How to get your body back after baby [continued]

Working out comfortably
The most important thing is to get back into fitness gradually. Start by investing in a good sports bra. While it's safe to exercise when nursing, you should avoid exercises that make your breasts feel sore–it also helps to work out after feeding your baby when your breasts are less full.

You also need to adapt your fitness regimen to the changes your body went through during pregnancy, says Grace. If you're experiencing incontinence or pain following an episiotomy, pelvic floor exercises will help and you can begin doing them right away. But you should ease back into abdominal exercises, especially if your doctor has told you that you have diastasis recti (a separation between the left and right side of the rectus abdominis muscle, which covers the front surface of the belly area). Head lifts are a gentle ab exercise to start with:

• Lie on you back, knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
• Cross your arms across your belly button, using your hands to pull your side ribs in toward the centre of your body.
• Press your lower back into the floor and inhale.
• As you exhale, lift your chin slowly toward your chest while pulling your abs in toward your spine, keeping your shoulders on the ground.
• Inhale and release slowly.
  

Staying motivated
If you can't find an organized post-natal class near you, start your own stroller fit group or rent a post-natal DVD and do it with a friend. "It really helps keep you motivated if you can get out and meet other mums," says Grace. "You'll also feel more comfortable about your post-partum weight because everyone's in the same boat."

And if you can exercise with your baby, all the better. "Incorporate fitness into your daily routine and make it part of the time spent with your baby," she says. Whether it's baby yoga, aqua fitness, or just dancing around the house with your infant in a carrier, try doing something different every week to help you stay on track. "Variety is the key to sticking with it," Grace says. "After that, just be patient and give your body a chance."

How to get your body back after baby

There's no reason you can't look better than ever after giving birth. Here's how to get your pre-baby body back - and then some.

There were probably days during your pregnancy when you thought your body couldn't possibly expand any further. But, incredibly, it did. And then you discovered that everything doesn't just miraculously deflate once your baby is born. Fortunately, getting back into shape post-baby is possible. Here's how:

Getting started
Depending on your fitness level before and during pregnancy, you may find that walking is all the exercise you need until your six-week post-partum checkup. "Start by walking as fast as you comfortably can for a minimum of 20 minutes," says certified trainer Andrea Grace.

Once your doctor gives you the all-clear, you can begin more strenuous exercise. "Just remember to go at your own pace and modify the intensity of the exercise, working up to three times a week of active movement for at least 20 minutes at a time," says Grace.

Try checking out your local gym or community centre for post-natal fitness classes. "Specialized post-natal classes take into account the changes your body went through during pregnancy," says Grace. "They're not necessarily less intense, they're just paced more slowly. They're also lower impact and incorporate a fuller range of motion, which is safer for your joints."

to be continued.

3 tips for new home buyers

Before you beat a path to the nearest open house, educate yourself on the homebuying process.

1. Buy less home than you can afford. "Just because we might be able to qualify you for it, doesn't mean you should go for the max," the loan officer says. Leave slack for retirement and college savings. Rather than what you want, consider what, realistically, you need: "We, as Americans, got a little bit egregious as to how much house do you get," he says. "The reality is, you got there and you only needed half of it.

2. Think ahead. Since prices are still dropping, be prepared to stay in your new home at least five years. When prices recover, you should at least break even when you sell. Forget about making a fortune on a home. Those days are probably over for a while. And, if your family is growing, get a home big enough to meet your needs five years out rather than going for granite countertops and high-end upgrades now.

3. Stash the credit. If you don't need the tax credit for a down payment, use it to pay down consumer debt, to start a college fund for your kids or to fatten your retirement account.

Where can you get a home for $150K?

There are 125 metro areas where starter homes cost $150,000 or less – sometimes far less. Learn where the homes are, and how you can buy one.

Believe it or not, you can get into a $150,000 starter home with less than $2,500 in savings. You'll need to leverage the new $8,000 federal tax incentive and have at least average credit, but your monthly payment would work out to about $1,000 a month including taxes and insurance.

According to National Association of Realtors economist Lawrence Yun, starter homes are usually priced about 30% below a local market's median. (The "median" is where half the homes cost more and half cost less.) So the most promising cities for families to buy a first home would have median prices of $215,000 or below (as a $150,000 home is about 30% less than the $215,000 median).

According to the NAR, 125 metro areas had a median price of less than $215,000 at the end of the first quarter; you'll find the list below, plus links to find homes priced 30% below each market's median. In some of these markets, that starter home will cost far less than $150,000.

