Category: News

Do you have big New Year’s Eve plans? Are you going to ring the new decade with a concert or party? Well, come New Year’s Day — America’s adopted National Hangover Day — you’ll be thinking those plans were a bad idea when the headache kicks in and you can barely make a fist. Jan 1, 2010 may find you on a couch — or worse — thinking, “Maybe I shouldn’t have chased that bottle of champagne with half a bottle of Jameson.”

When you stumble to your medicine cabinet, there will no magic bottle labeled “Hangover-Rx,” or at least not one that works. In that spirit, Spinner asked some musicians to dish their best hangover remedies, because at the end of the day, there is no true cure.

Alison Mosshart (The Kills, the Dead Weather): “It’s usually play a show and then I feel fine because you sweat like crazy. I don’t get hangovers too much, but when I do I drink Berocca. My doctor told me to take it everyday because it’s basically the multi-vitamin in a drink. It’s incredible. It doesn’t make you feel better, but you know that it’s good for you so mentally you’re like, ‘I needed all those vitamins, thank you.’”

B-52s‘ Keith Strickland: “Green Tea is about the best one I have used. Coconut water is really good too.”

B-52s’ Kate Pierson: “I don’t believe in the hair of the dog. I think drinking a ton of water and getting a lot of sleep is the best remedy.” Read more…

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? If you do, you’re among many, many others who do. Maybe the question should be: Do you KEEP your New Year’s resolutions? If yes, you’re among a very small group of people.

Resolutions often focus on health. For some reason, we think more about getting healthy as a year draws to a close than any other time of year, except possibly when it’s bathing suit shopping time. Have you ever made any of these common New Year’s resolutions?

I will:

1. lose X amount of pounds this year (or a generic, I will lose weight)
2. eat a more balanced, healthier diet
3. join a gym/attend exercise classes
4. walk X amount of minutes per day
5. use the stairs instead of escalators/elevators when possible
6. hydrate myself by drinking more water
7. make time for myself, to treat myself better
8. see my doctor for a regular check up/follow-ups
9. go to bed earlier to get more sleep
10. quit smoking/drink less

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Image: iStock.com

Post from: Blisstree

10 Common Health New Years Resolutions

Univ. of Wash. via YouTube

Robby Connor demonstrates the drink mixer in a University of Washington lab.

If you’re looking for a buzz on New Year’s Eve, consider the automatic wireless drink mixer – a student-built contraption that is generating a fresh wave of buzz on the Internet.

Sure, there’s still a week remaining in the 2009 regular season, the NFL Draft is months away, and we can’t yet say who the free agents will be. But that’s not going to stop us from mock-drafting the opening rounds of a 2010 fantasy league.

Below you’ll find our top 60 picks, if were we forced to create next year’s league today. Funston, Behrens, Romig, Evans, Pianowski and Salfino are your drafters. There’s a new name at the top of the draft board and no shortage of ’09 breakout stars in the early rounds. Please read on…

ROUND 1

1. Chris Johnson, TEN, RB – Like Forrest Gump, he runs like the wind blows – the perfect blend of age, talent and situation. (Funston)

2. Maurice Jones-Drew(notes), JAC, RB – Nothing’s changed from the ’09 preseason, I still prefer MoJo to Adrian Peterson. (BFun)

3. Adrian Peterson, MIN, RB – Peterson’s blend of age, talent and situation is even, um…perfecter. (Behrens)

4. Ray Rice(notes), BAL, RB – The Burner earned consideration, but a glance at the ’09 per-game scoring leaders reassured me. (AB)

5. Michael Turner(notes), ATL, RB – Elevate and ice that ankle, then resume that touchdown-per-game pace you’ve established in Atlanta. (Romig)

6. Larry Fitzgerald(notes), ARI, WR – 34 TDs in three seasons plays even in non-PPR formats, but I’d reconsider here if Warner retires. (Mig)

7. Steven Jackson, STL, RB – Deserves a Purple Heart for heroic fantasy season – 100-plus total yards in 11 of 14 games. (Noise)

8. Frank Gore(notes), SF, RB – Transition to pass-heavy system unsettling, but his versatility and steady production calms fears. (Noise)

9. Andre Johnson(notes), HOU, WR – A ridiculous 210 catches for 3,079 yards the last two years, and he’s too talented not to score double-digits eventually. (Pianowski)

10. DeSean Jackson(notes), PHI, WR – After seeing 11 scores in 14 games and 18.7 yards per reception (a gross number in today’s game), I demand in for 2010. (Pianow)

11. Jamaal Charles(notes), KC, RB – 2,000-yard pace the second half and exact same size as Chris Johnson, and almost as fast. (Salfino)

12. Rashard Mendenhall(notes), PIT, RB – Disappointing in December (3.6 per carry), but seems a lock to be a true feature back in a prolific offense. (Salfino)

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ROUND 2

1. Ryan Grant(notes), GB, RB – Seems to have hit his stride with nice size and showing plus speed in an amped up passing offense that forces defenses to pay scant attention to the run. (Salfino)

