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Daily servings of pomegrnates may enhance your health

2009-10-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

8 Ounces a Day of POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice may slow progression of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness

8 Ounces a Day of POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice may slow progression of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) in patients with elevated cardiovascular disease risk factors, study finds.According to a clinical study released in The American Journal of Cardiology, a daily serving of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice may decrease the progression of arterial plaque in patients with elevated cardiovascular disease risk factors.

The study was intended to see if POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice may slow the progression of intima-media thickness of the carotid artery (CIMT) in patients with moderate coronary heart disease risk. At 18 months, there was no reduction in the progression of CIMT in the group as a whole. However, further analysis revealed an indication that the rate of CIMT progression slowed in nearly one third of patients, those with elevated cardiovascular disease risk factors.

This study was funded by POM Wonderful.

Conducted at Radiant Research in Chicago, IL, and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX, this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial involved 289 subjects at varying degrees of moderate heart disease risk who consumed 8 ounces per day of either POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice or a placebo beverage. The trial's endpoint was the increase in CIMT, a measurement which includes both the artery wall itself as well as accumulated plaque. CIMT measurements were recorded at both 12 and 18 months after the treatment began.

The composite measurement of CIMT showed a significantly smaller value at 12 months in the pomegranate juice group compared to the control group (0.79 vs 0.81 mm, p = 0.022), although this difference was no longer significant at the end of the treatment period (0.79 vs 0.80 mm, p = 0.168). The results from post hoc exploratory analyses, which should be interpreted with caution, suggest that rate of CIMT progression may have been slowed in high-risk subgroups. Specifically, the authors found statistically lower CIMT values within several subgroups of patients with elevated cardiovascular risk factors, including high total triglycerides as well as low HDL cholesterol as compared to total cholesterol and triglycerides.

"This study was initiated based on the compelling results from pre-clinical studies and an initial clinical trial," said lead researcher Michael H. Davidson, MD. "We are excited with the outcome of this larger study because while we did not see a reduction in the group as a whole, there is an indication that the rate of CIMT progression slowed in subgroups of patients characterized by more rapid CIMT progression."In conclusion, the authors call for these preliminary findings to be investigated in future studies, because "consumption of pomegranate juice is very safe; thus demonstration of a benefit on atherosclerotic disease progression, even in a subset of the population, would have important public health implications."The publication of this study is the most recent in series of studies evaluating the potential benefits of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice on human health. In 1998 POM Wonderful initiated a world class medical research program to investigate the Wonderful variety pomegranate.

To date, POM Wonderful has funded $32 million in research, which has involved a number of top scientists from leading universities around the world, including a Nobel Laureate. So far, 48 total studies have been published in peer-review journals. Primary research areas have included the prostate and cardiovascular, among others.Source Cited:M. Davidson et al., Effects of Consumption of Pomegranate Juice on Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Men and Women at Moderate Risk for Coronary Heart Disease, American Journal of Cardiology (2009)

www.pomega5.com

Reverse the clock with Omega 5 oil anti aging products

2009-10-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

Anti-aging skin cream that helps reverse the clock is something men and women alike are in search of. You may start seeking this as early as your late twenties or not until well into your forties.

We are all growing older, like it or not. And our skin is a reflection of the life we live. Even if you live a healthy life, there are still many factors in today's environment, that you are exposed to, that are out of your control. Exposure to these factors can have a negative effect on your appearance and cause your skin to look older than it should.How do you help uncover that youthful appearance once again?

The first thing people often look for is an anti-aging cream or lotion. We reach for these skin care products for good reason; because the right solution, and combination of ingredients, can have a dramatic effect on the look and feel of our complexion.

To uncover the best anti-aging skin creams it is important to look for natural, effective ingredients in high concentrations. This way you'll get the results you are looking for that will continue to cause improvement long-term.

The following are some of the things you are going to want to look for to tackle those fine lines, wrinkles, and other visible signs of aging.

First, look for natural solutions that stimulate collagen and elastin regrowth.

You also want powerful vitamins, and minerals doing their job. One of the most prized options for this is called Phytessence Wakame. This is a powerful antioxidant and vitamin and mineral solution derived from a Japanese sea algae found to be extremely effective.

The final recommendation today is to be sure your cream includes potent antioxidants such as Omega 5 oil to destroy free radicals. Another on the market today is a form of CoEnzyme Q-10 called Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10. Omega 5 has the ability to effectively penetrate the skin and go to work deeper for a dramatic anti-wrinkle effect.

So there you have it: Start using skin care products with potent natural ingredients, like the ones mentioned, and you'll get the best results. Uncover a youthful appearance by using the best anti-aging skin creams.

www.pomega5.com

Pomega5 products are paraben free and biodynamic

2009-09-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

Paraben-free, organic, or biodynamic

Just because a product is paraben-free doesn't necessarily mean it's organic—and vice versa.Organic products contain ingredients from natural sources produced in accordance with certain production standards that follow specific regulations.

On the other hand, when a product is paraben-free, it means that the paraben preservatives are absent or replaced with alternative preservatives. Therefore, a paraben-free product may or may not contain organic ingredients; and if an organic product doesn't have the NOP (National Organic Program) or USDA organic seal, it can contain parabens.

All cosmetics sold are required by law to declare every single ingredient, so you can determine what is or isn't in a product by simply reading the label.

www.pomega5.com

Made from pomegranate seed oil

Natural, organic and ultra clean

Greentech companies forced to change business models

2009-09-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

Changing Models: A Trend in Greentech

The tough market conditions over the past year have forced greentech companies to re-examine and change their business strategies.

One of them is Innovalight, which announced today its ability to produce highly efficient crystalline silicon solar cells. The company has been developing its silicon ink technology since 2002, and was set on becoming a solar cell maker.

But the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based private company changed its focus about nine months ago to pursue opportunities that would require lower capital investments and steer it away from a market already facing a glut of solar cells, said Innovalight CEO Conrad Burke.

Innovalight is now licensing the know how to make silicon ink printing tools and selling the ink. The company contracts with tool makers to produce the printing systems. The ink would come from Innovalight's own factory, which currently has annual production capacity of 100 megawatts, Burke said.

Today, it is working with six solar cell makers to incorporate Innovalight's technology into their manufacturing processes. Burke said the customers already have pre-existing production lines, but want to boost their cells' efficiencies by adding the silicon ink. He declined to disclose their names.

Changing its business model often raises questions about the company's ability to grow or even survive. On the other hand, it also could be seen as an agile move to respond to changing market dynamics.

Nanostellar, for example, set out to make catalysts for reducing tailpipe emissions. Last summer, it decided to license its technology to chemical companies instead of manufacturing its own.

ESolar joined forces with a power generation company, NRG Energy, to develop solar power plants in the United States instead of doing it alone. NRG lines up the capital and oversees the project development while eSolar provides the equipment.

In the case of OptiSolar, the strategy was to put the company up for sale.
OptiSolar set out to make amorphous silicon thin film panels and build power plants with them. But the company wasn't able to raise enough capital to do both well. So it sold the power plant projects it had been developing to First Solar for $400 million earlier this year. It then announced a deal in July to sell its manufacturing assets to Allora Minerals for $260 million.

Pomega LLC, the Omega 5 oil greentech company, is also rumored to explore venture partnerships with industry leaders.

We love Pomega5 ultra natural skin care

More products to pomegranate lovers

2009-09-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

NeoCell , a leader in the natural supplement and skin care industries, announced today that GNC is adding three more NeoCell products to its network of stores.

GNC customers will now be able to purchase:

* NeoCell`s new Pure H.A. Blueberry Liquid: Taken daily, this delicious drinkwill support healthy joints, the retina in the eyes and promote smooth-lookingskin.

* Pomegranate from the Seed: Pomegranates are hailed by researchers as having extraordinary antioxidant properties. This product is made from the juice that is extracted from the seeds, which contains the highest level of antioxidants.

* Collagen+C Pomegranate Liquid: This combines the antioxidant power ofPomegranate and Green Tea with the healing benefits of collagen to provide ahost of benefits to joints, tendons, bones, hair, skin and muscle.The three additions bring the total number of NeoCell products in the GNC lineupto seven. Customers have already been able to purchase NeoCell`s Super CollagenPowder and three sizes of NeoCell`s Super Collagen+C tablets.

"We`re excited about expanding our product lineup with GNC," said NeoCell VicePresident of Sales, Darren Rude. "Our products are a great fit for GNC customers- people who are focused on a healthy lifestyle." GNC is the world's largest company of its kind devoted exclusively to helpingits customers improve the quality of their lives. GNC is the largest globalspecialty retailer of health and wellness, sports nutrition and diet products.For the past 75 years, GNC has expanded its worldwide network of over 5,200stores in the U.S. and 44 global markets.

For more information on Pomega5's full line of skin care and nutritional supplements, visit www.pomega5.com.

Pomega5 products are made of pomegranate seed oil
www.pomega5.com

Dynamic women select biodynamic products by Pomega5

2009-09-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

Try outs to become the next biodynamic model

In the early 1920's a group of practicing farmers, concerned with the decline of the soil, sought the advice of Dr. Rudolf Steiner, founder of anthroposophy, who had spent all his life researching and investigating the forces that regulate life and growth. From a series of lectures and conversations held at Koberwitz, Germany, in June 1924, there emerged the fundamental principles of biodynamic farming and gardening, a unified approach to agriculture that relates the ecology of the earth-organism to that of the entire cosmos. This approach has been under development in many parts of the world ever since. Dr. Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, who worked with Dr. Steiner during the formative period, brought biodynamic concepts to the United States in the 1930s. It was during this period that the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association was founded in 1938.

If the results of the Biodynamic approach may be found in the quality of produce, the health of land and livestock, and the freedom from environmental problems increasingly generated by many modern farming methods, what of the approach itself? What distinguishes it from other agricultural attitudes and techniques?

Essentially, biodynamic farming and gardening looks upon the soil and the farm as living organisms. It regards maintenance and furtherance of soil life as a basic necessity if the soil is to be preserved for generations, and it regards the farm as being true to its essential nature if it can be conceived of as a kind of individual entity in itself — a self-contained individuality. It begins with the ideal concept of the necessary self-containedness of the farm and works with furthering the life of the soil as a primary means by which a farm can become a kind of individuality that progresses and evolves.

The maintenance of soil life is vital also in order to protect the soil from erosion and to create, improve, and augment the humus content. The result will be a fine, crumbly structure containing the necessary organic colloids. This leads to the production of high-quality crops, which in turn means better feed for livestock and better food for human beings.

Soil improvement is obtained by proper humus management — e.g., by the application of sufficient organic manure and compost in the best possible state of fermentation; by proper crop rotation; by proper working of the soil; by protective measures such as wind protection; cover crops, green manure, and diversified crops rather than monocultures; and by mixed cropping so that plants can aid and support each other.

Farm manure and compost are the most valuable fertilizers. They contain organic matter on which the soil bacteria and earthworms can feed and then revitalize the soil. They contain colloids, which absorb moisture and mineral solutions in the ground, form a crumbly structure, and eliminate the danger of erosion. The careful storage of manure in heaps covered with earth, as taught by the biodynamic method, avoids nitrogen loss to a great degree.

Raw organic matter has not yet reached the state of neutral colloidal humus. Complicated fermentation processes must first take place in the manure heap. The biodynamic method produces the right fermentation. Certain biodynamic preparations are inserted into the heaps in order to speed and direct fermentation and preserve the original manure values. The same principles apply to compost materials. Everything that is apt to decompose can be used. These materials are piled up in alternate layers, and the finished pile is treated with biodynamic preparations.

The biodynamic compost preparations play a significant role in this unified approach to agriculture. They are made of certain medicinal herbs that have undergone a long process of fermentation in order to enrich them in growth-stimulating substances. They react like yeast in dough — i.e. they speed and direct fermentation toward the desired neutral colloidal humus. The preparations themselves are, for practical reasons, numbered 500-508. Numbers 502-507 are applied to the manure and compost piles in very small quantities. They have no manuring effect, their sole purpose being to direct the fermentation of any kind of organic matter toward humus.

Two of the preparations, 500 and 501, are used as field sprays. They are diluted in water, stirred for one hour, and sprayed directly on the soil or plants respectively. Preparation 500 stimulates humus formation in the ground and the growth of roots. It is applied to the land mainly in the fall and the spring, before clearing or after plowing and sowing. Preparation 501 is applied in June or later to the green leaves.

Proper crop rotation is also necessary in order to preserve the fertility of the soil. The general rule is that soil-exhausting crops such as corn and potatoes in the fields, and cabbage, cauliflower, etc., in the garden, should alternate with soil-restoring crops such as members of the leguminous family (peas, beans, clover, etc.). Furthermore, deep-rooting crops should alternate with shallow-rooting ones, and crops that require manure should alternate with those that can do without.

Proper working of the soil consists mainly in knowing the right time and the right depth for plowing, harrowing, discing, etc. Skill and experience are needed. Only thoughtful experience, combined with such investigations as the taking of soil profiles, can produce maximum efficiency in soil treatment.

Biodynamic agriculture is a way of living, working and relating to nature and the vocations of agriculture based on good common-sense practices, a consciousness of the uniqueness of each landscape, and the inner development of each and every practitioner.

Common-sense practices include striving to be self-sufficient in energy, fertilizers, plants, and animals; structuring our activities based on working with nature's rhythms; using diversity in plant, fertilizers, and animals as building blocks of a healthy operation; being professional in our approach to reliability, cleanliness, order, focus on observation, and attention to detail; and being prompt and up-to-date in doing one's job.

The concern with the uniqueness of a particular landscape includes developing an understanding of the geology, soils, climate, plant, and animal life; human ecology; and economy of one's bioregion.

Rudolf Steiner presents a notion of science that says we can know things that go beyond what we can weigh, measure, and calculate. Science is the practice of observing phenomena and relating them in a way that correctly represents the phenomena's reality. Agricultural judgments about health, what to do where, and when to do what, best succeed when we begin to rely on a certain wisdom gained through observation and experience and when we perceive consciously and concretely the phenomena that induce life itself.

Biodynamic farming and gardening combines common-sense agriculture, an understanding of ecology, and the specific environment of a given place with a new spiritual scientific approach to the concepts, principles, and practices of agriculture.

POMEGA5 offers biodynamic botanical based products

Check it out at http://www.pomega5.com/

Omega 5 oil technology

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Greentech at its best

VC investments in greentech is thriving -- will Pomega5 benefit from this trend?

2009-09-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

2009 Greentech VC, M&A and IPOs

VC investment in Greentech is thriving. After a soft first quarter brought on by recession and low investor confidence, VC in Greentech has been creeping up steadily.

Greentech VC in 2009

Q1 2009 $836 million in 59 deals

Q2 2009 $1.234 billion in 85 deals

Q3 2009 (to date) $923 million in 83 deals (to date)

Q2 was 50 percent more than in the first quarter, and the third quarter should exceed the second quarter – a nice trend. That said, rising investment in greentech is not exactly an indicator of the health of the industry. We need more startup revenue, more M&A, and more IPOs – and that's starting.Some of the biggest VC deals this year have been:

Suniva $75M for high efficiency solarPowerspan

$50M for CO2 capture technology for coal-fired electric power plants.

Imperative Energy $43M for large scale renewable energy from biomasseMeter

$32M for smart grid management software

(I don't believe we can count Synthetic Genomic's $300 million big algae investment from Exxon as VC).

Greentech M&A in 2009

We've seen some M&A trends, highlighted by:

Ongoing consolidation in the solar integrator and installer market

Rising consolidation and land grabs in the carbon dashboard and utlity carbon monitoring field

Vertical integration in solar – Bosch's acquisition binge created a vertically integrated entity from Ersol, Aleo and Johanna Solar

Greentech IPOs

Plenty of chatter but the only SEC IPO registration looking like it might launch in 2009 is A123 Systems, the developer and manufacturer of advanced, rechargeable lithium ion batteries. A123’s product line ranges from 3.6 watts per hour batteries for portable power applications to larger 65 watts per hour batteries for electric vehicles. The company is also developing multi-megawatt battery systems for utilities that can provide electric grid services including standby reserve capacity and frequency regulation.It is reasonable to expect the A123 IPO to come to market in the fourth quarter of this year – reasonable given A123’s revenue, the government and industry focus on smart grid, and the pent up demand for a greentech IPO.A123's long-threatened IPO has the potential to draw the market’s attention to the energy storage sector.

The IPO will also give us a glimpse on how investment banks and institutional investors like underwriters Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Lazard Capital Markets will value energy storage firms.A successful public offering could open the floodgates to more greentech IPOs and usher in the dawn of a finance-rich greentech era. Other Greentech IPO candidates would include Silver Spring Networks, Tesla Motors, Nanosolar and Solyndra.

Nutraceuticals are greentech items

Omega5 oil technology fuels a skin care indsutry

www.pomega5.com

There is no artificial shortage in omega 5 oil products

2009-09-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

Sharing Omega 5 oil technology is our vision

If you’ve ever spent a good part of your holiday season wending from store to store seeking out that must-have toy of the season, only to find it sold out everywhere you go, then the following conclusion from new Stanford Graduate School of Business research won’t come as a surprise:

Facing rejection can increase people’s desire to ultimately obtain a hard-to-get object.

Whether they cop to it or not, companies have long been aware of artificial shortages as a way to create desire for new products. However, the research shows that this approach can eventually backfire.

“For many people, wanting and liking are two separate things that can become contradictory,” says researcher Baba Shiv, a Stanford marketing professor, in a press release. “When someone is thwarted from obtaining his original desire, he, in fact, comes to find the attractiveness and appeal of his target to be diminished. Yet, perversely, he may feel he wants it even more. The thrill becomes the chase.”

Shiv’s co-researchers were Uzma Khan, an assistant professor at Stanford, and Ab Litt, a current Stanford MBA student.

Some other notable findings from the study:

The less emotionally a person reacts to rejection, the more susceptible he will be to desiring it more and enjoying it less once he gets it.

People who are more emotional about being denied will more often in turn deny their desire. “Their attitude becomes ‘it’s not so great, and I don’t want it anyway,’” says Litt.

Women were more likely than men to desire something more and like it less once they received it.

All in all, the researchers believe artificial shortages can be a useful marketing tool, as long as they fall within reasonable limits.

“The study shows that this approach will be effective as long as people get the item without a good deal of problems,” says Shiv. “But if they’re constantly frustrated, having to stand in line or return to the store only to find the item still not there, they may desire it more but quickly lose interest in it once they have it. The long-term success of the product will be doomed.”

POMEGA5 -- where supply meets demand

www.pomega5.com

New Greentech investments could support Omega 5 oil technology

2009-08-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

Greentech Investment Dollars About to Flow Again

The greentech funding party, which saw record levels of investment in the first three quarters of 2008, ended abruptly in the fourth quarter of last year, marked by Tesla Motors’ restructuring. But the party looks like it’s about to crank back up again, thanks to both federal funding and what some economists are calling the end of the recession. Reuters inks a long piece quoting a variety of investors projecting it’s just a matter of time, perhaps just a few months, before investments in the green technology sector start to heat back up again.

Anecdotally, from a reporter’s perspective covering funding news, there’s been an increase in company funding announcements over the past few weeks, including Vinod Khosla’s new $250 million greentech fund, with $60 million from CalPERS, the California pension fund, green plastics firm Novomer’s Series B round, BP’s $10 million deal with Martek, and rounds raised by energy efficiency firms Tendril, CPower, and Grid Net. Even greentech poster child Tesla claims it managed to hit profitability for the first time recently, and also earned an investment from Daimler.

Of course, a very large part of the return to life is the government funding for clean power and energy efficiency. That includes loans and grants now starting to reach companies, and also the promise of federal backing, which can ease concerned investors. Investors are certainly trying to take advantage of the new funding opportunities — David Anthony, founding partner of 21Ventures, tasks a fourth of his staff to write DOE grant applications full time. Over 50 companies that we know of have applied for the over $3 billion in funds from the DOE for smart grid technology and projects.

There are also some greentech IPO front runners that are giving investors hope. They include lithium-ion battery firm A123Systems and smart grid networking company Silver Spring Networks, which estimates it will make revenue on the order of $200 million next year and soon be profitable.

Clearly the greentech private investment funding levels won’t hit last year’s record levels in the short term, and the types of firms that end up getting the bulk of the funds this time around won’t be the same as those in the summer ‘08 bubble. Back then, solar and biofuel companies attracted a lot of capital, while these days it’s the smart grid and energy storage makers that are the new darlings.

Omega 5 oil greentech
Pomegranates are the raw material for Omega 5 oil

Pregnancy and natural skin care -- can pomegranate seed oil help with these strechmarks or cellulite problems?

2009-08-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

Natural skincare in pregnancy

The thin blue line! Not the Police, but the Clearblue positive pregnancy test meaning months of anticipation and planning ahead. Everything changes, not least your diet, and how you look after yourself from the outside in is paramount. Yes, pregnancy is an exciting time but seems to come part and parcel with skincare concerns. Myself, I wanted to take the natural route as often as possible, and just try to be more aware of what I'm putting in to my body and therefore into baby. Here are some botanic and organic products for stretchmarks, cellulite and swollen ankles, for when we want to use healthier solutions during pregnancy, from brands that are attempting to redress the chemical nature (that's oxymoronic, isn't it?) of skincare.

Many women are only too familiar with the little c. No matter how much exercise we do or how healthy we eat, cellulite still seems to be there! And this is especially true after you've been pregnant. While sufficient exercise and a healthy diet can assist to counteract the cellulite, improving circulation with massaging the affected areas is the key. The newly developed Dr.Hauschka Lemon Lemongrass Body Oil ($47) is the perfect massage oil to treat these annoying problem areas. It’s fruity, fresh composition of jojoba oil, lemon peel, mistletoe, horsetail and lemongrass assists to firm the skin and strengthen the connective tissue by stimulating circulation and facilitating the skin’s natural rhythms and functions. The divine aroma helps to release your thoughts to relax while strengthening your inner well-being.

What some women don't realise is the stretchmarks can come in AFTER the baby is born, once the skin is slacker. My friend said she had none during pregnancy and then they appeared after the birth. If your skin was stretched a lot during pregnancy -and whose isn't? It's not just your tummy, it's your thighs and bottom too- and if there are signs of stretchmarks, try using Dr.Hauschka Birch-Arnica Body Oil. Extracts of birch, arnica, burdock and nettle help eliminate waste products, stimulate the blood flow in the tissues, remove congestion and make the skin soft and supple.A major problem, commonly known as "cankles" (or calf-ankles) is the accumulation of fluid in your arms and legs. It can even be hard to zip up your ankle boots some days! If your legs feel tense, encourage emptying of the veins by massaging the legs for about 3 minutes a day with a brush, from the toes to the thighs, or splashing them with warm and cold water alternately and then rubbing with Dr.Hauschka Rosemary Leg and Arm Toner.

