Sunday, July 27, 2008

8 People Who Will Ruin Your Party

Throwing a party is a lot of work, so it’s a real disappointment when somebody you invited ruins it. Here’s 8 types of people to watch out for before you make your next invite list.

8. Person Who Insists On Cleaning Up Your Party While It’s Still Going On

WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM: Right in front of you, asking if your drink is finished. Or, methodically moving through the party with a white trash bag and a look on their face as if they’ve been hunting Osama Bin laden for the last 6 years and have narrowed down his whereabouts to somewhere in this party.

WHY THEY WILL RUIN YOUR PARTY: Drinking a beer, much like sex, is far less enjoyable when someone is asking you if you’re finished every five minutes. It’s great that they want to help you clean up, but if you’ve decided to have a party, you’ve already resigned yourself to the fact that when it’s over, your house is going to probably look like the bathroom that Cary Elwes and Danny Glover woke up in, in the first Saw movie. I wonder if these people also decide to wipe their ass in the middle of taking a shit, just to “cut down on the work that has to be done when it’s all over!”

7. GUY WHO GETS WASTED IN THE FIRST HOUR

WHERE YOU WILL FIND HIM: Right by the fridge, bro, cause that’s where all the beer is!

HOW HE WILL RUIN YOUR PARTY: From the moment this guy shows up, everything he says has an exclamation point at the end of it. “This party rules, dude!” “I am ready to party TO-night!” “Let’s shotgun these, bro!” “Tits!” Then, one hour and 13 beers later this guy is incoherent, weaving on his feet and saying stuff like “Paartyyyygjlskdvm…” So, instead of kicking back and hanging out with your friends, you have to spend the rest of the night making sure he doesn’t puke on your couch, piss in your plants or crap on your coffee table.



6. Person Who Only Knows You

WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM: About two feet to the right of you, standing silently, staring at either you or the person you’re talking to.

WHY THEY WILL RUIN YOUR PARTY: You invited them because during the four and a half minutes a day you talk to them at work, they seem pretty cool and/or really enjoy the impression you do of a fellow coworker. Except as soon as they get to your party, they tense up like Alex Rodriguez’s asshole during a game in October. You have two options at this point, 1) entertain them and include them in every conversation you have the entire night, like they’re your wife or husband even though you probably don’t know their last name, or 2) leave them on their own which leads to them standing in a corner by themselves, staring at you, causing your friends to ask you “I think that dude in the corner is planning on raping you.”


5. GIRL WHO STARTS CRYING

WHERE YOU WILL FIND HER: She’s usually holed up in the bathroom (taking up valuable toilet space) with three of her bestest girlfriends—all three of whom are overweight.

HOW SHE WILL RUIN YOUR PARTY: The worst part is that this girl isn’t crying because her parents just died or she lost a limb. She’s sobbing into a fistful of tissues because she always needs to be the center of attention. If everyone’s not focused on her and all her problems, she just starts crying louder about her job or some lame guy who won’t date her or how fat her friends are. This means you either sit there and let her bring down the vibe of your party or you take her outside and listen to her whine about absolutely nothing. If possible, pair her up with the super wasted guy. She’ll think he’s listening and he’ll think he’s going to score.



4. Person Who Just Got Dumped By Their Girlfriend/Boyfriend

WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM: In any corner where they were able to trap and force someone to listen to them talk about how they “don’t know what happened,” and how it “seemed like things were fine and then all of a sudden she just said that she thought that we were different people now. What does that even mean? Do you know, because I sure as fuck don’t! I just miss her so much. My name’s Brian by the way.”

WHY THEY WILL RUIN YOUR PARTY: If I wanted people to get depressed as fuck at my party, I’d screen a copy of Schlindler’s list. The problem with these people is, they don’t care who they talk to, and no excuse you give will stop them from talking to you. “Hey, I gotta run to the bathroom,” “No worries, I’ll just wait for you until your done, unlike my EX girlfriend, who wouldn’t wait no matter HOW important it was to go to the bathroom and would just leave you with NOTHING while you were in there.”