2. Brandon Marshall(notes), DEN, WR – Likely won’t be as much of a one-man show in 2010, but the tradeoff then is quantity for quality (yards per catch). (Salfino)

3. DeAngelo Williams(notes), CAR, RB – Jonathan Stewart(notes) doesn’t worry me too much; Williams will keep doing what he does, averaging 5 yards a pop and scoring a handful of distance touchdowns. (Pianow)

4. Cedric Benson(notes), CIN, RB – He’s the foundation of this offense and he just turned 27; the music will play for a while. (Pianow)

5. Aaron Rodgers(notes), GB, QB – A-Rod’s dual-threat abilities, youth, weapons, system and incredible consistency simply can’t be bypassed – 11 multi-TD games in ’09. (Evans)

6. Randy Moss(notes), NE, WR – Occasional sloughing off aside his 13.1 points per game output in standard formats was second only to Andre 3000. (Evans)

7. Beanie Wells(notes), ARI, RB – Sky is the limit if he gets the featured role we can all plainly see he deserves. (Mig)

8. Calvin Johnson(notes), DET, WR – In a worst-case season that saw three quarterbacks start games (one a rookie), he still has a shot at 1,000 yards. (Mig)

9. Reggie Wayne(notes), IND, WR – Wayne is a no-doubt player in a high-yield offense, coming off his sixth straight 1,000-yard season. (AB)

10. Drew Brees(notes), NO, QB – He directs an offense that’s finished No. 1 in both total yards and points each of the past two seasons. (AB)

11. Roddy White(notes), ATL, WR – Proved that he could co-exist with Tony Gonzalez(notes) just fine – career-high 10 TD catches. (BFun)

12. Vincent Jackson(notes), SD, WR – A prime-aged (27 in January) go-to guy for the NFL’s No. 2 offense. (BFun)

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ROUND 3

1. Miles Austin(notes), DAL, WR – No 3 among WRs in fantasy PPG despite starting just over half the games in ’09. (BFun)

2. Peyton Manning(notes), IND, QB – Taking him as the No. 3 QB here because he’s the QB with the best top-6 guarantee. (BFun)

3. Wes Welker(notes), NE, WR – There’s no reason not to expect another triple-digit reception campaign after Welker’s historic ’09. (AB)

Update, Jan. 4: As if you needed a reason not to hold your 2010 fantasy draft before Week 17 of the ’09 season. Welker suffered a serious injury in the Pats final game, likely tearing both the ACL and MCL in his left knee. He’s no guarantee to play in 2010, so he’s clearly not a third rounder. Brutal news. 

4. Ronnie Brown(notes), MIA, RB – Brown is expected to be at full strength by the preseason; he was a better per-game scorer than several backs already off the board. (AB)

5. Jonathan Stewart, CAR, RB – A good time to look past the role and focus on the numbers – he’ll likely finish season with 2,000 total yards and 20 TDs over last two seasons. (Mig)

6. Steve Slaton(notes), HOU, RB – Between the weight gain and the fumbling (not a big issue as a rookie, I’ll give him a mulligan on 2009; it’s not like anyone stepped up in his absence. (Mig)

7. Thomas Jones(notes), NYJ, RB – Constantly circumvented because of age concerns but final year of contract should motivate graybeard to produce another strong RB2 effort, especially behind the Jets’ stout offensive line. (Noise)

8. Matt Forte(notes), CHI, RB – Forgettable season provided few highlights, but if Bears retool offensive line and add firepower at receiver ’09’s biggest bust will easily exceed presumed low expectations. (Noise)

9. Pierre Thomas(notes), NO, RB – Here’s hoping the Saints accept the reality of Reggie Bush(notes) and Mike Bell(notes) and start featuring their best runner. Yeah, it’s the holidays, and this is good eggnog. (Pianow)

10. Philip Rivers(notes), SD, QB – The Chargers finally gave Rivers the keys to the offense and he’s got the most dangerous receiving collection in the AFC (Gates, Jackson, Sproles out of the backfield, Floyd). (Pianow)

11. Steve Smith, CAR, WR – Matt Moore(notes) looks good enough even if he’s not the revelation he proved to be in December, so Smith should get back to being a PPR monster with game-breaking skills. (Salfino)

12. Greg Jennings(notes), GB, WR – Expect a bounce-back year with the Packers pass protection likely to improve, just creating more scoring opportunities for this world-class home run threat with the game’s best long-ball QB. (Salfino)

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ROUND 4

1. Knowshon Moreno(notes), DEN, RB – He was a great disappointment but should get 65 percent of touches next year, enough to make up for his lack of game-breaking skills. (Salfino)

2. Hakeem Nicks(notes), NYG, WR – Has the world-class QB and all the skills to break out in his second year, and it’s not like he was a slouch as a rookie – 75-1,200-10 is the forecast. (Salfino)

3. Santonio Holmes(notes), PIT, WR – Touchdown/catch ratio is a little misunderstood; when you see a yardage monster off a low number of spikes, go get him the next year. Jennings is a better fit for this principle but he’s off the board. (Pianow)

4. Marques Colston(notes), NO, WR – He’s never been one of my favorites but there’s a safe floor when you’re the favorite target of Drew Brees and Sean Payton. (Pianow)

