Striving4Zen

Falling - Often means you have issues relating to a loss of control.
Flying - Means you need to lighten up, rise above your problems; the wish for independence
Dying - Means something ended in your life, or will end
Lost objects - Means there are identity issues
Beds, bedrooms - Reveal your love relationships, sex life
Driving a car - Relates to ambition, drive
Aliens - Symbolize the deceased; also signify feelings of alienation
Digging - Reflects the wish for self-discovery
Nakedness - Is the wish to be noticed, and is also the wish for truth, that something be exposed
Eating cake or sweets - Signifies a sublimated sexual urge; self-nourishment
Excrement - Symbolizes money, productivity
Drowning - Means you feel suffocated, engulfed or overwhelmed
Fire - Symbolizes sexual energy, desire, passion
Guns - Phallic symbols

http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/67644.htm

The more colorful your mix of vegetables, the more nutrients you'll consume. Fill your plate with these nutritional superstars first — they offer the most vitamins and minerals per bite. Cherry tomatoes are rich in lycopene and may help ward off cardiovascular disease in women. Broccoli boasts vitamin C, beta-carotene, fiber, and calcium.When you face a rainbow selection of peppers, green means stop: Red and yellow peppers contain more than twice the amount of vitamin C than the green ones, which are really just unripe versions of the more colorful varieties.
You can never go wrong with carrots, one of the best sources of beta-carotene.
Even though they may look like decoration, alfalfa sprouts are loaded with vitamins and minerals and cost you very few calories. To avoid the risk of foodborne illnesses like salmonella and E. coli, choose cooked sprouts — they'll look less green and less crisp.
Some vegetables you should limit: Corn, artichoke hearts, beets, and sun-dried tomatoes are popular salad bar staples, but their high sugar and starch content means calories add up quickly without providing much of a nutritional benefit. For instance, sun-dried tomatoes have 139 calories per cup and beets weigh in at 75 for the same portion — compared with the 44 calories found in 1 cup of broccoli.
All fruit is not created equal. With no water to take up space, dried fruit packs a high caloric punch, especially if you're using a big serving spoon. Avoid large portions of dried cranberries (108 calories for 1/4 cup) and raisins (92 calories for the same size portion).Stick with fresh fruit like berries, pears, or orange slices. These treats will sweeten your salad without too many calories (oranges have 22 calories for 1/4 cup), and their high water content will help keep you full.

On the heels of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's clarification of guidelines for what constitutes a whole grain product and continued emphasis on the importance of integrating whole grains into a healthy diet, today RONZONI HEALTHY HARVEST® is launching a reformulation of its brand to keep up with growing consumer demand.
Every HEALTHY HARVEST pasta product has been reformulated to maintain the high fiber and great-taste profile customers have grown to expect while making the product an excellent source of whole grain. HEALTHY HARVEST pasta contains fewer calories, more whole grains and higher fiber per serving when compared to regular pasta.
"Consumers have spoken: they've demanded a great-tasting pasta that contains the recommended allowance of whole grains," said Scott Greenwood, Chief Executive Officer of New World Pasta Company, the leading U.S. marketer and supplier of branded dry pasta and noodles, including HEALTHY HARVEST. "Our pasta is an easy way to incorporate an excellent source of whole grains into a family's diet because it tastes great. Even the pickiest families will enjoy it."
HEALTHY HARVEST pasta is now available in eight varieties, including two new products: Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Linguine and Healthy Harvest Multigrain Spaghetti (with Omega-3). The six existing varieties that have been reformulated to include whole grains are Thin Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Penne Rigate, Rotini, Wide Noodle and Extra Wide Noodle.
In addition to the reformulated and new products, HEALTHY HARVEST has redesigned its Web site, http://www.healthyharvestpasta.com, to give consumers healthy living tips and great-tasting recipe ideas.

