U.S. says $30 billion of Libyan assets blocked!

 (Reuters) U.S. banks froze a record $30 billion of Libyan assets over the weekend in response to an Obama administration order aimed at pressuring the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

In a telephone briefing, a senior Treasury Department official said the amount was the largest total blocked by any single order ever issued by the U.S. government.

David Cohen, acting Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the department was in contact with banks throughout the weekend. He said they will "scour their accounts" for any more funds connected to Gaddafi or his family.

President Barack Obama signed an executive order freezing the assets last Friday in response to Gaddafi's bloody crackdown on an uprising against his 41-year rule. Obama said the legitimacy of Gaddafi's rule had been "reduced to zero" because of the actions taken against protesters.

Cohen noted that the United Nations has also passed a resolution freezing Libyan assets and that the European Union was taking corresponding action. He turned aside questions whether the United States had information about Libyan assets in Europe other than to say the Treasury assumed some were outside U.S. jurisdiction.

He said the U.S. order applied to any banks operating under U.S. laws within the United States and to branches of U.S, banks that were located in other countries.

*Why is it that America is all up in the business of other nations? It's disturbing on many levels that a country as strong as ours continues to be the bread-winner and long-term investor of many nations. When will America get the fact that they can't fight every country's battle? It's time to cut the cord and focus on our own country and it's business to ensure that the American people are taken care of first and foremost.*

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Pick Up This Great Read: "MY PANTY DRAWER DILEMMA: How I Started The Fabulous Panty Drawer Intervention"

Ladies this book is for you! Get it today and laugh, share, and gossip with your very best friends!

Get it today through amazon' kindle store and keep the friendships going!

Also get these other books by author Sahara Hill:
*A Political Hot Mess-A Tale of Betrayal and Deceit*
*Elizabeth Finch: The Gritty And Dirty Life of A Girl Wronged*
*The Secret Life of Girls and Their Sugar Daddies*
*Snobby Mommy*

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The Bitter Side of Diet Soda: Strokes!

(Livescience.com) Drinking diet soda is associated with a 50-percent increase in stroke risk, according to a study presented earlier this month at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles.

Not surprisingly, reaction to the news among dieters has been disparaging and defensive, as each person cycles through the Kubler-Ross five stages of grief, from denial and anger to bargaining, depression and acceptance.

"Now the health police tell us we can't drink Diet Coke," captures the tone on many of the diet blogs.

If it's any consolation for diet-soda fans, the results presented at the meeting — based on preliminary analysis from a 2,500-person subset of the ongoing Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS) — are far from definitive.

There's no way to tell yet, for example, what ingredient would be associated with strokes or whether lifestyle choices among drinkers are the real cause.

That said, is drinking diet soda safe? Of course not, especially when it is the main source of liquid refreshment every day. You're drinking copious amounts of phosphoric acid, artificial colors, artificial flavors, and some laboratory-crafted chemical that tricks your brain into perceiving the sensation of sweet.

Diet soda is an alternative to regular soda, but neither is healthy. You are merely trading calories from sugar for chemicals of questionable nature.

Hooked on sugar
The proliferation of diet soda cuts to the core of what's wrong with the Western diet. The Western approach is to remove the most obvious dangers from an unhealthy habit — in this case, removing the 12 teaspoons of sugar per can of fizzy water laced with acids, colors and flavors of uncertain origin — so that we can continue that habit in denial of other dangers.

The underlying problem is that we are addicted to sugar; beverages without a sweetener now seem bland. For the first million years or so of pre-human and human existence, water was adequate to quench our thirst. But apparently no longer.

Hold the sugar and corn syrup and pass the aspartame. Some doctors actually encourage dieters to drink diet soda to cut calories instead of recommending zero-calorie water or tea.

We see this "short-cut" diet phenomenon also among some people who want to be vegetarian. They eat vegetarian hot dogs and other faux-meat dishes made from heavily processed soy and vegetable meal loaded with salt, sugar and fat. This is likely unhealthier than the meat they are shunning.

So, similarly, at issue is that we are so addicted to meat that meals without it no longer seem satiating. To do vegetarianism right, you'd have to learn how to cook lentils, beans, grains and other staples of a vegetarian diet, and that's too consuming for many people.

Writing on the wall
Studies on diet soda have been flawed, because researchers have discounted one important fact: Those drinking diet soda likely drink it not because they are health nuts but because they have a certain health condition. They are either overweight or diabetic. Thus, they are at risk for strokes, heart attacks and cancer regardless of the type of beverage they prefer.

One of the more impressive aspects of the NOMAS project is that researchers can control for weight and other health conditions. It's inevitable that NOMAS and similar studies will tease out the dangers of drinking too much soda in general, either diet or regular.

It is a shame the United States cannot adopt Asia's tradition of unsweetened teas, ubiquitous in shops and vending machines. But even otherwise healthy green tea in the United States is tainted with sugar or artificial sweetener — yet another example of corrupting a healthy alternative.

The bottom line is that dieters need to cycle through those Kubler-Ross stages to reach acceptance: Diet soda is no healthy alternative, and nothing beats water.

*This isn't new news about diet sodas. Everyone knows that sodas-diet and all, isn't healthy for you. It is a shame that many people know but don't care. Seeing those people who buy fast food and then order a diet soda is truly sad. It's funny but not funny, in a sense that many are informed but still choose to drink those nasty drinks.  In these times, it's no excuse to be overweight or to complain that your not informed, because of the enormous amount of information at your finger tips.  At the end of the day, if you drink a diet soda or plain soda, it's own damn fault.*

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Mobile etiquette getting worse, not better - poll!

(Reuters) Whether is it texting during dinner, talking on a cellphone in a public restroom or using a laptop while driving, most people think mobile etiquette is getting worse, not better.

Ninety one percent of U.S. adults questioned in a new poll by computer innovation company Intel said they have seen people misuse technology, and three quarters think mobile manners have decreased in the past year.

"New digital technologies are becoming a mainstay in consumers' lives, but we haven't worked out for ourselves, our families, communities and societies what all the right kinds of behaviours and expectations will be," said Genevieve Bell, the head of interaction and experience research at Intel.

The poll of 2,000 adults revealed that most U.S. adults wished people practised better mobile etiquette and found the lack of cellphone manners extremely annoying, even though about 20 percent admitted to poor etiquette themselves.

Nearly 75 percent said the lack of mobile manners has created a new form of public rage and 65 percent admitted they became angry around people who misused mobile devices.

The most annoying behaviours were the use of mobile devices during driving, followed by talking on a cellphone loudly in a public place and walking in the street while texting or talking on the phone.

