Senin, 31 Desember 2018

How to Focus Better: A Guide in 6 Steps

Focus! It’s not just for cameras. Life takes smarts to do it right. And not just smarts, but enough attention to actually learn something new. Or allow your creativity to create wonderful new realities for you. Or take sustained action. Or just put more than two thoughts together.

You can focus on many levels. If you’re creating a Black Curse to send all the inhabitants of the Enchanted Kingdom to a fishing village in Maine, you might need to sustain your focus for weeks or months. For that, you need project management, or Get-it-Done Groups. That will be a separate exercise.

Today, we’re talking about short-term focus. The kind of focus you need if you just want to write a coherent blog post. Or take your weekly deep dive into a fascinating new aspect of the mating habits of naked, blind mole-rats. Or come up with a strategy for convincing Eliza Dushku to make a guest appearance on your podcast.

Focus Is Hard. Really Hard.

Focus is a skill. And in a world that’s trying to distract you at every turn, you need to treat it like a skill. Practice. Really practice. So let’s break it down. We’ll master the “micro-skills” that go into focus.

Micro-skill 1: Eliminate External Interruptions

If you’re going to focus, you’re gonna focus. Take a moment and list all the ways the outside world can stomp on your psyche. Let me help:

  1. Your smartphone can pop up notifications, blings, and bings. Turn on Do Not Disturb mode, put it on silent (turn off vibrate as well), or just turn the entire thing off.
  2. Your computer can pop up notifications, blings, and bings. You probably need to work on your computer because everyone needs to work on the computer.
  3. Helpful coworkers knock on your office door. Close it and put a sign up saying “Non-emergency interruptions will be fed to my pet.” Don’t specify what the pet is. That makes it much scarier.
  4. Helpful boyfriends, girlfriends, spousal equivalents, and polyamorous family units knock on your home-office door. Close it and put a sign up saying “Non-emergency interruptions mean no nookie tonight. Letting me work undisturbed, however, makes me especially cuddly.”
  5. Your kids can demand you drive them to soccer practice. Which is weird, because they don’t even play soccer. Surgically implant GPS trackers under their skin and send them out to play wherever they want. All kids used to play that way. The world is far safer now than 20 years ago. They’ll be fine.
  6. The cat can demand to be let out. This is a cat we’re talking...
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Minggu, 30 Desember 2018

4 Ways You and Your Child Can Win the Bedwetting Battle

One of the most delightful milestones in parenting is successfully toilet-training a child. Every experience is different, but in the end when a child finally realizes he can use the toilet instead of his pull-up—the celebration might well go on for days!

As exciting as it is to see your child wearing underpants instead of a diaper, for some kids the triumph is short-lived. Although she is quite capable of using the toilet throughout the day, unfortunately she might not have the same success throughout the night due to a condition simply known as bedwetting.

Bedwetting, also called nocturnal enuresis, is a common condition affecting 20% of 5-year-olds, 10% of 10-year-olds, and 3% of 15-year-olds. There are several medical reasons why this condition occurs, so it’s important to start there in discussing remedies that can help your child (and you as a family) to not let this condition dampen your spirits.

The Mayo Clinic’s article on bedwetting explains this condition to be involuntary urination while asleep after the age at which staying dry at night can be reasonably expected.

Further explained in this article are some of the causes of bedwetting:

No one knows for sure what causes bedwetting, but various factors may play a role:

  • A small bladder. Your child's bladder may not be developed enough to hold urine produced during the night.
  • Inability to recognize a full bladder. If the nerves that control the bladder are slow to mature, a full bladder may not wake your child—especially if your child is a deep sleeper.
  • A hormone imbalance. During childhood, some kids don't produce enough anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) to slow nighttime urine production.
  • Urinary tract infection. This infection can make it difficult for your child to control urination. Signs and symptoms may include bedwetting, daytime accidents, frequent urination, red or pink urine, and pain during urination.
  • Sleep apnea. Sometimes bedwetting is a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which the child's breathing is interrupted during sleep—often due to inflamed or enlarged tonsils or adenoids. Other signs and symptoms may include snoring and daytime drowsiness.
  • Diabetes. For a child who's usually dry at night, bedwetting may be the first sign of diabetes. Other signs and symptoms may include passing large amounts of urine at once...
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Jumat, 28 Desember 2018

Should Writers Keep a Journal?

Today we're going to talk about keeping a journal.

If you're an aspiring writer, you've probably heard that writers should keep a writing journal. The first time I kept a real writing journal was in my freshman English class in college, but since it’s a new year, and I’m sure many of you have made writing resolutions, it seems like a good time to talk about journaling.

What Is a Writing Journal?

Keeping a journal is a very personal thing, so I'm going to give you guidelines and advice based on my experiences, but know that whatever works for you, is the right thing for you to do.

The idea of keeping a journal is that writers need to write, and you don't always have assignments or projects underway, or you have ideas that aren't fully formed and need to be worked out. Your journal is where you work out those ideas or write when you don't have anything formal to write about.

An Ideas Journal

You may keep a journal on hand to write down those flash ideas that come to you out of nowhere: a great topic for a blog post, a great title for a short story, or the perfect background detail for your main character. That's the kind of journal I keep these days.

A Daily Journal

Or you may set aside 15 minutes every day to write in your journal as a way to stay disciplined or get in the writing spirit before you start working on you “real” projects.

A Freewriting Journal

I know one author who loves to freewrite a bit before he starts working on his novel. Freewriting is when you sit down and force yourself to write whatever comes to mind without stopping for a set time. It often helps people brainstorm or overcome writer's block.

A Dream Journal

Some people have frequent dreams and keep a notepad by their bed to write down notes.

Some people have frequent dreams and keep a notepad by their bed to write down notes as soon as they wake up. Cherise Wolas, a novelist I recently interviewed for a bonus episode, keeps a phone by her bed and uses it as a sort of journal to write down dreams or ideas she gets when she wakes up in the middle of the night, and then she compiles them every morning into something more permanent.

Other people like to write before...

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5 Easy Ways to De-Stress After the Holidays

Now that the last package has been unwrapped and the holiday rush is behind you, grab your favorite beverage and cozy up in your family room or wherever you can enjoy the beautiful decorations you worked so hard to deck your halls with, and take a breather. 

As exciting as the holidays are, for many it comes with an exhausting price tag. The week between Christmas and New Year’s is a wonderful time to unwind and just “be." If you and your family went full throttle during the season, here are five easy ways you can kick back and de-stress.

5 Easy Ways to De-Stress After the Holidays

  1. Play Board Games
  2. Schedule a Lazy Day
  3. Head to the Library
  4. Spend Time with Nature
  5. Go On a Spending Diet

Here’s a closer look at each.

1. Play Board Games

If you’re craving some good, old-fashioned fun that won’t break the bank, get your favorite board games out and make an entire afternoon or evening of it. With all the technology that encompasses our lives, sitting down to a great game of Checkers or a staple game like Monopoly or Scrabble can help un-frazzle your harried holiday mindset.

2. Schedule a Lazy Day.

Forget about your errands and to-do list and give yourself the day (or even a few) off post-holidays. Stay in your pajamas, drink hot cocoa all day long and do nothing but watch your most loved movies, indulge in a winter nap, soak in a hot bubble bath and just chill out with your family.

3. Head to the Library

With our busy schedules, we can often neglect one of the biggest gems in our very own community—the local library. Treat your kids and yourself to a trip to your library and pick out some fun reads or family classic DVDs to start the New Year with.

4. Spend Time with Nature

Winter, no matter what region of the country you may live in, is one of the most beautiful seasons of the year. The air is crisp, and if we’re used to being cooped up in the colder temps, we don’t get to appreciate the great outdoors nearly enough. Enjoy a brisk walk on the beach, or visit a new park in an area that you never frequent. Breathe in the coolness and feel renewed when you listen to the quiet rustle of the trees in the still winter air.

