Rose

Allo break bonda

2008-08-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

4 Large Potatoes

One loaf of sandwich bread

Two Onions

Five green chillies

1 tsp red chilli powder

salt to taste

Vegetable oil for frying

Servings

For four

Serve with

Mint chutney

Recipe

1. Boil the potatoes till they become soft. You can also put them in a microwave.
2. Peel off the skin.
3. Mash the potatoes.
4. Chop onions and green chillies finely.
5. Add the onions, green chillies and salt to the mashed potatoes.
6. Take two bread slices and cut off the edges.
7. place the mashed potatoe mixture between the bread slices and sprinle some water on the bread slices.
8. Make the bread slices and the mashed potatoe mixture into balls and deep fry till the balls are golden.

Beauty Recipes

2008-08-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

Hair Conditioner One Recipe

Combine mashed avocado with some coconut milk. Comb it through the hair and let sit for 10 -15 minutes, rinse out.

Shampoo Recipe

In a blender, combine 1 ounce olive oil, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Use as regular shampoo.

Remove Conditioner Buildup Recipe

Baking soda removes conditioner build-up from your hair. Rub in and rinse thoroughly, then shampoo with your regular shampoo.

Hair Conditioner Two Recipe

Mayonnaise is a great conditioner for dry hair.

Depending on the length of your hair, apply approximately 1/2 cup of mayonnaise to your dry hair. Work into hair really well and then cover your hair with a plastic bag, allowing to set for about 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and then shampoo as usual.

Avocado Facial Recipe

Avocado is a naturally rich moisturizer. Mash the meat of the avocado into a creamy texture. Massage into the face and neck . Leave on for 15 minutes and gently rinse off.

Facial Mask Recipe

Squeeze half a lemon and mix the juice with one beaten egg white. Leave on your face overnight or, for a quick pick-me-up, just 15 minutes. Splash warm water on your face to rinse.

It helps to removes blotches, because the lemon works as a bleaching agent.

Lighten Circles under Eyes Recipe

To lighten dark circles under your eyes, wrap a grated raw potato in cheesecloth and apply to eyelids for 15-20 minutes. Wipe off residue and apply an eye cream.

Egg & Honey Mask Recipe

Mix together 1 tablespoon honey, 1 egg yolk, 1/2 teaspoon almond oil and 1 tablespoon yogurt. Honey stimulates and smoothes, egg and almond oil penetrate and moisturize, and yogurt refines and tightens pores.

Egg, Avocado & Mud Facial Mask Recipe

Clay is available in powder form at any health food store. Mix 1 tablespoon dry clay with 1 egg yolk, 1/4 of a mashed avocado and enough witch hazel to create a smooth mixture. Mud dries excess sebum while the egg yolk and avocado replenish lost moisture. Witch hazel tones.

Egg & Olive Oil Hair Mask Recipe

Mix two whole eggs with four tablespoons of olive oil. Smooth through hair. Wrap head with plastic wrap, and leave in hair for 10 minutes. Rinse well.

Fruit Smoothie Hair Mask Recipe

Blend 1/2 a banana, 1/4 avocado, 1/4 cantaloupe, 1 tablespoon wheat germ oil and 1 tablespoon yogurt. For extra conditioning, squeeze in the contents of a vitamin E capsule. Leave in hair for 15 minutes.

Facial Exfoliater Recipe

2 heaped tsp fine oatmeal
1 tsp. baking soda

Combine ingredients, and add enough water to make a paste. Apply to skin and rub gently. Rinse and gently pat dry.

Banana Wrinkle Fighter Recipe

Banana is wonderful as an anti-wrinkle treatment. Mash 1/4 banana until very creamy. Spread all over face and leave for 15-20 minutes before rinsing off with warm water followed by a dash of cold. Gently pat dry.

Grape Cleanser Recipe

Grape juice makes an excellent cleanser for any skin type. Simply split one or two large grapes, remove pips and rub the flesh over face and neck. Rinse off with cool water.

Oily Skin Mask Recipe

Mix 1 tsp. brewer’s yeast with enough natural yogurt to make a thin mixture. Pat this thoroughly into all the oily areas and allow it to dry on the skin. After 15 - 20 minutes, rinse off with warm water, then cool water and blot dry

Reference Guide to Natural Skincare

2008-08-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

Alpha-hydroxy acids:
Natural fruit acids that encourage the shedding of dead surface skin cells and the formation of fresh, new skin cells. Grapes and strawberries are great sources.

Aloe Vera:
Rich in healing nutrients and softens skin. It is soothing, healing, and moisturizing. Pure aloe vera gel can be applied to treat dry skin.

Cucumber:
Contains amino and organic acids that cool and refresh the skin and tighten pores.

Ginkgo biloba:
A antioxident that helps skin stay younger looking.

Glycerine:
A soap byproduct that attracts and holds moisture in the skin.

Witch hazel:
A natural astringent that tones the skin. You can follow all the home facial recipes with witch hazel on a cotton ball or cotton facial pad. It is odd smelling but is the best toner for your skin after cleansing and facials to remove any residue left, refresh the skin, tighten pores and tone. Follow with your favorite facial moisturizer. P.S. NEVER use alcohol on your skin!!!

SUMMERY:

Milks and Milk Powders: Nourish and Moisturize

Clays: Absorb toxins and stimulate circulation. Good circulation improves color of skin and promotes firmness.

Sea and Rose Clay for Normal Skin.
Kaolins or White Clays for Sensitive Skin.
French Green, Bentonite and Red Clays for Oily Skin.

Powders:
Cornmeal: Exfoliant
Milk Powder: Moisturizing

Neem: For acne skin and soothes eczema
Lemon Peel, Orange Peel and Rose Petal powder: Astringents

Vitamin E: Research shows that vitamin E may help in preventing wrinkles. You can add Vitamin E to any of the recipes listed by poking a hole in a vitamin E capsule with a needle and squeezing liquid out, or purchasing Vitamin E liquid in a bottle.

Coco Conditioner recipe

2008-06-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

Protein packed Coco Conditioner recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons light sesame oil
2 whole eggs
2 tablespoons coconut milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoons coconut oil

Types Of Fabric

2008-06-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

Types Of Fabric

Aba - A Loose Cloak, Possibly Of Arabian Origin. Related To The Jama In Men's Wear, And To The Abbo (q.v.) in Women's.

Abaca - Fibre Obtained From The Plant Musa Textiles, Commonly Known As Manila

Abho - A Loose Shirt-like Garment, Worn By Women Mostly In Gujarat And Rajasthan. The Garment Was Generally Worn With Short, Wide Sleeves, Open At The Neck, Loose-fitting On The Upper Part And Really Flared In Its Skirt. Often Decorated With Embroidery And Mirror-glass Work.

Abstract - Refers To A Design In The Abstract Style, I.e. One That Represents A General Form And Not An Accurate Representation Of A Subject.

Accessories - Additional Ornamentation To Accompany The Garment In Order To Create A Certain Look/image. (shoes, Jewelries Etc.)

Accordion - 1x1 Rib Knit Alternating With A 2x2 Rib.

Acetate (fibre)
(generic Name) - The Term Used To Describe Fibres Of Cellulose Ethanoate (acetate) Wherein Between 74% And 92% Of The Hydroxyl Groups Of The Original Cellulose Are Ethanoylated (acetylated). Purified Cellulose Is Ethanoylated (acetylated) By Ethanoic Anhydride (acetic Anhydride) In The Presence Of A Catalyst (such As Sulphuric Acid Or Perchloric Acid) In A Solvent Such As Dichloromethane (methylene Chloride) Or Ethanoic (acetic) Acid. The Reaction Proceeds Until Primary Cellulose Acetate Containing 60% Of Combined Ethanoic Acid Is Formed. Secondary Cellulose Acetate Is Formed From The Primary Acetate By Partial Hydrolysis. It Is Obtained By Adding Water In Excess Of That Required To React With The Residual Ethanoic Anhydride, Which Thus Allows The Hydrolysis To Take Place.

Life Of John Keats

2008-06-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

Life Of John Keats

John Keats was born on 31 October 1795, the first of Frances Jennings and Thomas Keats's five children, one of whom died in infancy. His parents had been wed for barely a year when John was born. His maternal grandparents, John and Alice Jennings, were well-off and, upon his parents' marriage, had entrusted the management of their livery business to Thomas. These stables, called the 'Swan and Hoop', were located in north London and provided horses for hire to adjacent neighborhoods.

Thomas and Frances lived at the stables through the births of their first three children. George was born on 28 February 1797 and Thomas on 18 November 1799. After their births, the young couple felt successful enough to move to a separate house on Craven Street, about a half-mile from the business. Here, on 28 April 1801, their son Edward was born; he died shortly thereafter. And on 3 June 1803, the last of their children and only daughter, Frances Mary, was born.

Details of Keats's early life are scarce. During the last few years of his life, letters allow one to track him virtually week-to-week but his childhood and adolescence are another matter. Indeed, virtually all the information known is in the form of reminisces, many taken years after Keats had died. Understandably, one must view these memories with some skepticism. Whether discussing Keats's physical appearance (his brother George said he resembled their mother while a family friend said it was the father) or his pastimes, these sources often contradict one another.

Keats's father, Thomas Keats, died on Sunday, 15 April 1804, while returning home from visiting John and George at Enfield school. It was believed his horse slipped on the cobblestones and threw him to the ground. Suffering a skull fracture, he lived for a few hours after being found by a night watchman. Barely two months later, on 27 June 1804, Frances Jennings remarried. Grief-stricken and unable to conduct the livery business herself, she wed a minor bank clerk named William Rawlings. Rawlings was a fortune-hunter and the marriage was a failure. The children were immediately sent to live with their grandmother and, a few years later, their mother joined them. She had left Rawlings and, with him, the stables she had inherited from her former husband. From this time on, her health declined precipitously.

The upheaval in the children's lives continued. On 8 March 1805, their grandfather died and the financial turmoil which haunted Keats's life began. For John Jennings, a kindly and generous man, was also gullible; he had hired a land surveyor, not a lawyer, to draft his will and the result was an ill-written and vague document. Mr. Jennings's real wishes were obscured and open to interpretation. The specifics of the case are far too detailed for this generalized sketch, but are available in any biography of Keats. There is also a book called The Keats Inheritance which can be found in any good university library. It is worth mentioning here simply because Keats's entire adult life was spent struggling with money.

The fight over shares in the estate began shortly after Jennings's death and ended long after John Keats's death. Their grandmother, now almost seventy, was left with half the income she and her husband had lived on. To practice economy, she moved to a smaller home and attempted to save what she could. In her own will, she appointed Richard Abbey trustee and guardian of her grandchildren. This appointment was to have tragic consequences for all the Keats children, but most especially John.

Mrs. Jennings's new home was close to Enfield, where the youngest son Tom was sent to join his brothers at school. At Enfield, the Keats brothers were well-liked and popular. John caught the attention of his schoolfellows; their reminisces stress his bravery and generosity to others. They also mentioned his sensitivity, a trait which did not prevent him from engaging in fights. As schoolfellow Edward Holmes remembered, "The generosity & daring of his character - in passions of tears or outrageous fits of laughter always in extremes will help to paint Keats in his boyhood." But Holmes, who later became a well-known music critic, stressed that Keats "was a boy whom any one might easily have fancied would become great - but rather in some military capacity than in literature." Simply put, there was little in John's character which would indicate a great future in poetry.

The money problems which began with his grandfather's death were exacerbated by his mother's death in mid-March of 1810 and his grandmother's death in December of 1814. Keats, as the eldest child, was old enough to try and help his mother through her illness; her death impressed itself upon him deeply. His grandmother, whose home had been his for nearly a decade, was also sorely missed. Richard Abbey now became the primary 'adult' influence in Keats's life. Abbey withdrew John and George from school and apprenticed John to an apothecary/surgeon named Dr. Hammond. Keats displayed great aptitude for the difficult job though his enthusiasm waned as his interest in poetry grew. For the next three years, he studied medicine. He also wrote his first poem in 1814, a few months before his grandmother died.

Abbey was executor of her estate and thus guardian of her grandchildren. He took Keats's younger sister Fanny into his home. Using the vague wording of John Jennings' will as a pretext, he often withheld money from the children. He did this despite his legal obligations, largely because he believed they would waste the money and become destitute. The actual amount of the inheritance was also never made clear. And so the Keats children struggled for money while Abbey wrangled with the inheritance, whether through malice or disinterest. The psychological and physical effects of this poverty were profound.

Abbey's own conservative austerity made him unsympathetic to the children. He had a low opinion of their temperaments and maturity. This opinion was formed by the behavior of their mother during her marriage and estrangement from Rawlings. There had been rumors of Frances wandering the streets in disarray and living in sin with various men. Abbey wanted the Keats sons to achieve success in respectable, stable careers, hence his desire for John to become an apothecary. Like most Englishmen, he did not consider poetry, particularly as practiced by a middle-class boy, to be a good career choice. Poetry was the provenance of the noble and wealthy who possessed the leisure and education to indulge in wordplay. John Keats could not afford such a lifestyle. This attitude was pervasive enough to influence early reviews of Keats's poetry as influential magazines such as Blackwood's called him 'ignorant and unsettled', a 'pretender' to a poetic career.

On 1 October 1815, Keats entered Guy's Hospital for more formal training. Henry Stephens, a classmate and later the inventor of blue-black ink, described would-be poet:

Whilst attending lectures, he [Keats] would sit & instead of Copying out the lecture, would often scribble some doggerel rhymes, among the Notes of Lecture, particularly if he got hold of another Student's Syllabus - In my Syllabus of Chemical Lectures he scribbled many lines on the paper cover, This cover has been long torn off, except one small piece on which is the following fragment of Doggerel rhyme
Give me women, wine and snuff
Until I cry out "hold, enough!"
You may do so sans objection
Till the day of resurrection;
For, bless my beard, they aye shall be
My beloved Trinity.

Stephens's sensibility made him excise the reference to women and the last two lines when he told this story to Keats's first biographer, RM Milnes.

In March 1816, Keats became a dresser, applying bandages and, in the summer, a Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries. But the most momentous event was the publication of his first poem in The Examiner. There was little critical reception, but Keats was attracting new friends who shared his literary tastes, among them Leigh Hunt, Benjamin Haydon and John Reynolds. Hunt was the earliest and most enthusiastic supporter of Keats. As a critic on the fringes of the literary establishment, he did all he could to champion his friend's career. Oddly, Keats came to be critical of Hunt's personal and professional affairs, which was a rare lapse in his usually generous nature. In December, Hunt quoted Keats in his famous 'Young Poets' article. He had already given him the nickname 'Junkets', from Keats's Cockney pronunciation of his own name.

By this time, Keats had decided to end his medical training. He had no illusions of the difficulty of a poetic career but he was determined to follow his dream. He was already borrowing as many books as possible from various friends, and became an ardent admirer of Spenser and Shakespeare. This devotion to reading, which had begun after his father's death and remained throughout his life, inspired his most famous poem of 1816, On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer:

Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold,
And many goodly states and kingdoms seen;
Round many western islands have I been
Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold.
Oft of one wide expanse had I been told
That deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne;
Yet did I never breathe its pure serene
Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold:
Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
When a new planet swims into his ken;
Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
He star'd at the Pacific--and all his men
Look'd at each other with a wild surmise--
Silent, upon a peak in Darien.

The following year, 1817, was even more momentous for Keats. While living with his brothers George and Tom in Cheapside, he continued to write poetry; his first volume, Poems, was published by C and J Ollier on 3 March. In a friendly spirit, he gave a copy to Abbey, who told him when they next met, "Well, John, I have read your book, & it reminds me of the Quaker's Horse which was hard to catch, & good for nothing when he was caught - So, Your Book is hard to understand & good for nothing when it is understood." Years later, when relating the story, Abbey implied the comment had been humorous but Keats had taken it to heart: "Do you know, I don't think he ever forgave me for uttering this Opinion." The book sold very badly and Keats soon left for another publisher, Taylor and Hessey.

It was around this time that the Keats brothers decided to move to the healthier area of north London, settling in Hampstead. Both George and Tom had been employed by Abbey but left their jobs before the move. In Hampstead, the brothers made numerous friends, most notably Charles Wentworth Dilke and his wife Maria. George Keats's departure from Abbey's business also marked the beginning of various schemes to make money, one of which required some of John's inheritance. The next year, he would marry and move to America.

In April 1817, shortly after giving Abbey his first book, Keats embarked on a four-month tour through Carisbrooke, Canterbury, Hastings, etc He also wrote the first books of Endymion and other compositions. The unaccustomed solitude and intense work affected Keats deeply. For the first time in his life, he was able to focus completely on his poetry and realize both the extent of his own ambition and ability. Touching upon his own native genius reassured him that the decision to risk all for a literary career was indeed worthwhile; however, the solitude affected him enough to send him back to the reassuring comfort of Tom's companionship. His friend, the painter Haydon, would encourage Keats to seek as much solitude as possible while writing. However much he personally needed the support of his brothers, it could not help his poetic development. But the lonely, grinding work of creation, of writing and editing new lines, was difficult. The early losses of his parents and grandparents had undeniably fostered the strong bond between the Keats children; only death would break it. Despite Haydon's kind advice, the brothers would stay together until George's emigration and Tom's death. Keats could not help but become overly involved in his brothers' lives, often to the sacrifice of his writing and peace of mind.

The trip had another salutary affect upon Keats's life. During his travels, he first met Joseph Severn, the young painter who would eventually nurse him during his final illness in Rome. Severn was immediately struck by Keats's genius, which seemed to manifest itself in his ability to literally feel the poetic essence of all things. Haydon confirmed Severn's impression: "The humming of the bee, the sight of a flower, the glitter of the sun, seemed to make his nature tremble!" This was a very Wordsworthian attribute, as Keats surely understood. He admired much of Wordsworth's work, but his own love of Elizabethan wordplay gave his poetry an extravagance and sensuality which Wordsworth lacked.

Keats also met Benjamin Bailey and Charles Brown. In September, Keats stayed with his new friend Bailey at Oxford and wrote the third book of Endymion; the fourth book would be completed in late November. Bailey was easily the wealthiest of Keats's new friends and his lodgings were comfortable and cheerful. They were also full of the books which Keats loved. His writing progressed largely because of Bailey's own work schedule. Bailey would begin his studies directly after breakfast and Keats would also take up his pen. Later in the afternoon, he would read his work to Bailey and they would talk and go for long walks. Like Severn, Bailey genuinely admired Keats. His open appreciation encouraged the shy poet's work and conversation. Keats rarely spoke of personal matters to anyone but, while in Oxford, he opened up to Bailey. His young friend did not gain a favorable impression of George or Tom, who were at the time having a far too expensive holiday in Paris, complete with a visit to an infamous brother and gaming house. Bailey also learned that Abbey was discouraging Fanny from meeting with her brothers. In response, Keats continued to write his sister, reassuring her that she was both his "only sister" and "dearest friend."

This time in Oxford allowed Bailey to offer insights into Keats's character which are free of condescension or exaggeration: "The errors of Keats's character, - and they were as transparent as a weed in a pure and lucent stream of water, - resulted from his education; rather from his want of education. But like the Thames waters, when taken out to sea, he had the rare quality of purifying himself;...." He was also aware of Keats's innately generous nature; the poet "allowed for people's faults more than any man I ever knew."

Their readings together also confirmed Bailey's understanding that, though his own education was more vast, Keats's power of insight was infinitely greater. Destined for a career in the Church and intensely studying theology, Bailey engaged Keats sin many religious talks. The poet was a skeptical believer, but always open to new ideas. The time at Oxford was allowing him to think deeply and consistently about his poetic instincts. He also began to closely study his earlier verse, attempting to create his own philosophy of poetry.
The impact of the month in Oxford on Keats's development as a man and poet was immense. It marked a new understanding of his desires and purpose, and a new dedication to a literary career. But when he returned to London at the start of the Oxford Michaelmas term on 5 October, it was with noticeable regret. George and Tom had also returned to their cramped rooms. Keats enjoyed his brothers' companionship, but the long hours of work he had done in Oxford could not be replicated here. The noise and lack of privacy made poetry nearly impossible. At first, he took long walks around the neighborhood, visiting Haydon and Hunt. His old friends were quarreling, with Hunt criticizing Haydon's paintings and Keats's Endymion. "I am quite disgusted with literary Men," Keats wrote to the sympathetic Bailey.

But there was another problem as well, a mysterious one which exacerbated his impatient and frustrated mood. Some biographers believe that Keats had contracted a venereal disease while in Oxford. He was particularly ill at Hampstead in October, and treated himself with mercury, writing to Bailey, "The little Mercury I have taken has corrected the Poison and improved my Health." The infection lasted for two months, for he mentioned it again to Bailey in late November. There was also a letter in late October in which Keats joked about some sort of sexual experience. In this letter, he also remarks upon inquiries about his health; several friends had supposed he was suffering the pangs of romantic love, but he assured Bailey it was quite the opposite. This issue is discussed at length in Robert Gittings' biography of Keats. The poet's sexual experience has always frustrated biographers, but the bawdy contents of several letters and poems suggests that Keats had some experience.

(It is the use of mercury which biographers have used to support the theory of venereal disease. As Keats had occasion to know from the lectures at St Guy's, mercury was used to treat syphilis and gonorrhea. However, it was also used to treat common respiratory illnesses. Since Keats spent the latter days of October indoors completing Endymion, it is possible he merely had a cold. It's impossible to know the truth of the matter; for opposing views, read Robert Gittings's biograpy and Walter Wells's medical study.)

The forced rest of October allowed him to continue, though with interruption, the development of his philosophy. He could now read and critique even his great heroes Wordsworth and Coleridge; his contemporaries Shelley and Byron were also studied. Keats was now confident enough of his own abilities to judge their innate worth. He felt himself to be charting a new path, while growing increasingly frustrated with the constraints of Endymion. Taken as a whole, the work is inconsistent and often frustrating, but there are passages of great beauty and power. Reading it, we can witness the young poet (and remember, Keats was about to turn just 22) struggling to find his natural voice, finding it, and then developing its consistency.

But in the final months of 1817, even as he recovered from his mysterious illness, he had a more pressing cause for worry - his brother Tom was ill, and becoming more so, in a ghastly repeat of their mother's death. Tom's illness would come to occupy his brother's thoughts for most of the next year. In December 1817, there was a welcome distraction - the chance to meet his great hero Wordsworth. Haydon arranged the meeting and later famously described it:

"I said he has just finished an exquisite ode to Pan - and as he had not a copy I begged Keats to repeat it - which he did in his usual half chant, (most touching) walking up & down the room - when he had done I felt really, as if I had heard a young Apollo - Wordsworth drily said -
'a Very pretty piece of Paganism' -
This was unfeeling, & unworthy of his high Genius to a young Worshipper like Keats - & Keats felt it deeply - so that if Keats has said any thing severe about our Friend; it was because he was wounded - and though he dined with Wordsworth after at my table - he never forgave him."

The above description is quite famous but there is reason to doubt its accuracy. Haydon first told the story decades later; his journals at the time make no mention of it. Also, Keats's attitude towards Wordsworth did not noticeably change. It is clear from other accounts that some exchange occurred between the two poets, but it seemed more to amuse Keats than offend him. He was now confident enough of his own abilities to recognize Wordsworth's less attractive traits.

In mid-December, George and Tom traveled to Teignmouth for Tom's health. The tuberculosis that had killed their mother was not yet suspected in the youngest Keats; but he was ill and seemed to grow worse as the weeks passed. Keats spent the next two months revising and copying Endymion and attending lectures by the great critic William Hazlitt. Endymion was published in late spring by Taylor and Hessey. His brother's declining health brought Keats to Teignmouth in March, and he spent the next two months there, nursing Tom while writing Isabella, or the Pot of Basil. Bailey invited him to Oxford again; he had read Endymion several times and was impressed enough to write a glowing review for a local paper. But Tom's condition prevented the trip.

Meanwhile, George was planning his wedding to Georgiana Wylie and their emigration to America. Of his inheritance of £1700, he would leave £500 behind; this was to pay his outstanding debts and give his brothers extra money. It was also repayment of various loans Keats had made him over the years. George married on 28 May 1818, with Keats signing the register as witness. Three weeks later, George and his new wife left England.

For the first time in their young lives, the brothers were split apart. Keats felt the separation keenly. Their orphaned upbringing had made them extraordinarily close and now George was gone, Fanny was locked away with Abbey's family, and poor Tom was dying, as Keats finally admitted to himself. They had originally hoped for a recovery, perhaps spurred by a trip to the warm climates of Portugal or Italy, but the plans came to naught. He wrote in a maudlin mood to Bailey: "I have two Brothers, one is driven by the 'burden of Society' to America, the other, with an exquisite love of Life, is in a lingering state. I have a Sister too and may not follow them, either to America or to the Grave."

