Year: 2014

Categories
exercise Health

7-Minute Total Exercise Routine

No matter where you are, get that body fit with this new and wonderful 7-minute workout. It requires no gym equipment whatsoever, therefore no excuses. All you need is in your house already, a chair, a wall and your own body weight.

This routine combines the best 10 exercises to burn calories and stay fit and strong, and you should do each for 30 seconds with a 10 second rest in between in order for the workout to be effective.

Remember to always keep your abdominal muscles contracted in every exercise and in every position as well.

7 minute routine workout

#1 Jumping Jacks
The first step is to stand up straight with your feet together and your arms at your side, then bend your knees slightly and follow this with a jump. In mid-jump, bring your legs out to the side about shoulder width or slightly wider. As you are moving your legs outward, you should raise your arms up over your head to elevate your heart rate.

#2 Wall Sit
Stand approximately 2 feet in front of a wall with your back facing it, and lean against the wall slowly and begin to slide down the wall until your knees are bent at 90 degree angles, as though you are sitting in a chair. Keep this position for a minimum of 20 seconds or a maximum of 60 seconds.

#3 Push-Up
This exercise is great for targeting your pectoral muscles, triceps, and anterior deltoids. Push-ups are performed by pushing your body up and down using your upper body and arm strength. To do a correct push-up, you must raise your body up onto your toes so you are balanced on your hands and toes. It is important to keep your body in a straight line from head to toe without sagging your torso or arching your back.

#4 Abdominal Crunch
Lie on the floor, facing up, with your knees bent, then curl your shoulders towards your pelvis. You can either place your hands beside your neck, resting gently behind your neck, or placed across your chest. To perform a proper crunch, your lower back must remain resting against the floor allowing your hip flexors to rest so all of the attention can be focused on your abdominal muscles.

#5 Step-Up onto Chair
The step-up onto chair routine is super effective for your body. Not only does it work on your abdominal muscles, but it also builds lean muscle mass, boosts your metabolism and aids in weight control – Bonus!
Position a sturdy chair in front of you and stand with your feet about hip-width apart and your arms at your sides. Next, step up onto the seat with one foot and press down while bringing your other foot up next to it. Step back with the leading foot and bring the trailing foot down beside it to finish one complete step-up.

#6 Squat
To perform a proper squat, your feet should be flat on the ground, about shoulder-width apart and point your feet slightly facing outward, rather than straight ahead. Never let your knees extend beyond your toes, as this will increase the likelihood of damage to your knees. Keep your back straight and bend at your knees as if you were going to sit back in a chair, thrust your hips forward and pull in your abs whilst keeping your back only slightly arched. Slowly lower your body so that your legs are almost parallel to the floor.

#7 Triceps Dip On Chair
Sit on the chair with the palms of your hands on the edge, and then slowly slide your buttocks off the seat whilst supporting your weight with your hands. First, straighten your right leg and keep your left leg bent at a 90-degree angle keeping your elbows bent all the time, slowly lower your buttocks towards the floor. Push back up until your arms are straight.

#8 Plank
This exercise is vital for building your core and arm strength.
Lie face down on the floor with your elbows resting on the floor and your arms in a 90-degree position. You then push down on the toes of your feet to extend your feet and push your body so it is off the ground and resting on your elbows and toes. Hold the position for as long as you can.

#9 High Knees Running In Place
Perform a typical running motion while lifting your knees high into the air. Ensure that your legs are at 90-degree angles when being lifted high into the air and point your toes forward in order to maintain the correct form and to really benefit from this simple exercise. This exercise is great for the muscles in your legs and hips, and can even improve your lower body flexibility.

#10 Lunge
Lunges are great for toning a number of different areas of your body, so they are a particularly useful exercise.

