Barcelona is the European Champion after defeating Manchester United in the European Champions League Soccer Final. Barcelona defeated Manchester United 2-0, and with it takes home the second title in four years, and the third in their history of tournament play. Barcelona is now your 2008-2009 European champion, and will hold the title after a decidedly one sided match against Manchester United. Many thought that Manchester United would walk away with the European title, but the upstart Barcelona squad had talent on their side in the right moments of the match.

Barcelona was able to get on the board first with a goal in the 10th minute of play. Samuel Elto was able to finish off a great lead and put the Barcelona team up 1-0 early on in the match. The score remained the same all the way to halftime, but it didn’t ever look like Manchester United was firing on all cylinders. Though there may be a difference in opinion as to how well Manchester United played on the ball, it seemed like Barcelona really controlled a majority of the important moments in the first half, and then eventually, in the entire match. Even Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t put any points on the board early for Manchester U., and it would prove to be disastrous later on in the match.

The score stayed 1-0 until the 70th minute, when Xavi made a nice cross that Lionel Messi headed into goal to give Barcelona an insurmountable 2-0 lead. The goal was one of those that you have to see if you are a soccer fan, and it immediately sent the smell of victory into the air for all Barcelona fans. Some are already calling it the goal of the tournament, and seeing that it was on the biggest stage possible, that argument is very sound. It was also the second time that Xavi was involved in a goal during the match, and really showed how talented of a player that he can be.

The match still had 20 minutes to go, but the more the clock counted down, the more it looked as though Manchester United just wasn’t at their best. Frustrations mounted, but the clock ticked off before Man U could put up a single point on the board. For Barcelona this was the second European title that they have taken home in the last four years, and they continue to show themselves as one of the newer powerhouses in the world of soccer. Though Manchester United may have been favored to win this match, Barcelona is going home as your 2009 European Champion.

Source: Live on ESPN

On a recent business trip to San Francisco, it was recommended by a local that I try Taylor’s Refresher located at One Ferry Building Suite 8, as she had heard they had the best hamburger in San Francisco. It was very good, but was it worth the cost? When a hamburger costs a little over $8 I expect quite a bit from the hamburger. The hamburger I had from Taylor’s Refresher in San Francisco was a bacon cheeseburger, and it was very good. In the end though I couldn’t come to the conclusion that the hamburger itself was worth the cost.

The bacon cheeseburger from Taylor’s Refresher in San Francisco was a one third pound hamburger with swiss cheese (I requested this instead of the standard american cheese), bacon, pickles, lettuce, and onions. I ordered mine without the “special sauce” which the cashier explained was just thousand island dressing. The ingredients were all very fresh. The pickles and lettuce were very crisp. The tomato was fresh as well, yet at first I thought the hamburger was a little overcooked. The hamburger according to the menu was to be cooked medium well with a little pink inside. In the end there was not very much pink in the burger and it was closer to well done instead of medium well done.

The other issue with the hamburger was the size, it was a little on the small side for a hamburger that costs over $8. Typically you expect a hamburger that costs over $8 to be a half pound hamburger instead of one third of a pound. In the end with all the toppings and a very good roll that was toasted on the grill it was filling, but again the hamburger at Taylor’s Refresher was not quite to the level of what I would classify as great. I’m sure I could find a better hamburger in San Francisco or at least a comparable one at a lower price.

Along with my hamburger at Taylor’s Refresher, I probably had the best milkshake I have ever had. It was a chocolate and peanut butter milkshake that was made fresh with ice cream, chocolate and real peanut butter. The peanut butter was clearly real as I got pieces of real peanut butter with each sip I took through my straw. Overall the peanut butter and chocolate milkshake from Taylor’s Refresher in San Francisco was probably was the best in San Francisco and one of the best I have had anywhere with the rich chocolate flavor and real peanut butter complimenting each other perfectly.

If you aren’t in the mood for a hamburger, Taylor’s Refresher in San Francisco serves quite a few other choices as well. These include chicken sandwiches, various salad combinations, and soups and chilis. Taylor’s Refresher in San Francisco also serves sides such as french fries,, sweet potato fries, and chili and cheese fries..

Taylor’s Refresher might not serve the best hamburger in San Francisco, but I do have to admit it was very good, just a little overpriced.

Some of the reasons why the human body’s look has become more diverse are due to mixed marriages and diversity of weather conditions in places. Coupled with the intense development of different forms of media, people now get to see different looks of people, with different races, colors, and even sizes, all over the world. Seeing this diversity, people have come to have a common question – “how much should I weigh” – considering that beauty seems to be defined by it.