People reported seeing, on average five mobile offenses every day, according to the poll. Nearly a quarter said they had even seen someone using a laptop while driving, and one in five said they checked their mobile devices before getting out of bed in the morning.

*What a shame that grown ups don't know phone etiquette. For some reason people believe that you can do whatever you want with your cell phone. Having etiquette in everything is extremely important even when using a cell phone. To some people that's just common sense!*


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*THE BIG BAD LITERARY WOLF-"aka" WRITER'S BLOCK!*

"STOP! I HAVE WRITER'S BLOCK! I CAN'T GO ON!"

(Diva's House Of Literary Coffee) The instantaneous melt down of a writer in the moment.  It's the screeching halt we allow ourselves as writers to buy into as if we are buying into the latest scam of the year. Excuses, excuses and more excuses that we ratify so we can take a break from what we say we so-call love to do. 

The must have fad in literature that has been giving more writers grief then anything else is the big bad literary wolf "aka" writer's block.  It rings true all over the world and many have backed down from the "big bad literar wolf."  The art of writing is a very complex one depending on who you ask.  As we gear ourselves up for the creative process we sort of knowingly schedule the the big bad literary wolf  "aka" writer's block into our writing time.  The mind works on repetition and the more we subconsciously tell ourselves that we have writer's block the more it will repeat itself and interwind in the daily grind of your writing process.

Stepping up to the plate and letting this literary wolf know who's boss is what any writer must do.  If you are serious enough to break through then, getting your mind right is your writer's calling card.  It's the single most important aspect of the creative process.  In time what you think is writer's block will utltimately disappear and you will be able to keep it moving and complete your writing without any knocks from the big bad literary wolf. 

Opening your mind and taking it to the next level is very necessary as a writer.  A high stategic and high valocity of imagination is all it takes.  You the writer just have to give yourself permission to incorportate those things to put your writing in check.  The obvious is there when it comes to breaking down barries such as writer's block.  We just have to keep pushing through until we get that literary drive and keep it moving into shear explosive storytelling.


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White House reverberates with Motown sound, moves!

(AP) The White House reverberated like a long-ago basement sound studio in Detroit on Thursday as the likes of John Legend, Seal, Jamie Foxx, Nick Jonas and Sheryl Crow channeled their inner Motown before Michelle and Barack Obama. Musical pioneers Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder joined in for the celebration of all things Motown.

Obama called it "the soundtrack of the civil rights era," and credited Motown's tight lyrics, catchy melodies and deep soul with helping to "blur the line between music that was considered either black or white."

Foxx, Seal, Legend and Jonas launched the East Room concert celebrating the Motown sound with a high-energy medley in which the four took turns as backup dancers, complete with some smooth dance moves to the likes of "Get Ready," "The Way You Do the Things You Do," "Can't Get Next to You" and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg."

Not to be outdone, the trio of Natasha Bedingfield, Jordin Sparks and Ledisi took a Supremes-esque turn singing "Stop! In the Name of Love."

Legend delivered a soulful rendition of "Heard It Through the Grapevine" that left Foxx, who also served as the program's host, to joke that nowadays the story was more likely to be "heard it through my Twitter."

"I'm going to tweet it right now," he joked.

Obama and the singers paid homage to the genuine Motown greats in the lineup: Robinson and Wonder. And Motown founder Berry Gordy was in the audience to hear Obama recount his record label's modest beginnings in a basement on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, decorated with a banner outside that read "Hitsville, USA."

"At concerts in the South, Motown groups literally brought people together — insisting that the ropes traditionally used to separate black and white audience members be taken down," Obama recounted.

Robinson teamed up with Crow to sing one of his earliest hits, "You've Really Got a Hold On Me." And then he turned the stage over to "another guy who was here right from the beginning" — Wonder.

Wonder said he'd really just come to watch, but couldn't resist, performing "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and kicking off the finale that brought all the artists back on stage for "Dancing in the Street."

Earlier Thursday, Legend and Jonas performed before cheering teenagers at a workshop in the State Dining Room that served as a tutorial on the history of the genre.

"Times have changed but the amazing thing is that that music is still relevant," Legend told reporters after he had delivered a room-filling rendition of Wonder's "Love's in Need of Love." He said his first exposure to
Motown came from hearing his father and uncle sing around the piano, and that those songs were a huge influence on his own music.

"You can still put that music on now and get the party going," he said.

Michelle Obama told the young people that the color-barrier-shattering music of her youth "was so much more than just a soundtrack. It was a heartbeat."

"As Motown rose, so did the forces of change in this country," she said. "During that time, it was the time of King and Kennedy, it was a time of marches and rallies and groundbreaking civil rights laws."
The first lady introduced Robinson and Gordy as "true trailblazers," adding:

"There wouldn't be an Usher if there wasn't a Smokey Robinson. You know, there wouldn't be an Alicia Keys without a Gladys Knight."
 
And she confessed to a soft spot for one Motown artist in particular: "Who's my favorite?" she asked aloud. "Stevie Wonder, yes indeed."

Fans who didn't make the guest list for the concert can see it Tuesday on PBS' "The Motown Sound: In Performance at the White House."

*Amazing in all fashions! It's always interesting to hear how many celebrate music. Now it's the President and the First Lady. They truly know how to celebrate with a mix of different artist and evoke the feel of music. Music is universal and it touches everyone around the world. The good thing about this concert and the celebration, is that it was fun, and it was diverse mix of artist who just love music.*

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Psst. No shutdown during a 'government shutdown'

Social Security checks would still go out. Troops would remain at their posts. Furloughed federal workers probably would get paid, though not until later. And virtually every essential government agency, like the FBI, the Border Patrol and the Coast Guard, would remain open.

That's the little-known truth about a government shutdown. The government doesn't shut down.

And it won't on March 5, even if the combatants on Capitol Hill can't resolve enough differences to pass a stopgap spending bill to fund the government while they hash out legislation to cover the last seven months of the budget year.

Fewer than half of the 2.1 million federal workers subject to a shutdown would be forced off the job if the Obama administration followed the path taken by presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. And that's not counting 600,000 Postal Service employees or 1.6 million uniformed military personnel exempt from a shutdown.

So we're talking fewer than one in four federal workers staying at home. Many federal workers get paid on March 4, so it would take a two-week shutdown for them to see a delay in their paychecks.

The rules for who works and who doesn't date back to the early 1980s and haven't been significantly modified since. The Obama administration hasn't issued new guidance.

The air traffic control system, food inspection, Medicare, veterans' health care and many other essential government programs would run as usual. The Social Security Administration would not only send out benefits but would continue to take applications. The Postal Service, which is self-funded, would keep delivering the mail. Federal courts would remain open.

