Monday, October 8, 2012

7 Keys to Long-Term Relationship Success | Psychology Today

Most of us want to meet and settle down with the ?right? person, and most of us want such a relationship to last. Have you ever seen an elderly couple holding hands, taking a romantic walk on the beach or in a park? You may think to yourself: ?That?s how I want to be when I grow old.?

It?s a wonderful notion: having someone as your mate in a happy and lasting relationship. At the same time, over fifty percent of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce. Between what we want, and the reality of our society, there?s a deep chasm of false hopes and unfulfilled promises.? What are some of the most important ideas when it comes to making your love last? Below are seven keys to long-term relationship success.

1. Do You Trust Your Partner?

Trust is the first and perhaps most important predictor of long-term relational success. Without trust, none of the other six predictors that follow will have much meaning. Ask yourself the following questions: ?

  • In general, is your partner reliable and dependable?
  • Does he or she keep important promises and agreements?
  • Can you count on your partner as the ?rock? in your life?
  • What about you for your partner?

For some of us, trust is a complicated matter. Some people trust blindly. They are with someone who has shown time and again to be untrustworthy, yet they continue to give that person underserved chances. As the saying goes, ?fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.? To allow a chronically untrustworthy individual to be one?s significant other is to create an inherently insecure relationship, which may ultimately lead to disappointment. Evaluate your partner?s trustworthiness based not upon unproven promises or wishful thinking, but on a strong overall record of dependability.

While some people trust blindly, others have trust issues. Often due to negative experiences from the past, there are those who can't trust a committed relationship, or the opposite sex, or people in general, or even themselves. In romantic relationships, they struggle to trust their mate, no matter how dependable their partner is. Here, of course, the trust issue is likely within oneself. Ask honestly whether the lack of trust is based on solid evidence or unjustified fears. If the answer is the latter, it may be beneficial to seek counseling and support, to allow oneself to trust appropriately again. Don?t allow fear push away a good man or woman in your life.?

"For it is mutual trust, even more than mutual interest that holds human associations together. Our friends seldom profit us but they make us feel safe. Marriage is a scheme to accomplish exactly that same end."

?? H. L. Mencken

?

2. Are You and Your Partner Compatible in the Dimensions of Intimacy?

Authors Ronald Adler and Russell Proctor II identified four ways with which we can feel closely connected with our significant other. The four dimensions of intimacy are:

Physical ? Hugging, kissing, caressing, cuddling, holding, and other forms of physical affection. Physical intimacy certainly includes sexual intercourse, but doesn?t have to. As long as other aspects of the relationship remain sound, physical intimacy between partners can often last a lifetime, even if sexual potency diminishes due to factors such as health, age, and stress.

?Millions and millions of years would still not give me half enough time to describe that tiny instant of all eternity when you put your arms around me and I put my arms around you.?? ? Jacques Pr?vert

Emotional ? The ability to effectively express and validate tender, loving emotions, in a manner that's nourishing and constructive, and being able to respond affirmatively when the other person does the same. For example: "How are you doing?", "How are you feeling?", "I love you," "I appreciate you," "I like it when we talk like this," "I'm glad we're spending this time together," "You're very important in my life," "I'm sorry."

A person's "heart withers if it does not answer another heart."? ? P. Buck

Intellectual ? Can brains be attractive and sexy? Absolutely! Especially for those who feel a sense of kinship when they engage in discussions or endeavors with a partner whom they feel is an intellectual equal.

?The marriage was a meeting of hearts and minds both. Madame Lavoisier had an incisive intellect and soon was working productively alongside her husband (chemist Antoine Lavoisier)?they managed to put in five hours of science on most days ? two in the early morning and three in the evening ? as well as the whole of Sunday, which they call their day of happiness."? ? Bill Bryson

Shared Activates ? Interactions that build a positive memory bank of shared experiences. Examples include playing, cooking, dancing, exercising, art-making, traveling, worshipping, and problem-solving together. In this dimension, it's not just the activity that matters, but whether two people are able to bond while interacting with one another.?

?When partners spend time together, they can develop unique ways of relating that transform the relationship from an impersonal one to an interpersonal one.?? ? Ronald Adler and Russell Proctor II

For more on love and intimacy, see Irresistible and Funny Quotes About Love to Brighten Your Day.

