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Be it ever so humble, there is no grass like a lemon grass. A very useful medicinal plant and a tasty food flavoring.

Lemon grass or the local tanglad (scientific name: Cymbopogon ciatrus) is one of those wondrous herbs that one can always associate with Asian cooking Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese homegrown meal enthusiasts always have this tropical grass at hand for its aromatic citrus flavor with a trace of ginger. Few people know that its other popular name is citronella – the common scent you usually find in candles, perfumes and soaps.

Citronella is known for its calming effect that relieves insomnia or stress. It is also considered as a mild insect repellant. But more than scent, tanglad or lemon grass provides a lot of health benefits. Studies have shown that the lemon grass has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Mixed with pepper, it’s a home therapy for menstrual troubles and nausea. Drank as tea, it is an effective diuretic. When it comes to pets, citronella is used to neutralize excessive barking of dogs. Since dogs hate citronella, it is sprayed to dogs to prevent them from barking or just to lessen the behavior.

The Lemon grass is a good cleanser that helps to detoxify the Liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder and the digestive tract. It cuts down uric acid, cholesterol, excess fats and other toxins in the body while stimulating digestion, blood circulation, and lactation; it also alleviates indigestion and gastroenteritis. It is said that lemongrass also helps improve the skin by reducing acne and pimples and acts as a muscle and tissue toner. Also, it can reduce blood pressure. Just make a concoction by boiling some lemon grass leaves, let it cool for a while and drink the liquid.

The leaves and base of this tender perennial are used as a food flavoring, particularly in fish and poultry dishes, and its essential oils are used medicinally. Its distinctive flavor balances hot chillies and contributes to the elaborate, multi-layered flavors of many dishes in South East Asian cuisine.

As the long, thin, grey-green leaves are tough and fibrous, the outside leaves and the tips are usually chopped very finely or discarded from the dish before it is served. The base is often ground. Citral, an essential oil also found in lemon peel, is the constituent responsible for its taste and aroma.

Lemon grass, also known as Sweet Rush and sometimes called Fever Grass in the Caribbean, can be used as a remedy for ague, fevers, and colds.

Filipino ingenuity has produced a commercial beverage made from lemon grass. A concentrate composed of lemon grass juice and muscovado sugar bottled in attractive design.

A recent study by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the department of Science and technology ( DOST ) claims that every 100g of edible tanglad when boiled can contain up to 24.205 micrograms of beta-carotene the anti-oxidant that scientists believe can help prevent cancer. Another DOST study shows that lemon grass oil has the potential as a tropical eye medication against keratomycosis, an inflammation of cornea often associated with burning or blurring of vision.

from: http://www.filipinovegetarianrecipe.com/wordpress/2006/09/18/health-benefits-of-lemon-grass.htm

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At least once in your life - maybe even once a week or once a day for that matter - you have fantasized about coming into a lot of money. What would you do if you were worth millions or even billions? Believe it or not there are millionaires and billionaires among us who masquerade as relatively normal, run-of-the-mill people. Take a peek at some of the most frugal wealthy people in the world.

Warren Buffett

Associated Press

Millions of people read Buffett's books and follow his firm, Berkshire Hathaway's, every move. But the real secret to Buffett's personal fortune may be his penchant for frugality. Buffett, who is worth an estimated $47 billion, eschews opulent homes and luxury items. He and his wife still live in their modest home in Omaha, Nebraska which they purchased for just $31,500 more than 50 years ago.

 Although he's dined in the best restaurants around the globe, given the choice he would opt for a good burger and fries accompanied by a cold cherry Coke. When asked why he doesn't own a yacht he responded "Most toys are just a pain in the neck." (Find out how he went from selling soft drinks to buying up companies and making billions of dollars

Carlos Slim

Associated Press

While most of the world is very familiar with Bill Gates, the name Carlos Slim rarely rings a bell. But it's a name worth knowing. Slim, who is a native of Mexico, was just named the world's richest billionaire – that's right, richer than the uber-famous Microsoft founder. Slim is worth more than $53 billion and while he could afford the world's most extravagant luxuries he rarely indulges. He, like Buffett, doesn't own a yacht or plane and he has lived in the same home for over 40 years.

Ingvar Kamprad

Associated Press

The founder of the Swedish furniture phenomenon Ikea struck success with affordable, assemble-it-yourself furniture. For Kamprad, figuring out how to save money isn't just for his customers, it's a high personal value. He's been quoted as saying "Ikea people do not drive flashy cars or stay at luxury hotels." That goes for the founder as well. He flies coach for business and when he needs to get around town locally he either takes the bus or will head out in his 15-year-old Volvo 240 GL.