The cherry blossoms in Washington would bloom as usual, and visitors to the city would be able to park and see them in all their glory around the Tidal Basin.

But they wouldn't be able to take the elevator up the Washington Monument, visit museums along the National Mall or take a White House tour. National parks would be closed to visitors, a loss often emphasized in shutdown discussions.

The Capitol would remain open, however. Congress is deemed essential, despite its abysmal poll ratings.

The IRS wouldn't answer its taxpayer hotline — at the height of tax-filing season. Under IRS precedents, the agency would process tax returns that contain payments. But people getting refunds would have to wait.

All sides say they don't want a so-called shutdown like the two separate partial government closings in 1995-1996, when President Clinton and a then-new GOP majority in Congress were at loggerheads over the budget. Republicans took most of the political blame, and the episodes gave Clinton critical momentum on his way to re-election.

There haven't been any shutdowns since then. The politics stink.

But from a practical perspective, shutdowns usually aren't that big a deal. They happened every year when Jimmy Carter was president, averaging 11 days each. During President Reagan's two terms, there were six shutdowns, typically of just one or two days apiece. Deals got cut. Everybody moved on.

In 1995-96, however, shutdowns morphed into political warfare, to the dismay of Republicans who thought they could use them to drag Clinton to the negotiating table on a balanced budget plan.

Republicans took a big political hit, but a compendium of the other hardships experienced reads like a roster of relatively minor inconveniences for most Americans: closed parks, delays in processing passport applications, 2,400 workers cleaning up toxic waste sites being sent home, and a short delay in processing veterans' claims. A new government standard for lights and lamps was delayed.

To be sure, furloughs can be a major hardship for federal workers. Even those in essential jobs — and required to work — could see their paychecks delayed if a stalemate dragged on.

Lawmakers, however, typically provide back pay, even for employees who weren't required to work. A repeat of that could raise hackles with some in the tea party-backed House GOP freshman class. A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, wouldn't address whether furloughed federal workers would receive back pay if there is a shutdown this time.

Regardless, federal contractors would lose out. Many contract workers could be furloughed without pay and not receive lost wages retroactively, especially in an extended shutdown.
 
Under a precedent-setting memorandum by Reagan budget chief David Stockman, federal workers are exempted from furloughs if their jobs are national security-related or if they perform essential activities that "protect life and property."

In 1995, that meant 571,000 Defense Department civilian employees, some 69 percent, remained at post, while 258,000 other Pentagon workers were furloughed. Eighty-five percent of Veterans Administration employees went to work as did 70 percent of Transportation Department workers.

But just a handful of Environmental Protection Agency employees and only 7 percent of NASA workers were on the job, according to Clinton administration data.
 
This year, NASA would face widespread furloughs that suggest a shutdown could interrupt preparation for space shuttle flights this spring — though the "life and property" rules would almost certainly be invoked so that the Space Shuttle Discovery could land as scheduled on March 7. It took off Thursday afternoon.
 
Just 4 percent of employees at the Department of Housing and Urban Development went to work in the 1995 shutdown, as did 11 percent of Department of Education employees. The National Archives shut down completely, as did the tiny Selective Service System.

Then there's Social Security. Current beneficiaries need not worry; their payments wouldn't be affected. And given the most recent precedent from the Clinton administration, those eligible to apply for benefits would be able to do so.

During the first shutdown in 1995, the Social Security Administration initially furloughed 93 percent of its workers and stopped enrolling new beneficiaries. But it reversed course in the second shutdown and kept 50,000 additional workers on the job.
 
If the federal government is shut down for several days, the Census Bureau could miss its April 1 legal deadline to provide 2010 redistricting data to the states. The bureau is currently in the midst of checking its population tallies, which are broken down by race and ethnicity down to the neighborhood level, for many states.

By the March 4 deadline, the bureau expects it will have distributed the data to about roughly half the states, with big states such as California, New York and Florida potentially left hanging if the government closes down.


*We all know that a government shutdown won't happen totally. With that, it's truly a shame that our political leaders isn't working hard to calm the chatter of such. When are they going to realize that the more they stall, the more it pisses on progress for this country? Having your own individual agenda doesn't help what's broken in this country. Having your own individual agenda sure as hell doesn't help the America people get a leg up. Again, here we are again with talks of a shudown because politicians are having "politi-mantrums" because they aren't getting they're way. It's truly sad  that our so-called leaders can't be true leaders and do what it is they were elected to do.*


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Early Childhood Might Affect Love Life in Adult!

 (HealthDay News) -- How quickly and smoothly people move on from a lover's quarrel has a lot to do with the relationships each partner had in earliest childhood with the people who raised them, new research reveals.

The finding stems from the the University of Minnesota's ongoing tracking of a group of people that began in the mid-1970s, before the study participants were even born.

Doctoral candidate Jessica E. Salvatore and a team of researchers from the University of Minnesota report their observations in the current issue of Psychological Science.

The authors explain that when the study participants reached the age of 20, each was asked to enlist his or her romantic partner in a discussion exercise in which they were first instructed to launch a topic of conversation about an issue on which there was disagreement.

The resulting quarrel was then followed by a second discussion of a subject on which the partners saw eye to eye. This discourse was viewed as a "cool-down" period, designed to transition away from the previous conflict.

However, Salvatore and her co-authors noticed that not all cool-downs transpired with equal ease. In some cases, the partners were able to quickly leave their fight behind; in others, one or both partners were unable to let go of the previous conflict.

A subsequent look at each partner's early childhood background (between the ages of 1 and 18 months) unearthed a connection between the quality of their early connection to their caregivers and their ability to move on from conflict as adults.

Specifically, those who had more so-called "secure" attachments to their childhood caregivers seemed to have less of a problem dealing with conflict in the present. In other words, caregivers who had more success regulating the negative emotions of their young wards instilled them with better coping skills for dealing with negative emotions as adults.

That said, the authors noted that those with saddled with a less-than-idyllic past are not necessarily doomed to live out a contentious present. Their suggestion: when it comes to compensating for an emotionally negative childhood, marry up -- emotionally.

"We found that people who were insecurely attached as infants but whose adult romantic partners recover well from conflict are likely to stay together," Salvatore noted. "If one person can lead this process of recovering from conflict, it may buffer the other person and the relationship."

"That, to us, was the most exciting finding," he added. "There's something about the important people later in our lives that changes the consequences of what happened earlier."

*Very interesting as most adults do have issues with other adults in life. So much of what we learn as a child is carried with us into our adult hood. That could be good or bad, depending on the situation. However, as an adult; if you recognize that your coping skills are destructive, then it's clearly up to you to seek help and get yourself in a better place. It keeps you from constantly blaming your childhood as you progress in your adult life.*

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Pick Up A New Read By Blogtalk Radio's "Literary Diva!"