By Marilyn Lewis of MSN Real Estate

10 grossest things in your house [6-10]

No. 06 - Your refrigerator

whole intention of a refrigerator is to prevent grossness (in the form of spoilage and decay) ... so why does yours sometimes smell so foul?

We all let things go and cold temperatures don't actually totally stop the spread of mold, bacteria and the like; they just slow them, since microbes move and reproduce a whole lot slower in the cold.

And, by the way, mold likes to move. So if you have some moldy strawberries in your fridge, there are probably mold spores floating around the air in there, ready to land on whatever else you put in there.

Now you know why plastic wrap is such a good idea.


No. 07 - Your drain

Drains are gross.

Hey, there's a reason plumbers cost so much. Some parts of your home, like drains, just act like giant incubators, as reservoirs for ick.

But what about drain bugs? It turns out your drains may not be quite as disgusting as you think. Most bathroom bugs enter through cracks, crevices and doors. They end up in bathtubs and kitchen sinks only because they get trapped and can't climb out.

Or, maybe because they smell that disgusting, rotting food that's trapped in your kitchen drain or (eek) garbage disposal. Might make sense to give that a good scrub - and make sure you use some bleach while you're at it.


No. 08 - Your toothbrush

Ick. It's probably not what you wanted to hear, but your toothbrush (and anything else left out in your bathroom) may be really, really disgusting.

The reason? That foul beast living next door to your toothbrush. That's right, it's your toilet.

If you don't close the lid when you flush, you can actually aerosolize all the filth (including fecal bacteria) that lurk in the ceramic monster.

And a toothbrush, with it's moist, bacteria-friendly environment and plenty of microbe-ready hiding spots in between its bristles, might be the home of a bacterium's dreams.

Please, just close the lid. Is it that hard to do?

No. 09 - Your sheets

Did you know that you shed as many as 1.5 million skin flakes every hour?

And do you know what really like skin flakes? Dust mites.

That's right, the disgusting, dead-skin eating, allergen-causing bugs are all over your bedding.

And if that's not bad enough, you know what's also possibly a bedfellow? Fecal bacteria.

Thinking that you'd better go home and wash your sheets, like, NOW? Well, be careful: you might want to leave out your underwear.

The washing machine itself can be a source of the above-mentioned fecal bacteria (from underwear and towels) and those germs can and will survive detergent, cold water and a dryer's heat.

To be safe, you can bleach the hell out of everything, scald it in hot water, dry it in the UV-rich rays of the sun and wash your underwear separately from your sheets and towels.

You can also invest in some silver or copper or bamboo-infused anti-bacterial sheets.


No. 10 - Your books and papers

Ever heard of book lice?

They live in paper, but they're not particular: they'll take flour, grain or cardboard if that's all you got.

Also known as psocids, the small, colorless insects feed on the mold and mildew that grow on books.

Relax, they don’t bite humans ... but they are really disgusting and can reach infestation proportions pretty quickly. How quickly? Well, parthenogenesis isn't unheard of in psocids, meaning the females can lay eggs without ever having mated.

It's kind of a favorable trait, if you're looking to build your population.

10 grossest things in your house [1-5]

No. 01 - You

At the end of the day, YOU are pretty disgusting.

Your body is home to a wide array of microbes, from bacteria and viruses to (perhaps even) bugs and parasites.

There are 10 times as many bacterial cells as human cells in the ecosystem that is your body -- and as many as 182 different species of bacteria live on your skin alone.

Yep, if you're looking for the biggest source of grossness in your home, you need look no further than your own fingers, feet and belly button, not to mention those disease-carrying mucous membranes.

Much of your own co-habitants are harmless to you, but can potentially cause problems for other humans. So, if you wanted to be super-safe, you could simply avoid all human contact.

Sounds like a plan.


No. 02 - Your toilet

OK, it's kind of a no-brainer: your toilet is disgusting ... but not as disgusting as it could be.

At least it gets washed out with every flush. Still, everything that goes in there is really gross, and as a repository for pretty much all the fecal matter in your house, it really isn't the cleanest surface.

And what about the infamous toilet seat? Should you sit on it? Look, you probably wouldn't want to lick it, but a toilet seat is far from the dirtiest thing out there.

If your immune system is relatively healthy, you probably won't have to worry about any STDs, common colds or hepatitis viruses that may be lurking.

When it comes down to it, your own skin is pretty good at keeping you safe.


No. 03 - Your vacuum cleaner (and bag)

Your carpet is a perfect home for a lot of nasty stuff.

Wet shoes drag in moisture and dirt, spills lead to mildew and mold, bacteria breeds in the dark recesses. Carpets, particularly those of the wall-to-wall variety, can be pretty nasty: as many as 200,000 bacteria can lurk per square inch (remember that the next time you lie down on a rug).