Chuck Feeney

Growing up in the wake of The Depression as an Irish-American probably has something to do with Feeney's frugality. With a personal motto of "I set out to work hard, not get rich," the co-founder of Duty Free Shoppers has quietly become a billionaire but even more secretively given almost all of it away through his foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies. In addition to giving more than $600 million to his alma mater Cornell University, he has given billions to schools, research departments and hospitals. 

Loath to spend if he doesn't have to, Feeney beats both Buffett and Kamprad in the donation category, giving out less grants than only Ford and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations. A frequent user of public transportation, Mr. Feeney flies economy class, buys clothes from retail stores, and does not wast money on an extensive shoes closet, stating "you can only wear one pair of shoes at a time". He raised his children in the same way; making them work the same normal summer jobs as most teens.

Frederik Meijer

If you live in the Midwest chances are good that you shop at Meijer's chain of grocery stores. Meijer is worth more than $5 billion and nearly half of that was amassed when everyone else was watching their net worth drop in 2009. Like Buffett he buys reasonably-priced cars and drives them until they die, and like Kamprad he chooses affordable motels when on travel for work. Also, like Chuck Feeney, rather than carelessly spending his wealth Mr. Meijer is focused on the good that it can provide to the community.

The Bottom Line

The dirty little secret of some of the world's wealthiest people is that they rarely act like it. Instead of over-the-top spending, they're busy figuring out how to save and invest to have that much more in the future. It's a habit you might want to consider in order to build up your own little storehouse of cash.

A little over 90% of Filipinos are employees. When you look at the wealthy nations in the world, you will always find a Filipino employee. Why do most Filipinos prefer being employed? Because Filipinos prefer job security over TIME AND FINANCIAL FREEDOM. Never in the history of humankind has there been anybody who got wealthy from being an employee. You have to be a business owner and an investor. Filipinos, however, have the below five top reasons why they don't want to go into business:

TOP 5 REASONS WHY FILIPINOS DON’T GO INTO BUSINESS

1. Money – “Mag-iipon muna ako. Kulang ang pera ko.” ("I don't have enough cash")
2. Time – “Madami pa akong inaasikaso.” ("I'm so busy with a lot of things")
3. Skills – “Hindi ako marunong mag-business, baka malugi lang ako.” ("I don't know how so I'm afraid I might fail")
4. Opportunity – “Hindi para sa akin yan.” ("That business is not for me")
5. Connection – “Wala akong kilala masyado.” ("I don't know a lot of people")

As the saying goes... " if there's a will, there's way".......kung gusto mo may paraan, kung ayaw maraming dahilan".......you cannot be financially free without taking the risk.

It is important to familiarized ourselves with the common chemical ingredients used and their uses. These ingredients give the desired quality and feature of the soap. Also, the quantity of these ingredients in making soap, dictates the cost of soap produced.

1. Coco Diethanol Amide (CDEA) - foam or sud booster
2. Sodium silicate - hardening and leavening agent; prevents separation or deterioration of ingredients in liquid products
3. Sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) - cleansing agent; for thickening effect and a cheaper but effective foamer
4. Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) and ZEOLITE - a chemical that gives cleansing power
5. Ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) - sequestering agent that makes the ingredients float; used as foaming stabilizer; also used to reduce hardness in water
6. Caustic potash (also known as potassium hydroxide) - allows bar soap to harden
7. Tergitol - binder used for powdered detergent
8. Sodium phosphate - provides the abrasive strength; removes hard water minerals and this increase the effectiveness of detergents; prevents dirt from settling back into clothes during washing
9. Sodium chloride or table salt - thickening agent; provides viscosity to the soap
10. Methyl and propyl paraben - anti-microbial preservatives
11. Triethanol amine (TEA) - emulsifier uesd in facial cleanser
12. Caustic soda (also called sodium hydroxide) - neutralizes or adjust the acidity of other ingredients
13. Benzalkonium chloride - disinfectant against bacteria, fungi and yeasts
14. Carboxyl methy cellulose (CMC) - antiredeposition agent that prevents dirt from settling back into clothes during washing
15. Sodium sulfate - provides proper flow or solubility to soap; cleans without leaving residue
16. Glycerine - serves as moisturizer in facial cleaner
17. Both Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and its close relative Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) are commonly used in many soaps, shampoos, detergents, toothpastes and other products that we expect to "foam up". Both chemicals are very effective foaming agents, chemically known as surfactants.

