Regular facial soaps have been known to be drying and harsh, but not when you add skin loving botanical ingredients. In addition to the naturally occurring gylcerin in each handmade soap, there is also rich shea butter, grounded rose hip and colloidal oatmeal.
All these ingredients are a “dream” in natural skincare. The rose hip powder is full of Vitamin C and carotene. Oatmeal naturally helps soothe and relieve minor skin irritations. Both the rose hip and oatmeal are finely grounded and makes for a smooth bar with gentle exfoliation. In addition, the shea butter helps with extra skin moisturizing qualities.
Pure shea butter has been known to help with fading scars, treating eczema and psoriasis. Dry lips and skin also benefit from the application of shea butter. And it also help deal with stretch marks and uneven skin tone as well. This list really goes on and on.
The rose shea dream facial soap is scented with rose fragrance, to remind you of a stroll in a blooming summer rose garden.
Ingredients: Oils of olive, palm, safflower, coconut, Shea butter, rice bran and grapeseed oil. Distilled water, sodium hydroxide, rosehip powder, colloidal oatmeal, and rose garden fragrance oil.
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I am looking forward to catching the PBS special on April 7th - Prince Siddhartha of India. The documentary will look at the life of Prince Siddhartha, or more commonly known as the Buddha.
The bodhi tre and leaf is an important symbol in Buddhism. As Buddha achieved enlightenment while sitting under a bodhi tree. I took this photo many summers ago at a Buddhist temple in northern California.
The reclining statue of the Buddha in Uttar Pradesh. - Photo from PBS, The Story of India. There are also statues like this found in many Buddhist temples in Laos and Thailand.
Here is a little synopsis of Buddha’s life from the University of Minnesota, Mankato:
“The historical Buddha was born Prince Siddhatha Gotama in Kapilavatthu, near the present-day border of India and Nepal, on the May Full Moon day in 623 B.C. His parents, King Suddhodana and Queen Maya, had waited for a child for a long time. Everyone in the kingdom rejoiced at his birth.
At this time India already had a rich spiritual heritage. It had been prophesized there would soon be an ascetic who would realize the ultimate truth and become the greatest teacher. According the Hindu tradition, five days after his birth seven Brahmin priests came to the temple to name the baby using astrology and forecast his future by reading his body signs. Each of the Brahmins said this baby would become a universal monarch or leave his princely life to become a world spiritual leader. The youngest priest, Kondanna, was so confident that this was the future Buddha that he left the priesthood to wait in the forest for his future teacher.”
And here is the preview. Check your local listing here mark your calendar!
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Lately I’ve noticed lots of fruits, especially citrus just ripening on the tree. And was wondering how anyone could actually eat or pick them all.
Sometimes I think I wouldn’t mind asking for permission to pick some of the fruits. But I just can’t help feel like I’m intruding on someone’s life. Maybe even being seen as strange for not wanting to just buy the fruits instead. As it seem people believe only good fruits come from the supermarket.
Back in January, residents of Echo Park (in LA) were lucky enough to get free fruit trees. A great idea to have residents growing their own food and maybe sharing them too. Photo source.
California law states it’s OK to pick any fruits hanging over the fence. The people in LA even have a website dedicated to foraging for these urban fruits. Even then, I still think it would be nice to ask. It would seem too rude to just show up at someone’s front yard and start plucking their over hanging fruits.
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Life as a pen-tailed tree shrew in the tropical forest can seem like a party. The pen-tailed tree shrew is the first non-human mammal known to display alcoholic behavior. As these cute little creature feed on fermented bertam palm nectar without ever getting “drunk”.
The bertam palm plant flowers nearly year-around in the rain forest, so they make perfect food source. The tree shrew spend about two hours per night drinking up the nectar. A nectar with 3.8% alcohol content, much like beer.
Pen-tailed tree shrew are native to the tropical rain forest of Southeast Asia. They look a bit like squirrels and are about the same size.
This little tree shrew looks more like a bat or mouse with an unusual tail. The tail looks more like wheat then than a pen… maybe an old fashioned pen. Those tiny fingers and toes are really good at gripping the branch too. Photo from National Geographic.
Frank Wiens, a biologist at the University of Bayreuth (Germany) checked to see the animals’ alcohol consumption by testing hair samples for ethyl glucuronide.
Wiens found that the tree shrews consume alcohol at rates that would be dangerous to most mammals. It seem their body is able to metabolize the alcohol differently then humans and do no get drunk from these nightly nectar.
Wiens also adds that the palm flower also benefits from the tree shrew too. And if alcohol production appears critical to the palms’ reproduction because it entices tree shrews to pollinate their flowers. So Wiens wonder, “If alcohol is crucial for an ecological relationship [like the pollinator relationship], then it should also exert some sort of beneficial effect to the animals and we can only speculate on those effects.”
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Interesting ideas come out of Japan. The latest trends over the years is the Cat Cafe. I wonder if such a cafe business would work in the U.S., but probably not as successful as in Japan.
I have heard of dogs for rent, where people can rent dogs for the hour and just take them out for the day.
At Cafe Nekorobi all the cats have their own photograph albums for visitors to look through. Image source.
Norimasa Hanada, owner of Neko no mise (Shop of Cats) was among the first to open up a cat cafe. Handa explained, cat cafe are popular with young urbanites who live in rental apartments that prohibit pets. While most family condominium allow pets, it’s really the young single people who could use some comfort and companionship of a pet.