Keats's affection for Georgiana gave him some consolation; just twenty years old upon leaving England, she had already impressed him with her kind, warm-hearted nature and appreciation of his work. Also, Tom had made plans to return to London and allow their landlady Mrs. Bentley to nurse him at Well Walk. This would allow Keats the opportunity to travel with Charles Brown, whose acquaintance he had made in the fateful summer of 1817. They toured the Lake District for several weeks, and then did an extensive walking tour of Scotland. It was a wonderful trip for the poet. Not only was he distracted from his personal problems, but he and Brown became close friends. And the beautiful landscapes he encountered inspired his writing. He described them in a lengthy letter to Tom: "....[T]hey make one forget the divisions of life; age, youth, poverty and riches; and refine one's sensual vision into a sort of north star which can never cease to be open lidded and steadfast over the wonders of the great Power. ....I never forget my stature so completely. I live in the eye; and my imagination, surpassed, is at rest. ....I shall learn poetry here and shall henceforth write more than ever."

These were indeed prophetic words, foreshadowing his incredible accomplishments of 1819. This trip, like his tour of 1817 and subsequent month in Oxford, marked the next stage of Keats's life. Brown would become a major figure, both friend and supporter to the poet.

In mid-July, Keats wrote a long letter to Bailey which should be noted since it contains the poet's oft-quoted remarks about women. Keats had been dismissive of the fairer sex in an earlier letter, which upset Bailey; now he was reflective, seeking to understand his own contradictory feelings. His current reading of Burns and Dante had also affected him. And he understood his own character well enough to tell Bailey, "I carry all matters to an extreme." Regarding women:

"Is it not extraordinary? When among Men I have no evil thoughts, no malice, no spleen - I can listen and from every one I can learn - my hands are in my pockets I am free from all suspicion and comfortable. When I am among Women I have evil thoughts, malice, spleen - I cannot speak or be silent - I am full of Suspicions and therefore listen to no thing - I am in a hurry to be gone - You must be charitable and put all this perversity to my being disappointed since Boyhood - ....I must absolutely get over this, - but how? The only way is to find the root of the evil, and so cure it."

This attitude has been much discussed by biographers and critics, but seems understandable enough. As a shy young man with limited experience of women as well as a lingering defensiveness regarding his height (Keats was about five feet tall), his feelings were necessarily conflicted.

A few days after completing this letter, the rigors of the tour finally caught up with him. He caught a severe cold which turned into acute tonsillitis. He saw a doctor at Inverness on 6 August who advised him to return to London. Keats did so, and the ten day sale from Cromarty to London, with its enforced rest, restored some of his health. But bad news had arrived in Scotland for him. Tom's doctor had asked the Dilkes to send for Keats; his brother's condition was now dire. Brown wrote back that Keats was already on his way home. He arrived in London unaware and cheerful, meeting Severn in the city and then traveling back to Hampstead. His first stop was the Dilke household, where he made a great impression on Mrs. Dilke; Keats was "as brown and as shabby as you can imagine; scarcely any shoes left, his jacket all torn at the back, a fur cap, a great plaid, and his knapsack. I cannot tell you what he looked like." They told him about Tom's condition and he immediately left for Well Walk.

Nursing Tom was now his main task, but his own sore throat soon returned. Keats began to take larger doses of mercury under the advice of Tom's doctor. They feared his ulcerated throat might turn out to be a syphilitic ulcer; doctors mistakenly believed there was a connection between gonorrhea and syphilis. The mercury had its own side effects, including nervousness, sore gums, and a bad toothache. Keats discontinued the medicine in late September. He spent several weeks in near seclusion, venturing to London once to ask Abbey to allow Fanny to visit Tom. When not brooding over his brother's too brief life, he could consider the cruel reviews of Poems and Endymion which had appeared in the press.

The influential Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine had published a scathing criticism of the 'Cockney School of Poetry', into which they lumped both Hunt and Keats. Keats did not appreciate the link; his own development had taken him far from Hunt's aesthetic. But he was not destroyed by the review, as later writers would imply.

The review itself made numerous references to his humble middle-class origins and apothecary training. Blackwood's would return to this snide characterization continuously. And it was all because of Bailey's misguided loyalty. At a dinner party with John Lockhart of Blackwood's, who published reviews under the anonymous 'Z.', Bailey heard Lockhart comment that Keats shared Hunt's poetry and politics. In their long talks and letters, Keats had confessed his fear of exactly this criticism to Bailey, and now Bailey jumped to his friend's defense. Attempting to distinguish the two men, he discussed Keats's life, giving Lockhart ammunition for his attack. Realizing his blunder, Bailey asked Lockhart to keep the information to himself, which the critic did. After all, the review did not appear under his name.

Blackwood's review was by far the worst; other reviewers were content to simply discuss the poetry itself. It was of too new a type for immediate popularity, but some acknowledged Keats's obvious talent, merely criticizing the path he had chosen. For Keats himself, the works reviewed had long since been abandoned in an aesthetic sense. They were the products of his youth, his idealistic experimentation, his first attempts at poetry; he had already left them behind.

He was also leaving behind another part of his youth, the close companionship and support of his brothers. George was gone to America and Tom was dying. Keats could no longer define himself as an older brother and rely upon their encouragement. He would soon be completely alone. He would also compose some of the most beautiful poetry ever written.

As if Keats's return home was not traumatic enough, with Tom's illness and his own emotional and physical stress, another event occurred which had a profound impact upon the poet. He met Charles Brown's former tenants, the Brawne family. Brown and the Dilke family each owned half of a double house in Hampstead called Wentworth Place. Brown rented out his half when he left on annual vacations, as he had with Keats that summer; when he returned, the Brawnes moved to Elm Cottage, a brief walk away. But while they had lived at Wentworth Place, they had become close friends with Keats's friends, the kindly Dilke family. The Dilkes had spoken often of Keats, praising him in the highest terms. And so when the Brawne family finally met the esteemed young Mr Keats, they were prepared to like him.

Mrs Brawne was widowed; she lived with her 18 year old daughter Fanny, 14 year old son Sam and 9 year old daughter Margaret. The teenaged Fanny was not considered beautiful, but she was spirited and kind. She was also a realist and immensely practical, perhaps as a result of her family's straitened circumstances. She took great care with her appearance and enjoyed flirting with young admirers. As Hampstead was close to an army barracks, there were numerous military dances throughout the year. Fanny was a popular participant; when they first met, Keats was struck by her coquettish sense of fun, and it later pricked his jealousy too often for comfort. "My greatest torment since I have known you has been the fear of you being a little inclined to the Cressid," he would tell her later, referring to Chaucer's infamous flirt.

They met at the Dilkes' home, as Fanny later recalled, and "[Keats's] conversation was in the highest degree interesting and his spirits good, excepting at moments when anxiety regarding his brother's health dejected them." Indeed, Keats, whatever his first impressions of young Miss Brawne, was too caught up with his younger brother's decline to ponder any attraction. By the end of November, with Tom close to death, Keats spent nearly every waking moment at Tom's bedside. The little rooms at Well Walk, once the scene of close companionship for the brothers, were now haunted with disappointment, despair and grief. When Tom died on 1 December, Keats was worn and numb. The memories of Tom's terrible, lingering illness would never leave him; Keats was too sensitive and brooding to ever forget them.

But he at least had a welcome distraction in Fanny Brawne. Eager to escape Well Walk, he gladly accepted Brown's invitation to share Wentworth Place with him. This was not charity on Brown's part; Keats paid him the normal rate for lodging. Since the Dilkes' were now next door, Keats visited with more frequency; and each time, the brown-haired, blue-eyed Fanny made a greater impression. She both confused and exasperated Keats, and therein lay her attraction. He simply could not understand her. In mid-December, two weeks after Tom's death, he wrote a long letter to George and Georgiana in America. Its contents spanned a fortnight and Fanny is notably mentioned: "Mrs Brawne who took Brown's house for the summer still resides in Hampstead. She is a very nice woman and her daughter senior is I think beautiful, elegant, graceful, silly, fashionable and strange. We have a little tiff now and then - and she behaves a little better, or I must have sheered off." And later the poet gives a more vivid description:

"Shall I give you Miss Brawne? She is about my height with a fine style of countenance of the lengthened sort - she wants sentiment in every feature - she manages to make her hair look well - her nostrils are fine though a little painful - her mouth is bad and good - her Profile is better than her full-face which indeed is not full but pale and thin without showing any bone - her shape is very graceful and so are her movements - Her arms are good her hands badish - her feet tolerable.... She is not seventeen - but she is ignorant - monstrous in her behavior flying out in all directions, calling people such names that I was forced lately to make use of the term Minx - this I think not from any innate vice but from a penchant she has for acting stylishly. I am however tired of such style and shall decline any more of it."

And, for a time, it seems he did try to dismiss Fanny from his mind. She rates only a passing mention in a mid-February letter to George (he and Fanny have an occasional 'chat and a tiff'). Poetry had once more become a consuming passion. But it would only be a matter of time before both Fanny and poetry occupied positions of equal importance in his life.

Fanny was no poet, nor did she aspire to the title. But as their acquaintance grew and deepened, she developed a keen appreciation and respect for Keats's work. Whether she enjoyed it because it was written by the young man she loved, or because she recognized its greatness, we do not know; but her encouragement - and that of his friends - was welcome. (And it may be that Keats preferred Fanny's decidedly non-poetic conversation. He had, after all, commented, "I have met with women who I really think would like to be married to a Poem and to be given away by a Novel." If Fanny loved him, she loved him as John Keats alone and that won his gratitude.)

Throughout the winter of 1819, Keats worked for hours at his desk. In January, The Eve Of St. Agnes completed and, a month later, The Eve of St Mark. He also worked on the ambitious Hyperion until early spring; he would leave it deliberately unfinished.

On 3 April 1819, he was suddenly forced into even closer quarters with the baffling Miss Brawne. The Dilkes decided to move to the city center and rented their half of Wentworth Place to Mrs Brawne and her children. Fanny was now a next door neighbor and her presence came close to intoxicating Keats. From April onward, their romance blossomed. Keats would interrupt his serious poetry to write quick sonnets to Fanny, including the famous Bright Star! would I where Steadfast as thous art. Most of these works dwell upon her physical charms, but they also celebrate the enjoyment and abandon he found in her company. It was inevitable that his first love affair would consume him. Once he allowed love to take hold, Keats dedicated himself to it with his trademark intensity. In turn, he was given new impetus, - new inspiration, - new insight into his own emotions and the world itself. His poetry began to reflect this new maturity and power.

In late April, he began composing one of his best-loved works, La Belle Dame Sans Merci . The story of an enchantress and the knight she lures to his doom, it is an evocative and beautiful work, justly celebrated. But even it gives no hint of the great works to come; Keats himself considered it mere light verse and, in a letter to George, dismissed it with a joke. Then, in the space of a few weeks, he composed three of the most beautiful works of poetry ever written - Ode on A Grecian Urn, Ode to a Nightingale and Ode on Melancholy. The story of the composition of Ode to a Nightingale, as well as an image of Keats's original draft, can be read at the Keats : Manuscripts Pages.

These works have been subject to much critical analysis, but the fact remains that - their technical merit aside - they are, quite simply, beautiful. They remain the ultimate expression of Keats's genius and secured his reputation as a great poet. But this vindication of his early promise did not result in immediate acclaim. There was no fanfare, or even immediate publication. Instead, there were more long hours at work, stolen moments with Fanny, and Brown's cheerful company. Mrs Brawne had by now realized the serious course of Keats and Fanny's relationship; she could not have been very pleased. Keats was a kind and intelligent young man, but he was poor and his chosen career offered little hope of success. But her own good nature could not prevent a love match. She grew fond of the poet and later nursed him through his illness.

But Brown was not happy about the relationship. He disliked Fanny, perhaps out of jealousy because she consumed much of Keats's time and thought. Perhaps, too, he understood the depth of Keats's feelings and Fanny's casual, flirtatious attitude with other men (Brown included) indicated a far more shallow attachment on her part. He did not encourage their courtship and, amongst the poet's friends (with the exception of the Dilkes), Fanny was viewed somewhat askance. They noticed her teasing behavior and the depression and jealousy it aroused in Keats. Distracted by such antics, how could Keats write?

For his part, Keats was not unaware of their friendly concern but knew himself too well to be bothered. He had confessed his extreme nature to Bailey over two years past and had come to relish it; it provided the force for his poetry ("the excellence of every Art is its intensity," he once wrote.)

He continued writing, completing the Ode on Indolence in early June. Its epigraph is from Matthew 6:28, in which Jesus urges his followers not to be anxious: "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin." And its inspiration was found in a letter he had begun to George and Georgiana in mid-March. He had written:

"This morning I am in a sort of temper indolent and supremely careless.... Neither Poetry, nor Ambition, nor Love have any alertness of countenance as they pass by me: they seem rather like three figures on a greek vase - a Man and two women - whom no one but myself could distinguish in their disguisement. This is the only happiness; and is a rare instance of advantage in the body overpowering the Mind."

The Ode to Psyche completed next. When summer finally arrived, Keats had gone through a period of sustained achievement. He also became unofficially engaged to Fanny. But mid-summer brought the potential for a new tragedy. He experienced the first signs of tuberculosis, the disease which had already claimed his mother and younger brother and would eventually kill him.

Living with his good friend Charles Brown, and with his new love next door, Keats had reason to believe the tragedies of the past were safely behind him. His poetry had matured with stunning force; the risky rejection of a medical career could soon be justified, even to the skeptical Abbey. And though his first volume had earned bad reviews from the mainstream press, he had high hopes for his next collection. The pressing problem of money could not be forgotten, of course; it drove him to Shanklin in the Isle of Wight for the summer. This holiday in cheap lodgings saved money but it also allowed Keats uninterrupted time to write.

He worked on part one of Lamia and Otho the Great, a play which Brown encouraged as a way for he and Keats to enter the playwriting business. It was their hope that plays might be more profitable than poetry. Keats enjoyed visiting the theater with his friends and especially admired the great English actor Edmund Kean. He was willing to try his hand at drama. Unfortunately, Otho was never completed. As for Lamia, it is a beautiful work, and starkly embodies Keats's comment to Woodhouse: 'Women love to be forced to do a thing, by a fine fellow.' The poem is a realistic depiction of love as a violent and destructive force, often contradictory and inexplicable. The treatment of sexuality is also striking. For those later shocked by the intensity of Keats's love letters to Fanny Brawne, Lamia reveals a poet reveling in the complexities of love.

In August, Keats left the Isle of Wight for Winchester. Here he wrote the second part of Lamia and the beautiful ode To Autumn. The latter remains one of his most famous works:

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, -
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breat whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Keats also began The Fall of Hyperion; however, he became unsatisfied with the concept and abandoned the work. The momentous year 1820 would end as it had begun, in thrall to the story of Hyperion. Reading the two works now, one realizes the enormous growth of Keats's talent in a single year.

It is important to remember that he was just twenty-three years old, and already composing at a rapid pace while further developing his poetic philosophy. His love of the extravagant wordplay of the Elizabethans was now tempered by his own maturity. Personal grief and worry had made him older than his years. But he also possessed an innate love of life, the Wordsworthian celebration of the natural world which Haydon had noted. Keats was now able to draw these disparate influences together and create his own unique philosophy. In him, the school of life, with all its troubles and triumphs, had an apt pupil. Rarely has a poet so beautifully captured the natural world in all its glory.

Yet this ability to translate an affinity for nature into lasting art is not Keats's only claim to greatness. The natural world of human emotion was also fertile ground for his imagination; indeed, he claimed all of Creation as his playing-field. It is both touching and awe-inspiring to take stock of his ambition - and to realize how often, against impossible odds, he claimed victory. In our own time as well, it is useful to note that Keats never attended a creative writing class nor a poetry seminar; he was never taught how to write poetry, just as his hero Shakespeare never attended a playwriting course. The word 'genius' is used very casually these days, but it is a precious and rare commodity. Keats possessed it, that spark of intuition and imagination which made his work immortal.

But the adulation of later generations was not Keats's concern in the autumn of 1819. He returned to Hampstead in October and was soon officially engaged to Fanny Brawne. Their meeting after his three months' absence overwhelmed Keats; 'you dazzled me', he wrote to Fanny. She was still a tease and deliberately stoked his jealousy. The poet remained torn between his work and his love. The holiday peace which had aided his poetry disappeared the moment he saw Fanny. Marriage was now their only option.

The prospect of marriage brought fresh scrutiny of his financial woes. He had to make money from writing; even a small success would be welcome. He met with his publishers again in November and plans were made for another book of poems. Keats also borrowed numerous works of sixteenth-century history from Taylor to research the Earl of Leicester. Brown's earlier push towards playwriting for profit had helped spark a new ambition in Keats. Now he planned to write a play about Elizabeth I's true love, and the choice of Shakespeare's time was perhaps deliberate. Above all else, Keats admired Shakespeare's universality, his realism, the ability to create high drama from human emotion rather than outlandish deeds. He now intended to become a playwright like his idol, using the years of poetry as a school of sorts, preparation for the real achievements which lay ahead. He wrote to Taylor that he hoped to finish soon, 'if God should spare me.'

In January, his brother George returned from America to borrow more money from Keats, who could ill afford it. He came to an agreement with Abbey over the final settlement of his grandmother's estate; the end result was very little, and Keats gave most of it to George. There was a new distance between the brothers. Though younger, George was married and settling into his own business while Keats could not afford to marry Fanny. 'George out not to have done this,' Keats remarked to Fanny about the loan, 'he should have reflected that I wish to marry myself - but I suppose having a family to provide for makes a man selfish.' To Brown he was more bitter: 'Brown, he ought not to have asked me.' George himself told his brother, 'You, John, have so many friends, they will be sure to take care of you!' Keats was careful to keep his own troubles secret, not wishing to add to George's worries. His letters to George and Georgiana, both before and after George's January 1820 visit to England, are wonderful documents - engaging, witty, profound, but rarely does Keats admit to any depression and worry. His protective instinct towards his siblings would never disappear.

THE FINAL YEAR

The trauma of Keats's boyhood prepared him for the anxieties which marked the last year of his life. The fact that much anxiety was of a financial nature, and thus completely unnecessary (since his inheritance was actually greater than Abbey revealed), is sadly ironic. But the problems and distractions which would have destroyed a lesser poet merely spurred Keats on, driven by his ambition and the stark need for success. In February 1820, however, this drive was checked by something more ominous than poverty.

The next month began badly, with a portent of worse to come. Brown's maid told him that Keats was taking laudanum; when confronted, Keats promised to stop. But while Brown believed Keats took it 'to keep up his spirits', the truth was that he used it as a normal pain-killer. The occasional sore throat and cough which had troubled him was still dismissed as a mere cold; but a new tightness in his chest had begun. And on 3 February, Keats had his first lung hemorrhage. The story of this tragic event was later recalled by Charles Brown, who never forgot it. Keats had gown into the city to visit friends and returned at 11 o'clock; it was cheapest to ride outside the stagecoach, which he did, but he lacked a warm coat and the night was bitterly cold and windy. He arrived at Brown's house in a sort of fever. His friend immediately realized Keats was ill and sent him upstairs to bed. Brown then brought him a glass of spirits; as he entered the room, he heard Keats cough. It was just a slight cough, but Keats said: 'That is blood from my mouth.' There was a drop of blood upon his bedsheet. He said to Brown, 'Bring me the candle, Brown, and let me see this blood.' Both men looked upon it for a moment; then Keats looked up at his friend calmly and said, 'I know the color of that blood; it is arterial blood. I cannot be deceived in that color. That drop of blood is my death warrant. I must die.'

Brown never forgot those words, nor the otherworldly calm with which Keats spoke. His friend's apothecary training and nursing of Tom revealed the illness for what it was; there could be no doubt, no comforting pretense.

Later that evening there was a second hemorrhage, far greater and more dangerous than the first. This was typical of tubercular patients and the second bleeding was often fatal. Keats could not help but cough violently; the cough, in turn, enlarged the area of bleeding and the spread of blood into his mouth was so sudden and thick that he thought he would die then. He said to Brown, 'This is unfortunate.' Luckily, he survived the bleeding and was able to rest at Brown's home for the next several weeks.

The illness could not help but remind him of the responsibilities he still bore. He wrote a batch of letters to his younger sister Fanny, still a ward in Abbey's home. George had not even visited Fanny while in England, but Keats thought of her often. Now that he was ill and reflective, he felt guilty for not visiting her more. 'You have no one in the world besides me who would sacrifice any thing for you - I feel myself the only Protector you have,' he wrote to her. He kept both she and Fanny Brawne apprised of his illness, though he was careful to be cheerful and light-hearted. He was being treated by the surgeon GR Rodd, whom Brown had summoned that fateful night. Rodd prescribed a light diet and bleeding. Keats noted the weakness caused by the bleeding, but followed orders.

At this point, he feared the worst but tried to believe the best. It had been an unusually cold winter; many of his friends had fallen ill. Perhaps there was a possibility he would recover. But the weakness which had settled into him was too pervasive and heavy; it laid upon him. Within a week, he could only manage a quarter of an hour in the garden. And his medical training countered any optimism; he had bled so heavily that first night that his lungs must be damaged. It was realistically impossible to believe otherwise.

There was no hope for it and so he wrote to Fanny Brawne, telling her she was free to break their engagement. Of course, she did not and Keats could not deny his relief: 'How hurt I should have been had you ever acceded to what is, notwithstanding, very reasonable!'

Still, they were advised by friends and the doctor to keep their visits to a minimum. Keats was to avoid any heightened emotion, any upset, and Fanny might be susceptible to his illness. Also, Brown disliked Fanny and was always possessive of Keats. He now nursed him diligently, and did his best to keep the poet calm and Fanny safely next door.

Keats wrote to his friend James Rice, who had also experienced serious illness:

"How astonishingly does the chance of leaving the world impress a sense of its natural beauties on us. Like poor Falstaff, though I do not babble, I think of green fields. I muse with the greatest affection on every flower I have known from my infancy - their shapes and colours are as new to me as if I had just created them with a superhuman fancy -.... It is because they are connected with the most thoughtless and happiest moments of our Lives.'"

And in an undated note from the same period, he mused: '"If I should die", said I to myself, "I have left no immortal work behind me - nothing to make my friends proud of my memory - but I have lov'd the principle of beauty in all things, and if I had had time I would have made myself remember'd."'

There was new impetus for poetry, then, including a gift from BW Procter, whom Hunt had compared to Keats. And Taylor pushed him to select and revise poems for the press. Keats turned to the task with some of his old enthusiasm. But this proved to be too much for his precarious health. The contrast between the powerful writing of a mere few months before with his now weakened and helpless state depressed him. It could not be otherwise. His ill health, the endless fever and weakness, could not be ignored. And Brown's dislike of Fanny was now open and unavoidable. Part of this stemmed from Brown's own scandalous behavior; his housemaid was pregnant with his child. He did not want female visitors to his home. But Fanny, who quickly realized the situation, was determined to visit Keats. She did so as often as possible and, against the advice of even her mother, sent him a brief note every night.

The emotional situation would have been difficult even for someone in perfect health. But on 6 March, Keats had a new and dangerous symptom. That night, he experienced violent palpitations of the heart. Rodd recommended a specialist, Dr Robert Bree, who declared Keats to be suffering from a primarily hysterical illness. He did not dismiss the earlier bleeding, but believed it was caused by anxiety. Brown wrote in relief to Taylor that 'there is no pulmonary affection, no organic defect whatever, - the disease is on his mind.'

Whether Keats believed this is unclear. He had close experience with tubercular patients and extensive medical knowledge of his own. But he could not help but wonder if Bree was correct. Certainly it was a more optimistic diagnosis than he expected. And Bree removed him from the starvation diet, prescribing wine and meat to build strength. He also gave Keats sedatives for his anxiety, primarily opium. This helped ease the pain and tightness of his chest.

A normal diet and pain medication gave Keats back some of his old strength. He was able to work on the volume of poems for Taylor and passed some two months of relative peace. His letters to Fanny Brawne were more confident and playful. He was even able to attend an exhibit of Haydon's work in Piccadilly, walking over eight miles there and back..