Pick Up A New Read By Blogtalk Radio's "Literary Diva!"

Best Tips and Tools to Whiten Your Smile!

(Good Housekeeping)Turn back time with the latest lip enhancers, tooth whiteners, and more.

You can easily romanticize a few laugh lines (hey — every wrinkle is but a notch in the quiet calendar of a well-spent life, according to Dickens). But time's effects on your smile can be considerably harder to write off, no matter how talented the scribe. There's the yellowing or graying of teeth, the thinning of lips, the appearance of lip lines...and the list goes on. On the bright side, home tools that fight tooth discoloration (to say nothing of the latest in-office procedures) are getting ultra high-tech, and there are plenty of low-tech anti-aging essentials, too. Read on for these, plus top dermatologist and makeup-artist tips for adding major spark — and sparkle — to your smile.

Tooth Care (or Conseqences)
However unsexy, nuts-and-bolts dental hygiene is key to keeping your smile young-looking. "Your teeth control the lower third of your face," says New York City dentist Michael Apa, D.D.S. Their gradual wearing down and shifting with age contributes to the formation of frown lines and the hollowing of the cheeks. Tooth decay and loss only exacerbate these issues. In addition to what you already know (brush at least twice a day, floss once a day, and see a dentist regularly), here are some things you may not:

1. Rinse your mouth after every meal or glass of wine — red or white. "White wine has acids that penetrate the enamel, allowing staining and decaying food particles to penetrate more easily," says New York City dentist and Supersmile creator Irwin Smigel, D.D.S. Red, by contrast, creates only superficial staining. But whatever you eat or drink, a subtle swishing and swallowing of water right away at the table helps minimize residue, staining, and tooth decay, says Smigel.

2. Chew sugarless gum. "As you age, your salivary glands shrink and produce less saliva, which is a natural antimicrobial that helps prevent decay," says Smigel. "But gum chewing restimulates the flow."

3. Floss down into your gums, not just between your teeth. Plaque and bacteria can get stuck in those voids, causing inflammation and decay.

4. Ask your dentist to check the state of your fillings. "Every filling eventually has to be replaced," says New York City dentist Marc Lowenberg, D.D.S. Silver, or amalgam, lasts between 10 and 20 years, so your childhood dental work may be overdue for replacement. Fresh fillings can help prevent tooth decay and loss — and, down the road, root canals and implants.

5. Consider orthodontics if your teeth have shifted significantly. "Your jaw is shifting along with your teeth," says Apa. "Left unchecked, the situation can create a collapsed look" (think Disney's Evil Queen disguised as the old lady in Snow White). Invisalign or behind-the-teeth braces are the subtlest options for grown-ups. Ranging from $3,500 to $8,000, the investment for them isn't small. But the long-term payoff is big.

Lip Service
The skin surrounding your mouth and teeth is as much an element of a youthful smile as your teeth themselves. Your lips, like all exposed skin, need a high-SPF, broad-spectrum sunscreen: "UV damage can manifest as inflammation of the lips, redness and flaking, and, over time, wrinkling and even cancer," says Macrene Alexiades, Ph.D., M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. An important aside: Though skin cancer of the lips is uncommon, when it does form, it tends to spread to the lymph nodes very quickly. Try Blistex Five Star Lip Protection (Starting at $2.00, Yahoo! Shopping) with SPF 30 or Kiehl's Lip Balm SPF 15 (Starting at $9.50, Yahoo! Shopping).

To combat wrinkling of the skin around the mouth, start with Olay Professional Pro X Deep Wrinkle Treatment (Starting $30, Yahoo! Shopping) for eight weeks; if you don't see results, move up to prescription Renova. For pronounced peaks and valleys, you may want to ask your dermatologist about injectables. A hyaluronic acid filler like Juvéderm or Restylane — ranging in price from a few hundred to a thousand dollars or so, depending on the area you're treating and the area you live in — is delicate enough to plump the fine lines above and below the mouth. Dr. Alexiades likes to pair one of the aforementioned fillers with Botox. "It's the best crowd-pleaser for instant gratification," she says.

Kiss and Makeup
"Lipstick bleeding is the first sign of an aging mouth," says New York City makeup artist Laura Geller. To stop lip color from migrating into lines, pretreat the area around the mouth with concealer: Using your fingertip, lightly dot on one that contains reflective particles. Try Boots No7 Radiant Glow Concealer ($13, Yahoo! Shopping), and then lightly dust with translucent powder. The rest of Geller's tips for younger-looking lips:

1. Use a lip brush to apply lipstick. The tool gives you optimum precision as well as control over how much color you lay down near the edges.

2. Go bright. "The brighter, the better," says Geller. If your teeth are stained, "muted colors make graying or yellowing teeth look worse." Brights, however, are like a face-lift in a tube. Think pink, rose, or a true red. Try Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Gentlemen Prefer Pink ($8, drugstores) or Laura Geller Lipstick in On Stage ($15.50, laurageller.com).

3. Steer clear of matte lipsticks that are either too dry (true mattes) or too glossy (creams). Either extreme highlights signs of age: matte, by emphasizing lines; cream, by bleeding all too easily into them. "A pearlescent formula looks moist and stays put," says Geller.

4. Line your lips with a lip pencil after you apply lipstick. "You'll get a fuller-looking pout than if you do the reverse," says Geller. "To make sure the liner is undetectable, use one that's the same shade as your lip color."

All The White Moves
The biggest smile booster, bar none, is whitening. In-office treatments, which range from laser- and light-activated bleaching to veneers, provide dramatic improvement, but they also come with a hefty price tag ($300 - $5,000). "But if your teeth just need a little pick-me-up, you'll probably be fine with an over-the-counter bleaching product," says Apa. One he particularly likes: the new Crest 3D 2 Hour Express Whitestrips (Starting at $50, Yahoo! Shopping). Like in-office treatments, at-home bleaches oxidize stain molecules with hydrogen peroxide — or ingredients that break down into it — albeit in lower concentrations. The other kinds of at-home whiteners — whitening toothpastes or rinses — use polishing and other non-bleach agents to either scrub off or chemically remove stains that are closer to the surface.