3. Creepy Dude Who Tries To Bang Chicks At The Very End Of The Party

WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM: Towards the end of the party, he’ll be wherever he hears the words “I can’t believe my friends left without me, they were my ride!” or “I’m so (hiccup) fucked up (hiccup) I gotta lay down or something.”

WHY THEY WILL RUIN YOUR PARTY: There’s a reason why this dude waits till the end of the party to try and score; he’s way too fucking creepy to do so when someone isn’t in some sort of desperate situation. Thus, although he’s there because he’s either family, a neighbor, or someone else invited him, you now have to hope to God he doesn’t take advantage of someone at your party, otherwise your party will not be remembered as “That Fourth of July Party at Bill’s house,” and instead be remembered as “that party at Bill’s house where that creepy guy tried to fingerbang Michele while she was puking.”



2. Couple Who Brings Their Baby

COUPLE WHO BRING THEIR BABY: Off to the side, on their knees, pleading with a 6 month old child to stop screaming or right next to you, asking you where he can dispose of a shit filled diaper.

WHY THEY WILL RUIN THEIR PARTY: Nothing says party like the sound of a screaming child and the stench of talcum powder and baby diarrhea! If there was a dude puking, shitting and crying at your party, would you be cool with that? No, you’d either be like “Who the fuck brought this guy?” But if you say that about a baby suddenly that makes you an asshole. Meanwhile, the party sucks becase everyone is being super cautious and attentive to the baby, as if the other 99% of the time that they’re not there the baby is barely eluding death due to unsupervision.

1. THE POLITICS GUY

WHERE YOU WILL FIND HIM: At the beginning of the night he usually stands right next to the front door where he overtly shows off his political button or T-shirt that says something like “Once You Go Barack, You Won’t Go Back” or “McCain = McStupid.” Then, after everyone shows up, he stealthily mingles from group to group while nonchalantly dropping lines like “Did you see what those fatcats tried to pull?” anytime there’s a lull in the conversation.

HOW HE WILL RUIN YOUR PARTY: No one in the history of parties has ever changed their political beliefs based on some asshole screaming about health care reform in the kitchen of a two bedroom apartment. His endlessly tiresome factoids and statistics about how much oil we consume and how the death penalty doesn’t work will make your guests either leave or kill themselves where they stand.

Visit : Grand Paragon



Natural Based Skin Care

Natural Based Skin CareThere are so many skin care and body treatment products you can buy over the net, but we need to have more awareness about the quality of the products since more and more harmful ingredients are found in skin care and body treatment products.

Purity Skin by Outside Health, this company has produced over 50 specialty skin care including treatments for face, hair care and spa products; they use aloe as the skin care base for their product, to name few of them are anti wrinkle cream, moisturizer, eye cream, dark circles eye cream, puffy eyes cream, alpha hydroxy and vitamin c renewal cream.

Aloe has been known for ages, widely used in the alternative medicine and skin care industry; as for skin care aloe is very popular for its skin-healing properties, stimulating the reproduction of skin cells and many other benefits but at the bottom line is to make your skin healthier and firmer.

Purity Skin focuses on natural based and organic based skin care products that bring you long term healthier skin. You will not find propylene glycol, parabens, and mineral oil ingredients which will cause negative side effect, but instead you will find aloe based concentrated creams, bio penetrating cream and Dead Sea ingredients, all these ingredients are safe for long term use.

Visit www.outsidehealth.net to learn more about Purity Skin products, check out their best selling natural anti wrinkle cream for face and eyes; most of the products are come with buy 1 get 1 free promotion. Get your natural aloe based products at Purity Skin!