Here?s a quick exercise to check you and your partner's?compatibility in intimacy. List the four dimensions as follows:

_______________________________________________________

????????????????????????????????? Partner A??? Partner B

Physical

Emotional

Intellectual

Shared Activities

_______________________________________________________

Next to each dimension, rank whether this is a ?Must? have, ?Should? have, or ?Could? have for you in your romantic relationship. ?Must? means this dimension is crucial for you, without which you would feel the relationship amiss. ?Should? means this dimension is good to have, but you don?t necessarily have to experience it every day. ?Could? means this dimension is relatively unimportant - you can take it or leave it.?

After answering for yourself, next ask your partner to rank, or on your own put down how you think your partner would prioritize. Below is one example of some possible combinations:

_______________________________________________________

?????????????????????????????????? Partner A?? Partner B???????

Physical Intimacy??????? Must? ?????? Must????? (Excellent Comp.)

Emotional Intimacy???? Must? ?????? Should?? (Good Compatibility)

Intellectual Intimacy?? Should? ?? Should?? (Good Compatibility)

Shared Activities??????? Could? ???? Must? ???? (Poor Compatibility)

_______________________________________________________

The more ?must-must? and ?must-should? combinations between you and your partner, the greater the possibility of an intimate relationship.

Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/communication-success/201210/7-keys-long-term-relationship-success

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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

The Prevention Intention: A Mental Fitness Program | The Health ...

You may be a regular at the gym, but how regularly do you work on your psyche? Being flexible and taking the time to reflect can help get your brain in tip-top shape

Written By Mike Verano

?The part can never be well, unless the whole is well.? Plato

Despite frequent reports of increasing problems with obesity, one could easily make the argument that we are a culture obsessed with being in shape. Home gym equipment, diets of all varieties, an ever-growing list of medical tests and procedures, fitness centers that are open 24 hours?we?re surrounded by tools for keeping our bodies lean and toned.

But when it comes to mental fitness and keeping the mind in shape, things get a little flabby. Although we may focus on hitting the gym everyday or walking around the neighborhood before dinner, less attention may be given to dealing with our worries, fears and sadness. And, like physical fitness, ignoring our mental health can lead to things getting much worse. Before your periodic blues turn into depression, or your occasional worries into anxiety, consider a training program for your psyche and pump up your well-being and train your brain.

Here are some go-to methods for improving mental fitness that will allow you to exercise your right to have a sane life.

Wait-Lifting
How much of your time is spent waiting? Psychological waiting?the mental state of believing that your happiness, fulfillment or sanity lie somewhere off in the future?may be keeping you from a joyful life. Restore your fitness in this area by returning to the present moment whenever you feel your mind spinning off toward the future. Without the psychological pull toward the next moment, we bring the quality of mindfulness?which research shows helps reduce stress and improve self-control?into whatever we do. By simply being mindful of our breathing we can turn distractions into meditative moments, and meditation has been shown to build bigger brains.

Know Pain, Know Gain
People involved in physical exercise are often encouraged to ?feel the burn.? When it comes to our mental health, however, many of us feel burnt out and go to great lengths to become emotionally numb. We think, if it hurts, it can?t be good. But the experience of having the very things we are trying to avoid come back to defeat us in the end is called ?ironic rebound.? Current research in psychology reaffirms the old psychoanalytical wisdom that facing these hurts decreases the chance that we are haunted by the same old ghosts. So think instead, ?What we resist persists.? If you take the time to pause and reflect rather than fight or flee, your problems no longer seem so overwhelming.

Have a Spotter
At the gym, you would never try to lift heavy weights without someone there to act as a spotter. But when it comes to mental health, many of us internalize our problems, and quickly find ourselves under tremendous strain with no one within earshot. Too many people suffer in solitude from mental or emotional burdens, which can be lightened by simply spending time with supportive, caring people. Whether that person is a therapist, life coach, pastor, rabbi or the stylist who does your hair, it?s important to have someone in your corner willing to listen and provide feedback and encouragement.