To perform a basic lunge, you must first begin by standing up straight with your shoulders back and relaxed and your chin up, step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Maintain the weight in your heels as you then push up to the starting position.

h/t – positivemed

Categories
democrats Domestic Policies Healthcare News Politics Teaparty

The Party’s Been Over

I think I’m just going to assume that the Democrats will lose the Senate in November and prepare myself as I would for any frustrating event I’ve endured over the past few years. That way, if they do eke out a win or tie, then it will be that much sweeter.

There’s been no shortage of discussion about the ramification of a GOP takeover of the Senate, but not much would really change, save for the fact that no judges or executive appointments would be ratified. The Congress would pass some bills that President Obama would veto, and the country would be treated to an intramural fight as the far more conservative House would pass more extreme bills that the less extreme Senate would either ignore or try to temper so that they’re palatable to the larger caucus. In short, how would this term be different from all other terms, save for Obama’s first two years in office?

Which makes former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs’ comment that a Democratic loss would mean that “The party’s over” seem rather quaint. The party’s been over and it doesn’t look like it’s coming back anytime soon. Even if the Republicans take the Senate, they will most likely lose it back to the Democrats in 2016, because the GOP will have to defend a whopping 27 seats and convince the young, the Hispanic and the African-American that they have their best interests at heart. And they’ll have to win the presidency, which at this point doesn’t look like it will ever happen.

The GOP seems to think that young people are in play because they aren’t signing up for health insurance at the rate that the ACA needs in order to function, but recent surveys show that the millennials aren’t attached to either political party, and less so to the Republicans. It is true that many people become more conservative as they gather life experiences such as marriages, children and mortgages, but let’s remember that on social issues, the younger generation is far removed from the right wing scolds who want to decide who gets rights and who doesn’t. And we’ve also seen the effects of less government involvement in, say, North Carolina, that should scare people away from a more libertarian direction.

It hasn’t been a good year for Democrats so far, but nothing that a more robust turnout can’t alter. But the party? Turn out the lights.

Register your comments at www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives and on Twitter @rigrundfest

Categories
News

Pilot of Missing Malaysia Jet Could be The Hijacker

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah

The investigation is looking at the pilot off the missing Malaysia airplane and the political beliefs he held. And the strange move his wife and kids made a day before the Malaysia flight took off.

An image has emerged of the pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet wearing a T-shirt with a ‘Democracy is Dead’ slogan as it has been revealed he could have hijacked the plane in an anti-government protest.

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a father-of-three, was said to be a ‘fanatical’ supporter of the country’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim – jailed for homosexuality just hours before the jet disappeared.

It has also been revealed that the pilot’s wife and three children moved out of the family home the day before the plane went missing.

It comes as FBI investigators say the disappearance of MH370 may have been ‘an act of piracy’ and the possibility that hundreds of passengers are being held at an unknown location has not been ruled out.

Officials also revealed that it is possible the aircraft could have landed and transmitted a satellite signal from the ground. If the plane was intact and had enough electrical power in reserve, it would be able to send out a radar ‘ping’.

Categories
military troops Politics war

John McCain Continues His Call For War – Russia vs The US


If it’s Sunday, John McCain is on a television network somewhere calling for a war somewhere in the world and this Sunday was no exception. On CNN’s Candy Crowley’s The Situation Room, McCain – who is slowly becoming a regular on Crowley’s program – called for the United States to step up our military presence in Ukraine against Russia.

McCain of course would disguise his new military presence in Ukraine as a support group.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on Sunday called for economic sanctions against Russia, arguing that they would be effective since its economy depends on oil and gas exports.

“Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

While McCain said that in the short term Russia has won Crimea, the U.S. can still work to help Ukraine gain that land back in the long term.

McCain said that in addition to sanctions the U.S. needs a long term military plan to help Ukraine, but not one that will lead to American troops in the region. The senator suggested aid to the Ukrainian military so “at least so they can defend themselves.”

Based only on our past track record, sending in military “support” to Ukraine will not de-escalate the situation, but looked upon as a move of aggression by the opposition, in this case Russia. At that point, the obvious will be true. If our military is there and Russia attacks, then we will be bound to protect ourselves and Ukraine, thus, war!