5. Go On a Spending Diet

If you strayed a little off your holiday budget, and the incoming bills have you fretting, make a pact to go on a “spending diet” and only pay your regular bills and buy your basic necessities. Try to live off of the food you already have...

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7 Beliefs of Emotionally Healthy People

We all know the basics of being healthy: eat well, exercise, and get some rest (especially when you’ve got your country’s 500th anniversary to plan, your wedding to arrange, your wife to murder, and Guilder to frame for it) because, as they say, if you haven’t got your health, you haven’t got anything.

But how to improve the health that happens between our ears? Today, we’ll do a checkup of seven beliefs emotionally healthy people hold.

Two big footnotes on this. One: no one carries around all these beliefs all the time, without exception. We each struggle in our own way. So don’t be alarmed if you think your own belief system could use some shoring up: Nobody is 100% healthy 100% of the time. Two: I’ll be the first to say there’s no rigidly definitive list of healthy beliefs. But IMHO, these are the biggies, so let’s count them down, leaving the most important for the end.

Belief #7: “I can stay the course.”

This belief gives rise to two attributes: grit and self-control. Grit is staying the course long term: it’s doing difficult or tedious stuff over months or years in service of a larger goal. You might make a commitment to study algebra every night, even if you hate it, to get your GED. You might bring your lunch to work and skip Starbucks for a year in order to save for that Alaska cruise. You might perform your standup routine to some lost German tourists, a couple of drunk guys, and the heckler who’s always there in order to further your comedy career.

By contrast, self-control is staying the course short term: Call this resisting temptation. It’s keeping your cool even when the bank teller seems to be working in super-slo-mo. It’s not taking the bait of the guy with the facial tattoo taunting you from the end of the bar. It’s sticking to your diet even though the Cheesecake Factory’s Oreo Dream Extreme made an appearance in your actual dream.

Don’t get me wrong, we all fall prey to temptation and instant gratification. I fritter away an embarrassing amount of time online myself. But to build our grit and self-control muscles, just like real muscles, we have to exercise them.

Why are grit and self control so important? Because some wishes can’t be instantly granted through Seamless or Siri: A career. A loving relationship. Good health. All these things take time and staying the course to be built and maintained.

Belief #6: “I can do things I don’t feel like doing.”

You can tell this is a Savvy Psychologist list because of this entry. This belief, in my opinion, is the best-kept...

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Kamis, 27 Desember 2018

How to Use an Asterisk

Today we’re talking about the asterisk: how you use it and how it differs from other footnote symbols.

What Is An Asterisk?

The asterisk is the little star symbol above the “8” key on your keyboard. The word comes from a Greek word meaning “little star.” (1) In the past, asterisks were used to show the omission of a letter or a passage in time, but that role has largely been taken over by the ellipsis.

It’s also commonly mispronounced. The right pronunciation is “aste-risk.” You’ve probably heard it pronounced like “aste-rix” or “aste-rick,” but it’s “aste-risk.” (2) 

How to Use An Asterisk 

When you use the asterisk as a footnote symbol, it shows that you are planning to comment on something at the bottom of the page. You’ve made a promise, so you’d better keep it. The first rule for using asterisks is if you use one, make sure the reference starts at the bottom of the same page.

Unfortunately often, advertisements will have an asterisk that doesn’t refer to anything on the page. It leaves you wondering what the restrictions are. If the ad reads "Zombie Repellant, 20% off,*" and the asterisk refers to nothing, you wonder whether the discount only applies on certain days or for certain people. Does the discount apply if the zombie apocalypse has already begun? Are zombies themselves excluded from the offer?

Chuck Tomasi pointed out that Rich Hall, author of the "Sniglets" books, made up a name for the feeling you get when you encounter an orphan apostrophe: asterexasperation. And here’s a little-known piece of trivia. Arnie Ten, the artist who drew the illustrations in the "Sniglets" books, was also the artist for the first two Grammar Girl books. He's the one who first brought Squiggly, Aardvark, and the peeves to life, so to speak.

Using an Asterisk as a Footnote Symbol

So, do asterisks differ from other footnote symbols, like numbers or letters? Yes. The Chicago Manual of Style says to use asterisks if you have just a handful of references on which you’re planning to comment. (2) You can also use asterisks when you need to avoid using numbers or letters for indicating footnotes.

However, if you have more than one comment on a single page, you typically use a set of symbols in a specific order. One common sequence is to start with the asterisk and continue with the dagger, double dagger, section mark, parallels, and number sign. If you need more symbols, you start...

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Who Was Baron von Steuben? An Unknown Revolutionary War Hero

Aside from George Washington himself, perhaps the most remarkable character in the story of Valley Forge is the Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Agustin von Steuben. In American history he has gone down as a great Prussian general who arrived in America to train its armies. The fact is he was a conman and a spy for the French government. But yes, he played a tremendous role in America winning his independence.

Von Steuben was indeed an officer in the Prussian army. With the possible exception of Great Britain, Prussia in the 1760s and ‘70s had the finest military in the world. It was said that Prussia was an army with a country, as opposed to a country with an army. At the head of it was Frederick the Great. As his name implies, he was an excellent and successful general. He personally trained his troops, who exhibited the best discipline. Von Steuben saw combat as part of this army. But he never rose past the rank of captain, and for several reasons, including scandal, von Steuben was broke and unemployed by the time the fake baron arrived in America.

In June 1777, von Steuben was a 47-year-old drifter looking for a job. In Paris, Benjamin Franklin, trying to negotiate a military alliance with France, saw an experienced officer. The portly Falstaffian von Steuben might impress the ragtag Continentals, so Franklin created a new portrait of the former captain, who suddenly was a lieutenant general and right-hand man to Frederick the Great. The French government offered him a second job, as a spy to report back on what was really happening in the revolution across the ocean. With his newly enhanced resume and rank, von Steuben set sail.

When he arrived on American shores, von Steuben made quite the impression: With money borrowed from Beaumarchais, Steuban had purchased his Percherons and—unfamiliar with the color of Continental uniforms—outfitted his entourage in dazzling scarlet jackets and black bicornes sporting plumes and cockades. The horses and stylish retinue would serve as a sign of “Gen.” Steuben’s importance, and the entourage included his tall, lanky 17-year-old military secretary Pierre Éntienne du Ponceau, rumored to be Steuben’s lover and the only member of the party who spoke English. Also traveling with the baron were his personal French chef, his African servants, and his chief aide-de-camp, the former French army lieutenant Louis de Pontièr.

Von Steuben and his entourage made their way to Valley Forge, where in February, Washington warmly greeted the grandiose lieutenant general. And there and then, an amazing transformation took place: von Steuben adored George Washington and fell in love with this bedraggled but devoted army and with...

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How to Clean Your Microfiber Couch

Lift Spots and Stains

If you just have a few spots here and there, try removing them by rubbing them with artists’ gum—a super powerful eraser that can be found at art supply stores. You can also use an emery board, like the kind that you normally use on your fingernails. Gently rub the file across the stain a few times to remove the mess.

Stop Stains Before They Start

The second you spill something on a microfiber couch, think fast. Grab some cornmeal (or baking soda) and apply to the spot immediately. Cornmeal absorbs grease and other liquids and will keep them from staining. Pour on enough to cover the soiled area and let it sit for 15 minutes, then vacuum up. Repeat again if necessary.

How to Clean Super Dirty Microfiber

If you have black marks all over your microfiber sofa from dirty hands, food spills, and other family disasters, here’s not to get rid of them. There are two types of microfiber, and they should be cleaned in different ways. First, vacuum the couch or other item using a soft brush attachment to suck up any loose dust and debris. Then check the tag on your microfiber item.  If there’s a “W” on the tag, you can go ahead and use water and soap to clean it—couch cushion covers can even be thrown in the washing machine and then air dried or dried on low in the dryer (just the instructions on the tag). If there’s an “S,” you’ll need to use a solvent-based cleaner, because water could even stain the fabric. If you have an “S,” here’s what to do: Spray rubbing alcohol over any soiled areas using a spray bottle. Scrub using a rough sponge or old toothbrush, and the stains will lift right off. The fabric should dry quickly, but if it seems hardened or discolored afterward, simply stroke it with a toothbrush or soft scrub brush until it’s back to its velvety form.

