps cut the bite and bitterness normally found with coffee. However, with milk, less is needed, so it may take a few attempts to find the blend that you prefer.

We recommend using Organic Valley Lactose Free milk because it has exceptionally fresh flavor and tends to be more easily digested by most people.

Summary.  Creative, fun, inspiring, and funny advertising is much more likely to get watched, and in today’s society of online social networking, these are the ads that will go viral and have the farthest reach.

Such ads also provide the additional public service of offering a source of entertainment and inspiration. Below are some videos from the TheShelterProject.org campaign being promoted by the Ad Council. ResourcesForLife.com is an Ad Council media partner.

“Toys”

“The People Park”

“Sand Castles”

“Cell Phone”

About Pran Therapy. Pran therapy is an ancient yogic science of preventing and curing physical or psychological ailments by healing subtle bodies. It was discovered several thousand years ago in India, during Vedic culture.

About the Workshop. In this workshop, you will learn the basic principles of Pran Therapy and also have an opportunity to apply what you learn. This is a practical workshop for those working with energy healing arts and sciences. Seats are limited (20 only), and applicants need to submit an application for review to be accepted to the workshop. The workshop will be taught via Skype from India exclusively for workshop participants in Iowa City. Goals and objectives for the workshop include:

• learn to sense the aura
• learn to detect and assess blockages
• learn to understand blockages
• learn to replenish pran
• how to develop as a disciplined healer
• the Indian way and approach to the above

Workshop Instructor. Pavan Jain, Director of Satya Bodh Ashram in India, will be the instructor for this intensive training workshop on Pran (Energy) Healing.

Pavan has been teaching “Ha” “Tha” Yoga (Yoga asana, mudra, bandha, pranayama), Raj Yoga (meditation), Yogic healing sciences (aura healing/pran therapy/ pranic healing/ reiki healing/energy medicine), and giving treatment since 1986.

Location. The workshop will take place at The Harvest Preserve. Located at 3106 Rochester Avenue, Harvest Preserve Foundation is situated in the north-east corner of Iowa City and includes 100 acres of lovely, rolling Iowa landscape. Harvest Preserve Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring and maintaining native Iowa prairie and woodlands and cultivating public awareness, appreciation and participation. It is the mission of Harvest Preserve Foundation, Inc. to restore, protect and preserve its land holdings as a spiritual sanctuary. The land holdings shall be known as The Harvest Preserve.” Learn more online by visiting HarvestPreserve.org

Dates & Times. The workshop includes four initial sessions (of four hours each) and two follow-up sessions (of two hours each). The sessions are as follows:

• Saturday, January 7, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
• Sunday, January 8, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
• Saturday, January 14, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
• Sunday, January 15, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
• Saturday, February 4, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
• Saturday, March 3, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Workshop Cost: $480

Payment: A minimum deposit of $240 must be received by December 31 with the balance of $240 (or remainder) due by January 7. Make Checks payable to Maggie Freel and mail to:

Lisa Bormann
647 Hodge St.,
North Liberty, IA 52317

Recommended Reading: Prior to class, attendees should read the first four chapters: “Pran and Pranayama by Swami Niranjananad Saraswati; Yoga Publications Trust, Munger, Bihar, India ISBN 978-81-86336-79-3”.

Certificate of Completion: A certificate of completion will be awarded for full attendance only.

Questions. Any questions about the workshop can be directed to Maggie Freel at 319-351-3000.

Workshop Application Form. In addition to paying a deposit and registration fee, those wishing to attend the workshop, should complete the application form and send it by email to Pavan Jain via email to mail@satyabodhashram.com

• Workshop Application Form in Microsoft Word format.
• Workshop Application Form in Adobe Reader PDF format.

Workshop Flyer. A three-fold flyer for the workshop is also available and contains the information on this web page. The flyer can be viewed as a PDF, printed, and shared by email.

• Workshop Flyer in Adobe Reader PDF format.

I have been living in a 336 sq foot house for over a year. I dont use electricity or hooked up to city water. I use well water. But my question is how many 45 watt solar panels do i need to buy in order to run a 30 amp house. Thank you very much for your help.

Answer (provided by Sherman in Maryland)

I’d recommend reading a bit about solar energy and how to size alternative energy systems. Here are some good online resources:

• http://homepower.com/home/
• http://homepower.com/basics/solar/
• http://realgoodssolar.com/

That’s just off the top of my head. There are thousands of sources of good basic info on solar energy systems. Google is a great way to get answers to general questions.

I’m not sure what is meant by, “…a house wired with 30 amp electrical.” The main breaker is just 30 amps? Is it 240 volt or 120 volt service? The former is twice the potential load or power draw (VoltsxAmps=Watts).