5. Matt Schaub(notes), HOU, QB – Arguably the most underappreciated signal caller in the virtual game, he tossed eight 300-yard and nine multi-TD games – V-A-L-U-E. (Noise)

6. Dallas Clark(notes), IND, TE – In a year several tight ends were godlike, Clark was Zeus – 11.0 ppg standard league average was better than aforementioned Colston (10.7) and Holmes (9.9). (Noise)

7. Tom Brady(notes), NE, QB – I spent the end of this season spinning the Matt Hasselbeck(notes)-Alex Smith wheel on a weekly basis; I don’t plan on spending Week 16 of 2010 playing Vince Young(notes)-Jay Cutler roulette. (Mig)

8. Anquan Boldin(notes), ARI, WR – On a 105-reception pace in Weeks 10-16; the TDs will return. (Mig)

9. Sidney Rice(notes), MIN, WR – With one week remaining in his ’09 season, Rice has already reached the reception and yardage totals that were forecast above for Nicks (who would not have made it back to Salfino, just for the record). Thought about taking Jumbotronicus here, too. (AB)

10. C.J. Spiller, Clemson, RB – No, he doesn’t have a team yet, but Spiller will be a first-rounder in the NFL Draft; he’s a multi-purpose threat with elite speed – just check the tape. (AB)

11. Joseph Addai(notes), IND, RB – We’re always so quick to point out the negatives that come with Addai, but 43 TDs in 58 career games can’t be disparaged. (BFun)

12. Antonio Gates(notes), SD, TE – Yes, Vernon Davis(notes) has more TDs, but end zone tallies can be a bit random from year to year – I’ll opt for the TE with more catches, considerably more yardage and a vastly longer track record of success. (BFun)

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ROUND 5

1. Percy Harvin(notes), MIN, WR – Hopefully the migraine issue won’t dog his 2010 season like it has his rookie campaign, because he’s a special talent who has already proven he can hurt NFL defenses in a myriad of ways. (BFun)

2. Chad Ochocinco(notes), CIN, WR – His drive to be the center of attention should land his fantasy owners yet another 1,100-1,200-yard, 8-9 TD season in 2010. (BFun)

3. Marion Barber(notes), DAL, RB – In a year that disappointed everyone, MBIII has still crossed the goal line seven times and he’ll finish in the neighborhood of 1,200 total yards. (AB)

4. Tony Romo(notes), DAL, QB – Over his last five games, Romo has averaged 309.6 yards per game while throwing nine TD passes and just one INT; he’s a top-tier QB in 2010, assuming Miles Austin remains in Dallas. (AB)

5. Ben Roethlisberger(notes), PIT, QB – Again, this owner is a bit gun shy about third and fourth tier QBs, and Big Ben is just a step behind the Rivers-Schaub-Romo set in fantasy points per game. (Mig)

6. Mike Sims-Walker(notes), JAC, WR – Was way too hit-or-miss down the stretch for my taste, but the expected third-year leap should smooth the edges. (Mig)

7. Steve Smith, NYG, WR – The previously selected Nicks may possess more explosive abilities, but the greaseman is Eli’s trusty rock; another 95 receptions, 1,100 yards and 6-8 TDs are a certainty. (Noise)

8. Jahvid Best, Cal, RB – Behrens’ stealing of Spiller leaves a bitter taste, but the Cal standout isn’t far behind in terms of immediate impact potential (visual propaganda here); Seattle is sure to blow up his cell in the late first. (Noise)

9. Michael Crabtree(notes), SF, WR – He hit the ground running without much prep time; imagine what a training camp will do for him. (Pianow)

10. Jerome Harrison(notes), CLE, RB – He’s a little undersized but it’s not like 205-pound backs have never starred before in the NFL. Roll the tape, Bill Raftery. (Pianow)

11. Vernon Davis, SF, TE – This manchild finally translated his scouting bona fides into fantasy production and in 2010 will remain one of the game’s great redzone weapons as a true WR/TE hybrid. (Salfino)

12. Jermichael Finley(notes), GB, TE – Expect 80 catches and 10 TDs from this tight end in name only as he continues the December trend of being Aaron Rodgers’ favorite target everywhere, but especially in the red zone. (Salfino)

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Photos via US Presswire

The excellent MusicAlly blog has a neat look back at a piece written in March of 2001 covering the digital strategies of the major record labels. Some of it is quite amusing in retrospect — such as how Warner Music’s plans were entirely focused on how its newly merged parent, AOL Time Warner, would offer it all sorts of digital opportunities (how’d that work out)?

The company’s internet strategy begins and ends with AOL. The thinking here is that AOL, with 24 million subscribers, has a natural customer base for Time Warner’s extensive music catalogue, as well as serious Internet expertise in house. Although MBI World Music Report lists Warner Music Group’s global market share as equal to BMG’s at 11.9 percent (tied for fourth), AOL was working to secure licensing rights from the other music titans.

Combined with Time Warner’s cable-modem Road Runner service, AOL also has control of fat pipes in the US. The reason many people didn’t use Napster is because it is slow and expensive. With control of broadband, subscription is that much more compelling.