FAST-ACTING products may not offer long-term results, but they do have some benefits, said Dr. Diane C. Madfes, a dermatologist who is a clinical instructor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
"Without having an invasive procedure like Botox, you do look a little better for a short time," she said.
To test product claims, Dr. Madfes examined the ingredient lists on several quick-fix skin care items. She also tried the products on herself.
CLINIQUE, Pore Minimizer Instant Perfector, $16.50
clinique.com
WEB SITE CLAIM "Instantly refines the look of pores with a natural-looking, long-lasting matte finish. De-shines."
ANALYSIS The silicone in the product has an instant visible smoothing effect while silica should work throughout the day to absorb oil, preventing pores from looking larger, Dr. Madfes said. "This is a very nice product."
DARPHIN, Instantly Radiant, $65
darphin.com
WEB SITE CLAIM "This unique touch-up stick delivers an instant sheer radiance as it hydrates, soothes and brightens."
ANALYSIS Silicone creates instant smoothness while zinc oxide and titanium dioxide camouflage dark circles, Dr. Madfes said. "I tried it on my hand, and it instantly lightened the dark spots."
FUSION BEAUTY, LiftFusion Micro-Injected M-Tox Transdermal Face Lift, $140
sephora.com
WEB SITE CLAIM "Get a lift — in 10 minutes or less!"
ANALYSIS LiftFusion has smoothing ingredients as well as proteins that help the skin retain moisture. "This feels beautiful when you put it on, and the smoothness creates a reflective surface that makes your skin look better," Dr. Madfes said. "But it is not going to help your skin in the long term."
TRACIE MARTYN, LotuSculpt Quick Fix Eye Pad Activator ($45)
bergdorfgoodman.com
WEB SITE CLAIM "Firms and brightens, minimizing the appearance of dark circles."
ANALYSIS The product had an immediate plumping effect, Dr. Madfes said. In the long term, LotuSculpt should help decrease darkness under the eyes because it includes acetyl hexapeptide-3, a protein that is supposed to strengthen blood circulation, she said.
GIVENCHY, No Surgetics Visible Resurfacing Serum, $110
sephora.com
WEB SITE CLAIM Helps "smooth fine lines and minimize dark spots."
ANALYSIS No Surgetics helps the skin look better instantly, Dr. Madfes said. It includes a pentapeptide protein that should spur collagen production. "You'd need to use this for a couple of months for the long-lasting effect to work. But this may be the product that really causes a result."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/20/fashion/thursdaystyles/20sside.html

Labels: anti-aging, beauty, skincare

British Scientist, Arpad Puzti found that rats that ate genetically modified potatoes suffered from damaged immune systems. Their white blood cells responded more sluggishly than those fed a non-GMO diet, leaving them more vulnerable to infection and disease. Compared to the rats fed a non-GMO diet, some of the GMO-fed rats had smaller, less developed brains, livers and testicles. Other rats had enlarged tissues, including the pancreas and intestines. Significant structural changes and a proliferation of cells in the stomach and intestines of the GMO-fed rats may have signaled an increased potential for cancer. Many rats developed serious health effects after only 10 days and some of these changes persisted after 110 days, a time period corresponding to about 10 years of human life.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/ge040806.cfm

Among the TOP TRENDS FOR FALL:

- Mod-inspired shapes such as short trapeze dresses and swing coats in black or a bold single color.
- Coats and capes in rich fabrics such as velvet and wool tweed, often with fur detail on the collar or lapel.
- Skinny, straight-legged jeans in an array of dark washes, from an intense black to a smudgy charcoal gray. Silver grommets and studs line the front and back pockets.
- Punk-inspired and preppy plaid prints on everything from vests to suits.
- Blue hues, from navy to teal, on everything from coats to eveningwear.
- Fur, fake and real, is not just for collars and trim. Vests, capes — even handbags and shoes — boasted an extra soft touch.

it went over "like a fart in church" !!

Made me laugh!!!

NEW YORK — Diddy had a date with destiny and was late.

Sean "Diddy" Combs was due to ring the bell of the New York Stock Exchange Monday morning with Terry Lundgren, chairman and chief executive officer of Federated Department Stores, to celebrate the success of his men's scent Unforgivable.

But Diddy got stuck in traffic, and Western capitalism waits for no man. The bell went off at 9:30 on the button with Lundgren and William Lauder, CEO of the Estée Lauder Cos., doing the honors. Luckily Combs was forgiven. "When you have numbers like these, why not?" said John Demsey, global president of the Estée Lauder, MAC Cosmetics and Sean John brands.

The ten foods richest in antioxidants include blueberries, plums, broccoli, strawberries, and red cabbage. These antioxidant-dense foods provide, on average, 35 times more antioxidant capacity per calorie than the ten foods that rank lowest on the scale of antioxidant capacity per calorie. Low-antioxidant foods include cucumbers, granola, cereal, canned corn, and lima beans.

So why not simply add antioxidant supplements to the diet? Dietary supplements do not appear to deliver the full range of health-promoting benefits that stem from consumption of whole foods that are rich in antioxidants. In addition, plant antioxidants modulate a number of biosynthetic processes in the human body. To optimally promote health though, they must be present in the right proportions relative to a variety of other vitamins, minerals, fats and proteins. Because antioxidants cannot substitute for each other and some do not last long once ingested, people need to consume antioxidants in plant-based foods with most meals in order to sustain optimal levels in the body. A variety of strategies should be pursued to increase average antioxidant intakes including, first and foremost, eating additional servings of a diverse selection of fruits and vegetables. Buying locally grown and fresh produce that has been harvested relatively ripe is another proven strategy to increase antioxidant intakes.