Stress Relieving Aromatherapy Benefits By: Julie Knapp

You’ve probably seen beauty products touted as stress relieving potions and considered aromatherapy benefits when you visit the drug store, but how does aromatherapy relieve stress?
Alternative medicine experts have discovered that certain scents have soothing and relaxing properties when inhaled. When you breathe in the scent of essential oils, a message is sent to your brain, which triggers a reaction – be it calming, energizing or slowing your breathing. Particular essential oils may also have effects when they enter the bloodstream through topical application, too.
Stress free scents
Lavender: This super calming scent is known to help relax the body and fight insomnia.  Look for calming lotions or bedtime balm infused with lavender. Rub it on your temples and neck before bed so you can breathe in the aroma as you drift to sleep. You may also want to try relaxing in a warm bath with a few drops of lavender oil in it just before you hit the sack.
Chamomile: Another scent for the sleep-deprived, chamomile’s benefits are often heralded by devotees. Just like with lavender, you could draw a warm pre-bedtime bath and add a few drops of chamomile oil. But another lovely way to enjoy its relaxing and sedating effects is through a cup of chamomile tea.
Bergamot: From citrus rinds, this essential oil is actually refreshing and will give you a better sense of well-being to calm stress. When you want a mood boost, use a diffuser to emit this uplifting scent into your room. Or if you want a quick pick me up in the morning, use a bergamot scented shower gel to start your day off on the right foot.
Jasmine: A scent derived in India can be both sensual and relaxing. When you’re feeling nervous or upset, burn a jasmine scented candle. Enjoy the breathing in the rich, calming scent until you start to feel like you can tackle whatever is making you feel upset.

Focus On The Opportunities

The following question was submitted to "Ask Donald Trump" by a Trump University member.

Question:
You have faced some really big challenges and some very difficult circumstances in your life. What activities, words of wisdom and other tools do you use to get yourself back up to remain positive? What advice would you offer to anyone struggling today?

My Response:
Your focus is very important--so be sure to focus on the opportunities, because they are always there. For example, if 90% of companies aren’t hiring, then focus on the 10% that are. I learned to focus less on the problem and more on the solution, which works. Do not allow negativity to cloud your goals or ambitions. Great things have been accomplished in hard and even tumultuous times.

When I faced difficult circumstances, I didn’t underestimate the problems but I refused to give in to them.

LINEAR INCOME

In trying to understand what linear income is, for instance, employees, contractors, and self-employed business owners make up the linear income bracket. Linear income earners are only paid for the specific time expended, and or paid directly proportional to the number of hours invested in their job. Linear income earners must be physically present to get their paycheck or salaries or wages as the case may be.

Let me ask you this question. As a linear income earner, can you pass your job down to your children or grandchildren? You could be successful lawyers, bankers, doctors. Lecturers, e.t.c., just name it; truly, I don't know too many jobs that allow you to do that. How many do you know? And even in the corporate world, in order to be promoted, your superior either has to be promoted or demoted.

In summary, linear income earners have little control of their success, they live by paycheck to paycheck, and they can be fired at any time. Our life expectancy rate has dropped drastically, the tendency to suffer high blood pressure is high and many more disastrous effects this type of life will cause if it persist. I believe that I'm awaking the consciousness to some fundamental truth about your financial well being.

RESIDUAL INCOME

Now, the alternate income bracket is the residual income earner. I'll let you decide which of these two is better.

Residual income earners consist of business owners, those in the entertainment industry, author, investors, successful entrepreneurs, and network marketing associates. These classes of income earners continue to generate income after the initial effort of building the business. Residual income earners don't worry about "Clocking in," they can be absent for periods of time and still see consistent income from their business.

As a residual income earner, you could be in the shower, at home having more time for yourself and the family, a student (whether undergraduate or postgraduate) deceiving lectures in the university while money floods your bank account.

Thus, residual income earner's income stem from their businesses. They are the boss; they have total and absolute control of their business success and achievement. Wouldn't you like to be in that position? With your own business, you can pass it to your children, and they can pass the business to their children in return, you leaving a family legacy. You are able to leave your children with ready made pipeline of income versus working your present job, retiring and leaving your children with nothing but debt. The choice is yours to decide!

Today, because of the multitude of choices we all have, it is easy to get distracted from where we want to go in life. Becoming rich is not an accident. It is the result of specific steps that anyone can take.  

Step One: Decide to Be Rich

To become rich you have to believe without a doubt that you are going to succeed. The first step in getting there is to decide that no matter how many times you fail or how long it takes, you will accumulate enough wealth to do everything you want in life for you and all the people you love.

 

Step Two: Write Your Plan and Follow It

In order to become rich, you must know where you are going and have an action plan for getting there. Requesting information on this website is a good start – we can help you implement a plan. There are different financial paths that people can choose. Unfortunately, most people incorrectly choose the path of job security because it requires less planning and seems like the easier, safer route. However, once the economy starts wobbling, that job security quickly disappears and they are left with no plan to regain control.

