Say No To Plastic Bags

There is one simple action we can all take that will have an enormous impact on the health of our planet and its inhabitants. The next time you shop, don't leave the store carrying a plastic bag. If everyone did this, one of the most lethal polluters created by man would be removed from circulation. Consider the following shocking facts about plastic shopping bags:

Plastic bags are made of polyethylene Polyethylene is a petroleum product Production contributes to air pollution and energy consumption Four to five trillion plastic bags are manufactured each year Americans use over 380 billion polyethylene bags per year Americans throw away approximately 100 billion polyethylene bags per year Of those 100 trillion plastic bags, 1% are recycled It takes 1000 years for polyethylene bags to break down As polyethylene breaks down, toxic substances leach into the soil and enter the food chain Approximately 1 billion seabirds and mammals die per year by ingesting plastic bags Plastic bags are often mistaken as food by marine mammals. 100,000 marine mammals die yearly by eating plastic bags. These animals suffer a painful death, the plastic wraps around their intestines or they choke to death Plastic bag choke landfills Plastic bags are carried by the wind into forests, ponds, rivers, and lakes There are alternatives to plastic bags. All of this death and pollution is unnecessary

Countries all over the world are slowly becoming aware of the threat plastic bags present to our world. Many have enacted laws aimed to decrease the use of plastic bags, while others have, or are, planning to impose taxes on the use of plastic bags. Even large corporations are getting on board. For example, Real Canadian Superstore charges customers 5 cents per bag and IKEA has vowed to discontinue the use of plastic bags in all of their stores as well as exerting pressure on their suppliers to take the same action. These forward thinking, socially conscious countries, cities and corporations should be commended, but the reality is, none of these steps would be necessary if individuals would make the same commitment, or if at the very least, people would do the following:

Reuse plastic shopping bags and wraps Use wax paper instead of polyethylene products Utilize reusable shopping bags made of cloth or hemp Recycle your plastic shopping bags by returning them to the store If you forget your reusable shopping bag, opt for paper Minimize your garbage output by composting and recycling Write to your local and federal governments to demand environmentally-friendly bags (they do exist) Tell others about the harmful impact of plastic bag usage

It might take a little planning and a little more time to say no to plastic bags, but by putting life ahead of inconvenience, each and everyone of us can make a difference to the health of our planet and to all of those living things that have no choice but to live or to die because of the decisions we make.

SPORTS AND ITS IMPORTANCE Sports can be a positive experience for your child's body and mind. Outdoors Unstructure Activities and games are essential for every child. Let a child explore, go trekking with his friends, encourage him to play, run around, jump, etc. These activities are an essential way of venting out physical energy. Physical activities can be divided into two : a. Outdoor unstructured activities b. Structured physical activities Structured physical activities instil disipline, camaraderie's values like sporting spirit and trust. It also helps a child to take his own decision and sharpens his thinking process. Structured activities are games like cricket, football, swimming, cycling, etc. Encourage your child to play games and help him specialise in any type of sport if he excels or has a liking interest in it.

The advantages of sports : a. Tones up muscles and strengthen bones : Physical fitness. Keeps our body in excellent shape. It makes the body supple. Generates sprit of camaraderie : It teaches a child about teamwork and unselfish play. Playing for team and not for personal accomplishment. Teaches to accept defeat gracefully : It assists a child in developing the skill for handling disappointments. Generates healthy spirit of competition : Positive competition is a healthy competition.

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Channelize energies constructively : Sports channelizes the mental and physical energy in a more positive manner thus preventing your child from going into wrong company, etc. It inspires and energizes youngsters. Builds self esteem and confidence : Sports improves body postures and lends a grace to the body, thus enhancing self esteem. It boosts a child's morale when he excels on a specific skills he has e.g. If he is very good in fielding and bowling in the sport of cricket. He can work more towards that skill it makes him feel more confident.

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Builds good immune system : It improves body immune system thus promoting good health. It builds good appetite.

INTRODUCTION --- The "American Dream" of Mark Burnertt, the creator and producer of the two highly successful TV series, "Survivor" and "Eco-Challenge" (p1-13) Success requires hard work. But it is also about passion, knowledge, self-awareness, and ample doses of courage. Successful people enjoy talking about their success, especially to people genuinely interested in learning from their experience. You can learn the ways of the business world by continually asking successful people question after question about how they got to where they are, what mistakes they made along the way, and how they conduct their business. You can use these and many other insights to climb the "ladder of success." Refuse to accept the word "NO." (p3-4) SEVEN PRINCIPLES that govern a successful person's life, such as Mark Burnett's [1] Only results count [2] Have the courage to fail [3] Choose teammates wisely [4] Perseverance produces character [5] Be right or be wrong, but make a decision [6] Set achievable goals [7] Try to go above, beyond, and then further! (p5) 1) ONLY RESULTS COUNT (p15-36) [1] Perception means more than reality --- how to turn a "no" into a "yes." (p21-31) A great strategy is to turn a "NO" into a "YES!" (1) No never means no! It needs to be looked at as merely an objection to overcome. (2) Next it is crucially important to learn how to read people (2) Customers buy from people they are most comfortable with, people they consider to be their friends. You can adjust your personality to mirror your customer's and thus win their confidence and broker sales. Different personalities respond to different sales techniques. They can be broken down into four groups: (p26-27) (1) Analytical (2) Emotional (3) Passive

