We live in a society of gadgets and gizmos, of toys and more toys, of things that evoke feelings of luxury, style and class. This is available to almost everyone, not just a privileged few. This is the 21st century.
No other time of the year is it more prevalent, conspicuous and aggressively promoted than during the Christmas season.
Thanks to advances in technology, the airwaves, the print and electronic media are flooded with advertisements that appeal to society in general, to people from all walks of life.
Open any newspaper or magazine and indulge yourself with endless advertisement, appealing, titillating and surely tempting. You can’t miss it, it’s almost in every page and glares you in the face.
Turn on the computer and you can access more goods and services at the click of a mouse. Add to this endless ads and banners.
The young generation is brought up in this era of consumerism. They are introduced to a high maintenance lifestyle at a very young age. Gone are the days when shopping for children was fun. A time when it did not take much to make their young hearts happy. Life was simpler.
Times have surely changed. The trappings of good life is no longer the sole domain of the wealthy. Comfort, travel, wheels, homes, luxury, name it, it is within the reach of anyone who is willing to pay the price. It is no longer just a dream.
This is just the beginning of the conspicuous consumption of our society. In the name of convenience, there are more and more gadgets for the home introduced faster than one can pay off existing debt. However, this is not a deterrent.
It is no longer a matter of meeting a need, the “want” list gets longer and longer. Each member of a family has their own want list.
Technology is wonderful; it allows man to take great strides, faster and more accurate than our forbears. Technology makes it possible for man to explore space, the depths of the ocean, the untrodden parts of this earth. Through technology, man has made incredible advances in science, communication and the medical field. Technology is if great benefit to mankind.
It is very much a part of our daily lives. There is a downside- man wants more of the convenience that comes with it. It fuels the imagination of both producers and consumers. It stimulates the need to want more. It encourages the desire to pamper oneself, and loved ones with more goods.
Having more than what they need promotes a sense of living the good life. For every season, for every occasion, the market offers boundless ideas and endless flow of material goods. Beware, quality is slipping down too fast, as production and advertisement are cranked up higher, some of the quality is compromised.
The convenience that technology offers is hard to ignore. How did we manage before, when most of the chores were done manually? Imagine the time spent to get anything done?
Take a look around the house, push a button to get laundry or the dishes done. Press another button to start the car before you open the door. Set a timer for your coffeemaker, for your lights to come on at a desired time, your radio to wake you up. Wouldn’t you be lost without that remote control?
What about the other gadgets and tools for the handyman? Look at the other things around the house to make living more convenient and definitely add to that feeling of comfort and luxury.
There’s more. Communication is revolutionized. Each member of the family has to be wired. Watch the ads, imagine the convenience of having extra gadgets for each family member just for so much a month. Add to this the paraphernalia that goes with it, some of which are good to have but not a necessity. But does it matter? It becomes a must have.
The quest for material goods is at excessive proportions. It hits the very core of a person. Some can only measure success relative to their material possessions. Some identify their self-worth with material acquisitions. The words status and prestige are medals they wear proudly. Rightly so, if it makes them happy.
How much of these goods are on credit? How many sleepless nights are spent doing endless calculations and adjustments? Is there room for a quiet time that
comes at no cost? Or do they experience that feeling of emptiness amid a comfortable surroundings?
Does this culture of excess spell happiness and peace?
Bonnie Moss writes about spirituality and other inspirational
topics. Visit her website , a metaphysical site that offers information
on tarot, crystals, aura, angels, charms and spells and related
topics.
goldencupcafe.tripod.com
Public liability insurance is suggested because all businesses are at risk to some level. Even though nothing grim has ever happened to your business assets does not guarantee that it won’t one day in near the future. If someone is injured, or their assets stolen, it’s your responsibility to suitably refund them. The outlay could be particularly costly, depending on the particular brand of case.
Yet, you do have numerous chances to shield yourself for this possibility. Selecting public liability cover lets you to breathe a small amount easier. If a client claim is very costly, the insurance firm will be there to offer a safety net. It is their legal responsibility to keep you covered from claims & legal fees. This leaves you free to concentrate on actually doing business, instead of thinking about what could well happen. The following are a number illustrations of times when public liability cover can come in useful.
Directors of plumbing corporations more often than not get the job completed fast & right. Nonetheless, now and then something might go awfully wrong. Should you smash up a client’s tubes while on the job, affecting property for instance laptops and flooring, public liability cover will be there to pick-up the invoice.
Another illustration is that of a marketing firm. If a customer were to fracture an ankle in your workplace, even if it’s not your fault, you would be held answerable. Nonetheless, with public liability indemnity you would not have to pay the claim at all.
In a comparable situation, physical injury caused to an onlooker by a member of staff on a construction site is the accountability of the corporation’s manager. This kind of claim can grow to be dreadfully costly indeed, unless you procure the right insurance protection. Protect yourself and your business with a Public Liability Insurance quote from Insured Risks.
If you avoid all foods that contain cholesterol, will your high cholesterol return to normal?
It’s not that simple. Your blood cholesterol level is influenced far more by how many calories and how much saturated and partially hydrogenated fat you eat, than by how much cholesterol is in your food. Cholesterol is found only in foods from animals, such as meat, fish, chicken, dairy products and eggs. It is not found in plants. More than 80 percent of the cholesterol in your body is made by your liver. Less than 20 percent comes from the food that you eat. When you eat more cholesterol, your liver makes less.
Your liver makes cholesterol from saturated fats, which are found in most foods but are concentrated in meat, poultry and whole-milk dairy products. The saturated fat is broken down by your liver into acetone units. If you are not taking in too many calories, your liver uses the acetone units for energy, but if you are taking in more calories than your body needs, your liver uses these same acetone units to manufacture cholesterol. That explains why eating two eggs a day does not raise blood cholesterol levels in the average American. They are already taking in so much cholesterol from meat, fish and chicken and diary products, that when they take in more, they absorb less.
The average North American takes in 350 mg per day of cholesterol. If he takes in 26 mg per day, he absorbs 41 percent. When he takes in 188 mg cholesterol per day, he absorbs only 36 percent, and when he takes in 421 mg per day (the equivalent of two eggs), he absorbs only 25 percent. Some people absorb more than five times as much as other people at the same intake. So you lower blood cholesterol levels far more effectively by eating less food, less saturated fat and less partially hydrogenated fats than by avoiding foods that contain cholesterol.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com
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