Pirates spoil Utley's return

Pirates spoil Utley's return - Chase Utley did everything to help the Philadelphia Phillies win except pitch middle relief.

Utley homered in his first at-bat of the season, but the Pittsburgh Pirates spoiled his return by connecting three times and beating the Phillies 11-7 Wednesday night.

Michael McKenry hit a three-run homer and Andrew McCutchen and Casey McGehee also went deep for Pittsburgh. The Pirates set season highs for runs and hits (14), all against the Phillies' maligned bullpen.

''It was a good first step, but obviously winning would've been ideal,'' Utley said.

Utley missed the first 76 games this year because of a chronic problem in both knees. He had three hits, but it wasn't enough on a night the Phillies got more encouraging news about their injured stars.

Former NL MVP Ryan Howard will start a rehab stint on Thursday night and two-time Cy Young winner Roy Halladay is making progress and could throw off a bullpen mound next week.

Until they're all healthy, it won't be easy for the five-time defending NL East champions.

Pittsburgh Pirates' James McDonald throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 27, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen takes off his gloves after striking out against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Raul Valdez in the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 27, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

James McDonald (7-3) allowed four runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings. It was the first time in 15 starts this season he allowed more than three runs, and his ERA climbed from 2.19 to 2.44.

McKenry drove in a career-best four runs and the Pirates feasted on Philadelphia's pitching.

''I'm not trying to do too much and hit what they give me,'' McKenry said.

Reliever Raul Valdes (2-1) started for the Phillies, who were out of starters because of a doubleheader Sunday. He allowed three runs and two hits in two innings in his second career start. Joe Savery came in and gave up five runs in 2 2-3 innings. He was optioned to Triple-A after the game.

''There were doubts about our bullpen,'' Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. ''We felt like with what we had in the minors, this could give us more flexibility. But it backfired. We got lit up.''

The Phillies entered with a 4.41 bullpen ERA that was 25th in the majors.

''We have to get our bullpen straightened out,'' Manuel said.

Utley can't help in that department.

The Phillies took a 2-0 lead in the first when Utley and Carlos Ruiz hit back-to-back homers.

Utley drove a 2-2 pitch way out to right-center. He got his third standing ovation in a 15-minute span and came out for a curtain call after circling the bases and getting mobbed by teammates in dugout.

''It was pretty exciting,'' Utley said. ''The fans were awesome and it was nice to hit the ball hard my first at-bat.''

Ruiz then hit a drive to left for his 11th homer. That had another sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park buzzing.

It didn't last.

McKenry connected off Valdes in the second to put the Pirates ahead 3-2. McGehee homered off Savery in the fourth and McDonald helped himself with a two-out RBI single to extend the lead to 5-2.

Neil Walker, Jose Tabata and McKenry had RBI singles in the fifth to put the Pirates up 8-2.

But the Phillies rallied against McDonald in the sixth. Hunter Pence had an RBI double and Shane Victorino singled him in to cut it to 8-4.

Jimmy Rollins lined an RBI triple off Jared Hughes with no outs in the seventh. Tony Watson came in and Juan Pierre singled for his 500th career RBI. Utley followed with a single and Ruiz lined an RBI single to right field that Tabata appeared to lose in the lights, cutting the deficit to 8-7.

Brad Lincoln entered and preserved the lead. He struck out Pence, retired Victorino on a fly ball and fanned pinch-hitter Jim Thome.

McCutchen hit a two-run drive off Chad Qualls in the eighth, sending many fans home.

Utley sat out the first 46 games last year before returning to have the least productive season in his career. He batted .259 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs. The 33-year-old second baseman has a condition called bilateral chondromalacia that can't be fixed surgically.

Howard tore his left Achilles' tendon making the final out in the last game of 2011 against St. Louis in Game 5 of the NL division series.

Halladay has been out since May 29 because of a strained latissimus dorsi muscle on the right side of his back.

NOTES: The Phillies plan to call someone up Thursday to replace Savery. They used their entire bullpen except closer Jonathan Papelbon in this loss. ... Manuel said he won't start Utley on Thursday afternoon and plans to give him a day off every three games. ... INF Michael Martinez was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Utley. ... Phillies RHP Mike Stutes had shoulder surgery Tuesday and likely will miss the rest of the season. ... The Pirates won for just the third time in the last 19 games in Philadelphia. ... McCutchen leads the majors with a .456 average (31 for 68) against lefties. ... Phillies had their 260th straight sellout, counting postseason play. ... McKenry is 9 for 14 with two homers and six RBIs in this series. ... A.J. Burnett (8-2, 3.24) tries to win his eighth straight start for the Pirates on Thursday afternoon. Kyle Kendrick (2-7, 5.24) goes for the Phillies. ( The Associated Press )

READ MORE - Pirates spoil Utley's return

How an Atlanta Woman's Water Bill Ballooned from $500 to $9,000 in Less Than a Year

How an Atlanta Woman's Water Bill Ballooned from $500 to $9,000 in Less Than a Year -Atlanta, Ga.-based realtor Blayne Beacham knew something was wrong when her she opened up her water bill last July.

The bill was many times the usual amount, totaling $497. Figuring a leak was the a problem, she called a handyman over to her three-bedroom home to check things out.

While he fiddled with her bathroom toilets and replaced all the valves and handles (there was no leak to be found), she appealed the bill to the city's Department of Watershed Management and set up a $100/month payment plan to keep them off her back in the meantime.

But "they turned down my appeal," Beacham said in a blog post detailing her experience. "Basically they sent someone out to check my meter and said there was nothing wrong with the meter. On October 13, I got a notice in the mail saying that my entire balance––$384.26––was due that day or they would turn off my water."

She bit the bullet and paid, but by the time December rolled around, her bill had ballooned to $758.93.

 

Photo: Blayne Beacham"We called the water department and worked out an agreement where I would pay them $120 a month until I could get a court date," said Beacham, who lives alone. "That number was based on my neighbor down the street’s average monthly water bill." Her neighbor also has four children.

She even went so far as to tally up her water usage per month, keeping track of every flush, load of laundry, dishwasher cycle and shower she took over a 30-day period.

" I can’t think of any other time I use water unless I am drinking it or rinsing my dishes," she said. "(My dog) Sister gets one tiny bowl of water a day, and I am thinking of asking her to cut back."

The water department sent another representative to check her meter but nothing turned up out of the ordinary. A return visit from the handyman yielded no other clues and Beacham shelled out another $600 to the water company while awaiting her court date.

By spring, her bill totaled $1,430.00 worth of back charges plus another $1,155.82 that was left unpaid in April. When all was said and done, even with a certified plumber declaring her meter glitch-free, Beacham lost her appeal to the water department.

"I called back the public relations manager to see what I should do moving forward," she said. "This time she told me that after looking at my consumption history, they decided that I had a leak in the past and got it fixed. This is absolutely absurd. I have no way of proving I did not get a leak fixed, because I did not have a leak... I am at the end of my rope."

In mid-June, Beacham opened the mail to find she was in deeper than she thought: She owed $9,224.40: "$2,638.68 worth of past charges, and $6,705.72 worth of new charges," she said.

According to Watershed Management spokesperson Janet Ward, they're trying to get to the bottom of the issue.

"We did install a data logger, which measures hour-by-hour usage that can help us determine if there are any times of the day when usage seems out of kilter," Ward told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "So that means we can’t know anything until the middle of July," since the meter has to run for 30 days.