I have been smoothing Trilogy Rosehip Oil on my bump and it feels very rich and luxurious on the skin. With 80% essential fatty acids (oleic, linoleic and linolenic), vitamin E and the antioxidant lycopene, all well known for their ability to promote skin repair and rejuvenation of skin cells, it is an excellent skin moisturiser (whether you are pregnant or not) and is clinically proven to improve skin moisture by 44%, decrease the visible appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by 23% and improve skin softness by 21% within eight weeks. Certified organic, with no added preservatives, colours or fragrances, it is suitable for both mother and baby. I only need to let it dry for a minute before I get dressed as it doesn't leave an oily residue.

Trilogy Everything Balm is an all-purpose wonder cream in a tub that many mums swear by. It comes in a value large size and a small convenient tub perfect for popping into the nappy bag when you're out and about.

Palmer's Organics Cocoa Butter Massage Lotion and Cream for Stretch Marks (from $16.95) is paraben free, propylene Glycol free, mineral oil free and cruelty free. I smoothed it on after a hot shower and it absorbed well and smelt absolutely divine, and almost edible! The cream had a very rich consistency that felt more expensive than its low price tag. Bio Oil Already well-known as a scar and stretchmark reducing oil, this is great to add to the bath as well as direct to the skin and is well-priced at under $20 a bottle from pharmacies and department stores everywhere.

I used pomega5 products during my pregnancy

They contain no parabens

Pomegranates may boost your immune system

2009-08-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

Battling inflammation through food

Though it's an emerging field, proponents of anti-inflammatory diets point to growing evidence that foods like vegetables and fish can ease an overactive immune system.

By Shara Yurkiewicz
August 17, 2009

If you want to live longer -- avoid heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and cancer -- then pick and choose your foods with care to quiet down parts of your immune system.

That's the principle promoted by the founders and followers of anti-inflammatory diets, designed to reduce chronic inflammation in the body.Dozens of books filled with diets and recipes have flooded the market in the last few years, including popular ones by dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone and Zone Diet creator Barry Sears.

Those who frequent message boards that discuss arthritis or acne trade tips on which pro- or anti-inflammatory foods may help or trigger their symptoms -- urging co-sufferers to try cherries for their rheumatoid arthritis or avoid gluten for their psoriasis.But proponents claim the benefits go far beyond that, fighting not just pain from inflamed joints or skin flare-ups but also life-threatening diseases.

"If your future currently looks bleak because of high levels of silent inflammation, don't worry, because you can change it within thirty days," Barry Sears promises in his book, "The Anti-Inflammation Zone.

"There's still a lot of science to be done. And should you try such a diet, you probably shouldn't expect any 30-day miracles. But there may be something to eating in an anti-inflammatory way."[Chronic inflammation] is an emerging field," says Dr. David Heber, a UCLA professor of medicine and director of the university's Center for Human Nutrition.

"It's a new concept for medicine."The point of an anti-inflammation diet is not to lose weight, although it is not uncommon for its followers to shed pounds. The goal: to combat what proponents call "chronic silent inflammation" in the body, the result of an immune system that doesn't know when to shut off.The theory goes that long after the invading bacteria or viruses from some infection are gone, the body's defenses remain active. The activated immune cells and hormones then turn on the body itself, damaging tissues.

The process continues indefinitely, occurring at low enough levels that a person doesn't feel pain or realize anything is wrong. Years later, proponents say, the damage contributes to illnesses such as heart disease, neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease or cancer.In general terms, following an anti-inflammatory diet means increasing intake of foods that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. (Antioxidants reduce the activity of tissue-damaging free radicals at sites of inflammation.) The diet includes vegetables, whole grains, nuts, oily fish, protein sources, spices such as ginger and turmeric and brightly colored fruits such as blueberries, cherries and pomegranates.

Foods that promote inflammation -- saturated fats, trans fats, corn and soybean oil, refined carbohydrates, sugars, red meat and dairy -- are reduced or eliminated.It would seem logical that a diet that could dampen an overactive immune system could help prevent or slow diseases that are caused or exacerbated by inflammation. And evidence is certainly mounting that such diseases include heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's. (See related story online.)Studies with animals suggest that the diet's followers may be on to something."If you feed rodents different diets, you can very strongly modulate inflammation," says Dr. Andrew Greenberg, the director of the Obesity and Metabolism Laboratory at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.

"Fish oil, for example, ameliorates inflammation in rodents."Resveratrol, found in grape skin and red wine, has been shown to improve blood vessel function and slow aging in rats.

Pomegranate juice decreases atherosclerosis development in mice with high cholesterol.

Garlic improves blood vessel functioning in the hearts of rats with high blood pressure.And curcumin (an antioxidant chemical found in turmeric) improves ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and pancreatitis in mice and has anti-cancer effects in the animals too.Curcumin has also been shown to ease the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in people, reducing joint swelling, morning stiffness and walking time.

In India, turmeric is used to promote wound healing and reduce inflammation. But though curcumin's effects are being tested in several clinical trials addressing various diseases, rigorous human results are lacking -- as is the case for most anti-inflammatory foods.Large, careful human clinical trials are expensive and few have been designed to test dietary interventions. Small trials on individual supplements have been done, though. And scientists have learned a lot from studying populations -- chronicling the natural habits of people and seeing what diseases they get and which they don't.

The drug factor

It makes sense that anti-inflammatory methods might help the heart, says Dr. Robert H. Eckel, a past president of the American Heart Assn. and professor of physiology and biophysics at University of Colorado Denver's Health Sciences Center.Statin drugs, for example, are known to cut heart disease risk by reducing cholesterol levels -- among other things, these meds fight inflammation."We don't know how much of statins' effect are due to their anti-inflammatory effects," Eckel says. But, he adds, a growing number of researchers suspect that this property is important.

Fish oil, rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids and derived from oily fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel -- is already recommended by the American Heart Assn. to help prevent cardiovascular disease.

It has been shown to reduce blood triglyceride levels and slightly lower blood pressure, lowering the risk for heart attacks and strokes.There is also reason to believe that anti-inflammatory substances would help to ward off cancers.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been shown to prevent tumors with people with inherited colorectal cancer, for example.And population studies have shown that people who had been taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory meds for other conditions were less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.In trials, such drugs have failed to treat already-developed Alzheimer's, but the studies suggest that it might be possible to prevent the disease by reducing inflammation, says Greg Cole, a professor of medicine and neurology at UCLA and associate director of the UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.But it is not safe to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for years because of harmful side effects, such as gastrointestinal bleeding.

What about anti-inflammatory foods? Several clinical trials, in the U.S. and abroad, have shown that people with mild memory complaints related to aging (not necessarily Alzheimer's disease) showed significant improvement when given the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid, Cole says.

And in an 18-month study released in June sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, treating Alzheimer's disease with docosahexaenoic acid slowed its progression in a subgroup of the study population.There are other trials with positive results for fish oil in early Alzheimer's cases, but they are not large enough to be definitive, Cole says.But, he adds, "the real utility is not to slow the progression of someone who's already demented, but it's to treat before dementia happens.

We'd like to turn off or keep down [the inflammation] with something that doesn't cause gastrointestinal bleeding or other side effects."Cole's laboratory is looking at the potential for Alzheimer's prevention by controlling inflammation with omega-3 fatty acids and curcumin. Other food substances -- such as resveratrol in red wine and flavonoids in fruits -- may have anti-inflammatory effects by acting along the same pathway that curcumin does, he says.Cole suspects that people are more likely to take a supplement or two than to radically change their diets. "Nutritionists, they'll tell you to eat right. It is good, sound advice, but you can't always get people to do it," he says.

"The question is, can you find an easier supplement approach that doesn't require a restricted diet?"Supplements do have their drawbacks. "Many Alzheimer's researchers were prescribing vitamin E [an antioxidant] to all their patients," says Debra Cherry, a clinical psychologist and the executive vice president of the Alzheimer's Assn. of the California Southland. "But some data came out that people had high bleeds and suffered from cardiovascular problems."Dietary revampPerhaps a complete diet overhaul -- difficult though that may be -- would be a better strategy. The Mediterranean diet, named for the region in which it originated, has many anti-inflammatory features.It includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, whole grains, alcohol, and healthful fats like olive and canola oil. It has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels and reduce the risk of blood clots. Studies have shown that diets high in fish, olive oil and cooked vegetables reduce the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. A Mediterranean diet or elements of it seems linked to reduced risk for a number of chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's. (See related story online.)

"If people noticed they're slightly overweight, or if blood pressure is starting to creep up, or if blood sugar [increases], and they went on a Mediterranean-type diet, they might be able to decrease inflammation and stop the progression of disease," says Dr. Wadie Najm, a clinical professor of family medicine and geriatrics at UC Irvine who directs an integrated medicine clinic at UCI that focuses on complementary and alternative medicine.Many patients visiting his clinic have chronic inflammatory conditions, including autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and gastrointestinal problems such as Crohn's disease.

Patients begin a specialized diet and exercise, and make other lifestyle changes to decrease inflammation."In three weeks, if [patients] follow the protocol, we see great results in improvement in symptomology and reduction in flare-ups," says Bianca Garilli, a naturopathic doctor at the clinic.Of course, these dietary and other lifestyle changes might help treat pain conditions through the placebo effect -- a belief in a treatment rather than the treatment itself, says Dr. Roger Chao, an associate professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Science University and director of clinical guidelines development for the American Pain Society.

"You're giving something for people to focus on and do something good for themselves," Chao says.At the end of the day, there is evidence to suggest that your best bet at curbing inflammation is to eat a healthful diet -- and keep your weight in check -- without specifically thinking about anti-inflammatory foods."There is no doubt that if you lose weight, inflammation is dramatically improved," Greenberg says. When a person is overweight or obese, body fat breaks down into fatty acids, which circulate in the blood.

These fatty acids promote an immune response in the same way that infection does, increasing inflammation.It will take time to tease apart the effects of anti-inflammatory diets and supplements. But Cole thinks the effort is well worth it. "The alternative to these kinds of things aimed at prevention is to pay for treatments," he says. "And we can't always afford them."

"Nude" wars

2009-08-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

In one of the more bizarre celebrity feuds, fashion desiner Stella McCartney and Bono’s wife Alison Hewson are engaged in a down and dirty fight over the word “nude.”

Hewson, 47, and her business partner Bryan Meehan, 40, founder of organic food chain Fresh And Wild are suing McCartney’s company over the use of the word nude in her new fragrance Stella Nude.

Unfortunately, Newson and Meehan also have a company called Nude Skincare which boasts model Helena Christensen among its devotees.

"Nude Skincare is suing for compensation, not with anything to do with the new scent but because of branding and the use of the word nude,” an insider told The UK Daily Mail newspaper.

“It would be quite funny if it weren’t being taken so seriously – there are other perfumes with similar names after all,” adds the insider.

But the nude theme is a large part of 37-year-old McCartney’s fashion brand and she has already created a collection of designs based on nude flesh tones which will feature models parading in them from head to toe.

A writ has already been issued but McCartney’s company is hoping to settle the matter out of court and with the new scent coming-out in September the bottle is a nude color to go with the theme.

The case will come before the Chancery Division in London which deals in infringement and copyright claims -- let’s hope Sir Paul and Bono can get around the peace table and thrash out a deal before then!

Confused?? stay tuned.

www.pomega5.com

Pomegranates for anti aging and younger looking skin

2009-08-11T17:10:00.000-07:00

It seems as if there's more evidence every day regarding the health benefits of the pomegranate fruit. This ancient fruit has been found to have a variety of beneficial health effects secondary to its high level of antioxidants which can help to prevent cell damage. The many health benefits of the amazing pomegranate fruit include a role in preventing heart disease and slowing down the growth of prostate cancer. Now you can add positive effects on skin aging to the list of pomegranate's amazing properties.

What are pomegranate's skin benefits purported to be? Several recent studies have shown pomegranate's ability to improve wound healing, resulting in faster repair of skin cuts and scrapes. It also appears to play a positive role in the repair of skin damaged due to sun exposure and aging. Extracts of pomegranate are thought to exert their positive effects on skin aging by extending the life of fibroblasts, the cells responsible for producing collagen and elastin. Collagen and elastin are the components that give strength and support to the skin. When collagen and elastin fibers break down, the skin develops laxity, resulting in the appearance of wrinkles and jowls. Fortunately, pomegranate's skin benefits may help to retard this process.

One recent study showed that pomegranate seed oil stimulated the production of collagen, resulting in a mild thickening of the epidermis and dermis of the skin. It also appeared to prevent the breakdown of collagen fibers which are the harbingers of skin aging. This suggests that pomegranate oil may boost the ability of skin to repair itself by regenerating the supporting collagen structure of the skin.

Other studies have shown that pomegranate seed extract applied to the skin may reduce the formation of some forms of skin cancer, suggesting that its antioxidant capabilities may be responsible for some of pomegranate's skin benefits.

Although you can buy creams that have pomegranate extract in them, they tend to be rather expensive. A cheaper alternative would be to use a blender to make a thick paste from the seeds of the pomegranate which could be applied to the face. This would allow you to get pomegranate's skin benefits at a high concentration without purchasing an overpriced cream that probably has very small levels of the active ingredient. You can also use a cotton ball to apply pomegranate juice to your face after cleansing. Pomegranate juice and the whole fruit can be purchased at many organic and natural food markets.

Could pomegranate be a panacea for aging? Further studies will be needed to know how much of a role this fruit will play in maintaining younger looking skin, but preliminary studies look compelling.

POMEGA5 sells omega 5 based products which could be helpful for anti aging and younger looking skin

Raising money for green tech is not easy, but when you reach success, be ware!!

2009-08-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

These are very interesting times. The world seems to be polarized - truly feast or famine. Businesses are going under and the cries of “the economic crisis” ripple through the planet like waves ripple out when you drop a rock in the water. Fear, failure and the world’s obsession with dramatic events blanket the airwaves. It’s almost impossible to ignore.But there’s something else going on - something nobody’s talking about.

On the other side of the fear and failure are people and organizations that are experiencing massive success. Reality television shows make instant celebrities. Business owners with “hot” ideas are growing faster than they ever have before. One in 8 couples are now meeting online.
And they are getting crushed under the pressure of sudden success.

While most people think they want fame, fortune or something bigger, they are wholly unprepared for the emotional, mental and physical skills they will need to manage newfound success. Celebrities deal with this all the time. The late Michael Jackson, undeniably the King of Pop (whether you like him or not) lived a life of emotional trauma, lost youth and low self-esteem. Shia LaBeouf: “I don’t handle fame well,” LaBeouf says. “Most actors on most days don’t think they’re worthy. I have no idea where this insecurity comes from, but it’s a God-sized hole. If I knew, I’d fill it, and I’d be on my way.”

Now you don’t have to be a celebrity to experience the demands of sudden success. Take the business owner who suddenly finds himself or herself leading an organization for which they are ill-equipped to run. They lack the people skills, the leadership skills and emotional intelligence to make things work smoothly. Working hours increase. Productivity decreases. Frustration and overwhelm take over. Anxiety becomes normal. Then personal criticism starts, which begins a never ending cycle of self-doubt and lowered self-confidence.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Here are 5 things you must know if you are experiencing sudden success in any area of your life.

1. Sudden Success Brings out the Weirdos. When you become more visible in your company, publicly or even in your family, weird things can happen. It’s like the old story of the crabs in the pot - whenever one crab almost reaches the top of the pot and newfound freedom, the other crabs pull him back in to die. Expect opportunities to arise, communications to increase and watch out for people who want to use you or ride your coattails. You will need some trusted advisors to put together a system to discern your good opportunities and weed out the dream stealers.

2. You will need to learn emotional intelligence. When success demands more of you, it will demand more of your emotional energy as well. You will have days where you wonder if it’s all worth it, and begin the cycle of self-defeat. Don’t go there. Likewise, you will need to learn to manage your emotional state in every situation to be able to think clearly and react appropriately to things coming at you fast. People will begin to judge you, have opinions about you, and that can make you feel bad if they are negative. With a high level of emotional intelligence, you will understand that people’s opinions of you have nothing to do with you, and everything to do with whatever they are experiencing at the time (if you don’t understand this now, you will. I’ll explain in another post about perception).

3. People skills become VERY important. Most people aren’t trained in understanding others’ personal style, filters, values and perspective. Therefore, communication breakdown occurs more often as teams grow and you need more people around you to handle daily activities. It is imperative that you become a student of people and behavior to be able to hire the right staff, understand their needs and get people to their most productive level. Once of the biggest mistakes people make when hiring people to work for them is the “warm body” approach. They take a person with a certain skillset and try to make them do a job they aren’t good at, and then wonder why it isn’t working. Proactive understanding of people matching to skillsets is a must.

4. You MUST become a better leader. When more demands are placed on you as you grow, the general tendency is to be like a rat in a cage, trying to run faster and faster on the wheel. Worry that things won’t get done, anxiety over whether people are actually doing the work, when will it get done cause many sleepless nights for fast-growing business owners.

Recently, I was hired by a small business owner to help with this exact issue. She was working almost 20 hour days, losing sleep over details and she had people she wanted to work with to build a team but didn’t know how. We restructured her time, I taught her communication and people skills, but most of all, I taught her how to let go without losing control. As a result, we engaged a team of 5 amazing people to help her. She reclaimed 47 hours per month. Doing things right, she hit ALL of her revenue goals within 30 days.

I tell you this because as a small business owner, you don’t always get to see what the big companies do to develop their people. Big companies spend millions on leadership training, communication training and the like just to help people get along and be more productive and have better performance overall. Small business owners struggle, not knowing that a different way is so close.

5. You will learn to say “No”. Decision-making skills are imperative in helping you deal with success. Information, requests, communication will all increase, and your ability to say no to time-wasters, distraction, guilt, frustration and overwhelm will become a skill you’ll wish you had a long time ago. Your goals will become more clear, and so your ability to weed out potentially unproductive opportunities will be heightened as you truly go to that next level.

While there are many other things that go along with sudden success, these are some of the most important. When your focus turns inward to making yourself a better leader, communicator, influencer and visionary, your entire world will change. Your success will be sweet, exciting and manageable.

Nutrition facts and the omega 5 oil benefit of pomega5

2009-08-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

Omega 5 oil technology as part of the evolving greentech economy

2009-08-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

Pomegranates and Arthritis

2009-08-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

ARTHRITIS - THE CLINICAL EVIDENCE THAT POMEGRANATE MAY SLOW THE PROGESSION OF ARTHRITIS

Arthritis and Pomegranate (OSTEOARTHRITIS)

DOES POMEGRANATE SLOW THE DETERIORATION OF CARTILAGE?

In a study conducted in 2005 at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and later published in the Journal of Medicine, it was reported that Pomegranate slowed the progression of osteoarthritis.

In particular, this clinical study of Pomegranate focused on the role of Pomegranate as against Interleukin-1b-(IL-1b), which is a pro-inflammatory protein molecule that plays a major role in cartilage degradation, a key component of osteoarthritis.

The IL-1b protein molecules cause an overproduction of inflammatory molecules that includes matrix metalloproteases (MMP), which are enzymes essential to tissue remodeling. When these inflammatory molecules are manufactured in the presence of osteoarthritis, they further degrade the cartilage matrix which causes joint damage and destruction. This was the first study of its kind directly studying the use of Pomegranate and its role in osteoarthritis. The conclusion is that consumption of Pomegranate fruit extract may assist in protecting cartilage from the adverse effect of IL-1b and the suppression of cartilage degradation.

THE SCIENCE BACKING

THE USE OF POMEGRANATE

During the period from 2000 through 2007, there has been an enormous number of scientific studies investigating the use of Pomegranate for a wide variety of diseases. There are certainly more clinical studies of Pomegranate to date than there have been for Acai.

The flavonoids found in fruits and vegetables have been the focus for their beneficial effects on many health issues. In particular, Pomegranate has been found to have both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The above-mentioned study was the first of its kind to demonstrate that Pomegranate fruit extracts slow the deterioration and destruction of human cartilage.

OTHER BENEFITS OF POMEGRANATE: ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES

In clinical tests, Pomegranate has demonstrated very powerful anti-inflammatory properties which, in and of itself, is important for those suffering from chronic pain and disease, such as osteoarthritis. Less inflammation in your body equals less pain and it is a factor in premature aging.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) has a long and rich history that dates back for centuries. Today, it enjoys the distinction of being called a superfruit.

NUTRIENTS AND POMEGRANATE

Although Pomegranate is not known as a significant source of nutrients per se, it does have some distinct health benefits that have been found in clinical studies.

Pomegranate provides average adult user 16% of the daily Vitamin C requirements (per 100 ml serving) and Vitamin B-5 (panthothenic acid), potassium, and antioxidant polyphenols.

CLINICAL STUDIES - POMEGRANATE

Clearly, there have been some major health benefits associated with the consumption of Pomegranate. Those benefits cannot be disputed. However, as the growing body of research through official, peer-reviewed studies continues, so will the health benefits.

For your convenience, we have attached a very lengthy review of clinical studies that have been conducted on both Acai and Pomegranate. To summarize some of the clinical studies of Acai and Pomegranate, the following summarizes some of the clinical studies that have been conducted to date.

As with most other clinical studies of efficacy, some studies involved humans and other involved animals. It should be noted that this list is not all inclusive as clinical studies of both Acai and Pomegranate continue.

Linda does not suffer from arthritis

Healing Lifestyles and Spas and Woman's World Magazines cover super natural Pomega5 products, read more about it...

2008-07-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

Category Wars: Despite Economic Dip, Organic Food Sales Soar

Demand for organic products grows despite downturn.

If there's a recession, organic food doesn't know it. Even in a down economy, green consumers have shown a willingness to pay more for organic, natural or environmentally-friendly products, per a study released last week by the Natural Marketing Institute and The Nielsen Co. (which is parent to Brandweek).

The Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (or LOHAS) consumers are top spenders in many consumer packaged goods categories. "They are less price sensitive, and also have more fully integrated LOHAS products into their lifestyle and are less likely to go back," said Gwynne Rogers, business director at NMI, Harleysville, Pa.

