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Inflammation is one of the most deadly diseases that we can all have.  It provides the basis for many other diseases that you’re more familiar with.  The best thing about Nopalea is that it’s actually totally free to try out if you call 1-800-203-7063.  I’ve done it and I found it to be quite a refreshing drink.  You wouldn’t expect that from a cactus based drink, but it’s the truth!  There’s nothing out there on the market that is as good as this, so if you haven’t sacked up and given it a try then you’re really missing out in your life.  Inflammation needs to go away as soon as possible for you to live a happy and healthy life.

Food is necessary to fuel our bodies, but sometimes we buy too much of it at the grocery store. When your produce starts to go bad, or when you’ve kept those spices around for just a bit too long, or when you thought you’d make a recipe out of all of those ingredients but just didn’t get around to it, there are many other ways you can still use your food instead of throwing it away. Surprisingly, it doesn’t involve eating it either.

Fruits

Before throwing away old banana peels, use them to shine up metals and leathers that you have. Rub the peel against the surface and then polish it with an old cloth. Banana meat is also good for reducing wrinkles. Dab a bit on those trouble spots, let it sit for a while, and then wash it off, and your wrinkles will disappear. Lemons are great to lighten skin and hair. If you have troublesome acne scars, dab a bit of fresh lemon juice on them and leave it overnight. You’ll notice a difference in the morning. Apple slices will help ripen tomatoes quickly when the two fruits are placed together in a paper bag, and orange peels are great fire starters for your next backyard fire pit party.

Vegetables

A slice of cold potato over your eyes can reduce puffiness and redness on your eyelids. Sit with the potato over your eyes as you would with slices of cucumber in a spa. Garlic removes splinters with ease. If you rub garlic over a splinter, it will come right out.

Oils and Condiments

Mustard can make you feel a lot better if you are suffering from a cold. If you use it like a vapor rub and apply it to your chest under a wet towel, you’ll feel better in no time at all. Butter can help you untangle all of those knotted necklaces that are in the back of your jewelry drawer. Just slather some on, watch the necklaces slip apart, and rinse them off. That high-calorie mayonnaise in your fridge that you are trying not to eat because it will ruin your diet is great for getting crayon off of the walls. The next time your kids draw all over, don’t worry. Slather some mayo on there and wipe it all away. Olive oil is a great product for your skin, as well as to quieten creaky hinges. If your dog or cat brings home fleas, using salt is a great way to get rid of them around the house. Just pour salt into the vacuum cleaner and around the baseboards. Let it sit, then vacuum the salt up. The salt dehydrates the fleas and kills them. Be sure to throw away the vacuum bag or empty the vacuum bin immediately, or some of the fleas can crawl back out.

Beverages

Everyone knows the trick of using club soda to get dark stains out of the carpet. But did you know it also works to get pet urine out of the carpet too! Beer is a great hair lightener. If you are out of lemons, try soaking your hair in beer before going outside. Just don’t forget to wash it out afterwards. That old 2-liter bottle of pop will work wonders if you need to clear out a clogged drain. Just pour it down the drain and watch the fizzes do their job of breaking up the gunk. Milk is great for stain removal, especially if your stain is some type of ink. Just soak some into the stain and watch it loosen up.

As you can see, there are so many other uses everyday foods have around the house. So next time, before tossing any food away thinking it is of no use, stop for a moment and think about all their uses mentioned here.

Buzzle: Food & Drink

There are many similarities between autobiographies and memoirs, and often only the most discerning reader can tell the difference between the two. Whether you were assigned the book for a class or you picked it up at the local library because it looked interesting, knowing the difference between autobiography and memoir can enhance your understanding of the text.

Autobiographies

Autobiographies are different from biographies in that the author writes an autobiography about his or her self rather than it being written about them. Autobiographies typically cover a lot of ground in the author’s life. If you are reading the entire life story of the author until he or she wrote the book, you are probably reading an autobiography. The writing in these texts tends to be a bit dry, or less interesting, because so much time has to be covered from start to finish.