Whether you whiten with a toothpaste, strip, or rinse, you're not likely to sensitize or harm your teeth: "The old bleaches that abraded have been discontinued," says Apa. Any sensitivity you experience should subside as soon as you stop whitening, he says. While whiteners don't lighten bonds, veneers, and other dental work, certain brands, like Go Smile, Supersmile, and Glo, do remove stains on artificial tooth surfaces. A few more products to try: Colgate Total Advanced Whitening Gel ($3.80, drugstores); Supersmile Whitening Professional Whitening System (Starting at $30, Yahoo! Shopping), and, as of next month, from Jonathan Levine, D.M.D., the GLO, a light-activated home whitening system that claims to mimic in-office results ($275, Sephora).


*Interesting as many people are trying to go for that healthy smile these days. It's important to keep one at all times*

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Government shutdown threat looms over budget fight!

(Reuters)Senior Senate Democrats slammed Republicans on Sunday for a "reckless" threat to shut down the government amid deepening political posturing on both sides over federal spending and the budget deficit.

The House of Representatives voted on Saturday to cut federal spending by $61 billion through September. But the Republican measure will likely die because Democrats who control the Senate oppose it and
President Barack Obama vowed to veto it.

Obama has outlined his own plan for less-severe spending cuts in 2012, and has warned that tightening the belt too much too soon could harm the slow economic recovery.

Democratic Senator Charles Schumer criticized House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell over talk among some Republicans that they would rather shut down the government than relent on their spending cut demands.

"Unfortunately Speaker Boehner seems to be on a course that would inevitably lead to a shutdown ... That's reckless," Schumer said on CNN's "State of the Union" program.

"We have said shutdown is off the table ... Boehner, Mitch McConnell, other Republican leaders have not taken it off the table when asked, and there are lots of people on the hard right clamoring for a shutdown."

With the government funded only through March 4, the government could run out of money if lawmakers fail to act, but both sides have been urging compromise. That was seen as the likeliest outcome, even by one of the House's new breed of small-government, deficit-slashing freshman Republicans.

"When it goes to the Senate, they're going to make their changes and then it's got to go to the president. So you know, it will not be in the form that we produced yesterday morning at 5 a.m.," Representative Steve Southerland, a first-term Republican from Florida, said on ABC's "This Week" news program.

Democrats also want to shrink the deficit, projected to hit $1.65 trillion or 10.9 percent of the economy this year. Senate Democrats are likely to endorse a spending bill that cuts funds, but not as deeply as the House did.

NOT SEEKING SHUTDOWN

The House bill is more than an effort to cut the deficit. Republicans are also trying to use the budget process to starve government programs such as healthcare and regulation of Wall Street and the environment that they have long opposed.

Republican Representative Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, downplayed the shutdown scenario on CBS' "Face the Nation" program.

"We're not looking for a government shutdown, but at the same time we're also not looking at rubber stamping these really high, elevated spending levels that Congress blew through the joint two years ago," Ryan said.

The United States faces global criticism for running huge deficits financed by borrowing from abroad.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told officials of the Group of 20 major nations on Saturday that the White House's budget for 2012 will meet its G20 commitment to halve fiscal deficits by 2013.

The deficit hole has been deepened by the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy that Republicans insisted on extended in an economic stimulus deal with Obama last year.

But the House-passed budget left untouched major items such as the Medicare and Medicaid healthcare programs for the elderly and the poor, seen as key drivers of the deficit, along with the economic downturn and the costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We need to close some of the tax loopholes for special interests like the oil companies, $40 billion worth of loopholes. I hope our Republican friends will join us in closing some of those," Democratic Representative Chris Van Hollen said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

*Not surprised that the idiot house republicans are complaining and threatning a gov't shutdown. It's just like them to act as political zombies while their tea party (no party) pull the strings and tell them what to do. If anything house-speaker Boehner needs to step up and get his party under control before the American people over-throws his party.*

To hear a great show on politics check out "Literary Diva of Blogtalk Radio "A Political Hot Mess: Demented Politicians Playing Political Games" at www.blogtalkradio.com/diva29


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Pocomok City water wins taste test award!

(Ocean Pines Indpendent)Pocomoke has some of the best-tasting water in the country, judging by its second-place finish in a nationwide taste test of rural water supplies.

In April, Pocomoke City entered the judging at the Maryland Rural Water Association's conference in Ocean City and came away with a new title: purveyors of the best-tasting water in the state. With that award in hand, the town was eligible to enter the national association's competition. According to Mike Phillips, superintendent of water and wastewater, there were at least 25 other utilities entered in the state contest.

There were 33 utilities judged in the first round of the national competition, from which five finalists were chosen. Pocomoke City won the silver medal by coming in second place. The gold went to the Central Iowa Water Association in Newton, Iowa, a non-profit water utility with pipes in 15 counties. A water utility in St. Helens, Ore., took the bronze medal and the runners-up were water-drinkers in Lowry City, Mo., and Stanley, Va.

According to Chris Wilson, a spokesman for the national association, the entries were judged on "clarity, bouquet and overall taste." A panel of three judges was responsible for finding the winners.

Councilman Robert L. Hawkins, first vice president, said that he was "elated" with the news, especially since the town had had complaints in the past. "We have been working hard to get the system squared away," he said. Pocomoke has been "pigging," or cleaning, the lines in the Pocomoke Heights area, at a cost of about $90,000, and Hawkins said the number of complaints has gone down since the project was completed. The sample sent in for the competition, he said, was drawn from a tap in a private home.

Councilman Bruce Morrison, the second vice president, said he was "ecstatic" about the award. "There was a lot of competition," Morrison said. "This shows the staff is doing an excellent job."

City Manager Russell W. Blake said that Pocomoke City is drawing water from a good aquifer. The present water plant is about 15 years old and the town just added a new well this past year.

There are 28,000 utilities in the national association, which holds the Great American Taste Test annually as part of the Rural Water Rally in Washington, D.C. The state associations were formed to give technical assistance to the towns and utilities.


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Bachmann's Anti-Breastfeeding Tax Break Stance Lacks Compassion, Common Sense!

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), a mother of five children, has come out against the IRS allowing breastfeeding mothers a federal income tax break on breastfeeding pumps and supplies. In an interview with Laura Ingraham on her radio show Feb. 15, Bachmann slammed the government for its new stance in encouraging and assisting breastfeeding mothers by making it financially easier to purchase necessary supplies.

"I've given birth to five babies, and I've breastfed every single one of these babies. To think that the government has to go out and buy my breast pump for my babies, I mean, you wanna talk about a nanny state -- I think you just got the new definition of nanny state," Bachmann told Ingraham.

Anyone should be proud that Bachmann breastfed all five of her kids. Surely it was nice she had a husband at her side and financial security enough to stay at home while she took care of her children.

Not all mothers in the United States have that luxury. Single motherhood has risen meteorically in the United States. The number of single mothers grew from three million in 1970 to more than 10 million in 2003 according to census data posted to Project Single Moms.