As of Wednesday, Beacham had wrapped up another round of meetings with the company but told Business Insider by phone that things are still up in the air.

"I've had meetings with them and the problem is just unresolved," she said. "They've given me a little more time to do some research."

DON'T MISS: This California couple retired on an Argentine vineyard for only $150,000 > ( Business Insider )

READ MORE - How an Atlanta Woman's Water Bill Ballooned from $500 to $9,000 in Less Than a Year

Debunking Fuel-Economy Myths - Get a reality check on 7 common fuel-saving misconceptions

Debunking Fuel-Economy Myths - Get a reality check on 7 common fuel-saving misconceptions. Like all drivers, you want to save gas and do what’s right for your car. But along with the tried-and-true advice, there are some well-intentioned—if off-the-mark—tips that can lead you astray. Below are several common myths about fuel use and gas mileage, and the real stories behind them.

A dirty air filter drops gas mileage

Our tests show that driving with a dirty air filter no longer has an impact on fuel economy, as it did with older engines. That's because modern engines use computers to precisely control the air/fuel ratio, depending on the amount of air coming in through the filter. Reducing airflow causes the engine to automatically reduce the amount of fuel being used. Fuel economy didn't change in the family sedan we tested, but it accelerated much more slowly with a dirty filter.

Warming up before driving is necessary

That was true back in the days of carburetors and chokes, but it isn’t the case with modern fuel-injected, electronically controlled drivetrains. Engines are most efficient when they’re at regular operating temperature, and the fastest way to reach that point is to drive right after starting the car.

Filling up when the air is cool gets you more gas

A common tip is to buy gasoline in the morning, when the air is cool, rather than in the heat of the day. The theory is that the cooler gasoline will be denser, so you will get more for your money. But most stations store the gasoline underground, so its temperature changes very little, if at all, during a 24-hour stretch. Any extra gas you get will be negligible.

No-name gas stations offer lower-quality fuel

Independent stations usually buy their fuel from larger, name-brand oil companies, so it’s not much different from what you’d get for a higher price down the road. Off-brand gasoline is sometimes formulated without additives designed to clean the engine, but your car should run fine on that gas.

Premium gas is always best

When it comes to regular, midgrade, and premium gasoline, oil corporations have worked overtime to drill the “good, better, best” concept into our collective driver psyche.

Premium gas has a higher octane rating, usually 91 or above, making it more resistant to pre­ignition, a condition in which fuel burns uncontrollably in the engine. Higher-performing engines are the most susceptible to preignition because they tend to run hotter, which is why premium is often recommended or required for sports and luxury vehicles.

Premium also helps maximize power in high-performance engines. With those engines, if you don't use premium, you might not get full power when, say, accelerating or climbing hills. Most drivers will probably never notice the difference.

The vast majority of cars are designed to run fine on regular. And premium won’t improve performance or fuel economy for those cars, but it will cost you about 20 cents more per gallon.

Our advice: The best gas for your car depends on the vehicle you drive. If the owner’s manual or the sticker on the fuel-filler door says that premium gas is recommended or uses similar wording, you can probably use regular. If it says premium is required, play it safe with the right octane.

Driving with windows open hurts fuel economy

Some people advise you not to run the air conditioner because it puts more of a load on the engine, which can decrease fuel economy. But others say that opening the windows at highway speeds can affect gas mileage even more by disrupting the vehicle's aerodynamics. In our tests of a Honda Accord, using air conditioning while driving at 65 mph reduced the vehicle's gas mileage by more than 3 mpg. The effect of opening the windows at 65 mph was not measurable.

Tires with low rolling resistance are always a smart choice

A lot of attention is paid to a tire’s rolling resistance, which is how much energy it takes to roll along. The lower the rolling resistance, the better your fuel economy will be. Maintaining the proper tire pressure will optimize the rolling resistance and real-world performance. Some tires gain low rolling resistance at the expense of wet-braking performance and tread life—a poor trade-off.

It’s better to look first for a tire that provides good all-around performance in important safety areas such as braking, handling, and hydroplaning resistance. Then use rolling resistance as the tiebreaker.

In our testing, we’ve found two all-season passenger-­car tires that deliver very good performance and low rolling resistance: the Continental ProContact EcoPlus+ and the Michelin Energy Saver A/S. ( Consumer Reports )

READ MORE - Debunking Fuel-Economy Myths - Get a reality check on 7 common fuel-saving misconceptions

Student loans have basically ruined my life

‘Student loans have basically ruined my life’: Yahoo News readers tell their stories - According to figures from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 37 million Americans hold student loan debt. The total amount of student loan debt in the United States is estimated to be between $867 billion and $1 trillion dollars, and default rates for student loans continue to rise. In 2012, the majority of unemployed Americans had at least some college education—the first time in our nation's history this has occurred. On Tuesday, Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate announced they had reached an agreement on a bill to continue subsidizing student loans, keeping interest rates at 3.4 percent rather than letting them rise to 6.8 percent.

We asked Yahoo News readers to tell us their experiences with student loan debt. Over 600 graduates (and not-quite graduates) of all ages emailed to share their stories. We'll be sharing more of their stories in the next week over at our Tumblr.

 

(Don Ryan/AP)Ah, the summer after graduation. With rented caps and gowns returned, most graduates are hitting the pavement to look for work, or trying to ace that final internship in the hopes that they'll be hired on. But even for those who find employment, there likely remains nagging bit of unfinished business: student loans.

Overwhelmingly, Yahoo News readers told us they felt burdened by their debt. "We do not like debt," wrote Katelyn Fagan, who graduated from Brigham Young University in 2011. She and her husband have a combined student loan debt of just under $70,000. Fagan tried to work while in college, but wanted to focus on her academics. "Maybe I could have sought out other employment options (and I sometimes did) but school was my top priority."

"Student loans have basically ruined my life," says Tanya Carter, who graduated from the University of Toledo in 2008. She went to community college for two years before transferring, and attended classes part-time so she could also work. When Carter maxed out on federal loans, she turned to private loans to finish her degree. As a result of all that debt, she writes: "I never see myself owning a home, vehicle, or maybe not even getting married."

The need to delay starting a family because of financial worries was a common concern. Lauren Dollard graduated from Fordham University in 2008 with $157,000 in debt, including interest. "My boyfriend won't marry me because of my debt," she says. "He doesn't want it attached to his name (I know, this could also be an excuse)." She said she would trade her "fancy private school education" in a heartbeat to live "as an independent adult."

April Flores graduated from San Diego State in 2008 with $80,000 in private loans and $30,000 in subsidized loans. "It is going to be hard to buy a house and start a family with our debt," she writes. "We joke and say that our baby is Sallie Mae, but it is true! Education is invaluable, but I was not wise in my early 20s and did not make the right decisions when it came to my private loans."

Flores was far from alone in bemoaning her failure to understand the implications of those promissory notes. Salvatore Aiello graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2009 with $68,000 in debt. "I blame ignorance in my pursuit of loans; my high school did a terrible job explaining our options when it came to financial aid," he told us. "They made it seem that if I wasn't rich or beyond poverty I would not have been able to go to college." Aiello followed up with a second email—he and his girlfriend are now expecting their first child. They are, in his words, "very excited at the unexpected blessing but terrified."