Brown typically rented out his home during the summer when rents were highest. He was especially eager to do so that summer; the impending birth of his child and support for its mother put a strain on his finances. He cast about for somewhere for Keats to stay, but it was Leigh Hunt who came to the rescue. Hunt's wife was also a consumptive; it is probable that he understood the seriousness of Keats's condition. But he also realized that everyone, including Keats, had committed to pretending that Keats was not truly ill, and rest and emotional tranquility would cure him. Hunt's own financial problems had driven him just outside Hampstead, and he arranged for Keats to live just a few doors away. The rent was much cheaper than in Hampstead proper but still within a mile of Fanny's home. It was also still close to town, so that Keats could continue to advise Taylor and Hessey on his book. Hunt promised to keep close watch upon his friend. And Brown, despite his own troubles, lent Keats £50 for summer expenses; he borrowed the money from his lawyer. He also paid moving expenses and the first weeks' rent. All of this was on top of forgiving Keats's household expenses for the last several weeks at his home. Brown then left for Scotland, with Keats accompanying him to Gravesend. They never met again.

The new lodgings had one unbearable defect for Keats - they lacked Fanny Brawne. She was just a mile away, but it might as well have been ten miles. She could not visit his lodgings without a chaperone, and they could not meet at Hunt's noisy home. During his illness at Hampstead, even when apart, he could still glimpse her occasionally, going about her errands. And they had met quite often and exchanged notes. Now she was too far away to glimpse or hear. Her mother came to check on him, but we have no evidence that Fanny came. Keats himself returned to Wentworth Place just once, to pick up letters for Brown. The strain of seeing Fanny and then parting was too great. He wondered ceaselessly if her feelings had changed, if she still loved him; this emotional distress was exacerbated by his physical decline. And his long-standing distrust of women, his disdain for their flirtatious and teasing behavior, reawakened old suspicions. He now played the role of jealous lover.

His mood darkened so that even occasional visits to town went badly. The young artist Joseph Severn paid the most visits to Keats. But their walks on the Heath grew short as Keats's depression lingered. At the end of May, he learned of Fanny's unchaperoned visit to the Dilke home for a party and dance. He could not bear it, and wrote accusatory letters to her. Fanny responded with lively good sense and Keats was soon contrite. "Do not believe me such a vulgar fellow," he wrote to her. "I will be as patient in illness and as believing in Love as I am able." But this new resolve could not hold; his own nature worked against it.

He spent June correcting the proofs of his new book. It was a cause to be happy, but as he wrote to Brown, "My book is coming out with very low hopes, though not spirits on my part." In mid-June he visited the city and was invited to a dinner with Wordsworth. Keats did not dare risk the night air, but he would have been pleased to hear Wordsworth's praise. Keats was "a youth of promise too great for the sorry company he keeps", the older poet remarked. On 22 June, a letter arrived from his sister Fanny; there was a new problem with the Abbeys. Keats prepared to visit but, on the way to the town coach, a new fit of bleeding occurred. Dr Bree was wrong after all. This was not a nervous condition, but a real and serious physical problem. With a mouth full of blood, he returned to his rooms. He later went to Hunt's home but told them nothing. He returned home that night to a replay of the February bleeding; he had a second and far more dangerous hemorrhage. Keats's landlady summoned Hunt and Keats was moved to the Hunt household at 13 Mortimer Terrace. Dr George Darling was summoned to his bedside. Darling believed Keats was consumptive, and he prescribed the same light diet and blood-letting as Rodd. Bree's treatment, despite its false emphasis upon Keats's emotional health, had at least allowed him solid meals and no bleeding. He had regained some of his old strength. But now regular bleeding and scanty diet took their toll anew.

Hunt attempted to lift his spirits but it was hopeless. His household was too noisy and troublesome. The poet's despondency found echo in his beloved Shakespeare; as he wrote to Fanny:

"Shakespeare always sums up matters in the most sovereign manner. Hamlet's heart was full of such Misery as mine is when he said to Ophelia 'Go to a Nunnery, go go!' Indeed I should like to give up the matter at once - I should like to die. I am sickened at the brute world which you are smiling with."

His thoughts dwelt constantly upon thwarted love, at happiness snatched away just as it came near:

"If my health would bear it, I could write a Poem which I have in my head, which would be a consolation for people in such a situation as mine. I would show some one in Love as I am, with a person living in such Liberty as you do."

But despondency could be alleviated by something which Keats neither expected nor dared to dream - positive critical reviews of his new book. The book was printed in the last week of June 1820 and was a far greater success than his earlier work; indeed, its reception was as positive as any poet could wish. Even Blackwood's was somewhat impressed. Taylor had recognized Keats's genius, writing to his father, 'Next week Keats's new Volume of Poems will be published, and if it does not sell well, I think nothing will ever sell again - I am sure of this that for poetic Genius there is not his equal living, & I would compare him against any one with either Milton or Shakespeare for Beauties.' His friends were equally voluble in praise, but it was the outside reviews which mattered most. After all, Keats needed to impress more than his small circle of companions.

He knew of the strong sales, writing, 'My book has had a good success among literary people, and, I believe, has a moderate sale.' But his ill health prevented any real celebration. Recognition and praise for his poetry was a sweet torment. He was seriously ill, possibly dying, at the moment of triumph.

His friends had long suggested a trip to Italy to recover his health. At first, it had been viewed as a chance to calm his spirits and allow needed rest. But now it was recognized as a last chance at recovery. Such trips to warmer climates were common for tubercular patients.

An experience at Hunt's drove Keats back to Hampstead, but in a most heartbreaking way. A letter from Fanny Brawne was mistakenly opened before being given to Keats. He was immediately and irrationally upset; he cried for hours and told a shocked Hunt that his heart was breaking. His battle with the world had finally broken his spirit. Keats left for Hampstead, walking along Well Walk and past the rooms where Tom had died. He was glimpsed at the end of the street, sobbing into his handkerchief. Finally, he arrived at the Brawnes' rented rooms at Wentworth Place. He was so ill, exhausted and emaciated that Mrs Brawne flouted society and admitted him. He would spend the next month there and later say it was the happiest time of his life.

That weekend he sent an apology to Hunt and notes to his sister and Taylor. He asked his publisher for any information about a trip to Italy, its cost and when boats sailed; he also sent Taylor a will of sorts, leaving all his things to Taylor and Brown. In this way, he hoped to settle his debts with both men.

Taylor was generous as always, and more than eager to help Keats. He researched the matter and found that Rome was the best place for medical care. A kind Scottish doctor, James Clark, practiced there and Taylor could write ahead to secure his services. Clark already owned Endymion and the 1820 volume of poems. He knew of and admired Keats.

The success of the last volume of poems allowed Taylor to advance money for the trip. He visited Keats on Friday, 18 August and they discussed matters. Keats both dreaded and anticipated the trip. He did not dare believe he would return. The parting from Fanny, with whom he now lived, would be heartbreaking.

He wrote to Brown, asking his closest friend to accompany him to Rome. Some biographers have implied that Brown refused, remaining in Scotland until it was too late to accompany Keats. In truth, he left Scotland early and hurried back to London only to discover his friend already departed. Whether he wrote to Keats to accept his offer or tell him of his acceptance, we do not know.

The journey was made more pressing by the end of August. Keats had another severe hemorrhage and was now confined to bed, nursed diligently by Fanny. Haydon visited and found his friend 'to be going out of the world with a contempt for this and no hopes of the other.' The ironic fulfillment of his poetic and romantic dreams - success at last, and the chance to marry Fanny - consumed him. Happiness could be his at last, if not for this inherited illness. Memories of Tom's lingering end fought with the desire to stay near Fanny. In the end, he could only take his friends' advice and the final hope of a recovery in Italy.

But who would accompany him? Brown had not returned. His other friends had ready excuses; Hunt, Haslam, and Dilke had families and Haydon was busy. On 12 September, Severn was approached. The young painter had always admired Keats. He had just won the Academy Gold Medal which would allow for a traveling fellowship. A season in Rome could benefit Keats's health and Severn's painting. With the enthusiastic and impulsive kindness which marked his character, Severn accepted the charge. Though young and inexperienced in life, he proved to be an admirable nurse for the ailing poet.

The final goodbye to Fanny can only be surmised. But it is clear from surviving letters that she and Keats had fallen even more deeply in love during that last month. The task of nursing him could have destroyed her affection, but instead it was deepened and strengthened. They exchanged gifts; she included a journal and paper so he could write to her and lined his traveling cap with silk. She also gave him an oval marble which she used to cool her hands while sewing; it could also be used by a fevered patient. This marble, which Fanny herself had clasped so often, would rarely leave Keats's hands in Rome. He did not write to her - he dared not - nor would he open her letters; the pain was too near. But he held the marble constantly.

They sailed on 17 September. Severn had not grasped the seriousness of Keats's illness; he believed the trip to Rome was a chance for recovery. They shared quarters with two women, with a screen dividing the beds. One of the women, eighteen year old Miss Cotterell, was the classic consumptive, wasted, weak, and glassy-eyed, pale but with a feverish blush on her cheeks and racked by a brutal cough. In contrast, Keats was still not officially diagnosed and often seemed the picture of health. It was only a week or so into the voyage that Severn began to suspect the truth. For all of his outward signs of bonhomie, the poet grew feverish during the night, coughed hard and brought up blood. Perhaps most disturbing to the gregarious and cheerful Severn, Keats's physical anguish was consuming him mentally. He often stood by himself, staring silently over the dark water. As Severn wrote, 'He was often so distraught, with moreover so sad a look in his eyes, sometimes a starved, haunting expression that it bewildered me.'

The kind-hearted Severn was torn. He regarded Keats with something approaching awe, well aware of the younger man's talent - aware, too, that a few London friends thought he may become a rival to Shakespeare. But during the voyage Severn found Keats withdrawn and difficult to reach. The silence reminded Severn of the lack of true friendship between the men. Yet the silence was better than Keats's sudden and unexpected outpouring of feeling when they arrived at Naples. Suddenly, Severn became aware of another reason for Keats's mental anguish - it wasn't simply his ill health, it was also an ill-fated love affair with a young woman in London named Fanny Brawne. Severn knew of Fanny and Keats's flirtations with her, but he did not know that she and Keats were engaged. The engagement was known only to Fanny's mother, who had helped nurse the poet in London.

The first night in Naples (also Keats's birthday) found both Severn and Keats writing letters home. Severn interrupted his, to their mutual friend William Haslam, when Keats wished to talk again. There are oblique references in Severn's letter of Keats's 'heavy grief', but nothing more. The conversation soothed Keats but gave Severn fresh cause for concern. Keats's own state of mind can be further guessed by reading his letter from that evening, to Charles Brown. "I am afraid to write to her - to receive a letter from her - to see her hand writing would break my heart - even to hear of her any how, to see her name written would be more than I could bear," he told his friend. His "imagination" was "horridly vivid about her - I see her - I hear her...."

It is clear Keats was thinking only of Fanny Brawne, and she was undoubtedly the focus of his conversation with Severn.

These confessions made Severn believe that the poet's problems were caused as much by love as physical disease. This opinion was already shared by Keats's friends and doctor, and indeed the poet himself came to believe it. In the text of the letter to Brown, Keats had written:"'My dear Brown, I should have had her when I was in health, and I should have remained well". He also believed his younger brother Tom had died as much from a broken heart as consumption. The power of love in Keats's universe was thus life-altering, and life-threatening. This belief gave Severn some optimism since heartache was not as alarming as consumption. But he was disturbed by the intensity of Keats's feelings and their affect upon his health.

They were entertained at Naples by Miss Cotterell's brother, a city banker. The passengers waited under quarantine before they would be allowed to travel further; the kindly Mr Cotterell shared the quarantine. Later, he took them about the city and gave a farewell dinner party. Their visas arrived from the British Legaton on 6 November and from the Papal Consul General the next day; they left for Rome on the 8th. With an effort at economy, they hired a small carriage and stayed at poor inns along the way. It took a week to cover the 140 miles. Severn often walked alongside the carriage so that Keats could rest inside. He gathered armfuls of wildflowers from the roadside, filling the carriage with their bright colors and scents for the poet. They finally arrived in Rome on 15 November.

Their first stop was at Dr James Clark's office in the Piazza di Spagna. By coincidence, Clark was writing to Naples for word of his patient. He took an instant liking to Keats, but thought Severn an immature companion. Severn's light-hearted kindness often made others suspect a lack of practicality, an inability to cope with anything serious. His care of Keats soon proved otherwise.

Clark had arranged for rooms beside the staircase which led to the Church of the Trinita dei Monti, what is now called the Spanish Steps. It was a well-known boarding house. Keats and Severn would share the second floor, which was well-furnished; its only drawback was that it opened directly into the landlady's rooms on the mezzanine floor. There were three rooms - a large sitting-room which overlooked the piazza, a smaller bedroom with one window overlooking the piazza and the other the steps, and a tiny room in the back which Severn used for painting.

Keats and Severn both fell instantly under Rome's spell. The constant crowd below their windows, the hub of the market and mingle of foreign voices, were lively distractions for the poet. At night, he fell asleep listening to Bernini's fountain outside. Clark's diagnosis was at first optimistic. He noticed that Keats had trouble with digestion; he also noted his heightened emotions. A firm believer in healthy food and fresh air, Clark prescribed both to Keats. He encouraged the poet to take short walks around the neighborhood; Keats did so and soon met other English visitors. These gentle distractions proved helpful. But his illness had progressed far more than Clark suspected. The trip to Rome could not offer Keats physical health, but it could give him some measure of calm, a respite from the anguish and worries of England.

That Keats did secure some calm can be proven in the last letter he wrote, to Charles Brown on 30 November:

My dear Brown,
'Tis the most difficult thing in the world to me to write a letter. My stomach continues so bad, that I feel it worse on opening any book - yet I am much better than I was in Quarantine. Then I am afraid to encounter the proing and conning of any thing interesting to me in England. I have an habitual feeling of my real life having past, and that I am leading a posthumous existence. God knows how it would have been - but it appears to me - however, I will not speak of that subject. I must have been at Bedhampton nearly at the time you were writing to me from Chichester - how unfortunate - and to pass on the river too! There was my star predominant! I cannot answer any thing in your letter, which followed me from Naples to Rome, because I am afraid to look it over again. I am so weak (in mind) that I cannot bear the sight of any hand writing of a friend I love so much as I do you. Yet I ride the little horse, - and, at my worst, even in Quarantine, summoned up more puns, in a sort of desperation, in one week than in any year of my life. There is one thought enough to kill me - I have been well, healthy, alert &c, walking with her - and now - the knowledge of contrast, feeling for light and shade, all that information (primitive sense) necessary for a poem are great enemies to the recovery of the stomach. There, you rogue, I put you to the torture, - but you must bring your philosophy to bear - as I do mine, really - or how should I be able to live? Dr Clarke is very attentive to me; he says, there is very little matter with my lungs, but my stomach, he says, is very bad. I am well disappointed in hearing good news from George, - for it runs in my head we shall all die young. I have not written to **** yet, which he must think very neglectful; being anxious to send him a good account of my health, I have delayed it from week to week. If I recover, I will do all in my power to correct the mistakes made during sickness; and if I should not, all my faults will be forgiven. I shall write to **** tomorrow, or next day. I will write to **** in the middle of next week. Severn is very well, though he leads so dull a life with me. Remember me to all friends, and tell **** I should not have left London without taking leave of him, but from being so low in body and mind. Write to George as soon as you receive this, and tell him how I am, as far as you can guess; - and also a note to my sister - who walks about my imagination like a ghost - she is so like Tom. I can scarcely bid you good bye even in a letter. I always made an awkward bow.
God bless you!
John Keats

note: the asteriks mark names which were omitted by the copyist.

The calm acceptance of this letter was a reflection of his new spirit. But it is also worth noting Keats's profound description of poetry; 'the knowledge of contrast, feeling for light and shade, all that information (primitive sense) necessary for a poem' - this description has never been equaled. Poetry could not be forgotten, but he was all too aware that beginning another poem, so tempting to do when confronted with the new experience of Rome, would shatter his fragile calm. This was yet another aspect of the final tragedy - his poetic impulse was stirred and he was forced to deny it. Severn later remarked that this was his friend's greatest pain. Soon enough, Keats could not 'bear any books' either, for they were painful reminders of immortality. Severn would occasionally read to him (Keats requested Jeremy Taylor's Holy Living and Holy Dying for 'some faith - some hope - something to rest on now') but the poet would not read himself, nor write to anyone.

This new calm impressed both Severn and Clarke; the doctor remarked that Keats was 'too noble an animal to be allowed to sink.' But there was little to do for him now. There were occasional flashes of his old humor and wit. Their dinners were purchased from a nearby restaurant and always badly cooked. One day, with a mischievous smile at Severn, Keats took the dishes and proceeded to empty them out the sitting-room window. 'Now you'll see, we'll have a decent dinner.' Barely half an hour passed before a new - and delicious - dinner was delivered. Afterwards, their meals were prompt and edible.

But on 10 December, Severn returned from an early walk and woke Keats. Immediately, the poet began to cough and then vomit blood, about two cupfuls. Clark was summoned and promptly bled him. The loss of blood dizzied and confused Keats. When Clark had left, he left his bed to stumble around the rooms, telling Severn, 'This day shall be my last.' His companion feared suicide and immediately hid all the sharp objects he could find as well as the laudanum Clarke prescribed. Keats remained delirious for the rest of the day, until finally another violent hemorrhage and bleeding weakened him into calm. Over the next nine days, he suffered five severe hemorrhages and continued bleedings by Clark. The doctor visited constantly and put Keats on a strict diet, mostly fish. Keats begged for food, saying they were starving him.

Severn tried to comfort his friend, but Keats was now past comfort. He rambled on about Tom's illness and death, and - even more troubling to the devout Severn - denied any Christian comfort. The painter described the scenes for eager friends in England: 'For he says in words that tear my very heartstrings - "miserable wretch I am - this last cheap comfort which every rogue and fool have - is deny'd me in my last moments - why is this - O! I have serv'd every one with my utmost good - yet why is this - I cannot understand this" - and then his chattering teeth.' And later, 'I think a malignant being must have power over us - over whom the Almighty has little or no influence - yet you know Severn I cannot believe in your book - the Bible. ...Here am I, with desperation in death that would disgrace the commonest fellow.' When Severn finished a letter to Keats's publisher Taylor, the poet told him to add a postscript: 'I shall soon be in a second edition - in sheets - and cold press.'

The slow, sad death in a foreign city was breaking Keats's wonderful spirit. The frantic months of losing his brothers, falling in love, writing perfectly at last and knowing it - they were too painful to contemplate. All the time spent reflecting upon 'the vale of soul-making' had led to nothing but a poverty-stricken death far from everything he loved. Poor Severn could not hope to break this depression.

By now, Clark held no hope of recovery and admitted as much to Keats. The poet's thoughts turned to suicide once more, driven by his own suffering and memories of Tom's lingering end. 'Keats see all this - his knowledge of anatomy makes it tenfold worse at every change - every way he is unfortunate,' Clark wrote. Keats begged Severn for the laudanum, at first appealing to Severn's self-interest. He described Tom's death in all its depressing detail, - the loss of bodily control, the constant blood and vomit and diarrhea. Severn would be forced to nurse him; he would also neglect his own work, the reason he had come to Rome. But the painter refused the request. Keats grew angry; he raged at his companion. Severn was keeping him alive against his will. When Severn, not trusting himself, gave the bottle to Clark, Keats turned on the doctor. 'How long is this posthumous life of mine to last?' he asked plaintively.

The next month was a slow and steady decline into the final stage of tuberculosis. He coughed hard and constantly, was wracked in sweat, his teeth chattered uncontrollably. Severn nursed him devotedly. Once, Keats awoke while Severn slept at his side. The candle had gutted; in the dark, he cried out. Severn devised a clever solution; he connected a string of candles so that as one went out, the flame spread to the next. The next evening, he awoke to hear Keats exclaim, 'Severn! Severn! here's a little fairy lamplighter actually has lit up another candle.' On 28 January, Seven sketched Keats as he slept . The poet would sometimes cry upon waking to find himself still alive.

Though Keats refused to pray himself, Severn prayed beside him. Keats's calm was broken only by a letter from Charles Brown from which fell a note in Fanny Brawne's handwriting; the sight shook his nerves. He did not read it, but asked Severn to place it in his coffin along with a purse made by his sister and a lock of Fanny Brawne's hair. His thoughts now turned to his final resting-place, the Protestant Cemetery beside the pyramid of Caius Cestius. He asked Severn to visit and describe the place for him. Even today, it remains a peace of place and beauty. Severn told him of the daisies and violets which grew there, and of the flocks of goats and sheep which roamed over the graves. The description pleased Keats. He asked that one phrase be put upon his tombstone: 'Here lies one whose name was writ in water.' The phrase was taken from Beaumont and Fletcher's Philaster: "all your better deeds / Shall be in water writ."

The constant handling of Fanny's marble seemed to calm him. But more importantly, he achieved a kind of peace by considering Severn's suffering rather than his own. He worried about the effect his illness and death would have on his friend, and tried to cheer him as best he could. '[T]hese bursts of wit and cheerfulness were called up on set purpose - were, in fact, a great effort on my account. I could perceive in many ways that he was always painfully alive to my situation,' Severn later recalled. As he rushed about caring for Keats, the poet reassured him: 'Now you must be firm for it will not last long.'

He also - suddenly and surprisingly - wanted books nearby. Severn did not understand why 'this great desire for books came across his mind' but 'I got him all the books on hand'. By now, Keats was unable to read but the very presence of the books acted as a 'charm', Severn wrote, and he gladly collected all he could find.

It seemed he would die on Wednesday, 21 February; a new fit of coughing began and he asked Severn to hold him up so he could breathe. But he lingered on for another day. On Friday the 23rd, around four in the afternoon, Severn was roused by Keats's call: 'Severn - I - lift me up - I am dying - I shall die easy - don't be frightened - be firm, and thank God it has come.' But it did not come for another seven hours, as he rested in Severn's arms, holding his hand. His breathing was deep and difficult, but he seemed beyond pain. Only once did he speak again, whispering, 'Don't breathe on me - it comes like Ice.' Finally, near 11 o'clock he died, as though he were going to sleep. He was buried just before dawn on Monday 26 February.

Clark had performed an autopsy on Sunday, which revealed Keats's lungs to be completely destroyed. He also commissioned a death mask. It took three weeks for news of his death to reach home. Later that spring, Fanny Brawne wrote to Keats's sister about his death: 'I have not got over it and never shall.' She wore mourning for several years and spent many long nights walking along the Heath or reading Keats's love letters. He had given her his precious folio copy of As You Like It; against the FINIS on its last page, she wrote 'Fanny April 17 1821.'

Keats's passing created a rift amongst his friends. As his fame as a poet grew, they told competing stories of his life and often exaggerated their influence upon his work. It became commonplace to view Keats as a tragic soul, too sensitive for this world and driven from it by harsh critical reviews. Keats himself would have been furious at such a description. Rarely has a poet so thoroughly captured life in all its natural glory, without affectation or exaggeration. And rarely, too, has a man lived such an admirable and passionate life. He once remarked hopefully, 'I think I shall be among the English Poets after my death.' At a mere twenty-five years of age, John Keats achieved this dream.

Beautiful Skin

2008-05-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Skin from your Kitchen

You can get plenty of nourishment for your skin from a natural diet. All you need to know is which fruit or cereal gives you the vitamins you need for a flawless and glowing skin

Oranges
What they do: They are loaded with Vitamin C, which protects your skin from damage from environmental factors like ultraviolet rays. Vitamin C keeps your gums healthy and helps your skin make collagen, which is necessary to keep it tight and wrinkle free.

How to consume: You need 200 mg of Vitamin C per day. There's enough in one orange for your entire day's needs. It's better to consume the whole fruit than just have the juice. Smoking is a no-no as it decreases the absorption of Vitamin C into the system. Conditions it helps: Bleeding and tender gums, wounds, dull skin from exposure to the sun.

Papayas
What they do: This delicious, lowcalorie fruit is not just a dieter's delight; it comes packed with carotenoids that release Vitamin A. Vitamin A has an antioxidant effect; it protects your skin from damage and keeps it young. It is also known to decrease the risk of cancer. How to consume: About 200 gm (a big bowlful) is adequate. The part near the seeds is the richest in nutrients, so it should not be discarded. Instead, just lightly flake off the seeds with a fork.

Conditions it helps: Dry skin and dry mucosa (the lining of your mouth and eyes).

Whole grains
What they do: These are full of vitamins of the B group; these vitamins are essential for normal skin functioning, growth of new cells to replace dead ones and to maintain the skin's strength against infections and stress. Niacin in whole grains also helps skin cells to absorb nutrients from the blood and break them to release energy.

How to consume: Select breads, biscuits and pastas that mention 'whole grain' instead of just wheat flour in the ingredients. Try to eat unpolished rice (brown rice). You could also add wheat bran (husk of wheat) to your chappatti dough.