Thursday, July 24, 2008

BlackBerry Thunder 9500

BlackBerry Thunder 9500The BlackBerry Thunder 9500 will run on a new Blackberry OS that's fully touch-centric and will sport an extra large touchscreen TFT display (it's not really a mere 2.5-incher, sorry folks, our bad!) with 360 x 480 pixels resolution. with 360 x 480 pixels resolution. Most importantly it will be a hybrid device, working in GSM and EV-DO networks supporting EDGE/HSDPA and built-in GPS.

Interestingly enough, those press-grade photos leak just days before the Apple iPhone 3G release in what seems to be a Blackberry PR attempt to dissuade some potential iPhone 3G customers.

And indeed, it looks like Apple iPhone 3G has got a tough competitor in the face of the BlackBerry Thunder. The latter will run a carrier music store which is similar to the iPhone's iTunes store and will allow users to purchase songs directly from their device.

Internet browsing on BlackBerry Thunder will be significantly improved to match the superb Safari browser in the iPhone. We hope the Thunder will also sport the sweet auto screen rotation feature as well - it's all about accelerometers these days.

The feature-rich device will probably run on the 624 MHz CPU known from the recently announced Blackberry Bold (gsmarena.com).

8 traits of a bad fitness instructor

Let's face it. If you are taking any type of fitness class, whether it be aerobics, body sculpting or yoga, there is a good chance you are there to learn, to be motivated and to get a good workout. As a result, you are probably looking for an instructor who will be a great teacher, fun and effective.

But you will be amazed at how many instructors aren't very good, or for that matter, aren't very inspiring. These are some traits that you should look for to know if the instructor is worthy of your time and money or if you are better off with someone else. If you take a class and find that you leave underwhelmed, there is a good chance that the instructor was lacking in one of these capacities...if not all of them.

1. Forgetful Freddy: Look, all of us can be forgetful at times, but if there is a pattern of forgetfullness on the part of your instructor, it is probably a clue that they aren't so great. Things that might suggest your instructor's mind might be somewhere else:
1. Your instructor has problems remembering where they are in routines during classes
2. You find that your instructor continually doesn't remember what they did the week before, even though they are 'adding' to last weeks's classes

2. Lopsided Lola: If your instructor works your body assymetrically (doesn't work both sides of your body equally) it can lead to possible injury and/or lopsided muscle development, especially if it happens class after class. This is not good in the long term. You want an instructor who works both sides of the body equally, and even more importantly, all muscle groups, ensuring that you don't over-develop any one muscle or muscle group.

3. Offbeat Olga: If you are in a structured class that requires you to follow a routine to up-tempo music you should be able to literally 'feel the rhythm'. If routines don't flow well, or if you feel like they are awkward, there is a good chance your instructor just doesn't know how to choreograph routines properly. Moreover, if moves aren't choreographed well, you might trip, fall or even pull or sprain a muscle due to the fact that your inner rhythm wants to do something different than what your instructor has taught you. Rhythm and flow of classes are important in maximizing your 'feel good' endorphins and motivation, as well as keeping exercises safe.

4. Sergeant Sam: Some people like to be told what to do or even like to be yelled at to do things, but in most cases, people want to be treated nicely. If your instructor has a drill sargent mentality and doesn't treat you with respect, then you shouldn't bless his class with your presence. Find an instructor with the personality that is right for you. A little 'tough love' isn't bad, but if it is all you get, that can be demotivating and leave you feeling stomped upon. Neither of which you need when trying to release stress.

5. Basic Barbara: From the beginning of taking an exercise class, your instructor and class should challenge you. Sure, basic moves are good and safe for beginners, but as you get used to a class and as you become more and more comfortable with the different exercises, routines or moves, you should progress and move forward. If your class isn't a specific level (e.g., beginner, intermediate or advanced), your instructor should show you modifications that make the moves more challenging or less challenging, depending on your individual level.