Logan Canale attended Queens University in Charlotte, N.C.—and started feeling the pain of loans before her graduation in 2009. One borrower came after her for nonpayment of loans while she was still enrolled and taking classes.

"My private college was way too expensive for what it was worth," Canale writes. "I just feel like I have been beaten by the system and taken advantage of. Who is making money off my education? Because it is not me."

Amber Riffey graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in 2005, and says she was simply too naive: "I wish that schools and student loan officers [would] sit down and actually explain how Sallie Mae works [...] I was just told how much I owe SMWC and 'sign here on the dotted line so we can get you signed up for next semester's classes.'"

"If I had the knowledge then that I do now, I would have paid as I went (yes, it would have most definitely taken longer but at least I would have graduated with my diploma and debt free)," says Riffey.

Although Bobbi Carlin left school before receiving a degree, she attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Southeast Community College. "Honestly, I let my parents [handle loans] for me, and when I left school, before graduating, I had no idea that I had more than one loan," says Carlin. "I paid that loan off, and discovered later there was another." She's worked to pay off all of her loans, and now has a little less than $600 in outstanding loan debt.

While students are often told that if one school isn't a good fit for them, they should transfer to another, that can add years to their education—which usually means added debt as well. Eric DeRise went to multiple universities before graduating from University of Connecticut in 2008. DeRise says he understood the details of his mounting student loan debt, but he had no grasp of what it would actually mean for his post-graduation life. "Believe me, I understood that I'd have to pay back the loans 6 months after I graduated, and I understood the strict consequences of not paying them back," he writes. "But do you think of any of that when you're 18-20 years old?" DeRise is making less than $40,000 a year at a nonprofit in Salt Point, N.Y., and he worries about how he will cover his monthly payment if interest rates rise.


But not everybody had sympathy for graduates who complain about their debt load. Robbin S. is an older graduate—she finished her degree in business from the University of Phoenix in 2003, when she was 46. She still owes $17,500 in loans. "I'm really sick of the whiny babies complaining about their $100,000 of student loan debt and how they will never be able to pay it off," she writes. "Who in their right mind thinks that $100,000 of student loan debt (with a BS in a worthless field) is reasonable?"

For other graduates, who pursued a degree when they found themselves unable to compete in a changing workforce, the accumulated loans could be salt in the wound.

Kim Shannon of Eaton Rapids, Mich., received an associates degree in human resources management in 2010. Several years later, she is still looking for work, and the loans she placed in deferment and forbearance are entering repayment. "I am no longer optimistic about the future. After so many rejections, I have all but given up my job search," says Shannon. "If I could go back and change things, I would. I would have gone someplace where I could learn a more marketable skill, like driving a forklift. I thought I would be happy to finally get a degree, but I'm not."

And then there are those parents who find themselves responsible for paying off loans they co-signed with their children. Karen DeSimone of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., is on the hook for $17,000 in loans she co-signed for her son. "We did everything we could do to get my son started," she writes. "Now we both have the loan debt."

We'll end on an optimistic note: Some Yahoo News readers felt positive about their debt, despite the challenges it posed.


Frank Mendoza of Miami, Fla., graduated from Florida International University in 2010. "I still feel that getting my degree was an achievement worthy of pride. I am, after all, the first male in my family to have a college education," writes Mendoza. "It comforts me to know that I am not the only one in this type of rough financial situation and that even this shall pass." ( The Lookout )

READ MORE - Student loans have basically ruined my life

Some Hospitals Allow Patients' Own Dogs to Visit

Pet Therapy: Some Hospitals Allow Patients' Own Dogs to Visit - Madison Fleaks had been in Texas Children's Hospital in Houston for over six months waiting for a heart transplant. She was born with a congenital heart condition.

Not yet two years old, she may have forgotten much of her life at home. But she still remembered her two dogs; their photograph sat framed next to her hospital bed.

"If you said anything about the dogs, she would point and want to kiss the picture," said her mother, Tabitha Fleaks. Madison has been in and out of hospitals, she said, enduring multiple surgeries.

"She has been sick her whole life. All she knows is me, her dad, and the two dogs."

So when her dog Kodiak showed up in her hospital room one day, Madison was thrilled.

"It was amazing," Fleaks said. "She just lit up. She literally screamed when he walked into the door."

Texas Children's is not the only institution to allow some patients to have visitors of the canine variety. ABC News reached out to hospitals around the country and found that many have pet therapy programs, in which a trained owner-volunteer will bring a dog to the hospital for patients to enjoy. These programs have been said to help patients with their mood, pain, and comfort levels.

A growing number of these hospitals have taken their pet therapy programs even farther, allowing patients to have visits from their own pets.

"When there is a patient in the hospital that will be here for a significant amount of time, we think it is important for them to have their entire family here," said Jamie Snow, Assistant Director of Child Life and Social Work at Texas Children's Hospital. "And some people consider their pets family members."

The program started at Texas Children's four years ago, when administrators were approached by an organization called PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support) Houston, a non-profit organization the helps to sustain the relationships between pet owners and their pets during a prolonged hospitalization.

Here's how it works: a social worker or child life specialist, hearing that a patient has a pet at home, speaks to doctors who can approve a visit. Then PAWS is contacted. They ensure that the pet is vaccinated and has a bath before the visit. A PAWS volunteer will meet the pet and family members at the entrance of the hospital where they perform a "behavior check" to make sure the pet's temperament is good for a hospital environment. They then take the pet to the patient's room.

"We have never had any bad events from an animal visit," said Tricia Lewis, a nursing director at the Methodist Hospital System in Houston, Texas, who worked with PAWS to pioneer the personal pet visitation policy at her hospital over a decade ago. "No bites, no infections."

Dog Visits Safe if Precautions Taken

Dr. Loreen Herwaldt, a professor of medicine at the University of Iowa Colleges of Medicine and Public Health, and Jean Pottinger, an infection prevention expert for University of Iowa Healthcare, helped bring the personal pet policy to their hospitals. Pottinger, too, said there have never been any infections that were attributable to animals at her hospital. And she said there has been no documentation of any bad outcomes from pet visits in her hospital.

Herwaldt said there is likely good reason for the lack of infections from the animals. "[The patients] were living in very close contact with these animals before they came in and have been exposed to the organisms the animal is carrying," she said. "They will be going back to that environment as well. We make sure [the patients] wash their hands before and after the visit."

Hospitals take other precautions to reduce any risk of infection. Barriers are placed between animals and bedsheets, and the sheets are changed after the animal leaves.

The experience has been positive for patients, said Donna Dishman, co-founder and executive director of PAWS Houston. She said the first personal pet visit was remarkable. The patient was an 83-year-old woman in intensive care, diagnosed with breast cancer.

"[She] was not eating, not responding, and had given up," Dishman said. "When we put her dog on her bed, she started talking, and started eating."

"Often there are people who are not doing well, and don't respond to staff and people but for some reason make an effort to speak when animals come around," said Dr. Lisa Portnoy, a veterinarian and animal program director for the NIH Clinical Center.

Such programs may become even more common as hospitals strive to find special ways to meet the needs of patients and their families.

"I think that when we think about a patient-centered environment, we have to think about what is meaningful to health and well-being to the patient," said Linda Laskowski Jones, Christiana Care Health System's Vice President of Emergency and Trauma Services in Delaware, where a personal pet visitation policy is also in place. "The framework has to include animals. That is important to health and recovery and comfort."