Keep Furniture Fresh

Upholstered sofas and chairs often get a musty odor from day-to-day wear, especially if your kids and pets romp around in the cushions. For a simple freshening up, sprinkle a bit of baking soda over the upholstery, between and underneath the cushions. Let sit for a few hours or up to a day, then suck up the remaining soda and debris with a vacuum. Or, just stick a dryer sheet under the cushions!

For more cleaning tips for around the house, check out our Cleaning Tips board...

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6 Writing Resolutions for 2019

When identifying New Year’s resolutions, there are a multitude of personal and academic areas upon which you could focus your sights. Whether you’re an aspiring novelist or just trying to improve as a student or employee, developing yourself as a writer can be a great goal for 2019. Here are six writing resolutions to try.

1. “I will set small, achievable writing goals.”

Identify why you would like to improve your writing, as well as the specific items or tasks you hope to accomplish. This could be the completion of your first novel or the creation of a blog. Whatever your aim, use your large core goal to then form smaller, short-term goals. Setting incremental goals is a great way to ensure your ultimate goal feels more attainable.

2. “I will create a writing routine.”

Setting short-term goals is a fantastic first step, but to be successful, you will need to develop a routine that you can follow every day. Does it work for you to sit down and write as soon as you wake up in the morning? Are you a night owl who only becomes inspired after midnight? Whatever you can see fitting most naturally into your day, make that your routine. You’ll be more likely to achieve your goals if you have a set schedule. You might also incorporate a specific study space into your routine. Having a set spot with all your writing necessities can make it easier to focus and reach your goals.

3. “I will spend more time reading.”

Often, frequent reading correlates with strong writing skills. Reading is an important way to expose yourself to different writing styles, points of view, and ideas. Reading can provide a source of inspiration, and it can introduce you to a variety of writing techniques and strategies. Additionally, reading can greatly expand your vocabulary.

Often, frequent reading correlates with strong writing skills.

4. “I will be open to feedback.”

Letting other people read your work can result in great insights for you. The key, though, is that you have to be open to their suggestions. Don’t get defensive—listen to the feedback, and consider how it might help you improve. Writing is personal, so it can be difficult to avoid taking criticism personally. But, if you resolve to recognize the value of the feedback—even when it’s negative—you’ll open your mind to new ideas that will help you improve.

5. “I will explore new writing styles.”

You may focus on specific types of writing, whether fiction, poetry, or something academic. However, you can help yourself grow creatively by trying different styles. Research writing...

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Rabu, 26 Desember 2018

How to Tweeze Your Eyebrows

Use Good Tweezers

To get good brows, you need good tweezers—and the difference between good and bad tweezers is sharpness. Even if you don’t have expensive tweezers, you can keep yours sharp with the help of a nail file or emery board. Just scrape it along the edge of your tweezers to keep them nice and sharp.

Defining Your Brow Line

Defining your brow line with a pencil and a little plucking is a great way to open up your face and make your eyes sparkle. But how do you know where your brows should begin and end? To determine exactly where your brow should begin, imagine a vertical line or hold a make-up pencil straight alongside one nostril. Where the pencil lands by your brow is where it should begin. To work out where the brow should end, imagine a line from the outside of your nostril to the outer corner of your eye, then extend it out to your brow.

Get to Tweezing

There’s no way around it—now you have to pull a bunch of hair out of your head. Use a magnifying mirror to make the job much easier, and try to pull the hair out in the direction that you pulled. If it hurts afterward, apply an ice cube to the area. Make sure to clean it thoroughly to prevent pimples.

Take Care of Unruly Hairs

If you have some eyebrow hairs that are particularly long, you may need to trim them (use the smallest scissors you can find). If you don’t want to trim them, you can also groom them with a toothbrush (yes, really). Spray it with a bit of hair spray and use it as an eyebrow brush. Alternatively, just use a little dab of petroleum jelly—or even lip gloss in a pinch—to run along your eyebrows to keep a sleek, sophisticated line.

For more all-natural remedies from all around the internet, check out our Health and Beauty Tips board on Pinterest. And don't forget to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

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How Much Fat Can You Lose?

The other day, I was browsing nutrition headlines when I came across a summary of some new research on exercise and fat loss, which concluded that “it is not possible to lose more than 1 kilogram of fat per month.” (A kilogram is just over 2 pounds).

Not possible to lose more than 2 pounds of fat per month? Most diets promise that you’ll lose that much every week!

Intrigued, I pulled up the actual study, which was published last month in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, and read the whole thing. Weirdly, however, the study said absolutely nothing about the amount of fat that can be lost per month. The researchers were looking at the amount of fat that can be oxidized during a single exercise session.

So, I tracked down the researcher, Dr. Juan del Coso Garrigós, who lives and works in Madrid, Spain. He explained that his comment about it being impossible to lose more than 1 kilogram of fat per month in fact had nothing to do with his recent study. Apparently, it was taken out of context from a different part of the interview, which was also translated from Spanish. It just goes to show you how easy it is for bad information to get into widespread circulation.

As long as I had him, though, I took the opportunity to ask him more about his research. Dr. del Coso Garrigós explained that, when conditions are just right, well-trained athletes can burn about three-quarters of a gram of fat per minute during moderate intensity exercise. The rest of us seem to max out at about a half a gram of fat per minute or 30 g of fat per hour.


How Much Fat Can You Burn with Exercise?

At that rate, it’ll take most of us about 15 hours of moderate intensity exercise to burn a pound of body fat. Exercise for one hour a day, and you can hope to lose about 2 pounds (or about 1 kilogram) of fat per month. Exercise for longer than 60 minutes a day and you could hope to lose more. You can also get your body to oxidize fat by eating less, which forces your body to convert some of its fat stores into energy.

As Dr. del Coso Garrigós confirmed, it is theoretically possible to lose more than a kilogram of fat per month. That said, he and I both agree that losing more than a couple of pounds of body fat per month is both difficult and rare.

The faster you are losing weight, the...

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8 Investing Rules to Follow Even When the Stock Market Drops

After seeing last week’s huge stock market drops, you may have wondered if you’re investing money the right way. Or you may still be on the sidelines, not sure how or when it will be a good time to get in the game.  

I received a question from Sagar R. who says, “I have a unique situation. I’m 35 years old, from another country, and have never invested. I fear recession is around the corner every year and just put my money in the bank. How can people like me get started investing?”

Another question comes from an anonymous Money Girl Podcast listener who says, “I have about $50,000 sitting in a savings account. I haven’t put it in an IRA because I’ve been worried that I’ll need the money. But I’m also worried that I’ve waited too long to start investing because I’m in my 40s. How should I manage this money?”

In this post, I’ll answer these questions with recommendations for how to invest money wisely, even when the market is volatile. You’ll know exactly how much to invest and where to put your money so you create financial security without taking too much risk.

8 Investing Rules to Follow Even When the Stock Market Drops

  1. Clarify the purpose of your money. 
  2. Know the difference between saving and investing.
  3. Start early and small. 
  4. Don’t try to beat the market. 
  5. Be diversified to cut risk. 
  6. Focus only on what you can control. 
  7. Use tax-advantaged accounts for faster results. 
  8. Choose investments based on time horizon

Here’s what to know about each investing rule.

1. Clarify the purpose of your money.

There’s one rule of investing that you should always remember: Never expose money to more risk than is necessary to accomplish your goals. So, take a step back and be clear about why you’re investing in the first place. Determine when you’ll need to spend the money you plan to invest, because that determines what you should do with it.