About 20% of Americans make up this segment of buyers. These highly desirable consumers tend to spend 10% more in warehouse clubs as well as buy more cereal, jelly, pasta, produce, soup and ready-to-serve prepared food than "non-green" consumers. Products labeled organic represented $4.4 billion in sales for the 52 weeks ended April 19 (excluding Wal-Mart), per The Nielsen Company. Mintel, Chicago, forecasts sales will grow to $6.8 billion by 2012.Small brands are seeing big growth. Ian's Natural Food's grows 45% annually, per the company.

Nature's Path Foods, meanwhile, grew 30% in the first half of this year and will launch 15 new products by year's end."It's much easier for [organic products]…to get onto shelves today than it was 10 years ago," said John Foraker, CEO of Annie's, in Napa, California. "As big CPG companies give organic credibility, that's made it easier." But once inside the battle for shelf space can be fierce. Annie's natural macaroni and cheese, for example, is going head to head with Kraft's organic offering."There is some brand loyalty [among organic foods] but not as much as you would hope," said Pam Dietz, director at soy milk manufacturer Vita Soy in Ayer, Mass.To compete, smaller brands have beefed up in-store promotions. I

n one program, Nature's Path is co-branding with Organic Valley and Stoneyfield Farm yogurt to include cross-promotional $1 coupons to push joint purchases of organic yogurt and cereal.Annie's and Vita Soy are plucking the cause-conscious heart strings of shoppers with promos that raise funds for school gardens and breast cancer research, respectively. VitaSoy's pink-colored containers court retailers by allowing them to choose the local breast cancer program they prefer to donate to.Nielsen and NMI point out there are also still numerous categories that have yet to be exploited. Its report shows organic noncarbonated drinks, baking mixes, frozen desserts and syrups are "opportunities for CPG manufacturers and retailers seeking to capture LOHAS consumers wallet."

http://www.pomega5.com/

Sephora skin care for men

2008-07-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

sephora skin care for men

ATHENS (Reuters) - Nine British women were facing prostitution charges after being arrested at the weekend for taking part in an oral sex competition in the Greek holiday island of Zakynthos, police said on Monday.

Six British and six Greek men, including two bar owners, were also charged in the incident, which took place at Laganas beach in the south of the Ionian island, which lies off the west coast of mainland Greece, police said.

The women, who came to the popular resort on holiday, had been paid to take part in the competition, which was video recorded and was to be posted on the Internet, police said.

The men were charged with encouraging obscene behavior.

In recent years, Laganas has established itself as one of Greece's most popular destinations for twenty-something holidaymakers and is known for its wild party scene.

Around 15 million people -- a fifth of them British -- visit the eastern Mediterranean country each year, drawn by its soaring summer temperatures, azure waters and sandy beaches.

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Pomegranates and antioxidants

2008-07-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

DOES IT WORK?

Pomegranate - and its juice - are a most useful source of antioxidants in a proper, varied diet

POMEGRANATE JUICE has received much attention in the past couple of years, although the fruit remains relatively unfamiliar in much of the west. The fruit grows on a small tree, Punica granatum , that is native to Iran, Afghanistan, the Himalayas and parts of the Mediterranean.
Grenadine was originally made from the fruit, giving it its blood-red colour, though other fruits and flavourings are now used.

The name pomegranate comes from the Latin term for seeded apple. The fruit looks like an apple with a crown where the flower once blossomed. When opened, hundreds of shiny ruby-shaped seeds spill forth in the midst of an intense red juice.

For this reason, pomegranates have long been seen as a symbol of human fertility. Currently, interest is focused on the potential benefits of pomegranate juice in preventing heart disease and cancer.

Evidence from studies

Pomegranate juice contains several compounds belonging to the class called polyphenols. These are important antioxidants. Oxidation is a chemical reaction by which the body breaks down food to release energy.

But if too much oxidation occurs, cells and tissues can be damaged. The body uses a variety of antioxidants to keep things in balance, including a range of antioxidants from the diet. People who don't eat enough fruits and vegetables often get insufficient dietary antioxidants.

A large amount of evidence has shown that people with lower amounts of antioxidants in their diets are at higher risk of heart disease and some cancers. This finding has been part of the reason why much emphasis is being placed on increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables that people eat.

Analyses of pomegranate juice have found that it has a higher antioxidant potency than any other commonly recommended antioxidant drinks. A study released earlier this year found that the order of potency was pomegranate juice, red wine, grape juice, blueberry juice and black cherry juice. Green tea, another commonly recommended antioxidant, was ninth on the list, with black tea tenth.

Different tests are used to calculate this potency, with some of them finding pomegranate juice more than twice as powerful as the second-ranked red wine.

Such findings have triggered a lot of research into whether the antioxidants lead to better health in those drinking pomegranate juice. A small number of studies have shown that people drinking pomegranate juice daily have reduced oxidative levels in their blood.

This is a good sign that their risk of developing some types of heart disease may be reduced. A very small study (with only 19 patients) found that after three months those drinking the juice daily had less narrowing of their arteries compared to those consuming a placebo drink. A few other studies have shown beneficial effects on blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Interest has also developed into whether pomegranate juice might lower cancer risk, with some early positive findings with prostate cancer. Research is at the earliest stages, but such benefits would be in keeping with pomegranate's high level of antioxidants.

Problematic aspects

Studies have not revealed any problems with the juice, although very few people have been involved in studies so far. Allergies to the juice and seeds have been recorded. Concerns have also been expressed about anyone with liver problems consuming large quantities of the juice.
Some studies found benefits when people drank 50ml of juice daily, while others recommended drinking 240ml per day. Anyone being treated for any heart condition should talk to his or her doctor before starting to take pomegranate juice regularly.

Recommendations

The importance of having sufficient antioxidants in one's diet is well established. Pomegranate juice is an excellent source of antioxidants. Being new to the dietary supplement scene, little clinical research has been conducted on the juice. As part of a diet that includes a variety of plants and vegetables, pomegranate juice appears to be a healthy option.

www.pomega5.com
omega 5 oil products

Premium body care products by POMEGA5

2008-07-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act defines cosmetics as “articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body…for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance.”

That definition covers a lot more products than just eye shadow and foundation. It includes everything from lipstick and lotion to deodorant, shaving cream, toothpaste and mouthwash. Both women and men regularly use products that are defined as “cosmetics.” The average person uses as many as 25 personal care products everyday, coming into contact with as many as 100 chemicals before breakfast.

Shockingly, the US government is not regulating the safety of these chemicals. The FDA does not test the chemicals in any cosmetic product before it hits store shelves and is not authorized to require recalls of cosmetics that are found to contain toxins. Cosmetics companies are not required by the FDA to register their company, provide information on the ingredients used in their products, or to report injuries related to their products.

The FDA has banned or restricted the use of only 9 of the over 12,000 ingredients commonly used in cosmetics. The European Union, on the other hand, has much more stringent standards and has banned more than 1,000 chemicals thought to be carcinogens, mutagens, and reproductive toxins.

So who is responsible for regulating the safety of cosmetic ingredients in the US? The Cosmetic Ingredient Review, or CIR, established in 1976 and funded by the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association is responsible for this task. Sound a bit inbred? Perhaps. The CIR is also a voluntary program and has reviewed only about 11% of all ingredients used in cosmetics.

This brazen lack of accountability has led to some very dangerous chemicals in our cosmetics. Lead is a major ingredient of many lipsticks and, in the US, it’s a legal ingredient in cosmetics-no matter how high the amount. When California tried recently to ban its use, the beauty industry lobbied against it so hard that the bill was overturned. A proven neurotoxin, lead was banned from use in paints. So while it’s illegal to paint our walls with lead, it’s perfectly legal to paint our faces with it.

Besides lead, there are a variety of other toxic, as well as just plain foul, ingredients commonly used in cosmetics. Phthalates, used often in perfumes and nail polish remover, are a chemical plasticizer and solvent that have even been found in babies’ bloodstreams. Cow placenta and “ethically sourced” human placenta are also sometimes used as ingredients. Ahem…did you say human placenta? Watch out for ingredients such as “placental protein” and collagen if you’re not interested in various human or animal parts in your daily skin regimen.

Cosmetic ingredients are not, however, all dire. There are organic and natural body care companies that have adhered to strict guidelines on the purity of their ingredients for years. Other companies are taking action and pledging to make their cosmetics safer.

In March, Whole Foods began screening products for safety and environmental impact. They placed a Premium Body Care seal on products that are free from synthetic fragrance and that don’t contain about 250 synthetic chemicals that are commonly used in cosmetic products. CVS has promised to remove chemicals linked to poor health from its house-branded products, as well as to increase placement of products that are safer alternatives.

So, what can you do to ensure you’re getting the safest and most environmentally sound body care products?

Start with the products you use every day: read the labels, investigate any mysterious ingredients, and replace toxic products with organic and chemical-free alternatives.

Check the Skin Deep Cosmetics Safety Database where they rate the safety of various cosmetics brands on a scale of 1-10.

Check out the Greener Alternatives list by Teens For Safe Cosmetics and avoid their “Dirty Dozen Plus” list…

Butyl Acetate
Butylated Hydroxytoluene
Coal Tar
Cocamide DEA/Lauramide DEA
Diazolidinyl Urea
Ethyl Acetate
Formaldehyde
Parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl)
Petrolatum
Phthalates
Propylene Glycol
Sodium Laureth/Sodium Laurel Sulfate
Talc
Toluene
Triethanolamine

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Finding beauty with Pomega5 ultra natural skin care

2008-07-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

When people talk about where they find beauty and what is beautiful to them, they reveal whom they love and how they love, and what they love to do.

Listening as people recollect and offer their own beauty stories, I am in awe of the ways that beauty moves in our lives. Everyone who has a family, or loves an animal or a place or a piece of music, has a beauty story to tell. A man reflects on the challenge of keeping Eros alive in a long marriage, a woman speaks of what it was like to grow up with a mother who was a model, another comments on learning how to appreciate her own beauty when compared to a classically gorgeous sister.

As we speak about our personal relationship to beauty and what is beautiful to us, we reveal our longings to be seen, our need for acceptance, the powerful influence of mothers and fathers, grandparents, older siblings, first loves and favorite cousins, our keen ability to remember what embarrassed, confused, and delighted us, our yearnings to stand out and to fit in, our desire to be loved. In our own stories we mark the distinction between looking beautiful and feeling beautiful — the part of us trapped by our culture and the part of us that knows our own value.

A nurse declares that her beauty secret is that the husband who adores her is nearsighted, so when she is close enough for him to see her, is seeing her with the eyes of love. A newspaper story describes how a young interracial blind couple got together when she became attracted to voice, reminding us that prejudice is born in dismissing people because look different, because we see them as exotic and frightening.

“Love is blind,” we say, but perhaps it is more accurate to say love sees with different eyes. Love sees beyond the surface. Love opens the door for beauty. When we see with the eye, we develop the ability to refine, to judge, to discriminate. When we see with the heart, we expand the view of what it is to be human, see the common dream, see the wisdom of friends and neighbours, and see there is no separation between that which is most beautiful and the everyday world. The eye of the heart sees with a wholeness that allows imperfections and idiosyncrasies to coexist with beauty. The eye of the heart knows surface and depth are not opposites. Beauty is a process, a revelation, not a finished state.

Beauty reveals itself over time in relationship. The people I love are beautiful to me. I’m not sure if my eyes are blinded by love or it is love that lets me see their beauty. Knowing them over time, my appreciation of who they are and how they appear increases. Their beauty comes from their liveliness and authentic sweetness, their intention to live lives that make some sense (and some nonsense), the spirited coherence of being who they are.

A teacher recalls sitting in on another teacher’s class and thinking, “Isn’t it strange how ordinary looking, how rather plain these kids are? My students are beautiful.” She sees her students as gorgeous because she knows them well. “When you sit with them or work with them and see them every day and know their moods, they become more amazing, not less so,”‘ she says. “And then, I realized that the kids in the other classroom look beautiful to their teacher, too.”

When a beautician notes, “All my clients are beautiful,” I hear how her awareness of and attention to beauty brings it out in others.

When we are most alive, we are beautiful. When we are in love, we are reminded that we are beautiful. And sometimes when we know we are beautiful, we find ourselves in love. “In love” usually means the romantic sense of being with one other person who in that moment we feel reflects us perfectly. In love, living in the field of love. Sometimes I have felt like I was in love, even when there was no one I was in love with. I couldn’t talk about my lover’s hands or eyes or voice. I couldn’t focus all this love on one other, and it was both confusing and revealing to realize how much we become places for each other to rest in. Alone and “in love” it is easy to feel like you’re making it up. Our songs and movies have told us such great sentimental stories about being “in love,” we forget that being in love can be a state of truth as well as an illusion.

Long-time friends witnessing a friend “falling in love” often caution the infatuated person that being in love is a dizzy, temporary state. I think of this territory not just as a delicious romantic dance, but as a field to which we can travel from many places. There is a way in which being in love with anything — a person, a place, a project — is crossing a border into a country where the ego does not rule, being in a state where essence is honoured. We are both inside and outside our everyday selves. It is always interesting to observe what happens when we return to the land of ordinary life. Can we live with more generosity and trust?

I never want to underestimate the capacity that being “in love” has to change our seeing, expand our vision, and remind us of both human beauty and human frailty. The search for the beloved is full of paradoxes. We want to be who we are when we are our best self, and sometimes because we have met that self when we are in love, we believe that self only exists in the presence of the other. So we hold on to the other and lose ourselves, forget that love is partly of this world and partly of some other place.

An old beau spoke of the danger of trying to make our lovers be God, insisting that we each need our own relationship to the Source. It sounded logical, but I rebelled at his analysis. In this world, one of the ways we glimpse God is when we are in love. Not that the beloved is God, but that God is the Beloved, a tradition as old as the Song of Songs and the ecstatic poems of wandering Indian mystics, the Sufis. One of the most beautiful and accessible ways to address God is as Love.

The Greeks gave us an image of Eros, the unpredictable archer before whom even the Gods trembled. Hindus tell their stories of the Gopi maidens seeking Krishna, the bewitchingly beautiful, blue-skinned god; Krishna with his soft glowing eyes, perfumed hair, Krishna drawing women to him, touching each in forgotten registers of being.

What is done with love is done in beauty to celebrate the God that loves. More and more I believe the messengers of love, the envoys and the couriers of beauty are everywhere. And I wonder how something so clear can also be mysterious. The Indian poet Ghalib writes, “This earth, burnished by hearing the Name, is so certain of Love that the sky bends unceasingly down, to greet its own light.”

I love POMEGA5 products -- how do I become a natural cosmetic chemist?

2008-07-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

If You Want to be a Cosmetic Chemist Here is What You Do

Hi, I’m currently looking in to Cosmetic Science as a career. I will be graduating from uni this year but have no previous experience in the area. I plan to do a diploma from the SCS in Cosmetic Science to start me off. If you have any advice or information I’d be very grateful. Thank you!

We respond:

Heather, how wonderful that you want to enter cosmetic science. This industry, and science based industries in general, need more women. I have always found it amusing/appalling to hear non-make-up wearing, bald men men in our industry blab on about exactly what women want.

Ha!
We often get asked this and similar questions about becoming a cosmetic scientist so we’ll provide a general answer here. Hopefully, some of this information helps you.

Key Moves to Become a Cosmetic Scientist

1. Get a science degree. Unless you have a relative who started the company, you will need a college degree in science since most cosmetic firms require it. Preferred ones include degrees in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering. However, plenty of scientists in our industry have Biology, Microbiology, and even Physics degrees. The specific college or Uni that you attend is less important than which degree you received.

2. Consider getting an advanced degree. True, a 4-year college degree is all you need, but you can improve your chances of breaking into cosmetics by getting an advanced degree. Your involvement with the SCS is a great start in the UK. In the United States, there are only a few advanced degrees offered. These include places like the University of Cincinnati, St. John’s University, Rutgers University, University of Southern California, etc. Check the college’s Pharmacy departments for more information. You can contact the Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC) for a complete list. In addition to getting something good for putting on your resume, you’ll get invaluable experience making cosmetic products & meet some great people.

3. Find the companies where you’d like to work. This industry has thousands of companies that employ cosmetic chemists. Where do you find them? If you like, internet searches work, but you can also search trade magazines like Happi or GCI. In GCI, your search can be done by region of the US or world. Of course, you can also look at what company makes a product you like and Google their contact information to inquire about jobs.

4. Figure out what job you want. Speaking of jobs, many different different ones exist in the cosmetic industry for scientists. If you actually want to make formulas, you’ll want a formulating job. People who enjoyed experiments in Organic Chemistry might like these jobs. If you were more interested in Analytical Chemistry than you’ll want to find a job in an analytical lab. You can also find jobs in microbiology, perfumery, and quality control. For chemical engineers, your job search can lead you to process engineering which requires you to figure out how you might scale 1kg batches up to 10,000 kg tanks. Finally, if all else fails you can get a sales job. Raw material suppliers always look for people with technical backgrounds who can sell product. Personally, I think formulating jobs rule!

5. Find a temporary assignment. If it is too difficult to break directly into the industry, you might try finding a job through a temp agency. These companies can place you at big cosmetic companies like P&G or Unilever for a short or longer term assignment. Many people get hired on permanently at companies after starting as a temp.

6. Network with other cosmetic chemists. If you really want to step ahead of the other cosmetic science job seekers, strike up relationships with other scientists that already work on cosmetics. The most popular US association is the SCC and in the UK it is the SCS. For other countries you can contact the IFSCC to find out your local organization. The SCC has chapters throughout the US and you can often visit a monthly meeting for free. If you prefer computers, look on LinkedIn, Facebook or MySpace for chemists who list their affiliation. You can even join our Beauty Brains Forum and get connected with other cosmetic chemists.

www.pomega5.com

Paraben free sun screen by a reader of our blog

2008-07-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

The July 8th article in Live Science "Most Sunscreens Fail to Protect <>" came as no surprise to me. In fact, it seems that most sunscreen companies have been keeping us all in the dark for far too long. Last March, while I was cooking dinner one night and watching my two kids fighting over a toy in the backyard, I got a phone call that would change my life.

It was my dermatologist. She told me that a mole I had removed a few weeks back was melanoma. I was in total shock. After a big chunk of my leg was removed and the lab determined that I was in Stage 1 cancer, the fear of never seeing my kids grow up finally began to dissipate.

I had faced my fear of death. But how was I going to live? I had to figure out a way to do that in our sun-obsessed, outdoor, year-around sunbathing California culture. This meant no more afternoon beach walks. No more family "Surf Sunday" trips. No more trips to Maui to visit friends. No more afternoons at the park with my kids. "Don't be in the sun between 10 and 4," the doctors told me. Well, my misery knew no limits.

Yes, I was going to live, but not in a bubble. I refused. The only answer to my constant question to every doctor I saw was the same - "use a Zinc Oxide SPF 30+ sunscreen, cover up and stay out of the sun." Ok, now I was on a quest. A quest to find the perfect sunscreen. A quest to get my old life back, or at least some sense of freedom. I was driven and determined and probably too obsessed by it, but I found out some pretty scary things along the way.

In my search for the amazing elixir that would banish all my pre-cancerous cells and stop the formation of any new ones, I bumped into some ugly things about our skin care industry. I knew that since I would have to wear sunscreen all over my body every day of the year I began to do some research on what is actually in it. It was pretty shocking. Almost every brand I found contained a preservative called Parabens (menthy, poly, etc.).

I also found out that recently scientists have found topical parabens in human breast cancer tumors. So basically anything with Parabens added to it to preserve the product's shelf life will be absorbed into your bloodstream and act as an estrogen mimicker. Then it will bind to estrogen receptors in your body and create a negative feedback system where estrogen-related tumors can flourish. These chemicals are the "Trans-Fats" of the cosmetic world and they are in everything! Even "all natural" products contain them because they are cheap for the manufacturers to use. For years Parabens have been added to our favorite shampoos, conditioners, lotions, moisturizers, makeup and lipsticks. So now I had to protect myself from skin cancer and end up with breast cancer instead. No thank you!

According to my research, more than 60% of your favorite skin care products are absorbed through your skin, which is the largest organ in your body. This means that chemical preservatives, fragrance, coloring agents, and stabilizers added to almost all skin care products are being introduced into your bloodstream every time you apply a cream or lotion. The thought of this can be staggering when you realize how many products most men and women use each day before 8 am.

I finally found a brand called Pomega5 which satisfies all my needs, the best skin care ever.

And there is Terrain (Vanicream is good too, but a bit thick and hard to apply) that is chemical free, Paraben free and uses 9% micronized Zinc-Oxide as a sun blocker (the best you can use for sun protection). And to my delight, they also made a sunscreen for my kids. It is perfect for the body, but I needed something more sensitive for my face. So I use Elta MD, paraben free and SPF 40 on my face and chest every day. But as for my other skin care products, it was really hard to find a natural substitute for my Dior Show mascara or Aveeno lotion. But it is really worth it. I love the Jane Iredale makeup, Alba lotion (only some are paraben- free, so always check labels), and Alba shaving lotion. And that is about it.

I have tried lots of things, but nothing else seems to fit my high standards and my needs. As for my kids, i am very protective (as you can imagine) about what is absorbed into their bloodstream. Kid's skin is much more porous that adults, so these toxic chemicals affect them quicker and can have more serious side effects. My favorite is still California Baby Shampoo Sensitive and Fragrance free. I use this for all washing (hair and body) and they use Tom's of Maine toothpaste. That's it for them. Kids don't need a lot of fuss or products. Just clean and simple. Another thing i have added to my diet is Calcium D-Glucarate. It bonds with any toxic estrogen (like parabens) in my body and helps to remove it so that it will not build up in my tissues where estrogen receptors are located (like breast tissue and ovarian tissue, just to name a few).

A great site I have found to check out the toxicity level of a skin care product is: www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. Sometimes they don't always have the products listed, but i have found this site very helpful before I buy anything new. Always educate yourself and don't trust manufacturers. They watch out for their bottom line, not for your health. That is your job!

www.pomega5.com

POMEGA5 to file for the next $100 Million beauty brand

2008-07-11T19:04:00.001-07:00

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 11, 2008

PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----Product Partners, LLC announced today that the Breakthrough in Beauty(TM: 90.52, -2.08, -2.24%) 2009 global search is now actively accepting and reviewing submissions. Beauty entrepreneurs can submit innovative beauty products and ideas for consideration to become the next $100 million beauty brand. Up and coming beauty visionaries can submit their products only until August 30, 2008 at www.BreakthroughinBeauty.com. Finalists will be announced in late September and will participate in a two-day "Breakthrough in Beauty" event for a final round of competition to determine the winner of this year's search.