Memoirs

Memoirs usually tackle a specific subject or point in a person’s life. If the author wants to tell the story of his or her divorce or illness or any other time or event when the author’s life changed, he or she is probably going to write a memoir. Because it deals with one specific problem that is usually within the author’s recent memory, the writing style in memoirs tends to be more literary and creative, making it easier to read.

Similarities

Obviously, autobiographies and memoirs are nonfiction texts written by the author about specific events in his or her life. The biggest similarity is that the texts are all true. Many authors write autobiographical fiction, which means that the story itself is not true but is based on events that happened in his or her life. While this can be similar to autobiographies or memoirs, the fact that the latter are absolutely true in the eyes of the storyteller sets them apart. Both memoirs and autobiographies can also be very interesting to read, especially considering the events actually happened. As the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction, so reading nonfiction can entice many readers.

Differences

The differences between autobiographies and memoirs, then, are subtle. As stated above, autobiographies often cover a longer time period and, as such, are sometimes more difficult to read. If you are very interested in the history of someone’s life, you may want to pick up that person’s autobiography. If you are more interested in how someone dealt with a specific situation – maybe one you are facing in your own life – a memoir on the subject may be for you. In the same vein, memoirs often tackle tough subjects and don’t necessarily have to be written by someone who is already well known.

Deciding Which One to Write

If you are an aspiring nonfiction author and are thinking about writing about your life, deciding between writing an autobiography and a memoir can be difficult. The first thing to do is to think about the story you want to tell. If you want to tell the story of your entire life, go with an autobiography. If you can look at your life and pinpoint a situation you went through and you feel strongly that you’d like to share that experience with the world, go with a memoir.

From a sales perspective, memoirs are more likely to sell, especially if you are not a well-known celebrity. Celebrities can write successful autobiographies because people want to read their life stories from their perspectives, so they will generally sell well. Memoirs, however, apply to everyone who has been through a similar situation, making them easier to market.

Buzzle: Arts & Literature

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1.) Kendo (Kenjutsu), is the martial art teaching the way of the sword. Now, in real life you are probably not going to be carrying a sword with you everywhere you go, thanks to urban society norms and laws. But, on the other hand, you may like to learn this art as a way to know how to master the use of in hand weapons in general. I mean, even if you can’t carry a sword, if you don’t know how to use a sword, you probably can’t efficiently use a similar weapon; like a jujitsu staff or even a large tree branch. Kendo will indeed teach you to become very efficient in the art of the bladed weapon, however, it lacks some of the defensive teaching (guarding, meditation etc) shown in other martial arts. You can easily learn Kendo and another martial art or two though, it doesn’t take a whole lot of knowledge, just dedication and patience. While some of the move’s can become complex within this art, usually they are not as expansive or diverse as let’s say Tai Chi or even Kung Fu. That all being said, Kendo is a great art and the traditional values of honor and respect are very important elements as well. Many have forgotten about the value of honor and respect.

2.) Tae-Kwon-Do, is a martial art from Korea, speaking the way of fast and reflexive spinning kicks, as well as ethical self-defense practice. They emphasize patience, reflex and dedication, like most martial arts. Tae-Kwon-Do offensive tactics are derived of mainly kicks, although counter arm strikes are also taught in many regions. Defensive stances and guarding is well taught, and well explained. I would say Tae-Kwon-Do is a very diverse martial art, but certainly not the most diverse art. Tae-Kwon-Do can be used with success in self-defense against some street thugs or even moderate fighters, however because it does not teach certain aspects of positive aggression, or channeling aggressive energy, or the balance of aggression and patience, it may be less useful when fighting someone trained in let’s say, S.C.A.R.S or Mixed Martial Arts. The irony is, anybody trained in multiple martial arts will almost certainly be more effective against one with a background of only one martial art. Tae-Kwon-Do does teach decent grapple techniques, and efficiency in a fight, but again, you might wanna add a second choice to Tae-Kwon-Do because it is not the most diverse.