Flexibility and Balance
Techniques such as yoga, tai-chi and dancing not only aid in physical conditioning but also improve one?s flexibility and balance?important characteristics for mental health, too. ?Loosen up? hits at the heart of mental flexibility. People who do well at handling life?s twists and turns have the ability to twist and turn right along with it, freeing up energy that would otherwise be used up trying to stand one?s ground while that very ground rolls under our feet.

Balance comes when we realize that living in a culture of ?everything in extreme,? guarantees that our suffering also takes on an edgier quality.? When we stop mistaking excitement for happiness, we find pleasures, once only a blur due to our hyper lifestyle, all around.

Just like our physical health, it?s a good idea to have regular mental health check-ups. If the idea of seeing a therapist makes you uncomfortable or wary, you can start with the following self-inventory. If you find that you answer ?no? to three or more of the following statements, it might be a good idea to get a second opinion from someone trained in mental fitness.

A Mental Health Self Examination
???????????? Do you feel good about yourself?
???????????? I find pleasure in everyday things
???????????? I?m able to deal with most situations without feeling overwhelmed by emotions.
???????????? I can bounce back after a setback.
???????????? I?m able to forgive myself when I make mistakes.
???????????? I set realistic expectations for myself.
???????????? Do you feel comfortable with other people?
???????????? I am able to consider how other people think and feel.
???????????? I have personal relationships that are positive and fulfilling.
???????????? I am able to trust others and believe that they trust me.
???????????? I have healthy boundaries and do not let others take advantage of me.
???????????? I regularly seek out support from others.
???????????? Are you able to meet life?s demands?
???????????? I address problems when they arise.
???????????? I feel in control of my reactions to life events.
???????????? I feel able to make changes to my surroundings in order to meet life?s demands.
???????????? I do not fear the future.
???????????? I feel I have the resources and energy to take on life?s challenges.

Source: http://www.thehealthjournals.com/2012/10/the-prevention-intention/

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Will Pot Become Legal? - Reason.com

Judging from recent history, any young person who aspires to be president should be aware that certain attributes seem to be critical. You have to be male. You have to have an Ivy League degree. You have to have been a governor or senator. And, don't forget, you have to have smoked marijuana.

That is something all the presidents in the past 20 years have in common. Bill Clinton admitted it, while claiming he didn't inhale. George W. Bush refused to deny getting stoned, saying, "When I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible."

Barack Obama said, "When I was a kid, I inhaled. That was the point." Presumably, Mitt Romney never did, and who knows? Maybe he'd be ahead in the polls if he had -- though, he might note, it's never too late.

Logicians will quarrel with my reasoning, arguing that drug use did not propel these men to high office. That's true. But it obviously didn't hinder them.

For decades, champions of the drug war have trumpeted the dire risks of marijuana. But millions of Americans have used and even enjoyed it -- nearly 100 million, in fact. Most of them have gone on to lead responsible, well-adjusted lives.

If anything related to pot would have kept them from being elected to office, it would be the laws against it. An arrest or a conviction could derail a political career before it even got started. Yet these presidents went on putting people in jail for something they got away with.

Their fellow citizens, however, are increasingly skeptical about the drug war. Last year, Gallup found that 50 percent of Americans now favor legalizing cannabis, with only 46 percent opposed.

The sentiment may lead to action. On Nov. 6, residents of Colorado, Oregon and Washington will vote on ballot measures to allow the regulated production, sale, and use of pot.

In Colorado, which already has a large network of medical marijuana dispensaries, familiarity has bred acceptance. One of the most noteworthy headlines of 2011 came on a news release from Public Policy Polling: "Colorado favors gay marriage, marijuana use, loves Tebow." Affection for the Denver quarterback may have ebbed since he went to the New York Jets, but the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act of 2012 is leading in the polls.

Weed would remain illegal under federal law, but good luck to the feds trying to enforce that ban if a state abandons it. As the Drug Policy Alliance notes, medical marijuana has gotten established over the objections of Washington.

Critics raise the usual alarms. Obama's Office of National Drug Control Policy charges that "political campaigns to legalize all marijuana use perpetuate the false notion that marijuana is harmless. This significantly diminishes efforts to keep our young people drug free and hampers the struggle of those recovering from addiction."

But very few people portray marijuana as harmless. The claim, grounded in fact and experience, is that it is far less harmful than the effort to stamp it out.