The annual Breakthrough in Beauty search identifies the top innovative new beauty products in the world. After evaluating thousands of promising entries, the winner of the search receives an infusion of resources to vault the winning product from obscurity and into the mainstream. Breakthrough in Beauty invests $3-5 million to launch the product to market, with an additional $50 million in advertising to secure its success. The winning product is then marketed directly to women in an easy to understand, convenient, and affordable format via TV infomercials.

"Breakthrough in Beauty(TM: 90.52, -2.08, -2.24%) represents a new, more personal era in beauty retailing," explained Marina Randolph, Founder of Breakthrough in Beauty. "By continually searching for and accepting only the very best in undiscovered concepts, incubating them and providing them with growth opportunities and guidance, we enable innovators to thrive. Their products become irreplaceable -- and more importantly, accessible -- in women's lives."

This year's search emphasizes color cosmetics products. Products that feature advanced technology as well as anti aging benefits or a natural appeal are also being sought. An esteemed panel of judges representing experts and leaders in the beauty industry will help evaluate submissions and select the final winner. This year's panel will feature a renowned color chemist, a top magazine beauty editor, a nationally recognized dermatologist and a world- class beauty branding expert. All submissions will receive valuable feedback from the expert panelists on the products, which would typically only be available at a premium cost for consultation.

Product Partners Chairman and CEO Carl Daikeler explains the five key benefits of submitting a product proposal for consideration. "Applicants' business proposals will be analyzed by a panel of industry experts and will receive free feedback," he says. "Then, the winning entry will receive funding for product development and testing, as well as advertising and marketing support to create global brand awareness. And, the winning applicant will have the opportunity for endless earning potential."

To submit beauty products for consideration, entrepreneurs need to visit www.BreakthroughinBeauty.com and click on "Download submission forms" link. By submitting a product proposal, the expert panel of judges will analyze the plans, provide specific feedback on strengths and weaknesses, and work with applicants to improve plans.

In two easy steps, the beauty entrepreneur is one step closer to being backed financially by a multimillion-dollar marketing and distribution campaign, according to Product Partners' President Jon Congdon. "In a questionnaire, applicants address their product, how it is unique to competitors, its ability to demonstrate visually, target demographic, product price point, manufacturing details, sales and distribution history if applicable, and other details that will be evaluated thoroughly," he explains.

For more information, visit www.BreakthroughinBeauty.com. To schedule an appointment with a representative from Breakthrough in Beauty at CosmoProf, HBA Health & Beauty America Exposition & Educational Conference or in the greater Los Angeles area, please contact Marina Randolph via phone at 323-904-5600, via email at mrandolph@BreakthroughinBeauty.com or via mail at Breakthrough in Beauty, 8383 Wilshire Blvd. #1050, Beverly Hills, CA 90211.

About Breakthrough in Beauty(TM: 90.52, -2.08, -2.24%)

Breakthrough in Beauty, the fastest-growing business division of Product Partners, LLC, discovers one-of-a-kind breakthrough skincare, cosmetics, and nutricosmetics from revolutionary formulations that use only the highest-performing ingredients, the very best in proven science innovations, and the newest natural trends in the market. Through a global beauty search, they select and nurture groundbreaking products that stand out amongst a sea of ordinary, useless beauty options. The innovative, high-quality products selected are made available to women in an easy, convenient, fun, and affordable way. Timeless Secret was selected as the first Breakthrough in Beauty search winner and will be commercially launched in early 2008.

www.pomega5.com

POMEGA5 may join a social network

2008-07-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

Companies still don't use social networking to potential

Most users of social networking web sites are motivated mainly by personal needs and a desire for entertainment, rather than business and practical objectives.

According to Gartner, although the potential of such sites for business remains largely untapped, they will become increasingly important to the competiveness of large enterprises in the future."Social networking software holds enormous potential for improving the management of large companies," says Nick Ingelbrecht, research director at Gartner. "However, work in this area is still immature and in the meantime companies should be aware of what is happening in the world of consumer social networking and implement appropriate usage policies for employees' use of services such as Facebook and MySpace on company time.

"The survey, which was undertaken across 18 countries and territories between October and December 2007, found that, of over 4 000 PC and mobile phone users, 38% connected to social networking sites via PC, less than 1% by mobile phone only, and 8% via both mobile phone and PC.Over half the respondents said that they did not visit social networking sites regularly or at all. Of those who did, male respondents tended to access mobile and online social networking services more frequently than females and the most active users in terms of life stage and age were single people and teenagers.Gartner's consumer segmentation model identifies three groups of early adopters most likely to use social networking - the "aspirers", "young funseekers" and "tech savants".As part of Gartner's research, respondents were also asked to rate how important social networking was for them as a reason for using the internet along with 14 other major internet applications.

Despite the hype surrounding social networking, internet users generally did not place a high level of importance on social network sites, compared with other mainstream Internet applications such as e-mail and search. However, taken together with other broader forms of networking, including instant messaging, e-mail, sharing of photos, files and chatrooms there is a significant aggregate level of interest in the social aspects of communication as opposed to applications that are simply transactional, diverting or functional.

Gartner predicts that online social networking will come to be regarded as just the latest expression of a long-standing pattern of human behaviours that involves an increasing range of communications protocols and technologies."Social networking is arguably as old as humanity, not something new that has been invented for so-called 'digital natives', says Julia Lin, project manager of research data and analytics at Gartner. "However, social networking has found new forms of expression on the internet which has helped to reshape the purpose and protocols of social networking in the online world and beyond. How to apply this in a corporate environment will be the next major challenge."

You can learn a lot about eco friendly prodcuts from POMEGA5

2008-07-07T21:55:00.001-07:00

How To Make Your Medicine Cabinet Eco-Friendly

It's no secret that changing your daily routine can benefit the Earth. Despite the difficulties of doing so, however, we seem to be willing to make the necessary sacrifices. A nationwide, online Harris poll of 2,600 people in May showed that more than half of U.S. adults have made changes in their lives that they believe will help sustain the environment, from recycling to paying bills online to installing energy-efficient appliances.

That eco-conscious attitude can extend to the products you use to support your own health. Experts say now may be the perfect time to examine some of the items in your medicine cabinet, given the growing array of environmentally friendly personal beauty and hygiene products.

"This sector is really exploding," says Jessica Jensen, co-founder of Low Impact Living, a Web site that helps consumers find the best green products, practices and service providers. "People are learning a lot more about the fact that many products are laden with toxins."

In fact, thanks to the popularity of the film An Inconvenient Truth and consumers who are increasingly green and health-aware, sales of natural and organic cosmetics are expected to pull in revenues approaching $7 billion this year in the U.S. That's a $1 billion jump over last year's numbers, according to the British consulting firm Organic Monitor.

Picking a nail polish or mascara that's good for you and the environment, however, involves a lot more than just searching out products with organic or natural labels and nixing those containing controversial ingredients such as petroleum, parabens and phthalates. There's also the product's packaging and the company's carbon footprint, among other things, to consider.

Luckily, Web sites such as the Environmental Working Group's cosmetic safety database Skin Deep and PristinePlanet.com have done much of the work for you. On Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Group has compiled information on ingredients in thousands of personal-care products and matched them against data in more than 50 toxicity and regulatory databases. Based on the results, each product is given its own "hazard" score. Pristine Planet, which grew its traffic from 50,000 to 100,000 shoppers over the past year, lets consumers browse, compare and review sustainable companies' products, including price points, says Catherine Finn, owner and co-founder.

One smart environmentally friendly medicine-cabinet item you can find on PristinePlanet.com is the Preserve toothbrush. Its handle is made from recycled plastic, including Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups. When you want to replace it, Preserve provides a postage-paid label for you to mail away your old toothbrush so it can be reprocessed into plastic lumber for picnic tables and decks. The company makes eco-minded toothbrushes for children, as well as razors for adults.

Jensen also recommends sticking with a few brands known for their commitment to the environment, such as Burt's Bees, J.R. Watkins Apothecary Natural Personal Care and Aubrey Organics. Burt's Bees, for instance, is a member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and recently started using biodegradable labels on some of its new products.

Beyond beauty and hygiene products, there are also a few environmentally friendly steps you can take when it comes to your medications. If you're one of the millions of Americans who has an albuterol asthma inhaler that uses chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as a propellant, it's time to switch to one powered by hydrofluoroalkanes (HFAs). CFCs are known to eat away at the ozone layer, causing more ultraviolet radiation to reach the Earth's surface and increasing the risk of skin cancer. There is little difference between the two inhalers other than the fact that the HFA version needs to be cleaned on a weekly basis to prevent clogs (The CFCs act as a cleaning agent). CFC inhalers will no longer be available after Dec. 31, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory.

What eco-friendly measures have you taken in your household? Share your thoughts in the Reader Comments section below.

"This is really an environmentally driven pharmaceutical change," says Dr. Ira Finegold, chief of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York. "And it's a great idea. We're saving a lot of people from getting cancer."

Given a recent Associated Press report that trace amounts of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics and sex hormones, are present in our drinking water, it's also a good time to start paying attention to how you dispose of what's in your medicine cabinet. Instead of pouring an expired bottle of cough syrup down the drain or flushing unused pills, as was once advised, the FDA now asks people to mix drugs in a sealable bag with coffee grounds or kitty litter and then throw them out. (Some drugs still contain instructions advising people to flush unused portions in order to reduce the danger of unintentional use, overdose and illegal abuse.)

Of course, most of the medications in our waterways are being excreted from our bodies and flushed. While wastewater is treated before it's discharged into rivers and lakes and cleansed again at drinking-water treatment plants, most treatments can't remove all drug residue. But U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and health officials say proper medicine disposal may help reduce the environmental threat.

"It's another opportunity to be proactive," says Mitchel Rothholz, chief of staff of the American Pharmacists Association.

www.pomega5.com

Cholesterol Screening

2008-07-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

Cholesterol Screening Is Urged for Young

By TARA PARKER-POPE

The nation’s pediatricians are recommending wider cholesterol screening for children and more aggressive use of cholesterol-lowering drugs starting as early as the age of 8 in hopes of preventing adult heart problems.

The new guidelines were to be issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday.

The push to aggressively screen and medicate for high cholesterol in children is certain to create controversy amid a continuing debate about the use of prescription drugs in children as well as the best approaches to ward off heart disease in adults.

But proponents say there is growing evidence that the first signs of heart disease show up in childhood, and with 30 percent of the nation’s children overweight or obese, many doctors fear that a rash of early heart attacks and diabetes is on the horizon as these children grow up.

Previously, the academy had said cholesterol drugs should be considered in children older than 10 if they fail to lose weight after a 6- to 12-month effort. The academy estimated that under the current guidelines, 30 percent to 60 percent of children with high cholesterol were being missed. And for some children, cholesterol-lowering drugs, called statins, may be their best hope of lowering their risk of early heart attack, proponents said.

“We are in an epidemic,” said Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, a member of the academy’s nutrition committee who is a professor and chief of neonatology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. “The risk of giving statins at a lower age is less than the benefit you’re going to get out of it.”

Dr. Bhatia said that although there was not “a whole lot” of data on pediatric use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, recent research showed that the drugs were generally safe for children.

Surprisingly, the paper published in the medical journal Pediatrics that explains the new guidelines notes that among adolescents, average total cholesterol levels as well as LDL and HDL cholesterol have remained stable, while triglyceride levels have dropped, based on data collected from 1988 to 2000.

It is not clear how many children would be affected by the new guidelines. The recommendations call for cholesterol screening of children and adolescents, starting as early as the age of 2 and no later than the age of 10, if they come from families with a history of high cholesterol or heart attacks before 55 for men and 65 for women.

Screening is also recommended for children when family history is unknown, or if they have other risk factors, like being at or above the 85th percentile for weight, or have diabetes.

If the child’s cholesterol level is normal, retesting is suggested in three to five years. Although lifestyle changes are still recommended as the first course of action, drug treatment should be considered for children 8 years and older who have bad cholesterol of 190 milligrams per deciliter and who also have a family history of early heart disease or two additional risk factors, the new recommendations say.

The guidelines give no guidance on how long a child should stay on drug treatment.

But they do say the first goal should be to lower bad cholesterol levels to less than 160 milligrams or possibly as low as 110 milligrams in children with a strong family history of heart disease or other risk factors like obesity.

Because statins have been around since only the mid-1980s, there is no evidence to show whether giving statins to a child will lower the risk for heart attack in middle age.

The academy also now recommends giving children low-fat milk after 12 months if a doctor is concerned about future weight problems. Although children need fat for brain development, the group says that because children often consume so much fat, low-fat milk is now appropriate.

www.pomega5.com

A devil of a diet pill, the making of a great product...

2008-07-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

Make TheDietInsiders.com your homepage Bookmark TheDietInsiders.com

Overview

FucoTHIN is a dietary supplement from the whole foods nutrition company Garden of Life founded by Jordan Rubin in 2000. After winning a personal battle with Crohn’s disease, Rubin established the company with a goal to “empower others to attain extraordinary health.” Garden of Life promotes healthy lifestyle choices such as exercise and eating whole foods. The website is chockfull of information on topics ranging from digestion to green living. It also has healthy lifestyle suggestions such as positive thinking and getting enough rest. While Garden of Life offers many non-weight-related products such as vitamin complexes and Immunity Support, the company’s promotion is geared toward their weight-management offerings.

The two Garden of Life weight-loss products are Perfect Meal and FucoTHIN. FucoTHIN was discovered and developed by Dr. Zakir Ramazanov while he was studying the health benefits of seaweed.

Dr. Ramazanov was a consultant to POMEGA5, the developer of the Omega 5 oil skin care line.

Product Details

FucoTHIN contains the fat-burning ingredient fucoxanthin, an antioxidant found in seaweed. What makes this ingredient unique compared to other fat-burning ingredients is that it is thermogenic (it boosts metabolism) without affecting the central nervous system. In turn, this product does not increase heart rate, a typical, unwelcome side effect of weight-loss drugs. Another ingredient is pomegranate seed oil , omega 5, which is a significant CLA, and is possibly the secret behid the formula. The website suggests that pomegranate seed oil aids natural thermogenesis. The patent is pending on FucoTHIN, but at the moment it is the only supplement on the market using concentrated fucoxanthin. (Other products contain lower doses of fucoxanthin.) Garden of Life has patented this concentration under the name Xanthigen. Additional ingredients are gelatin, extra virgin olive oil, and purified water.

Results from FucoTHIN are expected after six to eight weeks when combined with other health-conscious changes regarding diet and exercise. In a clinical trial, those who used FucoTHIN lost approximately 11.5 pounds (on average) more than those who followed the same lifestyle regime without any supplement.

The Good

All the ingredients in FucoTHIN are natural.
Fucoxanthin is a non-stimulant and should not cause jitters.
FucoTHIN has been tested in a clinical trial.
Patient testimonials are offered on the official product website.
The official website offers a $5 coupon.
The product is available at many health stores.

The Bad

The Food and Drug Administration has not investigated the product claims.
The price is not indicated on the official website. (The price varies.)
No free product sample is offered.

The Bottom Line

All of the ingredients in FucoTHIN are natural, which may be comforting to many consumers. The company Garden of Life does not claim that this product will magically melt away the pounds, but must be combined with smart choices about food and exercises. With those caveats, though, results from the clinical trial indicate that the supplement increases the potential for weight loss. What distinguishes this product from other weight-loss products (in addition to its all-natural recipe) is its claim to be a non-stimulant. Users should not experience jitters.

The website does have a section devoted to the science of fucoxanthin, but it will read like gibberish to most buyers. However, the thoroughness of the website-from helpful lifestyle tips to a story about the discovery of fucoxanthin inspires confidence.

www.pomega5.com

What is wrong with the women in Australia?

2008-07-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

1 in 5 Oz women indulge in cyber-sex

Melbourne, June 30:

Sex is not just limited to bedroom anymore, for women have found their sex haven in the virtual world as well, what with one in five Aussie women admitting to having a sexual encounter in an internet chatroom, reveals a new survey.

Conducted by author Joan Sauers for her new book ‘Sex Lives of Australian Women’, the survey questioned nearly 2000 women from around the country. The survey also revealed more than 50 percent women in Australia had sent or received a sexual text message and one in five have starred in their own sex tape. "As a society, we increasingly rely on technology to get the job done, whatever the job is.

Have Australian women joined the cyber-sexual revolution?” News.com.au quoted Joan Sauers, as writing in the book. The results indicated that the most avid participants in are women in their 20s (26 percent) followed by those in their 50s (21 percent). In fact, a large number of women said that they found net sex "liberating", "exciting", "guilt-free", empowering and safe, ensuring that there was no chance of STDS or pregnancy.

However, there were others who described the experience as "empty", "unfulfilling", "demeaning", "tacky" and "pretty lame". But, Sauers said that the number of women who had good experiences with chat room sex was twice more than those who had bad experiences. One of the aspects of cyber sex is the use of webcam, for many women use it either with their partner or with strangers.

The survey also showed that young women are increasingly getting hooked on text sex using their mobile phones. While 70 percent of women in their twenties had engaged in sexual SMS exchanges, the figure was 44 percent for those in their forties and 34 percent for women in their fifties. In the mean time, 22 percent of women in their twenties and 20 percent of women in their thirties had been filmed or taped having sex.

While some enjoyed the experience, not many were thrilled on seeing the results in the cold, hard light of day. In fact, a lot of them said they didn't like seeing themselves on film because they looked "fat". "It was fine, but to tell you the truth ... watching it again was hilarious ... not erotic ... my arse was NOT ever meant to be on a tape," responded a 33-year-old mother from Western Australia.

www.pomega5.com

Green living online to get boost from young greentech beauty writers

2008-07-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

greenlivingonline.com: Better Than Ever

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 2, 2008) - Green Living Online is already Canada's premier go-to web destination for the best green information available.

Now greenlivingonline.com is even more accessible, with a new design and new offerings geared to Canadians.The site continues to offer a wide range of articles that track green trends, products, personalities and issues, in Canada and around the world. But visitors can now also enjoy a new entertainment section, videos and daily blogs from green industry experts.

Erin Schrode, the spokesperson for Teens for Safe Cosmetics, will write the Sustainable Beauty blog about green personal-care products and the cosmetic industry. And food expert Lindsay Evans shares healthy food tips and recipes in her DeLish Bites blog. Meanwhile, online editor Shelagh McNally keeps us up to date with her Green at a Glance blog.

Green Living magazine will also be offered free online in a digital format and visitors can sign up for a weekly online newsletter."The new look and content at greenlivingonline.com reflect the dynamic changes taking place as the green economy takes off," says Laurie Simmonds, President and CEO of Green Living Enterprises.

"Green Living has been the source for all things green and Canadian for a decade now, and our website reflects our knowledge and our commitment to offering Canadians the information they're looking for."Green Living Online is a division of Green Living Enterprises (GLE), one of the first major Canadian communications companies to recognize and respond to environmental issues.

Through Green Living magazine, Green Living Online and the Green Living Shows in Toronto and Vancouver, GLE is widely recognized as an authentic and media-savvy green authority, with expertise in magazine and book publishing, custom publishing, corporate consulting, brand promotion, event management, sponsorships and fundraising.

www.pomega5.com

Why do women crave for sex in the summer?

2008-06-30T22:22:00.001-07:00

It's the one thing hotter than the weather these days – sultry summer sex. You can all but fan yourself (among other things) thinking about it.

But what is it about the summer season that makes us so much more aroused?

There are a number of reasons summertime awakens one's libido. Males, in particular, respond greatly to external, visual triggers, like the sudden influx of women in bikinis, sundresses, mini-skirts and halter-tops. But it's not just this full moon effect of the scantily-clad that has us all howling with desire:

— Sunlight warms the libido.

You're likelier to feel more consumed with lust when it's sunny. It's hypothesized that sunlight helps to produce a hormone, MSH, which is linked to sexual desire. Also, sunlight stimulates the pineal gland, which reduces the amount of the body's hormone melatonin, elevating our mood and awakening our sex drive.

— Everyone looks sexier.

Men are hotter than ever; their summer clothes are showing off those toned arms and firm buttocks. Women have a sun-kissed, blushed appearance – the same appearance we have right after sex. This is the time for women to strip down and flaunt their assets, like our cleavage. Finally, a tan makes our curves and muscles seem more prominent, so we sport fewer clothes. No matter what your gender, feeling better about your healthy summer self helps you to exude confidence and project energy that is infectious – and sexy!

There’s nothing like sweaty sex.

Salty kisses, the slick sliding of body parts, and wet hair spraying droplets of water onto your lover are among the many sensations that make sweaty sex raw and uninhibited.

On a summer’s evening, in a sweltering bedroom . . . the wetter, the better!

Couples hit every inch of their bed. No position goes untried. No sheet goes unsoaked. In creating sweaty, summer sex sessions, couples forgo air conditioning and make their own rainforest in no time.

— People quit hibernating.

Many lovers hole up in winter, eating more, exercising less, and are pathetically lazier. This sluggish state can affect one's sex life, making for less action. The “let there be light” of summer takes on whole new meaning in shaking off the winter blues. As lovers soak up the sun, their spirits are lifted and their energy levels swell. They are moving more, eating lighter meals – and feeling better about their physiques. Lovers find themselves in a completely different state of mind, with sex on the brain.

— Rest and relaxation.

Couples tend to go on vacation during the summer, reaping the benefits of a romantic destination. Submerged in a new environment, they thrive off a sense of adventure that emboldens their sexual ventures. With vacation lending itself to better moods, lovers find themselves experiencing increased sexual desire and response.

Being away from their laptops and cell phones further boosts a couple's summer "sexperiences." Far from office and home demands, couples feel more relaxed. The effects of simply loosening up make for more amazing intimacy, and many couples experience a boost in the quality and quantity of sex. They also appreciate the fact that they're focusing on nothing more than their relationship and each other.

— Becoming one with nature.

Summer means hiking for a lot of couples, which invites plenty of opportunities for outdoor sex. Deep in the woods and feeling one with the Earth, lovers can shed their inhibitions and go for an animalistic shag.

— Bare, smooth skin.

