Learning to Appreciate Mild Hunger Can Help You Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals [Mind Hacks]

When attempting to lose weight most nutritional guidelines limit the amount of calories consumed in one day. To help cut down on snacking and build self control consider challenging yourself to maintain a state of mild hunger until it is time for your next meal.

Personal finance blogger Mr. Money Mustache points out how to trick yourself into turning mild hunger into a tool:

it's an unusual feeling for a rich-world person, but once you get used to it, having a slight craving in your tummy can make you feel invigorated and warriorlike. When you are really hungry, eat a good meal. But if you're just slightly hungry, imagine that your body has moved its suction tube from the usual "stomach" setting, over to "stored fat reserves". It is now a positive challenge to maintain this mild hunger as long as possible, because you want to keep that suction going for many hours each day.

Keep in mind that this technique should not be confused with anorexia, but if you have a visible beer belly a little mild hunger won't hurt you. Also consider that many eating plans revolve around several small meals instead of the traditional breakfast-lunch-dinner paradigm, and this technique won't be the best for that. If you do want to try it out you can always supplement with very low calorie snacks such as celery, cucumbers, or carrots. These add nutrition and can dull the sharpness of a hunger pang without disarming it completely.

How to Be Slim | Mr. Money Mustache

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/KkHVFO2I6ho/learning-to-appreciate-mild-hunger-can-help-you-achieve-your-weight-loss-goals

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EU readies ban on Iran oil imports, central bank sanctions (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? European Union governments are expected to agree Monday new economic sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, including plans to phase in an oil embargo.

The sanctions follow fresh financial measures signed into law by U.S. President Barack Obama on New Year's Eve, and will mainly target the oil sector, which accounts for some 90 percent of Iranian exports to the EU. Europe is Iran's second-largest oil customer after China.

"We want them to think 'This is really getting very, very serious now'," said one European diplomat.

Western countries believe Iran is seeking nuclear bombs; Tehran says its nuclear program is to generate electricity.

Other than the oil embargo, the EU measures are also expected to include sanctions against the Iranian central bank and a ban on trading in gold with the government, diplomats say.

But EU sanctions are likely to take effect slowly. During weeks of negotiations among the EU's 27 members, Greece and other southern European states pushed hard for a lengthy grace period to limit their own economic costs.

Greece, in particular, is heavily dependent on Iranian oil -- it sources nearly a quarter of its oil imports from Iran -- and has argued that it needs time to find alternative sources.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels are expected to agree to phase in the embargo, allowing existing contracts to be fulfilled for several months after the ban is imposed.

EU diplomats say the grace period will likely end on July 1, but ministers will also debate the idea of setting up a review beforehand to assess the impact and costs of the ban.

They will also reassure Athens that it will still be able to buy oil on reasonable terms after the ban goes into effect.

Greece, which relies on financial help from the EU and the International Monetary Fund to stay afloat, now gets Iranian crude on preferential financing terms.

"The financial situation of Greece at the moment is not the brightest one, and rightly they are asking us to help them find a solution," a senior EU official told reporters Friday.

With a significant part of EU purchases of Iranian oil covered by long-term contracts, the grace period will be an important factor in the efficiency of EU measures.

The unprecedented effort to take Iran's 2.6 million barrels of oil per day off international markets has kept global prices high, pushed down Iran's rial currency and caused a surge in the cost of basic goods for Iranians.

A diplomatic push is underway, officials say, to secure supplies from other producers. Saudi Arabia, the world's top producer, said this month it would increase production by about 2 million barrels per day.

(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft in London and Sebastian Moffett in Brussels; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120122/ts_nm/us_iran_eu

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More Fees, Fewer Branches As Banks Cope With Lower Profits (Time.com)

Several big banks have reported their earnings over the past week, and the results aren?t pretty: JP Morgan Chase & Co. had a 23% drop in profits, Citigroup?s fell 11% and regional bank?PNC Financial Services Group suffered a 40% drop. While this kind of news primarily gives heartburn to investors and bank executives, consumers also have cause for concern: They may have won a significant victory over fees in last year?s disastrous attempt by Bank of America to implement a $5 debit card fee, but will banks? poor earnings turn 2012 into the Year of the Fee??

?A lot of the earnings problems are coming from weak revenue on the investment banking side of the business,? says banking consultant Bert Ely. ?I don?t think much of the pain there is going to transfer over to the retail side of the business.?

That?s the good news. The flip side of that is that banks are at the same time grappling with a continued streak of record-low interest rates, which impacts the side of the business that handles customer deposits. ?They will attribute value to those deposits that bears a relationship to market interest rates. The problem is that it?s not going to end anytime soon,? Ely says.

(MORE:?Get Ready for Bank-Fee Whack-a-Mole)

This could drive banks to raise fees, says Mike Moebs, CEO and economist at financial research company Moebs $ervices.??We are going to see and we have already seen in our research that prices for fees have gone up, in some cases appreciably,? he says. Overdraft fees are one example. After rising steadily for the last several years, overdraft fees shot up by $2.50 in the space of just five months last year, an unprecedented rate of increase, Moebs says.

Overdraft fees now average $30 a pop, and other fees are on the rise, too. Moebs says costs for less-visible services like cashiers checks and safe-deposit boxes have recently climbed.

?We?ve seen application fees for loans get to where they?re mandatory, and nonrefundable in some cases,? Moebs says. In some cases, he warns, these fees are folded into the loan processing documents, a strategy designed to earn more for the bank without ratcheting up the APR ? and potentially scaring off customers. In this case, a consumer just focusing on the interest rate could miss an expensive part of the picture. Moebs says consumers are going to have to be extra vigilant to avoid these fees and read the fine print of their loan documentation to unearth fees buried in the paperwork.