6. Fast and Furious Freda: The tempo of the music needs to be right for the class. For instance, if you are in a step class and the beats per minute are too fast, you will possibly injur yourself or fall. If you are in a class where the tempo is too slow for the exercises, you might not get an effective workout. Either way, there is a range of appropriate beats per minute for different types of classes. If you feel that the class is too fast or too slow, there is a good chance you are not alone. Politely ask your instructor to slow or speed up the music to meet your level of comfort.

7. Monotonous Mona: As an instructor, I know that it can be difficult to constantly create new choreography or exercises...sometimes you even burn out. That said, instructors are paid to motivate people and to be creative. It is their duty to make the class fun and interesting. If it isn't, then they aren't doing their job.

8. Lazy Larry: When you take an exercise class, you should feel challenged. Granted, different classes challenge you in different ways. For instance, if the class is meant to be a cardio or aerobic exercise class, your heart rate should fall within the target heart rate zone of exercise. If the class is more strength training oriented, you should feel 'the burn' in the muscles that you are working (it should 'hurt' a little to complete the set). And if the class is more flexibility training oriented, you should be able to stretch a little further every class. If within any of these class types you aren't working very hard or don't feel very challenged, you probably aren't. Find an instructor that makes you work for your money...that is what you are there for. You should feel that you have gotten something out of any and every class you go to.

So good luck finding your ideal instructor. They are out there...just be choosey. You owe it to yourself! (Yahoo! Shine)

Online Games - Rules and Tips for Beginners

When you are a beginner player it is always more than wise to play online games to start slowly, this will give you chance to mastering the games step by step. One thing many gamers, players whatever you want to call them always do is to learn the rule and tips before start have fun.

By following this good habit you are not only can enjoy your games more, but also avoiding yourself losing money. Rules is the first thing you need to know or to master is even better, there are many games roulette then you need roulette rules; craps then you need to know about craps rules *craps regeln*, the list will keep going!

Then get the tips, especially online casino tips - online games *online casino tipps - online spielen* back up your play with the tips you get. Now you can start playing your games!


Friday, July 18, 2008

Trends we won't be wearing

There are plenty of collections to salivate over on runways around the world at the moment, but in a bid to move ahead of the fashion pack designers sometimes fail to hit the mark.

One such offender was 'JOOP!JEANS' this week at 'Fashionweek Berlin Spring Summer 2009' in Berlin.

Nobody was looking at the clothes because of the outlandish accessories.

Models were sent down the catwalk with bright pink plastic lampshades on their heads, followed closely by models in latex knee-high socks and helium balloons as hairpieces.

Another trend (from the same show) that probably won't be making it to the high street - knicker-flashing dresses.

Finally Italian designer Curiel had models stomping down the runway in see-through plastic boots - they look nice - but are a little impractical - how good would they look with Christmas novelty socks underneath? (stuff.co.nz)

Red yeast rice, fish oil fight cholesterol

Red yeast riceA regimen of supplements and lifestyle coaching is just as effective as statin medication for reducing levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol, and more effective in helping people lose weight, new research shows.

People with high cholesterol who took red yeast rice and fish oil daily and received counselling on diet, exercise and relaxation techniques showed the same 40 percent drop in LDL cholesterol seen among people taking 40 milligrams of simvastatin daily, Dr David J Becker of the University of Pennsylvania Health System's Chestnut Hill Hospital and colleagues found.

And they pared off an average of 10 pounds over 12 weeks, compared to less than a pound for patients taking the statin.

Becker has run a lifestyle programme for people at risk of heart disease for 13 years. "People had a uniform desire to get off statins, and when they did their cholesterol was only going down maybe 5 percent at most," he told Reuters Health.

The cardiologist decided to launch the current study after seeing many patients have success in lowering their cholesterol with red yeast rice and fish oil (stuff.co.nz)

How devoted you to sports

Get free sport picks get your college football picks, here only at addict sports! One forum you need to get all the excitements; all popular sports are here.

Create your own thread and start your own crowd, or you can just join the existing threads; you can just jump to football picks or test your knowledge how devoted to sports actually you are.