It's OK for Bachmann to breastfeed her own children, but far be it from a poor single mother to try to have the same thing for her children. Something simple as breastfeeding, a healthy choice for both mother and baby, shouldn't be a political issue. But here it is. It's OK for affluent mothers to breastfeed but it's not for the poor.

Breastfeeding is healthy and helpful for mother and baby according to WebMD. Breastfeeding is linked to fewer ear infections, fewer respiratory illnesses and helps your baby's immune system. Later in life, breastfeeding is linked to higher IQ scores. Breastfeeding helps burn calories for the mother, releases the hormone oxytocin which may help reduce uterine bleeding after birth. Even more simply, breastfeeding reduces the financial burden of buying formula.

What's disturbing is the way Bachmann said it. She insinuated the government is forcing mothers to buy breast pumps because the IRS is allowing a tax incentive. How come Bachmann didn't complain about mortgages? The IRS allows a tax incentive for mortgage interest, yet less than half of all housing units in the
United States required a mortgage in 2000.

Bachmann's not complaining about how the IRS is allegedly forcing citizens to buy houses with a long-term mortgage. The reason Bachmann said she's against the IRS funding breastfeeding is because First Lady Michelle Obama plans on touting the program for African American mothers and working moms.

Why stop at breastfeeding? Bachmann may well have said local school districts allow horrible books on the shelves of their libraries for kids to read. The government shouldn't give seniors a prescription drug discount, unemployed shouldn't get government checks and Social Security should go away.

The point is just because the IRS says there are tax deductions for certain items, it doesn't mean citizens must do it just to have a tax deduction. It's an option--just like reading a book, driving a car or choosing prescription medication.

She's also a proponent of defunding Planned Parenthood because the organization provides abortions for women. Yet Bachmann offers no alternative--no free condom distribution and no funding for sex education to prevent unwanted pregnancies in the first place.

Raising a child who is healthier and smarter due to breastfeeding should actually save the government money in the long term. The child will get a better education, get a better job and stay off the welfare rolls.

Bachmann fears a "nanny state" when she talks about funding breastfeeding but she seems to miss long-term implications of breastfeeding. Healthier moms and healthier kids due to breast milk only betters our entire society and keeps them less dependent upon the government for the same handouts about which Bachmann complains.

Rep. Bachmann is a woman herself yet curiously many of her conservative stances against abortions and now even breastfeeding seem to be anti-woman.

*This clown of a politician is a hot political mess! Anytime your dead set against a "mother" potentially getting a tax break for breastfeeding and raising healthy humans, you have to be INSANE! Whoever listens to or believes anything that Michelle Bachmann has to say is INSANE also. She lies bad and is out to wreak havoc across America. This chick is clearly out of touch with being a mother, (even though she is one) and with living in America. How in the hell can you be against something that can potentially help mothers care for their families? All in all, Michelle Bachmann doesn't have a clue about what mother's of today are facing. She is out to destroy and promote nonsense all so she can be famous and profit. Again, she's a very ignorant politician in so many ways, and someone needs to put a sock in her nonsense*

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Palin's milk joke goes sour!

(The Washington Post) Sarah Palin spoke Thursday at the Long Island Association, a business group in New York. The event was notable for the fact that Palin invited the press--something she does rarely. And it was newsworthy in that she gave another sign she might actually run for president: News reports say she hinted with a smile that someone who is good at multitasking ("a woman, a mom"), as well as someone who's already run for something ("a vice-presidential candidate?") would be most qualified for the job.

During the event, in which Palin was interviewed by the Long Island Association's president, she sounded off about presidential things--the deficit, whether or not to raise the nation's debt ceiling and President Obama's health-care reform law. And she weighed in on the debate over Obama's citizenship, reportedly saying it is "distracting. It gets annoying. Let's stick to what really matters."

But if that's what she really wants people to do, why did she crack a joke about Michelle Obama's campaign to make it easier for women to breastfeed? When the conversation turned to the escalating price of gas and groceries, Palin reportedly said, "It's no wonder Michelle Obama is telling everybody you better breastfeed your baby--yeah, you better--because the price of milk is so high right now!"

It may have just been an attempt to draw a laugh from the crowd over issues--childhood obesity and the medically proven benefits of breastfeeding--that are no laughing matter. But even though she followed up by saying "and may that not be the takeaway, please, of this speech," it has become one of them. Headlines saying that Palin was mocking Michelle Obama's attempt to make it easier for women to breastfeed have lead stories following the speech.

Who knows whether or not Palin will run for the nation's highest office. But if she does, comments like this one do little to make her sound presidential. For one, even if it was a joke, Palin was making light of something that has to do with the future of this country--the health and well-being of its children. And even if Palin spent most of the talk discussing deficits, health-care reform and foreign affairs, it's unnecessary side comments like these that will--whether she likes it or not--lead the news.

Just consider the contrast in the coverage following Palin's talk with the coverage following New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's speech at the American Enterprise Institute Wednesday. While political experts lauded Christie--who has repeatedly said he won't run for president--with praise for his straight talk and focus on the meaning of leadership during the speech, Palin's unusually open event found her the subject of much less flattering headlines.

Leaders are judged as much on what they do take the time to weigh in on as on what they don't say at all. Jumping into the debate about Michelle Obama's campaign to fight childhood obesity, and make breastfeeding easier for those women who choose to do it, may have been like throwing candy to certain elements of her base. But if she wants to sound presidential, then sticking to what really matters (as Palin puts it) without throwing in little cracks about a universally agreed-upon problem would be a lot less, in a word, distracting.

*Bad leadership, unlady-like, crazy, and a damn nut case! This chick obviously has issues. For someone like Sarah Palin who wants to runs for the highest office; taking a crack at the First Lady isn't going to win people over. She continues to think that what she says cute, down home, and right. "NOT!" If anything she's the picture of what a bad leader would be in all forms. It's fitting to say that her so-called jokes about the First Lady trying to help a nation combat obesity isn't touching anyone in a good way. If she keeps this up, she's going to be crawling back in her Alaskan hole sooner than she thinks* "SOMEBODY PLEASE SHUT THIS NUTCASE DOWN."

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Aide planning tell-all about time with Palin!

(AP)One of Sarah Palin's trusted advisers is planning a tell-all memoir, drawing upon thousands of personal e-mails during his time with the former Alaska governor to paint what his agent calls an expose of the inner workings of her operation.















Frank Bailey rose from a campaign volunteer to administration official and figure in the "Troopergate" scandal that fixated the public's attention during Palin's vice presidential bid in 2008. A preliminary draft of the unpublished book, tentatively called "Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of our Tumultuous Years," was leaked to reporters, with excerpts making the rounds on the Internet.