And where does it all go?

Either in your vacuum's bag or out its exhaust. You throw that bag out, right? But what about the vacuum cleaner's brush? Do you ever clean that?

One study found mold, bacteria and fecal matter in those brushes. Ick.

What can you do? Well, you can clean the brush, invest in a vacuum with a HEPA filter, or maybe even attack things head on with a new vacuum that zaps all your filth with UV light right when it enters the brushes. Who knew vacuums were so high-tech?

No. 04 - Your loofah or washcloth or sponge

You need water to live, right? Well, so do bacteria and viruses.

Microbes generally like humid environments. They also tend to like to hide from the deadly UV rays in light. So what stays wet and has lots of little cavities that get nice and shady and dark?

Why, it's that sponge in your kitchen sink or the loofah in your shower.

Don't freak out too much. Much of the life growing in that loofah has ancestral roots on your own body, so you're pretty well acclimated.

In fact, some of it may be of the "good" kind of flora and fauna, the kind that fight off the bad guys and give your immune system a helping hand from time to time.

Still, a single bacteria cell can multiple into an army of a billion overnight, so maybe it's time to buy a new kitchen sponge, huh?


No. 05 - Your garbage pail

So, it makes sense, right? All the food scraps that you don't eat wind up in your trash.

If you had wanted this stuff to stay fresh so you could eat it, you would have put it in the fridge, but you didn't.

Now, at room temperature and with plenty of organic material to chomp through, bacteria and fungi thrive and your trash bin starts to stink. Spoilage is, in essence, microbe-caused decomposition and everyone knows that garbage pails are full of spoiled food.

So, thanks to those microbes, your trash now also contains a lot of sliminess and smelliness. Not to mention a whole lotta life-forms.

Could your kid be a star?

Judy Goss knows everything about the world of modeling. A former actress and model of Ford and the author of "Break Into Modeling for under $ 20," Goss knows how difficult and can become more competitive. Still, that not more of her shepherd their 4-year-old twin daughters, Dara and Danielle, from audition to audition, hoping they in the business.

"You are very outgoing and theatrical, and identical twins are rare," says Goss, 40, lives in a New York suburb. So she got professional pictures taken by their daughters, and has hours-long lines with them, hoping they will land a coveted place on a commercial, TV or print ad. (So far, they have a common bit part on "Law and Order," back when they were children.)

As the economy falters and unemployment rises, the prospect of implementing your children to work - in the world of acting, modeling or even beauty Festival - may seem more tempting than ever. But would-be stage mothers and fathers should take note: Your child help for the heavy investment of time and money. It is usually the parents to share portfolios slow children from audition to audition and contacts in the modeling world. And it may take years for the family to see any substantial income, if at all.

Goss, who is also a spokeswoman TheCuteKid.com, a web portal for kids interested in modeling, says that lately she has hordes of parents feed their offspring with only a brief encounter with a casting agent. "One could pay enough so that we never have to worry about the school," says Goss. "You get an allowance every time the commercial airs, so you could for a long time." Twins, she notes, have even more potential. (Olsens, anyone?)

There is the potential upside that the parents moves. Take 12-year-old Ashton Cline of New Orleans that used to be for more than a year and already has three commercials and a small film under his belt. He has a representative for a certain time and only with Morgit Management in New York. Is he rich? Not yet. "But the potential is amazing," says his mother, Gnanse Nelson.

This is the same way Alan Byrd feels about his daughter Abby. Two years ago, when Abby was 3, she was filmed for a local TV spot. The director praised Byrd and told them they should act so that their parents signed for their classes, the head shots and has her an agent. Since that time, but not much comes. "We have since their introduction in the local theater, but as usual, it's an audition with unpaid roles," says Byrd, lives in Orlando, Fla.

Jennifer Bourgoyne of San Jose, California, is trying to her son, in cash. Cash and his brothers' films have always done because it could be "directed" at 18 months, "says Bourgoyne." Do I want him to be a celebrity all his life? Goodness, no! I hope to get a doctor out of this one.

Judy Goss knows everything about the world of modeling. A former actress and model of Ford and the author of "Break Into Modeling for under $ 20," Goss knows how difficult and can become more competitive. Still, that not more of her shepherd their 4-year-old twin daughters, Dara and Danielle, from audition to audition, hoping they in the business.

"You are very outgoing and theatrical, and identical twins are rare," says Goss, 40, lives in a New York suburb. So she got professional pictures taken by their daughters, and has hours-long lines with them, hoping they will land a coveted place on a commercial, TV or print ad. (So far, they have a common bit part on "Law and Order," back when they were children.)