Nice try McCain, nice try.

Categories
Featured Politics Westboro Baptist Church

Westboro Baptist Church Founder is “On The Edge Of Death”

Fred Phelps

The founder of the Wesboro Baptist Church, Fred ‘God Hates Fags’ Phelps is reported to be “on the edge of death.”

The news comes via Nate Phelps, one of Fred’s estranged children, who wrote this in a Facebook post Saturday night:

I’ve learned that my father, Fred Phelps, Sr., pastor of the “God Hates Fags” Westboro Baptist Church, was ex-communicated from the “church” back in August of 2013. He is now on the edge of death at Midland Hospice house in Topeka, Kansas.

I’m not sure how I feel about this. Terribly ironic that his devotion to his god ends this way. Destroyed by the monster he made.

I feel sad for all the hurt he’s caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved. And I’m bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their good-byes.

Categories
Celebrities Music

Jamaican Superstar Vybz Kartel Convicted of Murder

Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel and three associates were convicted Thursday in the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams. Jurors deliberated less than two hours before announcing their verdict, which may result in a life sentence for the popular dancehall musician.

In August 2011, prosecutors argued, Williams was taken to Kartel’s home and beaten to death over two missing guns. Williams’ body has never been recovered, yet the prosecution was able to score a conviction based on voicemail and text messages alongside circumstantial evidence. According to the New York Times, Jamaican police found a text message on Vybz Kartel’s phone that Williams’ body had been chopped to “mincemeat.”

Kartel’s trial lasted 65 days, one of the longest trials in Jamaica’s circuit court system, according to Jamaica Observer. Kartel’s lawyers will appeal the verdict.

In 2013, the singer, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, was acquitted of a separate murder charge stemming from the killing of Jamaican businessman and promoter Barrington “Bossie”’ Burton. Kartel was arrested for murder, conspiracy to murder and illegal possession of a firearm.

Categories
News

Malaysian jet the world’s first CYBER HIJACK? New Theory – Hackers Could Use a Cellphone to Control Planes

A chilling theory suggests the missing Malaysian Airlines plane could have been hijacked using a mobile phone or USB stick.

An anti-terror expert believes the speed, altitude and direction of the aircraft could have been changed, simply by sending radio signals from a small remote device.

A framework of ‘codes’ created by cyber terrorists would also be able to get into the plane’s in-flight entertainment system and override the security software.

Probe: Police in Malaysia have searched the home of pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah (left) and Fariq Abdul Hamid after officials confirmed the plane was taken over by a ‘deliberate act’

It is also believed, once the systems have been successfully hacked, the plane could be landed by remote control.

The theory has emerged as the search for flight MH370 continues to grow, with 25 countries now involved in the rescue effort.

Yesterday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak confirmed the plane’s disappearance was the result of a ‘deliberate act’ and could have flown as far as Kazakstan.

Dr Sally Leivesley, a former Home Office official, said: ‘It might well be the world’s first cyber hijack.’

Dr Sally Leivesley, a former Home Office official, said: ‘It might well be the world’s first cyber hijack’

Dr Leivesley, who now prepares businesses and governments for potential terrorist attacks, told the Sunday Express: ‘There appears to be an element of planning from someone with a very sophisticated systems engineering understanding,’

‘This is a very early version of what I would call a smart plane, a fly-by-wire aircraft controlled by electronic signals.

She added that once the plane is air-side, you can insert a set of commands and codes which can begin a new set of processes.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak confirmed that the plane could have travelled, undetected, for a further seven hours.

Friends of Capt Zaharie Ahmad Shah, whose home was searched by police yesterday, said he was a ‘gadget geek’ while at school.

They described the 53-year-old as someone who would ‘never compromise his passenger’s safety’, the Malaysian Star reported.

A flight simulator, which was taken from his luxury house in a suburb outside Kuala Lumpur, has been dismantled and is being examined by investigators.