Messages to a Palin aide and attorney weren't immediately returned Friday.

Ken Morris, a California-based writer who worked with Bailey on the manuscript, said in an e-mail that the material is preliminary, subject to copyright protections and not authorized for use.

The New York-based Carol Mann Agency, in an e-mail promoting the manuscript, said the "revelations and insights" that Bailey offers "are more necessary than ever, as the public will seek to learn as much as possible about the woman who seems to have her sights set on the national stage."

The agency referred calls to Morris, who said that he, Bailey and co-writer Jeanne Devon did "tons of research" for the book, which still has no publisher. Devon, an Alaska blogger, is a frequent critic of Palin.

Morris said he believes the manuscript paints an accurate portrait of Palin but declined to elaborate. "I think we should leave it at that," he said.

The manuscript, which Morris said is subject to change and "may not materially reflect the eventual product," states that Palin, before resigning partway through her first term, wrote to Bailey and another aide, "I hate this damn job."

This isn't Bailey's first attempt at getting published. He has been working on a book since at least 2009, when Palin resigned. At least one previous effort fizzled. Bailey left state government shortly after Palin.

Bailey was embroiled in an investigation of Palin's firing of her police commissioner over allegations he wouldn't fire a trooper who had a bitter divorce with Palin's sister. Bailey, in a recording made public, questioned a state trooper official about why Palin's former brother-in-law was still employed.

Once Palin's friend, Bailey is now among those criticizing her.

"Since leaving the Governor's office, Frank has been forced to reconsider his actions on Palin's behalf in terms of his deep Christian faith and his allegiance to her as the standard-bearer for the conservative causes he still champions," Mann wrote in her e-mail.

Mann also describes the manuscript as "the story of one man's slow drift from his most cherished beliefs and his ultimate redemption."

Efforts to reach Bailey weren't immediately successful.

*Not surprised that this is happening. Sarah "no governor gold digging social terrorist" Palin is a hot mess! If she couldn't even stomach being Governor of Alaska, then what makes her believe being President is going be any easier. Again, this chick need to be tied up and gagged to shut her down. She isn't cut out to be President of the United States*

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*THE AMERICAN APPLE PIE PHILOSOPHY*

Check this out by: Literary Diva of Blogtalk Radio

Apple pie an oh so good treat that has turned into an American tradition of sorts. It seems to speak to so many in an American way. It’s been around forever and most deem it as a traditional tasty treat that families share after dinner. The philosophy behind it can take many turns that many may not want to revisit. The origins are not important, but the perception is too many. The high regard for this treat is like no other at dinner tables all across America. With all the hype why don’t blacks deem apple pie as their good old American treat? It’s simple in so many ways. We have to understand that when blacks were cooking they weren’t living it up in a kitchen with baking utensils and the finest baking ingredients. They had the left over’s from the main house and had to make due. At the same time whoever was in the main house baking for the lady of the house, they were baking for them and not allowed to eat it themselves. It went down that way for many years.

The philosophy of this American treat goes to many, as the all around it factor that should be pass down in every American household. It’s the thought of it that ties us all together in more ways than we think. Many are tied to it because it was a staple in their home while others are tied to it because they were made to prepare it. The ability to understand this mainstream tradition is baffling. If you weren’t apart of the main house you had nothing to do with it. However, if you were in the main house you still had nothing to do with it, but preparation. The traditions of many whites that eat apple pie and now prepare it themselves are still the same; they just don’t have or can make blacks do all the work. As far as blacks who may from time to time enjoy this tradition, they deem it as just simply food.

In the minds of blacks who see this American tradition of apple pie they see themselves getting a beat down and being raped by “massa.” Not saying that it’s not a tradition for blacks is an understatement; it’s the truth and will always be as long as there are black faces on this earth. The tradition of apple pie lays out like Christmas and Thanksgiving in America. It’s sad really, that a philosophy is put out there as if many and all have adopted it as there own. When you get right down to why apple pie is said to be an American tradition that many partake in, many don’t know why.

The apple pie and the likes of many versions of it have ruled the Americas for many years. Who came up with this shit anyway? Recalling the days of how many were made to prepare the food and not participate at the table is ridiculous and anger filled. The likes of apple pie really hitting the table of African Americans are slim, because it’s not solely their tradition when it comes to good family food. The philosophy is the ego of white America back then and white America now. There’s so much behind this treat that thinking about it get’s my mind plagued with matter of disgust. As we press on in our society of differences and somehow plan to understand why we have them, we have to get to why things are deemed as a tradition for all. The silliness factor of this whole American as American apple pie; has tortured the souls of many black ancestors and continue to torture the blacks of today. We have to realize that many of today are different and have their own traditions that are shared with family and friends. Many blacks share good old sweet potato pie as a tradition instead of mainstream apple pie.

The realization factor is very evident in how many come together and gather with family and friends and prepare good soul food that was deemed as slop, but now seen as good food prepared with love and flavor. I see a very traditional black society that has risen to many levels in America. It’s something many blacks deem as a good thing or may not depending on what level you’re on in the black community. Looking at how the American as American apple pie philosophy still plays itself out is amazing. Knowing that many came here not of their free will, but how they came to be attached to this is something very hurtful to many. Hurtful in the eyes and souls of so many that gave their lives for freedom and life, is something that plagues us everyday.

The challenge is to understand and realize that the philosophy as American as American apple pie doesn’t resonate well with people of color and will never will. At the end of the day we are all here in America, but all things aren’t as American as American apple pie.

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The Truth About Why Men Cheat!

(REDBOOK)What makes men cheat? Marriage counselor M. Gary Neuman dug through past research on male infidelity and found that most answers came from the wife's point of view. Wouldn't it make more sense to ask the guys? he thought. So for his new book, The Truth About Cheating, Neuman surveyed 200 cheating and noncheating husbands to get at the real reasons behind men's infidelity — including what cheating men say could have prevented them from straying. Here, some of his findings:

48% of men rated emotional dissatisfaction as the primary reason they cheated.So much for the myth that for men, cheating is all about sex: Only 8 percent of men said that sexual dissatisfaction was the main factor in their infidelity. "Our culture tells us that all men need to be happy is sex," Neuman says. "But men are emotionally driven beings too. They want their wives to show them that they're appreciated, and they want women to understand how hard they're trying to get things right." The problem is that men are less likely than women to express these feelings, so you won't always know when your guy is in need of a little affirmation. "Most men consider it unmanly to ask for a pat on the back, which is why their emotional needs are often overlooked," Neuman says. "But you can create a marital culture of appreciation and thoughtfulness — and once you set the tone, he's likely to match it."