3.) Boxing/Kickboxing – I have put these two into one section since they both are almost identical in their style. One uses the hands and the other the feet, obviously is the only major difference. However, both practice powerful single and multiple strikes, coupled with a close eye on the target and his movement’s. Boxing is usually designed for someone of heavier weight class (190+), although there have been some pretty successful 170 lbs boxers as well. Kickboxing can be achieved by a leaner type as well. Boxing and kickboxing can be very useful upfront against an opponent, and is a great self-defense weapon, but also very narrow and non diverse. For one, the defensive techniques taught by both of these arts, speak not of the circumstances where one is cornered by multiple enemies. The tactics don’t teach the environmental manipulation needed in true real life self defense, and it also doesn’t teach much in the way of patience. Despite the fast-paced nature of boxing and kickboxing, counter-strikes in these arts are not exactly designed to counter sweep kicks, knee strikes or nerve directed attacks. You also aren’t going to go up and put on your boxing gloves against a bear in the forest, or a 5-star ninjitsu master who is going to find some loophole in your move’s and quickly put you to sleep with a long-range attack. Let’s face it, upfront boxing is very effective, but even then, very narrow, and in a real-life sceario, it’s great for when a semi-big dude is going to jump you. But what about three fast thugs who are each armed with a knife and also in theory one could be half as fast as the flash ? Neither boxing or kickboxing teach, how to grab a weapon from an assailant, much less how to use weapons against them effectively.

4.) Karate – Karate is like the root of basic martial arts. It doesn’t teach many complexities at all, but it does teach the essentials and may be a great place to start for some. Before moving into more complex and diverse martial arts, karate may help you become accustomed to some of the general practice’s and elements martial artists use. Now, in real-life scenario’s, Karate may help in some situations. You would have to catch your attacker off-guard for one, but karate does teach a great deal of patience and moderate meditation. Karate can help you interpret your attacker’s next move, by teaching insight. Tae-Kwon-Do also does a good job at this, but again, Karate is a nice transitional movement to the next martial arts. Karate also is good at teaching willpower, and not giving up once you have started. Consistency is very important, as you will become more effective and confident that your skills are second-nature enough to support you in a real life fight or dangerous situation. Karate also teaches basic grapple techniques, and also the blows that will allow you to escape from a dangerous situation. Karate may enable you to take away your enemies weapon from them, in a quick manner.

5.) Ninjitsu – Ninjitsu is a nearly ancient martial art. Not many people practice this art, and have simultaneously mastered it as well. Ninjitsu is diverse, it teaches medication, patience, defensive and offensive strikes, and it teaches great endurance. It teaches insight; knowing the move’s of your opponent and countering them. Ninjitsu teaches hand-to-hand combat as well as weapon based combat, however in the weapon area, mostly we are talking long range weapons or throwing weapons. Ninjitsu teaches the utilization of spiritual energies, and balancing aggression with patience. Ninjitsu is exclusive in that it teaches the art of stealth, something very important in avoiding large armies of attackers. The art also teaches how to target vital nerves in an attacker’s body, leaving them stunned or incapacitated. Ninjitsu also involves modern technologies, such as the use of diversions and smoke grenades. By mastering psychology, a ninja can defeat his opponent first mentally, then physically. This art can be very powerful and very effective in most of all self-defense situations in real life. However, it is not ideal for arena fighting, in which you must rely on heavy weighted attack techniques. Ninja’s by contrast are taller and leaner, rather than bigger and stockier. But this middle class body weight is perfect for a ninja, being you can move fast and decisively, but you must have immense muscle strength to be a ninja. Ninjitsu is probably the best martial art for real-life scenario’s in which you must know the greatest diversities of self-defense tactics. It is not by any means sufficient when fighting in an arena against a boxer or wrestler. You might have a decent chance against a mixed martial artist, but like I said before, one knowing many, will be more efficient against one that only see’s one.

***Sources***
My Own Experience
Reading and Learning

Most Recent – Education – Voices from Yahoo!

Imagine how people would look without a slight smile lighting up their face or the frown that lets you know they are disappointed. What if we weren’t able to let our eyes twinkle in recognition of the one we loved, or laugh out loud to our heart’s content at the petty surprises of life? The picture that comes in front of my eyes just describing this is a cardboard face devoid of any sort of emotions, drained out of life forever. Would you like it this way? Nah! At least I wouldn’t want to have a blank expression on my face 24/7.