To this day, the conception that thin is beautiful has not died yet. Many models wearing beautiful clothes and makeup in advertisements are tall and very thin. People tend to think that in order to look as beautiful as these models are, how much they should weigh should be then similar to these models.

Even children or young teens, when seeing these models, tend to develop body-consciousness and ask the same question, “How much should I weigh?” Without much knowledge on physiology, they resort to doing incorrect ways of losing weight, such as not eating properly and binging.

These incorrect ways are not done in actuality by professional models. Some of them have achieved the look through proper diet, discipline and exercise, whereas some are genetically slim as they are. Up to how much one should weigh is usually determined and caused by heredity.

However, there has been a classic way of calculating how much should an individual weigh. This method is known as the Body Mass Index or BMI. This measures the fats in one’s body based on his or her height and weight. It is computed this way: weight (in Kg) divided by height (in m2).

If the computed result is less than 18.5, then the person having this measurement is underweight. If the result’s value is from 18.5 to 24.9, then the person has a normal weight. If the result is from 25 to 29.9, the person is overweight. If it is more than 30, the person is already an obese. With Body Mass Index, how much should a person weigh depends on his height.

But this measurement is also limited because it does not indicate “the thing” it really weighs. There are people who engage in intense workouts and because of achieving firmness in their muscles, their weight increases, which is still measured by the BMI, but this time the “fats” are not separated from the “muscles”.

“How much should I weigh” is not answered by giving the ideal body weight that is considered fit or sexy by everyone. It is more of considering many factors – one’s height, bone structure, intensity of activities performed daily.

Happiness is catching. Happiness spreads through friends, spouses, siblings and neighbors. There is a ripple effect whereby happiness extends widely through social networks, even between people who may not know one another. One’s happiness depends on the degree of happiness of those surrounding her.

Happiness at Harvard?

A study performed at Harvard University, by Nicholas Christakis, is the first of its kind to demonstrate the existence of clusters of happy and sad individuals. Happiness depends upon the happiness of those around them. What’s more, individuals who surround themselves with happy people are more likely to be happy in the future. One’s future happiness can actually be predicted by the number of happy people surrounding them and the degree to which the social network as a whole experiences constructive emotions, such as happiness. These findings come from an analysis of the Framingham Heart Study social network, a longitudinal study that has followed nearly 5,000 people for over 20 years.

Study findings suggest that happiness

results from the spread of happiness throughout social networks and not merely from individuals choosing to surround themselves with like-minded individuals. For example, if your next door neighbor becomes happier due to a job promotion, your likelihood of becoming happier increases by 34%. And this happiness effect can linger for up to one year.

Happiness Spans Three Degrees of Separation

This relationship between individual’s happiness holds true for the first three degrees of separation. For example, when John becomes happier, it buoys the happiness of John’s friends as well as the friends of John’s friends. So there is a ripple effect of happiness within social circles where happiness is contagious and spreads similar to the waves of a wireless network. And we are consciously aware of little, if any, of it.

In the past five to ten years, more and more studies have looked at happiness and what determines it (e.g., genetics, money, elections, marital status and emotional management). However, no study has looked at human happiness as it relates to the happiness of others. While the study is the first of its kind and needs to be replicated to ensure the accuracy of these findings, the findings are remarkable and exhilarating.

Emotional Contagion – The Spread of Feelings

Emotional contagion, the process by which one person picks up the feelings of another, has been scientifically documented since 1994. Emotions may be ‘caught’ from others for a length of time ranging from seconds to weeks. This is particularly true of destructive emotions – anger, fear and sadness. In fact, the hard part is not ‘catching’ the emotions but in protecting oneself from them, keeping them at bay. Until this study, emotional contagion had not been documented for any of the positive, constructive emotions such as joy, contentment, peacefulness or happiness.

The difficulty is that most people primarily feel destructive emotions. Most people experience more destructive emotions than constructive emotions.

The Cutoff Point for a Happy Life

On the other hand, roughly 10% of adults in the United States feel three times as much positive emotion as negative. This 3:1 ratio is the measuring stick for a thriving happy life as set by Barbara Fredrickson at UNC Chapel Hill. It appears that this top 10% is raising the level of happiness of many others. Imagine if it were possible to raise this thriving, happy portion of the population to 15% or 20%.