Of course “compelling” in theory is different from “compelling” in execution, and AOL, Time Warner and Warner Music never bothered to come up with anything close to compelling (for years we were amused by the fact that the company even refused to let AOL work together with Road Runner, despite them being the same company!).

As you read through the rest, you just keep seeing names of long-dead sites and projects — none of which came up with anything compelling. You see plans for “new proprietary digital formats” that rely on RealPlayer (yeah, there’s a winner) and other short-sighted concepts. But what you see is really the same old story, and effectively still the same thing we’re seeing today. Everyone was focused on recreating the same old retail world, pretending that the digital world is just a replica of the physical world. It’s all focused on direct sales of recordings, rather than anything larger. And, of course, all of these plans ran into trouble when backwards-looking execs freaked out about being too open or too free, and so all of the plans were locked down, inconvenient, expensive and useless (if they ever came out at all).

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Keeping with the end of 2009 theme, we continue with Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com Most Researched New Vehicles for 2009.

“The Honda Civic, Honda Accord and Toyota Camry (in varying orders each year) have been the top three most-researched new-vehicles on kbb.com each year since 2004,” kbb.com said. “However, many vehicles made noteworthy jumps into the top 20 most-researched new-vehicles for 2009 that were not on the list in 2008. Chevrolet’s all-new redesigned Equinox and Camaro models both grace this year’s list for the first time. Also new to this year’s top 20 are the recently revamped Lexus RX 350 and the popular, fast-selling Ford Fusion.”

Make the jump for the full list in the press release.

Press Release:

Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com Names Most-Researched New Vehicles for 2009, Brands With Greatest Share of Market Interest This Year

Chevy Equinox and Camaro, Ford Fusion, Lexus RX 350 Jump into 2009’s Top 20 Most-Researched New Cars

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 29 /PRNewswire/ — Kelley Blue Book, the leading provider of new and used car information, today announces the most-researched new vehicles of 2009 on the company’s top-rated Web site, www.kbb.com. In addition, Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com reveals the top five brands with the greatest share of market interest for 2009.

This year marks the fourth consecutive year that Kelley Blue Book saw increased visitation to its Web site, with nearly 180 million visits to kbb.com in 2009. Because kbb.com is one of the most-trafficked automotive research sites, visitation to specific vehicles has become a leading indicator of sales patterns for manufacturers.

Kbb.com’s Top 20 Most-Researched New Vehicles of 2009:

1. Honda Accord
2. Honda Civic
3. Toyota Camry
4. Honda CR-V
5. Toyota Corolla
6. Toyota RAV4
7. Toyota Highlander
8. Toyota Prius
9. Nissan Altima
10. Honda Pilot
11. Ford Escape
12. Chevrolet Camaro
13. Honda Odyssey
14. Ford Fusion
15. Mazda3
16. Ford Mustang
17. Volkswagen Jetta
18. Toyota Sienna
19. Lexus RX 350
20. Chevrolet Equinox

The stabilization in gas prices for 2009 has indicated a trend away from smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles over the past year, and thus some popular small cars that were among the most-researched in 2008 have fallen off the list for 2009. Subcompact cars like the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit, along with the compact MINI Cooper, were among the most-researched new cars last year, but do not hold court among the most-researched models this year. In addition, Chevy’s Malibu, redesigned for the 2008 model-year and featured on last year’s ‘most-researched’ list, has seen some of its popularity fade over the past year, no longer listing among the top 20 most-researched new cars of 2009.

“The site traffic on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com demonstrates what is on the minds of today’s new-car shoppers, especially when examining the most-researched new-vehicles of 2009,” said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com. “Declined interest in smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles and increased popularity in attractive, recently redesigned models is an accurate reflection of the marketplace in 2009. We also see that consumers are reacting well to new models and redesigns from domestic manufacturers like Chevy and Ford, which bodes well for their future sales numbers.”

Top Five Brands with Greatest Share of Market Interest on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com for 2009

1. Toyota
2. Honda
3. Ford
4. Chevrolet
5. Nissan

Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevrolet and Nissan (respectively) are the top five brands with the highest share of market interest — defined as the percent of new-car shopper activity for a particular brand — on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com for 2009. Of those brands, Ford saw the most growth throughout the course of the year, with its share rising steadily in the first half of the year and peaking during the summer months, benefitting as the only domestic manufacturer that did not require a bailout or undergo bankruptcy. Ford also benefitted from the “Cash-for-Clunkers” program during the summer of 2009, due to its aggressive promotion of the program.

– By: Kap Shah

There is a definite social stigma attached with being bald. Especially, it can be argued, for women. Hair is closely related to sexuality and often women can feel less sexy with less hair. Often when people lose their hair it can be a very traumatic experience and this will often affect the person that is losing their hair regardless of whether or not the perceived loss of sexuality is real or not.

Fortunately there are an increasing number of women that have been bald and there are now a number of very sexy women that are bald. This proves that being bald can indeed be extremely sexy. So who are the sexiest bald women?

Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz has recently wore a bald cap for her role in ‘My Sister’s Keeper’ a movie where she plays a mother that shaves her head to support a daughter that is suffering from leukemia. This beautiful Hollywood sex symbol carries off the look. The thirty five year old, tall, blue eyed and naturally blonde beauty has played hundreds of roles in some of Hollywood’s biggest films including; Charlie’s Angels, Something About Mary, The Holiday, Any Given Sunday and has even voiced the princess in the Shrek trilogy.

She made her big screen debut in The Mask next to Jim Carey and she has also performed music for her role in Vanilla Sky. She received over 20 million dollars for her role in the Charlie’s Angels sequel Charlie’s Angels: Full throttle.

Britney Spears

What needs to be said about the phenomenon that is Britney Spears? She has been inspiring fantasies across the globe since she ripped into the charts with the video for her debut single ‘hit me baby one more time’ in which she wore a schoolgirls outfit. Since then she has become a firm favourite of men all over the world who have been enchanted by her many charms. She topped the FHM top 100 sexiest women in the world list in 2004 and has achieved a meteoric level of notoriety in recent years. She recently shaved her head and brought a new level of interest in bald women.

Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver shaved her head for a role in the film Alien 3 and showed that badass babes could be sexy. Like the aliens that she fought she spawned a whole movement of men that hankered after bald women. Proof that dominance, power and baldness are attractive features in a woman.

Demi Moore

In 1997 Demi shaved her head for her role as naval SEAL in the blockbuster film GI Jane. Demi moore is another example of an extremely sexy woman who arguably looked better without hair. Not afraid to show off her ample assets she has appeared in a variety of hugely successful films including indecent proposal and the romantic classic Ghost.

Natalie Portman

Stunning actress Natalie portman is probably best known for her role as Padme Amidala in George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy. Her career hit the big time in 1994 when she played opposite Jean Reno in Luc Bessons cult classic Leon: The Professional. More recently she starred in The Garden State and she has also won a golden globe award for her work in the film Closer. She notoriously shaved her head for a role in V for Vendetta in which she looked stunning.

** Click Here to Download Free Training DVD to Fight Hair Loss **

Hair loss is traumatizing no matter if you are a man or woman. Not only can it make you feel self conscious about your looks, but it can also remind you of aging and also of death. This is why it is so important to really consider your hair loss options very carefully. There are ways to stimulate hair growth so that you don’t end up bald. There are many herbal hair loss remedies available that do actually work. The following includes some of the many reasons to consider herbal hair fall remedies instead of harmful prescription medications.

Herbal hair loss remedies are effective because they stimulate the scalp and cell growth. Thus, you can be sure that the hair growth will be in a completely natural and healthy manner. With herbal products hair not only grows back but will grow back thick, full, and healthy looking. You shouldn’t invest in hair loss treatments that make the hair that grows back look fake or brittle. Herbal hair fall remedies are effective in producing gorgeous and healthy heads of hair.

** Click Here to Claim Your Free DVD Now – Limited Offer **

The best thing about natural remedies is that they are inexpensive and easy to use. You won’t have to plunk down hundreds or even thousands of dollars on surgeries or expensive treatments. Instead, by simply using one of many supplements or creams, you can grow healthy hair. This means you won’t have to deal with doctors, recovering time, or go into debt trying to cover up a bald spot.

Really, herbal hair fall remedies are a smart investment for people who want to grow hair in a safe and reliable way.

You like some people (like myself once) suffer from hair loss for a long time unaware that there is much you can do about it. If you understand what causes hair loss (and itchy weepy scalp), are willing to adjust or add a few things to your diet and hair care regimen, it is possible to have thick shiny healthy hair and a balanced scalp.

We all know that stress takes its toll on our body leading to mineral and vitamin deficiency induced hair loss. Yes – a common sign of stress is hair thinning & hair loss. This can be due to a mineral or vitamin deficiency of which hair loss vitamins nutrients are included.

Female Hair Loss Nutrients- Women Vitamin Deficiency & Thinning Hair:

For women, stress also plays havoc with your hormones affecting us more than men. Female hair loss in women due to a vitamin deficiency is further exacerbated by hormonal changes. Drinking Rasberry leaf tea can help to alleviate this. Other minerals to help restore balance are: Red clover and Black Cohosh (particulary for women over 35).

The more stressful your life, the more important it is that you are taking vitamins, eating a healthy diet and even taking nutrient supplements that will help you in preventing hair loss.

What You Need To Know About Hair Loss Vitamins Nutrients & Which Are the Best Vitamins For Hair Loss?

There are few and they all play a different but important part of cell building processes:

*Vitamin A is an essential vitamin to help you with hair loss and thinning hair. However, be careful not to take over 25,000 IU a day … doing so can be detrimental leading to more hair loss and other problems as will taking any vitamins in large doses.

*Vitamin C and E are two antioxidants vitamins that are important for keeping your hair, looking fuller and shinier, and scalp healthy. You can find Vitamin C in several vegetables and fruit, particularly in citrus fruits.

*Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, deficiencies are associated with an increased production of sebum (oil produced by the hair follicles). However, too much B2 and increased sebum production may result in reduced strength of the hair shaft.