Police also searched the home of co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, who lives in the same upmarket district.

A journalist films the home of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid in Shah Alam, near Kuala Lumpur.

Police sources have confirmed that Shah was a vocal political activist – and fear that the court decision left him profoundly upset. It was against this background that, seven hours later, he took control of a Boeing 777-200 bound for Beijing and carrying 238 passengers and crew.

It is not yet clear where the plane was taken, however Mr Razak said the most recent satellite data suggests the plane could have been making for one of two possible flight corridors.

The search, involving 43 ships and 58 aircraft from 15 countries, switched from the South China Sea to the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean.

Satellite data has shown that after losing contact with air traffic controllers, the plane could have kept flying as far north as Kazakhstan in Central Asia or deep into the southern Indian Ocean.

It has left authorities desperate to narrow down a search area now stretching across 11 nations and one of the most remote oceans in the world.

‘The search was already a highly complex, multinational effort. It has now become even more difficult,’ Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said at a news conference Sunday.

‘It is our hope with the new information, parties that can come forward and narrow the search to an area that is more feasible,’ he said, adding that the search effort now includes 25 countries.
“The search area has been significantly expanded.

And the nature of the search has changed. From focusing mainly on shallow seas, we are now looking at large tracts of land, crossing 11 countries, as well as deep and remote oceans,” Hishammuddin said.

Given that the northern route the plane may have taken would take it over countries with busy airspace, most experts say the person in control of the aircraft would more likely have chosen the southern route.

The southern Indian Ocean is the world’s third-deepest and one of the most remote stretches of water in the world, with little radar coverage. The wreckage might take months – or longer – to find, or might never be located.

Malaysia has asked for help from countries in South, Central and Southeast Asia for assistance in tracing the jet by providing satellite and radar data, the government said in a statement. It said that for now, both the northern and southern routes that the plane may have taken were being treated with ‘equal importance.’

Read more: Daily Mail

Categories
Health

5 Foods That Will Make Your Skin Beautiful

Diet is the most important part of a good skin care routine. As the old saying goes, beauty truly does come from within. No matter how much money or effort you sink into expensive facial products, skin will almost always reflect what’s being put into the body. (A few lucky people can eat anything and never get a pimple, but that’s unusual.) 

It’s as much about what you don’t eat as what you do. A diet rich in high-glycemic carbohydrates, such as refined grains and sugar, has been shown to trigger breakouts. By boosting the body’s blood sugar too quickly, the pancreas produces extra insulin to bring those levels down, which also triggers production in the sebaceous glands. These make sebum, a good oil which flushes out dead skin cells and keeps our skin lubricated via pores, but too much of it results in jammed pores, whiteheads, and blackheads. Milk also triggers sebum production, while some vegetable oils (safflower, sesame, corn, sunflower) promote inflammation.

The good news is that you can eat and drink your way to beautiful skin. Incorporate the following foods into your diet as much as possible, while minimizing your intake of the foods mentioned above.

1. Carrots

Remember your parents telling you that eating carrots would give you great eyesight? (It didn’t seem to work for me; I just got carrot-colored hair instead.) It was vitamin A that they were talking about, a powerful antioxidant that comes in the form of beta-carotene in carrots. It helps maintain good vision, teeth, and bones, while ensuring normal skin cell development and firm skin tone.

2. Berries

The goal is to get lots of vitamin C, which is another great antioxidant that will make skin smooth and taut by boosting collagen production. Vitamin C supports the immune system, helps skin to heal properly, and can help you attain that glowing look. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and black currants are particularly rich in vitamin C, and conveniently lower in sugar than many other fruits.

3. Brazil nuts

Only a small handful of Brazil nuts can provide your daily supply of selenium, yet another antioxidant that works alongside vitamins A and C to boost the immune system. A diet rich in selenium can protect against melanoma, sun damage, and age spots. Other good sources are seeds (sunflower, chia, pumpkin), wheat germ, and meat. Many nuts also contain vitamin E, which helps hold in moisture.

