Red Wine – For Your Health

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There are plenty of schools of thought that will tell you that drinking alcohol is not good for the body. And for the most part this can be a true statement. However, a glass of red wine on a daily basis has been proven to have several health benefits. Studies show that some of the compounds in red wine are actually good for preventing things like heart disease and diabetes. They also lower the bad cholesterol levels and can even promote weight loss. Moderation is the key to drinking red wine for your health.
The properties that make red wine healthful are the resveratrol and other polyphenols that come from the variety of grapes used in its production. Polyphenols are the natural chemical compounds found in the skin of the grapes used to make wine. They are also found in many other plants. These polyphenols act as antioxidants. Antioxidants are the vitamins and minerals and naturally occurring enzymes that protect cells from damage caused by the metabolic process, they also help to prevent chronic diseases. Resveratrol has also been studied for its anti- aging effects. The test on lab mice has been very promising.
Drinking responsibly is the key. Since the compounds are found in most fruits and vegetables you merely have to substitute one serving of fruit with a glass of wine. It would be unwise to drink seven glasses of wine on a daily basis as a replacement for the daily requirements that have been set forth. Heart health is one of the most document uses for red wine. A notable publication did a study that showed that red wine actually prohibited the synthesis of the protein endothelin-1. This is the main culprit in the development of atherosclerosis. This buildup of fatty material along the walls of the major arteries is what leads to heart disease.
We need to remember that the alcohol of red wine is not the thing that promotes good health it is the polyphenols you are seeking. The benefits are the same for both sexes, although a man can generally drink more wine because of his body mass. Too much alcohol can lead to sclerosis of the liver.
Flavonoids are also a major healthy compound found in red wine. The main one is the anthocyanin; this is the compound that makes grapes attain the deep purple hue. To get this and the other antioxidants in abundance you should drink a Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir. Although others contain these compounds the concentration is a lot higher in these wines.

 

A Few Stock Market Tips

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There are some people who really get huge returns from their investments in the stock market and their success acts as an inspiration to many who also decide to join stock trading. As a beginner, you may find it challenging since you may be expecting some returns but end up making losses. Outlined below are some stock market tips for some wise investment:
Learn
You should try to understand how the stock market works, learn some concepts and try to understand some common terminologies used in stock trading. You should then go ahead to learn some analyzing skills which should assist you in identifying the best performing stocks. It is also important to understand some common ratios used in analyzing companies. Learning all this will take you time and you will therefore need to be dedicated.
Consider risks
There are definitely risks involved in stock trading and you should always be in a position to analyze these before investing in stocks from a given company. As a beginner, you can start by first practicing using some demo software, proceed to real market trading where you should start small and later invest more depending on your performance. You should also understand your risk tolerance to avoid frustrations.
Automate your trading
Nowadays, you can get some trading software to automate your stock market deals where this will really save you time and energy. You will also be making more accurate decisions which will assist you in making wise investments for greater returns. You can invest in some software to help keep proper records of things like subscription costs, stock brokers, tracking and analyzing stocks and personal money management among others.
Set and follow your rules
When starting your investments in the stock market, you should formulate some goals and ways of achieving them. You should put into consideration some things like your investments per trade, time frame, your risk tolerance and the expected returns. You should then be disciplined enough to stick to these rules and this is what will amount to personal success over time.
The stock market is very dynamic and keeping up with the changes will require you to be always updated on the latest happenings. You can subscribe to stock market news or any other stock investment services where some are free but others will cost you some fee. It is also important to be spending some adequate amount of time with other investors as you may end up benefiting from some important ideas.

 

The Different Structures of Poems

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Most of us have been touched by a poem at least once in their lifetime. Poems are a beautiful way to express human emotions. They can be complicated or simply formed. While most of us enjoy poetry, very few of us would think of writing a poem to express our own experiences. The task seems daunting and complicated. It does not always have to be that way. If you study the basic structure of different poems, you will easily be able to write simple poems for your own enjoyment. It is a joyful endeavour and will be a very satisfying experience. Someone has rightly said that poetry is the language of the soul.
Haiku – The most shortest and popular form of poem is a haiku. This is a form derived from Japanese poetry. Haiku is a three-line poem with the first and third line having five syllables each. The second line has seven syllables. Haiku does not necessarily have to rhyme. Haikus focus on a particular revealing or insightful moment. Images are integral to a haiku poem. The positioning and contrast of these images is what makes a haiku beautiful.
Tanka – Tanka is traditionally, a non rhyming form of Japanese poetry with 5 lines. The second, fourth and fifth lines have seven syllables each while the first and third lines have five syllables. The subject of a tanka usually deals with human emotions.
Shape poems – These are easy to master once you get the hang of it. Shapes poems are poems written in a particular shape. To begin, first draw a shape. The shape can be a triangle, a heart or even a shape of a Christmas tree. Start our writing your poem in these shapes and watch your poem literally take shape.
Calligrams – Calligrams are poems that take the shape of the subject of the poem. For example a poem talking about a house can take the shape of a house.
Acrostic poems – Acrostic poems are fun and have a puzzle to solve. The first letter on each line can spell out some name. The trick is to look for a pattern.
Ekphrastic poems – Ekphrastic poems are those which comment on an art piece such as a painting or an artefact. Sometimes it is the other way round. Artists are inspired by the imagery presented in the poem.
Quincouplets – This is a recent form of poetry inspired by a six word story by Ernest Hemingway. It is a five word poem with two words on the first line and three words in the second line.
Free verse poems – These do not have a specific structure and give the poet total freedom. This is a perfect form for beginning writers to start with.