*Vitamin B3, niacin – can produce a skin “flush”, an uncomfortable feeing, or “hot flash”. If you do decide to take this, take the minimum and see how your body reacts first.

*Sources of B2 are derived from grains, or breads and cereals, meat including poultry, and fish, milk and milk products.

*Niacin (B3) food sources include brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, fish, chicken, turkey and meat.

*Sources of B12 include chicken, fish, eggs and milk.

*Vitamin B6, pyridoxine hydrochloride – studies have shown B6 to help with healthy hair growth. B6 is found in brewer’s yeast, liver, whole grain cereals, vegetables, organ meats and egg yolk.

*Vitamin B12

*Vitamin E is known to help with circulation in your scalp area. This is found in various beans, as well as oils.

*Folic acid is known for its importance in healthy cellular activity, proper cell division, and proper hair growth.

*Biotin – aids the body in producing keratin (what hair is largely made from) and as well as preventing hair loss may help prevent graying. Biotin is found in yeast, grains, liver, rice, milk, egg yolk, liver, kidney, soy and barley.

*Inositol – helps to keep hair follicles healthy at the cellular level. Foods rich in inositol are whole grains, yeast, liver, citrus fruits, eggs, rice, and milk. With the addition of inositol, you will be able to promote hair growth beneath the scalp and produce stronger healthier hair.

Obviously including foods rich is these hair vitamins will help to slow hair loss & thicken hair. This combined with a daily intake of a good quality vitamin supplement with high B vitamin content will aid hair growth.

Mineral deficiencies are a commonly overlooked source of hair loss – again stress can cause you to lose minerals just like vitamins, Minerals help our bodies absorb and assimilate vitamins so it is as if important if not more so to ensure you are getting enough minerals. Silica, Zinc and Selenium are all important in building good hair structure. Drinking oatstraw tea is also very good as a hair loss vitamin alternative or to accompany other treatments because it’s loaded with minerals. Other secondary minerals good for hair are Iron, Copper, Manganese, Sulphur, Iodine & Calcium. (Too much copper can cause greying though).

…And lastly, supplement such as saw palmetto and zinc are very helpful for those looking for natural ways to help with hair loss

Saw palmetto is a type of fruit that is legendary in helping to solve problems with baldness and prostate health in the U.S. and throughout Europe.

Zinc is best known to effect hair loss and fingernail growth when deficient in this mineral. Zinc deficiency not only produces problems with hair loss, but also with changes in the scalp. The scalp may become too dry or flaky and may often times be irritated because of the lack of nutrients. Zinc and copper (where there has been a deficiency) have been known to be effective in preventing hair from turning gray.

Taking a liquid mineral supplement is a good way to absorb minerals and using Celtic sea salt instead of usual salt is a very good option. Celtic sea salt contains many more minerals in natural form (and it tastes nicer too).

Brands like Fortisalt are in liquid form so can be sprayed onto food when cooked.

Natural Oils for Hair Growth:

You can use essential oils to help stimulate hair growth such as Lavender, Rosemary and Ginger.

An alternative to this is to make your garden remedies like lavender rosemary and ginger boiled in a saucepan with water then applied to your scalp daily. This “detoxes” your scalp and stimulates follicles. You can use this in conjunction with taking a supplement.

Some shampoos contain Sodium Laureth Sulphate – an aggressive foaming agent which can corrode hair follicles and cause scalp rashes and/or dandruff. So be wary of shampoos claiming to grow hair. Make sure they don’t contain ingredients to counteract the good they do.

Lastly there are hair growth shampoos like HairGenesis or Revivogen (more for men than women) to help regrow hair. I have done research on these – and both show great results. Hair Genesis is very effective in my opinion because it tackles hair growth from several angles giving you the highest likelihood of success.

Learn more about what causes hair loss, dandruff and other scalp conditions plus the secrets to “Beautiful Hair & Healthy Scalp” here

Its really not that hard to give your hair a boost and a kick start in growing back thicker and healthier. By understanding what environmental factors (like shampoo ingredients) cause follicle damage and what you can do both externally (natural oils) and internally (diet and supplementation) you can regrow your hair.

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CalorieLab didn’t even exist at the turn of the last decade, but we couldn’t resist a look back at some of the things that seem so important today in the world of health, dieting and nutrition that weren’t even on the radar back before the aughts.