Marijuana prohibition means the arrest of some 750,000 people every year for simple possession -- double the number 20 years ago. It means spending an estimated $7.7 billion on enforcement. It means the enrichment of urban gangs and Mexican drug cartels that depend on the illegal trade. And the whole effort has been a complete failure.

Nor does a permissive approach necessarily undermine efforts to protect kids. For high school kids, dope is just slightly harder to get than Skittles. In the Netherlands, which permits regulated sales through "coffee shops," adolescents are far less likely to try pot than here.

Marijuana use, it's true, can be damaging. A recent study found that people who begin using it heavily as teens and continue as adults can reduce their IQ. It can cause dependency. Like any mind-altering substance, it may foster dangerous behavior.

But the same things are true of alcohol, a drug that inflicts far more damage to users and the rest of us than marijuana could ever do. We accept those risks as the price of personal freedom -- while focusing law enforcement on combating abuse, not use. A similar respect for individual prerogative ought to govern in the realm of cannabis.

Young people should realize that, despite the example of Obama and his predecessors, smoking pot doesn't mean you'll grow up to be president. But be warned: It is one of the risks you take.

Source: http://reason.com/archives/2012/10/01/will-pot-become-legal

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Marissa Mayer's brief maternity leave: Progress or workaholism - CNN

By Katherine Reynolds Lewis

FORTUNE -- Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer will likely have the most scrutinized maternity leave and new motherhood in modern corporate history, which began on Sunday night with the birth of a healthy baby boy.

Mayer courted controversy by deciding to take just a week or two of leave and work from home throughout that time.

On one hand, it's a remarkable sign of gender progress that a new mother is now at the helm of a major corporation -- not to mention reassuring to Yahoo (YHOO) shareholders that the CEO's top priority is turning around the struggling Internet giant.

On the other hand, her decision seems emblematic of a workaholic culture that leaves too little time for family or even personal health, preventing either men or women from "having it all."

Could Mayer be setting unrealistic expectations for young women hoping to follow in her footsteps?

Maybe she's an outlier -- or making a mistake -- and shouldn't be held up as an example that mere mortals should emulate.

MORE:?Where the women are: Online

"She conveys the image of someone who's perfectly capable of combining her personal life and her public responsibilities without one derailing the other. That's a message we should applaud," says Kathleen Gerson, professor at New York University and author of The Unfinished Revolution: Coming of Age in a New Era of Gender, Work and Family. "It also suggests that somehow it's illegitimate for women -- and by implication for men as well -- to take some time off at critical moments in their own lives and the lives of their children. To that extent, it's a backward-looking message."

It's difficult to judge whether Mayer's abbreviated maternity leave plan will make it harder or easier for the millions of executive women who will follow her, certainly at this early stage. But there are three indisputable lessons that can be drawn from her situation.

Women can be both CEOs and mothers

We already know from Hewlett-Packard's (HPQ) Meg Whitman, Facebook's (FB) Sheryl Sandberg, and a handful of other C-level executive moms that women can indeed combine motherhood with a rise to the top ranks of corporate America. However, the fact that the Yahoo board put Mayer into the CEO spot when she was expecting her first child hammers home that message.

"It is extraordinarily awesome that the board went for it. Good for the board," says Cali Williams Yost, flexible work strategy consultant and author of Tweak It: Make What Matters to You Happen Every Day. "It's a great moment where that was not a hurdle."

Sociological researchers have documented that women face a "motherhood penalty" of lower earnings and slower advancement after they have children, either because of outright discrimination or assumptions by managers that mothers won't want more demanding assignments. The Yahoo board's decision to forge ahead despite Mayer's pregnancy suggests that they are "evolved," as Mayer herself put it.

"There's nothing about being a woman that disqualifies you from doing all that," Gerson says. "Being pregnant and giving birth is not a disease. It's a natural part of life."

Indeed, Mayer's story may be an opportunity to debunk the notion that successful workers never need time off, whether for medical situations, childbirth, or family needs. A male CEO could require hernia surgery or experience a heart attack, after all, Gerson notes.

It's good to have options; Mayer may have more than most

Just because Mayer feels capable of taking scant maternity leave doesn't mean that other women should feel obliged to work through birth and new motherhood -- or that their employers should expect it. "It shouldn't be a bar now that everybody is gauged against," Yost says. "Her circumstances are really unique. She has a very big job she chose to take."