Conditions it helps: Peeling, cracked skin, rough hands and feet, mouth ulcers, sore tongue, rawness at the angles of the mouth.

Sunflower seeds
What they do: These light, crisp, nutritious morsels are filled with the goodness of essential fatty acids. They help your skin secrete natural oils that lubricate it and prevent water loss, keeping your skin soft. They improve hair texture and decrease blackheads. How to consume: A few teaspoons once or twice a week is enough. Alternately, use sunflower oil for cooking.

Conditions it helps: Psoriasis, scaly patches on your skin and cracked soles, atopic dermatitis, rashes, acne.

Green tea
What it does: Green tea is loaded with flavinoids and antioxidants. Drinking it is the best gift you could give your skin. Sunlight, UV rays and free radical (chemicals) in the atmosphere can damage your skin cell's structure and leave it incapable of repairing itself, making you look older and wrinkled. It may also cause skin cancer. Antioxidants in green tea battle these agents, helping your skin stay younger.

How to consume: Soak a tea bag or a teaspoon of tea leaves in a cup of hot water for at least three minutes to get the full extract. This is available at any pharmacy. Adding milk neutralizes the antioxidants, so it is best to have it black.

Lovely Lips

2008-05-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

For Lovely Lips

Try out some of the methods to make lips look beautiful in winter.

Lips are a sensitive body organ and the fact that we use them for speaking, eating and smiling, it is advisable to know the ways to take care of lips It is seen that seasons affect the lips as they are exposed to the elements directly and like hair need a lot of care. During winters, it’s largely the lips that bear the brunt. As lips have extremely sensitive skin, they appear cracked, bleed and seem to be unnaturally red, as the mercury drops.

Try out some of the methods given below to make lips look beautiful in winter.

Around 92 per cent of women use lipstick each day, but the truth is that they are still more likely to apply an eye cream at night than to reach for a specialist lip product at night. However, there comes a time when this much-overlooked area needs special attention, especially in winter.
The best way to kiss dry, chapped lips goodbye is with a little gentle exfoliation and moisturizing.
Try out rubbing lip cream with a light toothbrush topped with lip cream, so that the fine cracked particles on your lips are removed completely.
To relax the lip, mash a quarter of ripe papaya to a juicy paste. Then, lie down on a towel and apply a generous amount to the lips and the skin around the lips. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes, rinse it off and apply lip balm. Papaya contains exfoliating enzymes and can help to soften and refine lip lines.
If your lips are prone to dryness and cracking, check out daily maintenance creams with skin-exfoliating AHAs (alphahydroxy-acids), moisturisers, Vitamins A and E and an SPF 15, which has been shown in trials to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the surface of the lips in one month.
Lips are one of the most exposed areas of skin, yet they have an extremely thin outer layer and few sebaceous glands.
Centrally heated offices (which can be particularly dry) and whipping winter
winds both take a toll on your lips. If one is going skiing or to hotter climates, remember that lips contain no melanin and can quickly become badly burnt without protection. So, one has to be extremely careful in such cases.
If these tips are followed, lips will remain supple throughout the year and add to the face’s attraction.

Improving Facial

2008-05-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

Improving Facial Features with Make Up

How does one make a round face look slimmer?
Using a back and forth motion with the brush, apply blush wher e the hollow of your check should be. (Suck in your jaws while looking in the mirror to find the right place for the blush) Make sure your eyebrow line is extended to the proper length. Too short a line will enhance the roundness. Wear your hair straight and close to your face.

Minimizing a double chin
Apply a bronzing powder on both sides of the neck. It will give the illusion of a long neck. Be sure to apply blush on your cheeks to draw attention away from the neck. Wear your hair longer in a layered style to help cover part of the neck.

The best way to cover freckles
Choose a foundation that offers medium or full coverage. This will hide your freckles. Choose a color of the foundation that is lighter than the freckles, but darker than your skin tone. Also be sure to blend the foundation very well at the chin so that you don’t have a distinctly visible make-up line.

How does one remove blemish scars or age spots?
It’s very important to first find a good bleaching cream and use it faithfully. Over time, these spots will fade.

Minimize your red eyes
A lot of people complain of redness in their eyes. Excessive usage of the computer and not adequate rest to your eyes can create puffiness and dark circles.

Apply cool cotton compresses to closed eyes. Always use an alcohol-free toner or, if you prefer natural therapy, opt for cucumber slices.

While applying make-up, apply a neutral colored eye shadow. Wear waterproof mascara in black or black-brown shades. Then, use a bright blue pencil to line your lower lashes. This will brighten your eyes and create a sense of drama.

Making a large, wide nose appear smaller…
Apply a bronzing powder down both sides of the nose. Try wearing a different hairstyle too. Long hair with some waves helps make a nose appear narrower.

To make a long nose appear shorter...
Always apply a bronzing powder to the tip of the nose.

To make your nose look slimmer...
Use two different shades of foundation or concealer near in color to your own skin tone. Apply the darker shade on each side of your nose and blend out onto the cheeks slightly. Apply the lighter shade on the top part of your nose. Lightly blend the two shades together. Then apply a loose powder on top of this.

To make a short nose look longer...
Apply blush on the apples of your cheeks and bring the color strongly back towards your ear. You will get an optical illusion effect which will emphasize your nose. To draw attention away from your nose, make your eyes look gorgeous. Everyone will notice your eyes. Soften a pronounced nose (skinny) by wearing your hair below your ears (short to medium length) so your hair is fuller around your cheeks.

Bridal Makeup

2008-05-25T06:57:00.001-07:00

Bridal Makeup / Beauty Tips
Bridal makeup: is a clean, flawless, pearly and enhancednot a club or an evening party makeup so keep the consistency medium or low.
makeup, color choices are; warm tone colors such as” cream, gold, pastel green, peaches and browns or cool tone colors such as lilacs, violets, plums and soft pinks.” Bridal makeup is

Remember that neutral colors are always an excellent choice to achieve an enhanced natural look for a sophisticated and sexy bride.

Bridal Hair style: Bridal hairdo is recommended to be an up-do or a half up half down. The reason for the recommendation is that suggested styles would be very practical in terms of keeping the style and shape for a very long time as well as being comfortable and cool especially in summer season. If you are going for more of a sophisticated classic look, a full up-do is recommended. If you are going for more of a romantic look half up and half down is the look for you. Another popular do is The Low-Do. It is referred to a large bun shape around the lower head or neck area. This is a chic and modern style for a fashionable bride.

What is a Neutral color? It is referred to the various shades of earth tones. Colors that are subtle and mudded. It is also an average consistency of beige and browns. Neutral Browns could surly come in the slight hints of pink or green or gray. Taupe is a popular neutral brown with a hint of plum color to it.

Bridal makeup must be durable and resistant to last the whole event. It must work for pictures, film and also look flawless in actual and close-up.

Color coordination: All the colors used in your makeup should be in the same family and coordinate. You could either use the cool tones or warm tones. Do not mix up cool and warm together.

Theme coordinating: The whole look should follow the same theme (hair, makeup, jewelry and gown, shoes, etc).

Tips to find a makeup artist for your up-coming occasion? Imagine it is your big day, the final and very important detail of your preparation to start your whole experience is your hair and makeup. It always strikes me that how much money is spent in a wedding to please family and friends verses to giving to the main person “the bride,” whom is the center and the star of the show. Everyone is there to see the bride. Dear bride, do not deprive your guests and yourself from the best possible performance & appearance of your lifetime. You need to have the best and you deserve it. Here are some hints on what to look into when hiring a makeup artist, Punctuality and Timing, Confidence, Professionalism, Hygiene, Personality or Attitude, Years of Experience, Makeup Kit and Quality of Cosmetics.

Beauty salon for a wedding makeup and hair style? Here is what to watch for: traditionally beauty salons do not do contracts and just exchange words with the clients and make a note in a general shop calendar. The problem with this method is that the salon artists must be sure that they have work booked up for the day of event also. In that case what happens is they “over book” for the sake of “potential cancellations” by a few of the reserved clients. In most cases all of the clients show up and that is why it is known that salon weddings are to be late for their timing. So a detailed contract may save you a lot of hassle and time if you are working with a salon artist. I don’t see why not working with a punctual and talented salon artist if that is what you wish to do. In my opinion a free lancer is a better choice.

Is it necessary to do a contract or written agreement & to secure your reservations? Please be aware of an artist who is not prepared to give you his or her written commitment. It is an excellent way of reinsuring your reservation. It also shows that your artist will keep a track of time and other details of the day of event. Isn’t that a sign of professionalism as well as punctuality?

Here are the numbers you do the math! Bottom line you want to have a skilled confident artist who can create a look that you have always had in your mind. Artists who can help you see the most beautiful of you and help you find out the best possible “look” for you as well as achieving it. The artist who is respectful of your need and desire also contributes her/his opinion to benefit the situation along with professional attitude. You do not want to sit on somebody’s chair for one hour and be uncomfortable. After all makeup is very personal and intimate experience. It could easily become one of the worst or best experiences of your life. Remember makeup is the last detail to start your big day so why not for it to be fun and a pleasant event. And it sure could be. So do your homework and if you have to pay a little more just do it, because you’re worth it. Remember to ask for a detailed contract at the time of leaving your deposit.

What is a bridal, vender contract/ agreement? A bridal contract is a paper that states all the details of the service, as well as the deposit amount and the total of costs. This is a promise proof from your vender to you. A verbal promise may not hold as strong. This is exchanged between the vender professional and the bride at the time of booking. The contract will provide a security and an understanding of the nature of the services for both parties. Make sure you get a detailed contract from your vender and be aware of venders who won’t offer one.

How do you know how much to pay for a good makeover? How much an artist worth to pay for? Can you really put a price on an artwork? How do you do that? Well, let me give you few tips to help you weed out some troubles to help you hire an artist who is worth your budget.
Makeup & hair is the last detail and one of the most important elements to start your special day. Every artist has his or her price; however the price could vary from range of $50 to $1000 or may be in some cases more or less depending to the city, state or time of the year or popularity of the artist. But an average rate for bridal makeup is about $175 and for bridal party $85.
Of course $50 would hire you an Avon lady who would try to sell you cosmetics on the day of the special event. For some clients, it may not be an option to pay $1000 for a makeup application. So let’s get in to the point.
Word of mouth, referrals and web site search will lead you to some artist which you will be choosing yours. Do a trial session and if you decided to hire the artist sign a contract for exchange of your security deposit to secure the date. Please tip your artist especially if they are doing a trial for a very little money. It pays off, trust me.

Need help to find- out what you want for your makeup and hair style? If you happened to know what sort of makeover you would like to have it makes it easy for everyone. First get a few bridal or fashion and style magazine. Check out the looks and see which ones interest you the most, earmark the pages, and show it to your artist. You may start your communication to your artist by showing pictures and descriptions, and it is all up to you to make the final decision. Trial makeup is absolutely recommended. Not only it helps you to evaluate the skill of the artist but also it helps to find these important points about the artist. . Punctuality and Timing, Confidence, Professionalism, Hygiene, Personality or Attitude, Years of Experience, Makeup Kit and Quality of Cosmetics. These are some of areas to look in to at the time of try makeup.

If you are getting what you want it is worth any money. If you are not sure what you would like to have, it is a good idea to get some honest opinion from a friend or a person who understands makeup and style. Your grandmother or aunt, or someone in that rank, does not count. You want to ask people who like makeup and ware makeup. Remember that no need to ask for opinion of too many people because you can not possibly make everyone happy.

Water proof makeup verses water resistance makeup? The difference between the two is: that water resistant makeup only resist water and body perspirations. It is less durable but easier to remove when needed to be removed and in most time removable with a general remover. It is recommended for everyday use. For example if you use a water proof mascara every day, and try to remove it every night perhaps after one month you have no lashes left since it is very difficult to get it dissolved and removed. It is not recommended for everyday use. Water proof makeup is not really water proof at all the times. This term is used to tell you that the makeup is more resistance to water. Perhaps you need to have a cream base cleanser to remove it. It is recommended to be used for occasions. And please remember that regardless of its resistance the makeup is not tattooed to the skin it is still fragile and will be removed if you touch your face and get careless with it.

The motor injection air brush makeup: is a technique that I use mostly for TV and media work. It looks fine on the film and screen as well as body painting. But it looks pasty up close and in real life and I don’t like to use it for brides. Why we use it so much on films? Because it is fast and easy since in film industry we don't have much time to apply a fully-cared application.

Is air brush makeup recommended for brides? When it comes to weddings, I put so much extra care, because it is a once a life time event. So I use the best product and the proper application to avoid any risks of skin rash caused by strange chemicals that maybe in some products. I also make sure that my safe products can also create a fantastic flawless look up-close as well as on the print and film. My recommendation for the bridal makeup is a line of professional products that are safe, flash proof, stay-on, and manually brushed or sponged on the skin. As far as air brush makeup goes I only recommend only a certain type of canned air brush makeup which I use in some occasions. I do not recommend any air injector air brush makeup for a bridal application. In my opinion and experience it looks heavy on the face, the products are risky (skin rash) and it does not hold as well as some other products. Just because it is called air brush makeup, doesn’t mean it creates air brushed and flawless look.

What are a Bridal trial session& consultation for makeup and hair? Bridal consultation is a conversation exchanged between a professional and the bride about how he or she would provide the service and how everything works. Also often in the consultation some professional advise and give their opinion to help the bride choose the right service for herself. Please ask a lot of questions from your vender since it usually offered free of charge. Yes you heard it right consultation is normally free. However, consultation is a conversation it does not include the trial session or any product or service. You may also use the consultation time to evaluate and eliminate some artist and make your final choices. Consultation could take place on line or in person or by phone.

Makeup Artist Boot Camp: No clumpy mascara especially over top of the false eyelashes. No red lipstick and no dark lip liner to frame your beige color lips. It looks bad. Too much tan looks tacky. Too little blush looks sick. No caked on makeup. Keep the balance in your overall look and respect your makeup artist’s opinion, (only if it makes sense). Now do fifteen sit ups and ten pushups, because that’s what we do in the makeup artist boot camp. Oh yeh baby bride!

Story

2008-05-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

Unexpected bundle of joy

It'd been awhile since we saw the nephews and nieces. My stomach was churning but my curiousity was strong.

Jackie said they had something important to ask her. I wondered if they would even take the time to stop and say hello. And what could they need to talk to Jackie about?

Six years before, right after we settled into our first home, my husbands sister called to ask if we would take in her four children and one nephew as she was unable to care for them. Our hearts immediately said yes, but our minds were reeling, how were we going to manage this one?? We already had four children of our own, these five would be coming from an entirely different way of life and would, for the sake of us all have to be subject to about a gazillion new rules.

Needless to say, it was no picnic, for any of us, but perseverance prevailed. By summer, the kids seemed to have settled into a new way of life. We had fought off the demons of change, fought for our rights and understanding of the school system and the worse was over.

Then my husbands sister called to ask the kids if they'd like to visit for the summer, then return when school starts. There were two that protested stating they were sure they would not return if they left. My husband, to avoid any family politics, told them to be strong and make sure they come back.

Needless to say, they didn't get on the plane when it came time to return. We were saddened, hurt and we didn't hear from them until now when Jackie, who was married to the oldest of the five and had 2 young girls of their own informed me of their visit. I halfway didn't expect they'd come to see us.

They were due to fly in at 11:00am. Jackie would pick them up from the airport.

At 2:30 that afternoon, Jackie called to say they were on their way to our house. My heart must have skipped a couple of beats, I wasn't sure how to talk to them. Of course they were anxious to see their cousins, my kids. I asked her who came, she said it was the two oldest girls, Michelle and Gena, now, ages 21 and 23. "Karen, she said, they came with Sophies' newborn, they want me to take care of him. He's only 2 weeks old. Sophie is in a mental hospital and they want me to take him!"

The Visit

When Michelle and Gena walked in the door there was all kinds of excitment. The dogs were barking and jumping, the kids were all talking at once, the phone was ringing and I was trying to straighten up the kitchen.

Michelle and Gena came and gave my husband and I a somewhat reserved hug and set the carseat with baby on the kitchen table and went downstairs to visit.

I looked at the baby. He was so tiny. As I watched him sleep I envisioned what his life would be like and I felt sad for him. I tried to feel a connection with him, but it wasn't there. I thought about all the wierd dreams I'd been having the last couple of months, I called them nightmares. They all consisted of me, in various ways of having another baby. One dream I'd find the baby in the woods during a drive, another I would have the baby and it was already talking and walking I had to look deep into myself, was this wishful thinking? I was done having kids.

Snapped into reality

Just then Michelle came over to the baby and snatched him up as if I were trying to kidnap him. I was offended but relieved at the same time. It was then that I made a pact with God. I said I believed he took care of the children. I trusted he would see this baby got the care he needed. Perhaps I wasn't to be the care taker, no hard feelings, but promise me...

I was hurt by Michelles' open anymosity, Gena took me aside and said Michelle was feeling a bit nostalgic. It was like going back in time, leaving Mom and going to people we didn't even know. She was scared all over again and in tears. We brought the baby here for Jackie to care for but she said she couldn't so we're going back tomorrow and taking the baby. They didn't even keep me as an option for taking care of him. Oh Well, he'll be fine, God promised!!!

Birth Flower for November

2008-05-25T03:51:00.000-07:00

Birth Flower for November

The language, legends and history for the Chrysanthemum; the flower for those born in the month of November.

Every flower has a history and every flower symbolizes something. Often the history and symbols are confusing and contradictory but they are still fascinating. If your birthday is in the month of November, your flower is the Chrysanthemum. Here is the story and language of your flower.

Linguistic Roots for the Name Chrysanthemum or Mum

The name chrysanthemum comes from two Greek words chrysos, which means gold, and anthos, which means flower. The reference to gold comes from the fact that in the Mediterranean the Chrysanthemum coronarium was a golden-yellow flower used in garlands intended to deter demons. Perhaps because a raised eyebrow indicates displeasure the flower was also known as Dios ophrya, which means God’s eyebrow. Perhaps they hoped that the reference to God’s eyebrow would scare away the demons.

Another common chrysanthemum is the European flower variously known as feverfew, featherfew or tansie. Historically, the tansy was used to reduce fevers in those who were ill. The Latin name for the tansy is Chrysanthemum parthenium.

Several flowers that are often referred to as daisies are categorically, mums. They are the ox-eye daisy, painted daisy, and shasta daisy.

The History of Mums

The oldest variety of chrysanthemum is the Chinese chrysanthemum, which was a daisy-like plant in China. It was cultivated for nearly 2,500 years before it made its way to Europe.

In China, the chrysanthemum was often used to symbolize a scholar in retirement because the poet T’ao Yuan-Ming retired to his mum garden rather than accept a position from the Emperor. He said he preferred “to pick chrysanthemums from the hedges, entertain his friends, and get drunk” (Wells, 41).

The Chinese also felt that the chrysanthemum promoted longevity and made wines and medicine from infusions of its leaves and petals. The dew collected from mums was supposed to be particularly effective in increasing the lifespan of those who ingested it. As a result, the mum was also considered one of the four noble plants in China along with bamboo, plum, and orchid.

The Japanese were first introduced to the chrysanthemum in 400 A.D. by Zen Buddhist monks. It became a symbol of the Mikado and was displayed as a sixteen petaled mum made to look like the Rising Sun.

In Italy, the mum is a funeral flower and is associated with the dead.

Speaking with the Chrysanthemum

Traditional books about the language of flowers include the following meanings for the mum: cheerfulness, you're a wonderful friend, rest; loveliness, abundance, wealth. Historically, the mum could also symbolize a scholarly isolation, longevity, or death.

Flowers

2008-05-25T03:38:00.000-07:00

Flower Biology

A flower is the reproductive organ of those plants classified as angiosperms (flowering plants; Division Magnoliophyta). The function of a flower is to produce seeds through sexual reproduction. For the higher plants, seeds are the next generation, and serve as the primary means by which individuals of a species are dispersed across the landscape. After fertilization, a flower develops into a fruit containing the seed(s).

Flower anatomy

In botany, a flower is regarded as a modified stem (Eames, 1961) with shortened internodes and bearing, at its nodes, structures that may be highly modified leaves. In essence, a flower structure forms on a modified shoot or axis with an apical meristem that does not grow continuously (growth is determinate). The stem is called a pedicel, the end of which is the torus or receptacle. The parts of a flower are arranged in whorls on the torus. The four main parts or whorls (starting from the base of the flower or lowest node and working upwards) are as follows:

Poppy

calyx – the outer whorl of sepals; typically these are green, but are petal-like in some species.

corolla – the whorl of petals, which are usually thin, soft, and colored to attract insects that help the process of pollination.

androecium (from Greek andros oikia: man's house) – one or two whorls of , each a filament topped by an anther where pollen is produced. Pollen contains the male gametes.

gynoecium (from Greek gynaikos oikia: woman's house) – consisting of a pistil, with one or more carpels, which are the female reproductive organs and contain an ovary with ovules (female gametes). The sticky tip of tip of the pistil, the stigma, is the receptor of pollen. The supportive stalk, the style becomes the pathway for pollen tubes to grow from pollen grains adhering to the stigma, to the ovules, carrying the reproductive material.

Although the floral structure described above is considered the "typical" structural plan, plant species show a wide variety of modifications from this plan. These modifications have significance in the evolution of flowering plants and are used extensively by botanists to establish relationships among plant species. For example, the two subclasses of flowering plants may be distinguished by the number of floral organs in each whorl: dicotyledons typically having 4 or 5 organs (or a multiple of 4 or 5) in each whorl and monocotyledons having three or some multiple of three. The number of carpels in a compound pistil may be only two, or otherwise not related to the above generalization for monocots and dicots.

In the majority of species, individual flowers have both pistils and stamens as described above. These flowers are described by botanists as being perfect, bisexual, or hermaphrodite. However, in some species of plants the flowers are imperfect or unisexual: having only either male (stamens) or female (pistil) parts. In the latter case, if an individual plant is either male or female the species is regarded as dioecious. However, where unisexual male and female flowers appear on the same plant, the species is considered monoecious.

Some flowers with both stamens and a pistil are capable of self-fertilization, which does increase the chance of producing seeds but limits genetic variation. The extreme case of self-fertilization occurs in flowers that always self-fertilize, such as the common dandelion. Conversely, many species of plants have ways of preventing self-fertilization. Unisexual male and female flowers on the same plant may not appear at the same time, or pollen from the same plant may be incapable of fertilizing its ovules. The latter flower types, which have chemical barriers to their own pollen, are referred to as self-sterile or self-incompatible.

Close-up of a Day lily flower showing six stamens and the stigma and style of a pistil

In those species that have more than one flower on an axis, the collection of flowers is termed an inflorescence. In this sense, care must be exercised in considering what is a flower. In botanical terminology, a single daisy or sunflower for example, is not a flower but a flower head—an inflorescence comprised of numerous small flowers (sometimes called florets). Each small flower may be anatomically as described above.

Flower function

The function of a flower is to mediate the union of male and female gametes. The process is termed pollination. Many flowers are dependent upon the wind to move pollen between flowers of the same species. Others rely on animals (especially insects) to accomplish this feat. The period of time during which this process can take place (the flower is fully expanded and functional) is called anthesis.

Many flowers in nature have evolved to attract animals to pollinate the flower, the movements of the pollinating agent contributing to the opportunity for genetic recombinations within a dispersed plant population. Flowers that are insect pollinated are called entomophilous (literally "insect loving"). Flowers commonly have nectaries on their various parts that attract these animals. Bees and birds are common pollinators: both have color vision, thus selecting for "colorful" flowers. Some flowers have patterns, called nectar guides, that are evident in the ultraviolet range, visible to bees but not to humans. Flowers also attract pollinators by scent. In any case, pollinators are attracted to the plant, perhaps in search of nectar, which they eat. The arrangement of the stamens insures that pollen grains are transferred to the bodies of the pollinator. In gathering nectar from many flowers of the same species, the pollinators transfer pollen between all of the flowers it visits.

Grains of pollen on stigma of a lily

Flower scent is not always pleasant to our nose. Some plants, such as Rafflesia, the titan arum, and the North American pawpaw (Asimina triloba) are pollinated by flies, so produce a scent imitating rotting meat.

Other flowers are pollinated by the wind, and the flowers of these species (for example, grasses) have no need to attract pollinators and therefore tend not to be "showy". Wind pollinated flowers are referred to as anemophilous. Whereas the pollen of entomophilous flowers tends to be large grained, sticky, and contain significant protein (another "reward" for pollinators), Anemophilous flower pollen is usually small grained, very light, and of little nutritional value to insects, though it may still be gathered, in times of dearth. Honeybees and bumblebees actively gather anemophilous corn (maize) pollen, though it is of little value to them.