66% of cheating men report feeling guilt during the affair. The implications are a little scary: It isn't just uncaring jerks who cheat. In fact, 68 percent of cheaters never dreamed they'd be unfaithful, and almost all of them wished they hadn't done it, Neuman says. Clearly, guilt isn't enough to stop a man from cheating. "Men are good at compartmentalizing feelings," Neuman explains. "They can hold on to their emotions and deal with them later." So even if your husband swears he would never cheat, don't assume it can't happen. It's important for both of you to take steps toward creating the marriage you want.

77% of cheating men have a good friend who cheated. Hanging around friends who stray makes cheating seem normal and legitimizes it as a possibility. The message he's subconsciously telling himself: My friend is a good guy who happens to be cheating on his wife. I guess even the best of us do it. You can't simply ban your husband from hanging out with Mr. Wandering Eyes, Neuman says, but you can request that they spend their time together in an environment that offers less temptation, like at a sporting event or a restaurant for lunch rather than at a bar or club. Another strategy: Build your social circle around happily married couples that share your values — it'll create an environment that supports marriage.

40% of cheating men met the other woman at work."Oftentimes the woman he cheats with at the office is someone who praises him, looks up to him, and compliments his efforts," Neuman says. "That's another reason why it's so critical that he feel valued at home." Luckily, there's a clear warning sign that your husband is getting a little too cozy with a colleague: If he praises or mentions the name of a female coworker more than he would a male counterpart, your antennae should go up — and it's time for the two of you to set boundaries about what is and isn't okay at work, Neuman says. Is it acceptable for him to work late if it's only him and her? Can they travel together to conferences? Have dinners out to discuss a project? Ask him what he'd feel comfortable with you doing with a male colleague.

Only 12% of cheating men said their mistress was more physically attractive than their wife.In other words, a man doesn't stray because he thinks he'll get better sex with a better-looking body. "In most cases, he's cheating to fill an emotional void," Neuman says. "He feels a connection with the other woman, and sex comes along for the ride." If you're worried about infidelity, focus on making your relationship more loving and connected, not on getting your body just right or mastering new sexual positions. (But know that sex does matter — it's one of the key ways your guy expresses his love and feels close to you, so be sure to keep it a priority.)

Only 6% of cheating men had sex with a woman after meeting her that same day or night. Actually, 73 percent of men got to know the other woman for more than a month before they cheated. This means that you may have time to see the warning signs before infidelity occurs — you might even see it coming before he does. Keep an eye out for these common signals: He spends more time away from home, stops asking for sex, picks fights more frequently, or avoids your calls. Your gut reaction may be to confront him, but most men will deny even thinking about cheating — especially if nothing physical has occurred yet. Instead, Neuman suggests, take charge of what you can control — your own behavior — and take the lead in bringing your marriage to a better place. Don't hesitate to show your appreciation for him, prioritize time together, and initiate sex more. Give him a reason to keep you at the front of his mind, Neuman says. And be open about how you feel about what's going on between the two of you (again, without mentioning any third parties). Try, "I think we've started to lose something important in our marriage, and I don't want it to disappear." In the meantime, commit to keeping tabs on your relationship and doing what it takes to keep it working for you.

*WOW! Men cheat and cheat and cheat! So many people try to analyze why people do this and do that. The real truth is, if most people (men and women) focus on their signifant other at home and stop trying to find a reason to stray then we wouldn't have these articles. It's a shame that our society jumps on the drama and tries to give you answers that are ridiculous! The bottom line is; people cheat because it's their choice and they are selfish. It has nothing to do with the spouse. It's what the person who decides to cheats wants to do. Bottom line!*

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Flat Abs Faster: 3 Reasons to Stop Crunching!

(REDBOOK) Good news! You never have to do another crunch again. The best move for flat, pulled-in abs is the plank. (To do a plank, get in push-up position and lower your arms so your elbows rest on the ground. Hold for 45 seconds or longer and be careful not to arch your back.)

Here are three reasons a plank is more beneficial than a crunch:

1. The plank does more for your abdominal muscles.
“Your TVA’s (transversus abdominis) get a far greater involvement with a plank”, says Alex Figueroa, fitness expert and founder and lead trainer for Priority1Wellness.com. In addition, the abdominals receive both strengthening as well as aspects of flexibility through the plank. The crunch is an isolated exercise, and it does its function well”, says Figueroa, it strengthens the rectus abdominus. But it’s “far from functional, and for most people, far from what is needed for a healthy balanced body”.

2.  The plank is a multi-tasking move.
Who does just one thing at time in life anymore? Why should your abs exercise be any different? A crunch only works your abdominal wall, while a plank is a total body exercise that also engages your core (abs & lower back), helps better your posture and works shoulder stabilization. Plus, “You never know when you are going to need to support your own weight and lift yourself off the floor,” says Jackson Williams, assistant fitness manager for the Sports Club/LA in Boston. 

3. The plank better for your back and core.
“A plank helps protect the back from problems that stem from sitting at a desk all day. It strengthens the abs and core, while crunches exacerbate lower back issues,” says Rick Richey, Performance Enhancement Specialist and owner of R2Fitness. "Planks are ideal because they strengthen and stretch the body at the same time, says Stephanie Vitorino, fitness manager for Equinox in Woodland Hills, California and star of the "Body Target 60” DVD. “With a lengthened back, arms and engaged glutes and legs, you are able to gain integrate your core stabilizers which are critical for a healthy back and core,” explains Vitorino.

Jessica Smith is a certified fitness lifestyle expert and creator of the 10 Pounds Down DVD series.


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Diana Ross To Visit 'Oprah' For First Interview With Family & First TV Performance In 4 Years!

Diana Ross will make her first television performance in four years on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" later this month -- and she's bringing her family with her, Access Hollywood has confirmed.

In addition to performing, the "I'm Coming Out" singer and former Supremes legend will also sit down for her first-ever interview with all of her children and her grandson on Oprah's February 25 episode.

Diana's children who will be appearing on the show include Rhonda Ross Kendrick, "Girlfriends" actress Tracee Ellis Ross, Chudney Ross, Ross Arne Naess and Evan Ross. Diana's first grandson, Raif Henok Emmanuel Kendrick, is her daughter Rhonda's son with Rhonda's husband, jazz musician Rodney Kendrick.

He was born in August 2009.

The legend, whose career spans more than five decades, will take up the entire hour of Oprah's show no doubt talking about going from her humble beginnings in Detroit to international superstar and icon.

She is currently on the "Now" tour.

*It's about time*

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