For Tabitha Fleaks, having their family dog visit was comforting to her as well as to her daughter.

"I'm here every single day [with my daughter] and my dogs are a part of our family," she said. "It made my day to see our dog because I'm so used to seeing them all day long in my house and it made it feel more like home."

Madison, who had a heart transplant a few weeks ago, will be discharged from the hospital this week.

"Every day when you say, 'Where is Kodiak? Where did he go? Where is he?' she points to the door. It was the biggest blessing for her to see him," Fleaks said. ( Good Morning America )

READ MORE - Some Hospitals Allow Patients' Own Dogs to Visit

The Anti-Aging Pill

Aspirin: The Anti-Aging Pill - Studies suggest it lowers cancer and heart disease in you. The bonus: it could grant you clearer, younger-looking skin, too. Yup—there is some risk, but here’s how to minimize.

Aspirin, the little pill that packs a punch against heart disease and stroke, boasts another health claim: reducing your chances of having a cancer and of dying from a cancer if you get one. Another plus? It can help your skin look younger, longer, and fight acne to boot!

Aspirin is a blood-thinner by nature, so keeping your vessels clearer of clots puts you at a lower risk for heart attack and stroke. But a slew of recent analyses have looked at aspirin’s effects on several cancers. In one, University of Oxford researchers reported that the risk of getting cancer (and dying from cancer) of the breast (yours), ovaries (yours), prostate (probably his), esophagus, colon and rectum (both genders) and brain (fill in this one) dropped substantially—like 30 to 60 percent less—for those taking daily aspirin for three years or more. Aspirin’s protective effects held up for various kinds of cancer and kept them from spreading, too: breast, lung, brain, esophageal and colon cancer to name just a few.

And never take hormone therapy or birth control pills without aspirin (See chapter 10 in “You: Staying Young” for a whole chapter of more on that).

There are two suspected ways it may help battle cancer. For one, aspirin hinders an enzyme that’d otherwise promote tumor growth. It also has a big inflammation-quelling component—and too much of this kind of irritation compromises cells, leaving them vulnerable to abnormal growth.

It’s this inflammation-fighting effect that helps aspirin slow aging—a huge favor for your complexion. Inflammation takes its toll on the skin in a variety of ways—including acne, rosacea, and visible signs of aging like wrinkles and sagging skin.

High levels of inflammation cause a faster rate of collagen breakdown, which can accelerate the aging process. Collagen helps give your skin structure, helping it to look full, smoother and elastic. When it breaks down, skin starts to sag, wrinkle, and look less vibrant.

Another aspirin plus? Fighting breakouts. The acetylsalicylic acid in aspirin is a close relative of salicylic acid, which is a dermatologist favorite to treat acne. Though the compounds aren’t quite the same, some people swear by aspirin masks to calm that big, red zit.

Simply make a paste of crushed aspirin, and spread it on your face to reduce inflammation, and remove oil and dead skin cells. If you’re not a candidate for daily oral aspirin, give this topical do-it-yourself beauty treatment a try!

Who should take a daily aspirin? Not everyone. But a major risk is GI upset and GI bleeding. You can minimize those by taking a half glass of warm water before and after your two baby aspirin’s a day (the dose we recommend you discuss with your doc). Now we hate to tell you to see your doc—but here you should. Only your doctor can help you decide if the benefits of daily aspirin will truly outweigh your risks, so consult with yours before adding aspirin to your daily routine. ( youbeauty.com )

READ MORE - The Anti-Aging Pill

Ancient Mosaic Depicting Fiery Bible Story Discovered

Ancient Mosaic Depicting Fiery Bible Story Discovered - A glittering mosaic of colored stones once decorated an ancient synagogue floor with scenes of the Biblical hero Samson getting revenge on the Philistines.

This newly excavated discovery in the ancient Jewish village of Huqoq not only depicts an unusual scene — Samson tying torches to foxes' tails in order to burn his enemies' crops — it's also remarkably high-quality, said dig archaeologist Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

A female face depicted in mosaic on an ancient Jewish synagoge. Archaeologists uncovered this high-quality artwork in June 2012.

A mosaic inscription about rewards for those who do good deeds. Archaeologists have not yet released photos of the Samson fragments of the mosaic.

In a mosaic, "the smaller the cubes, the finer the work," Magness told LiveScience. "Our cubes are very small and fine."

The mosaic decorates part of a synagogue dating back to about A.D. 400 to 500. So far, Magness and her team have excavated only part of the eastern wall of the structure, so they don't yet know how big the synagogue was. But the building appears to be made of large, "beautifully cut" blocks of stone, Magness said, suggesting an expansive structure.

The mosaic, which is incomplete, depicts several scenes. In one, two female faces flank a Hebrew inscription about rewards for people who perform good deeds. In the other, Samson, of the biblical story Samson and Delilah, ties torches to pairs of foxes, an event described in the Book of Judges in both the Christian and Hebrew Bibles. As the story goes, Samson falls in love with a woman of Philistine origin, a people who ruled the city-states of Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath in the ancient Middle East. The Philistines are depicted as enemies of the Israelis in the Bible.

At his wedding feast with his Philistine bride, Samson taunts the Philistine groomsmen with a riddle they cannot possibly answer. When his bride begs Samson for the solution and passes it on to her kinsmen, he kills 30 men from Askelon in a rage. When he returns home, he finds that his bride has been given to someone else. In revenge, Samson gathers pairs of foxes and ties their tails together with torches between them. He then looses 300 of the animals on the Philistines' fields, destroying their crops.

It's this scene that is depicted in the mosaic. It's an "unusual" subject, Magness said, because only two other synagogues have been found that depict Samson at all, much less a fiery scene of revenge. But one of the other ancient synagogues that does depict Samson is only a few miles from the newly excavated building, Magness said.

"It suggests that, for whatever reason, Samson was popular in the local area," she said.

The synagogue would have been the only house of worship in the village, Magness said. For a village synagogue, it's very fancy, suggesting that the village was an affluent place. That's interesting, Magness said, because the area was under the rule of Byzantine Christians at the time the synagogue was in use. Usually, this is seen as a time of oppression for Jewish peoples, but it seems that the residents of this particular village were doing well.

The archaeologists uncovered the mosaic last week. A student on his first dig was carefully scraping away at the dirt with a hoe when he felt the hard surface of the mosaic. He called Magness over, and they carefully excavated, brushing away dirt to reveal a colorful female face staring back at them, exposed to the light of day for the first time in 1,500 years.

"I think that was probably by far the most exciting moment I've had as an archaeologist in my life," Magness said. ( LiveScience.com )

READ MORE - Ancient Mosaic Depicting Fiery Bible Story Discovered

Multi-million Dollar Business Started with less than a Hundred Dollars

Multi-million Dollar Business Started with less than a Hundred Dollars - Jera and Brad Deal of Peoria, Illinois really put the "accident" in "accidental entrepreneurs." After successful careers in business — he in management and she in marketing — it's not surprising that Jera and Brad would eventually go into business for themselves. But how they did it is one of those amazing "only in America" stories with a side of good-old fashioned hard work and perseverance.