Both analysts say banks will be continuing to explore tactics some began implementing last year, such as raising minimum balance requirements or requiring customers to have more than one deposit or loan account in order to have fees waived. They?re more likely to charge for higher-priced options such as paper versus electronic delivery of statements.

(MORE:?How Much Basic Checking at a Big Bank Really Costs)

Ely says banks also will respond with cost-cutting measures such as closing branches. In fact, the Wall Street Journal reported last week that Bank of America might pull out of some markets, calling the move a ?possible geographic retrenchment? in light of the lower earnings potential of smaller towns or cities compared to larger metropolitan areas.

?The number of branches has dropped a little bit over the past couple of years, and I think we?re going to continue to see that,? he says. So even if you manage to avoid being nickel-and-dimed by your bank this year, you might have a longer trip to get to a branch.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/time_rss/rss_time_us/httpmoneylandtimecom20120119morefeesfewerbranchesasbankscopewithlowerprofitsxidrssnationyahoo/44232354/SIG=13m3is4l3/*http%3A//moneyland.time.com/2012/01/19/more-fees-fewer-branches-as-banks-cope-with-lower-profits/?xid=rss-nation-yahoo

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Congress and Cuts (TIME)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/188855088?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Paul McCartney hints at role in 2012 Olympics (AP)

LONDON ? Paul McCartney says he is in talks to play a role in the London 2012 Olympic celebrations.

The former Beatle says he "might be doing something" in the Olympics but is not sure what role he may play in the events.

Speaking at a promotional event for his new album on Thursday, McCartney said he will go to a meeting about the Games on Friday where he expects to learn more about "something they want me to do."

McCartney also said he might be involved in another massive British celebration this year: Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

Describing himself as a "big fan of the queen," McCartney said he "could easily" participate in festivities if he is asked.

The Olympic Games take place July 27 to Aug. 12.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_paul_mccartney

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Syria's capital delivers strong show of support for President Assad

AFP - Getty Images

A handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syrian demonstrators waving Syrian flags and holding pictures of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a pro-regime rally Friday in Damascus.

Editors note: Cairo-based NBC News correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin is reporting from inside Syria this week.

By Ayman Mohyeldin, NBC News correspondent

Inside Syria, Day4

DAMASCUS, Syria -- It's part concert, part celebration, but ALL for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

That's what it was like attending a pro-government rally Friday in Damascus.

---

Here, there is no mistaking whom this crowd supports. His picture is everywhere, even draped on the side of a multistory building that belongs to the Central Bank.

There are some glaring observations that any one who comes to these rallies notices. First, they are extremely safe. Police block streets, volunteers usher people to the opens spaces, there is a nice stage and sound system set up. Flags and the president?s pictures are plentiful. The rallies are carried on State TV.

This is in stark contrast to the demonstrations against the president's rule. Those protests are often in tight side streets away from the eyes of security forces that have used force to disperse them. No high-quality cameras beaming the images on TV, the vast majority of anti-government protests are captured on amateur footage and shared via social media websites.

There was something rather disturbing I noticed during Friday's pro-government rally. Even my Syrian friends who were with me thought it was extremely distasteful and alarming.

People were openly professing their support for the "SHABIHA" - armed thugs that critics and activists say are used by the Assad regime, along with the military, to put down the nationwide uprising violently.

Related story: US considers shutting embassy in Syria

It's very difficult to gauge the support the president has across the country, but there is no doubt that here in the capital, there are still those who will come out to show their support for the leader. But what is even harder to tell is whether the president and his government enjoy support for their performance or fear out of the alternative that would emerge in a post-Assad era should he leave power.

Many people feel as the conflict drags on and becomes increasingly militarized, the wounds of a full-blown war between the government and armed insurgents would destroy Syria and that fear has paralyzed some into supporting the president -- for the time being.

But I haven't seen too many pro-Assad rallies in the rest of the country and certainly not as big or as frequent as the ones held in Damascus.

Earlier in the day, we had requested permission to go to a square in another part of the city where anti-government protests are held. Surprisingly, the ministry of information granted us the permits relatively easily. Keep in mind we have been waiting for 4 days to get permission to film long lines at petrol stations.

When we arrived there was no rally ? just plain-clothes security and pro-Assad supporters who?coincidently showed up when our camera appeared.

Foreign journalists visiting Syria have been banned from traveling to areas where anti-government sentiment runs high. The government says it's for our own safety. Critics say it's to control the message. So because we can't get to them, activists are sending amateur footage out to the world showing what they say are atrocities the government is committing against civilians.

A reminder that in Syria's uprising, there now is a battle raging for the hearts and minds of viewers as well.

See all of Ayman Mohyeldin's Inside Syria reports.

More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Source: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10201928-syrias-capital-delivers-strong-show-of-support-for-president-assad

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Pets Of The Week: Down But Not Out ? CBS Detroit

?Two short months ago Missy, a pit bull/shar pei mix with huge brown eyes, was hit by a car.

She lost her leg.

It could have been a devastating injury ? but not for Miss Missy. She got right back up on three legs and kept going. Michigan Humane Society staff says she??loves to play and has tons of energy to spare ? though that won?t stop her from snuggling with you when playtime is over.?

Missy is one of many pets available for adoption at local Michigan Humane Society shelters.?

See a gallery of pets with adoption information?here:

Source: http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/01/20/pets-of-the-week-down-but-not-out/

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