The Power of Touch

The Power of TouchYour beau may protest he doesn’t like to be pampered, but don’t believe the hype—he loves it! Especially if the pampering involves a killer massage administered by his favourite therapist, you! Rub him the right way with these five tips.

1. Live It
A massage is a very giving activity, and as any massage therapist will tell you, it takes two to tango. A massage is only as good as the therapist giving the treatment—if you’re not into it your client will feel your energy. Take a moment to centre yourself before you begin—it will definitely enhance the experience for you and for him.

2. Set the Mood
“When it comes to massage, it’s all about the surroundings—they must be peaceful and serene,” explains Jeanet Allison, owner of Toronto’s Jeanet Spa & Salon. Lighting is a key when it comes to creating ambience and there is nothing sexier than having a candlelit massage. Set them up around your bedroom to create an ambient glow. Shopping tip: lavender and sandalwood candles will set an ultra-sultry mood.

3. Keep Quiet
Other than the occasional whisper of sweet nothings in his ear, talking during your session should be strictly prohibited. Massage is all about relaxing and quieting the mind, and incessant chattering will totally break the mood. The only sound in the room should be the slow grooves playing on your iPod.

4. Map Your Massage
To give your guy the ultimate rub-down, have him lie on his stomach, start at his shoulders and work your way down all the way to his toes. Your strokes should be long and languid and if you encounter any tension knots along the way, spend a little extra time in the area to help loosen the muscles. Check in with him from time to time to see how the pressure is—he may request more or less depending on his levels of sensitivity.

5. Make it Fun
A massage is the perfect way to set the mood for an evening of intimate adventures. “It’s a special moment between lovers that should be fun and enjoyable,” says Allison. “Give him the royal treatment from head to toe, and please, don’t forget the feet!” (Yahoo! Lifestyle).

Wii becomes top-selling video game console in US

Wii Nintendo Video GameLOS ANGELES - Nintendo said that its globally popular Wii has become the top-selling video game console in the United States, a crown coveted by rivals Microsoft and Sony.

Market-tracking firm NPD Group reports that 666,000 Wii consoles were sold in the United States in June, raising the total sales count in the country to nearly 10.9 million units.

Will sales eclipsed those of Microsoft's Xbox 360 consoles, which went on the market a year before the Wii was released in November of 2006, according to industry figures.

Earlier this year US sales of Xbox 360 consoles topped 10 million and prompted Microsoft to tout the milestone as a sign Xbox is destined to be more popular than Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3.

The rivals battled this week at an Electronic Entertainment Expo, each claiming to be the inevitable victor in the video game console war.

Wii consoles are credited with expanding the video game market beyond "hardcore gamers" with simple motion-sensing controllers and group-oriented games.

"As we have demonstrated this week during the E3 summit, Wii continues to pioneer new ways for people to interact with their video games and with one another," Nintendo marketing vice president Cammie Dunaway said in a statement.

The Japanese video game giant scored another victory with its DS portable devices, selling more than 783,000 in the United States in June to raise total sales there to 20.8 million units (Yahoo! News)

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

U.S. food portions: Monuments of decadence?

After having dinner at Clyde's in Washington's trendy Chinatown, a young boy sluggishly gets up to follow his family to the exit. His waitress jokes, "You're stuffed, huh?"
The boy lets out a grunt, saying, "Yeah, I'm full. I feel like I'm going to burst," as he ambles to the door.

Such is the response of many customers who venture into the popular restaurant. One waitress said, "It depends on the dish, but I've never gotten a complaint that it's too little."

But with soaring food prices sparking protests in many countries and more than 800 million people going hungry every day, U.S. food portions are under scrutiny. A lightening of the American plate could ease pressure on worldwide demand, but not everyone is hopeful change will be coming any time soon.

With a bombardment of food ads, many aimed at children, Americans are tempted with an array of food choices. One fast-food chain calls its massive burger a "monument to decadence" while the Wendy's chain calls its "Baconator" a "mountain of mouth-watering taste."