4. Parsley

A humble sprig of parsley is surprisingly high in vitamin K, which helps skin to heal itself and promotes elasticity and good skin tone. Also loaded with vitamins A and C, parsley can cleanse the urinary tract and kidneys, while clearing blemishes and reducing redness. Parsley’s volatile oils have antibacterial and anti fungal properties that disinfect pores and prevent acne.

5. Whole grains

Packed with fiber, whole grains are good for reducing the inflammation caused by their overly refined counterparts. They stabilize blood sugar levels and reduce insulin spikes. Whole grains contain zinc, which is repairs skin damage, maintains smoothness and suppleness, and regulates sebum production. The B-vitamin biotin found in whole grains assists skin cells in processing fats, without which skin becomes dry and scaly.

Remember, too, to drink plenty of water to keep your skin hydrated. Herbal and green teas are also good, but keep away from sugary juices and soda.

Read more: http://www.treehugger.com/organic-beauty/5-foods-will-make-your-skin-beautiful.html#ixzz2w5yfHC5Q

Categories
News

Pinkberry Co-Founder Sentenced to 7 Years for Beating Homeless Man

123SEXPAND

On Friday, Young Lee, a co-founder of frozen yogurt company Pinkberry, was sentenced to seven years in state prison for beating a homeless man with a tire iron.

Last November, a jury found Lee guilty of attacking Donald Bolding with a tire iron in June 2011. From the Los Angeles Times:

Bolding flashed a tattoo of a stick-figure couple having sex to the people in Lee’s car, which included his fiancee. Lee drove away, then returned to the East Hollywood street with another man who’d been in the car. He then beat Bolding, who suffered a broken left forearm and several cuts to the head.

After he was convicted, a judge ordered Lee to remain in jail without bail until his sentencing, in part because Lee threatened David Lee (no relation), one of the state’s key witnesses.

“Do you remember the moment when David Lee stood on the witness stand and told us he’d been threatened?” Deputy Dist. Atty. Bobby Zoumberakis asked the jury during closing arguments, according to the Los Angeles Times. “‘I’m going to cut the throat of your mother, your wife, your daughter and you.’ And remember how the air left the room because you could tell how scared David Lee was?”

Young Lee’s seven-year sentence was the maximum allowed.

h/t – gawker

Categories
Featured News

Two Girls “tortured mentally disabled boy, forced him to perform sex acts…”

Lauren Bush, 17, has been charged with assault, child pornography and false imprisonment

Two teenage girls are behind bars following allegations that they carried out a campaign of harassment against a mentally-challenged boy including stabbing him, dragging him by the hair and forcing him to engage in sex acts with an animal.

The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office said 17-year-old Lauren Bush and an unnaned 15-year-old girl – both students at Chopticon High School in Morganza, Maryland – recorded the assaults against the autistic 16-year-old victim on their cell phones.

Footage shows the suspects force the teen to walk on a partially frozen pond, which resulted in him falling through the ice several times.

Each time, police said, the suspects refused to help the boy out of the frigid water.

Sheriff Tim Cameron told ABC7 that the allegations leveled against the girls are among the most disturbing he has dealt with in his career.

He says that several times between December and February, the suspects preyed on the victim – assaulting him with a knife, kicking him in the groin, dragging him by the hair, coercing him to engage in a sex act with an animal, and forcing him to walk on the partially frozen pond.

‘Another video depicts the male on an icy pond being told to continue to walk out further, actually falling in the water several times and pulling himself out,’ said Cameron.

Bush, who lives in a rural part of the county south of Mechanicsville, knew the victim well, according to investigators.

Both girls are students at Chopticon High School in Morganza, Maryland

Police say the girls have admitted to videotaping the incidents, but officials are still trying to figure out why.

‘Who could harbor this ill will to do something so completely heinous?’ said Cameron. ‘I don’t know. It’s hard to fathom, really.’