The Deals are the owners of Sticks and Stones, a multi-million dollar company that makes, framed keepsakes created from photos of letters, which are sold on-line, in catalogs, and in about 40 select boutique retailers. What makes the Sticks and Stones products different is the pictures are of letters found in nature (Sticks) and architecture (Stones).

But what's really unique about the business is it began as a game the Deals would play with their young daughters. "It started as a fun family hobby to help teach our daughters how to read," Jera explains. "Our family began letter hunting while on walks or while spending the day at the park. Our three daughters would search for letters found in nature and architecture - like a maple leaf in the form of a 'W', or a drinking fountain spout that made an 'L'." Brad started taking pictures of the letters the girls found as a way to remember both the letters and their adventures. The story might have ended there had Jera not happened to be the class mom the year their middle daughter's preschool teacher happened to be getting married.

"I didn't want to give the teacher a gift from her registry — that just wasn't memorable enough," Jera recalls. "I wanted to give her something that she would look at in 20 years and know exactly who the gift came from. I was suddenly faced with the dilemma we all have at some time in our life: What is the perfect gift that will never be forgotten?" On a whim, Brad suggested Jera use the letter photos he'd taken to make a framed piece spelling out the teacher's new last name. The teacher was thrilled with her gift and once the other mothers saw it at the class bridal shower, everyone wanted one of their own.

While taking orders from other parents and teachers at the school, Brad had an "aha" moment: They could be onto something. "We were thinking small at that point," Brad says. But from that original $100 investment in the teacher's gift in 2005, the company has grown to $10 million in sales in 2011, according to CNBC. After the first quarter, Brad says they are on track to double sales in 2012.

But as with (almost) every small business, it wasn't easy — especially at the beginning. "We put our Web site up — it was a ghost town," Brad recalls. "Nobody knew what it was." By late 2005, Brad was having a lot of sleepless night, worrying if the company would make it. "I would wake up at 2 a.m. and lie awake until 5 a.m. wondering: Is this business going to make it or suck every dime out of us?," he says.

The business made it thanks in large part to Jera's marketing savvy. She was determined to get Sticks and Stones "in front of a lot of people at once." Seeing herself as the company's target market, she tenaciously pursued the producers of daytime programs, most notably The Oprah Winfrey show. Affectionately, Brad calls Jera "Bulldog" and her relentless pursuit paid off…big time.

Jera got tickets to see Oprah's show in Chicago and sent a keepsake to the woman in charge of the audience. The Deals were invited back to do another show about up and coming new businesses in late 2006. Afterward, they got the endorsement of a lifetime when Oprah invited them on stage and accepted their gift, a Sticks and Stones keepsake, of course. Oprah was so taken with the gift she said she wanted to give one to Tom and Kate for their wedding. (That's Hollywood A-listers Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes for those unaware.)

Armed with Oprah's seal of approval, Sticks and Stones was off and running...fast! Within a span of six months, they were featured in "O" Magazine, People Magazine, The Rachel Ray show and Martha Stewart's Show. From that moment, Brad's biggest worry was whether Sticks and Stones would be able to fulfill the orders that were suddenly flying in. It was a very good problem the Deals solved by first partnering with a local framer (and friend) and later opening their own facility that now employs 10 full-time employees and as many as 75 people during the holidays.

The Deals credit their faith in God and their belief in each other for helping them get through the hard times and for the bounty they have today. "To me the American Dream is when you're not a slave to your alarm clock," Brad says. " When every dollar you makes comes back to your family and you can choose what to do with it. " ( yahoo.com )

Amen to that.

READ MORE - Multi-million Dollar Business Started with less than a Hundred Dollars

Osama bin Laden didn’t win, but he was ‘enormously successful’

Osama bin Laden didn’t win, but he was ‘enormously successful’ - What he wanted to do was bankrupt U.S - Did Osama bin Laden win? No. Did he succeed? Well, America is still standing, and he isn’t. So why, when I called Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a counterterrorism expert who specializes in al-Qaeda, did he tell me that “bin Laden has been enormously successful”? There’s no caliphate. There’s no sweeping sharia law. Didn’t we win this one in a clean knockout?

Apparently not. Bin Laden, according to Gartenstein-Ross, had a strategy that we never bothered to understand, and thus that we never bothered to defend against. What he really wanted to do — and, more to the point, what he thought he could do — was bankrupt the United States of America. After all, he’d done the bankrupt-a-superpower thing before. And though it didn’t quite work out this time, it worked a lot better than most of us, in this exultant moment, are willing to admit.

Bin Laden’s transition from scion of a wealthy family to terrorist mastermind came in the 1980s, when the Soviet Union was trying to conquer Afghanistan. Bin Laden was part of the resistance, and the resistance was successful — not only in repelling the Soviet invasion, but in contributing to the Communist super-state’s collapse a few years later. “We, alongside the mujaheddin, bled Russia for 10 years, until it went bankrupt,” he later explained.

The campaign taught bin Laden a lot. For one thing, superpowers fall because their economies crumble, not because they’re beaten on the battlefield. For another, superpowers are so allergic to losing that they’ll bankrupt themselves trying to conquer a mass of rocks and sand. This was bin Laden’s plan for the United States, too.

“He has compared the United States to the Soviet Union on numerous occasions — and these comparisons have been explicitly economic,” Gartenstein-Ross argued in a Foreign Policy article. “For example, in October 2004 bin Laden said that just as the Arab fighters and Afghan mujaheddin had destroyed Russia economically, al Qaeda was now doing the same to the United States, ‘continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy.’ ”

For bin Laden, in other words, success was not to be measured in body counts. It was to be measured in deficits, in borrowing costs, in investments we weren’t able to make in our country’s continued economic strength. And by those measures, bin Laden landed a lot of blows.

Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz estimates that the price tag on the Iraq War alone will surpass $3 trillion. Afghanistan likely amounts to another trillion or two. Add in the build-up in homeland security spending since 9/11 and you’re looking at another trillion. And don’t forget the indirect costs of all this turmoil: The Federal Reserve, worried about a fear-induced recession, slashed interest rates after the attack on the World Trade Center, and then kept them low to combat skyrocketing oil prices, a byproduct of the war in Iraq. That decade of loose monetary policy may well have contributed to the credit bubble that crashed the economy in 2007 and 2008.

Then there’s the post-9/11 slowdown in the economy, the time wasted in airports, the foregone returns on investments we didn’t make, the rise in oil prices as a result of the Iraq War, the cost of rebuilding Ground Zero, health care for the first responders and much, much more.

But it isn’t quite right to say bin Laden cost us all that money. We decided to spend more than a trillion dollars on homeland security measures to prevent another attack. We decided to invade Iraq as part of a grand, post-9/11 strategy of Middle Eastern transformation. We decided to pass hundreds of billions of dollars in unpaid-for tax cuts and add an unpaid-for prescription drug benefit in Medicare while we were involved in two wars. And now, partially though not entirely because of these actions, we are deep in debt. Bin Laden didn’t — couldn’t — bankrupt us. He could only provoke us into bankrupting ourselves. And he came pretty close.

It’s a smart play against a superpower. We didn’t need to respond to 9/11 by trying to reshape the entire Middle East, but we’re a superpower, and we think on that scale. We didn’t need to respond to failed attempts to smuggle bombs onto airplanes through shoes and shampoo bottles by screening all footwear and banning large shampoo bottles, but we’re a superpower, and our tolerance for risk is extremely low.