Historically, a diversified stock...

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Selasa, 25 Desember 2018

How Do I Know If My Tap Water Is Safe?

The tap water we drink, cook with, and bathe in typically comes from either surface water sources like streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, or from underground sources like aquifers, permeable rocks that can store and transmit water. A range of dangerous pollutants have been found in this water, including bacteria like e. coli, toxic algae, lead, sulfur, excess iron, and general dirt and grit, that are known to lead to a host of health issues from gastrointestinal problems to neurological disorders, as well as reproductive issues.

So how do these contaminants get in our water in the first place? And how can you, as an individual, know whether or not your tap water is safe for you and your family to drink?

How Does Drinking Water Become Contaminated?

According to the Center for Disease Control, the most common sources of contamination in the US water system are related to local land uses and manufacturing processes. For example, fertilizers and pesticides used on farmland as well as contributions from livestock, can leak into surface water sources if not carefully monitored. Sewer overflows as well as any malfunctions in septic systems can also lead to contamination. Some other chemicals, like arsenic, occur naturally and so their levels also need to be checked.

Ironically, massive rain can also affect the supply of clean water. Earlier this month, 1.5 million Chileans living in the city of Santiago were left without water because massive amounts of rain led to mudslides and flooding which brought contaminants into the Maipo River, a major source of drinking water there.  

See Also: Should You Drink Tap or Bottled Water?

How Do I Know If My Drinking Water Is Safe?

In the U.S., keeping our drinking water safe from contaminants is largely the job of the Environmental Protection Agency. Luckily, the EPA has a variety of programs and searchable maps that make checking the contaminants in your water as simple as typing in your zip code or picking up the phone to dial their hotline. However, the EPA is facing huge proposed budget cuts under...

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Forget Multitasking! How to Get Things Done with Parallelism

image of man using parallelism instead of multitasking to be more efficient

It causes me great anguish to admit it, but sometimes you can’t work less and get more done. Some things just take a certain amount of work. If you’re making lemonade out of all the lemons that life handed you, you just have to squeeze a lot of lemons. No matter how smart you work, life simply demands that you squeeze all those lemons. Completely. Even if you’re allergic to lemons and they make you sneeze. Life can be cruel.

Even though there’s no real way to work smarter, you might be able to work faster. You do that by finding ways to do things in parallel.

Parallelism: Do Something While Pregnant

Doing things in parallel means doing two things at the same time. Not actually at the exact same time, that would be multitasking, and thanks to the fine scientists at Stanford, we’ve known for almost ten years that multitasking fries your brain and turns you into a semi-coherent vegetable.

Doing things in parallel means that progress is being made on two parts of a project at once. 

Consider babies. It takes nine months to make one of those. And no matter how hard you try, it still takes pretty much nine months. (So if you want one, you better get started. And won’t your shmoopie just cry and cry when you tell them the news! And I’m sure they’re tears of joy. What else would they be?)

But while you (or shmoopie, or your surrogate, or your test tube) are busy growing a baby, it all kinda happens automatically. While baby is growing and forming and starting to become a living, breathing being that will someday be a teenager and blame you for all its problems, you can spend your time knitting exciting clothes for baby, finishing your dissertation, and orchestrating the world’s first version of Bach’s toccata and fugue in D minor for strings and didgeridoo. And that’s parallelism: you’re making a baby over the same span of time as you’re making clothes, a PhD, and a musical masterpiece.

So how do you do parallelism?

Make Things Parallel by Automating

Sometimes you can use automation to make things go parallel. If you run an online business and do email marketing, sending out an email blast can take a few hours. That becomes a few hours you can use to work on something else. Yet work is still getting...

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Senin, 24 Desember 2018

15 Ways to Not Let a Party Derail Your Fitness Goals

A drawing of some people having a healthy time at a party

Parties, get togethers, or special events are a great chance to catch up with friends, cut loose, and have some fun, especially if they arrive during off training season. But, they also bring with them unscheduled overindulging.  And for us fit folks with lofty race goals and big fitness plans, parties can also be a cause for fear of losing all that fitness or backsliding on our goals.

The problem is that partying (especially if it involves alcohol) can be pretty hard on the body.

So here, my friends, is a blow-by-blow plan to arm yourself with the tools you need to ensure you get through each party without any added guilt, shame, lost gains, or unwanted added pounds.

1. Two Days Before The Party

Log as much extra sleep or naps as possible. Being well rested before the party will mean you can have more fun, stay out later (without yawning embarrassingly), and limit the oxidative stress of staying out late. Yes, good quality sleep is important all year round but a good night’s sleep will help make sure that being exhausted doesn’t cause you to have lapses in judgment when it comes to food, alcohol, and exercise.

Be sure to get all your workouts done leading up to the party. Or perhaps even add in a couple extra! Exercise increases endogenous (that is, your own) antioxidant production and can also reduce liver damage from the alcohol you may (or may not) enjoy.

2. The Morning of the Party

Once you have hit the bathroom and put the coffee or tea on, it is time to set some intentions and decide ahead of time what behaviors you will and won’t compromise on later tonight. You have your fitness, weight loss, or performance goals and they are as important tonight as they are any other night. So make a plan.

If your good intentions aren’t crystal clear, you’ll have trouble sticking them. Don’t walk into the party and base your decisions on whims.

If your good intentions aren’t crystal clear, you’ll have trouble sticking them. Don’t walk into the party and base your decisions on whims. Base them on your specific goals and your specific priorities. Write them down while you drink your black coffee or tea (no sugar or milk or you will break your fast and we don’t want to do that—yet). Now put your notes somewhere that you can easily peek at later in the day.

Next, if you live in a cold climate,...

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'Emigrate' Versus 'Immigrate'

Although “immigrate” and “emigrate” seem like a matched pair, they came into English at different times. 

“Immigrate,” which means to come into a new country to settle there, immigrated into English, so to speak, in the 1620s. It came from a Latin word that was a combination of the "im-" prefix plus "migrāre," which meant "to move" and is also the origin for words such as “migratory” and “migration.” When you immigrate, you essentially move in to a country.

Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important it finds homes for us everywhere. — Jean Rhys

"Emigrate" also comes from that Latin root, "migrāre," but didn’t show up in English until the late 1700s. The E at the beginning of "emigrate" means "out." When you emigrate, you’re moving out of a place.

I finally found a setting for despair. So I put it on my schedule for twice a month; I think that's a reasonable amount of time to feel hopeless about everything, about staying here on Earth after everybody who's smart has emigrated, don't you think? — “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” Philip K. Dick

My memory trick is to note that immigrants come “in,” and both "immigrant" and "in" start with the letter I. Many readers also wrote in to note that people who emigrate exit a country, and both "emigrate" and "exit" start with the letter E.

Emigrant Gap photo, Loco Steve at Flickr. CC BY 2.0

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5 Ways to Manage Competitive Parenting

As I sat watching my 13-year-old daughter's practice at cheerleading last week, I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of new moms I see in town and at school events but they don’t run in the same personal circle as I do. All of our daughters are on the winter cheerleading team and were practicing some new stunts for their upcoming competition.

What started as a pleasant time waiting for the girls to finish soon turned in a new direction. As my daughter worked through some jumps and landings, the other two moms started talking quietly among themselves, and since I could overhear most of what they said, not quietly enough.

Apparently they felt my daughter wasn’t as flexible as one of theirs, and in fact wondered out loud if it was because she probably wasn’t taking extra dance classes. Not in the mood to entertain their comments, I kept my mouth shut and tried to enjoy what was left of the practice.

Mind you, this wasn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last time I’ve witnessed catty comments (meow!) about one of my kid’s abilities, but unfortunately these days it goes much further than that while raising kids in such a competitive age.

Remember that kids aren’t kids forever, and once they are grown, your time with and influence on them diminishes substantially.