With bikini season comes increased nether region maintenance. Lovers step up their grooming, shaving, plucking and waxing on a more regular basis. This invites more sensations, which can have people bearing even less.

— Skinny dipping.

Summer's red hot couple can't resist an inviting body of water. A cool dip doesn't snuff out the action, however. Between weightlessness, new maneuvers, and getting wet, couples adore water sex. Just don't forget to come up for air!

— Sex on the beach.

Whether on a private beach or tucked under a big beach towel, couples like to get fresh on the seashore. Those with exhibitionistic tendencies seem to enjoy such sex even more. The risk and danger of getting caught produces dopamine, which stimulates sexual excitement. No matter what, it doesn't hurt to have a beach umbrella handy.

Just remember, no matter what the time of year, sex, like any other exercise, can result in overheating if you exert yourself for a long period of time in a hot, humid space. If you long to make love in such an environment, avoid dehydration, by drinking plenty of fluids. Taking out-of-control action to a cool shower can help keep your motor running at a comfortable temperature as well.

www.pomega5.com

Treat your high heels pain with a touch of POMEGA5 ultra natural skin care

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

Could high heels affect your health?
High heels are dangerous to your health

Try the Omega 5 oil solution

www.pomega5.com

You like high heels.

When you are wearing high heels your legs are beautiful. You probably think high heels are the height of elegance. You should know that high heels can affect your health. Wearing high heels is your choice, but you should at least be aware of the problems related to high heals.

Women have four times as many foot problems as men. Wearing high heels is a major reason for this. Physical problems associated with high heels include foot pain, foot deformities, a change in back posture, knee osteoarthritis and balance impairment. Orthopedists think that high heels can contribute to the development of a variety of conditions like arthritis, chronic knee pain, sprained ankles and back problems.

High heels can also result in a variety of foot problems. High heels could be the cause of knee osteoarthritis, a painful, degenerative joint disease. The knee osteoarthritis is characterized by the breakdown of the cartilage surrounding the knee. You could have ankle sprains and breaks from rolling over on high-heeled shoes. If you wear high heels you probably had this kind of problem. You should also know that high heels are pumps with heels of more than two inches.
High heels and Osteoarthritis

Wide heels increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knee as much as, or more than, spindly-heeled stilettos. High heels increase knee joint pressure, this is repetitive stress to the knee elevates the risk for osteoarthritis.

When you wear shoes with high heel it is long term effect to your knee, ankles and feet. The exact cause of osteoarthritis is unknown. Risk factors for osteoarthritis include injuries, age, congenital predisposition and obesity. Walking on high heels puts abnormal stress on both the front and the back of the knee. The health of the cartilage that in the knee is dependent on the fluid in the knee. It absorbs the nutrients it needs from this liquid to repair itself. If you wear high heels stress on the knee restricts the absorption of the fluid, and the cartilage begins to dry out and shred.

High heels and foot problems

Feet are designed to provide you with balance and strength as you walk or run over many different types of terrain. High-heels could change the shape of your feet and may eventually prevent them from functioning properly. Foot problem related to high heels is metatarsalgia, which is pain in the ball of the foot.

If the joints of your feet don’t work properly because of the strain of wearing high heels, other areas of your body are forced to compensate and suffer extra wear and tear. The Morton's neuroma, which is 10 times more common in women than men, is caused by a thickening of tissue around a nerve between the third and fourth toes. The Morton's neuroma, could develop as response to irritation and excessive pressure such as the weight burden high heels place on the ball of the foot. Treatments of the Morton's neuroma include orthotics, cortisone injections and in some cases, surgery. If you wear very high heels, you should know that can cause the calf muscles and Achilles tendons to become permanently shortened.

You should know that other tendons and connective tissues can also become permanently disfigured. If you only wear high heels whole area could be reshaped for high heel wear only, even to the exact measurement of one pair of heels. If the skin on the bottom of your feet gets hard, you should treat it. It can become very painful. You should know that shin splints can happen when very high heels are worn. When the anterior tibial muscletears away from the bone can cause pain when the muscle is used. If your shin splints you should have gentle stretching exercises, such as swimming. Sometimes wearing shoe inserts to support the foot could help. You should consult your doctor about shoe inserts.

High heels and falls

High heels impaired balance in both the younger and older women when the brain received dissimilar information from the eyes and the senses in the legs. When older women wear high heels might be at greater risk for falls. Being overweight means extra stress for your feet, not to mention the joints of your legs and spine. If you overweight and you are wearing high heels that are extra stress for your feet, joints and ankles. Toppling over on very high heels can cause a broken ankle, wrist fractures and worse condition.

High heel and headaches

Wearing high heels on a regular basis can cause toe pain, mid foot pain, heel pain, ankle pain, knee pain, hip pain, lower back pain, mid back pain, upper back pain, and headaches. When you wearing high heels that cause unnecessary stress on your ankles, knees, pelvis, and potentially throughout your entire spine. The compensatory changes that result from wearing heels can cause the muscles behind your neck to be stiff, putting pressure on nerves that can result in chronic headaches.

High heels and deep vein thrombosis

Standing for long periods of time in high heels can cause deep vein thrombosis. You should know that standing even in low heels carries this risk. Deep vein thrombosis is condition in which blood clots form in deep veins, mainly in the legs.

Some good tips for you

You should never wear high heels all day long. When you are shopping shoes do it in the afternoon or evening. Feet because of accumulation are little bigger in the afternoon. Your shoes need to be comfortably for you. You should try shoes on both of your feet, because sometimes one foot may be larger than the other. Measure shoes while you are standing.

Making sure the shoe fits properly is essential. Flat shoes are not the ideal for foot and leg health. Low heels are best for you. The healthiest shoes for women are those with fairly wide heels that are no more than a half or three-quarters of an inch in height. You should know that pain and other foot problems are less likely to occur if high heels are worn as infrequently as possible and are replaced by sneakers or flats as much as possible. Wearing extremely high heels can damage the feet, especially if the toes are pointed, or the shoes are too tight. Damage can sometimes be so extreme that the sufferer can never wear any high heel ever again. Starting with lower heels and practicing for short lengths of time, gradually building up the height and time will help to prevent shin splints.

You should warm up the muscles before each wearing of high heels. The calf muscles should be stretched and exercised on a regular basis. Before putting heels you should run on the spot for a few minutes to warm up your muscles. After wearing your high heels for an extended period you should stand with your legs apart barefoot on the floor. Keeping your legs straight, bend at the hips and try to touch your toes. You should have warm-up and cool-down exercises every time you wear high heels. If you feel any pain in your ankles or feet while wearing your high heels, take them off immediately. Sometimes is best to not wear high heels at all.

www.pomega5.com

POMEGA5 salutes Germany for taking the number 1 slot as the greenest country, soon to be on the Omega 5 oil map

2008-06-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

Germany greenest country in the world

LONDON: Germany has been named the world's

greenest country in a global energy report.

Just a few days ago, the German government had passed a new round of environmental laws as part of its efforts to meet its ambitious carbon dioxide reduction targets. According to the report by British Petroleum, while the global energy consumption, driven by China, America and India, rose by 2.4 per cent in 2007, Germany managed to slash its use by 5.6 per cent as against 2006. "Issues such as energy security, energy trade and alternative energies are at the forefront of the worldwide political agenda.

Continued weakness in oil supply and increasing demand highlights the challenges we all face in maintaining secure energy supplies," BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph . According to the report, Germany, apart from making one of the world's biggest cuts in nuclear energy last year, slashed its oil and gas use as well. Only the consumption of coal increased.

While passing new environmental laws recently, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had described them as "crucial for climate protection". She had said that they would help the country reduce its 1990 level of emissions by 40 per cent come 2020. The laws, which target high polluting lorries and make energy saving designs compulsory for homes built after 2009, are expected to allow Germany to shave 35 per cent off 1990 emissions.

Germany greenest country in the world

LONDON: Germany has been named the world's greenest country in a global energy report.

Just a few days ago, the German government had passed a new round of environmental laws as part of its efforts to meet its ambitious carbon dioxide reduction targets. According to the report by British Petroleum, while the global energy consumption, driven by China, America and India, rose by 2.4 per cent in 2007, Germany managed to slash its use by 5.6 per cent as against 2006. "Issues such as energy security, energy trade and alternative energies are at the forefront of the worldwide political agenda.

Continued weakness in oil supply and increasing demand highlights the challenges we all face in maintaining secure energy supplies," BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph . According to the report, Germany, apart from making one of the world's biggest cuts in nuclear energy last year, slashed its oil and gas use as well. Only the consumption of coal increased.

While passing new environmental laws recently, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had described them as "crucial for climate protection". She had said that they would help the country reduce its 1990 level of emissions by 40 per cent come 2020. The laws, which target high polluting lorries and make energy saving designs compulsory for homes built after 2009, are expected to allow Germany to shave 35 per cent off 1990 emissions.

We adore ultra green POMEGA5 products

www.pomega5.com

LOHAS leans towards sustainable green technologies such as POMEGA5

2008-06-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

Understanding the Consumer Who is Driving Green Trends

Use of the term “sustainable” has been increasing in the business world - especially in tourism. By definition, “to sustain” means to give support or relief. “Sustainable” businesses function to maintain or improve the present and future quality of people’s lives. Companies continue to realize that consumers are spending their money consciously, considering more than just the material goods they take home from the store.Consumers are beginning to realize that when they support sustainable businesses such as POMEGA LLC, their dollars can impact social and environmental concerns.

This group of influential and leading-edge thinkers, representing LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability), seeks out companies that share their health, social and environmental interests and priorities.In the United States, LOHAS consumers make up a $200+ billion (and growing) marketplace for goods and services. LOHAS consumers are also commonly referred to as “Cultural Creatives,” a term coined in 1996 by Paul Ray, a sociologist, and Sherry Anderson, a psychologist, who conducted a study of American values and identified this emerging societal group.

Ray and Anderson determined that Cultural Creatives value health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living. This group represents approximately 40 million people.This LOHAS marketplace is expected to grow to $425 billion in three years and $845 billion by 2015, according to research conducted by the Natural Marketing Institute.

Travelers’ Expectations are ChangingWhy is this important? Because it is no longer about just operating your lodging facility as you once did before. You are now being judged by a group of people who want to maintain their healthy, green lifestyle while traveling. They want to stay at environmentally friendly facilities and ones that recognize the connection between green and health.

Ones that offer healthier eating options, serve organic and/or local cuisine, use environmentally friendly cleaning products and talk about what they are doing to conserve natural resources.Times have definitely changed. This consumer group, comprised of the key influencers of the green and health trends, knows that it is important to conserve natural resources.

They are demanding that businesses do their part and become good environmental stewards.They are the most critical and demanding consumers, yet the most brand loyal. Willing to not only support your inn, hotel or lodge, but convince their friends and family to stay there as well.

They’ll also spend 20 percent more than your average traveler for facilities that meet their values and lifestyle. To them, the company and brand are inseparable.American (and international) lodging facilities are beginning to recognize the importance of making decisions that consider their economic, environmental and social impact in order to capture the LOHAS audience. Although sustainable businesses represent only a small percentage of the national business community, this percentage is a fast-growing segment of the national marketplace.Consumers Pushing for Stronger StandardsAs many as eight states had green certification programs in 2007; today, 12 states have certification programs in place.

There are also certification programs available through organizations such as Sustainable Travel International. The American Hotel & Lodging Assn. is also working on a national certification program. Do you think this is by chance? No. It is in large part because of the demand from the leaders within the LOHAS category pushing toward higher, greener standards.

Do you realize that LOHAS consumers in the citizen action groups pushed Wal-Mart to become more environmentally friendly? The leaders are very involved and pushing for change to create a healthier lifestyle and environment for themselves and for future generations.Do you have to be certified as green to acquire these LOHAS travelers? Do you have to be this “perfect” green facility? No, but you cannot pretend that you are, either.

These are the same consumers who are creating the greenwashing (pretending to be environmentally sound when you are not) lists. In the same respect, the more environmentally friendly, socially responsible and healthier you are as a facility, the easier it will be for these LOHAS consumers to find you. There are many green communities and resources available today to connect LOHAS travelers with LOHAS businesses.

To get and stay ahead as a travel facility, it is important that you recognize the true influencers of the green and health trends. The sooner you acknowledge them and connect your values with theirs, the sooner you’ll succeed in capturing them as your customers.

Colette Chandler is an expert in consumer health and environmental trends and is the president of The Marketing Insider, a marketing and communications consulting firm that teaches companies how to profit from consumer trends and understand the consumers who influence them. Learn about the media training services she offers, including her Walk the Media Tightrope audio program, or the study her firm conducted on attitudes of green and health-conscious consumers at www.marketing-insider.com.

www.pomega5.com

The wonderful world of pomegranates not only excellent super green skin care

2008-06-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

The POM TeaMobile Tour Will Refresh North America This Summer

The 10-market Tour will Sample New Plastic Bottles of POM Tea, the Portable Healthy Beverage of Choice LOS ANGELES, June 26

LOS ANGELES, June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- With a new 16 oz. plastic bottle
that's portable and 100% recyclable, POM Tea will take its message of
antioxidants-on-the-go to the masses this summer with the POM TeaMobile Tour
-- a 10 market sampling trek across North America that runs from June 26
through Labor Day. The POM TeaMobile Tour will offer healthy and refreshing
POM Tea to 300,000 consumers at a variety of summertime events that feature
live DJs, giveaways and an online sweepstakes. POM Tea is an all-natural
blend of POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice, premium, whole-leaf, hand-picked tea
and POMx, the most potent, antioxidant-rich pomegranate extract available.
The tour begins in New York, followed by stops in Boston, Chicago, Orange
County, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver and
Seattle. In each city, the tour will bring refreshing POM Tea to summertime
staples such as music festivals, sporting events, upscale pool parties and
parks. Signature POM Tea cocktails will also be featured at popular
nightspots in each city.

The POM TeaMobile Tour is an environmentally conscious tour equipped with
a fuel-efficient sprinter van, a brigade of four TeaMobile Vespas and a team
of POMbassadors. To help negate the carbon emissions associated with the POM
TeaMobile tour, POM Wonderful has purchased carbon offsets through TerraPass
which funds clean energy projects such as wind farms, resulting in verified
reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Consumers can go to http://www.teamobiletour.com/ to find a detailed list
of events, streaming videos, personal blogs from POMbassadors and a
sweepstakes that asks consumers where POM Tea takes them. To enter the
contest, consumers must upload a picture of them doing their favorite
summertime activity or adventure while enjoying POM Tea. Winners will be
announced in mid-September

http://www.pomega5.com/

Can a Boob Job help your sex life?

2008-06-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

When was the last time that you got dressed and instantly felt like you could stop traffic? Are you frustrated with your upper statistic, and long to feel shapely and confident, both dressed and undressed? You are not alone. A recent study stated that 93% of women in America are dissatisfied with their breasts. After all, breasts are a major attribute that is at the heart of our femininity, and therefore important to how attractive and sexy we feel, not only to the opposite sex, but to ourselves.

Every day, thousands of women are changing their lives in a very positive way and having a Breast Augmentation, Breast Uplift or even a Breast Reduction.The reasons that so many women take this step are usually one of the following:

1. So many are like me - a 40 something mother who has lovingly raised her children, and given all of herself to it - but rather too much! Pregnancy and breastfeeding can have a devastating effect on your breasts.

2. Also, like myself, you may have lost weight, and we all know that the first place that excess weight goes to or comes off from, are your breasts. The result can cause your confidence to sag!
3. Maybe you have never been well endowed (or are over endowed if seeking a reduction) and want to do something about it once and for all.

4. Sadly, many women need reconstructive breast surgery due to illness (mostly cancer) or genetic malformity.Whatever the reason, women who do make the decision to go ahead with surgery, experience a more positive outlook on life after the operation. Feeling attractive and feminine and sexy is healthy for people. When you feel that way, that’s a great energy!

However, making the decision to have the surgery that can be so life changing is not an easy one. It took me several months of researching the subject, mostly on the internet which is full of Breast Surgery sites, but nearly always sites that are promoting a particular surgeon, so are usually biased.

It was by talking to so many friends both before and after my “Boob Job” that I realised what was missing. As women, we need to talk, talk and talk to each other, and what better time to do it than when we have a reason that is important to us, and we need to seek reassurance and advice? Most women are good at giving reassurance, it is in our makeup. However, how many women do you know that have had a “Boob Job” that you feel close and confident enough to ask for the advice you need?

Well, I am a real woman like yourself, and I can tell you that the affects are truly amazing:1. A tremendous boost to your confidence and self esteem.

2. The ability to wear clothes you have only admired on others, who have the shape and the cleavage to show it off. This can now be you!

3. Admiration from others, and I do not just mean the (inevitable!) looks from men, but from other women as you will go up in their estimation for being “brave”.

4. You will start to feel SO sexy and feminine and attractive to the man in your life, which will more than likely sky-rocket your sex life!

Make no mistake about it, having a Boob Job will sky-rocket your confidence off the scale, and will give your life such a boost, and not just to your bust!

http://www.pomega5.com/

Ban on Hydrogenated oil will not affect POMEGA5's pomegranates seed oil products

2008-06-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

Restaurant Ban on Hydrogenated Oils Is A Good First Step

Los Angeles recently instituted a program where restaurants could voluntarily ban hydrogenated oils from their menus and receive a "trans fat free" designation from the city, after being subject to a series of unannounced inspections which turn up no offending fats on the premises. This follows a similar move in New York City, where hydrogenated oils were banned outright from restaurants in 2006, and Calgary which followed suit this year.This is a great first step, and I'm glad to see these cities are taking the incentive to care for the health of their citizens. The ban of hydrogenated oils, the primary source of trans fats, which are what make up the majority of margarines, vegetable shortenings and restaurant fryer oils, is a great place to start. But the ban also reveals how little people still know about harmful fats and how we are exposed to them.

Another major source of harmful fats which is not being addressed by the ban and which the media has yet to pick up on, is using polyunsaturated oils for cooking. Polyunsaturated oils, otherwise known as omega-3 and omega-6 fats or the Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), are delicate fats which can easily go rancid or oxidize without proper care.

These EFAs are ones we need to get from our diets as our bodies cannot make them from other fats and yet need them for many vital processes. While they are essential to our survival and have many beneficial effects, polyunsaturated fats can become harmful trans fats, or oxidize to become more susceptible to free radical formation, when exposed to excessive heat, light or oxygen.

You read that right - the heating of most vegetable oils, as in cooking, converts them into harmful fats. So all these restaurants that are switching from hydrogenated oils to vegetable based oils are trading a bad oil for a slightly-not-as-bad-but-still-far-from-perfect oil. I know this is a somewhat complicated topic, so I've broken it down into a quick reference guide for you to use when cooking at home.

1. Avoid anything that has "partially hydrogenated", "hydrogenated" or "shortening" in the ingredients list. Even if it says "trans fat free", it still can contain up to 0.5 grams of trans fats per serving (a lot of trans fats when you consider the fact (this is based on a famous nurses study out of Harvard) just one gram of trans fat, the equivalent of 2 servings of "trans fat free" products, is likely to increase the risk of heart disease by 20 percent if consumed on a regular basis).

2. Supplementing EFAs is a good idea, but only supplement omega-3 fats, most often found in the form of fish oil or flax seed oil. Supplementing omega-6 is unnecessary as many nutritionists feel most people are already getting too much of these fats in their diets.

3. For cold food applications like salad dressings it's OK to use polyunsaturated oils (omega-3 and 6) that have been cold pressed, kept in a dark container and refrigerated. These are the fats that stay in their liquid forms when refrigerated - flax oil, corn oil, safflower, sunflower, avocado or walnut oils, for example. Note that sunflower, safflower, corn, soybean and cottonseed oils are all high in omega-6, however, so moderation is recommended.

4. For cold applications or light cooking and sauteeing you can use monounsaturated oils (omega-9). These are the oils that become a little sludgey or congealed in the fridge and need to be warmed to room temperature before they become pourable. The major one here is oleic acid found in olive oil, peanut oil, sesame oil and high-oleic versions of oils like sunflower or safflower.

5. For frying, cooking, baking and other high-heat applications, you should be using saturated fat. These are the fats that are semi-solid (although often spreadable) at room temperature. They include coconut oil, palm kernel oil, butter, lard and ghee. Note that it is saturated fats which are most often replaced by hydrogenated oils as hydrogenated oils mimic the valued properties of saturated fats (solid at room temperature, high flash point, long shelf-life).

I know these guidelines go against a lot of what we've been told over the last few decades. Although the polyunsaturated like corn oil and most other vegetable oils have been marketed as cooking oils sold in clear plastic bottles for decades, they can quickly become harmful when exposed to heat, light and oxygen. And you'd be hard pressed to find a person on the street who didn't believe saturated fat consumption leads to heart disease, even though they are the most stable and therefore least likely to become harmful when used for cooking.

What we're not told is that as oils become more saturated they become more stable meaning they can be exposed to more heat, light and oxygen without becoming trans fats. Thus olive oil, which is more saturated than, say, sunflower oil (it contains mostly omega-9 fats), can be left out of the fridge and can withstand light cooking without oxidizing, but is still preferably kept in a dark bottle. The recent work of many nutritionists, doctors and researchers is bringing to light the fact that our blame for heart disease and atherosclerosis on saturated fats has been misplaced and that trans fats and the misuse of polyunsaturated fats have been the culprits all along.

Although recent work showing the health benefits of coconut oil are leading the way toward a better understanding of fats, I think we're still a long way from healthy fat consumption North America. The banning of hydrogenated oils in a growing number of North American cities is a step in the right direction, and we can only hope that more Canadian cities will begin to follow Calgary's lead. But until a true understanding of fat and it's proper uses versus detrimental applications is learned and applied by society at large, our ailing population will continue to find no relief.

www.pomega5.com

Listen to your wife -- she craves POMEGA5 products

2008-06-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

Listen to Your Wife

Do you listen to what your wife is saying? You listen to your boss when he is rambling on, don’t you? You listen to your naïve buddies tell you all kinds of things that don’t really matter in life, don’t you? Well then, why aren’t you listening to your wife? Start really hearing what she has to say and be supportive of her feelings and opinions. That means, opening up your ears and being perceptive to your wife’s needs.

Appreciate Your Wife

When was the last time you told your wife how much you really appreciate her and all the things she does? A woman puts out a lot more energy into the home and family affairs than the husband does. Sometimes she may feel as if she is the only one doing anything around the house and this is when she starts getting bossy and naggy with you.