In the end, bin Laden was just another bag of meat and bones, hiding in a walled compound in Pakistan, so deeply afraid of death that he tried to use his wife as a shield when the special forces came for him. But he understood the psychology of the superpower well enough to use our capabilities against us. He may not have won, but he did succeed, at least partially.

But then, we can learn from our mistakes. He can’t. ( washingtonpost.com )

READ MORE - Osama bin Laden didn’t win, but he was ‘enormously successful’

Just the most stupid target for those student rioters to pick

Just the most stupid target for those student rioters to pick - Further education is hardly worth the Government investing in, if the standard of research behind Saturday’s student demo against spending cuts is anything to go by.

The breakaway group that headed for Piccadilly had evidently chosen their target, or “secret location”, well in advance: the grocers to Her Majesty, Fortnum & Mason. This target presumably represented to these inheritors of the finest traditions of direct action everything that was Cameronesque, fat-cat, exploitative and privileged.

To which the only reasonable response is the one that students might most readily recognise: “Duh!”

Fortnums is owned by the Weston family, which probably ranks third behind the Wellcome Foundation and all the Sainsbury trusts added together in the amount of money it gives away – yes, gives away in addition to the tax it pays – to exactly the causes that are close to the heart of UKUncut and the services that it was supposedly marching to maintain.

Now, pay attention at the back, especially the youth that I spotted in the Fortnums atrium holding a sign saying “Share the Wealth” without any apparent sense of irony. The Garfield Weston Foundation owns nearly 80 per cent of Wittington Investments, a company registered in the UK, which is the ultimate holding company of Associated British Foods, Fortnum & Mason and interior stylist Heal’s. Dividends flow upwards to the Foundation, principally from ABF given that retail is having a tough time and Fortnums has just been through a major investment programme, which then distributes grants (a word students may still be familiar with).

Typically, the Foundation distributes about £40 million a year, though in good times much more. A glance at the trustees’ report – I presume UKUncut’s organisers know how to use the internet – would reveal that the Foundation gives grants to schools and universities, as well as to hospitals and housing associations. The Weston Foundation gave £25 million, for instance, to Oxford University last year alone for the development of the Bodleian Library, so I hope any Oxford students who “occupied” Fortnums will honourably refrain out of shame from using that facility for the remainder of their studies, out of respect for the Westons.

There is barely a new college benefactors’ plaque in the country that doesn’t bear the Weston name. So much for “Share the Wealth” (you muppet). And it’s difficult to think of an institution more likely to step in to the gap left by Government funding. The trustees’ in their latest report explicitly say that they have prudently made some reserves because they “have also been mindful of the possibility of requests for urgent funding being made by charities which have had their funding from other sources cut due to the difficult economic conditions”.

So well done, you students. Of all the locations you could have picked, you’ve actually chosen to bite one of the hands that promises to feed you – and one of the most generous hands at that.

Not that these were particularly hungry protesters. Not exactly in the Jarrow tradition. I hear these sons and daughters of our bourgoisie made their way through the food halls to loot the fine wines and Champagne. Clearly close to the the harsh realities of the 21st-century.

Incidentally, I also hear that afternoon tea was served throughout on the fourth floor, with André undisturbed at the piano. Which I suppose means that it really was a thoroughly middle-class riot throughout – while the children played downstairs, their mummies and daddies were properly “kettled” upstairs. ( telegraph.co.uk )

READ MORE - Just the most stupid target for those student rioters to pick

Men like wet kisses, and women long!

Men like wet kisses, and women long! - Men like to push to make kisses sloppier, while women want to keep them long, suggest a new study.

Also, a kiss shared between a man and a woman seems more like a clash of spirits than a meeting of souls.

"Women tend to use kissing to create a bond with their partners, and to assess them as potential mates. Meanwhile, men use kissing as a means to an end," said Susan Hughes, a psychologist at Albright College in Pennsylvania, told Life's Little Mysteries.

And that end is sex.

"Males are kissing primarily to increase arousal for their partner," she said.

Hughes and her colleagues researchers probed the kissing preferences and opinions of more than 1,000 males and females in their sexual prime — college undergraduates — who were asked to mark their answers to a series of detailed kissing questions on a 5-point scale.

The results showed that both men and women consider kissing an important and highly intimate interaction. Both sexes use kissing to gauge the relationship compatibility of themselves and their partners.

Furthermore, both may become more or less attracted to their partners based solely on their experience kissing them, a result that lends support to the theory that pheromones and other important biochemical signals get exchanged when people kiss.

But the similarities end there. While women usually consider a bad kiss to be a deal-breaker, men reported that they would more than likely still have sex with a woman even if she were a bad kisser.

In fact, the data showed that males feel much more strongly that kissing should lead to sex than females do.

"Whereas females felt there was a greater likelihood that kissing should lead to sex with a long-term partner than a short-term partner, males felt that in either instance, kissing should lead to sex," wrote the researchers.

Men also like significantly wetter kisses. The gender divide becomes drastic when the kissing involves short-term partners, who presumably hold primarily sexual rather than romantic appeal. In the short-term, men like kisses to be wet, while women do not.

Psychologists hypothesize that males "perceive a greater wetness or salivary exchange during kissing as an index of the female's sexual arousal/receptivity, similar to the act of sexual intercourse," wrote Hughes.

Follow-up research conducted by Helen Fisher, an anthropologist at Rutgers University, in 2009 even found that men pass testosterone to women via their saliva, which may momentarily increase the women's sex drive. ( indiatimes.com )

READ MORE - Men like wet kisses, and women long!

Wayang Listrik to stage ancient tale for modern era

Wayang Listrik to stage ancient tale for modern era - The ancient tale of a dog, A-Shu, from the closing chapters of the Mahabharata epic, which will be presented at the inaugural Jakarta International Puppet Festival (JIPF) on Nov. 16-17, resonates in today's political, religious and social climate, offering cause to reflect on the dogma of good and evil.

Performed by world-renowned shadow puppetry troupe Wayang Listrik, an arm of the Cudamani performing arts group, the story of A-Shu touches on the idea of what is an enemy and challenges our belief systems in a ""non-accusatory way"", said Cudamani stage director Emiko Saraswati Susilo.

Under the direction of internationally acclaimed Balinese director I Dewa Putu Berata, Wayang Listrik mesmerizes audiences with its mix of wayang kulit, traditional carved leather shadow puppets, and masked human dancers. The shadows created by the dancers emulate the two-dimensional forms of the shadow puppets, with the dancers' masks designed to mimic the facial characteristics and movements of the shadow puppets.

Performed against a theater-sized screen, the shadow puppets and shadow dancers are larger than life, utterly absorbing viewers in the tale of A-Shu and Yudistira, the eldest of the heroic Pendawa brothers who discovers his wife and brothers have entered Hell while his enemies have entered Heaven.

Movingly danced by I Made Widana, Yudistira's realization that everything he believed throughout his life may have been wrong, is a moment beautifully wrought by Wayang Listrik. The audience cannot fail to agonize with the character and reflect on the accuracy of hard-held notions of right and wrong, enemy or friend.

""When Yudistira discovers his enemy, the Korawas, are in Heaven, while his wife and brothers are in Hell, he cannot understand what is going on. The story is a reflection on the lives of the two warring families and their human weaknesses, despite being heroes,"" said Emiko.