Portion sizes in the United States not only exceed those in less-developed countries, but also in the developed world. In fact, Americans have the highest per capita daily consumption in the world, eating 3,770 calories a day, more than a Canadian at 3,590 calories or an Indian at 2,440, according to data from the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization.

"We've looked at large portion sizes almost entirely in terms of whether it's healthy for us, and now we have to consider is that sort of a demand going to be sustainable," said Paul Roberts, author of "The End of Food."

Roberts believes smaller portions would help. "It would probably be a way to take pressure off of grain markets if we somehow convinced people to take smaller portion sizes." 

In the United States, food prices are expected to rise 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent this year, which would be the highest increase since 1990.

FEWER GROCERIES

Americans are putting more thought into food buying. High food prices coupled with a slowing economy have led 71 percent of Americans to eat out less and 48 percent are buying fewer groceries, according to the Food Marketing Institute.

Raj Patel, author of "Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System," said consumer buying habits are changing, including in the United States.

"But, it's unusual to see it in the United States, where I've seen reports of low income American families doing what low income families in the third world do, which is skipping meals, particularly women skipping meals so their kids can eat," Patel said.

He said there is also a boom in Spam and other low quality meats. "There's certainly a sort of downshift in the quality and sometimes, for the poorest Americans, the quantity of food they're able to afford."

Restaurants are also being hit hard by the rise in food prices.

Between February 2006 and February 2008, wholesale food prices have soared 15.5 percent, according to Michael Donohue, a spokesman for the National Restaurant Association. But as of January, menu prices only increased by 3.9 percent, compared with the 5.8 percent increase in grocery store prices.

Donohue said some 133 million Americans eat out every day. "The typical adult eats at a restaurant nearly six times a week, and more than half say eating out is an essential part of their lifestyle," he said.

But restaurants are not making big reductions in portions, making only small moves like not automatically refilling bread baskets or introducing calorie counter options.

"I've seen some anecdotal reports in the press about restaurants saying they're making the portions a little bit smaller in order to save money, but I haven't seen that as a general trend in going into restaurants," said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Wootan said large portion sizes are unlikely to fade away despite increasing food costs since the actual farm value of food is low for restaurants compared to other costs, such as labor, advertising and transportation.

"So if you pay a dollar for an order of French fries only about 20 cents goes for the potatoes, the oil and the salt," she said. "When a restaurant sells a large fry instead of a small fry, the cost of the potatoes themselves adds only a little bit of cost and all their other costs of doing business stay the same. So companies make a lot more profit off of big portion sizes."

President George W. Bush caused a stir earlier this year when he blamed India's growing wealth and demands for better food for raising food prices. But many worldwide pointed the finger back at Americans' tummies.

But author Patel said ironically it is the poor in America that are driving consumption.

"Yes, portion sizes are large in the U.S., but people who tend not to have choice about portion sizes are people who are on lower incomes who buy prepackaged food, which comes in those fixed portion sizes," Patel said. "Blaming the consumer for what is available on the market isn't a satisfactory explanation for why there's a food crisis."

Patel points the finger at large-scale agribusiness, whom he believes is profiting from the crisis.

To be sure, tight worldwide food supplies also weigh.

"U.S. food consumption hasn't changed in 10 years," said Ephraim Leibtag, a U.S. Department of Agriculture economist. He contends the problem is really due to rising worldwide consumption while supplies are not keeping pace.

But Leibtag did agree that U.S. food consumption is high.

"Potentially, and this is up for debate, a benefit of higher prices is lower consumption, and, in this country, that actually would not be a bad thing overall."

Monday, July 14, 2008

Paten Trim - Proven Fat Loss Formula

Paten TrimPaten Trim is only one of many kind of diet pills available on the market. Most of these diet pills claim that their products supplied with clinically proven ingredients. So, what the different of Paten Trim from others?