I encourage you husband’s to start appreciating your wife for all that she does for you and the family. Marriage can be such a beautiful relationship when you show your love with wisdom. Stop just for a moment, and mediate on the beautiful woman you married. Be thankful that God gave her to you. Realize how blessed you are to have this woman as your wife and know that she is your right arm and sometimes your left arm too. Make your wife feel good about who she is and all that she does.

Please Your Wife Sexually

There is a difference between having sex and making love. Sex is a one sided selfish act that is mostly enjoyed by the husband. Women need a bit more pampering and nurturing in the bedroom. I mean, what does a woman get out of five minutes of copulation? Okay, so it takes a little bit more time to please your wife and you’re tired, so make love in the afternoon or early morning. You do have options. Love your wife with wisdom and start pleasing the woman you married.

Be More Helpful

Be more helpful by “asking” your wife if there is anything she needs you to do around the house, in the kitchen, or in the yard. For instance, she isn’t the only one who eats dinner you know. Maybe she would like some help chopping up vegetables, setting the table, or loading the dishwasher. She probably has mowed your yard for you, so give back in return and do some extra things for her around the house. She will be pleased that you did.

If you want a feminine, humble and kind wife, then don’t try and control her to be what you want her to be. She needs to be her own person. What you can do though, is control yourself to behave a certain way that makes your wife want to submit to your loving influence. Be a good example and she will want to surrender her love to that example. Love your wife with wisdom.

Be the Man of the House

Be her man and she’ll want to be your woman. Did you know that your wife becomes bossy and domineering because you are not listening to her? She feels unloved and unneeded by you when you take her for granted instead of appreciating all that she does for you and the family? A woman needs to be valued by her husband. This gives her more love to give to you.

If you want a humble and kind wife then don’t behave as if you are better than her. Share your feelings with your wife and get close with her. Don’t be afraid to let down your guard once in awhile. If you have emotions that are not getting met, talk to your wife about it. A wife wants to be there for her husband but if you don’t let your wife in, how can she help?

If you want a feminine, humble and kind wife, then don’t try and control her to be what you want her to be. She needs to be her own person. What you can do though, is control yourself to behave a certain way that makes your wife want to submit to your loving influence. Be a good example and she will want to surrender her love to that example. Love your wife with wisdom.

www.pomega5.com

How to enhance your breast cleanage?

2008-06-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

Do you wish to enhance your breast cleavage?

It’s easy to use make-up to create the illusion of bigger boobs with a plunging neckline, but do it subtly.

To create the illusion of having more cleavage, simply apply and blend a little dark colored bronzer to the area between your breasts where the cleavage is supposed to be.

If you don’t have any bronzer handy, try applying a little white powder on the top halves of your breasts first, then apply a dark eye shadow colour between them…. blend well.

Think about flattering necklines to make the most of what you’ve got. Contour seaming, halter necks and cross-your-heart necklines all enhance a small bosom.

A bustier or corset top is guaranteed to create a cleavage where none exists, but make sure you don’t overcompensate by choosing one that’s too tight.

Don’t ruin everything by wearing an ill-fitting dress that you can’t fill out. There’s no shame in wearing silicone inserts - and they make your clothes look a hundred times better.

www.pomega5.com

Web 2.0 functionality to support green technology

2008-06-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

Web 2.0 scores success in the enterprise

Paul Krill

June 19, 2008 (InfoWorld) Incorporating Web 2.0 social networking concepts into enterprises offers great benefits but also challenges, said implementers of these technologies such as Best Buy, Serena Software and Oracle during an industry event Tuesday evening in Silicon Valley.
Social networking in corporate environments, also referred to as Enterprise 2.0, increases collaboration and idea-sharing among employees as well as customers and can even lower employee turnover, panelists said at a Churchill Club presentation entitled "From 'Dilbert' to Dude: Succeeding with Web 2.0 Within the Enterprise," given in Santa Clara, Calif.

But implementers should also be concerned with risks such as legal issues that could arise and what to do if inappropriate material gets posted on a social networking site, according to the panel.

Best Buy Co. has set up a social networking site for employees called Blueshirtnation.com, which has attracted 20,000 users, said Steve Bendt, Best Buy senior manager for social technology. Workers can participate in activities such as using audio files or blogging.

The impact has been "pretty huge," enabling the company to listen to and better understand employees, he said. Barriers are being broken down.
"It was about giving up control right away," Bendt said. "Now, they have the means to connect with people they've never met before," such as a store in Las Vegas talking to a store in North Carolina.

Employees can put ideas on the site and get funding for them anywhere in the company. The site does not challenge the hierarchy but complements it, Bendt said.

Turnover appears to have been affected as well as employee morale. The overall turnover rate at the company is 60%, while turnover of people using the site is just 8% to 12%. The site itself has not required a lot of investment and uses open-source software. Currently, the site is restricted to employees only, and customers are not able to access it.

Serena Software Inc. has taken a different approach to social networking, conducting its collaboration on Facebook. While seeking a better way for communication than the company's intranet, the company pondered rebuilding it but instead looked toward "millennials," twentysomething people and how they communicate, said Rene Bonvanie, a senior vice president at the Redwood City, Calif.-based company.

Serena officials made Facebook the new corporate intranet, resulting in improved communications. Employees speak with one another and with customers more openly, and customers know where to find representatives and technologists.

"Through Facebook, they can find where people are," Bonvanie said.
To acclimate employees to Facebook, Serena brought in people familiar with the site -- 16-year-olds -- to enlighten Serena employees in the 40-to-45-year-old age bracket.
"We started out with this phenomenon called Facebook Fridays," which is when the 16-year-olds would instruct Serena employees.

The project is paid for by using funds no longer needed for other software. "I funded it by no longer paying Microsoft for their stuff," said Bonvanie. Facebook itself is free, he noted.
Oracle Corp. built a social networking site that features rich profile support, integration with the company's Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory system, and the ability to make contacts with people, said Paul Pedrazzi, vice president for strategy and innovation at Oracle.

An hour after launching the site, there were 270 people using it. "The next morning when I came in, we had about 8,000 people on the site," he noted.

Participants are from around a globe, and Russia is a heavy user, he said. "It was kind of fascinating to see that go," said Pedrazzi.

Now, about 10,000 people use the site per week. The network is about the social fabric of the company and applying it to information, he said. Users can share information such as news articles, PowerPoint presentations and budgets.

Avenue A/Razorfish has added a wiki built on the Wikipedia platform, said Shiv Singh, vice president for social media and global strategic initiatives at the Seattle-based company.
"The question was, 'How can we create a tool that would encourage people to share and feel safe doing so?'" Singh said. The wiki is viewed as a marketplace of ideas, with people contributing and getting something in return, he said.

For example, users can find an interesting article, bookmark it using del.icio.us tags and have it appear in the wiki. "That alone was the single most popular feature," Singh said.
Companies must recognize and reward collaboration, which is a challenge because many educational systems are set up to reward individualism, said Singh. "Companies need to rethink how they motivate and how they reward. It needs to be based on teams and collaboration," he said.

Through the wiki, people begin to view others as experts on particular subjects.
Like Best Buy, the Avenue A/Razorfish wiki is currently only for internal use.
Approaches to security and privacy also were shared at the presentation. Serena took the opposite approach from firewalls, which have everything placed behind a firewall with some data trickling out to the public just to protect 3% of a company's information, Bonvanie said. "We said everything goes on Facebook and a few things don't," he said.

To guard employees' private data, they are not forced to participate, and they are given guidance about posting of information, according to Bonvanie.
Avenue A/Razorfish recognized that vandalism that could happen on the wiki, but found that individuals who are professional in the office will conduct themselves in the same way on the wiki, Singh said.

Oracle acknowledged the potential legal issues. Enterprises have to be open to the concerns of the legal and human resources departments, Pedrazzi said.
"In Enterprise 2.0, people can get sued," Pedrazzi said. For example, a person might be pictured wearing a religious headdress on the site and then could claim denial of a job because of that headdress, he said.
Best Buy said it has had to take down only three posts out of 30,000 to 50,000.

http://www.pomega5.com/

Taking care of your skin

Healthy skin is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle - and vice versa. For good skin care, start developing healthy habits that protect your skin from the outside and the inside.
Drink plenty of water to keep your skin hydrated.
Eat well-balanced meals.
Protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun.
Practice an effective skin care regimen.

To take care of your skin effectively, you need to identify your skin type. When choosing how to cleanse and treat your skin, remember that what works for someone else will not necessarily work for you. Based on the characteristics of your skin, skin types can be grouped into one of the following:

Dry skin: Often feels uncomfortably tight and rough. For this particular skin type, avoid cleansing with hot water and using soaps and alcohol-based products. Cleansing creams or cloths will help infuse moisture into the skin without stripping away natural surface oils. It is important to moisturize your face with lotions or creams to keep your skin hydrated and looking its best!

Oily skin: Skin may appear shiny with dilated pores and is prone to blackheads and pimples. Use a mild cleanser twice a day. If acne breakouts are a problem, talk to your dermatologist to help you select a medicated face wash best suited for your skin. Don't make the mistake of over-scrubbing acne-prone skin - it will worsen the problem. After cleansing, follow up with an astringent to remove the excess oil. Moisturize with a light oil-free product specifically formulated for oily skin types. Avoid using any type of oil-based cosmetics on your skin, as they may clog pores and promote pimples and blackheads.

Combination skin: People with combination skin have areas that are dry and areas that are oily. The nose, forehead, and chin tend to be the oily zones. There are many products on the market that can be applied to both areas of your face.

Normal skin: People with "normal" skin have a pinkish, glowing complexion with hard-to-see pores. This type of skin maintains a balance between dryness and oiliness. As this skin presents no particular problems, its water/oil balance does not need adjustment - just ongoing maintenance. Therefore, the use of a skin care product that helps the skin keep its water balance is recommended.

People with sensitive skin should always use beauty aids that are mild like Pomega5.

Always test the product on a small area on your arm to see how your skin reacts before using it on your face. Don't assume that a "natural source" product doesn't contain ingredients that can irritate your skin. Try cleansing with gentle, milky, water-soluble lotions and tepid water. Avoid face-cleansing gels or soaps that contain drying alcohol, preservatives, or strong-acting acid, since these ingredients can irritate the skin. Do not use exfoliating scrubs or astringents on sensitive skin, because they can cause inflammation.

A confession of a well endowed POMEGA user

2008-06-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

I’ve always been pretty well-endowed in the chest area, not that I enjoyed it all the time. I played basketball in high school, and let me tell you running around with two 34Cs is no picnic, and neither is getting elbowed in the chesticles when going in for a layup. I used to have to wear two sports bras to cushion the frequent blows and keep the two in place.

That was before I was pregnant, and if I thought C’s were bad, imagine how I feel now. On a recent trip to purchase more suitable support, the sales girl told me I was lucky to have such big boobs and a smallish frame. I smiled, I would by lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the compliment. Then she asked me if they were real. I must’ve given her a look, because she immediately took it back and apologized. I assured her that I was okay, and told her they were real, products of genetics and pregnancy. Apparently she had been so enthralled with my bosoms that she hadn’t noticed my expanding uterus. She congratulated me and then proceeded to tell me about her plans to get implants.

This girl must’ve appreciated the commission I was giving her, so much so she decided to give me her life story in exchange. She told me about how she’d always wanted them done, and she’d had the chance before. Apparently her parents offered to get them for her when she graduated high school, but she decided to get her nose done first. Now they wouldn’t pay for them because they were paying her college tuition, so she decided to get a job to save up for them herself “I almost have enough now, but I’m debating about whether to get Cs or Ds” she told me. Now, this girl was tiny, and her current breast size was no bigger than your average teenage boy. I couldn’t imagine her small frame with boobs as big a mine, or maybe I was concentrating too hard on not looking at her nose, but before I could stop myself, I asked “Aren’t you afraid of having back problems?” I was surprised that she hadn’t been asked this before, and she obviously hadn’t consulted with a plastic surgeon yet, no doctor in his right mind would put D’s on a girl this small. ”Why, do you?” she asked. I told her that yes, I did, big knockers didn’t come without some sacrifice.

While I paid for my items (one of which was the first DD I’ve ever bought) we talked a little more about it. We both spoke about the things we wished we could wear, but couldn’t quite pull off. Then she looked at me like I was a crazy person when I told her I would consider a reduction of they were any bigger. As I left, I told her to go with the Cs if anything, and I looked at her like she was a crazy person when she told me that maybe she would get her chin done first. I’ve never really considered plastic surgery before, but I guess she had considered it enough for the both of us.

www.pomega5.com

The traits of sexual orientation

2008-06-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

Finding common biological traits -- things like hair growth patterns, penis size, family makeup -- might one day shed light on the origins of sexual orientation.

By Regina Nuzzo, Special to The Times June 16, 2008

Last month, Sen. John McCain dropped by “Saturday Night Live,” drawing laughs from his promise, if elected president, to fight expensive federal projects -- such as, he spoofed, a Department of Defense device to "jam gaydar."That was a joke. But some scientists are, in a way, working on gaydar, the supposed ability to discern whether a person is homosexual by reading subtle cues from their appearance. Just don't refer to it that way.

The preferred term is "sexual orientation correlates."These scientists are searching for innate traits that might not appear to be related to sexual orientation or even to standard clichés. So measuring a subject's shoe size is permissible; asking about ownership of Barbra Streisand albums would be cheating. Some inborn traits might be expected if homosexuality is -- as most scientists believe -- rooted in biology, and they might provide clues about the biological origins of sexual orientation.Finding and solidifying these links isn't easy.

Studies contradict each other, and some promising paths don't pan out. (A link between male homosexuality and finger lengths isn't holding up, and a claim that gays have distinctive fingerprint ridge patterns is largely discredited.) Scientists don't always agree on how to interpret the results, and more progress has been made with regard to men than to women.* Big brothers. Study after study -- including one of 87,000 British men published last year -- has found that gay men have more older brothers than straight men do.

Only big brothers count. Lesbians don't show such patterns.The numbers: Each older brother will increase a man's chances of being gay by 33%, says Ray Blanchard of the University of Toronto, an expert on the "big-brother effect." That's not as dramatic as it might sound. A man's chance of being gay is pretty low to begin with -- perhaps as low as 2% (lowered from 10% by researchers in the early 1990s). So having one older brother ups the chance to only about 2.6%.What it might mean: Psychological influences are probably not at work, because the pattern holds even for gay men who weren’t raised with their older brothers.

Instead, the mother's womb might be key. After giving birth to a boy, her immune system might create antibodies to foreign, male proteins in her bloodstream. Subsequent sons in the womb could be exposed to these "anti-boy" antibodies, which might affect sexual development in the brain.Accordingly, you'd expect the percentage of gay men in a society to vary depending on demographic differences in family size: One study calculated that a one-child-per-family law would reduce male homosexuality by about 29% from current levels.* Left hand vs. right hand. The hand you use to sign your name might have something to do with what gender you are drawn to.

The numbers: More lefties -- or at least more somewhat-ambidextrous folks -- crop up in the gay population than among straight people, several studies have shown. An analysis of more than 23,000 men and women from North America and Europe in 2000 found that being non-right-handed seems to increase a man's chances of being gay by about 34%, and a woman's by about 90%.

What it might mean: One guess is that different-than-normal levels of testosterone in the womb -- widely theorized to play a role in determining eventual sexual orientation -- could nudge a fetus toward brain organization that favors left-handedness as well as same-sex attraction.Another theory is that development of a fetus might be disturbed by factors such as a mother's illness, steering the fetus into being less than strictly right-handed -- and, in some cases, less than strictly heterosexual.It's a politically sticky idea, says Qazi Rahman of Queen Mary-University of London. "It's essentially saying that homosexual preference . . . is some kind of biological error," he says. (It might tick off the left-handed folks too.)

* Hair whorl. How does your hair grow? This might reflect your sexual orientation.The numbers: A 2004 study of nearly 500 men -- 272 on Delaware's Rehoboth Beach, popular with gay men, 200 on a beach without that reputation -- found that hair on the heads of men on the gay beach was 3.5 times more likely to grow in a counterclockwise direction. (Scalp hair typically resembles a clockwise-rotating typhoon.)

What it might mean: One theory is that a single gene might influence hair-whorl direction, left-right brain organization and, somehow, sexual orientation. Exactly how it would do all this, however, is anyone's guess.The study, although intriguing, suffers from a lack of scientific rigor. The author walked around while on vacation, collecting hair-whorl observations on men from a discreet distance. He didn't know anyone's sexual orientation for sure, and didn't objectively examine any scalps up close. Rahman's group is attempting to replicate the results in the lab.

* Penis size. If exposure to testosterone in the womb influences sexual orientation, scientists reckon that straight and gay people would differ in body parts strongly affected by testosterone, such as the penis.The numbers: Anthony Bogaert of Brock University in Ontario and his colleagues re-analyzed data on 5,000 gay and straight men from sexologist Alfred Kinsey's famous files, collected from the 1930s to the 1960s. The results, published in 1999, showed that gay men had longer, thicker penises than did straight men: on average, about 6.5 inches long and 4.95 inches around when erect, versus 6.1 inches long and 4.8 inches around for straight men.What it might mean: Scientists don't really know. One guess is that gay men could have been exposed to an odd mix of hormones in the womb.

Testosterone levels might peak early, causing enhanced penis growth, then drop off later in pregnancy -- leading to some feminine characteristics.There's one catch: Kinsey asked his subjects to measure themselves at home and mail a postcard recording their dimensions. It is within the realm of imagination that not every man reported the perfect truth. If everyone lied, the essence of the results wouldn't change.

It's a problem only if gay men were more factually creative than straight men.Bogaert says that all the measures -- length and circumference, erect and flaccid -- seem to plausibly line up, which probably wouldn't be the case if the men had tacked on a vanity half-inch or so. Also, a smaller, 1960s study (in which a physician did the measuring) backs up the findings. As to whether gay or straight men are more likely to exaggerate about penis size, "It would be an interesting master's thesis project," Bogaert muses.However, the next frontier in this kind of research seems to lie elsewhere -- with subtle differences in how gay and straight brains navigate new cities, respond to erotic movies and react to the scent of sweat and urine.

www.pomega5.com

Why must men rate their sexual performance?

2008-06-12T00:02:00.001-07:00

Ladies, this one is for the man in your life:

Gentlemen, how would you rate your sexual performance?

Well if you’re like a lot of guys, you could have a problem in the bedroom!

One of the biggest fears guys have is about not being able to perform well with a woman. They think that their woman will be turned-off and will want to find another lover. This means that improving sexual performance is an important topic to learn.

Here are three quick ways you can do it:

1 Reduce your anxiety

Nervousness and being anxious is a huge obstacle to having great sex. When you display this behaviour, you’re killing ANY chance of making things fun and light-hearted. In addition, it’s known that anxiousness has a direct correlation towards erectile dysfunction.

This means you MUST learn how to overcome any anxiety you’re feeling in the bedroom.
Unfortunately being anxious is a vicious circle. The more you worrying your performance, the worse you’ll do.

The best way to eliminate anxiety is to not worry about doing well. Just enjoy the encounter and don’t worry about being “great in bed”. You’ll discover that it’s quite easy to improve your sexual performance.

2 Follow a regular exercise schedule

According to a number of health experts; you can improve your sexual performance by adhering to a regular exercise schedule. When you’re exercising at least 3-4 times a week, you’ll find a dramatic increase to you levels of sexual desire, which will ultimately lead to an improvement in the bedroom.

Another benefit of regular exercise is it activates the blood flow to the sympathetic nervous system and encourages more blood flow to your genital region. When this happens, any dysfunction of “your equipment” will be quickly reduced.

As you can see, regular exercise can quickly fix most sexual problems.

3 Talk to your doctor

Many men have trouble with their sexual performance due to a psychological or medical malady. So if you’ve tried every bit of advice and you find that you still can’t increase your performance, then you should seek medical advice.

When talking to a doctor, you need to fully explain your condition and work with him or her to discover the underlying causes of your problem. This means working to figure out if you’re suffering from a medical or psychological condition. Then follow any recommendations that your doctor prescribes.

Fixing your sexual problem is the key to having a fun and exciting sexual life. If you make an effort to reduce your anxiety, get more exercise and see a doctor for any prolonged problem, then you’ll discover great sex is still possible.

http://www.pomega5.com/

Yes, we can deliver the best natural skin care

2008-06-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

Women across the world can spend thousands of dollars on facials, skin creams and potions. However, what many people don't realize is that your skin mirrors the health of your body on the inside. If you want to have a beautiful complexion, step one is to nourish your body with a balanced healthy diet. Simple steps like adding antioxidants and Omega-5 fatty acids to your diet, making sure you get enough protein, and cutting down on alcohol, can make a world of difference to the face that looks back at you in the mirror each morning.

Antioxidants

Foods containing Antioxidants combat free radicals and unstable cells that become loose and wreak havoc with your skin and cellular structure. Keeping your diet consistently packed with Antioxidants will prevent damage to your cells and keep them healthy. Specifically look for Vitamins A, C and E and beta carotene.Antioxidants are found in tea, nuts, beans, cereals, fruits and vegetables. There are certain foods that are particularly rich in these life-saving chemicals. These include berries (blueberry, blackcurrant, cherry), walnuts ,red kidney and pinto beans, artichokes, sunflower seeds, pomegranate and ginger.Green tea is especially high in antioxidants and now proven to reduce UV damage to the skin. Try to incorporate green tea into your daily routine. I like to make a green tea, then mix with pomegranate juice and refrigerate for a refreshing jug of healthiness.

Protein

Eating protein is essential for beautiful skin as it is a building block. We need protein to maintain and regenerate our skin, increase its elasticity and smooth fine lines and wrinkles. A protein deficiency can reduce the elasticity of your skin. An important protein named Collagen plays a key role in cellular structure, giving it its strength and elasticity. Without it, our skin becomes saggy, wrinkled and aged.A hugely important substance for the body, protein is fortunately abundant in most diets. Today's diets are heavy on animal sources and tend to provide all that we need. However it is good to diversify your protein sources between vegetable and animal sources. Protein is found in all animal meat, plus fish and dairy. High sources of vegetarian protein can be found in nuts, seeds, beans, peas, tofu, and soya milk.