Topics we weren’t thinking about

All this was inspired by a great article on 10 nutrition topics that are in the news now but weren’t to be found anywhere in 1999. Some of the highlights:

1. Vitamin D: Yes, we knew the vitamin was great, but now it’s everywhere, linked to everything from arthritis to swine flu to weight loss success and cold prevention. And most of us, particularly kids, don’t get enough.
2. Trans fats: Back in 1999, no one was worried about partially hydrogenated oil. We all thought margarine was better than butter. These days trans fat is listed on labels and are sometimes even replaced by healthier fats in processed foods.
3. Organics: Sure, some people were already keyed into the organic movement at the turn of the last decade, but now a lot more people are considering organic foods, even though the benefits are not always clear. Some people also became more interested in the problems associated with genetically modified foods and the prospect of cloned meat.
4. Superfoods: In the 1990s, we all ate regular food, silly fools that we were. These days we’re tempted by superfoods like pomegranate juice, acai and broccoli, and the American Dietetic Association says such foods are potentially beneficial. This was also the decade of functional foods and nutraceuticals, supplements containing components of foods expected to aid in good health (see Omega 3s, below).
5. Omega 3s: One particular superfood, or at least super supplement, that was everywhere in the ’00s was omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, walnuts and other foods and considered a boon for heart health. But there was also worry about mercury and sustainability when it came to choosing fish to eat.
6. Energy drinks: It seemed like everyone was drinking Red Bull over the past decade, even people who didn’t need the extra calories and caffeine boost to fuel their workouts. There were even caffeinated alcoholic beverages inspired by the Red Bull and vodka trend, which some saw as dangerous and in need of regulation.

A few more greatest hits

I wasn’t really paying attention back then, but I don’t think anyone in the 1990s was worrying about charging obese people more when they fly on an airplane or the need for wider seats to accommodate larger passengers.

Some ambulance services are also charging obese people more to be transported to the hospital because of the extra time, crew and specialized equipment needed to get them where they need to go.

We also weren’t talking about one of the biggest nutrition trends in the past few years: putting nutritional information on restaurant menus. This started in New York City after legal challenges and spread to Philly, California and many other places across the country.

Studies have found menu labels may help people make healthier choices but that’s not really clear. Still, a nationwide calorie count law is part of the healthcare bill being debated in Congress.

What will the next decade hold in diet and health news? We hope you’ll stay with us to find out. Here’s wishing you a happy and healthy new year.

(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)

From the RSS feed of CalorieLab News (REF3076322B7)

Stories of the decade: What we weren’t worried about in 1999

Filed under: Car Buying, Earnings/Financials

This just in from Hard Numbers News: From 2000 to 2007, an average of 16.8 million vehicles were sold in the States. In 2008, that figure dropped to 13.2 million. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the tally for 2009 is expected to put the sales needle somewhere around 10.4 million. According to Bloomberg, that would make last year the worst for new car sales since 1982, when there was not only a recession but also 25 percent fewer Americans.

The good news: sales began to rise at the end of 2009, having sustained themselves nicely after the revelry of cash-for-clunkers. The final data isn’t in yet, but Bloomberg‘s survey of analysts suggests two months of gains in November and December. Predictions estimate that Ford, Toyota, Honda and Nissan saw increases, with General Motors and Chrysler looking at slipping sales.

The silver lining? Meager sales could “indicate significant pent-up demand.” That kettle of demand is going to take some time to boil, but a rise in household spending is penciled in for late 2010, along with greater availability of credit, and a drop in unemployment numbers is in the forecast as well. The road to recovery will be a slow one, but hopefully with the turn of the calendar year will come a turn in fortunes for the U.S. economy.

[Source: Bloomberg | Image: Scott Olson/Getty]

Bloomberg: U.S. auto sales “probably rose” in December originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 2010 Detroit Auto Show is just a couple of days away and GM’s Chris Preuss has officially confirmed some highlights for the Detroit automaker at the Cobo center. About 19 hours ago, Preuss’ status read:

RT @KenAlexDon: @chrispreussGMVP info on the GMC Granite others at NAIAS? Granite. XTS. CTS-V coupe. Aveo RS (all new). Regal. A CFO.

That means we can confirm the name of the mystery Cadillac concept as the XTS, a next-generation Aveo and the GMC Granite (a Chevrolet Orlando Delta platform based vehicle). Preuss also mentions the 2011 Buick Regal in his status and since the Regal originally made its debut at the 2009 LA Auto Show, we’re speculating that Preuss is talking about the high-performance Regal GS sedan. Joining the lineup will be the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe and GM’s new CFO, Chris Liddell. No word on whether the pre-production Chevrolet Camaro Convertible will be there.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Twitter (@chrispreussGMVP)

Planning a party this New Year’s Eve? Just as important as the liquor, the hats and the noisemakers could be the B12 and C vitamins, bananas, milk and asparagus extract.

Sure, the first few items make it a memorable night. But, the last few could make it a bearable morning and help alleviate that all too familiar and dreaded hangover.

“When your body is taking in alcohol, you’re using up your reserves of nutrients and vitamins,” says Karyn Calabrese, a raw foodist and owner of Karyn’s Raw Cafe and Karyn’s Cooked in Chicago. “You become depleted and that’s what causes a headache, which is basically an alarm button for toxicity.”

Alcohol dehydrates the body by increasing urine production, which in turn rids the body of water and key vitamins. This can lead to everything from headaches to dry mouth and listlessness. To help combat some of the potentially damaging effects Calabrese recommends drinking lots of water and tucking away some vitamins C and B12 in a pocket or purse to take in between drinks at the bar or party.