Parents aren’t just overhearing a snide remark about their own or another child’s performances (both academically and athletically), they’re also struggling to keep up with the Joneses when striving to give their kids the same experiences that their peers are getting.

It used to be that a kid grew up riding his bike around the neighborhood and played on one or two recreational teams in town. Those days are long gone, however, and have been for quite some time. Now the average family is scheduling everything from pre-school flute lessons to chemistry tutoring in a second language, regardless of whether they have the means to do so or not.

Why the desperate need to make sure our kids are entrenched in the cutting edge of school, sports, artistic endeavors, and even community service occasions? Because we want our kids to have the best chance possible at excelling at all that they do—particularly where college admission is concerned. Unfortunately, sometimes we can let our competitive nature get the best of us and dictate just how far we’ll go to make our kids the brightest stars in the Universe.

It’s not possible to remove the many overbearing and competitive parents from the mix. Instead, Mighty Mommy shares five ways you can stay above the fray and manage today’s competitive parents without letting them get the best of you (or your kids!).

5 Ways to Manage...

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Sabtu, 22 Desember 2018

'Stationery' Versus 'Stationary'

One difficult set of words is “stationery” and “stationary.” They are pronounced the same, but mean different things. They’re homophones.

You can trace both words back to the Latin word “stationarius,” which meant “without motion,” and in Latin, it seems to have been used to describe a military station.

‘Stationary’

It’s easy to see how a Latin word that meant “motionless” gives us the English word “stationary,” which essentially means the same thing: “not moving, fixed in one place, still” and so on. 

Almost every big gym has a row of stationary bikes.

You can remember the spelling of this word by thinking that when you are stationary, you are often standing. Since “standing” is also spelled with an A, the association can remind you to put the second A in “stationary.”

‘Stationery’

The story of how we get “stationery” is a little more interesting. 

In the Middle Ages, many villages and towns got goods from traveling peddlers, but as anyone who’s packed too many books on vacation knows, books and other paper products are heavy, so booksellers and people who sold other paper products usually sold them from a storefront—a stationary location, as in a location that didn’t move. That kind of stationary is spelled with an A, but then these sellers became known as “stationers.” Then by association, the products they sold, the stationers’ wares, became known as “stationery” with an E after the name of the people who ran the shops—the stationers.

And as a delightful aside, the Oxford English Dictionary describes a livery company of the City of London formed in the 1400s called the Worshipful Company of Stationers, which was essentially a guild of stationers, and it still exists today, but it’s now called The Stationers’ Company.

The Oxford English Dictionary also says that Stationer (at the time spelled Staciner) was a surname in the late 1200s. If your last name is Stationer, it probably means one of your ancestors was a bookseller, printer, or bookbinder.

“Stationery,” with an E, is paper, usually paper that you use for writing letters or notes, and  “stationery” is spelled with an E because it goes back to the stationers, the people who ran the shops. But if that doesn’t help you...

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Jumat, 21 Desember 2018

10 Creative Ideas for Your New Year’s Eve Party

What to Do If Your Champagne Isn’t Fizzy Anymore

Champagne lost its fizz? Place a raisin in the glass and the last bits of carbon dioxide that remain will cling to the raisin, then be released again as bubbles. You can also try throwing a few raisins into the bottle before you make the final pour.

How Much Booze and Ice You Should Buy

Having a party and wanting to know how much you should buy? Check out our posts on how much alcohol to buy for a party and how much ice to buy for a party.

Balloon-Popping Countdown

We love shaking up our New Year’s parties by incorporating some creative spirit into the mix. Here’s a great idea to keep things exciting: On separate slips of paper, write down one activity per hour of the party—for example “Dance, dance, dance!” or “Karaoke time!” Insert each note into a balloon, then blow it up! Write a time on the outside of each balloon, and when that hour arrives during the party, pop the balloon and begin the designated activity. The balloon-popping countdown to midnight and the spontaneity of the party will be super-fun for everyone. This is an especially fun activity for kids—try popping a bunch of bubble wrap as one of the activities!

Easy DIY “Wine Tags”

Want a fun and easy way to tell your guests’ drinks apart? Instead of buying drink tags, which label whose drink is whose, simply have a dry-erase or child’s marker on-hand and have guests write their names (or a funny message) right on their glass. It will wipe right off after the party. Or, put the sudden end of your child’s Silly Bandz obsession to good use by putting the fun rubberbands around the stems of wine glasses so your guests can tell whose are whose. Or, if your party takes place around a holiday, use plastic decals that you’d usually use as window decorations!

DIY Noisemakers

Why buy noisemakers at the store when you can make your own at home? Check out these easy noisemakers you can make yourself.

Keep Wine Fresh

The secret to keeping leftover wine fresh is removing the air. Instead of buying an expensive vacuum sealer, go the easy route: just put the leftover wine in a mason jar and shut the lid. It will lessen the amount of air your wine is exposed to and keep it fresher longer.

Ice Bucket Trick

It’s nice to keep an ice bucket next to...

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5 Facts About 'Hangxiety,' or Hangover-Induced Anxiety

A hangover is already painful—the headache, the exhaustion, the upset stomach, the grumpiness. You check your phone for regrettable texts, your face in the mirror for regrettable Sharpie drawings, and your hotel room for Mike Tyson air drumming to Phil Collins songs.

But there’s a new hangover symptom that’s having its (groaning, leave-me-alone) moment in the sun: hangxiety.

Hangxiety is exactly what it sounds like: the phenomenon of feeling anxious while hungover. 

It’s like holding a beach ball underwater, only to have it surface with a big splash.

This week, just in time for your holiday office party or your sister-in-law’s annual New Year’s Eve bash, here are 5 facts about hangxiety you can wash down with two Advil and a big glass of water.

Fact #1: Hangxiety isn’t just anxiety about what you said last night—it’s driven by brain chemistry.

Folks who have a beer after work to unwind or down a shot before a party to loosen up know firsthand that alcohol can make you feel calmer and improve your mood, at least at first.

The calming part comes from alcohol’s effect on GABA and glutamate, neurotransmitters that, respectively, slow things down and amp things up. Alcohol increases the effects of GABA, suppresses the effects of glutamate, and, long story short, inhibits our inhibitions, which is why we end up with a lampshade on our head and embarrassing evidence on Instagram.

The good mood part comes from an increase of dopamine and serotonin, the neurotransmitters of the reward system. That’s why drowning your sorrows “works”—a big release of feel-good neurotransmitters means you feel better, at least temporarily.

But the morning after, all that brain chemistry has to rebalance, and the rebound comes with a vengeance. It’s like holding a beach ball underwater, only to have it surface with a big splash.

Specific to hangxiety, the morning after the calming effects of suppressing glutamate and increasing GABA, the opposite effect occurs. Anxiety-like symptoms such as an elevated heart rate, sweating, feeling shaky, and nausea, not to mention simply feeling restless and worried, all hit like the wrecking ball that is now inside your skull.

For what it’s worth, hangxiety isn’t limited to humans. The same effect has even been found in mice. In a study published in Behavioural Brain Research, a team of scientists injected a group of mice with enough alcohol to induce a hangover and another group with a neutral...

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Kamis, 20 Desember 2018

What Does 'Yule' Mean?

Today, we’re going to get into the Christmas spirit by talking about the word “yule.”

You’ve probably heard this word hundreds of times. “The Christmas Song,” for example, celebrates “Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” suggests we “Make the yuletide gay.” 

You can even spend hours in front of the TV, watching the virtual “yule log” on YouTube. We get that. We’ve done it too.

In any case, what does “yule” mean?

Yule Means 'Christmas'

This word is a synonym for Christmas. If you wish people “Yuletide greetings,” you’re wishing them “Christmas greetings.” And that weird ending? That’s just an old-fashioned way of saying “time.” “Yuletide” means “Yuletime.”

The roots of “yule” go back a long way. It comes from the Old English word “geol,” which referred to Christmas day or the Christmas season.

