You can never be sure if bottled water is better than tap water. The first thing to keep in mind is that tap water and bottled water both come from the same source. The only difference is that bottled water is filtered again. However, taste and scientific testing fail to show any differences between the two. The next thing to consider is the use of plastic bottles. Estimations indicate that close to 1.5 million tons of plastic are used to make all those plastic bottles. The energy used to manufacture and transport 89 billion litres of water annually does exhaust fossil fuel reserves quite a bit. Do not fill landfills with plastic bottles. It contains a substance called phthalate which is used to soften plastic.

The convenience of the bottle however is a plus point when it comes to bottled water. Having it in a plastic bottle makes it easy to carry around. Additives to bottled water enhance the properties of the water. Added calcium and magnesium for example aid recovery after sports. Therefore, it is hard to decide between the two. If considering convenience and added properties, then bottled water wins - however, filling a glass or metal bottle with filtered water will ensure that you are drinking the cleanest water in the most environmentally responsible way. It is important to reject consumers’ bottle-buying habit. This will ensure that they are helping the environment while helping to bring in higher quality tap water.

In office you sit at the same desk, use the same keyboard and chair every day. Sometimes you tend to develop a few aches and pains which most of us pass off due to ageing or stress. Once ignored, these pains sometimes worsen over time. Not once does it occur to you that it is perhaps due to the fact that it is uncomfortable for you in office. Tiny changes in office equipment or even the way you sit or type can make a world of a difference.

Ergonomics is a term that has grown in popularity over the years. A dictionary definition of the word says: “The applied science of equipment design, as for the workplace, intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort.” Therefore, ergonomic office equipment will lessen the discomfort you currently feel in office and give you less fatigue.
This furniture gives your body the support it needs throughout the day while relieving stress on various parts of your body. Trying to change your position at desks and keyboards can only worsen the problem.

Proper body movements, correct posture, simple arrangements of the workstation and regular breaks will all help you feel better throughout your day of work. Changing things around will take some effort on your part, but once the proper ‘ergonomic’ office equipment is in place you will feel the difference.

Things to keep in mind:
- Sit up straight, rest gently on the back of the chair, help the back to stay aligned
- Computer screen must be parallel with the head. Slowly turn your head from side to side every 15 to 20 minutes to relax neck muscles.
- Take a walk and stretch every half hour if you are a regular computer user.
- Make sure you have enough room for your legs, to stretch them and relax.
- Do not cradle the phone on your neck while typing.

Apple recently rejected a free, iPhone application that advocated a single player health system calling it “politically Charged” according to the apps developer, Red Daly. This 22 year old computer science grad student submitted his iSinglePlayer iPhone app for approval on 21st August. About a month later Apple rejected the application based on its content.
The application features a Canadian style healthcare system where that includes facts and figures supporting a scheme where the government insures citizens and reimburses healthcare institutions but does not employ the doctors. The app also uses GPS to determine a user’s political representatives and how much health companies have given them in campaign funds. It also provides a single button for users to call lawmakers.

Daly says that he made the application to express his opinion and to help other people express theirs. “I went to the app store because I felt like I didn’t have much of a voice in other spheres,” Daly said. “When the mainstream media talks about single payer, they emphasize the negatives and this was my foray into the debate. It seemed like this would be the most effective way to reach people, since it is a phone and people can call right from it.” Daly also states that he anticipated the rejection when Apple called to ask if he was working on his own or for a group or politician. Daly replied saying that he is working for his own small company. Daly is annoyed by Apple’s preference for the establishment. He went on to say “I feel like politicians already have a megaphone and Apple is making it worse instead of making it easier for a regular guy to get an application into the store.”

Sony announced recently a partnership with Smashwords and Author Solutions which will allow any author to upload a book to their eBook store, giving self published authors unprecedented access to the market place that is the e-reader.

Sony’s eReader version will only vet content for hate speech, plagiarism, improper formatting or public domain books offered by another other than the legitimate author. Other than that you are free to upload anything in the form of eBooks to this store. When book shelves are made digital it opens doors to everyone who wants to gain access to the mainstream public and many will rise to fame just like many bloggers have in the recent years and many more video entrepreneurs have become YouTube phenomena. To publish a book on Smashwords an author or a publisher uploads a manuscript in a specific word format and sets a price and selects affiliates such as Barnes and Noble, Aldiko on Android and Stanza on iPhone and now the Sony eBook store. Once this is done it’s up to readers to rate your book and decide if it is a success or a failure.

For Sony, since digital shelf space is infinite there is no downside to this deal. “We’re committed to providing our customers access to the broadest range of eBook content available and believe these collaborations will allow us to expand the store selection with a host of compelling works from independent sources,” said Sony eBook Store director Chris Smythe. That being said, authors who have already uploaded their content to Smashwords will have to wait some time until Sony migrates it’s platform to the standard EPUB format.

The International Society of Life Settlement Professionals has announced it will be hosting a series of educational webinars beginning Wednesday October 21. The first of three monthly webinars will serve as a follow-up meeting to discuss the recent Senate Finance Subcommittee hearing about the life settlement industry as well as the recent issues in the media such as life settlement securitization.

"Our webinar sessions will enable participants to perform objective and in-depth analysis of industry developments and expose any conduct that would diminish the value of life settlement (life settlements investment) transactions," said Andreas Hauss, ISLSP founder. "These transactions offer the seller needed liquidity and the investor non-correlated diversification to rebuild their wealth in these difficult economic times."

The recent senate hearing was about misconceptions about the prospective securitization of senior life settlements investment policies despite contrary and verifiable knowledge that life settlements do not pose risks similar to those experiences with mortgage backed securities.

Most importantly, subcommittee member Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) warned the committee to not confuse the Wall Street misbehavior that led to the current economic hardships with an industry that’s "helping people get the full value of their policies."

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