 

Step Three: Fire Your Boss

Now don’t do anything crazy and quit your job tomorrow. But do realize that in order to become rich, you have to own your own business. That is what this site is all about. We want to show you how to operate a business from home so that one day you can fire your boss and create financial security that will last a lifetime.

 

Step Four: Choose Your Friends and Partners Wisely

One of the reasons the rich get richer is because they spend time with other successful, rich people. It is important to know whether you are keeping company with people who want to be rich, who want to live comfortably, or who simply want to get by and survive. Friends who merely want to live comfortably or just survive will not understand why you want to be rich. They may unconsciously try to pull you down or offer their “advice” on what it takes to succeed. Unfortunately, the investment tips you will get from these people are often tips that will keep you from ever becoming rich. So, how do you find people who are rich or want to be rich? Well you just happen to be at the right place!

 

Step Five: Give Yourself Time

It takes time to build a business. Building a business is not the same as getting a job. With a job, you expect to be paid soon after starting work. With a business, you may not be paid for weeks, months or years. That is why we recommend keeping your daytime job while you start a part-time business. As your business grows into a strong stream of passive income, you will be able to replace your full-time job.

What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? Here are ten characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.

If you’ve got many or all of these traits, your odds of entrepreneurial success are looking good!

1. An eye for opportunity: Many entrepreneurs start by finding a need and quickly satisfying it.
2. Independence: Even though most entrepreneurs know how to work within the framework for the sake of profits, they enjoy being their own boss.
3. An appetite for hard work: Most entrepreneurs start out working long, hard hours with little pay.
4. Self-confidence: Entrepreneurs must demonstrate extreme self-confidence in order to cope with all the risks of operating their own business.
5. Discipline: Successful entrepreneurs resist the temptation to do what is unimportant or the easiest but have the ability to think through to what is the most essential.
6. Judgment: Successful entrepreneurs have the ability to think quickly and make a wise decision.
7. Ability to accept change: Change occurs frequently when you own your own business, the entrepreneur thrives on changes and their businesses grow.
8. Make stress work for them: On the roller coaster to business success the entrepreneur often copes by focusing on the end result and not the process of getting there.
9. Need to achieve: Although they keep an “eye” on profits, this is often secondary to the drive toward personal success.
10. Focus on profits: Successful entrepreneurs always have the profit margin in sight and know that their business success is measured by profits. Is this your profile or would you rather do your job, pick up your paycheck and leave the headaches to someone else? Most of us, quite easily, choose the later.

source: www.gaebler.com

10 Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs

Running a one-person business is a creative, flexible and challenging way to become your own boss and chart your own future. It is about creating a life, as it is about making a living. It takes courage, determination and foresight to decide to become an entrepreneur. From the relatively safe cocoon of the corporate world, where paychecks arrive regularly, you will be venturing into the unchartered territories of business.Is there a way to determine whether you can be a successful entrepreneur, or you are better off to work for somebody else? Alas, there is no formula for success. However, most successful entrepreneurs share these ten characteristics. Check if you possess any one of them:

1. Think success. To attain the kind of success that you want, you need to dream big. Every success story starts with big dreams. You need to have big dreams for yourself - which you want to be somebody rich, famous or fulfilled. You need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve. But it doesn’t stop in dreaming alone. You should actively visualize success in your mind that you can almost feel it, touch it or it is within your reach. Play this image back at every opportunity. What does it feel to triple your current income? How will your life change? What will your business look like if you achieved the million-dollar mark? Successful entrepreneurs possess an attitude of openness and faith that you can have what you want if you can simply envision it as the first step on the path of action to acquiring it. Management gurus have taught us the power of visualization - seeing yourself in your mind as having accomplished your dreams. If you want to be a successful writer, envision yourself signing books for a throng of people who have lined up to have your autograph. If you want to be rich, picture yourself in luxurious surroundings holding a fat bank account. And the process of envisioning success for you should be a constant activity! You need to think that you are successful (or will be one) every single waking hour. A personal development coach shared me her secret to help her continuously visualize her goals for the moment: when climbing stairs, recite your goal with every step you take. So if you want more money, say I will have money in every step of the stairs. This technique will reinforce your goal and keep it fresh in your consciousness.
2. Be passionate with what you do. You start a business to change any or all part of your life. To attain this change, you need to develop or uncover an intense, personal passion to change the way things are and to live life to the fullest. Success comes easily if you love what you do. Why? Because we are more relentless in our pursuit of goals about things that we love. If you hate your job right now, do you think you will ever be successful at it? Not in a million years! You may plod along, even become competent at the tasks, but you will never be a great success at it. You will achieve peak performance and do what you have to do to succeed only if you are doing something that interests you or something that you care about. Entrepreneurs who succeed do not mind the fact that they are putting in 15 or 18 hours a day to their business because they absolutely love what they do. Success in business is all about patience and hard work, which can only be attained if you are passionate and crazy with your tasks and activities.
3. Focus on your strengths. Let s face it you cannot be everything to everybody. Each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses. To be effective, you need to identify your strengths and concentrate on it. You will become more successful if you are able to channel your efforts to areas that you do best. In business, for example, if you know you have good marketing instincts, then harness this strength and make full use of it. Seek help or assistance in areas that you may be poor at, such as accounting or bookkeeping. To transform your weakness to strength, consider taking hands-on learning or formal training.
4. Never consider the possibility of failure. Ayn Rand, in her novel The Fountainhead, wrote, It is not in the nature of man - nor of any living entity, to start out by giving up. As an entrepreneur, you need to fully believe in your goals, and that you can do it. Think that what you are doing will contribute to the betterment of your environment and your personal self. You should have a strong faith in your idea, your capabilities and yourself. You must believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have the ability to recognize and fulfill them. The more you can develop faith in your ability to achieve your goals, the more rapidly you can attain it. However, your confidence should be balanced with calculated risks that you need to take to achieve greater rewards. Successful entrepreneurs are those who analyze and minimize risk in the pursuit of profit. As they always say, no guts, no glory.
5. Plan accordingly. You have a vision, and you have enough faith in yourself to believe that you can achieve your vision. But do you know how to get to your vision? To achieve your vision, you need to have concrete goals that will provide the stepping-stone towards your ultimate vision. Put your goals in writing not doing so just makes them as intangible fantasies. You need to plan each day in such a way that your every action contributes to the attainment of your vision. Do you foresee yourself as the next Martha Stewart of hand-made home furnishings? Perhaps today, you need to see an artist to help you conceptualize the new line of hand-made linens that you hope to launch. Intense goal orientation is the characteristic of every successful entrepreneur. They have a vision, and they know how to get there. Your ability to set goals and make plans for your accomplishment is the skill required to succeed. Plan, plan and plan - because without which failure is guaranteed.
6. Work hard! Every successful entrepreneur works hard, hard and hard. No one achieves success just by sitting and staring at the wall every single day. Brian Tracy puts it out this way, You work eight hours per day for survival everything over eight hours per day is for success. Ask any successful businessperson and they will tell you immediately that they had to work more than 60 hours per week at the start of their businesses. Be prepared to say goodbye to after-office drinks every day, or a regular weekend get-away trip. If you are in a start-up phase, you will have to breathe, eat and drink your business until it can stand on its own. Working hard will be easy if you have a vision, clear goals, and are passionate with what you do.
7. Constantly Look for Ways to Network. In business, you are judged by the company you keep - from your management team, board of directors, and strategic partners. Businesses always need assistance, more so small businesses. Maybe the lady you met in a trade association meeting can help you secure funding, or the gentleman at a conference can provide you with management advise. It is important to form alliances with people who can help you, and whom you can help in return. To succeed in business, you need to possess good networking skills and always be alert to opportunities to expand your contacts.
8. Willingness to Learn. You do not need to be a MBA degree holder or PhD graduate to succeed in your own business. In fact, there are a lot of entrepreneurs who did not even finish secondary education. Studies show that most self-made millionaires have average intelligence. Nonetheless, these people reached their full potentials achieved their financial and personal goals in business because they are willing to learn. To succeed, you must be willing to ask questions, remain curious, interested and open to new knowledge. This willingness to learn becomes more crucial given the rapid changes in technologies and ways of doing business.
9. Persevere and have faith. No one said that the road to success is easy. Despite your good intentions and hard work, sometimes you will fail. Some successful entrepreneurs suffered setbacks and resounding defeats, even bankruptcy, yet managed to quickly stand up to make it big in their fields. Your courage to persist in the face of adversity and ability to bounce back after a temporary disappointment will assure your success. You must learn to pick yourself up and start all over again. Your persistence is the measure of the belief in yourself. Remember, if you persevere, nothing can stop you.
10. Discipline yourself. Thomas Huxley once said, Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you like it or not. Self-discipline is the key to success. The strength of will to force yourself to pay the price of success - doing what others don t like to do, going the extra mile, fighting and winning the lonely battle with yourself.

About The Author : Jenny Fulbright is a Staff Writer for PowerHomeBiz.com