Butterfly

2008-05-24T09:30:00.001-07:00

A butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a larval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage, and a spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colourful winged adult form. Most species are day-flying so they regularly attract attention. The diverse patterns formed by their brightly coloured wings and their erratic yet graceful flight have made butterfly watching a popular hobby.

Butterflies comprise of the true butterflies (superfamily Papilionoidea), the skippers (Superfamily Hesperioidea) and the moth-butterflies (Superfamily Hedyloidea). Butterflies exhibit polymorphism, mimicry and aposematism. Some are known to migrate over large distances. Some butterflies have evolved symbiotic and parasitic relationships with social insects such as ants. Economically, butterflies are important by virtue of their being one of the major agents of pollination, in addition to a number of species which are pests on domestic crops and trees.

Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts.

Try

2008-05-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder where a butterfly comes from? It comes from a chrysalis (KRIS-uh-liss) which is also called a pupa. A chrysalis looks like a tiny leathery pouch. You can find one underneath some leaves in the summer.

Some animals don't change much as they grow up. Think about it: someone your age looks a lot like a grown-up. Grown-ups have more wrinkles and gray hair. But they still have two arms, two legs and one head—just like you.

We're going to meet an animal that's very different—the butterfly. Butterflies go through four life stages, and they look very different at each stage.

Here's what you need:

Toilet-paper tube

Tongue depressor or ice-cream pop stick

Heavy paper

6" (150 mm) piece of pipe cleaner, folded in half

Markers or crayons

Scissors and glue

Here's what you do:

1. Cut out and color a butterfly from the heavy paper. Use any colors, but make both halves look the same. Put a small hole at the top of the butterfly's head.

2. Color the toilet paper tube to look like a chrysalis. (A monarch butterfly's chrysalis is green, but you can use any color.)

3. Take a piece of pipe cleaner and shape it like the letter "V". Put one point through the little hole in the butterfly's head and then twist it to look like antennae. Butterflies use these "feelers" to learn about their environment.

4. Glue the butterfly to one end of the tongue depressor or ice-cream pop stick. Let the glue dry.

5. Curl the butterfly's wings and slide it into the chrysalis.

6. Pull the stick to make the beautiful butterfly come out of the chrysalis.

Fly your butterfly like a real one!

The butterfly's life cycle

Butterflies go four stages of life, but they only look like butterflies in the final stage. Birds, frogs, snakes and insects also change as they grow.

1. An adult butterfly lays an egg.

2. The egg hatches into a caterpillar or larva.

3. The caterpillar forms the chrysalis or pupa.

4. The chrysalis matures into a butterfly.

GUJARATI KADHI

2008-05-24T08:58:00.001-07:00

GUJARATI KADHI

Cooking Time : 15 min.
Preparation Time : A few min.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

	2 tablespoons gram flour
	2 teacups fresh curds
	1 teaspoon chilli-ginger paste
	2 curry leaves
	2 tablespoons sugar (approx.)
	2 tablespoons chopped coriander
	salt to taste

For the tempering

	1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
	1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
	a pinch asafoetida
	1 red chilli broken into pieces
	2 teaspoons ghee

Method

1.	Mix the gram flour, curds and 3 teacups of water. Beat.
2.	Add the chilli-ginger paste, curry leaves, sugar and salt and put to boil.
3.	Boil whilst stirring for a while.
4.	Prepare the tempering by heating the ghee and frying the cumin and mustard seeds until they turn brown. Add the asafoetida and red chilli.
5.	Add the tempering to the kadhi and boil for a few minutes.
6.	Sprinkle coriander on top and serve hot.

Butterfly's World

2008-05-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

Kerala is one of the eighteen 'biodiversity centres' of the world. This land is home to more than 500 birds and 330 butterfly species, 37 of these endemic to this region. According to Birdlife International, it is also one of eight 'centres of endemism' in the Indian Subcontinent. Comprising of the largest in India, the Southern or Western Ghats Birdwing (Troides minos) with a wingspan of about 25 cms to the smallest, the Grass Jewel (Zizula hylax) with only 1.5 to 2 cm wingspan, the Kerala butterfly fauna is rich, diverse and scientifically very interesting.

Many Wildlife Sanctuaries in Kerala (officially protected wildlife parks) are a lepidopteran delight - the famous among them being Periyar Tiger Reserve, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary. That is not all - Kerala's beautiful countryside can boast of a vast and fascinating variety of butterflies - be it in the myriad plantation areas or your own backyard. For those interested in the butterfly life of Kerala, it would be possible to organise dedicated tours in the company of our experts. The tour will take you through some of the most beautiful regions of India and lasts from 2 days to 15 days. Our guides are well versed in spotting the endemics as well as the most elusive ones.

A Diamonds Clarity

2008-05-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

A Diamonds Clarity

Clarity is a measure of the number of the flaws in the diamond as well as how visible they are and their affect on the diamond's overall quality. The characteristics that determine a diamond's clarity can affect its sparkle and brilliance. The flaws that diamonds can often have are often referred to as inclusions.

The inclusions of a diamond range from white and black dots on the surface of the stone to small cracks within in the stone and crystalline growth within the diamond. If you are searching for something such as diamond stud earrings where the diamonds will most likely be even more visible than that of a ring, a higher clarity on the diamonds may be wanted to achieve a brighter sparkle.

The GIA has a grading scale regarding diamond clarity, and it goes off specific criteria that are used to differentiate between grades.

FL: Completely flawless.

IF: Internally flawless; only external flaws are present, which can be removed by further polishing the stone.

VVS1-VVS2: Very Very Slight Inclusions. Only an expert can detect flaws with a 10x microscope. By definition, if an expert can see a flaw from the top of the diamond, it is a VVS2. If an expert can only detect flaws when viewing the bottom of the stone it is a VVS1.

VS1-VS2: Very Slight Inclusions. One can see flaws with a 10x microscope, but not easily.

SI1-SI2: Slight Inclusions. Inclusions are easily visible under 10x magnification. These stones are often "eye-clean".

SI3: Slight Inclusions - This grade is only recognized by EGL and is not recognized by the GIA or other gemological institutions and may be graded by GIA as either SI2 or I1. SI3 diamonds never have any black inclusions or cracks visible to the unaided eye, but may have some very minor white inclusions which can be seen.

I1: Inclusions visible. An I1 clarity graded diamond will have a visible flaw which can bee seen with the unaided eye, but most of the time will only have one major flaw which will not be too obvious.

I2-I3: Inclusions high visible. These diamonds will have inclusions visible to the unaided eye and will have many black spots and appear cloudy.

Most of the flaws of a diamond are tiny imperfections that do not affect a diamond's brilliance. If you are on a budget, it might not be worth it to get a higher graded clarity diamond, such as a VS1, rather than an SI2 grade because both are more than likely going to look the same to the unaided eye. You are only going to start seeing the imperfections under 10x magnification.

If you are getting some new diamonds in addition to a diamond ring, such as diamond stud earrings, or vice versa, it is important to get the same or very similar clarity on the added diamonds to make sure they will match better and sparkle the same.

Diamonds

2008-05-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

Fuss About Diamonds

Ask a woman about her desires in jewelry and you can predict the answer. Yep, diamonds! It goes without saying that diamonds are hugely popular, but only the nature of diamonds explains why.

In a relationship, symbols are important and vital. Jewellery represents a number of symbols. If you really care for the other person, nothing beats diamond jewellery to deliver the message.

A commitment to another person is…well, a commitment. A person is looking for a commitment of time and totality. Diamonds are symbols for both of these things because of their nature.

Carbon is the most prevalent element in our world. It is the basis of much of what we see. In vary rare cases, carbon can be dangerous when there is too much carbon dioxide in the air or magical when it is turned into a diamond.

To understand diamonds, you have to first understand carbon. It is the building block of practically everything on the planet. In its pure form, it is not clear or hard.

A diamond is a creation of the inner workings of our planet. In simple terms, we are talking about heat and pressure. Carbon pockets within the planet crust are put under tremendous pressure and heat for millions of years. The result is a clear, hard substance that needs a name.

Diamonds get their name from the Greeks. It seems the Greeks named everything some times! In this case, the name comes from the word “adamas”, which means unconquerable.

If diamonds are formed in the crust of the planet, how do we find them? Well, we mine for them, but no mine is deep enough to reach them. Instead, we focus on volcanic areas where diamonds have been pushed up to the surface in lava flows and explosions.

Diamonds are exceedingly old. The heating and pressure process can take millions of years. Most diamonds used in jewellery are between one and three billion years old.

Diamonds can be very hard to find, which makes them precious. Most diamonds we find, however, cannot be used for jewellery This makes the 20 percent that can even more precious.

Oddly, diamonds have not been used in jewellery for that long of a period given the time span of man. Despite all the kings and queens of the past, diamonds were only first used in royal jewellery in Austria in the 15th century. Obviously, they have become a bit more popular since then.

The vary nature of diamonds is what gives them value. The age associated with them is incredible. Throw in the fact they are nearly impossible to break and you have the perfect gem for jewellery An unbreakable commitment of time.

Colours of Gold

2008-05-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

BRIEF HISTORY & BASIC FACTS ON GOLD:

Gold is the most popular precious metal in the world and because it tends to hold its value, jewellery in particular is a desirable investment.

Gold in its pure form is very soft and so to strengthen it in order to produce jewellery and small intricate items, it must be mixed with other metals. The purity of gold is measured in carats, the most common are 9ct, 14ct, 18ct and 22ct. The Carat is worked out by the amount of pure gold to the percentage of its alloys, mainly silver, copper and zinc; this can also create varying colour of gold which differs according to its alloys and caratage. It is thought that the word ‘carat’ derives from the Middle Eastern word for ‘been seeds’ as apparently seeds or Carob beans were used to weigh gold.

AVAILABILITY OF HIGHER CARAT GOLD:

At times in history when gold was in plentiful supply, the Victorian age for example, it was commonplace to find 24 and 22ct gold jewellery. Generally today, particularly in the West, 24 and 22ct jewellery is rare and costly. 14ct is growing in popularity in Britain and becoming more accessible mainly due to a very well-known American born satellite television shopping channel (recognized worldwide) selling large amounts of quality 14ct gold jewellery;14ct is extremely popular in America. Some antique and early European gold, and occasionally Oriental gold is 10ct or 10k, as is 15ct gold.

9ct AND 18ct GOLD:

9ct yellow gold is the most widely known internationally and undoubtedly the favourite amongst jewellery shoppers as well as jewellery makers in the West. Higher carat gold is preferred and more available in the East and countries such as Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong are renowned for selling high carat gold jewellery in large quantities. However standard 9ct gold is affordable and yet as alluring as higher carat gold jewellery. It is economical for goldsmiths because it has a low percentage of gold, and being strong is more controllable to work with thus better for producing detailed pieces such as fine chains. For higher quality gold jewellery items, perhaps jewelled pieces, 18ct is more favourable and the next most popular, and because it has a higher percentage of gold is more expensive.

WEIGHING & PRICING GOLD:

All jewellery made from precious metal including gold jewellery is normally priced on its total weight. The cost of gold jewellery is calculated per gram and this varies according to the carat of the gold. The difference in purity will determine whether it works out less or more expensive per gram. This pricing system applies to all gold, and the price of gold per gram differs depending on its caratage. When an item is priced on its weight and purity it is called ’scrap’ value. This term has come about mainly from jewellery buyers who buy broken, damaged, second-hand or heavily worn gold items thus ‘scrap’ has evolved to describe buying used gold at a flat rate.

GOLD HALLMARKS AND STAMPS:

Hallmarks on gold should indicate the purity or carat of the gold. Gold stamps or hallmarks used to describe the carat are also calculated by the percentage of gold to the percentage of alloys for example:

Gold Type	Mark
22ct/22kt/22k = 91.6% Gold (remaining usually silver) Gold stamp/hallmark	916
18ct/18kt/18k = 75.0% Gold (remaining silver/silver + copper) Gold stamp/hallmark	750
14ct/14kt/14k = 58.5% Gold (remaining silver/silver + copper) Gold stamp/hallmark	585
9ct/9kt/9k = 37.5% Gold (remaining silver/silver + copper) Gold stamp/hallmark	375

THE COLOURS OF GOLD:

There are different colours of gold stemming from the amount of alloys combined with the pure gold. As mentioned previously the main metals used to form any caratage are Gold, Copper, Silver and Zinc. The two main colours from that group are red (Copper) and yellow (Gold), and the neutral, paler colours are from Silver and Zinc (shades of silver and grey). If we look at it another way, to add red to gold paint results in pinkish tones depending on how much is combined, and the same principles apply to how colours are produced for gold jewellery and small items. The less carat the gold the more varied the colour can be because there is plenty of scope to mix alloys, so 9ct having 37.5% gold means 62.5% can be made up from Copper (red Gold), Copper and Silver (Pink or Rose Gold) or silver (White Gold).

Gold

2008-05-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

BUYING NEW AND PRE-OWNED GOLD:

When buying gold ideally it is best to find a good clear hallmark or stamp. As explained already the majority of gold jewellery has the carat stamp, 375, 585, 750 or 916 and this is internationally recognised, however many countries use abbreviated carat information, 9ct/9kt/9k, 18ct/18kt/18k and so on. Abbreviated stamps are also found on antique items although there is a vast amount of antique jewellery which is unmarked. It has been known where genuine beautiful gold jewellery is sometimes mistaken for gold plated or fake gold because it has a mark which is not common or acceptable to that country, on the other hand fake gold can be sold as genuine using an abbreviated stamp and this is on the increase as fake stamps are becoming more sophisticated. If you are unsure ask the seller as many questions as you need in order to feel reassured, be it an online shop, High Street shop or market trader. For total peace of mind you can also buy gold and precious metals testing kits at an affordable price, many companies can be found online and dispatch quickly after payment.

Women drivers more prone to whiplash injuries than men

2008-05-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

Women drivers more prone to whiplash injuries than men

LONDON: According to Swedish researchers, women drivers are three times more likely than men to suffer whiplash injuries if their car is hit from behind.

Women's risk is increased because they generally sit closer to the steering wheel, the Umea University team said having studied data on 400 injuries.

They said crash-test dummies should better reflect women's figures and help influence seat design.

In the study, the researchers looked at insurance company data on more than 400 whiplash injuries claimed for during the 1990s.

They also carried out their own studies into how more than 200 men and women adjusted their car seats and then how they sat as they drove and as they were stationary.

They then compared the results from the human test with those from tests of a commonly used crash-test dummy, the BioRID, which is the same size as the average man or a large woman.

They concluded women's increased risk was partially due to them tending to sit higher and closer to the steering wheel and to have the seat back more upright.

For both women and men, sitting in the driver's seat entails twice the risk compared with the front passenger seat.

And when the data from dummy testing was examined, the researchers found it differed significantly in seat adjustments used and positioning.

"Current crash dummies used to develop vehicle seats and neck supports, for instance, are geared to men of normal size, but not to women. This is especially true in regard to height,” BBC quoted the researchers, as saying.

"Nor does testing methodology take into consideration differences between the sexes, or differences in sitting position between the driver's seat and the front passenger seat,” they added.

A spokesman for the UK's Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: "A properly adjusted head restraint will help prevent whiplash by reducing the distance between the back of the head and head restraint, stopping the neck from bending back.

"It will also reduce the amount of time it takes your head to initially contact the head restraint, and increase the amount of time that your head is supported during an accident."

He added, "It's important everyone adjusts the head rest as necessary - every time the car is used if there are different drivers using it."

Dinosaurs might once again roam the Earth

2008-05-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

Dinosaurs might once again roam the Earth

If scientists have their way, dinosaurs might once again roam the Earth, with the possibility arising after the DNA of the extinct Tasmanian tiger was injected and brought back to life in a mouse embryo.

In the world-first experiment, DNA was extracted from baby Tasmanian tigers, which had been pickled in alcohol at Melbourne's Museum Victoria for a century.

The tigers were babies in their mothers' pouches when they were killed and preserved.

Tasmanian tigers have been extinct in the wild for about 100 years, with the last one of its kind dying in captivity in Hobart Zoo in 1936.

Part of a nine-year experiment conducted by Melbourne University zoologists Andrew Pask and Marilyn Renfree, the experiment proved the tiger DNA was able to grow cartilage and bone in the mouse, showing the extinct gene could be brought back to life

"This is the first time that DNA from an extinct species has been used to induce a functional response in another living organism," said Dr Pask.

"Up until now we have only been able to examine gene sequences from extinct animals. This research was developed to go one step further to examine extinct gene function in a whole organism," he added.

According to Dr Pask, the same technique could now be used with other extinct species such as the dinosaur, mammoth and neanderthal, all of which scientists had large amounts of DNA available.

The suggestion that dinosaurs could be revived from samples of their DNA was popularised by the best-selling book and hit movie Jurassic Park.

Dr Pask said that while the technique could recreate only a single extinct gene, with technology advancing all the time, it could one day be possible to bring whole creatures back to life.

"I have no doubt the whole creature could be brought back to life in the future," he said.

The study proved for the first time that it was possible to resurrect the function of an extinct gene, according to Professor Renfree.

"This study has proved you can use DNA material from extinct animals and see what function they have," she said.

As well as paving the way to recreate extinct species in the future, the research could also have potential bio-medical therapeutic outcomes.

"It gives us the ability to unleash the potential of extinct species," said Dr Pask.

Robots

2008-05-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

Robots

Honda Motor's first generation humanoid robot Asimo (L) looks at the second generation Asimo (R) at a Tokyo science museum on February 18, 2006. The new version of Asimo, announced last December, runs at a speed of six kilometres (3.7 miles) per hour. Reuters

Honda Motor Co.'s new version of the humanoid robot Asimo runs past the audience for its first appearance outside Honda's facilities. Reuters

Honda Motor's new version of humanoid robot Asimo (R) runs past the audience. Reuters

Humanoid robot Asimo waves to the audience. Reuters
Another shot of humanoid robot Asimo as it runs past the audience. Reuters

HEALTH & SCIENCE

2008-05-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

HEALTH & SCIENCE

LONDON: Scientists at Gladstone Institutes of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), have uncovered the genetic determinants responsible for fat storage in cells.

This discovery may further help researchers better understand obesity, diabetes, and heart disease and in finding their potential treatments as well.

It's long been known that lipid droplets are involved in building up fats in cells and the researchers have been focussing a lot on the genes involved in droplet biology.

In this study, scientists in the laboratories of Drs. Robert V. Farese, Jr., of Gladstone and UCSF, and Peter Walter, of UCSF, have come up with a genetic screen which may help in determining the genes contributing to fat storage in cell of fruit flies, and potentially other species.

"For some time, we have been studying the enzymes that make fats. But clearly, we need to know a lot more about the most basic processes that regulate cellular fat storage to be able to make progress on some very serious human diseases," Nature quoted Dr. Farese, senior investigator, as saying.

GICD scientist Dr. Yi Guo, and Dr. Tobias Walter kicked off a major discovery project in order to identify novel genes involved in fat storage. In the project, they first used RNAi screens for specifically inactivating all the genes in cells from fruit flies.

After completing the initial survey, Drs. Guo and Walther, have now started studying in detail the genes that have the most striking effects on fat storage in cells.

To their surprise, the researchers discovered that approximately 1.5 percent of all genes contribute towards lipid-droplet formation and regulation. Al these genes came out to be determinants of the size and number of lipid droplets in cells.

The researchers investigated a number of these in detail and it they were seen to profoundly affect droplet morphology and lipid utilization. After deleting the individual genes, it was possible to separate the resulting cells into five distinct phenotypic classes, on the basis of the number and appearance of the lipid droplets. Later, the most interesting genes will be utilised for functional studies in flies and mice.

These new studies will not only lead to significant advances in understanding the processes that regulate fat metabolism in cells, but it will also help the researchers to find novel therapeutic targets for treating diseases, such as obesity and diabetes.

In addition, the results of the study have implications for engineering plants and microorganisms to maximize seed oil production and biofuels, respectively.

"With this screen completed, the work turns now to many fascinating questions. How are lipid droplets formed" What regulates their size, numbers, and cellular locations" Do they help to traffic lipids within the cell" How does this cell biology relate to physiology and disease" These are early days in this area of biology, and the field is wide open," said Dr. Guo.

History of Gold

2008-05-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

History of Gold

Gold jewellery adds the finishing touch to any outfit and, whatever the occasion, it makes the perfect gift. There are several things to consider when you're choosing your jewellery.

Firstly, aim to build a wardrobe of key pieces - small earrings, large earrings, bracelets, necklaces and pendants. It's a good idea to invest in a set of classic jewellery that never dates. However, buying jewellery in the latest fashion styles is a great way of quickly updating any outfit.

Look through magazines to see what's in fashion and what the celebs are wearing. You don't have to spend a fortune.

Whatever the fashion, adapt it to suit you. The shape of your face, the colour of your skin, the clothes you wear and your personality should all be considered if you want your jewellery to really look good.

Men are increasingly wearing gold jewellery. For a classic look, go for a simple chain or bracelet and add a stylish ring. If you're a little more daring, wear an earring or two.

At H.Samuel, you'll find a wide range of jewellery in classic styles and fashion designs straight off the catwalk. You'll also find a large choice of jewellery especially for him.

Your next step is to decide which colour gold jewellery you want to wear.

Although pure gold is yellow, it can be made into a variety of colours. This is done by changing the types and proportions of metals mixed with it during a process called alloying. The only exceptions to this are 22ct and 24ct gold which are always yellow.

In the UK, white and rose coloured gold are becoming increasingly popular, although choice should come down to personal taste. Also, take into consideration your skin tone and the clothes you are wearing. Many people prefer to wear yellow gold with cream, camel and rustic colours. A combination of yellow, white or rose coloured gold - two or three coloured gold - makes for very versatile jewellery.

White gold jewellery first became popular in the 1920s as an alternative to platinum jewellery. Over the past few years, white gold has become more and more fashionable.

White gold is made by mixing pure gold with other metals, such as silver and palladium, in the alloying process. The white gold you see in jewellery is actually an off-white gold alloy.

Most white gold items are enhanced with rhodium plating, giving a highly reflective white surface. Over time, this surface may experience some loss of brightness. This is perfectly normal, especially with rings that receive more wear and tear. If you prefer the highly reflective rhodium finish, we advise that you have your white gold jewellery periodically rhodium plated. We will re-rhodium plate any white gold jewellery that was bought from H.Samuel free of charge within 12 months, as long as you have proof of purchase. After a year, a small charge will be made. Please contact your local store details.

Caratage is an important factor in buying goldCaratage is an important factor in buying gold jewellery as it indicates how pure the metal is.

Pure gold is very soft which makes it unsuitable for most jewellery. To make it stronger, it is mixed with other metals, such as silver, copper, zinc and palladium. This is called alloying. The gold you see in jewellery is actually gold alloy.

The carat (ct) tells you how may parts of gold and how many parts of other metal are in the gold alloy. Don't confuse this with the carat weight of diamonds and gemstones.

One carat is one part of 24, or 41.66 parts of a thousand. 9ct gold is 375 parts gold per thousand parts. 18ct gold is 750 parts per thousand. 24 carat gold is pure gold.

Preference for a certain caratage is often based on cultural factors. In the UK, 9ct and 18ct is most commonly sold, while in America, 14ct is more popular. In India, 22ct gold is preferred. 24ct gold tends to be used for exchange and investment.

British hallmarking was introduced over 600 years ago and was probably the first example of consumer protection law.

When you're buying gold jewellery, make sure it has a hallmark. This is a quality control mark placed on gold, silver and platinum and provides a safeguard to purchasers. The hallmark on an article shows that it has been tested (assayed) by an independent body (the Assay Office) and guarantees that the metal is of one the legal standards of fineness, or purity. You therefore know exactly what you are buying.

A hallmark also allows your jeweller to quickly identify what carat your jewellery is if you have to take it for repair or alterations. It is illegal for most articles of precious metal above a certain minimum weight to be described, or sold, as gold, silver or platinum, unless they carry an approved hallmark.

The Sponsor's Mark - This indicates the manufacturer, or sponsor of the item. This consists of the initials of the person or firm who sent in the item for assaying.
The Fineness Mark - This indicates what the metal is and its standard of purity in parts per thousand.
The Assay Office Mark - This identifies the Assay Office at which the item was tested and marked.

There are also optional marks:

The Common Control Mark - This contains the standard of purity. The shape of the shield indicates what the metal is.
The Pictorial Quality Symbol - This indicates the metal by picture.
The Date Letter - This indicates which year the item was submitted for hallmarking.