(4) Motivated [2] Know the results of each day before it begins (p31-36) You can predict results through behavior and should plan your day accordingly. At the start of every day, you can ask yourself what you plan to accomplish before the day is done. Therefore, nothing is left to chance! (p31) You need to ACT successful to BE successful! A controlled confidence both inspires others to follow you and gives you a feeling of invincibility that is often needed when things get very tough. (p31-32) One way you can remain confident is by believing that your outcome will always be favorable! You can consider your daily business goals already accomplished even as you set them! By knowing the outcome of your day 's efforts, you can work more efficiently, think more sharply, and be more intuitive. Most of all, you can follow through tenaciously until your plan becomes a reality. Success is about results, not intentions! (p32) The temptation when the path to success gets too bumpy is to leap back into the "comfort zone." But don't do that! Keep pushing forward, always forward. The comfort zone is the land of dreams and wishes. Success is the land of results, where all those dreams come true! (p36) 2) HAVE THE COURAGE TO FAIL --- "If you are not failing, you are not taking enough risks!" (p38-74) [1] Take risks and dream big (p39-53) [2] Keep cool, even when things are most dire (p54-60) [3] Never quit (p60-74) (1) FOCUS --- It is possible to do a million tasks and accomplish them all! But doing one task expertly is far tougher. You can force yourself to make hard choices about what you want to do and what you need to do! When you make a choice, move forward immediately, putting all your energy and focus into what you are doing! (p71) (2) PERSEVERANCE --- It is easy to quit. There is suffering in perseverance. But there is also joy! Life is full of struggles. Instead of expecting life to be easy, expect life to challenge you! (p71-72) (3) HUMILITY --- People respond better, and more productively, to a humble person than an arrogant one! (p72-73) 3) CHOOSE TEAMMATES WISELY --- Every great undertaking is marked by the need for proper teammates! (p75-107) [1] Beer and pizza (p80-88) [2] Know your teammates' limitations (p89-99) [2] Be aware of how you communicate (p99-107) 4) PERSEVERANCE PRODUCES CHARACTER --- And character produces hope (p109-133) [1] Do not make excuses! (p111-117) [2] Be a samurai (p117-122)

[3] Be true to your dreams --- Do not sell out! (p122-133) 5) BE RIGHT OR BE WRONG --- But make a decision! (p135-163) For success to happen, decisions to act must be made. For those afraid of making decisions, fearful the sky will fall on them or they will lose their job or whatever other reason a person can give for not taking control of their life, remember that by passively choosing not to decide, you have still made a choice! (p138) It is better to make an empowering action-oriented decision than to decide to passively let life control you. So be right or wrong, but make a decision! (p138) [1] Go with your gut! (p139-147) [2] Know yourself! (p147-155) [3] Trust yourself --- even if it means looking stupid! (p155-163) Sometimes in life, everyone will act like you are out of step. It's okay to believe it for a while. But you must learn when you are the one in step, driven by the beat of the drummer in hour head, and everyone else is off! Then push forward, always forward! (p156) As you become more successful and receive more public attention, you might notice that people around you may succumb to the "emperor's new clothes" syndrome --- telling you exactly what you want to hear instead of what they really think! You need people around you who will tell you the TRUTH!(p162) Decision-making is a tough task. How you live life and how you achieve your goals depends upon it. So be right or be wrong --- but DON'T BE AFRAID to make a decision! (p163) 6) SET ACHIEVABLE GOALS --- Every individual is responsible for their own success! (p165-192) You either work for it or you don't. You either take ownershp of the process of success or you don't. So when you set goals, it is vital to chase a dream --- GOALS ARE NOTHING if not "dreams in action" that you believe are deservedly yours. Make your goals a dream that you believe you can handle when achieved. Make it a dream you cannot live without! Only you know what you want. Design a route map of how to get you there. And, most important, set a series of achievable goals leading to your dream. By setting realistic, attainable goals you will avoid frustration, achieve small, empowering victories on your way to a larger dream, and gain momentum as each small success is realized. Some people call that "being on a roll." Well, the roll is merely the fact that with each small success you feel more confident. As a result, you look and act more confident. This is important, for you must get other people to help you on your long journey to your ultimate dream. Sunny, positive people are far more likely to be offered assistance than dour, grumbling individuals! (p165-166) [1] Sometimes the unexpected can be a very good thing (p187-174) [2] Little vistories (p174-185) [3] Adversity begets strength (p185-189) [4] Set the bar higher (p190-192)