The Possibilities of a Happier Populace

Assuming the percentage of the populace experiencing happiness could be improved, here are just a few of the possible societal benefits:

· The economy would improve (e.g., higher ratios of positive, open-ended inquiries are present in executive teams in highly successful firms)

· Creativity would increase (e.g., happiness is necessary for greater innovation and open-mindedness)

· Productivity would soar (e.g., a happy employee is a productive employee; optimistic salespeople outsell pessimistic ones by approximately 38%; happy employees engage more effectively with customers)

· The burden on the health care system would be eased (e.g., happiness improves immune system functioning; teaching the skills of happiness and optimism reduces depression and anxiety).

· People would live longer (e.g., happy, optimistic people live 7 – 10 years longer than those who are pessimistic and unhappy)

· The educational system would show significant academic gains (e.g., students taught to be more happy and optimistic showed significant gains on achievement testing and received better grades)

Happiness is a Learnable Skill

The exciting part is that happiness can be taught. It can be learned. People can learn to feel positive emotions more frequently and more intensely. Emotional management is a learnable skill. Just as one practices a sport and improves over time so it is with emotions. As individuals learn to string together more and more happy moments, the ripple effect spills over and one person’s happiness positively influences others. It even influences the happiness of other people they don’t know.

The Way to Happiness is Emotional Management

The goal is emotional management. The goal is happiness. The goal is to learn to mitigate destructive emotions and encourage positive emotions. Happiness is social phenomena. The more individuals experience positive emotions, the more society as a whole is happier, healthier, and more productive and that is no small feat.

The Holiday Season always seems to burn holes in people’s pockets. So instead of spending all that money at the mall here are some creative ideas for gifts for any holiday. You don’t have to be an expert in crafts to be creative and make nice gifts for your love ones. All you have to do is spend a few bucks and put some of your time and effort in. The first gift idea that is not hard to make are bake goods or sweets. Here a list of the different bake goods and sweets that are so easy to make:

Holiday Cookies
Holiday cookies are quick, sweet and very good. If you’re not a chef, all you have to do is go to the store and buy some cookie dough which usually cost between $5-10 dollars. If you’re wondering what kind of cookie dough you should get you might want to consider sugar cookies since you can decorate them for the holidays, buy any cookie dough would also work. Along with the cookie dough you can get some frosting, toppings, and colored plastic wrap to decorate the cookies. Usually when you buy the cookie dough in the store you can just follow the directions on the package to cook them. Afterwards you can wrap them in the colored plastic wrap and decorate them with a bow and a card. When you give it to your love ones they will say yum.

Chocolate Covered Apples

This treat is one of my favorites, and if you love apples it will soon become one of yours as well. For these goodies you can go to your local grocery store and get some granny smith apples, Hershey baking chocolate, popsicle sticks, toppings (peanuts, toffee, coconut, and etc), and colored plastic wrap. You probably will spend less then $20.00 depending on the amount of things you purchase. After that, all you have to do is melting the Hershey chocolate then put it into a bowl. Put the Popsicle sticks onto the apples. Then dip the apples into the chocolate covering the whole apple. Place toppings on top of apples and then place the apples into the fridge so the chocolate will harden. After about an hour you can take the Chocolate Apples out and wrap them in the colored plastic wrap. If you want to decorate the apples more you can put them in a tin and your family will love it!

Peanut Butter and Jelly cups

Why purchase expensive candy when you can make your own for you significant other? Making this goodie will cost between $10-15. You will need: Hershey baking chocolate, peanut butter, jelly, cup cake holders, and colored plastic wrap. To start you want to melt the chocolate and the fill the cup cake holders half way. After that you can add about half a spoonful of peanut butter and half a spoonful of jelly into the cup cake holder. Then you want to fill the rest of the cup cake holder with the chocolate. After filling all the cup cake holders you can get a baking tray and place and the cups on it. Then let them harden in the fridge for about 1 hour. When you take them out you can leave them in the cup cake holders and then wrap them in colored plastic wrap or you can also put them in a box as well.

These sweets are going to put a smile on anyone’s face when they taste them. On the other hand, if you want to give your love ones something a little different here is a craft idea that is also a good gift idea. 

Holiday Gift Baskets
Why buy Gift Baskets that cost $100 when you can make your own for 75% cheaper. For this craft you can either go to your local craft store, thrift shop, or 99 cent store. This gift is really creative because you can personalize the gift basket by making a theme that the person receiving it will like. You can purchase any inexpensive basket and then also purchase things to put into the basket. Things may include coffee mugs, candy, food, coffee, trinkets, and etc. There are many things you can put into the basket. To decorate the basket you can buy some streamer, ribbons, and plastic wrap. This will be a great gift because you made it instead of just buying it. 

There are many other gift ideas that anyone can think of. All you have to do is take some time, bargain shop, and put some love into it.