MORE:?Sex, muscles, basketball: How do you sell an athletic woman?

Another thing to keep in mind: As a multi-millionaire CEO married to Silicon Valley investor Zachary Bogue, Mayer has resources that the rank-and-file can't tap. She has the money to hire a squadron of nannies, maids, cooks, and other household help that would make life easier for any new parent. She also has the authority to bring her baby to work or to change her schedule if she chooses.

"CEOs have flexibility that assembly line workers don't have," says Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute. "I wish we wouldn't see her as the ultimate role model for the new woman. Right now, she's mainly speaking to her stockholders and her company."

There are many low-income workers who take only a few weeks of unpaid maternity leave because they can't afford more, not because they choose to be back at work so soon after giving birth. "What they would give to be in a situation [where] they had the financial resources" to take longer leave, says Brad Harrington, director of the Center for Work and Family at Boston College.

Mayer couldn't please all parties

To be fair, Mayer probably would have been disparaged no matter what decision she made about her maternity leave.

"If she takes time off, then the question raised is, 'How can you do this just as you're taking over this company?' " Gerson says. "If she doesn't, then she's criticized for being unrealistic, for not attending to her newborn child's needs, for setting the wrong example for other women. It's hard to imagine what decision she could have made that would not have been seen through a controversial lens."

Advocates for workplace flexibility say the real landmark moment would be if a male CEO decided to take several months of paternity leave after the birth of a new child. Harrington notes that the majority of men take off less than two weeks for a child's birth.

MORE:?Marissa Mayer?and the masculine requirements for success

"If a man could set an example that it's important to take time to be with a newborn -- not to mention your children at any age -- that would send a much more straightforward message," Gerson says. "What we need are more people, especially men, who can make that counterintuitive and somewhat braver choice: to give family the equal place it deserves, even in the highest levels of the economy."

Galinsky will be watching carefully to see how Mayer's plans for a brief maternity leave evolve and not only what example she sets, but her explicit messages and policies for the Yahoo workforce around parental and medical leave. "I would be very worried if she didn't figure out ways to encourage other women and men who work for Yahoo to take leave," she says.

Source: http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/10/02/marissa-mayer-yahoo-maternity-leave/

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Muffin Pan Omelets Let You Make Breakfast for the Week in One Batch [Breakfast]

Muffin Pan Omelets Let You Make Breakfast for the Week in One BatchWhen you're getting ready in the morning it might be difficult to take the time to make a proper breakfast, especially if you're trying to get more eggs in your diet. Here's an easy way to make mini-omelets in a muffin tin that you can quickly reheat in the microwave before heading out the door.

Culinary weblog Coleen's Recipes shares how to make mini-omelets in your muffin/cupcake pans. Preheat your oven (375 F), spray the pan with your cooking spray of choice. Whisk eggs, milk, oil, baking powder, and salt and pepper together. Divide whatever chopped meat and vegetable toppings into the sprayed cupcake wells, fill each well with the egg mixture, add some shredded cheese on top if you like, and then bake for around 20 minutes. See the source link below for exact measurements.

You can make a batch on Sunday evening, put them in a freezer bag in your refrigerator, and store any mini-omelets you won't use that week in your freezer. That way each morning all you have to do is reheat one or two mini-omelets and perhaps add toast.

Easy Baked Mini-Omelets | Coleen's Recipes

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/RgQYyn5lDqc/muffin-pan-omelets-let-you-make-breakfast-for-the-week-in-one-batch

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Because they fear CO2: "Transition towns will grow their own food, provide their own energy, start seed banks and tool libraries and even create a local currency" (Tom Nelson)

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://ebz.by/info/US/352198451

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Monday, October 1, 2012

Euro, oil fall on Spain, growth worries

TOKYO (Reuters) - The euro, oil and Asian shares fell on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty about Spain's bailout and concerns over slumping demand due to a slowdown in global growth, with data from Japan to China underscoring sluggish business activity.

Several Asian markets are closed for holidays on Monday, including China, Hong Kong and South Korea, keeping trade subdued.