Probiotics

Probiotics are live, healthy bacteria. They are found in fermented dairy products such as yogurt and probiotic drinks like Yacult and Activia. Probiotics keep the balance of healthy bacteria in your colon allowing the body to process and utilize nutrients efficiently.Keeping your body well balanced body inside will reward you with a beautiful complexion on the outside. The latest word is that probiotics applied directly to your skin can reduce sun damage and slow the effects of aging. Try a quick mask of plain yogurt before your shower. Its antibacterial and antifungal properties could make a difference to your skin.One source of probiotics, a cultured milk named Kefir, has been in the news recently as a 'superfood'. It contains more probiotics than yogurt, as well as having a healthy dose of calcium. Its a great option for those of you who may be lactose-intolerant, as it contains lactase, the enzyme that you are missing.

Omega-5 Oils

You may have heard of "good fats" and "bad fats" - well Omega 5 fatty acids are the "good fats". In additiona, there are the Omega 3 oil which strengthen the cell membrane and enable the healthy passage of nutrients and waste products through your skin. They also influences the skin's ability to hold water.

The best natural sources include walnuts, canola oil and flax seed. Other great sources of this metabolism-boosting acid can be found in flaxseed and flaxseed oil, canola oil, hemp seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, salmon, mackerel and herring. You should also be able to find Omega-3 supplements in your local health food store. Flaxseed oil is popular and its tasty on salads, in soups, or in smoothies.

Water

Water is a natural body cleanser and can do wonders for your complexion, but it is also an important element in keeping your skin young and beautiful. Be one of the few people to drink the recommended 8 glasses of water per day and you will notice your skin looking rejuvenated and younger. Carry a bottle around with you or always have one in your car. Keep a bottle on your desk.When your skin dries out it becomes less elastic and more prone to wrinkles. It also makes it more susceptible to damage from the sun or from smoke. All this means that it is extremely important to keep your skin hydrated all the time, so that it can protect itself against the world. Juice, soups, and smoothies are other great ways to keep up with your water intake.

Alcohol

We all know that alcohol can dehydrate your skin, leaving it red or blotchy both during drinking and in the morning. But drinking also has longer term effects on your skin. Drinking alcohol tends to permanently enlarge the blood vessels near the skin's surface, causing itchiness, uneven tone and red spots. If you've ever seen the skin of a long-term alcoholic, you'll recognise exactly this redness. Some Final TipsFoods to be be wary of are those that are high in fat and sugar. All junk food, processed foods, and food containing preservatives are destructive to your skin. Avoid yo-yo dieting as well. Gaining weight and losing weight can contribute to loose skin and wrinkling. Try to eat a consistent well balanced diet if you want to maintain taut skin. Last but not even close to being the least important measure on maintaining beautiful skin is this.. Don't suntan and if you do make sure you diligently wear sunscreen and be sure to wear a hat!

Alcohol

www.pomega5.com

Working mothers use POMEGA5 products

2008-06-04T07:35:00.001-07:00

A POMEGA5 BASKET

If you're a mom who not only has beautiful children but also a job you love, plenty of people have probably said you "have it all."

Seventeen percent of mothers say they've missed three or more big events in their children's life in the last year.

While you have been able to start a family and a successful career, you know all too well that having it all also means having the pressures of the workplace piled on top of the demands of parenthood -- and that's not an easy act to balance.

CareerBuilder.com's annual Mother's Day survey finds that working mothers are eager to trade the office for family time if only it were financially feasible.

Forty-three percent of working moms are willing to take a pay cut if it allows them to spend more time with their children.

Of those willing to take the pay cut, 34 percent are willing to give up ten percent or more of their salaries. Fifty-one percent of moms who live in households with more than one income would leave their job if their family could live off of their spouse's or significant other's income.

Not enough hours in the day

Finding the time to do their job and still be involved parents is a daily struggle for today's working mothers. Late nights in the office can mean missing a family dinner, a teacher conference or baby's first words.

Seventeen percent of surveyed mothers have missed three or more significant events in their children's life in the last year. In fact, 34 percent of mothers admit to spending less than three hours each day with their children.

One common way mothers attempt to balance their workload and their families is to bring work home with them, which can help advance their careers but also damage their personal relationships.

One key problem with bringing home work is that it means you might be in the same room as your children, but your mind is still at the office. Yet sixteen percent of working moms bring work home at least three days a week, while one in five brings it home every workday. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 24 percent of mothers cited work as having a negative impact on their relationships with their children.

How to make it work

Although raising children while holding a job outside of the home will always be a challenge, here are some steps you can take ease the pressure of being a working mom.

1. Incorporate telecommuting into your workday. Many companies allow their employees to work from home one or more days per week, which is an easy way for you to spend more time in the morning and afternoon with your children rather than in standstill traffic.

Check with your human resources department and employee manual to see if telecommuting is an option. Of course, to telecommute you should be self-disciplined and able to get your work done even though the boss isn't leaning over your shoulder.

2. Use one calendar for all appointments. If you have a conference scheduled for Monday morning, you're not going to be late to work. If your daughter has a soccer game Wednesday night, will you have the same determination to be there on time?

Putting all of your appointments -- whether they involve the office or the family -- on one calendar makes it easier to avoid schedule conflicts and missing personal appointments. You'll also be able to notice if you're spending more time on work than on family with a quick glance at the calendar.

3. Make your family a priority. Although your family is the most important thing in your life, you might forget to show it. Devote your weekends and any free weekday evenings to family activities. Even if you can't plan a mid-week activity, make a quick phone call to your children to see how their school day went.

4. Take it easy. Work can become so hectic that you forget that you actually do like your job and the people around you. Leave some free time to relax and regroup between meetings so you don't stay in a constant state of stress.

You'll be able to appreciate what you do and whom you work with. Also, keep evenings and weekends free of projects so you can rest and be completely recharged when you head back to the office.

5. Let others do their share. Make sure you're letting the people around you take on some responsibility. You might be tempted to do everything yourself, but you'll only stress yourself out. If you're a manager, delegating responsibility will ease your workload and allow your staff to develop their skills.

http://www.pomega5.com/

Another reported acquisition in the green industry, the market is hot!

2008-06-02T23:46:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cordova, Smart & Williams, LLC (“CSW”) and the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group (“Goldman Sachs”) today announced the acquisition of H2O Plus, LLC (“H2O Plus”), a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of prestige, branded, water-based natural skincare products for the face and body. H2O Plus is being acquired from its founder, Cindy Melk, who will remain involved in the business as Chief Creative Officer. CSW and Goldman Sachs will share joint ownership of H2O Plus; details of the acquisition were not disclosed. Through the acquisition, CSW and Goldman Sachs will seek to maximize H2O Plus’ potential for growth both domestically and internationally.

Founded in 1989, H2O Plus is a pioneer of natural, water-based skin care. H2O Plus infuses each of its products with nourishing ingredients from the sea and state-of-the art technology to deliver optimal hydration, protection and rejuvenation for the skin. Currently, the company offers more than 160 products within its beauty collection of skincare, spa, and bath products in 18 countries throughout the world.

The product line’s growth has been impressive both domestically and internationally. Distribution points have increased by 300% in the U.S. and 200% internationally over the last 2 years demonstrating the success of H2O Plus as a truly global brand with significant further potential in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Today the company is one of the leading prestigious and luxury skincare brands in China. “H2O Plus is delighted about the new alliance of CSW and Goldman Sachs, which brings a rich history of successful management and business insight to our company,” said Bob Seidl, President and Chief Executive Officer of H2O Plus.

“This new team will ensure continued growth of the brand on the global front in our competitive industry.” Michael Smart, Managing Partner at CSW said, “H2O Plus presented a unique opportunity to invest in a well positioned fast growing brand name company in the natural and organic personal care products sector. “We believe that aligning our capital and resources with H2O Plus’ talented management team will position the company for future growth on a global basis.”

“Our attraction to this investment has been on the strength of the H2O Plus brand, combined with the growth in the market for natural products such as the sea-based formulations that are at the core of the company’s products,” remarked Kevin Jordan, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs in the Urban Investment Group. “We’re focused on continuing to build this brand globally, and see enormous potential in front of us.”

About H2O Plus, LLC: H2O Plus, LLC is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of prestige, branded, water-based skincare products for the face and body. The company markets an expansive portfolio of 500 proprietary, company-owned formulations based on the principle of establishing clean, natural alternatives to the pore-clogging products pervasive in the personal care products market. Through its unique ingredient concept, H2O combines “water plus” natural sea-derived nutrients and state-of–the-art technology to improve and maintain healthy and youthful-looking skin. For more information on H2O Plus, please visit http://www.h2oplus.com/.

About Cordova, Smart & Williams, LLC: Cordova, Smart & Williams, LLC, is a New York based private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and growth capital financings for middle market companies in the general industrial and consumer products sectors. For more information on Cordova, Smart & Williams, LLC, please visit http://www.cswprivateequity.com/.

About Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group: The Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group is part of the Merchant Banking Division within The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS), that invests growth capital in ethnic minority-owned or targeted businesses and urban real estate. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is a leading, global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. The firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco and Los Angeles. To learn more about the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group, please visit www.gs.com/uig.

http://www.pomega5.com/

Good things happen when you think of POMEGA5 and of sex -- can you tell why?

2008-05-28T00:45:00.001-07:00

Anothe user of POMEGA5 products

Your sexual energy is the energy of life. You are a sexual being created from sexual energy. If you are not comfortable experiencing pleasurable sexual sensations, you are strangling your energy channels. That is why your desires have difficulty manifesting.

The more you experience those exotic erotic feelings within you, the more your body’s energy will open up and allow you to naturally experience higher levels of health, creativity, productivity, freedom, abundance, happiness and enjoyment in life. Allow yourself to experience yourself as an alive sensual and sexual being all day long.

Let the sensual and sexual energy flow throughout your entire body. By letting yourself explore these sensual and sexual feelings anytime they arise, in any circumstance of situation, you gain the ultimate sense of freedom. Sexual freedom is a state of permission, which has been insanely suppressed all around the world. When you are sensually alive, there is an enjoyable exploration of your entire body.

Sexual freedom is what we all want, every person wants to be sexually liberated. It is to be the sensual and sexual being that you are. It is to look into members of the opposite sex with the message that you could greatly please them sexually, to show them that you could cause them to have great feelings of enjoyment, excitement and satisfaction. When others can feel there’s so much to gain by being with you through the sensual and fun loving nature you project, they will be irresistibly drawn to you.

To freely express yourself as a sensual and sexual being communicates complete self acceptance and self love. When you can accept yourself completely and love yourself freely, that is when you can accept others for who they are and be truly loving to them without fear, insecurity and weakness. By accepting and expressing yourself as a sexual being with sexual desire, you are able to accept others as sexual beings and give them permission to express themselves sexually and freely.

Everyone is a sexual being with sexual desire but not everyone is authentic about it. People are more attracted to those who express their sexual nature freely because they are just being themselves without masks and hidden agenda. They are open about who they are and what they desire. They communicate that they are real and desirable. That is why we are more drawn to trusting and liking them then those who do not express their sexual nature by hiding it under a mask of propriety.

Those who are unable or unwillingly to express themselves as sensual and sexual beings are insecure about themselves, do not fully accept who they are and even dislike certain things about themselves. They have certain fears in showing who they are to others, and they have certain judgments in the way they perceive the world.

The same judgments and lack of acceptance about themselves are what they have towards others as well, that is why we tend to find them less attractive to be with. Sexually expressed people are more attractive, because we find that they are able to experience pleasure with us more easily, and that is exactly what we want because even the littlest thing can cause the greatest arousal and deepest satisfaction in them which will reflect back to us in the way we feel as well. They are also more able to enjoy themselves to a greater extent with us in the things and activities that are exciting, fun and desirable.

They make every experience much more enjoyable. We want to be with such people because their energy will take our own to much higher levels of aliveness, joy and freedom of expression. Their energy causes our own to be liberated as well. We want to be liberated more than anything else.

To become freely expressed as the total sensual and sexual being that we are. When we allow ourselves to shine, we cause others to shine as well. Freely expressing ourselves as sensual and sexual beings opens up others to doing the same with themselves. When you are sexually expressed, you feel free and alive. You feel you can be, do and have anything you desire. You feel that you can just be who you are and they way you want to be without resistance, without holding back, without fear of rejection or disapproval. You do not have a care in the world, you just think that everyone would like you the way you are, you just dare to show whatever part of you that you desire to express in front of people. You are free to just be all that you are, the total you.

Your body’s six senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing and intuitive perception function more effectively when you are sexually alive. The more you allow yourself the freedom to feel life through your senses, the more connected you become with the universe and the more profound your manifesting powers will be. When you allow yourself to relax and feel your sexual alive energy inside, you’re letting more life pour through you.

When you allow yourself to relax and feel your sexual alive energy inside, you’re letting more life pour through you. You will create more health, wealth and joy in your life and others.

Show your sensual and sexual self in the way you walk, in the way you talk, in the way you sing, in the way you dance, in the way you look at others, and the way you do everything else in life. You will feel much happier and much more attractive towards the things, people and events that you desire in life.

Good things will just flow to you easily and freely because your manifesting vibration is at a high level due to the absence of resistance in expressing your true self and sense of being as a free spirit.

Shelley Longstrom and Omega 5 oil inducement

www.pomega5.com

Teens and sex -- new trends

2008-05-20T23:20:00.000-07:00

Researchers Find Teens Who Abstain From Intercourse Also Likely to Say No to Oral Sex

Researchers say teenagers are not using oral sex as means of preserving their virginity, the Washingtonpost.com reports.

A federal survey of more than 2,200 males and females aged 15 to 19, found that teens who described themselves as virgins were less likely to say they had tried oral sex than those who said they were not virgins.

More than half of the teens included in the survey, which was released Monday, said they'd had oral sex.

"There's a popular perception that teens are engaging in serial oral sex as a strategy to avoid vaginal intercourse," Rachel Jones of the Guttmacher Institute, a private, nonprofit research organization based in New York, who helped do the study, told the Washingtonpost.com. "Our research suggests that's a misperception."

Sexually experienced teens were almost four times more likely to engage in oral sex and 20 times more likely to engage in anal sex than their peers who were self-described virgins, the research found.

Previous studies, based on small samples or anecdotal evidence, had suggested that oral sex was gaining popularity with teens as an alternative to intercourse, the Web site reported.

The new study was based on a nationally representative sample of 1,150 females and 1,121 males aged 15 to 19 who were questioned in detail for the federal government's 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, the report said.

www.pomega5.com

Green technology special offer -- Happy Mother's Day 2008

2008-05-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

"The U.S. financial system is in a mess. The global marketplace is in the same disarray ... What the hell is going on? Can we get out of this mess, and how? And will our children be living in caves?"

New Yorker staff writer Nick Paumgarten posed those distressingly pertinent questions to Michael Novogratz, president of the Fortress Investment Group and the 317th-richest person in America, yesterday at the New Yorker Stories From the Near Future conference.

Much to the relief of everybody who doesn't want to spend their retirement fending off water bandits, Novogratz was optimistic. Our current economic woes, he said, are analogous to the dot-com bubble burst.

The internet's turn-of-the-millennium troubles were solved by the rise of second-generation web services. Globalization 1.0, as Novogratz called it, stalled after an initial purchasing power burst among the developing world's newly-arrived middle classes, but will be saved by globalization 2.0. All will be well.

There's only one catch: We need another wealth-generating economic bubble. And that, said Novogratz, must come -- can only come -- from new energy sources and green technology such as Omega 5 oil.

"As the price of oil goes up, there's got to be a green revolution. I think of what will be the next driver of the American economy, and it's green energy. That's a huge growth opportunity. It's not about the pollution. It's about the energy. Gas will go to $10 a gallon," he said.

I tracked Novogratz down after his speech. He was surrounded by a cluster of $2,000-a-head conference attendees wondering what will happen to the U.S. dollar and what to invest in. (The answer to their first concern was over my head -- but as for the latter, Novogratz is excited about the Brazilian economy.) Curious about his distinction between economic self-interest and the effects of pollution, I asked for his take on the economic impacts of climate change.

He seemed quite sanguine. It's a wild card, he said, but probably won't have an impact within the next ten years. "In 30, 40, 50 years, maybe you get an event that scares people. But unless you get an out-of-the-box event that you can tie into climate change," he continued, it wasn't going to be an economic factor.

Now, there's a reason why Novogratz is a full-blown member of the plutocracy and I'm a science journalist -- but that said, this seemed a bit cavalier to me. He's betting that worst-case scenarios won't come true, and even the short-term possibilities are scary. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned in their last report [.pdf] that even small increases in global temperature could cause water shortages for hundreds of millions of people, crop-threatening droughts, increased flood and storm damage, localized "negative impacts" on subsistence farmers and fishers, and potentially troubling disease shifts.

(Or, to think of it another way, the current food crisis is taking place without an actual food shortage. Add a season of widespread droughts or floods to the mix, and things get bad. Quickly.)
That's just the short term. The long-term is much scarier -- and part of the reason why wealthy people are so wealthy is the ability to think several decades into the future. Seeing green technology in terms of maximizing profits rather than reducing greenhouse gas pollution creates a false dichotomy: pollution and profits are intertwined -- if not now, then certainly in the future. And the future may arrive sooner than expected.

www.pomega5.com

Venture capital seeking green technologies such as Omega 5 oil

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

There are some eye-watering sums of cash being flung around world of green tech at the moment but every time Greenbang thinks she’s heard the most number of zeroes she’s ever going to hear attached to the words ‘clean tech’ and ‘venture capital’ someone likes to roll out a couple more for good measure. Greenbang hasn’t seen this many zeroes since the opening rounds of X Factor.

Today’s ‘my investment is so big it looks like a freephone telephone number’ winner is Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, who’ve just taken the wraps off a new fund, the KPCB XIII, which will see them spanking $700 million over three months “backing entrepreneurs and innovation in greentech, information technology and life sciences ventures”.

And if that wasn’t enough, it’s also raided the piggybank for another $500 million for its Green Growth Fund, which will “help speed mass market adoption of solutions to the world’s climate crisis”.

The KPCB XIII will focus its efforts on “early stage entrepreneurs” and the Green Growth Fund will look to companies that are already getting their swerve on and will give its company-building nous to those companies that it takes under its wing.

http://www.pomega5.com/

The outlook for QVC

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

By Laura Petrecca, USA TODAY

Fashion designer Chloe Dao easily plays to the QVC studio cameras, making it seem as if hawking clothes on live TV at 1 a.m. is as natural to her as stitching a hem.

In a yellow blouse with polka dots, she chats with QVC host Jacque Gonzales about her Simply. Chloe Dao line to get the phones to light up with buyers.

"I love your clothing," Gonzales coos, calling pieces "too cute" and "adorable." Dao, a winning designer on reality TV show Project Runway, caresses a tunic top: "It is 100% silk. Luscious silk. Dreamy silk."

The banter may be casual, but behind the scenes in the shopping network's studios, the pace is anything but. Models in an off-set changing room hastily switch in and out of Dao's fashions. Nearby, a QVC crew lays out necklaces and earrings for the "designer jewelry gallery" show coming up at 2 a.m.

One level above the stage, a line producer scans screens that constantly update call volume and sales figures. He directs camera angles for product-enhancing shots, while feeding dialog tips into Dao's and Gonzales' earpieces.

After 22 years in business, QVC has made an art of hawking everything from computers to crab cakes. Many of its TV segments — live, 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas — are as successful with direct sales as Dao's.

But looking ahead, QVC must figure out how to keep the business healthy as the media and retail landscapes undergo seismic shifts. It needs to remain "relevant" (in marketing speak) to consumers while enticing a new generation of shoppers and battling a perception that direct-response TV retailers sell just hokey, flimsy or kitschy goods.

Among efforts so far, QVC has added more brand names to its product mix, upgraded its website to reflect its increasing importance to overall sales and launched its first national multimedia ad campaign.

The initiatives come as QVC copes with a slower economy. Revenue rose 5% in 2007 to $7.4 billion, vs. 2006. The average yearly growth from 2001 through 2006 was 12.3%.
Consumers are "being more cautious with their dollar," says CEO Michael George. "We are by no means immune."

Increasing challenges faced by West Chester, Pa.-based QVC:

•More competition for cautious shoppers. Rivals on every front — stores, other direct sellers and e-tailers — are scrapping for every dollar. "It's more competitive than ever," says Dan Butler, merchandising vice president at the National Retail Federation.
Rival shopping network HSN, for instance, also just upgraded its companion website and is ramping up its advertising.

•More choices for TV viewers. QVC keeps its prime channel location — with about 80% of its programming on channels 35 or lower — by paying cable operators a percentage of net sales, as well as extra fees. But new services, such as video on demand and TV shows streamed via the Web, could dilute the value of that real estate.

In the past, the location meant channel browsers could "bump into" a product they liked on air, says Fred Siegel, who was QVC senior vice president of marketing from 1993-98 and and is now involved in ventures such as TV production and home security. With video-on-demand, "They don't just surf around," he says. "They'll say, 'What's on HBO on-demand that I haven't seen?' "
•Home-shopping image. QVC reaches 93 million U.S. households, but only about 10% have bought from the network. One snag: Many people still view TV-based home shopping as lowbrow — even though QVC sells brand-name goods, sophisticated electronics and fashions from couture designers.

As QVC put it in its September 2007 employee newsletter: "The home shopping stigma is alive and well."

Leading QVC into its future are relatively new managers: George became CEO of the Liberty Media-owned network in 2006. Chief marketing officer Jeff Charney also joined that year. Claire Watts, former executive vice president of merchandising at Wal-Mart Stores, became the U.S. commerce president on May 1.
Despite challenges, QVC has in its favor fiercely loyal customers. They typically have a deep affinity for the brand, says Jeffrey Rayport, author of Best Face Forward, a book on customer service.

QVC devotees readily call into the live segments to offer product testimonials, are up on the personal lives of their favorite program hosts and generally view the channel as entertaining. "As weird as it may sound, for people who love the network, it's good company," Rayport says.
Pretty picky in host selection

QVC works hard to build that loyalty.

It is extremely selective when choosing those chatty hosts. Last year, it screened more than 3,000 applicants and chose three. New hosts are trained for at least six months before getting their own on-air slot.

Meanwhile, vendors, such as designer Dao, must go to "Guest Excellence" class to learn how to best pitch their wares. They are schooled in QVC's "backyard-fence" style, which means conversing with viewers the way they'd chat with a friendly neighbor.

Every product gets a rigorous review before being shown on TV. In selecting the goods, QVC staff "look for a product that is complex enough — or interesting enough — that the host can talk about it on air," Rayport says.