At Whole Foods Market you can pick up packets of Emergen-C, which combine 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C with various B vitamins and trace minerals. The packets, which can be purchased individually, are dissolved in water for an added overall boost before and while you drink. Read more…

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety

Maybe it’s the mass inebriation that makes it easier, but New Year’s Eve is apparently hottest holiday for car theft. If the whole world is already sleeping it off, there’s no way anybody is going to pay heed to your stupid alarm, perhaps.

As proof, our corporate cousins at AOL Autos breaks down the car theft rates for various holidays, and New Year’s bookends the list of eleven days. While New Year’s Eve is relatively quiet, New Year’s Day is three times as active. The second-most active car theft day? Labor Day – again, another event that tends to involve plenty of imbibing and a good dose of “hey, watch this.” With Halloween in third, it would be interesting to see how many of these thefts were mere joyrides, and how many were determined thieves looking for 1994 Honda Accords (the most stolen car last year) to feed the chop shops.

Many cars are easily stolen because of a lack of owner vigilance. Things like leaving your keys inside the car, even if it’s just at home, are about the same as a blinking neon sign on the roof saying “steal me.” Josh Max works up a good list of Dos and Don’ts – and if you don’t want your car stolen this New Year’s season, AOL Autos has tips, whatever the reason.

[Source: AOL Autos | Image: Tuppus – C.C. License 2.0]

Lock Those Doors: New Year’s Day the worst holiday for stolen cars? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After Windows Mobile appeared to stagnate in Qualcomm MSM7xxx hell for nearly 2 years, we have finally seen with the arrival of the HTC HD2, the Acer neoTouch and the LG eXpo Windows Mobile smartphones that can multi-task flawlessly and still run amazing user interfaces without breaking a sweat. 

In 2010 we should finally see some of the promised Tegra devices, and a few powered by TI OMAP, and waiting for the screen to finally rotate when we slide out the keyboard will seem like a horrible memory from a past best forgotten.

Do you have a Snapdragon powered device and feel its the bees knees?  Let us know below.

Now I want you to close your eyes and squint really hard. Because I’m going to tell you about a time that feels ancient, a time when Sony made some of the baddest laptops around.

Way before the internet made the idea plausible, Sony was ripping optical drives out of laptops to make them as portable as possible. One such computer, the $1,500 Sony VAIO PCG-SRX99 (circa 2001), weighed just 2.76lbs and made do with a 10-inch screen.

Inside, it had plenty of power, an 850MHz Pentium III-M, 256MB of RAM, and 802.11b for wireless networking (if you could find a wireless network, that is). Plus it had 20GB of storage, FireWire and even one USB port.

(I’d mention that it ran XP, but that part is a bit too familiar for nostalgic comfort.)

Today, the closest analog to the PCG-SRX99 is a netbook. For about $300 and a weight just shy of 3lbs, you can score a system that, from the outside, is remarkably similar. And on the inside, its clock speed has about doubled, plus there’s anywhere between 4x and 8x the amount of RAM and storage.

But if you were willing to look a bit beyond skin deep, I’d argue that the contemporary smartphone is more similar to the PCG-SRX99 than the netbooks of today. Take the iPhone 3GS. In terms of sheer tech specs, it’s pretty much a midrange smartphone…and it’s about identical to our retro Vaio.

The 3GS has a 600MHz processor and an identical amount of RAM to the PCG-SRX99—256MB. And it holds anywhere from 16 to 32GB in flash storage. Amenities like Wi-Fi (faster 802.11g). Turn to a company like HTC, and you can double the RAM while including a processor as fast as 1GHz.

Still, while Sony’s Vaio PCG-SRX99 couldn’t fit in our pocket, we’ve championed its form in an entire wave of cheap, portable computers today. Oh, and that whole ditching the optical drive idea? Sony spotted that trend a mile away. [Product Page and Review]

A third to a half of college students drop out, and many of them still have hefty student loans once they’re no longer enrolled. Offering insurance to protect students from the financial cost of failure could keep some of them in school, says a new paper released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Economists Satyajit Chatterjee of the Philadelphia Fed and Felicia Ionescu of Colgate University look at data on college enrollment, dropout and completion rates of students and analyze whether a student loan program can offer insurance against the risk of college failure. According to the Fed’s Survey of Consumer Finances, on average about 47% of non-students with a student loan report that they don’t have a two-year or four-year college degree. Those non-students who have loans but no degree also have a significantly higher burden of education debt more than a decade after taking out the loan.

“The financial risk of taking out a student loan but being unable to complete college may discourage some people from taking out a loan and enrolling in college,” the economists write. “Thus, even though prospective students may not be credit constrained, a mechanism to share the risk of failing to complete college — college failure risk — might improve the welfare of enrolled students and encourage more people to enroll and complete college.”

They find that “optimal” insurance in case of non-completion ranges between 10% and 45% of total college costs. Insurance would raise the enrollment rate by 3.5 percentage points, the fraction receiving a degree by 3.8 percentage points and student welfare by 2.7% on average, their paper concludes.

“Students with relatively low scholastic ability and a high failure probability benefit the most from failure insurance,” the paper says. “Since these students are typically from low-income backgrounds and most in need of loans to finance the expense of a college education, our results suggest that insurance against college failure risk will be particularly useful to students from low-income backgrounds.”