Here's What Actually Caused The Slowdown In Health Care Costs

MENLO PARK, Calif., April 22 (UPI) -- Slower growth in U.S. healthcare spending can be traced primarily to the economic downturn, a study found.

Read the whole story at UPI

View the original article here

New Year's Diet Resolutions: Here's Why They're A Bad Idea

Note: this piece is not written by a doctor; nor a nutritionist; not even a dietician. It's written by a food lover, and a serious one at that. Please keep this in mind as you read on. Also, understand that we are only talking about vanity diets, not the ones that are crucial for good health.

If I could make one wish, it just might be that the idea of diets completely disappears from our consciousness. And if that's too much to ask, I'd settle for doing away with the losing weight New Year's resolutions that nearly half of the population succumbs to. I'm generally a pretty easy-going person, but New Year's resolutions that have anything to do with not eating food make me mad.

It's not that I don't understand people's rationale behind the diet resolution. It's a new year, you want a new you AND you've just eaten your way through the holidays, meaning your clothes no longer fit. A diet quickly becomes an easy fix. (I myself have made this resolution more times than I can count.) But resolving to diet is a waste of a resolution -- especially when you can take this opportunity to make an awesome resolution, like mastering sourdough.

Going on a New Year's Eve diet is not only lame, but it's also like saying you love to fail. While everyone makes this resolution with the right intention, it's entirely unrealistic. Especially because most diets include giving up EVERYTHING we like -- which means you're resolving to live in a constant state of torture. In what world does that sound like a good idea? It's just not. Statistics show that some diet resolvers give up before the very first week is over; others give up before the end of the month, and nearly none make their goal by the year's end.

While I'm not going to get into the problems diets create when it comes to self-image, shame, guilt and so on, I can't help but feel angry about the fact that it makes people hate food. Food is not the enemy. Food is good. No wait, food is great. It keeps us alive, nourishes us, shapes our cultures, traditions, families. And diets, they destroy that.

When a diet tells us not to eat butter or to stay clear of carbs, it's teaching us to hate bread and to turn to (questionable) chemically-produced butter substitutes. It's teaching you that food is the enemy. And what did food ever do to us? Sure, if we ate a stick of butter for every meal a la Paula Deen, that would not be wise -- and could lead to serious health problems -- but if we eat it in moderation, we could probably partake in the joys of butter, every day, every year, for the rest of your life. Now that sounds like a good resolution to me.

So rather than waste a resolution that will most likely spark self-loathing and contribute to the unjust hatred of food, why not make a resolution that will focus on adding something positive to your life? Check out the New Year's Resolutions we made at HuffPost Taste. And if you've already made the resolution to diet, just know that it's not to late to change it.

Related on HuffPost:

View the original article here

Here's How You Really Sell a Comic Book

In comic book publishing, the decision to kill off a long-running and beloved character may seem, at first glance, like a terribly unwise business move. But when Marvel Comics released its latest issue of Amazing Spider-Man--#700, which ends with Peter Parker, the webbed crusader's alter ego, getting murdered--the issue began flying off the shelves.

Read the whole story at Businessweek

View the original article here

Don't let your Email List DIE - Here's a quick way to keep Engagement Levels up

If you want to maintain the sales potency of your list, you have to keep your list members engaged. No-I am not talking about sending them periodic updates with nothing but CB links. That's a sure way to kill your list. Instead, I am talking about keeping them engaged-keeping them in the loop and letting them know that you are looking out for them. I run make money online lists so the people on my lists welcome ENCOURAGEMENT and MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES that enable them to keep taking action, keep learning, and keep achieving.

However, I don't always have the time to come up with inspirational materials like my stuff on my blogs. So one effective way to keep engagement levels up and HELP a fellow marketer is to look for inspirational stuff they post on their blogs and ASK FOR PERMISSION to reprint/syndicate to your mailing list. In return, you link to the source or to their list. One good turn deserves another. Win Win.

The content provider wins because he/she gets more list members from your list. You win because you keep engagement levels up with your list even if you don't have the time to write new content. Your list members win because they get solid motivational and inspirational materials that can encourage them to achieve greater success.

What other ways can you think of that will maintain ENGAGEMENT LEVELS?

View the original article here