Here is Megumi, 33, an office worker. She noticed that each cat cafe has it’s own vibe. This one at Neko no mise, has more friendly cats that are less stressed out. Image source.
The fees are charged by the hour, from $7 - $10. In order to survive in the cat cafe business, they need a high turnover rate of visitors. Despite the recession, the folks here don’t mind spending the money to hang out with these furry creatures. Maybe it is due to work or other stressful events, that cat cafes are so popular. Consider it “pet therapy”.
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I have a cabinet full of supplements, from fish oils to CoQ10. In the past, I was never big on taking supplements or pills of any kind. But it wasn’t until I found out how effective the supplements were for my health, that I took them more regularly.
My favorite is CoQ10 as it’s not only good for your gums, it’s also good for your skin. Another great supplement is fish oils. They provide Omega 3 fatty acids are great for health and beauty (skin).
The best place to get both CoQ10 and fish oils is at Costco. The fish oils are a great deal at $10 for 400 softgels of 1,000 mg.
Other supplements I take daily is Jarrows Bone-Up. It’s a multivitamin which has calcium, vitamin C and D3 as well as other good stuff for young women.
Senator John McCain has introduced the “Dietary Supplement Safety Act”. If passed, it will drive up the cost of dietary supplements and restrict your access to them.
We need to make sure supplements are within all of our reach. This act even has a misleading title to it too. I have emailed my representative about opposing this bill. Please take action by clicking here.
Just enter your zip code to contact your local representative. It’s simple and easy to do. Exercise your right to representation!
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A recent study by the The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry noted six scents that helps soothe away stress.
The scents include lavender, lemon, orange, grape, mango, and basil. Each of these fruits and herbs contain linalool, which is a chemical that appeared to offset the effects of stress. Linalool provides a calming effect on the limbic center of the brain, which is involved in processing emotions.
I’m surprise peppermint didn’t make it on the list. Peppermint is great at relieving headaches and also very uplifting. I always feel more relaxed and calm after being around peppermint.
The scent of any fruit makes me happy. Especially guava, but mangoes come out second. There is actually a tree that grows in my mom’s yard with leaves that smell very much like green mango. The young leaves are edible and taste just like tangy green mango! I don’t know the name of it, but will have to take a picture of it when spring arrives.
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Today is opening day of the Winter Olympics 2010 held in Vancouver, B.C. California’s governor Schwarzenegger kicked in the 106th and final day of the 28,00 mile torch relay by ending at BC Place Stadium.
And I happen to have a postcard of the stadium (from my last trip to Vancouver!). “BC Place and Vancouver skyline at night.” Printed by the Postcard Company.
I’m glad the city got to host the winter Olympics. Vancouver is one of my favorite cities in the world. It’s a very scenic city that’s great for people who like the outdoors, from nearby surroundings of the bay to the mountains. And the people there are always so friendly. I hope to visit Vancouver again sometime soon.
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Monkeys aren’t the only creatures that live in trees. Tree kangeroos also live in trees high up in the rain forests of Australia, West Papua, and Papua New Guinea. They are so elusive that the locals refer to them as “ghosts of the forest.”
They look a bit like small kangaroos and wallabies. They have such an endearing face and look almost like a plush toy animal. In this photo, they look a bit surprise that they’ve been spotted. It must be the furry yellow marking on the chest that gave it away. Photograph by Russell A. Mittermeier/Conservation International, National Geographic.
Unlike their cousins, the front and hind legs are closer in size than ground kangaroos. They also have stronger fore-limbs to help with climbing and living in trees. As for the fur, it is thick and grows in opposite direction on nap and back. This helps to shed water when it’s head is crouched.
Although there are several species that live in the lowlands too, call the Lowlands Tree Kangeroo. As tree dwellers, the tree kangaroo eats mostly leaves and fruit. And sometimes collect and eat fruits that has fallen to the ground. Tree kangaroos will also eat other items such as flowers (orchids), tree sap, eggs, baby birds, grains, and even bark.
They are a reclusive and solitary bunch, much like pandas. I hope the natives learn to protect these animals since they are an endangered. And who would eat a creature with such a cute face!
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After buying and selling things on Ebay over the years, I’ve learn a lot about shipping packages with USPS. Ebay makes it easy if you have a scale at home, you can just weight the packages and print out postage at home.
Today I want to share my experiences of shipping with the Unites States Postal Service (USPS).
First Class mail is the best way to ship. I think it’s just as good as Priority Mail. Priority mail is great if you are mailing heavy items and want a flat rate. It usually delivers within 3 days. My only complaint is that the $4.95 box is too small.
Here is a list of prices for Priority Mail with USPS.
With Priority Mail, Express Mail and International packages you can avoid the lines at the Post Office and use USPS Click-N-Ship service. These boxes are free and can be requested to send to your home within 7-10 days.
The shipping method I do not recommend is Parcel Post and Media Mail. It may sound tempting to ship this way as the price is much cheaper. It is the slowest way to mail anything. Makes you wonder if your mail was still delivered by the Pony Express.
Media Mail is described to be the following items:
Media Mail® service is a cost efficient way to mail books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, and recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes). Media Mail can not contain advertising except for incidental announcements of books. - USPS
Media mail is subject to inspection and you will have to pay any extras for items not consider media mail. Magazines are not media mail. Calendar was not on the list, but my local mail clerk said it was OK to ship media mail. A good thing to do is bring the stuff and pack it in front of the mail clerk (to make sure everything is legit).
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