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Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Stylish, Good Quality Prescription Glasses but at Affordable Price!

Zenni Optical $ 8 Rx EyeglassesPrescription Glasses are no longer identical to unfashionable glasses but always cost you more. Visit Zenni Optical and prove it. Zenni Optical $ 8 Rx Eyeglasses, yes, it starts at $ 8. Zenni Optical sells Incredible Stylish New Frames from Zenni. This store produces its own frames and sells them directly to you, by this way this store save a lot of marketing cost and be able to sells you prescription glasses at a very affordable price.

Not only good at price and highly fashionable, this store’s frames also come with Variable Dimension Frames. Yes... again from Zenni, one brand widely known, popular and envy by its competitors for its unbeatable prices. Materials for frames are high quality materials from monel metal alloy to memory titanium. Just visit zennioptical.com to get your stylish, good quality prescription glasses but at affordable price!

You also can find that Zenni Optical was on FOX news!


Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Dior Leads the Way to a Rich, Romantic Fall

Like Chanel, the wonderfully inspired people at Dior are launching the brand's Fall 2008 Impression Cuir makeup collection later this summer – and already, the world of the makeup fanatics (such as myself and so many of
you out there) is alight with speculation, photos and early reviews. Let's have a look at some of the basics of this new and exotic makeup line, which aims to complement designer John Galliano's Dior Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear collection, add a dash of deep, rich color and an extra touch of class to the refined sensuality of the clothes he created.

Galliano's clothing line includes precious python and ostrich skins, as well as crocodile skin patterns – it's therefore little wonder that Impression Cuir guards a bit of the exotic glamor of the animal-inspired patterns and textures by sporting a three-shade eye palette embossed with crocodile prints. The luxury of Galliano's fall clothing line is also preserved in the choice of colors – rich shades of copper, plum and burgundy – which offer an exclusive peek into one of the biggest makeup trends of the coming cold season: the return of the darker shades of lipstick and dark neutral eyeshadow.

If so far we've dabbled in earth tones and light, iridescent or shimmery neutrals, this fall is all about going for darker shades of red on our lips and nails – so keep ahead of the game by treating yourself with some of Dior's luxurious new shades of bronze, brown and beige eyeshadow – or go for one of the new shades of Creme de Gloss in Cream Burgundy or Delicious Plum. For a bolder statement, try a new shade of the trendy Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Lace Beige or Lurex plum – and match it with one of the new Dior Vernis nail polishes in Red Ebony or Mystic Violine. Stay tuned for a more detailed review of the new Dior Fall 2008 Impression Cuir makeup line – coming soon.

Dangerous Weight Loss Drug Hits UK Market

A few months ago, we were talking about the dangers posed by weight-loss drugs and the many side-effects of synthetic appetite-suppressants such as phentermine, which work to make us feel less hungry but also mess with our moods and induce everything from hallucinations to vomiting and seizures if taken for too long. Of course, many of the people – women in particular, but not exclusively – struggling to keep their weight in check or fighting obesity need to start losing weight fast, for fear of developing or worsening other associated conditions such as heart disease or diabetes.

Which means that while for some weight loss drugs are indeed a necessity, in an ideal world we'd only use them to jump-start our weight-loss regime and associate them with a healthy eating plan and plenty of exercise. However, some of the weight loss drugs available out there are simply too dangerous to begin with – the latest example being a pill called Rimonabant (also known as Acomplia, Monaslim, Bethin, Riobant, Slimona, Rimoslim or Zimulti), which was not approved by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States but is legal in half a dozen European states and has just been licensed for general use in Britain.

Rimonabant mainly works as an appetite suppressant and clinical trials have shown that it could help an average of two out of five patients shed about 10% of their body weight. It was approved for use in the UK partly due to the fact that it holds the great advantage of succeeding where the other two main weight-loss drugs usually prescribed to obese patients have failed – namely in patients who cannot tolerate or don't respond to Xenical (which cannot be used by patients with bowel problems) and Reductil (which cannot be used by patients who also experience high blood pressure).