Earrings

2008-05-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

Earrings

Owing to the complete revival of the traditional styles in jewelry designing, the buyers are getting more inclined towards the contemporary designs of jewelry. The extremely talented Indian artisans understand the taste of customers worldwide and design exquisite jewelry items keeping in view both the traditional and contemporary styles.

Pure Jewelry
The astonishing variety and aesthetic composition of earrings made of gold & silver and studded with precious stones looks very elegant and clearly speaks of the fine Indian workmanship. The Kashmiri brahmin women wear jewels on long strings, hanging from the inner soft cartolage of the ears that is locally called, the atteroo. In India, the social significance attached to gold jewelry, is immense. Gold jewelry given to a bride, is considered “Streedhan” ( a woman’s wealth) and will stand her in good stead in times of adversity.

Costume/Imitation Jewelry
A wide range of elegant costume/imitation jewelry provides an enduring personal accomplishment and satisfaction to the buyers. These highly stylized and swanky earrings truly capture the onlookers attention and are available in variety of embellishments and combinations using Glass, Plastic, Horn, Bone, MOP, Wood, Leather, Brass, Aluminium, EPNS, Resin, Thread and Semi-precious stones

Chokers

2008-05-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Chokers

Chokers are tight-fitting necklaces or collars which are meant to be worn high on the neck. It may be one or more bands encircling the neck which are made from inexpensive and semiprecious materials. In earlier times, chokers were worn by people during ceremonies to display their wealth and rank. Traditionally every material that was used to make the choker had a religious and social significance though now they just have an ornamental value. These function as flashy but less expensive jewelery & therefore are very much in vogue.

Chokers display fine craftsmanship & the dazzling effect created on them makes them more appealing which are completely unmatched.

Materials
In usage since time immemorial, chokers fit in easily with any kind of attire, be it formal, casual or ceremonial. They are found as costume chokers, imitate chokers & are quite popular among buyers simply because of their cheap price, attractiveness and style.

Bone Choker
Gold Choker
Silver Choker
Brass Choker
Beaded Choker
Metallic Choker
Leather Choker:
Glass Choker
Plastic Choker
Lac Choker

Design and Finish
Chokers come with distinct designs and finishes & each differ as per their usages & the different occasions they are meant for. Varying from crystal chokers to semiprecious gem chokers, from embroidered leather chokers, to beaded and metallic chokers, these handmade jewelry items are often stringed together with beads, stones and shells & a set of other embellishing materials to impart a unique design to each item. These are chic and trendy & often gold plated & comes with finishes like oxidized or matte finish.

Necklaces

2008-05-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

Necklaces

Necklace refers to any continuous band or chain, worn around the neck as an ornament. They are made in variegated designs and distinct styles that have been brought forth to the international markets by Indian manufacturers. The Indian jewelry industry is marked by diversity and an endless choice of designs.
These necklaces can belong to the category of both:

Pure Jewelry
The necklaces in this category are made of gold & silver and studded with a variety of precious and semi-precious stones. In India, typical forms of necklaces are considered extremely auspicious for marital bliss. A manglasutra, a necklace made of black beads and gold, is a must for the married woman. The necklaces are often adorned with gold and precious stone work, fashioned into plain as well as caved necklaces.

Costume Jewelry
Exquisite necklaces as costume jewelry items are highly popular among the fashion conscious generation of today. Embedded with luxurious beads, glitters and other decorative accessories, necklaces are made in a variety of metals like:

Brass
EPNS
Aluminium
Leather

Shell
Wood
Horn

Bangles

2008-05-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

Bangles

Bangles are typically bracelets that are made without clasps or closures. They can be elegantly worn singly or in bunches. The importance attached to bangles by a married woman is almost paranoic. Along with gold, glass bangles are considered a symbol of the well-being of her husband abd sons in certain communities.

These days, Bangle bracelet are now worn by fashion conscious young girls with as much style as their mothers and grandmothers wore as part of ritual and tradition. With bold flashes of color and wonderful motifs like anchors and flowers, the bangles are perfect accessories to spruce up any outfit. Click here to view unique range of Silver Bangles.

Pure Jewelry
In India, gold has a religious connotation and a deep social significance. Exquisite bangles are made of gold or silver and studded with precious diamonds for an enhanced appeal. These bangles are created in eye-catching and magnificent designs, earning the patronage of discerning clients, worldwide. These gold and silver jewelry from all parts of India draw the inspiration of patterns from flowers, leaves, fruits, fish, stars and the moon.

Costume/Imitation Jewelry
There is no place for stagnation in Indian art and craft, for although forms are repeated, they are free from imitative intent.The casual, fun and swanky styles of bangles as important costume jewelry items are made of a variety of materials like:

Lac
Metal
Beads
Stone
Conch
Terracotta

Wooden
Horn
Bone
MOP
Pearl
Plastic

Jewellery

2008-05-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

Jewellery Design Collections

Jewelery has been part of the Indian civilization since ancient history. They were in fashion since ancient civilizations as Harappa and Mohanjodaro. Made out of almost any material, jewelry is basically adorned to highlight nearly any body part. Be it the traditional jewelry or the latest ones which are increasingly in demand, i.e. the costume & imitation jewelery. There is no dearth when it comes to accentuating the beauty with varied imaginative & stunningly designed jewelry items.

When it comes to defining the materials used for shaping jewelry items, then anything under the roof of the sky can be transformed into breathtaking ornamental items. Such as, metals such as gold & silver, copper, ivory, woods, precious gemstones as diamonds & pearls, beads, shells, leather, plastic, glass, bone & others. They help define varied intricately designed shapes adding on to the beauty of these adorning items.

Jewelry are perfect for any occasion, be it a formal or ceremonial occasion or casual ones. They do not need any particularly specified occasion for exhibiting the beauty. Wide array of jewelry items which can beautify the varied body parts are :

Bangles
Anklets
Nose pins
Hair pins
Necklaces
Rings
Earrings
Armlets
Bracelets
Toe Rings

With growing demand of Art jewelry, very much in vogue, artisans are coming up with innovative ideas & designs to give an ethereal look to a persona easily available & quite cost effective. Nowadays, new variations are hitting the showrooms such as wire sculpture (wrap) jewelry which are being created using anything from base metal wire with rock tumbled stone to precious metals and precious gemstones.

Jewelry designs can vary from vintage and antique designs to ethnic designs to very flashy and chunky jewelry. Often stone studded, engraved, electroplated and designed using various colors for creating an eye catching effect, these jewelry items are designed for different occasions including bridal jewelry, formal and informal jewelry. The intricate motifs still holds the same charm as they did centuries ago simply because of their absorbing styles.

Hair Styles

2008-05-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Breaded Turkey Breasts

2008-05-21T09:55:00.001-07:00

Breaded Turkey Breasts

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Italian-style seasoning
1 cup milk
1 pound skinless, boneless turkey breast meat - cut into strips
1/4 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS

In shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Pour milk into another shallow bowl. Dip turkey in milk, then in crumb mixture.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook turkey for 8 to 10 minuets or until golden brown, and juices run clear.

Awesome Applesauce

2008-05-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Awesome Applesauce

Prep time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 small red apples
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. sugar
2 pinches of cinnamon

Utensils:

knife (You'll need help from your adult assistant.)
blender or food processor
measuring spoons
serving bowls

Directions:

Peel the apples and cut them into small pieces. Throw out the core.
Put the apple pieces and lemon juice into the blender or food processor. Blend until the mixture is very smooth.
Pour the mixture into two small bowls and stir in the sugar and cinnamon.
Enjoy your awesome applesauce!

Serves: 2

Serving size: 1 bowl (half the recipe)

Nutritional analysis (per serving):

84 calories
0 g protein
0 g fat
22 g carbohydrate
2 g fiber
0 mg cholesterol
3 mg sodium
14 mg calcium
0.3 mg iron

Note: Nutritional analysis may vary depending on ingredient brands used.

Baby Photo Collections

2008-05-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

Baby Photos

Salad

2008-05-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1 carrot, peeled and julienne
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 tomato, diced
1 green chili (chili pepper), minced
1 small bunch of cilantro, coriander leaves minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons lemon/lime juice

For Salad Dressing

2 teaspoons oil
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon black gram dal (washed urad dal), picked over and rinsed
1 red chili (chili pepper), halved
1/2 teaspoon asafetida powder
a few curry leaves (optional)

Methods:-

Add the carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, green chilly, cilantro, pepper and lemon juice in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Set aside.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a heavy pan or skillet. Add the mustard seeds, black gram dal, halved red chili, asafetida, and a few curry leaves.
When the mustard seeds splutter, add this mixture to the vegetables. Now add the lemon juice, and mix thoroughly.
Serve at room temperature.

Facial Makeups

2008-05-20T09:27:00.001-07:00

Facial Makeups

A plastic art peculiar to the Chinese stage, the facial makeups are various designs of lines and coloured patches painted on the faces of certain operatic characters. They follow traditionally fixed patterns for specific types to highlight the disposition and quality in the personages so that the audience may immediately know whether they are heroes or villains, whether they are kind or treacherous and wicked. The following describes briefly the major categories of facial makeups:

The red face shows bravery, uprightness and loyalty. A typical "red face" is Guan Yu, general of the period of the Three Kingdoms (220-280) , famed for his faithfulness to his Emperor, Liu Bei.

The reddish purple face likewise shows a just and noble character, for instance, Lian Po in the well-known play Jiang Xiang He (The General Reconciled with the Chief Minister), in which General Lian was proud and impetuous and quarrelled with the chief minister to whom he was ultimately reconciled.

The black face indicates either a rough and bold character or an impartial and selfless personality. Typical of the former are General Zhang Fei (of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms) and Li Kui (of Water Margin), and of the latter is Bao Gong (alias Bao Zheng), the semi-legendary fearless and impartial judge of the Song Dynasty.

A green face depicts surly stubbornness, impetuosity and a total lack of self-restraint.

Commonly seen on the stage is the white face for the powerful villain. It highlights all that is bad in human nature: cunning, craftiness, treachery. Typical characters are Cao Cao*, powerful and cruel prime minister in the time of the Three Kingdoms, and Qin Hui, treacherous Song Dynasty prime minister who put the national hero Yue Fei to death.

All the above facial makeups belong to a category of characters collectively called jing--all males with pronounced personal traits.

For the clowns of traditional drama, there is a special makeup called xiaohualian (the petty painted face), i.e., a small patch of chalk on and around the nose to show a mean and secretive character, such as Jiang Gan of the Three Kingdoms who fawned upon Cao Cao.

It is also occasionally painted on a young page or an ordinary workingman, often to enhance his wit, humour or jesting and to enliven up the performance.

Another type of players , called "acrobatic clowns" (wuchou), are also touched up with a tiny patch of white on the tip of the nose to show an astute mind, a keen and quick wit. Several of the stage heroes from the novel Water Margin are made up in this way.

The facial makeups date a long time back to the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties at least. Simple patterns of painted faces are found in tomb murals of that age. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), improvements were made in the skills of drawing and in preparing the paints, leading to the whole set of colourful facial patterns that we see in today's Jingju (Peking Opera).

As to the origin of the facial makeup, it is still largely a matter for conjecture. And there are different theories:

1) li is believed that primitive hunters painted their faces to frighten off the wild beasts, and highwaymen in the old days did the same to hide their identity and also to overawe the wayfarers they were to rob. Either practice may have led to the emergence of dramatic facial makeups.

2) It is thought that the facial makeup owes its origin to the mask. Prince Lanling of the Northern Qi Dynasty (479- 507) was a good fighter but, because of his handsome features, aroused no fear in his enemy. So he had a ferocious-looking mask made and began to wear it into battles. Sure enough, he proved much more formidable and therefore ever-victorious. His followers composed a song to sing of his successes, which developed into a masked dance, showing him storming into the enemy formation. Subsequently, the mask became painted patterns for stage characters.

3) It is held that facial makeups were used for traditional operas simply because they were often presented on open-air stages to large gatherings of noisy crowds, and the characters were made to wear painted facial patterns in order to bring the drama home to the audience.

1930s makeup guide

2008-05-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

1930 s Makeup guide

In the early thirties a complexion like "Gardenia" (white and waxen) or "Tea rose" (ivory with a touch of pink) was most popular face foundation. Therefore powders applied in rich ivory, light mauve or with a slighty light green touch.

From the mid thirties on women prefered ivory in varying tones of pink, light blue and orange cream. A color - as natural as possible - with an easy bright pink undertone then arised at the end of the thirties.

In the early 1930s rouge in very light pinks was used, if any. Later, from mid to the thirties, raspberry shades, yellow red or purple red were fashionable.

Many different eyelid shades which stretched over blue, bright violet, green, brown and orchid were applied .

Blondes prefered blue, green or bright violet eyelid shades, brunettes used brown grease paint with faint purple for a mysterious exotic flair. For evening the brightly shimmering eyelid shadow was applied from the upper eyelid up to the eyebrow.

A dark eyeshadow was used in the crease of the upper lid and smudged slightly to create a deep set effect.
For a daytime look petroleum jelly (without eyelid shade) was applied to the upper eyelids to match the shiny eyebrows. The (often false) eyelashes were curled.

The eyebrows were plucked thin or shaved off entirely. Then the eyebrows were drawn on with an eyebrow pencil extended well toward the temple. To give them a shiny look, eyebrows were then be dressed with petroleum jelly, brillantine or olive oil.

Up to the middle of the thirties most popular lipstick colors were light rose, raspberry tones, chinese red and orange tones. In the later 30s primarily bright red tones.

The mouth should have full lips with an elongated bow that rounds and flares at the corners. This kind of mouth was called the rosebud mouth, bird mouth, "Crawford Smear" or "Cruller".

For nails colors like pale rose, light pink and cream shades were applied during the early thirties. 1932, for a short time, even black nail varnish came into fashion. From mid to late 1930s every shade of red, deep corals, lilac, emerald green, mother of pearl gray, pale pink, cornflower blue, mauve, gold or silver were used corresponding to the dress color.

During this decade (as in the 20s) polishes were applied only in the center of nails with the half-moon and tips left bare (white). During the end of the 1930s fashion-conscious women still kept the half-moon bare but applied polish to the end of the tips.

Summer Makeup

2008-05-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

Summer Makeup - Summer Makeup Tips

Want to look good this summer? Well, your great look depends on how good your summer makeup is. Also, great summer looks come with summer makeup that doesn’t melt off your face. Summer is always the great time of the year when you can provide your body with that healthy tan color and protecting it form the extreme effects of sunburn, dry and baked lips as well as skin cancer caused by sun-scorched. Here are some tips that you can use for your summer makeup to appear natural and fresh, glowing and even lasting even under hot temperatures. Also in the tips are some measures on preventing summer makeup disasters.

Tips for Summer makeup

Avoid using lip liner for summer makeup as lip liners do not look good during this time of the year.

For the eye summer makeup the best colors to use are mango green and golden green. It can be blended along with brown or black mascara.

The use of translucent powder is also best for your summer makeup as this will bring out the dewy face in you that is just perfectly right for the summer season.

Part of summer makeup as well is the hair. If you have a dry frizzy hair or a curly hair that is hard to manage then apply a rich and deep conditioners as this will tame your hair and will give sun-protection to your hair.

For luxurious look on your summer makeup, use gold shimmer for your brows and cheekbones

During summer season, the best foundation to use is the one that will match your tanned skin especially on the areas of your eyes and other parts of your face. Nude color foundation is best for tanned skin. For a more natural look, a light brown eye shadow is also perfect.

For a beautiful suntan, the light shade of bronzer on chin and cheekbones is the best.

Eyeliner is also good for summer makeup, eye liner of navy shades, warm chocolate, and late gray are the perfect shades to wear. In putting eyeliner, a light hand stroke will do.

For cheek blush, the shades of bright, sunny and warm can be used.

Lipcolors that have natural nude shades are perfect for summer makeup.

Makeup for Dark Skin Tips

2008-05-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

Makeup for Dark Skin Tips - Make up for Dark Complexion

Compared to fair skin, dark-colored skin is more resilient because of having more pigments. Dark skin can even withstand the exposure to the sunlight and even appear to be even much hardier. During the early years, men tend to discriminate their fellowmen who have dark skin. But now in the recent years, people who have dark skin have prove their worth to the world. And that possessing dark skin can also be flawless, healthy and clear and can look beautiful well. Wearing makeup for dark skin have also become possible in the recent years.

Suitable Color Makeup for dark skin

For color foundation, it is essential to use a liquid or creamy one that is not oily instead a water-based one. If you have a dark skin with so many yellow pigments, please use the foundation product that is not an orange-based. A good concealer a sheer foundation can help your skin to look or appear perfectly with illusion. However the foundation or the concealer should not be lighter than the tone of your skin. Please try to use the one that is close enough to your normal skin color. Compared to fair or lighter skins, makeup for dark skin should be lighter as dark skins have the tendency of showing up the layers of makeup when applied. It is important to focus on the blending of makeup for dark skin. One tip is adding a water drop on the foundation before applying on the dark skin can also help. In doing this, do the mixing on the back of your hand before the application. The effect can be seen during the daylight.

Using a light-colored powder after the application of foundation is also possible. This technique will give your skin a sheen that is not too heavy. Do not apply powder too much on your skin especially on the area of the eyes. Excess powder should always be dust off.

Color Blusher for Dark Skin

Color blusher is also part of doing makeup for dark skin but with applicable colors of course that will match your skin tone. The advisable color blushers makeup for dry skin is deep orange, rose and coral. Do not wear blushers that are colored with peach or brown shades if you have dark skin as these will not match your skin tone. However, if you have a very dark skin tone, you can use the color of rose pink for your blush-ons during the daytime and the colors of wine, plum and bronze during night time. In putting on blusher makeup for dry skin, blending over the cheekbones should be given enough attention to avoid overdoing. Make sure that the blending is perfect enough to brighten the skin tone of the dark skin. The color of gold also perfect during night time as makeup for dark skin.

How to Apply Bridal Makeup

2008-05-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

How to Apply Bridal Makeup - Indian Bridal Makeup Tips

In bridal makeup, bright and neon colors must be avoided... they simply scream out of photos, but do not go to the opposite side. Every woman whether in india or elsewhere, therefore, must have knowledge of bridal makeup and of things required for indian bridal makeup, because beauty clinics are not available in small towns or villages.

The bright day of your wedding it is not proper to use gray. All the effort put in to making your skin look radiant will go to the trashcan because gray makes skin look ashy. The best bet for your makeup in the big day is to choose a neutral or true color.

Bridal Makeup Tips and Advice

Use a professional makeup artist if possible. Have a pre-wedding consultation so your makeup artist already knows what you want

Have your makeup done as close to the ceremony as possible

Have a facial two weeks prior to your wedding. If you've not had facials in the past we would recommend you start this process 3-4 months prior to your wedding.

Use a primer before applying your foundation. This will make your foundation last longer. It is also a good idea to use an eye primer to eliminate shadow creasing

Make certain your foundation is an exact match to your skin tone

Use powdered rice papers to eliminate any shine

Use a light to medium lipstick that is long wearing. If you will be having black and white photos then add a layer of lip gloss

Start applying your favorite lipstick shade. To last for all day, use lip pencil and then go for filling in with lipstick. Add some gloss to your lips for a great impact. Long lasting lipstick will stand you in good stead.

When applying your makeup wear a button shirt that can be easily removed when its time to dress.

Place a towel over your head prior to slipping into your gown to avoid getting makeup on your gown.

If you've had your hair professionally done and you will be removing your veil, then have the stylist show your mom or bridesmaids how to fix your style.

A week before your wedding rehearse your makeup - practice, practice, and practice some more, until you perfect the look you want for your wedding day.

Choose a hairstyle that will suit your face shape. Round faces will look good on high 'up dos' and sleek long styles while long faces suit styles that have width and volume.

If your wearing sandals then about a month before your wedding start your foot treatment so your feet look as good as the rest of you.

Do not do your own makeup. Have a professional makeup artist or a friend do it. Chances are you've got a bit of the jitters with all the excitement which could result in you having difficulties doing your own makeup

Don't make your foundation thick like a mask. Light for overall eveness is best.

How to Apply Foundation

2008-05-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

How to Apply Foundation - CHOOSING FOUNDATION

Applied properly, foundation can make any complexion seem healthy and flawless. The aim is to leave the skin looking as natural and unmade-up as possible. Before you start, think hard about your complexion, as you may not need to apply base over the entire face.

When choosing a foundation, take into consideration your skin type, the amount of coverage you require and the kind of finish you are after. And remember, foundation is one of those products you wear every day, so making the right investment at the beginning will pay off.

The word foundation means exactly that: It is the foundation, the basis, of your makeup routine.

Foundations are either oil or water based. Some skin experts will tell you that if you have oily skin, you should use a water-based foundation, and if you have dry skin, use an oil-based one. If it isn't right, your whole look may be off.

It is important to choose a foundation similar in color to your own skin. This is really easy-it is a matter oftrial and error, and will take at the most an hour of your time in a department store or makeup center. Try one color on the inside of your wrist (never on your face-that is a good way to spread bacteria) and walk around for a few minutes. Now look at the shade again, and then try another one. It is well worth the time to find a foundation that will look good on you.

If you think you will be interested in contouring and or highlighting your features, you need to buy another foundation a shade lighter than the one that matches your skin, and one that is three shades darker than your basic color. Again, a good cosmetician or a salesperson in a cosmetics department can help you choose the colors you will need.

SHOPPING FOR FOUNDATION

To find the perfect foundation for your particular colouring, apply three suitable shades in strips across the cheek and jawbone. You are looking for the one that literally disappears into the skin. Your foundation should blend with the skin tone of the neck and not the face, as this is where it has to work down to. If you can't find the correct colour, custom-blended foundations are available.

When you try a new shade, check it in natural light. You should always aim to apply your make-up in daylight, so if this is not going to be possible invest in a natural daylight bulb (these can be found in lighting stores and some professional make-up outlets).

When trying a new foundation, always wait fifteen minutes before reaching a decision as the oil on your skin and the air can conspire to darken the shade you have chosen.

FOUNDATION ESSENTIALS

When looking for a new foundation, bear in mind that it should contain a sun protection factor of at least 15 for daily use. This should then be increased in summer, as the sun is responsible for 10 per cent of premature ageing. Antioxidants will also help protect the skin from visible signs of ageing, and light-reflecting pigments will give a flattering finish, taking attention away from any dark circles and sallow-looking areas, while adding instant luminosity.

SKIN TYPES FOR CHOOSING FOUNDATION

If you have sensitive skin, look for formulations which do not contain potential irritants such as fragrance, chemical sunscreens and alpha hydroxyl acids. Mature, dry skins will benefit from rich, creamy foundations which contain emollients to boost the skin's moisture content and antioxidants to protect from environmental damage.

Oily, problem skins will benefit from oil-free formulations which are enriched with oil absorbers to keep unsightly shine at bay. Normal skins can wear any sort of foundation. In hot, humid weather, every skin type will benefit from an oil-free foundation.

HOW TO APPLY FOUNDATION - EXPERT ADVICE

To apply foundation, start from the centre of the face, dotting on to the cheeks and forehead and blending outwards, first making sure your fingertips or make-up sponges are spotlessly clean. Gently blot the skin with a tissue to remove any excess product or surface oil. Never drag the skin if you are using your fingertips to apply cosmetics.

Smooth foundation over the lips and eyelids to act as a base for lip and eye products. If you're not very good at blending foundation, try applying it with a make-up sponge. After smoothing on, moisten the fingertips and then work over the neckline to remove any signs of haphazard application.

Kinship in Karnataka

2008-05-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Kinship in Karnataka

The trend is not confined to the Nehru-Gandhi family in the Congress, the Gowdas in the JD(S), Karunanidhi in Tamil Nadu, or Karunakaran in Kerala. The phenomenon of our politicians promoting family members has reached a new high in Karnataka with more than 50 relatives of various leaders contesting the Assembly elections.

The children of a former Prime Minister and five former chief ministers — H D Deve Gowda (two sons), J H Patel (two sons), S R Bommai (two sons), S Bangarappa (two sons), R Gundurao (one son), and Ramakrishna Hegde (one daughter) — are in the fray. A few of them are battling it out in different Assembly segments, but some are contesting against each other.

Deve Gowda’s sons, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and former minister H D Revanna, are contesting the Ramanagara and Holenarsipura (Hassan) seats, respectively, which have earlier been represented by the former Prime Minister.

The picture is a bit different in the Soraba Assembly segment in Shimoga, which has been held by former chief minister S Bangarappa’s family since 1967. His elder son, Kumar Bangarappa, who has held the seat for the last 10 years, has been pitted against his other son Madhu in the last two elections. This time, too, the two brothers are contesting against each other while the former chief minister is hoping to win from Shikaripura in the same district.