It’s also related to the word “geola,” which referred to the months of December and January. A seventh-century monk known as “the Venerable Bede” is the first recorder of this word. He described how the ancient Angles, a Germanic tribe who settled in Great Britain in the 5th century, divided the year into two halves, defined by the solstices. They called the month before winter solstice “Aerra geola” and the month after it “Aeftera Geola.” (10)

(By the way, in case you didn’t know, the summer solstice is the longest day of the year. It occurs on June 21 or June 22 in the northern hemisphere. After that, days get shorter and night gets longer. The winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22, again in the northern hemisphere, and it’s the shortest day of the year. After that, the days get longer and the nights get shorter. For the southern hemisphere, flip those around.)

Many Christmas Traditions Started as 'Jul' Traditions

This leads us further into the history of “yule.” You see, this word is also related to the Old Norse word “jul.” Jul was a festival of the winter solstice celebrated by Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians. In the northern parts of Europe where they lived, the winter sun rises as late as 11 am and sets just a few hours later. We can only imagine how oppressive that darkness was without electric lights. Jul was a celebration of—literally—brighter days to come...

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'Purposely' Versus 'Purposefully'

A listener named Manasi says she has been avoiding the words “purposely” and “purposefully” because she isn’t sure of the difference between them. I know that problem! I used to avoid words like that before I became Grammar Girl, but it’s better to learn how to use them, so let’s break it down because the difference can be subtle. First, both “purposely” and “purposefully” come from an Old French word that meant “intention,” and they’re both adverbs, which means they’re usually describing how you do something: how you do the action of the verb.

'Purposely'

"Purposely" is the word you want when you’re describing something you are doing deliberately or intentionally—something you’re doing on purpose. For example, if you know your sister is always late, you may purposely tell her the party starts 30 minutes earlier than it really does so she gets there on time.

A lot of times when a package says "Open Other End," I purposely open the end where it says that. —Comedian George Carlin

Marston, dressed in a black pullover and jeans, sat and spoke before a purposely blurred and indeterminate background. —“The Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes,” Howard V. Hendrix

'Purposefully'

"Purposefully" describes the action or demeanor of a person who is determined or resolute. If you want to convey a message to your brother across the dinner table without speaking, you may purposefully raise your eyebrows.

Examples of ‘Purposefully’

Here’s an example from the book “Will Tanner: U.S. Deputy Marshal”: 

He walked purposefully toward the horse, looking it in the eye as he untied the reins from the rail.

It seems to me that “purposefully” is usually describing some kind of physical action like walking, looking, staring, speaking, and so on, but that’s not a hard-and-fast rule. You can also do things like communicate...

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5 DIY Moisturizing Foot Masks to Get Your Pre-Winter Feet Back

Oatmeal and Brown Sugar Foot Mask

This foot mask is almost good enough to eat! In a food processor, pulse together a quarter cup of rolled oats and a quarter cup of brown sugar. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in a quarter cup of honey, one tablespoon of lemon juice, and one tablespoon of olive oil. Divide the mixture into two Ziploc bags, and place your feet in the bags. Massage the paste into the feet, and leave for 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

Super-Moisturizing Foot Mask

If you have extremely dry skin, try this ultra-hydrating overnight foot mask. Mix together a tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon of cocoa butter, and the contents of three vitamin E capsules. After a shower, while the pores are still open, massage the mask into the feet, covering with socks. The next day, you can rinse with warm water. Your feet will feel silky smooth and moisturized!

Cucumber Foot Treatment

Feet getting rough? You’ll love the way they feel after this treatment: In a blender, combine two small cucumbers, the juice of one lemon, and three tablespoons of olive oil. Divide between two large plastic freezer bags, then place your feet inside and secure around your ankles with rubber bands. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, rinse off, and pocket the money you would have spent on a pedicure.

Peppermint Foot Scrub

Here’s a great scrub that will both soothe and exfoliate crusty winter feet. In a small bowl, add one cup of sugar and begin drizzling in two to three tablespoons of grape-seed, or another neutral oil, until you have a coarse, damp mixture. Stir in five drops of peppermint oil until well blended. Store in a Mason jar, and to use, rub a tablespoon or two onto the soles of your feet.

Vegetable Oil Foot Treatment

For the softest feet you’ve ever had, try this before-bed routine: Rub down your feet with vegetable oil, then put on some old socks. When you wake up, the oil will be gone and your feet will be super soft.

See also: 5 Hair Masks That Cure Dry, Winter Hair

For more all natural remedies from all around the internet, check out our Health and Beauty Tips board on Pinterest. And don’t forget to sign up for our ...

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The Three Sons George Washington Never Had

A dramatic and poignant story within the story of Valley Forge is about George Washington and his surrogate sons. He did not have children of his own, and turning 46 and married to Martha Washington, he would not. But at Valley Forge he was surrounded by three very young men totally devoted to him—one of them the Founding Father you never heard of.

Marquis de Lafayette

Let’s start with Marquis de Lafayette, all of 19 when he snuck out of his noble family in France, sailed to America, and presented himself to George Washington. George Washington was impressed by the young man, one reason being he could look him in the eye. Washington was 6'4''. The average male height at that time was 5'5'', 5'6''; Marquis de Lafayette was 6'3''. He was an idealistic, energetic young man, looking at Washington and saying “I want to join your army.” The two met when the 19-year-old, sporting a major general’s sash, brashly introduced himself to Washington in Philadelphia's City Tavern on the last evening of July 1777. Elegant and slim, with full lips, an upturned nose, and a prematurely receding hairline, Lafayette charmed Washington with his youthful brio for poetic pronouncements as well as his ability to segue from diffident self-abasement to fervent ambition in mid-sentence. Adding to this was the cache of his physical stature. Washington invited Lafayette to join him the following morning for a tour of the Continental defenses along the Delaware River.

The American general was certainly not blind to the diplomatic advantages of befriending a well-connected French nobleman. Yet Washington, whose own youth was rife with romantic paeans to justice and fair play, also saw something deeper in Lafayette’s earnest devotion to American liberty.

“The happiness of America is intimately connected to the happiness of all mankind,” the marquis had written to his wife upon making landfall in the United States. Even if Washington expressed such sentiments less floridly, they were very similar to his own. By the fall of 1777, the courageous and reckless 20-year-old was a major general in the Continental Army and Washington doted on the coltish French nobleman. In the Battle of Brandywine, Lafayette was wounded. When Washington heard this, he sent a surgeon to the front with the instructions “treat him like you would treat my own son.”

Washington was reluctant to let Lafayette go when he was ordered to invade Canada. In the middle of winter 1777-1778, the French nobleman was told to go to Albany where an army would await...

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Rabu, 19 Desember 2018

Interested in a Career in Mental Health? Fields to Focus On

There are a variety of interesting mental health fields to choose from, many of which are currently growing and should therefore provide good career prospects for the future.

Interested in becoming a mental health worker and advocate? If so, read on for the rundown on some of the top fields in this industry you should weigh up today.

School Counseling

For starters, there is a growing need for, and support of, school counselors right now. If you’ve always liked the idea of working with children, this could be a good option for you. Complete relevant qualifications, such as this online Master’s in School Counseling, and then investigate roles in elementary or secondary schools.

So many students require assistance from mental health practitioners because of all the violent attacks occurring at schools and other spots around the country lately. Increasing numbers of students are witnessing, victims of, or otherwise affected by violence, and need support in turn. In addition, there is a need for counselors at schools because there is more understanding of the link between mental health and learning results. That is, educators have realized that students often need counseling to cope with personal crises (these could be at school or in their home life), so they can concentrate on their schooling and study effectively. School counselors also often work with students who have behavioral issues, learning difficulties, or special needs.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology

If you’d prefer to work in a business environment, consider becoming an industrial-organizational psychologist. People in this field must understand how businesses are organized and how employees and managers work and interact within them.

