Acne

 

Whether you call them blemishes, pimples, or zits, most of us experience mild acne at some point in our lives. More often a problem in the teen years, acne vulgaris, as it’s known medically, starts when skin pores become blocked by excess oil and dead skin cells. Some people have severe acne resulting in hundreds of pimples across the face, chest, and back, although many treatments can help. 

7 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Your Snacks

 

Kick it up

Enjoy summertime goodies with these calorie-saving tips!

Swap that handful of tortilla chips and guacamole for baked pita chips and salsa. The tomatoes in the salsa pack vitamins A and C for relatively few calories, and the pita chips have more protein and half the saturated fat of tortilla chips.

 

Hamas leader calls on Egypt to open South Gaza border for trade

Hamas leader calls on Egypt to open South Gaza border for trade

 

Gaza - Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called on Egypt to open its border with the Gaza Strip for commercial trade, providing a conduit for imports and exports outside the hundreds of smuggling tunnels dug under the frontier.
Haniyeh’s appeal, outlined to reporters today in Gaza City, follows a doubling in permits for Palestinians to cross into Egypt at the southern Rafah border station to about 1,500 a day since the election of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi.
Rafah is Gaza’s only official border crossing to Egypt that bypasses Israel. Haniyeh said the station should be open 24 hours a day with free movement of commercial goods to help revive the struggling Palestinian economy.
Israel and Egypt sealed Gaza’s borders in June 2007 after Hamas broke off its power-sharing arrangement with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas is an offshoot of Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood organization. The group is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. and European Union.
Egyptian presidential spokesman Yasser Ali’s mobile phone was switched off when contacted by Bloomberg for comment.
Source: Bloomberg

 

Daily horoscope

Daily horoscope

Think about it: usually people look for your weak points before they take you on. Don't let yourself be put under pressure, despite the fact there's a lot to do. Everything in life has a meaning, that's why it's useful to let your feelings guide you at the moment..

Health

Don't escape into a world of dreams, illusions or pleasure: this could have a devastating effect on your health. There are great opportunities to improve your condition in the morning. You're in a position in which you can make a stand..

Love

You'll see that after a little rest everything will get better. You may have a crush on someone, but don't mistake your feelings for true love. Your loved ones will soon find out what you're really made of..

Work

Get over your doubts and ask for advice, if you're uncertain about making certain decisions. Today it's all work and no play. People appreciate what you're doing and that makes you feel good..

Life behind the Steering Wheel

 

A blinking cursor; that’s all I have now. Words just don't come easily anymore, feelings can’t be expressed like before, and writing does not comfort me like it used to. Pain has gotten the best of me; it broke me down although I promised myself it wouldn’t. Memories of the sweet past and grand expectations of the future shattered every single dream I've dreamt for myself. Dragged me off my bed, pulled the cover, and just threw me off a staircase of hopes and dreams; something that could only happen in “Paranormal activity”. One heart break after the other leaving scars all over, cries for help so loud you can almost hear my heart crackle. Dreams falling apart you can see them scatter into 10 million pieces all over my fancy hardwood floors.
All we ever want in life is to be happy and pain-free; everything we do revolves around this single purpose. We go through life, meet people, make decisions, and steer our lives in a certain path or direction that we know will lead us to “Happiness”. And since “Happiness” is such a variable and relative thing, we stop the “car” that is life every once in a while and ask ourselves”am I happy?” We stop to evaluate every choice we’ve made and think “is this what I truly want or is it what everyone else wants?!”
The answer to these two questions will determine the direction this car will take next. Whether it will look for the nearest exit or shortcut out of that path, or step on the gas hitting full speed to take this whole bumpy ride on 200 miles per hour. In life, no one will steer for you, no one will pull the hand brakes when you go too fast, and no one will tell you which route to take. In life it’s all up to you, you define what happiness is. You decide which road you want to take, for when you find yourself at a dead end with a broken car, no one will take the blame but you. Harsh I know, but 100% true.

 

Are We Too old and Over Experienced…?