However, family politics has been taken to new heights by the Jharkiholi family. Five Jharkiholi brothers are seeking election from Belgaum district — three of them were legislators and two of these MLAs have even been ministers.

Former minister Satish Jharkiholi, who was a minister in the Dharam Singh-led Congress-JD(S) government, is now seeking re-election from the Yamakanmaradi constituency. His brother Lakhan is contesting against him as a JD(S) candidate. Former MLA Ramesh Jharkiholi (Congress) is pitted against first-timer Bheemshi Jharkiholi (BJP) in Gokak. Former minister Balchandra Jharkiholi is seeking re-election on a JD(S) ticket from Aarabhavi.

In Bellary, mining barons, including member of Parliament G Karunakara Reddy and his brother G Somashekhara Reddy are seeking to enter the Assembly from Harpanahalli and Bellary City on BJP tickets, while cousins Anil Lad and Santosh Lad are seeking re-election from Bellary City and Khalaghataki (Dharwad district), respectively, on Congress tickets.

Another interesting fight that is on the cards is that of Congress parliamentarian A Venkatesh Naik contesting against his grandson Shivanagoud Naik of the JD(S) in Devadurga Assembly seat in Raichur district, while three family members — former MLAs Jyothi Reddy of the JD(S), Shivashankar Reddy (Congress) and first-timer Ravinarayan Reddy (BJP) have been pitted against each other in the Gouribidanur Assembly segment in Chikkaballapur district. Former MLA

Ashwathnarayana Reddy, another relative, is seeking to enter the Karnataka Assembly from Chikkaballapur constituency.

Political observers are expressing concern over the monopoly and feel that electoral reforms have taken a backseat as family politics has been encouraged by most parties. They feel that the situation is not going to improve unless there is a mechanism to regulate internal party democracy.

Sandeep Shastri, a political analyst and director of the International Academy for Creative Teaching at Bangalore, as well as Trilochan Sastry, a professor at IIM Bangalore and the founder of the Association for Democratic Reforms, attribute the growing dynasty politics to this lack of internal democracy. “This is an indication of the clear distortion of democratic norms,” says Shastri, adding that “internal democracy was the greatest lacunae in our political party system”.

Both feel that there should be reforms to regulate political parties, such as those in Germany and the Scandinavian countries, if not a laborious process like the one in the US. In Germany, candidates are democratically elected by local party workers through a secret ballot, Sastry points out.

The family-affair phenomenon, which was earlier confined to the Congress, has now spread to most parties, feels Sastry, who was responsible for making it mandatory for all candidates to declare their assets and liabilities, educational and criminal backgrounds. “Chieftains, who don’t want fresh blood to come into politics and who want their own families to be helped to power and wealth, have brought about this situation,” he says.

The Congress’ dynastic trend, which had prompted several politicians to break away and form their own parties, has now become the norm and even the BJP is not an exception. In Bangalore alone, the party has nominated five brothers of two families, while it has two brothers in Bellary and the neighbouring Davanagere districts contesting the elections.

“It’s ironic that those who opposed family rule are now encouraging it,” says Shastri. He, however, doesn’t see this phenomenon of dynastic rule as exceptional to the Indian polity. “We have always had this culture of promoting offspring,” he says, and hastens to add that the trend can only help children or relatives get a foothold. “To establish oneself in politics, one needs to prove one’s worth, even after getting that initial push,” he says.

Wedding bells

2008-05-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

Wedding bells for Prince William and Kate Middleton?

LONDON: Looks like Prince William and long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton are all set to take their relationship to the next level, for according to sources, the royal heart-throb is planning to wed the love of his life.

Wills, recently, ducked cousin Peter Phillip’s marriage at Windsor Castle to watch his old flame Jessica Craig’s brother get hitched in a Kenyan tribal ceremony.

But on the night of May 16, sources close to Kate and William, both 26, revealed that their own wedding announcement is already being planned after the prince ends his stint with the armed forces this year, reports The Daily Star.

William will take up a training role with the Royal Navy after returning from Africa next week and will end up with his Army regiment the Household Cavalry before being discharged.

Senior members of the Royal Family are understood to be already checking their official diaries for suitable free dates.

Simple Spinach Lasagna

2008-05-11T00:12:00.000-07:00

Simple Spinach Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups non-fat cottage cheese
1 (8 ounce) package part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
8 ounces lasagna noodles

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large pot over medium heat saute spinach, onion, oregano, basil and garlic in the olive oil. Pour in spaghetti sauce and water; simmer 20 minutes. In a large bowl mix cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and egg.
Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan. Place 4 uncooked noodles on top of sauce and top with layer of sauce. Add 4 more noodles and layer with 1/2 sauce and 1/2 cheese mixture, noodles and repeat until all is layered, finishing with sauce.
Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 55 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

FACE WRINKLES

2008-05-11T00:09:00.000-07:00

FACE WRINKLES

Wrinkles generally are due to age, Stress dry skin. You should always keep the areas around the eyes mouth and nose and also the neck well cared for and moisturized.

Take 1 tbsp of cold milk and add 3-4 drops of lime juice. Rub this paste well into the wrinkles before going to sleep. The next morning wash with warm water and dry with a rough towel. Once again rub in the cream - in the direction opposite to the wrinkles. Wait for ½ an hour and wash, avoid using soap.

Tips 1:

Rub the pulp of a ripe Papaya on the face and leave for ½ an hour before washing.

This is a very good toner also.

Tips 2:

Rub almond oil on the wrinkles in upward strokes. Leave overnight and wash with warm water next morning.

Tips 3:

Cut open a Vitamin -E capsule, add ½ tsp of glycerine and apply. Wash after 15- 20 minutes.

Tips 4:

Add ½ tsp honey to 1 tsp rice powder. Smoothen the lines with this paste. Leave for ½ an hour and wash.

Tips 5:

Mix 1 tsp honey with 1 tsp of milk cream. Apply well. Wash after 20 minutes.

Note: Treatment for wrinkles should be done everyday for a period of 30 - 40 days to have visible results.

Increasing Fairness - A fairness guide

2008-05-11T00:02:00.000-07:00

Increasing Fairness - A fairness guide

A free guide of ayurveda for fair and glowing skin

Naturally fresh and healthy skin is protector of body and a thing of beauty. Ayurveda our ancient science of medicine has suggested many herbal remedies and natural methods to protect our skin from pimples, acne, dark circles, wrinkles and marks left by pimples and to increase the fairness of the skin. Pimples , acne . dark circles, wrinkles and marks give a dull and unhealthy look. Here is a herbal guide for naturally fresh, fair and glowing skin.

In ayurveda according to Sushrutaachaarya the skin has seven layers. They are

Avabhasini- The outermost layer is called Avabhasini. Pimples, acne, dandruff etc arise when this layer gets affected by vitiated doshas.
Lohita - This is the second layer of skin. Moles ,dark circles, black pigmentations occur when vitiated doshas affect this layer.
Shweta - The third layer of skin shweta when gets affected by vitiated doshas precipitates the diseases like eczema ,allergic rashes etc
Tamra - This is the fourth layer of skin which when affected by doshas harbors different types of leprosy.
Vedini- The fifth layer succumbs to herpes when vitiated doshas affect.
Rohini- Harbors cancer, tumors, elephantiasis etc when affected by vitiated doshas.
Mamsadhara - This is the seventh layer in the body which when affected by vitiated doshas , abscess , fistulas arise.

We have to keep all these skin layers healthy by balancing doshas. We can balance our doshas by following proper ahara and Vihara (diet and life style modifications) .This makes our skin healthy.

Methods to keep doshas in balance.

1.Diet

Avoid:-

Over consumption of heavy, oily and liquid foods
Untimely consumption of food.
Eating during indigestion
Over consumption of rice, fish, curds, salt, radish, sesame, jaggery.
Eating fish with milk or curds

2.Life styles:-

Avoid:-

Afternoon sleep.
Anger and irritability of mind.
Exposure to extreme hot or cold climates
Over physical exertion
Taking cold water bath immediately after heavy physical works
Having sex immediately after the consumption of food.

Beauty Tips

2008-05-10T23:43:00.000-07:00

Beauty Tips

Beauty tips:

Grate raw coconut and squeeze milk out of it. Apply this milk over your lips and face. It adds grace and glow to your skin.

Cleansing the skin :

Dip a piece of cotton wool in unboiled milk and wipe on the face with it. It also cleans unseen dirt and goes down to pores.

Skin Moisturizer:

For normal skin mix 1 tablespoon orange juice and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a cup of yogurt, to make a paste. Apply it on face as a mask and keep it on for 15 minutes. Then clean it off with a wet tissue. This mask enhances the complexion and glow of face.

Nourishing the skin A protein mask help to nourish your skin. Soak a teaspoon of urad dal and 5-6 almonds overnight. Grind this to a fine paste apply this protein mask on face and wash it off after half an hour. This mask nourishes the facial skin and also enhances the complexion.

Preventing wrinkles : Application of pure castor oil prevents wrinkles and softens the skin. This slows down the aging process also

Home made conditioner: Mix one table spoon of honey and 2 table spoon of cream. apply this mixture on face and wash it off after few minutes. It works wonders.

Removing Skin pigmentation and marks: Rubbing a raw potato on face removes marks and pigments.

Sun-screen Lotion from kitchen: Prepare a homogenious mixture of cucumber juice , glycerin and rose water .Apply this mixture on face. this mixture can be refrigerated.

Face Packs:

1.Silk Cotton tree thorn paste ( For Pimples)

Ingredients :-

Big thorns of Silk cotton tree.
Milk

Method of preparation :-

Rub thorns briskly and circularly on a grinding stone (Available in Indian stores or temples) sprinkling milk at intervals. The paste start accumulating on grinding stone as the process continues. Collect the paste so formed and apply it as a face pack. This removes pimples and their marks.

2.Split Orange lentils (Masoor dal) Flour pack ( Gives glow to Skin)

Ingredients:-

Split orange lentils (Masoor dal flour which is available in Indian stores) flour
Milk
Ghee

Method of preparation :-

Prepare a paste by mixing the flour with ghee and milk .Apply this as face pack. This enhances the glow of skin.

3.Sandal wood powder pack (Rejuvenates skin)

Ingredients:-

Sandal wood powder
Turmeric powder
Milk

Method of preparation:-

Mix all the ingredients to form a paste. Apply this as face pack. This rejuvenates the skin

Trataka – A Meditation Practice for Everyone

2008-05-10T23:35:00.000-07:00

Trataka – A Meditation Practice for Everyone

Trataka is a wonderful practice for everyone and especially for the aspirant of meditation. It is actually classified as a cleansing practice in Yoga.

What it is?

To put it briefly, Trataka - also called Yogic gazing - is a practice where the gaze is fixed on an object for some time and then that object is visualized clearly with the eyes closed, as an inner image at the eyebrow center.

Benefits

Trataka has several benefits which would be helpful to every one and not only mediation aspirants:

Trataka is believed to have a helpful effect in treating and even resolving several eye disorders such as weak eyesight. It improves the internal and external optic function.
It improves concentrative powers and mental resolve.
It helps in disconnecting with the noise and distractions of the external world. This is deeply relaxing.
In yoga, it is said to also develop the "third" eye - the seat of intuition or that associated with "psychic" powers.

How it Works?

At the physical level it is said to strengthen the eye muscles by exercising them to focus upon a point. Practicing Trataka on an object such as the candle flame is said to provide a unique 'balming' effect to the eyes which help in eye health and in the alleviation of certain eye disorders.

At the pre-meditative level, it is necessary to stall eyeball movement for great benefits and experiences. As we are aware, eyeballs are constantly in motion even while sleeping in the form of REM (Rapid Eye Movement). The aim is to minimize and eventually stall even this minutest of movement. Trataka is a wonderful practice in Yoga to achieve this, as it helps in overcoming this by focusing on a point and then visualizing its after-image with the eyes closed.

Many of the hurdles in our personal lives and even on the path to meditation have to do with our inability to disconnect with the external world at will. In yogic terminology, this would mean the inability to withdraw our senses from the sense objects. Trataka, through the focus on one object, helps to make this disconnect more easily and prepares us to do so at will. This is relevant to almost everyone, but specifically vital for the meditation aspirant.

How it is done?

Trataka can be practiced on several objects, but the most popular and effective is trataka on a flame. This is because a flame (such as a candle flame) produces the best after-image that helps in easier visualization of the flame even when eyes are closed. This is the desired effect of Trataka - wherein you can visualize and concentrate on the image even when the eyes are closed.

You should first be seated in a comfortable meditative posture or a squatting position with spine erect. If you have trouble squatting on the mat, you may raise the seating by a few notches.

A candle is placed in a Trataka Stand the height of the stand is adjusted so that the wick of the flame is at horizontal eye level. The stand is placed at an arm's length. Trataka is to be practiced with spectacles removed, so people with spectacles may have to adjust the distance between the stand and themselves, so that they observe a clear image of the candle wick without blur.

The focus should on the top end of the wick, as the candle burns. Keep your eyes relaxed while fixing the gaze on the wick. Try not to blink as blinking will interfere in the formation of a clear inner image.

This gaze is kept constant for some time and then eyes closed. With the eyes closed, you should try to observe the inner image of the flame at the eye brow center.

If you don't see it, don't be disappointed - you should start seeing it with practice. Keep the eyes closed for as long as you see the inner image. Then re-start.

Detailed instructions of Trataka should be had from your teacher. The Health & Yoga Trataka stand is also accompanied with instructions.

It can be safely said that the practice of Trataka is a powerful practice especially relevant in today's stressful times and a necessary one for the sincere yoga aspirant.

Flower Meanings & History of Flowers

2008-05-10T23:26:00.000-07:00

Flower Meanings & History of Flowers II

The charming and delicate beauty of flowers has fascinated people of all nations and backgrounds for centuries. Flowers have been bred and cultivated for their decorative beauty as well as their ability to heal diseases. Flowers are the subject of poems and myths, and religious symbols are associated with flowers as well. Many girls are named after flowers. The main reason for the popularity of flowers though is their ability to bring good cheer.

For all fellow lovers and admirers of flowers here is some background information about flowers. This will help give your flower gift giving and buying a greater context.

Asters
There are over 600 species of asters, the most popular being the Monte Casino. Ancient societies believed that the odor of its leaves, when burnt, drove away serpents. While this might not be as applicable today, perhaps its connotation is still relevant: Giving asters means, "I am not sure whether you have been faithful to me". Be careful who you send asters to! Meanings: charming, patience

Bells of Ireland
Although the name suggests these flowers come from Ireland, they originated in western Asia. Bells of Ireland have a spicy/peppery scent and are part of the mint family. They stand for good luck.
Meanings: good luck, whimsy

Carnations
Turn of the century dandies would not leave the house without a white or red carnation in the buttonhole of their suit. With the end of this tradition and the fact that carnations are so easily cultivated and grown, the flower has lost some of its popularity. However, carnations are not only beautiful and long lasting flowers, they also send a message: When you receive a red carnation bouquet, it means, "My heart aches for you" and when you receive white carnations the sender is saying: "I am still available."
Meanings: fascination, devoted Love

Chrysanthemum
Imagine, chrysanthemums have been cultivated in Chinese gardens for almost 3000 years! The name chrysanthemum comes from the Greek chrysos (gold) and anthos (flower). Today some of the meanings associated with this flower are: innocence, cheerfulness and loyal love.
Meanings: cheerfulness, innocence

Dahlias
The dahlia is the national flower of Mexico and this is also its birthplace. An old Aztec document states that the Aztecs used dahlias as a treatment for epilepsy. Only in the 19th century did the flower come to Europe where it was bred and cultivated into today's varieties.
Meanings: dignity, elegance

Iris
Did you know that there are so many different varieties of iris that they can be grown wild year round, in water and on land? Iris was most significant in history as the emblem of France -- Fleur-de-Lis -- established in the 11th century by the king of France. Today, it is the state flower of Tennessee and its meanings are faith, hope and wisdom.
Meanings: faith, hope, wisdom

Lilies
Lilies have been associated with many ancient myths. They are mentioned in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament, and symbolize chastity and virtue. Even today, lilies are associated with purity and faith.
Meanings: purity, faith

Peruvian lilies or alstroemeria are named after the Swedish botanist Baron Klas von Alstroemer. He brought the flower seeds back from a trip to South America in the 18th century.
Meanings: friendship, devotion
Calla lilies were first imported from South Africa to America in the mid-nineteenth century. The waxy white blooms and spearheaded leaves of the calla lily stand for radiant beauty and sophistication.
Meanings: sophistication, beauty

Lisianthus
Lisianthus may sound like a Latin name, but it is one of several common names associated with this plant. It is also referred to as Prairie Gentian, Prairie Rose or Texas Bluebell. The flowers existing today are derived from an American wildflower that is native to prairies ranging from Colorado to Nebraska and down to Texas.
Meanings: outgoing, thoughts

Orchids
During the 19th Century, orchids were widely collected. With nearly 25,000 varieties, some orchids are among the most exquisite and expensive flowers available. In antiquity, orchids were correlated with love and fertility. It was common knowledge that they would protect against diseases. Given as a gift they stand for preciousness and seduction.
Meanings: seduction, preciousness

Snapdragons
Snapdragons are an old decorative flower, widely used by the Romans. From its origin in southern Spain the cultivated form was spread throughout the whole Roman Empire. Nowadays remnants of this original population which all belong to the species Antirrhinum majus are found among Roman remains like temples in southern France, Malta, and Italy. The flower, also called "gracious lady" stands for deception.

Meanings: desire, strength
Roses
With their far-reaching popularity, roses are the queens of flowers. After buttercup, the roses are the second oldest variety of flowers on the planet. Biologists can trace roses back some 200 million years! Although there is a huge number of meanings and symbols associated with roses, the most common of course is love, which originated in Greek mythology. When Aphrodite cried about the death of her lover Adonis, she had red "Adonis Roses" grown with his blood, - thus red roses are the symbol of never-ending love. Important to mention are the roses' thorns, of which we all probably have some painful memory. Symbolically, love can be painful and full of suffering when not treated carefully.
Red roses: I love you, unconscious beauty
White roses: spiritual love, purity
Yellow roses: joy, gladness
Orange roses: fascinated, enthusiastic
Pink roses: grace, gentility

Tulips
Originally from Persia, tulips were introduced to Western Europe and the Netherlands in the 17th century. When growers started to hybridize the flower, they found ways of making it even more decorative. Hybrids of the flower were a scarcity at the time and a symbol of high status. Soon tulips became very popular as a trading product and bulbs were traded at the highest prices. The months of late 1636 to early 1637 would make history in the Netherlands as "Tulipmania". A bed of tulips was worth up to $5,000, the value of a small house in Amsterdam. The bulbs became currency, and their value was quoted at the stock market.
Meanings: perfect lover, fame

Sunflowers
Sunflowers turn their heads toward the sun and this how they got their common name. They originated in Central and South America. Sunflowers are not only pretty to look at but sunflower seeds are power-packed with healthy fats, protein, fiber, minerals, and vitamin E - all important to the nutritional quality of your diet. Wait! That doesn't mean you're supposed to eat the seeds out of your sunflower bouquet.
Meanings: adoration, sunshine

Meanings of Carnations

2008-05-10T23:12:00.000-07:00

Meanings of Carnations

What is delicate, durable, and delightful all in one? The carnation, scientifically known as Dianthus caryophyllus, is a historically rich and meaningful flower choice. With its scientific name dianthus roughly translating to "flower of love" or "flower of the gods", depending on the source, this flower is one that has been revered for centuries. One of the world's oldest cultivated flowers, the carnation is appreciated for its ruffled appearance, clove-like scent, and extended blooming period.

The carnation's history dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times, when it was used in art and décor. Christians believe that the first carnation bloomed on earth when Mary wept for Jesus as he carried his cross. Carnations in these early times were predominantly found in shades of pale pink and peach, but over the years the palette of available colors has grown to include red, yellow, white, purple, and even green. Throughout so many centuries of change, the popularity of the carnation has remained undiminished. The fact that the carnation continues to endure is a testament to its vast appeal.

The meanings of carnations include fascination, distinction, and love. Like many other flowers, different messages can also be expressed with the flower’s different color varieties. Light red carnations, for example, are often used to convey admiration, whereas the dark red version expresses deeper sentiments of love and affection. White carnations are associated with purity and luck, and pink carnations are often given as a sign of gratitude. In the early part of the 20th century, carnations became the official flower of Mother's Day in addition finding particular significance in many other cultures worldwide.

To this day, carnations remain a favorite flower choice for many different occasions. They are immediately recognizable flowers, and they possess a charm and allure that continues to captivate people around the globe. In fact, in many parts of the world, the popularity of carnations surpasses that of any other flower including roses. The powerful sentiments these flowers can express are a perfect compliment to their classic beauty and long-lasting freshness. By retaining its status as a floral mainstay for such a long time, the carnation has proven itself to be a lasting flower in more ways than one.

Predator upon a Flower

2008-05-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

Predator upon a Flower

Life History and Fitness in a Crab Spider

In the crab spider, Misumena vatia, Douglass H. Morse and his colleagues found an ideal species on which to test basic questions associated with lifetime fitness. From the moment a female crab spider selects a flower on which to sit and wait for her prey, there unfolds a cascade of lifetime fitness variables that determine her evolutionary success. Did she choose a flower that attracts suitable prey? Will she encounter a competitor or predator? Will she survive long enough to breed, and will her offspring contribute to the gene pool? Ecologists had previously identified variables that shape populations, but lacked the experimental data needed to make comprehensive tests of individuals that made different foraging decisions. Morse found that Misumena is particularly well suited to both field study and laboratory experiments. Over the last 25 years, his simple yet elegant experiments have contributed to our understanding of lifetime fitness and helped to develop study techniques that can be applied to animals with other, more complex, life histories. Predator upon a Flower recounts these influential discoveries in a gracefully crafted narrative that moves ever outward from individuals to communities to ecosystems, and concludes by suggesting directions for future research in spider biology.

Flower Meanings & History of Flowers

2008-05-10T22:55:00.000-07:00

Flower Meanings & History of Flowers

The charming and delicate beauty of flowers has fascinated people of all nations and backgrounds for centuries. Flowers have been bred and cultivated for their decorative beauty as well as their ability to heal diseases. Flowers are the subject of poems and myths, and religious symbols are associated with flowers as well. Many girls are named after flowers. The main reason for the popularity of flowers though is their ability to bring good cheer.

For all fellow lovers and admirers of flowers here is some background information about flowers. This will help give your flower gift giving and buying a greater context.

Asters

There are over 600 species of asters, the most popular being the Monte Casino. Ancient societies believed that the odor of its leaves, when burnt, drove away serpents. While this might not be as applicable today, perhaps its connotation is still relevant: Giving asters means, "I am not sure whether you have been faithful to me". Be careful who you send asters to!

Meanings: charming, patience

Bells of Ireland

Although the name suggests these flowers come from Ireland, they originated in western Asia. Bells of Ireland have a spicy/peppery scent and are part of the mint family. They stand for good luck.

Meanings: good luck, whimsy

Carnations

Turn of the century dandies would not leave the house without a white or red carnation in the buttonhole of their suit. With the end of this tradition and the fact that carnations are so easily cultivated and grown, the flower has lost some of its popularity. However, carnations are not only beautiful and long lasting flowers, they also send a message: When you receive a red carnation bouquet, it means, "My heart aches for you" and when you receive white carnations the sender is saying: "I am still available."

Meanings: fascination, devoted Love

Chrysanthemum

Imagine, chrysanthemums have been cultivated in Chinese gardens for almost 3000 years! The name chrysanthemum comes from the Greek chrysos (gold) and anthos (flower). Today some of the meanings associated with this flower are: innocence, cheerfulness and loyal love.

Meanings: cheerfulness, innocence

Dahlias

The dahlia is the national flower of Mexico and this is also its birthplace. An old Aztec document states that the Aztecs used dahlias as a treatment for epilepsy. Only in the 19th century did the flower come to Europe where it was bred and cultivated into today's varieties.

Meanings: dignity, elegance

Iris

Did you know that there are so many different varieties of iris that they can be grown wild year round, in water and on land? Iris was most significant in history as the emblem of France -- Fleur-de-Lis -- established in the 11th century by the king of France. Today, it is the state flower of Tennessee and its meanings are faith, hope and wisdom.

Meanings: faith, hope, wisdom

Lilies

Lilies have been associated with many ancient myths. They are mentioned in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament, and symbolize chastity and virtue. Even today, lilies are associated with purity and faith.