As the economy falters and unemployment rises, the prospect of implementing your children to work - in the world of acting, modeling or even beauty Festival - may seem more tempting than ever. But would-be stage mothers and fathers should take note: Your child help for the heavy investment of time and money. It is usually the parents to share portfolios slow children from audition to audition and contacts in the modeling world. And it may take years for the family to see any substantial income, if at all.

Goss, who is also a spokeswoman TheCuteKid.com, a web portal for kids interested in modeling, says that lately she has hordes of parents feed their offspring with only a brief encounter with a casting agent. "One could pay enough so that we never have to worry about the school," says Goss. "You get an allowance every time the commercial airs, so you could for a long time." Twins, she notes, have even more potential. (Olsens, anyone?)

There is the potential upside that the parents moves. Take 12-year-old Ashton Cline of New Orleans that used to be for more than a year and already has three commercials and a small film under his belt. He has a representative for a certain time and only with Morgit Management in New York. Is he rich? Not yet. "But the potential is amazing," says his mother, Gnanse Nelson.

This is the same way Alan Byrd feels about his daughter Abby. Two years ago, when Abby was 3, she was filmed for a local TV spot. The director praised Byrd and told them they should act so that their parents signed for their classes, the head shots and has her an agent. Since that time, but not much comes. "We have since their introduction in the local theater, but as usual, it's an audition with unpaid roles," says Byrd, lives in Orlando, Fla.

Jennifer Bourgoyne of San Jose, California, is trying to her son, in cash. Cash and his brothers' films have always done because it could be "directed" at 18 months, "says Bourgoyne." Do I want him to be a celebrity all his life? Goodness, no! I hope to get a doctor out of this one.

How to find your perfect makeup match

Fair: Skin
Soft pink, tawny and beige tones work best for alabaster complexions. L.A. makeup artist Tasha Reiko Brown-Jovel, who has worked with Evan Rachel Wood and Brittany Snow, says to avoid orangey reds and frosty finishes -- "they can make skin look sallow and washed out."

1. Foundation: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk in No. 2. This barely there buff gives pale skin a fresh sheen. $58; buy online.
2. Concealer: Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat in No. 1. Its light-reflecting pigments banish dark circles without looking obvious. $40; buy online.

Fair: Eyes and Cheeks

1. Eye Shadow: Stila in Kitten. A glimmering champagne just dark enough to create eye-opening contour. $18; buy online.
2. Blush: Benefit in Ballerina-Pink. For the most delicate flush, swirl on this soft petal hue. $28; buy online.

Remember to turn clocks forward tonight

Daylight Saving Time (or summer, as it is known in many countries) is a way of increasing daylight by advancing clocks by one hour during the summer. During DST, the sun appears to rise one hour later in the morning when people are usually asleep anyway, and sets one hour later in the evening, seeming to stretch the day longer. The reason is summer time because it works to save energy because less artificial light needed during the evening, time is set one hour ahead during the spring and one hour back to standard time in the fall. Many countries observe DST, and many do not.

Note: Between March-April to September-November is summer in the northern hemisphere, where many countries observe DST in May, while in the southern hemisphere it is winter. During the remainder of the year, the opposite is true: it is winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the south.

Benjamin Franklin first suggested daylight saving time in 1784, but it was not until the First World War in 1916, when it was adopted by several countries in Europe, which initially rejected the idea.

It is difficult to predict what will happen with summer time in the future. Many countries are changing the date and the desire to change the time because of conditions or special events. The United States, Canada and other countries extended DST in 2007. The new start date is the second Sunday in March (before the first Sunday in April) through the first Sunday in November (previously the last Sunday in October).

For more information
See http://www.timeanddate.com/time/aboutdst.html

Parents say that One-armed TV host scares kids

When the BBC hired a very young actress to co-host a daily program for young children, who never expected that viewers complain that the couple could give your children nightmares.

"I did not want to leave my children to see the stuffing bits in the time to go to sleep last night because I know that have played at my daughter in mind and possibly caused sleep problems," one viewer wrote in an e-mail to British television network after seeing Cerri Burnell play and read children's stories.

The viewer of the problem? Burnell was born with an incomplete right arm that ends in a stump below his elbow.

According to a BBC report, the majority of spectators have supported Burnell, who took over on a daily slot on the BBC Children Network, CBeebies, in early February with Alex Winters. But a handful have written to complain to the station of their disability. Some say it may scare the children. Others accuse the network to go overboard for the sake of diversity. Some say they do not want to face these issues with very young children.