 

How to Grow Strawberries At Home

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This how to grow strawberries article will guide you and help you reap those delicious red berries year after year. Every garden should have multiple strawberry plants growing in them. They are fragrant and beautiful and one of the first to produce its fruit in the spring. Each healthy strawberry plant should yield you about a quart of strawberries. This can help you decide how many to plant.
The first thing you need to do is choose what type of strawberries you want to plant. The following will give you some insight into three types of berries. Look at what space is available for your berries and this will help you determine the one to choose.
There are June Bearing plants which are the most common planted. Typically you will get the largest variety of fruit from this plant. Remember that this plant does produce runners, so you will need to allow for the adequate space. Allow these runners to grow they will help root your plant and increase your next year’s crop yield.
The Ever-bearing plant is another option to look at. It produces several harvests, usually three. It will produce in Spring, Summer and the Fall. Another thing to consider is that with these berries they do not produce runners.
These plants grow wild in Europe and are cultivated there. This strawberry plant made its way to North America around the 1900’s. It is a very popular plant also. The first year your crop is planted you should remove all the blooms and allow it to anchor its rooting system. This seems to defeat the purpose but it will establish a good root system and make next year’s strawberry yield worth the wait.
The final choice is called the Day Neutral. This plant does not just produce a single crop. Instead it will produce and yield berries through out the summer and into the fall months. Day Neutral plants will continue to produce a harvest until the frost comes. Day Neutral refers to the light sensitivity and will produce even with short sunlight days. This one is very popular in more mild temperatures.
Now you need to choose a site for your planting. You want to choose an area that drains well and one that gets full sun access. Planting each plant about five to seven inches in width and deep enough to cover the root system. Plant them approximately twelve to eighteen inches apart, this way you can easily get between them and weed or fertilize.
How do you grow strawberries and yield the best fruit? Well it all begins with choosing the plant then allowing it to have the best soil and providing it with enough water to assist it in its growth. Strawberry plants need about an inch each week to thrive. Allow the water to seep into the group gently as opposed to just dumping water on the plant. Regularly prune and make sure you pick the fruit the day it ripens.

 

Red Rocks of Mars – The Science Behind Red Rocks

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Have you ever wondered what causes red rocks? Red rocks like those on the surface of Mars, the red planet, or the canyons of Utah. The answer to this question comes down to two common elements, iron and oxygen, which combine together to form the compound rust. Most people have heard of or seen rust. It’s that red crusty stuff that forms on the outside of nails or other bits of metal that have been outside too long. But what is rust? The most common type of rust is formally named Iron (iii) Oxide. This iron oxide compound has two iron atoms and three oxygen atoms all bunched together. This compound is formed in just the right way so that most colors of light are absorbed by it, but red light is reflected. The reflected red light makes rust appear red and thus make red rocks look red.
So we now know that red rocks get their distinctive color because of rust, but how did that rust get there? Why was it formed in the first place? To answer this question we must look deeper into the chemistry of iron and rust. Rust is caused when iron is exposed to amounts of oxygen, such as the oxygen in air or in water. A chemical reaction takes place between the iron and the oxygen. The oxygen oxidizes the iron and steals several of its electrons. The iron now has a positive charge and the oxygen has a negative charge and because opposite charges attract, they are drawn together to form iron oxide or rust. Red rocks, then, are rocks that have a fairly high concentration of iron in them and are exposed to some source of oxygen. The combination of these two things creates rust and turns the rock red.
The reaction that forms rust is actually very interesting. It’s what is called an endothermic reaction, or in simpler terms the reaction gives off heat. In nature things rust very slowly, so that heat is also given off slowly and you can really tell. However, there are ways to speed up reactions, which is what scientists and engineers did when they created air activated hand warmers. Iron is put in these hand warmers and begins a very sped up reaction with oxygen when the package is opened and thus creates heat. It’s pretty cool that the same process that named Mars the red planet can also keep your hands warm on a cold day.