""The story shows even heroes have human flaws, but it also shows their enemy may have had redeeming qualities that were overlooked by the heroes,"" she said, adding that the story of A-Shu and Yudistira is very rarely performed.

""Wayang Listrik presents this traditional story in a new way. It's a very philosophical work, with little of the warring action you see in other wayang performances. Dewa (the director) came up with the idea to do the story after 9/11 and the first Bali bombing,"" said Emiko.

She pointed out that the events of the first two years of the new millennium had a profound impact on Dewa, as they had on many people around the globe.

""Following those events, Dewa was reflecting on what it is to be a great leader, an enemy or a hero, and this story speaks loudly on our own assumptions of who is right and who is wrong,"" said Emiko. ""Wayang has always made some kind of commentary on what is happening politically and socially, but in a non-accusatory way, a reflective way,"" she continued, and due to the abstraction of wayang, the message in performances is not didactic, but rather opens doors to other ways of viewing situations.

The shadow, lighting and puppetry techniques employed by Wayang Listrik allow for stories on the scale of A-Shu to be performed almost in a cinematic fashion.

Set against the shadowed backdrops of 42 different scenes created by a team headed by 21 year-old Gusti Ratna, the puppets and dancers move between forests, homes, deserts, mountain-scapes, and Heaven and Hell, effectively placing the viewer within the changing environments of the action.

Emiko pays tribute to American puppet master Larry Reed of Shadowlight Productions who, she said, was instrumental in assisting Wayang Listrik in the techniques required to mount large-screen shadow theater. It was also due to Larry's sharing his skills that Wayang Listrik was able to create a production on this scale for the JIPF.

An 18-piece gamelan orchestra musically binds the action of the players, carrying the audience across deserts and mountains in Yudistira's search for understanding, loyally accompanied by an unwanted dog in the character of A-Shu.

""The dog is mangy and ugly, but it is ... A-Shu who is the defining character in the work. This is seen clearly towards the end of the show, but to tell would be giving the plot away,"" said Emiko.

Gamelan orchestras are traditionally at the heart of Indonesian puppetry performances, and Wayang Listrik maintains that tradition while bringing the same contemporary elements the company applies in its visual esthetic.

The gamelan composer for A-Shu is director and founder of Cudamani and Wayang Listrik, I Dewa Putu Berata.

Dewa is highly respected in the Balinese music world for his compositional skills in both traditional and innovative gamelan styles. With Cudamani, Dewa has performed in the U.S., Greece and Japan, and has also collaborated musically with Kenny Endo, Andrea Centazzo and several international dance companies.

""Musically, the production is very fine,"" said Emiko. ""The music, while based in traditional Balinese gamelan, has been recomposed -- there is a quietness...""

This ""quietness"" is almost whispered through the overlapping and haunting sound of a bamboo flute that crests and sails the swells and waves of the composition, almost like the soul of Yudistira journeying ceaselessly in his quest for understanding.

This combination of shadow puppets, shadow dancers and gamelan in Wayang Listrik's performance of A-Shu is powerful, deeply moving and beautifully formed and informed. ( thejakartapost.com )

READ MORE - Wayang Listrik to stage ancient tale for modern era

Seven Things Women Find Boring in Bed

Seven Things Women Find Boring in Bed - I'm sure that "boring lover" is not something you want on your dating resumé. In order to help you circumvent this horrible fate, I have compiled a list of the seven things women find boring in bed.

So read on and learn what not to do if you want to keep 'em coming back for more.

Asking for permission

There's nothing sexy about a man who asks for permission to have sex with his woman. A good lover knows how to let her know he's in the mood and turn her on without ever having to ask. Something as simple as an intense look or a certain touch is a much better way of going about it.

Predictability

If you've been together for a while, this can definitely be a problem. Part of the reason why things were so hot between you and your woman when you first got together was because you didn't know what to expect. If you want to maintain a similar level of excitement with your woman months or even years down the road, you have to keep it fresh.

Don't be afraid to try new things that you'll both enjoy; never let it get to a point where she can anticipate your every move. For instance, if you usually spend five minutes on foreplay, spend 15 minutes next time and tease her mercilessly. She won't know what hit her. And soon, neither will you.

Mechanical sex

Most women will agree that sex without passion is quite dull; no woman wants to be treated like a blow-up doll -- well, maybe occasionally. I'm not saying that every sexual encounter has to be mind-blowing, it's just that you should never ignore the fact that, no matter how cool she is, she's still a woman who would like nothing more than to be treated as such. So be the lover of her dreams and make love to her at least once in a while.

If you never go the extra mile, she just might find someone who does...

Not going the extra mile

Although many women – as well as men – feel that they must be content with whatever sexual act they engage in with their partners, the truth is that they will eventually tire of a bare-bones routine – pardon the pun. So, if you want to prevent her from ever tiring of you, you must put in a little extra effort every once in a while.

Here comes the dreaded "R" word. You guessed it: romance. The fact that most women don't even expect this at this point in the devolution of dating is to your great advantage because if you are romantic every once in a while, she'll wonder what distant planet you hail from and be all over you – trust me.

For instance, leave her love notes describing what you'd like her to do to you, what you'd like to do to her, and what she should slip into or out of while she anxiously awaits your return. Make her a romantic dinner for two, play some mood music, and seduce her. Write her a song and make her melt. Make it about pleasing her next time and not only will she not be bored, she may just do anything to please you in return.

Same location

If your woman has memorized the cracks in your bedroom ceiling, you're in trouble. But don't worry, a simple change of location can fix this situation. Take it to the shower, the kitchen table, your car, a secluded beach, the woods... the possibilities are endless. Use your imagination and try not to get caught.

Too vocal or not vocal enough

Excessive grunting or repeating certain words can be just as tiresome as making no noise at all. So try to find a comfortable medium that lets her know you're enjoying yourself without letting the whole neighborhood know as well. The right choice of words can also be a turn-on for many women, and no, it doesn't necessarily have to be the three little ones that you dread.

Telling her that what she's doing feels amazing, that she looks hot, or what you'd like to do to her or have her do to you will go a long way in preventing the boredom from setting in.

Never experimenting

If you've been with your woman for a while, and want to keep each other turned on, you had better try some new positions, spill your fantasies, engage in role playing, and anything else that will serve to spice things up, or you risk breaking up out of sheer bedroom boredom.
Pour yourselves a glass of wine or two, and talk about what turns you on, and you may just end up fulfilling these fantasies sooner than you think.

Dream lover

That about sums up the seven boring bedroom blunders. But don't stress, most women don't have insane expectations, they just want to see you make the extra effort every once in a while.

Just remember that the opposite of boring is spontaneous and unexpected; so if you try to be the latter sometimes, you should never bore her in bed. Just make sure that you're with a woman who'll want nothing more than to please you in return. ( foxnews.com )

READ MORE - Seven Things Women Find Boring in Bed

Top ten sex romps

Top ten sex romps. Are you always complaining that your sex life is running out of steam? Well, what’s stopping you from getting adventurous and innovative? Charge up your sex life using this list of the 10 craziest places to fool around...or you could get inspired and think of a few of your own!

1. On the couch: After the bed, the couch in the living room is screaming for attention. And the best part...it’s comfy too. The cushions work as a support system to get those curves and arches to enjoy the perfect moves, while the lack of space will keep up the intimacy levels. Want some more action? Put on a wild flick on video and you have a perfect mood maker!