Burnell, who is 4 months old daughter, seems unfazed by the controversy. "The children come to me on the street every day and say 'What is that?" I would not say you're scared, but they certainly are curious, "he told the BBC magazine." I always take the time to explain to a child. All they want is an explanation. They want to know 'What is that? "And" What happened? "And" Why are you different? ", Then move."

Barbara Otto, executive director of Health and Disability Advocates, a national organization that lobbies for America, said in a telephone interview that she was surprised when a person like Burnell caused a similar reaction in the United States.

The Americans with Disabilities Education Act has incorporated the largest number of disabled children in regular schools. "We have a community of people with disabilities," he said. "Children go to school with people with different abilities. In the U.S., this would be unprecedented."


Your turn
Åre exaggerating the foster parents to the disabled?


In Britain, experts have observed that young children often have no difficulty in dealing with people who are different. Where adults can turn your head away from someone in a wheelchair, children to walk to them and ask about his chair. Do not ask what is wrong, but rather what it is.

"They recognize that, not look away," Otto said of children. "They wonder what happened, not by fear or horror or disgust. He wants to know what happened. A responsible adult tells them: 'This is what the situation is."

Adult åre the problem?
England has laws similar to those of America. The problem is not with children to adults, but, Mr Bert Massie of Britain's Equality and Human Rights Commission told the BBC.

"I think what is happening is a number of adults who have prejudices, they have very negative views about people with disabilities, and instead of admitting own opinions, which are projecting them to your children and telling the children are doing, "he is quoted as saying.

Otto agreed. "These are adults," he said, noting that Baby Boomers were raised in an era in which disabled people are excluded from society. "People with disabilities were" others. "He went to live in institutions. A lot of that changed from the 1970s and 80s. It is an old concept."

Otto said the reaction to Burnell is symptomatic of a broader problem of parents today are trying to cope.

"This really speaks to a theme we're seeing in parenting today," said Otto. "Given the challenges of being a parent and an inability to control what our children are exposed to, some parents are having a drastic reaction. Perhaps it is a part of it. Some people are struggling to protect their children while can. I guess you see everywhere. Let the people see the home-school their children because they do not want that in an environment where they can not control what they are doing every minute of every day. "

Although the target of complaints, Burnell did not attempt to tell parents how to raise their children. "I never comment on the parenting of anyone or the time to have a discussion with your child about disabilities," he told the BBC. "It's a totally personal thing and people have to do when you feel comfortable doing so. But I just hope, I guess I CBeebies will be an opportunity for them to do so in the comfort of your own home."

generate income by AdSense

One expert suggests that the Thai Internet web masters and young programmers Internet activities to generate income, the recommendation that use free tools such as Google AdSense and affiliate marketing for a total e-solutions business solutions.

According Infogination Managing Director Trawut Luangsomboon, there were some 172 million consumers online average expenditure per capita of $ 372.55 in the U.S. in 2008, rising to 147 million users, with costs 347.57 U.S. dollars in 2007.

Increasing the volume of e-business in the U.S., also pointed to increased online business performed worldwide, he said.

In Thailand, said Trawut e-business will be ready this year as a result of improvements in Internet infrastructure and social media, and thus Thai users would do more business on the Internet.

"Media agencies have talked more about e-marketing to have access to an audience and creating brands," he said.

Trawut noted that Google AdSense and affiliate programs marketing would enable entrepreneurs to learn more and expand into international markets, and this time they will receive income from commissions.

He suggested that to be successful with affiliate marketing, Thai web sites should focus on overseas markets because of their larger size. For this reason, they should make their websites accessible to foreign consumers, for example, using English.

Web masters in Thailand have been enthusiastic about Google AdSense and media agencies had also more advertising channels.

cute valentine's graphics

This site you can get free code of many cute pictures about love and valentines for post on any social network or send to your friends.

See 2009 Valentine's Day Picture and Glitter Graphics
or go to http://freeforhi5.110mb.com/love1.html

Things to know about chinese new year 2009

Happy Chinese New Year!
It is often referred to as the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year and is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays.
It is a time when families and friends get together to say goodby to the old and welcome the new Year.

This Year we call Year Of The OX

Chinese New Year is Jan. 26 2009, which is the year 4707 in the Lunar Calendar (which is a calendar that is based on cycles of the moon phase).

For your family good luck, the house should be cleaned before New Year Eve.
You should try to repay your debts by this time.

If you haven't taken a shower, don't bother. Doing so washed away your good luck.

It's a lucky sign to hear a song bird, red-colored bird, or a swallow.

Do not use scissors as this may cut off your fortune.