 

When I was a little girl, I never did understand the concept behind older women not wanting to tell their age. The minute a lady goes beyond 25, give or take a few years according to how confident she is, she goes all conscious about her age and the whole issue becomes one of high secrecy. I always thought I'd be happy to live my age, and that I'd always have the courage/ confidence required to, without any inhibition, share my age whenever asked; the years dared to disagree!
I was at the peak of my happiness when I turned 20, couldn’t be happier on my 21st birthday, was glowing on my 22nd , and I remember quite clearly to be jumping up and down on my 23rd birthday. Things seemed to change after that, and don't ask me why because no matter how hard I try I can't seem to get a decent answer. The minute I turned 23, something about the whole getting older issue started getting to me. I knew for a fact that 24 wasn't old, but the deal was, I was getting older.
That, in my mind, seemed to have a meaning, seemed to have an effect on me. This effect was neither positive nor negative; it was just a feeling. The very strange thing about this feeling is that it goes on for a while and then fades away. Meaning, the day I turned 24 could've been the worst day of my life; I felt "old" and unaccomplished, like my life had passed me by without me managing to get anything "influential" done. Give me a week's time and I realize just how "wow" it feels to be 24; I'm confident, secure and having a heck of a time with my age.
The exact same thing happens when I turn 25, but it gets a tad worse when I turn 26. Now this time, it's just a bit serious. I'm scared that 26 years (and read it like it's in caps lock) of my life have gone by like a light breeze; what have I accomplished for them? NOTHING, or at least I thought so. Today, 4 months have passed since my birthday and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it; I can't say I'm happy, confident and secure but I can't keep saying that I'm hating my life on account of it either. It's more like I've grown into it and doing my best to bring the best of it.

 

Cannes: Behind the scenes at The Hôtel Martinez

 

It's one of the glitziest hotels at the heart of the festival action - MSN Travel talks to the general manager about all the fabulous preparations.
There's no competition as to which hotel is at the heart of all the Cannes Film Festival action. If we had an all-access pass, we would rock up at The Hôtel Martinez, say "bonjour" to Woody Allen in the foyer, order a vodka martini on the terrace and attempt to gatecrash one of the star-studded parties hosted by the likes of Dolce & Gabbana or Chopard.
Keeping a cool head and managing so many big names is no mean feat, so we caught up with Richard Schilling, general manager, to find out just what goes on behind the scenes.
Before the festival
Around two to three months before, we start having requests from our major clients. We have meetings with them - the two most famous are L'Oréal and Chopard - and we sit down with them, talk about what they want to do this year, as well as all aspects including security and parties.

There are so many parties but among the most memorable was a gorgeous party thrown by Dolce & Gabbana; Replay (jeans company) threw a big party where they hired Jamiroquai; and Chopard decided to recreate the Crazy Horse Saloon - which is a beautiful French cabaret and theatre.
Another year, a Japanese company wanted to recreate a top restaurant in Tokyo inside the ballroom, so that you thought you were in Japan.

 

Regulating Dietary pH- Acidic or Alkaline

 

A pH (potential of Hydrogen) measurement reveals if a food/solution is acidic or alkaline (also base or basic). If the food/solution has an equal amount of acidic and alkaline molecules, the pH is considered neutral.

The range for pH is from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is considered to be neutral, neither acidic nor alkaline. Liquids that have a pH below 7 are acidic while those with a pH above 7 are considered to be alkaline.

The optimum pH for our blood and body tissues is about 7.2. When the body loses its alkaline reserve, pleomorphic virus, bacteria, yeast, and fungus take over and cause degenerative diseases such as, diabetes, cancer, aids, arteriosclerosis, arthritis, osteoporosis, chronic fatigue, etc.
To keep the blood and body tissue at an optimum pH, one needs to avoid acid forming foods. Make sure your food intake is 80% alkaline and drink plenty of water.

How the pH is Regulated?
Organic matter is taken into the body in the form of food. This organic matter is broken down into simple compounds (monosaccharides, amino acids, lipids etc). After metabolism, these compounds leave an acidic or alkaline residue in the body. The simple compounds contain elements such as sulphur, potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium. These minerals determine the H+ concentration and thus the acidity or alkalinity of the body. These elements are either acid-forming elements or alkaline-forming elements. The acid-forming substances are sulphur, phosphorus and chlorine, while the alkaline formers are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron.