Aided by the vacations growing, it again won’t often be long until eventually outlets usually are publishing the particular Yuletide timber together with sitting all the devices. Per year, Holiday season is a # 1 shopping year or so and therefore the retail home business standing their very own largest sales and profits period of all four.

My children do not buy into which the year or so, and made a expect to do issues in another way to.

Christmas time wasn’t meant to be in this way. Anything a person’s spiritual opinions, Seasonal can be a orlando break.

However, as time currently have gone at, they have gotten to be with regards to enriching the stores as compared to loving our lives. My mummy gifted an appropriate style of in which a year ago after i required just what she would enjoy us all to own the with regard to The holiday season, and she or he responded accompanied by a sigh, “There is not You need.

Don’t receive myself nearly anything.” Your lady wasn’t only just simply being wonderful. The exhaustion in their own tone gave a talk volumes of prints.

Dwelling at a set income, the lady scrimps as well as saves just for months to buy The holiday season shows that are not essential and are quickly lost via the users.

What exactly is the following holiday season assume to become about however? Issuing so that you can other individuals, correct? Along with benefit from it we end up needing in Holiday? For our family members, it would for getting spend some exciting time period collectively, like a good meal with each other, and initiate released some of our brand-new season not having incorporated credit debt and unfilled savings account files.

It is exactly what we want.

It is exactly what most people will I’ve vocal to mention they desire.

Gallup reports that many 365 days every time they conduct their particular Christmas time forms, the majority of Us citizens claim that they will pay out a lot less than these people expended last year. On an annual basis, these spend more.

A friend from my empowered myself 2009 once this lady got your ex large relatives for a old-fashioned mtn home pertaining to Seasonal.

Individuals popped stovetop popcorn over the campfire, put cherries and made aluminum foil decorations to be seen their shrub, as well as every gifted a particular gift item to go within the bonsai make got constructed of their very own arms.

Any gift ideas bundled cookies that infants had crafted, paper ragdolls and storybooks constructed and additionally created as a result of Mommy, along with small “pinewood derby” race motors made plus coloured by Father. Your sweetheart talked about the family said it appeared to be the ideal Christmas time that they ever endured plus a recollection they are willing to have always to treasure.

This lady found the thought by an issue the girl grandpa reported concerning top Holiday season he / she ever endured had been within Excellent Depressive disorders.

Many of us talked about the in the family group, and also decided to get artists.
Each person might get just one gift idea, selected away a subscriber base locations , the problem about two doable merchandise they wish to possess.

People place a limit about $35 pounds to the presents. This way bodily differences could unwrap a present out of underneath the shrub.

That it was fascinating to notice that our close relatives a awful precious time looking to create about three stuff some people preferred. In the spouse and children, the majority of things we really require, we tend to shop for all year round when the desire comes up.

Some people posted gift charge cards, that is an execllent for declaring, “I don’t require just about anything, playing with instance I actually do later, you’ll be able to produce the credit card to try after that.”

When we distributed this concept having relatives, When i wasn’t pleasantly surprised to discover all the assistance that you had. Use of, it doesn’t matter what their own profits, is very much in a position to definitely afford the Xmas years they are lending per year.

This is especially true simply because our purposes progressed and that we are lucky with the help of sign ups.

Holiday never become the best holiday vacation, for the reason that in most cases its extra tedious compared with enjoying, nonetheless Over the internet the year 2010, We have far more interest intended for The holiday season by reason of our very idea of constraining presents.
I just basically feel having fun in preparing The holiday season an evening meal, adventures we are able to take pleasure in alongside one another, destinations you can easlily stop by at be aware of the Xmas equipment and lighting, in addition to motion pictures we are able to enjoy.

It’s much simpler have fun with enough time we expend accomplishing details in concert the moment absolutely everyone isn’t worried about the way they are going to pay out January’s credit card bills.

This idea might not exactly be employed by your close relatives, specifically if you now have young kids. You don’t need grand kids yet, however When i actually have a plan for if we are blessed with this.

The adults might catch the attention of leaders, after which it convey a further surprise around for each and every young child, despite the fact that it’s only one storybook or simply challenge. Still, it must be an issue that guy could invest some time working at your child.

I am hoping much of our long term grandchildren looks rear in our house Christmas’s collectively and fully grasp the attained right may not have been hemroids regarding high priced trinkets, however , there was clearly plenty of love to go around.

Then when spending budget offer the actual bushes and also advertising strike all the classified ads attractive want you to buy an increasing number of in 2010, don’t forget exactly who need. Most people can’t be unsuccessful with the help of absolutely adore.