Celebrate chinese new year with your friends and family through happyness graphics about Chinese New Year

Strangest Sleep Disorders (2)

"Sleepwalking homicide"

For some, the dream itself can be dangerous. In May 1987, 23-year-old man named Kenneth Parks stumbled into a police station in blood spattered clothes near Toronto, muttering, "I think some people have been killed with my own hands," according to a study Canadian case sleep expert Roger Broughton. Parks was right. Hours earlier, he had beaten his mother-in-law and father-in-law with a tire iron and stabbed with a butcher knife after breaking into her home in suburban Toronto, according to Broughton.

When his murder trial began, Parks admitted to killing his mother-in-law and attempting to kill his stepfather (who miraculously survived the encounter), but said they would not have done if he had been awake in time. Parks was the first defendant to claim should not be held responsible for what they do while sleepwalking because he could not control the actions voluntarily. A jury of Canada agreed with him.

In the years since Parks was acquitted of murder in 1988, dozens of defendants have argued with mixed success are innocent of murder by reason of "sleepwalking murderer," according to a study by Mark Pressman, disorders of sleep and arousal violent behavior: The role of the proximity and physical contact, "published by the Association of Professional Sleep Societies in 2006. Pressman is a specialist in sleep Lankenan Hospital in Wynnewood, Pa.

It has emerged sleepwalking defense in cases of sexual assault. In 2003, Canadian researchers coined "Sexsomnia in a document entitled" A New Sexsomnia parasomnia? " published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry as the name of a rare form of automation in which people carry out sexual acts in their sleep.

The researchers cited the case of an Australian woman to leave her house several times while sleeping and having sex with strangers as an example of the condition. Over the past three years, courts in Canada and Britain have accused acquitted on charges of rape that allegedly suffered from "sexsomnia", according to news reports.

Strangest Sleep Disorders (1)

In May, Rhett Lamb, 3-year-old from St. Petersburg, Fla., did something that nobody thought he could: the dream.

Cordero, who apparently suffers from a single strain of a rare neurological condition known as Chiari malformation, had never slept for more than an hour or so in one leg since he was born. In many cases, the condition causes severe insomnia cycles separated by periods of chronic fatigue. Unfortunately, only Cordero experienced the first half of the cycle. After addressing the risks of experimental surgery in May, Cordero was finally able to get a good night's rest, according to local news reports.

Not everyone is so lucky. In 2005, sleep disorders caused 684 deaths in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Mortality data tablets. In many cases, how and why they kill people sleep disorder is a medical mystery.

Images: The strangeness of Sleep Disorders

The surreal death of more than 100 healthy adults in the U.S., mainly in Minnesota, is perhaps the most mysterious of all. Since 1977, hundreds of Southeast Asian immigrants in the U.S., mainly ethnic Hmong from Laos, have died from a mysterious disorder known as sudden unexpected nocturnal death syndrome, or Sunds reported by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The victims were mostly men in their 30 years of age or older, apparently in good health when he died in his sleep for no apparent reason.

"The victim has no history of disease, and there are factors that may precipitate a heart attack," the History of Disease Cambridge notes. At autopsy, no cause of death can be identified in the heart, lungs or brain. Toxicological tests revealed no post poisons. "

Syndrome remains a medical mystery. Shelley Adler, a professor of integrative medicine at the University of San Francisco, California, School of Medicine, speculates that the cataclysmic psychological stress caused by war, migration and the rapid acculturation created harrowing nightmares among Hmong refugees who died. In other words, may have nightmares killed.

The Hmong refugees who survived long enough to migrate to the U.S. has more than enough fodder for nightmares. During the Vietnam War, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency used the Hmong to fight a war against communist forces in the mountains of Laos. But like several other rare diseases, no one really knows why the Southeast Asian refugees dying of Sunds.

Fatal familial insomnia

Take fatal familial insomnia, a rare genetic disorder that affects sleep less than 50 families worldwide, according to the Merck Manual of Medical Information.

A healthy person in his mid-50s, has trouble sleeping a normal night. The next night is worse, and the next is even worse. In turn, the days and weeks of sleep regimes shrink to less than one hour a day. The retraction of the person for a small pupil size. Men become impotent. To turn weeks or months, the ability to dream disappears completely. A bit of genes inherited from their ancestors tricks your brain to think the body is always awake. You can close your eyes or lie down to rest, but they never literally "dream" again, according to numerous case studies, including one by Ann Akroush in Case Studies in Virtual Genetics.

Hallucinations and paranoia take hold and begin to deteriorate into a state of dementia, according to the Merck Manual. Shortly after falling into coma, as the fog and, fortunately, to die. The whole process can take as little as seven months or up to three years. There is no known cure.