I, personally enjoy looking at the different expressions around me; the smiles, the tears, expressions of satisfaction, of excitement, relief and sometimes of guilt. Just observing people in their most human form is enough to jolt me to a state of absolute awakening, especially when my day itself is gloomy.

In our day-to-day life, we try to camouflage our emotions with words. However, there’s a truth in the eyes only a few can see, the words that they speak are silent glimpses to the true emotions we hide. These emotions are nothing but reactions to situations and no matter how hard you try to hide, you will never succeed in hiding these microexpressions.

*Click on the images for a better view.

What are Microexpressions

Expressions that last for less than 1/25th of a second are termed as microexpressions. They are described as brief involuntary emotions experienced by an individual when placed in a ‘do-or-die’ situation. In other words, microexpressions are observed for a minuscule moment on the face of an individual in extreme situations. Apart from the basic emotions like sadness, joy, dread, surprise, disgust, anger, disdain, microexpressions include emotions like delight, embarrassment, exhilaration, guilt, pride, contentment, shame and relief.

Types of Microexpressions

If only one spared a moment to think about the phrase, “Actions speak louder than words”, they would see the truth behind it. Just like a flash of lightning lighting up the sky, a flash of emotion can determine the mood and emotion of the person. Besides, research has shown that about 90% of our communication revolves around non-verbal communication. Microexpressions are classified into three broad categories namely:

Simulated Expression

Facial expressions that are devoid of genuine emotions are termed as simulated expressions. By simulation, we understand that the emotions expressed are forced and not real/genuine. Microexpressions of a forced smile especially to pose for a picture, etc., come under this category.

Neutralized Expression

The individual prefers to have a bland look on the face rather that portraying any sort of emotion on the face. The real emotions are counterbalanced or suppressed in this type of microexpression. A typical bored face sans expression would fit into this category.

Masked Expression

Just like a clown, who has his face plastered with a permanent smile, this type of microexpression is about absolute masking of emotions. This type of expression leaves no scope to portray the actual expressions.

Detecting Microexpressions

Being able to distinguish the truth from the lie is a herculean task and should we say that it takes a lot of practice. As microexpressions last for a fraction of a second, constantly observing them can be a strenuous task. However, the task is not reserved for professionals alone; just about anyone who has a roving eye can catch and detect these microexpressions. The only thing you need to remember is that every time you have a conversation with anyone, keenly observe the person’s face. Ensure you do not appear to be glaring at the person you are observing. You can understand the real feelings of the person with these simple steps.
» A Smile Can do Wonders
A genuine smile is reflected in the eyes of the individual. In case, the smile does not fill up your subject’s eyes, you should immediately understand that they are lying or hiding something from you. Notice the ‘crow-feet’ at the edge of the eyes; that’s where the secret lies!
» Focus on the Window to the Soul
Maintaining eye contact with your subject is very important and this you have been told many a time in the past, but you duly ignored it. The eyes are a sure bet on whether a person is lying or hiding something from you; well, the eyes are not simply called the windows to the soul. Notice the way the eyes move when the subject talks to you. When the person is lying/sad and is trying to hide this emotion from you, his/her eyeballs will constantly move from one corner to the other.
» Ah! The Wrath of the Gods!
How do you understand if you have angered someone? Observe the lips of the person in front of you; if something angers them, it will show with narrowing of the lips into a thin line. Besides, there will be a flash of intense glare in the eye, which will tell you to tread cautiously.
» Twitch twitch!
The slightest twitch should be your giveaway. To catch that microexpression, go with your instincts open; you will observe that twitch in the eye, in the lips and you know something’s amiss.

The only way to catch those microexpressions is to keep your eyes wide open. Besides, knowing how to read microexpressions will help you know if someone is lying to you. By the way, do not stop practicing your skills of micro-observing people around you; after all, practice will make you an expert ‘lie detector’ at least. Here’s where I sign off and get back to my favorite pastime of observing the people around me and leaving you to pursue it too.

Buzzle: Home & Lifestyle

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