Word of caution: Watch out your moves, going out of control is injurious...for the couch of course!

2. In the bathtub: Things can get real hot even in a cool bath tub. For the ultimate romantic experience, arrange for a bubble bath with aromatic rose petals and passion perfume. Add some mood lighting, splash a few drops of ‘ylang ylang’ essential oil and be certain that the sensuous experiment will lead to some supah hot sex.

Word of caution: Check out the water temperature, you don’t want to end up with painful blisters or a frozen lover...isn’t?

3. In the kitchen: Be it 91/2 Weeks or Fatal Attraction , the kitchen has borne witness to quite a number of sexapades. The sturdy surfaces and shelves offer great support, especially for stand-up acts, while the feeling of being at an unconventional place pumps up the excitement to newer heights. And how can you miss the yummy treats your kitchen is loaded with? Eat them, but off each other’s hot bods. Think chocolate, cream, jams and jellies!

Word of caution: Know the stuff you are eating and applying...some edibles are good only to eat. So watch out for allergies!

4. In the pool: Though not many are privileged to have one in the confines of their home, if you are one of the lucky few, make the most of it. Challenge your swimming skills and get under for into some underwater escapades. Who said that the inflatable water turtle is meant only for tanning, use it for some steamy adventure...ride it together and get a new high!

Word of caution: You need not be swimming champs, but fairly decent floating skills are definitely expected to get into the water-y fun.

5. In the car: Yes it’s crammed, but it’s cosy too. A quickie in the backseat can rekindle the excitement that you felt during your heady college days. Put on some romantic retro tracks and switch on the AC. Don’t fret, it won’t cool down the passion. When the place is different, the position can’t be a drab. It’s tough to adjust facing each other, but turning the world around can definitely help...hope you got the clue!

Word of caution: Just be careful where you park...you don’t want to get busted!

6. In the dressing room: How about catching her unawares in the dressing room of a store? Sounds dangerous but thrilling too! The fear of getting caught will only add to the sensual experience, while the lack of time is perfect to give you a never before quickie. Thinking comfort? Sorry! All you have is a stool...let him stand as you take charge!

Word of caution: Making noise is not allowed here and do take care of hidden cameras and key-holes.

7. The stairs: If you are thinking they can be a pain to one’s body, think again, as they can be adventurous too. After all, they can give you those highs and lows, especially when the girl is comparatively short.

Word of caution: Don’t get really aggressive if getting cramps in your lower back is not on your mind.

8. On the roof : Yes, this can be a great playground; the gentle moonlight, a cool breeze to caress your passionate entwinings. Pep it up with some paper lamps or scented candles and light music, which will just add to the mood. You have all the space to set the ball rolling...so go ahead and explore her contours under a starry sky.

Word of caution: No physical risks are involved...but just take care of peeping Toms around.

9. In a sleeping bag: Nothing could bring you as close as that sleeping bag that’s meant for a single person and is loaded with two! Why not get into some naughty action and add to a fun-filled camping trip? Instead of the normal position, turn around and have some fun from behind. Talk about kinky fantasies!

Word of caution: Zip the bag properly, you don’t want end up killing insects in the mid of the act.

10. On a plane: You can try the toilet and if that’s too cramped, the seat in a Business or First class cabin. Some airliners with long-haul flights now boast of recliner seats that go as flat as a bed. Take a flight of fantasy.

Word of caution: Don’t try it if you already have flight phobia and take care of people lining-up outside the loo. ( indiatimes.com )

READ MORE - Top ten sex romps

Turn a Temp Gig to a Full-Time Job

Turn a Temp Gig to a Full-Time Job. Just a few short years ago, Ryan started as a temp in a local office of a paper distribution company but today he's the VP of marketing for that same company. OK, so this happened on "The Office" and he's still referred to as "The Temp," but this happens in real life, too.

Paulette Beete has gone from temporary to permanent twice. "When I moved to Chicago in 1994, my first temp assignment was on the fixed-income desk at J.P. Morgan. I got the [permanent] job just a few weeks later, and I was there for five years." She's now a public affairs specialist for a federal grant-making agency in Washington, D.C.

Beete started temping while still in college. "[Temping] helped me to learn basic job skills and gain corporate work experience before I officially entered the job market," Beete says. "It taught me how to deal with a range of people -- from assistants to CEOs. And it taught me how to jump right in no matter what the job situation."

Two of Beete's friends at J.P. Morgan also started as temps and moved on to lasting positions. One is now a vice president in JPM's futures department; the other moved from temporary to permanent assistant to equities sales trader, which she now does at another firm, she said.

There are many reasons why you might seek a temporary job: You're testing the waters of a career change. You've been laid off and need income while you search for long-term employment. You want to keep your résumé gap-free. This tighter job market is not producing the jobs you're seeking.

But what about the reasons why you should seek short-term work? According to the American Staffing Association, 88 percent of staffing employees say temporary or project work made them more employable and 80 percent of staffing clients say staffing firms offer a good way to find people who can become long-term employees.

Project work frequently leads to full-time roles, says Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of "Human Resources Kit For Dummies" (John Wiley & Sons Inc.). "Increasingly, organizations are realizing the value of using temporary assignments as a means of evaluating candidates for full-time positions. This provides a low-risk opportunity for managers to determine how an individual will perform on the job."

Lest you think there isn't much project work out there, consider this: The American Staffing Association reports that staffing companies employ 2.96 million people each day and 11.4 million people over the course of a year.

So who are these staffing companies and what jobs are they looking to fill? Here are 10 staffing companies that hire and place temporary workers:

1. Accountemps

Specializes in: accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals.

2. Kelly Services

Specializes in: office services, accounting, engineering, information technology, law, science, marketing, light industrial, education, health care and home care

3. Labor Ready

Specializes in: construction, manufacturing, hospitality services, landscaping, warehousing, retail and more.

4. Manpower

Specializes in: office, light industrial or call center environment

5. NurseCore

Specializes in: nursing, allied and medical office professionals

6. Office Team

Specializes in: office services including executive and administrative assistants, office managers, project coordinators, Microsoft certified specialists, receptionists and data entry

7. Robert Half Legal

Specializes in: attorneys and legal support

8. Select Staffing

Specializes in: on-site services, risk management, human resources, training and employment law

9. The Creative Group

Specializes in: creative, advertising, marketing, Web and public relations

10. Volt

Specializes in: administrative, manufacturing, accounting, technical, professional, IT, engineering and human resources

Tips to make your temp job permanent

Act as if you are on a job interview. Some people think that just because it's temp work, they don't need to impress. When you meet the recruiter at the staffing company, treat it as an interview ... because it is. If you don't make a good impression with the recruiter, chances are you won't get as much consideration as the candidate who does.

Treat is as a "real" job. If you want to get a full-time position where you are temping -- whether in that position or another -- you need to be serious about it. Impress the boss and show your professionalism and competence. Dress professionally, arrive (and leave) on time and resist the urge to blow off a day.

Learn as much as you can on the job. Take every opportunity you can to learn new software or build skills. Not only will you add inventory to your résumé, it makes you more valuable to the employer.

Ask for the job. Talk about your intentions and desires with the placement company or hiring manager. Even if an opportunity doesn't exist today, you don't know what may happen down the road. ( msn.com )

READ MORE - Turn a Temp Gig to a Full-Time Job