The MSCI index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan <.miapj0000pus> fell 0.4 percent. The Australian market <.axjo> was barely changed in choppy trade, rising as much as 0.6 percent and falling as much as 0.3 percent. Taiwan stocks slid 0.7 percent <.twii>, pausing after ending the third quarter up 5.7 percent.

Japan's Nikkei stock average <.n225> fell 0.8 percent to a three-week low. <.t/>

China's official factory purchasing managers' index, which tracks mainly big firms, rose to 49.8 in September from August's 49.2, which was the lowest since November 2011. The figure was in line with expectations and reflected how the world's second-biggest economy is struggling to regain strength against cooling exports as the global economy remain sluggish.

A private sector HSBC PMI earlier showed overall factory activity shrank for an 11th consecutive month in September, suggesting China's economy has almost certainly suffered a seventh straight quarter of slowing growth.

"The PMI came in below 50 again in September, suggesting a continued weakness in the economy and confirming our view that the policies implemented so far have failed to arrest a cyclical economic downturn," ANZ Bank said in a research note. "We expect the PBOC to cut the reserve requirement ratio by 50 bps soon."

Beijing approved about $150 billion worth of infrastructure projects last month. China cut interest rates twice in June and July and lowered banks' reserve requirement ratio three times since late 2011, but has refrained from cutting interest rates or RRR since July, though it has kept money markets liquid.

Elsewhere, Bank of Japan data showed sentiment among big Japanese manufacturers worsened in the third quarter from the previous quarter, hit by a steady deterioration in export demand as Europe's debt crisis simmers and China's economy slows.

Europe's debt crisis also took a toll on South Korean exports to the region, falling 5.1 percent in September from a year ago, while the HSBC Taiwan PMI for September fell at its fastest rate in 10 months as export orders slumped.

Euro zone and U.S. manufacturing surveys are due later on Monday but the key statistic this week is Friday's U.S. nonfarm payrolls, the first jobs data after the Fed's latest easing.

DOLLAR DRIVES COMMODITIES LOWER

U.S. crude fell 0.9 percent to $91.36 a barrel and Brent fell 0.7 percent to $111.66.

The euro fell 0.4 percent to a three week low of $1.28035 while risk-sensitive currencies also fell, with the Australian dollar slipping 0.4 percent to $1.0328.

The safe-haven dollar was bid, lifting the dollar index <.dxy>, measured against a basket of key currencies, up 0.2 percent, weighing on spot gold which traded down 0.4 percent to $1,763.81 an ounce.

Gold is typically associated with safety but it is also perceived as an alternative currency and comes under pressure when the U.S. currency strengthens.

While copper and steel may get the brunt of growth worries in China, the world's leading consumer of base metals, oil and gold were likely to be underpinned over the long term by the recent round of monetary stimulus packages launched by the U.S. Federal Reserve, said Bob Takai, general manager of Sumitomo Corp's energy division.

"U.S. oil prices are weighed by lackluster U.S. economic fundamentals and authorities probably don't want to see a spike in oil which puts a drag on the economy, but oil is also unlikely to slump thanks to ample liquidity provided by the Fed's quantitative easing," he said.

London copper fell 0.6 percent to $8,159 a metric ton.

EYES ON EUROPE

An independent audit on Friday showed Spanish banks will need a total of 59.3 billion euros ($76.3 billion) in extra capital to beef up their strength, which was within expectations and welcomed by the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

But uncertainty over when and whether Spain will seek external aid kept investors nervous. Markets were also waiting for a review by credit rating agency Moody's, which currently has Spain on one notch above junk with a negative outlook.

Greece, another source of market jitters, resumes talks with its international lenders this week for a bailout needed to avert bankruptcy and a possible euro zone exit. Two German magazines reported on Saturday Athens will receive the aid despite budget shortfalls and slow progress on reforms because the euro zone does not want the country to leave the euro.

"All of this suggests a range trading environment with a mild positive bias," Sebastien Galy, currency strategist at Societe Generale, said in a note.

A slew of central bank policy meetings this week will kick off with the Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday, followed by the ECB, the Bank of England and the BOJ, potentially deterring investors from making big bets. ($1 = 0.7773 euros)

(Editing by Richard Pullin and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/euro-oil-fall-spain-growth-worries-002631420--finance.html

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