QVC also counsels vendors on how to make products audience-appropriate. For instance, Dao says that she was coached not to show too much skin when creating her line. Designs also have to fit — and flatter — sizes from extra small to 3X. "It's a learning process," says Dao. "But I'm open (to it.) I just want to create great clothes for everyone."

The representatives at QVC's four U.S. call centers, which handled more than 181 million calls last year, also get extensive training on how to keep customers happy.

Yet, QVC has barely tapped its potential: 95% of revenue comes from repeat customers. Of 93 million U.S. homes reached, a core 1.8 million account for 10 or more sales a year. Another 7.3 million buy at least one item a year.

While George wants to bring in new customers, he says his main goal initially is more sales from the customer base.

Rayport says QVC needs to make new buyers a priority, particularly new ones under age 30 to replace aging customers. QVC won't give details on the average age of its mainly female audience, but independent research firm BIGresearch pegs it at 54.

"As your core customer base ages, you need to refresh the franchise," Rayport says. Though, he adds, "how to do that without losing the audience that is sustaining you now — and for the foreseeable future — is a very tough problem."

With that problem in mind, QVC is avoiding wholesale changes to chase new buyers in favor of gradual, well-researched shifts in merchandising and marketing.

"We can't take a walk on the wild side with our customers," says marketing chief Charney.
Among QVC's endeavors:
•Expand and upgrade the product mix. QVC has bulked up on brand names.
Its jewelry selection now has more prestigious brands such as Tacori — which has created rings for stars such as Grey's Anatomy's Ellen Pompeo — and less generic gold and silver.

•Be more entertaining. QVC is getting out of the studio more often to broadcast from remote locations. It has sold hair care products from an upscale Manhattan hair salon, Yankee memorabilia from the team's famed stadium and National Football League merchandise from pro football stadiums.

It's also airing live musical acts. On April 28, American Idol alumnus Clay Aiken performed songs from his new album On My Way Here. That day, QVC received more than 15,000 orders for the $19.38 CD — which also came with a five-track bonus CD/DVD.

LeAnn Rimes, the Goo Goo Dolls and Elton John also have performed.

•Amp up the marketing. Last fall, QVC launched a TV, print and outdoor ad campaign with the theme "iQdoU?"

The company says it's insider lingo for "I shop QVC, do you?" Ads showed such products as computers, cosmetics and cake. They also featured celebrity vendors such as Whoopi Goldberg (who has a bedding line) and Heidi Klum (who has a jewelry line).
The goal is to make QVC and QVC.com destinations for shoppers, says Doug Rose, vice president for merchandising brand development.
What does my friend say?

Even as QVC courts musical stars and spends millions on ads, one of its biggest sales drivers remains word-of-mouth recommendations, says Rose.

That's how Kathy Sklar became a customer. The Bethesda, Md.-resident didn't think she'd be "remotely interested" in QVC's wares until a friend turned her on to the channel.
She's now purchased a camera, kitchen goods, jewelry — even outdoor lights.
Sometimes, she says, she watches QVC and thinks, "I had no idea that I needed this (item) — or that it even existed."
But if something catches her eye, she doesn't hesitate.
"I've come to believe in QVC," she says, "I'll say, 'What the heck, I'll try it.' "

http://www.pomega5.com/

POMEGA5 is a development stage company

2008-05-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

CPAs who serve as advisors for start-up companies face many challenges. A major responsibility for CPAs is deciding how to value stock issued by development-stage firms. Start-up costs should be capitalized, and these costs should not be amortized for more than 40 years. Accountants should use Generally Accepted Accounting Principles when accounting for revenues. Auditors must be careful not to place too high a value on start-up companies. Related-party transactions should be disclosed, and research and development costs should be expensed in the period in which they occurred. Auditors can help improve the quality of financial reports by clarifying the definition of significant revenues and providing information about the organization's development stage and any uncertainties.

Entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in this country. Technological advances have led to the birth of new and exciting industries. With this activity has come the opportunity for CPAs to provide accounting, audit, and management advisory services to start-up ventures. There is also increased risk because a CPA's reports are often used to raise capital, and start-up ventures often have a considerable chance of failure.

In 1975, SFAS 7, "Accounting and Reporting by Development Stage Enterprises," was issued to clarify and standardize reporting practices of development stage companies. Several publications on this topic appeared shortly thereafter. However, the literature has been sparse since then.

THE NATURE OF A DEVELOPMENT STAGE ENTERPRISE

SFAS 7 defines a development stage enterprise as a company that:

* Devotes substantially all its efforts to establishing a new business and has not begun planned principal operations; or
* Has begun operations, but has not generated significant revenue.
A development stage enterprise devotes most of its efforts to financial planning; raising capital; exploring for natural resources; developing natural resources; research and development; establishing sources of supply; acquiring property, plant, equipment, or other operating assets, such as mineral rights; recruiting and training personnel; developing markets; and starting up production.

A company that is e xpanding or developing a new product line would not qualify as a development stage company because it is not devoting most of its efforts to establishing the business. However, a subsidiary of an established firm could be so considered if it issues separate financial statements. The consolidated financial statements would follow reporting practices of an established enterprise.

Before SFAS 7, many development stage companies capitalized their start-up losses and amortized the cumulative losses against revenues of later periods. SFAS 7 acknowledges that development stage companies are involved in different activities than other enterprises, but requires that they issue the same basic financial statements as an established operating enterprise following GAAP; see Exhibit 1 for additional requirements. SFAS 7 does not change industry standards that are considered GAAP. In certain industries, such as oil and gas, sttart-up costs related to exploration and drilling are capitalized. There is little written in accounting literature on start-up costs, and the FASB has not addressed the issue. One Board member saw the need to dissent on the matter of start-up costs.

Investor and creditor needs are different for a development stage company. While its statements reporting cumulative information give an investor a summary of activity to date, users also need information about future prospects. In addition, while GAAP provide guidance on non-cash asset valuation and reporting of current and potential obligations, these transactions usually are more prevalent, material, and harder for the development stage company to value.

www.pomega5.com

We’ve got nothing but sympathy for Ashley Dupre - after all, who hasn’t performed sexual acts on a high-ranking politician for cash these days?

And if a scandal about you being a massive whore with a slightly gross-looking New York governor isn’t bad enough, the inevitable follow-up story about the way you took your clothes off for a teen-exploiting series of softcore videos is just utterly degrading.

That’s why we’re fully behind Ashley Alexandra’s decision to sue Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis for $10 million because he quickly released a 2003 video of her flashing her breasts in the wake of the scandal as a money-making enterprise. She’s completely correct - if she didn’t chase Joe Francis for cash, then what kind of filthy prostitute would Ashley Dupre be? A shit one, that’s what.

Britain’s Got Talent, American Idol, that rubbishy Graham Norton thing about Oliver Twist - all those contestants are deluding themselves. All they want is fame, and they’re going about it the wrong way. Statistically, the chances of you winning X Factor are minuscule - you stand a much better chance of becoming famous if you fuck a politician for cash, everyone knows that.

Ashley Dupre knows that, anyway. Every since she was uncovered as the prostitute at the centre of the Eliot Spitzer scandal, she’s been everywhere. Her face has been in newspapers constantly, the songs on her MySpace page have been thoroughly analysed - play them backwards and we’re told you hear “$500 for straight sex, or $1,000 to put it up my bumhole” - she’s been approached to appear in porn magazines and even Donald Trump’s got his eye on her.
So if Ashley Dupre plays her cards right, she might become the most successful prostitute since those women who Jack The Ripper stabbed to death. Especially if that $10 million lawsuit against Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis comes off.

You see, back in 2003, Ashley Dupre was filmed by Girls Gone Wild dancing around and flashing her breasts a lot. Nothing wrong with that, you might think - even sleazy overlords of morally-suspect softcore porn empires have to put dinner on their tables - but now Ashley Dupre says that she was filmed when she was just 17. And everyone knows that 17-year-olds don’t know anything about contracts. Especially, as the New York Post reports, when they’re blasted off their minds on booze:

Ashley Alexandra Dupre filed a lawsuit Monday in Miami federal court claiming she never gave “Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis permission to use her name and likeness to advertise the videos. Dupre contends she was 17 and not old enough to sign a contract when the videos were taken in 2003 in Miami Beach. People.com said the lawsuit is for $10 million, and alleges that reps from the nudey video empire plied her with alcohol before getting to flash her breasts when she was only 17.

But who knows what the outcome of this lawsuit will be. Maybe Ashley Dupre will win, maybe the judge will rule in favour of Girls Gone Wild and maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to write an article about something other than underage nudity sometime soon. That way it wouldn’t take as long to scrub the shame from our skin at the end of the day. Some days we think we’ll never get clean.

What does "being green" truly mean in your industry and who ever said that being green also means being cheap?

2008-04-23T17:43:00.001-07:00

Jean Bukshpan adores POMEGA5 products

Beauty is skin-deep, so read the labels

GOING GREEN

When you're shopping for lotions and potions, experts caution that you shouldn't assume a product is "all natural" just because that's what the label says.

Sophie Uliano, author of Gorgeously Green, suggests studying ingredients. Many beauty products have chemical preservatives, strengtheners or sealants, so doing homework is a must, she says.

"Look for something that is 100% made with organic ingredients. Be wary of something that says just made with organic ingredients, or that says pure or natural or botanical," says Uliano, who also cautions against being seduced by natural-looking packaging. "If you see a long list of chemical-sounding names you can't pronounce, put it down and look for something else."

There's plenty to choose from. Origins recently launched a collection of organic face and body products that are 73% to 98% organic and certified under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program. Dr. Hauschka Skin Care is known for using mostly biodynamic and organic ingredients in its line of holistic skin care. And Pangea Organics' products come in biodegradable packaging, with all the ingredients listed and explained online.

Look for products certified as ecologically sound by Ecocert or QAI, two independent bodies.

POMEGA5 is the first and only high-couture line made of Omega 5 oil. It is free of parabens, solicones etc, yet gives youd the feel and look of any high end product line. Price accordingly at $62.

Stela McCarteny

Is famous for never using furs or leathers in her designs. Her luxurious skin-care line is one of the few certified by European accreditation body Ecocert as containing at least 95% ingredients of natural origin, and it's free of petrochemicals and silicones. Care Calming & Soothing elixir by Stella McCartney, $64

Jessica nail polishes

Are free of toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), as are those from Priti Organic Spa, which also has a soy polish remover. DBP, used to make polish flexible and resistant to chipping, is banned by the European Union. Jessica nail polish, $6.50 at jessicacosmetics.com. Priti nail polish, $12.50

John Masters

Is known for his sumptuous line of shampoos and conditioners, but his skin-care collection is equally luscious. All his organic ingredients are independently certified, and his products are free of sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens, petrochemicals and artificial colors and fillers. Pomegranate facial nourishing oil, $30

Josie Maran Cosmetics,

From the Dancing With the Stars performer, are stylish and free of parabens, toxins and fragrance. They are packaged in recyclable aluminum, plastic or paper. Lipstick, $20

Eco-friendly events can leave large, unfriendly footprints

GOING GREEN

Green-meeting consultants suggest these practices for staging low-impact events:

Sign up volunteers to keep trash out of recycle bins.

Use compostable plates, cups and silverware. Example: cups made from corn.

Ban disposable giveaways by requiring exhibitors to stick with recycled and recyclable materials.
Pick contractors who use materials that are not environmentally harmful for staging, carpeting and other areas.

Reduce paper by steering participants to electronic information sources.

Shop locally for food and other items to keep emissions and shipping costs down.

Encourage refillable bottles, perhaps touting a sponsor's logo, and steer attendees to drink refill stations.

Discourage driving by offering admission discounts for those who walk, bike or ride public transit to the event.

Events with green themes are drawing unprecedented crowds — and often leaving crater-sized environmental footprints.

That's the message from concerned activists and consultants who are calling on organizers of everything from green conferences to environmental festivals to green up their own acts. At stake, they say, are more than the copious waste and carbon emissions that public events routinely generate. Lost in waste-intensive events are precious teaching moments and a measure of credibility for environmental initiatives.

"The dialogue is cheapened when environmental events themselves do not showcase some environmental criteria for how they are implemented," says Ron Mader, founder of ecotourism journal Planeta.com. "You're harming the development of a constituency which would support and carry forth (green) ideals."

At issue are the physical components of big gatherings: food waste, drink packaging and giveaway items, to name a few. Advocates for greener events tout the virtues of biodegradable flatware (such as plates made from corn), compost bins and requirements that exhibitors dole out only that which has been or could be recycled.

Plastic forks? Bottled drinks?

But too often, they say, these and other low-impact, affordable options take a back seat — even at events to promote green habits — to such eco-unfriendly conventions as plastic forks, bottled drinks and overflowing garbage cans.

"At most 'green' events that we go to, we're always disappointed and we're always sad because there's so much work to be done in this industry," says Georgia Malki, president of Seven-Star Events, a green events production and consulting firm in Asheville, N.C.

Concerns come as events around the country incorporate the theme of environmental sustainability. The trend includes preparations for the national political conventions. Democratic delegates are encouraged to offset carbon emissions incurred en route to Denver in August. Organizers for the September Republican gathering in Minneapolis-St. Paul are using such eco-friendly procedures as electronic transmission of news releases and booking information.

Another telling sign: The Baltimore Convention and Visitors Bureau is fielding requests from event planners about the city's efforts to go green, according to Chad Chappell, manager of national accounts.

Industry and government have recognized a need to set standards for green meetings. The Convention Industry Council, a trade organization, in December convened a panel to develop benchmarks for the staging of low-impact events.

Then in February, the Environmental Protection Agency began discussions with representatives from the meetings industry to come up with voluntary standards to guide planners as well as EPA officials, since the agency plans to make sure its own events adhere to criteria for sustainability.

Anne Goldfeld attends dozens of environmental fairs and festivals every year in the Scottsdale, Ariz., area as she travels locally to promote reusable grocery bags. Her experience is almost always the same: not enough volunteers to keep trash out of recycling bins; beverages in individual, disposable containers creating heaps of waste; exhibitors handing out foam, plastic or other non-recyclable keepsakes.

"At every (green) event that I've ever been to," Goldfeld says, "somebody is pushing some kind of disposable item or things in plastic packaging. … There are always rules for exhibitors about no alcohol, no firearms — the legal stuff — but I've yet to see one that specifically says 'Only bring earth-friendly materials.' "

A few factors help explain the frequency of not-so-green pitfalls. For starters, experts in putting on events aren't always as gung-ho to go green as are their clients, who often delegate logistical decision-making to a contractor.

Sometimes event contractors resist making changes to their time-tested systems, Malki says, and some worry that greener practices will increase costs. But according to green meeting consultant Amy Spatrisano, steps to reduce footprints often lead to cost savings. Example: By using water refilling stations instead of bottled water, she says, two clients saved $25,000 and $50,000, respectively, at multi-day events for 1,200 and 3,500 people.

Trying to define 'green'

Still, not everyone agrees on what it means for an event to be green enough. "Our industry has no standards" for low-impact events, says Spatrisano, president of Meeting Strategies Worldwide in Portland, Ore., and an advocate for standards. "If we have no standards in our industry, then who's to say what's green and what's not?"

Though room for improvement persists, some events are getting greener. Non-profit Green Festivals, including one held in Seattle earlier this month, are showing how a weekend event for 40,000 people can keep about 98% of its waste out of landfills.

Keeping a footprint small "starts with the design of the event and the contracts for the event, and it goes through to really executing well all of the waste recovery," says Alisa Gravitz, co-producer of Green Festivals, an enterprise to celebrate local green initiatives.

As good practices get tested, innovation is also blossoming. Baltimore, for instance, plans to plant rather than discard flowers that grace the dinner tables of meeting planners when they visit the city.

"With a lot of this stuff that's going on with greening (events), we have the ability to do it," Chappell says. "We just all need to be thinking in that way."

Alva loves Omega 5 oil skin care

http://www.pomega5.com/

POMEGA5 is a leading eco-beauty product line using Omega 5 oil green technology

2008-04-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

Luther Gerson explains the benefits of Omega 5 oil

Eco-minded beauty products that are good for you too

Eco-minded chemical-free products can help you look and feel good.

Cosmetic manufactures are making ecological strides to appeal to customers who want to purchase products from companies with a conscience.

Here's a list of products that can do more than make you good:

All proceeds from Aveda's $10"Light the Way" organic Bulgarian lavender candlego to the Global Greengrants Fund to support grassroots clean water projects around the world. (The company is, year round, known for its regular use of organic and sustainable packaging.) The candle is available through April. Go to Aveda.comor Aveda at South Coast Plaza.

Tweezerman's "Go Green" mini slant tweezers, $10 at drugstore.com, have gone small to save on production costs. Packaging is made from 100 percent recycled paper and printed with soy-based inks. One tree will be planted and $1 will be donated to the Arbor Day Foundation for every purchase.

POMEGA5. It surprised us when we searched for “pomegranate” in our list of archives that we really haven’t done a feature on them yet. We’ve mentioned them as a flavor for lollipops, tea and even a cocktail delight but nothing in specific detail. Maybe it’s because the benefits of pomegranates are so widely known these days that we think you, our dear readers, are educated enough about them. Here’s one thing we bet you didn’t know: because pomegranate seed oil is one of the most powerful immune-support compounds ever discovered in nature, it’s now being used for skin care as well. Pomega5 is the skin care industry’s first complete line of organic pomegranate seed oil nutritional supplements and therapeutic skin care.

By using the highest quality, 100% pure cold-pressed pomegranate seed oil, Pomega5 has created a unique line of products that soothe, moisturize and heal dry, irritated skin which is perfect for us. We tried the Healing Cleansing Bar which is a soap-free cleanser made with olive oil, organic pomegranate seed oil, herbs and essential oils. We liked how clean our skin felt without feeling tight. We followed this with the Healing Cream which was equally soothing. Again, made with 100% organic pomegranate oil, it’s also known for benefits such as restoring and healing in addition to preventing anti-aging. Oh…and did we mention the smell? Yuuummy. The only aspect of Pomega5 to improve upon that this TreeHugger could find was their packaging. The products came in an over-sized box filled with Styrofoam peanuts. But not to worry – we followed the How to Green Your Recycling advice and reused the box and recycled those pesky things. ::Pomega5

Cargo PlantLove lipstick, $20 at Sephora, comes in a tube made from corn that can be composted by placing it inside your green waste bin. The outer packing is embedded with wildflower seeds that sprout colorful blooms when planted.

Physicians Formula Organic ware is the first makeup available in the states that is Ecocert-certified, which means it's rigorously inspected by a European body accredited to guarantee products are at least 95 percent organic. Compacts are made from recycled paper and with 93 percent less plastic than their regularly packaged products. Blush and bronzer compacts are $11.95-$13.95 at drugstore.com.

Kiehl's Superbly Restorative Preparations body lotion and dry oil, $30-$35, is made with organic Moroccan Argan Oil, the first fairly traded ingredient used in any of its products. Women at the Moroccan Targanine Cooperative preserve the Argan forest by planting trees and harvesting Argan nuts. On Earth Day, the first 50 customers to return an empty Kiehl's bottle to the South Coast Plaza store for recycling will receive a canvas Kiehl's tote bag.

Jessica Cosmetics voluntarily removed hazardous chemicals from all of its formula nail polishes four years ago. Formaldehyde, already banned in Sweden and Japan, is classified as a possible carcinogen by the FDA. The polish is also free of toluene and dibutyl phthalate, known as a potential developmental and reproductive toxin. Colors are $6.50 at jessicacosmetics.com.

There's little regulation of beauty and skin care claims on packaging. Since the FDA doesn't police what goes into cosmetics, consumers who are concerned about hazardous ingredients really have to educate themselves. Organic products are no different. Here are common organic certifications.

Yoga magazine covered the POMEGA5 products a couple of months ago

POMEGA5 samples always lead to a purchase of the full size product
100 percent organic: Contains 100 percent organically produced ingredients and carries USDA organic seal.

Organic or certified organic: Minimum 95 percent of content, excluding salt and water, is organic by weight. These products also have USDA organic seal.

Made with organic ingredients: Minimum 70 percent organic content; it can be labeled "made with organic" and list three ingredients. This can't carry organic seal.

Less than 70 percent organic:Can only list the organic products it's made with on ingredient list. This can't carry organic seal.

EcoCert: Process includes a rigorous inspection by European certification body accredited to guarantee products are at least 95 percent organic.

Fans are facinated by the feel of the POMEGA5 products

http://www.pomega5.com/

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Now that you have gotten a man into your bed by using Omega 5 oil products -- what's next? safe and wild sex as you deserve...

2008-04-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

Melinda loves POMEGA5 products

In this picture, Melinda with Harold

More than a Numbers Game

Gone are the days when the most used pick-up line was, “What’s your sign?” With HIV infections continually escalating, “What’s your favorite rubber?” is far more appropriate one-liner used to seduce a new or current lover.

For the 20th year, this past Dec. 1, World AIDS Day tirelessly bombarded us with the latest grave statistics in its efforts to increase HIV awareness and education. The American HIV epidemic appears bigger than ever imagined. The estimated number of AIDS cases in the U.S. is rising, with a new test placing the rate of HIV infection 50 percent higher than previous calculations, for a new whopping estimate of 55,000-60,000 new infections.

Kind of makes you catch your breath when you consider that, for the last decade, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has been reporting a figure of 40,000 new infections each year, and that in 2003, 1 million individuals in the U.S. were living with HIV, with approximately 25 percent unaware of their infection.

It should go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway… When sexually active, be proactive — protect yourself and your partner(s).

While sex can be regarded as a sport, this is one game you don’t want to lose.

Practicing safer sex is more important than ever — and easier than ever. Condom companies have really stepped up to the plate to help you keep things sensational and sexy, while staying healthy. For example, condoms are now available with warming lubricants and vibrating rings to enhance your sexual pleasure.

And when you consider that a condom can help a guy last longer and relieve any problems with premature ejaculation, while providing protection against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, spending a few dollars on your favorite latex or polyurethane smock is not such a bad investment.

The POMEGA5 collection

As better explained in The Hot Guide to Safer Sex, using a condom or dental dam can actually eroticize your efforts in the sack, making for even more orgasmic sex when you consider that protection makes for a more relaxed partner — one who is better able to embrace sexual response instead of worry about anything being transmitted.

Remember, your brain is your biggest sex organ, so make sure you’re using your head in the sack. Protection can make for more passion.

Karen uses Omega 5 oil products

www.pomega5.com

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