Of course, knowing the absolute maximum power that can be used before the main trips is of little practical use. A house could have the typical 240 volt/200 amp service but the owner might only use 100 watts to run a couple LED lights and a laptop computer. The “30 amp” house owner might use say 240V x 25A = 6,000 watts (6KW).

What is needed when designing an alternative energy system is the average amount of power used per day or per week. Load calculations are required. The idea is to list everything in the house, the wattage it uses, and how many hours per day or per week it is used.

Then, knowing how many watts/day are required, one can determine _approximately_ how many PV panels are needed — whether they are 45 watt or 450 watt doesn’t matter, just the total average output per day.

I say approximately because obviously there’s no way to determine precisely how much sun the panels will get on any given day, or even any week. But there are “insolation” charts that show approximately how much sun any given location can expect to see on average, over time.

Batteries will of course be needed (unless it is a grid-tied system, even then batteries are good for a UPS) — the greater the load; the lower the total wattage of the panels; and/or the longer the expected duration of cloud cover, the more battery capacity is needed.

It’s good to use 12Vdc when possible simply because inverters aren’t 100% efficient (but many are over 90%) so it saves energy — particularly if the inverter(s) would not otherwise be operating. Inverters are most efficient in certain range. I’m looking at the manual for my Trace DR2424 inverters. There is a chart labeled “Power vs. Efficiency”. It shows that the DR2424 is over 90% efficient (up to 95%) from about 75 watts up to 1600 watts (max. sustainable output is 2,400 watts each). So, what that means is, if a person only wants to run a LED light say (or some other small load) if it can be run on 12Vdc that’s preferable because at 25 watts the DR2424 is only about 70% efficient (and its efficiency rating continues to drop as the load decreases).

Of course, efficiency is important but it becomes more important at higher loads. IOW, 70% efficiency at 25 watts output means the total power used is about 36 watts — 11 watts are wasted. That’s not desirable but it’s a relatively small number. Imagine if the inverter were only 70% efficient at higher loads. Say at 1,600 watts — that would be 2,286 watts used to power a 1,600 watt load! As it is, the DR2424 is 90% efficient at a 1,600 watt output, so ‘only’ 1,778 watts are used. Only 178 watts wasted instead of 686!

Batteries themselves are only about 75% efficient, which makes inverters seem pretty good in comparison.

While 12Vdc is preferable when practical to use, it isn’t always possible. Some devices must have 120Vac. Well pumps typically need 240 Vac — that’s why I purchased two (2) DR2424 inverters — they can be “stacked” to put out both 120 and 240Vac.

In addition, sometimes there is simply no AC vs. DC choice — or if there is, the DC appliance/device is inferior and/or much more expensive. There is a much greater selection of AC powered items.

Summary. A holistic approach to weight loss is likely more effective than a highly focused approach.

Many factors influence how we eat, what we eat, and how active we are during the day.

Sleep is a big factor, not just in keeping our metabolism highly functional, but determining how energized and active we are throughout the day.

So, a diagram of successful weight loss looks more like a Rube Goldberg cartoon than a fitness center exercise log chart.

A recent news story by NPR states:

… If you’re among the two-thirds of Americans who are overweight, chances are you’ve had people tell you to just ease up on the eating and use a little self-control. It does, of course, boil down to “calories in, calories out.”

But there’s a lot more to it than that, according to obesity specialist Dr. Donna Ryan, associate director for clinical research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.

It’s a popular misconception, she says, that losing weight is “strictly a matter of willpower.” It’s a gigantic task, [source]

Audio. The audio of the complete NPR story is below.

Summary. BareMinerals is a product of San Francisco natural skincare products company Bare Escentuals. The following is taken from the BareEscentuals.com website.

We use only the finest quality ingredients in our products to give you everything you want without anything your skin doesn’t need. Our proprietary bareMinerals formula represents the ideal mix of makeup and skincare; problem-solving cosmetics that perfect and pamper the complexion. It’s makeup so pure you can sleep in it.

And because that’s how we think, you’ll never find anything that’s not healthy, natural or good for you in our products. What’s not in bareMinerals is just as important as what’s in them. Less is more.

* * *

The Bare Escentuals Story

How do you DEFINE a brand that’s based on a feeling?

Love. Understanding. Community. That’s what Bare Escentuals represents. It’s a trusted source. It’s the belief that products can actually be good, makeup can be fun, business can be personal and companies can behave more like communities.

It’s an optimistic outlook shared by women everywhere who believe that while makeup can’t change the world, it can change people. And people who are inspired can make all the difference.

It began when we asked women to imagine a makeup that would actually change the way they feel about their skin and themselves. We encouraged women to take a leap and try something so unique, so unlike anything they’ve experienced before. We started the idea that makeup could actually be considered skincare, and we got people talking. A makeup that could be good for you? The Bare Escentuals community was born. We became friends with our customers, forging deep, personal connections simply by listening and sharing stories.

It became less about makeup and more about what really matters.