Mostly fruits are acidic in nature, but when broken down into their constituent elements, the acids are rendered neutral and the alkaline elements are dominant. Therefore, the end result of the organic breakdown and digestion of fruits and vegetables is alkaline in nature.

 

High Salt Consumption Elevates Blood Pressure and Healthcare Costs

 

An applicant's overall general health has a direct bearing on their ability to find high quality health insurance online or from any source. As a nation, Americans are fat, out of shape, and sick. These facts, coupled with the high cost of healthcare in the U.S. makes insurers wary of risks in potential insurance clients who do not lead a healthy lifestyle.
Making the decision to clean up your health "act" is not just an issue of calorie counting, portion control, and getting up off the couch. The first and third leading causes of death in the U.S. are heart disease and stroke. Americans have access to clear, definitive information that link these conditions to their dietary choices. We eat a diet heavy in processed food filled with levels of added salt. Sodium consumption at these levels contributes to countless cases of hypertension that can and do morph into actual cardiovascular disease. Cut out the salt, cut out the problem.
Change Your Diet, Change Your Life
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have proven conclusively that when dietary salt levels are reduced, blood pressure begins to come down in the vast majority of people within days. Over weeks, and with appropriate maintenance, levels usually normalize completely.
The human body does require some amount of salt on a daily basis for normal functioning, but only about 180 to 500 mg. The average American, however, eats more than 3600 mg of salt a day. The American Heart Association recommends less than 1500 mg, which translates to about a teaspoon -- for the whole day.
A study conducted by the British Medical Journal concluded that if salt intake were to be lowered to acceptable levels in Great Britain, annual healthcare costs would drop by the equivalent of $24 billion. In the U.S., where 45 to 50 million Americans have no healthcare insurance whatsoever, simply eliminating high levels of salt from the daily diet should be one of the most important and cost effective personal decisions anyone could make.

 

Seven New Rules Of Summer Dressing

 

Come Monday, scores of shoppers will be freeing their summer whites from their closets.
Others might shake their heads at the notion.
That's because style experts say whether one wears white should be dictated by the thermostat, not the calendar. It's also OK for men to wear pastel colors, wear a cashmere sweater or do some lightweight layering.
"It's about mixing it up and discerning what really works for you," says Nina Garcia, fashion director at Elle magazine and author of The Little Black Book of Style, as well as a judge on Bravo's Project Runway.
Nevertheless, people often feel compelled to follow hand-me-down ideas about what they wear and when.
"People certainly like to have some kind of direction and structure to help them make fashion choices," says Allison Berlin, celebrity stylist and founder of Style Made Simple. "But younger, more contemporary men and women don't want to adhere to these old-fashioned 'rules', and it seems antiquated to follow them just because their grandparents did."

 

5 Easy Ways to Better Your Appearance

 

There are many things we can do to improve our appearance over the long term, such as exercising regularly, that have profound impacts on the way we look but there are also small things that we can do to instantly improve the perception of our appearance. Your appearance greatly impacts how people rate you on factors from how influential you are to how attractive you look. Here are five easy ways to help you elevate your appearance:

1. Clean your shoes and keep them that way
Some people say that a man is defined by his shoes. Although this is a bit of an exaggeration, many women do pay special attention to the shoes on a man’s feet. A great appearance runs from head to toe but it’s not just about wearing nice shoes; it’s also about keeping them clean and cared for. Invest in shoe care because clean shoes really do build a look. Here is a quick summary of basic shoe care: 

Honey Glazed Carrots

A perfect appetizer and snack to fill you up with minimum calories. Serve this to children to get them to eat their vegetables.

Ingredients:
•1 tablespoon butter
•1 tablespoon honey
•1 tablespoon parsley
•½ teaspoon ground ginger
•225 grams of baby carrots (peeled)
Directions:
•In a pot containing water and a pinch of salt, boil baby carrots for 5 minutes.
•Drain the water
•Melt the butter in the same pot on medium heat, then add the honey and ginger.
•Bring to boil then add the parsley and carrots
PREP TIME 15 minutes
SERVES 4-6