Also known as occupational psychologists, people in this specialty concentrate on helping groups to work more productivity together and more harmoniously. They help increase people’s levels of job satisfaction across all sorts of organizations, from small businesses, to Fortune 500 firms, to government departments, to not-for-profits.

Get a job in this area and you will likely work on things such as designing more efficient and people-friendly HR policies, screening workers who apply for jobs, evaluating business models, learning about different management theories, and more. Work is done with individuals and teams, too.

Forensic Psychology

Do you love watching crime shows on television or reading the latest crime novels? If so, you...

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7 Ways to Treat a Sore Throat

The Root to Recovery

Osha, a plant used medicinally by North America’s mountain dwellers for ages, is a little known health miracle. It has enough health benefits to warrant a front row seat in your medicine cabinet. Osha is commonly sold in raw, capsule or liquid extract form but you can also buy cough syrup made with osha root. Get your hands on a piece of this plant if you can find it at your local natural food store and it will become your new favorite natural remedy. Gnawing or sucking on the root will do wonders to coat and soothe the soreness in your throat. Keep in mind, however, that kids under six and breastfeeding or pregnant women should refrain from taking osha root.

Gargle with Aspirin

Aspirin does more than just relieve headaches! If you have a sore throat, dissolve two non-coated tablets in a glass of water and gargle. Just be sure to note that this only works with aspirin—don’t try it with other pain relievers like ibuprofen.

Honey and Cinnamon

Everyone hates a sore throat, so here’s the best remedy we know: Fill a shot glass with honey, then warm it in the microwave for about 10 seconds on high. Stir in a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon, then drink. Repeat this delicious method for a few days and it will help your poor, aching throat.

Vinegar and Honey

To cure a sore throat in a day or two, mix equal parts vinegar and honey and take one tablespoonful every two hours.

Lemon and Honey

Relieve your sore throat with a time-tested home remedy. Slice off two-thirds of a lemon and place it on a shish kebab skewer or barbecue fork. Set your gas stove to high and roast the lemon over the open flame until the peel acquires a golden brown color. (This works on electric stoves, too, although not quite as well.) Let the lemon cool off for a moment, then squeeze the juice into a small cup. Add one teaspoon of honey, mix well, and swallow.

...

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8 Steps to Doing a Burpee

This is how to do a basic burpee.

  • Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with your entire body weight aligned over your heels, and your arms hanging loosely by your sides.
  • Drive your hips back (like you are about to sit on a chair), bend your knees, and lower your body into a (nearly) full squat.
  • Plant your hands on the floor, right in front of your feet and shift your weight onto your hands.
  • Hop your feet back to softly land on the balls of your feet in a plank position.
  • Do one push-up.
  • Hop your feet back up to your hands and shift your weight onto your feet.
  • Stand up while reaching your arms over your head and then jump up into the air.
  • Land softly and immediately start the movement again from the beginning.

For some of you out there, that sounds doable. For some of you, that sounds a lot like how you start your day. But for some of us, that sounds pretty darn daunting, to say the least.

But seeing as a burpee is one of the best full body exercises that you can do anywhere without a single piece of equipment, I think it is well worth your time to learn how to do one.

Seeing as a burpee is one of the best full body exercises, I think it is well worth your time to learn how to do one.

So, like eating the proverbial elephant, let’s break this down into manageable chunks. But don't try to get through all these steps in one day, week, or perhaps even month. Some steps may take longer than others. Make sure you have perfected each step before you move on to the next one. 

Step 1: Use a bench or chair.

If your first limitation is that you can’t get all the way down into a squat with your hands on the floor, let’s start by placing your hands on a chair or bench instead. So, instead of getting all the way down into a full squat to start the burpee, only go as low as you are comfortable with and work from there.

Just make sure whatever it is that you are putting your hands on is stable and won’t slip or slide.

Step 2: Step your feet out instead of hopping.

Once your hands are safely planted on a chair, bench (or the floor), the idea of hopping your feet out into a plank position may seem impossible. No problem, simply work on gently stepping them out, one by one, into the plank position and then back under you. You can even practice this one stepping in and out movement for a while before you combine it with Step 1.

If this bothers or causes pain in your wrists or forearms, you can try planting your fists instead of your palms. Keep in mind that this will make the push-up portion less stable but until your wrists are stronger, this is a viable option.

Step 3: Start adding in some hops. 

Once you have...

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Prevent ID Theft: 8 Tips on Credit Freezes, Locks, and Alerts

Every year, more people become victims of identity theft, which can cost money and time to resolve. A study by Javelin Strategy & Research found that 16.7 million Americans were victims in 2017. That’s an 8% increase from the prior year and a record high.

If you worry about becoming an ID theft victim, there are ways to fight back. The nationwide credit reporting agencies—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—give consumers several options for restricting access to their credit data.

I’ll cover eight tips you need to know before getting a credit freeze, credit lock, or a fraud alert. Plus, you’ll learn the warning signs of identity theft so you can act quickly to block fraudsters from wreaking havoc in your financial life.

Criminals only need a few data points, such as your name, address, Social Security number, or credit card number, to steal from you.

8 Tips for Getting a Credit Freeze, Lock, or Alert to Prevent ID Theft

  1. Placing a credit freeze is now free.
  2. Freezing your credit never hurts your scores.
  3. You need three freezes for full protection.
  4. Frozen credit reports can still be accessed.
  5. Thawing your credit may take time.
  6. Credit locks are more convenient than freezes.
  7. Credit locks typically come with a fee.
  8. Fraud alerts now last longer.

Before we cover more detail on each of these credit tips, here's a quick review of what identity theft is and why thieves are after your personal data.

Why Thieves Want Your Personal Information

Here are some of the most common types of identity crime that occurred in 2017:

  • Credit card fraud is the most common type of theft, which happens when a criminal uses stolen credit card information to make fraudulent purchases. 
  • Imposter scams are when a criminal pretends to be someone you know on email, social media, or by telephone in order to get your identifying information. 
  • Mail identity theft has been around a long time and it happens when someone steals your mail or changes your mailing address in an attempt to get your sensitive information.
  • Medical identity theft happens when someone steals your insurance or personal information to obtain medical goods or services. 
  • Mortgage fraud occurs when parties involved in a home loan—such...
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Bloating: The Causes and the Cures

Just about all of us have experienced a bloated belly. But for some people, bloating causes near daily distress. I hear from people all the time who suffer from bloating and want to know what they should be eating or not eating to avoid it. And of course you’ll see magazine and internet articles all the time with hints on foods to avoid to prevent bloating.

The problem is that “bloating” is not just one thing. We use the word bloating to describe a lot of different symptoms and sensations which may be caused by a wide range of different things. 

Joining me on this week's podcast is registered dietitian and digestive specialist Tamara Duker Freuman. Tamara's new book, The Bloated Belly Whisperer, is one of the most useful and necessary nutrition books I’ve seen in quite some time. 

In the book, Tamara discusses ten of the most common types and causes of bloating and offers a self-diagnostic quiz that can help you figure out what might be the cause (or causes) in your particular case. Once you have an idea of what might be causing your bloating, you can customize an approach. Because getting relief really depends on matching the cure to the cause.

In our discussion, Tamara helps us understand the crucial difference between upper abdominal and lower abdominal bloating. We also talk about how to know whether fiber might be the cause or cure for your distress and what specific types of fiber you need to seek out or avoid. There are even some types of bloating that are not related to diet at all but may require a different sort of therapy. 

Click on the audio player embedded on this page to hear our entire conversation. For more information about The Bloated Belly Whisperer, please visit Tamara's website. You can also connect with Tamara on Facebook or Twitter.

 

 
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Selasa, 18 Desember 2018

Grammar Quirks: Laurie Frankel on the Word 'Bobulate'

Grammar Girl: What’s your favorite word and why?