Australia offers 'best job in world' on paradise island

SYDNEY (AFP) - An Australian state offer the world what it calls "the best job in the world" - and a salary for lazing around a beautiful tropical island for six months.

The work paid 150,000 Australian dollars (105,000 dollars) and includes free air tickets to the winner of the country of origin to Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland state government announced Tuesday.

In return, the "guardian island" will be asked to walk the white sand, diving on the reef, to take care of "some small tasks" - and to report to a global audience a week blogs, photo and video updates newspapers. The candidate, who will stay rent-free in a three-bedroom home from the beach with pool and golf buggy, must be a good swimmer, excellent communicator and be able to speak and write English.

"They also speak to the media from time to time on what they do they can not be too shy and they love the sea, the sun, the outdoors," said Prime Minister Paul Lucas repairs. "The fact that they will be paid to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swimming, snorkeling and live in Queensland makes this way of life, without a doubt the best job in the world." Lucas said that the campaign was part of a campaign to protect the state from 18 billion Australian dollars a year, the tourism industry during the difficult economic situation caused by the global financial crisis.

"Tourism traditional advertising does not cut it and sometimes you think outside the box by the launch of this campaign." Queensland Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said some people might wonder if it was risky to let an unknown person became a spokesman unofficial tourism for the state. "I think the biggest risk is that the candidate did not want to go home at the end of the period of six months," she said. "This is a legitimate job, which is open to anyone and everyone." Applications are open until 22 February. Eleven candidates will be made to Hamilton Island in early May for the final selection process and the six months starting July 1.

Job-seekers can apply on Islandreefjob.com

Kitchen Cleanup Tips

Cover the counter.
To limit the mess when preparing meat, chicken, or fish, consider lining countertops with butcher paper (buy it from your supermarket meat department), then fold it up with the scraps and toss it when you're done. The plastic coating keeps juices and goop from seeping onto the counter, saving you one messy cleaning chore.

Tap into phone time.
Place the gear for a cleaning project — say, mineral oil and a cloth for oiling the cutting boards — near your phone to remind you to tackle it the next time you find yourself on hold with your credit-card company, author Joni Hilton suggests.

Cook simply.
"The recipe you cook for Tuesday night is not the recipe you cook on Saturday night," says Chris Kimball, founder and editor of Cook's Illustrated magazine and host of America's Test Kitchen (on PBS stations). For Kimball's family, weeknights call for one-pot meals (soups, stews), dishes cooked fast on high heat (stir-fries, sautés), or pastas, with fruit for dessert. He saves the elaborate, messy meals with multiple side dishes — and bowls and pans and cleanup — for the weekend.

Fill the sink with hot, soapy water.
Then, as you work, drop in the tools and dishes you've used and let soak. (Put knives in a tall glass or other container so you don't risk cutting yourself later.) When it's time to straighten up, a quick drain and rinse often does the trick.

Cook cleanly.
Line baking and roasting pans with foil or parchment paper to save scrubbing later. Find parchment paper at the grocery store or parchment pan liners online at www.webstaurantstore.com; $6.50 for 100. Slip a piece of foil or parchment between a pot's rim and the lid to keep the lid spotless. Coat measuring cups and spoons with nonstick spray so sticky ingredients, like peanut butter, molasses, and honey, slide right out and the cups and spoons clean up easily. After washing meats or vegetables that will go into hot oil in a skillet, limit the sizzling (and avoid getting spatters of oil all over every nearby surface) by thoroughly drying them with a paper towel before adding them to the pan — or use a spatter shield over the pan.

Clear the clutter.
After dinner, gather the odds and ends from the rest of the house that have found their way onto the kitchen counters, the top of the refrigerator, or the floor, then put them all in a basket and have a helper find their homes. Drop little I-don't-know-where-to-put-this items, such as toy parts and twist ties, into a pretty bowl that can serve as a temporary catchall. (A clutter-control solution you might consider when you have the time: Remove all the utensils, appliances, and tea cozies you never use from your most accessible drawers and countertops and store them somewhere else, like the basement or the garage, in clear plastic bins with labels marked CAKE BAKING, THANKSGIVING, whatever.)

Run the dishwasher before bed.
Placing similar items together in the machine means you'll make fewer trips around the room to empty it. Sarah Aguirre, a mother of five and an adviser to the housekeeping section of About.com, runs her dishwasher after dinner and tries to empty it every night before bed (or else before making breakfast) to keep dishes from piling up in the sink with nowhere to go. What could be sadder — except you, having to face them in the morning?