Meanings: purity, faith

Peruvian lilies or alstroemeria are named after the Swedish botanist Baron Klas von Alstroemer. He brought the flower seeds back from a trip to South America in the 18th century.

Meanings: friendship, devotion

Calla lilies were first imported from South Africa to America in the mid-nineteenth century. The waxy white blooms and spearheaded leaves of the calla lily stand for radiant beauty and sophistication.

Meanings: sophistication, beauty

Lisianthus

Lisianthus may sound like a Latin name, but it is one of several common names associated with this plant. It is also referred to as Prairie Gentian, Prairie Rose or Texas Bluebell. The flowers existing today are derived from an American wildflower that is native to prairies ranging from Colorado to Nebraska and down to Texas.

Meanings: outgoing, thoughts

Orchids

During the 19th Century, orchids were widely collected. With nearly 25,000 varieties, some orchids are among the most exquisite and expensive flowers available. In antiquity, orchids were correlated with love and fertility. It was common knowledge that they would protect against diseases. Given as a gift they stand for preciousness and seduction.

Meanings: seduction, preciousness

Snapdragons

Snapdragons are an old decorative flower, widely used by the Romans. From its origin in southern Spain the cultivated form was spread throughout the whole Roman Empire. Nowadays remnants of this original population which all belong to the species Antirrhinum majus are found among Roman remains like temples in southern France, Malta, and Italy. The flower, also called "gracious lady" stands for deception.

Meanings: desire, strength

Roses

With their far-reaching popularity, roses are the queens of flowers. After buttercup, the roses are the second oldest variety of flowers on the planet. Biologists can trace roses back some 200 million years! Although there is a huge number of meanings and symbols associated with roses, the most common of course is love, which originated in Greek mythology. When Aphrodite cried about the death of her lover Adonis, she had red "Adonis Roses" grown with his blood, - thus red roses are the symbol of never-ending love. Important to mention are the roses' thorns, of which we all probably have some painful memory. Symbolically, love can be painful and full of suffering when not treated carefully.

Red roses: I love you, unconscious beauty

White roses: spiritual love, purity

Yellow roses: joy, gladness

Orange roses: fascinated, enthusiastic

Pink roses: grace, gentility

Tulips

Originally from Persia, tulips were introduced to Western Europe and the Netherlands in the 17th century. When growers started to hybridize the flower, they found ways of making it even more decorative. Hybrids of the flower were a scarcity at the time and a symbol of high status. Soon tulips became very popular as a trading product and bulbs were traded at the highest prices. The months of late 1636 to early 1637 would make history in the Netherlands as "Tulipmania". A bed of tulips was worth up to $5,000, the value of a small house in Amsterdam. The bulbs became currency, and their value was quoted at the stock market.

Meanings: perfect lover, fame

Sunflowers

Sunflowers turn their heads toward the sun and this how they got their common name. They originated in Central and South America. Sunflowers are not only pretty to look at but sunflower seeds are power-packed with healthy fats, protein, fiber, minerals, and vitamin E - all important to the nutritional quality of your diet. Wait! That doesn't mean you're supposed to eat the seeds out of your sunflower bouquet.

Meanings: adoration, sunshine

Mushroom Soup recipe

2008-05-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

Mushroom Soup recipe

Description

Mushroom soup - serves 5-6.

Ingredients

250 gms of fresh mushrooms
2-3 medium sized onions
350 mls of milk
2-3 bay leaves
6-7 peppercorns
5 cloves
2-3 tblspns of butter
1 table spn of refined flour (maida)
1 cup of fresh cream
Salt to taste
¾ table spn of white pepper powder
A pinch of nutmeg powder

Preparation

Clean and wash the mushrooms. Slice four to five pieces. Roughly chop the remaining mushrooms. Chop the onions.

Boil milk alongwith bay leaves, peppercorns and cloves. Strain and keep the milk hot. In a pan melt the butter. Add chopped onions and chopped mushrooms and cook till they are soft. Add the flour and sauté till there is no raw flavour coming from flour, taking care that the flour does not get burnt.

Pour the milk slowly and stir continuously to avoid lumps from forming. Cook for five minutes. Puree the mixture when a little cold, do not puree it to a very thin consistency. The soup should have a smooth texture. Bring it to a boil, correct the consistency by adding more milk if required. Add the cream (reserving a little for garnish), salt, pepper powder and nutmeg powder. Stir well.

Serve hot, garnished with mushroom slices and cream.

carrot pachadi

2008-05-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

carrot pachadi

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
1 lb carrots
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
8 fresh curry leaves
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Special equipment: a food processor fitted with shredding disk

Preparation

Drain yogurt in a large fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, finely shred carrots using food processor.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then add mustard seeds and cook, covered, until they make popping sounds, about 15 seconds. Add curry leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 3 seconds. Add carrots, onion, cumin, salt, and cayenne and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until carrots are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl and cool about 30 minutes. Stir in yogurt and cilantro.

Cooks' note:
Pachadi, without cilantro, can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Picture Perfect Lawn

2008-05-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

Picture Perfect Lawn

Follow this simple, sensible guide for a lush lawn that’s the envy of your neighborhood.

Say goodbye to your yard’s bare spots, unsightly brown patches, dandelions, and creeping Charlie. With the right grass, proper preparation, and timely mowing and watering, you can welcome a beautiful green lawn.

Choose Your Grasses
Whether you’re starting a new lawn or reviving an existing one, approach grass the way you would any other plant. A lawn is made up of as many as 850 grass plants per square foot. Grasses might look more or less the same, but different types have different levels of insect and disease resistance; tolerance for drought, shade, and foot traffic; and temperature hardiness.

Lawns usually contain combinations of grass types. Picking the right mixture for the conditions in your yard is essential. Just as a plant that thrives in dry soil will probably die in a boggy spot, an out-of-place grass will grow poorly or not at all. For example, cool-season grasses prefer a temperature range of 60-75 degrees and generally require less water, but summer heat can stress them. Warm-season grasses thrive in higher temperatures (80-95 degrees), but they lose their color when the mercury drops. However, warm-season grasses typically have deep roots and can tolerate close mowing and heavy foot traffic.

After you’ve picked an appropriate grass, consider how to plant it. As with other annuals and perennials, you can start grass from seed or put live plants in the ground. With grass, that means sod. Sod is the quickest, easiest way to start a new lawn — but usually the most expensive. Sod yields a usable lawn in a few weeks. You might want to lay a section of sod yourself, but large jobs probably demand professional installation. Grass seed is generally much cheaper than sod and can be sown by a do-it-yourselfer. How ever, it requires extensive preparation, the right timing, and careful follow-up care.

You’ll need patience, too, because seeded lawns can take months to establish. Plus, some grasses just don’t start well from seed, leaving sod or plugs — small chunks of sod “plugged” into the ground — as your only options.

Solve Soil Deficiencies
Whether you sod or seed, your soil must be grass-friendly: deep, friable (crumbly), fertile, and well-draining. If your soil is seriously lacking in any of these requirements, fix the problems first. Build up shallow soil with a few inches of weed-free topsoil. Improve friability and fertility by working in compost, manure, or other organic matter. Solve drainage problems by changing the grade of your yard or installing a subsurface drainage system.

Less-expensive drainage solutions include simple swales, baffles, and contours. Swales are narrow, shallow depressions that divert runoff. Baffles are small pieces of edging partly buried to slow runoff and let water soak in. Contours are ripples or bumps in the ground that intercept water and divert it through perforated pipe laid just under the surface.

Lawns love water, but beware of overwatering them. New lawns require more water than established ones, but too much is hazardous to any lawn’s health. Overwatering keeps the top layer of soil wet, encouraging grass to develop weak, shallow roots — the kind that lead to quick injury in hot, dry weather. Infrequent but deep watering provides the best results.

Feed and Weed
Lawns need to be fed, as well as watered, but overfertilizing can be as harmful as overwatering. Too much fertilizer leaves plants weak and top - heavy, making them perfect targets for disease and insects. Fertilize only if a soil test reveals a deficiency. Otherwise, if you must give your lawn a snack, fertilize only during growth spurts in the spring and fall.

The type of fertilizer you choose and when to apply it depend on the type of grass. Most commercial fertilizers are a combination of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Of these ingredients, the most important for grass is nitrogen, which promotes leaf growth and good color. You already have an excellent source of nitrogen — grass clippings. Leaving clippings on the lawn is a cheap, easy way to fertilize.

Despite your best efforts to keep your lawn well-fed and healthy, it still could fall victim to weeds. You can remove a weed by hand, but if you don’t get the entire plant, you’ll find yourself bending and pulling again and again. Weeds over a large area may demand a chemical solution.

If you had a weed problem last year, apply an herbicide in early spring. A preemergent control can wipe out crabgrass by killing the young plants as they sprout. Another application in late spring can help control dandelions and other broadleaf (nongrass) weeds. To save time, weed and feed simultaneously by applying a combination herbicide and fertilizer. If you’re cautious about chemicals, soap herbicides are less-toxic alternatives. Don’t broadly apply any herbicide in summer, when your lawn is stressed by heat.
If all this feeding and weeding sounds a little daunting, consider hiring a lawn service. Call around and price services, then compare what you would pay for lawn products applied yourself. You may find that the costs are similar.

Mow Regularly
If your grass is growing, you’ll be mowing. Each grass type looks best and stays healthiest at a certain height. Use your mower to maintain that height as closely as possible. Cutting your lawn too short can be just as damaging as letting it grow too tall. The basic rule of mowing is to never cut more than one-third of the leaf blade. Generally, this means mowing about once a week.

However, weather and growth spurts might require mowing twice a week.
In cool spring and fall weather, cut grasses to 21/2 inches. When temperatures top 80 degrees, let the grass get taller — as high as 31/2 inches for bluegrass. It may not have the perfect appearance of a lawn cut shorter, but the grass will be healthier. Tall blades shade the ground, conserving moisture and preventing weed seeds from germinating.

The right grass, good soil, and timely care should have you well on the way to a champion lawn. Be patient — a lawn, like the other living parts of your landscape, takes several seasons to mature and fill in completely. When it does, don’t be surprised to catch a few neighbors admiring your lawn and wondering what your secret is.

APPLE CAKE RECIPE

2008-05-03T07:44:00.000-07:00

APPLE CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 cup oil
2 cup sugar
3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp cloves
1 cup baking soda
4 cups chopped apples

Glaze
2 tblsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

How to make apple cake:

In a bowl mix the oil, eggs and vanilla extract together.
In a separate bowl sift the dry ingredients together and add this mixture to the oil and egg mixture and mix well.
Add in the apples and the nuts.
Pour this mixture in a baking pan and bake for 1.15 minutes at 350 degrees F.
For the glaze mix all the glaze ingredients together and boil the mixture for one minute.
When the cake is baked remove it from the oven and white it is worm pour the glaze on it.
Apple cake is ready.

GARLIC CHUTNEY RECIPE

2008-05-03T07:24:00.000-07:00

GARLIC CHUTNEY RECIPE

Ingredients:

4 garlic pods
20 red chillies, roasted
2 cups grated coconut
4 tsp oil
a little tamarind
Salt To Taste

How to make garlic tamarind chutney :

Sauté the garlic, coconut in oil.
Make tamarind pulp by soaking tamarind in some water for 2 hours and then straining.
Then grind the saute mixture with roasted red chillies and tamarind pulp.
Add the garlic and salt and grind once again to a smooth paste.

Flowers in Oil

2008-05-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

Flowers in Oil Decorative Bottles

Materials Needed:

Bottles with cork tops. (Any color or shape)
Mineral Oil (You can get a bottle of unscented or scented mineral oil or just a bottle of baby oil.)

A mixture of artificial flowers, dried flowers, potpourri, pine cones in a variety of textures and coordinating colors.
Pliers or scissors.
A white candle.

Assemble the decorative bottles:

Prepare an assortment of artificial or dried flowers, twigs, potpourri, pine cones, etc.... by cutting them to the desired size for the bottle you are using. (Keep in mind that very small and fine dried flowers might just float to the top of the oil. If you want to use fine dried flowers, it is best to leave them on their stems and cut the stems to fit inside the bottle. This can help keep them from floating around.)
Set the bottle cork aside and lay your floral assortment into the bottle the way you want it to look. (It may be necessary to further adjust some of the flowers so that they are facing outward. To do this, use a long wire stem or a wire coat hanger and move the flower(s) around inside the bottle to the desired position.)
When you like what you have in the bottle, you are ready to add the mineral oil.
Gentle pour the mineral oil into the bottle to about 1/2" from the top.
Put the cork back onto the bottle opening.
If you want to use the bottle as a decoration or give it as a gift, it is a good idea to seal the cork onto the bottle slightly to help keep it from spilling. To do this, light a white candle and let a little wax melt. Drip hot wax around the cork where the cork and glass meet. Let it dry and harden.

Done!
They look really nice on a window with the sun shining in through them!

Sweet and tangy

2008-05-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

Backyard grilling is a great break from using the oven, which heats up the kitchen during the warmer months. My husband is the grillmaster, so I get to simply watch and supervise, or, as I like to call it, help. One of my favorite grilled meals is chicken kabobs. They cook quickly and pack a lot of flavor into each bite. Kabobs are versatile, too. I can quickly add family favorites to the skewers, such as mushrooms, pineapple, bell peppers, tomatoes or potatoes. Add a sweet and tangy salad, and dinner is done in no time at all.

Chicken Kabobs

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
2 to 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon sugar, or to taste
4 to 5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the chicken. Place cubed chicken in the bowl and stir with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and toss the marinade.
Grill kabobs for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear. Serves 5

Fruit Cole Slaw

3 cups chopped cabbage
1 red apple, unpeeled, cored and chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled, cored and chopped
1 handful of grapes or raisins (or substitute cranberries)
1 handful of chopped walnuts
1 small can of pineapple chunks with juice
1 carrot, grated
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
1 tablespoon vinegar, or to taste

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, apples, grapes or raisins, walnuts, pineapple chunks, carrot and green onions. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, brown sugar, lemon juice and vinegar. Pour dressing over salad and mix.
Serves 5

Lemon Poke Cake

1 (18.25-ounce) package lemon cake mix
1 (3-ounce) package lemon-flavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 (8-ounce) container thawed whipped topping

Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for a 9-by-13-inch pan. Poke holes in cake with wooden spoon handle while it’s still hot.

In a medium bowl, make gelatin with only 1 cup boiling water. Pour liquid gelatin over cake while hot. Cool cake completely.

In a medium bowl, make vanilla instant pudding with only 1 cup milk. Stir in vanilla and lemon extract. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cake. Refrigerate cake for 1 hour before serving.

Meditation Nirguna Mantras

2008-05-02T22:17:00.000-07:00

Meditation Nirguna Mantras

Nirguna Mantras are abstract and form-less Mantras that do not require the invocation of deities. Instead, the use of the abstract mantras is the way for the identification with the whole creation. Nirguna Mantras are said to be the oldest of the three other mantras, originating from the Vedic texts. Here are some Nirguna Mantras:

OM
OM is the orginal mantra, the root of all sounds and letters, and thus of language and thought. The "O" is generated deep within the body, and slowly brought upward joining with the "M" which then resonates through the entire head. Repeating OM for twenty minutes relaxes every atom in your body.

Soham (soh-hum)
This mantra is unconsciously repeated each time we take breath - inhaling "So", exhaling "ham". It means "I am That" - beyond the limitations of mind and body, at one with the Absolute.

The main purpose of the Nirguna mantras is to unify with the Absolute, Primal Causation, or to identify with the Infinite Nature of the Universe. Nirguna Mantras focus on abstract mantras. These are intended for experienced Yogis. You may want to read on the other type of mantra called the Saguna Mantras which, compared to the Nirguna Mantras, has form.

Akarna dhanura asana

2008-05-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Akarna dhanura asana

1		Sit on the floor with the legs together and extended straight out in front. Keep the back straight, shoulders level and head straight. Place the hands, palms down, flat on top of the thighs then inhale deeply.

2		Exhale and reach down and loop the forefinger of the right hand around the big toe of the right foot and grasp the left foot with the left hand.

3		Inhale and pull the right foot back placing the big toe next to the right ear. Straighten the back as much s possible and hold the posture for the duration of the inhale breath.

4		Exhale and return to the seated position of step #1 then repeat the posture on the opposite side.

Comments:

While performing this posture imagine yourself as an archer with your gaze focused on a target and the arrow gracefully and steadily being pulled back in the bow. Hold the posture as steady as an archer would hold an arrow aimed at its target. Return the foot to the floor gently. This simple technique will help cultivate focused and unwavering attention.

Durations/Repetitions:

This posture should be held for a minimum of 30 seconds and can be extended to up to several minutes. Repeat at least twice with each leg.

Variations:

Reverse the hands and feet so that that the right hand pulls the left foot to the left ear and vice versa. The foot gets pulled under the outstretched arm.

Yoga Exercise

2008-05-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

Yoga Exercise Full Boat Pose [Paripurna Navasana]

This exercise strengthens the belly muscles, the legs and the lower back. It is also beneficial to those with kidney, thyroid, prostate and intestine problems. The Boat Pose is a great stress reliever and also improves digestion.

	STEP 1: Sit down on your Yoga Mat. Pull in your legs and grab your upper legs on the back side below the knees. Tilt your upper body backwards so that your lower back carries your weight and the entire upper back is aligned in a straight perpendicular line.
	STEP 2: Slightly pull your legs with your arms to maintain the posture.
	STEP 3: Extend your arms forward and parallel to the floor.
	STEP 4: Stretch your legs and feet together. See to it that your back remains straight. When you find the position easy, you can reduce the stretching power of your arms without changing the position. Eventually bring your arms along the body parallel to the floor and focus on a particular spot for your balance. Quietly breathe in and out through your belly and try to maintain your relaxation during your efforts.

Your lower back is important in this exercise. You should therefore see to it that both your back (upper and lower) remains straight. Otherwise, this can affect your breathing.

Yoga Exercise

2008-05-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

Yoga Exercise Garland Pose or Squatting [Malasana]

This Asana makes the ankles more supple and provides a good stretch to the back of the lower legs, the back, and the neck muscles. Malasana also offers a nice moment of rest for the legs during intense Yoga sessions.

	STEP 1: Bring your feet together and assume a squatting position. Turn your knees outside.
	STEP 2: Lengthen your back by stretching your arms forward and bow your head. Try to find your balance in such a way that there is a stretching towards the pelvis and the upper back is stretched lengthwise as a result of the fact that the back is stretched towards the floor. If you lose any of these stretches, it means that your position is not well-balanced. You can regain this subtle balance by changing the height of your heels above the ground.
	STEP 3: If your back has the right dynamism, it feels as if you can lift your fingers from the ground. This means that you hardly rest on your arms. As your ankles and your back begin to relax more, your heels will move more and more towards the ground. Quietly steer you breath to the stiff parts of your body and let the relaxation do the work.

The lengthening of the body focuses particularly on the front part of the body (chest). Try not to lose the dynamism and supportive power of the lower back at all times. When your lower back loses its supportive function, the upper back and the chest will sink down and the sensation of relaxation will be lost.

Yoga Exercise

2008-05-02T21:42:00.001-07:00

Yoga Exercise Child Pose [Bala-Asana]

The Child Pose is a relaxation pose which is used to normalize the circulation after the Head Stand and to give a counter stretch to the spine after the backward bends. It is a resting pose that can be done to precede or follow any pose. Performing the Child Pose stretches the hips, thighs and ankles gently. It also helps relieve stress and fatigue, and calms the brain. However, you need to observe caution in practicing the Child Pose when you are suffering from diarrhea or knee injury as it may worsen your ailment when not done properly. Pregnant women should also avoid doing the Child Pose. Practicing under the supervision of an experienced Yoga teacher is advised.

	STEP 1: Kneel and sit on your feet with your heels pointing outward. Your knees should be separated, about the width of your hips.
	STEP 2: Place your forehead on the floor, then swing your arms forward.
	STEP 3: Rest your forehead on the floor, then bring your arms around and to your sides, palms facing upward.

If you experience any difficulty doing the Child Pose, you may try using Yoga Props. Placing a Yoga Bolster or thickly folded Yoga Blanket between the back of your thighs and calves will definitely make you feel more comfortable.

Yoga Exercise

2008-05-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

Yoga Exercise - Seated Forward Bend [Paschimothanasana]

This forward bend gives a complete stretching to the neck, the back, the hamstrings and calves. At the same time, it directs your attention inward. You stimulate the entire nervous system and learn to find stillness and relaxation during a period of effort or even discomfort when doing this stretching exercise.

	STEP 2: Slowly bend forward, stretch your crown upward and try not to lose the supporting dynamism of the lower back. See to it that your legs do not move or tilt.
	STEP 3: The moment you notice that you can only bend further by bending the lower back, move your hands to your lower legs, ankles or feet. Lightly pull your legs, ankles or feet and continue stretching. Keep your shoulders down. Breathe in and out across the entire length of your spinal column deeply and in a relaxed way. Everytime you exhale, you should bend further towards your legs without losing the length in your back and the dynamism in the lower back. When you lose the dynamism in the lower back, you will notice that you lose a major part of the stretching and you will have a hard time breathing.
	STEP 4: Stretch out your arms forward.
	STEP 5: Slowly raise your upper body. Keep your legs lying side by side and the toes pointing upwards.
	STEP 6: Sit straight up again, just like your original position.

Try to relax as you perform this forward bend and do not pull your feet forcibly. When you pull too hard, the body hardens itself, your thinking and breathing become unquiet and you run a risk of injuring yourself.

Yoga Exercise

2008-05-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

Yoga Exercise - Lotus Pose [Padmasana]

The Lotus Pose or Padmasana in Sanskrit requires crossing the legs while maintaining a straight back, making it ideal for Meditation and concentration. This Yoga Pose has a lot of benefits such as giving a relaxing effect, increasing awareness and attentiveness, stimulating body parts and processes, and keeping or developing a good posture.

	STEP 1: With your palms down, sit on the floor with your legs fully stretched.
	STEP 2: Hold your right foot with your hands and put it over your left thigh until it reaches the groin. Your foot's outer edge should reach your hip's crease.
	STEP 3: Hold your right knee using your right hand while the other hand clasps your right foot.
	STEP 4: While your right foot is firmly placed over your left thigh, hold your left foot with both hands. Place your left foot over your right thigh. Your foot's outer edge should also reach your hip's crease.
	STEP 5: You have now achieved a full Lotus Asana. You can have your palms positioned upward, which is energizing or put them down which helps in grounding yourself.

Beginners are recommended to begin doing Half Lotus first before proceeding with the full Lotus Asana. Once you are already a regular practitioner of this Asana, you can try walking using the palms of your hand while both feet are perfectly crossed.

The Lotus Pose is one of the most popular Yoga Asanas around. Aside from the physiological benefits if offers, the Lotus Pose also helps in developing and maintaining a good posture.

Yoga Exercise

2008-05-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

Yoga Exercise Hero Pose [Virasana]

	STEP 1: Start with your hands and knees on the floor as in the Cat Pose. Have your knees hip-width apart so the thighs are parallel with one another, and separate your feet until they are slightly wider than your hips. Check that your feet are pointing directly backward, not turning in or out.
	STEP 2: Sit between your feet by first supporting yourself with your hands and then slowly lowering your hips to the floor. If you are unable to sit comfortably, or if you feel any pain in your knees, elevate your hips by placing a folded Yoga Blanket or Zafu (Zen pillow) beneath you. Use this support until you experience a feeling of ease (this may take several months). Eventually, you will be able to sit between your feet with no discomfort with your buttocks firmly on the ground.
	STEP 3: Sit tall. Counteract the tendency to slump by adjusting the buttock muscles sideways and back with your hands, and tilting the pelvis slightly forward so you are positioned on the frontal edge of each sitting bone. Then draw the abdomen backward toward the spine and delicately adjust your hips toward cat tilt to establish neutral alignment of your center, your pelvis making a ninety-degree angle with the thighs. You are now on the tips of the sitting bones. Rest your hands in your lap, on your thighs, or on your ankles, then close your eyes. Elevate and free your chest, relax the shoulders back and down away from your ears, then lift or lower your chin until your head feels perfectly balanced, weightless on top of the spine. Sit quietly for at least a minute.

Yoga Exercise

2008-05-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yoga Exercise Easy Pose [Sukhasana]

The Easy Pose or Sukhasana is a relaxation pose intended for Meditation. It promotes inner calm and straightens the spine, opens the hips, and relieves tiredness. As the name suggests, this pose is very easy to do. In this section, learn how to do the Easy Pose.

Sit down on the floor or a Yoga Mat.

Cross your legs, placing your feet below your knees.

Clasp your hands around your knees.

Keep your head and body straight.