Both girls have been charged with two counts of 1st degree assault, two counts of 2nd degree assault, soliciting subject in the production of child pornography and false imprisonment.

Bush was charged as an adult. She is being held at the St. Mary’s County Detention Center. The other teen is being detained at the Waxter’s Children’s Center.

Read more: DailyMail

Categories
News

Mom Calls 911 About Drowning Kids, Then Realizes They’re Hers

A Florida woman called 911 last week to report two children who appeared to be drowning in her apartment complex’s pool, only to discover they were her own children.

Last Thursday, Althea Bradford was working in the property manager’s office at Oasis of Springtree apartment complex in Sunrise, Florida when she noticed two small children floating in the pool.

“There’s two dead children in the pool! I just saw bodies!” Bradford said to the 911 dispatcher.

At the time that she made the call, Bradford, who had left her 2-year-old twins, Jada and Henry Roman, with a babysitter while she worked, had no idea they were her children.

The babysitter left the children alone while she went to the bathroom. One of them apparently unlocked the door and they walked to the nearby pool where they drowned.

Jada died at the hospital and Henry remains in critical condition.

Read more from the Daily Mail:

‘It appears that at one point, one of the children apparently manipulated the lock, at which time both exited the apartment and had a clear path from the apartment to the pool area,’ police said.

The toddlers were discovered floating in the water by first responders, who arrived on the scene after getting a 911 call placed by the children’s unsuspecting mother.

…

According to estimates, by the time a police officer and firefighter responded to the call, the two children had been underwater for at least 4 minutes.

Medical professionals consider the 3-minute mark to be the cut-off point after which irreparable brain damage sets in due to lack of oxygen.

According to the Florida Department of Health, the Sunshine State loses more children under the age of five to drowning than any other state each year – enough kids to fill three to four pre-school classrooms.

The gate around the pool had been left open.

h/t – tvone

Categories
Health

New study says Autism may be caused by environmental factors

Toxins in the environment have been revealed in a new study to possibly cause autism.

A team of researchers from the University of Chicago concluded that exposure to toxins such as pesticides while in the womb can lead to a significantly greater risk of developing the disorder.

The findings published this week in the PLOS Computational Biology Journal were culled from health records of over 100 million Americans in an effort to shift research from almost exclusively genetic to include environmental factors.

Harmful: Exposure to environmental toxins while in the womb is believed to contribute to increased incidences of autism, a new study has revealed

Essentially what happens is during pregnancy there are certain sensitive periods where the fetus is very vulnerable to a range of small molecules – from things like plasticizers, prescription drugs, environmental pesticides and other things,’ study author Andrey Rzhetsky told Fox News.

‘Some of these small molecules essentially alter normal development,’ the University of Chicago professor of genetic medicine and human genetics continued. ‘It’s not really well known why, but it’s an experimental observation.’

The defects were especially noticeable in boys’ reproductive systems, Rzhetsky noted.

Rates were compared against those reproductive system defects and the findings were alarming – instances of autism rose 283 per cent against every one per cent rise in outnumbered congenital malformations such as micropenis, Fox News reported, citing the study.

Not just genetic: Airborne toxins such as pesticides are now believed to also cause autism

Other intellectual disabilities increased by 94 per cent for ever one per cent increase in malformations, findings showed.

‘Malformations predict very strongly the rates of autism, and the rate of malformation per person varies significantly across the country,’ Rzhetsky told Fox.

‘Some counties have low rates and some have very high.  And rate of malformations is higher in counties with higher rates of autism.’

Instances were much higher in young males, but females were affected to – just not as highly.

One in 88 children suffers from autism, and diagnoses in boys greatly outnumber those in girls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No clear cause has been established for the disorder.

‘The environment may play a very significant role in autism, and we should be paying more attention to it,’ said Rzhetsky. ‘We should definitely take into account environmental factors.’

Read more: DailyMail

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