Clean up in stages.
Keep a bowl beside your cutting board to toss scraps into as you work, containing the mess instead of spreading it over the counter. When you're done, empty it, clear away any dishes you've used for pre-prep, and put away ingredients you don't need before you begin to cook. Do a similar deck clearing at each stage, if you can, to make working easier and buildup lighter.

Wear your towel.
Tuck a towel into the waistband of your apron (oh yes, wear an apron). Then you won't have to search for it when you need to wipe up small spills, which in turn won't sit around becoming sticky blobs that need scrubbing later.

Use your downtime.
While the water is boiling, the oven is heating, or onions are softening in the pan, you can be doing small-dose cleaning: Load the dishwasher to clear the sink; wipe up that spill; sweep the kitchen floor. You'll thank yourself later.


Set and bus your table like a pro.
Use a rolling cart — whether wicker, wood, or a little red wagon — to carry dishes and silverware to the table, then clear it of dirty dishes, in one trip each way. This is a chore kids are often eager to help with, says Hilton, a mother of four. At the very least, teach everyone to clear and rinse his own plate.

Keep the refrigerator clear.
A crowded refrigerator is an invitation to spills from things knocked over as you rifle through it before dinner. Start labeling and dating leftovers (with a grease pencil or masking tape and a pen) when you put them away and there will be no more wondering whether the salsa is past its prime. So excavation isn't needed every time you put groceries away, clear the shelves each week before you head to the market. And try a trick for keeping shelves neat from Joni Hilton, author of Housekeeping Secrets My Mother Never Taught Me (Prima Lifestyles, $18, www.amazon.com) and founder of the cleaning-products company Holy Cow: Use large bins to corral like items — smoothie fixings, jams and jellies, sandwich condiments, lunch meats, and cheeses. "It's amazing how clean your fridge stays," she says. And you'll spend less time trying to find the mustard.

10 things to do in January (continued)

6 Inspect your seasonal decorations
When you put them away, look for missing hooks or broken bits on balls and wreaths. You can probably fix them yourself, but if you can't, get rid of them now and use this as an excuse to go shopping again. There will no doubt be serious bargains to be had.

7 Restock the liquor cabinet
You may have used up a lot of your mix and stand-by offerings like vodka, rum or scotch. It's always nice to have a few sweet after-dinner bottles as well, and they may also be close to empty now that the guests have gone.

8 Take care of your dinner party accessories
Polish the silver and pack it away carefully. Check table linens for small holes before washing them and putting them away. Don't bother putting them away if they need to be mended. It's easier to take care of this stuff now, rather than adding it to your to-do list when you're in the throes of getting ready for the next holiday.

9 Deal with your pictures
Take that film in if you used a traditional camera or download the precious ones if you've gone digital. If you wait till after the next celebration, you'll feel overwhelmed by them all. Sit down now and edit the great ones from the less-than-stellar and make a plan for them all. As you create a file, e-mail them to people who were in the shots, as a way of saying thank you for celebrating with us. (You'll kill two birds, as they say; see number 10.) And if you're going to hang on to all the shots yourself, pick up a few photo albums now.

10 Send thank-you cards
Keeping on top of holiday notes can be tough when you're in the middle of planning, celebrating and shopping. But now that things have slowed down, there's more time to draft short missives of gratitude. Do it -- you'll feel good about it.

10 things to do in January

The festivities are over -- all the family dinners, open houses, soirees...poof, done! Here are a few things to do around the house this month while you have some downtime.

1 Review presents and hostess gifts
Of course your friends and family love you and were grateful for your hospitality, but no doubt you don't really need all the tokens of affection you received. Surely someone else could make better use of that collection of tea, those pot holders or that picture frame? Hold on to what you love, by all means, but get rid of the rest by dropping it off at Goodwill, Value Village or your favourite charity.

2 Tapers, tea lights, scented...
Candles make the season and since you've probably gone through a whack of them, replace your stock now. They don't have a shelf life so it'll be one less thing to shop for next year.

3 Move the furniture
You may be surprised what you find there. Take the cushions off sofas and chairs, vacuum along the wall behind the furniture and then turn your attention to the inside of the furniture itself. After the hosting you've done, no doubt it needs it.

4 Sort your CDs
Are there songs or compilations you wish you'd had at your last get-together? Are there CDs you just never listen to anymore? Now's the time to get rid of those and make a list of the titles you want to add to your collection. Look online –- some of your favourites may be on sale now.

5 Clean out the fridge
All those half bottles of olives, maraschino cherries, and other garnishes that you use only for special occasions… Those opened containers of sauces, dips and marinades that don't work with weekday meals… why hold on to them? The next time you need them, they will probably have passed their best-before date. Either plan menus around them or get rid of them and don't feel guilty about it.

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