Laurie Frankel: “And” because my favorite sentence structure (a different question, I realize) is conjunctive. I feel like: why use a period when you could use an “and” and a comma and just keep going? Sometimes whole pages go by before I feel the need to start a new sentence.

GG: What’s a word you dislike (either because it’s overused or misused) and why?

LF: Literally. I mean I loved the word literally, back when it used to mean, you know, literally. But when it’s used just as often to mean the-opposite-of-literally, I get really stressed. When people say literally but mean figuratively, it literally makes my head explode. (See? SEE?)

GG: What word will you always misspell?

LF: "Hors d’oeuvre." I had to look it up to type it just now. I also always type "untie" when I mean to type "untie"—damnit! "unite!"—when I mean to type "unite."

GG: What word (or semblance of a word) would you like to see added to the dictionary? Why?

LF: "Bobulate." Because discombobulate—meaning “to confuse”—is, stick with me here, bobulate plus “dis-” (meaning apart) plus “com-” (meaning together, so the opposite of apart). In other words, bobulate could itself mean either “to confuse” or, its opposite, “to clarify.” Confusing, right? (Or clarifying! See? Apt!) And there’s precedent. Befuddle and fuddle both also mean “to confuse.” So do bewilder and wilder. I swear I’m not even making any of this up.

GG: Any grammar pet peeves we should know about?

LF: I dislike sentences that end with a preposition, especially “at.” There are no exceptions to this rule.

GG: To what extent does grammar play a role in character development and voice?

LF: It’s huge. Huge. It accomplishes so much, so efficiently, and so symbiotically because you’re also doing plot at the same time, like "literally" with the same words, so it’s a pretty neat trick. To wit…

GG: Do you have a favorite quotation or passage from an author you’d like to share?

LF: “Lily, the caretaker’s daughter, was literally run off her feet.” This is the first sentence of James Joyce’s "The Dead," and it’s such charming, brilliant, efficient character development via grammar it makes...

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5 Ways to Experience the Holidays Differently

The holiday season is a magical time filled with excitement and anticipation as families prepare for special moments with their loved ones.

Traditions rich with meaning, such as baking great-grandma’s gingerbread cake, are enjoyed. Families also enjoy starting their own traditions, such as creating whimsical gingerbread houses decorated with colorful gum drops and tinted icing that the kids help decorate.

Regardless of how you’ve celebrated in the past, it’s always fun and refreshing to shake things up and try new experiences.

Whatever you choose to do, see if you can do it together as a family.

Before you get swept away with the holiday rush, here are five festive ways you can experience the season in a whole new light.

5 New Experiences to Enjoy During the Holidays

  1. Try a New Ethnic Dish or Restaurant
  2. Attend a Community Event
  3. Bake New Recipes
  4. Volunteer Together
  5. Get Crafty with Snowflakes

Here they are in closer detail.

1. Try a New Ethnic Dish or Restaurant

One of the best parts of the holiday season is indulging in all the delicious treats and goodies that surround us. Pick one of the days or evenings you’re out Christmas shopping or running holiday errands to try a new restaurant, one that showcases a culture you’ve never tried before. If you love Chinese food, try a Thai place or a Japanese steakhouse instead. Get recommendations from friends and co-workers.

If cooking is your passion, whip up a culinary delight from Germany or France and dim all the lights except the Christmas tree and enjoy the serene ambience as well.

2. Attend a Community Event

Whether you live in the heart of a beautiful city or live in a quaint country town, during the holiday season your community probably offers a variety of entertainment. Tree lightings, local plays, a taste of the town where restaurants and bars come together to offer samples of their signature beverages and dishes, book signings at your library, art shows at nearby galleries, winter concerts at schools or churches, or even outdoor winter festivals with ice skating and horse-drawn carriage rides.

Check your chamber of commerce or town paper for a list of fun and festive attractions that you can enjoy in your own backyard.

3. Bake New Recipes

No matter the winter holiday that you and your family celebrate, grab your mixing bowl and favorite cookbook or online food site and choose some delicious new recipes to bake. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. If you...

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Why SoulCycle Isn't Worth Your Time or Money

Before I dive in, let’s start with this. In the same way that I have pointed out in my previous articles about BODYPUMP, OrangeTheory Fitness, CrossFit, and Pure Barre, if you are trying to meet all of your body’s movement needs with one brand alone, you will run into the same basic problem. One exercise class cannot meet all of our human biological needs for movement.

Our biology is meant to move on every level, plane, and direction, with and without a load, and over across varying terrain and multiple textures. Although every single one of these brands claims to be a “full body workout” it is simply not true. Every one of them fails. And it is not their fault. This is a losing battle.

So, is the answer to spend a fortune attending each and every gym on a rotating schedule? Or is the answer to adopt a lifestyle that incorporates enough incidental movement on a day-to-day basis that these workouts become the chocolate coating on the protein bar, not the protein bar itself? I think you know where I am going with this.

Ok, with that said, let’s get into my experience with SoulCycle.

My First SoulCycle Class

I try not to be a person who yucks someone else’s yum especially when it comes to workouts. Partly because I don’t want to be a jerk (who does) but mostly because I believe anything that gets an otherwise sedentary body up and moving can’t be an entirely bad thing. But I am also an avid cyclist for recreation and for locomotion purposes so the idea of cycling indoors better involve a velodrome or at least a virtual world where I can race against friends and pros.

For those reasons I have thus far in my 40-some years on this planet avoided spin classes. But last night, that all changed at my local SoulCycle location. 

SoulCycle is a "45-minute indoor cycling class that features high-intensity cardio, muscle-sculpting strength training, and rhythm-based choreography." Their website goes on and on from there but I know better than to base my judgement on the marketing jargon of a website, so let’s skip the rest.

It was easy to sign-up for a class online and I luckily have a location within walking (or cycling) distance...

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9 Ways URL Shorteners Make You Memorable

It’s holiday season at Green Growing Things plant store! Owner Bernice has decided to self-publish a book on the safe care and feeding of Audrey II carnivorous plants. It’s entitled “Blooms Without Blood” and she expects it to rocket to the top of Amazon’s list of gardening best-sellers.

Being a savvy businesswoman, Bernice has every intention of getting her book linked to everywhere she can. She’d like the link to be an affiliate link, so she can get paid not just for being the author, but also for placing the distribution link. 

But there’s only one problem. The affiliate link is a mile long. It’s https://www.plantbooks.com/Blooms-WithoutBlood/dp/B00ZQXIZ5WC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1523424203&sr=8-6&keywords=blooms... Get the picture? It’s like Bernice’s first pet bulldog: big, ugly, and incomprehensible. That bulldog made Bernice’s very first Audrey II very happy. 

When you have a long affiliate link like that, you can barely post it anywhere. The link fills an entire social media post. Try to embed it in an email and some email clients will break it halfway through. But you can make it manageable with a URL shortener.

The shortened URL is more than just shorter. It’s nicer and cleaner to look at.

The first URL shortener I ever encountered was http://tinyurl.com. You enter a long, ugly URL like Bernice’s, and TinyUrl gives you back a short, beautiful URL that goes to the same place. For example, https://tinyurl.com/yl9v2e8. You can use the short URL wherever the long URL won’t fit. One click on the short link redirects back to the original long link.

The shortened URL is more than just shorter. It’s nicer and cleaner to look at. It hides affiliate and marketing tags. And if someone copies and pastes the link, they won’t accidentally cut the link off in the middle.

Many services like Twitter, Wordpress.com, Google, and Amazon have built-in URL shorteners to make it easy to refer to the links those sites generate.

2. Use a custom tag for ease

But tinyurl.com/yl9v2e8 isn’t very memorable. Fortunately, TinyURL lets you specify the part after the slash. I call that the “tag.” Bernice happily enters her long URL, and then enters BloomsWithoutBlood as the tag. Voila! Now she should be able to go to http://tinyurl.com/...

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