The trouble is, Rimonabant has been proved to pose a serious danger for patients who suffer from depression and are taking antidepressant medication. In fact, some independent studies have warned that Rimonabant can actually trigger severe depression and suicidal thoughts, as well as promote the development of neuro-degenerative diseases of the central nervous system such as Multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, (ALS), Parkinson's and Huntington's. If you have been prescribed this drug, the best thing to do is treat it with extreme caution, don't abuse it and monitor your physical and mental state closely, or ask a friend to help you with that in order to make sure you're not in any danger at any point.

The High-Protein Diet

The High-Protein DietIf you like to keep on top of the latest news in the ever-expanding world of diets and weight-loss, you’ve definitely heard of the much-hyped metabolic typing diet, which claims to determine the rate at which every individual processes food and turns it into beneficial substances that help feed their body.

According to this diet, some people tolerate carbohydrates better, others thrive on proteins and this is what allows them to keep their weight under control. We will be dealing with the metabolic typing in a different article – now, however, it’s time to have a look at what a low carb, high protein diet can do for us in terms of weight management.

The simple answer is – it can do a lot. Protein foods are recommended when it comes to sticking to an eating plan aimed to help you lose those excess pounds – primarily because they need more time to digest and therefore keep us feeling full for longer. Generally, a normally balanced diet includes about 50% calories from carbs and 15% from protein.

However, if you're looking to restrict your refined carb intake and cut back on bread, rice, pasta, potatoes or cereal, you can try to aim for a different ratio – about 30% carbs and over 50% protein. Dairy is essential – you will be needing more calcium than usual if you’re following such an eating plan – and you can easily choose skimmed or low-fat versions over full-fat ones to keep the fat in check.

A high-protein diet involves eating mainly lean red meat, fish, chicken, eggs, dairy, seafood or tofu. Basically, two out of three daily meals would be made up of protein (usually the lunch and an early dinner) and one small meal with a small amount of carbs – cereals or rice for breakfast would be a good choice. You need to be careful, though: high protein diets can raise blood cholesterol levels and expose you to a higher risk of developing heart disease, so it’s important to have regular blood tests and exercise as often as possible.

Japanese Company Offers Wedding Services into Space

Wedding Services into SpaceStarting with 2011, the Japanese company First Advantages will be able to provide wedding services at altitudes as high as 100 kilometers above ground. First Advantages recently signed a contract with the American aerospace company Rocketplane, which will be in charge of providing the means to propel the soon to be happily married couples into space, for a truly out of this world experience.

Strange weddings are nothing out of the ordinary anymore, since people get married on a daily basis in some of the weirdest possible places. Forget about churches! Underwater will do just fine, as well as while falling out of the sky during a skydive. However, getting married into space will certainly go down in the history books, although there may be some legal problems that currently prevent such actions.

The legal issues will most likely be solved in the next two and a half years or so, when the first such flight is scheduled, but couples willing to get their destinies tied into space may have some problems regarding the funds required to complete such a flight. Simply put, First Advantages is currently charging 1.1 million sterling pounds for a one hour space flight.

Except for the people getting married during the flight, First Advantages will also provide the opportunity to include two guests and a priest, as part of their 'Premium plan'. Of course, prior to the flight, the couple and their guests will have to go through a four day training period. Additionally, First Advantages will provide a wedding dress and organize a party on the ground, as well as live broadcast the wedding ceremony.

For 1.1 million pounds you wouldn't think there are too many people willing to get married into space, albeit First Advantages will certainly not feel the lack of costumers, especially considering the nature of their services.

The first couple to get married into space will be Cindy Cashman and Mitch Walling. "I came up with the idea over a year ago. While I was meditating, an idea popped in my head to be the first person to be married in space, so I started taking action to make my dream a reality," said Miss Cashman.